We launched Hustle Dance Troupe last week, a site for Scotland’s premier all-female dance troupe.

The site is aimed to attract clients who wish to book the dance troupe for appearances and corporate events, and focuses on the group’s highly visual appeal through the use of large photos, embedded video and photo galleries.

An event calendar is used to show the group’s future dates (and availability); and of course the entire site is able to be updated by the site owner themselves through the use of content management (via WordPress).

Check out Hustle yourself and watch the girls go through some impressive moves.

The answers are out there…

One of the best things about social networks is the ability to tap into their ‘hive minds’ – to use them in place of the likes of Google to get answers to questions and queries you may have. From real people. Indeed, it’s one of the most affirming aspects of social media – people love to help others.

Of course, every network differs in not only the type of question it is best placed to answer, but the audience it is likelly to reach.

Here’s how to use the most popular networks to get your own questions answered.

Twitter

Whether your questions is about the best local plumber in your area; or a technical query about something obscure, Twitter is remarkably effective as a means of getting answers.

Of course, the more followers you have, the more likely your question is to be seen, but smart use of hashtags and a retweet or two to influential people on your follow list can reap dividends.

Twitter is characterised by its short timespan of tweets – so, if your question hasn’t been answered within a couple of hours, chances are it’s not going to be. However, with the sheer number of people worldwide online at any one time, your question may well find itself in front of someone only too happy to help.

LinkedIn

If your question is a professional or technical one, LinkedIn Answers is a superb place to pose it. LinkedIn members love to be seen as experts in their field: and what better way to prove that than to be recognised as provider of a ‘top answer’ to a question. And unlike the other networks mentioned here, you are practically guaranteed to get an answer – and very likely a detailed one containing links to supporting websites and information at that.

Facebook

In Facebook, you have two avenues to follow to get your question answered. On your personal profile, where your question will be seen by your friends and family, it’s probably best to ask something related to your life, area or interests. Although it’s possible your question will get shared, the number of people who will see it is limited by your number of friends. Although, like the other networks, your friends will love to help if they can…

On your Facebook business page, the first thing to ask yourself is whether that’s an appropriate place to ask a question in the first place. People probably didn’t follow you to be bombarded with queries, and – whilst an occasional poll or invitation to provide feedback on your product or service is acceptable – using your business page to ask if there’s anything exciting happening in town at the weekend probably isn’t too wise.

As such, Facebook is probably the least effective of the social networks when it comes to getting your questions answered – but if they are truly social queries, then it has its place.

Quora

Quora created quite a stir when it launched. Like a cross between LinkedIn Answers, Wikipedia and Reddit, it allows users to post and answer questions; and to edit responses and vote up the ones they feel are best.

Although it has not become mainstream, it still has an active worldwide community, and is a good place to get questions of any type answered.

…and many more

Yahoo Answers, the wiki-like Answers and online forums and groups across the web are all full of people only too happy to help.

And of course, if all else fails and your question remains unanswered, you can always just >Google it…

Is your head (and your data) in the clouds?

Chances are, you’re already using cloud computing without knowing it.

Do you use Gmail, Hotmail or one of the other web mail services available? Maybe you make use of Google Calendar to keep track of appointments or events. Even if you don’t, chances are you have Facebook profile which you or your friends use to share news and photos.

All of these services live ‘in the cloud‘

Cloud Computing – definition

A service which you connect to online; generally one where you store information or data which can then be accessed from anywhere you have an internet connection.

Rather than your data and information being stored on your computer’s hard drive, it is instead held on the service’s network of computers.

Cloud computing – the benefits

The main benefit of cloud computing has already been mentioned: you are able to access a service in the cloud from anywhere you have an internet connection.

You will have a password and user id for any cloud-based service – with that, you can connect to it from your computer at home, at work, in an internet cafe or – increasingly – from an application or browser on your smartphone.

So, rather than have to carry about expensive laptops or storage devices for your data; or wait until you get home before you are able to work on something: cloud computing services let you access your information on the move.

Another benefit is the ease with which information in the cloud can be shared with others. Although your information is protected by your password, most services allow you to easily share individual bits of information with others – or, as with Google Apps – actually work on things like documents or spreadhsheets at the same time.

