3 Ways to Integrate Social Media Into Your Marketing Plan Now

Social media is undoubtedly a part of your day to day life. If you’ve read a Tweet or logged into Facebook in the last twenty for hours, you’re part of the social media landscape, so it’s little wonder that this force has become the best new way to market your company. After all, the goal of marketing is reaching other people, and with so many focused on social media these days, it only makes sense to cash in on that captive audience. Naturally, though, you’re not going to dump your traditional marketing strategies. Instead, these tips will help you integrate social media into your marketing plan right now.

 

1. Participate – Facebook, Twitter, your own company blog. All of these are social media platforms that require participation. You can’t simply throw content at the wall in any of these places and hope it sticks. Instead, you need to make a steady commitment to joining the conversation and stay with it to help make social media effective for your business.
2. Add A Multi-Media Component – It’s not just about words online these days. Images, videos and sound clips play a rich role in adding to a user’s overall experience, and this is true on every platform. You probably already see pictures of your friends’ children on Facebook every day, right? Wouldn’t a quick video clip of your new product line help customers see why they should drop in more frequently?
3. Order the Combo Platter – If you integrate your online advertising with your offline advertising, you have a winning combination. Adding your Facebook page or your blog’s URL to your business cards or your next ad is going to help you create the community you’re looking for, and that means they can join you again and again to help get that conversation flowing.

Posted by Leslie on January 23rd, 2012 | | Print |

Are Site Analytics Really Important?

Measuring the effectiveness of your marketing efforts is an absolute must. It’s tough to decide where to focus your efforts these days when your budget is a bit tighter than it once was, but with a clear evaluation of what’s working and what’s not, you can make the informed decision necessary on what to cut and what to expand. Site analytics is little different in that regard. It’s one tool in your arsenal to help you understand what works about your site and what makes visitors click away. Here are just a few aspects site analytics can help you learn about your online efforts:

 

• Learn which browsers are hitting your site most often. This may not seem like the most helpful aspect, but it can help you understand a bit about your base. If they’re coming from Safari or Internet Explorer, you know you have an audience who needs a simple, easy-to-navigate site. Moreover, if many visitors use a browser that doesn’t work well with your site, you may want to make some updates to help keep them onboard with your company.

• Learn more about what makes people leave. A few clicks through an analytics report can help you understand which parts of your site are sending people somewhere else entirely. Maybe you need to make some updates to a particular page. Alternately, maybe you should scrap some of your stuff and move ahead with new sections of your site.

• Find out if mobile users are visiting you. Mobile technology is fast becoming an essential part of the web landscape, and understanding how many mobile users are hitting your site each day is an essential feature of analytics. If you have a high percentage of mobile users, shifting your site to ensure it’s as friendly to them as it is to other users could be an important sales tactic.

 

We’re long past the days where throwing a site online was enough. Measuring your efforts is the only way to get more for what you’re doing every day.

Posted by Leslie on December 17th, 2011 | | Print |

Understanding the Need for Hot, Fresh Content

Since the dawn of search engine algorithms, getting those keywords in your content has been the way to make sure people see your site. Then, suddenly, many realized that having the keywords wasn’t enough. Those keywords had to be embedded in content that mattered to visitors. These days, even that isn’t enough. Your content has to be continually updated to get the most bang for your buck. Wondering why? The reasons behind great, updated content are really fairly simple:

 

• Keep Your Visitors Coming Back For More – Do you really want to visit a site that stays the same absolutely all of the time? It’s like going to see a movie hundreds of times back to back. The chances are good that you aren’t going to see anything you missed after the first few times, and the same can be true of a website. Once a visitor learns everything he or she needs to know, why should they return if you’re not offering anything new.
• Better Content Increases Your Page Rank – If you’re constantly offering updated content, you have a better shot at a good page rank on the major search engines. Google spiders are getting smarter with every update, and continually providing a solid, keyword friendly experience for your viewers is only going to help your efforts.
• Make Your Content Reflect Your Company – If you’re changing your service offerings or your product line or even your location, people need to know. You can’t just stick with the same stuff you had posted when you initially opened. Your business is changing and growing, and your website should be too!

 

Relying on static content to keep both search engines and visitors interested in your company isn’t going to get you the rave reviews you’re looking for. Your best bet is to continually update with fresh content that will keep everyone happy, search engine spiders included.

