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Posts Tagged ‘engagement’

5 Steps to Connect With Industry Influencers

December 5th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

When you’re growing your company and building a brand, one of the best ways to accelerate that growth is by connecting with the influencers in your industry – the Tony Hsiehs, Mark Zuckerbergs, Thomas Kellers and Martha Stewarts. One recommendation from them, and you could see a significant uptick in sales.

Here’s how to start building those connections to influencers:

1. Start small

If I was a fledgling clothing designer, cold-calling Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief at Vogue, would be a total waste of time. Instead of going after the top influencers, start connecting with others who share your interests or expertise. Do this by joining the Facebook and LinkedIn groups, Twitter hashtags, and influential blogs that are relevant to you and your industry.

2. Actively participate

The more you chime in on the conversations, the more exposure you will get, from your name and company name to your ideas and expertise. Each connection you make will grow your network and move you up the networking ladder, so to speak, towards viral growth.

3. Get them talking about you

One of the best ways to get people talking about you is to share your wisdom. Help others, answer questions, and share your expertise freely. Be sure to ask for help and feedback as well in order to strengthen the connections you have.

4. Ask for introductions

One of the beautiful things about LinkedIn is the ability to look up your connections’ connections, allowing you to ask for a warm introduction to someone you can possibly do business with. As you build your network elsewhere, don’t be afraid to ask for warm introductions, including to influencers.

5. Add value

Once you get that sought-after introduction to Richard Branson, you have to go beyond a “Hey, I’m Monika! SO nice to meet you!” and offer something of value. Would you like to guest blog for them on your area of expertise, or maybe solve a problem you know they are having? Think about the best way to build a relationship, add that person to your network, and possibly do business with them.

If you are connected to an industry influencer, what other relationship-building tips can you recommend? (Going to college with someone doesn’t count!)

Image courtesy of partner.kansas.gov

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Tags: Branding, engagement, influencers, Marketing, networking, social media
Posted in Branding, Marketing | No Comments »

9 Easy Ways to Tweak Your Twitter and Facebook Strategies for Better Engagement

September 20th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

Social media marketing firm Buddy Media released a very interesting report that looked at how marketers use Twitter – and they found some surprising mistakes. In the study, they analyzed 320 Twitter handles from large brands between December 11, 2011 and February 23, 2012. Instead of making the same mistakes as big companies with large marketing departments, learn from them!

Here are the top findings of the study, along with 9 easy ways to get better engagement on Twitter and Facebook:

1. Twitter engagement is 17 percent higher on Saturday and Sunday

Takeaway: save your best tweets for the weekend, and don’t be afraid to tweet more than once.

2. Beginning on Monday, Twitter engagement falls off as the week progresses

Takeaway: Don’t stop tweeting, but tweet less between Monday and Thursday.

3. Twitter engagement drops off on Thursday but picks up as Friday progresses

Takeaway: Send out tweets on Friday afternoon/early evening when people are winding down from the week and getting ready to dive into the weekend.

4. Tweets perform best during “busy hours”

Takeaway: Keep tweeting between 8am and 7pm to get the most engagement.

5. Facebook status updates perform best during “non-busy hours”

Takeaway: Shift Facebook updates to publish between 8pm and 7am.

6. One tweet per day has the highest engagement rate

Takeaway: While 2-4 tweets still perform well, Twitter engagement nosedives beyond 4 tweets per day, so spread out your tweeting.

7. Tweets of 100 characters with working links get much higher engagement rates

Takeaway: Keep your tweets to the point, and be sure your links work.

8. Tweets with hashtags and photos get twice the engagement

Takeaway: Research hashtags first to be sure you’re using popular ones, but don’t add more than 2 or engagement will drop off. And be sure to say if a link is a photo.

9. Asking for retweets works

Takeaway: if you ask for a “RT,” you’ll get a 12 times higher retweet rate; if you spell it out instead of using the abbreviation, you’ll get a 23 times higher retweet rate.

