Top 20 Social Media Articles from 2012 from Social Media Examiner

If there is a site that I check regularly for relevant information on Social Media it is the Social Media Examiner.  So it goes without saying that I should provide you a link to this recent post.  http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/top-20-social-media-marketing-articles-2012/  Hope you had a Merry Christmas and that you have a Happy New Year.

12 Best Guidebooks for Christmas by Marketo

Our friends at Marketo have gotten into the Holiday spirit and are
giving their 12 best guidebooks away. Check them all out just below!

*PLEASE NOTE: some antivirus programs and browsers show virus
alerts because the links have been shortened in ow.ly – THERE ARE NO VIRUSES OR
MALWARE. All these are hosted at Marketo and are perfectly safe. *

1) 5 Ways to Encourage Customers to Share Your Content:

Description: Five easy, effective ways to encourage your
customers to share your content!

Llink: http://ow.ly/g0Tqs

2) Amplify Your Inbound Marketing Impact –

Great white paper on how to amplify the inbound portion of
your marketing mix, including SEO, social, promotions, and more.

Link: http://ow.ly/g0TAk

3) Build & Operate A Content Marketing Machine –

This helpful eBook breaks through the buzz on content
marketing and shows you how to create a content marketing machine that drives
conversions, nurtures leads, and closes deals.

Link: http://ow.ly/g0TDP

4) Content Marketing Guide for Demand Generation –

Generate more leads from your content! This guide will help
you map out your buying stages and determine which content to best associate
with those stages.

Lnk: http://ow.ly/g0TH5

5) Definitive Guide to Social Media –

This 80-page eBook is the *ultimate* guide for B2B marketers
looking to implement or optimize their social media plan (featuring checklists,
worksheets, and more)!

Link: http://ow.ly/g0TJf

6) Email Marketing 5.0 – How Leading Brands Like Molson Coors
Are Winning By Combining Social and Email –

Give your email campaigns a social boost – see the real
successes top companies are having by integrating a social component into their
marketing automation and email campaigns.

Link: http://ow.ly/g0TR3

7) Optimize Your Social Channels for Lead Generation –

Get more from social. Discover concrete strategies for driving
leads from your social channels – great for justifying your social media budget
in 2013!

Link: http://ow.ly/g0TSF

8) Cheat Sheets for the Social Marketer –

Looking to become an expert in all major social channels? Look
no further, there’s a cheat sheet for that! This Cheat Sheet Series includes
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.

Link: http://ow.ly/g0TWj

9) Social Media Success Kit –

Description: Unleash your inner social media superhero! This
comprehensive success kit is jam-packed with tactical tips, strategies and best
practices for your organization and includes eBooks, white papers, blog posts,
webinar recordings, and more.

Shortened link: http://ow.ly/g0TYo

10) Twitter Cheat Sheet –

Confused by retweeting etiquette, the proper use of hashtags,
or how to identify and build relationships with top Twitter followers and
influencers? This cheat sheet can help.

Link: http://ow.ly/g0U06

11) Social Media Tactical Plan for 2013–

Planning for your 2013 social media strategy? This is a great
tool to help you create a customized plan that is tailored to your key business
objectives!

Link: http://ow.ly/g0U1D

12) CMO Guide to Inbound Marketing –

This informative white paper explores the marketing
executive’s role in shaping a successful inbound marketing strategy and
includes insights on the strengths and limitations of inbound marketing, its
role in the overall marketing mix, staffing considerations, and measuring ROI
on inbound programs.

Link: http://ow.ly/g0U38

Groundswell Consumer Profile Tool

What’s The Social Technographics Profile Of Your Customers?  Forrester’s Social Technographics® classifies consumers into six overlapping levels of participation. 

1. Creators make social content go. They write blogs or upload video, music, or text.
2. Critics respond to content from others. They post reviews, comment on blogs, participate in forums, and edit wiki articles
3. Collectors organize content for  themselves or others using RSS feeds, tags, and voting sites like Digg.com
4. Joiners connect in social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn
5. Spectators consume social content including blogs, user-generated video, podcasts, forums, or reviews
6. Inactives neither create nor consumer social content of any kind.

By examing how they are represented in any subgroup, strategists can determine which sorts of strategies make sense to their customers.  This is based on the information contained in the book, “groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies.” 

Want to profile your customers, then go to http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/profile_tool.html .

Forrester’s Top 10 Strategies for Social Media

1. Use email marketing newsletters to announce new LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter feeds, directing readers to social networking websites for sign-up.
2. Use Twitter to link followers to your latest email newsletter publication or blog article online to fuel interest and retweets
3. Change email newsletter registration sections to include an option for joining the company’s social networks.
4. Use the sidebar on your email marketing newsletter to list all company social networking profiles, and use social networking profiles to gather email newsletter sign-ups
5. Invite customers to participate in YouTube viral marketing video contests that show real consumers using and enjoying your products or solutions.
6. Read and respond to comments within social networks, developing newsletter or blog articles around topics readers discuss the most.
7. Launch a regular Q&A section in your company’s email newsletter that specifically addresses reader questions across all social networking platforms.
8. Include a link to your help forum or YouTube video tutorial within purchase confirmation emails.
9. Include a social bookmark console on product pages in case readers want to share your website or products with others.
10. Join relevant LinkedIn and Facebook groups, assigning knowledgeable representatives within your company to answer questions, thus positioning your company as a valuable industry resource.