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Social Business

Social Media Report 2012: The Highlights

January 17, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social media has undergone quite a bit of change in the last year, and the recently published ‘State of Social Media: The Social Media Report 2012’ from NM Incite and Nielsen reveals some interesting statistics that should not be ignored.

In the last year, social media has evolved and proliferated considerably. In nearly all aspects of both business and every day life, social media has become fully integrated. The 2012 Social Media Report from statistical bureaus NM Incite and Nielsen highlights how these changes have manifested.

Below are a the four most notable changes from a business perspective, and some explanations as to how these changes should affect decision-making when it comes to social media strategies for your business.

1. The Impact of Social Media on Marketing

It is no secret at this point that social media plays a major role when it comes to marketing. The report makes that clear early on with three key statements. First, it highlights the importance of word-of-mouth when it comes to consumers’ decision: “Social media enables consumers to generate and tap into the opinions of an exponentially larger universe.” (2) Essentially, this relates to the term coined by social media expert Erik Qualman, ‘world-of-mouth’. People no longer need to use friends and acquaintances as resources when it comes to purchasing a product. Review sites, blogs and microblogs (i.e. Twitter) allow prospective buyers to seek out first-hand reviews of a product from anywhere in the world before making their decision. Consumer are now more informed than ever, and brands’ hihglights and flaws are no longer relegated to individual client experiences.

This relates closely to a second point made with regards to social media’s effect on marketing: “Social media is transforming the way that consumers across the globe make purchase decision.” (2) The report deems this phenomenon, ‘Hyper-Informed Consumers’. As noted above, there is no shortage of information on new and existing products as a result of social media. Therefore, consumers are able to research every aspect of a product before making a final decision.

Lastly, the report notes an aspect that we continually stress as one of the cornerstones of proper social media marketing: Engagement. In fact, the report focuses in particular on an issue we constantly stress: “Though roughly one-third of social media users find ads on social networking sites more annoying than other types of Internet advertisements, research suggest that there are opportunities for marketers to engage with consumers via social media.” (2) The statistics clearly show that aggressive, self-promotional marketing via social media can hinder a consumer’s decision to buy, but the opportunity to engage directly with consumers is made available in a way that had previously never existed.

2. Mobile is on the Rise

Apps and mobile media were in the spotlight when it came to social media in the last year. The image below shows just how many more people are accessing brands via their mobile devices.

It would be hard to suggest that these numbers are not significant. In a single year, the number of people accessing the mobile web and mobile apps increased over 80%. This upward trend suggests that we can see continued growth when it comes to mobile being a driving force behind social marketing. And this is something marketers should keep in mind when devising strategies for clients. Mobile is not to be ignored! It should also be noted that when it comes to spending time online, people tend to spend it on social networking sites. With regards to mobile, 30% of time spent on mobile web is spent on social media.

Furthermore, in the last year, the amount of time consumers spent on social apps increased by 76% – time spent on apps now accounts for more than a third of social networking time. Effectively, if you or your client are not engaging with the mobile audience, then there is an entirely untapped market of millions engaging with competitors who are.

3. The Unprecedented Growth of Pinterest

Pinterest is quickly becoming one of the most popular social networking sites, and its business uses are growing every day. With the introduction of business pages a few months ago, and the subtle yet powerful business capabilities Pinterest has to offer, we can expect to see its use in business increase even further. Below are a few key statistics about the demographics using the photo sharing social media network, and a graph showing the shocking growth of Pinterest’s popularity in the last year.

In the coming year, Pinterest will certainly continue to evolve and grow, and this unprecedented level of growth in its incipience suggests that it will become even more of a powerful business tool in the coming year.

4. Social Care: Customer Service Through Social Media

According to the report, one third of social media users say they prefer social care over conventional telephone-based customer service. What is social care exactly? Social care is is customer service via social media. Effectively, it is using social media – a very public sphere – to deal with customer complaints, questions, comments and any other client interaction. While some companies use social care in a manner that is simply directing clients to call a customer service line, those using it correctly are engaging with clients on social media in real time as an issue arises.

