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Dead again… on social media

Published on January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 by Christopher WellbeloveLeave a comment

A new phenomenon is growing on social media. Alongside an increase in the number of people commenting on sad deaths of celebrities, many are taking to their favourite social channel to lament the death of others who died months a long time ago.

It seems in an age where news can be old news in the tweet of an eye, our recollection over who has already passed on is fading just as fast. This is not helped by online publications featuring popular related stories which can result in articles from several years ago rising to the top .

Another factor that is resulting in people seemingly dying more than once, is how many of us do not really read what we see online. Many share without ever checking out the original article let alone looking to see when it was originally posted.

From my own posts on Twitter I often see where more people have shared an article that I have linked to than those who have clicked to view it.

One of the latest celebrities to die again is comic actor Leslie Nielsen. Whilst it could be upsetting for his family and friends to see him ‘die again’ across social channels – I can only think that he may find the fact he has re-died some 6 years later a tad amusing.

Digital Marketing is dead, Long live Digital Marketing

Published on January 20, 2016 by Christopher WellbeloveLeave a comment

A Gartner survey has shown that the term “digital marketing” is on the wane. The report showed that many CMO’s are “done” with the term with 98% of marketers no longer making a clear distinction between marketing online and offline.

This is a welcome development, seeing full integration of digital marketing into the mainstream and end an era where digital was often an afterthought or totally ignored.

The integration of digital marketing into the mainstream demands that many marketers upskill. For many marketers who studied marketing before Facebook were a glint in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye, this is a real challenge.

In some sectors there is a digital skill shortage in the marketing profession. Over the years I have met many marketers who struggle with the basics let alone what I call the ‘social media denialists’, those who continue to dismiss the value of social media as a marketing discipline.

As with any trade it is essential that marketers keep up-to-date with the latest developments in their chosen field. In marketing, arguably keeping up is not enough and you need to be ahead to have an edge on the competition and to maximise the potential of new developments.

The Gartner survey shows the industry pointing in the right direction, it’s a warning to those marketers who have had their heads in the sand and can no longer ignore digital’s permanent place as a core marketing discipline.

How to switch off birthday reminders in Windows 10

Published on August 23, 2015 by Christopher WellbeloveLeave a comment

Since updating to Windows 10 I have been getting birthday updates popping up on my desktop which are pulled in from Facebook. With over a 1000 Facebook contacts you can imagine how irritating this can become.

If the same is happening to you and you would like to switch them off here is how.

First enter into the Windows 10 search box (bottom left next to the Windows key ‘Calendar’

This brings up the Windows Calendar app.

Unclick the ‘Birthday calendar’ which is on the left hand side of the screen.

That’s it – no more birthday alerts on your Windows 10 desktop.

STOP: Time to rethink social media at work

Published on August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 by Christopher WellbeloveLeave a comment

Social media is now part of the mainstream. Rather than seeing it as a threat you need to see it as an opportunity. If you have not already realised it, it is time to do things differently.

In your business you may see your people using social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn and think they are wasting their time.

STOP. RETHINK.

Rather than a waste of time social media can be a huge opprotunity to turn all your people into evangalists for your organisation. You need to stop focussing on the possible negatives and look for how your people could use their social connections to promote what you do.

People trust people on social media. Yes, you have your corporate account, but the relationshiop with individuals is very different and can help build a digital relationship thatmore easily converts beyond the virtual world.

To help your organisation make the most of your people on social media you need to:

Encourage your people to connect via social channels with current and potential customers
Give them guidance on how to make the most of social media
- Create a do list not a don’t list
- Encourage them by highlighting the best of what they do
- Elevate your social media champions – sharing their good work to encourage others
Make social media presence a requirement
- Targets for followers and engagement
- Social media score card to follow their growth

If you are still in denial about the benefits of social media. Want more evidence, pick through every follower, question every social media post… you are wasting not only your time but that of your people.

By the time you catch up your competion will be way ahead and in a social media world that evolves at an amazing pace you will be left years behind.

Rather than worrying if social media is the right thing to do – you should worry about your ability to catch up. It’s time to do things differently and be ahead of the game rather than years behind.

Social media demographics: Which site should you use

Published on August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 by Christopher WellbeloveLeave a comment

This handy infographic share key demographics for all the key social media sites. The stats help break some assumptions that I have heard from marketers such as that people on higher incomes do not use social media; or that younger people (18-29) don’t use Twitter. Infographic via SproutSocial.

These demographics are just one factor in deciding where you target your activity. With Twitter, for example, whilst the numbers may not be as high there is a higher number of influencers including most journalists who use this social network as a source for stories. Other factors will be accesibility, SnapChat may have a huge number of <25’s but how accesible are they through the service?