social media marketing Archives

Ideation and the Secrets of Content Marketing

December 2, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Content marketing is all the buzz in social business, and the secrets of content marketing start with ideation.

What is ideation? Well, it is quite simple. Ideation is the formation of concepts or ideas. Easy, right? Much easier said than done. One of the great secrets of content marketing comes down to that simple task. In order to find success, you are going to need to have a great idea. Those aren’t always the easiest to come by. Luckily, there are ways to give your ideation a boost.

The strategies below are a few ways to go about finding inspiration for your next great content marketing campaign.

Use Tools at Your Disposal

There are plenty of tools out there that can give your ideation process a major boost. Trendsmap tells you what is trending on Twitter in different areas. Creating content around a popular event is always a great way to generate buzz, and Trendsmap is a good start.

There is also Ubersuggest, which describes itself as ‘suggest on steroids’. Type in a keyword, location and medium and watch the results populate with suggestions for other keywords and phrases with every letter of the alphabet!

Soovle is an incredible tool that provides you with the most searched terms based on your typed keyword – as it is being typed! See what popular searches look like and begin working with those terms to create highly sought after content.

Monitor Industry Chatter

Something as simple as watching your Twitter feed can give you the inspiration you need to create a great content marketing strategy. There is no greater inspiration than your industry’s conversation. Social channels offer us an opportunity to see what people are thinking, and what interests them at this moment.

Opening your eyes and ears to trends in conversations – either by simply monitoring your social feeds or with the use of a higher end listening tool – will help you better understand what people want to see. You can then use this insight to create a multi-channel campaign that generates significant engagement.

Incorporate Every Channel

The 2013 content marketing study by Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs shows that the most successful content marketing campaigns are using upwards of 14 social channels to share their content. You can’t ignore any channels when it comes to creating a successful content marketing campaign.

When searching for an idea, consider one that can expand onto every one of your social channels (and then some). Your story should be capable of being told on any platform, with a variety of media types (e.g. text, video, photo, etc.).

These are just a few of the ways in which you can create a successful content marketing strategy starting with ideation. The secrets of content marketing are pretty simple; success is going to start with an idea.

What does your ideation process entail? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Shopping on #BlackFriday

November 29, 2013/by Corey Padveen

It’s #BlackFriday and the numbers show that social shopping is bigger than ever.

We hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving. It makes sense that the day following one of the biggest feasts of the year we are forced to exercise the whole thing off by running through malls and department stores offering the biggest savings of the year. But this year, something is different; social shopping is a major factor in this year’s Black Friday shopping. Below are five truly impressive stats about social shopping this year.

91% of e-commerce retailers saw a boost in the SEO rankings due to social referral traffic.

It is no longer speculation that social plays a major role in SEO, but these numbers are unprecedented. Social sites like Pinterest and Facebook are driving tremendous traffic to online retailers offering up some big deals this holiday season. So the results of being socially active? Your search rankings get a well-deserved boost as buying season gets into full swing.

There has been a 357% year-over-year increase in sales from social traffic.

No, we did not forget to add a period anywhere – that is three-hundred-and-fifty-seven percent. Social activity is driving more and more buyers to online stores to do their holiday shopping this year. That’s good news for the retailers with the foresight to have been aggressive with the their holiday promotions on social media in 2013.

65% of consumers research gifts using social media.

Using social media for research and recommendations is nothing new. But it is hard to imagine why anyone would not take advantage of such a vast majority of online users looking to social media for advice. Imagine being able to talk directly to a prospective customer without ever having to get them in the store. The sales process is changing, and numbers like this prove it.

Buyers originating on Pinterest average almost $200 per sale.

Simply put, that’s a big number. Of course we expect consumers to be spending more around the holidays, but we would expect the numbers to even out when we aggregate the data. On Pinterest, it is all high purchases. Pinterest’s most prominent demographic is women from high-income households. It is no wonder that smart businesses turned to that network to drive higher social-driven sales.

