What to Consider When Building an In-House Social Media Team

The Social Media Marketing Series is supported by Webtrends Apps, which lets you quickly create and publish Facebook, iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Learn more about it here or keep up with all Webtrends Social products by following its blog. Building any kind of team is a challenge, but pulling together the people who are going to represent your company in the social media arena is a particularly tricky task. What is the ultimate purpose of your social media team? Do you hire experts from outside the company or utilize existing employees? We talked to professionals who have gone through the process — from big global businesses to small companies — to try and find some answers to these questions. Have a read of their advice and let us know any useful experiences you've had in the comments below. 1. Before you consider the question of who, you need to have already established the answer to why? 2. "You should first consider how you want your brand represented. 3. Studard agrees. 4. 5.

5 Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity There’s an implicit pressure on social media enthusiasts to be connected in more than one way. It’s not enough to have a Facebook page, you need a Twitter account as well. What do you mean you’re not on LinkedIn? Well, at least you have a blog on Wordpress or Tumblr, right? There is no requirement to spread your digital self thin, but many of us are still juggling more than one online profile (I’m currently balancing at least five). There are few hard and fast rules when navigating social media; a lot comes down to preference. 1. One of the best things you can do is to make sure your profiles are consistent. But what about your updates — how do you keep those consistent? Keep in mind that consistency doesn't mean repetition. 2. Put some forethought into what your want your digital reputation to be and build towards that. Different networks are better for different things — it helps to cater your posts based on the audience. 3. 4. 5. Final Words of Advice Series supported by Gillette

HOW TO: Evaluate Your Social Media Plan Meaghan Edelstein has gained national media attention through her blog, I Kicked Cancer's Ass, which she started to document her battle with end stage cancer. She is an attorney, the founder of the non-profit organization Spirit Jump, and the Social Media Director for Smashyn.com. Many companies, startups and well established businesses are frustrated because their social media presence isn’t larger or yet benefiting their bottom line. One of the big issues is that most companies start using social media thinking it's the holy grail. Here are a few tips businesses should consider. 1. There are many social media platforms to consider when designing an online campaign. When launching a Facebook presence, consider the various platforms within this medium; Pages, Groups and now Communities. Twitter is a quick and easy way for brands to share updates and ideas with their consumers, and it's also a good place to watch trends and listen to what your demographic is excited about. 2. 3. 4. 5.

HOW TO: Avoid a Social Media Disaster Clay McDaniel is the principal and co-founder of social media marketing agency Spring Creek Group. Find him via @springcreekgrp on Twitter. If there’s one thing that keeps social media marketers up at night, it’s the ever-present threat of a PR disaster. You can never fully “control” what your customers say about your brand on social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and forums — nor would you want to. Here are five tips to give your brand the best possible chance at avoiding a social media PR debacle, and strategies for quickly handling problems if they arise. 1. Every brand participating in social media should have a clear policy and community management plan in place. What’s not tolerated in conversations about your brand. 2. Decide ahead of time what steps your company will take if a flare-up occurs. 3. What’s the worst case scenario your brand could possibly suffer in a social media PR meltdown? 4. 5. Learn from Great Examples Conclusion