Retailers Must Master Mobile Sales and Service

It’s just three months until another Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but who’s counting? Only every major retailer that thrives on holiday sales….

And while holiday retail sales and service always pose a stressful challenge when it comes to delivering on the customer experience, this holiday season may require even more early preparation, as mobile sales are predicted to jump to more than 20% of total holiday purchases, and perhaps even surpass 50% for specific retailers in the flash sales category.

“Mobile is going to continue to grow this holiday season in terms of the transaction channel, said Dave Haucke, a strategist at IBM Enterprise Marketing, in a recent Mobile Commerce Daily article. “That is good news, but it also means that it raises the stakes in terms of that customer experience because we are starting to see an increase in bounce rates and a decrease in time on site and pages visits.”

But it isn’t just during the holiday season that mobile is making a big impact. According to a recent Millennial Media report, mobile now makes up 51% (37% smartphones, 14% tablets) of the time that consumers spend on retail websites or using related apps. This has grown 285% since 2010.


Is desktop/laptop shopping on the way out? According to the report, no. The study found that mobile actually grows a retail desktop audience by 45% as customers move between the device that is most convenient to them at a given time.

Dialing Up the Mobile Customer Experience
With the rise of millennial consumers, as well as a few big brands already doing mobile right increasing customer expectations, most retailers need to quickly stock up on their mobile offerings for sales and customer service.  “Retail advertisers spend an average of three times more in Q4 than the rest of the year, so we’re approaching a crucial time of the year for these brands,” said Marcus Startzel, chief revenue officer of Millennial Media, in a recent Mobile Commerce Daily feature.

“This holiday season, we expect to see retail advertisers create unique mobile experiences that will not only drive brand awareness, but actively help consumers undertake popular mobile activities, such as comparing product prices, scanning bar codes or researching product features,” he said.

Mobile customer service is another chief concern, as smartphone and tablet consumers who are met with inconvenient or non-existent mobile customer care are only a touch away from complaining on social media.

Make It Easy for Customers Holding the Phone Forrester forecasts that companies will spend about $900 million on mobile process reinvention services in 2013, a number that will more than triple in 2014 and continue to rise through 2015. And the investment is well worth it, because according to a new Nuance consumer survey, 72% of consumers have a more positive view of a company if it provides a mobile customer service app.

Forrester also predicts that by 2018, mobile devices will be rich interfaces for highly customized service experiences based on who the user is, what their current situation is as measured by a variety of sensors, where the consumer is located, and what the service provider knows about both the user and the overall situation. But don’t panic. Right now, it’s time to master the basics:

1. Put the Most Important Customer Service Information Front and Center. The information or functions mobile customers want or need most should be available front and center without having to scroll or use additional navigation. Survey your customers to see what features would be most useful to them in a mobile app, but some across-the-board suggestions include contact information, click-to-call, chat and a search bar to access self-serve content.

2. Keep Content Simple.  If your organization’s knowledgebase content is disorganized, dated or just has too much information, you’ll lose your connection with mobile customers.

3. Invest in the User Interface. In the 2013 Forrester report, Mobile Engagement Demands Process Transformation, authors Simon Yates and Clay Richardson advise, “Go beyond ‘lipstick on a pig’ approaches to mobile engagement. Realize that users can often see through the thin veneer of mobile makeup that hides complex and rigid business processes.

“To deliver desirable outcomes and experiences for mobile customers and employees, CIOs need to roll up their sleeves to optimize key business processes for mobile engagement.”
As evident from the statistics above, the evolution of, and desire for, mobile engagement is quickly accelerating. The key for all brands, especially those for whom holiday sales and service makes a significant impact, is to hop onboard and then ensure continued innovation takes it course.

To learn more about how mobile marketing can help your business during the upcoming holiday season, click here.

Article curated from Social Media Today

Google unveils major overhaul of its search engine

Google's changes are a big deal because so many other companies rely on Google search results to get visitors to their own websites.

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Google unveiled a big revamp of its search engine Thursday that affects 90% of the search results served up worldwide by the Internet giant.

Called Hummingbird internally, the change to Google's main search algorithm kicked in about a month ago, but was not disclosed by Google until Thursday at an event in Silicon Valley marking the company's 15-year anniversary.

"It is really big," said Google search executive Amit Singhal.

The new algorithm makes search results more relevant and useful, especially when users ask more complex questions — something that has been happening a lot more in recent years, Singhal explained.

Google unveiled the change at the old Menlo Park, Calif., house of Susan Wojcicki, senior vice president of Google advertising. Google started in 1998 in Wojcicki's garage. The company opened the space for reporters to announce its latest search efforts.

"We think about having 100 years to create the most amazing search opportunity. So we are 15 years in," Wojcicki said Thursday.

Google dominates the multibillion-dollar Web search business, so any changes it makes to search are closely watched, especially by those in the Internet and advertising industries.

"Industries hold their breath whenever something like this happens because it changes the way search results appear," said Sameet Sinha, an analyst at B. Riley & Co. "Google is such a significant part of traffic to most websites, so any change in algorithms is extremely important."
Companies including Demand Media, TripAdvisor, Bankrate.com, Yelp and WebMD get a lot of their Web traffic from Google search results and some of these companies have been hit by changes in the company's algorithms in the past, Sinha noted.

On Thursday, Google search executive Tamar Yehoshua showed off new voice-based queries by asking for a comparison of the nutritional benefits of olive oil compared with coconut oil. Google's new search algorithm returned a result dominated by a long list of information comparing the two oils — all compiled by Google and shown on Google's own website.
"If I get the information first on Google, maybe I don't click through to WebMD anymore," Sinha said. "There will definitely be some boats that will be rocked by this."

