Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category
It’s Time for Timeline to Hit Brand Pages
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on March 20th, 2012
Rolling out in small waves since September, Facebook’s Timeline profile format is finally available for brand pages.
While many of the features are the same as the consumer version, Timeline for business pages also adds features not previously available to brands.
Instead of posted content having a chronologically short shelf life, companies can now star posts to expand their appearance to widescreen or pin posts to appear in the top-left area for seven days. There is even a “milestone” feature, which is comprised of widescreen content boxes with photos and text that can detail specific points in a brand’s history.
Of course if your company posts frequent, engaging content, Timeline will benefit you greatly. However, keep in mind that it will show all the historical activity – both positive and negative. If you have any type of damaging conversation or content you may be forced to rehash it over and over.
We love the new friend activity feature that shows Facebook friends’ interactions with the page, such as when a friend links to a page in Facebook post.
Even the stats are enhanced. In addition to the standard number of likes and people talking about the page, you can now also see a detailed demographic breakdown with vital information such as age ranges, weekly popularity for the page, and top cities driving the most traffic.
Like it or not, Facebook will automatically update pages to the new format on March 30. We suggest you do it early and start familiarizing yourself with the new format. Kudos if your personal profile has already been converted; this should be an easy transition for your business page. But if it you’re not sure how to best format Timeline or are confused by its functionality, let Idea Associates help you make the best of Facebook’s ever evolving marketing strategies so your brand is successful on the social web.
Using QR Codes to Engage
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on March 8th, 2012
QR codes seem quick and easy – they’re all about convenience. But when you think about it, in order to take advantage of them, they require people to own a smart phone, have a QR reader downloaded and installed, and have their phone handy with the app open and ready to scan at any given time.
Whew! It’s a lot more complicated than it appears.
Worse yet, many companies are using them to convey data that could be just as easily delivered in another (more convenient) format. They are popularly replacing URLs in common advertising.
Are people really ready to replace URLs? When done correctly, all they require is your memory, not a smart phone, data plan, or special app.
What should they be used for?
QR codes are most effective when they unlock information, not lead users to a final destination. Especially one they can call up on their mobile browser! Is there an immediate payoff for your users’ efforts to take out their phone, open the app, point, scan, wait for the code to register, and find out what’s next?
Do you have a special list of products or services that continually get updated? Do you run promotions that change frequently? How about location-based campaigns? These are perfect candidates for your QR adventures!
Make sure your information is formatted for mobile, and again, that it’s relevant for your user immediately. If you’re trying to get people to your website, or to opt in to your list with no timely reward, a QR code is not the best solution. Just like when Twitter first hit the scene, don’t do it to be with the “in” social networking crowd – you have to have a solid plan to engage your audience.
How Well Do You Know LinkedIn?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on March 7th, 2012
LinkedIn has been proven more effective at generating leads than Facebook or Twitter, especially for B2B companies. It boasts over 100 million users and affords brands and individuals the opportunity to build valuable industry connections that can lead to new business, co-marketing and affiliate agreements. You can even find your next new hire.
There may be some hidden LinkedIn gems that you’re overlooking when navigating your social message. Some examples are:
LinkedIn Answers
LinkedIn Answers is a forum for people to ask and answer questions about virtually any topic. By answering questions in your industry, you build credibility and show your expertise and value. But that’s not all – it’s also a great opportunity to identify industry influencers with whom to network. In fact you can even search through experts in the Top Experts section.
If you’re looking for guest writers for your Blog, the top experts on LinkedIn Answers are the people to reach out to. Ask them to take some of the most common questions they answer, and write a post for your blog on that topic. Then whenever the question comes up again, they can refer people to the blog post they wrote for you on the subject. They get to build their reputation, and you get the SEO benefits.
Subgroups
You may belong to several LinkedIn groups, but did you know there were also subgroups of those groups? Click ‘More’ on the tab of your LinkedIn group, and you’ll find them.
Subgroups help maintain relevancy; as groups grow there are naturally some topics, industries, or side projects that develop that don’t pertain to everyone. Subgroups offer a chance to filter out any content that isn’t relevant for the entire group and keep your members engaged.
