How Social Media Platforms Work Together To Give Your Business Exposure

You can find plenty of information on why it is important to leverage social media to gain exposure for your website, but very few people tell you how it really works. Why is it important to have a Twitter account and an Instagram account? Don't they basically do the same thing?

When you work with our experts, you quickly realize that your social media presence is like a chain that requires all of its links to be strong for the chain to be effective. Your social media platforms all work together and it is important for you to understand how.

Not Everyone Is On Twitter

Believe it or not, you know people who do not have a Facebook account. You also know people who use Instagram instead of Twitter. The great thing about social media is that it has something for everyone and that creates diversity. In order to reach a maximum audience, you need to be on every social media platform at the same time.

The social media platforms can all be interconnected and you can have one message sent out to all of the different websites at the same time. All of your social media accounts work together to make sure that you do not leave any prospective customers behind.

Your Social Media Pushes People To Your Website

Your Facebook page is not an island unto itself. When individuals get Facebook pages, it is to connect with other individuals. When companies get Facebook pages, it is to drive more traffic to their corporate websites.

The best way to picture your overall online presence is to imagine it is like a wheel with spokes protruding from it. Each spoke is one of your social media pages and they all connect to the central hub, which is your website. Your social media pages all work together to increase your website traffic and boost revenue.

Some People Are Extremely Comfortable With Social Media

There is a growing contingency of Internet users who would rather utilize your company's Facebook page than your website. Instead of getting company updates from your website's news page, some people would prefer to get those updates on Twitter.

Your social media presence works hand in hand with your website to make sure that your corporate messages are getting out to everyone who wants them. If a customer prefers to use your company Facebook page, then set up a Facebook store and be sure to grab that revenue.

Viral Information Is Important To Many People

People love the allure of viral information. Social media is alive with rumors and breaking news that social media users believe cannot be found anywhere else. When someone sees a piece of information on social media in a viral way, that adds credibility to your company. It is extremely difficult to describe, but going viral is an extremely powerful marketing tool and it is tailor-made for social media.

For example, let's say your company made a huge donation of cash and food to a charitable organization to help flooding victims in your area. Instead of putting out an official press release right away, you first allow the information to leak out online. Once the actual press release comes out, its value has skyrocketed because people already know what your company has done.

Social media management is just one of our services, but it can have a tremendous affect on your company's revenue. Give us a call and we will show you just how powerful social media can be and how much money it can really make your company.

What Can You Really Do With A Company Blog?

Good Internet marketing requires many different elements to be successful. It is more than just having an active social media page or having effective content on your website. A strong Internet presence requires you to utilize the resources that are available and maximize them to your benefit.

When you talk about Internet marketing, you will hear experts talking about the value of blogs. While it is true that a good company blog can add a lot to your online marketing, it helps to understand how a blog helps to gain the exposure you need. A blog, when used properly, is actually an effective online marketing tool that works on several levels.

Customer Interaction

One of the biggest marketing aspects of the Internet is immediate interaction with your complete client base. When you write an engaging blog post about your company or your industry, you want reader feedback to give you an idea as to what your clients are thinking. But if you want really make the most of your company blog, then it should not stop at user comments.

You need to turn your blog into an interactive forum where you post relevant information, your readers respond, and you engage in useful conversation. Why is a blog so good for this kind of customer interaction? Because customers tend to treat blogs as direct lines of communication with the company and that inspires customers to become passionate about the topic you are discussing.

Reliable Outlet For Company News

Customers looking for the latest news about your company will usually turn to your blog and not your website or your social media presence. The big reason for this is because the stigma surrounding websites is that they are never updated in real time and that it takes days, even weeks, for new information to get posted. Social media is not really seen as a reliable source of accurate information, even though you try to keep all of your social media pages accurate and reliable.

Instead of fighting these preconceived notions, you should work with them and use your blog as the only source of new company information. You can control the rumors about your company and keep customers informed about new developments when you use your blog properly.

