Inspiration for a great piece of content can come from anywhere. However, a truly effective piece of content is borne from a content strategy built around your target market and personaes. Everyday events may neatly convey your company’s or brand’s messaging, but without an understanding of who you’re writing for and being an expert on it, your message may get lost in translation.

At Raidious, we draw from many sources for content inspiration, but we write for very specific audiences … and that’s by design.

Step one in our process is defining brand audience — who’s your target market? What voice do they use? What are their interests? Once we’ve defined your audience, we begin identifying topically relevant material for your specific audiences. Content may be in the form of a blog post, a contest, a social media promotion or a rich media unit like an infographic or video. Audience focused content drives engagement, shares, comments, likes and ultimately pushes the brands message further.

Remarkable content can come from anyone in your company, as long as they work within the context of your brand’s vision and goals. A content strategy for a B2B company will be vastly different than one for a B2C company. It’s important to identify the platforms that will be the most valuable for your message and to build a strategy around these areas. Don’t spread yourself too thin, and make sure you’re creating solid content for platforms where your customers and prospects are engaged.

You, your employees and your customers are the best ambassadors your brand has — make sure your company’s voice is understood and your target markets well defined.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

And an app with more than 1 billion pictures is worth $1 billion.

At least that’s what founder and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg is willing to pay to own an app where users are uploading more than 5 million photos per day and liking other users’ photos 575 times per second. But why would Zuckerberg want to pay a billion dollars? Facebook, the monster of all social platforms, has users who upload 250 million photos and like their friend’s photos 2.7 billion times per day. Is Instagram really worth $1 billion to Facebook?

The answer to the latter question is quite clearly, yes. Zuckerberg has already written the check (or however you give someone that huge chunk of change). So, yes. Instagram is worth $1 billion.

But the value in $1 billion doesn’t come from Facebook adding a mere 5 million photos to its daily upload statistic of 250 million. The value comes from the old saying that began this blog: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” (In fact, it seems a bit ironic to be writing a lengthy blog about how people truly prefer to look at pictures. But, alas. Stay with me.)

In Facebook’s recent Timeline and newsfeed changes, they are proving to their 800 million users that they are focused on the photo-sharing experience and its ability to connect people. Enter EdgeRank and Timeline.

EdgeRank is an algorithm that determines where, when and whether or not your content is shown in your friends or fans’ newsfeeds. Since its installation, every piece of published content (statuses, link shares, videos, photos, comments, likes, shares, clicks) has a weight and an associated EdgeRank score that will drive the individual piece of content into newsfeeds. If you hadn’t already guessed, Facebook gives more weight to photos than any other piece of content (other than videos).

And now, once a user clicks from the newsfeed to a personal or brand’s profile, what do they see? A timeline saturated with photos and minimal words. They see a friend or brand’s life story through photos.

But what Instagram was able to curate that Facebook could not is the desire for users to share photos of not only life’s milestones and big events, but also the fleeting moments in everyday life. The moments that smart phone owners already were taking pictures of, but never publishing. Instagram has given iPhone (and now Android) users the ability to transform their dodgy camera phone photos into funky, creative images that one looks forward to sharing with the world, and the world is happy to look at.

Instagram gives an emotional and personal touch to pictures of everyday life.

That is why Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page, “Providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook, and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.”

So for those of you who manage a brand’s online image, remember the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Use photos to tell your story. It will give an emotional and personal touch to your brand that will engage your customers.

We’re excited to announce the newest member of our content team, Natasha Richardson O’Neill, has joined us at Raidious!

Natasha is a proud graduate of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She previously worked as an editor for the educational company Class.com and was a devoted employee of her school paper, the Daily Nebraskan, during her college years. When she’s not crafting content, Natasha enjoys live music, fitness, photography, movies and reading.

Natasha is absolutely passionate about writing, which makes her an amazingly valuable asset to Raidious as she works on creating content for brands that need an energetic voice. (On top of that, she brings to the table editing skills that are put into use fixing the often-gratuitous mistakes in my other blog posts.)

We already love working with Natasha, and we look forward to her being a part of the Raidious family!

Director of Social Media Position Overview

The Director of Social Media is responsible for developing remarkable content for Raidious clients on social media channels. This includes working collaboratively with our entire engagement team to develop new and innovative social media strategy and methodology.

This position will be responsible for the coordination and execution of Engagment Services for Raidious at the direction of the senior team. Management of project deliverables, time-lines, and quality control will be the Director of Social Media’s primary responsibilities.

All deliverables will be assigned and tracked using our project management tool. It is critical that our employees execute their assigned tasks on time and within the parameters of the established strategy and scope of work. The Director of Social Media needs to not only adhere to this policy, but help enforce it as well.

