Social media is a fast-growing, ever-changing industry, and it can be a challenge for those in the know to keep up with the ever-evolving lingo and social media terms. Every industry has its own language, and here are some of the basic terms and definitions of social media:

Social Media Terms

Avatar – An image that represents a user online. Most brands use their company logo as their avatar. See NPR’s Twitter avatar or Dr Pepper’s Facebook avatar.

Bitly – A free service to shorten URLs, making them easier to share on social media platforms. Here’s Whole Foods using a Bitly in their recent tweet.

Blog – This is a “Web Log” that individuals or companies use to share commentary, such as updates, graphics, or videos. Zappos has an active company blog.

Bookmarking – The process of saving a URL in order to access it at a later date. There are different bookmarking platforms, but Google also offers a spot to bookmark sites.

Hashtag – A tag used to categorize and organize comments on Twitter. Always preceded by the pound symbol “#.” Starbucks asks users to tag Instagram photos with the hashtag #starbucks, and they use a lot of different hashtags in their Twitter feed.  Here’s one they use often #ExtraShotOfGood.

Infographic – A graphic with information and data shared easily through social media sites. Here’s an example of How to Create an Infographic from Mashable

Klout – A social media analytics service that gives you a score based on how involved and influential you are in the social media world. Check out these Top social media influencers klout scores.

Like – A way to show approval on Facebook. You actually click a “Like” button. You can “like” a brand, which allows you to receive their status updates in your news feed, or you can just like a specific status update. Here you can choose to “like” Disney World’s page or “like” this status.

Links – A hyperlink, a way to connect directly to another web page, accessible by one easy click. This blog post is full of links to other sites, but here’s a link to the Splash Media YouTube channel, just for emphasis.

Link building – A search engine optimization (SEO) tactic where you strategically link to other sites (usually blogs) to increase your own site’s search engine ranking.

Meme – A thought, idea, joke, or concept that is shared online through social media sites. It’s typically an image with text, but can also be a video. The Grumpy Cat meme won Meme of the Year at the 17^th Annual Webby Awards.

Microblogging – Content sharing platforms that restrict the amount of data that you can share. Twitter is considered a microblogging platform, as is Tumblr.

Permalink – The specific URL to a web page or blog post. The links within this blog post are all permalinks to specific pages.

Podcast – An episodic series of audio radio, video, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device. I get most of the podcasts I listen to from iTunes.

RSS Feed – “Really Simple Syndication” is a format used to easily share frequently updated content, such as news sites, blog posts and videos. Here’s a link to the Splash Media blog feed, where you can subscribe and receive our blog updates through email.

Sentiment – The attitude of user comments related to a brand online. Amy’s Baking Company has recently received extremely negative sentiment from Facebook users for their alleged bad customer service. (read through the comments to see what I’m talking about)

SEO – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via unpaid or organic search traffic. Google defines SEO.

Skype – A service that allows for text, audio, and video chats between users. If you haven’t “skyped” someone, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Tag – Is a term assigned to a piece of information so that you can describe the information and find it again. (Commonly used in blogging) At the bottom of this blog post by The Pioneer Woman, you can see she has used the tags “dogs” and “random critters.”

Traffic – Is the amount of data sent and received by visitors to a web page. Most websites monitor how many visitors they receive and how many pages are viewed. Google Analytics is a good tool to measure your web traffic.

Tweeps – A nickname referring to Twitter Followers.

Tweet – A message sent through Twitter that is no longer than 140-characters. Surprisingly, you can say a lot with very few words. Here’s an award-winning tweet from the Mars Curiosity Team.

 

This glossary of terms just touches a small portion of social media terms, but they are some of the most critical.  Did we miss any? Are there any social media terms out there that you don’t understand?

 

Back in January, we asked you what six seconds could do for your company branding strategy with the advent of the new Vine app. Now, months later, we have our answer. According to Mashable, Vine has become one of the top iPhone apps of 2013 and one of the most popular social media networks since the 2010 launch of Instagram. In fact, Vine was the number one app in the U.S. App Store on April 9, 2013.