Google revolutionized search by developing the PageRank system for ranking the world's Web pages based on relevance, using an algorithm that tracked how many times those pages are referenced by other pages. In 2010, Google completely changed the system through an upgrade called Caffeine — and now the company has rebuilt it again with Hummingbird.

The change comes as people become more comfortable asking long, complex questions when they use Google to search the Web, rather than single words or simple phrases, Singhal explained in an interview with USA TODAY.

Google is also making the change to ensure its search results work well with voice-based queries. When people speak, rather than type on a computer, they use more complex phrases and Google had to update its algorithm to handle that, Singhal said.

Voice-based search is becoming more important as people use smartphones more to find information, Singhal and other Google executives said Thursday.

Ben Gomes, a top Google engineer originally from India, said that Google's voice-recognition technology used to have trouble handling his mix of Indian and American accents. But now, he said, the technology picks up his speech accurately.

"Today, voice search is actually working," Singhal added.

IES Marketing can help market your business with Google internet marketing as well as many other forms of internet marketing.  Click here to learn how we can help your business.
 
Article curated from USA Today

How to Make Your Holiday Campaigns Mobile

Waiting in long lines – it’s one holiday tradition no one treasures.

But consumers will seek distractions browsing social networks on their smartphones during those long waits at the mall.

It’s a fact: more people will access Facebook and Twitter from mobile than desktop this season. For social marketers, that means thinking mobile-first. These tips will help you engage the mobile masses with your holiday campaigns.

Keep it simple.The best holiday campaigns make it easy to enter on the go. So choose a third-party app that’s mobile-ready. And if fan growth is one of your campaign goals, make sure it supports mobile fan-gating.

Running a sweepstakes? Limit your entry forms to four fields or less. Nobody likes clicking through multiple pages on their phone. The easier it is for your fans to enter, the more sign ups you’ll get.

The same holds true for Photo Contests. Give your fans simple prompts with low barriers to entry. Ask them to snap a selfie with a favorite shopping buddy, or a picture of their favorite holiday treat. Don’t get too specific, and you’ll see great traction.

Hashtag it.Hashtags do more than classify social content – they unite your audience around one conversation. And they help consumers participate in conversations when they’re on the go.
Many brands promote hashtags across social, TV, print and digital advertisements. But you can’t just slap a hashtag on a flyer and call it a day. Give consumers reasons to connect. Run sweepstakes that simply require tweeting a certain hashtag to enter. Or run Photo Contests that allow fans to submit photos via a hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll see mobile participation skyrocket.



The feed is your friend.Reading the news feed is the most popular activity for Facebook’s mobile users.  Shouldn’t they spot your posts when they scroll?

Ramp up your social posting. Communicate frequently about your sales and campaigns. Make sure to grab their attention with big, engaging visuals. And don’t forget to put some budget around it. Promoting your posts will get that extra visibility.

Connect social to the store.If retail sales matter to your brand, then connecting them to social should too.

Give your customers reasons to pick up their phones and follow you, by promoting your holiday sweepstakes or letting them know they can save on their next purchase by liking you. You can even ask them to share pictures of their favorite finds or in-store displays.

And make sure it works the other way too. Use your social channels to distribute mobile-ready coupons and promote in-store deals. Share customer tweets, photos and comments. Convert those fans into in-store sales.

IES Marketing can help your business with mobile marketing this holiday season.  Click here to learn more.

Article curated from Social Media Today

Be More Personable on Social Media: 3 Tips

 

You can lose the corporate speak--without losing your brand. Here's how to strike a happy balance.

Almost every business engages its customers through social media. Some do it well... and many could do it better.

The key? Keep it clear, classy, and consistent.


1. Clearly and concisely personify your brand.
As a business owner, it's your job to accurately and acutely engage the appropriate employees and resources to generate a clear, concise brand voice.

You've probably addressed, at least conceptually, your brand voice for advertising, public relations, and other marketing efforts. Social, though, is in a league of its own, brand conversations may not directly start from, end with, or even include your brand at all.

Ask yourself:

• What are the guiding principles of our brand, not including social, and how do we extend them socially?
• How do we complement the style and voice of other marketing activities?
• What is the inbound conversation? What is the style of the people who speak to us?

You're never in total control of your brand--so why not embrace that and use that in a positive way? If you're green, don't talk like IBM. Should you be casual, or formal, or snarky (probably not, but a healthy dose of sarcasm does work for some brands)?

The key is to consider the human qualities you want to display socially. That applies even to sentence structure and verb tenses. Will you use social abbreviations? Each small decision may not seem important, but taken together your communication style can strengthen your brand voice across all channels.

Never forget that ultimately, humans power social.

2. Be open and responsive--but stay classy.
Within a few short years--and with more than a billion people on board--social engagement now literally shapes worldwide conversations around topics from politics and celebrity to business and brand loyalty.

Because of that, it's easy to get caught up in the moment and react to news, opinions, and trivial social commentary, especially within or around your brand category. (Think celebrity Twitter rages.)

In the process of engaging, you can go too far. As a brand, the key is to understand and determine what lines you don't want to cross, and if you do decide to intentionally cross a line, why and how you will.

Then never lose sight of the tone you wish to set. Some companies, for example, are quick to knock their competitors. Positive comments are hard to misconstrue but negative comments are extremely easy to misconstrue. And when that happens, you lose what little control you have of social conversations.

It's hard to craft a well thought-out point in 140 characters--nuance is lost, context is lost, and that's where people, and by extension their brands, get into trouble.

Consider what topics, if any, are off limits for your social communications and, in concert with other brand marketing campaigns, set terms of engagement to manage conversations. Engage your audience, support varying viewpoints and spark healthy debate. But, as individuals, stay mindful that you represent an entity greater than yourself.

3. Be consistent and refine in real time.
Every company has a number of different personalities in charge of its social exchanges. A diverse corporate make-up is great for innovation and culture but may present challenges as you define your brand's social voice. To create consistency, set standards that include points of contact, key message points, and guidelines for the type and tone of social media content.
Obviously that's tricky, because you don't want to come off as formal and "corporate" in an inherently personal communication medium.

The key is to set ground rules--who participates, how they participate, who is the right point of contact for questions or approval--without becoming too regimented so you come across as "programmed." Social governance shouldn't prevent you from being interesting.

For example, Grubhub has a voice that is colloquial and casual and chill and cool, and that plays a role in keeping their brand interesting while still following the guidelines of their brand.
As you strive for consistency, you'll likely realize some standards do not fit, or some scenarios occur you didn't plan for. That's okay: Follow guidelines to ensure consistency, but refine in real-time and maintain a certain level of spontaneity to keep your audience coming back for more.

Final note: Building a clear, classy, and consistent brand voice can be challenging, but with the right individual characteristics and team techniques you'll reap the rewards of heightened engagement.

Sure, it requires work, but it will also solidify your brand's social voice and establish meaningful relationships that stretch well beyond a status update.

To learn more about social media marketing and how IES Marketing can help you find your voice online, click here. 

Article curated from Inc. Magazine

Pinterest Reveals Promoted Pins

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pinterest has shown its cards for how it will make money on the online photo-pinning site: promoted pins.

Scrapbooks shared across Pinterest have made its image pinboards a rising star destination for socializing specifically around products. Pinterest has also emerged a popular spot for brands, such as Lowe's, to build a merchandising vehicle presence that drives people to click into online stores.

"We're going to start experimenting with promoting certain pins from a select group of businesses," CEO Ben Silbermann wrote on the company's blog.

Pinterest said it will not be exploring banner or pop-up ads and will clearly mark those pins that are promoted. The company also said that promoted pins will first be served into search results and then, later, into members' feeds, relevant to interests.

The move comes as the company has been quickly amassing members yet had thus far not disclosed an exact revenue path.

Pinterest reached 46.2 million people in the U.S. in July on desktop and mobile, according to measurement firm ComScore.

If you'd like to learn more about marketing your business with Pinterest or other social media networks, visit the IES Marketing website by clicking here.
Article curated from USA Today

How to Keep Your Pinterest Boards Fresh, Fun and Relevant

In her book Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business, marketing and branding expert Karen Leland provides a Pinterest roadmap that will help you drive website traffic, boost your brand and build business. In this edited excerpt, the author shows you four quick ways to spring clean your Pinterest boards.

Pinterest boards aren't static entities, so once they're set up, you can always go back and edit or delete them at any time. Here are a few housekeeping chores to keep your boards looking fresh.

Rearrange your boards. If you want to reorganize the order in which your boards appear, simply place your cursor over your name in the main toolbar in the top right corner of your screen and select "Boards" from the drop-down menu. You'll now be able to see all your boards. Located just above your boards and smack dab in the middle of the page is the "Edit Profile" button.

Immediately next to that button is a small box button. Selecting this button will enable you to rearrange your boards by dragging them into whatever order you wish. When you're done, click the red checkmark button that appears between the "Edit Profile" button and the rearrange box to save your changes.

Choose a board cover image. As soon as you start populating a particular board with pins, Pinterest will automatically take the first image you post and make it that board’s default cover. You can change the cover image anytime you like by choosing another pin on that same board. To edit your board photo, click on your name from the homepage and choose "Boards" from the drop-down menu. Next, place your cursor over the board image you want to edit and the "Edit Board Cover" text will automatically appear. Click, and another image will pop up with an arrow to the right and left. Scroll through the images on your board until you find the one you want, then adjust which part of the image you want to show in the thumbnail (most board cover images get cropped by Pinterest) and hit the red "Set Cover" button.

Edit your boards. Place your cursor over your name in the main toolbar in the top right corner of your screen, and select "Boards" from the drop-down menu. You'll now be able to see all your boards. Beneath each individual board is an "Edit" button. Select the "Edit" button for the board you wish to change. From here, you'll be able to rename the board you've selected, change the description, and change the category it's in. You can also make the board collaborative by adding guest pinners. To save changes, select the red "Save Settings" button at the bottom of the screen.

Delete your boards. If you decide one or more of your boards is best suited for the scrap heap, take heart. It’s easy to delete any of your boards at any time.

Place your cursor over your name in the main toolbar in the top right corner of your screen, and select "Boards" from the drop-down menu. You'll now be able to see all your boards. Beneath each individual board is an "Edit" button. Select the "Edit" button for the board you wish to delete. Next to the title of the board is a white "Delete Board" button.

Select it, and a secondary window pops up, asking you if you’re sure you want to permanently delete your board. If you’re sure, click the red "Delete Board" button. Once you delete a board, it can’t be undone, so if you want to think about it a bit more, click "Cancel" to go back to the board’s edit page.


Article curated from Entrepeneur

When Was the Last Time You Updated Your Website?

If the answer is because it is hard to update, then it’s time to start looking at a way to keep your site up-to-date to keep visitors coming back to you. No one wants to keep visiting a website that just looks as if it has been collecting dust over the months or even years so it’s really time to add value to what your customers want.
 
Technology changes and the way people search and interact with brands is constantly changing. Social media integration is one of the most popular ways to increase your community within your current website.

A complete redesign might not be needed, but additional functionality can be added to make websites mobile and tablet friendly. This could be as simple as installing a CMS (Content Management System) so you can update elements of your website content yourself rather than creating a new website from scratch. A CMS allows for easy updating from any computer to keep content fresh and ultimately keep your visitors coming back for more.
Search engines love fresh content.

What this means in simple terms is that the more you update your online content the more the search engines will come back and visit your site and the better chance you have at higher search engine rankings.

