Social Media Strategies Archives

Social Equity: Foursquare for Business

June 7, 2013/by Corey Padveen

The value of Foursquare for Business is notable when it comes to Social Equity.

Mobile marketing and geo-targeting your audience is growing both in popularity and prominence. Several business are taking to geo-targeting in order to leverage the power of local markets, particularly businesses with one or multiple locations. With Foursquare for Business, these local businesses stand to gain some excellent value.

Recent Changes

There have been a few recent changes to Foursquare that have led to its Social Equity stake increasing.

First, the application of Foursquare for Business was introduced relatively recently, and has provided a great tool for businesses to monitor their activity on the network, as well as launch campaigns that entice Foursquare users to check in and visit a location.

There are also the newly upgraded search filters that allow users to narrow down their searches and find exactly what they are in the market for.

Lastly, Foursquare has recently opened their promotional features to smaller businesses. This means that small businesses can now campaign on both the network and in person for customers that are checking in.

So what is the value in terms of Social Equity with these Foursquare features?

Social Equity Derived from Foursquare for Business

The three features for business that have been introduced by the network have created an entirely new element of Social Equity for businesses that can use Foursquare.

First, the ability to create campaigns and monitor their success and customer interaction directly from the network eliminates the need to create far more costly mobile campaigns. Furthermore, Foursquare provides detailed analytics that businesses can use to modify their campaigns and increase business driven from the network.

Second, the search filters create a pseudo-search engine within the network that businesses can optimize for. The ability to create a specific, detailed listing for which users can search specifically is a growing trend in the world of social media, and one that adds considerable value to Foursquare.

Finally, Foursquare making available the promotional features to smaller businesses eliminates some of the advantage that larger companies had on the network. Promoting your company (again, as you would with a search engine) gives you an upper hand on your competition, and if users are searching for a business like yours on Foursquare, this feature will certainly create an added value for your brand.

Foursquare can be a powerful when it comes to business, and these new features have created a degree of Social Equity that is unique. The mobile and geo-targeted aspects of the network are invaluable for local businesses, and stand to generate a great deal of value as well.

Do you use Foursquare? Where do you see the value in the network? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Case Study: Nutella

June 6, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Marketers were shown exactly what not to do on social media in this week’s social media case study on Nutella.

It is a brand that so many are fond of. And yet, in this week’s social media case study on Nutella, this brand showcases exactly how they damaged that loyalty by not understanding the rules of the social media game.

On February 5th, 2007, Nutella super-fan, Sara Russo held the first annual World Nutella Day. Over the last few years, the unofficial event has become something of a phenomenon: 40,000 Facebook fans, 6,500 Twitter followers and featurettes on authoritative blogs (understandably, considering Sara Rosso and fellow Nutella fan Michelle Fabio operates their own blogs).

For most brands and marketers, this is a dream come true. A fan-organized day, recognized internationally that promotes your product and touts its excellence…for free! This kind of publicity is the thing of legend, and it would make sense, after years of loyalty and dedication to Nutella, that Rosso be recognized and thanked by the brand and its parent company, right?

Well, she was certainly recognized by the brand, but the thanks must have gotten lost in the mail. All that showed up was a cease and desist letter from the legal department of Ferrero, Nutella’s parent company.

In what is widely perceived as a catastrophic brand blunder, there is a lot that marketers can learn. Sometimes, the best lessons are those that teach us what not to do.

Let the Good Times Roll

It was never suggested that World Nutella Day involved Nutella or Ferrero officially. In fact, it was very clearly understood to be unaffiliated with the brand. It was just a group of fans proclaiming their love for a tasty product.

When fans are talking and generating buzz, feel free to engage, but don’t step in front of a moving train. The momentum that this event has built over the last six years is much more delicate than it might appear to be. This kind of traction is easily derailed (sorry about all the train metaphors) if not approached carefully. So, when there is buzz about your brand, and the results are nothing but positive, let it ride.