So, no more unwieldy attachments cluttering up your inbox – with cloud-based services, you can just send a link to someone you want to share a file with and they’ll be able to access it.

Cloud Computing for your business

As a small business, cloud computing can help provice you with cost-efficient and convenient solutions for a number of needs:

• Storage: services like Dropbox and Evernote allow you to keep files and notes on their services, freeing you from the need to store them on your own computer. Sites like Flickr and Picasa are dedicated photo sharing sites, which you can also use as cloud-based storage solutions for photographs and images
• Collaborating: Google Apps, Google Calendar and other services allow you to share diary appointments, documents and discussions with your clients, suppliers or colleagues. Previously, expensive and cumbersome desktop tools were the only alternative – now you can do these things quickly and cheaply (often for free) using cloud computing
• Sharing: As mentioned, information you have stored in the cloud is easily and securely able to be shared with people you give access to.

Cloud Computing: things to consider

Although cloud-based services have been around for some time and are mature, there are some things you should still bear in mind before using them:

• Security and privacy: With cloud-based services, your information is stored on someone else’s network, such as Google. Although these companies take great pains to ensure your data is secure and private, some may use the information to target adverts or other services to you. And you probably shouldn’t store confidential client information in the cloud, certainly not without asking first.
• Availability: Cloud computing is fantastic, when you have an internet connection. But what happens if you’re somewhere where you can’t get online; or if your internet connection is lost; or if the service you’re using goes down for a period of time? It’s a good idea to have anything important to you backed up on your own computer just in case.

See you in the clouds

So, armed with that information, why not consider using a cloud computing service the next time you want to store or share information.

Be aware of the things to remember above and keep your feet on the ground, but why not consider putting your head – and your information – in the clouds!

Question 1: What is LinkedIn Answers?

LinkedIn Answers is an often-overlooked section of the professional social network, available from the ‘More‘ menu option of the site.

Despite being a little bit hidden away, it is a popular and active – and extremely useful – section of the site. Chances are, if you have a question about your industry or any aspect of the digital world, if you post a question here, someone will provide you with exactly the answer you’re looking for.

And of course, being an expert in your own field, the opportunity exists for you to show your own knowledge – and have the fact that you’re a ‘Top Expert‘ associated with your LinkedIn profile, for all those prospective clients and employers to see.

Question 2: Where do I start?

LinkedIn Answers

LinkedIn Answers is split into sector-specific categories, and sub-categories within those. Drilling down into the area of interest will reveal a list of open questions, together with indication of how many answers have already been provided.

If you look down the list, you’ll very likely see a question which you know the answer to. This is your opportunity to show your ‘expert‘ status!

First, check the answers which have already been submitted. There’s little point in answering a question which has already been answered well by another user – your response should always have something useful and new to add.

Once you’ve found a candidate question, type in your response, using the ‘website resources’ fields to link to pages which back up your answer – again, only include links to your own site and pages if they are relevant.

Answering a question

You also have the option to send the asker of the question a personal message as part of your response. This is optional and up to you – there’s little real value in doing so, but if you’ve got something to add you don’t want displayed to all viewers of the question – such as your phone number – you can put it here.

As the answers rack up, the asker will be able to rate the responses. If your answer is the most useful, they’ll very likely rate it as a ‘Best Answer‘, which in turn will help you achieve that ‘Top Expert‘ status.

Question 3: Why use it?

Most LinkedIn users will be familiar with Recommendations – personal testimonials written for you by clients, colleagues and friends. Whilst recommendations are good – sometimes you don’t know whether to completely trust them or not: have they been provided in a ‘you write one for me, I’ll write one for you‘ capacity?

Being a ‘Top Expert‘ in LinkedIn Answers however speaks volumes: you’ve been awarded this because of your specialist knowledge and your helpfulness – great things to wear on your LinkedIn sleeve with pride…and proof for people who look at your profile that you really know what you’re talking about.

Suzanne Collins’ futuristic young adult trilogy The Hunger Games has experienced global success with its tale of heroism in the face of frightening odds set in a reality TV and fashion-obsessed post-apocalyptic America.

In March, Lionsgate Films will be releasing The Hunger Games movie, based on the first of Collins’ three novels. And – as well as teasing fans with trailers on TV and on the website – they have one of the best and most integrated social media viral marketing campaigns we’ve seen yet to support it.

