Then there are tactics that aren’t inherently bad, but you may not want to use them every day. Like pop-up ads, advertising jingles or re-targeting campaigns, these tactics can be just shy of annoying if used incorrectly, but often get the kind of results that make them irresistible to try.

Let’s call these “yellow light” social media tactics.

When you come to a yellow light in traffic, you probably want to keep going. But if you miscalculate, you could inconvenience other drivers or even cause an accident. So, you use the data you have – how fast you’re going and how far you are from the light — to decide whether to speed through or put on the brakes.

The same is true for yellow light social media. You have to gauge your audience’s wants and needs, your relationship with them, and your social media goals before moving forward. Miscalculating could annoy your potential customers and advocates — but the risk just might be worth the reward.

Proceed with caution when using the following yellow light social media tactics.

Listening In On Conversations

Most social media managers are familiar with social media monitoring for basic brand terms. You may also have identified key terms that indicate a conversation relevant to your product or brand.

For example, a health food store may monitor terms like [vegan], [vegetarian], or [gluten-free]. When you see conversations happening around those terms, your instinct may be to jump in and talk about the great solutions your brand provides.

Why It Works:

This approach shows you’re listening and paying attention to the problems and issues of potential customers, which is proactive. And hey, your brand could be exactly what customers are looking for.

Why It’s Caution-Worthy:

Unfortunately, this approach can also look a little creepy and invasive. A recent study showed that although most consumers know brands are listening to them via social media, a majority believe that “companies should only respond to online comments made directly to them.”

How to Proceed:

Given what we know about social media users, your first priority should always be responding to all comments made directly to you. After that’s under control, you can evaluate other conversations based on user intent, rather than what you want. If you do step in, make sure it is to be genuinely useful and not overly “sales-y.”

Asking For Shares

On Twitter, it’s, “please RT.” On Facebook, it’s, “Share if you…” and other variations. But basically, we’re talking about any social media call-to-action that specifically asks users to share content. See this example from Subway:

Why it Works:

People are busy. And distracted. And forgetful. If you want your audience to share your posts, sometimes it helps to offer a gentle reminder.

Why It’s Caution-Worthy:

Using this approach too often can make your brand look desperate or bossy. Your fans want to feel appreciated, not like mules constantly being prodded to smuggle your content across the border.

How to Proceed:

If your social media goal is engagement, use this tactic sparingly for your best, most naturally engaging content – stuff that’s on-topic and that you’ve actually spent time on. Measure your shares over time to determine whether they’re bringing you diminishing returns, and watch your unfollow/unlike numbers on days that you post these.

Cross-Posting

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus – whenever you push the same posts to more than one network, that’s known as cross-posting.

Why It Works:

Because there are a lot of social media networks out there, and because most of us are too busy to notice duplicate posts from one to the other.

Why It’s Caution-Worthy:

Basically, this could amount to a punishment for your biggest fans — those who have chosen to follow you on more than one network — because you’re failing to provide them with additional value for following you on multiple networks. And that’s not to mention that different social networks have different user bases, etiquette and customs.

How to Proceed:

If you must cross-post because of the number of accounts you’re handling, make sure to use scheduling tools to appropriately space out your updates, and try to alter the language slightly for different social networks.

Off-Topic Posting

Maybe you have a “boring” brand for which it is hard to create engaging content. Maybe you don’t have the budget to create the kind of photos, videos and blog posts you want to share on social media. Whatever the reason, this tactic involves sharing content that has little or nothing to do with your brand or product.

Courtesy MemeGenerator

Why It Works:

The occasional off-topic post on a holiday or just-for-fun meme share on a slow news day can be forgiven and can even make sense – after all, social media is about putting a real personality to a brand.

Why It’s Caution-Worthy:

Too many off-topic posts can make it look like you’re simply pandering to random users to garner empty likes and shares rather than focusing on meaningful engagement.

How to Proceed:

Do the work of finding the aspects of your brand that customers really care about. (If you can’t find those, maybe social media isn’t the solution for your brand.) Make those aspects the guiding principle of your content creation — and if you have to fall back on cat pictures once in a while, it’ll be fine.

Emailing to Google + Circles

If you’re active on Google+, you’ve seen this one: someone sends you an email notification about their new post because you’re in their Google Plus circles.

Why It Works:

Social media is about making connections, and this feature can be a great way get the right information to specific, like-minded friends.

Why It’s Caution-Worthy:

It’s easy to exploit this feature, making it nothing more than an efficient way to annoy a lot of people at once. Sure, they can go change their settings — but now you’ve ruined it for the rest of us.

How to Proceed:

If there’s someone with whom you have an existing relationship — someone you know will love your new post — then feel free to share it with them via email notification. If you’ve never used this option before, can boast a stellar track record of being a good Google+ citizen, and now have a super-important post that you want to make sure certain groups see, then go ahead and send an email notification. Otherwise, think twice. This tactic should be the exception, not the rule.

Inviting to Pinterest Boards

Public Pinterest boards can be community boards where one user can invite other people to pin items.

Why It Works:

Community Pinterest boards can be a great way to get your fans involved, create community around a common interest, and share resources on a specific topic.

Why It’s Caution-Worthy:

Sending out blanket invitations to people and pages entirely unrelated to your industry or boards is a good way to look spammy and lose followers.

How to Proceed:

Use common sense with community boards — evaluate potential invitees based on your existing connection to them or what you have in common before inviting them to connect.

