Its pretty apparent that social media is the “it” thing of our time, this rapidly growing phenomenon has become a must-have for marketing. Although I’m sure we can all agree that companies & brands can use social media to their advantage there is a grey area of why and how?

Disclaimer: Social Media is not rocket science, nor do we believe we know it all…this is just a tid-bit of knowledge to kick start building your online presence! Happy Reading, Tweeting and Reposting!

Why is Social Media so Important?

Aside from the face that Facebook has 845 million active monthly users and Twitter has 100 million active users (which is only ½ of the registered accounts) it is highly accessible and scalable. Social media has a profound effect on the way information is diffused and has become the way people discover, socialize, and share with one another.

Having a website is no longer enough in this day-in-age, because consumers want to engage, whether its with their friends or the brands that sell their favorite product having the ability to be a part of the dialogue is the incentive.

Social media is about relationships, from friends, to companies to causes humans enjoy having the ability to build upon those relationships though sharing. For a business having an accurate referral from a fan can not only gain you more followers but also increase credibility.

But How?

Like I said navigating the world of social media is not rocket science but it is crucial for businesses to have a strategy when taking on the beast of online marketing, especially when it involves direct contact with end-consumers.

I could go on for days about this topic but to spare you some precious moments I will sum this up in a few Do’s and Don’ts to lay the groundwork.

Do Not

- Jump in without a plan: Would you do this with any other aspect of your business? Probably not, just because social media is “free” does not mean trail and error is the best method for approaching this technological giant!

-  Invest all of your energy into one social media platform: When Facebook emerged no one knew how incredibly successful it would become, however in a quickly changing market of social media outlets it is wise to spread your efforts among a variety of platforms.

- Spam your followers: Users are on social media to engage with their friends, share common interests etc. they are often receptive to interaction with brands they are fond of in a personal way, impersonal accounts that just spam followers with information they didn’t solicit is a quick way to get blocked.

- Over Control the Message: A company’s fan page or account is a sounding board to initiate conversation between the consumer and your company voice.  Word of mouth can be a money maker or a deal breaker for a companies reputation, the reason site like Yelp have been so successful is it is authentic in nature by leaving the good, bad and ugly comments about a company to show that the consumers opinion matters. That being said when engaging with fans it is vital you remain genuine and real, deleting negative feedback is a common mistake and one that will degenerate your level of credibility.

Do’s

-Get to know your Audience: Once you establish who you are targeting, do your research, find out what they like, when they interact, how the like to receive information. Knowing your audience is key!

-Realize Gaining Followers is not instantaneous: There is no magic wand when it comes to gaining fans on social media platforms, the best way to grow your following (and keep them) is to do it organically.

-Participate: Engage your fans and in turn interact with them, posting videos, pictures and questions is a great way allow fans to feel a connection with your brand. As much as your enjoy their feedback they enjoy yours, respond to as much as possible, let your fans know all feedback is appreciated.

-Cross Promote: Take advantage of your entire presence online, ad links to your twitter on your facebook and vice-versa. Add icons to link to your social media outlets on your website and email signature.

These are just a few of the many ways you can build a reputable presence online for your brand, I feel very passionately about this and cannot wait to share more with you…Stay Tuned!

-WIT

Own your own domain name:

The benefits of owning your own domain name are endless but the spark-notes version is here…

• This allows your to truly promote yourself
• Your name is easy to remember, and your domain name will be too!
• It increases your search engine optimization (aka you will be found easier when people “google” you)

This is something we feel very passionately about ( in-fact don’t get Chris or his friends on this topic they may start foaming at  the mouth from excitement) … To read more click here!

Utilizing Social Media:

Social media has become integrated into all aspects of our lives and therefore knowing how to use it to your advantage is highly important. With anything there are pro’s and con’s….Using facebook and twitter appropriately (or inappropriately) can make or break your career whether it’s in the athletic field or not. That being said here are a few points to remember when enjoying your social freedoms on facebook, twitter etc.

• Creep Creepin Is A Habit:
  Coaches, employers, recruiters, (lets face it… EVERYONE) will look you up online and see what you are all about. Just like you would censor yourself and put your best foot forward if you were at a tryout for your dream team, or  on an interview, you should have that same attitude when posting on social media sites.

• Be a Leader:
  Athletes are held to a higher standard, we all had a favorite athlete growing up and probably wanted to be exactly like them. Being a good role model is something to be aware of regardless of if you are a high school, college or professional athlete. Remaining cautious about the photos, videos and language you post online is extremely important, not only for being a leader, but showing the outer world you are deserving of scholarships, being on a college team, or even the big leagues (yeah lets dream big ok!?)