Twitter

On Twitter, the official @TheHungerGames account tweets out the latest real-life news in the lead-up to the movie’s release, engaging with fans as the feverish anticipation builds.

A complementary Twitter account, @TheCapitolPN takes on the guise of Panema’s capital city official account, sending out links designed to whip up its fictional populace into a frenzy of pre-Games anticipation – as well as some clever links to information and products featuring in the movie.

Facebook

Effie Trinket

Over on Facebook, District 12′s Effie Trinket has her own page (being run like her character’s own profile); whilst each of the book’s dozen districts have their own pages allowing fans to pledge allegiance to their favourite.

And in a nod to Foursquare, each district page’s fan who shares and interacts with it the most is awarded mayorship, with access to exclusive information and downloads.

YouTube, Tumblr and more

Naturally, the Hunger Games is on YouTube, with its own channel featuring trailers and short teaser clips. The channel is conversation-enabled, allowing fans to chat as they watch and increasing engagement even further.

The fascistic fashionistas of the Capitol are cleverly represented on Capitol Couture, a branded Tumblr containing photos and gossip on the tributes and other ‘celebrities’.

And yesterday, The Hunger Games Adventures were announced, a social game experience from Lionsgate and Funtactix.

Hunger Games Pinterest and Instagram accounts are no doubt only a matter of time…

Watch and learn

Of course, not many of us have the budget of Lionsgate, but The Hunger Games’ social media campaign is certainly one we can learn from:

• Make the best use of each platform – The Hunger Games uses Twitter for quick news and updates; Facebook to create a sense of community; and Tumblr to appeal to a specific segment of the market who are on that channel
• Give each channel its own identity – the movie’s digital presence is much more than a collection of links cross-posted between the different platforms. The Hunger Games ‘tone of voice’ is distinctive, and that’s reflected on each of the platforms to great effect.
• Exclusive content on different platforms – chat about things on YouTube, play games on Facebook, unlock exclusive content on the website, vote for things on Twitter: wherever the movie’s market are online, there’s a way for them to engage and interact
• Know your audience – The Hunger Games has a strong following amongst teenagers – a very lucrative market. The Capitol Couture Tumblr responds to this excellently, pitching the movie’s style and fashion to an audience eager to gobble up every fashion-based morsel of content.

Let the games commence

Of course, the bonus in all of this is that The Hunger Games looks like it will actually be a good movie. One thing’s for certain though: with its comprehensive and effective digital marketing campaign, wherever you hang out online, you’ll come across it sooner or later.

And as a result, the odds are certainly in the movie’s favour.

Online service with a smile

Social media has opened doors which used to be shut.

With presences on Twitter and Facebook, consumer access to brands and organisations is greater than it has ever been before. With this comes an expectation that if companies are using social media, then they are there to be communicated with: to answer questions, provide support and give that one-to-one feeling of engagement which can make customers feel special.

On Twitter and at your service

With that expectation in mind, it can be a mistake for a business to set up a Twitter account and expect to only use it for sharing links to their own products and a couple of press releases.

As soon as you’re online and tweeting, you really should be prepared to provide service and support for anyone who wishes to contact you on that channel.

Ignore your followers, and they’ll not only desert your Twitter feed – but very likely your whole brand as well.

5 ways to provide great customer service on Twitter

Be alert
Whilst no-one expects you to sit in Twitter all day every day, make sure you have things configured so that if someone mentions, replies or direct messages you, then you know about it.

Notifications sent to your email and smartphone alerting apps do the job here – so you don’t have any excuse to leave a Twitter follower who has got in touch with you on the virtual equivalent of ‘hold’…

Reply in kind
Be aware of how someone has contacted you. If they’ve sent you a Twitter message via a mention, it’s fine to reply publicly in the same way. In fact, your other followers may see your response and also find it useful.

If they’ve direct messaged you however, make sure your reply to them is private too – the customer may not take kindly to your reply being published for (potentially) the whole world to see.

Know when to take it offline
Although Twitter comes with an expectation that you can be contacted, don’t get drawn into lengthy exchanges limited by the 140-character limit. If an engagement is stretching out; or if it’s getting into territory you’d rather it didn’t, offer to contact the person via phone or email as a follow-up.

