Thursday, December 18, 2014

5 Trends That Could Change How Businesses Use Social Media in 2015

Social Media

Staying relevant on Facebook could cost companies more and executives will be better positioned to tell if Tweets actually produce sales, says Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes.

(Ryan Holmes) Duke University recently published a study on social media that left many managers scratching their heads. Social media spending at companies, the report showed, currently represents 9% of marketing budgets, and that’s forecast to rise to nearly 25% within five years. But half of marketers interviewed said they couldn’t show what impact social media had on their business – at all.
 
Critics were quick to call the surge in social media spending a case of throwing good money after bad. From my perspective, however, these conflicting stats tell an entirely different story: that social media is evolving at breakneck speed and companies are struggling mightily to keep up. Businesses are reaching larger audiences and seeing increasing benefits, but the shifting social media landscape makes getting consistent results – and measuring them – an enormous challenge.
 
In 2015, the pace of social media change is – if anything – poised to accelerate. But for businesses, there’s one important difference from the past. Hungry to monetize, the major networks are figuring out ways to make it simpler and more productive for companies to engage with customers. Meanwhile, tools are proliferating that make it easier to track the impact of social media spending and even measure return on individual Tweets and posts.
 
In short, 2015 is the year that the impact of social media on business gets easier to show and possibly impossible to ignore. Here’s a look into the crystal ball at what the year ahead holds for businesses:
 
Staying relevant on Facebook will cost companies more
 
Your company’s Facebook Page has thousands of Likes, so that means thousands of people see your updates each time you post, right? Nope. Historically, Facebook’s proprietary algorithm limited reach to just 16% of brands’ fans. But a report published by researchers at PR firm Ogilvy earlier this year showed that number has since declined to around 6% and may fall further. “Increasingly, Facebook is saying that you should assume a day will come when the organic reach is zero,” explained the paper’s author, Marshall Manson.
 
Why has this happened? First of all, there’s more potential content than ever flooding users’ news streams, which means that less and less of it actually gets shown. At the same time, Facebook is encouraging companies to use its paid social ads, which reach a significantly larger percentage of fans than organic posts. These so-called “native ads” look just like normal Facebook posts and show up directly in users’ news streams, not along the side of the page like traditional banner ads.
 
What does this mean for businesses in 2015? Staying relevant on Facebook FB will require doubling down on paid social ad spending. At the same time, we’ll also see companies diversify their social media efforts to include other social channels, including Twitter TWTR , Instagram and even China-based messaging service WeChat. This “platform-neutral” approach is both a hedge against further changes at Facebook and a smart way to reach different demographics flocking to other networks.
 
Finally, more tools to see if Tweets actually produce sales
 
It’s easy enough to flash around vanity metrics showing your company has thousands of Twitter and Facebook followers or gets tens of thousands of Likes on Instagram. But how does that all translate to sales and revenue? Until now, that question has largely been evaded, with spending justified on the basis of vague terms like “exposure” and “mindshare.”
 
That’s changing, fast. A new crop of tools are bringing the same rigor to the social media sales process as older-generation measurement tools brought to the online sales process. For starters, analytics software (like the uberVuTool that my company uses) can now pinpoint which social networks drive the most clicks and traffic, bearing in mind what type of content you’re sending (text, images or video) and who your intended audience is. Applications can auto schedule messages to be delivered at optimal time of day and report back not just on how many people viewed but on the relative clout and influence of those viewers.
 
Combine these tools with Google Analytics and social customer relationship management software like Nimble (for logging customer interactions over social media) and it’s possible to directly track how all of these efforts translate to visits to company websites and, in turn, leads for salespeople and even purchases via ecommerce channels. Finally, we’re reaching a point where specific Tweets and posts can be linked directly to sales and assigned a real monetary value, not just an aspirational one.
 
Social networks will dive deeper into ecommerce
 
In November, Snapchat announced the launch of Snapcash, becoming among the first major social networks in North America to allow users to transfer money to one another in messages. The service uses debit card information and appears to be, at least for the moment, free of charge. Once information is stored, it doesn’t have to be entered again – funds are transferred from one bank account to another with a few taps and swipes.
 
