Benefits of working in social media

If you’re starting a social media business, it needs to make money fast as to compete for talent there are some generous employee perks available. 

Here’s a snapshot of the benefits of working at Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

And here’s a quick update as a search marketing firm, ClickThrough let me know about their benefits.

UK based, ClickThrough offers staff things that matter in the UK; from parking permits to a paid-for happy hour at the local pub!

Benefits	Twitter San Francisco	Pinterest	Facebook London	ClickThrough, UK
Complete medical/dental benefits	Y	Y	Y	Flu jab Eye test
Flexible and generous vacation policy	Y	Y	Y	Y
Catered breakfast and lunch daily	Y	Y	Y	Office fruit basket
401(k) savings plan	Y	Y		Pension
Paid maternity and paternity leave	Y	Y	Y	Childcare vouchers
Gym membership reimbursement	Y	Discounted	Y
Weekly in-office yoga classes	Y	Y		Y in local yoga studio
Commuter program	Y	Y		Parking permit
Laundry and dry cleaning service	Y
Wireless discount	Y	Y
Weekly happy hour at the pub				Y

 

Info taken from careers' websites and glassdoor.

 Have you got better benefits at your business? Tweet me @annmariehanlon and share :)

Top 5 Google Reader Alternatives

The 1^st July 2013 will be a sad day for many who have become used to reading their daily news feeds on Google Reader, as Google have decided to lay the application to rest. But the great news is there are plenty of alternatives out there and people are already making the switch. Here are the top 5 alternatives to Google Reader:

      1.       RebelMouse: So much more than just a reader, this site brings together all your favourite feeds from RSS and social networks in one place, so you literally only have to look in one place for all your updates! And its simple design and layout coupled with its functionality are what lands it our number 1 spot for Google Reader alternatives.

      2.       NetVibes: Business user? Then NetVibes is your ideal reader. This freemium reader offers optional business extras including brand monitoring and data tracking for a monthly fee of around £350 ($499), so you have to be a pretty serious business user to get your money’s worth out of it, but well worth it for the unique business features. Free users can still take advantage of the NetVibes clean and businesslike reader design and format.

      3.       Feedly: When people have been asking on forums and social sites what the perfect replacement for Google Reader is, this one has been the most mentioned. It is similar to RebelMouse and has the added value of being available as an application or extension on all popular mobile/tablet devices and web browsers, perfect for those who access their feed on various machines.

      4.        Leaf: If you are a Mac/Twitter fan, then Leaf is perfect for you. It’s not very similar to Google Reader so may take some getting used to for diehard fans, but if you like the way the Twitter feed is laid out and you are a Mac user, then Leaf is the reader for you.

      5.       The Old Reader: This reader is perfect for anyone who is devastated that Google Reader is closing down and wants something as similar as possible. This reader was actually made to replace Google Reader, and even some of the same keyboard shortcuts have been used to make the transition even easier!

If you like this story, do share and tweet me @annmariehanlon, and share with me your own thoughts on alternatives to Google Reader!

Marketing eco system

Great illustration from Mullen which shows all the digital campaign tools you could ever need!

The digital campaign tools are broken down into specific categories:

• Print 
• Out of home 
• Mobile devices  
• Experiential  
• Place-based  
• Audio-video 
• Public relations  
• Direct marketing  
• And of course, online!

For a larger version, click here 

3 Examples of Successful UK Business Twitter Users

Twitter is the fastest growing social network in the UK, and there is no time like the present to start considering how it could help your business. If you are aren’t already on Twitter, then you could start considering how to make an entrance on the world’s most popular micro-blogging site, and if you already have an active account, take some lessons from these examples of successful UK businesses on Twitter:

   1.       Innocent Drinks (@innocentdrinks): The UK company known for their delicious smoothies are experts in getting their followers to engage with them on Twitter. They get to know their audience and Tweet with personality and humour, encouraging other Twitter users to communicate with them as they feel like they are talking to the person, not the company.

    2.       Dorothy Perkins (@Dorothy_Perkins): One of the UK’s favourite high street women’s fashion retailers has got customer service on Twitter down to a fine art. No matter what time of day or night you Tweet them, if there is a problem they will reply quickly and make you feel every bit the valued customer that you are.

    3.       StreetwiseSubbie.com (@StreetwiseSubbi): The UK construction industry solution provider turned hero made a nationwide impact with the clever use of Twitter’s hashtag feature, leading to the word about their campaign against late payment damage in the industry being spread like wildfire across Twitter and the national and industry press.

If you like this story, do share and tweet me @annmariehanlon, and share with me your own thoughts on and experiences with UK businesses on Twitter!