Posted by Leslie on November 15th, 2011 | | Print |

3 SEO Tips You Need To Start 2012 Off On the Right Foot

It’s a new year, and for many business owners, that means reevaluating the online marketing strategies they created in the past. SEO is probably already an integral part of what you do, but with continual changes to search engine algorithms, understanding how to update your SEO efforts has to be part of your strategy. Here are just a few things to consider for the new year.

 

Optimize For Customers

 

While many sites have a fairly narrow focus on certain keywords, keeping your customers in mind at all times is an absolute must. Yep, those keywords are still important, but the keywords aren’t going to pay your bills. Your customers are, so make certain that you write and design for them, not for search engines. Algorithms are going to come and go, but customers are going to stick with you if you focus on their needs again and again.

 

Mobile Friendly Sites Are a Must

 

New data indicates that most people spend at least 3 hours a day surfing the web from their phones and tablets, and if your site is difficult to navigate from the mobile platform, you may want to consider doing a bit of repair. Don’t forget that’s mobile friendly sites aren’t just about great design, either. Good content is a part of this package, too. If your content takes too long to reach the point you’re trying to make or you haven’t bothered to include a call to action, you may have a problem with mobile users. They’ll get bored fast and head somewhere else.

 

Don’t Forget About Social Media

 

Sure, people have been harping on it for years, but it really is an absolute must these days. From LinkedIn to Twitter to Facebook, people are spending hours on social media sites every day, and participating in that conversation has to be part of your efforts. Don’t forget that this doesn’t just mean throwing a note about a big sale up on your Facebook wall now and then. It means actually becoming part of the conversation if you want to make it work well.

Posted by Leslie on October 15th, 2011 | | Print |

Ecommerce Web Design

Today, business online is playing a big role in companies’ successes.  Tomorrow, it may be impossible to be successful in the corporate world without having a virtual presence.  In fact, more and more, there is a shift proving that to be true and as the economy took a slam in the past few years, this has become increasingly evident.

While the movement is toward selling and marketing online, the underlying premise of business remains the same – you cannot make money, nor be successful unless you convince the customer to buy.  There are a few rules that can help to ensure that the website design assists in accomplishing this goal.

Let the design speak to the product Whether selling a twenty dollar massage or a five hundred thousand dollar car, the layout, color pallet and even font selections should match your product.  The first should be elegant, soft, warm, and inviting, while the latter would be better suited by a hard, crisp, cool color pallet and flashy, hi-tech design elements.

Keep the Product in the Forefront While informative pieces, company biographies, and eye-catching images might be standard on a website, it should always be the product that is highlighted above all else.  If massage is what you are selling, the images, the text, and every other element of the site should showcase massage.

Let the Product Be Seen If you are selling something –even in a catalog of other items – and there is no image, then it isn’t going to sell.  An image alone, even, isn’t enough.  High quality photos that can be zoomed for easy viewing are essential for success.

Keep the Road Map Simple Just because the piece of information a person seeks is on your website somewhere, doesn’t mean that the person is going to hunt to find it.  In most cases if the answer to his or her question is not clearly displayed, the buyer will move on to another site.  This can include a clear path to the shopping cart, a clearly displayed price, or even an easy to use search bar for finding a product quickly.

Make the Path Back Apparent Buyers, once they find a site that they like will commonly search through the various products that are available on it before finally buying whatever it was that they came for in the first place.  This is a good thing for the retailer and should be encouraged.  However, if the initial product cannot be easily found again, then the sale might be lost.  The use of clear categories and menus will help keep that path clear.

 

Posted by admin on September 23rd, 2011 | | Print |

Building a Social Networking Site 101

It’s the new craze for the general public and now for big business as well.  Social networking was the way of the future.  Now it is the way of today and if you are not on board, then you are likely missing huge opportunities for growth.  Many people are taking it one step further than simply mingling with peers on sites like Facebook, or reaching out to potential customer bases on Twitter.  Instead, for a few hundred dollars, they invest in the ability to build their own ‘look-alike’ networking site and that certainly isn’t a bad investment.

Of course, no one believes that these small start-ups will compete with the giants of online networking, but they can serve particular purposes for a specific portion of the population and, in that way, can become quite successful.  The key to making this happen is finding a niche and sticking with it.  Facebook is a very poor example of this.  This giant hit the market when it was very fresh and saw triumph by opening the door to all ages, sexes, races, and ethnicities.