Be Dynamic

Customers expect your website to be a formal source of company information. But a blog is expected to be dynamic and interesting. Rather than let your customers down, you should reinforce the dynamic element of a blog and use it to your advantage.

The dynamic element of a blog means doing things that would normally take weeks or months on a website. For example, you can decide to address customer concerns directly by creating a question and answer section on your blog that is updated regularly with answers to real customer inquiries. You can also post pictures and videos relating to your company that may not fit the format of your website.

A blog is an effective marketing tool that needs to be properly utilized if you want to enhance your Internet presence. Remember that a blog is not expected to be as rigid in structure and format as your website. The more that you do with your blog and the more you add to it, the more revenue-generating traffic you will generate for your website.

Four Ways To Improve Your Company Blog

Your company blog should be a magnet that attracts new traffic to your website and helps to expand your business. The most important rule about maintaining a blog that acts as an important part of your online marketing efforts is to add new and relevant content each and every day. But there are other guidelines your content should be following that will allow it to be more effective and increase your website's exposure.

Include Pictures

You can find websites that will offer you royalty-free images you can use on your blog as long as you include proper citation, and that will go a long way towards increasing traffic. But you can save yourself a lot of headaches if you take your own pictures and use those on your blog instead.

Invest in a good digital camera that is easy to use and that can be utilized by your marketing department. You can either take pictures as you need them, or develop a library of pertinent images that can be used whenever you need them. Colorful and relevant images will get people interested in your content and bring you more visitors.

Start Off Each Blog With A Sentence That Grabs Attention

Did you notice that the first sentence in this post was a real attention grabber. It got you interested enough in the content that you clicked on the link to read this article. A good blog post always starts off with a powerful sentence because that is usually the sentence that winds up marketing the piece.

When you look up blog posts through Google, the first sentence of each post will normally show up in the search results. In many cases, the index page of your company blog will also feature the first sentence of each post as a teaser to get people to read the rest of the article. That is why your first sentence needs to be powerful, to the point, and interesting.

Be Careful With Links

You will want to be careful when you include links in your blog posts. The best approach is to include links to pages inside of your own blog and maximize the exposure of your other content. If you really want to use external links, then it is best that you talk to a professional Internet marketing firm first.

Google and many of the other major search engines have changed the rules on including links in content. The links you include need to go to websites that are relevant to your content and they cannot be links you purchased. It is always best to leave linking in blogs to the professionals.

Always Pose A Question At The End

You just spent a few hundred words giving your readers information to think about. So now what? Now you give your readers a chance to start applying that information by posing a question at the end of your blog that gets the reader thinking.

After you read enough good blog posts, you will start to understand why questions at the end of posts are so effective. You will also understand how to craft a question that will get people coming back to your blog for more vital information.

Your company blog is the link between you and your customers. If you want to make the most of your blog, then you need to learn the techniques that drive more traffic.

What do you think you could do to make your blog more interesting for your readers?

LinkedIn Personal vs. Company Pages

Personal vs. Company Pages

Depending on what you choose to do with LinkedIn will determine if you want a personal page only or if you need to have a personal and company page. Even if you are a small business and/or a business owner, you most likely will want a personal and business page. It is better for you to have both, especially if you have products to list on a product page that links to your online store. You cannot do this on a personal page.

A personal page is only to be set up for your personal information, not a company name or company information. You have to be a real person with verifiable information to set up a personal page. It is about just you. Not your company information. It is used to network personally and professionally, but just to market yourself. And you can use it to link to your company page.

Your personal page is you key to connecting with other professionals and even customers. It allows you to network, establish sales leads, and prove yourself as a leader or expert in your field and even to sell yourself to potential employers. You should have an upstanding personal page to make your networking a success. Use your status updates to share information and allow your connections to get to know you.

A company page allows you to set up a presence for your company, even if it is a self-owned company. It allows you to brand your company and its products or services. If you do not have a business/company page you are missing out on opportunities to connect with your customers, future customers and even employees.

