9 New Social Articles on Business 2 Community |
- Why Your Experts Need to Blog
- 7 Sure Signs You’re Due for Negative SEO
- Search Engine Optimization Tips for Google Places, Yelp and Other Popular Location Pages
- Boost Your Blog Traffic By Submitting To These 12 Directories
- Goibibo Offers VIP Service For Its Customers
- Social Media Ethics – Have You Thought About It?
- The Social Media Contest Playbook
- It’s Your Blog – Own it. Beyond The Usual Rules For Blogging Success
- Seven Strategies to Stay Ahead of Overwhelming Social Media Change
| Posted: 25 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PST The power to have a conversation with your customers need not be used only for damage control. Blogs have many advantages other than the most commonly advertised 'promotion and lead generation' objective. Among these, image and brand management along with customer engagement ranks at the top for B2C organizations. Different organizations have adopted different models and management styles to organize their blogs. Some use them for product promotion, while others use them to provide their employees an avenue to express themselves and go beyond their "roles and responsibilities". Some of these blogs are private – locked for internal viewers, while others are public, and any employee can post without any editorial (and I don't mean proofreading) oversight. Of course, there are strict guidelines for what these employees can publish . . . or not. But that is not the only reason you should ask your employees to blog. Let us now look at some of the reasons you should encourage your experienced employees to be active bloggers and how their participation can help customers, other employees, and themselves. Employee Motivation
If there is any one thing that connects everyone using social media today, it is the desire for public recognition. Leaders want it, actors need it, sportspersons love it – why should your star performers be any different? Compensation, benefits, and the core job duties are still the most important factors that can help you retain talent. But not all your employees fall in this category. Maslow taught us that people usually move from basic needs to a higher plane as they age and gain experience. However, the hierarchy of needs did not talk about the time it takes people to move from one need to the next. Organizations need to recognize and place each employee in the right category to motivate and retain talent. This survey from Deloitte claims that employees rate intangible elements such as candid communication (50%), employee recognition (49%), and access to management and leadership (47%) as more important. Encouraging your experts to interact with your customers and within the organization shows that you genuinely recognize the efforts of the employee and have no hesitation in certifying them as a valuable resource. Knowledge ManagementCapturing tacit knowledge of employees is a long-standing challenge for any organization. The short transition time between the old and new employee is not always enough to get the new employee up-to-speed. Other than the one-to-one handover, it is always desirable to have a workforce that is agile and can take on different responsibilities at a short notice. Breanna Banford, at Xerox Corporation discusses how internal blogs at Xerox help increase collaboration and discuss innovative ideas. Gary Klein in his keynote address highlighted the importance and the challenge of capturing experts' tacit knowledge. According to him, storytelling is one of the most effective strategies organizations can adopt to capture this information. Although, employee skills can be maintained through periodic training, each expert blogger brings a different perspective to every situation. The conversational tone of blogs and the freedom to write long posts can help experts talk at length, which is difficult to capture in presentations. Influence other employeesIn our dynamic habitat where multiple forces act and prod us, everyone gets influenced and at time influences others. Every mother instructs her child to avoid 'bad company' and stay on the right path. Most of us are influenced by movies and television stars – and I increasingly see people buying stuff because their favorite actors uses it or endorses it. My point – it is important that new additions to your organization are influenced by the experts. The more they come in contact with a happy, motivated employee, the more likely they are to stay and be motivated. A senior employee openly sharing knowledge also indicates a healthy work environment and encourages new employees to do the same. Judy Gombita outlines similar core benefits encouraging experts and seasoned employees – she calls them opinion leaders – can bring to the organization. Internal blogging, Insourcing, Internal Crowd Sourcing – call it what you want, the benefits the company can accrue by encouraging its employees to blog are manifold. How do you leverage this new tool to help your employees help you? We would love to discuss your specific needs and provide solutions to harness the power of blogging for your business. |
| 7 Sure Signs You’re Due for Negative SEO Posted: 25 Nov 2012 12:00 PM PST Does Google Love You?
