'Cascading Content' Social Media Strategy for the Busy Professional

Every business owner and professional at this point should at least know that social media is vital to a healthy business. However, not every busy professional has the time or money to dedicate to social media – or so they think. Jay Berkowitz of Ten Golden Rules has created a model called ‘Cascading Content’ that provides a simple social media strategy for any company or individual. The infographic below illustrates the concept:

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Think of Cascading Content like a waterfall: you must start with a full pool, or in this case, a main piece of engaging content, such as an article, press release, video or presentation. You add this main content to your website (it’s great fodder for the search engines) and then break it up into smaller bits that are digestible by the different social media sites. For example, the long version of this blog post is an articlethat is posted on the Ten Golden Rules website and has also been sent out in an e-newsletter. Once this blog is posted, I will write brief posts for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, G+ and, since we have a cool infographic, I can even post it on Pinterestwith a link back to the full article.

There were three articles that were written for the e-newsletter and posted on the website, so I can follow this process for all three articles. Although this should not be the only content in your social media channels, Cascading Content is a quick and easy way to stretch the great content you do have over several weeks to populate your social media channels and engage your audience. And remember, people like to get their content in all different ways – some prefer reading a blog post like this one while others would rather receive an email or follow a page on Facebook. With the Cascading Content model, your content is available in whatever format your audience chooses to see it.

How do you manage your social media currently? Have you ever tried anything like Cascading Content or would you follow this model? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

InternetMarketingClub.org Presents How to Generate REAL Business on LinkedIn

This Wednesday Webinar provided by Neal Schaffer, Senior Vice President of Social Media Strategy for Social 5150 and Vice President of Social Media Strategy for Green Dream Social, will include expert strategies for generating business on LinkedIn.

The webinar will cover strategies including creating a sales-oriented page, generating connections to help you drive business, the power of groups, and much more.

This free webinar will take place Wednesday, November 30, 2011 from 12:30pm EST – 1:30pm EST. To register and for more information please visit: How to Generate REAL Business on LinkedIn

Social Media for Small Businesses

Sarah Evans - the face of PR Newswire - had one of my favorite posts this weekend:









As an Internet marketer, I have to agree. Not everyone, and everything, needs a Facebook fan page, or a Twitter account, for that matter. Let's face it - it can get annoying. However, social media does have its place in the Web marketing toolbox. And especially for small businesses on a limited budget, social media can be effective - if it's used properly.

According to a recent article in eMarketer, lead generation is the biggest benefit social media brings to small businesses. Other benefits as listed in the "Small Business Marketing Forecast 2010" from Ad-ology include:


















Like any marketing or advertising campaign, social media efforts need to focused, with a clear strategy and measurable goals. Unfortunately, most small businesses face several challenges when it comes to using social media effectively, including a lack of education and/or the necessary resources to use the channel effectively.

So, before you build that Facebook page or create your Twitter account, think about what you want to accomplish... If you aren't sure what, how or where to begin, get some help from an expert. As we've seen in many instances, a misstep in the social media world can cause more harm than good. By engaging someone familiar with the channel to help you get started, you'll reduce the risk of a foux paux, as well as the learning curve, and see results faster.