This does two things. First, it creates a public sphere in which leads can see how you deal with your clients. And second, it provides a degree of control over what is said about your brand and how it is perceived. If you simply bury your head in the sand when an issue arises, it remains on social media networks for anyone to see, and not engaging as a crisis takes place can be devastating. Considering the fact that the findings show that 47% of social media users engage in Social Care, not taking advantage of the potential it has to offer can be quite detrimental to the public perception of your brand.

You can access the full report here. There is plenty of useful information available to marketers in the report, and we thought the points above were some of the highlights. We would love to know what you think other key takeaways might be, so please share with us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Twitter Marketing Done Right: 3 Tips to Maximize Your Twitter Marketing

January 15, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Twitter marketing can be an excellent resource, but only if it is done properly.

Time and time again we stress the importance of a strategy when it comes to Twitter marketing and other forms of social media marketing. Where Twitter marketing differs, however, is in the approach you take to promoting your brand. As we never tire of pointing out, Twitter is not a realm apt for self-promotion. And if you approach the social network as a place to simply tout your brand and aggressively pursue conversions, you will be disappointed with the results. So how can you go about conducting your Twitter marketing in an efficient manner so that you get the most out of all the social network has to offer from a business perspective?

Below are three pointers that should help you get the most our of your Twitter marketing efforts. Twitter can be an exceptional tool for driving business, but your strategy must be in line with Twitter best practices in order to see the best results.

1. Establish Your Goals and Measurement Criteria

There is an entire world of untapped leads and potential clients on Twitter, and heading into the social network blind may leave you stumbling to get on track. Therefore, before embarking on your Twitter marketing campaign, you should first define both your goals and how you plan on measuring said goals. If you jump into Twitter expecting that your first tweet will garner dozens of retweets and loads of conversions and followers, you’re going to be disappointed. (Unless of course you’re a celebrity, in which case we appreciate you reading our blog!) Your strategy needs to include a few key criteria. Below is a list of things to consider when launching your Twitter marketing campaign.

Who is your target audience?
Are you looking for followers in a geo-targeted area or worldwide?
Are you hoping for conversions on a website or at a location?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it is time to get a little more specific.

Do you already have a set of followers? If so, how would you categorize them? If not, how do you plan on acquiring them?
If you are looking for followers in a specific location, how do you plan on finding them?
What do you consider a conversion from Twitter? Is it s click through? A download? A subscription? A purchase?
Are you hoping to use Twitter to increase your current business or start something new?

The answers to these questions are essential before you begin marketing on Twitter. Once these goals are defined, you can establish your measurement criteria. This is a little trickier, because in order to measure the success of your Twitter marketing, you need to have answered the third question in the second set of bullet points above: What do you consider a conversion from Twitter? Once you have this answer, you can set up the appropriate criteria for monitoring the success of your campaigns.

2. Design Your Messages Around Your Niche

As you begin building your audience, you are going to want to keep them captivated. One devastating mistake many marketers often make is sending out nothing but self-promotion. While you might be the expert in a given field, constantly telling people about it and ignoring engaging content will get you nowhere. You will want to design your messages around the niche you wish to target in order to keep them engaged. Below are a few helpful tips to consider when drafting your messages and content.

People love advice and garnering knowledge, so share what you know to showcase your expertise as opposed to simply stating that you are the expert.
Quick, entertaining content is a great way to engage with your followers. Share fun facts and quirky anecdotes that people want to see.
Focus on a designated subject or theme that stretches across all of your messages. Keep your content on track so that the niche audience you build stays engaged.
Do not bombard you followers with links and promotional content. Once in a while a message like this is fine – but this should under no circumstances be your starting point.

Engaging content should be the focal point in drafting all of your Twitter messages. One goal that should always be present is to convert your audience members into brand advocates. We can’t all be Coca-Cola or Harley Davidson – we have to work to get our fans coming back. And, as with all social media, content is king when it comes to boosting your audience.

