The Starting Point for Small Business Marketing

When you decide to start a business, one thing is immediately obvious: you are your own boss. This is usually symbolic of the unshackling from the demands of workplace discourse, but every new business owner quickly falls off of their high horse into a pit of demands to which they are solely accountable for.  All of a sudden you are in charge of the product, promotions, advertising, payroll, and most importantly, marketing. Fortunately, marketing has transformed how business is done thanks to social media. In fact, even the most successful businesses are becoming increasingly reliable on the marketing power of resources such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to name a few.  Small business owners and first-time entrepreneurs must become familiar with this newly popular outlet if they want to get in the game, stay in the game, and be competitive. So what’s the big deal with this seemingly impersonal marketing tool? Here’s our big three!

Traffic! Traffic! Traffic!

Traffic is to business what location is to real estate. It is imperative that your business drives traffic. If you are not interacting with your potential customers, clients, and consumers regularly you are doing a disservice to your business. Social media provides the perfect platform to engage. Whether you are posting once a day or multiple times a day, posting is what will spark interest. The more interesting content you post, the more likely you are to drive people to your website and find out more about your business and what services you have to offer. 

Hashtags are particularly important to expanding your reach beyond the set number of people who are following you. Don’t know what a hashtag is? Hashtags are keywords relevant to the corresponding image, text, or information that you post on a social media outlet. It is always preceded by the “pound” or “number” sign. For example, if you are starting a real estate business and you posted a home for sale on Instagram, you can hashtag words like #realestate #buying #selling to allow your image to populate on those pages. The idea is, if someone is looking for home, they can search the hashtag and browse your social media page. This method is quick, easy, free, and effective. Hashtags aren’t the only way to drive traffic to your page and subsequently your website. You can team up with other business owners and agree to promote each other. These tactics are likely to increase traffic to your business pages and website and are quite interactive.

Engagement

Equally important to any business is feedback. If you want to know if your business model is working, you ask. Social media puts you in direct contact with the people you intend to serve. Post questionnaires and ask for product feedback to find out how your product is doing or why the service your offering is helpful to some people and not others. Having an interactive platform is beneficial to molding your business for success. It is one thing to have input from shareholders and investors, but when consumers are telling you what they like or don’t like, there is a lot more weight in their words.

Engagement does not only help you to evaluate and shape your business, it also helps to gain it. This can be accomplished by interacting with your followers. People want to know they are being heard. If someone comments, make an effort to respond. If you are consistent you will gain customers and clients. The key to mastering engagement on social media is creativity and consistency, so be sure to run trials. Be observant to what posts garner the most “likes” and what posts are less popular. Use these statistics to guide your posts.

Branding

One of the primary goals of marketing is to be recognizable and  stand out among your competitors. Social media facilitates branding goals such as recognition and loyalty. Any opportunity you have to post your logo or assert your brand, you should use it. In doing so, you will increase your visibility and enforce familiarity with your audience. Using social media to promote your brand will also keep existing customers engaged. As previously mentioned, the more you engage with your audience, the more likely they are to remain customers and fans.

Social media marketing may not be the hot topic forever, but it is the hot topic now. Don’t let your business fall through the cracks. It may take some time to get acquainted with social media discourse, but once you master it your business will flourish. 

The Video Marketing Advantage

Content marketers are claiming 2016 to be the year of the video. As marketing strategies continue to embrace the hot new trends in the online community, video marketing has risen above the fray in terms of reach and impact on target markets.  Videos can be used in a multitude of ways – from comedy to educational, to reach customers at critical points along the buying life cycle and build ongoing relationships with users. In addition to this, there are many other reasons why video marketing can be beneficial to your business.

The Age of Information Overload

These days, most people who frequent the internet are bombarded with information from social media, and mixed in with it is advertisers trying to cut through the noise to get their products and

services noticed. With the rise of 140 character tweets and 10 second Snap Chats, it’s hard to get users to pay attention to anything for any length of time. Videos are way to get your information out there in short bursts so that users get relevant information without too much effort on their part. It’s easier for brains to consume and process visual content rather than taking in a wall of text, so making a video visually appealing with audio enhancements will take your message to the next level. Your videos can range from customer testimonials and product demonstrations, to funny and creative ads that showcase your business.

Social Media Reach

Most internet users have at least one social media account that they check regularly, so social media is the best place to be for advertisers online.  While YouTube is the most well-known website for video watchers, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have enhanced the way videos are watched on their apps and websites to keep up with the video trend by enabling videos to be played directly in news feeds so users can easily watch without being directed away from the platform.

Posting videos on social media pages can reach thousands, and potentially millions, of people and it costs nothing to do so. If you’re a small business with only a small social media following, paid social media campaigns can broaden your reach very inexpensively. You’ll get more people watching your videos, which can translate into more followers and, potentially, more business.

