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We've managed over eleven years without, but the time has finally come. Social Results has a PDF of its very own.
It's a quick overview of what we do, who we've done it for. Most importantly shows how we could be a great match for other organisations, and individuals, looking for some ethical, creative and measurable communications and community management services. Scroll through and see what we've been up to. We have unique experience, and an enthusiasm you won't find anywhere else.
You can also find a copy on the Social Results page on the ISSUU website as well. ISSUU is a great place for large, or print and brochure heavy organisations to host their content, as whilst it comes at a price the additional article generating services and analytics are great.
We know that there's much debate about PDF usage, so we can provide you with detailed information about the best ways to ensure that your documents are seen, and you have ways to prove it. Don't let great content go to waste, make it earn back the time and energy you put into it. Oh, and if you like to download PDFs direct there's a handy button here too. 
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Did you read that right? Yes, I feel it's time for an intervention for anyone who is chronically online, or simply trying to work out where everyone is.  AI image of electronic communication devices all connected with a mess of wires that together combine to create a kind of mushroom cloud effect. Wombo Dream August 2023. As the platform currently in the superposition of being both Twitter and X continues on its erratic spiral many people are feeling very discombobulated, others distraught, and many completely bewildered by the new array of options.
There's Mastodon, Bluesky, Threads, Spoutible, and many more all vying for Twitter refugees searching for the superfast micro-blogging experience. And here's the problem. When the platforms are the "main character" day-in and day-out, the whole point of their existence is eroded. A social media platform is supposed to be the reliable framework that facilitates communication in the fashion preferred by the users. If you're a digital communications and social media specialist, like me, of course you need to discuss features and glitches and new services. We're here to cut through the problems, provide professional advice and guidance so people can make the most of their time and energy. However, when the major topic of conversation for the media and general public are about the technical aspects of a social media platform, or the questionable management decisions of its owners, then something has gone very wrong. Technology should be the means to an end, a smooth experience. Like an elegant swan, the paddling that makes the magic happen should be hidden from view. As with events, the only time people should be talking about the technical aspects is when they are part of the production crew, an event specialist. Or something has gone wrong. How much "Enshittification" of communication services can the public tolerate? When a service can be stripped down and connections severed without consent, can any service be trusted? Should any service be trusted? People will always find ways to self-organise, will always find ways to build communities and connect with one another. It's what we do. The question is, how will we do it? People will take the path of least resistance, these digital desire paths mean that businesses and organisations need to consider where their audiences are and then the best way to communicate with them. Unless you have infinite resources you can't be Everything Everywhere All At Once. If you need help to work out where you need to be, and how to attract people who already need, or want, your services get in touch. We don't want you caught in the social media and digital communications confusion, we're here so you can concentrate on what you do best.
So,,, how are you finding the new ways to communicate?
Something very interesting is happening in the world of digital communication... have you noticed it yet? YOU'LL HAVE ALREADY KNOW THIS ONE - but what else? And how could that help you understand your customers and audiences better? Just this week I've had a brilliant online conversation about the use of punctuation for intonation, and it seems that many people are still to get up to speed. As it's evolving so quickly in front of our eyes it's easy for many to mistake this new digital vernacular for punctuation errors. Here's the post that triggered today's article it was a screenshot of a tweet from a young adult advising that they read periods, full-stops to us Brits, as aggressive.
This produced a conversation thread which I recommend you take a look at, as it highlights the different attitudes to written communication very clearly. Those who learned to write pre-digital tend to be much more inflexible; showing preference for older writing rules, whilst the younger generations are embracing, and evolving, ways to create intonation just by using punctuation.
So what's it all about? If you didn't catch them in the post above, I've handily added the two articles here.
So,,, now you know. And knowing could help you understand your customers and clients much better.
Language evolves all the time to indicate emotions, sometimes very subtly, just ask anyone who's gone from writing "kind regards" to "regards" in an email thread!  Nothing like a busy year to put a halt to blog posts! So what on earth have we been up to? For the third year running, Emma headed up the marketing and communications for Chilled in a Field Festival. This involved engaging and building a great online community of old and new customers, "Campers" we like to call them, on Facebook and Twitter. She used previous stats to identify useful events listings websites and worked with a great team to get the event listed in good time before the event. With SEO copywriting, a periodically updated Google+ page, and administration of Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to monitor and improve use of the festival website the festival now has a Page one Google ranking even if just the word "Chilled" is typed. Emma also replaced the outdated email system with MailChimp, and liaised with directors, crew members, suppliers and all manner of print and online media resources to ensure maximum coverage for all. The upshot has been that the event sold out weeks in advance, was listed as one of the Guardian's top 25 festivals in the UK and Europe and featured twice on the Radio Two breakfast show. Post event, tickets for 2015 have been selling in record time, twice as many tickets sold in the four days following the event than had by the previous January! Looking forward to 2015 already. Next up impossible.com where we provided online community management and engagement services, including UI UX and bug reports and identification of key influencers. We have also provided ad-hoc assistance and guidance to the team regarding the best way to approach delicate situations, and challenging behaviour in a positive and effective manner.  Another honourable mention must go to event company Terrapin Tents and Contents, we have been working with the great team to raise the company's profile using social media, live posting and tweeting from events and SEO copywriting in a very specific style and tone.