Be there
It goes without saying you need to stay on top of your Twitter feed, not only replying to any mentions and direct messages, but using the channel wisely and on-brand. No-one’s going to get in touch if your feed’s empty…

Let them know
And lastly, as long as you’re geared up behind the scenes to deal with any potential deluges of tweets, let people know you accept customer queries via Twitter.

Tweet out the fact; mention it on your Twitter profile and on your contact section of your website.

Don't be a closed door to your customers on Twitter

And although you may be wary of opening another door for customers, remember that’s far better than slammming one in their faces…

Where did everybody go?

As with most social networks, Facebook users can be a fickle bunch. Yes, they love passing round the latest viral video or funny picture of a cat in a tank, but as soon as they’re faced with something approaching being marketed at, they can desert you in droves.

How then can you try and avoid annoying and alienating those Facebook fans you’ve worked so hard to gain?

Here’s five ways NOT to do it…

1. Send your Twitter updates to Facebook automatically

Social network users are like tribes – and they don’t always play well together.

Fill your Facebook wall with nothing but posts automatically sent from Twitter, for example, and you’re cooking up a recipe for trouble. Whilst you may think it’s an efficient way of updating all your networks in one place if you’re busy, it shows people that you’re too busy – too busy to care about them as individuals.

Keep the hashtags and RTs off your wall and in your Twitter feed where they belong (and whilst we’re on the topic, don’t automatically send your Facebook posts to Twitter either – that’s just as bad, if not worse!)

Alternatively…treat the social networks you’re on – and the people on them – as individuals.

2. Send dozens of updates in less than an hour

Even if you’ve got the most exciting new product or service in the world, no-one wants to be bombarded with status posts reminding them of its existence every 2 minutes.

Spam peoples’ newsfeeds in this way and you’re buying a one-way ticket to having your updates hidden.

Alternatively…spread out your updates and make each one different. Keep them to 2-3 a day, and no-one will accuse you of spamming.

3. Don’t respond to comments or posts from fans

If someone’s taken the trouble to post something on your wall (good or bad), if you don’t take the trouble to respond professionally and courteously – even if it’s just to say thanks – you’ll be seen as aloof and distant.

And not just by whoever wrote the post, but by everyone who happens to visit your page’s wall.

Alternatively…make sure your notication settings are configured so you get emailed when someone leaves a comment or post – and acknowledge them.

4. Only post links to your own products & services

At its core, Facebook is fun and social. So your updates need to be too. Or at least, not all of them should be shameless plugs leading people to landing pages designed to get them to buy something from you.

Alternatively…mix up your updates with links to other sites and services relevant to your audience; even to photos and videos you think they’ll enjoy. Make your updates relevant – but avoid the hard sell.

5. Be opinionated

Having a bad day? Keep it to yourself

Tastes change, opinions are fickle and people’s views are precious. Your marketing efforts can’t afford to ignore that – and remember – what goes around comes around. Be seen as being rude to someone online and you can bet they’ll remember, holding a grudge until you put a foot wrong (and you will…)

Alternatively…let your personality shine through in updates which are amusing and informal…but please, keep your opinions to yourself.

Facebook is fun…and can be fruitful too

Steer clear of committing these Facebook faux pas and you’ll stand the best chance of keeping your fans, and maybe even gaining a few more.

What tips do you have for using Facebook effectively? Let us know in the comments below.

Why you should have a content publishing schedule

You’re probably on all the main social networks, and maybe even a few niche ones too. You have a website, which likely includes a blog.

In other words, you have several places online where you can promote and market yourself: with each one giving you the opportunity to attract new followers, visitors, fans – and potential customers.

But what if some (or even all) of those places are sitting online gathering virtual dust? If you haven’t updated your blog for a while, or updating your Facebook page is on the list of ‘things I need to get round to‘ then it’s almost worse than not being on them at all.

So how do you ensure all the platforms you’re on are kept fresh, up-to-date and engaging?

Keeping to a tight schedule

With a content publishing schedule, the intention is to get yourself into the mindset of treating online publishing as an important series of tasks to be completed just like any other. By creating a schedule with dates and milestones, you train yourself to stick to it – and more importantly make sure you don’t forget about your online presence.

