The Conquest for the Social Media World: The Finale

 

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When I was a child, my father told me the story of Alexander the Great weeping when there were no more worlds to conquer. I cannot guarantee your business' success on social media, I can only share the best knowledge I have from those who know more. If you do conquer the social media world though, I hope you are more grateful than Alexander. For our final three platforms, we will be discussing LinkedIn, Flickr, and Periscope.

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn is considered "the best business networking resource on the internet." I have heard that LinkedIn is a lot like being in a gang, once you are in you cannot get out, and you make a lot of connections while you are there. Nonetheless, LinkedIn can be a tremendous resource for your business. Here are eight strategies for marketing your business on LinkedIn:

Engage with the most influential figures in your industry.
It turns out you can actually pay for ads that appear before the influential people in your business field.

Boost your company’s search engine page rank on Google.



Make it easier for Google to find you by selecting "full view" on your profile page, and rename the website and blog links so it is easier for a search engine to find them.
 
Sit down to an all-you-can-read buffet of market research.

Find LinkedIn groups that will connect you with the right people. You can also create a poll to survey members to learn more about them.
 
Monitor your prospects and customers.
Getting a Sales Navigator/Business Plus membership gives you the option of seeing who has viewed your profile, so you can follow up with them.
 
Clarify what your company stands for.

Use your company description wisely. Make it short and sweet.
 
Learn about the media covering your industry.

Journalists often share their knowledge of different industries on LinkedIn. Learn what you can from them!
 
Position your company as an industry thought leader.

Respond to questions, and comment. Show the industry what you know.
 
Engage potential customers with LinkedIn-hosted content.
Connect your LinkedIn profile with Twitter, and sync your blog. This will help you connect with users that might just be your next customers!
(Source: How to Use LinkedIn for Marketing)

Flickr

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Flickr is a photo sharing resource with an outstanding ability to reach out to customers through visual appeal. Flickr has become a big name, but is not quite the same medium as Facebook or Pinetrest. It was not designed to be a marketing platform either. However, this doesn't mean that your business cannot benefit from a Flickr presence. Here are five ways Flickr can help your business:

Tell your company's story, through pictures

Tell your story, and encourage your audience to be a part of it. Ask the community to share photos of their experience with your company. This will help you grow closer to your audience, while spreading brand awareness.

Always avoid the hard sell
Do not post advertisements on Flickr, it was not designed that way and people will be turned off. This does not mean that you cannot post images of your upcoming products, just make sure the photos are relevant and desirable.


Integrate Flickr into everything you're doing on the Web
Make sure users can hop between your social media platforms with ease. Link to your Flickr page from your Facebook page or blog, or vice versa.

Allow and encourage others to share your content
This is what Flickr was designed for. Allow your viewers to freely share your photos, and limit them as less as you can.

Join relevant groups and participate in the community
This is the same with LinkedIn and almost all social media platforms. Find the groups that resonate the most with your target audience and get involved!
(Source: How To Use Flickr To Improve Your Small Business)

Periscope

Periscope is the most popular live streaming application. It helps relay information quickly and helps connect you with your customers in a new and unique way. Here are 12 ways in which real businesses have actually used Periscope successfully for marketing, and how you can too:

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Humanize your Brand

Periscope is the perfect opportunity to give your viewers a close up view of your business, and best of all, build an emotional and personal connection with you.

Behind the Scenes

Show them what makes your business special by making them feel like an insider.

Product Demos

One of the best way to get me to buy a product is by showing its features in video format. Do it for your business live!

Tutorials

Once you have shown its features, teach your viewers how to use it.

Showcase Offerings

This can vary, depending on what types of products or services you sell. Sometimes, showcasing an offering helps with the customers who are on the edge about making the purchase.

Live Events

If your company is hosting an event, share it with the world for all of those who cannot make it.

Live Q&A

This is especially good for service based businesses. Getting questions and giving immediate answers can be a great experience for your customers.

Webinars

This is another great way to engage your viewers and encourage quesions.

Crowdsourcing

Conducting a survey live is a great way to receive valuable information from your viewers and customers.

Announcements

Make them feel special by allowing them to be among the first to see your new offers live.

Exclusive Offers

No one likes to turn down freebies or exclusive offers. This is another great way to make your viewers feel special.