Social drives as much online traffic as in-store.

For retailers that discount the importance of social media because they are brick-and-mortar only, think again. Statistics show that social media is driving as much traffic to physical stores as it drives to online stores. Remember, social is a research tool. So no matter what your business structure is, a large part of your audience is starting on social.

Good luck with your holiday shopping this year!

10 Ways to Increase Your Twitter Followers

November 27, 2013/by Corey Padveen

In order to get your message out there, you are going to want to find ways to increase your Twitter followers.

While we are constantly told that it is all about quality over quantity, it is hard to deny that it looks good when a user has thousands of followers. It adds a degree of credibility and engrains within us this idea that they must be sharing interesting content if so many people have chosen to follow their account. So what can you do to increase your Twitter followers without having to use any black hat techniques?

Following these ten simple action items is a great way to help you start boosting your Twitter activity and increasing your brand’s Social Equity.

1. Fill out your bio.

Tell people about yourself. You are given a chance to let people know what they are getting when they follow with your bio. Don’t let it go to waste! It also adds credibility to your profile.

2. Be creative with your header.

When Twitter revamped their layout, they added header images. A lot of users leave this area blank, but a creative one can be a big reason why someone decides to follow your profile. Don’t let the space go unused.

3. Link your account with other channels.

You should have your Twitter feed on your blog (with an option to follow), it should be linked to your Pinterest profile, your Google+ profile and there should be a tab with your Twitter feed on Facebook. Basically, no avenue should be left unlinked to Twitter.

4. Embed your tweets.

It is very easy to embed your tweets on a blog post or your website. There is no reason why you should not be taking every opportunity to further promote the great content you are sharing on Twitter.

Read http://t.co/yc7nY3anBl to see how small businesses should use #SocialMedia

— t2marketing (@t2marketing) November 22, 2013

5. Take advantage of conversations.

You shouldn’t be tweeting to no one. Take advantage of the @ option and tweet to people. When people receive your tweets, they will be more likely to both a) engage with you and let their followers see what you are saying, and b) follow you.

6. Follow your followers.

Having a huge ratio of followers to following might work for celebrities or internationally recognized brands, but for individuals and SMBs, you are going to want to follow those who follow you. In addition to seeing great new content populate your feed, you will also expand your reach in the Twittersphere.

7. Use trending hashtags.

You can always see what hashtags are trending when you look to the left of your Twitter screen. If there is something that interests you, or something you can share, do it with the trending hashtag. There are thousands if not millions of people using and following that hashtag while it is trending. Increase your Twitter followers with its strategic use.

8. Keep your content fresh.

It is no secret that a lot of people and brands recycle their tweets. There is no shame in that, particularly when you are trying to increase clicks through to your content. But keep your content fresh. Change the wording and make sure that the links and content you share are going to still-relevant content. (Your followers should not be clicking to a link about buying trends from the 2008 holiday season.)

9. Ask questions.

Starting conversations of your own is just as important as joining in other people’s conversations. Ask your followers questions and get them to engage with you. People love sharing their opinions, for better or worse.

10. Keep it short and simple.

140 characters may seem short enough, but the truth is that if you keep it even shorter and simpler, you can improve your engagement. As sad as this reality might make you, people do not want to spend time reading through long tweets filled with multiple hashtags and links. Keep it to one of each and short enough that people can respond.

Try out some of these tips and see your follower count rise!

What are you doing to increase your Twitter followers? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Smart Social Marketers are Going Mobile [INFOGRAPHIC]

November 26, 2013/by Corey Padveen

The future of marketing, advertising and commerce will largely be mobile, and smart social marketers realize that.

The mobile market has been growing incredibly fast in recent years. By 2017, the social advertising market is projected to be worth roughly $11 billion, and revenues from streaming and download services are projected to be somewhere around $9.5 billion. So with a $20 billion plus market just a few years away, it is no wonder that smart social marketers are looking to mobile.