What other tips can you offer for better engagement on Twitter and Facebook? Leave a comment below.

Image courtesy of avenuesocial.com

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Tags: Buddy Media, engagement, Facebook, Marketing, social media, Twitter
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

5 Common Misconceptions About Social Media – and Why They Are Not True

September 6th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

Because using social media for marketing is still a relatively young practice, many misconceptions about it continue to float around out there. Here are 5 that I hear all the time, followed by the truth:

1. Social media cannot be used in my industry

Uh, really? Why not? Your customers are people, and chances are they are already using Facebook and LinkedIn – and maybe Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest too. Instead of making broad assumptions, get online and spend 30 minutes searching topics and keywords that are industry-specific. You might be surprised about who is talking about what.

2. My business is too boring to be good at using social media

Yes, it is much easier to come up with fun status updates, contest ideas, photos and videos if you are a salon and spa rather than an industrial metals manufacturer. So get creative! Ask, “What does my target audience care about? How can I engage them with photos, videos, contests and games?” For example: your employees could do a spoof on a song, changing the words so they are related to your company or industry.

3. Success is measured by quantity (of blog comments, Twitter followers – you name it)

Measuring the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts by tallying up the number of comments your blog gets, the number of Twitter followers you have, or the number of times a photo is shared is wrong in so many ways. What you need to be measuring is the number of leads you are generating, the quality of the leads, and how many are converting into customers. Customers, not popularity, are what pay the bills.

4. I must have a presence on every single social media network

This is only true if your target market is active – in large numbers – on every single social media network. They probably are not. Find the 2 or 3 networks with the most activity, and focus on those.

5. I don’t have time for social media

You probably do, actually, and that is because being active is not that time-consuming. Just as you devote time to checking email, answering customer queries and keeping up with industry news, you can carve out some time for social media. Set aside 30 minutes to plan out an editorial schedule and decide what you will post when. Once you do that, you will probably only spend 15 or 20 minutes total on your social media accounts every day.

What other misconceptions do you hear about social media? Share them below!

Image courtesy of brainwormproductions.com

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Tags: engagement, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Pinterest, social media, social media analytics, social media misconceptions, target market, Twitter
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 9 Comments »

How to Use Instagram for Marketing

September 4th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

I had never thought to integrate Instagram into a marketing strategy – until I read this great article published by Marketo on their blog that beautifully illustrates the possibilities in an infographic. With 50 million Instagram users and counting, it is time to start paying attention to the photo-sharing platform. Here’s what I learned:

Photos rule when it comes to marketing because:

Photos make an emotional connection in a way that text cannot.
Photos make your company and brand more relatable.
Photos are fun and engaging.
Photos shared via Instagram are reaching a huge audience, thanks to steady user adoption.

Like any other marketing tool, it’s best to use Instagram systematically:

Curate

Determine what will engage your target market by asking: What do they want to see? How can I get them to engage with my photos? What will get them talking about my company? Develop a photo curation plan around the answers.

Snap

Consider only sharing some photos on Instagram, where you can even leak company secrets for added exclusivity. Be sure your photos are gorgeous – anything subpar will dilute your brand – and be sure they include shots of your employees and office. By letting people into your work life, you will create strong connections.

Hashtag

Consider using unique hashtags as keywords in order to make your company and brand easily findable. Be sure to add them to all your posts.

Engage

Increase engagement levels by posting photos of your – and customer – events, using geolocation, and adding a gamification element, like asking users to submit photos, come up with a creative captions for a photo, or solving a mystery about your photo.

Repeat

Once you start using Instagram, keep it up!

Whether or not you already use photos as part of your marketing strategy, would you consider using Instagram? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Image courtesy of play.google.com.

