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Newsletter #789: The “Social Media Should be Easy” Issue

If you’re getting stressed about all the elaborate, expensive, shiny social tools out there — take a deep breath. Social media can be easy (and fun) and still profitable. A few examples here:

1> To share insider stuff
2> To offer simple deals
3> To thank your fans
4> Check it out: Convert YouTube videos to MP3 files

1> To share insider stuff

So many marketers are on the hunt for “viral” content, they overlook the great stuff they already have. At our last BlogWell event, ExOffico’s Kenny Rowe showed us that their most popular content is when they simply take fans behind the scenes to show off their company’s culture and personality. Their Facebook album alone featuring photos from their Halloween party drove more comments, “likes”, and overall engagement than any expensive or gimmicky viral campaign could have.

The lesson: Before you go looking outside for great social media content, remember to take a look at the great stuff you’re already doing.

Learn more: Vimeo

2> To offer simple deals

Online and off, people love a sale or discount — especially if it feels exclusive. Domino’s Ramon De Leon is the king of clever deals for his social media followers. In one simple example, he posted a Facebook offer of two pizzas for the price of however long it took fans to respond to the message. Sure, he loses money on the first couple of quick respondents. But he makes up for it by being able to follow up with all the people who later comment about missing the deal with further offers. And he does this sort of stuff all the time. It rewards the most loyal and attentive followers and helps him make connections with new ones.

The lesson: Old fashioned stuff — coupons, discounts, and exclusive offers — work just fine at starting conversations in new media.

Learn more: Vimeo

3> To thank your fans

How do you thank your biggest talkers? Do you even know who they are? Adagio Teas is clever in their social media outreach, but they earn a ton of word of mouth with something simpler: They thank bloggers when they talk about them. We blogged about them because we liked how easy they made it for people to follow them on Twitter and Facebook throughout their order process. We were surprised when a few days later we received a little thank you note with some freebies. It’s not just us — they do it for lots of talkers, both big and small. And each thank you doubles their word of mouth because we all talk about the friendly gesture.

The lesson: It doesn’t take a social media expert to figure out how to thrill your best talkers with a simple thank you.

Learn more: Computerworld

4> Check it out: Convert YouTube videos to MP3 files

Whether it’s tunes, audio interviews, or Justin Bieber’s latest release, Dirpy can convert the video to an MP3 file so you can jam to it during your next commute.

Check it out: Dirpy

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