Video Is Where The Web Is Going
When it comes to digital marketing, there are trends that whisper…. and trends that SCREAM.
Capitalizing on trends that whisper is what makes you appear cool and ultra-informed. But it’s the trends that scream that you truly can’t afford to miss out on.
Proper now, one of the loudest trend I’m anticipating in 2012 is video taking a bigger slice of the on the web marketplace. It’s not like this is some type of bombshell prediction. It’s been developing for years….
Proper now, practically all of the greatest players are pushing to video and pushing Challenging. Netflix, YouTube (owned by Google), GoogleTV, iTV (Apple), Amazon Prime, and countless others are all dumping large funds into prime video.
Not to mention, the tablet devices that are reshaping our browsing experiences are all designed to stream video.
Right here are a handful of quick facts just to show you how robust this trend actually is.
Just yesterday, it was announced that there a full hour of video is uploaded on YouTube every single second — 60 hours every single minute of each day.
Cisco is re-engineering its routers to deal with what they call the “video onslaught,” i.e. they’re projecting that 90% of all web traffic will be video by 2015.
Past five:00 at night, a lot more than half of all web visitors is already video visitors — Netflix and other businesses serving prime video.
What does this mean for marketers? Clearly, it signifies you need to have to begin embracing video — YESTERDAY.
For over a year, I’ve been recommending that you test video sales letters, no matter what industry you’re in. We offer you a ton of fantastic trainings at Digital Marketer.
Not too long ago, my team stumbled onto the power of the YouTube thumbprint. Here’s a hint: If your Google search result has a YouTube thumbnail, it ranks higher and it gets a LOT a lot more clicks.
So there you have it… this trend is practically screaming its head off. All you have to do is listen.
3 Successful Google+ Pages and Why They Work
Have you created a Google+ page for your business? In this article I’ll show you what three top pages are doing.
Still in its infancy, Google+ has become a very hot topic.
Amid concern that this “new kid on the block” couldn’t compete in a social media landscape owned by Facebook, some have opted to dismiss the platform entirely.
While Google+ and Google+ business pages are still in the early stages, there is growing evidence that they’re here to stay.
You Can No Longer Ignore Google+
Google+ may be the newcomer in social media, but it can no longer be dismissed. And don’t take my word for it. Chris Brogan claims Google+ “changes EVERYTHING.” In a recent article, he cites two factors as being game-changers:
“Search is probably the biggest reason it changes everything. Second, a very wealthy company (Google) is pushing Plus to be a very powerful effort to change the way we share information on the web. They’ve spent money on commercials during many mainstream events, and they’ve changed up many of their disparate applications and processes to point harder toward Google+. They’ve really quickly moved towards building a social backplane that is a lot more functional than any other social network.”
Google+ Updates Coming Fast
Over the past few weeks, there has been a slew of Google+ updates that should make marketers sit up and take notice. The platform already included several integrations with other Google offerings that, according to Jesse Stay (author of Google+ for Dummies), ensure the platform’s staying power.
Google+ is here to stay, with updates coming out almost weekly.
Included in the more recent updates are features such as multiple admins for business pages, “On Air” hangouts, free voice calls, integration with Google Music, face-recognition capabilities and heftier integration with Gmail and contacts. And more exciting updates are on the way, including Google+ check-in deals.
The Google+ team is actively soliciting and responding to user feedback and suggestions on their Google+ page, hinting that more updates are in the works.
How Top Business Brands Are Using Google+
So which brands are finding the most success with Google+ business pages?
I took a look at both the most popular business pages and the most engaging page posts according to Socialstatistics.com. The findings were insightful and uncovered some conflicting pieces of data.
For example, the most popular profile on Google+ belongs to Britney Spears with almost 1 million followers. However, the top 10 brand pages are all dedicated to technology and not one page could be categorized under pop culture or entertainment.
Also revealing is the fact that despite the masses flocking to celebrity Google+ profiles, it’s the smaller communities that are actively engaging.
So how do business owners use these insights to help them mount their own Google+ campaigns? Let’s take a closer look at the strategies employed by the top brands on Google+.
Unlike Facebook, Google has prohibited the use of contests or promotions on its business pages. This higher level of engagement on Google+ adds even more value.
After studying the top pages and posts on Google+, I was most impressed with the activity on these pages:
- +Android
- +NASA
- +Funny Pictures and Videos.
Here’s a breakdown of their top-performing content.
#1: Android
Android boasts the most popular business page on Google+.