3. Narrow Your Audience with Twitter Lists

Twitter Lists are a fantastic way of segmenting your audience into appropriate categories. Say you have a thousand followers. Great! But not all of them will be following you for the same reasons. Some might follow you because they are in the same industry. Some might follow you because they are interested in your online product or service. Others might follow you because they live in your area, and are already physical customers. Each of these three categories will respond to your content differently. Lists will help you engage with all of them in the right way.

Once you have segmented your followers into lists, you will be able to design campaigns and messages to go out that are geared towards engaging with one of these groups specifically. The industry members might not be interested in your sales and promotions, but they might find some of your industry-relevant messages much more useful. Your physical customers may have no use for online promotions, but they might jump at the chance to collect in-store offers promoted via Twitter. Take this into account when setting up your campaigns, and use the Twitter Lists to your advantage.

These are just a few of the best practices when it comes to Twitter marketing. Over time, your Twitter strategy evolves and some of these points change and disappear while new ones are added. But to get the most out of your Twitter marketing when you are getting started, these pointers should certainly help.

Can you think of any other best practices when it comes to launching your Twitter marketing? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Marketing: 4 Reasons for Business Blogging

January 14, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social media marketing is not relegated to social networks; a business blog can drive some of your best engagement.

While a large proportion of social media marketing will inevitably take place on social networks, it is not simply about using Twitter and Facebook and drive engagement with your fans. If the ultimate goal is conversion – be it through a download, a visit, or a purchase – then social media marketing cannot end with social networks. In fact, this is only the first step in your social media marketing efforts. The real engagement and conversion opportunities should be taking place on your website. But without compelling content, you might lose your audience the moment they step virtual foot onto your website. So how can you go about extending your social media marketing efforts outside of major social networking sites? Create and manage a business blog.

Business blogs are a phenomenal way of increasing traffic, engaging with your audience and driving up conversion rates. If your website is nothing more than a multi-page, custom-named and built online ad for your product or service, then the results will be the same as they would if your social media marketing efforts were to simply tout your company without ever making an effort to engage with your audience: poor. Sharing helpful, insightful and engaging information through the use of a company blog is a great way to not only encourage visitors to come back for more reading, but an incredible tool for increasing your discoverability and conversion.

Below are just a few of the reasons why having a business blog can take your online business to the next level.

1. The Proof is in the Numbers!

The inbound marketing experts at HubSpot conducted quite a bit of research and found that a business blog is one of the best ways to increase your business’s exposure and sales. They noted that 57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog and that companies that blog get 55% more web traffic. Those numbers are hard to ignore. Ask any marketer (or business owner, for that matter) if they would opt into executing a program that drives that much additional traffic, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who says they would not.

2. Blogs Boost Your Discoverability

One of the best (and simplest) ways to increase your SERPs on search engines like Google is to use a blog. Google’s algorithm includes as some of its main components ranking criteria like keywords and fresh content. A blog allows you to both optimize pages for sets of keywords and to consistently produce new content that search engines love to rank. Furthermore, engagement and link building through your blog further helps to increase your search rankings. Lastly, every entry to a blog registers as a new page to be indexed. The larger your site, the greater your chances of having pages indexed by Google, and a blog offers that better than any other alternative. Integrating your social media marketing with your blog – that is, pinning photos, tweeting new articles, publishing links to your blog on Facebook and Google+ – will do even more with regards to increasing your SERPs.

There are few other methods out there that work as well as a blog when it comes to increasing your search rankings. That said, in order for your blog to work, the strategy you have in place when it comes to building your blog needs to incorporate SEO (i.e. optimizing your posts). So be sure to take that into account before you begin blogging.

3. Showcase Your Expertise

In past posts, we have noted how detrimental self-promotion can be when it comes to social media marketing. Social networks are about one thing: being social. And when a brand bombards its followers with promotional content – the social equivalent of e-mail spam – it runs the risk of losing those fans. A blog, however, is a great place to showcase your knowledge and expertise without directly marketing to your readers. Sure, a call to action is essential, but these can be left to the end, after you’ve shown all that you have to offer. By posting engaging, informative content, it becomes increasingly clear to a reader that your company is the right one for a particular job. So take advantage of this opportunity and highlight your genius with helpful blog posts.

