Internet Marketing Tips, Tools and Strategies

Did you know that by the end of March your companies Facebook page will be moved over to a new layout? This new layout has several aesthetic changes that allow businesses to highlight their brand and company heritage.

Up until now, most successful business Facebook pages had a content rich Custom Tab and News Feed strategy to engage their audience. The focus was “what is happening right now?”. With the new timeline features it will be about not only what is happening now, but what has your business done / been a part of in the past?

Facebook is currently offering you visual testing, so you can see how your business page will look after the conversion. Be sure to see how your business page is going to look and also make sure you are aware of several new features of the Facebook timeline:

Cover Image. A cover image is a large (850px by 315px) image across the top of your business’ Facebook page. This is one of the big introductions in the new timeline layout and you might have already seen examples of these on personal Facebook pages already converted to the new timeline.

A cover image shouldn’t be approached as just another profile picture, but think of this as an image that gives you the opportunity to create a great first impression. Beyond that, your Facebook cover image should drive home your overall brand image and makes it stick in the users mind.   

Before you create or upload any new cover image, please note that Facebook does have guidelines for what content can and should be there (specifically surrounding call-to-actions). Be sure to brush up on these guidelines before creating any images for this space. You might want to also consider rotating this image as often as you can to keep your fans interested.

Milestones. Considering the new layout is a “Timeline” focus, it only makes sense that major milestones and activities are going to be dated and marked along the way. Users will actually be able to look or filter through your information and the major milestones accomplished based on dates. Milestones also allow you to add a picture, so be sure you are snapping photos and adding them for major events!   

Pins. This new feature allows you to control how important stories or news updates on your business’ Facebook page are seen. When you pin something on your page it will remain at the top of your timeline for 7 days (or until it is unpinned). This means you can have featured content each week and makes promoting weekly specials easy.

While being aware of the new features is obviously important, it is also good to know that there are also several changes that limit previous features or take them away all together.

Profile Pictures. While this isn’t a huge change, the size of the new profile picture has actually shrunk (due to the new cover image) to 180px by 180px. This means you have a very limited space, making businesses’ previous attempts at including call-to-actions in their profile pictures almost impossible. Focus on using a profile picture that promotes your brand while being clean and simple.

Default Tabs. One of things most businesses did when setting up their Facebook page was to create a default tab for non-fans; these tabs were used as a tool to increase fan conversion. Well, Facebook is taking these away in the new timeline layout. That means your business’ Facebook page is going to have to utilize new tools, such as cover image and pins, to convert users into fans.

Just remember, even with the new layout, the goal of your business’ Facebook page should be about engagement and providing useful content for users. Focus on those key elements when converting your page over to the new Facebook timeline and you should have no problem maintaining and increasing your fans.

Before creating your business’ Facebook page or converting it over to the new timeline layout, you need to have a Social Media Strategy - Download our Social Media Strategy Kit to develop your own.

We know that the last thing you want to hear is that there is yet another social media network your business needs to be part of, but to develop a successful social media strategy you need to be aware of all the networks available to you. We have already discussed Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and most recently Google+, but there is another social network kid on the block – Pinterest.

Now we aren’t suggesting you have to add another social network to your growing list, but according to recent studies Pinterest is currently driving more traffic to websites (or blogs) than several other networks combined!

Besides an increase in traffic what other potential benefits does Pinterest offer for your companies’ social media strategy?

The big draw for businesses to Pinterest has been the ability to share images of their product or services. This image sharing ability almost acts as a virtual store catalog that drives traffic back to your website and can increase conversions and sales.  

You can also use Pininterest to create valuable content that search engines pick up on, increasing your standing in searches. Pinterest’s site rank is currently one of the highest and having links to this type of link authority will drive you up on search engine results.

While it can seem like there will never be an end to new social networks, is it really bad to have one more network where you can interact with your customers? Just like other social media networks Pinterest wants users to interact, share content and be part of a community; by doing that, followers are more likely to engage with your company and ultimately convert.

Being on the newest social media network is only half the battle - businesses really need to have a solid social media marketing strategy. Download our Social Media Marketing Strategy Kit to ensure your efforts on social media networks are successful.

Online influence has been a hot topic on the web lately and it seems everyone wants to know just how influential they are on social media networks. Users are also asking the questions “Who am I influencing?” and “Who am I being influenced by?”

So how do you measure your social media influence and answers to these questions?

