May 31, 2012
Do you use a third-party API to schedule your posts for the week? Many individuals think that using an API to post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other various social networking sites saves them time, energy and money. They also believe that they will reap the same benefits from pre-scheduling their posts as they would if they posted live.
It is common practice to take one hour a week and schedule posts for the week, in hopes of generating buzz, gaining business and increasing ROI. The truth is, third-party API’s used to auto-schedule posts can do more harm than good. The key is to find a middle ground. What are some of the detriments of using a third-party API for your social media marketing activity?
Stale Content
If you are auto-scheduling the exact same content, verbatim, to post on all of your social media networking sites at the exact same time, you are doing your business a disservice. This is a sure fire way to have people unlike your page, unfollow you on Twitter and unsubscribe from your RSS feed.
Many consumers will follow you on multiple social networking sites. If they see the exact same content, with a note from the API that you used to send the post, they will believe that you don’t feel they are worth your time and energy to be posting ‘live’.
Bad Manners
Believe it or not, but social media etiquette does exist. When you click ‘send to all your accounts’ you are posting content that isn’t relevant to all of your accounts. Your followers on Twitter may not want the same information that your LinkedIn followers want. The same applies to Facebook. There is nothing more irritating than seeing a short 140-character post with a # (hashtag) on a Facebook business page. Auto-scheduling posts on a consistent basis broadcasts to your audience that you don’t have the time to deliver great content, that applies to a specific social media networking site, on a regular basis. Does this mean that you should never use a third-party API to schedule posts? Certainly not.
Use Common Sense
If you are using a third-party API, simply change up the wording a bit and schedule your posts for each account accordingly. For example, if you have just written a great blog post or if you have a brand new incentive, it makes sense to use an API to schedule strategic outbound messages to promote. Just remember to use the specific strategy that will apply. If you are posting to Facebook, you can use more words/characters, if you are posting to Twitter, keep it short and simple. You get the idea.
Third-party API’s are wonderful for monitoring your social media accounts and for engagement. You can see all of your accounts in one location. This is a preferred way to truly maximize API’s. If you are scheduling out the exact same post for all of your accounts at the exact same time, you are doing your business a disservice.
Thanks!
Sean
Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
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May 29, 2012
Social media marketing is one of the most powerful ways to have a successful business. Your marketing efforts allow you to be seen as an expert, have constant contact with your audience and stretch outside of your natural circle of influence. For a minimal financial investment, you can achieve all of your marketing goals using social media platforms. While using blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and many other social media platforms can be extremely beneficial; many business owners put in the time and energy and discover minimal results. Why does this occur?
Spamming. You may not be aware that you are spamming your audience and without taking the time to evaluate your content and strategy, you can quickly destroy any positive outcomes that social media marketing can provide. How can you determine if you are a spammer?
Content
Are you constantly talking about yourself, your products or how you can help every individual on the planet? If you are, you are a spammer. You may have the best of intentions and yes, your products and services may be extremely useful but no one wants your products shoved down their throats. You may have the cure for all of their problems, but if you are too aggressive, your potential customers simply will not care. They will avoid you at all costs and they will tell everyone that they know that you are a pushy, egotistical sales person with an agenda that doesn’t serve the greater good.
Keep your content informational and useful. Steer clear of constant self-promotion. The most important thing is to start a conversation. Take the time to get to know your audience and engage. Trust me, you are not missing out on sales because you take the time to talk. The sales will come.
Follow The Rules
Groups on Facebook and forums have rules, and many of them are unwritten. If you are joining as many groups as you can on Facebook, simply for the purpose of blasting your self-promotional posts on the wall or in the forum comment streams, you are a spammer. If you insert a link to your website, blog or specific products every single time you make a comment, you will find yourself ousted from the group quicker than you can blink. The same applies to online forums.
The purpose of groups and forums is to create a sense of community. Think of it as the neighborhood in which you live. Would you go running down the street, banging on every front door every 10 minutes to announce that you were selling something? The answer is no. Apply the same principle to your activities in groups and forums.
Thanks!
Sean
Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
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May 24, 2012
It is no secret that consumers turn to social media networks to connect with the brands they love. The face of customer service has changed drastically as consumers take their comments, request and complaints to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Due to this high volume of activity, it is extremely important to evaluate our social media efforts on a regular basis. This is the only way to determine if your social media efforts are working in your favor.
Mark Your Calendar
If you can’t remember the last time you looked the analytics of your social media networks, you are behind schedule. Grab your calendar and schedule social media evaluation meetings on a regular basis. The minimum should be once every month.
Many of us get caught up in looking at our numbers on a daily basis but if we schedule a time to look at our numbers in timely intervals, we can see what is working and what is not working. Successful social media strategy does take some time. You cannot start a new campaign on Facebook and expect it to show extremely dramatic increases in sales overnight. Mark your calendars once a month to check your metrics and you will quickly see the big picture.
