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Social Equity: The Power of Pinterest

March 29, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social Equity benefits from the hidden power of Pinterest.

One of the jewels of social media is Pinterest. Since its launch a few years ago, Pinterest has been an unstoppable juggernaut in the realm of social media, and the Social Equity your business can derive from Pinterest is as impressive as it is unique.

Pinterest is not necessarily for every vertical, and it is important to understand that. While a presence on Pinterest can never hurt, it is not necessarily going to be your top generator of Social Equity if you do not meet the proper criteria – namely, that you are in a visual industry. Furthermore, if your business model is not necessarily apt for Pinterest (your average accountant may not be generating much revenue, Social Equity or referral traffic from Pinterest) you might be devoting precious resources to maintaining your account, when they should be focused on other social networks. Having said that, if you put together a social media strategy and recognize the potential for your business on Pinterest, the Social Equity you generate will be among the greatest of any of the networks we have discussed so far.

First, we should understand what makes Pinterest such a powerful tool when it comes to business.

The Business Potential for Pinterest

About a year ago, Shareaholic released a study that found something incredible: Pinterest was a greater generator of referral traffic than Twitter. Twitter. A month prior to that, it was discovered that Pinterest surpassed Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined for referral traffic. Since then, the social network has only grown in power, and with their recently launched Analytics feature, it is no wonder that we are discussing the Social Equity of Pinterest. Now Pinterest, too, recognizes the value it adds to business.

With the newly launched analytics and insights feature for your Pinterest account, you can monitor exactly how your audience is interacting with your pins and the images on your site. Though it is still somewhat new and in its infancy, this feature can mean big things for the future of Pinterest for business.

Other Important (Often Overlooked) Features

People tend to overlook a lot of the important features in the backend of Pinterest when it comes to generating referral traffic and building Social Equity. First, one should note that pins themselves do not register with crawlers to help with your search rankings, but your boards do, so optimize them.

Second, add links and meta descriptions to your images, because if those are shared outside of Pinterest, all the better for your exposure. And if someone clicks on the image within Pinterest, they are headed right to your site.

Third and finally, by simply adding a price to your pin’s description, you can add a price to the top corner of your image and create a pseudo-catalog (for minimal cost compared to traditional print) and share it with your followers, updating it regularly.

Now if you apply these simple measures, you can start to understand the Social Equity derived from a Pinterest presence.

Social Equity of Pinterest

Captivating images are a great way to build a following. People do not necessarily like text, but they love visual explanations. Just look at the jump in the use of infographics to simplify complex, often dull bits of content.

Pinterest can be a tool to develop a social image for your brand outside of your corporate image. Social Equity is as much about the likeability of your brand as it is the direct value added to your business as a result of social activity. Pinterest is an avenue through which you can make yourself very likeable, very quickly.

Furthermore, on the advertising end of things, Pinterest can, as noted above, provide your brand with a cost effective means of showcasing new products, providing links to an e-commerce store whereby those who like your product can purchase it and, more importantly, save you a tremendous amount of expense when it comes to printing new catalogs. Of course, a business with a physical location would likely do both, but for those who cannot come to your store, imagine the added value of having a virtual version of your catalog that not only features prices and availability, but links directly to the item in your virtual store.

In our social media case study about Burt’s Bees posted yesterday, we noted the increase in online sales Burt’s Bees experienced as a result of simplifying the buying process for their Facebook fans. (You can read the full article here.) Pinterest allows you to do the same thing, and a simple purchasing process with few or no hurdles means more customers and faster conversions.

Pinterest is a constantly and very quickly evolving tool. But with each step Pinterest takes, the Social Equity it stands to generate for your business goes a step further as well. Furthermore, because of its youth, there is still so much that has yet to be tried when it comes to Pinterest campaigns and promotions, and when it is something visual, it is often something intriguing. First to the social media market typically means biggest gains, and that goes both for financial and Social Equity gains.

Where have you found the value added to your business from Pinterest? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media ROI: 10 Examples [INFOGRAPHIC]

March 26, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social media ROI is one of the most highly debated topics of conversation in the realm of social marketing.

People are constantly talking about social media ROI. There are those who say that social media ROI is among the most transparent of measurements when it comes to benefits reaped from marketing efforts, and then there is the (still very large) school of skeptics that believes that social media ROI is a fantasy of social marketers, and that it is not a return that is properly measurable.

Last week, Coca-Cola released a statement saying that their efforts on social media have been “crucial” to sales. That’s a word with a lot of implications. But Coca-Cola is just one example of a major brand that has witnessed tremendous growth and success when it comes to social media ROI.