It’s not every day you get free positive publicity.

Everyone Sees Everything

Perhaps the largest oversight in the actions taken by the legal team at Ferrero was not considering the power of social media and the viral effect.

If the only thought was that a paper copy of a cease and desist was going to remain hidden from the public eye, then shame on the senior executive that approved the course of action. Everyone, in every department should always consider the vast power that virality and social media can have on any given action. The question, “What happens if this gets out on Facebook?” should never go unasked, and that is exactly what happened in this situation.

Love Your Loyalists

Brand loyalists are the key to your brand’s expansion and long-term success. If you are the only one talking about your brand, eventually people might get tired of listening. So when you see someone professing love for your brand, reach out and thank them; never ask them to stop. In fact, go out of your way to make sure they continue.

Andrea Stegmann, a fan of World Nutella Day expressed her shock and disappointment on the event’s Facebook page: “This is some sad news. And I actually lost respect and love for Ferrero. You’ve [done] nothing but promote Nutella. They should thank you and send you Nutella for a life time. And not send cease and desist letters.”

After the outcry, World Nutella Day was reinstated and the cease and desist was dropped by Ferrero. But it all could have been avoided if the power and influence of a strong social community was taken into account from the outset.

What actions do you think Ferrero should have taken in this case? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

5 Tips for Using Google+ Effectively

June 5, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Google+ can be a tremendous resource, but you need to know how to use the network properly.

These 5 quick tips for using Google+ effectively will surely boost the engagement and traffic generated from Google+. The network – naturally owned and operated by the search giant of the same name – possesses several inherent benefits that are unique to the platform. Yet, so few people are properly utilizing the channel.

By implementing these tips for using Google+ effectively it won’t be long before your activity on the network becomes one of the pillars of your social media marketing success.

Engage with Your Audience

Though many critics argue that Google+ is a desolate wasteland on the web, the reality is that there are hundreds of millions of accounts, and even if a fraction of those are active, it is more than you will find in most other forums.

Engaging with your audience – whether it is on your account, your business page or in a community – is going to be crucial to finding success on the network. The loudest critics are often those that are not taking full advantage of the networks many features.

Build Your Circles

Shared circles are an under-utilized and under-appreciated feature on Google+. Did you know that there are plenty of users our there with hundreds of circle members that you can join for free? Search for public circles, or take advantage of the app Public Circles to find already existing communities and join in. And speaking of communities…

Join as Many Communities as Possible

Communities – one of the newer features on Google+ – set the network apart from the rest of the social media world. Communities are groups of individuals with a common, expressed interest. Furthermore, unlike Facebook, there is no EdgeRank-type algorithm that limits what these community members can see within the community; effectively, you post it, they read it.

Sharing relevant content to different communities is a great way to boost your exposure, engagement and referral traffic from the network.

Remember the Benefits to SEO

Google+ is Google. In 2012, Google’ Senior VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra noted that Google+ is a ‘social layer’ to Google, and that everything the network does will now take social into account. When it comes to SEO, that means that Google+ will add tremendous weight to your search rankings.

Use Google Authorship

Finally, take advantage of the Google Authorship feature – the benefits to both SEO and authority are outstanding.

This relates to the tip above. The Google Authorship feature is weighted quite heavily by Google when determining search rankings. Google registers when you have been featured on another blog or website, and brings everything together under the Google+ umbrella to increase your rankings.

By taking advantage of these tips for using Google+ effectively you can be sure to see your activity, engagement and referral traffic boost.

Have you already implemented any of these tips? How have they helped your activity on Google+? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

3 Mistakes You Are Making on Social Media…But Don’t Know It

June 4, 2013/by Corey Padveen

There are mistakes you are making on social media – we all are – but you just don’t know it.

Social media marketing is still relatively new territory for many marketers. In the 2013 Social Media Marketing Industry Report from Social Media Examiner, statistics showed that the majority of marketers have been engaging on the platform for less than three years. Naturally, this means that there are going to be a few kinks to work out for most of us.