Key Responsibilities of the Director of Social Media:

1. Create engaging social media content for Raidious clients.
2. Accomplish the client’s objectives within the assigned scope of work.
3. Social media monitoring for Raidious clients
4. Social media moderation for Raidious clients
5. Social media management for Raidious clients
6. Development of social media strategies for Raidious clients
7. Supervision and quality control of Social Media team

Essential Job Functions:

• Leadership on social media campaigns
• Further development of social media offerings
• Creative idea generation for clients

Requirements:

• College degree
• 2-3 years social media marketing experience for an enterprise-level company
• Strong communication skills
• Strong writing skills
• Knowledge of current interactive marketing best practices
• Project management skills
• Ability to work a fast paced but flexible schedule at 40 hours per week
• Independent worker with ability to complete assigned tasks, and manage a complex and fast-paced production schedule.

If you’re a marketer, and you’re not familiar with EdgeRank, you should be. This is the algorithm Facebook uses to determine which content to show your fans. But that’s just the tip of the sword.

Raidious works with lots of enterprise-level global and national brands, managing social media for hundreds of thousands of fans and hundreds of thousands of interactions every month. Raidious has been in the social media optimization game for awhile now. Over the last year, we have been doing more homework on EdgeRank to help our existing clients do things like triple their Facebook fan base, add 20,000 fans in a 48 hour period, and drive 60% increases in online sales worth over a million and a half dollars – all attributable directly to social media (and that was just one client). We are pretty excited about what we have learned, and thought it would be valuable information to share with other marketers, who may be wondering why their numbers on Facebook have gone down recently, or why they are not seeing the growth they want. The answer is EdgeRank, Facebook’s content assassin. That’s right:

Facebook is trying to assassinate your content.

Only you can protect it – but you must learn the exquisite art of EdgeRank, grasshopper.

Learn how to become an EdgeRank Ninja, with Raidious and Awareness Networks, at our upcoming Webinar. If the word “algorithm” scares you, don’t worry. This will not be a deep dive into Calculus 401. I’ll give an easy to understand overview of the algorithm, with as little heavy math as possible (although there will be a little bit). I can also guarantee the appearance of at least one cute picture of a kitten, and Animal from the Muppets. Also, lots of ninja pictures, and a behind the scenes look at the end result of ongoing EdgeRank optimization, and some guidance on how you, too, can start leveraging EdgeRank for your brand.

I would love to see you there, and please bring a friend. It will be fun, and you can impress your boss afterwards with your crazy EdgeRank ninja skills. Hiii-YA!

Related articles

• Understanding How Algorithms Impact Content (raidious.com)
• EdgeRank and Graph Rank Defined (insidefacebook.com)
• The End of the Echo Chamber (slate.com)

Recently, I joined Raidious as an intern and have thoroughly enjoyed the short time I have been here. At Raidious, I work with the Engagement Team. Thus far, it has been an eye opening experience. I have been very fortunate to learn many aspects of the company since I began my internship two weeks ago. Each day has been a new adventure and I am excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the company during my Social Media internship.

Social Media is much more complex than one would initially think. Working in this field entails more than just updating a Facebook status, tweeting, and retweeting. Much time and thought goes into the research and work you do while accessing social media sites. You must always be on your toes when working in Social Media.

My Public Relations and Communication background has made my transition into this role much easier. I have been taught that you have to plan well and focus on getting things done timely. Additionally, you must identify your audience and understand their needs. Continually listening and responding to your audience at all times will enhance your chances of success.

It is imperative that you constantly manage, monitor, and moderate the feed that you are receiving. The more you respond and how quickly you respond can in return provide your brand the positive image you desire. The success of the company is influenced by how you interact with your audience through social media platforms.

Raidious is an incredible company. Everyone who works here is creative in their own way. The strength of the company is apparent through its talented and professional staff. I look forward to the remainder of my time here at Raidious and I am confident that my experience will provide me with a solid foundation in Social Media Management.

Social Media Analytics is an ever-evolving practice. Here is a quick presentation on how Raidious handles analytics on a cross platform basis for socialized media (one point we make here – social media is a misnomer, it’s all social). It’s all about understanding how to grow and engage an audience with content, regardless of the platform – social or otherwise.

If your company is asking questions like . . . how do we measure the impact of social media? What is the ROI? What metrics should I be paying attention to in which platforms?

We have some answers for you. Please contact us any time, and we’ll be happy to have one of our strategists do an analysis of your current efforts.

People follow brands to receive exclusivity, promotions, and be "in the know"

Social Media is still growing, and if you are a marketer that has drug your feet getting online, you should wait no longer. With the holiday season coming up, you have more users then ever going online to figure out what they want to buy their loved ones this holiday season. Whether it is inspiration for that 5:00 am brick and mortar trip the day after Thanksgiving, or the consumer that is planning on buying everything online; you have an opportunity to really impact consumer buying habits with social media this holiday season.