There are actually a few tools out there that can give you some insight into your Social Media influence:

Klout – Quickly becoming the big name when it comes to online or social media influence, Klout gives you an overall influence score. This score is based on how many people you influence, how much you influence them, and the influence of your network. They also offer insight into topics or industries you have influence in, users you are currently influencing, etc.

PeerIndex – They also uses a score system that produces an overall influence rating. Here, you are judged based on your authority - how much others rely or trust your recommendations and opinions, audience – the size of yours and your extended network, and your activity – as the name implies, what you share, how often you share, etc.

Crowdbooster – This “intelligent social media dashboard” doesn’t spit out an easily digestible influence number like the previous tools, but they do offer a deep understanding of your social media networks. Gain insight into not only what you have been doing on your social networks, but also receive recommendations to reach important influencers and develop rich relationships.

Don’t forget engagement with those you influence and are influenced by (not to mention fans, customers, etc.) is the most important thing at the end of the day. Your influence number is a great tool to measure yourself by, but don’t forget to engage!

Make sure your Social Media Marketing Strategy is successful, download our strategy kit.

So you already have a great Facebook page, share content regularly and have a pretty healthy “like” count? Great! That is a good start.

To truly take advantage of that Facebook network you need to engage users. How do you do that? Well here are a few ideas to get your engagement started:

Share. Make sure you aren’t only sharing links to your website - post photos, ask questions, reshare useful content, etc.

Have fresh content. Refresh (rewrite) content as often as you can – try once every quarter to start.

Promote special offers. Try running an exclusive pricing deal or promotional offer on Facebook. Or, try a giveaway for customer interaction – example: “Answer our poll question for $5 off your next visit” or “What did you think of our last blog post? Leave a comment and your next order is shipped free!”.

Reward loyal fans. Have a “Fan of the Month” highlight where you reward those who are engaging with you and on behalf of your brand across Facebook.

Having a large network on Facebook is important, but how that network is interacting and engaging with you is equally (if not more so) important. Engage your network and be successful on Facebook.

Want more Social Media tips? Download our Social Media Marketing Strategy Kit.  

If you are just starting a Twitter account or you have been around the Tweet-o-sphere, it is important to know that there are certain dos and don’ts that any Twitter user should know. This Tweetiquette (or Twitter Etiquette) is not just there to make you a well-mannered status updater, but can actually keep you from being blocked (by Twitter) from search results.

So how do you protect your Twitter image?

Use #hashtags respectfully. Hashtags are one of the hardest concepts of Twitter to not only get familiar with, but use properly. Hashtags are actually a tool you can use to “tag” your tweets, but be sure that you are not overusing hashtags or abusing popular trending topics for visibility.

Don’t tweet the same content. Now posting a follow-up to a previous Tweet or link already posted is okay, but constantly tweeting the same thing over and over will mark you as a spammer.

Also, be sure that you are not posting the same message over multiple accounts. If you have several employees who tweet on the companies behalf just encourage them to retweet your message, instead of putting the exact same tweet in their status box.

Be a conscious follower. Obviously you want to follow and be followed by others on Twitter. I mean, that is the point isn’t it? But be sure that you are not just following users to amass a high number. Adding a ton of users to you follow bucket in a short amount of time is a quick way to have Twitter label you a spammer and landing you on the search blacklist. A best practice way to approach following and followers is maintain a similar ratio between the two.

Don’t have a cookie cutter response. Are you using automated tweets? Are you using automated replies? Well stop it! Even if you aren’t a bot, an automated or generic response such as “Thanks for the follow!” can make others think you are. Really connect with your network by sending personalized messages; it is about connecting after all.

Be sure to follow proper tweetiquette and don’t end up on the receiving end of a Twitter search ban! For more social media tips and tricks read our Social Media Marketing Strategy Kit.

These days it seems that every time you turn around there is another social media platform you just have to be on, doesn’t it? Well Google+ is no exception. You might be saying to yourself “Why do I need to be on Google+ if my company is already on Facebook/ Twitter/LinkedIn?”

Well, in an effort to increase their users, Google has been making several changes that could determine your relevancy in organic searches. Search, plus Your World is a new feature that has been introduced with Google+. When signed into Google+ a users’ search results are directly affected by their social network, making search results more personalized.

Posts, photos, videos, and other content your company posts on Google+ will come up in search results for people that are following you on Google+. So it is important that you jump on the bandwagon and utilize this new social media platform to stay visible in your customers’ searches.