4. Engage Directly with Your Fans

Engagement through social networks is a great way to talk to your fans, but your fans might not necessarily take the time to engage with you. There is also the issue of the short shelf life of a social post. Facebook posts have been found to have a lifespan of roughly three hours before the public loses sight of it (and that is on a good day) and tweets have notably less – maybe 20-30 minutes – considering the volume and speed with which feeds fill up.

A blog, however, is an archive of all of your content. And when a visitor reads through your post, you have accomplished two things: first, you have intrigued someone enough that they have decided to visit your site and read further. Second, you have created an opportunity where you can be engaging directly with your fans through comments on your site. This allows you to both communicate with leads in a much more intimate atmosphere, and find out exactly what your audience is looking for, thereby allowing you to tweak your social media marketing strategy appropriately.

While a business blog is a great way to boost your social efforts, it is surely one of the more time consuming tasks when it comes to social media marketing. Creating original, engaging and consistently updated content with a strategy behind it is not as simple as sharing photos on Facebook or short tweets on Twitter. And in order for a blogging strategy to work, you need to be committed to it. This takes time and resources. But the results are proven and you stand to reap a whole lot more from a blog than nearly any other social effort.

Does you company blog? Have you seen results from your blogging efforts? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

36 Social Media Rules of Engagement [INFOGRAPHIC]

January 11, 2013/by Corey Padveen

When it comes to social media success, knowing the best practices is crucial.

Time and time again, we stress the importance of following certain best practices when it comes to your social media strategy. Sometimes it can be hard to keep up. But, regardless of how much there might to keep track of, it is vitally important to the success of your social media campaigns that you follow best practices so as not to lose out on possible successes.

While these rules might be modified or discarded over time – depending on what you are looking to get out of your social media program – there are some that will always remain. The infographic below details 36 rules of social media engagement and conduct. While some of these may seem simple or even trivial, they are there for a reason. Over time, as your program evolves, these rules should be your constant. Keep in mind that while social media might be changing, people (your customers), in general, stay the same. So have a look at these social media rules of engagement and see if you could be doing anything differently.

Can you think of any social media rules that are not present here? Which ones do you think are the most important when it comes to business? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

SEO Guide: How to Choose the Right Keywords for Your Website

January 10, 2013/by Corey Padveen

You might have great content, but if you are not choosing the right SEO keywords for optimization, you might not get anyone to see it.

There are plenty of SEO tricks and tips when it comes to getting found on search engines using targeted keywords, but the only way to ensure that your results are not only growing, but qualified, is to have an SEO strategy in place when it comes to selecting your keywords. One of the trickiest parts of building a social media strategy is that most people have no idea how search engine ranking positions (SERPs) are determined, nor do they know how to go about maximizing their efforts when it comes to increasing their SERPs. Below are a few of the best practices we have observed when it comes to choosing the right keywords for SEO on your website.

1. Don’t Go Overboard

While you might think that optimizing your site for dozens of keywords is your best option for maximizing SEO, the reality is that too many keywords will dilute your results and won’t help your SEO for any one category. We have found that optimizing for five keywords is the golden ticket when it comes to SEO. So, while your industry might have hundreds of keywords to choose from, try and keep it simple in order to avoid missing the mark entirely. Ultimately, you want a keyword density across all of your content between 2% and 5%. What is keyword density? This is the number of times your keywords are mentioned in relation to the total number of words in you content. So try to keep that in mind as well when drafting your posts.

2. Love Your Industry, Not Only Your Brand

Industry keywords perform much better than specific brand keywords. You might think that the more you mention your specific brand, the higher it will rank. While this is true, people might not be searching for “Acme Car Repair” – in fact, the majority of searches will not. So you are better off optimizing your content for the generic “car repair”, and other industry keywords as opposed to simply optimizing for your brand. While the ultimate goal is for people to be searching for your brand specifically, it may not start out that way. Not all of us are a Coca-Cola or a Harley Davidson, and may not have an internationally recognized brand name. So focus on the generic and allow your brand to reach the top of those results organically.

