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Want a better Facebook page? How about a mobile app for your business? Heyo is a social marketing tool that lets businesses do all that and more–all with easy drag-and-drop steps that don’t take a lot of time. If you’ve ever run across a Facebook fan page you admire and wish you could create one, too, Heyo can help with attractive templates or custom design tools. You can choose from over 30 widgets ranging from coupons and “Buy” buttons to contest and email opt-ins. Then Heyo takes your fan page and creates a mobile app based on your social data complete with photos and fan page tabs so your customers can see your page on their smartphones or mobile devices.
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For more information and charts about Small Business Mobile:
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Social Media Articles
Your Guide to LinkedIn Advertising
January 24th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen
If you’re a B2B company, attracting new customers with pay-per-click (PPC) ads on LinkedIn rather than Google or Facebook may be the way to go. That’s because you can target your ad to specific job titles, job functions, industries, company size, seniority, by LinkedIn Groups, etc. to ensure you are reaching either the end user or the person who makes the purchase decision.
Who you can reach on LinkedIn:
- 175 million professionals worldwide, 40 million of whom are US-based
- 7.9 million business decision makers
- 1.3 million small business owners
- 4.2 million corporate executives
How it works:
- Choose your target demographic and location
- Set a budget for clicks ($2 minimum) and the total you want to pay overall ($10 minimum)
- Pay $5 activation fee
Types of ads:
- Poll ads: Conduct market research and build brand awareness at the same time
- Join group ads: If you have a LinkedIn Group, you can advertise it and increase your reputation as a thought leader
- Social ads: These ads integrate member activities and information about advertising to target buyers based on what LinkedIn knows about your social network.
- Video ads: This is the newest ad type, which lets you add your YouTube video or a 30 second video to ads.
Tips:
- Make sure you measure your click-through-rate (CTR) on a regular basis to ensure your ad is working; you want a CTR of 0.025% or better.
- Ads with images get 20% more clicks.
- Turn your headline into a question to garner more attention.
- You can create up to 15 ad variations to figure out which image and text work best.
- Target ads to one specific group instead of everyone; the CTO has different priorities and needs than the CIO.
Have you advertised on LinkedIn yet? What about Google or Facebook? What strategies have you used to increase your CTR?
Image courtesy of blog.hubspot.com
Google+What Marketing Strategies Are You Spending on in 2013?
January 22nd, 2013 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichBy Maria Valdez Haubrich
How does your small business’s marketing budget for 2013 compare to that of your competitors? A new survey by StrongMail has some insights. Overall, businesses are bullish on marketing for 2013, with a total of 89 percent saying they will either increase or maintain their level of marketing spending in the coming year. (Some 45 percent will increase their marketing budgets and 44 percent will keep them the same.)
Email marketing, social media and mobile marketing will be the main focus of investment this year. More than half (55.5 percent) of marketing executives report plans to spend more on email marketing campaigns in 2013; 51.8 percent say they will spend more on social media; 42.8 percent say they will increase spending on mobile marketing; and 39.8 percent will boost spending on search marketing.
Two-thirds of the companies in the survey report they will spend more on mobile marketing programs such as mobile apps (39 percent) and SMS alerts (21 percent). Overall, mobile marketing spending will increase by 11 percent compared to 2012.
When it comes to social media, where are marketers putting most of their efforts? Facebook dominates, with 60 percent of businesses saying Facebook is the most valuable social media channel for them. Twitter and YouTube ranked second and third, respectively. Google and Pinterest were somewhere in the middle, cited by 31 percent of marketers, while Yelp, Instagram and LinkedIn brought up the rear.
Email is a strong area of growth for marketers, who plan to use it for a variety of purposes this year. While at one point some experts were predicting that social media would make email obsolete, marketers are figuring out email’s value in growing their social media presence and customer engagement. That’s reflected in the 46 percent who say they will spend more on emails to drive growth to their social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter. In addition, 38.8 percent will spend more on promotional emails, and 34.7 percent will spend more on email newsletters.
Where aren’t marketers spending? Direct mail, trade show participation and traditional advertising will take the biggest hits. Some 37.4 percent report they plan to cut spending on direct mail, 33.6 percent will cut back on trade show spending and 23 percent will decrease spending on advertising in 2013.
You can view a PDF of the full survey results here.
Image by Flickr user Jay Freshuk (Creative Commons)
Google+How to Stand Out on Pinterest If You’re a B2B Business
January 16th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen
If you’re a B2B small business or offer a service instead of a product, you can still use Pinterest. All it takes is a little thought and creativity. Here’s how to get started:
Use your own images
While it is very important to repin images that others have shared on Pinterest, it is also good to create and share your own images. As they are repinned, they will always be sourced back to you, helping you attract new followers.
