Posts Tagged business marketing
Build your Network to Build your Business
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Networking on January 2, 2013
An article from Richard Branson on Entrepreneur.com suggests that when you’re starting a business, you should network early and often – saying that the first step on the road to business success is building a network. With LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ it’s easy to find avenues to launch, connect, and grow your business.
Not sold on the benefits of social for your business? Neither is Patty Azzarello, who says social media still can’t compete with face-to-face interactions as a way to build your business. Tell that to the thousands of small and online businesses who’ve seen their customer base grow as a result of solid social media campaigns.
So for the skeptics out there, and those who’ve embraced social media, here are a few tips to get the most out of your social networking efforts.
Find Your Target Audience’s Preferred Network.
Do you provide business-to-business product or services? Chances are that if you’re marketing a b2b solution, you’re not going to captivate your potential audience through Facebook. Look for groups, industry magazines, forums and trade shows, or relevant associations that will give you an avenue with clients, referrals, and prospects. LinkedIn is a great place to find groups of like-minded business people who are looking for product like yours.
If your clients are average internet users and not businesses, you may have a better chance marketing on Facebook, through a series of organic and paid posts that up your EdgeRank and build brand community.
The Elevator Pitch is Dead – Work on Your “Twit”Pitch.
Brevity has been built right into Twitter – and because of that, attention spans may be shorter. Consider this when thinking up your pitch strategy, and don’t be afraid to get a little creative. You need something that will grab your client’s attention, but you only have a few seconds to do it. This is why we say the “Elevator Pitch is Dead”.
Some great examples of Twitpitches are:
@hackycatapp: “Hackycat. It’s like hackysack but with cats.” – The pitch is for an iOS game, and the pitch is dead on.
@42goals: “A simple tool for tracking personal goals and daily activities”
@garmz: “Enable fashion talent. You design fashion, we provide the rest.”
Create a Connection.
One of the biggest complaints in social is a lack of engagement. Engagement should be handled in one of two ways. Ideally, you’ll create compelling content that motivates users to respond because your content triggered some visceral feeling. More often than not, this is not the case – especially if you’re in the habit of creating content for content’s sake, or if all your messages are a sales pitch. Put your best message out there – and focus on thoughtful, but not continual/needy contact. Remember, your agenda isn’t the point of networking through social media channels. The point is to create connections, to engage those connections, and to gain collaboration, not just another sale. This is especially important in business-to-business networking where your point of contact probably has 20 pitches flooding their email each day.
You’ll need to be crafty with your content if you’re a new business on the web – your authority is based on your content and connections.
Overall, be yourself, and find a way to humanize your business.
Got any tips for networking through social?
Reasons a Strong Business Presence on Facebook Matters
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Networking on December 5, 2012
There’s a bit of rift between long-time successful companies and relative startups. Businesses that have been turning a profit and molding their brand image for years are up in the air about whether or not a Facebook presence—or social media in general—is required to achieve success. Newer businesses, however, without the luxury of tenure, insist that it’s a must.
So, which is it? Can you get by without a Facebook presence, or do you really need one in today’s marketplace? Well, that particular question can be argued until the cows finally come home, but as you’ll read below, logic points directly toward having a presence.
5 Reasons to Keep a Solid Foothold in Facebook
1: The Stats are Overwhelming
Over a third of the American population alone uses Facebook. All told, the site has over one billion users, which is going to push a lot closer to 1.5+ once India and other parts of Asia come into the fold. Over half of all Facebook users visit the platform regularly. Trust is growing amongst Facebook fans toward businesses. The stats can go on and on, including the fact that advertising on Facebook cost very little compared to other mediums, and the potential for higher ROI is enormous.
2: A Business-Friendly Atmosphere
Facebook has not only created an extremely business-friendly atmosphere, but one that doesn’t intrude on a user’s experience (unlike MySpace and other networks). With updates like Custom Audiences, Timeline, new advances in their ads via Sponsored Stories, and other measures Facebook has taken to rake in the advertising dollars, the network is currently in the midst of its own boom right now, and no one sees a dropping off point yet.
3: Ways of the World
The world today is trending Internet. There’s no other way to put it. Although Facebook only has a billion users, there are over 5 billion people across the planet who have access to the Internet. As we evolve further in terms of technology, Facebook’s numbers will exponentially increase, as well as Internet activity in general via people handling their shopping online. Any business would be missing out not to ride this train.
