25 New Social Articles on Business 2 Community |
- Social Media Should Be an Element, but Not Your Whole Strategy
- 8 Online Community Management Tips to Increase Customer Engagement
- 15 Steps for Creating a Successful Social Media Giveaway Contest
- Google it With a Plus!
- How to Get Your Blog Picked Up by Google News
- 15 Blog Ideas for When You’re Feeling Blocked
- Native Advertising: The Future of Digital Marketing (Infographic)
- Social CRM: You’re Doing it Wrong
- Word of Mouth Marketing: Social Media Is Our New Backyard Fence
- How To Display HTML Code on a HubSpot Blog
- Forget About Likes and Follows
- Do Your Blog Post Titles Suck?
- Part 2: How to Start a Blog and Not Be Overwhelmed
- Anatomy of a Search Engines Results Page [Infographic]
- Fight the Good Fight Against Social Media Burnout
- Framing Digital Windows: How to Use Twitter Lists
- Social Media Addiction? Who, Me? (Infographic)
- How Do You Recover Your Rankings After a WordPress Install? [VIDEO]
- 10 Reasons Why iLove Google+
- How to Create and Utilize a Google+ Community [Guide]
- The Recipe for Securing Twitter’s Holy Grail: Re-Tweets
- Everything You Need to Learn About Blog Comments and SEO
- Is BuzzFeed the Millennial’s News Outlet of Choice? How Pop Culture Is Impacting the News and Your Business
- Need to Measure the Impact of Your Social Marketing Program? Here’s How.
- Share Your Entire Social Business Personality On Your Own Site
| Social Media Should Be an Element, but Not Your Whole Strategy Posted: 12 Dec 2012 01:40 PM PST Internet marketing is a multi-faceted thing. It is extremely effective when approached from the right perspective, and a part of this perspective should always be to respect it for what it has become: truly a sum of its parts. Diversity is an AssetSocial media is just one aspect of a solid internet marketing strategy. It is alarming to see more and more voices rising up on opposite sides of the issue; either they are speaking out in favor of abandoning other avenues and focusing solely on promotion and engagement via social media, or they are suggesting that social media really doesn't have any merit and should be put on the back burner or cast aside entirely. Why can't we meet somewhere in the middle? In order to get the most benefit from including social media use in your brand's internet marketing strategy you need to recognize it for what it is. Social media is not the be-all-and-end-all of consumer engagement…it is merely a tool to help make engagement possible and more productive. Ask any good mechanic or repair technician how many tools they have in their toolbox and how often they use them – chances are the answer will be that they have more than one tool at their disposal, and they use them at different times and some more often than others. This doesn't mean that any one tool is more or less important than the others because they all serve their purpose in some way. Focusing on Your Home BaseOne thing that you definitely cannot do without is a website for your brand. Even the most modest of websites is performing an essential service for a brand – it is providing a base of operations from which the brand can venture out into the wide world of the internet, and it also acts as a place to send traffic back to. The best thing about having a website at the heart of your internet marketing operations is that you own it. You. No one else. With social media, another company owns your profile page and controls when / how you interact with the people connected to you. This is not to say that social media isn't useful or important, just that brands need to keep an eye on the broader picture and focus their efforts on areas that will do the most for their business with the least amount of effort or investment. That's just smart business. Your TakeawayMy point today is that social media is important, it is a handy thing to be involved in, and it can do your brand a lot of good when it comes to internet marketing. It is also a tool, and one of many at that. It should be considered in light of what it can do for your brand. Some brands really don't get that much out of social media, so they tend to keep a lower profile than others who are enjoying much success at it. This is definitely a case of "To each their own." Internet marketing strategies are very unique and specific to the brands that practice them. So get out there, experiment (in an educated fashion of course), and find out what works best for your brand!   |
| 8 Online Community Management Tips to Increase Customer Engagement Posted: 12 Dec 2012 01:25 PM PST Yes. Online community management is a thing. It is not only a thing that is studied and implemented by organizations across the globe, but it is an opportunity. Online community management can make your company a lot of money, keep the customers you have, and reduce your overall cost of doing business. This may not be news to community managers, social media consultants, and social business professionals, but for those you that mainly work in other areas of marketing, sales, customer service, and executive management, know that online community management is a thing – a very serious and very exciting opportunity. At a recent technology conference, Jim Storer, Maggie McGary, and I walked executives through 8 ways that online community management can help your company get more from your online customer or member community. 8 Habits of Highly Effective Online Community Managers from Socious The session, entitled 8 Habits of Highly Effective Online Community Managers, is based on the 8 competencies of The Community Roundtable's Community Maturity Model (down the left side). How To Manage An Online Community So That It Works For Your Organization And Your CustomersTip #1) Strategy: Become Obsessive About Knowing What Makes Your Members TickAs Jim Storer put it, "Your 'sweet spot' for community is at the intersection of your organization's goals and your target member's needs and interests." However, you can’t design and manage a community that provides value to your customers or members without deeply understanding who they are, what they want, and how they want that value delivered. Tip #2) Leadership: View Social as a Natural Extension of What You Already Do OfflineOnline communities represent a giving up of control in the eyes of many executives. However, many of the people in your company already manage, and participate in, your customer community using the phone, email, and in-person events. Tip #3) Culture: Shift From a "Transaction" to a "Relationship" Based MindsetCompanies and their online communities thrive when relationships and the health of relationships are seen as a business asset and performance indicator respectively. Set forth a culture where everyone is empowered with a little "community management mojo" to understand that they are partly responsible for maintaining and strengthening the community. Tip #4) Community Management: Continuously Advocate for Having Resources Dedicated to Community ManagementCommunity management is also not magic. Online communities don't exist and thrive without hard working community managers behind the scenes. Community management needs dedicated staff, authority, and access to strategic information to truly bring home the ROI. Tip #5) Content & Programming: Weave Community Stuff into Other CommunicationsProgram planning and content coordination are two of the most important roles that online community managers have. However, managing online customer or member communities does not occur in a vacuum. Take advantage of other customer-facing communication to drive participation in your community. Examples include highlighting hot discussions, new files, and other opportunities for engagement in your customer newsletter. Tip #6) Policies & Governance: Become Best Friends with Your Risk and Compliance OfficersRisk is part of every online community. Your organization is now participating in the conversation rather than lobbing the message over the fence to customers. Customer communities run into trouble when the compliance team is not educated on the community strategy and online community management plan. Since they are extra sensitive to risk, they can to overreact at the decrease in control and spook executives. This often results in a demoralizing early shutdown of the initiative or a embarrassing shutter-start with customers or members. This can be avoided by making a point to cozy up to your compliance and legal teams early and often throughout your project. An educated risk officer can go a long way toward meeting your goals and deadlines. Tip #7) Tools: Balance Tools That Create Value and Tools That Create EngagementWhen planning for customer engagement strategy, selecting online community software, and incorporating public social networks into community management plan, keep in mind that you need two types of features – features that create value and a reason for members to visit your community (like video libraries and discussions) and features that keep members engaged (like the targeted email engine and gamification tools). Online community managers need to fight for their own success by fighting to have the right balance of both types of tools. Tip #8) Metrics & Measurement: Measure the Right Things and Make Adjustments OftenIn any business initiative, measuring success is important. However, not measuring the right things can result in rework and financial losses caused by moving forward under incorrect assumptions. Online community managers must be aware of these pitfalls and narrow down what is happening and why in their community as much possible by tracking the right ratios consistently over time. Online Community TakeawayOnline communities that thriving over the long terms to directly contribute to revenue generation, cost control, and using market data to create more profitable products don't happen by accident. Likewise, online communities that flounder are not just unlucky. You and those around you in your organization have more control than you think. By researching and testing online community management approaches, there are things you can do to sustain and grow your online customer of member community. Start with the 8 habits listed above.   |
