(An insight into things that could get you into trouble for saying/posting on your social media profiles)

Users of social networking sites disclose a lot of information to providers and users of those services, and this raises a number of legal and commercial questions.  What are the basic do’s and don’ts of posting profile data?

Do:

• Be savvy about the personal data you upload.  By posting information, you may unwittingly be making your data available to strangers and there is potential for that data to be misused.  Some parts of social networking websites are public spaces; once the information is “out there”, it may be difficult to control what happens to it because others may be able to copy it, alter your photos, etc even after you take it down.  Therefore certain information (details of “real life” location, e.g. home, school, work place) should not be uploaded to public spaces. 

• Bear in mind that information posted could be embarrassing or damaging in a different context outside the social network.  There are various reports of people missing out on employment opportunities due to potential employers reviewing social networking profiles as part of their recruitment procedure.  However, potential employers need to be cautious using this as a recruitment tool.

• Be careful what information you post about your employer.  If you post information about your company which is inaccurate, or misrepresents what the company does, this could constitute misrepresentation or a breach of advertising legislation/codes of conduct for which you and your employer could be liable in some situations. Furthermore, for listed companies, by posting certain information you could be in breach of insider dealing regulations.

Don't:

• Use content belonging to a third party.  Where content is uploaded that is owned by or based on content owned by third parties, this could amount to infringement of the third party’s rights, such as copyright.

• Post personal data relating to someone else. You shouldn’t upload data relating to someone else, unless that person has consented, because this could impinge on their privacy and data protection rights

Also, the social networking site’s terms of use will usually specify that the third party should consent to any of his/her data being posted.  Defamation may also be an issue.

I am a firm, solid believer that no matter what kind of business you are, whether it be a local barber to a small garage, up to a small chain of business and then all the way up to an international corporation, your business can have its' place and reap benefits from social media.

It's not necessarily about just having the bare essentials; a Facebook page, a Twitter account and maybe a LinkedIn company page though. It's more about ensuring that your time spent on these social media sites is worth your while. The golden rule is that if it's not going to help your business, whether it be financially or branding-wise, then don't do it!

The way to go about social media is to find your target sites, understand your demographics and your target audience, and then incorporate it into your marketing.

Are you a small restaurant in a local town? Set up a Twitter account, find and follow as many residents and local businesses as you can, and then offer a free drink if they mention a code or a phrase that you send out through Twitter.

Are you a barber? Do the same as above, but offer discounted hair-cuts through social media.

It's not necessarily just about giving stuff away, and using promotions to get people from their computers/mobile phones and into your store. Engage with your audience, talk to your followers and your fans. Find out how their days are going, what they do for a living… become friends with them!

If you have any questions about social media, please leave a comment or give us a call!

When thinking about engaging in social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. Its best to understand the audience, as it is with all marketing, but more importantly in these online circles, it's vital to understand who is going to be contributing, creating or just spectators to the conversation.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just plug in an age range, a location, a gender and discover what the percentages of creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators and also inactive people there are in that group?

There is obviously more to the pot of strategy, but knowing that only 19% of female 25 to 34 year olds in the UK actually create content in social media sites compared to 38% of 18 to 24 year olds. Have a little play with this created by Forrester's, it's quite interesting and useful, especially if you don’t have the resources to create a full social media strategy.

Understand the different engagement names with this slideshare.

Companies are always eager to nose-dive into Social Media.

If you're a small business owner, a Facebook or twitter account seems like a fantastic idea; a free utility in which you can advertise to a seemingly endless number of potential customers and clients. A nice product push here, and a little awareness-raising competition there, there's no end of ways to communicate and engage with your market.

However, as with the majority of free things, there's a downside.

Imagine, if you will, a potential client is in the market looking for a piece of software. There are two small, independent software developers (we'll call them A and B) offering similar software that this new potential client is looking for, and they both use Facebook to interact with their community.

Now, here's the scenario:

• Both websites sell their software at the same sort of price.
• Both are similar pieces of software.
• Both have FAQs, a forum and such on their sites.
• Software Developer A has a bustling Facebook page, over a thousand 'Likes,' comments, pictures, videos and regular comments.
• Software Developer B has a desolate Facebook page, 11 'Likes' and a handful of comments from 8 months ago.

Who would you choose?

I don't know about you, but if I, personally, was looking for a piece of software and presented with this scenario, I'd almost definitely go for the developer who has the active Facebook page. Why? Because it shows commitment, and, more importantly, it presents another useful way for me to get help and network with other users of the software.

The moral of the story is that, in our eyes, no Facebook page is better than a quiet, unattended, old and unused Facebook page. Why? It's the image it presents.

When you're setting out to gain some footing in the social networking community, stop, have a think, and decide whether you do in fact have the time and resources to invest in a social media platform, and treat it as any other project. Invest your time and efforts accordingly, and don't let it fall by the wayside.

So you have created your marketing video and now want to promote it, well, everywhere!

YouTube is an obvious start, perhaps Bebo and the countless other video hosting websites and networks around. Eventually you’ll also add your video to Facebook, but in our view, Facebook should be the first place you go.

Facebook has a powerful tagging feature which allows you to associate your video post with your friends names. When you do this, your video will become visible to those peoples friends also. This means more exposure to people you don’t even know!

However, you can only tag friends of yours, in other words people whom have agreed to share their information with you.

So if video marketing is something your thinking about, try to do the following first;

1. Look for friends that are in a similar profession to you and mix in the circles of your target audience
2. Check out how many friends they have, you’re looking for people whom are active on Facebook and have upwards of 500 friends. 500 friends equates to approximate exposure of around 1,500 other people. This is calculated assuming a minimum of 3 unique friends per connection. (Drop me a comment if you want me to expand on this.)
3. Request to become friends with them, if you don’t know them, you may want to find out something about them first which you can use as an introduction. For example, see if they are on Twitter, mention them in a tweet, follow them there and then send a Facebook friendship request saying that you liked their Twitter page. Compliments get you everywhere!

Now in the production of your video, try to find a way of incorporating these people into the video in some way. If you find it tough, don’t stress, that’s what the credits at the end of the movie are for, simply add a list titled “Thanks to;” to the end of the video.

Don’t abuse it! If someone feels like you are piggybacking too much they may well kick up a stick with Facebook and you could get yourself cut off. Think carefully and strategically, and this system will work well for you.