CASE STUDY: How We Helped One Lawyer Rank #1 On Google, Sell His Practice, And Retire in Hawaii

Follow Us

Homepage

social media marketing

Cures For Feeling Neglected

by

In spite of your striving, your social media efforts just aren’t connecting with people. You’re not getting replies or even “likes,” and your number of followers has been stuck for weeks. It can be tough to identify the problem, but these are some of the reasons that businesses find themselves being neglected online.

1. You may not be updating as much as you should. Constantly update accounts, share information, talk to others, and be part of the online community. If it’s hard to find the time, make it part of your schedule, or delegate the task to a social media marketing firm.
2. Or you may be updating too much. Don’t post five updates a day; you’ll overexpose yourself and make it a burden for others to keep up. Look at how often others update. What works for them? Don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t hesitate to discuss the question with other business and marketing people.
3. You may not be responsive enough. The key word in social media is “social.” Take the time to answer questions. Provide useful details, links, and recommendations. Find the people who are discussing your business and hop into the mix. If you aren’t responding, people feel they’re being ignored, and some really will take it personally.
4. Don’t always be selling. It can actually alienate customers. Keep it low-key. Let them get to know the person behind the brand. When Bill Gates delivers a speech about higher education, he’s not selling anything, but he’s still marketing for Microsoft. When people feel they’ve built a personal connection with you, they’re more interested in what you have to say.
5. You may not be offering real value. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with personal or tweets or posts (see #4 above), your goal is to create a framework for your sales and marketing. Offer promotions and discounts, surveys, superior customer service, and superlative content. You want consumers to look forward to the useful info, the practical tip, or the great bargain that you’ll be offering next.
6. Promote your web presence. Make sure people actually do know that you’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Customers aren’t going to find you without a little push in your direction.

You Can’t Avoid Youtube

by

In the last three years, marketers have taken a significantly increased interest in YouTube. Until about 2010, YouTube was rarely seen as a marketing tool, but with the current explosion in social media and social marketing, people are taking another look, and they like what they see.

YouTube now draws over a billion unique visitors monthly and piles up more than 6 billion hours of viewing each month, representing a 50% increase just since summer 2012. Uploads to YouTube now total more than 100 hours of video every minute, 24 hours a day. The 18-to-34 age group watches YouTube more than they watch any cable TV network. YouTube gives you the ability to visually demonstrate your product or service, and it lets you look your potential customers in the eye; that makes it a uniquely valuable way to connect with consumers. With more than a billion smartphone users in the world now, you can use YouTube to reach potential customers anywhere they may be.

YouTube combines several of the best elements of other marketing approaches. Obviously, it lets you demonstrate visually how to use a product, but it also lets you provide advice and answer questions (like a blog) and conduct interviews (like a podcast). You’ll want to use your blog, along with Facebook and Twitter, to encourage your audience to subscribe to your YouTube channel. Monitor your subscriptions, likes and comments to get a feel for what’s working with your audience.

Popular songs open with a “hook” to grab listeners; on YouTube, you’ll want to use some kind of “teaser” at the top to hold a viewer’s attention. Use charts and slides sparingly; you primarily want some kind of live action or talking head. If you offer nothing but slides, your audience will realize that you’re probably using nothing but Windows Movie Maker to create your videos, and you’ll lose viewers quickly. Make sure the lighting is good and that any participants in the video are reasonably attractive; you don’t have to be Brad Pitt or Megan Fox, but make sure there’s nothing that critical viewers might find fault with.

If you feel really lost when it comes to video, consider hiring outside help like a videographer or a social marketing company. YouTube is such a great resource, you really can’t afford not to use it.

Banned from Social Networks – What Not to Do

by

Social networking is such a big part of online marketing today that businesses and professionals who are trying to maintain a strong online presence simply can’t afford to have an online social networking account blocked or restricted. Generally, accounts are blocked when the holder of the account violates a social network term of use. To make sure that businesses and professionals don’t risk losing a social networking account, the following list outlines some of the most common reasons why accounts are blocked:

Inappropriate Content

Posting inappropriate or offensive pictures, documents, videos, etc. can get many social networking accounts suspended. Since social networking accounts used for business are professional accounts, there should be no question about this. However, instances of individuals confusing personal and business accounts are all too common in our modern digital age, and having to apologize to page followers for inappropriate content posted to the page by a distracted account manager is nothing easy. Not only may the incident alienate customers and clients, but it will bring into question the business’ overall level of professionalism.

False Accounts

Most social networks clearly state in their terms of use that individual accounts must be held by the person who created the account. Creating accounts in false names, under the names of other people, or under the name of a business instead of an individual, is enough to get accounts on many social networks blocked. For example, creating a business account under a Facebook or LinkedIn profile intended for individuals may lead to an account suspension or block.

Facebook allows businesses to hold pages, but not profiles. Pages are for businesses, entities, community causes, etc., while profiles are for individuals who actually exist. LinkedIn does not offer anything like this – anyone who uses LinkedIn must be an individual. The individual can attach the name of the business to his or her profile, but the primary profile must be held by an individual.

Abuse of the System

Harassing other members of the social network will also get accounts locked. It can be easy to get roped into a virtual shouting match over a product or service, but businesses and professionals should never respond inappropriately or engage in negative or unallowed behavior on social networks. Even if responding to a legitimate complaint, it is generally better to let bygones be bygones and to use the situation as a learning experience. Not only will engaging in negative or unallowed behavior get an account suspended, but it will also distract from the actual business behind the profile.