| 15 Steps for Creating a Successful Social Media Giveaway Contest Posted: 12 Dec 2012 01:15 PM PST Everyone loves getting something for free. In fact, one of the main reasons that people "Like" a brands Facebook page is so that they can either obtain a discount or win something. The rise of social media allows businesses to easily create their own contests and giveaways that can:
This then can lead to increased brand awareness and the sharing of your contest on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. So giving away something for free can result in free marketing. In this article we will go through 15 steps to set up, promote, and use "giveaways" to improve traffic and social engagement. Step 1. Determine the goal of the giveawayWhat is the primary purpose of the Giveaway? Is your focus to increase social engagement to your Facebook or Twitter pages? Or are you interested in using Giveaways as a link building strategy? The goal that you choose will determine the type of contest and entries that you will run. Additionally, you also need to determine your budget for promoting the Giveaway. Step 2. What will you be giving away, and how long will the contest run?Based on the goal of the contest, your margins, and your audience, you can select a giveaway product that people will love. If you have an obscure product, giving it away may not be a sufficient incentive for people to enter your giveaway. In that case you may choose to give away a Visa gift card or Ipad or something that everyone will want. Additionally, you must determine how long your contest will run. We find that 1 month is optimal, as it gives you enough time to get the most out of the giveaway, without being much too long thus causing people to forget all about it. Step 3. Create your giveaway on RafflecopterWhy Rafflecopter? Because it's awesome. It takes minutes to create a Giveaway. It gives you the ability to create multiple entries so that through one Giveaway you can fulfill various objectives, including link building and social engagement. It's very inexpensive. And it can be integrated into your page, Facebook, and other blogs. Some of the entries that we recommend are:
Step 4. Add the widget to your site and to FacebookOnce the Giveaway is created, Rafflecopter will give you an embed code that you can easily copy and paste to your site. TIP: Upload the widget to a permanent page on your site. After the contest is over, you remove the widget, but all of the links and publicity generated to that internal page of your site will remain. Within Rafflecopter, you can select a button to Share to Facebook. As easy as pie, Rafflecopter will create a Facebook app with the widget, including a disclaimer, necessary to run Giveaways on Facebook. Be sure to create a banner on your home page or sidebar promoting the Giveaway, so all of your site visitors see the Giveaway and have the opportunity to enter. Step 5. Establish benchmarksBefore you launch your Giveaway, create a document for yourself with your benchmarks. Here are a few that you can consider:
Image Step 6. Create an email announcing the giveaway to your email subscriberReaching out to your current customers and subscribers gives you an opportunity to "seed" the giveaway with existing fans. Additionally, this gives your customers an opportunity to engage with your brand. Step 7. Submit your giveawayThere are a large number of sites that can be used to promote giveaways and contests. Most are free, and some give you the option to pay to enhance the visibility of your contest. Here are a few to help you get started:
Step 8. Reach out to giveaway bloggers to promote your giveawayThere are many blogs dedicated to promoting Giveaways. These are typically run by mommy bloggers or stay at home entrepreneurs that are dedicated to finding and promoting giveaways. There are 3 types of Giveaways that you will encounter: It's important for you to be clear when you are reaching out to cut down on emails back and forth and maximize your response rate. To create a list of sites to reach out to, visit the sites above and click through their giveaways. Create a list of these sites, with their contact info. Then, email those people asking them if they'd be willing to promote your Giveaway. Once you've had responses from people and have a database of potential sites, it's important for you to validate these sites and to check out their statistics so you can select the most powerful sites to move forward with. I use LinkResearchTools.com to check for a large variety of statistics: It measures many stats including:
There are other tools you can use, including OpenSiteExplorer and Ahrefs Step 9. Determine promotions budget & track your outreachIt's important to stay organized while you go through this process! There will be so many emails back and forth, each at different stages of the promotions process, that things can easily slip through the cracks. Personally, I use PODIO to keep track of each and every single potential giveaway partner. Within podio I created a custom app for "Inventory". Any one that replies, I add them to the inventory including their contact info, site statistics, and notes. By connecting Podio with gmail, as people reply I can create tasks in Gmail that get sent to Podio so I can follow up. I also add notes to each of the partners, thus keeping the progress of each one up to date. By keeping all of the data in Podio I can easily compare at a glance the price and power of each site. When choosing how to spend my marketing budget, I will sort in Podio by different factors such as Alexa, Pagerank, Inbound links and AC rank to see what sites surface to the top for each. Then I will compare the price for each to determine the best way to spend my budget. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! If you do not use Podio or a project management tool, it is very easy for the project to become very overwhelming! You may even choose to add Paypal transaction ID and other such data and then create a Cost App in Podio to track the total expenditure for the project. Step 10. Promote your giveaway on a daily basisDid you know that thousands of sites host "Linkies"? By going to these pages, you can submit your giveaway through a "Linky" form on these sites. Here is a list of Giveaways that we've created based on the day of the week: List of Blog Giveaway Linkies by Weekday Additionally, you may choose to advertise your Giveaway on a variety of platforms. Here are a few options:
Step 11. Email the giveaway entrants to encourage them to come backHalfway through the contest, send out an email to all of the entrants to encourage them to return to your site for more entries. You may choose to add a new "Mega Entry" to encourage people to participate, or simply by sending them a reminder you may generate more buzz. By sending out an email, you may get some of the existing entrants to Tweet about the Giveaway, or post on their Facebook page, or Pin your contest, which will in turn generate more exposure to your Giveaway. Step 12. Select your winner!If you've continued advertising your giveway and submitting to Linkies, you should have several hundred entries by the end of the 15-30 day period. Depending on how many entries you made available will determine the total number of entries. Within Rafflecopter there is a way to select the winner. Once you select and verify the winner, Rafflecopter will display the winner automatically through the widget. Notify the winner immediately and ask them for permission to use their picture in an email announcing the winner of the contest. Step 13. Upload emails to your email listIf you included an email collector as an entry, or included in the Disclosure that entrants would be added to your mailing list, download the spreadsheet from Rafflecopter and add the emails to your email list. Send out an email to your list announcing the winner and thanking people for participating. This is a great opportunity to start the process of converting them into customers. Give them an amazing incentive to purchase from your site, by giving them a very large coupon code, or something for free. Your goal at this stage is to make your email so appealing that people won't immediately unsubscribe. Start a rapport with the contestants and start warming them up to your brand! Step 14. Mail out the prizeDon't just send out the product in a boring box. Make it beautiful! Add a personalized letter or something that will make the winner feel special. Encourage the winner to share about winning the price, and to review your product on their site. Step 15. Remove the widget from your siteAfter you've sent out the email, remove the widget from your site. You're all done! ConclusionIf you follow these 15 steps, you will be able to create a successful contest with thousands of entries. Depending on the entries that you choose, you can easily increase your number of Facebook Likes, Twitter followers, Google +1's, and Pinterest followers. You can generate social engagement and buzz by having people view and follow you on your social media channels. Additionally, you can generate links to your site by paid promotions as well as using "Link to Site" as one of the Mega Entries. Gaining this exposure will give you an opportunity to find new Brand Ambassadors, Customers, and to increase your organic traffic from the search engines. For a small price, you can gain an amazing number of permanent links and followers!   |
