I am now in the middle of my 8^th full week as Social Media Strategist for Powwownow and this is the most common question I get asked. I am asked this by other staff members, by people I meet when I’m out and about, by my friends, and last night I was asked by my 82 year old grandmother! Considering she is yet to grasp the concept of the internet, explaining my job to her was no easy task.

One of my friends favourite answers to the; “What is it that you do for a living?” question is “My job does not define me!” And although I do agree with her on this, it is understandably a natural first question for people to ask. Although your job doesn’t necessarily define you it does give people a feel for you and something to talk about with you until they know you better.

The description of what my job depends on your knowledge of the internet in the first instance and Social Media in the second and because of this, before you know it, what I “DO” for a living can dominate the conversation!  So in order to keep it short and sweet I have tried and tested a number of explanations in order to find the one which best describes my job quickly.  My top two definitions include;

• I promote the company I work for on Facebook and Twitter (or on the internet depending on the individuals knowledge) and other sites like that – but I hate this explanation because it’s not really about promotion – yes that comes into it, but it’s not the main purpose, and it’s not just about Facebook and Twitter.
• I work in Online/Digital PR – but in the long run this description only generates the same questions as saying I’m a Social Media Strategist.

As you can see I’m not exactly making great headway in developing this explanation. I think the reason for this is because it’s not really that easy to pigeonhole my job. Yes it is about Communication and yes my background is PR – but for me being a Social Media Strategist is so much more than that. I use social media as a tool to try and achieve these things like this;

• Making sure we have a strong online presence
• Engaging with our online community
• Providing our current customers with fantastic customer service
• Listening to our customers to see what they think could improve
• Looking for opportunities with new customers
• Listening to our competitors’ customers to identify the mistakes our competitors are making – to make sure we don’t go down the same path.

At Powwownow we believe Social Media work involves every department. The Social Media Strategist is there to build the plan behind it (the what, why, who, where and how), to get people in the company excited about it, to get people outside of the company excited about it, and to manage it. This is what I “DO”– I make it happen!

Oh and just in case you were wondering – I LOVE IT!

Here are a few simple points to get you on the right track:

Set your Location

Geographic targeting is very important; for example, if you are providing a local service it’s best for you to target a specific area so you are focusing your budget on the areas you are most likely to convert. You can set your location in the campaign settings, by clicking edit under Locations. You can either browse for your target location or you can use the custom targeting to specify a more precise area.

Ad Scheduling

Make use of Ad Scheduling; no doubt the big players in the industry will be running ads 24/7, but with a smaller budget means you have to be smart about what times your ads are shown. Depending on what industry you’re in, you might find that most your conversions come during day (e.g between 8am and 8pm) and very few over the weekends. Target the times of the day when you make most conversions and turn ads off on low converting times and days. This will help improve your keyword’s CTR (Click-Through Rate) and Quality Score, plus reduce the cost. Ad Scheduling can be implemented in the campaign Settings, under Advanced settings (look for Ad Scheduling and click on Edit).

Turn off Google Content Network

By default your campaign will be eligible for the Display Network (previously known as the Content Network). The Display Network requires a lot of maintenance and is not for everyone, plus it can burn a big hole in your budget in a short period of time. To opt out see your campaign Settings, look for Networks, click edit and deselect Display Network.

Creative Ad Copy & Testing

Your ad needs to be compelling in order for it to be clicked. Analyse the competition’s ads and look for areas where you think you can improve. If you are providing a service, a good tip is to put your telephone number in the ad copy itself.

Likewise, you need to test different ad copy; this is essential to improving CTRs, conversion rates and for the overall optimization of your campaign. But don’t test too many ads at once; I normally test about 3 ad copies at any given time. Finally, if you are testing, remember to set your Ad delivery to Rotate rather than Optimise – this will ensure all your ads are shown evenly over time. This can be done in the campaign Advance settings.

Using Dynamic Insertion

Using dynamic insertion in your ad text can increase your CTR and conversions rates. Keyword insertion helps to make your ad more relevant to the user by inserting the key phrase they have searched into your ad headline. E.g if the searcher types “leather shoes for men” your ad headline will say “leather shoes for men” so the searcher is instantly drawn to your ad as its exactly what they typed. To use keyword insertion in the title field of your ad put {keyword: default text}. But remember to always test, keyword insertion doesn’t always work with some ad groups.

Which Keyword Matching Option to Use

Using broad match for keywords is likely to drain your already tight budget, instead use a mix of phrase and exact matching options; this will help to attract quality clicks and improve your CTR and conversion rates.

Search Query Report

Very important, the Search Query Report will become your friend. This report gives you the exact term which generated your ad, its impressions, CTR, conversions etc. With this information you can find more keywords to target, especially long tail keywords, strengthen your negative keyword list, easily find which keywords need to have their max CPC increased or decreased, delete non converting keywords and get ideas for more compact ad groups. For new campaigns I would recommend running the report weekly to start and then monthly once you feel comfortable with your keyword lists.

Negative Keywords

If you are using broad and phase matching options then it is advised that you regularly enhanced your negative keyword list. You can do this by using the search query report to find keywords you don’t want your ads generated for, this helps filter out unwanted impressions, clicks and also helps to improve your keyword’s CTR while reducing the costs and improving your ROI.

Which Keywords to Target

Running a campaign on a limited budget could mean that by trying to get your top keyword in the top positions may be too expensive. If this is the case try biding for alternative longer key phrases; these keywords are often less competitive, cost less to get them into the top positions and often have a higher CTR. This strategy may prove to be more cost effective.