LinkedIn Apps
Enhance your profile and better collaborate with your network with the many available apps, like SlideShare Presentations, WordPress and Company Buzz.
News Module
Everyone with a LinkedIn Company Page should be using this feature. The News Module feeds mentions of your business to your LinkedIn company page, and also shows news to those who have your name listed in their profile. This helps your information be seen in multiple places. Go to your page’s ‘Overview’ tab while in edit mode, and check ‘Share news about my company’ to enable it.
LinkedIn Polls
Within your group you can now offer polls. Polling not only lets you perform your own market research and collect interesting data for content creation, but doing it on LinkedIn also means it can be extremely targeted based on group demographics.
Export Contacts
You can export all your LinkedIn connections to a .CSV or .VCF file. You even have the ability to filter out certain people — like friends and family — that aren’t relevant to your business. The only rule of thumb here is to make sure you do NOT include them in your email campaign list – being a LinkedIn connection is not synonymous with opting in to receive emails from you.
Are you using these to your advantage? What works better for your business? What tools did we leave out?
The Dangers of a Laissez-faire Attitude with Your Social Media
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on March 6th, 2012
If you’ve been on Twitter for any length of time you’ve noticed that everyone and their uncle seems to be a “Social Media Expert”. We agree with social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk when he stated that 99.5% of self-proclaimed social media experts are clowns. Setting up a Facebook page with a bunch of links to your website does not make you an expert. Sorry.
If you want your social media efforts to create an actual return on your time and money investment, it starts with the same solid strategy you would apply to traditional marketing, coupled with consistent, targeted implementation. Otherwise there are more consequences to bad social media than just the absence of “likers” and followers.
Why Google Hates Too Much Even More than Too Little
One of your goals for your social media campaign is of course getting your website or business noticed, chiefly through obtaining a higher search engine results ranking on Google.
But laissez-faire doesn’t mean tweeting too little; it is more comparable to doing too much. Google actually hates it when a site engages in an excess of aggressive, blatant self-promotion. So much, in fact, that such a practice can lead directly to your site being blacklisted by Google, resulting in a severe down ranking of your site and annihilating your traffic numbers.
Google wants to create the best possible experience for their users, which means helping them find the most authoritative, relevant sites as quickly as possible. If your social media campaign is solely broadcasting self-serving messages without offering valuable, relevant content to back it up Google will punish you via your search engine position.
What is the Right Balance?
This of course depends on the goals of your campaign, but here are some definite no-nos right up front:
- Creating multiple profiles and linking all of them to your site
- Having a severely out-of-balance ratio of following to followers
- Exclusively bookmarking pages that link to your site
- Using a software program to automate and steal followers
- Only talking about your company over social media
If you see your actions as clear self-promotion, odds are good that Google will too.
Second Biggest Mistake
The more common pitfall we see in a failed social media campaign watching a company dive into social networking with great enthusiasm, only to fizzle out shortly after. Whether they find they lack the resources, desire or motivation necessary to maintain the momentum, this is actually worse than not starting at all.
We know a customized social media campaign is very labor-intensive. Going for quantity instead of quality is how the big fizzle usually occurs.
Social networking site users expect interaction, and lots of it. If your company cannot answer comments and questions on all sites that you are engaging, users will not stick around. One-directional conversations are not tolerated.
If you are overwhelmed with your social media, let us help you create the right balance of content and keep the conversation going.
How to Break Into Mobile Without Breaking the Bank
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on March 2nd, 2012
How do you, as a small business owner cut through all the noise and reach today’s “always connected” customer?
You don’t have to pay top dollar for the latest and greatest bells and whistles to go mobile. Here are a few ways to get started:
Make sure you’re findable. It’s a bit labor-intensive, but well worth it to “claim” your business and its location on sites such as Yelp, Yahoo Local, Facebook, Google Places, and even Foursquare. This costs no more than your time.
Optimize your website for mobile viewing. Mobile searches have grown 400 percent since 2010, according to Google. Once they find you on their phone, consumers visit (59 percent) or call (61 percent).