| Posted: 12 Dec 2012 01:05 PM PST How often have you heard, or said yourself "Google It". Google has changed the way we socialize, the way we interact. It has made us become a generation of immediacy. No matter where you are, or who you're with, when conversations turn into topics that facts, figures, dates, information is required, the it's the norm nowadays to say, "Google It". No longer do we need to wait for the library to open its doors or call up a friend "savant". It has become so much part of our everyday cultured and is in our everyday vocabulary… the word googling is even in the Webster's dictionary! Needless to say, Google has fast become the 'go to' company for knowledge and advanced technology and with the launch of Google Glasses and Google Fibe, it has become nearly impossible to escape its vast empire. When Google launched Google+, I thought this would be the social media site to sweep Facebook from under the rug and reign in as the new "King of Social Media". With all of the great new features that could easily top those of Facebook's I had no idea there would be a lack of momentum even with everyone on the "Google Fan" craze. Suffice to say that the audience for Google+ is completely different from that of Facebook. They are loyal to their brand and what they love. When you delve into the realm of Google+ you have to pull yourself away from thinking it's like "Facebook". It's not. Google+ is more people focused not brand focused. Google is trying to keep this social media platform as human as possible. Google+ with it's 500 million users still remains today in my humble opinion, a big contender on the social media battlefront. If your brand or business hasn't engaged in the Google+ platform yet, there's a lot of you're missing out on. Here are some reasons why you should invest time into getting your brand/business on Google+. 1. The big one: Being Found. With all the searching going on, it's important to get found. It may be self-serving but the importance of Google+ for SEO is pretty obvious…. simply because, well Google owns it! This alone should be enough of a reason for you to take advantage and be part of Google+. If you're still not convinced, try this: if you already have a Google+ page, Google your company name and see if it comes up close enough to first search result. The advantages of this are self explanatory… for your brand and for your customers. 2. Google+ supports the use of hash tags. Recognizing the importance of trending, Google+ supports the Twitter way of classifying via hash tags. This way you can hit trending terms that are relevant for your business quicker. In our business hash tag examples would include: #marketing, #branding and #socialmedia or, #design. Like Twitter, trending topics that you participate in will see an increase in followers. 3. Carving out Communities. The Google Community allows the user to become part of a community that they are interested in and get daily posts about that topic. So for example if you have a health product, you can become a member of a Health and Wellness community and make posts that will be specific to that group of people. It's not just your followers or fans you're targeting too it's a whole new spectrum of potential consumers that have defined one aspect of their psychographic profile that reflects the specific niche that is your market definition. 4. Google owns Google+. Yes, I've already said that, but thing about the total integration potential your business might benefit from. Starting with Gmail, Google Calendar, Google maps… all these properties are all at your fingers tips to use along with all the other Google+ features. This can be helpful and seamless when setting up an event for your company or a product launch. 5. Google Hangouts! As an avid nerd this is my favourite feature. It's great for businesses to have a round table discuss from a far. For people who have a passion for a product, gathering them up to discuss the product and what they would like to see provides an awesome opportunity to get honest feedback and real consumer insights. A perfect example to utilize this feature would be a weekly virtual book hangout. If your brand pushes out books or your company has an ebook set up a hangout to discuss the content of the book and new book ideas. This allows you to be closer to your audience and interact with them instead of just commenting on a status they posted. Just remember Rome wasn't built in a day, so expecting that your growth or reach on Google+ will grown exponentially quickly isn't realistic. Unlike Facebook you get the chance to be more interactive in new ways with your followers, help them see your brand/company is focused on THEM and you're steadfast in working with them to help you and your brand/company improve for them. Over time your ROIwill be worth the effort you put into Google+ and the attention you give to your audience as well.   |
| How to Get Your Blog Picked Up by Google News Posted: 12 Dec 2012 12:30 PM PST Every day, I receive a slew of Google Alerts in my inbox. These alerts show the latest headlines for keywords related to the topics that I write about. The same blogs appear over and over again in these alerts, which means that they are probably getting a ton of traffic from people who subscribe to their keywords. So I set out to find how you can submit your blog to Google Alerts/Google News and receive massive amounts of traffic. While the process is easy, your chances of getting in are slim. Here's why … Google has strict criteria for what is and isn't news. Your content must be objective news – no "how to" articles, advice columns or sales pitches. If Google thinks that your site is primarily used to sell products or services, they won't accept your blog for inclusion in Google News. For a complete list of Google's criteria and to submit your blog to Google News, click here. If you don't meet Google's criteria but don't want to remove your advertising from your blog, there are other ways to get noticed by Google. Here are some ideas: 1. Submit articles to blogs that are picked up by Google News.While an article posted on your blog may not get noticed by Google News, the same article posted on a blog that is regularly featured on Google News has completely different odds. Subscribe to Google Alerts for keywords that you want to be picked up for, and see which blogs appear on a regular basis. Then, you can determine if you want to form relationships with any of these blogs and submit guest posts to them. 2. Publish press releases to major newswires.If the bulk of your website's content is ineligible for inclusion in Google Alerts, you can publish a press release when you have something that Google may consider newsworthy. Using one of the major newswire services can increase the odds that your press release gets picked up by Google. 3. Follow SEO best practices.Instead of trying to get picked up by Google News, you can focus on improving your content's SEO to bring more targeted visitors to your website. Taking the slow and steady approach may seem frustrating at first, but it will give you better results in the long run. For some SEO tips, see "How to Create Google-Friendly Content that Increases Your Conversions". Whether you're trying to get picked up by Google News or want to improve your regular SEO, the quality of your content is key. In 2012, Google implemented a number of changes to give high-quality content better rankings. So, the more your target audience finds your content useful, the more Google will reward you. What about you? Have you ever tried submitting content for inclusion on Google News? Do you feel that Google News coverage is important for your business? Feel free to share your comments below.   |
| 15 Blog Ideas for When You’re Feeling Blocked Posted: 12 Dec 2012 12:10 PM PST You don't have to blog for long to be struck with the dreaded writer's block—and, once it hits, and you find yourself scrambling for new topics, it's easy to feel discouraged. Before you know it, you may want to jump ship and give up on blogging altogether. What can you do? How should you prepare yourself for the inevitable lack of inspiration? Here are 15 blog ideas to keep in your back pocket, ready to pull out when you need them. The next time you find your creative juices running low, reach for one of these topics! 1. Share Your Favorite ProductsProvide a link-up of favorite products and services—maybe around a seasonal theme ("Fall favorites") or as an upcoming holiday gift guide ("Valentine's gift ideas"). This gives your readers quality resources and also provides additional content for your site. 2. Host a GiveawayPromote your company's services by hosting a giveaway on your blog—using a free tool like Rafflecopter to track entries—and you have a new post as well as a great way to get your readers checking out your company. 3. Post a Link-UpIf you're like most bloggers, you're regularly reading other sites and noting quality content, so why not share a roundup of that content with your audience? Sharing a link list of good posts or articles on the Web is a great way to promote other bloggers, building your community. Plus, you give your readers quality content you've personally curated. 4. Make an AnnouncementShare company news via a blog post—tell your audience about new product lines, new hires, or upcoming developments, and let them feel in the know. 5. Show How to Do SomethingEverybody loves a good how-to post. Tell your readers how to do something you know how to do well. If you're a paper company, demonstrate how to wrap a present. If you're a clothing store, show how to turn X number of items into X number of outfits. Think of do-it-yourself advice your audience will appreciate. 6. Post a VideoThanks to today's iPhones, camera phones, and other devices, there's no reason you can't put together a video blog post. You might answer frequently asked questions, team up with someone for an interview, or demonstrate how to do or make something. The Web is visual, and videos are a great way to catch the attention of your audience. 7. Interview SomeoneInterview your company CEO or another blogger in your industry. Run the Q & A post as a way to share interesting knowledge and information with your audience. 8. Run a SurveyWhen you don't know what to write about, ask your readers for advice! Run a survey to gain reader feedback on what you've been posting and what they'd like to see. 9. Provide a ListPeople love a good "top 10" or "5 best" list. Just look at this post as an example—it's got you reading, hasn't it? But what's even more important, sometimes, when you're feeling blocked, is that putting together a number of tips or ideas can be just the thing to get your ideas flowing again. 10. Share a Case StudyRather than just telling your audience about what you can do, why not show them through a specific example? Find a satisfied customer or successful business story, and share it on your blog to build reader trust and to communicate a sense of your value. 11. Run a SeriesPlan a week-long (or month-long or some other length) series to fuel topics for a stretch of time. Be sure to choose a theme deserving of extensive coverage. 12. Quote OthersGive your readers a roundup of quotes on a particular topic. You might link to 10 bloggers writing about how they use Twitter or 7 businesses sharing their favorite blogging tips. Whether you pull these from other sites online or reach out to other individuals directly, this option gives you a way to provide legitimately valuable advice to your audience without coming up with it on your own. 13. Review a BookDid you recently read a book that relates to your industry? Why not write a post about it and give your audience your thoughts? 14. Rehash Old ContentLook through your archives for inspiration for a new post. You could run a roundup of old posts in a list, or you could repost part of an old post with new feedback and info. 15. Offer a Guest PostWhen you're really strapped for ideas, enlist the help of another author. Getting another writer to post on your site isn't just good for you; it also gives that person greater exposure to a new audience.   |
