6 New Social Articles on Business 2 Community

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• Choosing the Right Keywords
• The Quiet Person’s Guide to Getting People Talking Online
• Google+ Hangouts Allows Free Live Streaming with Followers. Is it Worth It?
• How Blog Marketing Helps Professional Service Firms
• Social Media Strategy: The Facebook Killers
• Wisemarkit: A Mix of Brand New and Second-Hand Shopping Ideas

Choosing the Right Keywords Posted: 12 Aug 2012 01:05 PM PDT When creating custom content for your medical marketing blog, there are a few key things to remember. Of course you need quality custom content, but you also need to make sure that your content is written in the proper format, allowing you to gain maximum SEO for each post. One of the most effective ways to increase your organic search ranking on sites like Google and Bing are to use the most relevant, popular keywords and phrases in your industry. How do you know what those keywords are?  Easy: look it up. Google offers a great tool called the Google AdWords Keyword Tool (clever, we know) that allows you to check the popularity of keywords and phrases with the click of a few buttons. It's as easy as typing in your keyword or phrase, setting the search parameters and comparing statistics. In the photo above you'll see that we searched for the phrase "ear nose throat" for a client of ours. Globally this produced about 3,350,000 results. Great, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is the local number of 550,000 searches – still a very high number. However, when you look below you'll see that the far more popular phrase is "ent" with 2,240,000 local searches. Which one do you think we'll want to use more in our next piece of content for the otolaryngology group we market for? By knowing which keywords are trending and tailoring your content to them, you increase the likelihood of your post or update being picked up by Google and deemed more relevant to those who are searching in your area, thereby (potentially) displaying your website higher in results. Now, just because you know what's working doesn't mean you have to spam your content with your keyword or phrase every sentence. In fact, if you overuse the phrases you'll be flagged for spam.

The Quiet Person’s Guide to Getting People Talking Online Posted: 12 Aug 2012 12:40 PM PDT Much to my chagrin, behavioral experts would consider me an introvert. For a PR professional, it's almost a death knell. For a creative type, however, it can be a blessing. And for someone who dabbles in the digital space, it could be a perfect match. Lucky for me, I'm all of the above. Let's get something straight: An introvert isn't necessarily a shrinking violet. Technically, an introvert is someone who finds crowds draining and who is energized by solitude. Research has revealed that introverts not only are highly creative, they also can be extremely effective leaders. What do Albert Einstein, Warren Buffet, Charles Darwin, Mahatma Gandhi, Al Gore, Sir Isaac Newton and Rosa Parks have in common? You guessed it. They're all introverts. So what's all this got to do with social media? With a little creativity and a lot of savvy, introverts can use social media to their advantage as a public relations tool. (Don't worry, we won't get into the discussion about who should "own" a company's social media outlets — PR? E-commerce? IT? That's a topic for another day.) Here's how introverts can maximize their social media moxie in terms of PR: Learn from being a lurker. If you observe more than participate on social networks, that's OK … to a point. Take the time to understand the various players — customers, media, competitors — then use that knowledge to best position your product or service. Make the most of online relationships. Introverts, as a rule, are more comfortable with one-on-one communications. That's the beauty of social media. While you have access to many audiences at once, you can focus on one conversation at a time. There's a reason it's called public relations. You're a good listener. Prove it. Compared to their extrovert counterparts, introverts are said to be exceptional listeners. Listen to what your customers are saying about your company — both good and bad. Listen to what people are saying about your competitors — both good and bad. Go beyond just listening to your constituents. Let them know you truly hear them. Devote some face time to Facebook. I'm not asking my fellow introverts to share your personal lives with thousands of your BFFs. Instead, make sure your business has a separate Facebook account/page, and use it to interact with current and prospective customers. You'll be surprised at the honest feedback you'll get. You're a person of few words? No problem. Twitter's the social network for you. You've got 140 characters to state your case, so make them count. Twitter is ideal for customer relations and crisis communications. You can deal with crises in real time — and even avert crises with timely, up-front tweets about the situation at hand. You're a person of even fewer words? Pinterest is for you. Take a few pointers from Kotex Israel, which launched a successful PR campaign on Pinterest. Here's a snapshot (pun intended) of the campaign: Kotex targeted 50 inspiring women on Pinterest, then created personalized gift boxes for each, based on their boards. To receive the gift boxes, the women had to repin the Kotex invitation. The key takeaway here is that Kotex, with help from the Smoyz agency, took the time to get to know its target audience. PR professionals can do the same, whether it's the media or consumers. So don't use your introverted nature as an excuse to shy away from social media as a PR vehicle. In fact, social media is tailor-made for us introvert types. Gone are those awkward silences we so dread in face-to-face communication. See you online. My blog post originally was published by SmartBlog on Social Media.

