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Monthly Archives: May 2013
Why use Social Media Marketing?
Imagine a continual global networking event with hundreds of millions of attendees. This is, in a nutshell, what the world of social media is.
As such, there exists tremendous opportunity to tap into your target market and build connections and nurture relationships with potential customers.
That being said, this world of social media marketing can be a tricky one.
You’ve heard the horror stories of too much personal information being shared and extraordinary time invested with nothing to show for it.
With a little understanding of social media etiquette and some patience, you can significantly increase your exposure to your target market and build a community of qualified leads, prospects, fans and influencers.
The return on investment is certainly worthwhile.
Here are 5 very good reasons you’ll want to use social media marketing.
1. It gets you in front of your target market
The first is that it’s very likely your target market spends hours on social media marketing websites. They’re present and engaged on these sites, and having a presence gives you the opportunity to engage with them.
2. It’s free
Unlike a lot of advertising, you don’t have to spend any money to use the tools.
3. It builds your network
You can build a network of contacts online, beyond the restrictions of the physical.
Whether that’s your geographic location, time zone or the fearsome gatekeeper to your prospect’s direct line, you have the opportunity to connect with people that you otherwise would not be able to.
4. It keeps you in contact
All those business cards you collect in your day to day life can be put to use. Maintain these connections in a manner that’s appropriately light given that you’ve just met, but allows you to stay top of mind as well.
5. It’s like word of mouth referrals-on steroids
Each time you can have someone in your target market engage with your business online, that action spreads out to their network – giving you free publicity and an unofficial endorsement of your business. You get instant, free exposure to hundreds if not thousands.
Beyond the theoretical reasons why, here are 7 statistics to show it works:
Here are 7 statistics that show social media marketing actually works for turning a profit.
1. 85% of Internet users have Facebook accounts; 49% are on Twitter. (HubSpot)
2. B2B businesses experience a 61% success rate in customer acquisition using LinkedIn.(HubSpot)
3. 43% of all online consumers are social media fans or followers. (Harp Social)
4. 80% of people prefer to get coupons, promos, and discounts from brands in social media.(HubSpot)
5. 67% of Twitter users are more likely to buy brands that they follow. (iModerate Research Technologies)
6. 34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter, and 20% have closed deals.(Mindjumpers)
7. 20% of Facebook users have purchased something because of ads or comments they saw there. (Ipsos)
Essentially social media websites provide us with a platform to connect with more people than ever before. In connecting with others, we have the opportunity to build relationships and get others to know like and trust us.
“All things being equal, people will do business with — and refer business to — those people they know, like and trust.” – Bob Burg.
Learn more about Social Media.
Your Turn!
I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.
And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!
Laurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.
Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.
Your Cheat Sheet: 22 Social Media Do’s and Don’ts:
Forgetting the “rules” of social media? No worries, things change so quickly it can be difficult to keep up.
That’s why we’ve created this printable social media cheat sheet – 22 Do’s and Don’ts for success!
12 Social Media DO’s
1. Champion others – share their stories, like and comment on their news feeds and support them in their endeavors. The law of reciprocity means they will return the favor.
2. Give to get – Give helpful, entertaining, funny, inspiring or clever content to your social media audience. The more you can provide value, the better your odds of ensuring your content is shared, thereby growing your network.
3. Use multimedia – Use image or video based content whenever possible.
4. Optimize your accounts – YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook properties all appear in Google Search, Google + does as well, but Twitter does not anymore. If possible, use your keywords in your usernames.
5. ASK. Ask people to share, comment, like, re-tweet, sign up for your newsletter, visit your website or whatever you want them to do.
6. Be interested not interesting: be genuinely engaged with your social media contacts. Check in and see how they are, like their statuses, wish them happy birthday, ask their opinion.
7. Grow your network: Add all contacts you meet in real life and send them a hello message. Regularly add your email contacts and people you might know to your various social media profiles.