3. Do Your Research

Before choosing any one keyword, it is important to know whether or not you are choosing the right keywords. In keeping with the previous example, you might think that “automotive repairing” is the right keywords for your brand. But without the proper research, you might not realize that “car repair” has not only more global search results, but less competition density. How can you figure this out? The Google Keyword Tool allows users to search for keywords for free, and helps you choose the best keywords for you industry along with other suggestions for comparison.

The image above shows a comparison of these two keywords in terms of monthly Google search results along with some additional suggestions for other keywords. Studying this data will allow you to choose the best keywords when it comes to drafting your content for SEO.

4. SEO is an Ongoing Process

SEO is constantly evolving, and if you optimize for a set of keywords today, it might not be the same tomorrow. (Well, it might be the same tomorrow, but you know what we mean.) This holds particularly true for seasonal industries. Say you are living in the Northeast – the search term for “cheap winter tires” will be much higher during the winter months than in mid-July. So be sure to update your content regularly (corporate blogs are a great way to do this) and do your research on a regular basis in order to ensure that your site’s SERP does not drop over time.

5. Speak with the People

While your car repair company might be full of experts using complicated mechanic jargon throughout the course of the day, that does not mean that your average customer will have any idea what that means. As a result, he or she will not be searching for those terms when trying to find you. Optimize your results on a global level and avoid using complicated internal terms so that even the least savvy customer stumbles upon your page. Expertise is a great thing to have, and will result in increased business, but optimizing for terms that most people do not use will never help your SERPs.

Can you think of any other keyword selection tips that will help boost your SERPs? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

How to Use SEO for Your Online Reputation Management

January 8, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Reputation is everything, and using SEO, you can manage your reputation to boost your business online.

We all strive to be the best in our respective industries. That said, the larger we grow, the greater the chances that we might find ourselves facing a PR crisis on social media. It might be a simple mistake, but the world of reputation has become much smaller since the advent of social media in business, and the backlash can be significant if appropriate steps are not taken to both address the issue as it takes place, and manage one’s online reputation following one of these issues. Studies show that nearly three quarters of lost business can be attributed to poor customer service or a poor experience, so burying your head in the sand in the time of a PR crisis (and the moments that follow) can prove to be far more devastating to your company’s reputation than tackling the issue head on.

Below are a few pointers that can help you deal with a PR crisis on social media when it strikes, and manage your reputation using SEO tactics following such a crisis.

1. Monitor Your Brand

Whether you’re using a highly advanced listening system or simply following your brand’s mentions using Twitter search, it is crucial that you listen to what people are saying when it comes to your business. Simply ignoring an issue and hoping it will disappear will lead to the issue growing beyond your control. Remember, networks like Twitter have been described as a forum where people tell truths to strangers. Don’t let that truth be something negative about your brand management.

2. Engage with a Dissatisfied Audience

Turning a disgruntled customer into a brand advocate should always be your goal when it comes to social media engagement in the time of a crisis. Instead of a post like, “I hate [Your Brand] because of [Reason],” you should strive to see that same user sending something out along the lines of, “Thank you [Your Brand] for all your help! I will definitely be coming back!” There is a fine line between these two posts despite the fact that they are on completely opposite sides of the sentiment spectrum. And that line rests in how you deal with an issue. So approach dissatisfied customers the same way you would a satisfied one, and resolve their issue before it proliferates.

3. Rebuilding After the Storm

There are a number of SEO tactics that can be employed when it comes to reputation management following a PR crisis. While a crisis might only last a few hours, the backlash on search engines like Google can be ever-lasting – and the damage to your business could be significant. So, how do you go about managing your reputation after it has been damaged by a crisis?

There are several black hat techniques that are frowned upon by both the community as a whole and Google. Review sites like Yelp! are taken into account quite heavily by the search giant, and posting dozens of positive reviews from newly formed accounts will not help as much as you might think. Using proper SEO techniques, you can manage your reputation to promote the positive aspects of your brand while quashing the negative.