Customer Service

Take it beyond a simple Q&A. Engaging one on one with your customers can ensure them that you care about giving them the best customers service possible

Humanize your brand

Humanize your brand

1. Humanize your brand

1. Humanize your brand

(Source: 12 Ways to Use Periscope for Business)

So there you have it. With these tools at your disposal and the social media world in your hands, there will be little between your business and the thousands of customers that are only a click away.

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The Conquest for the Social Media World: Part III

If you are a want-to-be satirist, like myself, you probably think of the next three platforms as places where you can find meaningful answers to meaningless questions, recipes for food you should probably eat but probably won't make, and pictures of the food your friend just ate. Unlike the folks that would use social media in this way, however, today we will discuss how to use them productively. As it turns out, marketing your business through Reddit, Pintrest, and Tumblr, can be effective with the right strategies. Reddit, Pintrest, and Tumblr each have their own unique features which can help your business dominate the social media realm.

Reddit

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The first up is my favorite place to find the answer to the question: "which movies can have a different plot by adding an 'R' into the title?" In all honesty though, Reddit can be a great place to spread awareness for your products. Popular content on Reddit has a high possibility to spread across platforms and the entire internet very quickly. Here are a few helpful tips:

Use Reddit Marketing to advertise your business.
Focus on your audience. Most people on Reddit are not looking for advertisements, so avoid buzzwords or phrases that might turn people off from your posts.

Post links with traffic/buzz potential.
Using Reddit to market is all about traffic. Find out what type of content your community likes and remember that your post will be in constant competition with other posts for popularity. It's best to post between 2am and 8am.

Learn to recognize opportunities.
Engage personally with people on Reddit, in addition to posting content. This is a great way to get to know your potential customers, and for them to know you.
(Source: How to Market Your Business on Reddit the Smart Way)

Pinterest

 

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Pinterest is a social media platform that speaks for itself. Anyone who has used Pinterest is well acquainted with its features and uniqueness in comparison to other applications. Pinterest provides links to information through a visual and interactive manner which works well for marketing. Thanks to HelloSociety, here are four stages of mastering Pinterest for your business:

LEVEL 1 – Beginning Pinning
At this point, establish a link to your site and encourage your followers from other social media applications to follow you on Pinterest. Give your boards appropriate names and organize them well. Be sure and provide meaningful content without making your followers feel like you are spamming them.


LEVEL 2: Pinning Momentum
As you steadily gain more followers, change board covers regularly. You can even try themed boards to add to the variety. Create a board with fan content and encourage you followers to participate.


LEVEL 3 – Pinning and winning
Once you feel you are successful on Pinetrest, focus on promoting your Pinetrest page on your Facebook and website to bring in more followers. Now you should spend some extra time making sure your content is of the highest quality possible. Only post optimized and visually appealing pins.


LEVEL 4 – King Pinner
You've made it. At this point you are a legend on Pinetrest, so continue to do what made you successful!
(Source: A Social Media Manager’s Guide to Pineterest)

Tumblr

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Tumblr differs from other blogging platforms in that it was designed around the sharing of blogs. You can even have a Tumblr without posting any content, only sharing other blogs on your feed. Here are five ways to harness the power of Tumblr to market your business:

Think Content Curation
Use Tumblr's sharing capabilities to share content that appeals to your target audience. Find your niche and share more than you post!

Quote Yourself
You can share short excerpts from your blog site to your Tumblr feed to increase traffic to your blog site.

Consider the Audience
Tumblr generally appeals to a younger demographic, so if your target audience is younger, keep this in mind. As always, consider your content and how it relates to your audience.

Answer Questions
Tumblr's "Ask" button is a great way to receive feedback from your audience and connect with them. Encourage your audience to ask questions, so you can keep an updated FAQ.
(Source: How to Use Tumblr To Promote Your Business)

The Conquest for the Social Media World: Part II

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As we continue our mission to tackle the social media world for our businesses, here are three more powerhouses than can help boost your company into success:

YouTube

This is my personal favorite, and among the most powerful in propagating your business. As I touched on in a previous post, there is a lot of power to be held in creating videos to market your business. For a deeper understanding of how to help your channel take off, here are 9 tips for maximizing your YouTube potential:

1. Partner With YouTube Celebrities
Like many other environments, it pays to know people. There are countless YouTube celebrities with hundreds of thousands of followers. Find the ones that resonate well with your target market and partner with them to market your products! 
 