This concludes my review of yellow light social media tactics and how to proceed when using them. Before signing off, let me ask:

What yellow light social media tactics have you encountered? Did I miss the mark on any of these? Let me know in the comments.

These days, that applies to Facebook marketing, too. We’ve seen a preview of what Facebook’s Graph Search and new newsfeed will bring. Now, all that’s left to do is wait.

But, while we’re speculating, pontificating and – well, waiting – here are 20 mostly painless, definitely necessary things all brands can do to get a jump start on whatever is on the way. No matter how you feel about Facebook, it’s time to get ready.

1. Get On The List

First and foremost, get a jump on the crowd by signing up for the early access list. You can enlist yourself for both Graph Search in “very limited” beta and the new newsfeed.

2. Audit Your “About” Page

Now’s a good time to revisit all the information listed in your brand’s “About” section – any of this data could become a Graph Search element. Are your categories correct? Is your address up-to-date? Are you focusing on the right keywords? Do your name and username match what users will plug into Graph Search to find you?

3. Lock Down Your Likes

Graph Search makes “likes” public, so it’s easy for anyone to discover such unsavory information as which politicians like big butts and which companies have employees who “like” racism.

Can you say reputation management nightmare? Educate your company and its employees about privacy settings – the Washington Post has a great primer and infographic.

4. Fine-Tune Your Visual Content Strategy

With every scrap of info Facebook is giving us about the new newsfeed, the importance of visual content is reinforced.

Click here to view the embedded video.

5. Get Meta

Articles you share will soon feature a larger image, a more prominent title, and a longer article summary. So, make the most of all editable fields for every link.

The link’s title, meta excerpt and associated photo can all be edited and optimized. A few small tweaks could draw more users to your site, so don’t sleep on this easy fix.

6. Blog With Bigger Photos

Since larger images will be created automatically from the links you post, it’s important to upload large, high-quality links to the blog or site you’ll be sharing from. Facebook recommends a width of at least 552 pixels.

7. Encourage Check-ins

Storefront business? Begin thinking of ways to encourage check-ins, whether it’s a sign, discount or contest. Check-ins will be featured more prominently with a map in the new newsfeed, and they’ll be a big factor in Graph Search, too.

8. Get To Know The New Feed Options

One of the most notable changes coming to Facebook is the ability for users to filter content into different feeds. In addition to the default mix of updates from friends and brands we’re used to now, users will also be able to choose from other “subfeeds” like:

• Most Recent: All posts, in chronological order
• All Friends: All posts from all friends
• Photos: All the photos posted by friends and brands a user follows
• Following: All posts from the brands and public figures a user follows

9. Prepare For A Reach Drop

Let’s be realistic. For the first time, users have the choice of totally tuning out messages from brands by looking at their “All Friends” feed. They’ll probably take advantage of it. Prepare bosses, clients and any other stakeholders that there could be an adjustment period ahead.

10. Get Trending

One way Facebook’s new newsfeed will reduce clutter is by grouping together stories on the same topic in a mini-carousel of headlines. Brands that study up on trending topics and prepare themselves for successful newsjacking a la Oreo’s Super Bowl moment could be rewarded with more eyeballs.

11. Make Sharing Your Goal

With users now given the option to totally filter out brands, share-worthy content is more crucial than ever. If the “All Friends” feed becomes the norm, that’ll be the main avenue to get your content seen.

12. Optimize Your Post Times

At least some of the optional subfeeds will be shown in chronological order (including “Following,” the one that shows primarily brand content). In these feeds, content will move fast – if your fans follow lots of other brands, your content could disappear in a matter of minutes. It’s important to consider your fans’ Facebook habits and experiment with post times to find the frequency that works for your brand.

13. Prep High-Quality Images For FB

What does it tell you when Facebook makes photos bigger and creates a photos-only feed? It’s time to invest in high-quality, high-resolution images. Take advantage of Facebook’s rich display opportunities. Even if it’s just converting a pullquote into an image, photos are your best bet for engagement.

14. Make Your Cover Count

Haven’t looked at your cover photo in a while? Revisit it now. When someone likes or interacts with your Page in the future, the cover photo could come along with that activity – right into the News Feed.

This update is designed to provide more context about your Page, so make sure your cover photo tells your brand’s story and makes users curious to learn more.

15. Think Multimedia

It’s not just photos, although those are the most important element to optimize. Videos will be getting more and bigger play in the new newsfeed, and there’s even a chance music apps like Spotify could add in brands to create unique new marketing opportunities.

Share different types of media, and get pumped about the possibilities. Multimedia is critical to your Facebook success.

16. Mine Graph Search For Intel

Once you get access to Graph Search, max it out to gather new intelligence about your fans. What kind of music, books, TV shows and movies do your fans like most? What other brands do they like? Use all the information available to paint a fuller picture of your fan base so you can create more compelling content for them.

Then move on to analyzing industry competitors or even mining for media sources you can begin to build a relationship with.

17. Organize Your Photos

Have you looked at your photos and albums lately? It’s time to organize them. Here’s what to focus on:

• Shorten the captions – From the examples Facebook has provided, the new newsfeed will display photo captions overlaid on the actual photo. Too much copy could distract users.
• Categorize photos – When Facebook gets a refresh, users tend to explore a lot more, so be ready. Move miscellaneous wall photos into appropriate albums for easy browsing.
• Tag your photos – Photos of people and places are searchable in Graph Search, so be sure to tag where applicable. Encourage others to tag themselves in your photos, too.