Below is a set of 10 examples of social media ROI from brands around the world. These brands used a variety of channels and different types of campaigns to reap these rewards, but each one experienced measurable, financial gains from their efforts on social media.

How do you measure social media ROI? What campaigns have you launched on social media that generated positive returns? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Twitter Marketing: 7 Tools to Maximize Your Success

March 25, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Twitter marketing is greatly improved with the help of certain tools, but it is important to remember that your strategy is what drives your overall success.

Twitter celebrated their seventh anniversary late last week, and we thought it would be fitting to open this week with a discussion of Twitter marketing tools, and what seven of the best tools are when it comes to your success with regards to Twitter marketing.

Before we delve in to the list, however, it is important to note that Twitter marketing tools are great when you have a strategy in place, but you cannot expect your efforts to succeed with the tools alone. These are complimentary tools to simplify the Twitter marketing process and help you maximize your success on Twitter in the most efficient way possible. What is important to keep in mind is that you need to utilize the information that these tools provide and incorporate that into your strategy in order to reap the most benefits. Now, with that disclaimer in place, here are seven of the best tools to help you optimize your Twitter marketing.

1. Followerwonk

Followerwonk is Twitter lists on steroids. Imagine the ability to delve deep into Twitter profiles, analyze leads and segment those leads based on the information you extrapolate. That is the Followerwonk specialty. Furthermore, you have the ability to track followers and watch ongoing statistics and insights as they are gathered in order to keep your Twitter marketing efforts up to date.

With Followerwonk, you can compare, analyze, track and sort your followers in order to keep your Twitter profile as organized as possible and increase the efficiency of your marketing.

2. Tweriod

We recently posted an article detailing some of the best times to post to social networks. Tweriod is all about your best time to post on Twitter. It takes a sample of your followers, analyzes their activity and provides you with a detailed report on when to post to your Twitter feed to maximize your exposure.

3. SocialBro

SocialBro, in similar fashion to Tweriod, produces reports to help you optimize your Twitter marketing. Where SocialBro differs, however, is in the depth of these reports. The pro version of SocialBro provides detailed insights about your followers, your community, your lists – you name it, SocialBro has reports for it.

The in-depth analysis in the SocialBro reports also tell you about your influencers and whom you are influencing. Using this feature, you can monitor your Twitter clout and see where your efforts to build up your reputation are paying off.

4. Twitonomy

Twitonomy is a Twitter analytics tool to help you analyze and modify your internal Twitter strategy. The tool breaks down your activity on the social network and provides you with insights to help you increase the efficiency and appearance of your profile.

Furthermore, it is a great tool when it comes to cleaning out your profile and keeping your following list as professional and targeted as possible.

5. TwileShare

Ever wanted to share more on Twitter? Sure, you can upload photos and now, with Vine, some short videos, but to get the most out of sharing on Twitter, TwileShare is your go-to.

With TwileShare, you can share plenty of content (e.g. photos, PDFs, ebooks, documents, etc.) and monitor statistics to see how that content is being shared and viewed on the network.

This is a great tool for those looking to look deeper into their viral exposure on Twitter.

6. Twilert

Social listening is crucial for brands looking to manage their reputation using social media. Twilert allows you to monitor mentions of your brand, service, competitors, etc. and receive a digest email letting you know what those mentions are. For those looking for a simple, easy-to-use and free listening tool, Twilert is one of the best ones around.

7. Twitter Counter

Twitter Counter has a free version and a pro version. For all things Twitter profile-related, Twitter Counter is an amazing tool. It shows you the growth of your account, insights into your activity, the average activity on your account and your place on Twitter relative to others.

Of course, the pro version of Twitter Counter has plenty more to offer as far as in-depth insights into your account.

These are just a few of the great tools that exist when it comes to maximizing your internal Twitter marketing efforts. As we noted above, Twitter marketing is all about strategy. These tools are intended to add to your existing efforts, not replace them entirely. Understanding Twitter and how to approach the network from a marketing perspective is worth much more than any tool can give you. But with this knowledge, these tools will make the job that much easier.

What tools do you use when it comes to Twitter marketing? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Equity: The Value of YouTube

March 22, 2013/by Corey Padveen

The Social Equity of your business is increased with a presence on each social network, but there is a three-fold value added that comes from YouTube.

YouTube is among the most interesting of “social networks” due to the fact that it is not. Well, not in the conventional sense, at least. YouTube is a search engine. Like Google (YouTube’s owner), Yahoo! or Bing, YouTube is a medium in which people can post content and generate traffic. Where YouTube differs, however, is in the ability for an individual or brand to engage with their audience directly on the site. That is where the social aspect of YouTube comes into play and that is one of the three key generators of Social Equity when it comes to Youtube.