It needn’t be a huge task. It should be created based on how much time you can realistically spend promoting yourself online in this way.

For the average small business, with a greater-than-average number of demands on its time, blogging daily is probably not practical. But twice a week is achievable, especially if your blog posts are a mixture of written posts, video, pictures, audio and curated links.

The key is coming up with a schedule that feels right for you – giving you the best chance of sticking to it.

Our blogging schedule

At Torchlight Digital Solutions, we’re no different. Though sometimes we’d love to, we can’t spend all day on Facebook, Twitter and writing blog posts. So our content publishing schedule looks a little like this:

• Twitter: 4 or 5 posts a day, with 80% of our tweets being links to other blog posts or sites we think our target audience will find useful (the other 20% being to our own posts)
• Facebook: 3 or 4 times a week. We don’t publish the same information on Facebook as we do on Twitter, treating it – and every network we’re on – as its own unique channel with its own unique audience
• Blogging: this is where our content publishing schedule is most detailed. We recognise the power of blogging – how each post you create adds to your body of content which will show up in search engines, attracting new visitors and increasing traffic to your site.

We decided that at least 2 blog posts a week felt right for us. So we created a schedule that allows us to achieve this – without the risk of forcing ourselves to sit in front of a blank screen seeking inspiration.

Here’s how we do it.

• On Sundays: we come up with two ideas for blog posts. We also keep a clippings file of ideas for blog posts using Evernote, which we refer to for inspiration. By the end of this task, we know what blog posts we’re going to be writing that week.
• On Mondays: we pick the first of the blog post ideas and research it. We open up a text editor and outline the article, ensuring it has a coherent beginning, middle and end. We create a list of sites we’re going to link out to; and pages and posts on our own site we’re going to link to within the post itself. We research the keywords around the topic and jot down a list of words and phrases we’ll include in the post.
• On Tuesdays: we take our researched outline and sit down and write the post, adding flesh to the bones of what we created yesterday. Leaving a day in between these tasks not only takes the pressure off, but allows us to take a step back and make sure the post is as good as it can be. Once we’re happy with it, we publish the post (linking to it from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other channels)
• On Wednesdays: we take a break (though only from blogging)!
• On Thursdays: we repeat the outline and research process for the second of our posts
• On Fridays: we write and publish the second post
• On Saturdays: we turn off the computer and do something completely unrelated to the digital world!

By the week’s end, we’ve published two posts which we’re happy are high-quality, well-researched and stand the best chance of being found.

By having a schedule that’s designed around our working week, we give ourselves the best chance of sticking to it – and it also leaves space for those ‘breaking news’ or ‘flash of inspiration’ blog posts which we know we can write and publish quickly when the mood strikes.

So, if you find yourself struggling for time or inspiration when it comes to writing online content for your social networks and blogs, why not have a go at creating a content publishing schedule?

You may end up surprised at how quickly it becomes a habit: and how quickly you build up a body of great content.

Getting Things Done with OmniFocus

We’re great fans of David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) method of organising your tasks and projects.

Based on the concept of capturing everything you need to do, then focusing on only the next action of each project or set of tasks you have underway, it helps give you a sense of control and organisation, helpful for making sure you’re always on top of your workload.

Although Allen’s original method described a paper-based process, scores of software and online solutions now exist to help implement GTD in the digital age.

Settling on OmniFocus

OmniFocus for Mac OS

We’ve tried many, before settling on OmniFocus from The Omni Group. If, like us, you are Apple to the core, then their solutions for Mac OS, iPhone and iPad ensure your task list is with you wherever you go.

Despite being the most expensive option we looked at, we chose OmniFocus due to its simplicity, efficiency and elegant implementation. Whilst other solutions add bells and whistles, OmniFocus is based on ‘pure’ GTD, where your inbox, contexts, projects and next actions are all you need to gain a sense of order over your otherwise chaotic to-do lists.

The desktop version of OmniFocus is clean and simple, with a badge sitting at the top of your screen showing you the number of outstanding tasks; which are always only a click away. Keyboard shortcuts allow you to quickly get a task into the system should something crop up whilst you’re in the middle of a piece of work, and multiple views let you view, analyse and review your upcoming work in a number of ways.

