Posts Tagged ‘Blog’
Newcomer Takes the Cake with Women
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on April 10th, 2012
As the new kid on the block, Pinterest seems to be already beating Twitter and Facebook when it comes to trust among women.
According to BlogHer’s annual study on women and social media, 81 percent of women said they trusted blogs and Pinterest, while 67 percent said they trusted Facebook and 73 percent said they trusted Twitter.
Interestingly enough, 61 percent said they’d made a purchase on a blog recommendation and 47 percent said they’d acted on one from Pinterest. Facebook and Twitter can only tout around 30 percent.
Women seem to trust other women in their circle when it comes to taking action online. Facebook is primarily used for fun and connecting with family and friends; blogs help them learn about new products and read reviews, which is a major part in the purchase decision-making.
The Pinterest community has more than 11 million unique visitors a month (according to recent numbers from comScore) – an impressively fast-growing social networking site. Its design plays a big role in that popularity.
What about you? Are you using Pinterest? Who do you trust online when it comes to making purchasing decisions? Share by commenting below or posting on our Facebook page!
5 Reasons People Leave a Website
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing on March 22nd, 2012
Getting web traffic can be challenging, but keeping people on your site long enough for them to become potential clients or customers is even more difficult. Here are some common mistakes that make people jump ship and what you can do about them.
Poor navigation. Nothing confuses or frustrates visitors more than a website that is not clear and hard to navigate. Scattering your information, being too wordy, having vague content, and making your main message appear below the fold are all reasons people will jump off your site before clicking any further. Make sure your navigation is logical and easy to understand. The biggest mistake businesses make is having no call to action present. Users need to be told what to do and where to go next.
Obnoxious use of video. People want to choose the content they view. Having a video (or audio) that loads automatically will most likely drive visitors away faster than you can say Vimeo. More demerits if it’s the type of video that doesn’t allow you to see the length or pause. Users want options. Make sure you provide them.
Excessive pop-ups. Many marketing gurus will tell you that pop-up registration forms are the way to get hundreds of subscribers. I find them to be disruptive and flat out annoying. Placing your registration form prominently above the fold on your site and offering a special report or free gift is a much better strategy. There is nothing worse than reading the second paragraph of an engaging article only to be interrupted by a full-page pop-up window telling you what to do. Abort!
Illegible fonts. Loud colors and fancy typeface can really discourage users from staying on your site. Avoid elaborate fonts, your goal is simplistic legibility. Furthermore, using words in a graphic instead of properly within the site diminishes SEO capabilities.
Stale content. You may have the perfect design, stellar content, and even great interactive comments, but what if you haven’t updated your content frequently? Whatever you do, never say “site under construction” – like familiar strips of your local interstate, this signifies to visitors that completion is probably not going to occur any time soon.
Keep your content fresh, which not only keeps visitors coming back, but enhances SEO as well. Blogging is a great way to achieve this goal.
If you’re struggling with your website design, Idea Associates can put all these elements together to create the best site for your business.
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?
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?
What is a Lurker?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on December 28th, 2011
Lurkers are people who read but don’t contribute or add comments to Social Networks, including blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and community forums. Studies suggest about one percent of people contribute new content to Social Media, another nine percent comment, and the rest lurk.
What are some reasons lurkers don’t participate?
Often they don’t think they know enough about the topic under discussion and don’t want to look foolish. They may also feel like an outsider if many of the other members know each other from a familiar place or common interest.
They may also enjoy reading your content but not feel inspired to take part in the conversation because it doesn’t really speak to them.
How do you bring lurkers out of their shell?
You can offer low-risk ways for them to participate – they won’t feel they need expertise to comment when you present polls, run contests and ask people to share their own experiences.
By tracking links and content most frequently opened you can gauge what lurkers are interested in and what is of value to them. You can even try using different styles and tones to find out what resonates with group members and inspires them to take part in conversations. Include video and photos to appeal to them visually (as long as you’re still being authentic and true to your unique voice).
How have you gotten lurkers to engage with you online? We’d love for you to share your ideas with us by commenting below or doing more than lurking on our Facebook page 
5 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on October 12th, 2011
According to Wikipedia, as of 16 February 2011, there were over 156 million public blogs in existence. How do you make yours stand out above the rest? Here are some tips:
Keep it simple. Gone are the days of designing a website that has every possible factoid about your company in a complicated brochure format. Make your design clean and simple so that people will know what you’re offering in the first three seconds.
Deliver consistent content. Starting a blog with award-winning posts won’t matter if you let it go stale. Pick a frequency to post and create a loose editorial calendar for your topics and then stick to it. There is no faster way to lose your audience than to become inactive.
Use visual aids. Photos break up the text in your blog posts, as well as offer a way to connect with your readers through emotions and sometimes even humor. Also remember that in today’s information overload society people scan articles rather than read them. You are at a disadvantage if you are relying solely on your content to keep people interested.
Be a resource. It’s tempting to talk about your latest news, services, and products, but if you deliver free, helpful information about everything related to your specialty, you will keep your readers coming back for more.