| Native Advertising: The Future of Digital Marketing (Infographic) Posted: 12 Dec 2012 12:05 PM PST Interruption-based advertising is so 2012, and banner ads went out with the flip phone. In 2013, "Native Advertising" is the name of the game when it comes to web-based marketing. For the uninitiated, native advertising is high-quality content that integrates organically into the platform, does not interrupt the user's natural interaction, and is selected by the user rather than automated. As websites become increasingly sophisticated, native advertising helps ensure a positive user experience. Solve Media compiled some data from a recent survey into an excellent Infographic showing the growing importance of native advertising. It also gives some examples and explains the strategies and challenges of a native advertising campaign. Some interesting points from this Infographic:
What do you think about native advertising? Do you plan to adopt it into your marketing strategy in 2013? Let us know in the comments and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. Register for our FREE Resource Center and Newsletter to access our growing library of valuable Guide Books, Tip Sheets, and more!   |
| Social CRM: You’re Doing it Wrong Posted: 12 Dec 2012 11:10 AM PST It used to be a lot simpler. Customers entered your site, filled out their information and purchased their item. It looked a bit like a funnel. With the onslaught of social media, however, the funnel is looking a little bit more like a big circle, or a few circles. Social CRM, as defined by Paul Greenberg is "the company's response to the customer's ownership of the conversation." That's right. It's no longer about you. There are several ways to use social CRM tools in the new consumer experience. Here is a high-level overview of the ways to utilize social CRM that are aligned with the goals we find most valuable: 1. Target New Business Finding customers is the first step to any marketing initiative. Finding out where they are interacting online is the first step, as your brand needs to be there. Social CRM tools provide a great opportunity to solicit new customers according to their interests and comments (ie: social listening). This is all about market research + development, which is not often associated with social. We're here to tell you that not only are the two akin, but merging them is the future. 2. Retain Current Customers Using social CRM tools can provide a lot of data about your existing customers. The ability to optimize messaging to those customers who are in market for your product is one very valuable tool in your marketing arsenal. Another is to target your ideal audiences to their ideal products, creating a more personalized experience online. Incidentally, this is also a great way to increase engagement with your brand and sales. 3. Collaborate Here is something new that digital marketing is moving toward: collaboration with the customer. They will often tell you what they want; all you have to do is ask–and listen. Collaboration gives your brand the unique opportunity to not only solicit feedback and gather intel about how customers view your products or services (and how you can improve them), but connect your customers to one another. Creating a community around your brand by facilitating conversation among your followers is a great way to learn more about your customers, which can lead to an increased understanding of what they want and how to market to them. 4. Aggregate + Act upon Data With all of the data you are able to collect from the practices above, you can then aggregate and analyze this data. Once you have done this, you are able to make data-driven decisions about your business: product improvements or changes, customer service developments, technology expansions, etc. Having feedback from customers, in addition to information about their purchasing habits, is invaluable when creating opportunities for your business. If you are only using Social CRM in one way (likely the first or second way), you're doing it wrong. You should be using it at every phase of client contact because consumer journeys are not like a funnel anymore due in large part to social media. Their online experiences are continuous, and therefore, so should be your brand's interaction with them. Are there ways in which you use Social CRM that were not mentioned here? Share them with us in the comments!   |
| Word of Mouth Marketing: Social Media Is Our New Backyard Fence Posted: 12 Dec 2012 10:55 AM PST What’s the online “word-of-mouth” buzz from your customers these days? Ideally, they’re so enthused about your products and services that they’re shouting it from their keyboards. But it’s just as likely that they’re online being “brutally honest” about a bad experience: a surly store clerk, an endless wait for phone support, or a warranty that expired a day before the TV did. Small businesses that ignore social media not only miss an important customer service early warning system; they’re squandering a valuable opportunity to benefit from the most influential type of marketing there is: word-of-mouth referrals from people they know and trust. Customers Trust Word of Mouth – Even on Social Media
Instead, 79% of small business owners prefer to focus word-of-mouth (WOM) and more traditional advertising channels. But that’s what social media is best at! People trust their peers to make recommendations and shy away from overt marketing messages – they’re even annoyed by them. The Word of Mouth Marketing Association notes that 81% of consumers are influenced by a friend’s social media post and that 92% of consumers trust product recommendations from friends and family more than any other type of marketing. In fact, consumers are more likely to be irritated by online advertising via social media channels than persuaded, according to a November 2012 survey by Pitney Bowes (PDF):
What is so compelling about WOM recommendations – particularly the online ones? It’s simple: they feel honest to consumers. A 2010 Harris Poll of social media users found that “…almost half (46%) feel they can be brutally honest on the Internet.” Speculation is that “brutal honesty” may be why telecom giant Charter is shutting down its social media consumer support, notes the Consumerist:
A Risk Worth Taking For Small Business – Particularly Local Ones
Nothing could be further from the truth. Think about the success of “Angie’s List.” Why do people trust it and even pay to use it? It’s WOM advertising on a nationwide scale, but with a local focus. In a 2009 article about the consumer-recommendation networks, US News observed:
Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and other services can also function as “digital neighborhoods” where people ask their friends for help when they’re looking for a reliable auto mechanic, party venue, wedding photographer, or a local restaurant with gluten-free entrees. And they’re going to trust the answers they receive. These are the most valuable kinds of leads for a business: people who are already interested in your product/service and who come to you because a friend has given you a personal recommendation. Make sure people can contact you through a variety of communication channels – social media, email, by phone. Remember: a customer may find out about your business from friends online, but even the younger generation still prefers to contact companies by phone. A well-trained customer service staff combined with useful on hold messaging information help build a stellar customer experience. More and more, friend-to-friend communication happens over the Internet instead of over the backyard fence. Because a lot of that is public, it’s even more powerful! Small business owners who ignore the potential of social media marketing aren’t killing the goose that laid the golden egg – they don’t seem to realize that the goose even lays eggs!   |
| How To Display HTML Code on a HubSpot Blog Posted: 12 Dec 2012 10:45 AM PST A few weeks ago, I posted 10 Easy Code Snippets for Mobile Development and, in the process of writing that blog, I discovered displaying actual code was quite difficult in a Hubspot blog. Different blogging platforms handle this common yet slightly complicated task in different ways, such as with [html][/html] brackets or adding a script, plugin, etc. So naturally when I ran into this problem on Hubspot (an admittedly obscure one) I went searching for some solution or add-on to simply let me display code in my blog. Unfortunately, I didn't find any mention of the issue on HubSpot's forums and there didn't seem to be any native or add-on solution; I had to create my own. So I thought I would share what I did with you in case any HubSpot bloggers run into the same issue. Step by StepStart with some in-line styling to create a nice rounded box the code can sit inside of: Your content will go inside this div Now that you have your styled box to the put the code in, we need to enter the actual code, which can be the tricky part. One of the main things you need to use is the less-than () symbols to open and close your divs and other elements. But you cannot just enter them on the keyboard or the actual blog will take your code as (surprise!) code instead of simply displaying it in its raw form. To avoid this, we use the actual HTML character set to create the desired keyboard symbol. For instance: < = < > = > You should only need the greater-than and less-than symbols to type in your code because using the characters instead of the symbols from the keyboard will break the browsers ability to read the rest of the line as code. Therefore it'll read everything else in the line as normal type without trying to turn it into code (i.e. you can just use quotations on the keyboard without needing the actual symbol). However, just in case, here is a list of a lot of symbols if you need more options. photo credit: Tomas Caspers   |