18. Focus On Useful Or Funny Content

In Facebook’s new world, great content will get a wider audience, and poor content will get lost in the clutter. So, before that new world gets here, focus on producing quality content that’s unique, solves a problem, provokes awe or makes people laugh. That’s the stuff that’s most likely to spread.

19. Remember Why They’re There

In the midst of trying to make sense of the kind of changes that marketers are most likely to notice, it’s important to remember why people come to Facebook in the first place. It’s not to be sold to. It’s to keep up with friends, see what’s new and newsworthy and maybe alleviate boredom. How can your posts stay on topic and also fulfill those needs?

20. Diversify Your Social Media

Still feeling anxious? Just remember, Facebook isn’t the only place you can go to promote your brand. Investing some time in other social media networks or even giving your own blog a refresh could provide the perspective you need.

She just knew Elton would die if she didn’t get the word out, and that was enough.

Late last month, a Jackson, TN, woman who runs a Facebook account devoted to finding homes for animals at the local shelter posted a new update.

The story of the “gay dog” quickly spread, from Facebook to local media to Gawker to CNN to as far away as international news sites.

“No one expected this one story to spread so far and wide, from our small town shelter,” the same Facebook page posted later.

Needless to say, adoption offers flooded in and overwhelmed the small shelter, and today Elton has a new family and a (presumably) better life.

In addition to being a great story, the tale of the “gay dog” can also offer us marketers some lessons into why and how content goes viral. Let’s look at some of the story’s most viral-making components in depth.

Outrage

Even a cursory glance at some of the comments attached to all these stories makes it clear that this story spread because of one emotion in particular: outrage. People wanted to vent about the ignorance of the dog’s former owner (one especially popular theme: euthanize the owner, not the dog) and that emotion moved the story on.

Researchers have long known that emotionally evocative content is known to be highly viral – and that’s especially true even if the emotion it makes you feel is anger.

For another example of outrage helping to power viral content, check out the work liberal-leaning news aggregator Upworthy is doing.

Headlines like the one above one beg to be clicked because we know a satisfying emotional catharsis is coming. (If you want, go see the video).

Curiosity

Coming in just behind outrage is the emotion of curiosity. How did the former owner know the dog was gay? Was the dog really gay? Can a dog be gay? Just seeing the phrase “gay dog” was enough of a curiosity trigger for many people to click and thus propel this story along.

Headlines that leave room for a reader’s “curiosity gap” can take advantage of this powerful emotion.

Story

Content marketing is real, friends. Consider the thousands of dogs who face Elton’s same fate every day without us hearing a word about them. What did he have that they don’t? A compelling back story.

Even without the unforgettable distinction of being the “gay dog,” Elton’s story would still have more to draw someone in than poor fellow Tennessee adoptable dog “Puppy 2,” who has no identifying details or even a name (seriously, someone adopt Puppy 2).

Urgency

There’s nothing like a deadline to motivate people, particularly a morbid one like Elton’s. The urgency of that deadline likely played a large factor in this story’s spread.

Passion

No, Elton’s blurb didn’t go through an editor or get optimized for keywords, and maybe that’s part of the appeal, too. Now that we’re so used to being marketed to on social networks, a bit of genuine, organic passion stands out and leaves a real mark. Elton may be the most famous, but every animal shared on the Facebook page receives a similar heartfelt plea.

A Great Visual

Think this story would have gone nearly as far without that visual of a sad puppy face behind a chain link fence? Doubtful. And those who cared enough to follow up on the story got to see the before and after transformation, too. Here’s Elton living the good life post-adoption:

The awesome trend of giving adoptable pets glamour-shot style photo shoots to better show off their personalities is further proof of visual content’s storytelling power – and it gets results, say shelter workers.

The Cute Factor

Dogs, cats, a bucket of sloths – no matter what the animal, cuteness spreads.

What’s more, cute has hardcore marketing heft. When the New York Times took on the cuteness phenomenon, the article noted a study of high school students who were more likely to believe antismoking messages when they came from cute cartoon characters like a penguin in a red jacket or a smirking polar bear. The cute factor actually made the message more trustworthy.

A Chance To Help

Yes, reading Facebook can sometimes make you question where humanity is headed, but, at their core, people are pretty decent. And that makes a chance to do something good much more compelling to share than, say, a sales pitch.

In another example of social media marketing for good, lingerie company Soma saw record-high numbers of shares, posts, impressions, and tweets when they worked on a campaign that encouraged users to donate gently used bras for women in need.

Facilitating a chance for people to do something good makes your message more share-worthy.

Community

Finally, we can’t underestimate the close-knit network of organizations, non-profits and shelters that regularly talk to one another to help dogs like Elton find new homes.

With a strong framework in place to facilitate efficient sharing, good content moves even faster.

The Inevitable Happy Ending

Or could it be much simpler than all the points above? Maybe people just turn to social media for a feel-good moment with a happy ending. The only emotion nearly as viral as outrage turns out to be happiness, so this story got to cover all the bases. No wonder it spread.

Does Elton’s story give you any viral content ideas? Let me know in the comments.

What’s that post got that yours doesn’t? Your content is stellar, your infographics perfectly designed. So why aren’t more people sharing them?

The secret of getting your content shared by more people isn’t always producing better stuff – sometimes it’s making better connections or just thinking a little differently.

Here are 15 strategies, tips and tricks that prove that point – use them to take your great content that extra mile.

1. Interview Influencers

In every industry, there’s someone whose opinion holds lots of sway – but how do you get on his or her radar?

