Discover SAP in the World of Social Media

SAP are leading the way for partners and those who utilise SAP software in terms of the development of their presence in the world of Social Media and the exemplary way they are utilising its functions.
As a leading SAP Gold Partner in the UK and Ireland at IIS we have found their presence on the various Social Media sites to be not only inspiring but have also found the information and updates supplied and resources made available to be extremely useful and insightful.
SAP customers, partners or anyone with an interest in SAP would be foolish not to discover them on the various social media platforms. To make your life easier I have supplied some of the main links!

Facebook

SAP Community Network
http://www.facebook.com/#!/sapcommunitynetwork?ref=sgm

SAP Eco Hub
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/SAP-EcoHub/136104103748

SAP Software
http://www.facebook.com/SAPSoftware?ref=ts

SAP Tech Ed
http://www.facebook.com/SAPSoftware?ref=ts#!/pages/SAP-TechEd/74338051990?ref=ts

SAP Partner Edge SME
http://www.facebook.com/SAPSoftware?ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=154776037065&ref=ts

SAP Business One – Richard Duffy
http://www.facebook.com/SAPSoftware?ref=ts#!/pages/SAP-Business-One/7481621789?ref=ts

Twitter

SAP News
http://twitter.com/sapnews

SAP Community Network
http://twitter.com/SAPCommNet

SAP TV
http://twitter.com/saptv

SAP Channel Partner
http://twitter.com/SAPChanlPartner
S
AP 4 SME
http://twitter.com/SAP4SME

SAP B1
http://twitter.com/SAP_B1

SAP Info
http://twitter.com/sapinfo

SAP B1 UK and Ireland
http://twitter.com/SAP_B1_UKI

LinkedIn

SAP Company Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/companies/1115

LinkedIn Groups

SAP Business One
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=114094

SAP Community
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=36867

SAP Network Global
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=38891&about=

European SAP Professionals
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1876038&about=

Of course once you link it with one of the pages on the various sites additional ones will be readily accessible.

Also don’t forget the SAP Community Blogs and also be sure to visit the SAP You Tube Channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/saptv

Where to Start with Social Media Marketing?

What is Social Media Marketing? Where should we start? Are we sick of hearing about it but actually none the wiser?

I have been enlightened by a webinar from Richard Duffy from Duct tape Marketing; “Leveraging Social Media to generate business”. My own perception of what it is and how we should use it has been cemented.

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing put it very succinctly when he described marketing itself as… “Getting People to Know, Like and Trust”.

I found his definition of marketing refreshing having come across many definitions of marketing throughout my University studies. It’s clear, simple, to the point and most importantly it makes immediate sense and can be more readily put in to practice than some of the more theory dense and frankly somewhat confusing descriptions.

He builds upon this definition and describes Social Media Marketing as a tool to support the accomplishment of these goals through the use of technology.

Social Media Marketing is ultimately about building your companies web presence, driving traffic to the company website which is seen to be the central hub of all your Social Media activity and supporting the your overall company message, building your brand, image and reputation.

The challenge for all of us is not to get overwhelmed. One step at a time is the advice being given. Get your website right and from there maybe start a blog, or open a twitter account. The key is not to do it all at once.

To fully utilise the world of Social Media as a marketing tool we need to research the market place, see what our competitors and customers are doing and how they are using it and try to get a better picture of what might be expected of us and how our presence might be of use to our target audience.

Objectives need to be set. What are we hoping to gain from Social Media Marketing? We all have different intentions and we to ensure that these underpin our Social Media activity.

We need to listen, interact and learn. We will then be more greatly informed and can feel more confident in the content we supply through the various channels.

Content was a key focus of the webinar, and the most crucial points where highlighted as being the following:

It Should be Useful
Address a Painpoint in your Target Market (A specific problem)
Speak your Target Markets Language
And it Should be Approachable; Accessible and Friendly!

I find it useful to draw a parallel with word of mouth communications, the value of which is potentially underestimated by all. Social Media Marketing is a way of harnessing word of mouth; a tool to utilise social interactions and influence the way your organisation is ultimately perceived.

Although some people may be sick of hearing about Social Media Marketing I think it is only the beginning of the phenomenon and that we are only touching the tip of the iceberg; we have so much more to learn and explore to fully utilise it as a marketing tool.

Tidy Up Your Social Media Identity

Those of us who have entered or are planning to enter the world of social media are unlikely to consider creating an identity on one single platform. Utilising multiple platforms and integrating them is now customary.