First, consider the source of a negative post. Google prefers not to rank content from the same domain more than once. So, for example, if you see that a negative post has popped up on a major news site, try and get another, more positive up there and share it in order to replace the negative one. Shares and links are still the most heavily weighted element when it comes to SEO, so if you can get a positive post from the same source to outrank the negative one, you stand a good chance of eliminating the negative result from the top of your searches.

Second, posting positive content about your business will help your improve the quality of your results. Unlike the poor technique we noted above, this has to do with responding to negative reviews and publishing positive content on or about your site to relevant blogs. Engaging with your unhappy audience in a positive way will better your search results, and new, relevant and high-quality content will always triumph. Remember, you will not necessarily be able to remove content from Google – that it not what the search engine is for. But you will be able to replace content if you approach the process the right way.

Last, create a hub that points to all of your positie content. As the circulation of your content grows, so will your search rankings. There are a few ways of going about this. You can create a domain name with your search term (your brand) in the title – if you do not have one already. You can mention yourself in all of your positive content. You can (and should) link all of your content due to the fact that links are a crucial part of SEO. And you should be posting often. Fresh content is always preferred to dated articles, so a blog will certainly help when it comes to reputation management using SEO.

SEO for reputation management can be a tricky process. But this process is made much more difficult if you ignore issues as they arise. So monitor your brand and engage with your audience to avoid a PR crisis. And if they do arise, take the necessary steps to improve your reputation using the SEO tactics highlighted above.

Do you know of any other tips that might be helpful when it comes to managing your reputation online? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Strategies Are Overlooked by Executives [INFOGRAPHIC]

January 5, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social media strategies need to be considered when making business decisions, yet many executives overlook them.

This is an issue that has long plagued the advocate of social media strategies. Executives are often hesitant to incorporate social media strategies in their business decisions, and these choices can be quite costly. The irony is that executives of larger companies, on a much larger scale, do consider their social media strategies when it comes to making decisions. So why do smaller businesses not follow suit? We have past the point where people can argue that social media is not crucial for the growth of a business – be it local or worldwide. There is simply too much evidence to the contrary.

And yet, a recent study shows that the majority of small businesses and B2B companies are ignoring social media strategies in their decision-making processes. We noted in a post a while back how small businesses are using social media, but it would seem that this strategy has not caught on fully. Have a look at the infographic below to see where executives are missing the mark when it comes to their social media strategies.

Have you had trouble dealing with your executives or a client because of skepticism when it comes to implementing social media strategies? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Strategies Trending in 2013

January 4, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social media strategies are constantly changing, and we can expect to see some new ones grow in popularity in 2013.

Social media has brought about quite a few changes in the way companies conduct their business online. With the advent of social media strategies in business, brands have completely restructured their approach to online marketing. Below are a few of the rising trends in social media strategies that we can expect to see pick up steam in the new year.

1. Customer Surveys No Longer Anonymous or Confidential

More and more we are starting to see brands transitioning away from conventional customer service approaches and incorporating this facet of their business into their social media strategies. This shows two major changes: customer satisfaction is no longer measured at a fixed point in time and it is no longer a measurement that is hidden from public view. We have often stressed that engaging with your customers in real time, be it for positive or negative comments, can do wonders for your business, and several companies are starting to realize that. No longer will companies wait for a crisis to arise before addressing an issue en masse. Instead, issues can be dealt with in real time using social media, which the public can see and appreciate (be they customers or not).

2. Social Analytics Result in Higher Efficiency

Considering every word posted on social media is stored in a virtual database, it is no wonder that there are virtually endless insights to sift through and analyze. What does this mean? Companies can use these analytics to conduct business more efficiently. Self-reported demographics, sentiment analysis and precision monitoring of activity allow businesses to see exactly how they can modify both their social media strategies and conventional marketing strategies in order to generate the highest results at the lowest cost. Social media is no longer simply about driving traffic and revenue (although that it still a major part of it) but also about smarter business.