4: Adding Credibility
What do you think a tech-savvy customer thinks of your business when they find out you don’t have a Facebook page? (And that’s even assuming they can find you at all without one.) The odds are great that they don’t see you as credible. You’re not a part of the culture they’re a part of, so why would they trust you? Having a Facebook presence works wonders for your credibility.
5: Infinite Traffic Potential
From your business Facebook page, you can interlink an entire web network, including blogs, a main business site, Twitter, LinkedIn, and an infinite number of other sites, profiles and pages. You can reach out beyond your network and work with other businesses to share traffic. You can drive an enormous amount of traffic with a Facebook page (to and from), and there is literally no ceiling on how much you can attract.
Reasons like “free” and “easy” were left off the list, but you can include them as strong factors that may help you make up your mind. The fact of the matter is that your business might not need a Facebook page. But it’s also true that your odds of success increase with one.
Author’s bio:
Eric Taylor works as a freelance writer and business developer for Qwaya, a Facebook ad manager tool. Qwaya provides extensive information, tools and up-to-date news about social media marketing trends and strategies, most specifically on Facebook. The company’s goal is to build and develop a very sophisticated tool with powerful features that are user-friendly and affordable specially for social media marketers world wide.
The Dangers of Content For Content’s Sake
Posted by Rory Martin in Search Engine Optimization on October 18, 2012
The Anxious Type by JD Hancock
Content is king! The web is all about content! You must have fresh content if you want to be seen on the new, ever-changing, social web. A lot of advice regarding social media strategies and blogging suggest creating new content every day, setting a schedule to post within, and not deviating from this. This approach does have its advantages – for example, the idea that people will check back every day, or on certain days, out of habit, whether they have seen a social media update informing them of a new post or not. Bloggers and businesses alike promise themselves that they’ll add content to their site as frequently as possible, to keep up the momentum of FRESH! NEW! CONTENT!
However, some content creators, particularly for business, find themselves in danger of creating content without intent – content solely for content’s sake. Sometimes, there isn’t any news. Sometimes, there isn’t anything in the media which even vaguely relates to your field of expertise. Sometimes, there just isn’t anything to say. So, what happens then?
Content for content’s sake is just noise. Content without intent is irrelevant. Content for content’s sake is content that contains very little actual value to readers, and is only there to make your site seem “fresh”, and to beef up your backlinks, or keywords, for SEO purposes. This kind of post seems valuable – fresh content attracts search engines, but it can be off-putting for your audience. Repeat readers will be expecting a post of the usual high quality with relevant, actionable or inspirational information. To come across a boilerplate piece that’s only posted as a means of sticking to your posting schedule and boosting search engine rankings may make them reconsider your value (and where they spend their time on the ‘net).
“Businesses that produce too much information start to appear spammy and scattered. This does not instill confidence in customers and prospects. In fact, it is more likely to confuse them and push them away. Content for content’s sake does not help a business that is trying to be a true influencer in their industry. In fact, it makes you look like the little boy who cried wolf, because when you actually have something important to say, no one will be able to see it through all the other drivel you have produced.”
And it’s true. Everyone re-Pins. Everyone re-posts. Everyone re-Tweets. Google any one phrase and you’ll see a host of websites with that same message. What stands out from the masses of repurposed content? Content that’s relevant, that makes sense, that’s written for humans by humans as a means of conveying facts, knowledge, opinion, and interesting information. And if you don’t have that? Don’t post just because you have to keep your site fresh.
A good way of avoiding this type of content is to read over each piece and ask if you would send it to a stranger as a good representation of your website overall. If the answer is no, then don’t publish it! Readers would rather a blogger miss a few days worth of posts than read through half-baked content. Post when you have something to say – it doesn’t have to be life-altering, but it should be valuable to your reader.
Have you ever skipped a few days of publishing content until you found something worth writing about? How did it affect your website?
Five Ways Companies Get Social Media Wrong
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Media Marketing on August 20, 2012
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Social Media is not the place for the hard sell
It is incredibly common for small businesses to merge Sales with Marketing and spend all their time on Social Media trying to push people to buy, buy, buy. Unfortunately, this hard-sell strategy doesn’t work. Most social media users don’t scroll through their timelines wondering what they can buy that day – users are looking for entertainment and information. Provide value and your potential customers will keep coming back to you.
Social media is about building relationships and growing trust. So when your followers are wondering where they want to shop, or who they want to have a business relationship with, your company name crops up first.
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Social media isn’t all about self-promotion
People will follow your company because they want to know what your business is doing and when your next event or what your next special offer is, but remember that party where you got stuck with the guy who wouldn’t stop telling you about his speedboat, and never asked any questions?
