Posts Tagged ‘social media’
How to Get a Social Media Audience
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on May 10th, 2012
Setting up Social Media profiles for your business may seem like the hardest part; you have to know the technology to accurately create them, have appealing graphics, and know how to sprinkle the right keywords into your about page.
Most people assume if they master this part they can kick back and watch their social networks “get to work”. Post some great articles, offer valuable and helpful information… wait. Where are the likers and followers?
Yes, content is king – but without an audience listening to your great tips what good is it?
Here are a few ways to attract people to your Social Media pages:
- Put Facebook and Twitter links on your website that direct users to your social media pages
- Put Facebook and Twitter links in your email signature
- Put Facebook and Twitter names on print materials
- Advertise your social media sites in your newsletter – make sure to highlight the benefits
- Put a sign in your lobby or front desk; a sign will remind both prospects and residents to fan you
- Get vendors to follow you and retweet and share special offers
- Run a contest and use social media to help promote it
Your turn: what methods do you use to increase your fan base on Social Media? Comment below or share it on our Facebook page.
LinkedIn’s New Follower Tools
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on May 2nd, 2012
According to BusinessInsider.com, LinkedIn plans to launch two new functions for companies called “Targeted Updates” and “Follower Statistics.”
Targeted Updates will allow companies to segment their followers by a range of variables such as industry, seniority, job function, company size, non-company employees, and geography. They can also send different status updates to different groups of followers.
Follower Statistics will be similar to an analytics dashboard and will allow companies to see how effective their updates have been.
These two new tools will only be available to limited companies as a test group, and will be officially rolled out in the next few months.
The ultimate purpose of these new tools are about creating direct and lasting relationships with companies’ audiences.
We look forward to employing these new tools so we can continue to help companies maximize their presence on the Social Web and really make an impact on their audience.
If you need help getting your social message heard, contact us today, or comment below.
See screen shots here:
Twitter Tips for Real Estate
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Real Estate Trends, Social Media on April 19th, 2012
When you first got on Twitter was your reaction the same as everyone else’s? Did you overthink it, and insist that it was stupid because it was “nobody’s business what you had for lunch”? I’m guessing it took about six months for you to stop overthinking it.
Since it is the global opposite of traditional marketing, no complicated strategy is actually needed.
The biggest challenge is not figuring out what a hashtag means, it’s learning to communicate in 140 characters or less and learning how to shut off your “marketing mind” and turn on your conversation.
Twitter is an amazing place to keep up on the news, and for meeting people and sharing ideas. Over the years Twitter has been good for businesses. It puts you in touch with people you may never have met otherwise.
It’s also a place to experiment with content ideas and to test out reactions to photographs and articles before pulling the trigger and making them part of your permanent message.
If you are just getting started, or if you have been using it for shameless self promotion and gotten discouraged, here are some quick tips to keep in mind:
- Follow the local media. They don’t just tweet the news, they are also usually pretty social.
- Try to spend more time on Twitter reading than tweeting. Get familiar with the conversations happening and join in. It’s sort of like training wheels, only when they come off you will still be listening.
- Please – don’t tweet or read through tweets when you are with clients. It’s a constant stream so forget trying to keep up. You can set up filters and notifications for the tweets you simply don’t want to miss and read them at your convenience.
- Promote other businesses in your community. Recommending others – even those that may have seemingly appeared to be competition in the past – goes a long way at defining you as an expert. People will naturally want to return the favor when you play nice in the social sandbox.
Learning how to use Twitter means being able to network anytime and maybe even connect with people that you wouldn’t get to meet any other way. Remember it’s not about a list of your next open houses.
How To Attract Young Renters
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Demographics, Real Estate Trends on April 18th, 2012
Millennials… the coveted demographic. Wikipedia says characteristics of the generation vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies.
It is believed that they will save the housing market, be it buying or renting. Builders are looking to attract them, so here are a few ways to reel them in.
Sleek and Sophisticated Design
Clean, modern lines and open, resort-like spaces are a way to catch the eye of Gen Y. Large community rooms and shared amenities are appealing. This generation is looking to be calm yet inspired.
Reach Them Where They Hang Out
Social Media is a must, not just to attract new residents but to also retain current ones. It helps them feel like part of a community that they can connect with us just like they would with their friends and relatives. Just like the general Social Media philosophy, they are not posting ads and specials, rather updates on community events like restaurant openings and shows, with a sprinkling of new promotions.
Live-Work-Play Still Applies
The way a building is designed establishes its position in a community. The most important aspects are proximity to transit or walking to work, street-level retail and special deals for residents at local businesses.
Eco-Friendly
Although young renters may not be willing to pay extra rent for green features, they expect them as standard. It’s a new value system. Things like providing recycle bins and efficient appliances will go a long way in building for the Millennial Generation.
How Do You Avoid Social Spam?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on April 12th, 2012
Does your company avoid joining the social web for fear of witnessing or being a victim of spammers? Or, conversely, do you just accept that social networks come with spammers and do nothing about it?
Neither is the solution for maintaining a smart social presence, so here are some tips to face the spamming miscreants head-on. Or, at the very least, avoid them.
