The SQUARED Root

Posts Tagged ‘twitter’

Social Media Integration for B2B websites

Posted by Jason Fellman on October 12th, 2009

I’m frequently asked by B2B clients about how they can start using social media in a low risk and low cost manner.  There are many ways, of course, but one thing you can do is start by integrating some of the most popular (and relevant) social networks into your website’s user experience.  We used this concept with our own recent website redesign, and it’s worked out really well so far.

Our new site integrates multiple social media sites like Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr, to create a single, unified user experience.  Think of it as a free Content Management System that spreads the content out across multiple social media networks, yet it is all visible in one place at fg2.com.  For example, the majority of the images on the site are stored and served up via Flickr, videos from YouTube, etc.

We’re already experiencing the positive impact of this approach:

Increased Search Engine Visibility & Expanded Reach – Content loaded onto social media sites can be tagged for keywords and search engine optimization (SEO), ultimately bringing more targeted traffic back to the Web site.

Less Time & Lower Cost - Operational costs of maintaining a website are reduced, because the social media sites hosting the content are free platforms.  Content uploaded to sites like Flickr, Wordpress, Twitter and YouTube are integrated so that they will automatically update within the Web site, reducing the time spent maintaining a traditional Web site with fresh and relevant content.

Reduced Risk & More Trust - Some companies shy away from social media fearing that they will lack control of the conversations about their brand, but recent studies have shown that companies who maintain an active online presence are actually more trusted.  A site integrated with social media gives the company a way to establish a social media presence in an incremental and deliberate way, while still maintaining a comfortable amount of control.

More Meaningful User Interactions - Since users can find content across a variety of social networks in addition to the primary corporate site, they are more likely to encounter content that is relevant within the context of their unique web usage preferences and habits.

So there you have it…one idea for taking the plunge into using social media.  Have any other ideas to share with the group?

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All Texans Deserve Access to Health Care!

Posted by Mike Chapman on May 2nd, 2009

FG SQUARED has worked with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) for many years. Starting this weekend the Austin based interactive marketing agency is working with TACHC to spread the word about a bill being considered by the Texas Legislature that would create a fund to make it possible for more Texas physicians to choose primary care as a practice specialty.

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TACHC has proposed a bill that will help ease the strain on Texas’ physicians, the Texas Health Care Access Fund.  HB 1876/SB 2527 directly addresses this very real need for funding more physicians by closing a loophole in the smokeless tobacco tax.

This should be an easy bill for the Texas Legislature to pass, but because of the power of the tobacco lobby (and because lower-income Texans don’t have their own lobbyists); the TACHC is up against some pretty big odds.

FG SQUARED is using some social media channels to help get the word out about the legislation. A Facebook group and a Twitter account have been established. Full disclosure has been provided in both places including a link back to the SQUARED ROOT right here.

You are encouraged to join in on the effort. The idea is to make the information as available as possible in as many places online as is practical. Hopefully the more people know about what the TACHC is working on, the more they will support them by actually contacting legislators who control the fate of the bill.

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Benefits of Social Media Networks

Posted by Mike Chapman on December 19th, 2008

With as much time as I spend working with social media enthusiasts, it’s natural to be somewhat contemplative about the effectiveness of social media networking. Looking back over the past year, I can definitely see where social media networking has been extremely effective for me.

 

By adding new tools to my pre-existing networking and communications skills, I have exponentially increased my reach and effectiveness in ways that were greatly limited before, geographically and otherwise.

 

The turning point for me was a decision I made to be more strategic about the use of my time online and to utilize the tools that worked best for me and that I liked the most. After all, if you don’t enjoy doing something, you’re likely not going to be as good at it. This seems to be especially true for social media tools given the many available channels.

 

Recently I read a blog post titled Thriving on Social Media Network Effects by Chris Garrett. In it he lists the benefits of social networking for him in a clear manner and how he has increased his own effectiveness by sticking to a regimen with his own personal schedule.

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Like Garrett, I decided I didn’t need to compete with the most active of the social media enthusiasts.  Using Twitter as a primary networking tool and online business card, I’ve been able to organically grow my personal network, help out a little with some social causes* that I feel strongly about, and increase my business network in very positive ways.

 

During 2008 I moved from cautious participant to enthusiast. I would encourage anyone else who is skeptical to give careful consideration before making a decision not to try using social media tools in their professional lives.

 

As Chris notes in his post, “You don’t have to live in social media like Chris Brogan or Robert Scoble to benefit from it :)”

 

I’m a huge admirer of Brogan and Scoble. It has been a relief to know that I don’t have to be as “enthusiastic” as them to find my own comfort zone and success.

 

~ Mike

 

Capital Area Food Bank of Texas

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A Twitter A Day

Posted by Beth Ranson on June 16th, 2008

Twitter. If you consider yourself in the know of all things tech, than you probably have heard of Twitter. It seems to be popping up everywhere nowadays. Friends letting friends know what they are doing, giving insight to feelings on a certain topic, arranging plans for the weekend or even commenting on the article they are currently reading.

Even though Twitter was created for personal use, friends sending quick micro messages to friends; it is really starting to take off as a business tool. It lets companies update its followers on exciting news, new blogs, schedule changes, or just what the employees of that company are up to that day. Companies are also using Twitter to share and connect with others to listen to what is being talked about, in order to gain business intelligence and consumer insights.

Twitter has also taken off as a conference tool, allowing attendees to update their followers on all the interesting topics and speakers that they are encountering at the conference.

I have personally found myself addicted to Twitter lately, and get disappointed when I am not receiving tweets. Twitter gives me that wonderful “in the know” feeling; that great feeling of knowing that you can intelligently participate in almost all the conversations that are occurring around you. By having carefully chosen who I am following, I have a better understanding of what is going on in the political world, the interactive world and the social world (mostly my social world here in Austin).

If you haven’t experienced a tweet, I suggest you check out twitter and see what have you been missing in the world today.

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