1. You’re Have No Clue What’s in Your Back Link ProfileDo you have any idea who’s granted links to your blog? No? Well, that’s a problem. Negative SEO to your site from competitors is rare, but it’s been known to happen. Some business hire black hats to deliberately build links that could make you look like a spammer. Search Engine Journal recommends you watch out for the following:
2. You’re Really RepetitiveAre you using the same keyword repeatedly in your content? We’re not talking about including a natural long tail keyword in your title, meta description and alt text – that’s just good SEO practices for bloggers. We’re talking about using the keyword ad naseum in the copy, a practice known as keyword stuffing or over-optimization. Matt Cutts has never told business bloggers what density they should strive for in the world of the modern search engine, but it’s not very high. If your content sounds a little awkward, you’ve exceeded the limit. Break out your thesaurus and make it your new BFF for writing with varied language. 3. You PlagiarizeAre you stealing content from other websites, or “syndicating” without permission? We’re not talking about curating content on social media or featuring quotations, videos and infographics will full credit given. That’s just good content marketing strategy. If you’ve failed to cite your sources for entire pieces of content or haven’t generated anything fresh in months, there’s a good chance your website isn’t viewed as good quality. 4. Your Website is Maze-LikeIs your website filled with broken links? Do you remove or move pages constantly without using 301 redirects ? Google is going to start thinking something is a little fishy if you’re still publishing content on a site filled with broken links that lead to a “page not found.” 5. You Bought Back LinksNot every link back to your website is a good thing. If you’ve only ever gained inbound links through honest practices like sharing fresh data, writing high-quality information and networking with other bloggers, you’re almost certainly okay. Was guest blogging a significant part of your strategy? You’re probably okay – the guest blogging industry isn’t entirely innocent but it’s generally a wise SEO tool. If you ever paid money for links from low-quality website, it’s time to break out Google’s Disavow tool. 6. You’re Using MicrositesIf you’re reading this blog, you’re probably innocent of this tactic. Owning a large number of “microsites,” websites that are never updated and comprised of just one page, is a major red flag in the eyes on major search engines. If your entire website hasn’t been updated since 2008, but it’s packed with ads, that’s definitely a terrible sign. The great SEO associated with publishing often is just another reason you can’t put off business blogging much longer! 7. You’re Wearing a BlackhatThe main reason websites are hit with negative SEO is that the owners and administrators have been employing dishonest and shady practices, known as black hat SEO. We’ll review a few of the most-common practices that are almost sure to get you dinged:
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| Search Engine Optimization Tips for Google Places, Yelp and Other Popular Location Pages Posted: 25 Nov 2012 10:30 AM PST
Using Location Directory PagesGoogle Places, Yelp, and Foursquare are some of the most popular location search services on PC and smartphones for businesses. They are all free to set up and can offer several additional tools beyond simple directory submission. I'll also point you towards some other directory sites that could help your business, but these social media sites are some of the most important to get set up, and the additional tools they provide are well worth looking into. One of the most crucial parts of ensuring your search results will rank now is making sure that your Google Places info is set up and optimized for search. Google Places and Google+ Pages offer great SEO benefits on the most popular search engine. First you will want to make sure that all of your information is correct on your Google Places page. Then you need to verify your location in order to show up on Google's search engine results page. The quickest way to verify is via SMS, which only takes a couple minutes. Here is a helpful article with some great tips on optimizing your page specifically for Google Pages. Customer ReviewsCustomer Reviews are also a big part of how your business will appear in search results. Some companies have been known to pay writers to generate positive reviews, but many of these websites do try to clear false reviews when they can catch them. This factor may seem a bit outside of your control, but really this is where a little bit of customer service can go a long way. By responding and attempting to rectify a negative reviewer's problem, other users will see this attention to detail, and that reviewer may even go back to adjust his or her review. Here are some great ideas to generate more quality reviews on Yelp. Good reviews can make a big difference, as a well reviewed establishment is likely to pull many more new customers, so it can be well worth putting some energy into establishing your brand and presence on yelp. Running promotions to encourage more reviewsMany location sites and apps such as Yelp and Foursquare offer businesses opportunities to promote specials for the online community. This is a great way to engage these communities and generate more reviews and likes for your page. Whether it's just a like or a full review, a good special can really help get people talking about and sharing your business online. Address CitationsAnother important factor for boosting your search results are the citations for your address and phone number. You need to make sure that your address and number appear the exact same way anywhere they appear on the web. In this case, your address is your citation, and the more it appears around the web, the higher your pages will rank in search results. If alternate versions of your address appear, I would recommend doing whatever you can to fix them. You can use it as your signature in community forums and social media sites as well as submit it to other local directories, to boost your citations and results. If you are not sure which version of your address to use, you should use the exact version that the Post Office would use. You also want to make sure to use a local phone number, as this will rank much more highly within location services than an 800 number or non-regional number like you might be assigned on Google Voice or Skype. KeywordsYou will want to identify what keywords people search for to find the type of business you operate. You should incorporate these keywords into your pages and your images as often as possible (within reason, spamming keywords can result in diminished search results). Here is a helpful free keyword finder from Wordstream, where you can enter a basic keyword related to your business to find several niche related keywords people might be searching for. Also keep in mind that keywords that appear in your title, URL, and within the first 1,000 characters of your page weigh more heavily on the ranking systems than