Current Strategy
When you began your social media efforts, did you have a clear cut strategy or did you wing it? Either way, make some notes of what your strategy was and take a look to see if it’s working. By examining your social insights and metrics, you will see if your current strategy holds water. You will also be able to see if you need to try a different approach.
Your strategy should be based on the actions of your current audience. What works for one brand does not automatically mean it will work for all brands. Each demographic is different. Keep tabs on what your competitors are doing and don’t be afraid to shake things up. Try something new. You won’t know what works or doesn’t work unless you try. This is a great way to avoid a stagnant social media strategy.
Open Communication
We don’t always see our social media strategy efforts clearly. If you work with a team of individuals, keep the communication open. By brainstorming and asking for suggestions, comments and opinions, you will discover some great ideas that can be used. Asking lots of questions and having an open mind will always benefit your business. You will be surprised at how an outside opinion can quickly become the best idea for success.
Thanks!
Sean
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Internet Marketing Academy
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May 22, 2012
Are you using email campaigns to reach individuals on your list of leads and having limited success? When you check the numbers, are you faced with only a small percentage of your list actually opening the email? Perhaps they are opening the emails but not clicking through? Email marketing is a great way to provide your list with great content and to stay in touch. We are all told about the importance of building a list and email campaigns are a great way to foster your list. However, if your email campaign is executed poorly the result can be disastrous. How can you make email marketing campaigns work for you?
Be Brief
When you are composing your email, please keep it as brief as possible. You don’t have to include everything, plus the kitchen sink, in every email that you send. Keep it simple. A great rule of thumb is to read your email out loud prior to sending. If your email can be read in less than 2-3 minutes, you will have a better chance of people actually reading the email. If your list members open up your email and see a small novel, trust me, they will not read it.
Call To Action
What is the one call to action that you want the reader of your email to perform? One of the worst mistakes that you can make with your email marketing is trying to send the reader in too many different directions. The best rule to use is to only have one call to action and it needs to be a great call to action. One of the worst things that you can do is to try to send the reader to multiple pages where they can purchase something. They will not click on every link you send so make sure you know exactly where you want them to go.
Add Value
Not every email that you send out needs to involve a push for the reader to buy. Individuals will quickly hit ‘spam’ or ‘unsubscribe’ if they feel you are abusing your right to use their email. People opt-in to receive more information and great offers. They do not opt-in to be badgered with emails attempting a hard sell multiple times a week. Be conservative in your approach to sending out emails. Only send out emails when you have something great to offer, regardless if that is a call-to-action to buy.
Email marketing can be a great asset to your marketing strategy. Make sure you provide great value, that you don’t abuse your list by sending out too many emails and have only one clear call to action.
Thanks!
Sean
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Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
May 17, 2012
A website is the central hub of activity for your business. The majority of your marketing efforts are done in order to drive customers and potential customers to your website. The design of your website is extremely important. It is the digital representation of you, your business and the overall mission of your business. When individuals come to your website they want a few specific things. They want to find the specific information they are searching for to be found easily. They also want a clear call to action. Before you update your website, or even have your website initially built, it is important to avoid some common errors. These errors can cost business dollars if they are not avoided.
Your Website Shouldn’t Sing
When a person lands on your website are their ears overwhelmed by music that starts to play the instant the site opens up? There is nothing more frustrating than trying to find the volume control for your computer to stop the annoying music from blasting out of our computer. The truth is that when someone lands on your site and they hear immediate music, they will be clicking off your site quicker than you can blink. Great rule of thumb is to keep your site as a visual experience and leave the music for your iPod.
Direct Call To Action
Where do you want to drive your visitors? Are your products and services that are for sale clearly marked? Sites that are difficult to navigate will annoy 100% of those that visit your site. Your site may be the most visually exciting site in the world, but if you don’t tell your visitors where to go, you are left with a site that looks good but isn’t functional. Clearly mark on your website how to contact you and where products and services can be purchased.
Text Size & Color
I know you want to cram as much information as possible onto your website, but remember that less is more. Your visitors don’t want to spend hours reading your site. They have come to your site with a specific question or problem that needs to be addressed. Make it easy for them to see and find what they are looking for. Using a unique font, a smaller font size and a creative color for your font makes it difficult to read and navigate your site. Keep it simple. Use a standard font, in a standard color that is in a font size that is easy to read.
Creating a great website can be a costly investment for any business owner. If you have taken the time and energy, not to mention your hard earned money to create a great site, make sure you avoid the mistakes listed above. You want to keep your visitors on your site, not drive them away before they even get a chance to find what they were seeking.
Thanks!
