Posts Tagged ‘social media marketing’

Feb

Your Customers Are Changing – You Keeping Up?

Posted by: eckweb in home business, internet marketing, small business, social media

The future world of customers is rapidly changing and as a business owner, you MUST keep up. I know, technology has taken over our lives and our businesses but in many ways, it’s still in the first stages. We’re still in the “model T” era of integrating computers and technology into our businesses. This video below is just one example:

What Cisco is trying to tell you with their “borderless business” concept is that growing your business in the future means integrating technology into your business today. And integrating technology in such a way that the possibilities are seemingly endless.

It’s really all about bringing people and ideas together. No matter where you are on the planet, technology can bring you two together. So, it doesn’t matter what you do or sell, if you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, you will be sought out. By everyone searching for your expertise.

Your customers are changing because they’re getting smarter. They’re learning everyday more and more about how to conduct searches on the Internet. How to use social media for reviews and background checks, (well, sort of background checks). They’re doing what their parents did at business chamber meetings, they’re listening to what others are saying about you only this generation is doing the majority of the listening online. Via emails, blogs and other social media venues, they’re listening.

So, as a small business owner, your job to keep up with all of this is to establish yourself as an expert in your field AND make yourself available via multiple venues. Here’s how you can accomplish this and build your business.

1) Showcase what you know via a blog. Use that blog to “talk” to your customers. Tell them what you’re up to, what the company is up to, what the industry is up to. Give them facts and details but keep the information as informal and “laymen” as possible. The idea isn’t to dazzle them with fancy words, the idea is to dazzle them with what you can do for them.

2) Make yourself known through social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and now Google’s Buzz are all the rage. Why? Because they’re easy to use. Quick, fast and filled with tons of information about individuals, companies and much more. Your customers will get to know you and your company.

3) Invite others to follow you, join you, listen to you, etc. If you’re taking the time to use social media then flaunt it. Place your social media icons everywhere. On your email signature, in your website, everywhere! Get folks to follow you, listen to you. They are your greatest assets.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

Tags: customers, internet marketing, social media marketing

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Aug

Have You Gone Social Yet?

Posted by: eckweb in internet marketing, seo

Mashable.com “…highlighted a study that showed two-thirds of marketers now use social media in some capacity.” That’s quite a number! I would love to know the types and sizes of the businesses that are participating in social media marketing. My guess would be mid to large size companies.

eMarketer.com reports that in one year’s time they expect that 82% of brand marketers will be using social media marketing. THAT is a large number! I think we can safely say that social media is here to stay!

So, if you haven’t gone social yet with your Internet marketing campaign, I have no idea what you’re waiting for. There’s plenty of information on the Internet and there are many SEO firms (including ours) that provides social media marketing services. So, take the plunge, go social!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

Tags: brand marketing, internet marketing, social media marketing

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Jul

Are You Twitter Phobic?

Posted by: eckweb in internet marketing, small business, social media

I’ve had multiple conversations with business owners lately about Twitter. The general “gist” of the conversations usually revolve around them asking me what is Twitter and how can they use it? I give them some ideas and I’m sad to say that I’m just not getting through. Maybe I’m not explaining it well, I don’t know but I get responses like – “Oh, that’s not for me.” or “I don’t get it.” or “Sounds complicated.”

Twitter, complicated? I don’t think so!

But, I know for myself and for the small business owners who are using it that it does work so I know that I’m not just making things up! So, I think there’s some TwitterPhobia going around. Basically, if you don’t know what it is, you decide it’s not for you. Ignore it.

Well, if you find yourself to be somewhat Twitter Phobic, let me try to help. I’ll give you some tips and ideas on why you should be using Twitter for your small business marketing campaigns. Hopefully, I’ll get through to a few of you out there!

1) Many small businesses are local. For your local customers who use (and love) Twitter, I highly recommend that you also use Twitter. Introduce yourself, let these local folks know why you want to follow them. For example, if you’re a local Greek Restaurant, you’ll want to introduce yourself by saying you’ve got a special offer for Twitter followers or local customers. Let them know you’re looking to give them the best Greek Food in the area!

There are several directories that will hook you up with local Twitterers.

http://www.chirpcity.com
http://www.nearbytweets.com
http://www.tweepz.com

2) Twitter is not only for YOU sending out messages, you can also monitor to see and read what others are saying about your company. What if you noticed that someone tweeted that they walked into your store the other day and no one helped them? Wouldn’t you want to tweet back to work out the problem? What if someone tweeted that your company gave great service, wouldn’t you want to tweet them and thank them? What if no one is talking about you? – Doesn’t that tell you something?