Android’s Google+ page is THE most popular business page with more than 140,000 fans. Unlike many other big brands’ business pages, Android’s audience is engaged and posts are averaging hundreds of +1′s, comments and shares.
Post frequency on the page runs the gamut from a few posts a day to more than 10. And there doesn’t appear to be any pattern as to which days the page admin is posting the most content.
The page header and many of the posts throughout December centered on their big “10 billion app” celebration. Which begs the question: Have all these promotional posts boosted sales in the Android app store? At this point, Android community managers aren’t ready to comment.
So what’s getting the Google+ Android community all hot and bothered? Here’s a look at their most engaging content:
- 10 cent apps promotion—In celebration of reaching the milestone of 10 billion app downloads, Android discounted selected apps to only 10 cents. The discounted app promotion ran for 10 days beginning December 6. Each day, the list of discounted apps changed and was posted on the Android Google+ page. These posts were the most engaging, with the initial announcement of the promotion gaining more than 2,000 shares and more than 3,000 +1′s.
- 10 billion Android app downloads infographic (This post had a +Android callout in the actual post copy, providing two ways friends of users who shared the post could find the page.)
- Google Currents announcement (Also had the +Android callout in the post copy.)
- Video content—Original video content posted on the page was also very engaging. Topics included Android game developer interviews, Google+ hangouts demo on a Galaxy Nexus smartphone, animation trumpeting the more than 200 million Android activations and an interview with Keith Richards presented by Google Music.
Google Music is a hot topic on the +Android business page, tracking more than 2,500 interactions.
- Google Music promotions—Top albums discounted to just $ 1 in the Android Market and free music from bands like Coldplay, which can be instantly shared with your circles on Google+.
#2: NASA
NASA's Google+ page engages followers with almost 15 posts daily.
NASA’s Google+ page is one of the most popular and engaging among all business pages. The page is updated between 5 and 15 times daily with the latest news, photos and videos from NASA.
The active space and science community on Google+ may support speculation that platform users are mostly tech-savvy early adopters. This finding contradicts the fact that the TOP Google+ profile belongs to pop star Britney spears. However, her page garners less engagement based upon the number of followers than the top brands I’ve outlined in this article.
So how is NASA beating out Britney? Here’s a look at their best-performing content:
- Invitation to send holiday greetings to the International Space Station crew.
This video explaining the upcoming lunar eclipse was among NASA's top-performing content on Google+.
- Video content—Topics include NASA shout-out from an elf starring in the new film Arthur Christmas, NASA’s Mars rover’s journey to Mars, Thanksgiving greetings from the new International Space Station commander and a video outlining the upcoming lunar eclipse that garnered a whopping 1,022 shares.
- News updates—The latest discoveries from the NASA Mars rover, the Kepler mission’s search for inhabitable planets and Voyager’s discoveries at the edge of the solar system.
#3: Funny Pictures & Videos
One of the most engaging pages, Funny Pictures & Videos delivers on its promise.
So I know Funny Pictures & Videos isn’t an actual brand, BUT they are getting outrageous numbers of shares, +1′s and comments on their posts. The content isn’t selling anything and stays “on message” by delivering exactly what they promise: funny pictures and videos.
The absence of any discounts, deals or promotional posts dispels the myth that consumers on social media are only interested in these types of offers.
The page averages about three to five posts daily, with each post receiving hundreds of comments and sometimes THOUSANDS of shares. The page photostrip that spans the top of the page has two simple calls to action: 1) Share This Page and 2) Add to Circles. That message seems to be resonating as the page ranks 13th among the most popular pages, with more than 60,000 followers. Here are some examples of their most engaging content:
- Animated photos—Topics include a white blood cell chasing down bacteria, importing Facebook data to Google+, a man with his two pet lions and a dog covering himself up with a blanket.
- Angry birds—Photos depicting the real-life version of the cartoon characters.
- Cartoons—Good old-fashioned comic-strip style cartoons.
- Cute animal photos—No explanation needed.
This animated photo depicting Bart Simpson and his classmates interacting with smartphones generated more than 5,000 shares on Google+.
- Tech-related content—Some of the most engaging content on this page revolves around technology and commentary on how it’s impacting our lives.
Key Insights
After surveying the top pages on Google+, there were several themes or practices that appeared to lead to successful engagement:
- The most interactive content includes rich media that offers up something unpredictable and unique.
- Knowing your audience and staying “on message” by giving them what they want is a sure way to boost engagement.
- Posts based upon recent news events, trending topics and other time-sensitive content tend to be share-worthy.
- Creating and promoting a GREAT deal on your products can engage your community, but watch activity carefully as these types of campaigns appear to have a shorter lifespan.