Expect other social networks to soon follow suit, as part of a larger race into mobile payments. In fact, hacks released in October show a hidden payment feature already buried deep inside Facebook’s popular Messenger app. If activated by the company, it could allow the app’s 500 million users to send money to each other.
 
Peer-to-peer payments, however, are likely just the start. It’s not much of an intuitive leap to see how this functionality could be opened up for payments to merchants, as well. This, in turn, paves the way for social networks to dive into the world of ecommerce. Retailers would be able to send out offers for specific products in the form of Tweets or Facebook posts, for example, then consumers could buy with a tap or two. In fact, we’re already seeing exactly this convergence of social media and ecommerce in the “buy” buttons currently being beta-tested on Facebook and Twitter streams.
And there’s one other twist to this story.
 
 For merchants, receiving
low-cost or no-cost payments via social media is much more attractive than getting paid with credit cards, which generally skim a 2-4% interchange fee off the top of every transaction. As social networks become associated more and more with financial transactions, we may well see Facebook and other platforms branch out to offer a cheaper, easier-to-use alternative to the traditional credit card system in the years ahead.
 
Customer service: Social media and phones work in tandem
 
Airlines, Internet, cable providers and many other industries have reported significant benefits from handling customer service on social media. Consumer satisfaction goes up because the experience is more personalized and responses are often much faster than communications via traditional channels like 1-800 numbers or email. Because conversations are generally public, clients with legitimate gripes have a better shot at equitable treatment and companies that handle problems well get instant recognition on social media.
 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Social Media Principle 6...Be Open and Be Human

Social Media Principle


(Jon Leuty) Social marketing earns, not buys attention so have an opinion, be true to what you say, be of value, be open - above all be human.

"Ask not what your customers can do for you; ask what you can do for your customers" Stan Rapp

As 'markets become conversations' customer relationships and advertising models are changing for good. Passive consumption becomes active interaction. Monologue becomes dialogue. Control becomes collaboration. Customers are empowered, well informed, connected. Companies are becoming more transparent whether they like it or not.

It's an environment in which the balance of effective communication shifts from being less about interruption to more about participation, less about delivering a message to more about being part of a conversation, less about what you say to people and more about what people are saying about you.

It's an environment, which operates to social principles - creating not subtracting value, serving a larger purpose than your own, being useful, facilitating.

It's an environment in which the more human elements matter - having a point of view, being true to yourself and what you say, being open, honest, transparent. Ford use social media to (in the words of Scott Monty) "humanize the Ford brand and put consumers in touch with Ford employees", and regularly reach out to bloggers for feedback and to encourage the spread of positive word of mouth.

Zappos believe that their "culture is their brand" and use social media to create touch points throughout every area of their business and ensure customer service isn't just a department, it�s the entire company. Authenticity is the currency that encourages trust, involvement, and engagement. Authenticity is what turns an audience into a following.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Critical Aspects Of Social Media And Its Overall Effectiveness


(DarvinAgency) Social media has established a prominent presence as form of marketing utilized by companies in countless industries worldwide. There are a variety of inherent factors that can prove to substantially increase a company's brand equity and visibility, or possibly victimize a company's reputation. The way in which a social media strategy is implemented and monitored can go a long way in determining its overall effectiveness. Today's market features a wide array of consumers who have certain expectations of brands, products, and services. Discontented and social media savvy consumers are simply awaiting any opportunity to voice their opinions via Twitter, Facebook, and associated social channels. This makes it even more vital for a company to thoroughly research and consider what methods of social media are most appropriate and beneficial to their needs.

