The Blog of Lisa Morosky

Some of us use this combination – putting your blog RSS feed into Twitterfeed, and using the Selective Tweet Status app on Facebook to update your Facebook status.

One reason people say they won’t use the Selective Tweet Status app on Facebook is because they can’t easily pull in their recent blog posts that way. Well, you don’t have to retweet your blogs with “#fb” at the end of them. You may be missing one crucial step to making sure you share your recent blog posts show up on Facebook.

I assume that you already have your blog RSS feed set up in Twitterfeed to update your Twitter status automatically. I also assume that you’re using the Selective Tweet Status app on Facebook.

Here’s how to connect the dots and extend your automatic Twitterfeed tweets to Facebook.

• Log into Twitterfeed.
• Select “edit” on the feed you’d like to automatically show up on Facebook.
• Click “advanced settings”.
• Where it says “Post Suffix” add the Selective Tweet Status code “#fb”.
• Save your changes.

Now this is what will happen:

• Your RSS feed will be updated when you have a new blog post.
• Twitterfeed will post a tweet to your Twitter account about your new blog post. That tweet will have #fb at the end.
• That tweet will be picked up by the Selective Tweet Status app on Facebook and your Facebook status will be updated.

Clients ask me all the time if they should be on Facebook, or Twitter, or this site, or that site. In the words of the Little Mermaid, there are “gadgets and gizmos aplenty”. And people will talk all day about how to use these tools, but no one is saying why we should use them.

We’re leaving out one big point when we talk about social media: it’s not about the tools (and individual sites are tools). You can use a hammer, but if you have no strategy behind why you’re using the hammer and what you hope to accomplish by hammering, you’ll end up with a nail in the middle of a board for no reason.

In the same way, with social media it isn’t about what site you use. It’s about why you’re using that site. It’s about the strategy behind your overall social media approach.

Before you just jump into social media chaos, put some thought into your overall strategy.

What are you trying to accomplish by using social media? What are your goals?
Are you trying to drive traffic to your site? Are you trying to spread a message? Do you want to get closer with your customers? Outline your goals (and make them specific).

Where is your target market naturally hanging out online?
We’re talking about your target market here. If your market isn’t hanging out on Twitter (and some markets aren’t), then don’t waste your time and energy on it. Just be where they are.

Will such-and-such new app help you more effectively accomplish your goals, or just make your life more difficult?
Avoid bandwagonism when it comes to new social media apps and tools. Just use what works for you.

What tried and true methods are working for you?
Hello – if something’s working, don’t change it. You can improve upon it, but don’t reinvent the wheel here. Don’t try to make your market connect with you in places they don’t want to be.

Don’t think you need to be everywhere online. You just don’t. You need to be everywhere that helps you reach your goals – not everywhere in general. As with any other portion of your marketing strategy, figure out your game plan before you just dive into social media.