We are constantly being asked about automation of social media accounts. There are certainly reasons to do it (and there are times not to) and ways to do it properly.
One of the top means of getting a handle on Facebook and Twitter is a service called HootSuite, which is currently used by about 2 million people around the world. We have a new client that has some needs that HootSuite should take care of quite nicely, but we’ve only tinkered a bit with the application.
But when a client is in need, there’s no room for amateur tinkering, so Gary attended HootSuite University (yes, it’s really called that) and dove deep into the use of the software. He is now a HootSuite Certified Professional and is looking forward to doing some really need marketing with the application.
It has, for example, a geolocation feature that allows a business to monitor all the conversations about particular subjects, including the business name and products or services in a specific area.
We’ll be getting a really detailed look at how it can help a specific business over the next few weeks and hope to talk Mark Schmitt at the Cochise College Small Business Development Center into setting up a class on the subject in the near future.
As we explore ways that it might help certain businesses in our market area, we’ll write more about it in this blog.
Gary is now one of just a handful of social media professionals in Arizona certified by Hootsuite.
And tonight I get a request from one of my friends on my personal Facebook page to “like” her granddaughter’s picture at a Facebook page for 
It’s all about conversation, not monologue
Social media is not monologue.
There’s a great scene in “The Hunt for Red October” when one naval officer says that the Russian ships followng the submarine are pinging away with their sonar, but no one is listening. What they’re doing is driving the defecting Russian toward hunter subs that will kill him.
Your use of social media also can be a “driver.” But that may not be what you want.
You know what it’s like when you’re gathered in a social group and one person dominates the conversation, not allowing others to comment, question or participate in any way. She essentially is “driving” as well: she’s driving everyone else away. [Read more...]