An email interview takes up only a few minutes of your influencer’s time and gives you a chance to ask smart, thought-provoking questions that show you’ve done your homework to get to know them (you have done that, right?)

The resulting content puts your brand right next to this influencer in readers’ minds – and there’s a good chance he or she will share it, too.

2. Ask For Ideas

As you get started thinking about a new piece of content, “try asking for feedback from customers, influencers, and anyone else in your community (or who you want to be in your community),” suggests Mack Fogelson of Mack Web Solutions, who credits this tip to Rob Ousbey at Distilled.

“When you include them in the conversation… those people who provided feedback feel like they had buy-in because they’ve been part of the process,” says Fogelson.” This motivates them to share with their audience.”

3. Reference Others

Nobody likes an over-the-top name dropper, but it’s hard not to feel flattered – and share – when it’s your name being dropped.

“It creates a bond and positive feelings when they see you quote them or name-drop them,” says Aaron Friedman, who, perhaps not coincidentally, was one of Search Engine Land’s best-read columnists of 2012.

“Many articles I have written, the first people to share them and comment on them are the people who I have name dropped,” Friedman shared.

4. Share Strategically

Make sharing others’ content a big part of your social media strategy – and do it smartly.

“Eighty percent of the time, share stuff that other people have created that you think is really remarkable and would help your community,” Fogelson says. “The creators of the value that you’re sharing appreciate you sharing their stuff and are motivated to return the favor.”

5. Get Noticed When You Share

“If you want to get on the radar of someone with a significant amount of followers, clicking the ‘Tweet’ button on their articles or posts isn’t going to get you noticed,” says Wayne Barker of Boom Online.

“Add value to see reciprocation. Use a quote from the post rather than the title. Better still, add your own insight – it takes 30 seconds.”

Wayne suggests checking out tweets by Anthony Pensabene or Gisele Mendez to see this strategy in action.

6. Make A List

Everyone you have a relationship with – friends, professional acquaintances, your realtor – is a potential ambassador for you.

Make note of those who have some goals or interests that align with what you do and pay them some extra attention – with no particular favor in mind.

“A solid relationship built over time will mean that they may come looking to your streams for new and interesting content,” says Barker.

7. Form Alliances

Once you’ve got a strong circle of like-minded people, nurture those relationships by asking if they’ve got something you might share for them. When you need a little help, reach out to them, too. It doesn’t have to be a 100% reciprocal, tit-for-tat approach – you’re just helping each other succeed when it makes sense.

“We try to surround ourselves with like-minded, talented people. And our talented friends should be the first we think of,” Friedman says. “If they see you thinking this way, they will too.”

8. Join Communities

There are also ready-made communities you can tap into to grow your sphere of contacts and friends. The sheer number of marketing Twitter chats alone can help you get started plugging into a community, not to mention forums, Google+ Communities and more.

But remember: this isn’t the place to immediately go in hawking your latest infographic. Build up a little goodwill by hanging out first.

9. Ask Nicely

Social media is a noisy place – so much so that even your most ardent supporters can sometimes miss your latest news.

If you’ve produced something you know a specific acquaintance or supporter would want to hear about, it’s OK to give them a heads-up once in a while.

Blanketing the social Web begging people you barely know to share each of your new posts? Not so OK.

10. Write Guest Posts

Broaden your potential audience by blogging in more that one spot. Guest blogs are a great way to introduce your content to a new crowd, and the connections you make working with an editor on a guest post can also lead to a beneficial future relationship.

11. Reward Sharers

Finally beginning to see some new faces share your stuff? Respond thoughtfully to comments, and remember that a personalized thank you goes a long way towards starting a long-term relationship with your new fans. Better yet, check out their blogs and see if you can return the favor sometime.

12. Get Personal

The people who can help you spread your content have interests outside of work, and so do you – so show a little personality in your content and social media presence.

“Why not use it to help you make connections?” says Barker. “I have been cc’ing others on non-work-related content for some time, be it music, books, Back to the Future timelines and strange pictures. Don’t be afraid to inject your personality into all that you do.”

13. Get To The Good Stuff

If you want people to share, don’t make your headline do all the work by itself – pull the most irresistibly shareable stuff to the forefront.

Tease a link on Twitter by focusing on a curious statistic. Post a story to Facebook by highlighting an intriguing quote. Make sure the jaw-dropping data from that study goes into a Pinterest-perfect chart.

14. Make It Visual

It’s no secret people are drawn to visual content online, so give them what they want. Use more and bigger photos and visuals. Create Pin-able pullquote images to go with your posts. Add text to an image (like Marketing Land does, at right) to make it clear to users what they’re sharing or clicking on.

15. Use Psychology

Sharing is more about the sharer than the content itself. People share content for many reasons: to build a connection with someone, to start a conversation, to share their humor and more. Think through each new piece of content from the point of view of your potential sharer.

What tactics have helped you get more shares for your content? Add to my list in the comments.

I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy lately. Maybe you have, too.

By its very definition, empathy involves connecting with others to understand how they feel. And we’ve never been more connected. With Skype and Hangouts, social media and instant messaging, friends and family are never far away. Making a new connection is as easy as sending a Facebook request or clicking “follow.”

But we’ve never been further apart, either. Now we need a game to keep us from picking up our phone during dinner with friends and a social network to help us meet our neighbors.

With a new year ahead and Newtown still on our minds, now seems like a good time to ask the obvious question. With all this technology, are we actually having better, more fulfilling human interactions? Or is technology disconnecting us from nurturing the deep ties we need to be, well, human?

