Thursday, 29 October 2015

Focus on Facebook—It’s Where Consumers Spend Most of Their Online Social Time

We’ve known Facebook is the biggest social media social media marketing proposal site in terms of monthly active users (last published as 845 million). But comScore’s study shows Facebook dominates in two other ways.First, Facebook is the premier player among all web properties in terms of time spent—and that means engagement.Second, when compared with other social media platforms, Facebook has achieved an even more impressive percentage of mindshare. Facebook captures 14.6% of Internet users’ time compared to a combined 2% for all other social networking sites. Facebook also captures 16% of all page views.
Social Media

Facebook: Living Keywords

Facebook users tend to be less comfortable making online-only connections than those on LinkedIn and Twitter, but there are still groups, pages, and public profiles you can follow and contribute to. These tend to tolerate outside postings more than LinkedIn, particularly if they are directly related to social media marketing the topic of the group or page.Facebook does allow for some very powerful focusing methods using keywords. Posts can be promoted, which amounts to advertising on a per-ad basis. If you have a large network, this can ensure that more of your friends see your posts, though whether they are interested or not is difficult to measure.Facebook’s advertising methods are closer to social sharing and integrate very well in the regular social interactions of the site, but they allow filtering which allows you to make sure your get in front of the right people.Spend your time on the filtering options to ensure that you are spending money wisely on Facebook.An oft-overlooked social networking tool is Meetup, which allows members to social media marketing job description organize casual get-togethers in their local area for those interested in a particular topic.
Anyone who shows up to a solar energy meetup is going to social media marketing strategy be interested in solar energy.While Meetup is limited to local encounters, it is highly targeted and can give you access to the networks of passionate people. It’s also powerful because it allows you to make introductions and pitches in person, which is always a bonus.Best practices for utilizing Meetup are to attend one or two events organized by others before you suggest your own or try to share promotional materials with the group. If you crowdfunding campaign is relevant and you’ve shown yourself to be a sincere member of the group, it will be received with open arms. Meetup admins also have access to their members’ email accounts, so you can get your crowdfunding campaign in their inboxes directly.While this option does take more work, it basically amounts to highly targeted networking. Just don’t abuse the meetups you attend.


Twitter: Go Beyond Hashtags

One of Twitter’s greatest strengths is its ability to social media marketing consultant filter out communities. Most people are familiar with hashtags, which basically function like the subject line on an email, marking a tweet as about #solarenergy or #womenleaders, for example.What is more difficult is finding out which people are worth following and reaching them. Just because someone uses a hashtag doesn’t mean they are concerned about the topic on a regular basis. With a little digging, you can lock on to the right people to follow.If you are a solar energy nonprofit, you should be following solar energy news profiles, solar energy companies, and journalists who regularly write about solar energy. But you can’t stop there. Dig into the follower lists of those profiles and follow those who follow the big name profiles.
Social Media

Twitter Tools Used by Social Media Experts

With so many Twitter tools out there, it’s hard to social media marketing ideas know which ones to trust with your Twitter account management. So why not take a look at what the social media and industry experts are using.Here are some Twitter applications and tools used by some of the top Twitterers.Bit.ly is just a URL shortening service right? Wrong! Used by @marismith, @techcrunch, and @problogger, a free Bit.ly account will give you access to a dashboard where you can shorten and share links to multiple Twitter accounts. You can also see the stats for any Bit.ly links you share through your dashboard and plug your Bit.ly API key into Tweetdeck, Twitterfeed, or Seesmic to get stats for links you share through those applications as well. As an added bonus, you can even create your own custom short domain to match your brand so you can have branding similar to Mashable’s on.mash.to and Amazon’s amzn.to custom URLs.Paper.li is a unique application that allows you to collect tweets and curate them manually or automatically in a newspaper-style format which can be automatically shared daily on your Twitter account. Used by @scottmonty, @guykawasaki, and @leeodden, this app is a great way to marketing and social media collect the top tweets from your followers, people on a specific Twitter list, or even anyone who mentions a particular #hashtag. It does drive a nice bit of traffic to sites mentioned by top users, so while some people may not like to be mentioned, others greatly appreciate it!HootSuite is one of my personal favorites as far as Twitter management is concerned, and is also quite popular amongst the social media elite including @chrisbrogan, @tweetsmarter, and @tamar. It is a freemium tool, meaning that you can use the free plan if you have fewer than five social profiles to manage. But the Pro version for unlimited social profiles including enhanced analytics isn’t too steep at only 5.99USD per month.
Twitterfeed, used by @sengineland, @amyporterfield, and @cindyking, allows you to social media marketing packages add RSS feeds (yours and others) to be shared automatically through your Twitter, Facebook, and other social media accounts each time there is a new update to them. You can customize the tweets to show the title of the new post, the link (shortened by your preferred URL shortener), and even add a RT @username or via @username so you let the blogger know you’re always tweeting their posts. It’s a great way to curate content for your audience automatically, but just be careful that the blogs whose feeds you use always publish quality content.TweetDeck is a desktop Twitter management tool used by @jasonfalls, @problogger, and @marshallk. It has features similar features to HootSuite in terms of creating columns to organize your Twitter activity as well as the ability to send longer messages using their Deck.ly service which creates a shortened URL that directs followers to the rest of your tweet beyond 140 characters. I love the interface of this one, but since I use multiple computers, it makes more sense to use a browser-based application instead of one you have to install on a local machine.


