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Posts Tagged ‘social media marketing’
Sunday, February 5th, 2012
The business world can be brutal, and the online business world is even more so. Name me a product and a price and I daresay I could find a handful of offers that beat yours either on price, service or reputation. That doesn’t mean the millions of shoppers who search online could, though a fair proportion of them will. Are you a small business owner who is trying to survive online by doing it all yourself? There is a good chance your business is going downhill, and possibly your health as well.
There is only so much a person can do. You have a choice, you can work on the periphery of your business, managing a website, keywords, content, marketing including a social media marketing campaign, and perhaps even a PPC campaign as well – and we haven’t touched on the business side of things, the stock control, money management and growth of a business. The alternative is to work longer building your business, increasing turnover and profitability. There are some small business owners who can manage this full time, however, their stress levels are high and their interaction with family and friends low.
The alternative is to engage professionals to work on specific areas of your business. Are they expensive? Despite popular opinion, generally not – although expensive depends on your own personal opinion. There are very competent web designers, content writers, marketing consultants and SEO professionals, just to name a few, who can help you build your business. The key to their success is your ability to let go.
We can often identify one common trait amongst those who insist on a DIY approach to an online presence – they really do go it alone. The best recommendation we can make is to stop – and network. You don’t have to give away business secrets, although you’ll be surprised with what you’ll learn once you start networking, and that includes reliable information on who best to engage to help with your online presence.
Small businesses with a DIY mindset often fail, or at best, remain static and fail to grow. The time will come when your business will need a professionally produced website, aggressive SEO, and perhaps a strong marketing (particularly social media marketing) campaign to survive in this brutal online world. Networking is one approach to breaking the DIY cycle, and to obtaining information that will help your business grow – are you networking? Are you doing it all yourself? It’s time you broke free and found professional help for your online business.
Tags: online professionals, SEO, social media marketing
Posted in Tools for Small Business | 7 Comments »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
One of the platforms behind search engine optimization is content. “Publish useful keyword content regularly” has been the mantra for over a decade now, however, one wonders if that is all about to change and that content on websites could become defunct. I know that will raise eyebrows, but then, we do know that Google, the number one source of traffic for many websites, is trying to escape the inbound link component of their algorithm.
There’s an interesting article on TechCrunch which, while discussing privacy issues related to Google+ and Facebook, also had this to say:
Google’s PageRank algorithm is seriously out of date. It promotes pages based on the number of links to it. Today, pages are no longer the unit of publishing. Far smaller items than a page dominate our senses. And those smaller messages are produced in huge quantity and in real time.
Those smaller messages are references to Facebook, Twitter and many other social media sites, forums included. This raises the question of content on websites – will it become defunct and replaced by short messages? I for one hope it never comes to that. The content on Facebook and Twitter can never really adequately answer a question. Forums are a different story, questions are answered, often in depth, and with a lot of input from a range of users. You are more likely to find an answer in a forum than you will on Facebook or Twitter. Interestingly, most small messages on those two sites generally include links to more indepth answers often on blogs.
Logic would then suggest that the indepth answer is more relevant and more important than the smaller message on a social media website. Keith Teare, the article’s author, is right when it comes to the privacy issues facing social media. However, when it comes to content, I don’t think we’ll be losing that anytime soon. Yes, Google will find a way to reduce the effects of links in its search ranking algorithm, but that will be because they have found a better way to measure worth, and yes, social media mentions will most likely lead that change.
I wouldn’t be tearing down content or reducing the amount published in too much of hurry. Rather, I’d be concentrating on content that individuals find important enough to share with others. Blogging for small business is still one of the best ways to communicate with the rest of the world, and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
Tags: content, search engine optimization, SEO, social media marketing
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Social media is certainly dominating people’s minds when it comes to online marketing to consumers, but are they the best places to network with other business owners? There is an interesting article on The Next Web highlighting the demise of local social media due to the dominance of Facebook. Whilst there is a lot of hype surrounding Twitter, it fills the number two position in only two countries, the U.S. and the U.K, admittedly big markets. LinkedIn is the second choice in many other countries, yet it is not really designed for consumer marketing.