2. Link Back to Your Site
Make it as easy as possible for them to click over to your site from your videos or channel page. View your site traffic, and you will see just how many it brings in!

3. Fill Out Your Descriptions Thoroughly 
Like with any social media presence for your business, make sure everything is complete and professional in appearance. If you ask me, take it a step further and give the audience more information than they need in the description. Give links to anything mentioned in the video and time references for certain events in the video (especially if its a longer video). This makes it easier for the viewer to find what they are looking for and less likely to click away in impatience.

4. Be Clever
People scour YouTube for information, but more so for entertainment. If you are going to stand amidst the tide of click-bait videos, you must provide unique and quality content.

5. Tell a Story
I have already suggested this in a previous post, but it is a tip worth repeating! Storytelling is the most valuable of arts. Use it!
 
6. Highlight Your Fans With Fan Videos
Get other YouTubers to help you out. Encourage some of your customers with YouTube accounts to create their own videos, sharing their experiences with your product.

7. Single Out Customers
Respond to your customers in your videos. This will help you connect more personally with your customers and make them feel more valued by your business.

8. Create a Video Landing Page
If you use videos on your site, make them YouTube videos. You can still post the videos on your site, but you will gain the added benefit of the videos also gaining rank on YouTube.

9. Maximize YouTube
Without compromising the quality of your content, create new videos as often and consistently as possible. This will maximize the amount of subscribers and viewers to your website.
(Source: 9 Tips to Maximize YouTube's Marketing Potential)

 Instagram

 Besides being the first necessary step to ensuring your new year's fitness goals are completed, Instagram can be a valuable tool in growing your business. Here are ten ways you can help make that happen:

1. Connect It to Your Other Social Channels
This will boost your followers and ensure your content will be viewed across channels.
 

2. Post What People Want

Pay attention to what your audience wants to see. Sometimes it might be a behind the scenes shot of what your business is working on next. Be creative!

3. Don’t Overlook Video

As we've seen before, videos are outpacing videos when it comes to social media. Give your viewers something short and sweet they can share with others!

4. Use Hashtags

This will ensure that your videos are sorted and shared the best way possible.

5. Respond to Comments

Your viewers will love this, and it helps build your brand's persona.

6. Crowdsource Your Images

Have your followers post their own images to your stream. Reward them via a contest or another creative way.

7. Portray Your Brand’s Vibe

Instagram's visual nature is a powerful tool in creating the vibe you want your brand to send.

8. Measure Your Likes

This can help you gauge what type of content works well with your audience, so that you can tailor make your posts to fit your audiences preferences.

9. Use Blue to Get More Likes

It's been proven. People like blue.

10. Be Consistent        

Give your followers what they want, and expect the type of content they will want to see next!

(Source: 10 Ways to Grow Your Small Business With Instagram)

 Snapchat

 Admittedly, Snapchat is not the first application I would think of when considering social media marketing, but it can still be a great tool for promoting your business. Here are five easy tips for getting the most out of your business' Snapchat:

1. Reward Current Customers with Mobile Coupons
This is a great way to both bring customers to you, and to gauge how well your Snapchat is bringing in business.

2. Gain New Followers with a Giveaway
Not only can this bring in new customers, but it can also bring in more followers from different social media platforms.

3. Take People Behind the Scenes
Give your followers a tease of what your business is working on next. Then give them a link to your site or YouTube channel for them to learn more!

4. Preview a Product
Get the buzz started before the product even releases!

5. Tell Customers About Holiday Sales and Events
After all, what are the holidays, if not an opportunity to sell stuff?!
(Source: Snapchat for Business: How Your Marketing Can Benefit From Photo Messaging)

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The Conquest for the Socal Media World: Part I

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Dominating the social media world in order to market your business can present itself as a daunting task. To make it easier, we will break down the challenge channel by channel. Up today are Google+, Facebook, and Twitter. For each, we will cover some tips and tricks to getting your business up and ready to tackle social media.

 Google+

In previous posts, I have already touched on some of the wonders a Google account can provide for your business, so here are eight tips for making your Google presence stronger:

1. Perfect your Google Plus profile
Take the time to ensure that all of your information is correct and appears professional.

2. Share Great Content & Optimize Your Posts
As always, content is king.

3. Update your viral posts
This is a feature unique to Google+. Take advantage of it!

4. Get Involved and Be Useful
Grow closer to and connect with your community. This can be achieved in a number of ways. Be creative!