And if social media is part of the problem, can it also be the solution?

We’re Becoming Less Empathetic

Clifford Nass, a communications professor at Stanford, told The New York Times that the ultimate risk of technology use is that it diminishes empathy by limiting how much people engage with one another, even in the same room.

“The way we become more human is by paying attention to each other,” he said. “It shows how much you care.”

If you need proof beyond recent events that empathy is on the decline, look no further than a 2010 study of college students performed at the University of Michigan.

It showed that students are more narcissistic than ever before, and 40% less empathetic than students of just 20 years ago. When it comes to the ability to see things from another’s point of view or feel how someone else is feeling, we’re getting worse.

The study’s authors speculate that social media, among other factors, may to be blame, writing:

“The ease of having ‘friends’ online might make people more likely to just tune out when they don’t feel like responding to others’ problems, a behavior that could carry over offline.”

Is Social Media To Blame?

But blaming social media assumes that online relationships are less “real” than physical relationships — that they don’t require empathy or can’t create a deep connection.

I know many members of the Marketing Land community might disagree with this assumption. Luckily, there’s an alternate view.

Author and economist Jeremy Rifkin posits that empathy is wired in all of us — that it’s in our nature to experience another’s plight as if we are feeling it ourselves.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is what fuels the sense of belonging that makes social media so special. We go to forums, Facebook, Twitter and other networks to find others who are having the same feelings and experiences that we are, and we become part of a shared experience.

And social media is especially good at turning empathy into action. How else can we explain the overwhelming virality of the #26acts hashtag — a pledge many are making to do 26 good deeds in honor of the victims of the Newtown massacre.

The empathy was out there. It just needed a place to go. One social media voice mobilized a community into action.

Where Does This Leave Us?

In a marketing climate where the focus is on creating great content and being the most interesting, it’s easy to miss the most important element for meaningful relationships: empathy.

We experience lots of “shallow” social media interactions every day: likes, retweets, follows. But social media also creates an important opening for deeper, real, connections and relationships. Is it possible to market with empathy? I think so. Here’s how to start.

Asking: In social media and in person, ask questions and listen to the answers. Ask unexpected questions. Ask real questions. Be interested in what others have to say. It not only create empathy, it gives you greater knowledge about your customers, how they feel and what they want.

Listening: Not monitoring, but listening. Hear what someone is saying and attempt to understand their point of view. When we listen without the goal of adding our own commentary or selling something, we cannot help but feel empathy.

Responding: Respond to questions and comments — even angry ones — with honesty and humanity. Let the other person know that you understand and empathize with their viewpoint, even if you disagree.

Understanding: You can’t solve problems or even create great content for your audience until you understand them. Put yourself in their shoes. Get to know them individually. Create personas to help you understand who they are and what they need.

Connecting: Humans crave real relationships. Whenever you have an opportunity, move the relationship forward — whether that means a Skype chat, an in-person dinner or a care package to the office. Over time, empathy builds a rapport that allows people to feel connected to each other.

My Challenge

In 2013, I’m challenging myself to use social media to connect more deeply. To personalize instead of automate. To feel before I sell.

I’m challenging myself to empathize, even when it isn’t easy. I don’t know what it’ll do for traffic and conversions. But I have an idea of what it’ll do for my soul.

You can join me, too. Could we move beyond the click of a button to real compassion and empathy? What would it look like if we did?

Like the mint on your pillow at a great hotel or the smiley face your friendly waitress draws on your receipt; little things can make a big difference.

The same is true in social media as well. The more that social media becomes automated and scalable for big industries, the further a single, human-sized gesture of goodwill can go.

In that spirit, here are nine little social media elements worth personalizing that you might not have thought about before. Because, small things can bring big results in the form of stronger relationships with your community.

1. LinkedIn Invites

There’s honestly no reason I can think of to send an out-of-the-box, uncustomized LinkedIn invite request. I mean, there must be a reason you want to connect with this person — even if it’s just that you think your social stock will rise by being connected to them. Hey, at least that’s flattering!

At least, add a salutation and their name. If you know them well, mention a topic you’ve spoken about before. If you follow their tweets, blog or posts on a LinkedIn group, say so. If you don’t know the person well but want to, tell them you admire their work — and point to something specific to back it up.

2. Thank-You Tweets

Want to thank all the people who share your content? Great! Do you send the exact same “thanks for sharing” message to all of them? Not so great! Why not respond to all mentions and shares with something a little different for each person?

For a great example of how to do this without spending all your time on it, check out how Gini Dietrich replies to those who shared a post of hers:

Simple and just as quick; but, it feels more personal, right? That’s the idea.

3. “Thanks For Following” DMs

If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of one of those automated “Thanks for following me” direct messages on Twitter, I daresay you felt annoyed, not flattered. That’s because these messages aren’t just impersonal — they’re downright spammy.

A better strategy: use your favorite Twitter management tool to examine your new followers once a week (or more often, if you like). Pick out the new followers you’re most excited about and send them a message saying as much. They’ll feel legitimately flattered.

As for those who don’t hear from you? I promise they won’t miss that auto-DM.

4. Posts Sharing Others’ Content

One of the best secrets to becoming a trusted resource and authority on a subject is to be a great curator — that is to say, finding and sharing lots of great content. And, as we consume more content every day, it can seem easier to just spit out lots of links and headlines than to actually comment on the content itself.