Today, we aim to pinpoint where it is that we see value added to a company as a result of having a YouTube presence, and how video marketing combined with the power of YouTube stands to increase your Social Equity more so than almost any other network.

Why is YouTube Important?

To understand where the Social Equity is generated from the video-sharing portal, we need to first understand what makes YouTube crucial when it comes to online marketing. Let’s take out the social aspect for a moment and look at some facts and figures that explain the importance of YouTube.

Raw Data

Over 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month
Over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube
72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US
YouTube is localized in 53 countries and across 61 languages
In 2011, YouTube had more than 1 trillion views or around 140 views for every person on Earth
Millions of subscriptions happen each day.

(Data taken from YouTube Press Center Statistics)

There are constantly eyes sifting through the content loaded to YouTube, and by properly optimizing your YouTube videos, you stand a greater chance of reaching the people looking for you on the network. Furthermore, video marketing is a growing trend as it adds an entirely new element to your business.

Giving people a chance to attach a face and voice to your brand takes social engagement a step further with regards to humanizing your brand. People like to engage with personalities, not simply corporate entities. Video marketing is a way to offer this and YouTube is the medium in which to publish it (in addition to your own corporate and personal blogs). Enter the Social Equity of YouTube.

The Three Pillars of Social Equity Derived from YouTube

As noted above, there are three features related to YouTube that generate Social Equity for your brand.

Engagement

When it comes to being social, the ability to engage with your audience on YouTube is a huge asset with regards to Social Equity. As with any social network, people are reaching out to you when they watch your videos. Whether they like it, share it, comment on it or simply watch, they are in some way engaging with your brand on YouTube.

Social Equity is derived in part from the growth of your brand. Video marketing on YouTube is a way to do that. Furthermore, the free analytics made available by YouTube (and Google) in the backend of your account are invaluable. These measure everything from engagement statistics to traffic sources. Thus, by observing and analyzing these insights, you can efficiently and quickly modify your campaigns and strategies in order to maximize the return from your YouTube marketing efforts.

Humanization

There is a humanizing characteristic associated with a corporate video. Even if it is as simple as an introduction, a YouTube presence gives brands a face and voice that people can relate to and appreciate. In our case study about Old Spice a little while back, we noted that through engagement (primarily with videos) Old Spice was able to increase their sales by 107% very quickly. Old Spice has been known to engage with their fan base using personalized videos, making fans of all kinds feel personally connected to the brand.

Old Spice is owned by The Procter & Gamble Company, a company with 2012 revenues of nearly $84 billion. But you wouldn’t know it by the attention Old Spice’s YouTube channel gives to its fans.

Direct Revenue

There are over one million advertisers buying ad space on YouTube and guess what: you’re selling it. By creating videos that people want to see and building a following on YouTube, you increase your chances of having ads placed on your videos and money coming in as a result.

There is constantly the question of direct ROI generated from social media. If this does not answer that question then nothing will.

YouTube is a fascinating network that adds value to your company at every turn. The growing popularity of video marketing and the industry-wide focus on marketing virality are two perfect reasons why every brand should have a presence on YouTube. Your Social Equity stands to benefit tremendously as a result.

Where do you find the value added to your business as a result of Social Equity from YouTube? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Case Study: KLM Airlines

March 21, 2013/by Corey Padveen

This week’s social media case study focuses on one of the most socially innovative airlines around: KLM.

When it comes to social media case studies, airlines often prove to have some of the most impressive, influential and trendsetting results. Yet, despite all of the data that supports the adoption of innovative social media marketing initiatives for airlines, few seem to be as willing to go the distance as KLM.

KLM’s social media program is brilliant…and they know it. When it comes to converting social media fans into paying customers, KLM is among the most successful brands around. In fact, on the KLM Facebook page, there is a section that breaks down their social media campaigns, explains how they went about executing them and posts the results. Effectively, they are their own social media case study as to why social is important to business. But our focus is a little deeper than that when it comes to our weekly case study. We aim to pull out the lessons marketers can learn from the KLM social media program as a whole.

The Campaigns

Featured on the KLM Facebook page are seven of their most successful social media campaigns. These campaigns include everything from “KLM Surprise” whereby special gifts would be presented to passengers who checked into flights using Foursquare or Twitter, to the “KLM Tile & Inspire” campaign whereby Facebook fans were asked to convert their Facebook profile picture into a Delft Blue tile and complete that tile with an inspiring message to be used as part of a mosaic design on a KLM aircraft that would travel across the globe. Below are two videos breaking down these campaigns.