As with all marketing communications we need to ensure and remain focused on the identity of the company or brand and insure that messages support and remain consistent rather than conflicting each other.

Integrated marketing communications, IMC, is now a cornerstone concept in the world of marketing and one which companies strive to adhere to, some more successfully than others. The concept is one which should underpin and direct the way in which we manage our presence within and use of social media.

Here are a concise few tips that I came across on the Mashable website: www.mashable.com

Be Consistent

Your profile pages should remain as consistent as possible in design. Utilise the design and branding tools available.
Updates should also remain consistent, not necessarily verbatim but they should have a degree of uniformity about them with regard to the message content and tone.

Be Sure of Your Brand

Whether you are going to create a new brand online or further extend and promote your established brand/company identity the message needs to be strong, clear and consistent.

Optimise SEO with Social Media

Use inbound links from the various platforms to connect your profiles and content. Make sure that what you’re posting is what you want to be known for and will support the way you wish to be perceived. Again consistency will help you optimise SEO.

Use the Management Tools available

Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Ping.fm are useful platforms that will reduce the time you spend managing your social media presence when you have established one across multiple sites.

Humanise

Social Media is about humanising your company and delivering direct messages from you to your target audience. Ensure that what you’re saying and delivering is honest and true to you.

Adapted from Zachary Sniederman, How to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity, www.mashable.com

Tips for SME Website Content

1. Pick one idea for an article and stick to it. Don’t meander onto other topics, save that content for additional articles.

2. Simplify as much as possible. Try to boil down content into its most simple form.

3. Avoid using jargon or theoretical terms. Remember that if people are bored then they will stop reading.

4. Provide ways for the reader to interact, either by replying directly or contributing to a public discussion.

5. Set a timetable for providing content and stick to it. Visitors to your website will then know what to expect from you.

Content from: The small Business Blog, Stefan Töpfer
www.sme-blog.com

Other tips for writing website content...
Use...

Shorter sentences, words and paragraphs

One idea per paragraph

Concise text - half the word count (or less) than writing for print
the inverted pyramid style, putting the most important point or the conclusion first

Simple words

Objective language to build credibility, rather than exaggerated claims or overly promotional words like "great", "tremendous" etc.

Bulleted lists

Highlighted text (bold or color, also hyperlinked text) for scannability

Meaningful headlines and subheads, avoiding cute or clever lines

To find out more visit:
http://www.entheosweb.com/content_writing/tips.asp

Digital Marketing isn’t just for the Big Players

Digital marketing offers huge potential for SMEs looking to increase their range and communicate with the audience who matters most to them. With the consumers now beginning to look beyond the recession, it is an ideal time for SME business owner to consider the options available to them.

There is such a great variety of online tools available that SMEs can choose the one suited to their needs to increase their impact on and within their chosen market.

It doesn’t have to be costly, which is a common misconception, but more about selecting the right campaign and tool, identifying clear objectives and deciphering how you can measure and acquire a true ROI.

Digital marketing is more accountable and measurable than its traditional counterpart and as a result, the return is more easily recognised. It is ideally used to complement existing marketing activities, supporting the strength of campaigns and fortifying a stance, position or message.

The key is to ensure that all activity is tailored to the company’s exact requirements: whether it’s a campaign based around key search terms on Google, an affiliate campaign promoting the business on relevant websites, or a campaign around a social network like Facebook.

Audiences can be more readily targeted with the use of digital marketing which is ideal for SMEs. They can reach out directly to interested consumers, in the long term reducing cost and improving efficiency of their marketing activities.

Digital marketing is also an ideal way for SMEs to create two way communications and interactions with their target market and existing customers. The humanisation of businesses has never been easier or of borne as much significance to the sales cycle and CRM.

The challenge for most SMEs looking to enter the world of digital marketing and utilise the available tools is where to start.

I would suggest with your website and from there it is up to the individual.
Google Adwords could be explored in order drive the optimum amount of traffic to your website.
The world of Social Media is continuously growing and SMEs would be hasty not to at least explore the many well established sites that now exist.

Digital media is rapidly becoming a vital element of the marketing communications mix.

With so much advice and support available SMEs should take advantage of what has been tried and tested by the bigger players in the market, delve into, test and find their place within the digital marketing revolution.

The Value Of Super Fast Fibre Broadband for SMEs

Fibre broadband is not just about speed though it is the selling point which has been fundamentally highlighted.
It offers considerable benefits in terms of reliability, scalability and longevity. Fibre is inherently less susceptible to damp or interference, making it more reliable with less risk of business downtime.