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Tags: engagement, hashtags, Instagram, Marketing, photo sharing, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 2 Comments »

5 Easy Ways to Use Photos in Your B2B Social Media Marketing Efforts

August 2nd, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

It is so easy for B2C companies to use photos as part of their social media marketing efforts. Some industries just naturally lend themselves to lots of great photo opportunities. If you own a restaurant, bar, bakery, café, coffee shop or catering company, you can go crazy posting food porn. If you have a retail store, you can post photos of in-store events, new products, customers of the month, etc.

B2B businesses usually get stuck. “I’m a lawyer – what on earth am I supposed to share pictures of?” Here are 5 tips to help all of you B2B business owners integrate photos into your marketing strategy:

1. Create a theme that pops up with regularity.

Think of an activity or item that is related to your business and share a photo every time you see it. For instance, I am a copywriter, which is part of the marketing industry – and related to advertising. Every time I see a cool, eye-catching ad with a great message, I could snap it and share it as inspiration for others.

2. Tell a story.

If you don’t have a company pet or mascot, get one (or borrow an employee’s!). Tell a story about your business around that pet or mascot. If you’re an accountant, you could take pictures of the company dog reviewing paperwork, working on a calculator, sleeping under a conference table – you get the idea.

The company mascot doesn’t have to be alive, of course. (Think of the garden gnome Travelocity uses in its commercials.) You can take the company mascot with you when you travel and share photos of it sitting at an airport gate, sleeping on top of the minibar, sitting at a desk, in front of local landmarks (like the Empire State Building), etc.

3. Take photos when out and about.

You probably go to events, whether they’re plain old networking schmooze-a-ramas, conferences, or industry to-do’s. You probably also visit clients at their site; go out to lunch or dinner with clients, partners, and colleagues; and hold employee-only events or activities, like happy hours or paintball. Take photos and share them.

4. Snap photos “in the office.”

Photos of day-to-day activities are great to share. If you’re an arborist, you can share photos of non-obvious signs of a dying tree. If you just got back from vacation, share a photo of the files, paperwork and mail stacked on your desk. If an employee has a birthday, slap a party hat on him or her and take a photo with the birthday cake.

5. Ask fans and followers to share their photos.

This will really engage your fans and followers! When you share a photo of a great ad, or the company dog, or your mascot traveling, or a tree, ask your followers to share their photos – or stories.

***

Have you used any of the above ideas – and have your efforts engaged fans? What other ideas do you have? Leave a comment below!

Image courtesy of erickimphotography.com

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Tags: engagement, Marketing, photos, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 5 Comments »

Small Business Social Media Trends

February 21st, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

When it comes to small businesses, Anita Campbell, author of Visual Marketing, knows a thing or two. Recently, Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner interviewed Campbell for her insight on small business social media trends. Here are some of the key takeaways:

Believe it or not, some small businesses won’t get much business from social media, no matter how hard they try. For example, a small landscaping company that gets most of its business from local neighborhoods may not see an impact from Facebook or Twitter. Campbell suggests businesses like this should stick to fliers, word of mouth marketing, and customer testimonials to get their message to the target market.

Campbell’s biggest tip for growing an online community sounds familiar, but it is worth repeating: When it comes to social media communications, don’t just broadcast – engage! Campbell believes in pulling information back in from your social networks and fostering back-and-forth conversation, rather than sending out tweets and posts that simply tell your audience what you’d like them to know. Give them a chance to talk, too, and you’ll get a better return for your investment on social media.

And, what is the biggest mistake Campbell sees small businesses making online? It’s neglected websites, and they’re really a turn-off for customers. When your website is out of date, and you greet customers with 2-year-old information, you’re sending customers a bad message. If you are neglecting your website – your online storefront to the world – how much attention do you give to your customers or to other parts of your business?

Campbell is constantly watching small business trends through her sites, BizSugar and Small Business Trends, and here is what she is seeing now:

Everyone is going mobile, including small businesses. They are embracing mobile marketing with text messaging, location-based coupons and QR codes.
Many small businesses are getting really good at social media. They’re out there testing different campaigns and communications tactics, and they’re getting big results.