The Viral Potential

We’ve all seen the work of viral videos – they appear seemingly out of the blue on your Facebook timeline and subsequently get continuously shared across all social media platforms. There’s no magic potion in making a video go viral, most times it’s just a mix of creativity, engaging content, and luck. But the potential is there for anyone to make a video that catches on and becomes a trending topic and, even if it only lasts for a day, a viral video can do wonders for your business. Users are more likely to share a video over any other content on social media, so it’s a great tool to get your business noticed.

While you may have to invest some time and money into video production, the result are videos that highlight your business and can be shared across social media, and have a permanent place on YouTube and your website as a way for users to get quick insight into what makes your business special. 

Social Media and the Law

Does your company need a lawyer every time you post on Facebook? Obviously not if it is your personal page.

However, when you dive into social media to promote your business you would be well advised to speak with a social media law specialist to keep an eye on what you post. Look at it this way, when a company creates an ad that makes certain claims about their product, that ad has to go through a strict legal review to protect the interests of that company.

This is the same approach you should be taking when you begin engaging customers through social media. In other words, get protected before you post. Here are some areas to think about with regard to social media and the law.

Do you have an action plan?

On many levels, you can gauge a successful social media campaign by the amount of followers or "likes" you achieve. Yet when you drill down, an effective social media campaign is much more than a numbers game.

Before you meet with a lawyer, you'll want to put together your company's action plan. This can come in the form of a prepared background document. Included in this document should be the supporting data for the following:

• Current social media uses
• Lists of various social media platforms being utilized
• Type of material being shared (blogs, videos, Tweets, photos, etc.)
• Staff members responsible for generating social media content
• Any company policies regarding posting
• A review of competitors’ social media campaigns
• Guidelines for employees posting on behalf of the company such as language/photo use

All of these issues pertain to a certain level of risk management with regard to employee interaction. Without guidelines you could find yourself dealing with inappropriate posts that could cause great harm to your brand.

Do your employees know what they can or cannot post?

It's hard to imagine a company getting through the course of business without creating a "disgruntled" employee. Usually, these are the folks who are dismissed because of poor work performance and go on to vent their frustrations. These types of comments can be managed but what about posts from current employees that could be a problem? Make sure that your employees understand that company secrets or making fun of a customer are not something that should be done on social media.

All of these types of postings need to be explored with your legal representative in order to form a comprehensive set of rules for your staff. It is much better to work through all the possible scenarios as opposed to doing damage control. 

Some Startup Business Ideas For 2013

Where is the next great startup business idea coming from? It might already be out there waiting to be plucked off the internet and put into practical use. Always remember that in business there isn't really just "one thing."

Consider your own neighborhood. How many dry cleaners are there? How many nail salons? How many restaurants?

Businesses offering the same goods and services can coexist. What makes your business successful is how you innovate and market. Since more and more folks are turning to smartphones and tablets for daily use, you could find a sweet spot developing a product or website to fit the needs of all those potential users. If you're looking for an idea for a startup business consider these hot concepts:

Neighborhood Social Networks

Yes, everyone is on Facebook but that doesn't mean everyone is "connected" in real world terms. When it comes to social networking, staying local could be a big benefit. Developing a social hub for various communities could turn into a broader venture. Just keep it in the community.

Social Network Address Book

Speaking of social networks, there doesn't seem to be a decent address book that works across several platforms. Yes, every Smartphone has a version of an address book but supposed you want to organize all your online social contacts in separate categories? Where is the app for that?

The Next Great App

There is always room for a new great app. What about a digital business card or a digital customer loyalty card? If there was a way to scan those types of items and share them with other Smartphone users it could be a big plus to many businesses and reps.

A New Kind of Craigslist

So far, Craigslist has cornered the market when it comes to internet classifieds. Is there a better version? Perhaps something that isn't so cluttered? Maybe one that focuses more on trade than personals? Worth thinking about.

Group Shopping

Many fans of shopping like to do so with friends. What if you could go online shopping with your BFF? That could be a huge game changer for a smart ecommerce site.

Photo Sharing

There are many popular photo-sharing sites like Pinterest, Tumblr and Flickr. Is there room for more? When you think about the amount of pictures being shared today then the answer is "yes." The hook would be to come up with that tool or "cool factor" that the other sites are lacking.

If you've started up a new business this year, let us know. We'd be happy to share the good news! 

Social Media May Drive More Traffic Than Search Engines

The owner of a typical brick and mortar storefront depends a lot on foot traffic to insure that their business is a success. That's why location is so vital when picking out a place of business. For an e-commerce company, getting high visibility on search engines or access to a large source of traffic is just as equally important. Getting that traffic directly to a company's website is the goal of any online marketing campaign.

The prevailing wisdom has been that search engines will do the trick provided you can increase your ranking on those pages. However, it appears that social media networks are giving the search engines a run for their money in terms of providing them with organic traffic. You only have to look at the numbers to appreciate where most internet users are spending their time.

Where Are The Users?

A recently published report put out by Forrester Research has found that 50% of 18 to 23 year olds and 43% of 24 to 32 year olds list social networks as their go-to internet-discovery resource. In that arena, Facebook and Twitter are holding sway as the number one and two forms of discovery for nearly a third of all American users alone. That represents an 18% increase for "discovery-use" on those sites since 2010.