There are a number of steps that can be taken in order to avoid the aforementioned social media disasters that occur frequently in today's online marketplace. The first involves being realistic and properly understanding the relationship between conversations on social networks and other types of customer interactions. The next step includes utilizing a multi-channel strategy for customer sales and service. While social media is quite effective, interactions taking place at brick and mortar locations, on toll-free lines, and during online customer service chats are also very important in providing a comprehensive view of consumers' opinions. The following step focuses upon viewing your data and evaluating the technology that is currently in place in order to understand consumer behavior and the voice of the customer. The final measure that can be taken to avoid social media disaster is to have a designated employee that specializes in the customer experience delivery chain.

A company that does not currently possess a strong presence in social media does not have to fear making a huge investment in social media. There are a number of low cost options that can be practiced to make that initial leap into the realm of social media marketing. Starting a blog about relevant industry news, trends, or intriguing applications of your product line is an excellent way to embark into the world of social media. Creating a LinkedIn group, Facebook page, Twitter account, a customers-only discussion forum, or a YouTube channel can provide unique opportunities to present and inform users and fans alike of current company highlights and information.



The key to a company's successful use of social media is all about the results and the ability to properly measure them. Industry analysts are publicizing self-service business intelligence as the so-called "golden child" of 2011. In terms of marketing, one area that could widely benefit from self-service BI is social marketing. There are a number of best-practices that can be employed in order to measure social media effectiveness using BI solutions. Mapping out the ideal marketing process flow that will best transform prospects into quality sales leads is an exceptional starting point. Another practice involves determining the online marketing initiatives and campaigns that will be implemented to attract and engage prospects. Selection of the appropriate outlets to use is quite important in safeguarding the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Each initiative that comprises the marketing plan must then have a pre-established audience profile, outreach, value proposition, and budget that you are willing to spend. The most appropriate set of keywords must then be identified to ensure optimal website content that is designed for those specific keywords. Identifying and adjusting paths on social networks, aligning the website experience with specific landing pages, and setting goals for desired actions are all best-practice techniques in order to ensure continuity. It is also vital to measure all of the initiatives that are being used at a given time to display your activity, outreach, engagement, and outcomes. An even more thorough approach includes tracking all the way through to incremental sales, revenue and gross profit that is derived directly from online marketing. Business intelligence allows insight at the appropriate times during your social media campaigns. It offers the ability to instantly alter campaign focus and direction. Social media marketing can greatly benefit from the use of business intelligence as marketers can produce and exhibit greater value in their social media outreach campaigns.

 


Blog Directory

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

How Can I Use Social Media to Market My Business?



(Michael Kaleikini) There a few ways you can do this:

1. Create a fan page.
Since you are a business-to-consumer company, you can reach out directly to the kinds of people who like what you are offering. Use the page to engage your audience through your circle of friends and ask them to help spread the word. Be active on your fan page and let people know what you're up to.

2. Get on Twitter.
This is a must. Start following others who are industry colleagues, then follow people who you are interested in. They will see you re-sharing (re-tweeting) interesting and useful information – including your own original content about your business.

3. Start a business blog.
Write about you as the person who loves to do what you do and why. Recently I visited with the CEO of TMC Media, who said you should be publishing content that is objective and relevant -- not cheesy marketing pitches. And post often. This helps position you as an expert in your field and gets you noticed, which can help improve your ranking on Google.

4. Link your social media accounts.
Work smart, not hard. You can use services such as HootSuite or Social Office Suite to connect your social platforms and monitor them all in one place. These tools are also handy for tracking who is engaging with your brand.

When you have something that can actually show you how your market is responding to your brand, then you can figure where your time is best spent. Is it using Twitter to promote your next trunk event? Is it an event invite over Facebook? Will it be through Evite to get people to reserve a ticket to have special pricing for reserving their tickets there? (That could be a great way to build an opt-in list for emailing people for the next event.)

You'll have to test to see where the best response is. Facebook is a great place to begin the viral process. Get your friends to help suggest your new page, then go get socializing.

Visit blogadda.com to discover Indian blogs

Thursday, December 4, 2014

7 Basic Social-Media Tips to Set Your Marketing Right

7 Basic Social-Media Tips to Set Your Marketing Right

(Carly Okyle) When it comes to marketing your brand online, if you’re not on social media -- and doing it right -- you’re missing a huge opportunity. That said, busy entrepreneurs and other professionals often have a difficult time navigating the quickly growing world of social media.
Fortunately, we’re here to your rescue. Here are some helpful tips to get you off on the right foot.