There are certain activities that we all take part in when we start social media marketing and these should all be avoided. Below are three mistakes you might be making on social media that need to be corrected. You will work out the bugs over time, but that will be made a lot easier if you can break these bad habits today!

Not Optimizing Content (In General and On Different Networks)

Content needs to be optimized – both generally and on individual networks. Sharing low-res photos, or images that do not fit into allotted spaces (Hint: 400px on Facebook) is bad for business.

All of your images should be crisp, clean and present beautifully on each network. If people are going to work with you they want to know that you are meticulous and provide top quality results; optimizing content so that it appears perfectly on every one of your networks is going to be a big part of that.

Inconsistency

We get it: you don’t always have something exciting to say, or when you do, you might occasionally forget to share it to your networks. It happens. But it doesn’t look great.

Inconsistency in your posting reflects poorly on your brand when people check you out. You might only be sharing to Facebook or Google+ once or twice a week, but if you share once a week this week, thirty times next week, and then we don’t hear from you for a month, it’s going to hurt your exposure and activity on social media.

Consistency is going to be a big part of finding success on social networks, so make sure frequency is a clearly stated point in your strategy.

Ignoring Your Fans

It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture every time there is a post, comment or retweet from a fan, but you should let your fans know you appreciate their engagement whenever and wherever you can.

When someone posts on your Facebook page’s timeline, comment or share the post. If they comment on an update, ‘Like’ or +1 it. If they retweet or answer you on Twitter, thank them for the input. And if you see fans commenting on your blog, reach out and let them know someone was listening. These are small gestures, but they go a very long way in the world of social media, and it is surprising how few people do it.

Did you see any mistakes you are making on social media? These are just a few small ones that pop up more often than not. Keep them in mind and you will see your strategy and success start to shape up very quickly.

What do you think is (or was) your worst habit on social media? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Monitoring Your Online Reputation [INFOGRAPHIC]

June 3, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Are you actively monitoring your online reputation?

Reputation management is of growing importance online, and your reputation can be tarnished with as little as one negative post in the right place, by the right person. In order to avoid such detrimental events from taking place, you need to be on top of your game and effectively monitoring your online reputation.

There are a few figures that you might find surprising. For instance, while it might not be shocking to see that 42% of U.S. adults have performed a search on an individual or a brand before doing business with that person or company, it might surprise to read that 45% of those people discovered something online that changed their perception, and ultimately their decision to do business with that person or brand. That’s an incredibly powerful tool!

It should also be noted that among the statistics in the infographic below, one of the most important to take into account is the fact that 92% of consumers trust opinions that they have seen online. This means that no matter how much of an outlier one customer’s bad experience might be, nearly everyone who reads will consider it when making their decision. Managing and monitoring your online reputation – whether it is on social networks, blogs, forums or other media – is an extremely important task.

The detailed infographic below highlights said importance of managing and monitoring your online reputation, and provides a few great tips that can help you effectively maintain a positive image for your brand online.

Take a look and let us know if you are properly monitoring your online reputation. Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Equity: Video Blogging

May 31, 2013/by Corey Padveen

How is there a benefit to Social Equity from video blogging?

When it comes to video marketing, it is no secret that there can be substantial benefits and value derived from the practice. On Facebook, photos might generate twice as much engagement as text updates, but videos are shared 12X more than links and text posts combined!

With that kind of engagement, and the already existing Social Equity derived from blogging, it is no wonder that video blogging can add considerable value to your business.

(For more great info on the value of visual content on social media, click here.)

Giving a Face to Your Brand

People do not like to interact with a business, they like to engage with a personality. Social media is designed for one thing: engaging. You build a brand personality on social media and it is with that personality that people engage.

Video blogging provides a face for your company and humanizes your brand. With a more humanized brand comes a more approachable brand, and with a more approachable brand comes growth.

