Social Marketing Disclosed

It’s been a while since I have worked on any social media profile. Over the period of time, there have been a lot of changes in all the tools and social media networking sites. I won’t be discussing the changes, as I am sure that most of you are well aware of them, and have already become experts in using them.

Recently I got an opportunity to work on a maiden social media account. Through this blog I plan to share the journey I am about to take in promoting the social media accounts of the business. I hope that my experiences are beneficial to others and if there is something I am missing then I would be delighted if you point that out to me! Look forward for the support of my followers and the social media community.

The Preparation

As the aim was to attract consumers, I decided to start with Twitter. Instead of creating an account by the name of the company, I created a personal account. The reason behind this move was to add a personal touch in my tweets and interactions.

It has been a week; I have received a decent response to the tweets and messages that I have been posting.

I didn’t know of the any of the industry influencers, so initially I followed some famous personalities and local Twitter Business accounts. Installed TweetDeck and added the twitter account. I also created the keyword alerts.

The Action

When I get alert on TweetDeck about any of the keywords that I have saved, I try to send them a message with a solution or a suggestion, and wherever possible with the link of the website.

My tweets are mostly centered around the main keywords but I also tweet some jokes and about some trending topics. Once during the day, I Tweet about special offers that the business is offering.

I was still not able to get followers, so I searched for some Twitter Directories. Out of various options that I got, I was able to successfully able to submit my site on this site.

1)      Wefollow

2)      Twitter Counter

3)      Just Tweet It

4)      Twellow

5)      Twibs

6)      Tweet Find

7)      Connet.me

8)      Twibe

9)      Twiends

Out of these directories, I saw the most rapid increase in my followers after submitting my Twitter Handle and completing my profile on Twiends.

I am still searching for more good Twitter directories, and would update the article with details of any good ones that I find.

I still retweet and send message to people talking about keywords that are of my interest. As soon as I have the Google Analytic s set up on the website, I will be able to track the effect in a better way.

For the past few months, I have been continuously trying, reading and testing different tricks that work in social networking sites. Honestly speaking, it would have been easier to track and document results, if they would have stayed a little stable. But as Google evolved its algorithm, social networking sites like Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn also evolved their platforms. I quite didn’t get a chance to track all the three networks, but I have a few pointers that I think would help gain good audience on Facebook.

·         Timing is everything

It is very necessary to use the insights provided by Facebook. It gives you a great a detail about the people who like your page. It also gives you a great amount of detail, as to what kind of content does your audience responds to. Now, here’s how to use these details. Once you have a rough idea of the age group and the geographical location of most of your audienc

e, share a new post at the time when you think they will be using the networking site most. For example, if I speak of Indians in the age group of 25 years to 40 years, then they are mostly on Facebook after 5pm or 6 pm, that is, after their working hours. So I’ll share a new post mostly after 7 pm.

For the second part, that is, what kind of posts generates the most response? Once you narrow down to the keywords and key mood setters, just keep fishing for similar stuff. This will keep the people hooked to your page. And gradually they will bring in more traffic. I believe it is human nature, when we see someone comment, like or share from one page, others get curious and do give at least a visit to the page. All you need to do is post the right content at the right time regularly.

·         Never Ignore your audience

It is not at all a bad idea to share a freebee or a thank you note with people who like your page. You can easily get their profile details from the page admin panel. If you have a store and do provide coupons, then it would be great to send some over to people who like your page. As a vote of thanks! This will keep them interested in your page. This also adds a personal touch. And people like to relate with real people.

On the other hand if you cannot provide any tangible coupon or similar gift, then I really don’t recommend a thank you note. As I have seen not many people appreciate it. So unless you are very good in writing a thank you note, I advice you avoid it. What you can do then is to thank people for all the likes and shares on our posts or when your page reaches a crucial point like 100, 500, 1000 likes.