those found near the bottom. ImagesImages are another important step for your location pages. Pictures should be formatted so that they will appear appropriately in a search results page, and since the first uploaded image is the first to appear with your page, I'd recommend using a clearly recognizable logo. Images should be formatted to 290×290 pixels and carry a .jpeg or .png extension. Other useful images to include are a picture of your establishment from the outside, so that visitors can easily recognize it when they arrive, and maybe some images to display your products or portray the services you offer. This article offers a lot of helpful advice on optimizing your images for the web. Additional websites that can improve search engine resultsThese are some other pages that Google incorporates into its ranking system, so if they apply to your business I would recommend setting up pages and trying to garner some reviews on these sites: -AVVO Not only will these help to boost your search results and give you more places for additional address citations, but it's a good idea to get linked into these communities so that you can be accessible in regional searches on that many more websites. Increasing your visibility increases your clientsIt's simple really, the more people see and hear about your establishment, the more people know about the services you offer when they need them. Since most people only search for a place when they are looking to use their services, having your search results rank highly can make a big difference in your customer base. It's free to list and post with a majority of these sites, so it's well worth a little bit of your time to make sure you have your information and SEO content in place. I hope these tips and resources can help you on your way! Make sure to check back here at the CEM blog for more tips on SEO and advice for your social media marketing. |
| Boost Your Blog Traffic By Submitting To These 12 Directories Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:35 AM PST Content Marketing Promotion
There are an estimated 42 billion blogs in the world – even the best content can use some help getting noticed. Some blog directories require a membership fee or reciprocal link on your website. We’ve done our best to filter out the communities who require much more than URL submission, so you can focus on creating quality content: 1. TechnoratiOne of the world's leading blog search engines and directories, Technorati indexes over a million blogs. The site includes insight on the top news stories, opinion pieces and multi-media content in the fields of entertainment, sports, politics, business and technology. The site is also a powerful tool for connecting with other bloggers with digital influence. Getting started is simple – learn more here. 2. BlogaramaDescribed as the "world's largest blog directory," creating a listing here is fast, free and easy. You don't need membership to browse their current listings of "cool" or "most popular" sites. Create an account and get started here. 3. BloggernityTens of thousands of bloggers are members of Bloggernity, with new sites added all the time. Besides, they call themselves "one of the most exciting bloggers hangouts" on the internet. Is it true? See for yourself! 4. BlogadrA much-smaller blog directory, search existing content categorized on Blogadr by category or country. The site also offers low-cost advertising options if you're looking for more than just a back link. Submit here. 5. OnTop ListDescribed as an "online marketing platform," this site offers more services than just free directory submission. Members of the community can additionally submit original content, add their RSS feed and create custom lists. Choose your own adventure here. 6. FeedmapA great option for geo-targeted marketers or local businesses, Feedmap is centered around connecting readers with blogs and news in their area. Over 300,000 blogs are currently listed. Browse, submit a link or start searching by your zip code. 7. StumbleUponA social bookmarking tool for each blog post you publish, StumbleUpon can drive tons of traffic. Create an account here. 8. DiggAnother bookmarking tool that requires members to submit each published piece of content for consideration, if you're lucky enough to get to the front page of Digg, you're virtually ensured a flood of new visitors, leads and life-long fans. More here 9. dMozAn "open directory project" and human-edited directory of websites and blogs, over 5 million sites are current members of dMoz. Submit your URL or search by categories and location. Start here. 10. Globe of BlogsA smaller community with a healthy membership of personal bloggers, Globe of Blogs currently has listings for over 50,000 sites. Keep in mind there are a few rules for membership, including that you have an active blog, have posted in the past few months and have more than one post in total. Jump in here. 11. 9RulesA directory limited exclusively to "quality content," 9Rules is a strong option if you've got some writing chops and you're looking to get noticed. Unfortunately, the directory is currently closed to submissions while the editorial staff work through a backlog of submitted sites. We recommend bookmarking the site and checking back periodically. 12. ChimeA networking site that's still in Beta mode, Chime is an interest-based social media network . Submit links to your high-performing blog content, meet other bloggers and content curators and start networking. Humor, social media, politics and photography are included among the most-popular categories on the site. Where have you successfully submitted your business blog?
image courtesy of Business Search |
| Goibibo Offers VIP Service For Its Customers Posted: 25 Nov 2012 08:00 AM PST We've always read that customer is king but the fact is that we rarely find it to be true. However, Goibibo.com one of the leading online travel sites in India, is trying to prove us wrong with its ongoing campaign – Goibibo VIP Service Campaign. Founded in 2009, the company which boasts to be the fastest online travel website in India launched the campaign in the month of Sept, 2012 which is on till the end of November, 2012. According to the campaign, travelers who book on the portal enjoy a personalized treatment on their arrival along with a free ride to their destination. So in other words, once you're out of the airport you don't need to queue or rush for a taxi. Goibibo will have special staff waiting for you with play cards in hand who would greet you with a smile, do a few clicks with you and then you are escorted to your special chauffeur driven ride to your destination. Now isn't that a cool way of being received at the airport and making the rest of your journey smooth? The social angleWith the ongoing offline campaign, the brand made sure it created the right buzz on social media too. The Facebook page that has more than 479K fans, is being regularly updated about the fun the customers are having. The Facebook albums are filled with a plethora of images from different destinations such as Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, etc. along with the smiling faces of the customers.