| Forget About Likes and Follows Posted: 12 Dec 2012 10:42 AM PST Yeah I said it. Before you annihilate me in the comments, indulge me for a minute. I need to provide a bit of background. My team and I run Fanbase Media, a marketing platform that helps brands run social campaigns with user-gen content through Instagram….think photo contests, fan galleries, etc. Every day we’re speaking with potential customers interested in running some kind of photo based social campaign and quite often the first questions we get are:
Believe me, I get the obsession with growing your audience and increasing Facebook likes and Twitter followers but the intense focus marketers often place on likes and follows is, in my mind, a mistake. It appears the metrics of a campaign have become a bigger concern than the campaign itself. The main problem can be summed up by Peter Drucker’s famous words:
With a plethora of analytic tools and easily measurable metrics, marketers are incentivized and rewarded to increase likes and follows, often to the detriment of real engagement and the slightly bigger picture which is often more qualitative than quantitative. If the difference isn’t clear, here are two questions a brand could ask themselves before launching a social campaign:
Marketers are often asking themselves the first question when they should be asking the second. The difference might seem subtle but what drops out might mean the difference between a mediocre campaign and a hugely successful one. I’m sure you’ve heard the adage along the lines: pursue your passions and the money will follow. I’d like to posit: pursue creativity, novelty, uniqueness, and a laser-like focus on how to make your fans/audience happy and the likes and follows will….um…follow. So if you’re sitting down with your team and talking about like-gating on Facebook, impressions, reach, etc perhaps you might benefit by reframing the discussion around how to wow your fans and create a campaign that is memorable, fun, and engaging. Ideally, turning your audience into advocates. Marketing has always had a strong footing in metrics and measurability but never has so much been so easily measured, recorded, interpreted and acted upon. This is all good. I wouldn’t dare say otherwise, my main point is with all the data and metrics we have available to us, it’s easy to forget about the qualitative aspects of marketing that ultimately is what allows us to connect with our audience.   |
| Do Your Blog Post Titles Suck? Posted: 12 Dec 2012 09:35 AM PST "Memories." "One quick thing." "Thoughts today." "Writing." "Motivation" "Emerging victorious." These could be the best blog posts in the history of blogging, but I would never know it because I would never click on those titles to find out. It's harsh, but true. Some people have a knack for blog post titles – just a few words will hook the reader, and then. . . let the page views begin! These people manage to blend their keywords effortlessly and come up with something clever and witty that just begs to be clicked. Others are able to get by. They can convey the point of the post well enough to let the reader (most important) and the search engines (arguably less important than the reader, but still important nonetheless) know what it's all about. They can pull off keywords that don't sound forced and, though they might not have the catchiest titles, they're certainly not the worst. And then we come to a third class of bloggers – the kind with really, truly awful titles. What makes these titles so awful? They don't tell me much of anything about the post. They're so vague and the language is so generic that I have no clue if the post will be of interest to me. Memories of what? A shared or common experience? Okay, I might read that. But your vacation? Well, unless I know you well and am personally invested in your happiness, I probably don't care much. It sounds harsh, but it's true. But again, I'll never know because my interest wasn't piqued. I'm not curious enough to make the click. If we assume that the primary goals of your blog are to inform, educate, and get traffic (pretty standard), these generic, lackluster titles aren't going to be doing you any favors. How can you improve your blog titles?Use Keywords and Phrases EfficientlyI recently advised you against writing like a robot, and I'm going to stick with that advice. That being said, you do need to know the time and place for your keywords. Like, say, your title, for example. Determine the keyword or phrase that most defines your post, and then use that in the title. Bonus tip: If you're posting an infographic, guide, whitepaper, video, or any other kind of content that you want to call out in the title, do it at the end instead of the beginning so that your keywords can appear as early as possible. Do this: "Business Blogging Tips for Healthcare Professionals [Infographic]" Note that this made-up title is a bit stronger and more defined than something like "Medical Blogging." Consider LengthYou want your post titles to be concise – within reason. If they're too short – one or two words only – they may not convey what the post is actually about. On the other hand, if the title is too long, you risk the search engines truncating it. This is going to be a bad move from an SEO perspective. So you need to find a happy medium with your titles. Try to keep them between three and fifteen words, or up to about 60 characters (some people say 75). Ask Yourself if You Would Click on the TitleThis is perhaps the most telling test of all – but you have to be honest with yourself. Before you hit publish, ask yourself, "If this title came up in my Google Reader, would I bother to look at it?" If the answer is no, it's time to go back to the drawing board. Tip: If the answer is 'maybe,' it's probably still time to go back to the drawing board. A definitive 'Yes!' is what we're aiming to hear. The Two-Step Post Title TestNot sure if your title can compete? Figure it out in two easy steps by asking yourself these questions: #1: Is it clear from my effective use of keywords what this post is about? #2: Would I click on this link to read this post? If you answered with two resounding yeses, you're on your way. If you answered with at least one no, you still have some work to do. Tweak as needed. Do you read blog posts with vague titles? What steps do you take to make sure your own titles best convey your meaning and content? image credit: tricky tech   |
| Part 2: How to Start a Blog and Not Be Overwhelmed Posted: 12 Dec 2012 09:30 AM PST
Starting a blog may seem like an overwhelming task. There are many platforms for blogging. They range from highly customized solutions to as simple as 140 character microblogs (i.e. Twitter.) Step 1Once you discover why you want to be a blogger, the next logical step is setting up your blog. Platforms like Blogger, Tumblr, and WordPress, which is my platform of choice, are easy to set up. Go to their respective sites and sign up for an account. All of these platforms are free, but there may be costs associated with adding custom functionality and design customizations. (WordPress.com is FREE and hosted by WordPress, but if you want to take your WordPress site to the next level as far as functionality, you will want to use the WordPress.org self-hosted solution. Here's an article I wrote about the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.) Step 2Once you sign up for your desired platform, think about a name for your blog. Your blog's name should say something about you or the topics you plan on writing about. The name really sets the tone for the audience's experience and their engagement with your site. I strongly recommend purchasing a domain name when using WordPress or Blogger. Domain names can be purchased by domain registrars like Namecheap for as little as $8.95 per year. Here's the best tip no one told me when I started my first blog: Make sure the domain name you buy represents your brand well. If this is a business blog and you are just starting out, buy your company's name. (If you don't already own it.) Step 3Now that your blog is set up, take some time and create an author bio. Let people know who you are, what your interests are, and what you plan on writing about. Here's the author bio I typically use: Greg Taylor, founder of Marketing Press. Hopelessly addicted to music. Phoenix Suns fan. WordPress enthusiast since 2005. Originally from Warren, NJ, now Tempe, AZ is home. Real simple, but from that easy two-line bio you can get a decent idea as to who I am. Since I know it's difficult to write about yourself — feel free to steal my author bio writing format. [INSERT YOUR NAME], [INSERT WHAT YOU DO.] [INSERT A COUPLE OF INTERESTS -- make one highly relevant to what you do]. [CLOSING FACT ABOUT YOU]. Step 4Now that you have a place on the internet to call your own, customize your site page as much as you desire. Some blog customization takes HTML and CSS knowledge, and customizations are very simple and easy to do. Develop your blog to your level of expertise. If you desire more customization than you can handle, you can always hire someone to do the site customizations for you. Different blogging personas have different site customization needs, so design and develop accordingly. Step 5Every good blog needs a strong about page. Think about how you want your company (or your personal brand) positioned. This may be the first time people are learning about your company. Make sure you leave them feeling secure in the fact that you are the subject matter expert for your site's topical information. Step 6OK, here comes the fun part — writing. Write away. Post all that your heart desires. Talk about your clients, talk about how your product or services solve problems. In the beginning, you will be bursting at the seams with all sorts of great ideas to write about and you will be tempted to post daily or many times a week. Be forewarned — this will not last forever. Most successful bloggers use editorial calendars to keep them on track and to spread their posts out throughout a specific period of time. Blogging Tip: Schedule time to blog. You will quickly learn what days and times you are best at writing. The days and times that writing comes naturally and without struggle. Tap into that power and schedule time to blog. Trust me, it will make blogging much easier. I've made this 'How To Start A Blog' article very simple. Starting your own blog isn't as complicated as it sounds. Follow the above steps and you'll be off posting to your blog in no time at all. Always remember: Write for fun, write for purpose, just write. Still not sure how to start a blog or how to fine-tune it?Be sure to check out the third and last post in this series where we will discuss how to focus your blog for success. We'll talk about content strategy, SEO, lead generation, and metrics of success.   |