Some of the stats below have been shared so many times they come as no surprise. After all, when you hear about opportunities with mobile marketing as much as we do, the fact that 60% of Twitter users are mobile is no surprise. But there are a few gems that stand out.

First, there is the fact that by 2015 (which is much closer than we seem to think) tablets will outship personal computers. There is also that fact that mobile users are far more engaged. When you look at the stats about user engagement with tweets and Facebook posts on mobile devices, it makes you wonder if ad dollars might be better spent on mobile social ads than targeting desktop feeds.

All that to say is it is no surprise that the smart social marketers out there are quickly catching on to the importance of mobile strategies and optimization.

Take a look at the infographic below and let us know what stat you think is most shocking or interesting. Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Google’s Top Tips for Innovation

November 25, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Sometimes inspiration can be hard to come by, but Google has provided us with some tips for innovation!

In a recent Fast Company article about Google’s Chief Social Evangelist Gopi Kallayil, a few great tips for innovation were shared that marketers, business owners and, frankly, anyone can appreciate. Of the nine excellent principles shared, the following three were the most resonant.

Focus on the User

Perhaps the most important question you can ask yourself when creating something – whether it is a service or an app – is, “Will people use this?”

Too many people are driven by the potential for wealth that they lose focus of the importance of the idea. A ‘million dollar idea’ only exists if there are people out there willing to use your product. Focus on the end user and what they want and need, and the rest will fall into place.

Let Employees Innovate

Let’s say you are building an app. You’re seeing some traction and getting downloads and you think you have it all figured out. What we often forget is that we are sitting on a goldmine of potential and never breaking ground!

Google provides their employees with what they refer to as ’20 percent time’. For those of you not familiar with this concept, it is time that employees can take using company resources to work on passion projects and try to bring them to fruition. You never know what brilliant ideas the people sitting all around might come up with. Give them a chance to find out.

Fail Well

Playing it safe might be the right call from time to time, but if you have never failed, you have never dared yourself to try something innovative. And if you have failed, you have earned something very valuable.

The idea at Google is that if you are going to fail (and yes, you will fail every now and again) learn from your failure. If a project is not doing what it is supposed to do, scrap it. But maintain what works and build from there. Who knows, you might find that a small feature of a larger failed project becomes your next big project. It is all about pushing yourself and letting yourself and your brand take chances.

These are just three of the great lessons we can take from this session. Have a look at the full article here.

What are some of your tips for inspiration? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

6 Great Resources for Blog Content [VIDEO]

November 23, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Looking for inspiration for your next post? Check out these six great resources for blog content!

How to Create Effective Email Subject Lines

November 22, 2013/by Corey Padveen

When running an email campaign, you need to ensure that you create an effective email subject line to get your audience to read on!

The first thing people see when they open up their inboxes are the subject lines of their emails. Generally, these are going to be the deciding factors in whether or not someone is going to open an email or delete it. If you want to find yourself on the better side of those two options, then you need to make sure that you are crafting effective email subject lines.

There are a few best practices when it comes to creating effective email subject lines that should be followed. Take a look below to see what you can do to increase your open rates with a few small tweaks.

Be Clear

People don’t want mystery. It might seem logical: entice your audience with an aura of mystery and they will be more inclined to open your email and read through your content. It is actually the opposite.

Roughly 84% of emails sent are spam. Yes, that’s an actual figure. When you are not clear about what people are going to see when they open up your email, you fall into that 84%. The subject line, “These 5 Facebook Marketing Tips Will Help Drive New Engagement” is much better than, “Want to Make More Money?” The latter screams spam, and you’ll be lucky if you don’t see a large unsubscribe rate as a result.

Avoid Certain Words

Email marketers should know that words like ‘free’ tend to trigger spam filters, but research has shown that there are other words that tend to lower open rates.

