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5 Ways to Create Shareable Photos for Pinterest

May 23rd, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

As Pinterest continues to grow in popularity, marketers are discovering new ways to use the fun, social network to drive traffic to their sites. Since using the Pin It button automatically embeds an originating link, every image pinned on your site is an opportunity to introduce new customers and clients to your business.

Pin-worthy images tell a story and intrigue the viewer, making them the type of content people want to save and share. In other words, you need attention-grabbing, memorable images on your website to make it Pinterest-friendly. Here are five ways to help you select images that pack a punch on Pinterest:

1. Sum it up with an image: A picture is worth a thousand words, right? But, your blog posts and web copy have been carefully crafted with relevant information and targeted keywords. So, how can you use an image to convey the whole message you just wrote 500 words about?

Unless you can find a perfect image that does capture the essence of your writing, you may want to try applying text to your images. Adding easy-to-read, bold text to a photo can help it tell a story and invite Pinterest users to click through to your site. Try Pixlr or Gimp for modifying and creating custom graphics for your site.

2. Check your photos for formatting issues: Pinners may become frustrated if they love your content, try to pin it, then realize it is not pinnable. To root out pinning problems, use the following URL:

http://pinterest.com/source/YourWebsite.com/ (replace “YourWebsite.com” with your own address)

If you have the Pin It button installed, you can simply visit each page of your site and see what comes up as you click Pin It. Check each image to see how it will looked once a visitor finds and pins it. Keep in mind that Pinterest allows a maximum width of 554 pixels for all of its images – some resizing may be in order if your images go beyond that.

3. Discover your “Inner Pinner.” It’s easy to see how businesses in the fashion, home improvement, travel, and other visually-interesting industries can leverage Pinterest for marketing their products. But, what if you are an SEO company or a law firm?

It’s time to get creative and think outside the box. Social media is about people, and people have a wide range of interests. Just as you “listen” on other social networks, to learn what the community is discussing and finding interesting, spend some time browsing Pinterest to see what types of boards people are creating.

Consider what your customers do in their spare time, if they have families, or share common interests. And, don’t forget that infographics and how-to videos are also visually appealing, as well as pin-worthy.

4. Promote contests and giveaways on Pinterest. If your company uses contests and giveaways to increase traffic to your site, cast a wider net for these promotions by using Pinterest to spread the word. To see what other companies are promoting, search for “enter to win” or “giveaway” on Pinterest.

Incorporating Pinterest into your contest promotion is easy. You can share clear, compelling images of the event and the prize, so people can quickly see what they might win. Include the keywords, “contest,” “giveaway,” and “enter to win” in the description field. For added promotion, include a dollar amount for your prize, and Pinterest will automatically add a banner in the upper left-hand corner of the pin showing the amount.

5. Pin down the exact emotion you are trying to convey. No matter what your blog or website content is about, there is an emotion underlying the words. Whether it is power, simplicity, excitement, newness, affordability or lifesaving, pinning down the exact emotion to a single word or two will help you select an appropriate image.

For example, if you want to convey peaceful, relaxing emotions, you can use a photo of an adorable litter of puppies taking a nap. Cute animal pictures are very popular on Pinterest!

When you select images that evoke an emotional response, your images will be relatable to people, and therefore, share-worthy and pinnable.

***

Is your business using Pinterest yet? Do you have your own Pinterest page, or have you optimized your website for Pinterest? Share your pinnable ideas in the comments section below.

Image courtesy of digitaltrends.com

Tags: images, Marketing, photos, Pinterest, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

How to Get More Pins on Pinterest

May 22nd, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

It’s hard not to be intrigued by the creative hub of cultural and artistic curators that is Pinterest. Users are leveraging the site in imaginative ways, from cultivating boards for recipes they’d like to try to reinventing themselves with a collection of fashion trends.

But despite the wonders of pinning, marketers need to get real about what Pinterest can do for their brands. Sure, it’s a magical place, but what about the science behind promotion on Pinterest?

Leave it to Dan Zarella, the social media scientist, to study and produce concrete data to get Pinterest marketing results. In this article, I will share some of his useful discoveries and practical tips for getting more pins on Pinterest.

