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Andrew Stickel

The Power of Youtube

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Nearly 25 percent of all global mobile bandwidth is now used by YouTube watchers. With mobile now the fastest-growing side of the Internet, you’re missing some splendid marketing opportunities if you’re not leveraging the growing power of YouTube:

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  • YouTube is responsible for 52 percent of all global mobile video streaming.
  • Video streaming accounts for 39 percent of all mobile traffic.
  • Web browsing, by comparison, now accounts for only 25 percent of mobile traffic.
  • Video streaming increased by 93 percent in the first half of 2011.

YouTube videos are probably not the best place for direct selling. It might be better to use YouTube as a way to engage customers. Show them the “inside story” of your business and industry. Tell stories about your business and its satisfied customers. Offer opinion and commentary. Build relationships. Build trust.

How can you do that? First, respond to frequently asked questions from clients. Keep your answers brief and general, especially if you’re in a professional field like law or medicine. Secondly, report and comment on news and issues that impact your business, industry, and customers. It’ll show that you stay abreast of trends and developments, and you’ll establish yourself as an expert whom customers can trust.

A video that’s clever, creative, and backed by technical prowess can still be a flop; don’t forget the videos you make are for an audience, not for yourself and your colleagues. Always focus on engaging, entertaining, and educating your viewers. Give them something of value that they’ll want to share, not a TV-style commercial. And don’t post your YouTube videos on every social media site; if they’re good videos, your audience will do the sharing for you. Build a YouTube channel that focuses on your area of expertise and specialization and that distinguishes you from your competition.

It’s a lot of work, so don’t hesitate to get help and fresh ideas from others. A social media marketing firm can create the videos and other social media content that will grow and retain your audience and turn viewers into buyers. With YouTube, you have a unique opportunity to reach potential new customers all over the globe. Don’t miss out on it.

About WordPress (And Going It Alone)

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No doubt about it: WordPress is making it easier to create and manage a site. Nevertheless, you should be aware of the issues with self-hosting and self-managing WordPress sites. Despite the hype, hosting and managing a WordPress blog is not as easy as breathing, and in the long run, it’s not really free, either.

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to web hosting, and for a newcomer it can be quite baffling. If you’re already an expert in domains, databases, servers, DNS, web security, and bandwidth, you may have the background to host your own site, but there’s more to it than the basics. If you choose to host and manage your own WordPress site, do some research in advance so that you’ll know exactly what is required.

You’re already busy operating your business and building the relationships that flow from your social media marketing. Do you really have the time to cover all the backend needs and stay abreast of the WordPress core updates, theme and plugin updates, and backups? Most site owners don’t have time for managing the technical backend of a WordPress site.

Even if you’re part of large business or law firm with a strong IT team, WordPress may not be where you want your IT personnel focused. A savvy social media marketing firm can create and manage not only your blog but all of your internet marketing efforts. This lets you focus on your business and your customers.

Another negative: The only “free” part of self-hosting with WordPress is the WordPress app itself. Everything else will cost you not only money, but your time too. Successful websites are never free. You need a domain name, an attractive theme, and some premium plug-ins. No matter which option you choose, the meter is always running.

So unless you are simply an internet genius with 36 hours in your day, in most cases self-hosting and self-managing are not for you. Some real risks are involved in self-hosting and self-managing a WordPress site; virus attacks, downtime, and server issues are just the beginning. Let a group of social media marketing pros create your website, your blog, your content, and your overall campaign. Take the burden off your own shoulders. You’ll be glad you did.

The Power of Analytics

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Understanding and using the data you can obtain from website analytics is essential if you want to bring more visitors and potential clients to your website.

Website analytics identify the “behavioral patterns” of online visitors and tell you precisely the number of visits, their duration, where those visits are from, and what visitors are looking at on your site.

Analytics are essential for a successful website that draws both new and returning visitors. Analytics offer a lot, but these are the areas where you should focus:

1. Visitors: Website analytics will tell you how many visits your website receives in a given period, how many are new visitors, how many are returning, and how much time they’re on your website (“duration”). You can even determine if visitors are coming to your site directly, from search engines, or through links on other sites.

2. Bounce Rate: The average duration is simply the average length of time visitors spend at your site. The bounce rate is determined by the visitors who only viewed the page they landed on and then left your site. A high bounce rate (50 percent or higher) means people are leaving your site without seeing other pages. You’ll want to find more (and more effective) ways to engage your audience.

3. Exit Rate: The exit rate is like the bounce rate, but it measures the visitors who viewed more at your site than just the first page where they landed. It also tells you which page they “departed” from.

Analytics can determine your website’s weak points, but analytics can also tell you what’s working, drawing visitors, and bringing them back. While a variety of analytics packages are available, Google Analytics are probably the most widely-used analytical tools. The insights provided by website analytics can help you create a popular site that keeps them coming back for more.

Enhancing Inbound Marketing

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Traditional advertising and marketing are increasingly viewed with suspicion. Millions are wary that “Big Brother” is trying to “brainwash” them. Commercials interrupt their favorite television shows; telemarketers disturb them at dinner. Success in social media marketing, therefore, is now about “developing trust.” Inbound marketing provides perhaps the most effective way to build trust, convert customers, and provide those new customers with something to talk about and share online. Inbound marketing customers come to you as a result of their interests, their online searches, and shares from their friends. With so many people resistant to virtually all forms of marketing, the prospective customer who comes to you is priceless.