But surprisingly the brand that has a Pinterest account, has not pinned these lovely images on the network. May be the brand would think of doing it at a later stage. However, there is no app for booking this service and you need to visit the website for availing the ongoing VIP service. Additionally, I would also recommend giving a look at the T&C. Ending thoughtsTravel is itself social and has a wide scope to be more social for travel companies. The campaign being run by Goibibo is a fun way of telling that we care and bringing it on Facebook also gives that extra mileage to the entire campaign. I find this entire campaign really cool and I am sure that customers are loving it too. Will this bring in more bookings? May be. Social media starts with your customers or community and not from Facebook or Twitter. |
| Social Media Ethics – Have You Thought About It? Posted: 25 Nov 2012 07:30 AM PST  Social Media Ethics Interesting conversation I was having the other day in a social network. As an SEO provider for a small to medium size agency it's important to get some things right. Ethics, trustworthiness and transparency are very important if you want to stay in business. Take a look at the competition out there. What I've done at the end of the day is boil things down to the human element. In order to matter, to make change, and to be heard you have to walk the walk. In order to have your readers, followers, fans, become your clients, they have to know you, trust you, and then maybe they'll order from you. Where else can I get inspiration from something I struggle with daily? How about social…I cannot imagine any other business, big or small, not running into this situation. Basically, when does one cross the line when it comes to representing your clients, while using yourself as the brand ambassador? Most of you may or may not know I come from "old" school marketing or some may call it a different school of thought. Whatever you want to call it things haven't changed that drastically; we're still expected to be professional, creative and above all, ethical. Favors are done daily in our lives, but when it comes to clients we wonder how much is too much? Some may do favors for client retention. Is that crossing the line, I wonder? Well I can assure you if anyone tells you they haven't gone overboard for a client in the past they're lying to you. We've all done it. Back in the day, when I worked for an ad agency, we may have taken the client out to lunch, golfing, and sometimes on a weekend getaway, albeit I was never the one on that end of the deal. The CEO or VP of marketing enjoyed that perk. But for as long as I can remember, businesses have partaken in the active participation of what we today call ambassadors, fans, or God forbid (add sarcasm) happy clients. You see, when you position your company as an outsource for large agencies, you usually sign NDA's, therefore it makes it difficult to splash or discuss the latest client, since in reality they aren't our clients directly; they're our clients' clients. At Level343 we have positioned ourselves to take on in house SEO from mid level to small boutique advertising agencies that need SEO consulting and social media integration. This brings me to that conversation I was having… you thought I was going to go into one of my ramblings or rants. Well maybe later in the post, but for now I wanted to share with you my latest insight.
Separating the two – Personal & Business I've asked four high visibility CEO of agencies how they handle their brand when it comes to promoting a client's brand. The premise: You specialize in some form of Internet Marketing that includes Social Media. You take on a client and as part of your contract; you will be promoting the client in some way via social media – the brand, or a product, or a service, etc. The following are questions about a client's brand promotion from both a practical and ethical standpoint. Give them your voice but not your brand #1. Do you use your personal social media accounts to promote the client's brand/product or do you create new accounts specific to this client? If you use your own accounts, do you think there is any ethical breach in promoting a client from your own brand? Are you transparent when promoting by indicating that the promotion is for a client? From a practical standpoint, do you think using your own accounts to promote a client is confusing to your followers? If you create new accounts specific to the client, do you use your own name and photo, or do you create a persona? Do you find any ethical dilemmas in either instance? From a practical standpoint, do you find it difficult to start from scratch with no built-in followers to leverage, or is it just a part of the job to begin a new with each client? My Thoughts: The beauty here is not so much in working for a new company while wearing their clothes, but in the process, I'm learning so much more. So how can you draw the line? Funny thing is that while I was creating and putting thoughts together for this post I noticed this: What I found interesting is that Gini is being very transparent in her promotions while leveraging her efforts for the client.
Should you use your own social networks? I don't think so. To some, it may seem unprofessional and, I'm sorry to add, egocentric. Look, I'm not saying don't use your real person in any of the bios you create, but don't promote your brand in those bios. Create one for the company; create the role and brand you are working for. For example I'm teaching by doing; using Triberr, Hootsuite, blogging, etc. in which I'm creating and adding value to THEIR brand rather than mine. Some of our experts have creative and transparent ways of addressing these issues. Gini Dietrich Gini Dietrich: We do use our personal accounts to promote a client's content. We always put (client) behind a tweet or update so we're transparent about the work we're doing and to stay within the FTC guidelines. It sometimes means less clicks, even when the content is superb, but I'd rather that than get into trouble, ethically or with the FTC. Susan Hallam Susan Hallam: Digital marketing activities in the UK are governed by a very specific piece of legislation, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. In particular, the act outlaws any activity that would involve an agency pretending to be a customer, or any form of marketing that in fact is a disguised commercial message. You can read more on my blog Liz Strauss Liz Strauss: I use my own account, because it has more reach. That being said, I rarely include that particular service in what I offer, preferring instead to teach them how to establish their own strength of presence. When I do promote or talk about something for which a relationship exists, I think it's important for people to know about the relationship. Shelly Kramer Shelly Kramer: In many instances, yes. We are proud to share our clients' content – and are very transparent about it. We also don't think it's confusing at all. Think of it this way – if you're a traditional ad agency and an ice cream brand is your client, you tell people about it all the time. About how great the ice cream is and that they are a client. I think you can (and should) treat client relationships in the online space in the same manner. We never create personas. We feel that that's fundamentally dishonest and potentially sets a client up to be "discovered" being fake. We start from scratch. Each and every time. There's no easy button when it comes to community building, it takes work to build relationships – online and off. If prospective clients aren't interested in "the real McCoy," then we're not the agency for them. What risks are you taking?