But, thoughtful content sharing beats automated, robotic sharing any day. Relay your favorite tip from that great blog post. Add a new viewpoint to a commentary piece. Tell us your favorite part of that video.

Adding your voice to the content you share helps build a relationship with the content’s author and gives all of us seeing your post a real and compelling reason to value your opinion.

5. “Follow Friday” Recommendations

When a “Follow Friday” recommendation on Twitter is done well, it’s a 140-character endorsement of someone’s content that includes a real reason for following. Are they a helpful resource? Are they consistently hilarious? A personalized, individualized approach can lead to the discovery of someone great.

When it’s not done well – and sadly, these cases seem to be the majority – it’s a long list of names that speaks more to the poster’s needs (to associate themselves with others or thank someone who has shared their content) than a potential viewer’s.

If you want to recommend someone, tell us why — and mean it.

6. “You’ve Been Quoted” In Storify

Storify is one of my favorite social media tools – it’s an easy way to pull together content from all over the social Web to create a cohesive story.

One of its best features is that it allows you to notify each person you’ve quoted that you’ve used their tweet, Facebook post, etc. Storify pulls up all of their information and even pre-populates a “publicize” tweet for you.

You could use the tweet as is. But why not personalize it? Thank participants for being so smart and quotable. Ask them to be part of your next Twitter chat or crowdsourced project. Tell them how great it was to meet them at that conference. A personal message is more likely to get their attention — and get their eyes on your content for potential sharing.

7. “Happy Birthday” Messages On Facebook

Remember the days before Facebook, when actually remembering someone’s birthday was a thoughtful gesture? Well, those days are over.

Today, in the harsh words of Slate, the Facebook birthday greeting is everything that is irritating about the social network.

Mostly because it’s literally the least you can do. Facebook keeps up with all those pesky dates and serves them up for you. Surely, you can write something a little more compelling than just the words “happy birthday” on someone’s wall.

8. Social Monitoring Outreach

Let’s say you’re in charge of social media monitoring at the Benson Hotel in Portland, with your ear to the ground in anticipation of travel industry questions you can answer, like “Does anyone know a great hotel in Portland?” When you spot that question, you can send the standard reply to everyone — or you can mix it up.

That personal touch creates a closer connection — and a greater chance the potential customer will choose you.

On Twitter, the Benson does a great job of not only monitoring for mentions, but replying in a friendly and conversational way that hones in on what’s being mentioned.

That kind of attention to detail is the kind of thing that turns a casual fan into a social media superfan.

9. LinkedIn Endorsements

Now that endorsements on LinkedIn have been dumbed down to just one click, am I the only one who thinks getting endorsed has lost a bit of its luster?

While racking up tons of clicks for your skills is fine, I’m glad LinkedIn still offers the old-fashioned “actually write something nice about someone” option. If you’re working on genuine relationship-building or an outreach campaign, this is a great strategy.

Have I missed any great tips for forming a personal connection in an automated social media world? Let me know in the comments!

When I read this (slightly paraphrased) quote from Donald Rumsfeld back when it was first said in 2002, it sounded like total political gobbledygook.

But I thought of it recently in a new context: social media ROI. And suddenly, it makes perfect sense.

Because yes, there are plenty of things we can do to get close to quantifying our returns from social media – campaign variables, landing pages and forms, multi-channel funnels – but we’ll never be able to quantify every lead, every brand-awareness lightbulb moment, everything social does for us.

There are still things we know we don’t know, and things we don’t even know we’re missing in terms of social media measurement.

For proof, look no further than The Atlantic, which shook the social media realm recently with its expose of “dark social” –  the idea that the channels we fret over measuring like Facebook and Twitter represent only a small fraction of the social activity that’s really going on.

The article shares evidence that reveals that the vast majority of sharing is still done through channels like email and IM that are nearly impossible to measure (and thus, dark).

It’s just one sign of a larger social media issue: when it comes to ROI, we’re just not there yet. Honestly, we may never be. And that’s OK.

“Dark social” eclipses everything we thought we knew about social media ROI. So now what?

What’s The True Value Of Social Media?

Everyone else can keep fretting, but I’ve gotten to a zen place when it comes to social media ROI. For me, social media is a first impression. A blind date. A first dance.

It’s a shot to get on someone’s radar and let that person know you’re cool, smart, funny, interesting and valuable to have around. And if you keep being all those things, eventually they’ll want to get to know you better. Or even tell their friends about you.

That’s the value of social media – the potential to create a new relationship where there wasn’t one before. And then the ability to repeat that process as many times as you have friends and fans.

Will this warm and fuzzy analogy get you to the bottom line number we’re all looking for? No; but, that doesn’t decrease the value a brand gets from using social media to put its best foot forward and open the door to new relationships.

Knowing What We Can Know

But, if social media ROI can’t be measured, how should social media practitioners evaluate their performance?

By knowing what we know, and measuring what we can measure. Even if it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Awareness

We want to know: do more people know about you than before?

How we know it: measure brand mentions, mentions of your brand’s unique value proposition, number of positive reviews and share of voice [brand mentions ÷ total industry mentions (your brand + competitor A + competitor B...)] per reporting period.

Reach

We want to know: are more people hearing your message than before?

How we know it: measure follower/fan growth per reporting period, enlist a tool that measures Twitter reach, use in-app tools like Facebook Insights and LinkedIn analytics to report on reach/impressions per post.

Traffic

We want to know: are your posts generating traffic?