3) “Listen in” – on your competitors. What if the competition on the other side of town is Twittering? Who’s following them? Who are they following? Find out what they’re talking about and put yourself in the conversation. Showcase your expertise.

4) There are literally hundreds of new Twitter tools and more being introduced every single day, I mean every single day! Check out Mashable.com and KillterStartUps.com – you’ll find so many Twitter tools, it’ll make your head spin. Take some time out with your staff to review and discuss these tools. Select the ones that will benefit your business and of course, keep checking daily for new and improved tools. You’ll find that the information you can get from Tweets can be invaluable for your business and put you ahead of the pack.

5) Let others know you’re Tweeting. Put a “follow me on twitter” logo on your website, on your blog, on your business card, on your storefront window, on your menus, on your brochures, everywhere!!

I hope these suggestions will help you overcome your Twitter Phobia! Believe me, it’s a new way of communicating (well, not so new maybe – to me it’s very much like texting) but for businesses, it’s a new way. And what is business all about if not “communicating” with your clients? Don’t all business owners want to keep up that communication? So, check it out and let me know how you do!

Tags: internet marketing, sm marketing, small business marketing, social media marketing, twitter, twitter phobia, twitter phobic

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Jul

The Graying of Facebook

Posted by: eckweb in internet marketing, social media

Last week, my neighbor told me that her 83 year old mother is now on Facebook and is just loving it! She’s busy poking everyone on her list and is enjoying (according to her daughter) the interaction she’s having with so many people! In addition, she’s even found some friends she’s lost touch with over the years.

But the point I want to make in this article is that she’s 83 years old!! (So, for my clients who say that they’re too old to use social media – I say HA!)

Anyway, I was reading Mashable this morning and I came across an article talking about that very same concept. My neighbor’s mother and Facebook isn’t a singular story, it seems it’s happening over and over again. iStrategyLabs did a study on the demographics of Facebook users and this is what they found…

Between January 2009 and July 2009…

the number of users between 18 and 24 grew 4.8%;
the number of users aged 25 – 34 grew 60.8%;
the number of users aged 35 to 54 grew 190.2%;
the number of users aged 55+ grew 513.7%

You can see the chart and read an article on Mashable for more information about iStrategyLabs’ data.

So, what does this tell me? Well, a few things…

1) if I want to reach the demographics of 35+ I need to advertise and be present in Facebook.

2) it tells me that the features Facebook has are attractive to this demographic, so what are those features and how can I integrate them into my own website?

3) it tells me that this demographic is not as “afraid” of computers and the Internet as was once thought (or once were). Which also tells me that Internet usage (and sales) should be increasing within this demographic in the next few years.

So, if you receive a “let’s be friends” invitation from your elderly uncle in Facebook, don’t be surprised!

Tags: facebook, internet marketing, social media marketing

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Jan

The Benefits of Social Media on Website Traffic

Posted by: eckweb in article writing, internet marketing, small business

I know, I know, everyone is talking about social media, twitter this and facebook that! What’s it all about? Why is everyone so interested in the minutiae of our lives? Well, I don’t know the answer to that but I DO know that participating in social media is very much like participating in business and social networking groups. At first, you meet a lot of people, you shake hands, you engage in small talk and you get to know a little about each other. But after several meetings you become more engaged and more familiar and more trusting of each other. After several months, hopefully, you’ve gained that person’s trust enough to earn business referrals from them. Or maybe even business from themselves.

These online social media programs are the same thing – at least for businesses they are. The problem is that sometimes the business folks are mixed in with the social folks. So, the "conversation" that you see on the screen ranges from "Deciding on tuna or chicken sandwich for lunch." to "Found some great ideas on small business marketing – click here." So, yes, at this point we do have to weed out what we need from what we don’t need (or care about). But the reality is that the benefits are there.

Nothing tells the truth better than numbers, so here are some stats from 4 websites that we’re marketing. All four websites are participating in social media programs. All four have blogs that they keep up and all four contribute regularly (at least 2 articles per month) to their blog and social media campaigns.