#2: Some and/or many social networks have a Terms of Service that prohibits users from creating multiple accounts. Obviously, if you create a new account for each client, you would certainly be going against those networks' TOS, and potentially, with many clients, you could be breaching that TOS dozens of times. The possibility of having all of those accounts banned – plus any future accounts created by you – is certainly one thing to consider. Do you worry about this, or just take it in stride as a natural risk that is a part of the job? Do you do anything in particular to circumvent detection? (No need to divulge techniques if you don't wish to do so, of course). Susan Hallam: I do indeed have multiple accounts on services like Facebook, and I personally accept this as a risk I'm willing to take. Initially I had two FB accounts in order to segregate my professional life from my personal life. Advances in FB functionality means this is no longer necessary, but as an agency we still find it easiest to keep a clear and simple delineation. Likewise, as an agency, the administration of multiple social media accounts is more of a logistical issue rather than an ethical one; we are working to represent our clients, and never pretending to be a customer. Shelly Kramer: We don't set up multiple accounts in our name, we either establish accounts in our clients' names or we work with accounts they have already established. As such, those properties, forever and always belong to them. Not only is that not in violation of Twitter's TOS, it's an important component of our deliverables. Social media accounts are business assets, and they should be regarded – and established as such. They don't belong to an agency or a contractor; they belong to the business. To do anything else is, to our way of thinking, inappropriate. Crossing that line
#3: If a client does something that you have strong personal feelings against – for example, the client brand takes a strong, public political or religious stand that offends you personally – and your job is to continue social media efforts for them, how do you handle that (especially if your social accounts use your own name and photo)? Gini Dietrich: First of all, as the business owner, we wouldn't work with anyone that talks about religion or politics through their business communications. But if someone on my team feels uncomfortable with content a client has produced, it's not required they distribute that through their personal networks. Susan Hallam: I have worked with one client offering financial services that I found morally repugnant. However, what they do is legal and they are complying with statutory requirements. On the one hand, I would say who is it for me to judge my clients' line of business, but on the other hand we are in the fortunate position of being able to choose the clients we work with. Liz Strauss: I've never had it happen. In most cases, I don't air my personally political or religious stands online. So depending on the issue and its relationship to me, I might choose to discuss offline with the client my own concerns or state online that I don't take part in religious or political conversations online. However if it were that rare thing that I might feel strongly about, I would restate how I love the company or its products, but also state how I'm personally disappointed in that single stand. Shelly Kramer: We don't work with those clients. And if we were working with them and something happened that was offensive or otherwise inappropriate, we would resign the business. Transparency is important #4. How do you handle the "transparency issue" when commenting on blogs or forums as a part of the client's campaign? Do you reveal the connection with the client, or do you remain anonymous? If you'd rather not say, you can instead answer the question from a hypothetical point of view, giving your thoughts on the ethics of anonymous vs. transparent commenting. Susan Hallam: See my initial comments at the top of this page; our activities are governed by legislation, meaning we would face a hefty fine if we were not completely transparent in our marketing activities. Gini Dietrich: We won't comment on behalf of a client. If there is something we think they should comment on, we provide the link and talking points, but we won't post the comment for them. Same goes for people commenting on their blog. We've had clients ask us to respond to those, using their accounts, and we won't do it. The risk of getting caught is too high. It would hurt their reputation. We're in the business of helping their reputation. Liz Strauss: It think it's important that people understand whether the words or offer comes from "a friend of, an enemy of, or someone who doesn't know" the client. In the comment box, it's not hard to identify the client relationship, what's critical is what you write after that. My clients understand that and want me to offer the hard truth spoken gently so that everyone hears the substance, not the emotion of my response.