- Currently, the Google+ landscape is saturated with technology-themed content, with the related disciplines of science and IT among the most active.
- Keeping your campaign calls to action clearly visible on your Google+ page can help with campaign success.
Is the Jury Still Out?
I’m convinced that Google+ is here to stay and that it will continue to provide value to business owners. With capabilities such as video hangouts, free voice calls and slick integration with all of Google’s other tools, new users will continue to flock to the platform. There are many skeptics who completely disagree and feel Google+ will likely go the way of Google’s other failed projects such as Google Lively and Google Buzz.
What are your thoughts? Do you feel it’s time to get onboard the Google+ train? Or are you going to be left waiting on the platform? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Read More9 Small Business Social Media Success Stories
Are you curious what small businesses are doing to achieve success with social media marketing? Look no further.
This article highlights nine small businesses of various sizes and industries that have transformed their online presence with innovative social media marketing practices.
You’re guaranteed to find inspiration for your social media marketing efforts here.
These tactics will work for just about any business—from solopreneur to multi-employee manufacturer. So let’s dive in!
#1: JarvieDigital Photography
Scott Jarvie takes world-class wedding and nature photographs and he has trained a number of photographers using his unique methods. He’s even had a photographic method named after him: The Jarvie Window.
The Jarvie Window has generated interest in Scott's photography around the world.
As a photographer, you would expect Scott to have exceptional photos on his site, and he does. But he uses them on both Facebook and Google+ to create personal engagement and promote his products and services. In fact, Scott has developed different engagement strategies for each platform.
On Scott's personal Google+ profile, he is highly engaged through sharing resources and commenting.
On his Google+ business page, Scott features his photo services.
While Scott is a premium photographer and trainer, he demonstrates his expertise and generosity to photographers worldwide through sharing resources on his website and through his social sites.
Scott not only shares valuable resources, he also promotes the work of his students—a great way to show social love.
Key Takeaways
- Differentiate your social strategies on your personal profile(s) from your business pages.
- Freely share resources with your fans as a way to grow your fan base and your perceived expertise.
#2: The Prospecting Expert: A Consultant
Steve Kloyda founded The Prospecting Expert, a business-to-business consulting firm that helps salespeople with their prospecting skills. He has developed a powerful social presence through the use of video and podcasts.
Steve provides valuable content through a regular podcast show and video channel. Notice also the use of social sharing buttons.
One thing Steve understands is branding. Through the use of his photo and logo, he has created a consistent look and feel across all of his social channels.
Steve's brand is instantly recognizable. Notice also the friendly picture—important when your face is your brand.
One ninja trick executed by Steve is the creation of an iPhone app for distributing his content. While it could cost from hundreds to several thousands of dollars, the marketing benefit of having your content delivered straight to your users’ mobile devices could be invaluable.
Let your customers directly access your content on their mobile devices with a customized app.
Key Takeaways
- Start a podcast or video show for delivering your content.
- Keep your branding consistent across all of your social platforms.
- Develop an app for delivering content to your mobile customers.
#3: Coconut Bliss: An Ice Cream Company
Coconut Bliss is an organic dessert company based in Eugene, Oregon. Their products have become widely popular due to their social media practices.
Coconut Bliss conveys a fun, social brand through rotating photos on their home page.
Technorati discovered in their 2011 State of the Blogosphere report that bloggers use photos more than any other type of media (80% use photos, around 50% use videos and many fewer for all other formats). Coconut Bliss makes an effective use of fun and friendly pictures to show customers eating their dessert products.
Coconut Bliss integrates photos across social platforms.
Coconut Bliss makes an effective use of promotions to engage their fans. In this year’s Veggie Awards, they were able to partner with VegNews to offer a unique prize to Coconut Bliss fans while also getting partnership in a much larger promotion to all readers of VegNews. Two smart strategies: contests and partnerships.
Key Takeaways
- Invest in a decent camera and learn how to take captivating pictures.
- Integrate photos across all of your social platforms.
- Make strategic use of contests and partnerships to grow your fan base.
#4: JamaicansMusic: An Online Music Channel
Casey Hibbard highlighted JamaicansMusic in a Social Media Examiner post, but they have some unique social practices worth emulating. After all, they have achieved astronomical growth through smart social media practices—1.5 million new fans in 4 months!
When visiting the JamaicansMusic website, one instantly gets the feeling that this is a social company. In fact, there are three different places on their home page to connect socially.
Make it easy to connect socially, especially if there are multiple offers on your home page.