KLM Surprise

KLM Tile & Inspire

Each campaign was equally inspired and generated similar results. For the two campaigns above, KLM reaped some considerable social benefits. The breakdown of the two featured campaigns by the numbers is below:

KLM Surprise Analytics

Foursquare	17.528 followers
Youtube	154,722 views
Twitter	1.597 followers
Tweet reach	2,6 mln

KLM Tile & Inspire Analytics

Created tiles	120.000
Number of countries where tiles were created	154
Views of the 2 videos	1.3 million
Number of destinations the 777 flew to	23

While the analytics are impressive enough as it is, the fact that KLM went on to further convert many of these fans is all the more notable. But what we wish to focus on is what KLM did that was as innovative and bold as it was simple and calculated.

The Lessons

Be Bold (But the Right Way)

KLM has had far from a conventional approach to their social media program. From presenting new meal options using Facebook videos that introduce the “chefs” (the “KLM A La Carte” campaign) to the controversial “KLM Meet and Seat” campaign that gave passengers the ability to preview their seat mates based on social profiles, KLM has dared to be innovative with each of their social media campaigns. But it is important to keep something in mind: the marketing execs at KLM knew exactly what they were doing, and these risks were as calculated as any.

By understanding the lead to conversion process, the KLM executives were able to put these campaigns together using careful market research, amalgamated and improved data from their own failed exploits (discussed below), and a clear understanding of the sales process for both the customer and the brand. You don’t garner new customers from social media by doing the same thing as everyone else (hence, the “Be Bold” part of the lesson) but you certainly won’t find them if you scare them away (and that covers the “Right Way” aspect). So keep in mind that for a social media campaign to work, you need to impress your audience and have the data to support your seemingly daring decisions.

Never Be Afraid to Try Something New

Social media is still in its infancy, and social media marketing even more so. There is no shortage of innovation out there, and with the ever-changing landscape of social media, you should never be afraid to be first to market. Your first-mover advantage will be huge when people see you doing something that no one has done before. KLM understands that and they have capitalized on it at every turn.

The airline only jumped into social media in 2009, but in these short few years they have managed to try their hand at virtually every campaign available on social media. Whether it is a Facebook campaign, a Foursquare promotion, a YouTube contest or a Twitter “Live Reply” campaign wherein the airline responded to user tweets using up to 140 REAL people to spell out the message, you should never be afraid to try something that has never been done before. When it comes to social media, people want something they have not yet seen.

Try, Fail, Fix, Repeat

No one knows failed experiments better than KLM. Sure, they might have the budgetary luxury of making these mistakes, but over time they have learned exactly what they should not be doing in order to perfect their social campaigns. And on a smaller scale, you should never be afraid of the mistakes you make when it comes to social media. As we noted above, this is an incipient form of marketing; people are bound to make mistakes. But when you do, note your errors, redraft your campaign taking that into account, and start again.

For KLM, one of their big blunders came in 2011 when they offered a promotional gift to the first 50 male and first 50 female “Likers” of a post. Within minutes they had 1,500 “Likes” and no way of knowing which came when. Oops! But what is important is that KLM recognized their mistakes, fixed them and, more importantly, accepted their failures. And that brings us to our final lesson.

Humility is an Underrated Trait

People appreciate humility. It is a humanizing trait, particularly when it comes from a company as large and reputable as KLM. That is why the last important lesson to pull from KLM is that, while you might be a big brand, social media is a place for you to simply be a voice in the conversation. While an image needs to be maintained, you can be a little less corporate and little more fun when it comes to social (respecting professional boundaries, of course). As we never tire of pointing out, social media is about exactly that: being social. Not only does KLM have a post on their blog detailing some of their yearly bloopers, but they also make an important point in their step-by-step guide on running their social media program:

“Not that campaigns always need to be global and spectacular. Many of our establishments have successfully launched their local pages, and we’ve learned that the power often lies in simplicity — like showing the interior of a cockpit, or thanking someone for notifying us about broken lighting on our KLM sign. Our creative editorial board delivers a daily dose of captivating, engaging posts through our various channels.

Social campaigns have won us several awards, but it hasn’t been one success after the next. We’ve certainly had our share of bloopers. But rather than hushing them up, we decided to make them public and take them as a learning experience. And as it turned out, people liked us even more for it.”

Well said.

What lesson do you think is most important in the case study of KLM? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Effective Social Media Engagement: 5 Tips to Swear By

March 19, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Engagement on social media is one of the cornerstones of an effective social media program; but too many people go about it the wrong way.