Create personas
If you don’t already have a persona for your ideal customer, create one so you know what kinds of images will be most appealing to them. What is your ideal customer’s gender, age, location, household income, education level? Get as detailed as possible (you will probably have more than one persona).
Pin based on customer interests
Of course, you can also ask your customers what they care about, both personally and professionally. What are their hobbies, interests, favorite sports, favorite foods, top travel destinations?
Start boards based on your own interests
If you’re a travel junkie, coffee fanatic, or just love the color orange, create boards around those themes. It will help humanize you and your business and let your customers and potential customers get to know you better.
Create boards related to your business
Whether you are an attorney, software developer or SEO expert, you can create boards that are related to the service you offer. Let’s say you’re an accountant who specializes in personal finance. You could create a board of fabulous vacation homes since you help your clients save for specific goals.
Add details to board names
Don’t just name a board “Chocolate Desserts” or “Beaches” – they are too flat and boring. Get creative – think “Death By Chocolate” and “Exotic Beach Destinations.” You want to grab people’s attention so they’re eager to see more. Just be sure to keep the names short so people will remember them.
Pin clients – potential and current
You could create an entire board out of current clients and use their testimonials in the description – a very clever marketing idea. Or, you could make a board of clients you’d like to have, even huge companies. You never know who will see it and who can make an introduction.
Do you use Pinterest? What boards have been most popular?
Image courtesy of greenbuildermag.com
Google+10 Ways to Stay Competitive in 2013
January 9th, 2013 :: Rieva LesonskyBy Rieva Lesonsky
Is your small business doing all it can be to stay competitive in 2013 and beyond? The latest Citibank Small Business Pulse survey spotlighted 10 actions the most successful small business owners take to keep their companies competitive. Are you doing them?
1: Do your research and get educated. Some 88 percent of small businesses surveyed say they regularly work to stay up to date and knowledgeable about their industry and changes in the market.
2: Work hard and do what needs to get done. Successful small business owners are dedicated—so much so that more than half (53 percent) say they didn’t take a vacation last summer.
3: Update or upgrade technology. Nearly 70 percent of respondents say they recently updated or upgraded their computer systems, and 51 percent have made a major change to their business technology.
4: Know your clients. More than two-thirds (67 percent) say they are spending more “face time” with customers to keep their businesses ahead of the pack. Such client relationships also help entrepreneurs stay on top of industry and market trends.
5: Keep a close eye on cash and budgets. Many small businesses say they are keeping cash in reserves and spending cautiously. No wonder: Some 58 percent admit that cash flow issues have been a major challenge in the past few years. However, 73 percent feel they are doing a good job of managing their cash effectively.
6: Be involved. Small business owners are taking part in their business and local communities: 51 percent have built a network of suppliers and partner companies, and 47 percent say they have become more active in the community and local organizations.
7. Be prepared. If another economic downturn occurred, 80 percent of survey respondents say they could handle it. They’ve learned from the recent recession, in which many of them took steps such as running leaner, cutting operating costs and renegotiating contracts.
8: Plan ahead. Some 27 percent of small business owners say they can predict their cash situation four to six months ahead, which enables them to plan for the future.
9: Stick with your aspirations. Despite the challenges of entrepreneurship, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of business owners polled say they are living their dream; three-fourths say they would do it all over again.
10: Market, market, market. More than half (53 percent) of small business owners say they’ve upped social media and online advertising in the last year, while 54 percent improved their websites and search engine presence.
Image by Flickr user Generationbass (Creative Commons)
Google+How to Run a Successful Facebook Contest Without Getting Banned
January 8th, 2013 :: Monika Jansen
If one of your professional New Year’s resolutions is to do more with your company’s Facebook page, one of your ideas is most likely holding a contest (aka, a promotion), be it a photo or video contest or a sweepstakes.
Before you get started on any planning, it is well worth your time to familiarize yourself with Facebook’s rules for promotions so you don’t get banned.
In summary, here is what you need to know (you can read the full list here):
1. The product or service you are promoting has to be yours, either as an authorized merchant or the manufacturer.
2. You are responsible for ensuring your contest does not break any laws, rules or regulations and you must clearly state the official rules, offer terms, and eligibility requirements.
3. Promotions must use Apps on Facebook and state that Facebook has nothing to do with the contest.
4. You can ask entrants to Like a Page, check in to a Place, or connect to your app when they enter the contest, but that action cannot automatically enter them. You cannot ask them to take any other action on Facebook, like leaving a comment on your wall.
