The following is a guest blog from my husband, Pete Strella. 

Over the past several months, Rachel and I have been working with a talented group of professionals to create the Social Media Jumpstart Kit, a six-module series that covers all of the major social media channels. The Social Media Jumpstart Kit is an ambitious collaboration designed to provide an all-in-one resource for those who want to jumpstart their social media presence.

Modules for Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are available now and modules for Facebook, Pinterest and Blogging will be released in the coming months. Those interested can purchase each module individually or purchase the entire kit for a great price and, as a bonus, receive a comprehensive guide on how to create and implement an effective social media plan.

Over the next few weeks, I will be doing research to begin creating the Jumpstart Kit’s blogging module. While I’m not exactly a “blogger” per se, I am a professional writer who has the unique perspective of being “married to a blogger.” I am eager to share this perspective in the upcoming module, along with the story of how Rachel’s tenacious blogging efforts have helped turn her part-time social media side job into a thriving full-time business in under three years.

For those of you know Rachel, I think you would agree that there are many reasons why she has been successful. But I would point to her blog – which she has done once or twice a week over the years – as a big reason for her business’s growth. Her consistent posts have boosted her Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to the point where businesses from New York City to Los Angeles and even overseas are seeing her company’s name when they search keywords such as “social media manager.”

Beyond that, her wealth of blog posts give potential clients an opportunity to get to know Rachel as a person before they even speak to her.

Blogging isn’t easy – it takes time, creativity, practice and discipline. But the rewards and payoffs for having a successful blog are resounding. As I prepare to create this module, my plan is to focus on answering questions such as:

-          What is a blog?
-          Why should our business have a blog?
-          How does blogging complement our social media efforts?
-          How do we make our blog compelling?
-          What are the keys to blogging consistently and efficiently?
-          What are some key technical aspects that will help our blog be successful?

But before I delve further into my research, I figured I’d take this opportunity to ask you – Rachel’s blog readers – what you might want to know about blogging. Please comment on this blog post or send Rachel or I an email, and I will select a few to answer throughout the course of the upcoming module. Thanks for reading!

What would you like to know about blogging?

Pete Strella is the managing editor of “The Rite Times, Rite Now,” a newsletter for Rite Aid Corporation employees. Pete’s other blogs include The Connection Between Communications and Social Media, The Ups & Downs of Supporting a Business-Owning Wife, Twitter: A Medium for the Anti-Social, and Penn State Scandal: Conversation Should Shift to Helping Victims, Raising Awareness for Child Sex Abuse.

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If you could increase your website traffic by 300%, keep people on your website longer, and exponentially increase your Google ranking with one free tool, would you? It would seem silly not to, yet so many small businesses do not embrace this tool due to perceived technology barriers or a fear of being on camera. You may have figured out that I’m talking about video–specifically YouTube.

Possibly the biggest obstacle to producing a video is the fear of being seen and heard on video. However, if you’re the face, brand and the personality of your business, that means YOU need to be on camera. Being present on the camera – by yourself – sharing your personality and your excitement for what you do cannot be matched.

Do you remember your reaction the first time you ever heard your recorded voice?  If you’re anything like most of us, you probably recoiled at the sound and thought to yourself, “That’s not me! I do NOT sound like that!”

I’ve also seen many businesses shy away from YouTube because they are unfamiliar with making a video. Truthfully, terrific videos can be created with basic, inexpensive equipment.  The determining factor in how well your video will work for your business is how adept you are at grabbing your audience’s attention with content that interests them and how you position yourself to meet their needs.

Whatever the reason for your reluctance in embracing YouTube, the numbers do not lie. Videos have a 50 times better chance of ranking within the first page of Google for the respective keywords (Forrester Research). If Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is even a small part of your marketing strategy, you need to be embracing YouTube NOW.

If you’re ready to break free of these perceived barriers and learn how to create videos that get results, check out the YouTube module of The Social Media Jump Start Kit – available now! Experience the difference video makes for your business!

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Staff Writer 

I’m fairly new to the whole social media management scene.  I can update a Facebook status, share a meme, and tweet with the best of them, but believe me when I say, these things are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to managing social media for various clients.  It involves so much more than tweeting about your day or sharing a post about your favorite cause on Facebook. Here are five things that surprised me during my first few weeks on the staff at Strella Social Media.

1. The nuances of social media writing.  The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that everyone wants their social media handled differently. I assist in writing content for many companies – all of them have unique styles and preferences. Some prefer that you do a little research prior to writing their posts and then write a glowing post meant to drive traffic to their websites physical locations.  Then there is the blog post that you pull out of thin air and the recesses of your imagination.  So much more goes into writing a blog post than most people think.
2. Hashtags?  What’s a hashtag?  I had no clue how to use hashtags on Twitter before I started developing content for clients. I didn’t know that using a hashtag would connect you to a feed of tweets that include the same hashtag, thus allowing everyone using that hashtag to see what you’ve tweeted.  I could have never imagined the potential for exposure by simply using the “#” symbol before a word!
3. YouTube: Not just a resource for funny animal videos.  I once used YouTube for one purpose: watching videos my brothers told me about.  There is so much more potential for YouTube as a marketing tool than I ever realized, and it’s also an incredible educational resource.  Yes, you can still use it to watch videos of pugs tilting their heads to the side or “bad lip-reading,” but you can also use it to learn how to knit or even tell people how to use a product you’re selling!
4. Keywords. I had no idea that using keywords could drive people to your site from Google or help potential networking connections find you on LinkedIn. You simply select a group of commonly search words that apply to you, and when people perform searches using these words, it increases the chances they will find your profile! The more searched keywords matching your specific keywords, the higher you are on the list.  It’s really an awesome way to get noticed!
5. The opportunities are mind-boggling. Think about it… you’re directly communicating with your target audience and you’re reaching all of them at the same time! Your products and services are being seen instantly by the people you want to see them. This isn’t your parents’ generation where the best way to find someone offering a service is through the phone book. In the end, you’ve networked with everyone you know and you’ve really gotten your name out there!

