by christine | Nov 22, 2012 | Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Social Media
The Social Media skills now required to maintain a good social media reputation has evolved. Most of us (businesses and brands) have our social listening strategy in place, writing content and posting on our social media accounts. So…how is it going? Are you monitoring your accounts, interacting with your followers on each account? If you are, good. We all know that it’s imperative to listen to what your customers have to say… as this will keep your brand honest and transparent.
Does your social media strategy include the necessary social media skills?
Being proactive in your social media accounts has never been more important. With the daily launches of new social media blogs and sites, keeping on top of your brand’s social calendar takes time and resources. Don’t lose faith! These efforts can and will be reap Brand rewards in the end. Engagement with your customers is imperative to keep the “stickiness” on your sites and also loyalty and trust with your brand. More importantly understanding and knowing how to handling both positive and negative feedback properly can be indeed a powerful tool to gain loyalty from your target audience and enhancing their experience with your brand. Keep in mind these steps below to become socially proactive:
1. Proactive and engagement on your social accounts should be your primary measurement of how your brand is doing. Keep an active conversation with your customers, so when and if a problem arises you can respond quickly with a solution
2. Respond Quickly to all Social Media Feedback, especially negative.
3. Don’t script your response. Be human and sensitive… an actual “real” live sensitive caring person (customized responses will go a long way to creating a supportive community online).
4. Support your response with detailed information; again give qualified information to help turn the negative experience into a resolved, positive experience. (We all remember being on the other end of those endless customer automated phone messages…that keep telling us to press the next sequence of number’s to get help, but in the end, it feels like we are on a never ending carousel spinning round and round, and in the end we hang up out of frustration or just get lost in a loop of unhelpful automated annoying computer generated voices.) We want our customers to feel that someone is actually listening and with a positive timely response your customers will probably post a very sincere thank you back and become a loyal customer in the end.
5. Dedicated customer service email and resources are a must. In support to #3, you have to specifically set up for your social media accounts. This will help garner a great customer support service within your social media communities. You should allow for a dedicated resource for these platforms to monitor what’s being talked about online and also join in on the conversation to build strong relationships and provide positive customer experiences.
6. Be Honest and Transparent…this will go a long way for validating that yes we all make mistakes, but lets work together to fix it and make it better by actually listening to what your customers are saying.
7. Be Empathic, stay objective. Look at it from the consumers point of view, have all your facts and as said earlier try to resolve as quickly as possible.
Now to make it all work! Now that you have your social listening strategy, resources, and your social customer service in place you need to add some tools to help you get the edge on your competition by taking charge of your social media and your online presence. You can start with some free resources and or customized packages. No tools work the same, so do your research. This is just a small sampling of links below to get you started:
RSS Feeds, Google Alerts, Track Tweets, Comments and Discussions on fan boards, etc, and Netvibes
Want to know more about social media? Download Social Media Understood here.
Please feel free to add comments, tips, and suggestions; I always like to hear how other people adapt new strategies to their social accounts. And remember be Proactive!
by christine | Nov 19, 2012 | Business Success, Interactive, Social Media
Great, you now have your Facebook, linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest accounts in place. Fingers on the keyboard and ready to write and hit that submit button. Stop! So now what? Well, you may want to hold off on populating all those accounts. Why, you ask? Well, did you prepare a social brief? How do you know if your audience participates on all the accounts you have signed up for? Have you been monitoring their social media activity on different social communities? If you’re not sure, let’s step back a bit …You develop briefs for print, TV, web, and mobile, so don’t forget to write one for social. I know it can be overwhelming, but if you can create a social strategy that will keep you on point, and you have the talent to help you implement your social accounts, you will become a great social listener and your audience will appreciate it too!
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Content is King”, well before content we need to focus on developing that strategy. This will give you the means and ability to make sense of what you are trying to do, what is the purpose of your social media marketing. By creating a social listening strategy you will understand the importance of “really listening”. In social media, listening is your guide through the continuous online conversations taking place on many social media platforms, being alert and one step ahead, will keep your brand strategy fresh and competitive. Focus on these key steps for success:
1. Who is Your Target Audience(s) and which social platforms to use: Once you have determined who your audience is, it’s imperative to focus on where to engage your audience online. As said earlier, don’t just start opening accounts to social platforms that don’t reflect your brand or your target audience. This could have a negative impact on your marketing campaign and diminish your brand. Research where your audience is already active, capture this data and customize your social media accounts to adapt to your audiences’ socializing habits.