Make the Pitch

While one of the most regularly repeated rules on social media is that you should not focus on selling, video blogging provides a slight loophole in this regard.

The ability to tell a story using video means the ability to showcase a problem. When you showcase a problem, you allow yourself an opportunity to showcase a solution – your solution. Thus, with video blogging, you can sell your product in a way that is much less direct, and therefore much less intrusive than with other forms of social marketing.

Say a Lot More with Less

A minute of video can say what a thousand-word blog post cannot. And that is mostly due to the fact that most people would not sit around and read a thousand words.

Frankly, people do not care about how important your information is. If it takes too much time to get through, they are not going to read it to completion. Now, with a video entry sharing the same content with some added visuals, you can expect to see your engagement increase significantly, which means that the important information you need to get across will be much more effectively delivered in a video blog than in a traditional post.

Video blogging can be a great asset to your business. It compliments your social marketing strategy nicely and provides you with an entirely new avenue of marketing. With regards to Social Equity, a great deal of value is derived in terms of the aforementioned benefits that come along with video blogging.

Do you video blog? How has it helped your business? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Case Study: Cadbury

May 30, 2013/by Corey Padveen

How did Cadbury make their social media presence as sweet as their candy?

It was early in 2012 that Cadbury realized they were approaching the 1 million fan mark on Facebook. It was around that same time that they realized that only about 16% of fans ever saw any of the content they were posting to their social networks.

Cadbury wanted to get the most out of their social media marketing, and they knew that for an internationally-recognized brand, 16% simply wasn’t good enough. So they decided to do something so big that it would grab the attention of a lot more than a mere 16%: they built a Facebook ‘Like’ thumb out of chocolate to say thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uHtDRw4ujYw

The results of this gesture were 40,000 new Facebook fans and engagement of well over 30% for this campaign. Clearly, there are a few takeaways marketers can pull from this campaign by Cadbury.

Always Engage Your Audience

Engagement is going to be at the forefront of any successful social media campaign. Your audience needs to have a purpose for viewing your content, and providing engaging content is always going to be on top of that list of reasons.

Simply sharing promotional information, or a piece of text, isn’t going to entice anyone to share, comment, or necessarily like your content. The results? It hurts your EdgeRank and can be somewhat damaging to your brand’s growth on social media in the long run, due to the lack of exposure.

Let Your Fans Know You Care

Whether you are a Cadbury with 1 million fans or a Mom n’ Pop with 100, you should always let those that have become fans know that you care.

Success on social media stems from the ability to reach a wider audience than on any other medium, and each fan is another new network of possibilities. So when reaching milestones, show your fans you care – you’d be surprised at how appreciated those gestures are.

Never Ignore Your Analytics

It took Cadbury until the million fan mark to realize that only 16% of those fans were engaging with the brand. Moreover, Cadbury is an international brand; imagine how few fans are engaged with your small business on Facebook if only a small fraction are engaging with a brand like Cadbury!

The reality is that roughly 98% of people who ‘Like’ a brand never return to that brand’s page. You need to find a way to optimize your content and your strategy in order to get those numbers as high as possible. Don’t ignore your analytics. They are providing valuable information that is going to help your brand blow up on social media!

The social media case study on Cadbury’s Facebook campaign provides a great set of Do’s and Do Not’s for marketers.

Which of these lessons do you think is most important? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

4 Ways to Increase Sharing of Your Blog

May 29, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Blogging can be an excellent business tool, but how can you increase sharing of your blog to get the most out of it?

You might be writing great content. You might be seeing your audience grow organically online. You might even see some backlinks popping up around the web to your blog. But how can you increase sharing of your blog to a wider audience?

There are a few tested and proven ways of going about increasing the sharing of your content, and these tips should help you increase sharing of your blog in no time.

Integrate Sharing Plugins on Your Blog

It may seem like a given, but you would be surprised at how many blogs do not make it easy to share. There should be a number of options all over your blog that allow users to share you content.

