“Here’s Johnny!” – 16 Movie quotes to inspire your social media marketing

“To be or not to be..” – classic one liners are nothing new – they’ve been around for as long as stories could be told, and the most memorable have become part of our every day language. What makes them memorable is that they’re draped in emotion – sorrow, pain, joy, laughter, inspiration, shock, horror, fear, or just plain nostalgia. The classics may last forever.

Who doesn’t love a good one liner? Hollywood in all its story telling grandeur has become the place to conjure up those classic moments of cinema that will be remembered and repeated for years to come. We’ve had some epic deliveries from true Hollywood legends over the years. Script writers’ hearts must dance with glee when they realise they’ve come up with a magic bullet which will live on far beyond the box office takings.

I don’t claim to be a movie buff by any stretch, but a modest love of films mixed with a passion for using social media in the right way for business has led me to come up with a few ‘lessons to be learned’ from some of Hollywood’s great one liners. And if the lessons can help along the way, even better! Enjoy…

1. “Go the distance” – Field of Dreams

One of my favourite movies!

The fact is, social media is not a fad. It’s not something that will work overnight either. If you expect to get a return on social media for your business, you’ve got to commit the time and energy. As Kevin Costner sat in that Iowa ballpark with the wonderful James Earl Jones, he realised there was more to this than first appeared. As is the same with social media – you mustn’t quit after a week when you don’t see the results. Perseverance is essential – keep plugging away and you’ll eventually crack the code. Don’t sell the farm prematurely – you may never know what you’ll be missing..this is for the long haul!

21 Twitter dos and don’ts

Getting started on any new social media platform can be a challenge. Apart from learning the ropes in terms of how the site actually works, you’ve got to get to grips with the lingo and the general etiquette of each platform. Today, I spoke at a seminar on social media in Fermanagh, but we had so much to cover I didn’t get around to sharing some general tips on Twitter etiquette, so for those who attended (thank you!), and even for those who didn’t, here’s a quick run down of what I believe are the main dos and don’ts when it comes to Twitter.

Twitter Dos

• Go public – That’s the nature of this platform, so don’t keep your account private. If you’re using social media for your business, it wouldn’t make any sense anyway!

• Respond – When someone interacts with you, get back to them and continue the conversation. This is the kind of engagement you want with your customers, potential customers and your network.

• Show your appreciation – Thank people who have taken the time to follow or retweet you – and try to personalise the response if you can. This can also be a great conversation starter.

• Reciprocate – It’s nice to be nice as they say, so as well as showing your appreciation for those helping you out, think about how you can help them. This is a two way street, and they’ll appreciate it.

The simplest explanation of SEO

SEO (search engine optimisation) – such a buzz term, but such an enigma for many businesses. When asked ‘What is SEO?’, I’m tempted to cram in as much information as I possibly can. I’ll try to refrain from self-indulgent rabbiting here and give it to you straight!

What is SEO?

SEO is search engine optimisation – the techniques used to get your website to appear higher in the search engine rankings when someone searches for a word or phrase which is relevant to your site. That’s getting to appear higher in Google, Bing, etc.

Why do I need it?

You want people to visit your site. There’s no point in having a great website if it can’t be found.

96% of Irish internet users use search engines every day, and Google is by far the most popular. Your target market is there. What’s more, they are not likely to go past page 1 of the Google search results, so if you want them to find your website rather than your competitor’s, you’ve got to be right up there.

If you’re not there, it’s a missed opportunity.