| Anatomy of a Search Engines Results Page [Infographic] Posted: 12 Dec 2012 08:50 AM PST In October 2012 alone, U.S. Internet users conducted 17.6 billion direct search engine queries. And, almost a quarter of the search queries on Google have a local intent. Now that so many consumers use search engines to look for local businesses, getting your business listed on the search engine results page (SERP) is critical to getting more customers to your business. To ensure potential customers can find you online, it's necessary to optimize pages like your website, business blog, local directory listings, social media pages, content sites, and more to appear in search. So, what do consumers see when they search online? To find out, check out our “Anatomy of a SERP” infographic, which illustrates the different parts of a search engine results page where you can show up to potential customers. Then, read on for some useful tips you can use to optimize your content so that your pages appear higher in the results so more consumers find your business when they search online. To learn more about how you can help consumers discover you on the search engine results page, check out these helpful topics:
Do you have any questions about the search engine results page? If so, let us know in a comment.   |
| Fight the Good Fight Against Social Media Burnout Posted: 12 Dec 2012 08:48 AM PST
I felt the need to take action to combat my burnout, so I decided to deactivate my personal Facebook account for a week. Granted, I had to create a fake account, so I could do my job and not get fired, but I only monitored the brands from this account. I did not allow myself to have access to any other companies, friends, or colleagues. I'll admit the first couple of days were difficult. My inner communicator experienced anguish and I suffered through extreme cases of FOMO. Don't tell Zuckerberg, but once I surpassed the initial hump, I actually really enjoyed not having Facebook in my life. I slept better, I felt less stressed, and in the words of Aldous Snow, I just carried on living my life. After time expired on my weekly challenge, I begrudgingly reactivated my account because as a professional communicator, permanently deactivating my account just didn't seem like the logical thing to do. You don't need to be a "professional" communicator for deactivation to not make sense. Social media has become such a prevalent part of society that not having a presence on the major platforms could be suicide for your business and/or personal brand. With that in mind, I came up with reasonable ways to combat social media burnout: 1. Evaluate why you feel burnt out Take a step back and evaluate why you are feeling burnt out. Ask yourself the following questions:
Asking yourself these questions will help you get to the bottom of what is irking you and help you come up with a course of action to combat your social exhaustion. 2. Draw the line You need to set a balance for yourself and as with many things in life, just say 'no' to social media at certain times throughout your day. For instance, set "no social" zones or a "social curfew" for yourself. Leave your devices behind when you go to lunch or the gym and force yourself to power down at a certain time each night—allow yourself to have a social detox. Jared Goralnick captured this point perfectly when he said, "Take quiet periods for yourself. Stop constantly checking emails. You lose four minutes every time you are interrupted—that's two hours a day. Remember the difference between social media and real life." I mean this with all due respect: You are not as important as you think. Trust me, this was a hard pill for me to swallow, but it is true. People are not going to notice or care if you are not tweeting or posting something every hour of the day or even every day– you are allowed to take a weekend for yourself every once in a while. 3. Establish concise goals Think about why you are using social media and what you hope to get out of your efforts. Set clear goals for your social engagement, so you post with purpose versus just throwing something at a wall and hoping it will stick. Are you using social networks to network, for branding purposes, awareness, sales, or to establish relationships? If there's a method to your madness, you are more likely to garner feedback from your followers, which will in turn help you feel satisfied with your social media efforts. Results are likely to help alleviate feelings of burnout. 4. Stretched thin? Let's be honest: There seems to be a new social media platform rolling out every time we turn around. The fact of the matter is that you and/or your business cannot keep up and posting lackadaisical posts across all platforms will hinder you more than it will help. Focus on building your brand on a few platforms with quality posts. Not only will you regain your sanity, but you will also build credibility and a stronger brand voice. 5. Bored with your platform of choice? Boredom and the lack of a challenge contribute to feelings of burnout. Are you tired of promoting your brand in 140 characters or less? Research a new platform you have heard of, but have yet to try out or have been unable to devote your full attention to. If you need a little inspiration, Microsoft recently released so.cl, a new social network that is a hybrid of Pinterest and Facebook. Once you find one of interest, give it a whirl—a breath of social media fresh air may be just what the doctor ordered. Image via: truebluetitan (Creative Commons)   |
| Framing Digital Windows: How to Use Twitter Lists Posted: 12 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST While there's an abundance of ways to monitor your industry, one of the most undervalued is Twitter lists – an avenue that's been around since 2009. Creating a custom Twitter list allows you to follow selected feeds in real time, giving you a window into the conversations of peers and thought leaders worldwide. This post will show you how to create a Twitter list that gives you insights into your industry and gives you a valuable frame of reference for understanding emerging trends.
Let's say you're a journalist here in Indiana and you're just starting to see the possibilities of Twitter. You've decided to create a Twitter list that will help you monitor news events across the state in real time. Click the Lists tab on the left side of your Twitter profile and then the "Create List" button. Then, name your list "Indiana News" and give it a brief description, choosing to make it a public list so that others can subscribe to it. Next comes the task of adding relevant Twitter feeds to your list. You start with colleagues at your hometown newspaper, and then find reporters at local television stations and radio stations. Then methodically add feeds from reporters across the state so you can monitor news from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis to Evansville. This intermittent process could take weeks, but you're building a custom information network that will keep you informed of breaking news like nothing else. Competitive Intelligence Or, let's say you're in the tech sector and want to build a Twitter list that keeps you on top of breakthroughs, analyst reports and news coverage. You can add as many as 500 feeds to a list and you don't have to follow a feed to list it. In other words, you can keep an eye on a competitor's Twitter feed without following them directly. (Also, it's worth noting that you can make your list private so that others can't subscribe to it.) You can also choose to follow someone else's list, and there's no shortage of opinions on lists you should follow. But there's something gratifying about creating your own list and discovering new voices in your field by digging a bit deeper. And once your list is built, you'll always have it. Here are some metrics to help you decide whether to add a feed to your list: Engagement Level: You can get a sense of someone's Twitter maturity with a quick skim of their last 20 tweets. Tweet volume/frequency: When was the last tweet, and does the feed have a history of tweeting regularly? One glance at the feed tells you all you need to know. Followers: Consider how many people are following that feed, but a better indicator is who is following that feed. If you see thought leaders in their follower list, the feed is probably worth adding. Followers to followed ratio: At a minimum, the feed should have close to a 1:1 ratio. If they're following significantly more people than are following them, it's a red flag. Make it a column, monitor and adjust Now that you've created your Twitter list, set it up as a column in a dashboard like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite. That way you can watch the tweets in real time alongside your regular Twitter stream. If you've set it up correctly, you'll see thought leaders talking about the latest developments in your industry. Pay close attention to the developments that interest you and look for opportunities to join the conversation and offer your own insights. Over time you'll want to make adjustments to your list. Review it occasionally so you can eliminate inactive or irrelevant feeds, or those you simply no longer want on your list. What has been your experience with Twitter lists? We'd love to hear your comments below. Looking for more social media marketing help? Check out our free guide: Increasing Conversions With Social Media.   |