Don’t Stress – Just Outsource

Instead of learning all of the rules for all of the social networks in order to stay online and visible within the social networking realm, businesses and professionals are encouraged to outsource the job of social network profile management to a small team of dedicated online marketing professionals. This will help keep overhead expenses down, will keep employees focused on their primary duties instead of online marketing, and will result in high quality results without the hassles of dealing with a large, out of touch marketing firm.

More About Using Facebook

by

Facebook has more than one billion users. If your business uses Facebook correctly, it’s well worth your efforts. While there are no definitive rules about how to use Facebook for business, it’s clear that new business not is generated by routine Facebook updates. Here’s some advice for generating new business, dialogue, and involvement through your Facebook business page:

Timing is everything. It’s not that hard to determine the best time of day to post on Facebook for maximum exposure. Post at regular intervals for several days and determine the times of day when you get the most likes or comments in response.

Offer “awesome” content. Your Facebook friends and followers won’t tolerate dull, boring, or excessively promotional posts. Instead, you need to offer awesome content: useful information or humorous images that your audience will like and share. Providing awesome content that your audience uses and shares both extends your network and makes business users more apt to connect with you.

Post pictures. Post significant, appealing pictures with your updates. Newsworthy items are likely to be shared; so are funny pictures with humorous or sarcastic remarks. You should quickly learn what kinds of posts generate the most interest, likes, and shares from your particular Facebook audience.

Post the right cover photo. Every update or comment displays your cover photo, so make it right. Determine precisely what cover photo will make the best impression for your business. Keep it simple. If you’re not that creative, a graphic artist or graphic designer can probably come up with something just right.

Pay attention to feedback. If you are launching new products, product lines, or services, or if you’re making adjustments to existing products or services, solicit feedback from your Facebook audience. If you ask for comments and combine awesome content with great pictures and good timing, you’ll expand your audience and get feedback you’ll use and appreciate.

Introduction To Twitter

by

Twitter has been called a social network, a social search engine, and a “microblogging” site. Put simply, Twitter is a website where people share whatever they’re thinking about, so Twitter can be advantageous and lucrative for your business. Before you can use Twitter profitably, you’ll have to establish a core of followers. One way to gain Twitter followers is by offering promotions and specials. Give away prizes or give away discounts on your own services or products.

As you gain more experience with Twitter, you’ll find fresh and creative ways to draw attention to your brand using hashtags and catch phrases. Always recognize your winners with a special tweet. When you gain followers on Twitter, your updates are sent to them directly, so as more people follow you, more people see your content.

To “retweet” means to repost a tweet from another user. Twitter is the easiest of the social media platforms for sharing updates and posts from others. All it takes is a simple “retweet” and the post has been shared. “Retweeting” tells the original “tweeter” that you welcome their posts, and it lets you share good content with your followers. Make sure to blend in retweets with plenty of your original tweets. Make them laugh or make them think, but don’t tweet for no reason at all. Have something of value to post.

Another advantage of Twitter is that it gives you the ability to “listen” to what others are saying about your industry and about you. It’s also the perfect spot for people to ask questions and get answers fast. Look for questions where you can provide the definitive answers, and ask questions that make others think about your products, services, and industry. Become the expert that others rely on for answers. As you gain experience on Twitter, you’ll discover and even create new ways and ideas for promoting your business and brand.

Introduction To LinkedIn

by

All the important CEO’s use it, and you should too. LinkedIn is an essential resource for small businesses that seek to grow relationships and new business. Like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn begins with your profile: make it strong. Once establishing your profile, you can search for connections, add to group discussions, and keep abreast the latest news from your contacts. LinkedIn also offers ways to showcase your business and your business skills in a tasteful, professional style.

Your LinkedIn profile picture needs to be a top-quality, professional headshot. The file name should include your own name (i.e., JaneDoe.jpg) so that it can be found more easily in search engines. Complete every field using strong keywords pertinent to your industry and community. This helps optimize your profile and thus helps you rank above your competition on the search engines. Your LinkedIn profile is a personal expression, so be certain the text is correct grammatically and the look is professional and tasteful. Edit regularly; be sure your education, certifications, designations, and awards are updated. Make your headline dynamic, interesting, and distinctive; your personality and energy should leap off the page.

Don’t connect with random people you don’t know; this could make you look like a spammer. Instead, connect with real-life friends, family, acquaintances, customers, and others who can testify for you. You can usually find these connections by using LinkedIn’s search bar (at the top of any LinkedIn page after you log in). You gain connections on LinkedIn through referrals and recommendations, and you can gain more connections by taking advantage of all that LinkedIn offers. Join LinkedIn’s groups and communities, share, ask and answer questions, and become the person others rely on for right answers, the “go-to” expert in your industry.

Regularly add fresh content: events, links, press releases, recommendations, and more. Ask and answer questions frequently, and participate in discussions; you’ll build trust and credibility among other LinkedIn members, and you’ll keep your name and business in front of their eyes. Contributing just the right content can help you be perceived as an expert in your field. Don’t forget to rewrite a full profile update two or three times a year, just to make sure everything is fresh and up-to-date.