Shelly Kramer: We don't pose as our clients in forums or on blogs. Ever. To our way of thinking, that's also fakery and a step or two short of spammy link building tactics. And we don't do it. Ever. I wanted to thank the ladies for taking time from their busy days to help me put this post together. At the end of the day, what some may find ethical, others may not. That's why it's important to always be true to your work, clients and most of all, remaining transparent. What are some ethical issues you have seen in social? Tell us about it below in the comment section. |
| The Social Media Contest Playbook Posted: 25 Nov 2012 06:00 AM PST
Are you running giveaways to generate leads or build consumer awareness? How will giveaways improve your marketing and translate back into sales? How do you know that your contests are helping to reach the right prospects? If you're running a promotion, do you know your legal obligations and rights? Don't let these questions scare you away from experimenting from this powerful and fun marketing tactic. Whether you're running a professional services firm, big brand, or small business, here are the most important steps that you need to take. Know the Social Media Contest RulesIf you're thinking of using Facebook or Twitter to host or promote your giveaway, make sure that you know the rules so that you don't accidentally violate any terms and conditions. Facebook's promotions terms are available here, and Twitter's promotions terms are available here. You should review these documents every time you plan to launch a giveaway, as terms and conditions change regularly. Many brands don't know that if they're administering a promotion on Facebook, they need to do so through a third-party app, like Wildfire. You can use Facebook to promote a giveaway that you're hosting elsewhere on your own website, but you cannot ask people to submit entries through wall posts, friend requests, or status updates. You can, however, use the Twitter platform to administer a giveaway. You will need to make sure that you follow applicable rules, encourage entries through the @reply feature, and discourage spam behavior. Know the Social Media Contest LawsGiveaway laws vary on a state-by-state basis. If you want to run a giveaway, you need to be sure to comply with every state's policy to avoid running the risk of operating an illegal lottery. Working with an attorney can help in clarifying ambiguity. To familiarize yourself with the landscape, you may want to read official rules from other brands to see where offers are void – New York and Florida are common examples. "Void where prohibited" is language that brands frequently use to protect themselves. Every contest or sweepstakes needs official rules that are readily accessible to prospective entrants. In your rules, make sure to clarify and strictly enforce eligibility requirements, winner selection guidelines, start dates, and end dates. You'll also need to report the prize to the IRS as income to your giveaway winner via Form 1099-MISC, so keep your accounting team up to speed. Focus on Generating LeadsDon't expect your contests to generate immediate sales. Although some strategies can focus on that impulse buying decision, your giveaway goal should be to bring new prospects to your website to kickstart a long-term relationship. Collect names, email addresses, and additional details about potential customers so that you can keep in touch with them after your giveaway ends. You can leverage the entry process to create segmented email lists that will target prospects with the products they specifically are most interested in. Build relationships. Reach the Right Customer NetworksAre you hoping to reach business or consumer audiences? The answer to that question will guide your overall marketing strategy. If you're hoping to reach fellow business owners, LinkedIn discussion groups provide a strong forum for reaching prospects. Facebook is a channel that works best with consumer audiences, and Twitter is an ambidextrous network that caters to both groups. Rather than aimlessly posting your giveaway on forums and sweepstakes boards, make sure that you are reaching the right audience. Encourage Return VisitsBring visitors back to your website! Encourage multiple entries, and invite entrants back to your website to vote for or read about the winner. The more your prospects engage with your brand, the more likely they are to remember the product or offer you are promoting. A portion of your entrants might be interested in working or shopping with your brand – regardless of whether or not they win. Most Importantly: Make Your Social Media Contest Fun and Social Encourage entrants to talk about the giveaway, tell fun stories, laugh, and have fun. Instead of making entrants fill out a form, get them to share an anecdote about a product, funny office moment, or product review. Make your contest as personal and fun as possible – encourage visitors to talk about themselves and to enjoy doing it. Build a community of prospects who care.
Image Credit: royblumenthal
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| It’s Your Blog – Own it. Beyond The Usual Rules For Blogging Success Posted: 25 Nov 2012 05:00 AM PST Blogging effectively takes a lot more than just writing.If I asked you what the top most important things in blogging are, what would you say?
