Thursday, September 5, 2019
How to Build a Better Social Media Presence
Key Strategies for Small Businesses to be More Social with Social Media
We've mentioned the importance of interacting with your followers in previous blog posts. We'll say it again: there has to be more to your social media strategy than simply posting content.
Unfortunately, many brands don't realize they can't just promote their products on social media and expect to attract their target audience.
You can have thousands of followers, but if you have nothing entertaining or engaging, social media isn't going to be a valuable marketing tool at all.
You need to include sharing non-promotional content and interacting with your followers on your to-do list each and every week.
How Much Self-Promotion is Too Much?
I like to use the 20/80 rule, a widely-accepted ratio for sales posts vs. other content. For example, if you own a day spa, 20% of your posts could be related to promoting your therapeutic services, products for sale and so on.
The other 80% of your posts should be content that your target audience will find interesting. You could post links to articles, blogs, and videos on everything from healthy recipes to self-care tips. Make sure that if you share humorous photos, videos or articles that they're appropriate for your audience and your industry.
All of your content can be valuable and increase your social media presence if you speak authentically to your followers.
You're not just entertaining them - you're increasing the odds that they'll like or comment on your post and share it with their followers.
Get to Know Your Followers
Part of a good strategy includes setting time aside each week (or hiring a marketing company to do this for you) to go into your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts and:
• Accept relevant follower requests
• Look for people in your target audience to follow/Like
• Like, retweet and share others' content you enjoyed
• Comment back to followers who leave you comments
Building trust with your followers makes them more likely to purchase your products or services and to be loyal to your brand.
If you do build a set of active and loyal followers who engage with you, be sure you follow them back and interact with them on a regular basis to keep them happy.
Access is Everything
If you're constantly switching between your work and personal devices, it can be easy to accidentally tweet something you don't want to share on your business page or vice versa. Double-check which account you're posting from before you hit that button.
Larger companies may have several pros accessing social media accounts. Even small- and medium-sized companies might outsource their social media strategy and promotion to a marketing company (like ours).
To keep your social media presence positive, make sure you take away access from people who are no longer with the company, and if you do outsource your social media marketing, ensure the company you've hired does the same.
If you don't, you could end up with a situation like HMV did in 2013 when a disgruntled ex-employee still had access to their Twitter account.
Yikes. Knowing who's posting is just as important as what you're posting.
There's so much noise on social media, so you need to work hard to get noticed and stay noticed! By creating the right strategy for your target audience and aiming for relationships, not followers, you'll be well on your way to building a better social media presence.
Susan Friesen, the founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant, and Social Media Advisor. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having a lack of knowledge, skill, and support needed to create their online business presence.
If you are new to Social Media and online marketing or find it overwhelming and confusing, my monthly group coaching program, AMPLIFY! Business Academy http://amplifybusinessacademy.com/ is a perfect way for you to incrementally learn the best strategies and tactics to help you grow your business online.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Susan_Friesen/260293
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
3 Tips for Social Media Storytelling
How to Build Better Engagement for Your Business
Stories predate television, the internet, and social media, but they're a big part of the modern marketing landscape. Social media is-or should be-a big part of your marketing strategy, no matter what line of business you're in.
Social media storytelling can increase reach and brand awareness and help you gain new followers. However, there is a great deal of noise out there.
If you don't attract attention, your message is going to be lost in a sea of other competing messages.
When we're attempting to connect and engage with our followers, customers and potential customers, it's essential to remember that we're not talking at people or simply posting products or services.
Think of this as a chance to narrate your brand, to start a conversation about who you are and what you offer.
Here are 3 tips to help bring storytelling into your social media marketing strategy:
Tip #1: Be Human
People are going to connect with people first, not brands. Share what's happening in your world with your followers, what you're learning and what's exciting you. Reinforce your brand's message, your mission and what you stand for.
Audiences are savvy, and they can tell when a brand isn't being authentic in their posts. Recently, we've been engaging our eVision audience with questions, and based on the response we're getting, it's a fun and genuine way to learn more about our followers while promoting our business.
That said, only share things that you want the whole world to know! Once you put something out there, it's out there for everyone to see-and snapshot and share-so make sure it's well-thought-out and appropriate.
Tip #2: Create Value
Your creative has to have intent, which isn't necessarily to make leads or sales. Think of ways to inform, entertain or surprise your audience.
Provide people with unique and interesting content, like blog posts, articles, infographics, videos or eBooks on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
Offering resources is one of the top ways to attract attention and followers. Inviting your community to be part of your brand is an ideal way to get them engaged with your resources.
For example, if you're an accountant trying to increase your online presence and engagement, you could ask your followers to share their top reasons for hiring someone else to do their taxes.