5. Engage! Be awesome
Follow other people, and make comments. Don't be static.

6. Connect with influential members
Using Google+ Ripples is a great tool for this.

7. Join the fun
Join a circle, hangouts, or wish someone a happy birthday!

8. Add Google+ Badge to your Site
Let your website visitors know you are on Google+ and encourage them to follow you!
(Source: How-to: Build A Strong Google Plus Presence And Get More Followers)

Facebook

For some people, Facebook is the first thing they look at after turning off their alarm in the morning, or the last thing they see before they set it at night. Using your business' page effectively can help you spread the word about your business and connect with your customers. Here are six tips from the pros:

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#1: Use ActionSprout for Email Acquisition
This is a great tool to keep you in the news feed of your followers, instead of hoping that they stumble onto your page.

#2: Boost a New Product Announcement
Some experts advise against this, but it can still be a great option for small businesses.

#3: Use Website Custom Audiences
This helps target users that have already visited your website when they get back on Facebook.


#4: Power Up Your PR Efforts
Where better a place to build the face of your company in the face of your customers and the world?

#5: Use Audience Insights
This tool helps you gauge how your viewers are interacting with you on Facebook, and what works and what does not.

#6: Split Test Facebook Ads
Determine how well your individual ads are working to increase your advertising efficiency.
(Source: Six Facebook Marketing Tips From the Pros)

Twitter

Twitter has become the go-to channel for individuals to tell the whole world what you ate for breakfast. For businesses, however, you don't need to go outside of your local area. Here are three easy tips to find local customers on twitter:

#1: Add Location Data to Your Tweets
These are off by default, but are a great way to get your customers to your door. Let them know exactly where you are, and the potential customers in your area will come to you!

#2: Find Leads With a Local Hashtag Search
Capitalize on the hashtags that are popular in your area to bring attention to your business. If there is a popular hashtag for your city, an ongoing festival, or big event, use it!

#3: Target Customers With Promoted Trends
A solution for businesses with a larger budget, this involves paying to have a trend listed among the trending topics of the day. These are tailored for the individual users who see them based on their location and the pages they follow.
(Source: How to Find Local Customers With Twitter)

Move Over James Cameron: Creating Social Media Video

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Social media videos are a great tool used by many companies to advertise, while creating content that viewers enjoy. In my last post, I spotlighted an apparel company that created entertaining YouTube videos to advertise their business. This is the next natural step in visual storytelling, and thanks to Social Media Examiner, here are 8 tips to help you get started.

1. Post stories from your customers.
This goes along the lines of connecting with your viewers. Showing the real people that use your products creates a personal connection with potential customers.

2. Create a fictional series.
A sure way to keep you viewers coming back, create an entertaining series of videos that tell compelling stories, or just make your viewers laugh. You don't have to be a professional film maker. Video recording devices and editing tools are more accessible than ever, so creating quality videos is well within your grasp.

3. Tell personal stories.
As I've mentioned in another post, when you are on social media, your business is personified. Telling personal stories about your company, its roots, or the people involved is a great way to grow the connection between you and your customers, building brand awareness and loyalty.

4. Shoot documentary style videos.
This can tie in to the other tips on this list. Feel free to experiment with different genres and formats. Also, analyze your customers and find out what type of videos they prefer to see.

5. Interview guests.
This is a budget friendly way to expose your viewers to real world encounters with your product or service. This can be a great way for you post stories from your customers.

6. Take viewers behind the scenes.
Personally, I love seeing the way products are made. This is a growing trend for companies who post social media videos. I get especially excited when I see small businesses, who place a lot of quality and pride in their work, show their manufacturing processes.

7. Create animated stories.
Disney is not the only one who can bring talking animals to life through animation. This is another fun way to create social media videos. Like other methods, tools for creating simple animated videos have become more popular and easier to access than ever.