Are you one of the small businesses embracing mobile and excelling at social media? You can check out more small business marketing tips and trends from Anita Campbell on BizSugar and Small Business Trends.

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Tags: Anita Campbell, engagement, Facebook, local search, Marketing, mobile, qr codes, social media, trends, Twitter, Visual Marketing, websites
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 4 Comments »

What Small Businesses Can Learn From Big Companies on Facebook

January 31st, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

Just because you’re a small business doesn’t mean you can’t have a huge impact on Facebook. The social network has enabled small businesses to stand side-by-side with large companies to grab customers’ attention and interact with them online.

Even if your marketing department is small, or even if you’re a company of one, you can still learn a lot from the big business approach to Facebook. Try these four ideas for running Facebook campaigns get big results, regardless of your company’s size.

Plan for success

One of the major reasons big companies succeed on Facebook is that they plan. Don’t make the mistake many small businesses do and launch a Facebook page just because everyone else has one. Do as the big companies do, and set goals and strategies for your efforts online.

Think about what you’d like to get from your Facebook activities. Do you want to drive more traffic to your online store? Are you hoping to build your newsletter list? Or, maybe you want to encourage repeat business and brand loyalty? Whatever your goals are, state them clearly, and create a strategy that will get you there.

Interact with your fans

Often, the most successful Facebook pages are those teeming with interaction. This is where big companies have a major advantage, simply because they’re staffed to keep the community active.

To compete with larger businesses, you need to go beyond static content (bio, a couple of pictures, and links to your website), and fill your page with content that engages the community. Creating a custom tab enables you to offer fun stuff on Facebook, such as contests and virtual gifts.

But don’t think you have to employ a pricey designer or know how to code to get the same eye-catching and interactive custom tabs big companies have. A custom tab app, like the one offered by ShortStack, can help you create tabs with the same functionality for an affordable price.

Be there for your fans

Big businesses know that social media provides a direct connection with their individual customers, so they hire community managers to communicate with customers on a full-time basis.

Even if you can’t hire someone to tend to Facebook full-time, you still need to check in more than sporadically to build a community. Try working social media interaction into your routine, being sure to respond to questions or comments on your page at least every day. You can tag-team Facebook page management among several staff members to be sure you’re covered, and you can hire responsible interns to help with social media management. Just be sure not to neglect your customers online – if you don’t answer their questions, someone else will!

Take advantage of your smaller size

Being a small company means you’re nimbler and more flexible than your larger competitors. For example, smaller businesses have the advantage of moving quickly to gather information from their community. If you want to know what customers think of your newest product, you can create a Facebook poll or simply ask them to post suggestions to your wall – and you can do this without the bureaucratic hierarchy that slows bigger companies down.

Or, maybe you want to scan Facebook for general feedback, responding to customer complaints and compliments. Because you’re the owner, you can make decisions like this and reply in real time.

Another example of leveraging your smaller size is offering deals to your community when you need to. If you need to clear inventory quickly, or you want to be sure your venue is filled tonight, you can offer great deals to your Facebook fans right now. Being a small business means you can avoid the lethargic corporate decision-making process and do what’s right for your business in a flexible way.

Have you noticed other big-business Facebook tactics that can be scaled to fit a smaller company? Talk to us in the comments section below!

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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

How to Use Pinterest for Marketing

January 12th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

You may have heard of Pinterest, a social bookmarking site where you “pin” and share interesting images on the Web – but what does it have to do with marketing?

While Pinterest has mostly been the domain of brides-to-be, crafters and fashionistas, smart marketers are harnessing this fun social network to generate buzz for their products.

If you’re not yet convinced that Pinterest has marketing value, let me make my case:

A Hub of Influencers

Pinterest users pin images they love, browse what other users have deemed pin-worthy, and follow those with a knack for finding the coolest (or hottest) items. Basically, the network is a community of curators, and those curators with the greatest influence, or following, are exactly the people marketers want to connect with.