Where to Look If you have a hosting account or server, along with about five hundred dollars, you too can be the proud parent of a social networking start-up.  Even open source has entered the arena, with Joomla CMS releasing the first version of Joomunity, which is entirely free code to be interpreted and reconfigured as users lease.  Freelance programmers are always willing to help with the code and design.  However, with a bubble building and so many massive players already on the field, success isn’t going to come easily.  It takes the ability to think outside the box, develop revolutionary ideas, and, most importantly, to find that niche that has a problem that only your new social networking sight can solve.

Legal Ramifications Perhaps the most exciting news for those armed with an idea, a handful of cash, and a little designated web space, is that experts believe that there is very little Facebook (and other social networking giants) could do legally to copycats.  Without identical coding, the sites would vary enough that the courts would be very inclined to dismiss.

To Begin If you think you have what it takes, there are a few questions that you should ask yourself.  Who are you aiming to serve? What problem do they have that can’t be answered by the existing sites – Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.? How do you plan to spread the word about your ingenious solution?  If it does take off, how big can it get?  And, do you have the wherewithal to support it, if it does?

 

Posted by admin on September 9th, 2011 | | Print |

Affecting Your Audience

Undoubtedly, there has come a time when you stop, for just a second, to admire a website that you happened upon while web surfing or online shopping.  Have you ever stopped to wonder what made the creator of that site choose to use the particular color combination, why he or she chose to feature the particular musical backdrop, or why the text is laid out in such an interesting way?  In general, the companies behind the best websites made those types of decisions based entirely on assumptions about their target audience.  If you are stopping to take a second look, then chances are good that you might fall in the realm of their niche as well.

The Palette Color plays a very important part in setting the right tone.   The colors of a website can play a huge role in the first impressions of a potential customer.  A site selling children’s shoes, for instance, might make appropriate use of primary colors.  However, those same flashy reds, yellows, and blues would likely look out of place on a banking site.

Images This is one of the most obvious connections to the intended audience.  Depending on the product or service for sale, many companies will choose images that feature people that resemble their target audiences.  It is also important to remember that the size of images and videos can determine how fast a page loads.  For audiences of an older generation, or others who are less likely to have high speed internet connection, it might be better to use fewer of these fillers.

Keywords and Content This, too, is pretty obviously tied to the intended audience.  A website that sells high end physics lab equipment should be worded in a different way than a site offering high school tutoring services.  Similarly, the targeted population should also help a person create keywords to be used throughout that text.  If selling in a localized area, then use of nearby city names in conjunction with the product or service would be wise, and specialized products for a unique audience should be tied to specific terms that would relate.

These are just a few of the considerations that should be made when designing a website to entice your potential customers or clients.  The use of social media integration, particular font styles, payment methods, and even the level of interaction should be based primarily on how that subsection of the overall market would respond to such things.  Failure to keep the general, beliefs, habits, and tendencies of your audience in mind during the design process is like admitting defeat before the website it ever launched.

 

Posted by admin on September 2nd, 2011 | | Print |

Social Media Beyond Making Friends: How It Can Be Used For Other Applications

Most people associate social networking mediums as effective methods of keeping in contact with friends. This is true, but there is a business approach that should not be missed. Keeping in contact with friends and staying in touch with your target audience have something in common: communication.

 

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter should not be overlooked for the wonderful opportunities that they have to offer businesses around the globe. Fan pages can be created for both the company and all separate products and/or services the business provides, which allows people to “like” them or become fans. When this happens, then it will show up on that person’s profile, available to be viewed by any one of their friends. Then that friend clicks on the link that leads to the product or company, they “like” the link and the cycle continues. Not only is this the ultimate in audience exposure, but setting up fan pages and profile pages is completely free, and what business does not like free advertising?

 

Fan pages can also be turned into groups of their own, all joined together by a common interest. This will give the fans a chance to discuss their interests with others of the same vein, to share news, opinions and other kinds of information all dealing with the shared interest. Hollywood is using this to good effect with movies getting a fan page while they are still in production. Popular music bands are doing the same thing, posting updates on albums, tours and anything else that they are involved in. Not to mention there isn’t a serious successful actor, writer, artist, producer, director, reporter or TV host that doesn’t have their own fan page in order to recruit followers, and to keep their followers informed as to what is going on in their lives and their careers.

 

Events can be arranged on social media and invitations can even be sent out to all the members of a group or fan page. These can be set up around fan pages to certain ideas or events, or an events page can be made to advertise the occurrence, to invite people to the event, and to keep track of whoever will be attending, who will not be attending and even those that remain undecided well past the day of the event that they missed anyway.