Follow these simple points and you too can achieve PPC success. Just remember to always monitor your account to find new opportunities and continually test new ad texts and new keywords for the overall optimization of your campaign, and one day your business will be the market leader just like Powwownow!

Last week we gave you a useful little guide (well, we hope you found it useful) about which features you should have on your conference call phone to get the most out of Powwownow. We thought we’d follow it up with something similar: a guide to how to keep your conference calls secure.

First of all, I should point out that, on the whole, having a conference call is nothing to worry about and ‘tapping’ into conference calls is a very difficult process. Nevertheless, if it’s something you are worried about, there are a few simple security measures that will help bolster the security of your calls.

Follow the steps below for complete peace of mind on your next conference call.

• As you are probably aware, with Powwownow you are given a PIN to begin a call. This has obvious security benefits because it means only those who know the PIN will be able to access the call. This is of course only beneficial if the PIN remains confidential information – so don’t write it down where it could fall into the wrong hands if you’re worried about the sensitivity of a call.
• Most conference call providers – Powwownow included – will have a ‘lock’ feature that will enable you to lock the call once all participants are on the call.
• A simple roll call will aid the security of a conference call. Knowing who is definitely on the call allows you to make sure there are no unwanted gatecrashers!
• Another feature that will improve conference call security is the ability to end the call when the moderator exits. This means that once the moderator leaves the call the system will hang up the call for the remaining participants.

[photo courtesy of revlimit]

Well, not really. Some conference call phones can make having something as simple and enjoyable as having a Powwownow seem frustrating. So here are a few tips to make sure you get a conference call phone that suits a Powwownow – and, more importantly, suits you!

• First of all, don’t just go out and buy the cheapest conference phone you can find. Try to find a phone with everything needed to meet your conference calling needs. Although you can get a number of budget conference call phones, it’s always best to pay for what you need. If you buy a phone without some of the features you need, you’ll only regret it. You’re better off in the long term to spend the money on a phone that meets all your requirements. Spend some time searching the web to find the right phone for you.

• A conference phone is so much more than a phone with a speakerphone on it. You will find that speakerphones don’t offer anywhere near the same clarity that you get from a conference phone. For example, if there is going to be more than two people taking part in your conference calls you will want to make sure that the phone you choose provides 360-degree coverage to make sure everyone can be heard. Another important detail that you are likely to want is an echo/noise suppression feature to ensure background noise or feedback is kept to a minimum.  Wireless is another option that is likely to be important for you to ensure maximum flexibility and range, although most decent conference phones will have the wireless feature.
• You should consider the range of the conference phone. Many of the top-end models will have coverage of anything up to 20ft or more. If you need more coverage than your phone offers you can look into a number of other options, such as extension microphones or two phones with the ability to sync together to increase coverage. If you want to have a natural two-way conversation where you don’t have to wait for the other person to stop talking completely before you can chip in then make sure the conference phone you choose has full duplex technology. Most conference phones should have this feature.

[image courtesy of Mark Skalny]

We’ve all been there: waiting on hold while the most annoying, seemingly endless piece of on-hold music loops over and over again, almost mockingly.

Which is why we’re a bit excited about the latest feature of Powwownow conference calls. When you next have a Powwownow, you’ll be able to choose the music you and your conference call buddies hear while on hold during your call.

You’ll have fun choosing your music, but finding the right signature sound for your company might take some thought. To demonstrate what I’m talking about, here are a few music choices that certain well-known brands should stay well away from:

easyJet – Fall Out Boy “Sugar, We’re Going Down”

Job Centre Plus – The Offspring “Why Don’t You Get A Job?”

Dreams – Faithless “Insomnia”

Co-operative Funeral Care – Bee Gees “Staying Alive”

Lynx – C&C Music Factory “Going To Make You Sweat”

Natwest bank – Adventures of Stevie V “Money Talks”

Can you think of any more?

Oh, and by the way, to choose your music, just log in to mypowwownow and select the Preferences tab, then make your choice from the ‘Music on hold’ drop-down menu.

I’m sure many have left a conference call feeling frustrated, confused and wondering if they have actually achieved anything. Conducting a good conference call comes with time and experience, follow this five step guide and you’ll be left in good stead for all your future conference calling.

1.    Plan your conference call

Very important, send out meeting request to all your participants making sure you include the date, time, conference call dial-in number and the pin. If you have participants in different countries be sure to include the time relevant to their time zone. Once you have signed up to Powwownow you can use our nifty scheduler application to perform these tasks. Also check your head set is functioning correctly!

2.    Have an agenda

This is a necessity to ensure a successful conference call, it should contain all the main points of discussion and shouldn’t be too long. If you are the organiser try to circulate the agenda so all participants can prepare and contribute to the conference. Having an agenda also aids in keeping the conference on track and making sure it doesn’t drag.

3.    Quiet calm environment

This goes without saying, a calm quiet environment will allow you to focus and concentrate on the call.  Disturbances such as dogs barking and college’s laughter will not only distract you but will also distract your fellow participants. Also when someone is speaking use the mute button, this helps to keep background noise to a minimum.

4.    Pay attention

Try not to fall asleep. A successful conference call needs useful and valuable input from all participants. If you are the conference organiser try to keep participants alert by keeping them engaged. Don’t drone on about a particular topic for too long, ask questions, get opinions, feedback and invite ideas from your participants.

5.    That’s a wrap

At the end of the conference call thank all participants for their time making sure all points in the agenda have been discussed and reviewed.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll be a conference calling success in no time!