LinkedIn has become a powerful force when it comes to networking and business-to-business marketing. Professionals appreciate the tighter security surrounding who can link to you, and who is able to see your complete profile. This means you can concentrate on those who interest you, or who are in the same niche as yourself. Where Facebook is all about gaining as many followers as possible, LinkedIn is more about connecting on a professional basis – the heart of networking for small business.
Whilst LinkedIn does offer an opportunity to network with others from all over the world, it’s not the only opportunity. In fact, more traditional methods often have a much more lasting effect. It’s interesting to look at the online marketing industry as an example. Whilst day-to-day contact is maintained through social media channels, online marketing professionals take advantage of every opportunity to meet in person. International online marketing events draw crowds from around the world, all looking to network face to face, all looking to ‘humanize’ their online networking activities.
For small businesses, social media channels such as LinkedIn offer a great opportunity to connect with similar-minded business people. However, if you get the opportunity to meet in person, grab it. Chambers of Commerce, trade associations and state or national conferences are all important areas to develop a network. While you may think that you can’t spare the time, the connections you make could well save you a lot of time.
Tags: business-to-business marketing, social media marketing
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
What’s the one problem that every small business owners faces when it come to social media marketing? Time. There are just not enough hours in the day to manage a business, often work in the business, manage traditional marketing problems, and then manage a wide range of social media interactions. Having a Facebook page is becoming a must and for many businesses, a Twitter account as well. Google’s +1 will become a go-to place and for professionals; a profile on LinkedIn is also a big help. What’s really required is a comprehensive way to bring all four of those social media sites together, and that’s where Nimble comes to your rescue.
We’re currently putting Nimble through its paces, however, first impressions are positive. Nimble will solve some of your social media time problems since you can bring in your contacts from those four sites and review all of your interactions with those contacts. Having it all on the one page can reduce the time spent on social media by at least 50%, if not more.
Nimble is possibly one of the easiest yet comprehensive online CRM programs available. They seem to have thought of everything, even email and calendars. Personal users get one free account that comes with all the basics. Businesses can opt to pay $15 month to have multiple users and access to advanced features. There is plenty of help available including videos, which make it a lot easier to visually gain an insight into all the features.
The last word should be left to Nimble – they describe themselves as the all-in-one place where you can :
Unify all your contacts, calendars, conversations from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google. Monitor the most popular social networks from one screen, engage prospects, and build deeper relationships.
If time is your problem when attempting social media marketing, give Nimble a try; you may just find that you have plenty of time left for the other important areas of your business.
Tags: marketing, Nimble, social media marketing
Posted in Social Media | 7 Comments »
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
QR (quick response) codes are everywhere now. You’ll see them on billboards, the sides of buses and trains, and even on television. They are not placed in these areas for practical purposes; they are being used as part of a consumer education/branding campaign by marketers, particularly the big national brands. QR codes are really best suited to areas – as a download to a smart phone in the form of deal or coupon, and in print media. Large corporations have the jump on small businesses in this area, however, you can fight back. Large corporations can place these codes on national publications such as newspapers and magazines. The cost to advertise in these publications is often prohibitive for small businesses – you can get around it.
To begin with, let’s look at QR codes. They are used in a similar way to a bar code. A smart phone can scan the code and either store it for later use – for example, to claim a discount or deal – or they can be used as a link to a particular web page on the Internet. For small businesses, your opportunity lies not in national advertising, but in your own printed matter. This includes letters, business cards, invoices, brochures or flyers, and in local media such as local newspapers. You can even have QR codes in your offline storefronts.
The key to successfully using a QR is to have the right destination in place. Smart marketers are linking to their Facebook or Twitter pages suggesting users ‘follow’ them in order to receive news and special offers. A well written intro on these pages can result in a lot of new friends on these social media sites.
Big businesses have taken on QR codes very quickly. They can see the benefits that they can bring to their business, and since the costs involved are fairly minimal, easily justified. For small businesses, you may need to update your technology, however, the long term costs and benefits are proving to be very sound and producing good conversion rates.