5. The Like button cannot be used for voting.
6. You cannot notify winners through Facebook.
To ensure your Facebook contest is successful, here is a handy checklist to follow:
Have a goal: Whether it’s more Likes, increased brand awareness, new product promotion, better user engagement, etc., have a goal so you can measure whether or not your contest worked.
Make it interactive: A fun, interactive experience will draw more entries and encourage word of mouth and social sharing.
Be creative with contest prizes: Your contest prize can be something with broad appeal – a gift card to Amazon – or niche appeal – a private souffle baking class. Whatever you decide, make sure it appeals to your target audience.
Choose a third party app that is easy to use: Look for one that is customizable, cost-effective (some are free), and mobile-friendly and that can be embedded on your website.
Make it easy to enter: Ask for the bare minimum amount of information from entrants (like name and email), and make it easy to enter, like answering a trivia question or uploading a photo of a pet.
Follow up: Once the winner is announced, follow up with the entrants by responding to feedback or simply thanking them for becoming a part of your community.
Google+The 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media Marketing
January 3rd, 2013 :: Monika Jansen
The inspiration for this post came from a blog post on Social Media Today that categorized 3 social media sins companies routinely make that waste time and money. The more I thought about it, the more I realized there are many more ways that companies waste money.
Here are 7 sins that are deadly, if only to your business’s bank account:
Sin #1: Not measuring results
Unless you take the time to look at the results of your social media marketing efforts, you won’t know what’s working and what’s not. If you continue to do something that is not engaging people and attracting new customers, well, you’re just throwing money right out the window.
Sin #2: Measuring the wrong metrics
Know what to measure. Likes and retweets are meaningless unless you are pulling people onto your website, capturing their contact information and converting them into customers.
Sin #3: Diving in blind
Not having a plan in place is bad enough, but not doing any research before starting is worse. You need to understand all of your target markets, where they are online, what their needs are, and how to properly use social media to reach them before you do anything on social media.
Sin #4: Zero integration
Cross-promoting content and messaging between online and offline is not hard to do, but a lot of companies don’t bother. Put that Yelp sticker to work by offering a discount on each reviewer’s next purchase. Got a PowerPoint presentation that has received great in-person feedback? Share it online.
Sin #5: No calls-to-action
If you want people to do something, just tell them, whether it’s downloading a free ebook, getting a sneak peek of an upcoming product or receiving a complimentary consultation.
Sin #6: Ignoring community management
The person who oversees your online community – your blog and social media networks – should be one person who is organized and social, not whoever has time at any given moment.
Sin #7: Focusing on one social media network
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, especially when it comes to marketing. If you focus solely on one social network, like Facebook, over others that are open networks and make it easier to reach your audience, you’ll be missing out on valuable opportunities to expand your reach.
Image by Flickr user shawncampbell (Creative Commons)
Google+7 Quick Tips to Optimize Your Content for Search
January 2nd, 2013 :: Monika Jansen
You create content for various reasons: to build awareness, gain thought leadership, demonstrate expertise, and convert Web visitors into leads and then into customers. Since you’re spending time on content creation, be sure it is optimized for search to make it super easy for potential customers to find you.
Here’s what to do:
1. Conduct a search
Even though you are 99 percent sure your target market uses specific keywords and phrases, double-check. You might find additional ones you hadn’t thought of.
2. Integrate keywords
Don’t just add the keywords to the body of the content; add them to titles (early in the title is better) and use them in links back to landing or other Web pages instead of “read more.”
3. Optimize images
Because search engines cannot read text embedded on an image, use keywords in the file names and alt text, tag them (like you would for a blog post), and include a description or caption when you can. This is true for images in any digital content – blog posts, white papers, ebooks and downloadable marketing collateral.
4. Optimize video
This is pretty much the same as optimizing images. Use a keyword-rich title and add tags, but when it comes to the description, focus less on keywords and more on a compelling message that will convince people to watch your video. Add a link to your website at the end.
5. Add to executive summaries
When you publish long-form content like ebooks, white papers and how-to guides, write an executive summary, add keywords and use it to publicize your content on your website, in press releases and newsletters, in blog posts, etc.
6. Use on Web pages
Add those keywords and phrases to page titles and URLs where the content is housed, whether it’s a landing page or service or product page.
7. Optimize for social
Look up hashtags on Twitter and keywords on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and any other social sites you use to ensure your content will be easily found once you share it there.
As you optimize your content, just be sure you don’t go crazy and overstuff with keywords. Search engines don’t like that.
Image by Flickr user mRio (Creative Commons)
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