We are currently setting up a Google+ business page, and are using Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to monitor traffic and improve the company's SEO ranking. We've even helped to find branded merchandise suppliers. With a few projects in the pipeline we would still very much like to find more businesses and organisations that would benefit from our help. If you need something online, real genuine human interaction that enhances your business's reputation for great customer service, translates into sales, and generates a greater awareness of your brand? Then you need us. Get in touch with Emma for independent, honest, ethical, and effective digital marketing with jargon-free technical support. :)  What is online engagement, what does it mean?
Here at Social Results we believe that successful online engagement is rooted in great conversation. So, let’s see what Google says about the word conversation and how this could apply to your online business communication strategy. Conversation kɒnvəˈseɪʃ(ə)n/ noun a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged. What we have is an exchange between people, something very different to the corporate and brand broadcast styles of marketing used over the decades and more akin to a visit to your friendly local corner shop. Broadcast marketing isn't dead, but in the days of social media it should be considered an aspect, not the be all and end all, of your strategy. This less formal approach is something that those who have worked in the client and customer relationship management fields will find to be second nature, however those unused to the spontaneity of talking directly with the public may find it a little daunting. Keep reading to get an insight into the world of public service delivery. First of all remember that as long as you respond to people in a timely fashion, or approach people who are seeking what you are offering (intercept marketing) you have a very good chance of reinforcing and improving, your organisation’s reputation. These people already want your attention, or are warm to your offering, so don't be scared. Remind yourself why you are in business and why people are better off using your services or products rather than a competitor's and get online and tell them in enthusiastic and friendly manner why you are the service to choose. Top tip: never ever bad mouth a competitor, even if you are right it will make you appear negative and possibly even spiteful which doesn't usually sell well, unless it is a gimmick. Find out who the most influential people and organisations within your sector are and learn from them and, if possible, engage with them. An influencer in your sector recommending your services can significantly raise your profile and do wonders for your reputation, however respect their powers of influence as they cut both ways. Don't bombard them and they may come around to your services or products. Answer queries as quickly as you can and be seen to be doing it in a polite and friendly manner. This approach can do wonders as not only does the person you are conversing with see your responses, anyone with access to your network can see it too, and if you are seen to be helpful are more likely to engage with you in the future. If you are feeling brave enough, it suits your organisation, you are comfortable doing so, and it appropriate to the conversation don't be afraid to add a little humour. However, if someone is being negative we don't advise wisecracks as it can appear flippant and that you do not take people's concerns seriously. Take a look at our earlier blog entries concerning complaints handling and identifying trolls. One of the hardest things is to keep thinking of new things to say, resorting to word or picture or Facebook Like challenges may get you a lot of superficial engagement on an network but will it get you business or accurately represent your organisation? If you are finding it difficult our team can help you to identify potential sources of meaningful, interesting and entertaining content, so get in touch.  Social networks are places where individuals hold the power; they invite you into their world so make sure you abide by the social rules of engagement.
For super brands, the Coca-Colas of this world, broadcast media is all that is needed to keep them in the forefront of people’s minds. They aren't going to be able to field all of the questions people might have as millions upon millions of customers use their product, so they keep a reasonable corporate distance. For everyone else a genuine positive and conversational approach goes a very long way to help businesses connect with their audience of customers and clients. What follows is a handy list of pointers, which is by no means exhaustive, about some online business communication basics. Be Human People tend to take about what they know, and human experience goes a long way. Find something people will be able to relate to directly that relates to your brand or service, be thoughtful and creative and you’ll generate a conversation rather than a row. Check out our Portfolio for some examples of this in action. Timing If someone has made the effort to try to connect with you, don’t leave them hanging. If you can react immediately (especially on Twitter) do so, even if it is to let them know you will get back to them, if not don’t worry just make sure you don’t forget. Social media is fast, keep up and people will keep their interest in you. Honesty One of the golden rules in management and customer services is to “manage expectations”. If you can’t supply someone with a product or service suggest an alternative or direct them to somewhere that can. They will remember you as a trustworthy source and you will have a much greater chance of connecting in a positive way in the future. Humour Apart from a very small number services and products humour can be used as a key way to connect. There is no exact science, but anything that is likely to trigger a positive emotional response has a much higher chance of “going viral”. Check out our Portfolio for a few examples. When it comes to services and products that would not be suited to a humorous approach please get in touch as we will be able to use our experience working with emotionally charged people to advise you on techniques that would suit your organisation and your clients or service users. Keep on Message Remember why you are using social media, think quality not quantity. No matter how many Likes and follows, shares and comments you are getting, if this is not converting into sales or making a positive impact on whatever your organisation’s goal may be, you are wasting time and money. If this is a sticking point, get in touch and we will help you to measure your social media impact effectively. A lot of this will come as second nature to those who have a lot of experience working in public and client-facing positions, but we understand that this can be a challenge for those new to direct communication with the public. We’ve got around 17 years front-line client relationship experience so get in touch and we’ll help you to make social media work for you.  You do!