How do you enhance your inbound marketing – your ability to bring customers to you? The first key is creating and maintaining interesting social media content that is not advertising and not even necessarily “marketing” in the traditional sense. Attorneys, for example, should answer questions about their field of specialization (What happens if I’m charged with DUI? How do I make a will or apply for a visa?) and offer insights into legal issues in the news.

Real estate agents should highlight not only the homes they sell, but community events, schools, hospitals, community history, and positive local news stories. You get the idea. You gain trust by providing value and practical knowledge at no cost. Prospective clients will see that you do more than sell to your customers; you serve them as well. Since almost everyone is going to need the services of a lawyer or realtor (or a veterinarian, insurance agent, or financial advisor) at some point, they’ll turn to someone they trust. Make that someone you.

The second key is distribution. All of your cleverness and hard work spent creating content does no good if it can’t be found. Of course, the way you distribute content hinges on what you are marketing. Attorneys will put more effort into LinkedIn, but if you create and sell handmade jewelry, you’ll probably put more effort into Pinterest. These are some suggestions for a balanced approach, but you’ll want to tweak these suggestions for your particular audience:

Your blog: One to three posts a week with useful content; 300 to 600 words is ideal.
Social media: Share to Facebook and other sites popular with your audience.
Videos: About two minutes is best; “how-to” demonstrations may be slightly longer.
Email newsletters: Once or twice a month: keep it short.
Ebooks: Make them visually appealing, well-written, and practical.

Some marketers are also achieving success with live webcams, webinars, podcasts, and internet radio stations. Experiment, study your analytics, and find what works best for you. If you don’t feel creative, you don’t have a marketing team, or if you simply don’t have the time, consider working with a social media marketing firm that can create superior content and distribute it effectively. Do whatever it takes to win the trust of the customer who comes to you.

Guest Posting

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“Guest posting” is writing for someone else’s blog. It’s a good way to connect with a new audience and a good strategy for enhancing your own online influence. Bloggers need good content, and it’s often difficult to come up with three original blog posts – or even one – week after week. Becoming a “guest” blogger identifies you as an authority, gets your post shared on social media, and draws new readers to your own blog and website.

Of course, you offer guest posts to other bloggers on only one condition: the host blogger must include a link to your own blog or website. These backlinks will be identified by search engines, and all of your content will become easier for readers to find. But probably the best aspect of guest posting is that you’re being introduced to an already-existing community and sharing your message with it. If you provide real value to this community, it soon translates into more readers, fans, and followers. On the other hand, if all you’re doing is selling, you’ll drive away potential customers, and you probably will not be asked to guest-post much in the future. Add value, serve others, and have patience; before long, your work will begin to pay off. When your guest post appears online, link to it from your own blog and website, and share that link on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else that’s appropriate.

What about asking others to guest-post on your own blog? Do it! Relationships with other bloggers obviously need to be reciprocal, and introducing your own guest posters gives your audience new advice and information. Be judicious; make sure that anyone you invite genuinely has something valuable to offer. Your readers will appreciate your willingness to “get out of the way” on their behalf.

One last benefit; except for the time it takes to write the text, guest posting is free. Talk to other bloggers and start looking for guest posting opportunities; many bloggers will be more than happy to take a week off and offer their readers a fresh perspective. It’s a first-rate strategy for extending your reach and enhancing your reputation online.

A Challenge For The Near Future

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Most professionals in fields like law, healthcare, and real estate understand the imperative of comprehensive social media marketing. These sharp professionals already have an attractive website, an interesting and up-to-date blog, and even a couple of videos on a YouTube Channel. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and several other strategically-chosen social media sites. These pros study their analytics each month and tweak their social media marketing strategies accordingly.

If you’re one of these savvy social media marketers, you’re already doing everything right, but that doesn’t mean you can relax. One trend is already emerging that may revolutionize social media marketing over the next three to five years. Professionals firms in several fields are fashioning what are essentially their own journalism divisions.

They’re creating videos, regular webcasts, podcasts, and even internet radio stations. They’re using live webcams, conducting webinars, and creating publications for online distribution. They’re hiring webmasters, journalists, videographers, audio engineers, and social media marketing companies to create fresh and interesting content and to coordinate the various elements into sound social media marketing strategies.

What’s different is that traditional marketing material has so often been little more than a thinly-veiled sales pitch, only slightly more sophisticated than a TV infomercial. Traditional marketing often fails to connect with the daily concerns of the average consumer. The new trend is away from direct sales altogether. Instead, it’s about serving the community and being a voice of authority in your field of specialization.

With newspapers in decline and reductions in local TV news budgets, professional firms are also filling a real vacuum and meeting a consumer need. Real estate firms, for example, are creating webcasts covering events and developments in their own communities. Law firms are covering high-profile cases, court rulings, legislative developments, and controversial topics like marijuana, immigration, and more. Bypassing traditional media obviously allows you to control the content, tone, and overall theme of the content you produce.

In other words, if you’re doing everything right, keep doing it, but don’t rest on yesterday’s accomplishments. The future offers plenty of social media marketing challenges, and it also plenty of opportunities for success. Learn everything you can about the emerging trends, or talk with a social media marketing company about your options and strategies for the future.