How we know it: if you’re truly being cool, smart, funny, interesting and valuable in all your social media interactions, then you’re not simply sharing all your content day after day. But when you do link to your own stuff, measure the resulting traffic via Google Analytics. Then drill down to leads generated or nurtured through social media, defining lead in a way that makes sense for your sales process.

Engagement

We want to know: are people reacting to what you’re putting out there?

How we know it: measure click-through rate per post, responses/comments per post, shares/retweets/favorites/downloads per post, number of brand advocates (supply your own definition of these) developed per reporting period.

Intelligence

We want to know: what are people telling you about your brand, products or services that you need to hear?

How we know it: measure volume of positive and negative sentiment mentions, questions answered, product suggestions fielded and product suggestions implemented per reporting period.

These metrics don’t show the full picture of how social media affects a brand’s bottom line — maybe nothing can right now. But consider:

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.“

Know who said that? No one does! Some things just aren’t knowable. And that’s OK.

Whew, that felt good. And if my calculations are correct, you might just feel a bit of a connection with me now, even if you don’t know me.

When harnessed correctly, vulnerability can become a surprising social media strength.

The Pros & Cons of Vulnerability

Lots of CEOs and C-suite executives are still afraid of social media specifically because of vulnerability. They don’t want to face the conversations they might hear, or they worry that someone will say something that could hurt the company or cause the company to lose control of its image.

These fears are easy to understand. After all, who among us hasn’t hidden a weird quirk, unpopular opinion or nerdy hobby from others at some time in our lives to fit in, not rock the boat, or make friends more easily.

But the thing about this whitewashing of the self is that it never works. Only when we drop the perfectionist pretense and revel in what makes us weird do we know whether we’ve really connected with someone. And only when brands drop the focus-group-approved messaging and get vulnerable do they make a connection with their audience.

The good news is that vulnerability is having a moment. Consider:

• Reddit showcasing President of the United States Barack Obama, typos and all, in an “Ask Me Anything” session
• Lady Gaga dropping the costumes and showing us herself laid bare (link potentially NSFW) in response to tabloid snark about her recent weight gain
• A social-media-newbie CEO tweeting candidly enough that his account got its own New York Times profile

Each of these examples resonates because of one special attribute: vulnerability. We hear unfiltered thoughts straight from the president. We are invited into the inner sanctum of a pop star at her most naked. We get to put a real, endearing face with a monolithic city service.

Vulnerability creates a bond that’s hard to build any other way. And for brands in particular, it can break down the impersonal wall that surrounds most corporate communications, replacing it with something warmer and more real. But how can a brand harness this surefire connector without coming off as pandering, overshare-prone or worse? Here are a few tips.

Ask The Hard Questions

First, be honest with yourself and your company to probe for vulnerable and share-worthy points. What’s the toughest challenge you’ve overcome? What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made and learned from? What questions are people always asking about your brand that you’ve shied away from in the past, and how can you honestly address them, at least in part?

Go Back In Time

When we’re talking honesty, clarity and vulnerability, sometimes it’s easier to look back on the past than scrutinize the present. Even Fortune 500 companies were small, scrappy upstarts at one point, right? And small and scrappy are just the kind of heros we like to root for. If you’re a big, established company, remember what it felt like to be not-so-big or established. Create content from that place.

Find Your Brand’s Stories

Real stories tap into real emotions. They make us feel something. Create a work and social media environment in which people feel comfortable telling their stories, and train yourself and your staff to be always on the lookout for stories that spark something. Then capitalize on them – they’re marketing gold.

Pick Your Moments

Vulnerability works best as a trickle, not a flood. We’re looking for a glimpse into your world, not a tweet-a-minute tour of minutiae. Be real and be honest, but remember less is more.

Resist Snark

Social media’s off-the-cuff nature makes it look easy to whip off perfect, breezy quips – but make sure they’re not at someone else’s expense. When we feel attacked or criticized on social media, vulnerability can quickly morph into defensiveness and anger, and that’s the opposite of what we’re after.

Sleep On It

There’s no need to post every thought right away – a filter is a good thing. If you’ve got a concept in mind that you think might resonate but you feel anxious about putting it out there, give yourself time to think it over, or bounce it off someone else. The beauty of social media is that it’s always ready when you are.

Lose Control (A Little)

The bottom line is that we’re all in social media to build relationships and connect with people, and you can’t put yourself out there without feeling a little anxious. Losing control is a scary feeling, but it can also be a sign that you’re doing it right.

Ready to practice some vulnerability? Share something embarrassing about yourself in the comments so I won’t be all alone, and then tell me what you think about brands and vulnerability.

Steve Broer / Shutterstock.com

The 2012 NFL season is now underway, so let’s take a moment to consider football’s biggest and most unsung hero: the superfan.

On game day, superfans don’t just show up. They’re the ones tailgating at dawn, starting the wave and convincing all their friends to show up and cheer, too.

Not many of us would go that far for something we love. And that’s what makes superfans so valuable – in football and in social media.

Social media superfans aren’t as easy to spot as face-painting football fans, but they’re just as important. They’re the ones writing great reviews about your products, commenting on your blog posts and telling their friends about you. They take the work of social media marketers and amplify it, and we couldn’t do it without them.

Happily, social media gives us lots of ways to find and reward brand superfans. To find them, try:

• Setting up alerts though Google, Social Mention or your favorite social media monitoring tool to make sure you don’t miss any reviews about or mentions of your business or product.
• Pasting a link from your blog or website into Topsy.com to find out who’s sharing your content. (Click the “show influential only” checkbox to narrow down the list to just influencers.)