How long should descriptions be?

Descriptions help Pinners find your content and can give context to images you have pinned or repinned. Using keywords in your descriptions will make your content even more searchable. According to Zarella’s research, Pinterest descriptions that are the most repinnable tend to be around 200 characters long.

What types of images are the most pinnable?

Pinterest is basically an eye candy store, filled with inspiration for fashion, home decorating, art, and plenty of other creative pursuits. So, it’s no surprise that images having to do with design are the most pinnable.

Businesses in the wedding industry, or those offering interesting products, should have no trouble finding pinnable images. But those in other industries will need to get creative. If you are a financial services company, why not create boards of the things people can buy with their well-planned finances?

What types of pins are the most repinnable?

Even with plenty of pictures of cute animals, gorgeous dresses, and serene vacation destinations, images of food top them all as the most pinnable. People enjoy sharing and trying out new recipes, and anyone planning an event can appreciate a little bit of culinary inspiration.

Again, some creativity will be required from businesses whose connection to food is not as obvious, as say, a restaurant or gourmet cooking store. Insurance companies could create boards of healthy food, from heart-healthy recipes to diabetic-friendly fare.

What kind of content will be repinned?

When your images are repinned on Pinterest, suddenly a whole new audience opens up to enjoy your content. To get more repins, focus on content that attracts Likes rather than comments. Zarella found that “likeable” content gets more repins than “commentable” content, so simply aim to please rather than to get people talking. Pinterest is a visually-driven network, so save the chattiness for other social media.

How can I format my images to be more repinnable?

Believe it or not, size matters on Pinterest. When it comes to creating repinnable images, bigger is better. In fact, Zarella found taller images to be the most repinnable. A quick scan of your homepage on Pinterest provides the proof-the taller images stand out, drawing the viewer’s attention. In his research, Zarella found that the greater the pixels (upwards of 800), the greater the repins.

***

Are you already a pinning pro? What have you found to be useful in attracting more pins and repins on Pinterest? Share your tips in the comments section below.

Image courtesy of tidymom.net

Tags: Dan Zarrella, Marketing, Pinterest, repinning images, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

What the Thought Leaders Have to Say About Pinterest

May 18th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

Pinterest continues to get plenty of buzz as marketers learn how to leverage the trendy social network to generate business. But what do the thought leaders of our industry think about the Pinterest potential?

After watching a video featuring some of the best marketers out there, I came up with six ways Pinterest is proving it is a game-changing social network with staying power.

1. Accessible Content Sharing

According to Social Media Club Chairman and Founder Chris Heuer, Pinterest will stick around because it isn’t as geeky as previous social bookmarking sites. The Pinterest community is large and varied because the site makes collecting and sharing content more accessible to audiences. All users have to do is find an interest, and dive in. Finding new content and sharing with others is instantaneous, and Pinners can accumulate both pins and followers very quickly.

2. A Lasting Impression

Ogilvy’s SVP of Global Strategy and Planning Rohit Bhargava believes the instant in which we can absorb information from an image makes all the difference. Because we are inundated with so much information, and we have immediate access to just about everything, visual content makes a more lasting impression on us. Images convey messages quickly and make concepts easy to understand.

3. Targeted Audience

The CEO and Founder/President of Content Launch, Jon Wuebben, thinks Pinterest is so successful because it understands its biggest target audience: women. Pinterest gives women everything they want in a social network because it is so friendly to join and creating a niche community on the site is easy. As Pinterest has grown to appeal to other audiences, this growth has been organic. But it’s hard to deny that Pinterest started as a major hub for the ladies.

4. Merchant-Friendly

NetBase’s CMO Lisa Joy Rosner notes the trend of merchants moving their products from Facebook over to Pinterest. Not only is Pinterest an ideal network to showcase products, but it helps merchants understand what customers like. Successful product development and merchandising require an understanding of what will become popular next, and Pinterest is chock-full of new trends and hot items.