Google+ Hangouts Allows Free Live Streaming with Followers. Is it Worth It? Posted: 12 Aug 2012 12:20 PM PDT Google+ made a big splash this week when it was announced Wednesday that the service is teaming up with the NFL to bring its Hangout video chats to the league's fantasy football program allowing members to hold video chats with each other from their fantasy team homepage and trash talk to the tune of a webcam. If you haven't heard of them, Google+ Hangouts allow you to essentially have a free face-to-face chat wherever you are for up to 12 people. Alternatively, you can use the Hangouts On Air feature to broadcast your Hangout publicly on your Google+ profile. These broadcasts are then automatically saved to YouTube and available for you to share wherever you see fit. Obviously, this opens technology up some potentially great interactions for physicians, but are they worth the trouble? Are Hangouts on Google+ Worth It? The honest answer right now is, we're not sure. Google+ is still gaining momentum and recruiting already weary followers may be difficult for small to medium-sized practices, especially if you're focusing a bulk of your social media efforts on another service, such as Facebook for instance. That said, there's nothing that says you can't cross promote and tell your Facebook fans about a scheduled Hangout on Air your planning. Promoting the Hangout on Facebook and in your office could make for a good turnout. And, like we said earlier, it's automatically saved to YouTube for future sharing for those folks that couldn't make it. How to Create a Hangout By now you're probably thinking, "Why would I do that? It sounds like so much work!" Well, it's not, so quit complaining. Starting a Hangout is as easy as signing into your Google+ and clicking the "Start a Hangout" button on the right side of your screen, pictured below. From there you'll be asked to install the Hangout Plugin on your computer. After Google has verified your operating software is up for the task, you can join your hangout and invite others to join you. That's it. If you want to start a Hangout On Air, it's the same process, but you'll have to check the "Enable Hangouts On Air" box before starting your Hangout. That's it. Then you can start streaming away. Note: you will have to have a webcam and microphone on your computer OR a video camera handy. We felt like that was obvious to say, but you never know. Potential Uses for Hangouts for Physician Offices So now that you know how to make one, why would you actually create a Google+ Hangout? There are dozens of uses for physician offices, but here are few we thought would make perfect fits: Weekly Patient Chats – Answer a common question you hear from patients each week. Obviously you'd exclude personal information to make sure everything is HIPAA compliant, but this gives you an opportunity to reach out to patients, position yourself as an expert and show your personality. Plus, if you were able to advertise within your office, your Facebook page and on Google+, you could potentially build a pretty loyal following that tunes in every week. And you'll wind up with a ton of content for your website relatively quickly. Office Tours – Give patients a sense of what it's like to walk through your office so they can get used to the surroundings and what to expect when they first walk in. Again, even if only a handful of folks are watching, the recording is saved and you can share it later to get continued use out of it. Presentations – If you're speaking at a conference or meeting, start a Hangout and record it (this is in addition to hosting the meeting via Google+ Hangouts, which is always a possibility in and of itself). Then, if people tune in they can follow along with what they missed out on in person. Or if they couldn't make the meeting, you can just share the footage with them later. So there you have it. There are plenty of uses for your medical practice to start using Google+ Hangouts and Hangouts On Air to help grow your practice for free. Now, don't you have an NFL Fantasy Team to draft?