·         Don’t shy off from the camera

Now I am sure that you must have noticed that pictures and videos are displayed on walls with prominence. So don’t leave a chance to share a picture or video. With the new option of Facebook, to add a picture to your post, I am sure you can find some great pictures to go with your post. People react more to pictures and videos. Most of the social media experts I have read from, have confirmed that it is a good idea to share videos and pictures. Take it from your own experience; what catches your attention the most on your wall, a simple post with just words or a post with a picture or a video. Now apply the same for your post! Here I would like to mention, Social Media Examiner and Mashable, whenever they post something, it is accompanied by a picture!

·         Don’t  Forget the description

Now I like to consider this, as the boring stuff, as it requires thinking and working on the admin panel. While creating the page, I have seen that most of the pages have a blank short description and a descriptive long description. Now, this is wrong! Short description is the place which fills up the space below your pages profile picture. And I needless to say is very important. What I suggest is that you write a small description with most of your keywords and which describes your services or page well. Now just because you need to place your keywords there, doesn’t mean that you spam it with just keywords. Dawn your creative hat and write few good sentences!

I found this post in a community on Google+. Theis was posted by Rand Wilson in Zero Links Blogging Community

This article describes how you can identify the key topics for which your blog or website is generating traffic and use that subject to keep the traffic flowing. I believe that apart from the tools and the SEO knowledge required for generating constant traffic to your site, his example of creating content around the topic or keywords which generates traffic initially is pretty simple and easy to implement.

Want to Increase Your Site Traffic, Make Search Engine Your Friend!

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The explosion of online marketing and the rat race to rank high on search results; people devoted a lot of their resources in getting their sites rank high. The search algorithm engineers, who were responsible for bringing quality content to explorers, revamped the algorithm. As most of us would be aware, the first explosion to search engine experts and site owners was Panda from Google.  As a result of the new algorithm, some very big and expensive sites were d-ranked (so as to say).

Panda laid emphasis on the content. The algorithm was designed in such a way that it ranks sites with regular updates of quality and original content. Apart from this, what is noteworthy is that it also vouches for various SEO activities. For example, experts often look to get backlinks as a part of the link building activity. The algorithm studied these backlinks and considered only those links which were relevant. So say as a result of your guest posting activities, you got a link from a photography site for your construction site. Wanna guess how Penguin would react to it. We have a lot of cases that when such links are more, then the site is demoted.

We all are aware of the social network bubble that’s been inflating. It gained momentum with Facebook, and now we have a plethora of networking sites. People regularly share information that is useful or entertaining on these sites. With its new algorithm, Penguin, Google engineers have tried to incorporate this fact onto their search result. Giving importance to articles and sites shared on these networks, highlights that they are placing more and more emphasis on the explorer’s opinion.

So what should you do?

These changes have not only made it easier for explorers to search for quality content, but if you pay attention, it has made it all the more easier for site owners. If you want to keep your site ranking high and in circulation, all you need is presence on these social networks and share your knowledge freely.

Penguin and Panda give importance to original and informative research and what is gaining popularity amongst the masses. Now there is a fairly easy way to achieve these targets. As a man of the industry, you will always have something that you can share with the crowd. It could be a general advice, an important announcement, a press release or a video. The key is to keep your site dynamic. Instead of posting everything at the same time, store the information that you have and supply it in installments. Update your site with articles, announcements and videos regularly. I don’t say that you should post something every day, but there should be regularity.

The post should be informative or entertaining, either ways, make sure your site is connected to your facebook, twitter, linkedin, and the charade. Make it a habit, or hire someone to write article regularly about your niche and post it on your site and on other blogs as guest post. A word of caution, make sure that the site where you post your article is also related to your niche, or has some column related to your niche.

These days it is pretty common to have company page on facebook and all other networking sites. It is necessary that all the posts that you publish are shared onto your pages. Regular updates on your page also highlight it in the networking sites search results.