Don’t write a term paper. Businesses are often afraid to express their unique voice and opinions in blogs, fearing they will look less professional. The reality is that anyone can deliver information. It’s your expert spin on what’s going on in your market that people are truly interested in.
What about you? How do you make your blog stand out? Let us know by commenting below or posting on our Facebook page!
Why Your Blog Makes People Go Away
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on September 20th, 2011
There’s one web design mistake that is a death sentence for your blog… clutter!
Do you have tons of widgets, plugins, social media profiles, links, badges, ads, and more clogging up your sidebars? As if this weren’t enough of a confusing turn-off, do you have one of those rude pop-up windows that crawls across the screen while your readers are halfway through a compelling post? OY!
It’s the same thing we tell our clients that have just bought a billboard: LESS IS MORE.
What do you absolutely NEED visitors to do to grow your business? Do they need to see your whole Twitter feed running down the side of your blog in order to decide to call you or sign up for your services?
In most cases, you need visitors to subscribe to your email list, so that’s what you should focus on. Kick the rest of the baggage to the curb! Clutter-free sidebars will outperform their busy counterparts every time.
What should be in your sidebar?
You should have an opt-in form for you newsletter, links to popular articles, and a list of resource pages, which are sort of “advice” pages that highlight your best content around your expertise. Within these pages, they should link to several of your best articles on the topic you’re addressing to help people get the exact information they are looking for.
Why a resource page? Your articles are your most popular pages. When people are done reading them, they often look for what they can do next. People who visit these pages are now warmer leads and are more likely to sign up for updates from you: a.k.a. a captured lead.
What about you? Does your blog offer way too many distractions? Do people leave before exploring your class-A content? Do you convert readers to list subscribers or do they abandon ship?
Try cleaning house and let us know how it works!
Are You Getting Traffic from Social Media?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on September 6th, 2011
You may have steadily increasing followers and ‘likers’ each week. Are they buying from you or just lurking? Content is king, but content alone won’t turn your fans into leads.
Where are the opportunities to convert them?
RSS vs. Email Subscriptions
RSS has become one of the most popular and convenient ways for readers to subscribe to your blog. You may score brownie points with your audience for allowing them to peruse on their own time, but with an RSS only subscription your only point of contact with the subscriber is when you post a new article.
Using email as your primary blog subscription vehicle allows you to capture leads while keep your subscribers up to date. Once the user has opted-in to receive updates you can now cultivate and nurture that contact into a qualified lead.
Calls to Action on your Blog Posts
Many companies lack a call to action on their entire blog or website. What about your blog posts? Are you preaching to your audience in a one-sided conversation or encouraging comments? Do you offer a next step that is relevant to your blog topic?
Make sure it is a light call to action so you don’t turn off first-time visitors with a sales pitch, yet make it easy for them find out more.
Smart Landing Pages
Once someone has clicked through your call to action, do they go to a wishy-washy landing page? Does it go on forever using fluffy marketing terms or get to the crux of your readers’ problems?
Keep it simple and short: offer a few key questions that make your reader identify and relate to you and confirm that you have the right solution for them.
How do you convert your leads? Is your blog optimized to capture them?
Why Do You Need Testimonials?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on August 30th, 2011
Word of mouth is the oldest and most tried-and-true form of advertising. Why? Because it works! A potential client hears positive reviews about your services from someone they trust and they will even cast aside inconveniences to hire you. Unfortunately, word-of-mouth advertising reaches a very limited set of people. How do you broaden your reach and get your message out there?
Enter the testimonial.
Think about your purchasing habits – do you still blindly buy products and services or do you read reviews, ask your Facebook and Twitter network, or put a post in a forum or LinkedIn group asking if anyone has ever used them before?
Testimonials work because they nurture trust. Potential clients know that you’re only going to say positive things about your products and services. They want to be convinced by hearing from someone who has actually tried them. Prospective clients and customers have no reason to trust you, but they do trust their peers. This is called “social proof”.
Make sure your testimonial is believable! A testimonial that sounds fake will destroy trust rather than build it.
Testimonials must be real and valid. This is non-negotiable if you want to be authentic in your business. If you can, include the full name, location and a photo of the person giving the testimonial. Include their business or organization if it is relevant.
Also be sure your testimonial specifically answers any objections, doubts and fears your potential client may have before they have a chance to voice them.
How do you get testimonials?
Keep your ears and eyes open: write down any fleeting comments from a happy client as soon as possible after hearing them. Grab quotes from emails your clients send you, and make sure you ask permission to publish it from the sender.
Ask clients for feedback; it sounds like you want honest comments rather than sugary, fluffy praise.
What do you do with them?
Testimonials can be placed on your website, on your quotes and invoices, in print ads, sales letters, direct mail, or on your Blog. You can even highlight a “success” story of one of your satisfied clients and make them the star of your post!
How do you personally use testimonials in your purchasing decisions? Where do they fall in your decision-making process?
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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