5. Emphasis on Visual

Radian 6 Social Strategist Jeff Cohen stresses Pinterest’s emphasis on the visual. It’s not enough to produce great written content anymore – now companies must also produce interesting visual content if they want to be part of the social conversation. For many companies, this new direction will mean re-evaluating existing marketing strategies and re-assembling a team that can handle visual content production, too.

6. The New Interest Graph

Finally, Likeable Media CEO Dave Kerpen believes Pinterest is changing not only social media, but also commerce as a whole. While Facebook introduced us to the value of the social graph, Pinterest is now demonstrating the value of interest graph. Kerpen believes this idea is even more relevant for businesses driving commerce. After all, a social graph will only take you so far, but interests run across multiple categories, and present numerous opportunities to connect and share with friends and strangers.

***

What’s your take on Pinterest? Is it a social media game changer, or just another social flash in the pan?

Image courtesy of Mashable

Tags: ecommerce, Marketing, Pinterest, social media, Thought Leadership
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

4 Important Social Media Marketing Trends

May 14th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

If you’ve been feeling pressure to prove the value of your social media efforts to managers, don’t worry. You are in good company, as marketing managers are increasingly being asked to show how social media is affecting their company’s bottom line.

Read on to learn about this trend to produce measurable results from social media and to start reflecting on your own social marketing efforts.

Social Media Is Producing Increased Benefits

According to a Wildfire App survey, nearly all of the 700 marketers questioned find value from social media. In fact, 75% of them plan to increase social media spending this year.

And, just how are these marketers benefiting? Increased brand awareness and being able to engage directly with customers are at the top of the list.

Social Media Examiner’s 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report found similar results. In this study, 88% of marketers listed increased exposure as the number-one benefit of social media marketing.

How has your business benefited from social media? How can you demonstrate these benefits to management?

Businesses Are Investing More in Social Media

According to Borrell Associates, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB’s) plan to double their social media advertising budget this year, up an estimated $2 billion in the U.S. alone.

Similarly, Awareness Networks found that 70% of businesses plan to increase their social media marketing efforts, and half of marketers plan to enhance their social media management practices and tools.

Even though marketers are increasing their social media investment, Awareness found that 75% of businesses spend $10,000 or less – a relatively small advertising budget. So, where are these companies spending their increased investments? They’re spending more on people’s time to manage social media; however, three-fourths of the businesses only employ three or fewer employees to staff their social media efforts.

What resources – both human and financial – are being devoted to your company’s social media strategy? Are these resources yielding the results you want to see?

Measuring ROI Tops the List of Marketing Challenges

According to Awareness, companies of all sizes and experience levels are faced with the challenge of measuring ROI for social media. This uncertainty has led to only half of survey respondents measuring their social media efforts.

Altimeter Group also found that the majority of brands don’t have a system for social media measuring in place. Even the bigger brands aren’t measuring social media properly.

Those who do measure are barely scratching the surface of determining social media ROI. Most businesses know how to track their social presence and traffic, but they are unsure of how to measure lead generation and sales resulting from social media.

Does your company have a social media measurement system in place? What could you be tracking that you currently are not?

Integration Provides Greater Financial Results

According to a study by Insights Consulting, some companies still view social media from the sidelines, rather than integrating it fully with their overall marketing efforts. Less than half of the businesses surveyed have integrated social media into their business processes. And, 43% of U.S. firms are just getting started with their social media efforts, or are still in the process of evaluating whether social media is effective.

The most important information Insights discovered is that businesses that have already integrated social media into their operations are seeing greater financial results from their efforts than those who have not. It’s time to get off the fence!

How about your company? Are you still cautiously wading into social media waters, or do you already know how to swim?

***

While marketers who struggle with pressure to show ROI from social media are not alone, it’s important to take the first step towards social media measurement. Use these insights to evaluate your own social efforts, and find ways to show your social media tactics are key to an effective marketing strategy.

Image courtesy of wizmarketings.com

Tags: Marketing, social media, social media marketing trends
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 3 Comments »

12 Pinterest Tools You’ll Want to Use

May 11th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

Pinterest is growing like crazy, so I thought I’d write a series on everything Pinterest. This four-part series can help marketers determine whether Pinterest should be added to their social media lineup, as well as help existing Pinners hone their skills.