According to the study, 10 Quick Facts You Should Know About Consumer Behavior on Twitter, released by Chadwick Martin Bailey in October 2011, 6 in 10 Twitter followers are existing customers. While being an existing customer is the top reason (64%), the other reasons are extremely telling on the consumer’s intentions when following a brand. Other top reasons were to be the first to know info about the brand (61%), to receive discounts and promotions (48%) and gain access to exclusive content (36%). This information is giving brands more fire power then ever going into the holiday season.

Twitter users are frequent online users overall; 50% go online more than once an hour

The study also points out that the majority of users (79%) follow fewer than 10 brands and 36% only follow one or two brands. Also, 50% of Twitter users and 34% of Facebook users visit those sites more than once an hour; not to mention that 75% of Twitter followers have never unfollowed a brand. This creates a great combination for marketers on social because the majority of your audience only follows a handful of brands (and you are one of them!), they get online a lot and they are loyal. It is a marketing trifecta!

So how do you capitalize? Here are 4 tips to help get your brand in front of more eyeballs this holiday season.

1. Release Deals to Social Media Networks: Advertisers spend a lot of money on ads, weekly inserts in the Sunday paper, and direct mail during the holiday season. By putting this information online, you enhance your offline efforts and give your audience an opportunity to share the information with their friends and followers; it’s additional advertising at no cost.
2. Don’t Just Push. Interact: 33% of brand followers on Twitter are interacting with brands more this year than last year. You will deepen brand loyalty with users if you let them know you are listening and not just publishing.
3. Tweet Frequently (if you have the content to support it): With so much going on in the Twitter-sphere, you need to stay in front of your audience. By no means do I recommend Tweeting for Tweet sake, but if you have enough relevant content to jabber about, get your tweet on. Some ideas on what you can share with your audience are deals, promotions, trivia, relevant holiday tips, company news and relevant industry or company retweets. With 50% of users going back to Twitter more than once an hour, you are primed to get maximum exposure to your audience this holiday season. Be cautious of audience burn. If your audience is starting to unfollow your brand, then you may be posting too many non-relevant things to Twitter. Also, don’t post as much to Facebook as you would to Twitter.
4. Run Social Only Promotions: Make your audience feels like they have an inside track for following you this holiday season. Your users will check back to see what you have to offer next. This keeps you top of mind for the deal seeking crowd.

What are your social media strategies for this holiday season? Did I leave any tips out that you are planning on implementing?

Also Read: 

Raidious is hosting an open call for content correspondents. Our company continues to grow, and we need talented correspondents with broadcast journalism and social media experience.

Can you answer YES to all of these questions?

• Are you able to work independently with care?
• Are you patient and skillful with detail work?
• Fully adhering to well-defined processes to produce high quality results?
• Do you enjoy a steady pace, open environment requiring attention to detail?

If you can, then we have the position for you!

We are Raidious and we are an interactive marketing and communications company. We are purpose-built to produce content and manage dialogue for our clients brands. We have a casual, open work environment.

We have a position to join our team as a Content Correspondent. You will be responsible for delivering high quality content for Raidious clients. This content will be executed on time and on strategy at the direction of the Account Producer and Head of Publishing. This position will work out of our downtown Indianapolis, Indiana office.

Successful candidates will bring the following:

• Bachelor degree
• Minimum 1 year experience
• Strong writing skills
• Proficiency with web publishing tools
• Proficiency with image editing
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Ability to work independently
• Attention to detail
• Video editing a plus

Here is what you can expect in return as a Content Correspondent:

• Competitive hourly wage
• Business mileage and business expense reimbursement
• Opportunity to work for a successful, growing, casual company that rewards strong performance

If you are ready for the challenge and reward of our position, please visit our Careers page and apply.

Careers at Raidious.

Raidious has engaged ADVISA Hiring to identify the top candidates for this position. Per their request, please direct all communications about this position to the address above. As we will be communicating with you through this and other advisausa.com and advisahiring.com e-mail addresses, please be sure to take the necessary steps, such as adding this address to your address book, to avoid having correspondence caught in your e-mail filters.

Ruby at The Acropolis in Athens, Greece

Watch out! our team is growing AGAIN!! We are thrilled to have two new additions to our engagement team this month, Ruby Kohler & Jennifer Love. Ruby Kohler will be joining Raidious as a Social Media Specialist, and Jennifer Love will be our newest engagement intern!

Ruby is a Bloomington, IN native and recent graduate of the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism. Her enthusiasm and positivity are truly contagious. Ruby is an avid runner and enjoys swimming in her spare time. She most recently worked as a Marketing Director for Agency 7, where she managed public relations and social media for the Bloomington chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Jennifer & Her Husky, Iggy

Jennifer graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Communications & Public Relations. She brings to us her passion for writing, creativity, and a strong work ethic. A natural born leader and philanthropist, Jennifer conducted a PR campaign for the West Lafayette Recycling Company.

We are excited to have Ruby & Jennifer on board and look forward to working with them!

Follow them on Twitter:

• Ruby Kohler
• Jennifer Love