The relevance of the content you place is just as important as how often you add it. You can add news, offers, events, or provide fashion tips to your audience. By integrating a social media feed this content can be updated several times a day hence you will never have a stale and boring website again.

IES Marketing offers website management services as well as complete website design with custom content management system.  To find out more, click here.

Article curated from Social Media Today

7 Pinterest Tips for Nonprofits

Pinterest, a social media network that was invitation only until August 2012, is one of the hottest new tools for small businesses and nonprofits. The trouble many small businesses and nonprofits face is figuring out how to utilize Pinterest to its fullest potential.

To make the most of this network, you must first understand what it is. So, what exactly is Pinterest? I’m glad you asked!

Pinterest is…

…a scrapbook or pinboard that allows you to “pin” websites and images that you like and want to refer back to later. It allows you to create categories or boards that organize your thoughts, images, and websites. According to Pinterest.com, “Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

One of the best things about Pinterest is that everything you pin is clickable. This means that you can link to your website or to a registration page to drive traffic back to your assets. When you pin a link, Pinterest pulls all images from that specific page and you can choose which image you would like to represent your link.

Just remember, you do not want to drive traffic back to only your website. If you find a website or article that you like and think would apply to one of your boards, pin it. If you follow someone who pinned something you really liked, repin it! Pinterest is still a social network, so make sure to interact with followers by repining or commenting on their great pins.

Here are 7 Pinterest tips for nonprofits.
 
 1. “Pin” your personality

Just as you would use Instagram for your nonprofit, one of the best ways to use an image platform is to show your volunteers/employees and your cause through imagery. Why? According to Mashable, photo and video posts on Pinterest refer more traffic than Twitter, Stumbleupon, LinkedIn, and Google+. I’m going to guess that you would appreciate some extra traffic to your website.

The best way to show your personality and increase web traffic is to pin the great images you take as well as background information on your website. Then, go to Pinterest, pin that specific page from your website, and select the image you want to show your audience.

Example: If you own a nonprofit pet shelter, create boards that link back to your adoptable pets, volunteers working with the animals, and behind-the-scenes photos.

2. Show your knowledge

You’re an expert in your field…embrace it! Create a board all about your field.

Example: Back to the nonprofit pet shelter, create a board that links to tips on how to groom your pet, make homemade treats, and best ways to house train your pet. These boards are most effective when they link to websites, articles, and pins from sources other than your own.

3. Let your hair down

Pinterest is a great place to let loose a little.

Do you love quotes? Hint: Most people do. Create a Pinterest board with your favorite quotes and sayings.

Did you and your volunteers go on a fun field trip? Upload the images you took and show your followers the fun side of your nonprofit.

4. Follow the pinner

Don’t forget to follow like-minded pinners and follow back the like-minded pinners who follow you! You can get a lot of inspiration from other nonprofits who use Pinterest.

Begin to grow those relationships by sharing (or repining) their pins in the appropriate boards.

5. Share the love

Pinterest allows you to share your knowledge, images, and website with others all in one place. This is a HUGE advantage for nonprofits. One of the most important parts of being a nonprofit is building your relationships.

Create a board for “Nonprofits Doing it Right” or “Nonprofit Tips and Best Practices” and pin information you find from other nonprofits. These pins could be about an event a nonprofit is holding or a page all about their volunteers.

6. Raise money

That’s right! You can raise money on Pinterest! Pinterest makes it really easy for you to hold an auction or sell a fundraising item on Pinterest. Simply add a “$” with the price amount in the description section of your pin and Pinterest will automatically add a grey banner in the top-left corner of the image that will display the cost. The item will also be added to the “Gifts” tab on the Pinterest homepage.

7. Connect the dots

Just like any other social network, you want to make sure you connect the dots by including the Pinterest logo anywhere your customers/volunteers/donators will see it. You can find the Pinterest Widget here. Using this page, you can also embed an entire board into your blog!

Make sure to include a Pinterest button within your:

•     Email Signature
•     Email Newsletter
•     Website
•     Signage at events and in office

There are so many ways to effectively use this fantastic tool. A great way to start is to see how other nonprofits are using Pinterest. At the end of the day, why wouldn’t you want to use a tool that will help build relationships and drive traffic to your website? So get out there, follow some great new pinners, and get your feet wet.

Happy pinning!

Article courtesy of Social Media Today

Advertising on Facebook Is No More the Same: So What's New?

Did you know that around 64% of the marketers see lead generation benefits with Social Media? Yes, you heard it right! There is a growing competition among the marketers to promote their products and services and reach the targeted goal. Therefore, there should be an effort to simplify product ads to allow advertisers meet their marketing objectives. With this aim in mind, Facebook announced the revamp of its PAGE POST LINK ADS with the ability for the brand to customise images, the ability to select between right-hand side domain ads and the unpublished page post link ads in the news feed and many more to add.


The social network introduced this change as a part of its overall effort to simplify its ad offering. You must know that advertising on Facebook is not the same as Google. Neither is it the same as TV or Radio. Creativity lies behind the success of your Facebook News Feed advertising movement. As Facebook offers several vehicles to connect with the customers, page post ads are incredibly convincing. Advertisements in the form of Page post ads begin as a post on a fan page and gradually get paid distribution among the other fans and friends of fans in their News Feeds. The page post ads allow creative freedom and can be a link, video, photo, event or status. Most importantly, these ads on Facebook can be shown to anyone or even to those who are not connected to your page.

I am sure, by this time, you are curious enough to acquire the simplest ways to create impressive Page post ads. Well, here are the seven top ideas to showcase your products and services and win the heart of your customers.