You may feel like that update that doesn’t have a link to your site or product is a wasted update, but imagine the valuable feedback you could receive from your followers by asking a couple of questions a day about your brand image, latest product, or most recent conference. Thank the responders by name, and you might just have a customer for life!
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You don’t have to be on all of the platforms
At RoryMartin.com we keep on top of all the social media platforms in order to best advise our clients, and from our research we can tell you this: some platforms are more appropriate than others for certain businesses. Rather than spread your limited budget over ten social media accounts, pick two or three which already appeal to your target demographic and focus your efforts there.
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Don’t try and keep up with the big brands
Just like in tip #3 – as a small to medium-sized business, you have limited resources for marketing or promotions. Huge brands can afford to host big-ticket giveaways to promote their new products or services, but giving away a heap of iPads might be outside of your budget.
Instead, think creatively and work out something relevant to your business – find something that your target market will appreciate and which showcases your company’s particular skills.
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Social media isn’t “free” or “additional”
Social media is not something that you can just tack onto regular marketing campaigns, or entrust completely to the new intern. Many companies that treat social media in this way are the first to complain that social media is useless. Social media should be fully incorporated with marketing strategies from the beginning, with an employee whose job description requires that they spend a certain amount of time actioning these strategies. With dedicated time, and money going towards social media strategies, the improvement in ROI should be immediately noticeable.
If you don’t have the manpower to administer your own social media marketing you may consider partnering with a company that specializes in social media strategy – like the team at RoryMartin.com. With a little time and patience, your business can attack the social media vertical with success.
Have you noticed any of these pitfalls in your own social media strategy? Do you have any other social media mistakes to add to this list?
Be Consistent in your Social Media Marketing Strategy
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Media Marketing on July 30, 2012
As Seattle-based consultants for social media strategies, one of the most frequently asked questions we receive from clients is “How much time should I spend on social media?” and what usually follows is “How many times a day should I post to Facebook? How many times should I tweet? Am I Pinning too often?” Our response is always the same – stay consistent. Perhaps this doesn’t sound like a straight answer, but consistency in marketing wins out over gimmicks every time.
Creating consistently good blog and website content will bring people back to your site over, and over again. Even if social media didn’t exist, people still have this habit of talking to each other about consistently great articles, videos, questionnaires or giveaways. A giveaway might sound like a flash-in-the-pan strategy, but not if you make it a regular feature every time a new product comes out. Customers will flock back, hoping to win that great new item, every time. Set yourself a schedule and post certain articles and videos regularly each week or month. This encourages your audience to return at certain times, whether prompted to by social media or not.
Handily, social media does exist and brands need to be consistent there too. It’s really no use setting up profiles on all social media platforms and then never updating them, or updating them sporadically. If people choose to follow or Like a brand, they want to know they are going to receive up to date information, regularly. If there are no updates on your Wall for the past three days, they’re going to look elsewhere. For optimum engagement on Facebook, post 2-5 times per day, but what’s more important on social media is frequency of updates. Post, tweets and updates should be spaced out throughout the day and evening (and night, if parts of your audience are in different times zones) so that followers and fans have less cause to feel annoyed and overwhelmed by a sudden influx of updates over the space of an hour (your allotted time that week to ‘do’ social media).
There are plenty of tools available to help businesses and companies to schedule their content and social media updates, or you can arrange a meeting with one of our Seattle social media experts to talk you through a consistent and engaging social media strategy.
What Can Social Media Marketing Do For Your Business?
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Media Marketing on July 23, 2012
There are plenty of businesses who jumped on the social media marketing bandwagon, set up accounts on every platform they could name, and then expected followers to appear and sales to skyrocket. When this doesn’t happen, many companies give up on social media, claiming that it “doesn’t work”. And they’re right. Just joining these platforms won’t “work” to make sales, there is so much more to be done before that will happen. It may even be that a company never achieves a direct sale from their social media presence. Why is this? What does social media marketing actually achieve?
The first thing to understand is that regular people don’t use social media as customers. They use it as a way to connect, and as we’ve seen through the Social7 program, they use it to build community. People use Twitter to talk about what they’re thinking, when they’re thinking it, and read their friends thoughts too. They use Twitter to catch up on the latest global news, and to feel a part of a larger conversation. People use Facebook to see what their friends and family have been up to, to share cool, funny links they’ve found, and to upload and view holiday snaps. People don’t tend to head to Twitter or Facebook thinking, ‘I’m going to make a purchase today, let’s see what’s being sold on Twitter and Facebook’.