How Blog Marketing Helps Professional Service Firms Posted: 12 Aug 2012 11:30 AM PDT A recent posting at Lexus-Nexus touts the effectiveness of blogs for generating new clients for small and solo legal practices. While the number of firms using blogs is still small, it is growing, according to the most recent American Bar Association Legal Technology Survey. The survey’s authors conclude blogging is an immediate opportunity for firms, especially those that practice in highly specialized disciplines of law. We couldn’t agree more, though we would suggest that business blog marketing is good for more than law firms. We see it as a great opportunity for any professional services firm – from accountants to insurance specialists to financial services – to attract relevant prospects and capture new business leads. What the most recent American Bar Association Legal Technology Survey found was that 12.2 of small practices (2-9 attorneys) were regularly writing a blog, up more than two percent from the year before. While that number is still small, the survey also found that 50 percent of those small and solo legal practices had secured new clients as a direct result of their blog marketing. We are not necessarily surprised at their success. Recent research by our partner HubSpot shows that 57 percent of businesses with a blog report they have acquired new customers through the blog. For professional services firms, the numbers are higher than 60 percent, according to the most recent State of Inbound Marketing report Blogs are particularly effective for professional services firms for several reasons: Educational Value People – otherwise known as prospects and potential customers – use the Internet as the starting point for research to solve their business needs or problems. A blog is great vehicle to provide top-of-the-funnel information that addresses those needs for prospects. Do it well enough, and you will find them coming back for a deeper look. Convenience Once a blog is written, it’s always there and your prospects can find it when they are researching, not just when you happen to be in the office. It’s an initial meeting without you having to take the time to have the initial meeting. SEO Value By regularly writing blog posts, you are producing new content for your website. Each post adds a new indexed page to your website, which the search engines use to determine your page rank. New content also keeps the search engine crawlers returning to your site, another boost to your rank in search results. When fully optimized, your blog post is a magnet not only for the search engines, but for relevant prospects as well. Establish Expertise As you regularly post educational material to your blog, you will build trust with your followers and expertise in your field. As your reputation grows, followers and prospects will turn directly to you for the information they need. A blog is a must marketing tool for any professional services firm. If you have already started one, great, you are ahead of the game. Make sure that you are consistently writing new posts that provide your followers with quality content that can also attract relevant prospects. If you need some help getting started, or are looking for some new ideas for your blog, check out our tip sheet 13 Ways to Keep Your Blog Stocked With Great Content.

Social Media Strategy: The Facebook Killers Posted: 12 Aug 2012 05:05 AM PDT With over 900 million users and it's own place in the modern lexicon, Facebook is a social behemoth. It's the first thing businesses think about when they make a social media marketing strategy. It's the first thing some people think about when they wake up in the morning. But for all its power and influence, Facebook has its critics. A large proportion of Facebook users don't actually like Facebook. A recent study found that 39% of Facebook users are dissatisfied with the service. These figures, and various other negative media stories about Facebook have lead to some claims that the social network is in decline. For marketers, who focus so much of their social media marketing strategy on Facebook, the decline of Facebook would be disastrous. There are two main issues Facebook users have with the service, privacy and advertising. Users want more of the former and less of the latter. These feelings have fed into more engagement-focused social media marketing strategies. More than that though it's fed into the business and marketing strategies behind a number of new social networks, who have set themselves up as Facebook Killers. Unthink.com: The 'Anti-Facebook' Chief among these upstarts was Unthink.com. They built their marketing strategy on criticism of Facebook. Unthink promoted itself as the anti-Facebook. They talked about users of other social networks feeling like property, constantly interrupted by ads with no control over their own privacy. On Unthink, you were going to be an owner, not a user. With the only ads on your page coming from your direct choices and improved privacy options, you were in total control. The site launched in October 2011 and shot to 100000 users in its first week. At the time they started to build a lot of media interest. Their marketing strategyin particular drew a lot of hype, with their constant references to Facebook and their tagline, 'It's FU time.' But fast-forward 10 months and all that enthusiasm hasn't just faded, it's literally disappeared. Unthink.com no longer exists and there's no information coming from the company to explain why. The only conclusion we can draw is that it's been wound up. The Facebook killer's been killed. The failure can be explained using one of Facebook's favorite words, friends. People are on Facebook because their friends are there too and until another social network can draw enough 'friends' away from Facebook it will always be the king of the social networks and the first word on many marketing strategies. App.net: A Social Network with a Price But that won't stop people from trying. In the same week that Unthink became an afterthought, another social rebel is beginning its own David v Facebook story. App.net is another new social network with a marketing strategy built around taking down Facebook. And it is social media marketing strategy that is its main target. App.net have vowed never to use advertising on their site, instead they will attempt to build a paid social media service. The idea, according to CEO Dalton Caldwell, is to focus on users as 'customers'. They say that other sites, with a clear nod to Facebook, focus on their advertisers as customers rather than their users. So a paid service will allow them to give their users and developers the best service. It's a bold strategy, taking one of the key selling points of social media, free Internet space for everyone, and turning it into a negative. The project is only in funding stage at this point and it has already started it's own anti-Facebook marketing strategy. Although it's open letter to Mark Zuckerberg is a bit more grown up than Unthink's 'FU time' campaign. Time will tell on whether or not App.com will succeed where Unthink and so many others have failed. For now, social media marketing strategies are dealing with Facebook user's desire for less advertising in another way, by pushing engagement. Eventually there will be a site that 'kills' Facebook, but at the moment it's still the first thing on the minds of users and marketers alike. Before news becomes news it’s being talked about on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc. It’s from monitoring these chats that gives you the edge on your competitors and the positive influence that you have on the public. Download our white paper “10 reasons to monitor social media” and get that competitive edge. Click here to download.

