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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

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Tags: B2B marketing, Marketing, Pinterest
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 7 Comments »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Screencast-o-matic (Screencast Tool)

January 15th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

Screencast-o-matic

According to Internet Retailer, 52 percent of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in their online purchase decisions. So how can you capture video for your website or promote your business by video on YouTube? Screencast-o-matic can help you create a “screencast” video of the activity on your computer screen and then upload it to the video channel of your choice or just save it as a video file to use on your website. With editing tools such as zoom, voice recording and text overlays, you can show consumers how to order, how to use a product or whatever information you feel needs a video to portray.

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Tags: Marketing, Resources, small business, social media, Technology, Videos, Web Design
Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Social Media, Technology, Videos, Web Design | No Comments »

10 Ways to Stay Competitive in 2013

January 9th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By 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)

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Tags: accounting, Marketing, networking, small business, social media, Technology
Posted in Accounting and Taxes, Business Development, Compliance, Entrepreneurs, Marketing, Networking, sales process, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »

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.

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Tags: Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 8 Comments »

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)

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Tags: Marketing, sales process, small business, social media
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Sales Process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 4 Comments »

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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Tags: Marketing, Search Marketing, small business, social media
Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 1 Comment »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: North Social (Facebook App)

January 1st, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

North Social

Is your Facebook Business page generating yawns instead of clicks? Too many business owners simply create a Facebook page and expect the fans to come pouring in. The reality is, if you can’t keep your customers’ interest, they won’t engage. You need something to get your fans to interact, and North Social may be able to help. Starting at 99 cents per day, North Social lets you access marketing apps such as sweepstakes, coupons, contests, promotions, videos, viral downloads and more. You’ll also be able to measure every click, comment, tweet and conversion right down to the very last penny.

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Tags: Marketing, small business resources, social media
Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | No Comments »

How Your Small Business Can Compete With Big Retailers in 2013

December 24th, 2012 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

This holiday shopping season, big retailers did a lot of things differently—and the changes they made will continue into 2013 and beyond, posing new challenges for small retailers and ecommerce companies seeking to compete. The BDO Retail Compass Survey of CMOs polled 100 chief marketing officers at the nation’s leading retailers and found:

Big retailers rely on social media. Social media has become an essential marketing tool, used by 86 percent of big retailers, up from 4 percent in 2007. Overall, social media made up 10 percent of holiday marketing and advertising budgets this year.

Big retailers are playing catch-up when it comes to mobile. Half of the retailers surveyed are including mobile in their marketing strategy, up 39 percent from 2011, but still short of 100 percent participation.

Big retailers are going digital. Although two-thirds of big retailers report their holiday marketing and advertising budgets were flat this year, they are shifting where they spend those dollars. While print is still the top advertising expenditure for 42 percent of companies, 31 percent spent most of their marketing dollars online. That’s a 35 percent increase from last year.

Big retailers are struggling with big data. With tons of customer data available through in-store purchases, email, social media and ecommerce and mobile sales, a whopping 93 percent of retailers admit it’s a challenge to integrate and manage the data, and 40 percent say it’s “very challenging.” But two-thirds plan to increase their use of customer data for targeted marketing efforts in the next year.

Big retailers are moving beyond Facebook. While Facebook is still the top social media marketing channel for 99 percent of retailers surveyed, one in five is marketing on Pinterest, and 51 percent are using Twitter.

Big retailers are trying a variety of mobile tactics. Many different mobile marketing tactics are being used, with flash sales and daily deals the primary mobile marketing tool for 30 percent of retailers, text messages the main focus for 23 percent, and mobile coupons for 20 percent. Less popular are mobile apps and QR codes, each cited as the main tactic by 14 percent. Big retailers are also rolling out new tools for mobile engagement, such as in-store GPS and product review apps.

Will your small retail or ecommerce business be able to keep up with the big guys? It’s not going to be easy – but it can be done. All of the tactics they are using can be used by a small business, too. Whether it’s advertising online or developing an app, look into how you can engage your customers in the ways they want to be reached.

Image by Flickr user coolinsights (Creative Commons)

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Tags: holiday retail 2012, Marketing, retail, small business
Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Web.com Small Business Toolkit: ThingLink (Twitter Images Tool)

December 21st, 2012 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

ThingLink

If you’re looking to add some snazzy features to your tweets to get your business more attention, check out Twitter Cards and the role ThingLink is playing to help make tweets more visually appealing. TwitterCards allow interactive images to play directly inside a tweet, and ThingLink images are now viewable and linkable. This means you can drive traffic from an image in your tweet, not just a bitly link. Businesses can make their tweets more dynamic, getting customers more engaged. You can create images that include sound, video, text and more.

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Tags: Marketing, Resources, small business, social media, Twitter
Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | No Comments »

Fan Engagement Lessons From the Top 5 Brands on Facebook

December 19th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

According to the Track Social blog, the most successful brands on Facebook have a mix of 4 critical elements: presence, audience, engagement and buzz. So what are the global brands of Facebook, Disney, YouTube, Coca-Cola and MTV doing to engage with their audience and create buzz?

I visited their pages, and here’s what I learned:

Facebook: Clever

Talk about engaging content! The first post I saw was the story of how Jay Jabonet began a campaign on Facebook to buy a group of children in the Philippines a boat so they didn’t have to swim to school anymore – the post included a video. Facebook also has a really fun “X is like Facebook” series (Halloween and pools, for starters), which I think is very clever.

Disney: Visual with a purpose

Their timeline is full of visual content with purpose: photos of the newly opened Fantasyland at Walt Disney World – with a link to buy tickets. A happy family decked out in Disney gear to promote a sale at the Disney Store online – with a promo code and link to the site. There are also lots of fun stills of characters from movies, along with their more famous quotes.

YouTube: Funny

It’s hard to go wrong sharing funny videos on your Facebook page – like Mariah Carey singing “All I Want For Christmas Is You” backed up by Jimmy Fallon and The Roots playing toy instruments. They also share company news you can use – like Virgin America will be offering selected YouTube series as part of their in-flight entertainment.

Coca-Cola: Brilliant branding

From Coke’s adorable polar bears promoting My Coke Rewards to an endless sea of Coca-Coca bottles (“like friends … the more the merrier”) to promoting the (RED) album in support of World AIDS Day, Coke really mixes it up while not losing sight of what their brand stands for.

MTV: Celebs

If MTV’s timeline is any gauge, pop culture is extremely engaging. Right now, MTV’s cover photo is the Jersey Shore cast – with a reminder of what day and time it airs. Their timeline includes a “Last Fans Standing” contest, a picture of Mike’s abs, photos of One Direction and Justin Bieber, and a promotion for their “Big and Best of 2012” livestream performance on December 12.

What brands (big or small) do you find most engaging on Facebook, and why?

Image courtesy of visualphotos.com

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Tags: Branding, Coca-Cola, Disney, Facebook, Marketing, MTV, social media, YouTube
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »