Tag Archive for: social media

Social Equity: Responsive Branding

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Social media offers great opportunities for Responsive Branding™, and that can add a lot of value to your business.

Responsive Branding™What is Responsive Branding™? The concept of Responsive Branding™ relates to making brand and marketing modifications based on the preferences, comments and reactions of your audience.

If there is one thing that people are not shy about when it comes to social media, it is letting the world know how they feel – about anything. This includes your brand. In his book, Socialnomics, Erik Qualmann notes that, “The beauty of social media is that it will point out your company’s flaws; the key questions is how quickly you address these flaws.”

Responsive branding is the way your company can address these flaws. As you monitor market reactions to your marketing and advertising efforts, you can make modifications in real time in order to appeal to the tastes of the market. Few other platforms offer such a feature, and the benefits can be astronomical.

Real Time Adaptation

Imagine knowing exactly how the market would react to a new marketing initiative before launching it. Sure, there are focus groups, and other conventional marketing and advertising techniques, but these are time-consuming, expensive and may not entirely accurate.

Responsive branding allows your brand to reach out to the market and gain their insights before the official launch of a program. A great, very recent example of this is Yahoo!’s logo redesign.

The search giant has been rebranding since Marissa Mayer took over roughly one year ago. Recently, they decided to present a new logo to the world. But were they going to have a creative team work on it behind closed doors and present what they thought was the best option? Of course not! Why waste money, time and resources doing that when you can let the market tell you which of your options is best for them?

Social Media Polling

As noted above, focus groups are expensive, difficult and not the most accurate. Social media eliminates much of the difficulty associated with focus groups and conventional testing.

Reach out to your audience on social networks. Your fans, followers and subscribers are your market. These are the people that have expressed an interest in your product or service and it is this demographic you should be catering to. Once again, the financial benefits associated with social media polling are significant.

Essentially, the Social Equity derived from Responsive Branding™ is obvious. A slew of new opportunities presents themselves with regards to your overall marketing and branding strategies thanks to your social media efforts.

Does your brand engage in Responsive Branding™? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

How Restaurants Use Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Restaurants are very well-equipped to succeed using social media, they just need to know how to use it!

There is no shortage of examples for how restaurants use social media. We did a case study on a restaurant’s use of Instagram a short while back to showcase just one of the ways social media can be a powerful tool for restaurants.

However, despite the obvious use of review sites like Yelp! or sharing images of food on Facebook or Instagram, some restaurants have a hard time understanding how they can benefit from the strategic use of social media.

In the infographic below, there are ten great examples of how restaurants use social media, and what they can do differently in order to benefit from the tools. Though some of these uses may seem trivial, many restauranteurs and marketing teams tend to overlook even the most obvious uses of social media when it comes to their restaurants or restaurant clients.

Take a look through some of these examples and think back on when you engaged with a restaurant on social media, and what they did differently that made you remember them. Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

how restaurants use social media

Social Media Case Study: Financial Times

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What is there for marketers to learn from the Financial Times social media strategy?

financial times social mediaVisit the Financial Times Google+ page and you will see an innovative use of social media by a brand in an industry that many think is outdated. The Financial Times social media channels looks great on the outside, but there is a lot taking place on the inside as well from which marketers can take a lesson or two.

At a 125 years old, the Financial Times is not necessarily a brand that many would expect to see incorporating social media in such a crucial way. With the exception of a select few, like the Huffington Post, news publications tend to use social media for nothing other than a secondary vessel through which to share information. The Financial Times, on the other hand, has adapted their model to incorporate social media to the fullest, and it is paying off in a big way.

There are two key features when it comes to the Financial Times social media program that make it stand out. First, it is engaging with its broad audience on a number of channels, primarily Google+. Second, the marketing team behind this strategy has been paying close attention to the analytics of their social media efforts, and they have been evolving according to the successes and failures they have experienced.

Below are three key lessons that marketers can learn from the marketing team behind the Financial Times social media success.

Sharing Rich Content

Much like the case study we did about H&M, the Financial Times shares rich, social-specific content to their social media audience.

Their networks do not simply regurgitate information posted to their website, they are sharing much more with their audience in order to keep them engaged.

Engaged with the Audience

And speaking of engagement, this is at the forefront of their strategy. They are not simply sharing, they are talking.

The Financial Times has built their network to its current size by engaging with their audience wherever they could. By listening to what is being said, the strategy was able to adapt and appeal to what the audience wanted. This has proven to be among the most successful factors in their strategy.

Monitor Analytics and Adapt

The only way to grow a social media program is to pay close attention to your results, and use that data in order to expand your network. This is exactly what has grown the Financial Times social media program into what it is.

Few brands – in the media field or otherwise – truly pay attention to their metrics. It is hard to imagine considering the weight put on the measurability of social media. By focusing on their analytics, the Financial Times has managed to continually grow their social presence.

