As David Meerman Scott describes it in his book, The New Rules Of Marketing & PR, social media is like a cocktail party. Before you dive into the social media scene, it’s a smart idea to ask yourself the following questions about how you act at such a party.

• Do you go into a large gathering filled with people you don’t know and shout, “Buy my product!”?

• Do you listen more than you speak?

• Are you helpful, providing valuable information to people with no expectation of getting something tangible in return?

• Do you try to meet every single person, or do you have a few great conversations?

Scott goes on to note that it’s the engaging people at a cocktail party that make friends. People want to do business with people they like, so it makes sense that they are eager to introduce their friends to each other.

The same holds true in social media. Be sure to interact with / respond to your customers who add to your content or make comments on your posts and pages. It’s also important to realize how often a post should be made. Take Facebook for example. People don’t want their News Feeds bombarded with posts from your company. Just like the friend who posts every detail of her day, your posts will soon be “hidden,” and your customer lost.

Instead, post once or twice a week with information your customers want to know about, and engage your customers through questions. Encourage them to give their opinions on items. Your friends are the first people you turn to when asking what they think about the new shoes you just purchased, so let your Facebook “Fans” be those same people you turn to about your company. After all, they’re the ones who you want to Like you. And the more you connect with them, the more they’ll commit to your company.

In turn, they’re the ones who will be telling their friends about you.

Anchor Marketing knows how to engage your customers through social media and take your company to the next level. Contact us and let us show you how today!

Here are a few tips to remember during these fast proofing sessions.

1) Read copy twice. It’s very common that you may not catch everything on the first read, so read it once, then go back and read it again. Taking that extra time will definitely pay off when you’re catching more errors.

2) Read the copy out loud. This will help you not only see errors, but hear them.

3) Look for style inconsistencies. This may include inconsistencies in bullets points, capitalization, italics, font sizes or spacing. If it looks odd to you, it’s probably an error.

4) Check the body of the copy first, then check the headlines. Usually headlines are formatted differently than the main copy, so it’s important that they are consistent.

5) Double check proper names, addresses and telephone numbers.

6) Keep a style book handy (and know how to use it). Sometimes, you second guess yourself, and having a style book handy will ensure that you get it right.

7) Question everything. If the copy doesn’t sound right to you, question it.

Being prepared to proofread anything that comes your way ensures that errors are uncommon. It’s our job to produce professional materials, which is why everything that leaves Anchor Marketing (whether that’s an email or a magazine) has been proofread.

First, we start by writing a script. Writing the words (known as copy) for a video is a bit different than writing copy for print. Video copy has to be simple enough to understand without having to re-watch the video. The copy has to correlate to the video. If the copy that viewers hear has no connection with the video they are seeing on screen, the message will be lost. Like all copy written here at Anchor, the video script is copy edited and proofed. Once the script has been approved and proofed, the audio is recorded – either in house, or with one of our vendor partners.

The second step is collecting the video. This may include setting up interviews and scheduling time to record them. In this case, it is important to ensure proper lighting and to get more video than you would ever need. Here at Anchor, we shoot in high definition with a fluid head tripod. That allows us to use the video on both the internet and on TV (without it becoming blurry, shaky or stretched out). In some instances, stock video or still photos are used instead. Once the video has been obtained, interviews have been shot and / or photos have been received, the writer/producer chooses the exact clips and photos to go with each line of copy.

Once the script has been written and the video clips have been selected, the editing begins. At Anchor, we use Final Cut Pro for all of our editing. This program provides us with almost endless editing options, whether we need to touch up the color on our video, add eye-catching transitions and effects or even create something out of nothing. Through the editing process, we are able to bring our script and video to life.

As you can see, making an effective video or commercial takes experience, equipment and expertise. It’s also worth noting that I haven’t mentioned all of the work that goes into a video before the script is even written! At Anchor, we learn about the product, analyze the target audience and use strategic planning to set measurable objectives. The end result is a successful video for our clients that catches the eye of the target market. That’s the difference between good video and great video.