Sean
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Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
May 15, 2012
Is your business fanpage working for or against you? Facebook is a wonderful tool to attract new customers and to maintain the interest of current customers. At times, it seems like Facebook is making changes every time we turn around. While it may be difficult to keep up with all of the changes, especially with the latest change to Timeline, it is worth your time and energy to make sure that your business fanpage is working for you and not against you. Here are three ways to improve your business fanpage.
Cover Image
Your cover image must be 851 px wide x 315 px height. While Timeline does have some restrictions for your cover image (you cannot display a direct call to action or list your website), your cover image is still the most compelling element of your Facebook fanpage. Your cover image is where most of your business branding will come in to play. This image is the first thing that visitors will see; therefore it is important to make a great impression. Don’t just slap any picture in the cover image position; it is well worth the money to have a graphic designer make a custom image that fits the dimensions perfect. You do not want your image to appear blurry or distorted. Take the time to make a great first impression.
Great Content
We all know that content is king, and this is even more important on Facebook. If your audience feels that you are just posting arbitrary content for the sake of getting content out there, they will quickly unlike your page and tell their friends that your business fanpage is a waste of time. Create great content. One way to make sure your best posts are seen is by ‘pinning’ them to the top of your Facebook Timeline business page. Take advantage of this ‘Pin To Top’ feature.
Twitter Integration
Do your Twitter account and your Facebook account talk to each other? A great way to kill two birds with one stone is by integrating your Twitter account into your Facebook account. The benefit of this integration is that every time you post on Facebook, your post will be sent out via your Twitter account. By creating a constant stream of relevant and useful content, you will be able to engage with both your Twitter audience and your Facebook audience at the same time. This is a great time saver for busy individuals.
There are many different strategies that can be used to improve your business fanpage. The key is to keep up with the changes that Facebook makes and the rules that they have. By having a compelling cover image, great content and twitter integration you will find yourself pleased with the results.
Thanks!
Sean
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Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
May 10, 2012
Have you made a huge effort in having a social media presence? You are on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+, but is your audience listening? How can we, as marketers, make sure that our content is heard and not just glossed over? There is nothing more frustrating than delivering great consistent content and having it just stay dormant on your social media marketing platforms. Here are three tips to get your audience’s attention.
Show Your Personality
The key to any form of social media marketing is the word ‘social’. Consumers aren’t spending time on Facebook or Twitter just to read about you and your company. They are tired of being told to ‘buy this’ and ‘click here’. The majority of their experiences with businesses may have been poor. Perhaps they were spammed to death or have received one too many email newsletters full of nonsense. Show them who you are via these platforms. If you have a quirky sense of humor, show that to your audience with the type of content you broadcast. You will attract more customers by being ‘you’ and not like every other business out there.
Give Them A Reason To Share
Individuals who frequent social networking platforms love to share with their personal network. If they see an inspirational image, watch a video that motivates them or read something that gives them useful information, they will share this. You need to understand your audience, know what they enjoy and deliver the goods. You can accomplish the task of grabbing your audience’s attention by listening to them. Get to know them as people and soon they will be sharing your content left and right.
Engage
Are you only broadcasting your content but not actually talking with your audience? This is a mistake that many marketers make. They assume that if they just broadcast information, the result will be that their audience is grateful for the posts. This is not the case. Talk with your fans. Join the tweetchats and most of all have fun. This is one of the best ways to gain your audiences attention and to maintain that attention. When your audiences asks questions on Facebook or comments on your blog posts, make sure you take the time to address them. If they take the time to make a comment or ask a question, it is your job to make sure that they are heard.
Creating great content is only part of what needs to be done to capture the attention of your audience via social media networks. After you create and post content, you must engage and develop a relationship with these individuals. Taking 30 minutes a day to check on comments, questions and concerns raised by consumers will result in potential business and increased sales.
Happy Marketing!
Sean
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Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
May 8, 2012
If you aren’t using Twitter for your business, you should be. Out of all of the different social networking sites, Twitter is the one that is the most fast moving. Each ‘tweet’ is comprised of 140 characters. The key is to make the most out of each word that you choose. How can Twitter be used for your business?
Keeps You Connected
Twitter is extremely fast-paced. Once you get your streams going, you will see hundreds of tweets throughout the course of a day. Twitter helps you stay connected with a large population of consumers all at one time. While this may seem confusing at first, this is the best channel to see what everyone is talking about. You will quickly see what’s buzzing and what consumers want. Try doing a simple Twitter search on words that describe your business. You will see what your potential consumers are asking for.
Creates Traffic
Twitter makes it extremely simple to drive traffic to the destination of your choice. With your tweets you can drive people to your blog and to your website. One of the easiest ways to do this is by sending a tweet out when you make an update on your blog. Remember that everyone who is following you sees tweets. It is also important to note that if you use the right keywords, individuals that are searching for those specific terms will see your tweet as well.