Give your images a personal touch:
An ad is recognised by its signature style. Therefore, getting the right image is essential to engage the eye of your customer. Customised images for page post link ads provide more flexibility for the advertisers to choose their creativity. Remember, the best performing ads on the Facebook are bold, expressive and visually captivating. They help to drive the majority of the conversions to their website. As you will notice that it is quite different from the Facebook’s automatic sourcing of thumbnail images based on those images on the linked site.

Even unpublished page post ads allow marketers to convey the right messages to an explicit group of people rather than making a page post display to everyone who likes their page.

Redesign your ad to drive optimum ad choices:
The social media wants to encourage the marketers to draw the advantage of the Page post link ads that can outperform domain ads on the right-hand side. This new discovery automatically allows advertisers to choose a domain ad either for the right-hand column or for the unpublished page post link ad for News Feed. The flexibility of choosing the right ad, if, is effective, can really drive ROI for brands and online merchants by improving and automating how they create lookalike audiences and bid to conversion. They also enable you to see how the ad will look like on the side bars as well as in the News Feed. In addition, you can also use links to convert your visitors to your website and its landing page.

Restructure ad across desktop and mobile:
While creating ads both for desktop and mobile, Facebook advertisers usually face difficulty in understanding how the ads would appear in different placements across devices. The ads would not appear optimised if the aspect ratios of the desktop images and mobile images are not aligned correctly. Therefore, to allow creative executions of such ads across various channels, Facebook streamlined their ads so that all the images bear the same aspect ratio for both desktop and mobile News Feed placement. The advertisers will no longer have to create two different News Feed campaign for mobile and desktop.

Less complex ad features for easy media buy:
Facebook intent to minimise the complexity of their ad features to simplify media buying. The consistency in ad features and its formats such as clear identification of image sizes, standardisation of text truncation have successfully eliminated the discrepancies between the domain ads on the right hand side and the Page post link ads. Earlier, the advertisers leveraged both these units for direct response of the customers; however, with the outstanding performance of Page post link ads, the situation is the vice-versa. To make it simpler, Facebook has aligned the design of the domain ads and for the page post link ads to help advertisers create a single ad to drive customers off-site.

Highlight your product and get your point across:
Highlighting unique products in your ads can spark user interests. As long as these products are accessible at a reasonable price, it will continue to prompt users to take immediate action. Equally, it is important to incorporate a prominent brand and its logo to make people identify who the advertiser is.

Also conveying your point is no surprise. The key is to create your ads on Facebook concise, enticing, exclusive and worth of a visitor paying attention to you.

Treat your fans as your family:
Does your ad reward the users who are reading it? Always give your consumers the reason to buy your products now and not later. Create the intent to purchase by offering your consumers lucrative incentives and promotions. This definitely generates interest and gets users to click through your site. Also deliver value to fans by providing them early access to coupons and sales. Remember to reward them for their loyalty.

Integrate stories and social context in your Page post ads:
Include sponsored stories and social context of Likes, comments and shares in Post page ads. When a user story is created from a Page post, it effectively produces a higher engagement rate since the social context of the Page post will also be improved. Also advertisers on Facebook constantly create innovative content to make ads more appealing from both the click and conversion perspectives.

Isn’t this new added feather amazing? Well, indeed it is to make the advertisers target, create, personalise and showcase their message in the best way possible. So, whether you are new on Facebook or a seasoned pro, make sure that you are taking the right advantage of the Page post link ads.


Article courtesy of Social Media Today

3 Ways to Boost Your Social ROI

Social media can connect you with customers, but only if it's used effectively. A survey from Manta, an online business community, found that while more companies used social media in 2012 than the year before, only around 40 percent saw a return on their investment. Luckily, simple steps can help ensure you get the most for your time and money. We talked with three social media experts for easy-to-implement approaches that can help increase both engagement and efficiency.

1. Get your social profiles in shape. Mana Ionescu, president of Lightspan Digital in Chicago estimates that many small businesses could waste around an hour a day brainstorming the perfect tweet or post. To overcome this roadblock, her agency developed the Daily Social Media Workout, a list of very specific tasks, such as retweeting two interesting tweets and sharing two photos, so businesses have an action plan and can learn best practices along the way. One client, Gateway for Cancer Research in Schaumburg, Ill., grew its Facebook fans by 166 percent in 8 months with the tool and consistent social media work, and quadrupled its Twitter followers. Ashlee Landis, marketing specialist for Gateway for Cancer Research, says she uses the list each day to help her search for content more efficiently and post information that fans and post content that engaged followers, saving the group 3-4 hours a week. She says, "It encourages working smarter instead of harder."

Coyote Logistics, another client, found similar results after using the tool for organization and topic coverage. After eighteen months, the company previously had no social presence grew to 2,300 Twitter followers and more 2,400 Facebook fans.

2. Set it and (nearly) forget it. By using free scheduling tools, businesses can set up tweets, posts and pins in advance, maximizing time online and ensuring that accounts aren't get neglected on busy days, says John DeLuca, social media manager at Fusion92 in Arlington Heights, Ill. Tools such as HootSuite allow users to see streams from multiple networks simultaneously, saving users from switching between accounts and helping them better track posts across platforms. DeLuca also recommends Netvibes and Feedly as RSS reader tools for quickly finding and organizing content to share online, saving precious minutes that can be used for social strategizing or running some other aspect of your business.

3. Offer a freebie -- strategically. Rather than spend $3,000 on a direct mail piece (with a 1 percent conversion rate), Joe Chura suggested its client Fisher Auto in Boulder, Colo. trade oil changes for Facebook "Likes" and opt-ins to the company email. Chura, the chief executive officer of Launch Digital Marketing says investing money into giveaways online can increase both revenue and exposure. The dealership received 300 Facebook likes, a 30 percent boost, resulting in $2,700 in free oil changes and $6,000 in additional sales during those visits. The promotion was ready in four hours instead of the several weeks needed to produce, print and mail a direct mail piece.