The good news for search engine sites is that 54% of American users regularly depend on those search results to find what they are looking for. The bad news is that number is dropping. It was 61% in 2010.

More Fun Social Media Facts

The vast majority of Fortune 500 Companies have a Facebook page and/or Twitter account, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are using those resources effectively. For a business start-up looking to get a foothold in customer traffic, social media could be a productive resource to invest in. 

Here are some more of the findings from the research report:

·         26% of internet users discovered company websites through branded emails. That's an 11-point increase from 2012.

·         18% of internet users proclaimed that paid search results got them to where they wanted to go. These would be all those click through ads on Facebook.

·         28% of all internet users find new websites by clicking through to links on sites they are visiting. 

How can you make that work for your company? A simple quid pro quo will do. If you link to a business ask them to link to you. Obviously, you're not going to find much traffic with a competitor, but landing an affiliate site would be ideal. Write a lot of guest posts and have the articles placed on industry websites.  

Does all of this mean you should give up on search engine optimization all together? Absolutely not. 

However, it is clear you should be dividing your online marketing strategy equally between SEO and social media.

You'll probably find that they work hand in hand.

How to Get Customer Referrals to Grow Your Business

Before heading out to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster do you check the reviews? There are certainly plenty of places to read other viewers opinions. The same can be said for any type of service company. On many levels, these "reviews" are actually referrals, at least the positive ones are! 

Businesses depend on customer referrals to keep the sales numbers flowing. How are you doing with collecting customer referrals? Is there room for improvement? Try embracing these insights to help gather customer referrals to grow your business.

Collect LinkedIn endorsements.

Your company should have a LinkedIn page up and running. If so then you'll be able to start collecting endorsements from other professionals who you're networking with. In the grand scheme of things these endorsements might not make or break your company but every little bit helps. A good way to generate endorsements is to give endorsements. Stay active on your page and you should be rewarded in kind.

Ask and you shall receive.

You know it never hurts to ask, right? That applies for so many things in life not the least of which is getting endorsements for your business. If you have some trusted clients who you've established a strong relationship with then reach out to them and ask for an endorsement. Make it easy on them by providing the link to where you want that endorsement to go. Your goal could be as simple as increasing your Facebook likes or getting a written testimonial you can post on your website. Be proactive on your hunt for endorsements and you'll be amazed at what can come rolling back to you.

Sift through the recommendations.

If you do your homework right and the recommendations start flowing your way you'll want to sift through them to make sure they are the right recommendations for your company. This ability to sift through the recommendations works best when you're in control like on your own web page or Facebook account. Just because someone says, "I like them" doesn't mean you have to use that recommendation especially if that is all you get. Without writing them yourself, the recommendations should be thoughtful and specific towards what your company is offering. The more details the better the recommendation.

Spread the word.

Securing a good recommendation is meaningless until you can put it work for you. Every new positive recommendation should be shared with your entire social media network. It should also be included in any email blast that you'll be sending out to new customers.

The Power of Joint Marketing Partnerships

A business can't become a success on its own. Every company needs to develop partnerships with vendors and customers in order to generate profits. The potential for profits can be elevated even further with a joint venture partnership. Case in point, the Yonanas machine.

This was a simple gadget that turned overripe bananas into a frozen dessert. The company was humming along trying to break into the big leagues when they formed a joint partnership with Dole. That translated into 100 million bunches of bananas having stickers challenging consumers to "Turn me into a Yonana!" The machines flew off the shelf. Can you think of a joint partnership that would benefit your business? Think about these tips for achieving stronger marketing through a joint partnership.

Power Up Your Facebook Page

Billions of users log onto Facebook every day. Even if you capture just a fraction of those potential "likes" you'll be sitting pretty. Once you've established your Facebook page and have it bursting with fresh content, look for a joint partnership page that you can team up with. If you sell decorative wine corks then finding a wine distributor would be a natural fit. Not only can that cork company team up with a wine distributor, but also a gift basket company. What you'll want to do is reach out to that partner and set up a mutual deal where you're both promoting each other through Facebook updates. That's the power of social media joint partnerships.

Use Backlinks for Your Content

That same exchange of Facebook pages can occur with backlinks on your content pieces. Once again, you'll be working with a joint partner to create content that you can both benefit from. It would be like creating an continuous circle of traffic from your web site to your partner's web site. If you're both using effective SEO then it's going to be a win/win all around.

Share the Goods

As you already know, giving away free stuff is a wonderful way to generate traffic to your web business. However, you don't have to limit yourself to giving away freebies just on your site. You can also share incentives on your joint partnership's web pages. Setting up a contest that shares prizes with a partner's products is another terrific way to pump up traffic between the sites. 

Once you've found the perfect joint partner, there should be no limit to the amount of exchanges you can both engage in online. It will take coordination between the parties but that is easy to manage. Joint partnerships are all about thinking outside of the box and you should already be doing that! 