Increase Your Reach
One of the best things about Twitter is that you can reach millions of people that you don’t directly know. This is a great way to build your brand and your business. Your tweets will be read by many individuals who, given traditional methods, would never have heard of you and your business.
Quick & Easy
Twitter takes very little time and energy. Once you get in the habit of sending out a handful of tweets a day, you can easily accomplish this task in about a half an hour per workday. In truth, sending a tweet takes less time than sending a text. You can communicate with your peers, your potential customers and your existing customers with ease. You won’t have to spend the time writing emails or making as many phone calls. Twitter can make your life a lot easier.
While Twitter may seem confusing and too fast-paced for many business individuals, it is an important marketing tool. Along with gaining new business and driving traffic to your blog or website, Twitter is fantastic at seeing what people are saying about you and your brand. Twitter empowers you to be very pro-active about your business. If you haven’t entered the Twitter-verse yet, I suggest you try so today!
Happy Marketing!
Sean
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Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
May 3, 2012
Are you a thought leader in your industry? Does your social media identity clearly show that you are a thought leader? We all strive to be considered thought leaders in our industry, but simply making the declaration that you are doesn’t necessarily make it so. You need to take massive action to position yourself as a true thought leader. This process does involve spending a little time and energy but once you are positioned as the go-to person in your industry, you will see that this is time and energy well invested. Here are a few proven tips that you can utilize to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
Define Your Niche
Being a jack-of-all-trades may appear to be a good strategy, but if you are pulled in too many directions you will never become a master of any one specific thing. Stay focused on the areas where you excel and hire individuals to assist you in areas where you don’t. If you are great at creating content but are unable to find the time to send this content out on your social networking platforms, consider hiring a virtual assistant. They can easily handle the small time consuming tasks that quickly weigh you down.
Create Sound Content
Creating content simply for the sake of creating content is a waste of your time. You need to create dense content that has valuable information. Thought leaders have longevity, therefore creating sound, well-researched and relevant content is critical. It is better to create one solid piece of content once a week rather than create fluff content five times a week.
Social Media Presence
We all know that consumers are going to the web to find the answers to their questions and the products and services that will solve their problems. Make your brand very visible by interacting on the social networking platforms where your demographic spends time. If they are on Facebook, create a business page. If they are on Twitter, start a tweet chat. If they are on LinkedIn, create a group. Engage with your consumers and once they see that you offer value and are consistent, business will start to come your way.
Remember Your Roots
When you first entered your industry, you had a solid purpose in doing so. What was your mission? Is this still your mission? Do you have your goals clearly defined? You must have faith in your abilities and your expertise in order for others to have faith in you. Take the time to re-visit your “why”.
Thought leaders are sought after for their expertise and their ability to offer value. They are known for solving problems and being at the top of their game. Take the time to position yourself as a thought leader today.
Thanks!
Sean
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Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
May 1, 2012
Email marketing campaigns are still a great way to give your audience great content on a regular basis. When your audience has given you their email address, they have given you permission to contact them. They want to hear from you, but they don’t want to be constantly bombarded with emails telling them to buy something or click here or go do this. Many email marketing campaigns fail because the list of contacts has been abused. Your contacts want to hear from you; therefore it is important to provide them with value. In order to decrease the number of unsubscribes per email marketing campaign, you need to nurture your list. Here are three ways to keep your list of contacts happy.
Give Give Give
One of the key components of successful email marketing is to come from a place of giving. You are building a relationship with your audience, not just telling them what they should buy. Each and every email that you send to your list must contain some element that is useful. You don’t have to give away everything, but giving your audience tips, advice or links to resources that can help them will let your readers know that you care about them.
Keep It Short
Time is the one resource where we all get the same amount of minutes each and every day. It is not uncommon for people to receive over 50 emails a day, if not a great deal more. When they open up the email from you, they should be able to read it quickly and conveniently. Design your email marketing strategy to include how your email will appear on a smart phone. The majority of individuals on your list will not be at their computer, they will be checking their email on their phone. Keep your emails short, sweet and to the point. You will have a higher conversion of people that click the links you share and that respond to your call to action.
Call To Action
What outcome do you wish to achieve with your email marketing campaign? All to often our audience will be flooded with emails from various lists that they have subscribed to. You need to give them a reason to open your email and you need to provide direction for a desired outcome. If your end goal is only to have them purchase your product of the moment, you will be disappointed. If your goal is to have them share your content, mention you on social networking platforms and vouch for you as an expert in your field, you will have success.
Email marketing is a form of marketing that has not been used properly by many businesses. For this reason alone, people are less apt to enter their email address. You must nurture this relationship and show your subscribers that you value them and you will value their business.
Happy Marketing!
Sean
(Image Creative Commons)
Internet Marketing Academy
Internet Marketing Training – Internet Marketing Course – Internet Marketing Blog
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