Tags: QR codes, social media marketing
Posted in Branding | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 20th, 2012
Have you taken a moment to check out Google’s latest offering to the general public? Is has the simple but apt title of “Good to Know” and has been well packaged with both text and graphics on the opening screen. It is, to a certain extent, a repackaging of content that Google has published over the years. It’s generally related to Internet and data security for users, and the tips are well worth reading. The whole concept is an excellent piece of public relations bordering on a public service announcement. I won’t go into the actual information published by Google, I’m sure there are many others who will – what interests me more is the concept, and whether or not it could be replicated on other websites – and I think it can.
Most websites, whether it’s parenting, photography or pets, for example, publish advice. The ‘Good to Know’ concept is a great way to bring all of that information together, and you don’t need just one ‘Good to Know’ article or page. Most websites could break their content into sections; for example, we could have a ‘Good to Know’ series that covered SEO, social media marketing, branding – I could go on, however, I think you get the idea.
By publishing pages that link to this information, you are helping your readers find information quickly and helping to link related content for SEO purposes. This kind of content, especially if you can utilize graphics in a similar way to Google, is also easy to promote through social media. It’s certainly a novel way to present content to your visitors and certainly worth considering for your own websites – it could also be a great PR tool for your business.
Tags: SEO, social media marketing
Posted in PR for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
There is an interesting infographic that Dan Zarrella has published that reveals the days that his content receives the most social interaction. What is interesting is that different social media react on different days – for example, Saturday and Sunday are more fruitful for Facebook whilst Friday is the best day for re-tweets. He concludes that, on some days, there is less clutter so his content has less to compete with. From a business perspective, he may be right. From a social perspective, Friday through Sunday are often the busiest days for socializing, and that includes online.
It does raise an important question. Do you know when you receive the most attention through social media, either on an hourly or daily basis? Some marketers insist on publishing at certain times of the day because they receive more attention then than at other times. It is well known that some days are quieter than others as well.
The next question relates to the value of this knowledge. Is it worth measuring? Two years ago I may have said maybe not; today, interaction with social media is becoming such an important SEO metric that website owners do need to grab every ‘plus 1′, ‘like’ or ‘retweet’ they can get their hands on. If publishing at certain times on certain days delivers more of these ‘votes’, then that knowledge could give you the edge you need over your competitors. It becomes even more useful if you can see that some days are less important than others. You can either not publish on those days, or publish content that, while useful for your customers, is designed more for SEO purposes.
Small business owners have a lot to do in today’s online world. Analytics can often be useful for measuring what is and isn’t working, even in social media marketing. This helps a business owner concentrate on what is working whilst dropping or rethinking what isn’t working. When it comes to social interaction, knowing when you receive the most attention can help you fine tune your own activities.
Tags: SEO, social media marketing
Posted in Tracking & Analytics | 7 Comments »
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
Social media, handled correctly, can take a small business and carry it towards success quite quickly. However, it’s a double-edged sword – handle it incorrectly and it can eventually kill off your business. Here are the top ten deadly sins that every business should avoid.
- Not focusing on followers – your followers are the people who can make or break your business. If you focus on pushing out information based on what you want rather then what your followers are looking for, they will quickly desert you.
- Ignoring feedback -this then follows on from not focusing on your followers. If you ignore feedback, then you won’t be providing your followers with what they want.
- Ignoring questions – like feedback, if a follower has taken the time to ask a question, answer it. The question may seem trivial, yet to your followers it could be a very important question. When replying, keep the reply honest and to the point whilst never stooping to sarcasm or bringing the questioner down.
- Pleasing everyone – it’s just not possible. You will never please all of the people all of the time. If you are not condescending, then you can please the majority, however, it’s how you handle the minority that will often determine your success.
- Being in denial – are you the kind of person who denies everything? If a follower has a problem, don’t shift the blame onto them, even if they are to blame. You can be polite, or better yet, switch their focus from public to private, you are then handling the matter personally, and not in the public’s eye.
- Overlooking the offline world – it’s fine being social on sites like Facebook, however, are you just as amiable in person? The offline market place can also be a valuable source of new followers. It seems that every brick and mortar business that has an online presence has also invited customers to join them in the social media environment.