This is why sales streams don’t “work”; because businesses are using social media the same way they would use a billboard or a banner ad. These methods of advertising tend to have captive audiences – commuters stuck in traffic or sat on trains, blog audiences & website visitors. Social media is all about choosing whose updates you see. When someone agrees to Like or Follow a company which then pushes the hard sell, the Unfollow button is right there, waiting to be pushed.
The key to a business having a presence on social media is to first understand why people are there in the first place – as connectors. People like to share what’s going on in their lives, and they do this on social media. They might @ mention the brand of a great dress they bought, or a new brand of ice-cream they tried, or even where they got their concert flyers printed. Their followers click through the mention, see the brand’s feed, and maybe go to their website. Social media is really about giving current customers the capability to be brand ambassadors. Companies can leverage the networks of their client base in order to gain wider brand exposure, and potential new customers – even without hundreds upon thousands of actual followers. And this is how social media “works” to create sales.
Do you use social media to promote your business? How do most people interact with you on these platforms? Are you thinking of using social media marketing? Get in touch with our Seattle web marketing experts to arrange a consultation today.
Dos and Don’ts of Social Networking
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Networking on July 3, 2012
For a good social media strategy, there’s no make-or-break way to be truly successful. However, being successful at this type of social networking requires a little finesse (and a lot of patience). We’ve got some tips for both companies who are just finding their niche, and established businesses who want to see more ROI from their networking efforts.
Do Give Your Brand a Personality
People, especially on social media, like to connect with people. Come up with a persona for your business, and stick with it. Followers and friends then know what to expect from your feed, and feel more like their connecting with some*one* rather than some*thing*.
The bonus is that having a personality – and a personable networking account – builds trust and authenticity. Trust and authenticity are 2 of the cornerstones of any great social campaign.
Don’t Go Straight For the Hard Sell
Would you ever start a conversation at a networking event with “Hi, have you bought our product yet?” No? Then don’t do it online either. People like to be introduced to a company on social media networking sites before they trust or value them enough to connect.
This also draws us towards our next point – users don’t respond as well to self-promotional talk, as they do to conversation.
Do Start Conversations
You want more information about your client base; people love to talk about themselves. Ask a few questions about contentious, but relevant, topics, and soon you’ll have a full-scale debate on your feed. As a bonus: people will feel more warmly towards your brand, because you actually care what they think.
This is also a great time to show off your customer service skills by engaging and responding in a professional, friendly, and timely way.
Don’t Be Boring
Have you ever been stuck at a cocktail party with the self-absorbed bore who won’t stop going on about their own personal woes? It’s not fun for anyone. Provide value with your feed – link to interesting, informative and relevant content which your followers will value – and even share!
Don’t Use a ‘Comedy’ Photo
While it might be tempting to portray your company’s sense of fun with a photo of Dave in a cardboard crown, remember that people want to believe that you are capable of handling their complaints, inquiries and orders in a professional manner. Unless you are an actual clown, just the company logo or a serious head and shoulders shot will do.
Of course, being too stern in photos can also have repercussions. You want to seem approachable, as well as professional.
Do Have Fun
People turn to social media to enjoy themselves, so go ahead and link to that skateboard otter story for a little light relief. Extra points if you can find something life-affirming or giggle-worthy which is relevant to your marketing pitch.
Still not sure how to make friends and influence people using social networking sites? Get in touch with our Seattle social networking experts today, to improve your business connections.
Are Your Social Media Efforts Under-performing?
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Media Marketing on May 30, 2012
Something which marketors and businesses often forget about social media, and fail to incorporate into their social media strategies, is that social media marketing is not advertising. With traditional advertising, a business rents a space which is already in view of a potential audience – the side of a bus, a billboard, popular television channels – and are assured that their product will be viewed by hundreds of millions, daily.
When it comes to social media, the audience is out there, and the business must draw them in. Simply having a Twitter account or a Facebook page is not enough, your potential audience must know you’re there, and also, they have to want to come and see what you’re saying. Even then, social media marketing is a two-step process.
Once you have gathered an audience, you need to earn their trust. Social media is social! People use it to chat with their friends and keep up with celebrities daily doings. They aren’t necessarily there to be sold to.
This is where content marketing comes in. In the ideal world of online marketing, the Venn diagram of content marketing and social media marketing would overlap each other completely. Businesses need to offer their online audience something interesting to keep them engaged, and this doesn’t always have to be discount codes.
At RoryMartin.com, we know the difference, and we use content marketing as part of our social media strategy to draw in an engaged and relevant audience for your business and product – the kind of audience more likely to convert into customers, and satisfied ones at that.
