Happy Friday! In this week’s #MMSocialReport, we share our excitement for more female emoji representation and the launch of Instagram Stories. Also, heads up — ads are coming to Facebook Live, Snapchat is making scannable codes for the real world, and LinkedIn introduces videos from influencers. Read on for details!
Clay Fernald (@claynferno) is the brains behind the Midde East and Zuzu’s social media. From running the actual venue to running the venue’s social media (which includes keeping guests, artists, and followers constantly informed), we bet Clay had a lot of advice for businesses looking to get their big toe wet in the somewhat murky waters of social media. And we were right.
1. Music Monday! #mm
Even if you aren’t in the music business, put your favorite artist in the spotlight on Monday! Have you Heard Aretha Franklin sing Adele? Wooooo! Hashtag #mm means “Music Monday.” Everyone likes music!
2. Follow Back! #ff
In 2012, we got the blue checkmark next to our @MidEastClub Twitter handle? What does that mean, we’re clear for smallpox? No! We’re a recognized professional entity by the almighty Twitter herself! Thanks, birdie!
Anyhoot, we got there by slowly building a great ratio of followers to people we followed. And also we made sure not to follow jerks. Us the #FF hashtag on Friday to engage with your peers, your friends, your competitors and see how fast your list can grow. If you get a #FF notification, follow them back (after checking out their profile, of course!)
3. Report Spammers!
Are you followed on Twitter by a lot of egg icons, or is someone spamming one-of-a-kind Marty McFly sneaker sales on your Facebook Page? Unless it’s Doc Brown himself, use the appropriate buttons to report to Twitter and Facebook that these are spam accounts! Keep the B.S. to a minimum and those news feeds clean for all. It feels like a citizens arrest!
4. Meme it up!
Bored on a Thursday? Send your intern to MemeGenerator to make a clever joke about what you and your team are working on.
See, look what my intern did! She’s a card.
5. Speak in your own voice!
There are lots of conflicting words of advice about this, but as a brand, you are still a person, or hopefully, a team! Sign your tweets if you need to express who you are.
For example. nerd musicians @PaulandStorm share a Twitter account and they simply sign tweets this way: [P] = Paul, [S] = Storm.
In the MidEastClub Twitter bio, we are a collective team, but we post as “The Box Office, Jill&Steph&Jamie&Clay.” This puts at least a name to the company (four names, in fact!) that people can relate to!
6. Acknowledge your mistakes.
If we make a mistake or update set times, we say “oops” or “updated set times.”
Catching a Lyft may be as easy as opening an app on your phone, but Zach Cole, Lyft’s social media manager, doesn’t have an easy job. From mastering Lyft’s “cool dude next door” voice on Twitter to handling Lyft’s responses to the numerous red-tape it faces in many states across the country – Cole has a lot to handle, but he makes it look effortless! We asked him for some advice for businesses looking to emulate that kind of organic presence.
1. Find out what your audience likes.
Brands that don’t constantly talk about themselves often find great success. Knowing what your audience is truly interested in can help inform your content strategy, so that you’re able to share more content that isn’t centered around your brand, but still communicates your brand values.
2. Create a content calendar.
Brands with strong content calendars do two things really well: they have a regular posting frequency per social channel, which helps brands understand when they can best reach their audience, and they post a variety of content. Content calendars are great tools for bucketing content into categories so that brands can share a balanced variety of content.
3. Set goals.
Talk with your marketing and brand teams to determine your brand’s goals for social media. This way, you can have an idea of what matters most when working to improve your social strategy. Goals vary from one brand to the next — some brands (media and e-commerce) will often measure website traffic from social, while others may want to focus on reaching a target demographic with a specific message.
4. Experiment.
Try new things! The world of social media is still relatively new, so there’s always room to experiment. Try sharing new types of content, playing with copy, working with influencers, etc. You sometimes never know just where you’re going to find the most success until you give it a go — and generally social media lets brands do this at minimal cost.