The potential reach you have to market and brand your company through the LinkedIn company pages is far and wide. It is definitely something you want to spend some time setting up and maintaining. As mentioned earlier, the searching ability in LinkedIn is not the only platform that you can utilize, SEO and traffic will increase your other search rankings as well.

Company pages offer you excellent analytics to gage how you are ranking and where you should concentrate more. Unlike the other social media arenas posting too much is not a good thing. You want to post important items and great content, maybe once a day or 5-7 times per week. Don't post just to post, it needs to be relevant and usable information for your audience. You also do not want to try to hard sell. You want to engage your audience not shove your brand down their throats. You want to offer content or information that is relevant to your brand and/or audience that makes them want to follow you, click through to your full website or blog.

So if you are a small business or a business owner you really want to have a personal profile and a company page on LinkedIn. They both serve separate purposes while being connected. Customers want to learn about your company but they may or may not want to know about you personally. Having both pages allows them to choose how deeply and personally they get to know you. You also may have potential employers who want to contact you personally that will go to your personal profile rather than your company page.

Marketing Where People Are Paying Attention

The world has changed a lot in the last 20 years. The Internet now dominates our lives, smart phones are the norm and and computers are now much smaller and much faster. The world of business and marketing has changed even more so. Marketing used to be about hitting the streets to promote your product and running ads on one of the big three mediums (TV, Radio and print). Those days are gone, because increasingly people aren't on the streets nor are they watching TV or reading newspapers. Sure people are still on the streets physically, but that's not where their engaged, that's not where their willing to learn and to purchases.

The new marketing para-dime is very much focused on online marketing because that's where consumers spend most of their time. Social media sites are the new virtual streets where marketing can take place and business who don't accept this reality will soon be left behind. And while its possible to attempt to engage in on-line marketing on your own, you are much better off engaging someone who understands how social media marketing works and here's why.

Firstly, social media marketing is complex. Contrary to popular belief it is not something you can simply pick up and do. Social media marketing professionals need to both understand how the technology works, and how human beings interact with that technology. It is a mix of IT skill and psychology which makes social media marketing profitable. This requires both formal training and years of experience.

2. Secondly, Social media is vital to the future of just about any business. If you want to attract new clients or customers you need to be on top of the social media game. In recent years we have seen a massive transition from conventional media to on-line media. This trend is set to continue as the Internet generation continues to grow up and become the dominate force in the business world. Advertising using conventional media is becoming increasingly ineffective as more and more people look to their social media sites to learn information. To put it simply, social media is where people are and if you don't have someone who knows how to sell to them there, than you could well find yourself falling behind.

3. Thirdly, hiring a social media professional is important because the market is so competitive. Other businesses have realized the potential of on-line marketing and are investing heavily in social media campaigns. The arms race has begun and its up to you whether or not you're prepared to keep pace. In such a competitive industry, it's vital you have someone in your court who knows the industry back to front and who can give you a competitive edge.

4. Finally having a social media professional helping you with your online presence is vital precisely because the Internet is not static. It is constantly changing and its important that you have someone working for you who understands those changes. It is impossible for the average business owner to stay up to date with all the algorithm and rule changes which take place on-line every single day. And yet those changes could have a dramatic impact on the success of your business. When those changes happen, it's crucial that you stay ahead of the game and are able to adapt quickly to the new situation. A social media expert will allow you to do precisely that.

Why You Should Invest In An Online Marketing Firm

Internet marketing іs іmроrtаnt bесаusе іt aligns wіth thе wау consumers mаkе purchasing decisions. Studies bу analysts suсh аs Gartner indicate thаt increasing numbers оf consumers usе social media аnd rеsеаrсh оn mobile Internet tо carry оut preliminary product аnd price rеsеаrсh bеfоrе making final decisions. Internet marketing enables уоu tо build relations wіth customers аnd prospects thrоugh regular, low-cost personalized communication, reflecting thе move аwау frоm mass marketing.