2. Identify the influencers: These are the people who follow, share or friend you. They are more important than the actual volume of traffic. Determining who your influencers are will make all the difference in your listening strategy and ultimately how affectively you have captured the information and affectively communicated with your target audience.
3. What are the keywords and trends in your social world: You want to validate the topics and conversations that matter most to your brand and document them as potential keywords. You then need to determine through social listening if these keywords reflect or resemble the “social speak” that your audience is interested in. Keywords should reflect what’s important to your brand. However, you need to compare your word selection to that of what is being used by your audience. Don’t think traditional marketing here, or specific naming conventions used throughout the industry. Look for real words, used by real people. This approach will help you communicate more successfully with your target audience.
So now that you have your social strategy in place and the talent in place. You can now start selecting your accounts and write content. Make sure you keep it up-to-date and current with specific topics that tie into your brand and relate to your social users…use your customer’s speak, not marketing lingo and always keep it fresh. This will keep your brand on target with your audience…You also need to take a pulse on your brand as it stands today, consistently monitoring social sites that talk about your brand, making sure that your online reputation is strong, active and fresh.
Also, keep in mind that socializing on the Internet is not limited to the traditional social media platforms. Don’t forget about the community blogs, forums and posts, these areas all require your focus and interaction keeping up with conversations across the web to maintain a strong brand presence online and off. Keeping up with what your customers are saying about your product or service will keep you informed and honest about your brand. Yes, this is time consuming, but in the end, the best investment for you to apply, and to keep your brand honest and on target.
Now you are ready to get back to your keyboard and write, and make your Brand a “Social” listener.
Let me know how your social listening strategy has worked for you (do’s / don’ts) and links you might want to share with us pertaining to this topic. Thanks for listening.
by Miriam Hara | Oct 23, 2012 | Business Success, Social Media
The social media channel:
It’s the new channel, the new trend and everyone and every brand that doesn’t want to be left behind is jumping right on. Needless to say the hype is gaining momentum and believe it or not, has still not peaked. Like everything that is new, exciting and quickly evolving, there are many misconceptions and myths about the Social Media channel. Here are just 5 myths that I would like to dispel. Forgive my tone (I tend to get passionate!).
Social Media Experts: What does it take to be Social Media savvy? Is it a matter of having a Twitter account and tweeting or just pushing out content? I interviewed many candidates that say that they are experts only to find out they know how to post on Facebook and Twitter but have no knowledge of insights and measurement tools. Knowing Facebook and Twitter, oh and let’s not forget LinkedIn, doesn’t make you an expert. Social media is so much more than those three platforms (!). It’s relating to trends, it’s content creation (blogging) and it’s understanding SEO! It’s integrating landing pages, it’s about engagement and mobile and hey… it’s also understanding website analytics (can you say Google Analytics?)! but mostly it’s about how to maximize return on you’re content.
Social Media is Inexpensive: You can achieve success in less than 15 minutes a day? Really? I’m a firm believer on you “get back” what you put in. So if you only spend 15 minutes a day on your Social Media initiatives, you’ll only get that back in return… or less. Social Media takes time and effort. It’s about social engagement. That means you have to be in tuned to your market’s interests and take advantage of opportunities that daily trends provide. You need to make sure that you contribute value to your audience and your community. To be part of your audience’s inner circle, you must invest the time. So ask yourself: “How much is your time really worth?”
Anyone Can Do It: This is really part B to the first myth listed above about Social Media Experts. It irks me that people really believe anyone can do it. If you are going to embrace the Social Media Channel, one thing you should assess is how to maximize return on you’re initiative (content). Just like speaking English doesn’t make you a writer and knowing design and Photoshop software doesn’t make you a graphic designer; knowing how to tweet or post to Facebook, doesn’t make you a marketing professional.