Which of these three features do you think is most important for a brand’s success on social media? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

t2social social medis marketing strategies

Important Social Media Analytics [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Based on some of these social media analytics, there is no denying that social marketing is continuing to grow.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, there are still naysayers out there who suggest that there is no significant value when it comes to social media. When you look through some of the social media analytics in the infographic below, it is very hard to agree with that viewpoint.

You have undoubtedly seen them: articles and blog posts talking about the ‘end of Facebook’ or the ‘death of social media’ and frankly, they simply do not match the numbers. Every year (heck, every week!) more and more businesses are involving themselves in social media marketing.

According to the data below, 94% of businesses are involved in social media in some form or another. 94%. And with each poll, it becomes increasingly clear that marketers from every industry – both B2C and B2B – are planning on furthering their involvement in social media. You simply can’t justify the argument that social doesn’t matter. It matters in a very big way.

Take a look at the infographic below and see just how important social marketing already is and see how its growth shows no sign of slowing down.

Which statistic do you find most interesting/important? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

important social media analytics

Social Equity: The Benefits of a BizBlog

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There can be some notable benefits of a BizBlog for your company, and you should certainly be taking advantage of them.

benefits of a bizblog social equityFirst, what is a BizBlog? If you guessed the most obvious choice and figured it stands for business blog, you are right. And there can be substantial benefits of a BizBlog for your company.

There are three main areas in which a BizBlog can add considerable value to your brand. First, there are substantial SEO benefits to a blog (and a BizBlog in particular). Second, unlike the majority of social networks, a BizBlog allows you to tout your company’s skills much more aggressively and, in essence, sell your readers on why your brand is the best choice for the job. Lastly, a BizBlog offers you the opportunity to not only showcase your company’s success, but your expertise more so than other social networks.

SEO Benefits of a BizBlog

SEO is still an important (and can be a very expensive) practice. Every business is (or, at least, should be) engaging in it in some way. A blog is an excellent way to boost your SEO success, and a BizBlog adds a few additional SEO benefits on top of the already excellent help a blog provides when it comes to improving your search rankings.

With a BizBlog, you can create links to other articles or pages on your site and boost their effectiveness with anchor text. If you are writing about the best social media marketing company in the business, you can link that to your homepage and help your search rankings. (See what we did there!) Sure, one little link isn’t going to skyrocket your website to the top of the rankings, but it certainly helps both in the short and long runs.

Self-Promotion

Self-promotion is one of those taboo issues that almost any social or digital marketer will tell you to stay away from on social media. Put simply, it is in bad taste. People are not sharing content on social networks to be sold a product.

On your BizBlog, however, people are landing on your content with the expressed intent of finding out more about you and what you do. At that point, it is acceptable to talk about why you are the better choice and why you should be chosen over your competitors to do a job. And that brings us to our third point.

Showcase Your Expertise

In telling your readers why you are the best choice for a job, you might want to highlight what makes you stand out.

A BizBlog is a great place to showcase how much you know, where you brand outshines others and, as with the point above, ultimately sell your readers on picking you for a job. People always want to work with the best, and a BizBlog is a great place to show them why you are that choice.

These three features are very powerful, and add a considerable amount of value to your brand. It is not hard to see how a BizBlog generates Social Equity for your business.

Does your company have a corporate blog? Tell us where we can find it in the comments below or on Twitter!

t2social social medis marketing strategies

Social Media for B2B Companies [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Can there be a place for social media for B2B companies?

There is a lot of debate over whether or not there is a use of social media for B2B companies. Why? Because many people do not see just how important social media is – for any industry!

There is a very important place for social media when it comes to businesses in the B2B world. The reason there are so many skeptics is simply due to a lack of understanding of how to properly use social media, a hesitancy to take on the task and, most importantly, not knowing the phenomenal results that other B2B brands are already achieving!

In the infographic below, some insightful data is provided by Clearpoint that illustrates just how important social media is for B2B companies. Perhaps the two most interesting sections of data are the reasons why B2B companies are using social media, and how they are measuring their results.

So many marketers – particularly those in the B2B field – fail to see the benefits of social media marketing outside of brand awareness. While this may be the top reason for the use of social media by B2B companies, the four additional uses are extremely important, particularly thought leadership.

With regards to measurement, there is no shortage of criteria that can be used to measure your success on social media. Again, this applies to any industry.

Take a look at the infographic and let us know which data you find to be most interesting. Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

social media for b2b companies

Facebook Marketing: 8-Step Checklist to Getting Started

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When it comes to Facebook marketing, there are a few steps that need to be taken when getting started.

facebook marketing checklistYou have a company, you have a page and you are ready to get started with your Facebook marketing program – all great things!

But in order to find success with your Facebook marketing, there are a few things you need to do right at the outset.