And while (in my own opinion) you know that the Facebook hype has gotten out of control when you turn on CNN to hear that Lady Gaga has broken the record of 10 million fans, I do believe it can be a powerful marketing tool. The best part about a company page on Facebook is that when people “like” your page, there’s nothing in it for them – they are genuinely saying that they are interested in your company or your product. Editors note: until recently, Facebook called this “Becoming A Fan.”

While most personal profiles can only be seen if you are “friends” with the person, company pages are public. They can be seen by anyone, whether you “like” the page or not. “Liking” a page is a way for users to say they want to get updates from the company directly in their news feed. A user’s “friends” will also see when a user “likes” a page. So, while you may wonder if a person is requesting to be your Facebook “friend” so that they can look through your hidden profile, “liking” a page is as straightforward as its meaning states. Which – as simple as it is – is as a pretty big compliment to you and your business.

In the article, 10 Secrets To More Magnetic Copy, Jason Cohen offers ten hints to writing unique and effective copy. These include:

1. Don’t hedge

“Hedging” is when you go out of your way to cover every contingency in an argument. Example: “Nowadays many middle-school girls have at least some affinity for vampires.” The hedges are “almost all” and “at least some affinity.” These may be strictly true, but it’s soft, pudgy wording that lacks punch. Instead: “Nowadays middle-school girls love vampires.”

2. Repeat a phrase

Repetition establishes structure and rhythm. Repetition taps into the old part of our brain that loves rhyme and meter. Repetition pulls the reader into the flow of your writing. Repetition isn’t difficult to use. Repetition is your friend. Repetition is annoying if overused.

3. No passive voice

Passive voice is when you switch the positions of the subject and object of a sentence. For example: “The boy hit the ball” is in active voice; passive voice is: “The ball is hit by the boy.” Notice how passive voice uses more words without adding information — usually a warning sign of flabby writing.

The wrongness of passive voice isn’t universal, but wouldn’t it have been clearer if I had said that passive voice isn’t always wrong?

4. Brevity

I don’t care how good your writing is, most people won’t read more than a few sentences. Any more and they’ll start scanning. You probably aren’t reading this article exactly from top to bottom are you? In fact, you’re probably not even reading this sentence. Man, for a discussion about brevity this sure is dragging on. You can fight it by being more entertaining, but the best policy is to just write less.

5. Use short sentences

Short sentences are easy to read. They’re easy to digest. It’s easier to follow each point of an argument. Sometimes longer sentences — especially if divided up with dashes — are an appropriate tool, especially mixed in with shorter sentences to break things up. If you think short sentences are incompatible with excellent writing, read Stephen King. Or Hemingway. Or Basho.

6. Provoke, don’t solve

If you’re writing a report that is supposed to cover all the bases, this tip doesn’t apply. But if you’re trying to be persuasive (particularly if you’re creating a content net), don’t try to handle every objection in one sitting. Your goal is to get the other person to respond: To ask you about a feature of your product, to challenge your assumptions about a competitor, to double-check something before scheduling an interview. Don’t solve every problem, leaving no stone unturned; leave them wanting more!

7. Eliminate trash adjectives

Most adjectives and adverbs don’t add information; they just take up space and dull your message. Example: “I’m very interested in quickly scheduling an in-person interview.” Remove the adjectives and you get the same message, but sharper: “I’m interested in scheduling an interview.”

8. Be direct

Pardon me, dear reader, but if it wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience, could I trouble you to do me the favor of applying your obvious considerable facility with the English language to just get to the damn point?

Flowery, respectful and qualified wording is appropriate when you’re asking a waiter to do you a favor without spitting in your food. But it has no place in magnetically persuasive writing.

9. Tell a story

I knew a guy named George who couldn’t figure out why people couldn’t understand the benefits of his software. He had feature and benefit bullet points but they just weren’t sinking in. One day George changed his tactics completely. He wrote up a one-paragraph story about how one of his customers saved $125k by using his software. After that, sales were a lot easier.

10. Write informally

Sure, informal writing isn’t “professional.” And yeah, using phrases like “and yeah” violates the brevity rule. But it’s usually smart to write like you talk. Being informal helps you come off as a real person, not a stodgy, robotic copy writer.

Cohen’s full article can be found at: http://www.copyblogger.com/more-magnetic-copy/