Social Media 101
How to roll out social media - in a powerful way
Many organizations are scratching their heads and feeling completely overwhelmed: how should they get started in social media - for marketing, communications, HR or other needs. How can an employer turn employees into brand ambassadors while also making sure they are doing their job?
This presentation will provide answers:
- how to get started
- how to stay true to social media tenets
- tactics for developing an employee policy and establishing an internal working group to propel social media forward in a powerful and impactful way.
You will also be able to meet new people in training and development and expand your network of professionals who can be helpful to you.
About Lisa Cruz
Lisa Cruz is President of Red Shoes, PR. Lisa has 17 years of experience in communications, specifically public relations in areas such as crisis communications, social media, internal communications and traditional media relations. Her background includes working in a number of industries including health care, financial, construction, entertainment, fitness and public affairs.
Red Shoes PR was founded in 2008. Clients include Affinity Health System, Miron Construction, East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Faith Technologies, Prospera Credit Union, GingeRootz and more.
For tips on tweeting, see Lisa's article, How to Tweet (below).
How to Tweet
Many of your employees are sharing stories, holding conversations and gathering their news via Twitter but you haven’t quite caught up to the Tweeting frenzy. Here is a quick and dirty guide to help you speak the speak, and walk the walk.
Signing up for Twitter is easy. Go to Twitter.com and fill in the required information. When it comes to your bio, remember to use key search terms. For example, in my profile I use “PR.”
Upload a photo or avatar that invites conversation--nothing too stuffy or formal.
Choose an online name for yourself that fits you. Many choose an abbreviated version of their real name, one that includes representation of their company or something that speaks to their personal interests. Remember to reference your company’s social media policy for guidelines if you are tweeting on behalf of the company vs. yourself.
Choose people to follow. Remember, you should consider all conversations public even if you choose to have a “locked” profile.
As you get started, do a lot of listening. There are a gazillion conversations taking place and you might find an interesting one to be a part of. Here is some of the other lingo to learn:
tweeps – people on Twitter who tweet.
tweet – what you say on Twitter.
fail whale - when Twitter is overloaded and not working, you will see this screen depicting a whale.
tweet-up – when tweeps decide to have an in-person get together retweet or RT – when you like someone’s tweet, re-tweet it and send it on to your followers. Please remember to keep your tweets short so there is enough space to copy them, put in RT and @name.
@name – You need to use the @sign with the other person’s Twitter name to direct your comment to someone.
By Lisa Cruz, President of Red Shoes PR