Social Media is a Fad: News flash: Social Media is here to stay. It’s a good vehicle to engage your audience and be present during the customer decision making journey. As a business and as a brand, you really need to get your head around that or get left behind. It’s a strong awareness building tool, and if you want to be considered when customers are ready to buy… then you need to be present. Social Media is part of the marketing channels and is here to stay! As such, there needs to be an intended result, a building of strategy and a consistent, constant approach.
Social Media is All You Need: Right now, Social Media is top of mind, constantly on topic, on trend. Does anyone remember when web sites first made their debut into the business world, and hence, the marketing world. How about online digital advertising? None of these were fads and none of these have disappeared. They have their place in any solid marketing and advertising campaign. I believe that Social Media too, will take it’s rightful place in the Marketing Channel Mix – keyword being mix, melody, part of a recipe, etc…
Social Media does not take the place of Marketing. The way I see it, Marketing has always been evolving. It has always had to develop and grow. I know this is a leap, but Marketing had to evolve when television first arrived. Social Media is the new Marketing Evolution.
What are some myths that you have encountered in your initiation to Social Media? I’d love to hear about them.
by cassandr | Sep 7, 2012 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Social Media
In today’s day and age there are tons and thousands of blogs and growing. So how do you drive traffic to your blog? This is the million-dollar question that everyone asks.
Many people think that all you need is a catchy title about a popular topic, add in some popular search engine keywords and there you have it.
Well, it’s not that simple. Below are a few tips in building traffic to your blog.
Before getting started let’s begin stating the two basic reasons as to why regular readers follow blogs. Firstly, useful information is key in attaining followers and secondly highly engaging entertainment. If your blog substantially lacks either one of these don’t expect to get many followers because you won’t. You will need a different approach and a lot more brainstorming before reaching the next stage of building traffic.
Another key element in building traffic is you must be an expert in the particular topic you are talking about. There’s no sense in writing a blog if there’s no main focus. If too many unrelated topics are posted you will likely have an audience that will be very fragmented.
If your blog lacks expertise you’re just calling for trouble so, don’t expect to have an audience at all. But most importantly, have a focused direction.
If your blog offers valuable information, has a key focus then continue reading on about the tips and tricks of building traffic to your website.
1. Write Posts That People Will Want To Read
This sounds like a no brainer, but you would be surprised how many people forget to provide headlines and copy that will be interesting to your audience. If you write posts that the reader will find interesting they will likely come back and visit your blog regularly. That is only if you write often and regularly.
2. Use Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to Share Your Posts & Find New Connections
All three social networks attract a vast range of internet users around the world.
These networks which also be referred as “content distributors” meaning they can help you spread the word about your blog. Taking advantage of putting these networks will surely lead you on the path to success. Here’s how!
- Firstly, if you’re not already registered on these accounts I suggest you do so.
- Make sure you fill as much of these profiles as you can otherwise they will not look credible.
- Remember to connect with users on these sites whom already share a professional relationship, and begin following industry luminaries, and influencers.
- Share content with your peers especially anything that you feel is interesting enough to possibly go viral.
3. Optimize Your Posts for Search Engines
It is important when writing blog posts that you remember to optimize your pages for search engines to find them. I can’t stress this enough but you must include relevant keywords. A rule of thumb is to not overload your post with too many keywords or words that have not relevancy with what your talking about.
4. Tag Your Posts
It takes literally a few seconds to do yet people still don’t spend the time doing so. Adding tags to your blog posts is worth the time in terms of building additional traffic to your blog. They’re also key to helping readers find your blog when they are specifically searching for a topic, and can be easily picked up by search engines.
There are plenty other tips and tricks for building traffic to your blog. These four tips mentioned above are simply a good place to start and by no means the only ones. The blogging world is constantly changing and if you want to get to the top you must continue to read up on these trends.