With every popular social network comes a wave of tools designed to help maximize your user experience. Here is a list of 12 tools that can help streamline your Pinterest workflow and enhance your pinning efforts.

1. Pin a Quote turns a text quote into something you can pin. Great quotes are very share-worthy, so think of how your business might use this tool to engage other Pinners.

2. SpinPicks finds content across the web that you may want to pin. If you’re just getting started on Pinterest, you may want to use this tool until you get a feel for your own curating style.

3. Pinterest Pro has a hover and zoom feature, as well as a function that lets you “right click to pin” for quick pinning. You can even view trending pins with a drop-down view from the toolbar.

4. ShotPin is a screen capture tool that lets you crop images, too. So you can put even more of your personal flair on each image you grab with a little editing.

5. Snapito! is another screen capture tool, but this one adds the ability to automatically include the full-source URL into the description of every pin. Responsible pinning is easier with tools that help you attribute as you pin.

6. Curalate provides a monitoring, analytics, and brand intelligence platform so companies can curate community along with great content. This company realizes the marketing potential of visual curation and can help you get a grip on your overall Pinterest strategy.

7. Percolate is another curation tool that serves up new content in an organized way. Then, its dashboard shows you what types of content resonate the most with your audience.

8. PinReach can help you monitor trends and measure your success with Pinterest. It includes a “trending pins” section to keep you abreast of the newest and best pins.

9. PinPuff is another analytics service that lets you know how much your Pinterest account is worth and gives you scores for reach, activity and virility. The platform includes the PinPerks program, which lets you earn free stuff for your activities on Pinterest.

10. Pinitics is in closed beta, but it promises a multiple account dashboard, similar to how Hootsuite lets you monitor different accounts using a single dashboard. Its metrics include sales data, which could be really helpful for businesses using Pinterest to advertise their products.

11. Google Analytics may not come to mind when you think of Pinterest tools, but a recent article on Mashable could change that. From custom reports to multi-channel funnels, Google Analytics can be leveraged to provide some valuable Pinterest data.

12. The Official “Pin It” Pinterest Bookmarklet is a simple, readily available tool that many Pinners aren’t putting to use yet. Now you have no excuse for forgetting to pin something fabulous you’ve come across on the web. Just click “Pin It,” and you’re done. The bookmarklet will even grab the source link so you can give proper credit.

***

Have I missed any Pinterest tools that make your Pinterest marketing strategy easier and more effective? Share your own favorite Pinterest tools in the comments section below.

And be sure to check back for the rest of my four-part series on Pinterest. I’ll show you how to get more pins, how to create shareable photos, and let you know what thought the marketing thought leaders have to say about Pinterest.

Image courtesy of thecultureist.com

Tags: Marketing, Pinterest, Pinterest tools, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 2 Comments »

8 Changes to Google+ That Can Affect Your Marketing Efforts

May 10th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

Just like any social network, Google+ is always changing its features and improving its user experience. Unfortunately for marketers, these changes mean added work, as we try to keep up with the best ways to use social media to interact with customers and clients.

In social media, however, change is inevitable – but you can get a quick handle on the recent Google+ changes simply by reading this article. In it, I’ll share the eight major changes on Google+ and how you can leverage them to boost your marketing efforts.

1. Switch between Page Admin and Personal Account with ease.

This feature is great for marketers who like to keep up with both their business’s page and their own personal Google+ profile. When you click on your icon, a drop-down will appear with all the pages you manage. Or, you can use the navigation ribbon on the left of the screen to access your pages.

2. Use the new top navigation to customize which pages you see.

Now you can add your two most important circles to the top navigation to keep tabs on your most loyal customers, newest prospects, or whomever else you choose. Adding your favorite circles is easy with a drag-and-drop feature you use from the left-hand navigation ribbon.

3. Promote your page on the right-hand sidebar.

Now Google+ is recommending pages that users might want to check out in a space on the right-hand sidebar. While the exact nature of the algorithm used to determine this is unclear, the pages seem to be related to those followed by your circles. By building up your followers, you increase the chances your business will be featured here – which is basically like getting free advertising on Google+.