Giveaways can be tricky, of course, and should be planned carefully, with clear starts and ends, following Facebook contest guidelines. During the Fisher Auto promotion, giveaway recipients were required to make appointments for the oil change so the dealership could effectively manage traffic. But planning still requires content your readers want. "I always tell people to give away their most popular product or even a free consultation, since that will most likely drive the most interest in your brand and your promotion," Chura says.

Article courtesy of Entrepreneur

4 Things Small Business Owners Should Know About Google

Google is more than just one of the most popular search engines in the world, it’s also a lucrative source of advertising. If you simply worry about page rank and search results, you need to start expanding your horizons. While those things are important, Google can do so much more for your small business—but only if you take advantage of everything it offers.

Google Authorship Lends You Expertise

Every small business needs both a website and a company blog, whether the blog is on your site or separate. Your blog can pull in more new customers than you might imagine, but only if people know about it, read it, and trust it. That’s why Google Authorship is so important.

Your Author Rank comes from a combination of rank, which is very valuable, and trust, which is even more valuable. If you’re seen as an expert in your field, you get more traffic, more customers, and more sales. Author Rank lets consumers know you’re a professional, not just a hobbyist blogger doing something for the fun of it. You get a good Author Rank not just by having lots of readers, but by providing high quality content with rich, relevant keywords. Above all, relevancy is the key.

Google+ Really Does Help

Do you use Google+? It was a huge thing when it launched, then it faded off a bit. Over time, however, it’s gained in popularity, first among individuals and then among businesses. It’s like Facebook, but more professional; like LinkedIn, but more involved; and like Twitter, but less restricted. More features, such as Blogger, are ultimately becoming part of G+, so you’ll have one go-to spot for all your business related updates, and even your blog.


Google+ is no longer a simple aggregator. Instead, it will become the place where you can distribute the content you write—the same content that gives you an expert status. Ultimately, G+ will have an enormous effect on SEO practices, so it’s a good idea to get on board now.

All Those Updates Have a Point

Google Panda and Google Penguin struck fear in the hearts of bloggers and small businesses that rely on content. There’s no reason to feel afraid, though. If you provide quality content, these updates are good for you. If you’ve done effective search engine optimization on your site, with your Google Authorship, you have nothing to worry about. They mean that no content farms can overtake your expert status simply because they pump out a bunch of keyword-laden content that doesn’t really explain your niche. As long as you stay relevant and share meaningful information about your business, you will benefit.

You Can Get Paid from Anywhere

Google is also changing the way people can pay you. For instance, upcoming updates include the ability to send and receive payments through email. That’s endlessly efficient, especially if you have an online business and deal with people who don’t have Paypal. Other enhancements, such as the ability for small businesses to pay all of their bills and vendors online, will further streamline your e-commerce.



Google can really help your small business if you can make it work for you. What upcoming features will benefit you the most?

Article courtesy of Social Media Today

Want to Supersize Your LinkedIn Page? Focus on the 3 C's

 

Q: What's the best way to get organic growth for a LinkedIn company page?
- Visify Books, Detroit

A: Don't let the social media "gurus" out there fool you: There is no exact formula that will magically get you 100,000 followers overnight. However, there are definitely practices that you can employ to help grow your social-media network. I have found that if you stick with the three C's -- community, content and consistency -- you can enhance your LinkedIn company page over time.

Community. Use your real life community to help build your social-media channels. Every time I start using a new platform, I ask my friends and family to connect with the page first. The people that care about you will be your biggest cheerleaders. By getting them to engage, you will start to build a foundation to attract new people.

Also, use your existing social-media communities to attract new people to your LinkedIn page. Have you shared your business page via Twitter and Facebook? All of these channels should be interconnected.

Content. Practically everyone is on LinkedIn for career purposes, so make your page a resource for your industry. Share engaging, original content with your followers that they can utilize in their everyday life. For example, publish workplace tips or career advice relevant to your audience.

Having a hard time coming up with content? Use issues in your own life as story ideas. If you are encountering a business problem, chances are others in your industry are too. You can also riff off of other blogs and existing articles for new material.

Make sure that every time you add new content, you share it on all your other social media channels too. By doing so, the likelihood people find your LinkedIn content increases.

Consistency. Post often enough to keep people coming back to your page. One trick is to create a timely series that forces you to publish content. For example, you can do "Winning Sales Wednesdays," where every Wednesday you share tips on how to land sales deals. I know this may seem corny, but it will ensure that you will keep up your posting duties, as your readers expect it.

Article courtesy of Entrepeneur

Richard Branson on Being Social Media Savvy

Entrepreneur Richard Branson regularly shares his business experience and advice with readers. Ask him a question and your query might be the inspiration for a future column.

Do you have a social media presence? The benefits are immense, yet a study conducted by IBM found that social media is currently the least used of all customer engagement methods -- many CEOs are unsure even where to start. Whether you're launching a startup or expanding an established business, if you're an entrepreneur and you don't have a social media presence, your company is at a competitive disadvantage.
 
I've built a strong online presence over the last few years and am always thinking of new ways to expand our reach. I think this is partly because I was already comfortable with the basic concepts: after all, my first successful business was in the media. When I was 16 years old, my friends and I started up Student Magazine. Although I didn't give myself the title of publisher, that's what my job was, in retrospect.

We launched our monthly publication hoping to provide young people with a platform to protest the injustice of the Vietnam War. It soon became a place where up-and-coming talents showcased their work, and we also published impassioned thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre, inspired writers like James Baldwin and imaginative artists like David Hockney. The magazine was an exciting forum that allowed people to creatively express their views and try to initiate change. We didn't know it back then, but it was the foundation upon which the Virgin Group would be built.

A few decades (who's counting?!) later, I'm back in publishing, though now through my blog and other social media channels.