For years, I’ve aspired to have my words be seen and read, and never thought it possible until someone took a chance on a person recommended by a friend.  In just a month and a half, I’ve developed a portfolio and learned so much!  A patient and very understanding boss has walked me through a litany of ideas and facets of social media that I never knew existed.  For this, and many other things, I thank her.

Lauren’s a nursing student and scheduling coordinator with a passion for writing! She was hired in April as a staff writer for Strella Social Media while she also actively pursues a career as a published author. Yes, this girl does it all!

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The unique challenges – and opportunities – available to healthcare professionals via social media is worthy of review.  Regardless of where you are with your online marketing efforts, creating and integrating social media into an overall plan can be fruitful. Let’s break it down!

Unique Challenges
There are several challenges unique to the healthcare industry and most of them relate to fear of the unknown and the regulations that must be followed.

Many are afraid of violating HIPPA laws and endangering patient protection.  Some also fear that any advice they offer could be misinterpreted as ‘medical advice’ without a proper diagnosis.

The rules around what can be said/done on social media as it relates to any regulated industry can be vague. Some would rather not take the chance.

Unique Opportunities
While there are many in the industry who are embracing social media, it’s still a relatively fresh mode of communication. This is an opportunity for medical providers to build authority and become a leader in their industry.  And, for those who fear HIPPA, there is still a good amount of wiggle room. For example, social media can be used for the purpose of introducing new staff members to the audience, informing the audience of business happenings, and changes or additions to current service. Using social media effectively is a great way to establish credibility and generate referrals, which are critical to physicians.

For those who are targeting a younger demographic, social media presents a great opportunity as many younger folks use it as a primary form of communication. And young people are not the only ones. Adults ages 35-54 represent one of the fastest growing demographics on most of the major social media.

There are also many collaborative, research and professional-related networking opportunities available to those in the medical field using sites like LinkedIn. The internet poses an abundance of information and resources for medical professionals.

Determining Channels
I advise clients in all industries to choose a channel or channels that meet their specific goals and target their ideal clients. There’s no size-fits-all when it comes to social media.

For example, if you’re a physical therapist with a primary goal of communicating valuable tips to your existing patients, I might recommend considering Facebook and an e-newsletter or blog. A doctor or specialist may have a goal to connect with like-minded professionals who can help expand his or her knowledge base. In that case, perhaps creating or jointing a medical LinkedIn group would be effective.

Establishing Goals  
For those who want to use social media effectively, they must set realistic goals, integrate their social media efforts with their traditional marketing efforts and establish an effective plan for managing a consistent presence.

Realistic goals include: driving website traffic, building loyalty among existing customers, establishing credibility, enhancing search engine optimization (SEO), increasing audience engagement, raising awareness/educating, or driving foot traffic to a physical location. I recommend focusing on no more than three goals in the first 90 days.

Once the goals are decided and the channels are active, it will be important to integrate social media with other forms of marketing, like including Facebook URLs on print pieces.  Message consistency – throughout all marketing – is also important.

Social media success is something that takes consistent effort and energy, especially as it relates to content development.  It will be fundamental to set aside time to execute social media tasks or hire someone who can help with the management.  That being said, for those who plan to manage efforts themselves, they don’t have to spend countless hours. Keep in mind that you have the knowledge and expertise to offer value-added information and solutions to your audience – you just need to establish your rhythm for communicating your expertise.

Maximizing Efforts
The only thing that makes health care different from other industries is the need to protect patient privacy. That’s something that should be incorporated into in all forms of communications and company policies. I advise all of my clients to have a social media policy, which governs the use of internal and external use of social media, but I stress this with clients in highly-regulated industries.

Regardless of the industry involved, I find that many do not understand social media and its usages and, because of this, are reluctant to embrace it. My hope is that fear of the unknown does not keep anyone – especially those in highly-regulated industries – from establishing themselves on social networks.  Check out KevinMD for an example of how healthcare professionals can use social media to meet their goals.

Be looking for more on this topic in the July 2013 issue of Lancaster Physician Magazine.

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Tonight, I had planned to relax. Having acquired several new management clients in the past few weeks and presented to handful of groups (in addition to the forthcoming presentation this Wednesday at the Business Women’s Forum), I felt like it was time to put my feet up. It is Sunday after all.

But, like many of us experience in business… #*$^ happens. On this particular evening, my plans got derailed with a setback occurring with the launch of the second module of the joint venture, Social Media Jump Start Kit. To accompany its release, I had planned to write my blog about LinkedIn, but, due to recent developments, we may push the launch back a day or two.

Two years ago, I would have struggled to devise a timely and relevant blog because I would put so much pressure on myself to complete a stellar blog, no matter what happened.  In fact, I’m not sure how many of you have noticed that I’ve cut my blog from twice a week to once a week – a decision I made a few weeks ago when things started to get busy.

But now, I realize that those standards I established – the pressure I put on myself – is unnecessary and sometimes even counterproductive.  While I still work long hours and still strive for the absolute best in everything I do, I realize that sometimes, I just have to let my foot off the gas.

It’s not only OK to take a break – it’s fundamental for continuing at this pace. Moreover, in order for me to properly serve my clients, I need to be refreshed and energized, not burnout and exhausted.  As the search for work/life balance continues, my latest findings seem to indicate that slow and steady wins the race.

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