By providing contests, free music, games and other valuable resources, JamaicansMusic has given their Facebook fans lots of reasons to revisit their page—and tell their friends about it.
When playing this creative songwriting game, JamaicansMusic offers fans more ways to connect socially.
Key Takeaways
- Provide fans multiple reasons for returning to your site by offering games, contests and valuable content.
- Give visitors lots of opportunities to connect socially.
#5: SEOMoz: A Software Company
SEOMoz is a search engine optimization and social monitoring service provider. One thing that distinguishes their site is the use of gaming mechanics to spur participation from their writers and site members. Each post, comment and Like generates points that help distinguish the experts from the crowd.
Gaming mechanics encourage site members to actively participate if they want to rank well against their peers.
Not only does SEOMoz invite social engagement on the first visit, they also use social proof to earn the trust of visitors. See the recognizable brands in the image below.
If you've done business with name-recognizable companies, ask if you can tell others. It provides significant social proof for your business.
Key Takeaways
- Build gaming mechanics into your site to increase social behaviors (Liking, commenting, posting). It will increase engagement and the SEO benefits are huge.
- Remember the important benefits of social proof.
#6: Ana White: Carpenter
Ana White is a carpenter billing herself as a “homemaker” who has a website to empower women to do carpentry projects. With over 51,000 Facebook fans, Ana has created a massive following among women (and quite a few men) who love her easy-to-follow blueprints for do-it-yourself furniture projects.
Ana's Facebook page has over 51,000 fans. Her fans post tips and projects here frequently.
Since late 2009, Ana has been publishing free how-to guides for furniture. She also asks her fans to post pictures of their success stories—the very thing people love to do (talk about themselves). As a result, she has a very popular site where most of the posting comes from fans. Very smart!
Ana's fans love to post pictures of their successful home projects.
Notice all the social sharing options Ana makes available at the end of the post above. She makes it easy to share with friends.
Ana has also created a very engaged community on her Facebook page that complements, but is distinct from, her blog.
Remarkably, she doesn’t post that often—she doesn’t have to. While she comments on at least half of the posts, her fans are busy posting and answering questions for each other.
Key Takeaways
- Create a community where users can talk about themselves.
- Empower your fans to share their experiences with other users.
- Have clear strategies for your blog and Facebook page.
#7: EasyLunchboxes
Kelly Lester founded EasyLunchboxes out of a personal desire to find healthy ways to package food she sent with her children to school. As a solopreneur, she has found unusual success due to her wise social practices and great social branding.
Her blog presents a clean, compelling look into her company. On her website, Kelly has integrated multiple opportunities to connect socially and to subscribe to her newsletter.
In addition to inviting social connections, Kelly has positioned herself uniquely as the "Singing CEO," a title that will be easily remembered.
An important piece of social real estate is the Facebook welcome tab. Kelly makes good use of this space by keeping her brand exciting, telling visitors what to expect from her page and promising valuable content.
Your welcome tab should give visitors a sense of what to expect on your page.
Kelly has created a focused plan to market through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and her blog. She delivers unique content on each channel and integrates them with each other—all while maintaining her personal life as a mom and actress.
With her acting background, Kelly has distinguished her YouTube channel by creating her own TV series. This includes over 150 videos where she has even given her audience a chance to share videos of why they like EasyLunchboxes.
If you or someone you know has an acting flair, think about creating your own video series.
Key Takeaways
- Take full advantage of Facebook’s welcome tab to let potential fans know who you are and why they should Like your page.
- Differentiate your social strategies to match the platform and your skill set(s)—think outside the box if you have some unique talents available like acting or singing.
- Take the time to get your visual branding right.
#8: Social Media Explorer: An Agency and Online Service
Social Media Explorer is a business-to-business education and information products company focused on social media and digital marketing.
On their home page, Social Media Explorer has taken advantage of Intent, a Twitter plugin. This allows a user to see if he or she already follows this business.
What is seen before following Jason Falls' Twitter account
What users see if they are following Jason Falls.
As a blog, Social Media Explorer features numerous guest authors. To show social love to these authors, Jason Falls and Aaron Marshall have prominently highlighted the social profiles of each of their authors. This allows readers to quickly connect with the experts and enables the authors to expand their influence.
Each Social Media Explorer author receives prominent recognition for their articles and an easy way for readers to find them on various social platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Make it easy for site visitors to follow you.
- Show appropriate social love to your guest authors by featuring their social profiles prominently.