Custom views are also available, and once you delve into the guts of OmniFocus, it can be a powerful – and quite complex – beast. But even with its default menus and views, it’s the best software implementation of GTD we’ve seen and is now an integral part of our working day.

Getting Things Done away from home

Tasks viewed by context on OmniFocus on the iPhone

The iPhone and iPad versions take the simplistic elegance even further.

Two features of both stand out: the Map view, which lets you assign your user-defined contexts (e.g ‘home’, ‘office’, ‘downtown’) to real-world locations, and then using the devices geo-location features, can be set up to show you relevant tasks based on where you are.

OmniFocus' map view on the iPad

The most powerful and useful feature for us however is the Forecast view. This gives you a rolling seven-day view of your tasks, with your calendar displayed at the bottom. At a glance, you can see how busy your week looks, which can help when it comes to scheduling in new tasks or even – whisper it – arranging days off.

The Forecast view also lets you click into each day and get a feel for what you need to do then, like having your own personal assistant or boss telling you what you need to do when. It’s powerful and to be honest, we’d be lost without it.

The three versions sync with each other, using a number of technical solutions – although there’s no web-based version, meaning the true power of OmniFocus only really shines if you have at least two of Apple’s supported products.

The killer feature for us - the Forecast view

Conclusion

If you use GTD, or are looking for the best software solution to help implement it, we believe OmniFocus to be the best.

If you’re not an Apple devotee, we would recommend one of the web-based solutions also available, which we have used in the past and also found to be excellent: either Remember The Milk, or Toodledo.

Both of these also implement GTD in a faithful and easy-to-master way – but the ‘mind like water‘ simplicity, elegant design and invaluable convenience of OmniFocus has proven too good to resist for us.

Not just for planning your wedding

Pinterest is one of the hottest new social networks on the scene at the moment.

When you sign up to it, you can create boards based around your interests, and start ‘pinning‘ photos from website you discover, building up a virtual visual scrapbook of things you like and want to refer back to later.

Similar to Twitter, your Pinterest boards can be ‘followed’ by other users, who will see your latest posts on their homepage when they log in.

They can repin them on their own boards, comment on your pins, and – if you set up your boards to be open to other contributors – they can even add things they like to your boards.

Tight integration with Twitter and Facebook helps spread the reach of the network – and makes it easy for you and others to share the pins upon it.

Pins from people you follow on the Pinterest home screen

Since it started in March 2010, Pinterest has had a strong female user base, who have used the network to collect material about weddings, craft projects, interior design and more.

It’s true to say that this view of the network is very much outdated (though it did give rise to this tongue-in-cheek Board of Man, an attempt to restore a little y-chromosone balance to Pinterest’s early days).

Pinterest for business

How then can you use Pinterest for your own business?

As with all social media networks, the first answer to that question should be ‘with care‘.

Users on Pinterest enjoy discovering and sharing things with their friends and followers. They are not there to be spammed or aggressively marketed at, and will likely take a dim view of anyone who does.

That said, if you are a business which sells a product, it can be a good idea to create a board for that. You can pin photos of your goods to this, and – if your product and photos are appealing enough – people may repin them to theirs. All good for increasing your social media spread and viral growth.

And if your goods are for sale online on an ecommerce platform such as Etsy, pinning a picture from the product’s for sale page will automatically add it to Pinterest’s gift section, where users can view pins of items for sale in a range of price brackets.

Create boards on anything - including your own products

Even if you don’t have a physical product, there are likely topics within your industry and sector that have a strong visual appeal.

Create boards for these and pin away – every popular pin that’s shared will have a link back to your profile, which in turn will link to your own website. Second degree linking, perhaps, but still a good way of generating some extra clicks from a market segment you may not have been able to reach otherwise.

Products we crave - a board which fits with our brand

Pinterest is still in its early days. Having a presence there can be seen as being hip ‘n’ happening.

If that fits with your brand, it’s good for reputation and engagement – though, like blogs, if you’re going to use it, make sure you update your boards frequently. A board with one or two pins on it that haven’t been updated in weeks is worse than having none at all.

Above all, enjoy. Pinterest is fun, cool and social – and it’s a great way to meet new contacts, for business reasons or not.

Happy pinning!

Torchlight Digital Solutions on Pinterest