Below is an 8-step marketing checklist for getting started on Facebook (in order).

1. Pick a Page Name (if possible, with a keyword)

If you are John Smith and you own a steakhouse, try and name your page ‘John Smith Steakhouse’. Keywords in the page name are among the few areas on Facebook where they can benefit SEO, so try and get it in there when you choose your name.

2. Create a Vanity URL

A long Facebook URL with a bunch of numbers at the end of it is not very nice to look at. Go to https://www.facebook.com/username and create a vanity URL for your page to maintain professionalism.

3. Optimize Your Sections for SEO

Your About section and your mission statement should have links and keywords close to the front in order to optimize your page for SEO. Do not leave any sections blank. It simply does not look good when people come by.

4. Add Photos and Videos

This includes your profile picture (Hint: 180X180px) your cover photo (Hint: 851X315px) and your page photos (Hint: They fit into 400X400px space on your Timeline). Get content up quickly so you do not have an empty company page.

5. Add Tabs to Your Page

A ‘Like’ box and a selection of photos is not impressive. People want to see that you pay attention to your Facebook page the same way you would pay attention to your customers. Add some custom tabs to your page and make it look great! (Note: Tabs should highlight your goals and expertise.)

6. Promote Your Page

It may sound silly, but people are generally a little hesitant to ‘Like’ a page that has no activity. Reach out to friends and existing clients and invite them to ‘Like’ your page in order to get the ball rolling. You might also want to create a promotion of some of your content for a few bucks to a targeted audience and build your audience that way as well.

7. Familiarize Yourself with Insights

Facebook recently updated their Insights, and there is a lot to learn. As a page owner, you should know what Insights are available, what they mean and how you can use them to increase the business you drive from your page.

8. Start Engaging!

Ask questions, share updates and encourage conversation on your page. Though the average engagement rate on pages falls somewhere in the 0.5%-1.5% range, you should be aiming to shatter that number with your page!

These 8 steps are crucial to getting started with Facebook marketing. However, once they have been taken, it is time to start watching business grow with the help of Facebook!

Which step do you think is the most important? Do you have any others? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

t2social social medis marketing strategies

Social Media Crisis Management [INFOGRAPHIC]

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What are some of the most important steps to take when it comes to social media crisis management?

We always hope that there is never a need for social media crisis management when it comes to our brand. After all, we never like the idea of something going wrong and finding our brand at the center of a negative discussion. However, these things happen and they are usually (one would hope) out of our control when they do.

When crisis does strike and our brand is left with a flurry of negative conversation to deal with, it is important that there is a strategy in place. Simply ‘playing it by ear’ is not going to work in such cases. Without a strategy, before you know it, the issue will be far beyond any controllable level, and you will have to simply hope that the repercussions are not too detrimental.

In the infographic below from Tatu Digital, a few simple but important steps are highlighted. Whenever it comes to social media crisis management, this checklist should be observed, as it might be the key to keeping your brand above water.

Take a look at the data and let us know which step you think is most important when it comes to handling a crisis on social media. Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

social media crisis management

Social Equity: Social Media Monitoring

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How can social media monitoring generate Social Equity for your business?

social media monitoring social equityKeeping an eye open for brand, competitor and industry news mentions is certainly a helpful practice, but you might be surprised to find out that social media monitoring also generates significant Social Equity for your business!

The ability to track news and stories as they are evolving opens up the opportunity to share content when it is at its most relevant to an engaged audience. This phenomenon also lends its hand to Social Care, the Social Equity of which was discussed here, and provides a first mover advantage, which, as we all know, can be highly beneficial to business.

Let’s take a look at how value is added to your business from social media monitoring.

Engagement

By monitoring your brand, competitors and the industry as a whole, you have the ability to pick up on conversations that you may not have even known were taking place.

Imagine monitoring your competition and finding that a significant proportion of the conversation is negative. By engaging with these users in real-time you have an ability to convert leads that may not have even known they were leads yet.

With regards to Social Care, social media monitoring allows you to monitor your brand and prevent issues from spiralling out of control. By engaging with users speaking negatively about your brand and addressing their issues, you prevent said issues from escalating beyond your control.

First Mover Advantage

In the field of Economics, the ability to capitalize on a market before anyone else has is among the greatest advantages. Social media monitoring provides this kind of value.

The ability to watch industry conversations and analyze trends gives rise to opportunities never before made available in business. Tailoring your strategies and marketing efforts to the observed discussions allows your brand to preempt major (or even minor) changes in preferences as opposed to making said changes in a reactionary way. The value this can have both in the short and long run is virtually unsurpassed.

Social media monitoring can be an exceptionally powerful activity, yet so few brands are properly taking advantage of it.

Are you monitoring your brand, competition and industry conversations on social media? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

t2social social medis marketing strategies

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