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The Important Psychological Components of Social Media
Posted May 12th, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Social Media With | No Comments

When it comes to social media, psychology has a lot to do with the success or failure of a business. This greatly affects how business owners market their services. Social media communities are increasing in popularity, and there is no end in sight to this trend. Because social media is prevalent in marketing, there are ways to take advantage of the psychology connection.

The Success of Social Media

Social media channels flourish because society needs them. They allow individuals to connect with others on personal levels. This provides a person with a sense of belonging. The concept of group membership is what social media is born from. Contributing to an important group discussion can make a person feel important and valued as a part of a community.

Creating interesting and enchanting content is the key to success in social media. The most effective content reaches people on emotional levels. An individual should feel a sense of connection to the product or service being presented. Marketing information should be engaging, relevant, and uncomplicated. It should also be displayed in a clear, simple, and logical manner. (more…)
Excellent Etiquette Suggestions for Maintaining a Professional Image While Communicating Behind the Computer Screen
Posted Apr 14th, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Business, Email Marketing, Social Networking With | 2 Comments

Some people think just because they are behind the computer, etiquette rules do not apply. But, online image and etiquette are just as important and may make a huge difference with how you build and nurture relationships.

The Internet can be one of the most ambiguous channels of communication. However, it is also one of the fastest and greatest ways to communicate. Nowadays, many of us find it hard to survive without email or social networking sites.

Networking online is an art; building mutually long term relationships requires the same quality of professional courtesy and dual respect as any other means of communication. Inner wellness can be expressed in many forms through social networking sites and email.

Netiquette is a code of ethics for the Internet. Unlike the code of professional conduct of accountants, lawyers or doctors, which is supported by legislation, the code of conduct for the Internet requires high levels of self discipline that is ultimately dependent upon our inner quality. When no one can see what we are doing, what else do we have, but our soul, to keep our decorous behavior?

The suggestions below are a basis of good universal code of conduct for email and online networking:

Email

- Never contain too much personal opinion, emotional elements, cartoons, slogans or jokes when sending formal business email.

- Learn to use the emoticon chart (below) as they are all appropriate for informal business emails to keep us up to date:

:> or :-> = Devilish grin
:] or :-] = Friendly
or = Frowning

:/ or :-/ = Frustrated
or = Smiling

:O or :-O = Surprised
or = Winking
:} or :-} = Wry smile

- Do not show a humorous character that may be offensive to others as we have no way to support our humor with proper body language or to see if our message is being interpreted correctly. Even self depreciating humor could cause others to see you as a low esteemed person. (more…)
6 Essential Mindset Shifts for Social Media Success
Posted May 19th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Business, Social Media, Social Networking With | 10 Comments

Some businesses do now understand that adopting social media means changing their mindset on how they do business; however, I am surprised to see how many are still not aware what type of shift needs to take place, or are not willing to make the changes needed to succeed.

On a daily basis, I hear many excuses from CEO’s and businesses owners on why they don’t want to use social media — “It is too time-consuming; we don’t have the resources; we don’t understand how it’s supposed to help the business; social media is for teens and techies; we don’t enjoy it; we have no idea where to start.” Do these sound familiar?

CEO’s and business owners must understand the philosophy which drives social media. It is essential to first adopt the social media mindset by recognizing that the rules of marketing, advertising, public relations, and communication have changed. It is also necessary to be open-minded and make changes in the way you communicate with customers because the social media revolution will not be going away.

When deciding to incorporate social media in your business, using social media tools should be the last thing you think about (See the Looking Beyond Social Media Hype post). In order to experience maximum benefit from social media, the process begins with a complete mindset shift.

Here are the six essential mindset shifts that need to happen before a business participates in any form of social media: (more…)
The 21 Essential C’s of Social Media
Posted Apr 15th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Social Media, Social Networking With | 15 Comments

To succeed with social media, you must be open-minded enough to embrace its many essential elements. Here are the 21 essential C’s of social media listed in alphabetical order:

1. Caring

The essence of social media is caring. Consumers want companies they do business with to show that they care enough to listen to their comments, complaints, opinions, ideas, etc. They want to feel important and appreciated. Customers know when you genuinely care, and they are willing and ready to reciprocate.