#9: Orabrush: A Dental Product
After years of failed attempts to market his innovative tongue brush, Dr. Bob Wagstaff decided to give YouTube a try. Spending only $ 500, he created his first video. In less than 3 years that video has been seen more than 16 million times and helped to generate over $ 1.6 million in sales and contracts with Wal-Mart and CVS Pharmacies.
While you can’t guarantee a video will go viral like this, there are some lessons to be learned:
- Talk about something that people care about—in this case, bad breath.
- Keep your video short—Dr. Bob’s video was only 2 minutes long.
- Embed your video on your home page.
- Grab people’s attention in the first 5 seconds—with some minor editing, this video incorporates quick, edgy statements that pull the viewer into wanting to hear the solution.
- Offer something for free—your first Orabrush is free, if you’ve watched the video.
Here are more tips on video marketing.
Orabrush embedded their popular video on their home page, while answering a problem that concerns many people: bad breath.
Some other best practices used on Orabrush’s website: They made it easy for users to tell their stories with video clips. They also prominently feature quotes from the traditional press on their page. Finally, they make their YouTube channel prominent, because this has been a key to their success.
Let individuals and the press sing your praises through videos and quotes on your website.
Finally, Orabrush understands the importance of keeping customers on their website, so they integrated Facebook onto their site.
Integrate Facebook to keep fans on your website.
Key Takeaways
- If you have a great product or service, don’t give up on your dream. Instead, think about how social media might help you get your ideas in front of your ideal customers.
- Follow best practices for creating quality videos.
- Make use of fan and video reviews on your page.
These nine small businesses have many more things to teach other small businesses everywhere, but they aren’t the only ones.
What do you think? What have you learned that you’d like to share? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.
Read MoreA Tale Of Two Social Networks
It’s impossible not to draw parallels among Facebook and the other network that could have been Facebook…
That network is, of course, MySpace, or my_____, or whatever catchy spelling that schizophrenic company is going by these days.
According to a study published final week, Facebook is on its way to a billion users worldwide in August. We’ll say that once again, 1 BILLION!
MySpace, on the other hand, is on its way to zero… The when mighty network has watched its users leave gradually, then suddenly, then in droves.
At present, MySpace is hanging out at about 20M exclusive guests per month. While that’s absolutely nothing to scoff at — for a startup — it’s fewer distinctive visitors than a internet site like Reddit gets, a tenth of the visitors that Twitter gets. Right here’s the genuine kicker, that’s half as significantly traffic as MySpace got a year ago!
Only four months right after its official launch, Google+ has already surpassed MySpace.
So what did MySpace do incorrect, so horribly offensive, that it triggered their users to pack up and leave? And how did Facebook manage to steal tens of millions of recovering MySpace addicts?
Naturally, design was a massive part — Facebook’s was much much better. But it wasn’t the visual design that genuinely made the distinction… it was how Facebook designed its information.
The essential is RELEVANCE.
We all know why individuals log in to their social media accounts: To see messages, photos, and updates from the People in their network.
MySpace didn’t produce or impose any of the firewalls required to maintain annoying promoters from spamming your account. As a result, it became a lot harder to locate relevant content material, posted by actual close friends.
Keep in mind how, by 2007, your MySpace account was a huge ugly mess of irrelevant, automated spam?
In contrast, Facebook was slow to enable its network up to non-college students, and even slower to open it to brands. Zuckerberg was wary of marketers, since he understood that relevance and genuine human interaction was the engine that drives social media.
It’s a lesson that has impacted all social networks because Facebook. And it’s a lesson that all marketers really should drill into their brains.
Users have turn into much a lot more sophisticated. They can tell the difference between real content and automated gibberish.
That’s why it’s so crucial to not rely too heavily on automated content material distribution. By all means, have a human write your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ posts.
The second that we suspect that a piece of software package is generating messages, and not an actual individual, it cheapens the user encounter and destroys the perceived value.
A Tale Of Two Social Networks
It’s impossible not to draw parallels between Facebook and the other network that could have been Facebook…
That network is, of course, MySpace, or my_____, or whatever catchy spelling that schizophrenic company is going by these days.
According to a study published last week, Facebook is on its way to a billion users worldwide in August. We’ll say that again, one BILLION!
MySpace, on the other hand, is on its way to zero… The once mighty network has watched its users leave gradually, then suddenly, then in droves.
Currently, MySpace is hanging out at around 20M unique visitors per month. While that’s nothing to scoff at — for a startup — it’s fewer unique visitors than a site like Reddit gets, a tenth of the visitors that Twitter gets. Here’s the real kicker, that’s half as much traffic as MySpace got a year ago!