 

Social networking is connecting friends, fans, performers, businesses, products, movies, songs and any other aspect of our social and economical lives. In short, it’s entertaining, it’s informative, it’s an extremely useful tool and it’s here to stay.

 

Posted by admin on August 26th, 2011 | | Print |

Business of Social Networking: How It Works and Where to Go With Your Idea

Every successful business knows that in order to become profitable, you have to be in constant communication with your audience or else your ship is going to sink, so to speak. Previously, this was accomplished in the form of advertising, be it television, magazine, newspapers, etc.

 

Then came the internet.

 

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter get thousands of visitors a day – sometimes millions – and businesses as a whole want a piece of that social pie. These sites literally provide global exposure, they constantly have people logged on, they are also available in mobile formats, the vast majority of consumers know how to operate these sites and do so willingly, and the best feature of all is that businesses can advertise for free.

 

Whereas advertising can be purchased for social networking sites, all a business has to do is create an account or fan page on one of these social sites, and from then on keep constantly updating their page, and they have achieved free communication with consumers across the entire globe. This is a form of advertising that no print or televised media could even come near let alone equal.

 

The days of a black and white advertisement playing before a movie are over. Social networking brings the up to date information about products, services and businesses to an endless array of consumers for far cheaper and far easier than any medium before it ever could, and it is doing it for free. This means that businesses are getting the word out about what they are doing and what they are planning for the future, and they don’t have to pay for this information to get into the hands of their customers. It’s almost like the company will be receiving maximum income for little to no expense. It’s a business model that practically cannot be beat, which means the small businesses now have a chance to compete with the major corporations. Social media does not care how big your business is, you have an equal chance of attracting followers as any other business. The difference now is in how pretty you dress up your fan page.

 

When you design your page, make sure your product or service looks as appealing as you can. That way, when customers view your page, they will “like” what you have done, and this will appear on their page. Now, whenever someone views their page, they will see that this person “likes” your product or service and will check it out themselves. They will “like” it, and then all of their friends can see it, and so on. It’s a continuous cycle of free advertising and exposure that could help boost businesses into profit margins that they ordinarily would not be able to achieve given more traditional forms of advertising.

 

The days of spending thousands even millions of dollars on print advertising are soon to reach a demise. It is time for free social media advertising to take the reins in the world of business.

 

Posted by admin on August 16th, 2011 | | Print |

Features of an Effective Social Networking Site

Facebook has become the world’s leading social networking phenomenon. When Egypt’s King Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power in February of 2011, protestors said that Facebook helped make it possible for their cause to receive worldwide attention. This is the kind of power one social networking site can yield. The ideas, hopes and dreams of the protestors were carried over the internet via Facebook into the hands of people that could make a difference, in this case the press, other governments, military, etc.

 

The Mubarak situation is an extreme example – but a good one – of the power of social media. The world paid little attention to Egypt hearing nothing of their troubles until it was released on Facebook. This can happen again, hopefully not to oust a criminal regime, but for more positive effects.

 

Imagine if the power of social media were wielded for a different cause. A new start-up business could receive worldwide attention using nothing more than Facebook. Such a business could purchase advertising space along the right hand column and then distribute their product to approximately 500 Facebook users at random and then sit back and watch the dominoes fall into place.

 

There is no guarantee this business strategy would work, but then again, no one thought the protestors in Egypt would get anywhere when they started complaining about their governance on facebook either.

 

To increase your exposure through social media, the first thing you need to do is “like” as many similar concepts to your own product as you can. When people traverse the site of something you have “liked,” they will see a list of people to the left of the page. If you have clicked the “like” button, there is a chance they will see your business there. Once curiosity sets in, that person will click your link and will be on your page then, and from there, you let your site sell your business, product, service or whatever it is you are peddling.

 

Another thing that will help your site is to get well-known people to “like” your group. If a famous celebrity shows up as a follower of your site, this could lead other people to your site to get an idea what it is their favorite celebrity is endorsing on social media.

 

You may also want to have a catchy name across the top of your site, something people can remember easily, along with big pictures of attractive people having a good time, possibly with any one of them holding your product. It may seem clichéd, but it works. Selling is a visual experience, and customers remember what they see more than what they read about your product or service.

 

Posted by admin on August 12th, 2011 | | Print |