Ask them to hashtag their responses with #taxhelp or #relaxingnottaxing or something else clever and short.
If you don't have many fans, you'll need to gain more followers by sharing relevant content from your industry, interacting with people and finding relevant users to follow.
Here's an example of a brand who did this well: Lululemon with their #justmymat campaign. It began with a woman doing yoga in different settings in an Instagram brand video. As a result, thousands of followers uploaded photos and videos of themselves practicing yoga all over the world while using the campaign hashtag.
Tip #3: Show, Don't Tell
Telling your brand story doesn't have to mean typing out a whole bunch of copy. Images and videos can be a great way to capture the essence of your branding. Some platforms center around images (Pinterest and Instagram, for example).
Even the ones that don't have made changes to make social media storytelling easier, with more opportunities for photos, videos, and albums.
If you're not sure where to get images, do some research on design apps and sites that let you use your own images or templates and backgrounds to create engaging posts for the various social platforms.
There are so many ways you can tell a story that will best reflect your brand, business and you! You don't need to tackle the world of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter on your own.
Susan Friesen, the founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant, and Social Media Advisor. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having a lack of knowledge, skill, and support needed to create their online business presence.
If you are new to Social Media and online marketing or find it overwhelming and confusing, my monthly group coaching program, AMPLIFY! Business Academy http://amplifybusinessacademy.com/ is a perfect way for you to incrementally learn the best strategies and tactics to help you grow your business online.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Susan_Friesen/260293
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
How To Schedule Your Instagram Posts For Better Results
The first thing to realize when using Instagram for business and being able to schedule Instagram posts is that you need to upgrade your account to a business account.
When you have a business Instagram account, you unlock many features that aren't in the personal platform. So do that right away, then follow the rest of the steps.
Tools You Can Use
There are numerous tools that you can use to schedule Instagram posts. Hootsuite.com, Later.com, and HopperHq.com are great platforms to use. You can upload the information using your laptop or PC, or you can hire a virtual assistant to do it for you. You don't have to push individual posts out via your phone anymore. If you have a business account you can just use the scheduling software to schedule each post. But you will still need to use your phone to finish the process if you are publishing photo albums or videos.
Engage with Your Followers
Even though you can now use tools to schedule posts on Instagram without your phone, you still need to force yourself to engage with your followers. You don't want to forget to look at Instagram and comment to people who say things to you and comment on other people's posts, even though you can schedule using your PC. Remember, social media is all about engaging. Engage.
Instagram Automation
There are some services that will say that they'll automate getting more follows and shares for you. But the truth is, this is a bad idea. While it might seem fun to automatically follow and like people who comment or use a hashtag you set up, the best way to do this is personally. If you really want an active and legitimate following, do that yourself or ask your VA to do it for you. Otherwise, you could even end up with a blocked account.
Don't Spam Your Audience
Instagram is very adept at getting rid of spammers. So, you want to be careful about appearing spammy. If you have a lot of images that are from the same event, post them as a photo album. Plus, try to offer free content more than you promote. They say that you should promote only once after three posts. So, post useful content three times, then on the fourth time promote. It's a good rule of thumb.
Avoid Scheduling Content Too Far Out
If you schedule your posts too far out, you may end up accidentally offending people. But, if you pay attention to the news and can stop your schedule, you might be saved if something happens. Be super-careful about any type of scheduled post that could be taken wrongly on a bad day.
Always check your post before you schedule or post. Check that you don't have typos, and ensure nothing is wrong with your image that could be taken the wrong way, or something you don't want out there. Post regularly, use appropriate hashtags and follow your fans back.
Instagram's popularity continues to rocket as the cameras in smartphones become better at taking high-quality pics and videos. To learn more about this social media powerhouse and to get more tips to gain followers on Instagram, download my free Instagram Marketing Guide at http://jonallo.com/instagram
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/1079948
Monday, September 2, 2019
How To Make Your Business More Visible On Social Media
The more people see you, the more they're going to remember you. When you think of it that way, you can automatically see that as people notice you it will build your brand. Some studies say that a new customer needs to be exposed to you at least seven times over a short period of time in order to recognize your existence.
Be Active on the Right Social Media Platforms
You don't need to be on every single social media platform. You might want to get a profile on each of them, but you don't need to be on every single one. You only need to be where your audience is. Study your audience to find out where they like to be active. When you discover that, that is where you should concentrate your efforts.
Improve and Optimize Your Visual Branding
Images and graphics are very important online. People are attracted to looking at images over text first. Ensure that you have the same branding throughout all social media platforms, your website, and offline.
Post Regularly
Blogging or posting articles and content on a regular basis on your website (and then sharing it on social media) should be done regularly. Don't just do it once, then get upset that there is no response. Content marketing is a slow process. It is more effective than other methods, but it does take time and commitment.
