Posted on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 @ 11:50 AM
[By Sarah Faglio]
The social networking service Facebook was first created for just that reason - a network of social connections between friends, family, classmates etc. Since its launch in February 2004, it has evolved into much more than just a social network between peers. As of date, Facebook has over 800 million active users with more than 900 million objects of interaction (this includes pages, groups, events and community pages). This social networking platform has become a vital resource for businesses that want to extend their marketing campaigns virally to reach potential customers on the Internet. Facebooks has continuously made breakthroughs for many companies by enhancing their online presence and reach.
When businesses set up company pages on Facebook, they are able to reach out to a whole community of followers. These pages can be as simple or thorough as the company wants - it depends on how well they use all the resources available to them through Facebook pages. Once your company creates a page, they need to continuously update it and post new content to establish and maintain interaction with its followers. After a user chooses to "Like" your company page, they will receive your post updates onto their mini-feed. How efficiently you use your company page will determine how effective it will be.
Top 10 Ways To Get the Most Out of Your Facebook Company Page
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Creative title that is descriptive of your business
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Location tab makes it easier for followers to find your business location.
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Information tab has basic information and an overview of your company describing what it does and what it offers to its customers. It also provides website and other social media links.
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Post updates on your page's wall that provides valuable information and are interesting to followers. This includes blog, website, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon and news updates pertinent to the industry.
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Photo and video updates of products, business, events or campaigns that are appealing to followers.
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Quizzes and opinion polls/surveys that envoke engagement and interaction with followers.
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Contest and promotions allow followers to interact with company offers or contests in the hopes of winning a prize.
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Calendar events update and remind followers of dates and times of business campaigns, fundraisers, gatherings or other events.
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Facebook advertising allows you to display ads to a targeted market to direct them to either your Facebook page or company website.
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Notes lead to discussions among followers and business owners and fosters communication between the two.
Recent research shows that it is important to keep posts short. Study results show that posts with 80 characters or less had 27% greater engagement rate than longer posts. Hard-selling approaches are also the least effective. Posts using words like "events" and "winning" gained more activity than those with words like "buy" and "shop." Also, the best days to post updates to your page are Thursdays and Fridays, which were 18% more popular than other days. Posting after regular business hours increased engagement by 20%.
Facebook is an excellent application that offers companies a free resource to enhance their online presence and reach potential customers. By creating a company page you are able to develop a following and create fan engagement through valuable and relevant content on a regular basis and use resourceful interactive applications. Facebook pages give your company the opportunity to engage followers, publicize sponsored events, promote campaigns and discuss topics of interest to your industry or mission.
Posted on Fri, Dec 09, 2011 @ 08:16 AM
[By Jeff Androsko]
If you've logged-on to Twitter today, you'll notice that it has gotten another facelift. The "new-new" Twitter for both browser and mobile app arrived in the middle of this past week, bringing a few new features and re-touching a few old ones.
Though the update isn't a game-changer, it certainly has a few tweaks here and there to simplify user interfacing and enhance the experience. Here are a few of the newest features and how to utilize them to your advantage:
- Uniformity
The new Twitter interface for browsers finally matches its mobile app counterpart (or vice versa). This way the functionality of the new "Home", "(@) Connect" and "(#) Discover" functions are global to cater to cognitive memory.
- Connecting (@)
One of the best things about the new Twitter is its simplicity in connections. Through the "(@) Connect" feature, you will be able to get a bigger picture regarding your interactions; between you, about you and about those you follow. Think of it as a newsfeed but you are the star of the show... it's all about you.
- Discovering (#)
Since hashtags dictate popular trends and topics, Twitter has embraced this feature as a main function, allowing you to easily search and discover the topics in which you are interested. The feed of the most recent hashtags, found in the new "(#) Discover" tab, updates with the most recent and popular stories; integrating any media associated with it (pictures, videos, related tweets) right there in the feed. This eliminates opening new browser windows and tabs and giving you the content you want right there in the same spot.
- Shortcuts
If you're anything like me, you have a billion browser tabs, programs and media opened at the same time. To simplify Twitter navigation, they have introdued keyboard shortcuts to make replying, retweeting, messaging and accessing content simpler. The "Timelines" shortcuts may not the best key combinations in the world, but the "Actions" and "Navigation" controls will make you feel like the @Ferdinand_Magellan of Twitter.
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- Expandable and Embeddable Tweets
In the last, lesser version of Twitter, you could expand Tweets which slid open a rather annoying side panel which proved a little difficult to operate. The new expandable tweets simply expand right there in the feed, void of any confusion. Embeddable Tweets allow you to display your favorite contributions right there on your website, making you look super cool and encouraging interactivity.