- Forgetting the media part of social media – if you work with other online users, for example, bloggers who regularly write about your products or websites, don’t ignore them. If you are about to have a product release, invite them in. They can quickly help to promote your new product or service. Ignore them and they are just as likely to go away, and for most businesses, you simply can’t afford that. Maintain those relationships.
- Being a social media hopper – there are some website owners who seem to think that having a profile in a hundred places is going to be good for their business. The opposite is true, especially if your business details change. Google local is a great advance in search engine results. However, the results returned are often based on the information received from you. If you have 100 social media profiles and you change you business details, then the search engines may look at your profiles and become confused – this has led to businesses suddenly falling away in the search results.
- Abandoning social media sites – there are countless businesses that have, over the years, set up profiles because the ‘site looked good’. If the site disappoints, then they walk away and move onto the next site. An abandoned profile with irrelevant or out of date data is not a good look. A profile that was set up a year or two ago and never seen any activity may send a ‘lazy’ signal to potential customers.
- Being self-centered - people generally don’t want to know what you had for breakfast. They may be interested to hear about your qualifications or experience. They may also want to know a little about your products, however, it’s definitely not all about you.
The most effective social media users are those who know how to listen, when to respond, and how to respond. Get it right, and your business will bloom.
Tags: social media marketing
Posted in Social Media | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
If you read some web gurus, there’s no such thing as too much social media marketing. If you’re running a business, then you should be in a position to know better. When promoting your business, it should be on the back of a plan that has goals, and some way to measure the results. I see ‘gurus’ insisting that every online business should be active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and, in some instances, specialist social media sites such as LinkedIn. Add in a blog and you have a fairly active social media approach.
The problem for many small businesses is time; in particular, dedicating enough time to manage each of those social media activities. While there are benefits to having a broad approach to social media marketing, you do need to concentrate on areas that are successful. For example, if you can garner a decent following on Facebook or Twitter, and that following converts to sales, then your efforts are being rewarded.
If you are spending a lot of time on social media marketing, without seeing any marked increase in sales, then you should be reappraising your strategies. Are you interacting on these sites in a way that will develop relationships and so increase sales, or are you simply regurgitating your website data? This is a mistake that is often found on Twitter – the most successful businesses using Twitter are those that use the site to announce special deals or discounts.
Blogs are slightly different. They can become the link between your social media marketing and your primary website. Blogs also have a huge SEO value if organic search traffic is an important source of traffic to your website. However, even a blog requires planning. You need to develop keywords that you can target, and you need to develop content that readers will find useful whilst at the same time encouraging them to click through to your primary website.
Like most areas of your business, planning, goal setting, measuring and analyzing is an important component of social media marketing. Done correctly, you can focus on areas that are successful and helping you build your business. In many cases, small businesses can benefit from the advice of a small business marketing expert. They can help guide them through the creation of a viable social media plan designed to help build the business’s presence, develop new customers, and, ultimately, help grow the business.
Tags: measuring social media market outcomes, social media marketing, social media marketing goals, social media marketing plans
Posted in Social Media | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
We hear a lot of information about how social media is a great marketing tool. It is a great marketing tool, but is it better than other marketing tools? It depends on the market and how well you get your information out.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is actually the better way to go for small businesses. A recent Merchant Confidence Survey shows that 35% of small businesses use and are optimized by SEO over the social media marketing. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and others is standing at 16%.
Surprisingly, traditional media such as newspapers, yellow pages and radio advertising are behind the SEO ratings at 19%. The proof is there. More small businesses are utilizing the SEO marketing tool over any other type of marketing.
At the same time, the survey also suggests that 70% of all small businesses do use Facebook over any other social media like Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo and Myspace just to name a few.
It is easy to see why marketing tools, no matter what they are, are very important to a small business website. The more information you get out about your business, the better off you will be. If you can consistently write a blog, interact with people on social media and do traditional advertising, chances are your business will grow even bigger.
If you are just learning the ropes on SEO and how to market your business, think about speaking with a consultant who can give you tips and ideas on the direction you need to go as far as your business is concerned. A new year is just around the corner, and now is the perfect time to start getting something in place for the coming year.
Tags: advertising, business, facebook, google, internet marketing, SEO, social media marketing
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 11 Comments »
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