Analyze your audience. We don’t accept any Twitter followers that have no bio, offer only links in their tweets, or only talk about themselves. Also important is the ratio of following to followers – if either side is too inflated you most likely are dealing with a spammer (or celebrity, but you’d know right away!).
Take the time to follow real people. Don’t get fooled into buying followers. Even corporations should have someone real tweeting on their behalf. It may be slow going, but this technique will foster steady growth of your target market rather than an inflation of numbers to show off.
Perform regular reviews of your audience. Every couple of weeks you should go through your followers and either follow them back or flush ‘em. We don’t recommend deleting everyone who isn’t following you back like some sites swear by, but take the extra few minutes to make sure you know who is following you.
You can’t avoid spam in its entirety – remember fax chain letters? As long as you know how to navigate and engage with the right users your company will not be marred by the spam experience.
How do you handle Twitter and Facebook spammers? Tell us by commenting below or posting your thoughts on our Facebook page. Just don’t spam us! 
Are You Making These Marketing Mistakes?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing on April 11th, 2012
Where’s my audience?
Did you rush out to create a kickin’ new website, Facebook page, and Twitter account? Great! You’re ahead of the game. Except, after that you sat back and waited for fans, followers, and customers to flood your contact page and phone lines.
Just because you built it doesn’t mean they will come! You have to actively market yourself with smart strategies. It takes time to cultivate relationships over social media by consistently tweeting, blogging and even setting up joint venture and affiliate programs. In addition, you must balance this with offline activities such as networking and speaking.
I put myself out there but no one responded.
Be consistent with your value, messages, and efforts. As with any marketing media, success takes time and regular exposure.
Jack of all trades, master of none.
Don’t try to be everything to everyone. You are an expert in your field for a reason. While your company may be more than capable of handling multiple roles and specialties, market to a specific audience with specific needs and you will start reaping the benefits. Be crystal clear about who you serve and you will attract the ideal clients.
You reel ‘em in and leave ‘em hanging.
Follow-up is where many small business owners fall short. A trusted connection takes consistent presence without pushing or spamming. The easiest way to do this is to set up a drip campaign that provides value over a series of regular emails. You will stay top of mind and establish yourself as an expert before ever trying to pitch your product or service.
Do you use drip campaigns? Follow up phone calls? What works best for you?
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!
Social Media Dollars Increase
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on March 27th, 2012
In an Advertiser Perceptions semiannual survey of nearly 1,200 people involved in deciding how ad dollars are spent digitally, 59% of respondents said they would increase social media ad spending in the next 12 months.
The survey also found that social media marketing will make up about 27% of digital budgets, compared with 22% in the previous 12 months. No other digital category will see this kind of growth.
Does this growth come at the expense of other ad dollars? We’re not seeing that currently.
The one true element that will make or break this new media for clients is essentially the “why”. If clients are allocating dollars to be on Facebook because everyone else is on Facebook they will not see the results to support the new distribution. Social Media must be analyzed on a client-by-client basis, creating a unique campaign on the networks that best reach their relevant audience.
This is a very labor-intensive and time consuming task, but when implemented correctly will yield a great “ROV” (Return of Voice). Idea Associates knows the balance needed and will manage the laborious task of keeping a constant presence on the social web, leaving you to do what you do best: run your business.
How is your social media budget divided? Do you foresee an increase in ad dollars spent on social campaigns?
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.
How to Handle Negative Online Reviews
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on April 17th, 2012
Removing negative comments is rarely the answer. Here are some suggestions to instead influence your customers and clients when a less than stellar review is posted.
Most Important – Join the Conversation
The first thing you should do is respond – in a timely manner – to each of the reviews publicly, addressing the issues while maintaining a professional tone. If you know the complaint is not essentially valid, respond saying you are sorry for their experience and will immediately look into it for them. Believe it or not, people want to be heard even more than they want their issue resolved. You’re already ahead of the game if you can publicly show them that you’re willing to hear their concern or issue. This is also where you can tell your side of the story, as long as you focus on the solution and stay professional at all costs!
Online reviews are not set in stone and often will be updated (and upgraded) by a customer who was given the dignity of a reply and an apology.
Ask Your Satisfied Clients for Positive Reviews
There is no shame in asking for testimonials – most people are more than happy to talk about their positive experiences on Facebook, Kudzu, Google and more. You are not bribing or soliciting positive feedback – you are honestly and genuinely asking your audience to share their experiences online.
Every website should have a section for “What People Are Saying”… just make sure you ask the party prior to posting their words. Make sure they tell you how they would like to be credited (initials only or full name, etc.) and if they would like to leave a link to their website at the bottom.
Have a plan
With online review sites providing a today’s of word-of-mouth marketing, reviews are essential but can be either helpful or damaging to a business.
The reality is, you can do everything right and yet still receive a negative review. It all depends on the customer’s expectations; they are either met or they’re not.
Following up by phone after the completion of a service can help head off unflattering reviews and provide an opportunity to satisfy frustrated clients before their feedback goes public.
Now it’s your turn: how do you handle negative comments on Social Media and popular review sites?
Tags: conversation, Marketing, negative comments, online, reviews, social media, testimonials
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