I'll bet you've heard those all before. What if I told you, yes thats important, but that being sharable and creating the easiest ways for people to interact with you and follow you are important factors to building your audience and having an impact? I recently wrote a post on 12 Most about the top mistakes I see in people's blogs every day. It's time for you to check it out and make sure that if you're blogging, you're doing all these important steps too! Here's hoping this list helps you "Own your blog". Republished with permission, courtesy of 12 Most. 12 Most Overlooked Blog "Set Up" Basics You're Probably Guilty Of Writing a blog is a challenge. Finding the time to produce content, edit and publish can be a full time job! Given this, we often spend so much effort on writing for the blog, we don't give enough time and attention to managing our blog and its functionality. The blog is always a work in progress. As time passes and you familiarize yourself with what you are producing, the structure of the blog will require revision. You need to consider demands like mobile access, integrating all the new plugins or techniques that come along. These are just a few of the many things bloggers need to keep up on, in addition to all the content production. You need to consider your blog like a living work of art: always in development and changing. As a writer, your focus may not always be on the aesthetics — fortunately there are many themes to help with this and a lot of people think once it's "designed" you're good to go. Stop! It doesn't end there, there is still a lot of work to do! I read multitudes of blog posts every day. I access them via a traditional browser and also mobile. In doing this, I have noticed an incredibly high number of blogs, despite being popular, well written, informative and quite captivating, that lack some very basic things that are not only easy to install, but are essential in order to ensure that people share, participate in and come back for more! When you don't take care of these basics, you leave yourself open to losing readers and limiting yourself dramatically. Here are my 12 most overlooked things that many blogs are missing: 1. No faviconThe favicon is the little picture that appears on web sites right next to the URL of a page, and in some browsers on the tab that the site is open on. It's just a little touch, literally, but it makes a big difference on the look and feel of the page visit. Think about web sites you visit often and how easy it is to identify them simply because you recognize their logo right away. Gmail has a tiny red and white envelope as their favicon. My blog has a mini picture of me — the same one I use on Twitter and everywhere else. 12 Most has a number 12 in a black box. It's an important part of paying attention to the details in (personal) branding. You can learn how to make one for WordPress here or in play around with creating yours here for free. It takes 5 minutes to make one and set it up, so make this #1 on your list and check it off fast! 2. Problems with the generated tweets: no post title or Twitter handle in the tweetThis is a major problem. Please address this one immediately! To not do so appears sloppy, can effect your credibility and is really a shame. It's great that you installed sharing tools, in fact it's an essential, but if you don't go into the settings to set up the tool, all you will get is an ugly tweet that makes no reference to the post title, nor does it credit you with a Twitter mention. I can't tell you how many times I go to share a post I loved and then I get a miserable looking tweet that either doesn't state the name of the post OR doesn't attribute the writer by giving the Twitter handle. I like to send out tweets that make sense so that my followers can understand what they might be clicking on. I also think that as the blog owner, you would like to have a mention when people are sharing your posts. So make this a priority. Go into your blog dashboard and under settings find the application your are using (Add This, Socialize, Digg Digg — to name a few) and make sure things are set up! Extra tip: When you write the title of your post make sure it will fit into the tweet that gets generated. Otherwise, you will end up with an incoherent posting. It's important to have what gets shared be attractive to the target reader — always keep this in mind. Dragon Search has actually come up with an interesting plug-in for their clients called Dragon Twitter that allows you to tailor a tweet that varies from the original post title. So you can write a strong SEO title, and also tailor a strong Tweet!
Notice how the tweet generated is structured for Twitter, while the title is more SEO focused. So at the very least, you have to get the basics set up in your sharing tools! 3. Protect your writingPeople seem to love "stealing" good content online. Peg Fitzpatrick wrote a post recently that covered some of the things that are going on in the online world in regard to plagiarism. You can read it here for all the details. One important thing that comes out of this, is that it should be a priority to list the terms and conditions of what you are willing to allow in regard to others using information from your site. This is no small issue. It has happened to most people I know regularly, so be proactive and create a "Reposting Rule" so that people understand exactly what is and what is not acceptable to you! If you're not sure what it should look like, check out 12 Most's rules here. Another helpful thing you can do, is to use a service such as Yoast SEO which will automatically include the mention at the end of each of your posts. "This article first appeared on YOUR BLOG NAME" — this helps for those sites that pull a whole post out of an RSS for republication without permission. You'll see the trackback and be able to trace what is going on. Bonus Tip: YouTube — Embedding your video is one thing, but when people create a blog post that embeds your video and inserts the text of your video as their post, that's a whole other story! This happens to me all the time, and if it is happening to me, I am sure anyone out there with good content on video is at risk. Here's the tip: Put a link to your republication rules in the text associated with your YouTube video and also put hyperlinks to your own site within it as well. YouTube is a different medium, but you need to give some thought to how to protect that property as well! It's also a good idea to include a mention of all your sites in your Reposting Rules. 4. Missing share buttons or not listing links to your own social profiles
