Winning Mark

Is your organization using technology to push word of its work out into the world?

People are accessing more information in more ways than ever. The power of community is huge, and the message is just as important as the messenger. Creating content that is easy for people to share using social media is critical for a successful communications plan, according to a talk Winning Mark COO Jeff Lennan gave at the recent Freedom of Information National Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

Today people are accessing a huge range of social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, MySpace, Alltop, LinkedIn, Stumble Upon, Technorati, Blue Dot and Newsvine. They are accessing them in a multi-platform way, using their Web browser, iPhone, Blackberry, Facebook, RSS feeds, reading blogs, instant messaging, etc.

Technology is transforming the way information is broadcast. Content is shared in a viral way, being re-broadcast by bloggers and via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Technology can be used to further what organizations are already doing.

What does all of this mean for your organization? Here are some tips Jeff offered for making your organization more social media friendly:

• Set realistic goals and be sure to post consistently.
• A consistent work flow process is essential. Web users expect consistency.
• Optimize content to make it easy to share on social networking sites.
• Re-broadcast content as it is relevant to the issues of the day.
• Tie your work to what people are talking about.
• Re-package lengthy pieces into Web-friendly bite-sized bits.
• Use Google analytics to monitor what is working and what isn't and refine your strategy as you go.
• Take advantage of RSS feeds on your site get your information out there. Make the feeds obvious so they will catch a reader's eye.

Posted by Annie Hundley on October 30, 2009 in Social Media, Web