Only four months after its official launch, Google+ has already surpassed MySpace.
So what did MySpace do wrong, so horribly offensive, that it caused their users to pack up and leave? And how did Facebook manage to steal tens of millions of recovering MySpace addicts?
Obviously, design was a big part — Facebook’s was much better. But it wasn’t the visual design that really made the difference… it was how Facebook designed its information.
The key is RELEVANCE.
We all know why people log in to their social media accounts: To see messages, photos, and updates from the PEOPLE in their network.
MySpace didn’t create or impose any of the firewalls necessary to keep annoying promoters from spamming your account. As a result, it became a lot harder to find relevant content, posted by actual friends.
Remember how, by 2007, your MySpace account was a big ugly mess of irrelevant, automated spam?
In contrast, Facebook was slow to allow its network up to non-college students, and even slower to open it to brands. Zuckerberg was wary of marketers, because he understood that relevance and genuine human interaction was the engine that drives social media.
It’s a lesson that has impacted all social networks since Facebook. And it’s a lesson that all marketers should drill into their brains.
Users have become much more sophisticated. They can tell the difference between real content and automated gibberish.
That’s why it’s so important to not rely too heavily on automated content distribution. By all means, have a human write your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ posts.
The second that we suspect that a piece of software is generating messages, and not an actual person, it cheapens the user experience and destroys the perceived value.
Internet Marketing Makeover: Making Fresh Content Easy
14 days! You’ve made it through 13 days of the Internet Marketing Makeover, you’ve come back for more and you’re not even crying yet! I’m so proud!
Yesterday you prepared your past posts, articles and pages for a better tomorrow. You also looked at how you’ll schedule future content production.
Today I’m going to give you the best tip I know for creating fresh content for your site quickly and easily. It doesn’t require buying articles, paying per post or hiring outsources (although you can have outsourcers do this work for you if you want to).
Again, with Google’s Freshness Update, having new, unique content on your site matters, so this is a step you can’t afford to miss.
[The rest of this post is for members only. The good news? Membership is free. Sign up here or log in here.]
Related posts:
- NorCal Pirate Festival 2 lbs of Turkey leg – ATTACK! Sent from my…
- Awesomeness Redefined! (And that’s just Module 1)! Head on over to http://www.michellemacphearson.com/abs/…
- How to *NOT* Become a Writer (Getting fresh content…) Let’s talk content. Content creation is the BANE of many…
Google Search Adds Google+: This Week in Social Media
Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up-to-date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.
What’s New This Week?
Google Search Integrates Google+: Google transforms “into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships,” and introduces three new features: personal results, profiles in search and people and pages. This means that your Google search results will be even more personalized, thanks to information shared on Google+.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9TTBxarbs
Twitter’s Embeddable Tweets: Twitter users are using the embeddable tweet code to publish interactive tweets on their websites and blogs, like the one below. Find out how to embed tweets here.
Finalists: Top 10 Social Media Blogs 2012 bit.ly/A2SWis via @smexaminer
— Michael A. Stelzner (@Mike_Stelzner) January 9, 2012
Groupon Announces New Promotional Marketing Instrument: Clicky, the Clickable Value-Wheel “gives users the opportunity to potentially score a discount on select Groupons by the simple act of spinning a wheel! Clicky was designed to provide momentary distraction and meet the minimum threshold of amusement necessary for users to share Clicky, the Clickable Value-Wheel through social media channels, thereby virally spreading Groupon and increasing its number of active customers.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4eW0zfmxGQ
Etsy Adds Pinterest Pin It Button: Etsy, the popular ecommerce site, recognizes the power of social media and embraces Pinterest. Check out Etsy’s Pinterest page.
Ads Appear in Facebook News Feeds as “Featured” Posts: These ads, also referred to as Sponsored Stories, are showing up as featured posts in your news feed.
Here’s a social media tool worth noting:
Brand My Mail: a new tool to seamlessly integrate RSS feeds, Twitter posts, WordPress blogs and more into your email.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_V_kIzKKqM
And don’t miss this:
Last Week to Save 50% on Social Media Examiner’s Small Biz Conference
Social Media Examiner presents Small Business Success Summit 2011! (online conference) Join 25 experts, including including John Jantsch (author, Duct Tape Marketing), Anita Campbell (founder, Small Business Trends), Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner and author, Launch), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Jesse Stay (author, Google+ for Dummies), Hollis Thomases (author, Twitter Marketing), David Siteman Garland (founder, “The Rise to the Top” and author, Faster, Smarter, Cheaper), Joe Pulizzi (founder, Content Marketing Institute and co-author, Get Content, Get Customers), Brian Clark (founder, Copyblogger Media), Lee Odden (founder, TopRank Online Marketing), Ramon Ray (founder, Small Biz Technology and author, Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses) and Lewis Howes (co-author, LinkedWorking)—just to mention a few (scroll down to see full list)! Go here to learn more.