• Strut Your Stuff:
  Now that we covered what not to do lets look at the bright side! Social media is the perfect place to get noticed for all of the positive things we know you are out there doing! Use this an outlet to promote your: championship game, show photos from your teams big win or a video of you pitching your best game yet! ( If you volunteer, are involved in other clubs and activities on campus show that off too! ) Give those coaches something (positive) to talk about after they’ve done their creeping…research on you.

Be Proactive:

There can be many road blocks when it comes to being recruited. Contacting multiple schools, relying on your coaches to send reels, or waiting to be found among the many athletes listed in third-party recruitment data bases, can all tie up your time and prevent you from being noticed. We encourage you to not only cut out all of the possible delays but also be proactive about getting seen by the right people.

Having a Player Profile Website is an opportunity for you to showcase your talents as an athlete. You control the photos, videos and content allowing you to show this to recruiters and coaches simply via email, and ensure you are portrayed in the best  light possible. When your name is searched online your player profile can be found easily and recruiters can see all of your statistics, videos, blog postings etc. in one place.

Stay tuned for more information on simplifying the recruitment process and getting noticed. If you are interested in creating your own Player Profile Website contact Whitney ( aka Marketing Champion) at whitney@protegebranding.com

-WIT

Let me preface this letter by mentioning that I am a horrible writer. Lots of grammar mistakes coming your way…

Time to wake up and stop being lazy…..just sayin. I have posted a few articles regarding professional athletes and  owning your own domain asset but still see a serious bridge that needs to be closed.

Here are a few points of why its time to wake up:

1. Its your name….why should you allow another person to own the name and profit off it? There are a lot of directions that this could lead you, to say the least. From someone with the same name as you to someone cash parking your site and profiting off keywords specific to your sport/brand. Both have different directions on how to approach acquiring but nonetheless it is needed for you to own it based off this point.

2. www.(yourname and/or nickname and/or number).com/net/edu blah blah blah is tired! No one will find you. No one will remember your website. Make it easy for the fan to connect with you. What rolls better, yourname.com or yourname17initialgoeshere.net? Not to mention that Google gives great placement for exact match domains including names. Top 3 of Google or bust. Conversion. Case closed.

3. Monetizing your brand online. Having your definitive domain allows an easier direction for the end user to find your site. “What was Roberto Alomar’s site again? RobbieHOF.com? Shit…I just wont search, I give up. If you are properly monetizing your website, which is the next letter, you can conceivably lose  revenue to your brand or favorite charity you are involved in.

4. CONTROL! “What did ESPN just say about me? Oh, cool. That’s not true at all.” Being able to diffuse potential situations and give your fans access to YOU is something that athletes are lacking online. Being able to have a location to provide this type of control at a moments notice is invaluable to a athletes/celebrities brand.

5. After the Game. What will you do once you retire? Your career ends with multiple injuries or on one freak play? Having a revenue generator for yourself and charities are something that gets overlooked and is not on ANY athletes radar. Definitely wasn’t on mine when I was playing (or should I say on the physical therapy table). Having this asset only ads more opportunity for the future in whatever direction you want to go.

Net Net being able to own your domain is an asset and of tremendous value to YOU! Time to get it in check.

*If you are a parent of an amatuer athlete, this will apply to him/her when they make it. Time to make the 10.00/yr investment to protect their name before someone scoops it up. I can save you a few bucks on your domains through my reseller account here.

Hugs,

CG

P.S. if you have a name like john smith or ryan smith, wear it. The more generic the name, the tougher the odds of acquiring the domain without spending an astronomical amount for the domain.

The link below is the official website of model Kate Upton. Real quick, while this video might border NSFW (no nudity), it directly catches the attention of the visitor directly showcasing her brand and what she is all about. Kudos to MediaTropics.com on the web design, you guys get it.

Dominating brands is what we do and when I see other individuals and brands being developed properly, I’ll give the credit where its due. Oh, and she utilizes her definitive domain name too. As mentioned in my previous articles, 85-90% of profressional athletes don’t own their own domain name.

Enjoy! (Click on picture below)

These days everyone is a social media guru. No doubt you’ve been informed that everyone (who is anyone) has a Facebook Fan Page. It’s true everyone does have a Facebook Fan page, and they all look the same. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd.

ProtégéBranding.com can customize your Fan Page and help stand out from the rest of crowd.

Our branding team will develop a Fan Page that reflects your website design and feel.

We Dominate Facebook. (well, we pretty much dominate everything.)

We can begin building today. Please Contact Us and let us know how we can help dominate your brand!