1. Know thy social platform.

Just as there are recipes for favorite foods, there are formulas for effective posts, tweets and #latergrams -- depending on the social site. Having the right mix of pictures, questions or quotes can make the difference between a post going viral or going into the void.
Read more: 27 Formulas That Can Drive Clicks and Engagement on Social Media

2. Be yourself.

Business is, ultimately, all about connections -- and not just the professional networking kind. If you want your message to resonate with customers, give them something relatable and human to connect to. With everything being automated, it might not come so easily, but it’s well worth the effort.
Read more: Why Being Human on Social Media Is the Best Strategy You'll Ever Have

3. Watch out for common mistakes.

Before you can capitalize on what’s going right, understand what you’re doing wrong. Thankfully, there’s a handy list of common mistakes for you to familiarize yourself with and avoid like the plague.
Read more: The 5 Big Reasons People Aren't Following Your Social-Media Accounts

4. Use the tools of the trade.

Believe it or not (and why not, really?), there is technology out there to help you make the most of tools you’re already using. From Tweetdeck to PinAlert, there are tools to help you optimize each specific network. After all, what works for LinkedIn doesn’t work as well on Pintrest. These are the tools you need in your social media toolbelt.
Read more: 18 Effective Social-Media Tools That Will Save You Time

5. Embrace new networks.

At the beginning, the next big thing is just some new thing that nobody’s paying much attention to. Myspace was king of social networks before some new site named The Facebook came on the scene, for example. There are benefits to being an early adopter of new networks, whether that’s Google+ or some other yet-unnamed platform, because you never know which one will take off. Get in on the ground floor of a new social network when you can.
Read more: How (and Why) to Take Advantage of Being First on New Social-Media Platforms

6. Be open to change.

The New Year is almost upon us, and that means new strategies where social media is concerned. Sure, it’s different from what you’re comfortable with right now, but it might also be more effective.
Read more: 6 Changes Your 2015 SEO Strategy Must Focus On

7. Consider other avenues, too.

Social media is a great way to create awareness and customer outreach. Still, it is not the only way to put your business out there. An investor would tell you to diversify your portfolio. This is also accurate advice in regards to your marketing strategy.

8 Benefits of Social Media for Small Business

(YP) With the explosion of social media over the last few years, you might be hard pressed to find a marketing expert who doesn’t recommend social media as part of a holistic marketing strategy. But, is it really worth the time and effort to build a social media presence at this point? What are the overall benefits of social media for small business?Benefits of Social Media for Small Business

There are eight simple ways your business can benefit from implementing an effective social media marketing plan:
 

1. Social Media Can Reduce Your Overall Marketing Costs


First and foremost, the ability to tweet a message or post something to Facebook is dramatically more cost effective than running a paid ad or mailing thousands of marketing pieces. However, there are also advanced advertising tools that allow you to run a marketing campaign that is both keyword- and demographic-specific so that you can get the best bang for your marketing dollar.
 

2. Social Media Can Impact Your Organic Search Results


When it comes to impacting your website’s position in search engines, you have been told that you need to create both optimized and compelling content if you want to be found. Part of this is so that other websites will find your content and link to it, thus boosting your search ranking.

What social media does is allow you to broadcasting your content out to a wide range of interested readers. Interested prospects then visit your content, subscribe, tell their friends, and ultimately link to it. Google and Bing both pay attention to social signals like this when they decide how to rank links on the search results page.
 

3. With Social Media You Can Offer Better Customer Service


If you are looking for a way to field customer comments, concerns, and questions, then you are going to find social media to be extremely beneficial. Customers using one of the common platforms like Facebook or Twitter can easily communicate directly with you, and you can quickly answer them in a public format that lets other customers see your responsiveness.
 