MailChimp conducted a study and found that there were three seemingly innocent terms that had generally lower open rates: help, percent off and reminder. If this is the content of your email, include these words in the copy and keep them out of your subject line.

Change Your Newsletter Subject Line

The tricky thing about newsletters – everything from daily to monthly – is that they all eventually start to see diminishing open rates. One way to avoid seeing a drastic drop off is to keep your subject lines fresh with every new email. If you are always sending out an email with the subject line, “My Company’s Weekly Newsletter” it will not be nearly as captivating as, “Major Discoveries Found in New Research This Week”.

The 50 Character Rule

We have to learn to work within tight spaces. If you look at your inbox and an email subject line is a lengthy sentence that ends with an ellipses (…) is that really going to interest you? Are you even going to read the full subject line? Probably not.

With so much we can be doing, reading, watching and working on, we need to capture the attention of our recipients right away. Keep your subject lines short, 50 characters maximum is optimal.

Avoid Flash

“You need to BUY NOW!” is horrible. So horrible. And anything like it is also horrible.

Nobody wants to read whatever is in this email. In fact, the only reason why you might see some opens is because people wanted to click on the unsubscribe link. Avoid flash like CAPS, exclamation points, multiple punctuation (!!!) and anything that might “grab the attention” of your audience. It does, but for all the wrong reasons.

Stick to these best practices and you will certainly see some better performance with your emails. One of the best questions to ask yourself is, “Would I open this email if it came to me?” That question will generally give you the answer you’re looking for.

How do you craft effective email subject lines to increase your open rates? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

What You Need to Know About Showcase Pages on LinkedIn

November 21, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Showcase Pages on LinkedIn are designed to help get the right information out to specific users.

LinkedIn Company Pages are a great asset, but if you are familiar with all of the features of LinkedIn Company Pages then you understand how they might limit a larger corporation’s ability to showcase different divisions or subsidiaries. With the new Showcase Pages on LinkedIn, that is no longer the case.

The idea behind this new feature is to give large companies the ability to showcase a specific product or service as a standalone part of the company. These Showcase Pages will also have the ability to publish unique updates and allow users to follow them individually as opposed to following the whole company. So, in the case of a company like Sony, they can have Showcase Pages for PlayStation that only shares content about the console and another one for their televisions. This way users can follow only what interests them. This also helps companies in understanding their audiences quite a bit better.

So how can your brand use these Showcase Pages on LinkedIn?

All About Organization

Sure, this seems to make the most sense for very large companies with several divisions, but don’t feel like your brand can’t benefit from it as well.

Even smaller companies can use these Showcase Pages, you just need to properly segment your company. If you offer multiple services or products, it might be beneficial to segment them in your Services tab, then create a Showcase Page for your most popular or most profitable product or service.

Use Them Properly

Few things look worse than a page (on any network) that is not being properly utilized. People familiar with social channels can spot these misuses right away and it reflects poorly on the brand. The same is going to apply to these Showcase Pages.

Do not create a Showcase Page for every single product you offer. What’s more, seriously consider if the Showcase Page is even going to make sense to you. Research the feature than make an educated decision as to whether or not it works and, if it does, how you can use it.

Plan Your Content

The content you share to your Showcase Page should be relevant to the product or service you are trying to showcase. Don’t simply share the same content you are sharing on your personal profile or to your Company Page. This should be relevant to the audience that choses to follow your product as opposed to your company as a whole.

A New Type of Advertising

Companies can advertise on Showcase Pages.

There are two types of ads that exist for Showcase Pages: Follower Ads that are aimed at increasing the number of followers for a Showcase Page and Sponsored Updates, which promote the content shared by a Showcase Page. This is a great way to feature your brand’s expertise and drive leads to a LinkedIn landing page with all the information they are going to need to know all about it.

Do you plan on using Showcase Pages on LinkedIn? Tell us about the product or service you are going to feature in the comments below or on Twitter!