Convenience

Online marketing enables уоu tо bе open fоr business аrоund thе clock wіthоut worrying аbоut store opening hours оr overtime payments fоr staff. Offering уоur products оn thе Internet іs аlsо convenient fоr customers. Тhеу саn browse уоur online store аt аnу time аnd place orders whеn іt іs convenient fоr them.

Reach

By marketing оn thе Internet, уоu саn overcome barriers оf distance. Yоu саn sell goods іn аnу раrt оf thе country wіthоut setting uр local outlets, widening уоur target market. Yоu саn аlsо build аn export business wіthоut opening а network оf distributors іn dіffеrеnt countries. Ноwеvеr, іf уоu wаnt tо sell internationally, уоu shоuld usе localization services tо ensure thаt уоur products аrе suitable fоr local markets аnd comply wіth local business regulations. Localization services include translation аnd product modification tо reflect local market differences.

Cost

Marketing products оn thе Internet costs lеss thаn marketing thеm thrоugh а physical retail outlet. Yоu dо nоt hаvе thе recurring costs оf property rental аnd maintenance. Yоu dо nоt hаvе tо purchase stock fоr display іn а store. Yоu саn order stock іn lіnе wіth demand, keeping уоur inventory costs low.

Personalization

Internet marketing enables уоu tо personalize offers tо customers bу building а profile оf thеіr purchasing history аnd preferences. Ву tracking thе web раgеs аnd product іnfоrmаtіоn thаt prospects visit, уоu саn mаkе targeted offers thаt reflect thеіr interests. Тhе іnfоrmаtіоn аvаіlаblе frоm tracking website visits аlsо рrоvіdеs data fоr planning cross-selling campaigns sо thаt уоu саn increase thе vаluе оf sales bу customer.

Relationships

The Internet рrоvіdеs аn іmроrtаnt platform fоr building relationships wіth customers аnd increasing customer retention levels. Whеn а customer hаs purchased а product frоm уоur online store, уоu саn bеgіn thе relationship bу sending а follow-up email tо confirm thе transaction аnd thаnk thе customer. Emailing customers regularly wіth special, personalized offers helps tо maintain thе relationship. Yоu саn аlsо invite customers tо submit product reviews оn уоur website, helping tо build а sense оf community.

Social

Internet marketing enables уоu tо tаkе advantage оf thе growing іmроrtаnсе оf social media. Аn article оn thе Harvard Business School Executive Education website highlighted thе link bеtwееn social networking аnd online revenue growth. Ассоrdіng tо thе article, а group оf consumers thаt responded mоst strоnglу tо thе influence оf social networks generated increased sales оf аrоund 5 percent. Yоu саn tаkе advantage оf thіs type оf influence bу incorporating social networking tools іn уоur Internet marketing campaigns.

Online Marketing Using Videos

According to Cisco, by the year 2017, 69% of consumer internet traffic will be from online video. If you think about it, that makes a lot of sense - video is a great way to satisfy the people's information and entertainment needs. Not only do they obtain the information they want, but they also become visually engaged in what you're presenting to them.

Here are some simple tips to get you started in using videos to drive more traffic to your website:

Use the Basics to your Advantage

Although you don't need to hire a professional videographer to shoot your videos, you do need to remember the very basics of lighting, audio and camera to make a polished video.

To see what you're presenting, make sure that sufficient lighting is available on the person or the object that's on camera. There's nothing more annoying than not being able to see the expressions on the presenter's face or the details of the item being shown.
In conjunction to presenting, ensure that a microphone is available to catch the presenter's voice. You wouldn't want your customers to miss out on the important information you're promoting.
While filming, ensure that you're holding the camera steadily and avoid quick and jerky movements. If you have the funds, invest in a camera stand so you don't have to hold it up throughout the filming process.
If you're the one presenting, keep it simple and always look at the camera. This is your way of keeping eye contact with your customers. Emotions are contagious, so remember to be passionate and excited about what you're presenting.

Incorporate Social Media

Once you have edited your video, use the different social media pages to distribute and post your videos; this may include posting it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Remember that the more outlet you have, the more likely people will stumble upon your page and view your video.