Your blog is your homebase. Make sure that you put your links for your personal Twitter, G+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook page, etc., on your blog. This is your contact info. Include all your relevant profiles and an email contact (if you want to be open to private inquiries). It is completely ridiculous to have a blog that is missing these things and in today's environment, it comes across pretty unprofessional. You want to do business; you want to have people read your content — help them contact and follow you! Sharing tools and buttons are easy to install. We covered how to set them up in point number 2, so if you don't have any installed yet, click on the links in point number 2 and get started! (Then set them up!) 5. Email sign upThere are too many things going on in the blogosphere for people to be bookmarking your site and coming back to check in on you every day. Make sure your blog has a "Follow" option, or even better — set up an email subscription via Feedburner or services like Mail Chimp. Chris Brogan uses one that's actually worked into his theme. There are lots of options, choose one. This will not only ensure you keep your readers, but will open opportunities to build the relationship further. Some of us think that we will know everyone who would follow us. This is wrong. If you do things right, your blog will be getting search traffic. Some of these people will not follow you on Twitter, comment, or give you any indication they've ever been there. However, they might sign up for email updates. Make sure you have this organized! It will not only increase readership of your blog, but it will allow you to have some additional statistical insight as well. 6. Commenting systemIf you don't have one, then get one set up right away! A blog without the ability for commenting is like a store that never opens. You want dialogue! Now, if you have a commenting system, consider the following. According to Marketing Sherpa, 86% of people are bothered by having to create a new account at a web site*. Use a commenting system that is widely used and makes it easy for the reader to join the conversation! Some popular options are Livefyre, Disqus and Facebook. Depending on what you want to accomplish and who your readers are likely to be, you want to choose the option that makes most sense for you and them. For example, if you think the people reaching your blog are not necessarily in the social media community, you may consider using Facebook for comments. Almost everyone has a Facebook account, so it makes it easy for them to just add their thoughts. Livefyre and Disqus provide other advantages, such as the ability for readers to tweet their replies, show what their previous conversations were, etc. Check out what other blogs in your field of blogging use: 12 Most uses Livefyre as you see right here, CNN uses Disqus, many online magazines use Facebook. Every tool has an advantage, you have to give some thought to which one will be the most comfortable for your user, and most advantageous for your objectives. 7. Tags and categoriesCreating categories for your blog not only helps organize things for your readers, but also allows you to pull in sets of posts in menus by using the "Category" feature, rather than a page or external link, for example. Categories also allow readers to zoom in on the areas that interest them specifically. In addition, categories can enhance search and lead people to your categorized posts. Tags are very similar in that they also tie in posts with similar themes. Having these set up increases your potential reach. If you aren't using these, this is the time to start. Help people find you and get to what they are looking for. Help yourself organize your blog for navigational ease. 8. Blog backupThis is essential. There are several options to backup your site and database. If you use WordPress, you can read about *You can find many more social media statistics in a great article by Tom Pick here. So, were you guilty of any of these blog crimes? There is so much to think about when building your blog and its features!What tips or tools do you recommend? What drives you crazy when you visit a blog? Or, what do you really appreciate? |
| Seven Strategies to Stay Ahead of Overwhelming Social Media Change Posted: 25 Nov 2012 04:00 AM PST
Can we have an honest conversation among friends? Trying to keep up with social media is overwhelming! Little wonder. We are living in the middle of an unprecedented frenzy of change. When was the last time there was an innovation in television that impacted the way we marketed? 1975 – cable TV, and now, arguably, the move toward asynchronous viewing on mobile devices. If you do a lot of print advertising, the fundamentals have been the same since the advent of the printing press in 1450! But social media? Not only do the social media platforms shift every day, the rules of engagement are changing constantly, too. Can anybody on earth keep up with the real and rumored changes just to Facebook's EdgeRank formula? What we considered best practices six months ago are passe' today. Yes, social media is overwhelming, especially when there is pressure to master every new platform that comes along. But as a professional marketer, you must keep up. How is this possible? Here are seven ideas to help you stay calm and carry on. Master the marketing fundamentals. The most effective coping mechanism for me has been having deep experience in marketing fundamentals. Yes, the platforms keep changing, but the basics of marketing and consumer behavior don't. So if you can view technological change through the lens of marketing fundamentals, you can more easily weed out the stuff that just isn't going to make it. If you're serious about a career in social media marketing, focus on learning the "marketing" part. Form a support group. You can't possibly keep up with everything and neither can your friends. But together, you can make a dent in it. I have a few trusted friends who are more techy or more SEO-y than me. Together we can help each other by discussing the latest trends over lunch once a month. This gives me just enough juice to be at least be conversant in a topic. Consider a focus area. This is a hard thing to think about, but maybe you CAN'T keep up with everything and you need to focus on specialties. I'm starting to see consultants specialize in LinkedIn, Facebook, and video marketing and that's probably a smart idea because you have a chance to be an expert in at least one thing. I am struggling with this first, because I teach survey college courses so I have to know something about everything. And frankly, I am having a hard time focusing because I don't want to miss anything. Everything is interesting to me. Go where your customers are. Look, maybe it's time to give up on Path or even (gasp) Google+ and simply stay on top of the platforms relevant to your customers. Give yourself a time limit. Are you reading social media blog posts in bed? Maybe it's time for a self-imposed time limit to force yourself to focus and prioritize. Eliminate engagement guilt. Here is a hard lesson I have had to come to terms with: The more successful you are, the less ability you have to engage with your fans and followers. I hate that. But if I tried to maintain the level of engagement I had even a year ago I would not just be overwhelmed, I would be insane. As your tribe builds, you simply have to adjust and come to grips that with the fact that you have a life beyond social media. Some thing are going to slip through the cracks. Allow that to be OK. The curation answer … or not. Now an obvious idea to keep up with social media trends is to go to a highly-respected curated source of content on key social media developments. Here's the problem (and a business opportunity). This does not exist, at least not any place that meets my needs. Mashable? Too much crap. Social Media Examiner? An excellent site but too much of a focus on "how-to" posts. Where do you guys go for your one-stop shopping for a manageable amount of social media tech and business highlights? Besides {grow} of course? (wink) How are you coping with the amount of change in this field? Mark Schaefer is a marketing consultant, author and college educator who blogs at {grow}. You can also follow him on Twitter: @markwschaefer. |
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