• Using social media insight tools like Buffer and Crowdbooster to discover which of your fans and followers are the most active in sharing your content and commenting on your posts.

Once you’ve found your superfans, what should you do next? It’s simple – anything and everything you can to let them know how much they rock.

Get To Know Them

Once you get to know your superfans, you’ll know what motivates them and have a better idea of how to give them what they want. Enter their information into a CRM tool so you can keep up with them, then follow them on Twitter, fan them on Facebook and read their blog.

Meet Them Where They Are

Superfans take the extra time to chat you up, so do the same for them. Respond to their comments (and make sure you remember names!). Involve them in a Twitter chat or Google Hangout. Ask them for a testimonial or guest blog post. If you see them in person, buy them a drink.

Help Them Be Great

Yes, they love your brand – but most social media superfans have lots of other stuff going on in their lives, too. Take some time to learn how you can help them they way they’ve helped you. Share their content. Introduce them to like-minded people. Build them up as experts.

Give Them Perks

It’s tried and true, but everybody loves a perk. Reward your superfans with unexpected treats, creative contests or any other special treatment that makes sense for your brand.

Include Them

Give superfans super access to your brand – they’ve earned it. Create an exclusive group of your biggest and most vocal fans to help them connect to one another. Give them a direct line to your brand for their suggestions and ideas. Ask them for their opinion about what’s going on in your industry, or even about your product’s future.

Empower Them

Finally, make sure your superfans have everything they need to keep talking about you. If they’re blogging about you, make sure you supply them with photos, quotes or anything else they need. If you notice they’re telling their friends about your brand, consider creating a referral program.

Superfans are enthusiastic, energetic and they love your brand – a perfect combination. How do you find and reward your social media superfans? Let me know in the comments.

But if you don’t have a brand voice, you’ll never get from mediocre to amazing.

Creating a strong, consistent voice is the key to building a real relationship with your audience. Whether you’re B2C or B2B, people ultimately buy from people — more specifically, people we like and relate to.

And social media gives brands a chance to develop personality, style and characteristics of their own. All the good stuff that attracts you to people can also endear you to a brand or company. What an amazing marketing opportunity!

A social media voice can be hip, communal, playful, educational, sophisticated, fun, irreverent, inspirational, helpful or a million other adjectives. So how do you find your brand’s voice? Explore the three Cs: culture, community and conversation.

Culture

The core of your brand’s voice must come from its culture. Every organization has something that makes it unique, whether it’s philanthropy or a unique founding story or poker Fridays.

What do you stand for? What do you talk about? What makes you stand out? This is your organization’s personality. Make those elements the inspiration for your online voice. Take us inside your brand’s experience.

Community

Having a social media voice lets your community — new and old — know what to expect when they interact with you.

So what better way to hone your voice than by listening to them first? Find out their problems and concerns. Listen to the way they voice their feelings. Make sure you know what they want from you. Speak their language, on their terms.

Conversation

Armed with culture and community, the last piece is conversation. Determine what you’re bringing to social media by putting your brand out there (your answer might be something like customer support, industry education, general fun or product promotions) and then communicate it with personality and authenticity. No strong-arming or hard selling, just talking in a way that’s comfortable, conversational and relatable.

How would your company sound at a backyard barbecue or cocktail party (drinking responsibly, of course)? There’s your voice.

20 Great Social Media Voices

Ready to see the power of social media voice in action? I went hunting for some brands with strong social media voices. Here’s what I found.

1. Penmaker Sharpie particularly shines on Instagram, where the company’s creative, fun voice is fully articulated.

2. Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center has a Twitter voice that’s like a hip, artsy friend.

3. Dude-focused email newsletter Thrillist rocks a funny, slightly silly bro vibe on Facebook.

4. Beer maker Sam Adams never goes full-on party mode in social media, sticking to an all-American casual voice with lots of insider scoop.

5. Target’s social media tone is whimsical and personable, with lots of relatable updates.

6. Carwoo’s Facebook page is full of bizarre car photos that lead to great community conversations.

7. Weird, witty and irreverent sums up Taco Bell on Twitter.

8. Artisan ice cream maker Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has a Facebook page full of lush photos that hammer home one core concept: wholesome local ingredients.

9. On Twitter, Sephora strikes an educational and informational tone.

10. GE knows its audience, so it geeks out with abandon on Instagram with detailed pics of cool machines.

11. Intel aims for smart, educational and inspirational in its social media updates.

12. Healthy, inspirational and helpful describe Adidas’ Twitter voice.

13. Helpful is the hallmark of Doubletree’s hospitality-focused Twitter account.

14. Nerdy and proud of it, Thinkgeek speaks the way its audience of hip geeks does.

15. Like the designer’s clothes, Marc Jacobs’ social media voice is young, smart and effortlessly cool.

16. Elegant, refined and classic define the chic Tiffany & Co. brand on social media.

17. Interactive agency HUGE has an incredibly consistent Twitter voice that’s witty, sophisticated and just a smidge snarky.

18. Daily Candy’s Facebook posts are sassy, quippy and in-the-know.

19. Diaper brand Huggies plays hosts to a warm and inviting parent-focused social media community.

20. GAP pulls from its long history to create an all-American, fresh voice.

Want to hear more from these brands? You can follow them all in my “Great brand voices” Twitter list. What brands do you associate with a strong social media voice? Share your favorite examples in the comments!