How to Find a Job Candidate's Social Media Profile

When a potential employee applies for a job they are hoping to present themselves in the best light possible. They are in charge of their own CV and behavior during an interview. However, if they will be hired to have a public role representing your company, you're well within your rights to do a deeper investigation into their online presence.

The thing about social media is that it's out there for the public to see. When it comes to tweets, comments and other types of public postings that job candidate can't expect those to remain secret. If you want to find out more about a prospective employee you can start with their profile picture.

Search By Image

A person who posts a profile will often use the same profile picture. You can find out where all those pictures have been used by installing Google Chrome. There is a easy to use extension plug-in called "Search by Image." You'll need to ad that app to your Chrome and you'll be good to go.

Once it is installed, all you need to do is right click the photo and use the "Search Google with this image" option. You should be directed to a page of duplicate photos. Each one of those photos can link to a different social media account where that profile picture was used. You'll be able to follow that person onto Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. If they have a blog or YouTube Channel you can also find a pathway to those accounts with the Google Image Search.

Keep in mind that this isn't an invasion of privacy. If someone posts pictures of themselves going wild at a bachelor party or hurling slurs in a comment section then they are being their own worst enemy. Just because you can post something doesn't mean you have to post everything! A person's discretion with their public profile says a lot about their character.

Expanding Your Search

Once you've found links to their social media accounts you can get a sense of how they interact in various forums. You can use this same tool to track information about your own company. If you have a product picture on your website that might have been snagged by someone to post in their own blog. Do they have permission for that? Are they saying disparaging things about your brand? If you discover something like that hopefully you can bring a quick end to the negativity.  

Changing the Online Advertising Business Model

The recent flameout of Facebook's introduction to the stock market should be a cautionary tale to any online

business. One the main reasons that the Facebook stock tanked was that days before they went public, GM pulled its advertising because they weren't getting a return on their investment.

This sent a shock wave throughout all corners of e-commerce cyberspace. How can you not benefit from having access to over a billion Facebook users?

The answer is simple: The online advertising business model doesn't always work... and it shouldn't be the main business model for your startup.

The Big Fail

On many levels, the fail of online advertising is paralleling the fail of traditional television advertising. Thanks to DVRs, viewers are able to zap through commercials with ease. There are even devices being specifically marketed that will "hop" over commercials.

Naturally, this has the broadcast networks in an uproar. How can they justify ad rates if no one is watching the ads?

The same thing is happening online.

When a user logs on they're on a mission. They have a specific activity they are engaging in whether that's sending an email, playing a game or checking their friend’s newsfeed. More than anything, the internet is becoming a social networking site that is equal parts global and local community based.

Anyone who is spending their free time on the internet doesn't want to be advertised to.

A New Way to Brand

Foisting a message onto an internet user who hasn't asked for that message is destined to fail.

Why?

Because we don't need a message we can find for ourselves. A company brand can no longer be built by specific messaging alone.

It will be built by the number of "likes" on a Facebook page or amount of Twitter followers. Now that everyone gets to share their opinions on places like Yelp, a good review is often more important than a traditional ad.

We share what we like and that's how the popularity of a product, a movie, a book or a restaurant grows.

Finding Information in the Cyber Age

The greatest tool on the internet is also the great undoing of the advertising model. That would be the search engine. Whether you are a fan of Google, Bing, Chrome or any other search engine, we know how to get information.

If you want to shop for a new car, a pair of shoes, an appliance or just about anything else, the first stop will always be a search engine. The next stop could be one of the many review sites such as Yelp or Consumer Reports.

Nowhere in that search is advertising needed or wanted. We're becoming a society of information gatherers. That's good for the consumer but not so good for the business, unless they find a way to improve their search engine rankings.

We're also becoming very sophisticated when it comes to blocking or ignoring ads. Don't want a re-targeting pop-up ad? No problem... just delete your cookie history.

The more advertisers try to insert their messages the more the Internet user will find a way to block the ads.

Build Out the Social Network

So, what is a hapless company supposed to do to find new customers? Don't fight the internet but put it to work for your brand. If this is a social medium then find a way to engage your customer base by starting a conversation.

Suppose you're selling a cleaning product. Perhaps you can start a conversation by asking folks "What's the worst mess you've ever had to clean up?" That's not selling your product directly but allowing folks to join in on a conversation.

Once they are engaged they can be invited to try the product. In other words, think less about reaching the masses with a single message and instead redirecting that message as part of a two-way conversation. That's the power of social media networking. 

How to Build Your Social Media Strategy

What is your social media strategy? If the answer is, "I don't have a social media strategy" then you better get on board. Even casual users of sites like Facebook or Twitter can see how successful companies are utilizing these platforms to expand their customer base. Are you ready to get in on all that action? Building a PR outreach program is important in getting media attention for your company. Here is how to do it:

Set goals.

Before you can launch your social media strategy you need to be clear about your goals. Yes, increasing sales should be at the top of the list but get specific. What type of return are you looking for? Do you need to increase sales by 10%? 20%? You can also put social media to work to support brand identity and build a customer base. Nothing wrong with an "All of the above" approach but get some target numbers together.