We would desperately love to be as stylish as Joan in Mad Men*, and whilst traditional marketing techniques will always have their place we take a fresh and modern approach to bring genuine human engagement to your customers and clients. Essentially, using social media, we want your customers to fall in love with your company, be interested in what you do and feel valued. Understanding the different ways networks operate, who uses them and how they like to be communicated with makes a massive difference, one interested and engaged follower is worth a thousand random followers who may or may not even be reading what your company posts. Too often companies rely on numbers of followers or likes to determine whether their brand is successful, when really they should be looking at the actual sales or interactions, "conversions" as they are known in web analytics geek speak, which are generated by the different networks. When unscrupulous social media management companies can make it look like a massive spike in follower numbers have occurred by buying banks of "zombie" accounts to follow a brand, or even worse make a Like Farm on Facebook and sell it on its good to know there are people like us who care about honest genuine quality over quantity. *we do try!  We are very pleased to be able to launch our full range of social media management, training, website building and large project services.
We can help train you to use your social media confidently and effectively or work alongside you and take away the technology and communications headache. We come from a customer and client focused background, so our approach is to engage people in meaningful conversation and enable them to find out and fall in love with your work. We know that the internet is vast and already full of people who would love what you do if only they knew about it and that's who we will aim for with you. Get in touch we would love to hear from you.  Don't let the baddies win! We took part in the School for Creative Startups Showcase at the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House.
It was a brilliant experience and we got to speak to hundreds of interesting people, find out how they use the internet to communicate and how different networks are used by different people for different reasons. So how did we get them talking? Boats. Lots and lots of boats! We were determined not to bore ourselves and the general public to death, so inspired by the wonderful map designed by XKCD we made a giant map to explain the different ways of communicating across the high seas of Social media. We also made a point of reminding people why password security is so important. We will be bringing out the map in future as it is an excellent educational tool and well everyone loves sailing ships don't they? If you are looking for online help take a look at our services and get in touch, we'd love to hear from you. Not the way we do it.
First of all lets remind ourselves that social media is only a tool, it is just one of many ways to get in touch with customers and clients. Any social media marketing company or consultant that states their social media package will solve all customer relations, marketing and sales challenges is wrong and misleading. Social media is an important part of a wider marketing and customer relationship management toolkit but it does not catch the people who do not use social networks, or those who prefer to buy print magazines and other media, or those who have bad internet connectivity, or many people with sensory problems, or (shock horror) those who do not to use the internet very often of at all. Don’t forget these people they are important to your organisation. Social networks are places where people can choose to allow organisations, be they businesses or charities, to engage with them. Each social network is different and needs to be approached in the correct manner to ensure that messages are communicated appropriately. For example, there is very little point trying to get even the most masterfully constructed technical article on Pintrest, but if you have a stunningly designed soft furnishings collection you really should make sure there are pictures there. Another problem is the numbers game that a lot of organisations get caught up in. Collecting as many followers and Likes as possible, as some organisations chose to do, looks impressive in the short term but can actually lead to losing contact with the people who actually want to know about the product or organisation that is being highlighted. A good example of this approach potentially backfiring can be seen if you know a little about Facebook. Facebook does not show all the posts that are made on Pages to all of the people who have Liked a page, due to the infamous Edge Rank algorithm, this means that if a Page has increased it’s Like count in a game of “Follow Me” with random people and organisations the updates are even less likely to be seen by people who might have actually been interested. We go for the long game, learn about your organisation, your aims, your customers and clients and tailor our services accordingly and continue to monitor and alter our service as required to meet your needs. We;d love to help you so don't hesitate to Contact Us. |
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