3 New Features on Pinterest

November 20, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Here are some of the great new features on Pinterest that marketers should be aware of!

Pinterest has been very busy lately! Between Twitter’s IPO and Snapchat’s $3 Billion ‘No, Thank You’, many people have overlooked some of the great new features on Pinterest that are making the network more attractive to businesses.

Earlier this year, it was all about the new Pinterest Analytics feature and the ability to monitor your account’s activity. Now, it is much more about the superficial benefits that everyone can see.

Promoted Pins

This has been a long time coming. From the moment Pinterest introduced business accounts, it was only a matter of time before the Pinterest version of ads were introduced.

Though the service is still in testing, it won’t be long before we start to see plenty of pins from businesses trying to reap the benefits of the platform. To find out more about how your brand can sign up for Promoted Pins, click here.

Related Pins

What better way to convince businesses to share as much relevant content to Pinterest than to create a feature showing related pins. This great new feature shows users pins that they might find interesting based on their activity on the network. You might see a pin from a board that you are not following, but that might be of interest to you. This is because the brains behind Pinterest are following your like and share patterns in order to further expand the network and the business it can drive.

Dedicated Pinterest Pages

Ever wonder what other people are finding particularly pinteresting? Well now you can! Brands with a great deal of activity on their boards (like Disney, Walmart, Zappos and more) are working with Pinterest to create designated boards to share only content that is trending with their audience as well as an extended network.

This feature is not yet available to all users, but rest assured that when it does become available, you are going to want to be as active as possible and generate plenty of re-pins, as they will add to your clout on the network.

So there you have it. A few great new features on Pinterest that we can expect to see increase in popularity and importance in the next little while.

Have you tried using any of these new features yet? Tell us about them in the comments below or on Twitter!

4 Social Media Campaigns to Test this Holiday Season

November 19, 2013/by Corey Padveen

As the holidays approach, you need to find a way to leverage social media campaigns to boost your presence in the market.

Every brand is vying for the attention of consumers as we approach the holiday season and year-end. So what can you do to stand out? This year, why not take advantage of the benefits offered by social media campaigns?

Below are four very simple and potentially lucrative ideas for social media campaigns that your company should invest in this holiday season. The holidays are all about bringing people together, and what better place to do that than on social media (with the exception of home, of course)!

Holiday Pin-To-Win

People love pin-to-win campaigns on Pinterest. They allow people to express themselves creatively and share their pinspiration with a large audience. If you have an active social audience and are part of a visual industry, consider hosting a pin-to-win campaign on Pinterest!

There are a lot of easy ways to run these types of campaigns. You can either host the campaign yourself, or use a software provider like Woobox.

Facebook Holiday Offer

Have you ever created an offer on Facebook? For brands with a physical presence, offers can be of great value. If you add a theme to your offer – in this case, the holidays – it can be even more beneficial. People love the idea of specials and savings during the holidays. After all, the season is expensive enough as it is. If you show your fans and followers that you are giving them a way to save this year, they will certainly appreciate that.

With the right offer designed for your fans, you can certainly expect the returns on your investment in boosting that offer to a wider audience to be very high.

Promoted Holiday Tweets

If you have created a landing page for a holiday ebook, service or special, or simply want to attract new followers by appealing to their holiday spirit, then promoting specific tweets with a holiday motif will certainly give your Twitter marketing a boost.

Target specific users and interests on Twitter and share your content to increase clicks to your pages and conversions from a targeted audience.

Promote Holiday Pins

Have you seen or used the new promoted pin feature on Pinterest? Yes, the photo-sharing network has gone the way of Facebook and Twitter and begun allowing advertisers to promote their content. Just in time for the holidays!

Try promoting pins with embedded links to your website that follow a holiday motif. This can be your marketing experiment this holiday season.

These are just a few social media campaigns you can consider launching this year.

Can you think of other social media campaigns that might generate high returns during the holidays? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

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