Add Links

After people watch your videos, they will likely want more information about the ideas and/or items that were presented. This is your chance to re-direct them to your website. Often people visiting a website can be converted to a customer. But even if visitors don't end up purchasing anything, the traffic to your site means an increase in ranking in search engines.

Content

Remember, use videos as your voice to the online community. You don't need a complicated idea or expensive production to make a compelling video. A simple "how-to" of the products you're selling will be useful to your customers. Customers enjoy watching simple and creative videos of products they have recently bought and its many uses - take advantage of that.

The process of making a video may seem like a daunting task, but research has shown that it is an effective medium in reaching your audience. Use the above tips and get started on filming your online video now!

The Top Four Emerging Social Media Trends

We’re finally in a world where we feel that most businesses understand what kind of an impact social media can have on their bottom lines. That being said, even though social media has become an increasing priority, businesses are still taking their sweet time wading into the waters of social marketing. Much of that sense of caution comes from the constant changes in the industry. Keeping up, never mind staying ahead of the proverbial curve is more challenging than ever. Making sure you’re kept abreast of what’s coming next isn’t just something that’s ‘nice to do,’ it’s becoming essential.

This week’s post takes a look at some of the emerging trends in social media and what we feel will be significant conversation pieces in the coming months.

Tweet Up, Facebook down

Don’t misunderstand us – Facebook is still king of the hill until further notice. They have 1.18 billion users, 58% of which are active daily. Facebook certainly won’t be going away anytime soon. That being said, they have hit a bit of a plateau and are even beginning to experience a slow decline among users from the younger 13-17 age demographic.

Twitter on the other hand? They’re going public and with it – they’re increasingly being thrust into the spotlight. Additionally, Twitter’s gaining users – especially in the key demographics that Facebook is losing them. Why? According to Pew Researchers – it’s because there’s A.) less drama on Twitter; and B.) It’s easier to fly under parents’ radars. In addition, industries are beginning to flock to Twitter in droves, consolidating its place as a strong customer service platform.

Marketing and Snapchat. Two great tastes that taste great together.

If you’re not familiar with Snapchat, it’s essentially a program that allows users to send out messages called ‘snaps’ out to a broad populace that self destruct after a set period of time. Just last April, 5 million active users were uploading over 150 million photos a day! People like the fact that the photos are deleted from the server and as such – Snapchat has moved into a nice niche for folks who aren’t as trusting of traditional social media platforms.

In fact, companies are just beginning to experiment with the Snapchat phenomenon, asking customers to share their stories or interact with them while they’re in a particular store, or destination. It’s also greatly helped increase engagement with in-store promotions. While the genesis is still largely crude, it won’t be long before you begin to hear more about Snapchat and it’s taking a seat next to Facebook, Vine, Twitter and YouTube as a significant mover and shaker in the Social Media realm.

Collaborative is mainstream

Last year was certainly the year of the sharing economy – or, if you will – the collaborative economy. Over the course of the past few years, individuals have gained the ability (and power) that comes from bypassing traditional channels to voice concerns or heap praise about a particular brand. Now, we have seen just how powerful that force has become as new technology has made it easier for people to directly deal with other people.

Where is this all headed? We believe that we’re just scratching the surface here and that business models will evolve out of fundamental changes brought about by the sharing economy. Folks won’t wait for brands to answer their needs, but instead address them through other novel approaches. Just in the travel industry alone, we’re seeing more guided tours, transportation choices, home-cooked meals from the locals and well… the incredibly lucrative business of renting out rooms or unique accommodation outside of your traditional hotels/hostels. Fundamentally, these services are brought about as exchanges with peers, rather than a retailer. Expect to see more of that in the future.

Video is scorching

YouTube is experiencing 100 hours of video being uploaded an hour. Vine and Instagram are doing almost half that. More and more companies are embracing these short videos as quick, completely inexpensive and efficient ways to tell their story. If a picture can tell a 1,000 words, videos can tell millions!