Keep the conversation going.

As you enter the wide world of social media networking, you need to embrace the concept that this is an ongoing marketing plan. This doesn't mean you have to monitor your company's Facebook page 24/7. However you do need to keep your followers engaged. You don't always have to hit them with the hard sale but ask questions to get a conversation going. Asking to share holiday memories is always a good conversation starter. You can relate your queries to your product without it coming across like a pressure to buy.

Build a content schedule.

Now that you know your goals (see above) you should begin to plot out your content schedule. How many messages will you send out in a day or week? What time will these messages go out? Keep in mind that if you post something on Facebook at 9 a.m. your west coast followers won't be up looking at their Facebook. By the time they do check in, your post could get lost in their newsfeed. Additionally, you'll want to put serious thought into your posts. Don't scramble and post something random just for the sake of meeting your schedule. Work it out in advance.

Give away stuff.

We all like free stuff. Whether it's an informative eBook, a coupon or 2-for-1 sale, offering your followers the occasional freebie will keep them checking in for more. This is a terrific way to build up your "likes."

Follow the numbers.

Once you put all your social media plans to work, you'll want to find out if they are being effective. Every social media platform has some type of analytics program to help you gauge your traffic. You'll be able to see where spikes in visitors occur and adjust your content schedule. Stay on top of these numbers and build from there. 

3 Best Social Media Books to Read

Understanding how to get the most out of social media takes an expert. Here are three books by the leading experts in the field.

Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (And Other Social Networks)

This is New York Times best-seller is all about achieving success through online word-of-mouth marketing around the simple premise of being likeable. The best recommendation for any product or service often comes from a friend. If you can get a network of friends to recommend a site or page than that's half the battle. This informative book provides helpful insight in how to tap into the power of this specialized form of marketing. The methods presented in this tome have been utilized with great success by such a diverse range of companies as 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and the Ford Motor Company.


Author Dave Kerpen is an expert in this field. As the cofounder the social media-marketing firm Likeable, Dave is among the brightest and most successful leaders in this industry. His tried and true methods have a proven track record of success and he is definitely someone you'll want to listen to for your own social media campaign.


The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success

Presenting helpful information about social media campaigns means you need to stay ahead of the curve. The Social Media Bible is now in its updated third edition. Presented in this 700-page tome are all the important resources for big and small business to utilize the far reach of social media. With this updated edition you'll be able to find out how to bring in iPad users and apps, Foursquare and other location-targeted networks. Find out the latest about Google's every changing search engine algorithms. That information alone is worth buying this book!

500 Social Media Marketing Tips: Essential Advice, Hints and Strategy for Business: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and More!

Yes, you read that right: This amazing text presents 500 social media marketing tips. Included in those tips are links to over 130 video tutorials which can greatly enhance your learning curve. Among the top social networks covered are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube. The expert tips will show you how to build your brand and engage with customers. When you consider that 22% of all North American online activity is spent at sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest than its clear this is a realm your business needs to tap into. 500 Social Media Marketing Tips will show you the way.

Does Facebook Advertising Work?

One billion plus.

That's how many current Facebook users there are. More than likely, by the time you read this article there will be millions who have signed up for this social network.

Even if you were to get a response rate of a fraction of a single percent point, your advertising would still be reaching a lot of potential customers.

There are other reasons why Facebook advertising is a good investment. Consider these advantages:

·         Targeted Demographics

Effective advertising comes down to targeting your demographics. Facebook advertising allows you to get very specific in terms of your potential customer base. Not only can you focus on gender and age groups but also on the many "likes" that a Facebook user can tap into. If you're selling hockey jerseys then you'll want to get your ad in front of any fan of the game. Facebook can help position you to those demographics. 

·         Going Local

Not only can Facebook help you focus on demographic groups but also on geographic locations. Everyone who signs onto Facebook has the ability to "mark their spot." This affords local businesses the chance to reach out to those customers who are spending directly in their community.

·         Effective Marketing Spending

As you prepare your Facebook advertising campaign you'll be able to project just how many users will see the ad. This is important for the kind of pay per click ads that Facebook excels at. You'll be able to scale your budget to fit the potential reach of your ad. That will make your marketing dollars have a stronger ROI.

·         The Viral Effect

Whenever a Facebook user "likes" your company page, that "like" will show up on their news feed which in turn is posted on the news feed of all their friends. This can have a snowball effect of spreading your message even further as hundreds of more users are exposed to your ad.

·         Custom Branding Choices

The Facebook ad allows you to use powerful images that can draw attention to your post. Because of the ease of accessibility, you can change up those images and find which ones work best for your campaign.

The bottom line is that a billion potential viewers are logging onto Facebook on a fairly consistent basis. In terms of online marketing, this is really the greatest reach of any site out there.

As with any type of advertising campaign there is no guarantee of success.

However, with Facebook advertising you can start small with a targeted campaign, test its effectiveness and roll out a wider reaching strategy.