4. Now you can easily see who is engaging with your page.

When you click on the +1 or Share icons of any post, an “activity drawer” opens to show you a thumbnail image and name of everyone who has shared that post in some way. This feature comes with a built-in incentive to +1 and share more since doing so means your name and image will be seen more.

5. You can create better photo albums and videos.

Sharing photos and videos of your products and events adds interest to your page. Now, images are larger and full-bleed, meaning there are no borders. Use photos and videos to show the employees behind your company, to share PowerPoint or SlideShare presentations, or to share recorded hangout sessions (see below).

6. Try out the new Hangouts Page.

This feature gives you yet another way to build community and communicate with your network. Hangouts are on the left-hand navigation and highlight live YouTube video chats others can join. You can see what’s being talked about, get feedback, and make pitches by joining relevant chats.

7. Use the Trending Topics and Explore sections.

Now Trending Topics appear on the right-hand sidebar of people’s homepage so you can keep your eye on them. If you post about topics that are trending, you could get more visibility for your business in its new, more prominent location. Be sure to note that Google+ does not feature “Trending on Google+” on the home screen when you’re logged in as a page, so you’ll need to click on the “Explore” icon to see what people are talking about.

8. The Header Image and Profile Photo have new features.

Now you can grab users’ attention with improved versions of these images. Your profile image is in a prominent space in the top right corner, and there’s more space for your photo strip. You can even change your photo strip layout to feature one large image – similar to Facebook – or keep the old five-photo scrapbook layout.

***

Now that you’re aware of the newest changes to Google+, you can proceed with your social media marketing efforts with confidence. Be sure to check the Grow Smart Business blog often for all the latest social media updates.

Image courtesy of frombogotawithlove.com

Tags: Google, Marketing, online marketing, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

3 Unique Social Media B2B Ideas

May 8th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

I was so busy at this year’s SXSW, I am still catching up on what was showcased and discussed there. While I had the opportunity to meet tons of great people and learn a lot about technology for business, I missed out on one of the best B2B social media sessions.

In this article, I’ll share what I missed with you, so you can use the tips presented by the B2B social media panel in your own marketing strategy. So, whether you weren’t able to make it to SXSW this year – or like me, if you were just too busy to take it all in, you don’t have to miss out on these smart tips.

1. Allow Website Logins with Facebook and OpenID

The panel suggested showing the connection between social and sales by using social logins with your B2B website. B2B companies can be just as social as B2C’s, but the key is to start where your customers are. Find out where your audience is hanging out, and listen to and engage them there. You can also determine who your company’s best social citizens are, and encourage and empower them to become brand evangelists for you. Encourage customers to begin connecting with you on social media by using Facebook and OpenID to browse your website.

2. Get Employees Talking About Your Brand, Too

Companies like IBM understand that their employees must be aware they represent the company’s brand. Engaged and knowledgeable employees can be powerful brand ambassadors, even on social media. Cisco showcases real-time Twitter streams on large screens around its offices so employees can see what is being said about their company online. How can you encourage your employees to check out your brand on social media? Better yet, how can you encourage them to promote the company within their own social networks?

3. Reward and Incentivize With Gamification

Companies like IBM and Cisco are using gamification to build leadership skills in their employees. Rewards and recognition programs can easily be gamified to keep everyone motivated and staying on track. You can even use gamification to get employees active on the company’s blog, which would help with the previously mentioned topic. Cisco employees earn badges for reading, commenting on, and sharing the company blog.

If you enjoyed these insights for using social media in your B2B marketing strategy, you can follow the panelists on Twitter for more tips:

Duane Schulz (Xerox Corporation) @duaneschulz
Jeanette Gibson (Cisco Systems) @jeanetteg
Shanee Ben-Zur (NVIDIA) @sbenzur
Susan Emerick (IBM) @sfemerick
Melissa Chanslor (Text 100) @chanslor

Image courtesy of conversionpipeline.com

Tags: Branding, Facebook, gamification, Marketing, OpenID, social media
Posted in Branding, Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Can Building a Blog Community With Unfinished Posts Really Work?