This could be another one of Google’s short term things they are testing and it might go away in a few months, or it might be here to stay. Either way, it’s a good idea to get something going on Google + and start building your business page and personal profile now.

Find out more about Social Media Marketing and how to utilize this growing trend by downloading our Social Media Marketing Strategy Kit.

You may have only dipped your toe in the Online Marketing water in 2011. Or, you might have just ignored most of the search/social/local online marketing talk that was floating around. Whatever the case might be, I want to encourage you to try and bring some key activities to your Online Marketing Strategy in 2012. Here are three things you should absolutely focus on in the coming months:

One, Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This should be number one on any Online Marketing plan in 2012. Afterall, what is the point of a website if no one is visiting it? Optimizing your current website, or building a website from scratch with SEO in mind should be your top priority in 2012. Start by identifying target keywords, focus on these when writing content, meta tags and meta descriptions for your website.

If you just don’t feel comfortable with handling SEO concepts, find an Internet Marketing Consult that can help.

Two, Social Media. Social media platforms aren’t just for fun these days. They are powerful tools that should be included in your Online Marketing Strategy in 2012. Social Media allows you to connect with your customers (and potential customers) on a level they are already actively using. Most consumers nowadays think a company doesn’t exist if they can’t find them on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Speaking of Google+, this new social platform is primed to dominate 2012.

Three, Mobile Marketing. It seems everyone is mobile these days - more users are browsing the web via smartphones and iPads (tablets). Don’t be left out, include a mobile website in your 2012 Online Marketing Strategy! Make sure your current website is optimized for mobile use, or create a “mirror” of your current website for mobile users. Also, be sure your mobile site focus on the things mobile users need.

Make 2012 the year of success, by including these three key activities in your Online Marketing Strategy for the year. Get 2012 started the right way by getting your website score with our FREE Website Scan!

 

We have discussed Social Media Marketing multiple times on the WSI blog, but I know not every one of you is actively using social media as part of your online marketing strategy. You might still be asking yourself “why is there such a buzz around social media and should my company utilize it?”. The answer is yes!

Yes, your company should be actively using social media as part of your companies’ online marketing strategy. But you knew I was going to say that, didn’t you? Well, let me give you some facts that highlight the reasons your company should be including social media in your marketing strategy:

• Nearly 4 out of 5 web users visit a social networking site on a monthly basis (source)
  
  
• Internet users worldwide spend more hours per week with social media than any other online activity (source)

• 46% of Internet users worldwide interact with social media on a daily basis (source)
  
  
• 72% of marketers said social media helped in closing business (source)
  
  
• 1 in 6 minutes spent online is spent on social media sites (source)
  
  
• 14% of time spent online is spent on social media sites (source)
  
  
• There are 10.7m Tumblr visitors in one month (source)
  
  
• There are 157.5m Facebook visitors in one month (source)
  
  
• There are 33.4m LinkedIn visitors in one month (source)
  
  
• 73% of consumers can be reached through a social network (source)
  
  
• 78% of marketers say that social media has helped generate more qualified leads (source)

Have I convinced you how important Social Media Marketing could be to your business? I am hoping that answer is a resounding yes!

Now, starting to utilize social media is only half the battle. Here are a few concerning social media statistics:

• 65% of marketers investing a minimum of 6 hours per week saw an improvement in search engine rankings (source) – don’t have 6+ free hours a week?
  
  
• 53% of managers identified social media as an area of concern (source) – don’t want your employees surfing the web at work? Don’t feel comfortable with social media?

What is the best way to avoid these social media marketing issues? Why not work with a Social Media Marketing expert? An expert can make social media platforms work for your company!

Find out more about social media by downloading our Social Media Strategy Kit. Or, contact WSI today to start working with a Social Media Marketing expert.

In the land of Social Media, content is king...or queen. But it isn't as simple as posting a bunch, linking a ton and commenting everywhere. Users want to be drawn in and entertained when gleaning the information they need. Short attention spans have been made even shorter (hello 140 characters!), and if the user doesn't feel like their time is being well spent there is another link they could be clicking.

So how do you create content that is not only useful and informative, but that also keeps the user put?