As Twitter grows, so will its user interface and features. Taking necessary steps to keep users happy and draw in new members is the name of the game. Twitter is becoming the most popular social media outlet on the interwebs. Check out this short clip of the new features at work...
Posted on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 @ 03:42 PM
[By Jeff Androsko]
Let me preface this entry by saying this: In no way am I trying to insult the American consumer, telling you to actually slap people in the face, or encouraging mediocrity. The purpose of this entry is to keep yourself from falling into the trap of over-thinking simple marketing messages and calls to action.
With that being said, we are getting dumb. The average human's attention span is eight seconds (Cornish, 2008); that doesn't leave too much wiggle room for jargon, gobbledigook or hyperbole in your marketing. But don't worry... it's not our faults; Americans are typically bombarded by around 3,000 marketing and advertising messages a day.
So where does your marketing material fit in the grand scheme of things? If you want to capture your audience and make them do what you want (buy stuff, try things, give personal information, etc.), you typically have to give a tactful marketing "slap in the face".
When engaging the public on your website, social media outlets, emails, print ads, or any other marketing materials, you need to first and foremost figure out your main message. What is it you want them to do? If you just speak at your audience without giving them instructions, they're not going to do anything.
Say you're selling soap. Using a call to action that will give them a solution to their problem is going to stimulate interest (i.e. "Itchy? Click here" or "Want to not smell like a hockey skate? Visit us at www.cleandudes.com/soap for a sample of our awesome soap").
Here are three deep-fried cheeseburgers of advice to be sure your audience catches what you're throwing:
- K.I.S.S.
As my associate, Tony Popowski, wrote in an earlier blog post, (K)eep (I)t (S)imple (S)tupid! It's not that we're dumb (I was only exaggerating), it's just we've been so saturated with marketing & advertising that desensitization and indifference have set in. It doesn't take much for us to get frustrated and throw our keyboards like cavemen. Simple messages will ensure that you reach soft spot in the sometimes-impervious brain of the consumer.
- Find Your Way Through the "Fog"
The Gunning fog index is a tool which measures readability in the English language. To get the knack of how average humans read (if you don't know by your own standards), try dumping your message(s) into a fog readability calculator. It may just save you words, syllables, unecessary phrasing and ineffective tones that can confuse your target audience.
- Testing, Testing, 1-2-3
Before launching anything, test the material on three people you know. If you get recurring themes or suggestions in their collective feedback, chances are the general public may have a similar mindset. Considering different perspectives can save your content from being lost in the pile.
So if you want to leave a nice five-star on their brains, complicated isn't the way to go. Keep it simple, keep it interesting and keep it dynamic. If you want to learn about the ultimate way to intrigue an audience with marketing, click here to discover the realm of inbound marketing.
Posted on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 @ 11:24 AM
[By Sarah Faglio]
Parents nurture their children through financial, emotional and physical stabilization to provide the foundation for them to grow and mature. Teachers nurture their students in academics so that their education supports them in their future career and social endeavors. Florists who want to grow beautiful flowers nurture their plants by watering them, providing sunlight and overall tending to.
Nurturing is important in many aspects of life and growth, to help guide individuals, or flowers, to achieve an successful end result. Your marketing campaigns also need lead nurturing techniques to guide your qualified leads to becoming valued customers.
Gleanster research found that 50% of qualified leads who come through your website are not ready to buy. Instead of forcing leads into a pushy sales process, lead nurturing tools allow you to develop relationships and foster a sense of trust with your potential customers.
Lead nurturing eases qualified leads through the decision process to buy from you, and essentially improving your lead-to-customer conversions. Once you have established your leads, it is time to nurture them along the sales cycle.
5 Ways To Nurture Leads Through Marketing Tools:
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Social Media - When leads follow your company on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google + and RSS feeds to a blog, your company can provide them with timely updates, news and other relevant information about your products or services.
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Email Marketing - After leads provide you with their email information, you can send them emails for follow-up, updates and other educational information pertaining to your product or service.
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Follow-Up Calls - Sales representatives can contact prospects via phone after an email relationship has been established. Follow-up calls create a personal relationship with the lead and allows direct assistance for specific needs or questions pertaining to your company's product or service.
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Sales Visits - Meeting up with potential clients about what your company can offer allows you to create a personal relationship with the company representative.
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Promotional Leave-Behinds - Flyers, brochures, pens and other useful items with your logo or information on it allows your company to stay fresh in a potential customer's mind.
Lead nurturing is an important step in the sales cycle. They help your qualified lead to feel appreciated and gives you the opportunity to guide them along to a sale for your company. These marketing strategies could make the difference between an uninterested lead and a paying customer.