Six seconds is not much time to grab your audience’s attention. You have to be concise and creative. The good news: Vine videos are cheap to make and the perfect length of time for our ever-present short attention spans. And some big brands have been having a lot of fun exploring this new social media medium:

• USA Today – Every day, USA Today shows a quick teaser of the day’s headlines and topics.
• Lowes – Lowes Vine videos are really useful home improvement tips and lifehacks. Have a stripped screw? Use a rubber band with a screwdriver, no problem! They’ve even given their campaign a hashtag #lowesfixinsix.
• General Electric – General Electric shows off their innovative brand personality in their Vine videos. They were one of the first brands to dive into Vine and ramp up engagement, leaving viewers curious about what they’ll do next. Wanna know what happens when you combine milk, food coloring and dish soap?
• Rolling Stone – Rolling Stone Magazine has huge engagement. They often make videos asking the question, “Guess who is on the cover?” with a magazine covered in sticky notes or cigarettes or something that gives a clue to the answer hiding underneath.
• Trident Gum – Trident uses Vine to showcase their gum in unique ways. A never-ending pack of gum? Trident magic tricks? They’re definitely having fun.
• Urban Outfitters – Urban Outfitters uses their Vine account to display their products in fun ways. They share their new clothing lines, trendy collections and store displays … as well as bulldogs and spinning models.

It’s all about brand personality. These six brands have not only worked their brand personality into Vine, they’ve incorporated Vine into their marketing pretty effectively, don’t you agree? Which company uses it the best? What other companies are using Vine effectively?

Splash Media can help you with creative tactics in your online brand strategy. To learn more about us, visit our website. You can also check us out onFacebook,Twitter, andLinkedIn.

Slack to share his insights and social media expertise from 11am to noon (Eastern) on April 29, 2013.

DALLAS, Texas—Paul Slack, President of Splash Media University, will be a guest on Milehiradio.com on Monday, April 29, 2013, from 11am-Noon (Eastern). Paul will share his social media marketing expertise while being interviewed by Deb Krier, who hosts a weekly show on social media marketing.

Slack has been in front of over 20,000 C-level executives, training them on how to use social media marketing effectively for businesses of all sizes. “I’m excited to speak with Milehiradio’s audience and hopefully impart a few new ideas for them to use in their businesses right away,” Slack said.

Splash Media University is an accredited school that offers online education on Social Media Marketing through a certification program called the Master Social Media Marketing Certification.

ABOUT Milehiradio.com
MileHiRadio.com is an Internet-based radio station dedicated to great music—with emphasis on deserving Indie artists and groups—and best-of-breed talk radio shows with national and international appeal. MileHiRadio.com programming intertwines both “talk” and “music” formats. Programming originates from across the U.S. and from international locations as well.

ABOUT SPLASH MEDIA
Based in Dallas, Splash Media is one of the largest firms in the United States to provide full social media marketing services for businesses around the world. Splash Media designs customized social media strategies for clients, provides text and video content, incorporates traditional Internet marketing and SEO, and monitors online reputations and brand mentions.

Splash Media’s unique services for clients include a $5.3 million video production facility using state-of-the-art virtual reality sets and an Emmy Award-winning video production staff. The blend of interactive digital marketing and leading edge video results in compelling content that drives new business leads and creates thriving online communities for clients.

Splash Media also offers its own software product: SplashCube™, a one-of-a-kind social media management tool that grades businesses on their use of social networks and provides real-time guidance for building online communities; and Splash Media U, the first training and certification program for those wanting a career in social media marketing. Visit http://www.splashmediau.com for more information.

 

This annual event showcases college students and recent graduates’ innovative business plans that are designed to succeed fiscally and make the world a better place.

When the third annual Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures™ Business Plan Competition takes place April 19-20 on the campus of Texas Christian University, Chris Kraft, co-founder of Splash Media LP, will be among those to judge the innovative ideas presented by some of the finest collegiate minds in the world. He’ll also be keeping a keen eye on the interest this event generates in the social media world.

“I’ve had the privilege of participating as a judge in this unique event for the past two years. The vision of the Values and Ventures competition is just as entrepreneurial as the teams competing,” Kraft said. “Social media represents a tremendous opportunity for The Neeley School of Business at TCU to leverage the participants, students, faculty and guests at this amazing event to share their experiences with the rest of the world and amplify those conversations through social media channels.”

Kraft’s company, Splash Media, is the largest provider of social media strategy and marketing services in the Southwest and one of the sponsors of the Values and Ventures Competition. He assembled a team of social media strategists and practitioners and tasked them with creating a comprehensive social media marketing strategy that incorporates all the major social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instragram, Google+ and a blog—into a working plan that would bring The TCU Neeley School of Business at TCU into the center of the social media world, before, during and after the event.

This team’s efforts did not stop with strategy, however. They also met with Neeley representatives and walked through exactly how to set up the platforms, how to execute the strategy, and how to measure results. Neeley representatives also had free access to the accredited Splash Media University and its nearly 500 training videos to ensure they had a complete understanding of how to leverage social media to its fullest extent.