Definitely worth exploring.

Converting Facebook Fans into Sales

Social media networking has changed the way we interact. We can now keep track of our family, friends and colleagues no matter what the distance. We can share news and funny videos and keep in touch in real-time. 

Every day new users sign onto Facebook and are becoming very savvy about using the apps and keeping the conversation going. At the moment, Facebook has close to a billion users who interact with each other daily.

How can your business tap into that potential customer base?

First, you need to set up your Facebook business page. Unlike your personal page, which has a limit to the amount of “friends” you can register, a business page is for “likes.” Think of it as a fan page for your product or service. The basics of this type of Facebook page are the same as a personal home page but you can have unlimited “likes” which means the potential to reach millions. The goal is to turn all those “likes” into paying customers.

Here are the steps you should follow to make those sales conversions:

Step 1: Share Information

The way to build credibility is through providing frequent and relevant content that proves your expertise. This doesn’t mean that you post sales information. The content that you provide should be targeted towards solving the pain points that your prospects have.  

However, this doesn’t mean it has to be a static press release you post on Facebook timeline. Think more visual.

Make a fun video demonstrating your product. At the very least you should have engaging photos which will draw attention to the post. Think of your own Facebook experiences - what attracts you to click on a friend’s post? Videos and pictures. Keep in mind that this has to be an ongoing process. You can’t just post one video and expect traffic to your website. You need to constantly update your content.

Step 2: Special Offers

Once you have informed your Facebook friends about what you’re selling, offer them a promo code for a special discount. Hopefully, this will get them to click over to your site and start shopping. Everybody likes a discount!

Following up on the special promo codes, you could occasionally put out a “limited time offer.” This heightens the sense of urgency for your customers to respond. If you’re going to do down this road you need to make the limited time offer truly unique. Go big and see the kind of response rate you’ll get. Remember your goal is attract shoppers. Once they have benefited from a special offer they might just keep coming back.

 Step 3: Keep the Conversation Alive

Remember to engage your customers on a regular basis! Post news updates regularly, ask questions and encourage comments. Provide incentives for fans to be engaged with you – reward those who post relevant content. Remember, they are there for a reason – to connect with your business.

Make sure you do that.

Step 4: Build your Database

As with any type of online business, you’ll want to gather the email addresses of potential customers for your own database. You can do this on your Facebook page by setting up an opt-in form to collect addresses. Contests and give-aways are the best ways to encourage visitors and fans to provide your company with their emails.

Be transparent though. You should tell your customers that you’ll use the email to alert them to special offers and exclusive deals.

Make them feel like they’re part of the “inner circle.”

Adopting a Social Media Policy for your Company

Social media has changed the way companies do business. There is an extremely positive aspect to this new form of communication. Developing a strong brand identity across various social media platforms allows a company to expand their customer base like never before. Direct messages to millions of consumers can be effectively delivered with a click of the mouse.

On the other hand, that same vast social network can turn against a company if a negative aspect were to go “viral.” The best way for your business to protect itself is to not only understand all the social media platform policies but also to develop a comprehensive social media policy for your employees. Here are some of the basics to social media that will help you deal with your customers online.

 

 

Every social media platform has rules that should be read, understood and followed.

These rules and guidelines cover the expected behavior of the users. If someone on your staff is assigned the task to create Facebook posts or Twitter tweets they need to understand those policies before diving in. Just because they use these networks in their private lives doesn’t mean the same rules apply in the corporate realm.

Essentially, you should strive to always be respectful.

When you open your company up for social media interaction you’re going to find yourself on the receiving end of negative comments. That is just the way it will go. One option would be to scrub those comments as they come in but that can generate even more negative responses on other sites. The best approach is to be proactive. Whenever possible, try to respond to those comments in an affirmative way that puts the company in a positive light. You might not sway the poster’s opinion, but you could be having an impact on all the other readers. Don’t engage in a back and forth defense. State your company’s policy and leave it at that.

Keep company secrets - secret.

This is especially true for the employees. There are many trade secrets and confidential information that a company keeps locked away for good reason. No employee should be sharing that information across the social media network. This aspect of the company is especially important for new staff members to understand. They might not be up to speed on what information can be made public. Make sure every employee knows your company’s “sharing” policy.

Restrict social media at work

As an employer you can’t infringe on your employee’s right to post on a social media network about their private lives. However, you are well within your right to restrict that kind of posting during work hours. Your employees shouldn’t be monitoring Facebook, Twitter, Reddit or Pinterest unless it is work related.

Social media can’t be ignored; it is here to stay. Fortunately, there are many resources and tools at your disposal to keep track of your company’s reputation. Depending on the size of your business you might find yourself hiring staff to exclusively work in the social media realm and that could turn out to be a very smart investment.

What Are The Top 3 Metrics To Look At In Measuring Social Media Campaign Success?

Determining the success of a social media campaign comes down to an issue of metrics. The following are the top three metrics you should be looking at when gauging the success of your social media strategy.