A simple way to highlight your page is to increase activity through it. Like other pages related to your niche or comparative industry. Regular share and like posts by others and by people who have liked your page. Try to post as many pictures and videos as you can, as they are more highlighted on the timeline. It is easier to draw attention and to make information viral through pictures and videos.

Marketing campaigns are designed to generate visibility and lead for an organization. As with any tangible marketing campaign, social media marketing campaigns are also designed based on target audience and product. The only difference here is the visibility. Social media campaigns have a greater visibility and are vital in taking the organization to every house.

With rising competition, small, medium and large companies are running after the multi-level marketing, which seems to have become the buzz word. As they are working on tangible marketing strategies already, they often plan their social media marketing approach with different goals. What most people fail to understand is that with the advent of social media, the scope for selling a product of service has just increased. And marketers have few more tools to play with while promoting their product. Bigger firms with their enormous budget and humongous human resource pool are able to overcome this short sightedness, but small and medium business houses often fall prey to such mentalities.

Social media should be considered from the planning stage. Every marketing strategy should include social media, and it should be driven with proper patience and deterrence. Insisting on large number of hits to one’s social media page without monitoring the relevance is what destroys the purpose. For example, when we plan for direct marketing, we analyze the target audience, their behavior towards the product and then we consistently hit people who are interested ignoring those who don’t pay much attention.

Is the recession really over? Do you really think you are on the top of your market? These are some questions that some of still ponder over. And with the advent of the technology, there is always something new to conquer and something new to invest on. But is the time and money that is spent on these conquests really profitable?

With Facebook become a rage and Google launching its own version of the platform, it has become absolutely necessary for business to have a virtual presence. It not only attracts more clients, but also helps in keeping the faith of the existing ones.  But it is not as easy to mark your presence here as it is easy to create a profile. And it is not about having just a page or just a website.

Like any marketing campaign, Internet Marketing should also be planned and instead of just launching at the whims and fancies, to achieve a positive rate of return it is very necessary to plan internet marketing strategy.

Before you launch onto any networking site, you need to have a professionally created website which is well optimized and easily visible through any search engine. This will not only act as a showcase for your organization, but will also confirm your authenticity in the market.

Having a website is not only a necessity for multi-national and large business organizations, but in the 21st century, it is a necessity for any business that wants to survive. It is no secret, if you are in the market and you want to survive, than you need to be abreast with the latest developments. Today, if someone plans to open a business venture, than he is ready with a plan for its website.

With the increasing popularity of the smart phones and e-pads, more people find it convenient to search for their requirements over the internet. And if you do not have a website, you miss such clients.

Here are some more stats to assist you make a decision:

26 BILLION online videos viewed per month in US alone.

Online video is more than 60% of all internet traffic.

Youtube is now the #4 search engine.

4 TIMES as many mobile phone users as internet users

33% of phones use high speed data services

Mobile advertising has a 10 TIMES HIGHER click through rate than online advertising

Mobile advertising has 8 TIMES HIGHER brand awareness

Mobile traffic has a 6 TIMES HIGHER purchase intent than online traffic

But just to have a website is also not enough, it’s just the beginning of the story. You need to be trusted and respected. And to earn respect, your site should be well optimized, submitted in directories and easy to locate on the internet.

Once you are through, it is easy to mark your presence on the social networking sites. Remember, carefully scrutinize the marketing strategy, it’s the most important part.

With the advent of Google Plus, marketers are forced to think about the evolution of the social media marketing scenario. Google Plus has not only brought the challenge of promoting the brands on its base but also has made it a challenge to make the earlier strategies a success on the ever evolving Facebook.

Google plus has not launched a platform specifically for business houses, and Facebook’s new Wall and Ticker, has brought forth certain facets need to be highlighted.

Though still in its crude and not too popular with people in my country, but still Google plus needs to be given some thought when one thinks of promoting a brand on the social media. My thoughts are that advertising on G+ will not only give exposure on the social media but will also highlight the product on the search engine. Though a proof of the same is still to be discovered.