Staying on Top of Trends

Once you’ve spent some time on Pinterest, you’ll begin to notice which products and styles are trending in real-time. Better yet, you’ll be able to take cues from the big influencers to find out what will be trending next.

SEO Strategies

There are two benefits that Pinterest can bring to your SEO campaign. The first is local link building–you can embed a link to your store’s location in your Pinterest descriptions and comments. Secondly, Pinterest automatically links to an image’s originating site, so you can quickly amass a collection of visual links.

Marketing on Pinterest

Getting started on Pinterest is pretty straightforward, but you’ll need an invite to join. You can easily request one on the site, and then you’re ready to begin:

1. Check to see if any of your products have already been pinned

This simple first step will give you a baseline for your future Pinterest marketing efforts, as well as help you start making connections on the site.

2. Start pinning things you like, but be sure not to strictly self promote

In other words, pin other people’s products as well as your own. The idea is to build credibility and join the existing community. It’s also a good idea to think strategically when creating boards (collections of images you pin). For example, a sports company could create boards relating to sports as well as the location of their store.

3. Use the search function to dig deeper into the site

At first glance, Pinterest may seem overwhelmed by home decorating and art-related images. However, searching for specific areas of interest to you will reveal other niches within the site. You can also use the search function to identify opportunities for your own category creation–what is missing that you could provide?

4. Pin and be pinned

You will have to invest time into pinning things in order to get the most out of the site. You can add the Pinterest bookmarklet to your browser to quickly add things you find on the web. You may also want to add the Pin this button to your website, which functions similarly to a Facebook Like button, to encourage pinning.

5. Grow your following

Invite people from Facebook and your email list, especially your customers, to Pinterest. You can also grow your following the old-fashioned way by participating and pinning so others can see what you’re all about.

6. Focus on engagement

After all, Pinterest is a social network, so you want to apply the same engagement principles you use with other forms of social media. Make comments on other people’s pinned objects, reply to people’s comments on your pins, and otherwise be social on this fun and addictive site.

***

Have you used Pinterest for marketing yet? What strategies do you find most effective for promoting products and generating buzz on Pinterest?

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Tags: engagement, followers, influencers, Marketing, online marketing, Pinterest, product marketing, seo, social media, trends
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 7 Comments »

5 Ways to Use the New LinkedIn Company Pages to Grow Your Business

December 20th, 2011 :: Monika Jansen

Are you doing all you can to leverage LinkedIn’s engagement opportunities?

Recently, LinkedIn made some changes to provide even more ways to communicate with clients, employees, and industry peers through its Company Pages. Now companies can make status updates on their pages, enabling followers to receive news directly from them. Since keeping up with changes to all the social media networks can be a job in itself, I’ve studied tips for getting caught up with everything LinkedIn.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Optimize your Company Page for better engagement

There are over 2 million businesses with a company page on LinkedIn, so how do you make yours stand out?

First, you’ll want to make sure your company page is appealing and primed for engagement. LinkedIn allows you to use rich media content, such as YouTube videos, images, and hyperlinked banners, to make your page more engaging and visually interesting, so be sure to take advantage of these features.

Next, use your company overview page to tell potential customers what you can do for them – don’t forget to use keywords to attract your target market. The overview page is a great place to pull in your blog content by inserting your feed URL, too.

Another place to focus some attention is your products and services pages on your profile. Including images, lists of key features, links to promotions and even videos can help customers find the information they want about your offerings.

After sprucing up your page, be sure to enable the page for status updates and designate who can post updates. Now, you’re ready to begin updating.

2. Build your LinkedIn community

Just as on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll need to build your community of followers before you can really see any payoff from your efforts. Even if your business is very small, you can create a vibrant community of super-targeted followers to expand your reach on LinkedIn.