Wisemarkit: A Mix of Brand New and Second-Hand Shopping Ideas Posted: 12 Aug 2012 04:00 AM PDT Online retail is not a new concept. In fact online shopping, in one form or another, has been around nearly as long as the Internet itself.  It's been around so long it's become old hat, not boring, just really familiar. People have their own rhythms when they buy online. Some go straight to big retailers' websites, some have active Amazon or eBay accounts, and some people just Google and buy from wherever comes up first. It's hard to get excited about online retail anymore, because the experience is pretty similar wherever you go. Even for online retailers, they have a choice of locations where they can create their own online retail space; which are all pretty much the same. They vary by commission and user base, but most online retailers will tell you that the experience on most ecommerce sites is pretty uniform. Online Shopping's Getting Prettier and More Social Until this year, where we've seen a few websites trying to break the mold and create unique, interesting and new retail experiences. Etsy, in particular, has stood out, with its craft leanings and beautiful Pinterest inspired design. More recently, we've spoken about Wajam. A site that displays your friends' recommendations and reviews of products, while you shop. Social integration has been a buzzword for a while now and it's clearly becoming more relevant in ecommerce. Now, we have a new contender in Wisemarkit. This new site combines the things that make Etsy and Wajam interesting and adds some gamification and design features for good measure. What makes it really unique though, is the fact that you don't have to own items to have them in your Wisemarkit store. If you run a store on Wisemarkit you're a curator, not a seller. You choose the items and brands you want to sell from Amazon and ShopSense to create your own online boutique. You can promote your store through your own social channels and make a commission from any sales you get. The idea is to focus on the social and personal aspects of brand identity. You create a store that suits your personality and invite your friends, followers and the general public to like the things that you like. It's a unique concept that opens up the online retail world to people who might never have gotten involved in online selling. Wisemarkit Makes You a Store Curator, Not a Seller Once you start, Wisemarkit incentivizes success in more ways than just commission. You start out with 10 'Wisemarks', items you choose to feature in your store. The more successful you are, the more floors you can add to your store and the more Wisemarks you can have. Which brings us to the interface for shoppers. Wisemarkit's visual style combines elements of Pinterest and Etsy with a fairly old-school online shopping idea. Remember those old tomorrow's world episodes that envisaged shopping online in virtual reality, walking around a digital store picking up online representations of real products? That's where you start on Wisemarkit. It's not virtual reality, but you start your shopping experience on a street that you can scroll, as opposed to stroll, along. Each featured store has it's own shop front complete with products in the window. When you enter the store, you are presented with the featured products in a Pinterest/Etsy like display. You also have the option to scroll down to the 'stockroom, where the rest of the store's products are available. If you prefer, you can just browse Etsy-style through all of the available products. If you decide to make a purchase, you will be redirected to the actual product on Amazon and complete the transaction there as normal, so completing your purchases takes no getting used to at all. The success or failure of these new socially integrated shopping experiences will depend on speed of uptake. So there are no guarantees. But Wisemarkit's looks and unique financial system definitely stand out. It's just a great mix of ideas, a socially integrated, modern-looking and unique premise built on a really traditional shopping experience.

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