Put yourself in the position of your readers: you read an article, you like it, you want to post it to a social network. Would you be more motivated to do so if you had to copy the link, open a new window, log into your social account, paste the link and share it, or simply click a button and share it to every one?

Yeah, we picked the second one, too.

Promote Yourself

The best way to get your content out there is to get the sharing started yourself. Waiting for the numbers to increase organically is a slow, sometimes frustrating process. Give yourself an extra boost and get it started yourself by sharing all of your content on every network for each post.

Short and Original

Making it an easy read and something completely original stands a much greater chance of increasing shares when compared to a long, repetitive, unoriginal post.

People like reading content they have never seen before. Even if it is a subject that has been discussed a hundred times, a personal view is always going to captivate an audience. That, coupled with the short, to-the-point style of writing is going to encourage readers to share the great piece.

(Hint: Lists are among the most shared content on social networks, so try and organize your content into an easily navigable list for your readers to sift through.)

Ask!

According to Dan Zarrella at HubSpot, asking for a re-tweet generates four times the number of re-tweets. There is no shame in asking your readers to share your content. After all, you want people to see what you wrote – that’s no secret.

When sharing your own content, add that little request into your post and see how the response is significantly higher (assuming, of course, it is still great content) than it was before.

We all want to see our content get shared, and these tips are a great way to get you started when it comes to increasing the number of shares your blog posts are getting.

How do you increase sharing of your blog? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Make Use of the New Features on Pinterest

May 28, 2013/by Corey Padveen

An announcement was made last week about new features on Pinterest, and there are plenty of ways marketers can take advantage of them.

Over the last few months, there have been several new features on Pinterest. The social network recognizes its own potential for business, and is doing what it can to exploit that. First, there were business accounts, then analytics and now we have a few new features on Pinterest that continue to add to the network’s value.

Additional Information

Pins now feature ways of adding more information. Whether it is detailed pricing, product information, ingredients or movies, there is a lot more involved in a pin now than there was before.

It is important to make use of everything you can when sharing content to Pinterest. Essentially, a board can be a catalog for your business’s services and products in visual form, and you want people to get all the information they can. Before these updates, you could simply embed a link to a landing page or your website into a pin, now you can make your pin the landing page, and that is a huge bump from where it was.

Make use of all the information you are allowed to share on your new pins. Showcasing everything you can will mean fewer steps involved in the buying process, and if it is easier for your buyer, your conversion rates will skyrocket.

Mobile Capabilities

9 mobile apps now have a “Pin It” button integrated into the product. This means that mobile users can now pin what they see from their phones. If you are sharing images with these networks, you will want to optimize them for Pinterest.

Mobile is of ever-increasing importance. People are interacting on mobile devices more and more every day, and if you are not using the new features on Pinterest to take advantage of that, then you are missing out – big time.

Essentially, Pinterest is trying to make a real use for the platform. Sure, sharing photos is great, but for a company that has raised several hundred million in capital, they are going to need to start generating a revenue somehow. Optimizing their platform for businesses is a great way to do it, and before they start charging for these excellent features, you should be taking advantage of them for free.

Do you plan on using the new features on Pinterest? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

21 Types of Content People Love [INFOGRAPHIC]

May 27, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Content is king when it comes to success online; and that holds true for your blog, your social media and your website.

It is no secret that content is going to be the driving force behind your success online, and for that reason you need to be creating content people love. Content is the crucial link to engagement, which is the first step towards the sale. If you are not creating content people love, then it will be hard to get there.

Luckily, there are certain types of content people love and engage with on a regular basis. The key is figuring out how that content fits in with your brand’s message. In the infographic below, 21 types of content are laid out that have been shown to produce higher levels of engagement with your audience. Why? We can all relate to it! If you can find a way to incorporate these messages into your posts, then you can be sure to see your engagement rise across all of your marketing channels.

Take a look at the types of content people love and let us know which one you most often engage with, and which one you most often see generating engagement for your brand online! Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

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