May 7th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

I’m always open to new ideas for getting more comments and building community on your blog. After all, a blog that is more engaging and share-worthy is a more effective blog.

But when I read a recent article suggesting bloggers leave their posts unfinished, I had to wonder – could this really work?

Why It Could Work

Writer Jeff Goins gets a lot of comments on his blog, so when he advised other bloggers to stop finishing their blog posts, I examined his reasons closely.

1. Goins believes leaving posts unfinished makes readers feel important because they enjoy fulfilling the role of content co-creator. Readers enjoy being part of the process and feel a sense of purpose when they participate in your blog’s creation.

2. He also believes inviting readers to finish posts builds community around your blog. Readers crave interaction, and they are not satisfied with blog posts that read like monologues. Goins suggests letting go of perfection, using a human tone, and showing your flaws.

3. Goins believes unfinished blog posts are springboards that launch the comments bloggers crave. After a few readers break the ice with their thoughts to complete your post, other readers will feel encouraged to leave comments as well. In other words, unfinished blog posts help get the momentum going for commenting.

Why It May Not

These reasons theoretically make sense, but I can’t help but wonder if they’d have any traction in the real world. For example:

1. Your readers likely look to you as a thought leader – a knowledgeable professional in your industry. Are they really looking to you to feel important, or do they expect you to provide them with helpful information on the topic you cover? Leaving blog posts unfinished could undermine the authority you’ve spent time building with your audience.

2. Building community is important to any blogger, but what if that community takes a spammy turn? You risk losing the focus and trustworthiness of your blog when anyone can significantly change its content. If your blog cannot be counted on for relevant, verified content, readers make seek their information elsewhere.

3. Numerous comments may make a blog look successful and engaging, but what if things don’t go according to plan? Readers may not always have the time or inclination to leave a comment, much less complete your blog posts for you. What if you end up with a blog full of empty articles? This plan could backfire, leaving your blog looking – well, unfinished – if you don’t get the comments and participation you expect.

What do you think? Is leaving blog posts unfinished a smart way to generate comments and build community, or does it leave too much on the table, threatening the relevance of your blog?

Image courtesy of dstracywrites.blogspot.com

Tags: blogging, building community, comments, Marketing, writing
Posted in Marketing | No Comments »

13 Helpful Guidelines for A/B Testing

May 4th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

A/B Tests, or Split Tests, can help you optimize your landing pages, email marketing campaigns and calls-to-action. But isn’t testing something only big marketing research firms do? The answers is a definitive “no.”

In this article, I’ll share some tips for using A/B testing in your own marketing strategies, regardless of the size of your staff or budget.

Are your marketing efforts making the grade?

A/B testing can help you determine which marketing variables are giving you the best response rate. An example of a variable is the call-to-action in an email message or the landing page a Facebook post directs people to.

By conducting A/B tests, you can tweak your marketing performance to drive more traffic to your website and generate more leads for your business. The marketing pros at Hubspot have lots of suggestions for conducting A/B testing, but I’m going to break down the strategies for you in a quick and painless way.

Your A/B Testing Cheat Sheet

Conduct one test at a time to be sure your results don’t get mixed up. In other words, don’t launch a test for your email and your landing page simultaneously. Along that same line, only test one variable at a time so you can be sure you know exactly what to change or improve.
Test among two or more audiences and be sure these samples are similar. For example, if you’re testing an email message, pull names that have been on your list for similar amounts of time.
Just like in science experiments, you’ll need to have both a control group and a treatment group. In your A/B tests, the control group will be your original email or landing page, and the treatment group will be the variations of these tools you want to test. You may want to test whether including an image will enhance a landing page, so your original landing page would be the control element, and the landing page with an image would be the treatment element.
Conduct your A/B tests during the same timeframe. What this does is remove timing as a variable because conducting marketing tests a month or two apart can yield very different results. If you’re testing several elements for one particular campaign, test them simultaneously. Just be sure to test only one variable on each of your tests, as I mentioned above.