So what can you be doing when it comes to social media engagement to ensure that you are doing it the right way? People are constantly talking about engaging on social media – ourselves included – but so few people give effective tips on how to engage with your fan base properly. Sure, every person and brand is going to develop their own unique voice when it comes to social media, but there are certain DOs and certain DO NOTs that everyone should be following when it comes to engaging with their fan base on social networks.

Today, we have decided to feature some of those tips to help your brand engage effectively on social media to ensure that you don’t run the risk of losing your audience or worse, having them comment negatively in a social forum.

1. DABC: Don’t Always Be Closing

In the Mamet-penned monumental monologue in the classic film Glengarry Glen Ross, the character of Blake (played by an Oscar-nominated Alec Baldwin in the film adaptation) gives a haunting speech to a group of terrified realtors wherein he tells them that they should follow the ABCs of selling: Always Be Closing. That might have worked for those realtors, but the reality of social media is that a better piece of advice would be to follow your DABCs.

You can’t always be closing when it comes to engaging on social media. Sure, the goal for most social marketers is to eventually convert leads generated on social networks into customers, but we can’t jump into our engagement attempting to close. We need to build a rapport with our leads and the only way to do that is to engage with them on a human level, not on a salesman-only level. That’s sure to turn them off.

It also brings us to our next point.

2. Talk Like a Human

If there’s one thing that people hate about engaging with certain corporate accounts, it is that it feels like just that: all business. There is no emotion or opinion behind a comment or post. Now, of course one has to take into account the political aspect that comes with running a social media program as a large company. Those in charge of engaging cannot say whatever they want. There is an image to maintain and thus, a certain standard to keep.

That said, if you feel like social media is the right place for your business to have a presence, then develop a strategy for engagement before you get started. People are going to reach out to your brand, and they want to feel like they are talking to someone there, not a computer directing them to simply call a customer service line for more information.

3. Don’t Discriminate

You might think that the only place where you stand to benefit from your engagement is with your industry’s influencers. And while it might be true that engaging with people who have thousands of fans or followers might lead to a quick gain, it is not always going to pay off. There are far more people out there with seventy-five or one hundred followers than those with seventy-five or one hundred thousand.

In a social media case study we did about Old Spice a few weeks ago, we noted that where Old Spice found the most success was in their ability to engage with any type of user in the same way, whether they were famous or simply Twitter fans with a few dozen followers. The payoffs were enormous for Old Spice and any marketer should take this as a lesson that it doesn’t pay to discriminate when it comes to engaging on social media.

4. Fashionably Late is a Social Faux Pas

Social media is an ongoing conversation. People are talking constantly and, when it comes to your brand, they are talking to you. And when it comes to all that social media has to offer and the fact that a recent study showed that the average online attention span is roughly 8 seconds, you can’t expect people to be waiting around for your response for too long.

We live in a fast-paced society and nothing embodies that better than social media. So when someone engages with your brand, do everything you can to respond as quickly as possible. You are half of the social conversation, so you can’t be late to the party.

5. Never Ignore Questions or Negative Comments

We thought we would save the most important for last. This is one rule we advocate above all others. When it comes to your brand’s image both in the eyes of your customers and the general public, the two types of posts you never want to ignore are questions and negative comments.

First, let’s look at questions. When someone goes out of their way to engage with your brand and ask a question, they are generally doing so because they want an answer. They are, for lack of a better analogy, calling for more information. This is a traditional call to action that we see in ads and commercials, and social media takes the first part of that CTA out of the equation. So when someone has a question, answer it! You wouldn’t have a hotline for leads to call in to if you didn’t have anyone manning the phones, would you? This is the same concept.

Next, you should never ever ignore negative comments. In doing so, you are basically burying your head in the sand while the whole world sees your flaws. If anything, negative comments are a great way to do two things. First, they are a chance for you to show the world how much you care about your customers by dealing with an issue on the social stage for all to see. Second, they are a great way to turn people into brand advocates. Social media is one of the best avenues in which to generate new brand advocates and negative comments are one of the ways to go about doing this.

What is your strategy when it comes to social media engagement? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Marketing Technology Broken Down [INFOGRAPHIC]

March 18, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Marketing is no longer about simply our time; there are hundreds of marketing tools that can help us succeed.

Recently, we loaded an infographic with a detailed breakdown of the social media tools that we can use as marketers to improve and simplify our social media marketing. Well, this is just a small realm of marketing tools that exist to help facilitate the marketing process.