Engagement.
While it’s tough to have a conversation when you are doing all the talking, that is your goal. Make the content you are giving the user feel like part of a conversation. Add personal flare. Another trick I always use is to ask a question. Invite the user to not only read what you are writing but engage with you. It could be as simple as "So what are your thoughts on this new advancement?" or "Have you ever done this?". It makes the user feel like you are talking to them (oppose to at them).

Bonus, if they do answer, your content is then shared with their network and branches out from there. Getting one user to interact can open the door to hundreds and possible thousands of other users.

Make yourself accessible.
Now accessible doesn't just mean the user can find you and connect to you via the major social media hotspots (the biggies? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube), but it also refers to the accessibility of your writing. Write how you speak, be yourself and create a story. A casual writing style doesn't mean throwing out grammar, but it does mean what you are writing about is accessible and easily understood by your audience.

Consistent activity.
Now you need to be active, it isn't enough to make a post and not follow-up on the responses. Nor is it very fruitful if you make a random post on a random time table and users are never sure when you will sharing something next. An easy tool to use to help you be consistent with how often you share is to create a content calendar, fill in dates that you want to write a post and what the topic will be.

Consistent messaging.
What are you writing about? This is the question you need to ask yourself not only when you first decide to start participating in social media forums, but every time you go to make a post/comment. Have a clear image of your image (stay that ten times fast) and be sure to write with that always in mind. The goal isn't to repeat yourself, but you need to have a consistent voice.

Have fun.
This should always be the #1 thing to remember. Passion for a topic is infectious, if you have fun and enjoy what you are writing the user will be able to tell when they are reading it. We all like to be around someone who is enjoying themselves, so always remember to have fun!

So there you go - engage, be accessible, consistent, and have fun and you will be building a social media fan base in no time! And remember, while social media content isn't always the easiest thing to develop, putting the time and effort in can reap serious benefits.

Now if you need more help with how to get started with social media or refine your existing strategy, try downloading our Social Media Strategy Kit for Free. It’s loaded with powerful resources and information to help you build an effective social media strategy.

 

Internet marketing is one of the fastest changing industries on the planet. Nothing stays the same in the internet marketing world for very long, which is why it's so important to stay current with the latest technology and applications that are available. 

For businesses that participate in social media marketing the latest development is the introduction of location based applications. These applications enable users to "check-in" at business locations which will automatically send a post to their Twitter or Facebook page. Common location based applications include Foresquare and Facebook Places (see my post about So-Lo-Mo to learn more).

For a business that wants to take advantage of the benefits of location based marketing here are 6 simple steps to get you started.

1. Get comfortable with location based applications -
Download Foresquare to your mobile device and link it to your social media profiles. Using the application yourself is the best way to understand how your audience is going to use it.

2. Evaluate your goals -
Depending on your business and your marketing strategy Foresquare can be used to do a few different things. If you are a new restaurant you may want to use Foresquare to market your business and offer a discount for checking in at your location to encourage new and repeat visits. If you have a retail location you may use Foresquare to move a specific type of inventory or to promote a new product. Focusing on your goal will make your locations based marketing more successful.

3. Register your location -
You will need to verify your location on several location based applications. Foresquare, MyTown, Loopt, Facebook Places, and Gowalla are a good place to start. Your listing should be simple, however make sure the important physical location information is complete and correct and include contact information.

4. Start spreading the word -
Make sure all staff, friends and contacts know you have registered with Foresquare and the other top 4 location based applications. Put a sign at the counter, front door, menu, ticket, business card,....or whatever, letting visitors know to sign in when at your location. Tell everyone you know about the benefits of signing into these applications. 

5. Give them a reason to check-in -

People will act if you offer a reward, coupon, content. Provide customers a discount if they check-in at your location. A free gift or rewards program will provide great incentive for customers to check-in with Foresquare or Facebook Places.

6. Start the interactions -
Get on your location based social network and get talking to customers. What rewards are they competing for? Why would they choose a competitor over your business? Find out what you can do to keep their business or gain a loyal customer by engaging and testing.

Any internet marketing expert will tell you that mobile devices are vital to online marketing success now and into the future. But not all businesses are a great fit for location based marketing using the "sign in" feature, but there are some creative ways to incorporate local, mobile and social into your campaigns (which we will discuss in the future on this blog). 

Joining location based social programs will help incorporate mobile users into your social media plan. Following these steps will get you started and help build your mobile social media presence. 

Want to learn more about Mobile Marketing? Download our Mobile Marketing Strategy Kit Today!