How do you build traffic for your blog?
by cassie | Aug 8, 2012 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Creative, Events, Social Media
The internet and social media have created a venue for open marketing. It’s called the Blog. No longer are “readers” designated to print alone. Reading is now accessible to anyone that has connection to the web. Social Media has enabled more people to read up on their points of interests. People are turning to the views of bloggers for information on a specific topic and because they are seen as a trusted source. Added to that, bloggers are perceived as everyday people – one of “us” – and essentially they are. Bloggers tend to be very upfront about the experience they have with various products, stating whether or not they were paid or if they are acting as a brand ambassador. Transparency is what makes them trustworthy. Knowing that that there is no hidden agenda helps bloggers create a very loyal following. The beauty of blogging is that anyone, anywhere can do it; but, it must be done well, especially when we are speaking about brands and brand voice.
So why are blogs worth considering?
That’s an easy one… and is part of Marketing 101: Bloggers are another channel through which brands can reach their target markets based on psychographics. That in itself is exciting. Bloggers are a great way to reach a niche target market that may not be accessible with traditional media. There are blogs on everything, from cooking to parenting and even someone chronicling their journey in the Himalayan Mountains. Marketers can make use of bloggers by having them write reviews for products and services, promote contests and events, or even establish the forum themselves and engage with their audience one on one.
So why aren’t bloggers included in more marketing campaigns?
Much like traditional PR, there is no guarantee that a blogger will be interested in your product or service and if they do agree to a review, you can’t control what they’ll say. However, there is a way to overcome this obstacle. You can buy advertising space on blogs that garner attention from your target audience. Although, the most effective outreach happens when bloggers write review posts of their own accord. You have to EARN that review by convincing the blogger that your product or service is worth writing about.
How to identify appropriate bloggers?
Social Media isn’t easy and it isn’t inexpensive, there is a significant amount of time and energy involved when doing research. The first step is to identify influential bloggers. This can prove to be difficult depending on how specific your target audience is. There are a few different methods a brand can take when trying to locate bloggers:
- Look within: Brands may already be connected to bloggers and not even know it. Checking Twitter and Facebook followers and looking through website comment sections is one way brands can find bloggers that may already be tuned in to them. If a blogger has already engaged with a brand, they are more likely to get on board.
- Simply search: Running a search of brand keywords and images can be a good way for brands to identify bloggers. If a brand has been mentioned on top influencing blogs chances are it will come up in a search. Searching competitors is also a good idea. If the competition has been mentioned on any blogs, it may be a good idea to approach those blogs.
- Turn to tools: Online tools that rank and organize websites and blogs are everywhere. Turning to sites such as Bloglovin, Technorati, BlogCatalog and Alexa can prove helpful in finding influential bloggers. Tools that specialize in blogger outreach are also great to take advantage of. There are a number of tools out there such as BlogDash and GoupHigh that help brands find, research, and track blogger outreach efforts.
5 things you should know to help you fine tune and optimize your results on your blog:
- Where is the blog located? This one can be tricky, most bloggers don’t include a physical address in their profile description. But it is worth knowing, if you are trying to get a product promoted that is only available in certain locations, you want to avoid blogs that are outside those area. For example if a product is only available in Canada, you don’t want to reach out to bloggers from the States. If it isn’t mentioned on the site, email and ask.
- What topics do they cover? Make sure that the topics featured within the blog are relevant to your brand or its target audience.
- Are they PR/marketing friendly? Not all blogs accept product from PR or marketing firms. Look at some of their previous posts and see if any reviews or promotions have been included, if not, reaching out to them may be a waste of time.
- Is your product or service a good “fit”? Blogs can fall into a general category, but take a specific stance. For example, there are a lot of food blogs, but some cater to a vegan-organic-gluten free audience. Be sure to determine the bloggers point-of-view and make sure your brand falls within it.
- What is their audience reach? If a blog is PR/marketing friendly or accepts advertising, they usually have a media kit with site stats such as audience reach, demographics etc. This is important to know, because you want to create as much awareness as possible. Try targeting those with a high number of unique visitors per month. If there isn’t a media kit available to download, just ask.
Once you have all the required information, put it to use and tailor your pitch to the individual blog: mention past posts, say why you think your product is a good fit for their blog and why their readers need to know about it. Also be sure to mention what’s in it for them, whether it be free product (because who doesn’t love free stuff!) or some sort of kick back.
Blogger outreach doesn’t have to be difficult, you just need to pay attention to the details and put yourself out there. How do you successfully integrate blogs into your marketing campaign? We’d like to hear about it here!