The “Like” numbers or active participation: A quick snapshot of any social media campaign is to look at the number of users who are accessing your social media profiles. With Facebook, it would be the number of likes or comments. With Twitter, it would be the number of followers or retweets. Each of those numbers will tell you who has taken the time to join your social media campaign and are participating actively.

However, these numbers aren’t the only ones you should be studying. Go deeper. For instance, Facebook provides its page administrators with a detailed analysis of not only how many new likes occurred but also the percentage of comments generated and views. The other networks have metrics such as page views and mentions that can also indicate the kind of volume your company is attracting.  

Your bounce rate. Are your visitors arriving at your site from your social media profiles but leaving immediately? Take a look at the time spent on your website from your different traffic sources. If you find that visitors are spending less than a minute on your website, then maybe your landing page needs better copy. Or maybe you’re attracting the wrong audience.

Conversions: You want social media campaigns to convert, either into subscriptions, sales or any other items that you’re offering as part of your sales funnel.  If your sales increase after launching a successful social media campaign, then it worked. However, those numbers can also be used to determine the return on investment when it comes to expanding your reach. For instance, if you have a 5% increase in sales with a 10% increase in site traffic then it follows the more traffic, the more sales.

Not all of the metrics are simple to track and may require some advanced tools. It’s very important to take the time to have the right measurement and analytical tools in place before you start a social media campaign. Without the right tools, you won’t be able to determine if your campaigns were successful or an abysmal failure.

Measuring Your Social Media Campaign Success

Determining the success of a social media campaign comes down to an issue of metrics. The following are the top three metrics you should be looking at when gauging the success of your social media strategy.

Active participation: A quick snapshot of any social media campaign is to look at the number of users who are accessing your social media profiles. With Facebook, it would be the number of “likes.” With Twitter, it would be the number of retweets. However, these numbers aren’t the only ones you should be studying. Go deeper. The key to social media is engagement. For instance, Facebook provides its page administrators with a detailed analysis of  the percentage of comments generated and views. The other networks have metrics such as page views and mentions that can also indicate the kind of volume your company is attracting.  

Your bounce rate. Are your visitors arriving at your site from your social media profiles but leaving immediately? Take a look at the time spent on your website from your different traffic sources. If you find that visitors are spending less than a minute on your website, then maybe your landing page needs better copy. Or maybe you’re attracting the wrong audience.

Conversions: You want social media campaigns to convert, either into subscriptions, sales or any other items that you’re offering as part of your sales funnel.  If your sales increase after launching a successful social media campaign, then it worked. However, those numbers can also be used to determine the return on investment when it comes to expanding your reach. For instance, if you have a 5% increase in sales with a 10% increase in site traffic then it follows the more traffic, the more sales.

Not all of the metrics are simple to track and may require some advanced tools. It’s very important to take the time to have the right measurement and analytical tools in place before you start a social media campaign. Without the right tools, you won’t be able to determine if your campaigns were successful or an abysmal failure.

How do you measure your business' social media success?

4 Mistakes That New Bloggers Make When Starting a Blog

With the changes that Google has recently implemented to their search algorithm, content marketing has become the newest buzz word. Instead of driving traffic using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics, websites that post a lot of great content on their website are becoming more successful in getting higher rankings.  Having a blog on your website has become one of the best tactics any marketer can use to stand out from the crowd and also attract the attention of search engines.

 Much like a Twitter or Facebook account, a blog is another way to reach out to a vast global audience. Blogs can also lend great support for a business not only to direct new customers to a web store but also provide great content to keep loyal customers coming back for more.

However, just because it is easy to set up a blog doesn’t mean every blog will be a success. Here are some common mistakes that new bloggers make and you should avoid:

Copying Content

There is an abundance of resources available all across the internet to support your blog but that doesn’t mean you should just be cutting and pasting a bunch of articles. You should always strive to have original content.

That doesn’t mean you can’t be inspired by an article or video to write a post. In fact, you can even use that post as link on your site. Many search engines want to provide their users with quality content, and they check if the information that you provide isn’t a duplicate from another site. If you’re running a business blog and don’t fancy yourself  good at writing, there are plenty of talented writers who can help create 100% original content for your blog.

Diving In Without Research

To get the most out of a blog you need to do a little research. From a technical standpoint you could literally start a blog within seconds by registering a name on one of the easy blog sites like Wordpress or BlogSpot. Then what?   Find out how a blog works in terms of links, pings, tools and how to drive traffic. You should also be looking for the various blog networks that you can plug your blog into. This will help you spread the good news of your blogging efforts.

Cluttered Layout

A blog is not a scrapbook. Yet, some new bloggers try to crowd as much of the “whiz bang” features onto their blog as possible. Take it slow. Just as you should be researching where your blog should live, you should also research the various templates you have at your disposal for layout options.

Start with what appeals to you. Is it easy to find what you’re looking for on a site? Can you quickly access archive material? Is the font pleasing to view? What’s great about blogs is that the layout designer will also get credit. Look for that credit at the bottom of your favorite blog and use that for a reference for your own blog.