Finding your audiences on social media

It’s well worth spending time thinking about who you need to social media marketing network connect and engage with on social media. It’s about seeing past the obvious. Who is interested in your product or service? Is there anything unique that could appeal to a certain audience?Then think about the next level, who those people might be associated with. Word of mouth is a powerful thing and it’s rife amongst social media folk, so connecting with those that are connected to your target audiences can be worthwhile.Also identify your key influencers. These could be people that stand out within your communities, people that others listen to, people that create action (not necessarily those people with thousands of Twitter followers). They could be peers, journalists, thought-leaders or other stakeholders. Peoplesocial media marketing salary with game-changing opinion and ideas. People who challenge the norm. Or simply people that talk sense.
Social Media

Social Media Strategies to Reach Your Target Audience

Social media marketing platforms are constantly evolving, so newcomers are at a disadvantage compared to marketing through social media those who’ve been around the social media block over the last decade. There are more platforms to learn, more features to leverage, and larger audiences to engage.For small or new businesses venturing into social media marketing for the first time, focusing on the fundamentals is key. In this two-part series, we’ll do just that. Read on for a guide to getting started, including defining your target market and choosing the right channels to reach them.Social media has a lot of tools to help you reach your target audience, if you know how to use them. Here are 5 strategies you can apply to make sure your crowdfunding campaign gets in front of the right eyes.
While crowdfunding gives you access to social media marketing certification a much wider audience for spreading your message and connecting with potential supporters, it can also put you at risk of diluting your message. With access to so many people, you need to make sure that you are spending your time wisely and getting in front of the most relevant audiences: those who care about what you care about and are most likely to support you.You’ve probably had the experience of putting your brilliant article or fundraising idea out into the social media ether, only to have it mostly ignored. Your idea may be a good one, but unless it takes root among people who care–your target audience–it will simply get swept away by the ever-moving tide that is the social internet.

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

How to Succeed With Your Instagram Marketing

Instagram social media marketing training is a powerful tool for telling a visual story about your brand. As social media users continue to demand more visual content, brands will need a platform where they can share photos and videos that will visually engage their target audience. With more than 300 million active users, Instagram has grown into the most popular social platform for sharing photos. In 2012, Instagram’s purchase for $1 billion by Facebook was seen as folly. But with a current estimated value of $35 billion, it is looking like a bargain! It is also the fastest growing social network. That tells you something about the power of visual marketing on a mobile web.Brands can use Instagram as a tool for sharing their customers behind-the-scenes images of their business and keep them updated on new products. Additionally, Instagram is an excellent tool for establishing a brand identity.Every Instagram account needs to tell a story. When you create your strategy, make sure you share photos that feature your products, brand’s story, and customers. It’s also important to develop brand messaging that will be cohesive with your target audience. Once you have these two elements in place, you’ll be able to develop your Instagram strategy further.