4. With Social Media You Can Design Your Own Online Personality


The idea is that social media is more like a cocktail party than a business meeting. You will always do a lot better in a social situation if you are more like yourself and less like a corporate robot. Social media is a great way to display your business’ personality, as well as behind-the-scenes information about you, your employees, your workspace, and more. When you humanize your brand in this way, it makes it easier for consumers to connect with you and develop loyalty.
 

5. Social Media Lets You Associate with Other Businesses


The fact that you are able to connect directly to the consumer means you can use this platform to also connect to other entrepreneurs and business owners. From possible strategic business partners to new distributors, social media lets you have real conversations with actual people who might otherwise be socially or geographically inaccessible in the real world.
 

6. Customers Can Validate Your Business on Social Media


The idea behind allowing customers to correspond directly with you is so that they can get the best customer service possible. When this occurs, it happens in a very public forum that can be seen by other prospects. So when customers sing your praises to their friends it not only validates you, but increases the chances that someone else is going to give you a shot next time they need your services.
 

7. With Social Media You Can Provide Value


The idea that you can provide a truly valuable service to your target market means you are positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. Whether that’s educational and entertaining blogs, posts, or tweets, if you are solving a problem or providing information, you’re adding value that customers will appreciate.
 

8. Social Media Lets You Gain the Competitive Advantage


If used correctly, social media can boost your search rankings, allow you to provide better customer service, build an effective online personality, connect with new business partners, build connections, and validate your professional standing all while providing your consumers with the value they want.

Do you know what that means? You’ve gained the almighty competitive advantage, and it’s all thanks to social media.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

A Beginner’s Social Media Guide for Small Businesses

The Audience
Create profiles for your audience—it’ll help you target your messages to them.

(Megan Conley) Are you ready to connect with a wider audience?

Want to know the best ways to leverage social media for your small business?

If you haven’t used social media to market your products and services, you’re going to love how easy it is to get started.

In this article, I’ll show you seven steps you can take to make social media marketing work for you.

Why Social Media for Small Businesses?

As a startup or small business owner, you know there’s a lot to accomplish with limited resources.
Traditional marketing can be a drain on your funds. Social media marketing, on the other hand, is pretty low-cost and gives you a direct line to current and prospective customers.

istock keyboard image
Social media offers small businesses a cost-effective way to reach their customers. Image source: iStockPhoto.com.

It’s a trade-off though. What you save in dollars you’ll invest in time. You have to be smart and efficient with the resources you have to achieve the results you need.
This guide is for startup and small business owners with limited resources, but who want to learn how to establish and build their brand using social media.

#1: Do Your Homework

Behind every exceptional social media campaign is a great strategy.
Social media is all about connecting with your audience on an authentic level. To do that, you have to intimately understand your current and potential customers.

Start by defining your audience. Distinguish individual character profiles by age, gender, interests, profession, etc. Don’t just say it out loud. Write down the details and find images that represent your target audience.

Next, crystallize your message. Based on your defined target audience, what are the key problems or concerns you can address or solve? Expand on and define those pain points for each character and write it under each profile.

Below that, write down three key marketing messages you want to communicate to that audience.

Now that you’ve defined your audience and message, take the time to find out which social networks they prefer.

All social media channels are not created equal. Each one has a different primary audience, cadence and focus. It’s important to understand the differences so you expend your efforts on the right channels.

#2: Coordinate Your Social Channels

If you treat each social media platform as a stand-alone effort, your success will be limited. Your networks should work together to help you achieve your goals.

Your website is your brand’s home base. Coordinate your social media efforts to push people to your website where they can buy your product or service.

Use your blog to establish your brand’s voice and share information. It’s also a valuable opportunity to engage with your site visitors and lead them through your sales funnel.

You can optimize your website and blog for social media by adding a few easy elements to your design.
social icons on kimgarst.com
Kim Garst makes sure her social icons are seen on her front page.

If you want visitors to follow your various social profiles, make sure you display social icons prominently in your header or sidebar, like these shown on Kim Garst‘s site. They should link directly to your profiles so your readers can follow you immediately.