| Social Media Addiction? Who, Me? (Infographic) Posted: 12 Dec 2012 07:34 AM PST 2012 is coming to an end, which usually means a great time to reflect and look back at how things have unfolded in our personal and professional lives during the past year. One thing is for sure: with smartphones, tablets and laptops penetrating our everyday lifestyles, this continuous connectedness is not without its fair share of secondary effects. We spend insane amounts of time sharing and commenting on various social networks, but how does this affect our real-life interactions? The folks at OnlineCollegeCourses.com created this infographic that features a couple of neat factoids, such as:
Do you agree that resisting the urge to check your Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts is harder than urges such as smoking, drinking alcohol, spending money or… having sex? Check out the infographic below and let me know your comments in the section below. Not that I'm addicted to comments, or anything…   |
| How Do You Recover Your Rankings After a WordPress Install? [VIDEO] Posted: 12 Dec 2012 07:25 AM PST Ben Holland of Vertical Measures answers "How Do You Recover Your Rankings After a WordPress Install?" TranscriptHi. I'm Ben Holland with Vertical Measures, and today I'm going to talk about recovering after you switch your URL structure on your domain. I own a website, scorpsweep.com, and I recently changed it from a static website to WordPress. So it changed my URL structure, no longer ending in the .html with my static page. After I did this, it was fantastic. My site looked very well. But my interior pages, because of the different URL ending, without the .html were de-indexed from Google. Even though I had used my .htaccess file to 301 redirect them properly, they were still not indexing properly, and I dropped my markings. The majority of my traffic goes to my interior pages, so I lost about 90% of my traffic. This was really disconcerting, so I tried to figure out a way to correct this as quickly as possible. What I did is I pulled a backlink analysis of my site through the Google Webmaster tools, and I found all of the pages that were directing to the old URL, the /facts.html pages. I found that some very high ranking sites that were linked to, like Wikipedia. So I went in and I changed my Wikipedia entry to the new domain, just the /facts without the .html, and within 24 hours, my site was ranking number one for all the terms it was beforehand. So, the trick of it is, whenever you change your URL structure, you want to find to find the backlinks that are really authoritative going to it. Then change them to the new structure, the new URL, and then your rankings will go back to where they were.   |
| Posted: 12 Dec 2012 07:20 AM PST
OK…I admit it. I was wrong. Not only is Google+ not dead but in my opinion Google+ is now defining a third place experience between Facebook and Twitter similar to Starbuck's third place between work and home. I've changed my tune so much I'm now becoming an Google+ Evangelist and that's why I'd like to share 10 reasons why iLove Google+. 1. Third Place ExperienceThe more time I spend with Google+ the more I realize that Google+ is now defining/creating a third place experience between Facebook and Twitter. At the time of it's launch people hailed Google+ as a Facebook Killer, better than Twitter, and the best of Facebook and Twitter combined. I actually find myself thinking about Google+ as another social network completely unique unto itself. Currently I use the big three social networks this way: 1.Twitter – I currently use Twitter to find and share great information and communicate with friends. 2. InterfaceI wasn't a huge fan of the initial Google+ interface but ever since their update I have grown to love the interface for its aesthetic as well as function. I find the aesthetic modern, clean, and it just makes sense to me. As a result of the design and overall experience I find the Google+ interface allows me to focus on the content. 3. No AdsEnough said! 4. Cleaner StreamI've grown to love the Google+ stream of posts for a number of reasons: 1. Posts display as most recent by default. 5. HangoutsI think Google+ Hangouts is the most under-appreciated feature of Google+ and it's the one that I most excited about. I've participated in a numer of Google+ Hangouts for general discussion, one-on-one communication, and group communization. As Hangouts become more poplar the growth of Google+ will explode…I'm really excited about Hangouts! 6. CirclesHonestly, I didn't fully understand the concept of Circles when Google+ first launched. Now I think the concept is brilliant! The idea is to group people based upon common interests. As I mentioned before I have Circles for SEO, schools, school people, social media, authors, and inbound marketing to name a few. When I view content on Google+ I can see all the Circles content together or filter the content I want to read by selecting the Circle with the subject I want to browse. 7. CommunitiesGoogle+ recently launched Communities and this feature allows Google+ users to interact on a whole new level. I've launched the SchneiderB.com Tribe Community on Google+ and I encourage you to join to experience Communities as well as interact with other SchneiderB.com readers on Google+. 8. SearchingMaybe it's because Google+ was created by the worlds largest search engine but I find the search functionality on Google+ to be vastly superior to Facebook and better than Twitter. With Google+ I'm able to find the person, page, or topic so much quicker than the other social media channels. 9. SEOGoogle+ is Google. Let me say that again, Google+ is Google which means that content shared on Google+ is being indexed faster and returned in search results more than Facebook and Twitter. As more and more people participate on Google+ I think that the divide between the SEO quality of content shared on Google+ vs. Facebook/Twitter will grow. 10. Your TurnI could actually go on and on about what iLove about Google+ but I want to hear what you love about Google+. Please share your thoughts and comments below about what you love about Google+. If you're not on Google+ yet please do yourself a favor and sign-up for an account and take Google+ for a spin. Make sure to join the SchneiderB.com Tribe on Google+ and we'll learn together.   |
| How to Create and Utilize a Google+ Community [Guide] Posted: 12 Dec 2012 07:15 AM PST On December 6th, Google rolled out a new feature to its Google+ social network: Communities. As opposed to individual personal Profiles or business/organization Pages which allow users to broadcast content to those who "circle" them, Communities represent a self-contained eco-system of Google+ users who are interested in a specific topic. Once a user joins or is granted access to a Community, they are free to start discussions, share links, comment and +1 posts, and even intiate Hangouts: integrated live-video chats. For marketers, Communities represent the possibility of a more interactive experience with an engaged group of customers, brand advocates or consumers who are simply interested in one topic, free the boundaries inherent in a corporate brand Google+ Page. Here is a quick guide on how to get started with Google+ Communities. Your left-hand menu should now feature a "Communities" tab: This will take you to the main Communities page, from which you can view the Communities you belong to or search for other Communities you don't yet belong to. You can also create a Community. The "Create A Community" button will bring up the first step in the process: Here, you'll have a choice between creating a Public Community, which anyone can join, or a Private Community, which is invitation-only. For the purposes of this guide, we'll create a Public Community. Next, you'll name the Community and set permissions. The name of your Community should denote the topic or interest that users will gravitate towards. Note: whatever name you choose for the Community will not be exclusive. In other words, there can be many Communities of the same name centered around that topic. In addition, you cannot (yet) set a vanity URL for a Community – they hold the same numeric-based URL as profiles and pages (example: https://plus.google.com/communities/115758385206378551362) Once you've created your Community, it's now time to fill out some information. You'll want to upload a photo, write a tagline and complete the About section. You can even create categories for future user discussions. Next, you'll want to invite other users to join your Community: That's it! Once your Community becomes populate, you can encourage and moderate discussions. In terms of business uses, a retail company might consider creating a Community around "Coupons" while an investment company might consider creating a Community around "Mutual Funds." Marketers should also be encouraged to create and join Communities centered around industry topics – like "SEO" or "Blogging" – that can help them hone their own skills. Hobbyists will likely gravitate towards Communities about their favorite past-times, like "Baking" or "Gardening," while sports fans will gather around a team and commiserate over their latest heartbreaking loss. The possibilities here are endless. A nice example of an active Google+ Community is the "Makers, hackers, artists & engineers" Community. What are some Google+ Communities that you have joined and actively participate in? Let us know in the comments below! For more information about how to use social media in your marketing efforts, download our Increasing Conversions with Social Media guide.   |
| The Recipe for Securing Twitter’s Holy Grail: Re-Tweets Posted: 12 Dec 2012 06:51 AM PST Re-tweets (or RTs, for short) are like gold dust: hard to secure but ridiculously worthwhile once you do. They open up your content and brand to a whole new audience; one you could have spent hours of time/hundreds of pounds trying to penetrate. Now, this audience is talking about your brand… without you having to do any work. However getting over the re-tweet hurdle can be tricky, given the sheer volume of content being pushed out to Twitter's half a billion users every single day. Recently, though, I saw a great infographic from QuickSprout that summed up what is (arguably) the perfect recipe for RTs… Ingredients
Method 1. Throw all ingredients into Twitter's 'What's happening?' update box 2. Stir well and serve 3. If you have time, throw in the following for even better results:
There you have it – a recipe even Delia would be proud of. Follow it and watch the RTs pour in… just don't forget to say thank you to each user for taking the time to share your content.   |