Businesses that are looking for an edge still need to concentrate on getting their stories onto the local newspapers' front pages. There is always a lot to be gained when the press gets interested in brilliant initiatives going on at your company. But one thing I learned over the years was that our companies were not going to be the focus of media attention every day, so I needed other ways to get some messages across and keep my customers engaged.

Today entrepreneurs need to take their businesses to where the conversation is happening -- mobile phones, tablets and laptops. Social media is the perfect venue, and my guess is that one of the reasons for the tepid response from most companies is a lack of understanding of how to use these channels properly.

Here are a few guidelines that will make your posts and your company stand out:
1. Provide high quality content.
While my friends and I had a lot of fun running Student Magazine, we also had a meaningful message. These days, as well as sharing what is going on in my life and exchanging messages with all sorts of interesting people, I use social media to highlight issues that affect us all. A blog post can kick-start a debate and make an impact in the real world.

2. Social media isn't just a one-way street.
I always try to make time to reply to people (including by answering readers' questions in these columns). Many good ideas for future blogs are sparked by reading the comments online and the conversations they spark. If you're expecting people to be intrigued by what you and your business have to say, you have to genuinely be interested in their feedback.

3. Tell a few jokes.
As always: Don't take yourself too seriously. You have a lot of opportunities to make people smile via social media. When we started Student we were young and definitely just as focused on having a good time as on getting an issue out by deadline. For us there was no difference between work and play - and there still isn't today. Among my posts and tweets you'll find lots of funny tales, cheeky questions and the odd photo of me making a fool of myself.

4. Give them the genuine article.
Try to make sure your posts and tweets provide a true reflection of yourself, and not just your professional persona. Whether on social media, on a plane or in the office, you (and your business) are far more likely to make an impression if you let your real personality shine through.

Once you get started, you'll soon learn that by embracing social media you can keep in touch with and inform your customers to a greater degree than ever before, and through that exchange, broaden your understanding of your business's horizons. So tweet hello and then publish a post introducing yourself and your company, because it's time to get the conversation started.

Article courtesy of Entrepeneur

Does Twitter Really Drive Store Sales? Maybe

 

A recent study suggests promotional Tweets can drive customers right into brick-and-mortar stores. Inc.'s Erik Sherman investigates.

Twitter has been promoting a new study it commissioned from Datalogix, which focuses on research tying online activity to the real world. According to the results, promotional tweets can significantly increase brick-and-mortar store sales.

Normally this might seem like a tenuous argument to make. After all, how do you follow people from social media to a physical store? I went through a series of email exchanges with Eric Roza, the CEO of Datalogix, and it sounds as though they have a way to make it work, although there are still potential shortcomings. But if you could start to tie social media to physical actions, it could go a long way to improving your marketing insight.

The Methodology
Let's look at how Datalogix works to connect behavior online and offline. First recognize that market research often uses pre-existing panels of users who receive incentives to respond to surveys. That is because recruiting people who are qualified for surveys and who will actually answer them is expensive and difficult. Panels at least let the researchers find enough people to respond, making the study possible. It's become a common technique. Ideal? No, not at all because you ultimately have a self-selecting sample, which can throw off reliability.
Here is Roza's short explanation of the Datalogix method:

Rather than relying on small incented panels, as in traditional market research, Datalogix analyzes purchasing behavior across tens of millions of households with hundreds of billions of dollars in spending. We match our database to Twitter's using anonymous hashed keys such as email or user name, and conduct a similar process with retailers where the advertised [CPG] products are sold. The retailers track product sales primarily via Loyalty Card purchases. The matches are completely fire walled from one another, with Datalogix acting as the trusted third-party, ensuring that no matching information is shared between Twitter and the retailers. In addition, Twitter engaged a Big 4 Auditing firm to confirm that no personally-identifiable information is shared between our companies, and that all reporting that we provide is done at the aggregate level.

Datalogix knows the common identities and can match data from Twitter--presumably including who receives what promoted tweets and who does not--with sales data from retailers. The retailers have the loyalty card information that is probably tied to an email or social media address.

The Results
Roza says that everything is controlled for, including having the same preponderance toward possessing loyalty cards. That sounds good, but if the retailers primarily track sales by loyalty cards, then they largely can't trace sales versus non-sales for customers that don't use the loyalty cards. So it still seems as though the results aren't representational for the buying public as a whole.

Still, knowing the behavior of those who have loyalty cards is important because are likely more or less your best customers. And the results from the study were interesting. Measuring across 35 CPG brands, users who "engaged with a brand's Promoted Tweets purchased more from that brand than a statistically identical control group" to the tune of a 12 percentage sales lift, as Twitter mentioned in a corporate blog post.

There's still a lot of information missing that you might want before taking the results as a given. Would results go up for people without loyalty cards? Are there greater degrees of matching for certain types of products? No way to say. But it looks as though testing social media marketing as an influencer on physical sales should be on any business owner's short list.


Article courtesy of Inc. Magazine

Social Media Marketing Reminders: Rules and Advice for Running Facebook Promotions

One of the most common goals of social media managers these days is to increase the number of Likes on their Facebook page. And with Facebook fans being 39% more likely to purchase a product/service than non-fans, who can blame them? Not to mention each one these Likes represents someone who is 36% more likely to recommend your product/service than some random Joe from the street, too. 
 
While there are plenty of different ways to earn Likes, one of the fastest and most effective is by running your own contest/promotion. Not only is a contest a great way to attract new fans, but it’s also a great way to reengage existing ones. I mean, who doesn’t like winning some awesome free stuff? However, before you can start giving anything away, it’s crucial to make sure that your contest follows Facebook’s strict Page Guidelines. That is, of course, unless you enjoy having your page terminated…

To help make your promotion as effective (and legal) as possible, we’ve broken down Facebook’s rules for promotions, as well as providing you with a few tips to increase your success.