8. Add your social media live feeds, or at the very least, icons to your website or blog.
9. Suggest your Facebook page to friends on a weekly basis and participate in Follow Friday on Twitter
10. Ask your network to promote you
11. Comment on the news and events of the day
12. On Twitter – Use Hashtags to contextualize your conversation and connect with others discussing the same topics
Social Media Don’ts:
1. Don’t create an account and abandon it – set aside 10 minutes a day to check in and post something
2. Don’t be offensive or post in bad taste – you can be opinionated without being rude
3. Don’t talk only about yourself – self-centred people are as off putting online as they are off.
4. Don’t fail to acknowledge when people interact with you – it’s just rude
5. Don’t Sell, Sell, Sell! – no one likes a pushy sales person
6. Don’t make Spelling Mistakes: Use spellcheck!
7. Don’t expend a bunch of energy without a strategic plan
8. Don’t assign your social media marketing in its entirety to an intern – they can help you, but make sure their work is on point and you’re coaching them. Remember they are representing you online.
9. Don’t get too familiar – you can be cordially social without providing too much information
10. Don’t get into contentious or political conversations unless they’re part of your brand and you’re prepared for the fact not everyone is going to agree with you
Follow these 22 simple tips and you’ll have a failsafe methodology for engaging with your customers, clients and prospects on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google + and more.
Behind these points is the guiding principle of being genuinely likeable and providing value to your audience.
By being interested in others and consistently applying these tips, you’ll be well on your way to social media mastery
Learn more about Social Media.
Your Turn!
I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.
And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!
Laurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.
Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.
7 Principles for Social Media Success
It’s 2013, and do you know where your target market is?
Social media provides vast opportunities for connecting with your target market.
However, the fast pace and info overload can make it challenging to carve out a distinct methodology for success.
It’s hard to cut through the social media noise overload and get down to marketing basics. If you’re looking to do that, here are some very clear principles for using social media tools to engage and grow relationships:
1. Thou shalt obey the 80/20 rule. Make 80% of your posts about your audience, promote   them, educate them, entertain them, poll them etc. When you have done so effectively, they will embrace the shameless self-promotion you’re doing the other 20% of the time.
2. Thou shalt be strategic: Using the info below, or one similar, find out which social media network your target market is present and engaged in.
a. Twitter is used by urban youth
b. Google + is used by college kids and software developers (and smart business owners like you that want to be found online)
c. Facebook is used by everyone – except elitists
d. LinkedIn is like Facebook, but for business. Essential for Business 2 Business companies.
e. Pinterest is where 30 something women spend an obscene amount of time
3. Thou shalt plan thy content.
a. Use a healthy mixture of styles, mediums and sources.
b. Keep in mind your target`s concerns, hobbies, lifestyle
c. Curate a community of like-minded businesses and people to share content from.
d. Share your social media network`s content, status updates etc.
e. Measure your results and tweak accordingly
4. Thou shall be authentic: Let your freak flag fly – Drew Barrymore said it. It’s your wild hair, or love of horses or biting sarcasm. Something about you and your business is distinctive, and believe it or not, is your competitive advantage. What is authentic is audacious and memorable and therefore captures social media market share.
5. Thou shalt encourage dialogue:Â Ask questions, solicit advice, conduct polls, and offer prizes for best feedback. Cater to the masses and benefit from ad hoc focus groups and market research. Everyone likes being asked as long as they feel heard.
6. Thou shalt reward engagement:Â Say thank you, offer prizes, feature a fan or follower, feature their business, offer fan or friend only pricing. Make your social media audience feel loved and they will return the favor.
7. Thou shalt be timely: Respond within 24 hours, post semi regularly. Don’t abandon your accounts and return months later. Once a week is minimum, 24 hours is preferable. 3 times a day is optimal. Social media is a 24 hour worldwide conference and every ones is invited. Don’t show up a week late talking about last year’s news.
Follow these 7 principles to engaging with people on social media and you will go far and do great things.
You don’t have to be perfect at it to start, you will learn as you grow. Follow and friend those you admire and watch what they do. And remember, social media is just a platform to connect with people.
As with real life, simply position yourself to be liked and trusted. Be intelligent, good looking and flattering. Help people. Provide value. With a little patience you’ll see your social media efforts will start to pay off.
Learn more about Social Media.
Your Turn!
I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.
And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!
Laurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.
Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.