As G+ has not invented a competitor of Page on Facebook, the path taken by the Mashable Team is quite recommendable. Instead of creating a page or a site for the organization, they have created a profile for the members and a circle for the team of Mashable. The CEO posts regularly under the Search Engine Marketing Spark. He is regular on his posts and continuously posts content related to the Social site and receives wide audience.

So the idea is that to get yourself selected for a Spark, as it is the next best option after pages. Sparks are a great way of interacting with the target audience. And this offers more wide range visibility and better reception. Now to get noticed through sparks you need to be regular with your posts. Post as much as you can and not just about your product, but interesting articles and competition details. The idea is to get people notice your content and to get them interacting. Ask for comments and perception about a recent product, or the idea for a new promotion. Keep the timeline ticking.

Something quite similar goes for Facebook also. With the New Wall, and Facebook analytics, it has become necessary to get not only impressions but also feedback to the posts on the page. The Auto Wall (as I call it) lists the stories of people with whom you have interacted earlier or have interacted most as top stories. It’s time to get those opinions flowing. You need to get people to interact more. Now if this innovation has made work a little difficult than Facebook also provides tools to assist.

Now the picture view on the Auto Wall is more prominent. The preview is larger and good pictures or interactive pictures are sure to catch the eye. Make those pictures more expressive and don’t just post pictures about the product, post interactive cartoons and bloopers in the office. Force people to like them, view them and share them and of course, comment on them.

Ask questions, as it not only gets noticed and is fun to answer but it is highlighted on Ticker and the Auto Wall. And a fun question or a simple question doesn’t take any effort, so mostly everyone who gets one answer it. People don’t just want to show their point of view about a question, they want to know their friends views also, and they start sharing. Giving you the exposure you have been working on.

KFC and Oreo have been using these tools very efficiently. They ask simple questions like “Whether you had Oreo today?” and post tempting pictures like the Popcorn Chicken popping, respectively.

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I always thought facebook, twitter and orkut, were social sites to catch with friends, and to maintain a relation with those who are not within an arm’s reach.  But my current job profile has opened my eyes to the bigger picture: Social networking sites are a big draw for the business, and it is constant challenge for business houses to maintain a successful social networking marketing campaign.

Being totally new to this concept of marketing, I have been on a constant quest to know more and more about the techniques and the essentials of a good social media marketing campaign. Though I am not that techie, but I am adamant to make myself sufficient to carry a small campaign successfully.

The main aim behind most campaign is to have as many followers as possible, and a lot of articles I have read have questioned this target. So is it really necessary to have plethora of followers who are there just to increase the numbers but don’t really follow your posts, or is it acceptable to have few who really check out what you post?

I am no expert to comment, but would definitely like to share my views.

The main person behind every marketing campaign is to generate leads or sales, and social media marketing is no different. It is just on a different platform. The main aim behind every social media campaign is to generate followers who follow companies posts so that when and do check out the offers and products that they launch through their social media network.

Though it is necessary to target the followers and advertise the marketing campaign accordingly, what I have realized is that a lot people only focus on having followers, it is not necessary for them whether those followers are authentic or not, or whether they would solve the purpose or not. Is this strategy worth the investment (which I might say has a huge range)?

You really don’t get any return on investment from such followers, but what you do get is a really huge fan base. It is like a social status, you get to brag about the large (apparent) followers and when you really make it big, you are highlighted in the wealthy group (so as to say). This highlights you in the virtual world, which makes you more visible to people searching for your products. But this is a time consuming process, and some people often breakdown midway.

On the other hand is to look for targeted audience, people interested in your product or the kind of services that you provide. This method will not get the numbers rolling on top of the page, but would definitely give some good returns. People who are interested in your product would definitely check out your offers, and would also check out the products that you launch through those sites.

For some niche markets, you won’t find followers that easy, but then, highlighting your sites with appropriate key words and good community sites that share the common interest. That should get the ball rolling.