If your website was created more than a few years ago, or was built with Flash or other outdated plugins, your site is at risk for being invisible to mobile searches.
If you’re confused by all the options available, Idea can help your site go mobile!
Take your social “pulse”. Sites like Kudzu, Angie’s List, Google, and dozens more are letting your customers review you (often without your knowledge). In fact over 80 percent of consumers say they read reviews before making a purchase? Any negative reviews or poor feedback about you can affect your customers’ purchasing decision. You can use Google Alerts to see what’s being said about you on a regular basis. Like GI Joe said, “Knowing is half the battle”!
Customers aren’t just browsing the mobile web anymore. They’re researching products, sharing opinions, and completing transactions. Don’t let your fear of breaking the bank stop you from getting your business on the mobile web.
Still Think Size Matters?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on February 21st, 2012
You’re a social media marketer – are you still worried about quantity over quality for your success measurement? Does size matter? Really?
In a recent study, 75% of the respondents really are still worried about size.
Sure, it would look great to be able to tout that your client has 25,000 followers on Twitter or 75,000 Facebook Likes, but how many leads and sales have your efforts led to? With the current options of buying followers and likes so prevalent how can anyone put any stock in numbers, anyway?
A more viable goal would be to drive as many people to a website as possible, having those become actual leads and, eventually, sales.
If your content, products, and services are top notch, it really doesn’t matter what your grand total is. It’s more important to look at the steady rate it is climbing, if people are hiding your messages or unsubscribing, and the quality of the comments and engagement.
What do you focus on when it comes to metrics and measurement? Let us know by commenting below or posting on our Facebook page!
Valentine’s Day is Coming… Are You Courting Your Readers Properly?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on February 10th, 2012
Remember when you first started dating your special someone? Did you jump in, head first with expectations of what they “owed you” or were you constantly thinking of little things you could do to surprise them and make them smile? A card, an impromptu dinner, little gifts… it felt good to give freely of yourself, didn’t it?
So let’s think about your readers and potential clients. Are you jumping into Social Media with expectations of a set number of followers and fans, comments and shares? Do you wonder why people aren’t just signing up for your newsletter or subscribing to your blog with that kind of attitude?
If you’re treating today’s social networks as an extension of your brochure, print ads, radio spots, or even press releases, you’re not courting your readers. You are probably repelling them.
So What Do You Do?
Think about what your audience really wants from you. Provide it.
Too simple? It really isn’t that complicated. Write your posts intimately to provide real-life tools and tips for those in need. Let them take away value whether or not they buy your product or hire your services.
Give them gifts. Thank them for signing up for your newsletter or liking your Facebook page with a free eBook or Special Report. Even an audio message or interview makes a great (unexpected) gift.
Be present and attentive. Do your readers hear crickets when they do finally offer their opinions and comments, or are you right there with a reply, letting them know that you appreciate and value them?
You may be looking at these actions and thinking, “How will these few things make my pocketbook bigger? This is silly.”
Think again. Your work will always speak for itself but you have to extend an effort to make your readers feel special. That’s what they’ll remember more than the product you created for them. That’s what they’ll tell their friends about. That’s what they’ll share on their Social Networks.
What about you? How do you make your readers and clients feel special?
5 Social Media ‘No Nos’
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on February 2nd, 2012
When social media is done right it can add tremendous value and voice to your clients’ marketing plan. Unfortunately, there are still so many businesses that are missing the mark and solely using it as an extension of their brochure or sales pitch.
Here are five big mistakes still being made when businesses do social:
1. Being generic
Your posts need personality and your engagement. This doesn’t mean you should air all your dirty laundry, be negative, or relay a play-by-play narrative of your day’s events. It’s more about being human, and not appearing to be an automated robot churning out posts.
It also means you should avoid sending the same content all the time over all your networks. Think about your audience and the networks they frequent and tailor your message to them. This demonstrates that when you reach out to people, the interaction is directed to them.
2. Not writing for your audience
It’s fun to share things that interest you, but keep in mind, that if you want to attract the attention of prospects and others, you need to share information and updates that you know will be of interest to them. This is one of the major misunderstandings of social media. It’s not about you!