What social media news caught your interest this week? Please share your comments below.
Read More5 Tips for Making Your Brand More Social
What message does your brand convey to socially engaged customers?
As we enter the golden age of social media, companies can no longer afford the luxury of tightly scripted, top-down messaging (e.g., “We’re the best! Take our word for it.”).
Nor can a company simply opt out and remain silent (as epitomized in Northwestern Mutual’s “The Quiet Company” ad campaign of years past).
As social media channels have increased, so has the need to communicate effortlessly and simultaneously. Just as presidential candidates now face the constant scrutiny of a 24-hour news cycle, companies are being called on to respond in real time across multiple media platforms. This is not a time for hesitation.
To market effectively, companies need a consistent, compelling brand voice—one that doesn’t pause, mumble or clam up. Here are five ways to share your message comfortably and confidently.
#1: Determine your brand personality
The majority of small businesses grow organically, adding clients and services over time. As they evolve, they gain a reputation for how they conduct business. Taking the time to identify your company’s personality traits, the reasons customers come to you, is pivotal to determining your brand voice. Are you serious and professional? Edgy and innovative? Funny and informal?
Need a good exercise? Compare your company brand to a type of car, a hotel chain, a CEO, etc., to see which one best represents you. Are you more Richard Branson or Bill Gates? Are you a Land Rover or a Prius? Ritz Carlton or Motel 6? Define your character and you’ll speak with greater conviction.
#2: Identify your true audience
As any comedian will tell you, the same material plays differently to different rooms. Make sure you know your audience, one that’s receptive to your message and congruent with your brand.
For example, if you are a B2B company, LinkedIn and Google+ will prove a more fertile ground than tweeting out your professional service offerings to random followers. Rather than a shotgun approach, align your brand and commit your resources to those communities that will respond to your message.
Join industry-specific subgroups and forums. Participate by offering thoughtful responses in your area of expertise. And while it’s important to measure your brand’s Klout score, it means little if you’re speaking to the wrong crowd. To find out more about your tribe, check out valuable demographic information available through Facebook Insights.
Klout offers one way to measure your brand's reach and impact.
#3: Develop a consistent tone
With branding, consistency is king, so be sure to convey a familiar style of messaging when you communicate. There’s no single right or wrong way to speak, as long as it’s congruent.
The online e-newsletter company, MailChimp, has a fun, campy feel no matter what they write. From tweets such as, “You’re most welcome, human friend. Eep eep!” to a tongue-in-cheek “Pioneers in banana technology,” they are comfortable with their informal tone.
MailChimp's home page features their playful mascot demonstrating their fun style of communication.
Woot! offers witty commentary about their deal of the day, rather than stale product information. So no matter what style of communication you choose, stay with it.
Woot!'s tongue-in-cheek product descriptions keep consumers amused (and shopping!).
Don’t speak authoritatively on your company Facebook page, post Gandhi quotes on Twitter and then upload hilarious office pranks on YouTube. Multi-personality disorder will not sit well with potential customers.
If several staff members contribute to your social media, make sure they understand your brand personality (see step #1) and write from that point of view.
Woot!'s snarky voice speaks to their brand of humor.
#4: Timing is everything
Knowing when to speak is often crucial to establishing a credible brand voice in the market. Jumping in too soon or waiting too long can make you appear hasty or out-of-touch.
Set Google alerts on key subject matter in your industry so that you can remain informed, knowledgeable and ready to offer insights and commentary when appropriate.
Google Alerts takes seconds to set up and can be customized for weekly or daily delivery, straight to your email.
Google Alerts provide easy, top-line reading to keep you informed and up-to-date on industry trends and developments.
Having material will also allow you to participate regularly, while avoiding the pitfall of under- or overcommunication. (Nothing like a torrent of tweets to turn off followers.)
Timely contributions demonstrate that the proverbial “lights are on” and someone is at home in your business. If your last blog post or update is six months old, that speaks volumes.
If your only post looks like this, you'll give the impression that you have stage fright.
On the flip side, with pressure mounting to “get out there” and participate in social media, it’s easy to feel compelled to say something… anything… just to prove you are using all the tools available. Avoid appearing inept by gaining a sense of the conversation and reading through comments and feedback before rushing in.