3. Expect More Competition

Corporate espionage has often been a shady grey area when it comes to moral business conduct. Well, whereas in the past it required undercover operatives infiltrating a company (pardon the melodramatics) social media has not only made corporate espionage easy, but free and legal. Studying a competitor has never been easier than with social media, and we can expect to see several businesses using it to their advantage. By studying a competitor’s data, client feedback and successful campaigns, brands can manipulate their offers and promotions to mimic or even best a competitor’s in order to poach business. While this may not be the most ethical way of building a social media program, the hurdle of morality has never stopped businesses from profiting in the past.

Can you think of any other trends we can expect to see pick up momentum in 2013? Do you plan on implementing any of these tactics in the coming year? Tell us in comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Marketing: Top 3 Twitter Marketing Tools

January 3, 2013/by Corey Padveen

What tools can you use to enhance your social media marketing when it comes to Twitter?

Social media marketing has paved the way for developers to create some fascinating and efficiency-boosting tools when it comes to Twitter management for your business, but with so many tools out there, it can sometimes feel like the more complicated aspect of your social media marketing arises when you have to choose the right tool for your Twitter management. Below is a breakdown of the three best social media marketing tools to manage your Twitter efficiently.

1. Hootsuite/Seesmic

Millions have signed up for and are currently using Hootsuite to manage their corporate Twitter accounts. The numbers alone go to show that this is a powerful tool when it comes to social media marketing, and there are a few reasons why. First, Hootsuite allows users to amalgamate all fo their Twitter handles under one roof, which eliminates the time wasted when it comes to managing multiple handles for one business. This may seem like a minor detail, but when you think about it, how much time can be wasted switching from account to account throughout the day and managing all of these accounts properly? It adds up.

Second, Hootsuite is one of the only tools available that allows you to integrate your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ accounts. Once the API is made available, Pinterest will be added to the mix, and virtually all of your brand’s social media marketing efforts will be manageable under the Hootsuite dashboard. No other programs make it as easy as Hootsuite, but that does not mean you can simply sign up and go. Yes, Hootsuite is a relatively intuitive program, but in order for your social media marketing to be successful, you need to take the time to learn the program. This means signing up for the Hootsuite University and going through every aspect of their training. It does not take long, and the benefits to understanding the program in its entirety will make for a much simpler management of your social media program.

There are also some strong reporting capabilities when it comes to the management system, so you will be able to observe, tweak and develop reports for your campaigns that allow both you and your managers to see exactly how successfully your programs are working.

2. SocialBro

SocialBro is a tool developed exclusively for Twitter and, more importantly, focuses on optimizing your Twitter efforts to get the most out of your campaigns. The reporting capabilities of SocialBro are unparalleled, and the data derived from the software gives insights that will help you maximize nearly every aspect of your campaigns.

SocialBro develops reports that show exactly where your tweets resonated, at what times you stand to derive the greatest benefits from tweeting, where your audience is most active throughout the day and week, and so much more. Using these reports in-house will allow you to quickly and efficiently modify your social media marketing strategies in order to ensure that every aspect of it is performing at peak levels and driving the highest results.

We have pointed out multiple times in past posts how crucial strategy is when it comes to successful social media marketing, and SocialBro allows you to optimize that strategy much faster than almost any other tool available on the market.

3. Buffer

Buffer is a simple, efficient publishing tool that, like Hootsuite, allows you to incorporate Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Combined with SocialBro, this tool is made all the more impressive as you can coordinate your scheduling with the reports generated with SocialBro to ensure that your social media marketing is functioning at maximum capacity and you are not missing out on any opportunity.

Buffer allows users to load multiple accounts, schedule posts and messages across a variety of networks, and provides some solid analytics when it comes to the success of your campaigns. (Never ignore the power of good reporting!)

There are also a ton of great apps and extras that are available with Buffer that make your social media marketing management that much simpler.

While these are just a few of the tools you can use to manage your Twitter and social media marketing, they are certainly not the only ones. However, these have been tried, tested and are true, hence our listing them as the top 3.