Hallmarks of a Successful Instagram Marketing Strategy

Having an Instagram marketing strategy has never been more important to social media marketing classes the success of a brand. Here are some aspects of an Instagram strategy that help guarantee an effective presence on this platform. Interaction Social media is supposed to be just that: social. Your brand can't merely exist on these platforms; it needs to be an engaging, active presence in order to make a difference. Brands have encouraged interaction with followers through competitions, the use of hashtags, and simply by posting interesting photos on Instagram.Social Media Insights is a daily newsletter from Business Insider that collects and delivers the top social media news first thing every morning. You can sign up to receive Social Media Insights here or at the bottom of this post.An engineering company has developed a street sign that displays helpful navigational information sourced from Foursquare, Twitter, public transportation APIs, and news RSS feeds, among others. Besides showing pedestrians the direction they are heading in, the sign can also show you where the nearest coffee shop is or how soon the next bus will be arriving.Instagram strategy should be largely focused on encouraging brand-consumer connection in order to be worthwhile.
Quality One of the most easily forgotten aspects of having an online presence is prioritizing the actual quality of content posted online. Always encourage your team tosocial media marketing news consider the value your account offers consumers, and give people good reason to actually engage with your brand's online presence. Instagram, whether through filters or video functions, provides many creative opportunities for your brand to stand out. Be sure that your team is taking advantage of this. Though a relatively new part of the social media industry, Instagram is undoubtedly having an impact on how brands communicate with consumers online. For more information on how social media is changing the ways in which brands market products and promote an image, check out Trend Hunter's Social Media Trend Report.With over 20% of Internet users with Instagram accounts, it could pay to take a closer look at Instagram, particular for consumer marketing. If you are a new adopter of Instagram for marketing or seeking reassurance you are using Instagram correctly, this efficient Instagram marketing infographic summarises the basics well. It covers ensuring your profile is up to date, through to engagement techniques with mentions, visual content (photos and videos) and how to manage Instagram campaigns.

Social Media: A Organizational Studies

A relationship over a computerized social networking social media marketing salary service can be characterized by context, direction, and strength. The content of a relation refers to the resource that is exchanged. In a computer mediated communication context, social pairs exchange different kinds of information, including sending a data file or a computer program as well as providing emotional support or arranging a meeting. With the rise of electronic commerce, information exchanged may also correspond to exchanges of money, goods or services in the “real” world.Social network analysis methods have become essential to examining these types of computer mediated communication.Social capital is a sociological concept which refers to the value of social relations and the role of cooperation and confidence to achieve positive outcomes. The term refers to the value one can get from their social ties. For example, newly arrived immigrants can make use of their social ties to established migrants to acquire jobs they may otherwise have trouble getting (e.g., because of unfamiliarity with the local language). Studies show that a positive relationship exists between social capital and the intensity of social network use.
Social Media

An introduction to SMO

Social media social media marketing statistics optimization is an idea that’s been around for a while, but has really come into popularity since Google’s Hummingbird Algorithm was best site to integrated into search in late August.For me, the most important factor of that algorithm change was a new focus on social activity for SEO. Traditional SEO, as you likely know, focuses on link building (links to your content are seen as, essentially, votes in that content’s favor). The more links you have to and within your content, the higher it’ll appear in a search.Now, however, the all-important link has been replaced with the Google +1. If anybody is surprised that Google has made its own social network’s endorsement the most important factor for SEO, you really shouldn’t be…Google has also hugely increased the value of social endorsements of all kinds.
Yes, links are still incredibly important (please do not take away from this section that you can stop link-building), but important also is the Facebook “like,” Twitter’s tweets, LinkedIn’s shares and Pinterest’s pins.What this means for content marketers and content shock: In the coming years, content marketers will need to fight tooth-and-nail to top social media marketing companies make our content more shareable, endorse-able, tweet-able, pin-able and more “like” able than anyone else’s.Social Media Optimization (SMO) is a new term that was recently coined by Rohit Bhargava and has since been taking on life of its own. In his introduction to SMO, Rohit draws similar comparisons to SEO. SMO tactics can drive huge amounts of people to a website and can also determine whether a startup, website or idea will make it or not. It involves driving traffic to a website through new channels because search engines aren’t the only sites that drive big traffic anymore. While it’s not taking over SEO yet, it has the potential to someday soon.First of all “social media” is a buzzword that has been thrown around a lot lately.