Website 1 – contributes an average of 20 articles per month

28.33 % came from direct traffic
28.79% came from referring sites
42.88% came from search engines

The referring sites are…
stumbleupon.com
promotionworld.com
ladieswholaunch.com
twitter.com

Website 2 – contributes an average of 5 articles per month

10.54% from direct traffic
31.05% from referring sites
58.40% from search engines

The referring sites are…
knolstuff.com
blog
linkedin.com

Website 3 – contributes an average of 2 articles per month

7.51% from direct traffic
4.93% from referring sites
87.56% from search engines

The referring sites are…
knolstuff.com
blog
ezinearticles.com
goodsearch.com
geckoe.com

Website 4 – contributes an average of 2 articles per month

28.74% from direct traffic
2.01% from referring sites
69.25% from search engines

The referring sites are…
blog
knolstuff.com
goodsearch.com

What’s interesting to note is the direct traffic stats. 2 f the 4 websites above DO NOT participate in any other marketing besides Internet marketing, not even pay per click campaigns. So, the "direct traffic" visitors are probably coming from referrals from clients and/or referrals from visitors to the social media campaigns. It’s hard to tell but it’s interesting to note that factor.

So, you see, there’s no doubt that there is traffic being brought in to websites via social media. So, is it worth it for you to take 30 minutes each day to write a short article about what you already know? And then submit that article to multiple sites? If you really don’t have the time, consider using a social media marketing program like we have at Eckweb Designs. It does the work for you.

Tags: eckweb, internet marketing, small business marketing, social media, social media marketing

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Nov

Getting Ready For Social Media Marketing

Posted by: eckweb in home business, internet marketing, seo

In his article, A Future View of Social Media and How To Prepare Today, Augie Ray reports that there are “two broad categories of actions that marketers should take now to pave the road to future Social Media success. The first is to execute the traditional best practices that create and strengthen brands. The second is to begin to embrace the new era of Social Media and create relationships by engaging consumers.”

Use Social Media For Branding

Have you even begun the process of creating or strengthening your company brand? I know, you’ve probably read about it in some marketing article or in the same book that said you should have a business plan (you know, the one thing you never really got around to) – but the truth is, branding is VITAL for any business to survive. Following are some basic steps on how to brand your business.

1) Identify your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) – if you don’t have one, get one!

2) Target your audience. MySpace is mostly populated with artists and the young. If you sell long term care insurance, it makes no sense to market your product on MySpace.

3) Share, share, share. Create articles, lists, directories, videos, widgets, etc. on your social media campaigns so that others can take them and use them on their blogs and social media sites. Maybe you run a Labrador Breeding company – you can create a widget filled with information on how to take care of labrador retrievers.

Use Social Media To Engage

You know all those networking groups you go to for the purpose of marketing your business? Those 7 AM breakfast meetings, leads groups, chamber of commerce after hour events, networking luncheons, golfing events, business expos, etc? What do you do at those meetings? Meet new people, get to know other members better, exchange business cards, educate others on your services/products, exchange ideas, learn about competition, learn about new services, hand shakes, pats on the back, etc.!

Well, social networking groups can do the same thing except the members are global. But, you still have to meet, greet, get to know, educate, gain trust, etc. The only difference is, you do it on your time and your own coffee!

But, in addition to the aspect of networking groups Social Media programs do something else. They allow you to also engage your customers. This means that you are “attending” social media programs and not only get to meet and greet with potential customers, you get to actively engage with existing customers. Here’s how some companies are doing it…

The airline JetBlue established a Twitter account and in doing so also established a monitoring type of service. So, whenever the name JetBlue is typed into a Tweet (a note on Twitter) Jet Blue is notified and as such, they immediately respond to the person who typed it. Was there a problem? Is the person delayed at an airport and complaning? Jet Blue wants to know and they want to assure the customer that they are listening and they want to help. How cool is that?

Absolut Vodka has a Top Bartender page on Facebook where people across the planet vote for their favorite bartender.

Starbucks started a social media campaign called MyStarbucksIdea where customers submit their ideas for the company.

President Elect Barack Obama created a Feedback Forum – allowing the nation to voice their thoughts, opinions, suggestions, ideas, etc. And VOTE on them! How fricking cool is that?

Here’s a list of 100 companies and their social media ventures. Learn from them and incorporate what you can into your own business.

There’s no denying that social media marketing is absolutely becoming an integral part of Internet marketing. Simply optimizing a website for the search engines or participating in a PPC campaign are just not enough these days. The exposure and return that you can gain from participating in and interacting with others through these social media venues is just too much to deny. So, go ahead, take the plunge! I’ll see you there.

Tags: internet marketing, social media marketing

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