Can you think of any other tools that you have worked with and find to be among the best? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Optimizing Social Media Strategies: 5 Tips to Maximize Success

January 2, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Why worry about mowing the lawn when your house is on fire?

Social media strategies require a great deal of planning in order for their execution to generate success. While the statement above may seem a tad extreme, it holds very true: why worry about the less industry-relevant networks when you should be focusing your efforts more heavily on other ones? Below are a few tips and pointers that should help you understand how to organize your social media strategies in order to focus your social media efforts where they stand to generate the best results.

1. A Presence on the Big 4 Is Important, but Focus Shouldn’t be Uniform

Having your brand or business present across all of the Big 4 (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn) is important, but the focus of your social media strategies should not be uniform across all four of these networks. For certain industries, some of these networks prove to be far more important than others, and your time should be well divided among these four so that those networks apt for your industry receive more attention than those that are not. Below is a great breakdown from the experts at HubSpot detailing where a large number of industries are focusing their efforts, and should give you an idea of how to align your social media strategies when it comes to the Big 4.

2. Think Pinterest Is Just for Visual Industries? Think again.

We recently posted about incorporating Pinterest into your social media strategies, and this article details exactly how you can go about using Pinterest for your business. But if you think that Pinterest is simply about loading pictures for a visually-oriented industry, you might be missing out on an incredible opportunity to capitalize on the social network’s referral power. Our article explains that in great detail, and this pie chart shows a breakdown of the top 10 industry websites to be using Pinterest to drive referral traffic.

[iframe src=”http://infogr.am/Top-10-Industry-Distribution-Using-Pinterest/” width=”550″ height=”805″]

3. Google+ Helps You Target a Niche Audience

There is plenty of literature out there that might suggest Google+ is a waste of time for many businesses looking to optimize their social media strategies. This is simply is not true. A little while back, we posted an article about the new Google+ Communities and how they are revolutionizing the way businesses share content. These Communities offer businesses the ability to target niche audiences made up of people who have all expressed an interest in what you have to offer. Furthermore, the content on these communities is shown to everyone, as it does not follow the same EdgeRank system as Facebook, which limits exposure of some content. That said, Google+ may still not be where you should be focusing all of your time. Have a look at the breakdown below to see which industries are focusing their efforts on Google+, and see if you fall into any of these categories.

[iframe src=”http://infogr.am/Top-10-Industries-on-Google/” width=”550″ height=”805″]

4. Set a Timeline and Stick to It

No, this has nothing to do with your Facebook Timeline. We are talking about a roadmap. One of the most important elements when it comes to successful social media strategies is not rushing through the process. Now that you know where you should be focusing the majority of your efforts, set an execution agenda and stick to it. It is easy to expedite a process when you think you have done everything you set out to do, but monitoring and tweaking your strategy as you go along is par for the course. You should be setting yourself timeframes in which to work in order to ensure that when you are ready to move on to a new social network, you have optimized every aspect of the last one.

Say you begin with Facebook and Twitter accounts. Set up is simple, and publishing content is easy as well. But over time, you may notice, through the use of analytics and insights tools, that certain posts garner more exposure, and certain types of tweets generate more referral traffic and higher click-throughs. Using this information, you will be able to optimize your social media strategies so that when you move on to the second stage, you won’t find yourself overwhelmed with the unresolved issues of the first.

5. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

You might model your social media strategies after some of the more successful campaigns you see out there, and then you might find that your social media strategies are not exploding at the rate you had hoped for. That’s ok. There are two things to keep in mind when running your social media campaigns. First, like anything, it takes time for your efforts to show results. Second, social media is ever-changing and thus, your social media strategies will constantly evolve, and by the time you see major results, your campaigns might be completely different than when you initially launched them. With proper social media strategies in place, however, you stand to see results at a much faster rate than if you launch your campaign blind, and with these tips properly incorporated into your social media strategies, those results will be much greater than the average.

Do you know of any other helpful tips that can help build up a social media campaign? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

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