For those who are unfamiliar, @BDCwire is like a younger, more hip version of Boston.com. (They’re actually related, so it makes sense.) You’ll find tweets about Boston’s alternative music and nightlife scenes, culture, and lifestyle, which is one of the main reasons it’s on our who to follow on Twitter list. @BDCwire not only publishes great content, but also rocks it on Twitter! We got some tips from Michelle Buchman (@michelledeidre); follow her example.
Find more A&E Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston!
2. Don’t be afraid to use humor! Of course, this depends on the organization, but don’t be scared to inject some humor and sarcasm into your social media accounts. Companies can share their favorite GIFs and memes, too. It shows your account isn’t stiff and serious 24/7.
3. Use pictures as much as possible. Tweets with images almost always have higher engagement than those with just text. Now that Twitter supports GIF uploads, you have no excuse. I like using giphy.com (a search engine for GIFs) to find ones that fit stories we share for @BDCwire.
4. Take advantage of Twitter’s free analytics. Now that Twitter has opened up its analytics to everyone, you have no excuses. Users can check analytics.twitter.com to find out how many impressions, URL clicks, engagements, and more things their tweets are getting. Use this tool to figure out what’s working well and how your account can improve.
5. Make the most of your profile and header photos. Use your creativity and take advantage of the new Twitter profile. The header image size is great to display your logo, interests, a favorite photo, etc. Don’t just settle for a generic wallpaper – think outside the box.
Concert reviews, local artists, record stores, music tech startups – all the things music lovers like to know about. If we were to recommend one Twitter account to stay in the loop with such things, locally, it would be @SoundofBoston.
They’re on our list of Twitter accounts to follow because they not only provide a TON of info, but are also great at interacting with and sharing content from other relevant accounts. All that together makes for one useful source! (SO helpful for anyone new to the city, too!)
After noting a few thoughts from Knar Bedian, also known as @live_hye and the person behind the @SoundofBoston account, we’re inspired.
Find more A&E Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston.
1. Choose no more than three topics to tweet about. People should be able to quickly understand what sorts of information/value your account will offer.
2. As Gary Vaynerchuk says in his book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, it’s not all about promoting your own site/posts. More often than not, your account should provide entertainment or useful information that fills in the space between your “right hooks,” or the tweets in which you ask your followers to check out your content or respond to your calls to action.
3. When you want your followers to take an action, make sure there’s a call to action! For example, “Sign up here,” or “Retweet,” or “Respond with a story.”
4. Engage with others and understand your audience. Twitter should not be your soapbox. Knowing the prime time to tweet is important.
5. Starting a tweet with a Twitter handle means the tweet will be directed to that person, and it WON’T show up on your followers’ feeds. If you don’t mean to have a conversation with someone, use a space or period before Twitter handles when starting tweets with a name to make sure it shows up on your followers’ feeds.
In Boston? Around Boston? Love music? 
@AllstonPudding is one of the area’s prime music blogs, and its Twitter feed is flooded with show announcements, artist interviews, photos, and RTs of totally relevant things. @AllstonPudding actually offers more than just article links… like free stuff! Want to go to a local show for free? Check out their feed for ticket giveaways.
Inspired by their ways? Daniel Schiffer (@dschiffty) and Chanelle Diaz (@chanellediaz13) are behind the account, and shared their top five Twitter tips with us!
Find more A&E Twitter accounts at our list of Who to Follow in Boston.
1. Hashtags are a tool. Make sure to use them to your advantage (and don’t overdo it).
2. Twitter is a platform for conversation so it’s very important to interact with your followers: retweet, tweet at them, etc.
3. Tweet frequently! With the amount of accounts people follow, it’s very easy to get lost in your followers’ feeds.
4. Stay true to your audience by maintaining a consistent image/brand.
5. Keep Twitter fun and upbeat, especially with an account and following like ours.