#5: Practice makes perfect
Hesitation stems from lack of confidence. And nothing builds confidence faster and better than practice. Fortunately, the web provides ample opportunity to perfect your brand voice. Start with your company blog (You have one, right?) and build a library of helpful articles showcasing your expertise.
These gems can be repurposed and submitted to various article directories to further amplify your message. Reach out to online publications and blog sites as a contributing author. Pepper in a few good tweets, Facebook updates and LinkedIn contributions, and you have the makings of a recognized voice in your industry.
Knowing your brand personality and audience, speaking consistently at the right time and honing your message will improve your brand voice and strengthen your identity. By following these five simple guidelines, you’ll feel more at ease communicating to a growing audience. In the end, you’ll be writing your own words, while speaking your customers’ language.
What do you think? How steady is your brand voice? Has social media affected what you say and how you say it? If so, share your experiences in the comments box below.
Read MoreWin Free Tickets to Small Biz Success Summit 2012
Want to win a free ticket to the largest online social media marketing event for small businesses?
Social Media Examiner has secured some of the top names in the industry to bring you Small Biz Success Summit.
And we’ve come up with a fun way to get you involved.
First, what is this event?
Small Biz Success Summit 2012 is a large online conference dedicated to helping small businesses master social media marketing.
More than 800 small businesses have already signed up—people just like you.
Twenty-eight of the world’s most respected small business social media marketing experts will share their strategies with you.
Hear from John Jantsch (author, Duct Tape Marketing), Anita Campbell (founder, Small Business Trends), Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner and author, Launch), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Jesse Stay (author, Google+ for Dummies), Hollis Thomases (author, Twitter Marketing), David Siteman Garland (founder, “The Rise to the Top” and author, Smarter, Faster, Cheaper), Joe Pulizzi (founder, Content Marketing Institute and co-author, Get Content, Get Customers), Brian Clark (founder, Copyblogger Media), Lee Odden (founder, TopRank Online Marketing), Ramon Ray (founder, Small Biz Technology and author, Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses) and Lewis Howes (co-author, LinkedWorking)—just to mention a few.
Presentation topics include developing a social media strategy, finding and engaging your target audience, selling with social media, measuring success, Facebook marketing, Google+ marketing, blogging techniques, LinkedIn marketing, Twitter marketing and video marketing (just to mention a few!). Check out all the sessions.
At last summer’s summit, 99% of attendees said they’d recommend the event to a friend and attend again.
How can you win tickets?
We have three free tickets to the summit, valued at $ 597 each, plus the opportunity to be promoted to more than 125,000 of your peers! And remember, this is an online conference—so no travel is required to participate.
Two ways to win:
There are three tickets up for grabs and two ways to win:
#1: Twitter entry
Simply click the button on the right or tweet what you see below for a chance to win one ticket:
You can tweet up to two times per day. Each tweet is an entry to win. We’ll randomly draw the winner of a free ticket. All tweets must have the #winSBSS12 hashtag included.
#2: Written entry
This winner gets two tickets PLUS a mention in the Social Media Examiner Newsletter (125,000+ subscribers)!
Simply write why we should award you the free tickets in the comments box below (scroll down).
The judges (Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner and John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing) will select the winning entry. Their decisions are subjective and final.
What you need to know:
- You can enter to win either or both prizes.
- Tweets must contain #winSBSS12.
- The deadline is Friday, January 20, and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.
- If you’ve already purchased a ticket, no worries. If you win, we’ll either give you a full refund or you can give your spare ticket to someone you really like.
- No purchase is necessary to win.
We look forward to seeing your comments and tweets. Good luck!
Read MoreBaiting Google
Welcome to Day 11 of the Internet Marketing Makeover!
Yesterday you re-evaluated your sites’ main keyword phrases as well as established the most relevant, trafficked and low competition long tail keyword phrases to target.
Today you’ll use that fresh keyword research information to optimize your sites.
You’ll create Google bait.
[The rest of this post is for members only. The good news? Membership is free. Sign up here or log in here. ]
Related posts:
- Internet Marketing Makeover: Your Niche Is Evolving – Are You? Welcome to Day 9 of the Internet Marketing Makeover! What’s…
- Steal This Niche – For the Shortys The second installment of the “Steal This Niche” series, we…
- Steal This Niche – Intro New series! In the “Steal This Niche” series you’ll learn…
Get Amazing Stats Magic!
Get Easy Video Player 2
Video Marketing Software
Elegant Premium Themes & Plugins for WordPress!
Walk to the DarkSide…