3. Not interacting enough
It’s so important to maintain a good level of engagement with your connections, as well as responding to what people are saying, asking, and commenting on. Showing that you care will demonstrate to others that you take your connections seriously and strengthen your network as a result. So many still treat social media as a broadcast platform. Which brings us to number 4…
4. Using the space for advertising
You will destroy your network in a flash by constantly promoting your services and products. Social media is a platform for building, expanding and maintaining relationships, so directly selling to people will distance you from them. Keep any ‘selling’ to about 10% and the rest to 90%.
5. Not listening
Listening is vital to any relationship, and social media is just that. It is not a one-way system, so be aware of what people in your network and potential network are saying. Tune into their needs, feedback, and struggles. While many companies fear any negative comments about their business, it’s essential to monitor your social voice and address any concerns as they happen so you can circumvent any long-term affects.
What about you? What particularly irritates you about companies that don’t quite get social right? Let us know by commenting below or posting it on our Facebook page!
Using Technorati to Find Blogs About You
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on January 26th, 2012
Today, bloggers are a main source of news for millions of readers. Their articles are typically better researched, more detailed, and more honest than newspaper or magazine articles. They may also be completely false, as bloggers do not fall under the same editorial scrutiny that media must comply with.
When something negative is said about your company through a blog, you may not find out about it until it has spread virally, doing extensive damage to your image, even if the information is not true. To combat this, you can use technology to keep an eye on what is being written about you and your company.
Technorati is a search engine designed specifically to search for blogs on the Internet using three types of searches: 1) keywords, 2) tags, and 3) blog directory.
Technorati also provides tools that allow you to keep on top of blog posts for specific subjects.
Here’s a small guide to keeping an eye on your business:
Search for your company on Technorati
Finding blogs that already contain some reference to your company can give you a rare look into your customers’ minds. People used to pay top dollar for market research that would take weeks to access this priceless information. Now you can see firsthand what your customers are saying, in real time.
Stay on top of your “social footprint”
Technorati allows you to save your searches as “watchlists.” Watchlists may be viewed in RSS format, which means they may be imported into an RSS reader to make it very easy to consistently keep track of who is writing about your company.
What do you do when you locate something?
When you find a blog that mentions your company, leave a comment on their blog. This lets them know that you respect them writing about you. If the post was negative, it also shows that real people from your company are reading what they’ve written, and are savvy enough to respond to it. Bloggers are almost always more cordial and less likely to be critical if they know they are being read by the person they are criticizing.
When someone writes something negative about you, it’s important to read all the comments before responding. You may find that a fan of your company has already defended you nicely and an “official” response may not be necessary. This happens more often than not, which is one of the biggest perks of today’s social media.
Have you ever had negative comments or reviews on your company’s social profiles? How did you handle it?
Are You Getting Tumbleweeds on Your Blog Posts?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on January 31st, 2012
Even though you may contact all of the top players in your industry pointing them to the post, no links come back to you. No replies from those you emailed. You receive hardly any clicks on your post.
Your posts are skillfully crafted and offer a great angle. So why isn’t anyone reading them?
Is content really king like everyone says? We are led to believe that if we produce a truly great piece of content, we’ll get all the links we could ever hope for.
That used to be the case! The Web used to be a fairly uncluttered place compared to what it is now, and it was easier for people to notice great blog posts.
And now?
Now great is no longer good enough. There really is so much remarkable content that bloggers don’t have enough time to read it all, much less link to it.
If you want links now, you need to be more than great. You need to be connected.
It’s not what you know… it’s…
…who you know. Sort of. Bloggers link more often to their friends than anyone else. If you write a reasonably good piece of content that interests their audience, they’ll link to you, mainly because they like you.
The secret to building a popular blog isn’t just writing great content. It’s also having well-connected friends.
How do you get connected? Here are a few ideas to get started:
The biggest key is finding ways that you can be genuinely useful to others in your industry; make yourself relevant and then use that opportunity to start building a relationship.
Tags: Blog, blogging, comments, connections, content, experts, LinkedIn, niche marketing
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