“The strategy and training we received from Splash Media is phenomenal,” said Ann McDonald, Director of the Value and Ventures Program. “We will be able to fully facilitate and participate in conversations via social media throughout the competition like never before. Fully leveraging social media will bring us closer to our competitors in this year’s event, as well as help us in our recruiting efforts for future events.”

This year’s Values and Ventures Competition brings together teams representing 28 schools from across the United States and as far away as Croatia, Scotland, Mexico and Canada. During the two-day competition, each team will present a business venture designed to succeed fiscally and make the world a better place. The winning team receives $15,000, with $10,0000 going to the runner-up and $5,000 for third place. In addition, a $5,000 energy independence award will be presented to the team whose plan best demonstrates that concept best.

The Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Business Plan Competition takes place at TCU’s Brown-Lupton University Union, 2901 Stadium Drive in Fort Worth, Texas. The event is free and open to the public.

Follow the two-day competition at http://www.facebook.com/neeleyschoolofbusinessattcu, on Twitter @NeeleySchoolTCU #tcuvv13, and live at http://www.neeley.tcu.edu/livestream Saturday 9am-1pm for finalists’ presentations, and Saturday evening beginning at 7pm for announcements of winners.

For more information about the Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Business Plan Competition, or to learn more about TCU, visit the school’s website.

ABOUT SPLASH MEDIA
Splash Media, LP, based in Dallas, Texas, is one of the largest companies in the United States to provide full social media marketing services for small and midsize businesses around the world. Splash Media designs customized social media strategies for clients, provides text and video content, incorporates traditional internet marketing and SEO, and monitors online reputations and brand mentions.

Splash Media’s unique services for clients include a $5.5 million video production facility using state-of-the-art virtual reality backgrounds and an Emmy Award-winning video production staff. The blend of interactive digital marketing and leading-edge video results in compelling content that can drive new business leads and create thriving online communities for customers.

Splash Media also offers its own software product: SplashCube™, a one-of-a-kind social media management tool that grades businesses on their use of social networks and provides real-time guidance for building online communities; and Splash Media U™, the first online HD video university offering on-demand social media marketing training to businesses of all sizes.

Part of every company branding strategy should include promoting your business on the major social sites—Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  In fact, LinkedIn was specifically designed as a business-based networking platform, so it makes sense to use this site in particular to build the reputation of your brand within the business community and provide it with some legitimacy and visibility for associates and potential clients.  Like every other aspect of the branding process, though, the capabilities of LinkedIn can be squandered if you don’t take advantage of them or if they’re used incorrectly, so creating an entire process around the site is required if you expect to reap maximum benefits for your business.

 

Creating a Company Branding Strategy using LinkedIn

Your company branding strategy for LinkedIn should begin with a well-designed and relevant company page.  This page will be the focal point for your business going forward, and at a minimum, should include a link to your business website, links to key staff members (who must also be members of LinkedIn), and links to your Facebook and Twitter pages.  In addition, you should take full advantage of the pre-built pages within the company page to advertise career opportunities and recruit candidates, promote your brand through the products and services page, and expand your reach by linking to affiliated groups, featured groups, industry partners, and even competitors to promote a sense of fair play as part of your company branding strategy.

Since your company page is your image on LinkedIn, it should be inviting and eye-catching.  More importantly, however, the information you present there must be valid, up-to-date, and a showcase of your industry knowledge.  Ensure that all links included on your page are legitimate and functional.  Your profile, and the LinkedIn profiles of all of your lead team members, should be complete and current.  Keep your page updated with frequent postings of news feeds about your company, comments from your other social media sites, and industry-related news.

An often overlooked yet essential part of your company branding strategy on LinkedIn is participation.  The site, albeit business-based, is still a social site, and members are looking for opportunities to interact with your business by providing insights, feedback, and suggestions.  You should give them every opportunity to do so by proactively participating in polls and groups to promote your brand and display your knowledge in various subject areas. Answering questions posted in the group forums is an excellent way to highlight your brand without appearing to be self-serving.  Any interesting content you run across can and should be shared with connections and groups to entice people to follow you.

If you want to use LinkedIn as part of your company branding strategy, you must keep your pages fresh and filled with appropriate content.  You must be prepared to interact with the people that want to provide feedback to your business, good and bad, and use it to build positive relationships.  Perception is everything in the branding process.   Remember that everyone else on the site is looking for networking opportunities just like you are, and the more active you are in the process, the more people will find you to be a worthwhile associate, expanding your circle of influence and building your brand.

To learn how LinkedIn, and the other social media sites, can promote your business and enhance your company branding strategy, contact Splash Media.  To learn more about us, visit our website.  You can also check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.