The world of technology has meant quite a bit of change from a marketing perspective. The advent of different tools has resulted in two things: first, on a superficial level, there world of technology may appear somewhat perplexing at an initial glance. After all, these are a set of tools that we have never seen before and, more importantly, there are so many of them that we may not know how to go about using them in a strategic manner. Second, these tools have added an entirely new realm to the world of marketing. And not only from a social media perspective. They have opened up the marketing world to so much more, and it is pretty clear why. The possibilities that these tools offer are virtually endless!

Below is a breakdown of nearly every piece of marketing technology that exists out there today. Take a look through the infographic and look up some of the tools you are unfamiliar with. It’s a great way to build your knowledge.

Do you use any of these tools for your marketing efforts? Which of these do you think is the best? Why? Are there any you haven’t used before that you are going to try? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Equity: LinkedIn and Your Business

March 15, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social Equity is given quite a boost with a LinkedIn presence – and not just for B2B companies.

LinkedIn is widely known as the professional social network. So, it would make sense for people to assume that it is largely for B2B companies. While it is true that LinkedIn is one of the most beneficial social networks when it comes to B2B, the Social Equity a brand can garner as a result of having a LinkedIn presence – whether it is B2B or B2C – is quite high.

Today, we aim to explain where the Social Equity of a LinkedIn presence is found, and how you can determine the value added to your business as a result of having both a personal and company page on the social network.

The Benefits of LinkedIn

To understand how we can derive Social Equity from LinkedIn, we first need to understand what the benefits of a LinkedIn presence are to our business.

As we noted above, LinkedIn is often perceived as the professional network. As such, it is an arena in which professionals actively seek out industry influencers, leaders and authority figures. Therefore, it is one of the easiest niches in which to establish yourself as an industry-leader within your market. Social networks on the more general scale, like Facebook and Twitter, are mediums in which we can establish our brand as an authority with the general public, but for any company, be it B2C or B2B, LinkedIn is the best avenue through which we can build our credibility with members of our own industry.

On the other side of the spectrum, LinkedIn is an excellent network for seeking out the advice and tips of other leaders and professionals, and applying those bits of advice to our own strategies. Though LinkedIn Answers was a great feature in which to do this before it was removed, LinkedIn Groups are still a powerful tool, and include higher engagement rates than almost any other feature on social media. Contrary to many social networks, LinkedIn is a place where professionals are seeking out the opinions and inputs of others, and the element of self-promotion (not in its purest form, but close to it) is not only accepted, but in many cases encouraged.

So, how does this all add value to your business?

Social Equity Derived from LinkedIn

Having both a personal account and an active company page on LinkedIn can generate quite a bit of Social Equity for your brand. With a well-orchestrated strategy in place, we can quickly build our authority in a given field and begin driving referrals to both our personal pages and our websites. This holds true for both types of businesses. Even as a B2C entity, we are still looking to build market authority, and LinkedIn is one way of doing that.

Say you are a local and online retail store, for example. Now say you create a profile on LinkedIn and begin sharing short articles you write about running a successful retail location, or a successful e-commerce website. By posting to your updates (your network), your company page and your groups pages about the retail industry, you will quickly see your influence, network and, most important for building business, your LinkedIn referral traffic begin to shoot up.

It is important to understand that in any industry, people want to associate themselves with the best. Whether you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or a retail-savvy basement blogger, industry leaders and influencers receive the most attention on a network like LinkedIn, and that translates to Social Equity.

The value added of a large professional and referral network is highly coveted. Consider not only the calculated value of your business assets, but the value added of an extended network, an established industry leader at the helm of your company and your industry influence. All of this is capable through the strategic use of LinkedIn.

How are you using LinkedIn to generate Social Equity for your business? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Social Media Case Study: Kotex

March 14, 2013/by Corey Padveen

The use of Pinterest and social media by Kotex proved to be one of the most successful and innovative social media campaigns run to date.

With the major announcement yesterday that Pinterest would now provide analytics to its business users, we thought an appropriate social media case study this week would involve the use of the social network. And what better Pinterest-themed social media case study than its use by Kotex last year to celebrate women’s inspiration.

The Campaign

As the world of social media exploded with the introduction of Pinterest last year, the first network of its kind, dominated almost entirely by women, Kotex and their social media marketing team had the brilliant idea to run a social media campaign centered on the women of Pinterest.

The brilliance lay in how they decided to design the program. Effectively, Kotex sought out the 50 most influential women they could find on the social network after reviewing thousands of accounts and their followers, and began searching through their boards to determine what inspired them. After that, they put together customized gift boxes inspired by these women’s boards, and reached out to these influencers on social media to share these gifts with them. They asked for only one thing in return: to repin the gift.