2. Change

The rules of marketing, public relations, advertising, and communication tools are changing at the speed of light. In order to succeed with social media, you must be ready to embrace, adapt to, and influence change.

3. Character

Character is your online identity or brand, which is an extremely important element. Consumers want to know who the human behind the brand is. Social media helps to humanize your brand. People want to do business with a person (YOU), not an object. Being authentic and letting your true personality shine through social media makes a huge difference to your audience. The more they know about your personality, the more they feel comfortable to do business with you. So, don’t think people can’t see that just because you are hiding behind a computer.

4. Clarity

When you are trying to communicate your message online, clarity is number one. Confused consumers want someone that can clarify things for them. They do not buy if messages are ambiguous or complicated. They buy when you have simply and clearly solved their problem.

5. Collaboration

Social media enables us to tap into the collective wisdom of our audience (crowdsourcing, which is another “C” of social media). Many social media tools are designed to help us work jointly with our customers, employees, partners, investors as well as competitors.

6. Commitment

Too many people are saying social media is free. Since when did true time commitment and dedication to our businesses become free? Social media is not rocket science, but you have only scratched the surface if you jumped on the social media bandwagon without a plan. To stay on track and have social media not be a time-waster for you, it takes a solid plan as well as serious commitment to stick to that plan and make adjustments as needed.

7. Communication

Communication has always been an essential element for enhancing relationships offline or online. You are now able to communicate with your audience across the globe faster than ever before due to social media. Remember, marketing on the social web is not about getting your stories out through one-way communication, but rather two-way communication. (more…)
7 Rules of Social Media Netiquette
Posted Sep 25th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Social Media, Social Networking With | 7 Comments

Back before it was common to send shortened text messages, people knew what etiquette was. When you wrote a letter, it was written according to a specific template, whether for personal or business use. These days, however, things are quite different and you’ll see that there is a serious lack of courtesy online. Does that mean there is no such thing as politeness on the Internet? Not necessarily. In fact, there is a whole world of polite rules out there . . . just many people prefer to ignore them.

If you really want social media to work for you, you need to make sure that you are treating others with respect. What does that mean? Well, here are some of the rules of social media etiquette (or netiquette as they call it) that you should be following.

1. Give and you shall receive. If you want something from someone, be it a backlink or a review or even just a retweet, then you should be thinking about what you can do for them. It’s common sense, really, but most people have lost it in their quest for online greatness. Help someone out and they will remember when you come to them at a later date asking for a favor.

2. Be polite. As simplistic as that sounds, it really is one of the most effective methods of communicating with others on social media. Remember to say please and thank you and people will remember you. Best yet, avoid the anger induced rants that are so easy to get into when someone has done you wrong. Keep your mouth shut and avoid name calling.

3. Contribute something. We’ve all seen those forum posters who just agree mindlessly with everyone to get their signature line with its flashing links out there. Don’t be that person. Instead, take the time to really offer some value and make yourself useful to others. They will come back for more.

4. Listen more than you speak. You’ve probably heard the saying, “God gave you two ears and one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you speak.” Well, the same goes for social media. It’s not an excuse to babble away about anything and everything, it’s a place to listen to others and network with them.

5. Be kind. A kind word goes a long way in social media, as well as in real life. Being nice to everyone you meet, online and offline, is a great way to gain friends and make valuable contacts. Don’t be rude and make sure you listen to people and they will keep coming back.

6. Time your requests. We all know someone in real life who asks for favors entirely too often. Online, that problem is times ten. Don’t keep asking people to join your other social media networks or read your blog. In fact, you should try to keep self promotional links and tweets to a bare minimum. Asking for help too often will simply drive people away.

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