Pinterest for Your Business
Posted by Rory Martin in Social Networking on March 6, 2012
The new rage in the social media sphere is Pinterest – an online scrapbook where users can pin and share images in an easily customized way. Users create boards inspired by their favorite topics or brands; using a “pin it” button from their toolbar, they can instantly share their inspirations to their network of friends. Within moments, other users can pin that image to their board, creating a social network of image sharing and inter-linking. Some of the best candidates for Pinterest’s vast network of sharing include wedding planners, digital designers, foodies, fashion lovers and interior decorators.
Why is this good for a business? Members use images from the web – and those images are often linked to the websites where the images originated. But it’s not just all pretty photos – California restaurant chain Tender Greens uses Pinterest to showcase images of chefs at work, and the ways in which they plate catered foods. Another example – retailers like Raymour & Flanigan or West Elm can show off catalogue shots featuring their designs, and users can talk back by showing those retailers inspirational images for their living spaces. This gives businesses a chance to have a two-way visual dialogue with their customers. Some businesses using Pinterest – such as Wedding Republic – have seen a 75% increase in traffic through Pinterest.
Users say they love Pinterest because it’s like getting magazines delivered straight to your desk, without adding clutter or cost.
How do you use Pinterest to promote your business?
Spend the time using the platform. Like any social media site, you will not see results unless you can put in the time. It takes constant interaction on any platform to keep your brand relevant. Also build relationships with “Pinners” who have quality boards, and who post quality images. Influencers who have a solid relationship with a brand are more likely to talk about that brand.
Keep it simple – cluttered boards are a surefire tactic to keep “Pinners” from NOT clicking on your page. Mimic Pinterest’s uncluttered design, but be sure to include ONE link back to your site through each pinned photo. Also, make sure your business is a good match for Pinterest. If you sell pianos, make sure you can provide aesthetically pleasing imagery to “Pinners” who will use your images. If you sell power sanders? It will probably be difficult to see a return on your time investment using Pinterest. And remember – don’t just promote yourself. Social networking is about sharing a vast array of ideas. Pinterest users are savvy when it comes to spotting boards that are too-self serving. This means you must interact more than just promoting your own products.
If in doubt, try out a daily theme! Come up with a theme or slogan and build themed boards around that, using at least 1 product from your homepage. Be selective, be inspiring, and be creative.
Read the Terms and Conditions – Pinterest is based on pinning images, but make sure the images you’re adding are your own. There could be ramifications to pinning copyright images.
And above all, remember to interact – Pinterest is built on a concept of networking, and networks all depend on connection. Ensure you take a little time to build that connection with other Pinterest users.
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At RoryMartin.com, we are focused on creating and executing effective social media campaigns for our amazing customers. We offer a full set of services; whether you need website design and web development, search engine optimization, or social media marketing. From entrepreneurs to established businesses, we do the work so you don’t have to – making social media simple.
Engagement Focused: Sevenly.org
Posted by Rory Martin in Web Design and Development on March 1, 2012
We’ve heard a lot about the hip new startup, Sevenly, that provides users with an easy and efficient way to make a difference in the global community. What we like about Sevenly is that their web design offers a strong call to action, content that is presented in a way that’s easy for users to digest, and places a focus on how users can give back to their community. Sevenly CEO, Dale Partridge says, “In today’s world, if you aren’t constantly improving your website… you’re falling behind… We listen to our customers and figure out what they want and what would make the process of supporting our causes easier…”
The site makes sure to include an in-depth explanation of what they do and how they donate their funds. They also offer cause statistics, and highlight how Sevenly users have contributed to their charity partners. Sevenly’s users are encouraged to support campaigns by both making donations and promoting the cause through social media. The new site design is committed to building awareness, finding funding, and building a following.
The design is heavy on imagery, light on text and highly graphic for impact. It focuses on numbers, statistics and charts to show each user how they’re helping the community. They also have full Facebook integration, allowing users to comment and share their own stories.
We liked the way the site was focused on user engagement. As businesses start to use Facebook more, we feel it’s important to remember that Facebook should be a social media tool, but it shouldn’t be the ultimate landing page for clients or users looking to find out more about your brand. It’s important to have an engaging corporate page, where users can go to ultimately connect with your business. We give Sevenly’s site an A+.
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RoryMartin.com is a Seattle Web Design company that specializes in Seattle Search Engine Optimization and Seattle Social Media Marketing. To make an impact with your website visit us at RoryMartin.com.
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