Improve Your Search Engine Rankings

Search engine optimization, often referred to social media marketing for small business as SEO, is the practice of improving how well a site ranks in a search engine. Social media is becoming more and more important in SEO, so that companies with excellent social media presences often rank higher than those without. As evidence of Google taking social media seriously: recently, Twitter teamed up with Google, making it possible for specific tweets to show up in Google searches. If nothing else, this is good for the future of social media marketing. Basically, because strong brands tend to be social media powerhouses, the Google search engine algorithm places a lot of value on a strong social media presence. So if ranking well on search engines is important to you, social media marketing is nothing less than required. Every person who visits your site could become a potential customer. The trick, then, is to get as many people to your site as possible. Normally, the only traffic for your site comes buy teitter retweets from people who already know of your company, or from people searching keywords your business ranks for—unless, of course, you have social media profiles. Think of social media profiles as roots, and your website as the trunk. The more well-established roots you have spread in different places, the more nutrients reach the trunk. Every social media profile you have is essentially another pathway to your site.
Social Media

Instagram challenges for marketers

social media social media marketing job description is challenging for marketers because they want to look at things in a more traditional way: how to get people to do x, y and z. The newer platforms, like Snapchat and Instagram, are even more challenging. It’s not easy to write a viral blog post or post a YouTube video that goes viral.Instagram is limited, because you just get that one link in your bio and there are no links in the comments.While a blogger might not see the value in Instagram (“Why should my blog be on Instagram if there’s no link for people to click every day?”), brands are getting more engagement on Instagram than any other social platform. It creates brand awareness that leads more people to your business, events and products.The biggest mistake marketers make, is they aren’t posting enough. On a recent panel, Peg heard Instagram people who have 500,000+ followers say they post multiple times per day. One of them posts 8 or 10 times per day. And they post excellent content.It takes more time to create an Instagram post.
Although you can share a blog post immediately, with Instagram you have to marketing and social media create the image, write the text and figure out all of the things that go with it.On Facebook, people don’t post enough either. On Martha Stewart’s Facebook page they post every hour. Of course she probably has the biggest backlog of content of any person ever, Peg adds.there are basic things to post on Instagram, such as pictures of what you’re doing or where you are. If you’re at an event, it’s fun to post pictures of people you meet or do selfies. You can post a day in the life at your blog or business, pictures of your team or behind the scenes at your company.Show pictures of wherever you happen to be to give more of a human connection with your company.

Reward Engaged Instagram Users

Instagram has only existed in the social-sphere for just under five years, but in that time it’s garnered over 300 million users and is quickly taking over Twitter in the social media how to use social media for marketing kingdom. It’s not going anywhere.Instagram is great for giveaways, and hosting one can quickly boost your follower numbers. Create a “double-tap contest” where users who like your post are entered into a giveaway drawing.For a more advanced campaign, ask users to take a photo with your product and tag you or your hashtag in their post. Enter everyone who participates into a grand-prize drawing and reshare posts from your favorite entries.You can even reward dedicated followers by giving them a shoutout. Creating a collage from posts by your biggest fans and telling followers to add them can be reward enough for adamant users to continue promoting your brand on their own feed.
Social Media

Instagram Trends for Marketers

With 42% of marketers planning to social media marketing courses increase their use of Instagram this year, visual content is more important than ever to a brand’s marketing strategy. But for many brands, creating a captivating Instagram profile and generating high quality visual content can be challenging. To help marketers get the most impact out of their Instagram profiles, here are the top three marketing trends that any business can learn from, whether you have 300,000 followers or 300.Poler Stuff has not one, but three branded hashtags (#campvibes, #adventuremobile, and #beneaththebrim) that they place in their Instagram bio. #Adventuremobile isn’t directly related to any of Poler’s products, but it does speak to their brand persona of active, outdoor living, with over 40,000 posts shared by Instagrammers of their car in the wild.
You don’t have to be a large brand in order to social media marketing b2b have success with your own hashtag: 33 Acres Brewing Co, a small craft brewery, has about 4,000 followers and recently started their own tag #b33r and encourages in-store customers to tag photos with this hashtag over other ones. Without an “official” hashtag, it becomes difficult to monitor your brand mentions – for example, customers could be tagging #33acres, #33, #33acresbrewing, or #33acresbeer. But by creating and promoting their own distinctive branded hashtag, marketers can easily increase their exposure across Instagram while providing their brand with user-generated content for their Instagram profile.Many brands are leveraging branded hashtags to engage their community on social media, but these aren’t your standard #CompanyName hashtags. The hashtags are aligned with the overall brand instead of the product, and Instagrammers are encouraged to tag their photos whether the product is featured or not