Work with Influencers
One way to be more visible is to work with influencers. Don't worry; you don't have to find someone with a million subscribers. You'll want to pick the right platform for your product or service, but other than that find someone with 10,000 to 40,000 active subscribers or followers to work with.
Make the Most of Your Profiles
Don't forget that on all social media you have a profile or a bio space that needs to be completed. Use every single space the platform offers you that you reasonably can. If you don't have content for that space yet, put it in your calendar to create it. Check them regularly because each platform often updates the features they offer.
Promote Yourself
Many people are scared to promote themselves on social media. But, you must. Now, don't go and spam a group about your offers without permission, or anything like that. However, use retargeting ads with Facebook pixel, look-a-like ads, and some paid promotions. Build up a group where you can engage with others and promote your products without issue.
Engage More
Remember that social media is about being social. No one is on Facebook to buy stuff. But, if you engage, share, and become a resource to people on those platforms, you're going to stand out from the crowd and build trust through engagement.
Building your brand is something you should always be doing - just like marketing. It's all part of the solution to reach more people, help more people, and make more money. To learn more about how to make your business stand out, download my free checklist, Branding For Small Businesses at https://jonallo.com/branding
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/1079948
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Highly Effective Email List Building
Last month we covered 3 ways to list build that are working especially well this year. If you missed the article, you might want to go back and see how to build your list with Facebook Live Videos, Guest Posting with Upgrades and Hosting a Virtual Summit.
Today we have three more list building techniques that are working really well this year.
And before we get started, I just had a thought: What if you implemented all 6 of these techniques in the next 60 days? Can you imagine just how fast your list might grow?
Hmmm. Something worth thinking about. And definitely something worth doing. That's because if your list isn't growing, odds are your income is either stagnant if you're lucky, or diminishing if you're like most marketers.
The fact is, there are two kinds of customers who tend to buy the most stuff from you. One is the fan who will buy most anything you recommend or create. The second is the new list member who right now thinks you're hot stuff. And you are! But the problem is, sooner or later they will latch onto someone else or lose interest in the topic, and then they're not such a great customer anymore.
Which is why you always need to be list building.
Let's get started:
Method #1: Give the Bonus
This one is simple and quick. You take one of your products and offer them to someone who is about to launch a product. Your product then becomes a bonus to their product.
To be effective, you should offer a product that is currently selling well or at least recently sold well. This will make it easier for the product launcher to say yes.
Your product should also be an excellent fit while not duplicating content. For example, if they're selling a course on meditation, you might offer your product on getting great sleep, easing stress or thinking more clearly - all benefits of meditation.
Everyone who buys the product from the launch will be added to your list, so you can send them the freebie.
Method #2: Do Webinar Giveaways
When you publish a new blog post on how to do something or achieve some kind of results, give a free webinar, too.
To entice people onto the webinar and get them to join your list, you're going to offer an incentive. It should be something people love that is very closely related to the blog post topic.
Once people get on your webinar, let them know how to get the freebie, teach the content in the blog post, and at the end pitch your paid product that is directly related to the blog post.
Here's what the sequence looks like:
· Publish a blog post
· Offer a free webinar to blog post readers
· Let everyone on social media know about the webinar as well
· The incentive to get on the webinar is that you are teaching the content in the blogpost (and then some) AND giving away something really enticing and valuable.
· On the webinar, give them the URL to download the freebie (they give their email address so you know where to send it). Teach blogpost content. And pitch a product that is directly related to the blog post.
Don't forget to record the webinar and place it on the blog post. This will keep new people coming to the webinar and signing up for the enticing freebie, as well as buying your paid product.
And of course, you can continue to send people to the recorded webinar via social media.
Rinse and repeat.
Method #3: Get New Subscribers to Tell Their Friends
Using a tool such as SmartBribe http://www.smartbribe.com/ you can bribe your brand new subscribers to tell other people about you via social media.
Here's how it works:
You need a lead magnet. Identify the most popular and awesome free thing you give away. Or create something new, or even use one of your products as your lead magnet - whatever works for you.
Then you set up SmartBribe to give away something even BETTER on the thank you page in exchange for people telling their friends about you.
Once your new subscribers tell their friends about you via Twitter and email, they'll get the even more awesome thing.
A word of caution: Most people will read this article and do nothing.
A small handful will choose one list building technique and use it to quickly add more subscribers.
But only the truly motivated will use all 6 techniques - those in this article and the one that appeared last month - to build their lists at an exponential rate.
And those are the folks who will be earning 6 figures a year from now.
Just sayin'.
Discover how to engage and excite new customers into taking action and spending money with you by using these simple free marketing tips from Nick James, The Internet Business Coach http://www.Nick-James.com
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nick_James/4882
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