Boring Headlines

A blog is the sum of all its posts. Those posts begin with a strong headline. Consider every time you pick up a magazine or newspaper: Isn’t it the headline which first grabs your attention? That’s what you should aim for with your own blog posts. Asking questions is always a good way to pull a reader into a blog. Keep it simple but make it original.

Facebook's IPO Lawsuit: What Went Wrong?

In many ways, the Facebook IPO can be looked at as the perfect storm of how not to launch a public company. Leading up to the stock sale, media outlets were breathlessly hyping how much money founder Mark Zuckerberg and his team would be making. Nearly every news program was offering tips on how the small investor would have to wait in line to buy their handful of shares and be a part of this “history-changing IPO.”

Then reality hit and Facebook fizzled. What went wrong?

Right out of the gate there were problems. The U.S. stock market rings its opening bell at 9:30 a.m. The IPOs usually start trading about an hour later. However, Nasdaq informed everyone that Facebook trading wouldn’t start until 11:00 a.m. It actually didn’t start until 11:30.

In that first wave, close to 80 million shares were being bought and sold in a matter of seconds. And in that same blink of an eye, traders were complaining that their orders weren’t being properly processed. In some cases, they were getting shares at a higher price.

The NASDAQ would blame all of those errors on a technical glitch but it left a bitter taste for most traders. But even all that sloppiness isn’t why some newly-minted Facebook shareholders are suing the social media giant. They claim the fix was in.

As reported by Reuters, the lead underwriter for the IPO, Morgan Stanley, was provided with some pertinent information regarding the true nature of Facebook’s financials. Namely, they weren’t so hot. Coming upon the heels of GM backing out of a $10 million Facebook advertising campaign, this report apparently let the big players in on a dirty little secret - when it comes to generating dividends base on profits Facebook might just turn out the be the Emperor with no clothes. Suddenly that $100 billion valuation wasn’t looking so accurate.

Reuters went on to report that a few hours after Morgan Stanley got the news it was apparently shared with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Bank of America. They all reduced their earnings outlook. When those numbers were publicized, the stock price took a hit and kept on sinking. The disgruntled shareholders claim this was a classic case of insider trading and they were the ones left holding onto a stock that dropped like a brick.

Naturally, the big brokers claim they are innocent of any wrongdoing. Are they right? At what point does it become insider trading?

 Were the people jumping on the Facebook bandwagon misinformed intentionally or did they merely buy into the hype only to be smacked by reality? Obviously, this will be an issue addressed by the courts. Meanwhile, the stock is still trading. Zuckerberg still became a billionaire (on paper), got married and went on a honeymoon.

And Facebook still has millions and millions of users. In the grand scheme of things, not much has really changed for those users.

Everyone is just waiting for the next move.

How to build a great LinkedIn presence

If Facebook is for friends and family and Twitter is for a quick comment on any topic, then LinkedIn should be considered the professionals’ social media networking site. Since its inception, LinkedIn has developed a solid reputation as a straight forward web portal where business professionals can connect, share resources and stay up to date with the latest industry news (whatever industry that might be). There are many people who have used LinkedIn as a kind of a virtual resume site. Additionally, many businesses are turning to LinkedIn to enhance their company profile. As with any other type of social media presence, the more you put into LinkedIn, the more you’ll get out from it. The following are some helpful hints on how to build a great LinkedIn presence.

1.      Join In On the Discussion

No matter what your business niche is chances are there are already dozens of groups on LinkedIn engaged in the kind of ongoing discussions you should be a part of. Before diving in, make sure you read through some past posts to get a “feel for the room.” Also, before posting edit your comments to make sure you’re presenting yourself in a positive light. Don’t forget to provide a link back to your own LinkedIn page.

2.      Stay Updated

Leave the status updates about what you’re having for breakfast or what you thought about last night’s Game of Thrones for Facebook. On LinkedIn your status updates should be strictly professional. That doesn’t mean they have to be humorless, but stay focused on your reasons for using LinkedIn which is to enhance your profile or company brand.

3.      Start A Blog

If you own or operate a business you’ve got a lot to say. Starting a blog is way for you to share your insights and begin a conversation. Pick a topic in the news for inspiration or relate a recent challenge in your business and how you overcame that. Remember you’re not aiming for a Pulitzer; you just want to stay relevant. Promote your blog on LinkedIn, either through your company page or your own personal profile.

4.      Maximize the LinkedIn Apps

Put LinkedIn to work on your page by including polls, SlideShare and events. It’s another way of keeping your site active and giving other LinkedIn users a reason for returning.

5.      Start a Conversation

Just as you should be joining in on the conversation on other pages, you should start a conversation of your own. Hopefully, if you get traffic to your page you’ll be able to pull in other professionals to keep the discussions going. This isn’t about sales pitches but conversations between professionals.

6.      Create a Strong Headline

Headlines are what pull users into a profile. Try to create something that is equal parts catchy and intriguing. Don’t hesitate to rotate out some strong headlines to keep your profile fresh.