Include a call to action (CTA) at the end of your blog posts asking readers to like you on Facebook or follow you on Twitter (or whichever platforms you’ve determined are best for your audience).

Integrate live social media feeds (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) so visitors can see your recent activity. When your audience can see what you’re sharing, they may be more likely to follow you.
Incorporate sharing buttons on your pages and posts to ensure that your content is share-friendly.
When people come across valuable content, they want to share it with their friends and followers. If you don’t have sharing buttons, your visitors will likely click away and you’ve lost that opportunity to reach a wider related audience.

rebelmouse feed display
Here’s how Rebel Mouse’s content feed displays across multiple social media channels.

Tool Tip: Socialize your website with Rebel Mouse, an all-in-one, real-time publishing, advertising and analytics platform.

Rebel Mouse aggregates all of your social media content and hosts a real-time feed on your website.
If you haven’t started an email newsletter, I encourage you to start one now. They’re an important way to stay in front of current and prospective customers.

Your newsletter’s design should display social icons prominently and include a CTA inviting your audience to join your social media communities.

I suggest also featuring social media content that highlights community members or shares promotions or giveaways.

socialtribe enewsletter social icons
The Social Tribe eNewsletter displays all of its social media icons prominently.

Tool Tip: ClicktoTweet is an easy way to promote sound bites of your content, whether it’s through your website, blog or newsletter. It auto-populates a tweet with your message. Users just have to click on the link and hit send!

#3: Get Started, but Start Small

You’ve defined your target audience, you know where to reach them and you’ve optimized your other marketing touch points. It’s time to get social.

This is one of the most important pieces of advice to keep in mind, so listen up! Start small.
Social media takes time and energy, which are precious resources. Set yourself up for success by starting with a manageable load. I suggest you choose one or two platforms to start with.

The best way to guarantee consistency is to incorporate social media into your daily routine. Block out the time on your calendar, turn off all distractions and dedicate time to managing your social media accounts. Do this in one or two different time slots every day.

In your first month or two, expect to spend a minimum of 15-30 minutes a day on social activities. You can increase the time as you see fit.

timer clock
Use a timer to track your social activity time.

Remember those audience profiles and sample messages? Use them to determine what original and curated content you’ll share and create an editorial calendar to keep track of that content.
Your aim is to help your readers, so give them a tip they can use or share information that helps them solve a problem. When you give out relevant information, people come to view you as an expert.

Tool Tip: You’ll need a social media management tool to organize and manage your daily social media activities. HootSuite is a social media dashboard that offers monitoring, scheduling and analytic services. Sprout Social is another cost-effective tool that helps you find and schedule content and track social media performance.

#4: Listen and Share

Social media conversations are happening all around in real time.
Social listening is an excellent tactic to monitor what people are saying about your brand. Respond to comments, mentions and feedback even if they’re negative. You want to turn that negative into a positive!

Tool Tip: Mention app monitors the web, including the major social media channels, and tells you every time somebody mentions your name, brand or target keywords.





mention logo

 
Content is the crux of social marketing. Unfortunately, combing through the Internet for good content to share can be slow and time-consuming.
To avoid getting bogged down, set up a process for organizing and aggregating quality content that provides value to your audience. Add the content to your editorial calendar and you can share it when you’re ready.
Tool Tip: Feedly is a magazine-style newsreader that aggregates content from different sources and organizes it for you. It’s a big time-saver when you’re looking for timely, relevant content to share!


feedly logo

Feedly is one way to aggregate content from around the web that’s related to your brand.
 

10 Most Clichéd Hashtags You're Still Overusing

Pretty Hollywood Gossip
 
#justsayin. #truestory. #nature.
(Jillian Kumagai) When a hashtag usage becomes synonymous with social media, you know it's a problem. And while there may be a grain of truth to every cliché — we've all had #justsayin moments — there comes a time when we've just used them way too much.

As such, this is an appeal to find a new hashtag to overuse. We dare you to read these 10 cliches without shaking your head at least once.