If you haven’t already, ask employees to follow your page and share status updates with their LinkedIn connections.

You can also follow the pages of vendors, customers, prospects and companies within your industry or geographic location–hopefully they will follow you back.

You can even send calls to action to follow your page to your personal connections, your database of customers, as well as post similar calls to action within relevant LinkedIn groups.

Like any other online community, you’ll have to work to grow your LinkedIn company page following, but the targeted connections made here can be well worth your efforts.

3. Provide helpful, industry-related updates

LinkedIn provides the perfect platform for building your credibility as a knowledge leader or industry expert. The professional aspect of LinkedIn’s community means its members are focused on improving their knowledge base and careers. Spark their interest by posting tips and insights that will help them succeed.

If your company helps businesses with their marketing, provide free content that will help your followers achieve their marketing goals. Likewise, if you sell software applications, teach your followers how to leverage these technologies to make their companies more efficient.

4. Engage with others through their updates

Don’t be shy–if you want to get on the radar of companies that are important to your business, engage with their status updates. Publicly thank them for information, make suggestions you think they’d appreciate, and by all means share their valuable content.

LinkedIn is a great place to talk shop about issues surrounding your industry, so jump into the conversation with potential vendors and partners. Maybe they will reciprocate your kindness and promote your business, too.

5. Measure and monitor for success

LinkedIn has a useful Analytics feature, which can help you see how well your efforts are paying off, but the best way to see how well you are engaging your target markets is to study your company profile’s landing page. Check here often to see who has communicated with or commented on any of your company’s updates.

Monitor the updates from the companies you follow by checking under “Companies” on your home page. Or, visit the “LinkedIn Companies” home page to see a concentrated stream of the same updates. Checking these places often will help you stay on top of the conversation in your industry and jump in with comments when appropriate.

Have you taken advantage of LinkedIn’s new company page features? If so, let us know how you like them by leaving a comment below.

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Tags: analytics, engagement, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Company Pages, Marketing, social media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 1 Comment »

3 Tips on Creating Effective Infographics

November 1st, 2011 :: Monika Jansen

Infographics are a great way to not only quickly explain a complicated idea or huge amount of information, but also grab your readers’ attention and engage them in a topic that might be dry or overly complex.

Easier said than done. An effective infographic must be created with a purpose in mind. You don’t want to end up with just a pretty picture – it really needs to help explain the information you are presenting. An infographic that is both engaging and useful combines visual interest, theme, detail, meaning and action—all in a single glance.

Use the following three tips to ensure that your infographics pop.

1. Make it fit.

You could squeeze an entire year’s worth of information into an infographic, but if you don’t take the time to fit the color and theme into your already-established company graphics, it might be a wasted effort.

Incorporate the colors and design you use in your branding – from your company logo to your website – as well as the typography and font. Taking time to give the function a little form will give your infographic an engaging and cumulative effect that adds to your presentation and enhances your brand.

2. Don’t rely on images.

In a well-designed infographic, an effective and modern image is almost a given. But if you stop there and fail to deliver detail and meaning to your image, the results will be less than stellar. The reason images are so powerful – and need a lot of attention in an infographic – is because they convey layers of meaning in an instant.

In an infographic, though, you are including a numerical quality with the visual, so make sure you choose information that is meaningful and relevant to your company and its goals.

3. Plan for action.

The worst thing an infographic can do is simply be a colorful repeat of information that can be easily accessed elsewhere. Give it a purpose by making sure your infographic will inspire action – does it teach something to the viewer? Does it compare data? Reveal new information?

By covering your bases with these three approaches, you will create an infographic that is informative, engaging, and visually appealing – all characteristics of a dream product. Distribute your infographic on your social networks, and your brand, audience and sales funnel will thank you!

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Tags: Branding, design, engagement, infographics, Marketing, presentations, visual
Posted in Branding, Marketing | 1 Comment »