Deciding which variables to test

Now that you have some guidelines to get you started, which variables should you test? When you were creating a call-to-action for the company’s latest product launch, you may have wondered which copy or graphic elements would get the best results. Those elements are perfect for A/B testing. Here are some variables you may want to test:

Offers that convert the most prospects into leads
Structure for your copy (bullet lists, paragraphs, etc.)
Size or placement of the call-to-action
Color scheme or other design element
Photo or logo to use on a landing page
Format of email (newsletter, digest, etc.)
Time of day to send email
Subject line of email

A/B testing is an effective way to learn why your marketing campaigns or working – or why they aren’t. By testing elements in their campaigns, marketers can easily tweak their strategies to get the most bang for their buck- something every small business owner can surely appreciate.

Image courtesy of spamula.net

Tags: A/B testing, calls to action, Email marketing, landing pages, Marketing, social media, split testing
Posted in Email Marketing, Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

New Facebook Features That Are Not SMB Friendly

May 1st, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

Recently I wrote a post about leveraging Facebook’s new Timelines layout for business. I described several ways companies can use the new features to their advantage, including tips on using the cover photo and pinning posts.

I still believe Timelines can help businesses build community around their brands, as long as they are willing to try new tactics and keep an open mind. However, according to Convince and Convert’s Jay Baer, Facebook has betrayed small businesses through the sweeping changes brought on by Timelines. After reading his argument, I’d have to say he has some good points. Let’s discuss.

Some of the new Timelines features require a big-business staff.

If your small business lacks a social media department – or even a dedicated social media staff person – you might find some of Facebook’s features to be overwhelming to use effectively. Baer definitely sees these features as potential roadblocks to keeping up with the bigger guys. For example, although the new cover photo is a great space to highlight products or recent events, it requires a staff person with the time to take cover-worthy images and format them correctly for the space.

Then there are the new pinning and starring features. Being able to highlighting important and relevant posts adds a handy promotional tool to your Facebook page, but someone has to track these features and be sure they don’t become dated. If your community starts relying on pinned and starred posts for the latest company information, you could miss out on communications opportunities if you can’t stay on top of it.

Similarly, Timeline makes it obvious if you haven’t updated your page in a few days because the activity stream leaves large spaces where your content should have been. So, once again, if small businesses are stretched for resources, any gaps in posting will be displayed, front-and-center.

Finally, Facebook has tweaked the direct messages feature to keep up with Twitter’s dominance of the social media customer service space, which is great. But, for small businesses, that just means one more inbox to check, on top of an ever-growing to-do list.

Facebook marketing is getting more expensive.

While Facebook has been viewed as a place where limited marketing budgets couldn’t hold you back, Timelines has introduced some pricier features. According to Baer, if you want to keep up with bigger companies, it’s going to cost you.

The “old” Facebook’s landing tab gave small businesses a chance to drive fan behavior – using affordable software – by creating custom micro-sites within their Facebook pages. But Timelines eliminated the landing tab, which isn’t good for businesses of any size. However, larger companies have the budgets to create plenty of other custom solutions, on their websites or blogs, to drive fans to their Facebook page.

Especially frustrating for small businesses, Facebook is now selling the opportunity to expand your “reach” on the network. According to Baer’s article, Facebook estimates that only 16% of your status updates are ever seen by your fans. However, for a limited time, you can buy the opportunity to reach around 75% of your fans – that is, if you can afford it.

Finally, Facebook advertising is heading beyond the budgets of many small companies because premium ads are getting very expensive. These ads will be sold through cost-per-impression deals, which are more profitable for any online advertiser. But these pricier ads will reduce the inventory of the small business-friendly cost-per-click Marketplace ads.

***

After examining these features that are SMB-unfriendly, I’d have to agree that small businesses are at a disadvantage on the “new” Facebook. What do you think? If you own or work at a small business, do you feel betrayed by Facebook’s recent changes?

Image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Timelines, Marketing, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 2 Comments »

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Can Building a Blog Community With Unfinished Posts Really Work?