Any company that wants to make the most of the new technological services that are available such as cloud computing, HD videoconferencing, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology, realtime backup or just sending and receiving large files, will want the fastest connection possible to make sure their business runs smoothly.
If not, its existing infrastructure could be in danger of slowing down and struggling to cope.

Enthusiasm for these services is widespread. Research carried out by Easynet Connect showed that over half of UK SMEs plan to switch their core applications to cloud computing systems in the next year, compared with the 22 per cent that had planned to in 2008. As the dedication to these bandwidth-hungry applications grows, so too will the need to think seriously about investing in fibre.

The beauty of fibre is that it can also be upgraded at a later stage. Even though today people may think of 100Mbps as fast, future requirements may well demand even faster connections which could be provided over the same fibre connection. One day we could even be talking about connections in gigabits as standard, rather than megabits.

Fibre not only meets business needs today, but can provide a truly future-proof service which can easily match the increasing need for business bandwidth.

According to research carried out by US consultants Booz & Co., European countries are lagging behind on fibre based broadband networks. They pronounce that next generation broadband networks promise much faster transfer of information, services, and benefits throughout a national economy, promoting overall growth, productivity, and prosperity. Without investment in fibre broadband networks businesses will only be able to reap meagre benefits from the advances being made in today’s information society.

According to OECD estimates, by 2011 broadband communication will generate one-third of the productivity gains made by highly developed nations.
Not only do we need to consider our own investment in fibre broadband but we need to encourage and support investment by the providers within the UK and Ireland and any government support that may be employed as it evidently bears influence on the prosperity of our economy in the long term.

Who knew sitting down could be so demanding on our bodies!

Tips and exercises to help you avoid the desk bound injuries…

More and more of us who work in offices or even from home are remaining slouched over our desks for almost a solid 8 hours, some even neglecting to get up and move around during their lunch break. There just aren’t enough hours in the working day is a common complaint, excuse and explanation for why we are choosing to work through our lunch breaks.

Neglecting to move and consider our posture during the day could seemingly be causing untold damage our bodies and minds.

It is the responsibility of business owners, managers and H.R departments if they exist to ensure that the health and safety of employees is considered at all times. This goes beyond the immediate day to day potential health and safety hazards and should also bear in mind the mental well being of employees.

Employers who invest in appropriate ergonomic office furniture can go a long way towards safeguarding their employees' health and wellbeing.
When employees are given the right tools to work with, physically and mentally, they will be happier, less stressed and will do a faster, better job.

Frequent short breaks away from your desk and computer will re-stimulate brain and body, keeping you healthy and fitter for work.
Employers should be proactive in encouraging such practices within the work place as evidently there are benefits to be reaped by all.

Louisa Garnier – Yoga Instructor to London professionals including City workers who spend long hours chained to their desks suggests the following exercises.

Rock forwards and back along the sole of your feet. Then circle around the edge of each foot trying to make clear contact with the floor.

Allow your torso to lie over your thighs for a few breaths, then on an exhalation draw in the lower belly and gently roll up to sit. Repeat 5 times

Sit tall allowing the head to float upwards, take a deep inhalation and grow even taller, then as you exhale keeps tall as you spiral round to one side. You can use the arms to support you but try to make the twist happen from the abdomen upwards whilst keeping the shoulders and head relaxed. Each exhalation can allow you to go deeper without force. Hold for at least 5 breaths. Repeat on the other side

Extend the arms over the back of the chair and hold onto the sides. On an inhalation extend the side ribs upwards and lift the chest towards the ceiling, as you exhale squeeze the elbows towards each other behind you and continue to lift the sides of the body up. Hold for 5 breaths.

Regularly squeeze your hands into fists and then release to extend out as much as possible, followed by rotating your wrists in each direction.

Inhale as you lift arms over head, keep shoulders relaxed as you extend side ribs up. Interlace the fingers and straighten arms. Keep reaching for the ceiling as you inhale deeply, and then bend to the right as you exhale. Inhale to centre and repeat to the other side. Repeat 3 times to each side.

Top tips for movement in the workplace:

•Why not have a meeting standing up or walking round the park/block instead of sitting still?

•If you get up to get a glass of water or a cup of tea use the opportunity to take 5 minutes to stretch your legs and rest your eyes by looking out the window

•Always take the stairs and run up them - not the lift if you are only going a few floors!

•Do small exercises like twirling your ankles to keep the blood flowing whilst you are sitting down

•Take a stretching break every couple of hours (see yoga tips above)

•If you need to go to a kitchen and there's one on another floor - use the furthest one away to get some extra time in on your pins .