8. Show viewers how to do something.
Another personal favorite of mine. YouTube is the go-to place for how to videos. From how to replace a radiator, to how to kick box, YouTube has a wealth of knowledge. Teach your viewers how to do something that relates to the product or service you provide. This will ensure your viewers will think of your business when they brag to their friends about what you've just taught them.
(Source: How to Use Video Storytelling in Your Social Media Marketing)

Train Like an Athlete: Athlean-X

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Athlean-X is a fitness training program created by professional trainer Jeff Cavaliere, which has developed into its own brand. In addition to the fitness program, Athlean-X has a mobile app, workout supplements, a blog, and most notably, a YouTube channel. Here is an example of one of his recent videos:

Athlean-X is a channel I personally subscribe to, as it provides a wealth of knowledge concerning all things health and fitness. Cavaliere's videos are produced very professionally, regularly, and all free of charge. There is not doubt that he is trying to use these videos to sell his products, but they do not feel like commercials. To the viewers, the videos are useful and entertaining whether they plan on purchasing from Athlean-X or not. To me, this is using social media video as a marketing tool at its finest.

Storytelling to a Visual Audience

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With social media being the new driver for business marketing, visual storytelling is the next natural step in making yourself known to the online world. Every minute, hundreds of videos are being posted to social media, and hundreds of thousands of photos.

It is no doubt that social media is not only about connecting individuals with communities and organizations, but also about storytelling and the power of the visual. Businesses everywhere are capitalizing on this, and here are a few reasons you should as well.

• Viewers spend twice as much time on web pages with videos than those without.
• Viewers are more likely to purchase a product after watching a product video. 
• The vast majority of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, and the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
• The rise in mobile computing makes it easier to create, edit, and share video content.
• YouTube is the second most searched engine after Google.

Try it for yourself, and as always, content is king. Deliver content that propagates your goals as a business and portrays your vision and voice in a compelling way. Give the viewers what they want, and they will give you their business.
(Source: The power of visual storytelling)

Ranger Up Apparel

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Ranger Up is a veteran owned and operated apparel company, conducting most of their business and marketing online. Their products are geared towards Armed Forces personnel and patriotic Americans with a humorous approach to the military culture. On the right is an example graphic from the shirts they sell.

The most interesting part of their marketing strategy is the regular publication of YouTube videos. Some are more serious than others, but most of them are funny and satirical in nature. This company has done a terrific job of reaching their own target market in this way. I will not give any direct links to any of the videos from here because some of the language and content is less than savory. Nonetheless, this is a great way for a business to creatively advertise their products and spread brand awareness by delivering entertaining visual content to the viewer. 

(Source: Ranger Up)

Strategizing Your Social Media Marketing

In today's market, it is practically essential for your business to have a social media presence. If you have been anywhere near social media for the past few years, then you have probably seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the way businesses conduct themselves. Especially with small businesses, it seems that their strategies for social media marketing are nothing more than afterthoughts. This can be frustrating for people like me, since a good social media presence can do wonders for brand awareness.
Thanks to Convince and Convert, here are 8 steps to ensure your social media strategy meets success.

Step 1. Build an Ark
 I don't know how well this analogy holds water (I crack myself up sometimes), but the idea is simple. Social media should come from all aspects of your business. Let customers feel like social media is naturally originating from you, and not something that you went outside to obtain.

Step 2. Listen and Compare
Listen to your customers and your competition. They will give you the best idea of where you should be with your social media presence.

Step 3. What's the Point?
Why are you on social media? Whats your goal? Brand awareness, higher sales, or customer loyalty are some possibilities.

Step 4. Select Success Metrics
How will you be measuring your success on social media? It could be likes, shares, or increased revenue, to name a few.

Step 5. Analyze Your Audiences
What is your target market? Who are the type of people you want to appeal to?

Step 6. What's Your One Thing?
Your customers know what your product is in their heads, but what is it in their hearts?

Step 7. How Will You Be Human?
You must consider how to relate personally to your customers. You might not consider your company to be a person, but on social media it must act like one.

Step 8. Create a Channel Plan
Have a reason and a solid game plan for each social media "channel" you plan to interact in. Don't just have a Facebook page and an Instagram because its what your supposed to do. Know why you are engaging in each platform.
(Source: Social Media Strategy in 8 Steps)

Taco Bell: Thinking Outside The Social Media Bun

Taco Bell is among the best examples of effective social media marketing. Currently ranking first on DigitalCoCo’s Restaurant Social Media Index, Taco Bell exercises three main principles which lead to this success. The first is the creation and sharing of truly creative content. The second is the relationship between qualitative and quantitative growth. Thirdly, Taco Bell is active in conversations with fans and brands.
(Source: Taco Bell: Serving Up the Spiciest Social Media Marketing This Side of the Rio Grande)