The results were far greater than what Kotex could have hoped for. Not only did nearly 100% of the 50 women comply with the simple request, but they went above and beyond. These women posted pictures of each component of the gift on both Pinterest and Instagram, made comments on Twitter, Facebook and reached out to their extended networks to tell them all about this wonderful gesture by Kotex.

By the end of the campaign – well, the end of Kotex’s analytics of the campaign, without measuring the extended secondary reach that the virality of the campaign created – Kotex had measured over 2,200 interactions and nearly 700,000 impressions. That’s quite the reach from contacting only 50 people directly!

Take a look at this video for a more comprehensive breakdown of the campaign:

The Lessons

There is a lot we can learn as marketers from this campaign. But when we consider the fact that this social media campaign relied heavily on a viral effect, we think the best lessons to pull from the Kotex social media case study relate to the importance of influencers.

Find Your Influencers

Kotex knew their demographic and the audience they could reach, but they knew that referrals are so much more powerful than direct marketing. It was for that reason that the marketing executives at Kotex went looking for their social media influencers on Pinterest.

These were women who had a reach far beyond that of Kotex alone. And they were women with an audience that filled two vital criteria: the audience was made up of the right demographics and the audience was highly engaged with these influencers. When you can turn influential people into brand advocates, you can rest assured that you are going to generate quite a bit of new business. But in order to find these influencers, you need to keep this next lesson very much in the forefront of your thinking.

Influencers Can Be Anybody!

The women to whom Kotex sent gifts were not on any Forbes power list, they were not First Ladies and they were not Manhattan socialites – they were normal. (Well, that is not to say that these other women are not “normal” but you know what we mean.) These were every day women who happened to build a large and highly engaged following on Pinterest by simply being active and posting content their followers loved to share. It took a lot of insight for the marketing executives at Kotex to understand this.

When it comes to social media, industry influencers are no longer part of a closed off group comprised of the economic and social elite – anyone and everyone has the ability to be an influencer. Marketers need to keep this in mind.

Small Gestures Go A Long Way

The gift baskets sent by Kotex did not include fancy electronics, or high-priced jewelry. They were simply made up of small knick-knacks that Kotex knew these women would love because they did their research. Kotex could easily have sent them gift certificates for a lifetime supply of Kotex products, but rest assured, the returns would have been far fewer.

The reason why there was such a high response rate and such a viral effect was because Kotex customized these gifts to the tastes of the recipients. They did not need to include lavish, overpriced items because they knew that what they had included was worth much more. A little research into their industry influencers resulted in the numbers you see above. So remember, a little thought can get you a lot further than the easiest option.

Create Limitless Campaigns

Kotex asked these women to do one thing: repin the gifts. A simple request. But the beauty of social media is that these women decided, on their own accord, to take the Kotex campaign to the next level, and involve virtually every avenue of social media they had access to. Kotex created a campaign that had an inherently viral element to it; by giving these women individually-inspired gifts and making them feel unique, it was only a matter of time before they shared the experience with their communities. Furthermore, Kotex did not give these women an ultimatum. The gifts were not a bribe, they were simply gifts with one small request. Giving these women the freedom to do what they wished with regards to sharing the gifts and experience with their communities led to them immediately taking the opportunity to boast about how special they felt thanks to Kotex.

Don’t Hope to Go Viral – Work Your Way There

Kotex was lucky that the campaign was as innovative and original as it was. At the time, Pinterest was the newest, hottest social network and Kotex was the first brand to take advantage of it in the way that they did. First-mover advantage worked wonders for the Kotex brand, but we cannot all hope that our social media campaigns will go viral the way the Kotex campaign did. So, when putting together your next campaign, reach out to your influencers, but don’t neglect the average customer or social media fan. After all, by targeting influencers, the ultimate audience whom you hope to reach is the average user, so make an effort to reach out to every person you can. Brand loyalty is brand loyalty wherever you find it.

The Kotex example is one of the finest uses of Pinterest and social media to date. As marketing on social media continues to evolve, it is certain that we can expect other campaigns to catch on as virally as this one did, but with regards to the use of influencers, it is hard to think of another example as perfect a social media case study as this one.

How are you reaching out to your influencers? What methods do you use to determine who your industry influencers are? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Pinterest Marketing with Integrated Analytics

March 12, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Pinterest marketing was taken to the next level on Tuesday when Pinterest officially announced its newest feature (and what is undoubtedly every marketers favorite): integrated analytics.