What does Facebook define a promotion as?

According to Facebook, a promotion is “any contest, competition, sweepstakes, or other similar offering.” Plain and simple, if you’re giving something away and choosing a winner, it’s a promotion.

If I can’t run a promotion through my page, where can I run it?

The first rule about promotions from Facebook’s Page Guidelines tells us that all promotions must be run using the Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App. Though you can still advertise the promotion on your wall, participants’ votes, entries, and registrations can’t be collected using any of Facebook’s page features (i.e. checking in, commenting, liking, sharing, etc.).

I have to create an app? How the #*@% do I do that?!

To get started on creating your own app, grab your web programmer (or anyone else familiar with HTML, Javascript, and CSS) and head on over to the App Dashboard (see below). There, click on the “+ Create New App” button, and follow the setup wizard as it helps guide you through the process.


On the other hand, for those of you who are a little (/a lot) less tech savvy, try using a 3^rd party application. 

How do I get them to like my page through an app?

The easiest way to get people to legally Like your page before entering a contest is to use a fan-gate. A fan-gate is an initial image/message that requires contestants to Like your page before they can access an entry form. Although this is a fast and guaranteed way to generate Likes with your contest, these fans aren’t nearly as loyal as the ones who Liked your page without being prompted. When the contest is done, make sure you nurture these new relationships to increase their brand loyalty.

What about the fine print?

When creating a promotion, there are 3 important things you must always include:

1. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant
2. Acknowledgement that the promotion is in now way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook
3. Disclosure that the participant is providing information to you, your business, and not to Facebook.

How do you notify the winners?

Once again, Facebook is simple and straightforward here: you can’t contact the winner through Facebook. That means no messages, chats, or posts to their page/profile. Instead, remember to make sure you get their relevant contact information using the contest’s app.

How do you nurture the new fans after the contest?

Once contestants have Liked your page, they’ll be prompted to fill out any necessary entry/contact info. Here, take their email address and add it to your email-marketing list. Now you’ll be able to send them any brand updates, promotional content, and/or any other nurturing materials.

Despite having to jump through several hoops, Facebook promotions are a great way to promote your brand and increase engagement on your page. Next time you’re thinking about running a contest, make sure you follow the rules above, and your Likes will be growing in no time. 

Article courtesy of Social Media Today

7 Pinterest Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

The image-sharing site Pinterest has been constantly in the news for the last few months. At first glance, the site seems to be nothing more than a place to share photos of shoes, recipes and crafting ideas arranged on aesthetically-pleasing Pinboards, but according to a study by Shareaholic, the site now drives more referral traffic than Google Plus, You Tube and LinkedIn combined. So how do you make that leap from putting together whimsical Pinbards on your profile to generating website traffic?

1. Show your personality, tastes, interests or values

Your Pinterest profile shouldn’t be a copy of your website: it can be used to show a more fun side to your business. As well as showcasing your own work, you can use it to show more wide-ranging interests, such as a commitment to environmental issues, pictures of the place you live, local events you support, or your staff’s pick of movies, books or music. As well as having a Pinboard of their own products, Victory Jewelry also show boards of spiritual inspiration, Harry Potter and LEGO creations. This helps to make their brand stand out by helping to project some real personality.

2. Mark your content

If you are an artist, photographer or designer, you may wish to watermark your website images. Although Pinterest recommend only using images directly from websites rather than from image searches, making sure your images can be attributed to you not only helps to prevent potential copyright issues, but means that if images are used indirectly on Pinterest, you know that they can be traced back to your website if someone is interested in your services.



This photograph by Gallery by Laura has been marked so that it can always be traced back to her studio website.

3. Give Tutorials

You can go beyond product images to get your message out there: You Tube videos can be pinned to boards in the same way as any other thumbnail so you can show off your expertise with ‘How To’ videos for aspects of your business.

You can have a mix of learning techniques on a Pinboard, such as videos, infographics and storyboard images, like this board from Hero Arts. The content can then be shared both within Pinterest, or onto other networks.

4. Show behind the scenes

You might be concerned if your business is service based, rather than product based, that you won’t be able to use it to drive sales. But you can use Pinterest to show behind the scenes at your company, with boards about your staff, local environment and industry, or other ways of using interesting images to help people find out about what you offer. Rocket Clicks is a service based company, but still provide plenty of interest on their profile by showing photos of their staff, their inspirations, and industry infographics.

5. Go beyond your website

Make use of what is possible with the Pinboard format by putting together ‘looks’, lifestyle ideas, or show your products in real environments to show how they can work.

These inspirational boards from Bandhini Design show how their products can contribute to lifestyle aspirations.

6. Make sure your products appear in the Gift section

Pinterest has a dedicated gift section, searchable by price range. If you have an e-commerce site make sure you tag your images by price when you upload them, that way they will automatically appear on the Gift Page.

As with this image from Econica Fashion, Pinterest will add a price tag on the corner of your image and copy it into the sales section.

7. Help others find your content

Remember to make your content easy to find by using #tags in your descriptions, as well as labeling your Pins and Boards with obvious titles. Users can search by Pins, Boards and People, so make sure your company name reflects what you do, for example including the word ‘Design’ or ‘Kitchens’ after your name. You can also have a company website link for when people click on your profile image.

These Boards by Ben Tyler Building and Remodeling are all logically labeled to help users find their images.

Like all social media networks, Pinterest is about community, and the same rules apply as on any other network. Share others’ content, don’t be too ‘salesy’, ‘like’ and comment on images shared by others, and engage in the conversation. Above all, pay attention to Pinterest’s own Etiquette Guidelines if you’re not sure how to get started.

Originally posted in American Express Open Forum

Article courtesy of Social Media Today