| Everything You Need to Learn About Blog Comments and SEO Posted: 12 Dec 2012 06:25 AM PST A few years ago, the comment fields on blogs often resembled a land mine field of spam. For every genuine comment, there were at least 3 more hawking diet pills or gambling web sites. It is an effective SEO tactic to leave comments on the blogs of people with digital influence, but not for the reason you might think. For starters, these links just aren't worth that much. Not all links are created equal, and one generated by commenting on a blog 1. Comments can Build an AudienceIf you’ve just started blogging for business, or you’ve been blogging for a time and have yet to gain any serious traction, commenting on other blogs should be high on your priority list. Don’t just say “great article” or ask them to check out a specific piece of blog content on your own website – no one will react well to blatant self-promotion or thin commentary. Say something intelligent, engage in dialogue and come back to do it again the next day. According to Mike Collins of SEO Site Checkup, their audience will take notice if you’re consistently adding value to the dialogue. 2. There’s a Potential for Bad SEOSpammers are attracted to blog comments like flies to honey. You can lose credibility in the eyes of Google or other major search engines if you’re not careful. Ste Kerwer recommends you install a Captcha-style verification program, turn off hyperlinks in your comments or even block your comments from being indexed by search entirely to avoid negative SEO. 3. Responding to Comments is CrucialSure, responding to comments takes time, and if there’s anything small business-owners have in common, it’s a shortage of free time. But it’s just not optional - D.J. of the popular blog Thoughts From Paris recently confessed that he’s historically been inconsistent about responding to comments on his content, but he made a public commitment to respond to every single one. Kerwer highlights 5 reasons that responding to online comments and SEO are a critical mix:
Online comments and SEO are a natural match, but it’s not about gaming Google. It's about increasing the value of your high quality original content by engaging your audience. Generating the social shares and inbound links from websites and bloggers with digital influence requires developing an audience and connections, and actively engaging with readers in your comments is a powerful way to get started. Do you leave comments? Do read blog comments? Have you found them to be a good way to build relationships or increase your digital influence?    |
| Posted: 12 Dec 2012 06:20 AM PST A picture is worth a thousand words. But what would 21 equal? If you are BuzzFeed, that would equal more than 120,000 page views, 2,000 plus shares on Facebook with an additional 4,500 plus "likes" and 200 Tweets. These stats were the result of a recent BuzzFeed post on the second presidential debate at Hofstra University that featured 21 photos with captions that did not exceed 12 words. If you are not familiar with BuzzFeed, you will be. Its reporters are featured on all the major news networks talking politics next to aged pundits. Its recent coverage of Hurricane Sandy shed light on areas impacted by the storm but not featured on major news networks. And with every piece of serious coverage, you can find the lighter content, the stuff that drew college students and young adults to the site in the first place: 31 photos of red pandas sleeping or an article on 18 things you didn't know about Michael Jackson's "Thriller." As the mainstream media begins to legitimize BuzzFeed and its editors – take this Fortune article "Meet the man reinventing the news" as an example – it is time for marketing communications professionals to consider the site and some of its basic mantras:
BuzzFeed is an interesting new platform that, in certain circumstances, would allow your business to reach an entirely new audience with little effort. As the site further legitimizes, marketing and PR teams should be marketing meetings to turn to this question: "so how are we going to get this on BuzzFeed?"   |
| Need to Measure the Impact of Your Social Marketing Program? Here’s How. Posted: 12 Dec 2012 06:05 AM PST It is that time of year when most marketers are knee-deep in building a case for their 2013 budget. Despite the five-year enthusiastic rush of companies to jump onto the social media bandwagon, social programs are still just one fraction of the total marketing budget. Still, as enthusiasm gives way to practicality, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to measure the effectiveness and impact of social marketing. But how? Rather than taking a myopic perspective and focusing merely on Return on Investment (ROI), you might want to consider monitoring the quantitative and qualitative benefits of social marketing across four perspectives, according to a recent Forrester Research, Inc. report, The ROI of Social Marketing. The author, Nate Elliot, makes a good case for the need to change the way we measure the contributions of social media programs as the medium matures. To that end, it is essential that social marketers use a combination of approaches to validate the business case of these programs. Elliot refers to a balanced social media marketing scorecard that includes:
In sum, he urges social marketers to create their own social media marketing "Balanced Scorecard" by using each of the four perspectives and determining the appropriate targets within each. It is just as important to not rely on just one or two perspectives, even though you might be compelled to want to, for example, only use financial and digital because they are the easiest to measure. Even though you may be compelled to rely on just one or two perspectives—don't. Let's hope that with these guidelines the effort to build a business case for your social marketing program just got a whole lot easier.   |
| Share Your Entire Social Business Personality On Your Own Site Posted: 12 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST Not long ago, we discussed The Personable Business: Creating your Story with Social Content. One of the points of that discussion was that once you get online, you'll end up with a social story whether you want one or not, so you may as well be the one writing that story. Businesses are getting used to the idea of sharing the company's story and personality via social networks, but how easy is it for the public to get a broad picture of your personality, one tweet or status update at a time? We all include social share buttons and follow links on our sites, to encourage readers to view our social shares and to follow us. However, it's difficult for users to understand our business personality when they have to jump from one social network to another, viewing a long column of tweets and status updates. Some users will make that effort, but most won't easily understand your business's personality this way. But what if you could show them a profile page that pulls in your social activity from each of your social networks, organized and displayed nicely (with images), with the most important tweets, statuses, and posts above the fold? Such an aggregated view of your social shares, organized and displayed in an nice visual arrangement, would give a much better at-a-glance picture of your business's personality, don't you think? Instead of sending users to 3 or 4 social networks, aggregate them into one beautifully displayed page – ON YOUR OWN SITE – instead. You can accomplish this very easily, in about 5 minutes, but before we show you how, let's visualize what we are actually talking about. Below is a screenshot of the page we created here on Level343 that enables users to get a real grasp of our social presence; allowing us to fully present our business's social personality in one nicely-formatted place. See the page live as well. Here are two other examples. These pages were all created by using Rebelmouse to pull in our social feeds from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, or any RSS feed(s) of your choice. You can then embed the aggregated pages onto your site with a script supplied by Rebelmouse, or if you use WordPress, Rebelmouse's WordPress plugin. What else can you do?
When Rebelmouse first launched, we thought it was a nice way to aggregate a business's social presence, but once Rebelmouse allowed embedding of your page onto your own site…well, that was the game-changing moment for us. Why? Because we can now easily share our entire lineup of social activity in one place, on our own sites – giving our readers a chance to really visualize our business's social personality, easily and at a glance. This helps us tell our business story from a social point of view. I urge you to try it yourself. Yes, it's free and yes, it's simple. Just sign up with Rebelmouse, authorize it to access your social accounts, and embed the script or plugin on your site or blog. In just a few minutes, your entire social presence is available in a beautiful image-centric format, right on your own site. Donna Fontenot, a novelist and web geek, has been involved with web development since the mid-1990′s. What began as a fascination with HTML grew to encompass front-end web design, back-end coding, SEO, online marketing, affiliate marketing, blogging, eBusiness consulting and a love of all things WordPress.   |
This is the second installment of a three-part series about blogging. Our 
A couple of months ago, I experienced a severe case of social media burnout. For many people, this would not necessarily be a problem, but this was a huge issue for me. Why, you ask? I am the Social Media Community Manager for two major brands, so it is my job to constantly be online and monitor what people are saying and doing in regards to these brands.
Creating a Definitive Professional List
I know. I know. I've written about how 
post will have much less benefit than if one of your pages is cited by a big-name blog. The value comes from audience engagement that builds relationships – most bloggers love comments, and it’s a great way to get noticed and develop relationships that increase your authority and digital influence. We’ll review several things every business blogger needs to know about online comments and SEO:
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