So what does this mean with regards to Pinterest marketing? Slowly, Pinterest has been taking steps to become more business friendly, presumably in an effort to begin generating revenues internally. (After all, a business with no income can only last so long.) A few months ago, Pinterest announced the launch of business pages. Now, Pinterest marketing is taking the next leap forward with the launch of integrated analytics.

The analytics provided in the backend are fairly standard. They do not go into the complexity of some tools, like Pinfluencer, which allows you to delve deep into the insights of your followers and find your most influential pinners. But that is not for everyone, and what Pinterest does provide, completely free, is more than enough for you to gauge the success of your Pinterest marketing efforts.

Below are a few steps to help you get started with Pinterest marketing analytics, and a few tips to consider when using them.

Setting Up Your Pinterest Analytics

While your analytics may be working in the backend, you may not be able to access them right away. Luckily, it is a fairly simple process.

First thing you need to do is have your website verified by Pinterest. If you understand code, or have an easy-to-manage CMS like WordPress, then this is a very simple process of uploading a file to your backend or a line of code to your header. If you do not, then simply grab the line of code or file, send it off to your webmaster, and have them put it in there. Once that is done, and your site is verified, you will need to update to the “New Look” of Pinterest.

In your dropdown menu, the final tab gives you the option to switch to this new theme. Once you do, you will see a new tab in your menu: Analytics.

Let the Insights Begin!

Now you are all set to begin looking into your Pinterest marketing analytics. There are four tabs in your analytics backend: Site Metrics, Most Recent, Most Repinned and Most Clicked.

The latter three tabs are fairly straightforward; these three tabs break down the most recent activity (in picture form, of course) on your account with regards to shares, repins, clicks, etc. and give you some insights into who participated in said activity. Remember the small column on the left-hand side of your front page on Pinterest that showed you some of your most recent activity? Well, these three tabs are essentially far more detailed versions of that column. They allow you to monitor the progress of your Pinterest marketing on your website and see how that activity is converting on the social network.

The real metrics come into play in that first tab: Site Metrics.

This allows you to delve deep into your site’s Pinterest activity to see where you are successful, and just how successful you are. For the first time, you can measure the number of impressions on the pins from your site, and see how that translates into your reach on the social network. You can now also see the click-through rates on your pins, as opposed to relying on Google Analytics to measure the referral success of your Pinterest marketing.

At the end of it all, your Pinterest marketing analytics should look something like this:

With this new feature, we can be sure to see Pinterest moving into the realm of offering paid advertising shortly. Like promoted tweets or Facebook posts, Pinterest seems to be on the verge of offering a whole new set of business services that will likely make paid Pinterest marketing all the more attractive. Particularly now that these campaigns can be monitored.

What do you think of Pinterest’s new analytics dashboard? How do you plan on integrating it into your Pinterest marketing strategies? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

Tag Archive for: social media strategies

Maximize Your Twitter Marketing Efforts

December 5, 2012/by Corey Padveen

How can you go about maximizing your twitter marketing efforts to get the most out of the social network?

Twitter is a phenomenal resource for any kind of business. The real-time conversational aspect that it brings gives it a certain unique feel and a environment apt for engagement, but what are some Twitter marketing techniques businesses should adopt in order to get the most out of it? Below are some of the top Twitter marketing strategies businesses can employ in order to capitalize on all that Twitter has to offer to businesses.

1. Be Authentic

Don’t automate your posts – no one wants to hear what a machine has to say as it randomly generates messages using your pre-loaded content. People follow you to hear what you have to say, so tell them! If you decided to take the stage, and hundreds or even thousands of people came to hear you speak, would you simply play a recording a leave? Probably not. And if you did that, di you think they would stay? Also unlikely. So share what’s on your mind and engage with an audience that is eager to hear what you have to say.

2. Engage!

People like to converse and be heard. As a brand, it is your responsibility to listen to the customer and engage with them wherever possible. Nowhere is it more possible than on Twitter! As we noted above, Twitter is an avenue build for real-time conversation. So when someone is engaging with your brand, it is always in your best interest to address their comment, be it positive or negative.

3. Avoid Self-Promotion

Sure, the end goal is to convert these leads into clients, but endless self-promotion is nauseating, and the only thing you’ll succeed in doing is alienating your brand. We noted this in an earlier blog post and we are sticking by it. Social media is not for self-promotion, but for brand promotion thriugh engagement. When people are loyal to your brand, they will convert into customers.

4. Create a Relevant Database

It might be nice to see that you have thousands of followers and are following thousands of others, but this might not mean you have an account full of quality. If the goal is sales, then you will want to have as many targeted followers as possible, and the same goes for those you are following.

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

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