Internet Marketing Tips, Tools and Strategies

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.

When considering starting a blog you have to decide what type of blogging is right for you (or your company). Let’s discuss the different types of blogs out there and the difference between them:

Long-form Blogging
This is considered the most traditional and original type of blogging out there. As the name suggests, long-form blogging is just that – blog posts in a long, often consistently formatted style. This WSI blog you are currently reading could be considered a long-form blog.

So, what is the benefit of long-form blogging? The obvious answer – space. While posts on this type of blog often take longer to create/write, they allow you to include all the information you want to get across. This allows you to educate the market on your topic without be constrained by 140 characters.

Common platforms for this type of blogging? Blogger, WordPress, and TypePad.

Micro or Short-Form Blogging
This is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of blogging out there. This type of blogging is short and usually ongoing status updates to your audience. While restricting how much information you can share at one time, this is a great method to keep in almost constant contact with your customers, or audience.

A popular platform for micro blogging is Twitter or Facebook.

Lifestreaming Blogging
Lifestreaming is a way of sharing activities of one’s life in a timeline format with very little educational information being shared. This type blogging is mainly short posts with lots of documents included. Types of documents often shared are photos, videos, mp3s, etc.

This type of blogging is not used very often for business, but is more of a self-promotional type of blogging style. 

Platforms for lifestreaming blogging – Tumblr or Posterous.

Once you have decided what type of blog will work for you and what platform you want to use, you can start focusing on building your blog and generating traffic. For more information on blogging and how you can make your blog a success read our other posts on blogging here.

Good luck and happy blogging!

 

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!

Facebook is definitely the leader in the social media marketing industry. Businesses and individuals both see value in having a personal and business Facebook profile. It gives users of Facebook the opportunity to check in for news and current events within their circle while building a community and online presence with posts and pictures that appear on your Facebook personal page and you can target specific messages to your Facebook Fan Page.

Twitter is a little less personal. It operates on a larger scale where anyone who decides they want to follow your Twitter posts is open to seeing what you post. Facebook offers users extensive privacy settings and businesses have the opportunity to turn off the "wall" function on their profiles. This decision means no consumers can write on the business' Facebook wall. While this can make a business owner feel more comfortable with their social media marketing, it is not always the best decision, because it takes the communication and user generated content out of the Facebook presence you are trying so hard to build.

The Facebook experience is simply more personal, a better arena for customer service for example. Twitter has more of a blanket marketing reach. Your Twitter message can span the social media marketing world in a matter of seconds as it reaches every follower as well the followers of everyone who decides to re-tweet your message. This makes Twitter the perfect platform to announce big news or update on new product developments or upgrades. Other viral information such as contests of giveaways should be shared on Twitter. Share things that will interest your followers and encourage them to re-tweet the news.

Facebook and Twitter are very different but both can aid in your internet marketing and allow you opportunities to growing your business and improve customer communication. Include both in your social media marketing campaign but consider your messages before you post and decide how to word posts to speak to your (personal) Facebook audience vs. your (viral) Twitter audience.

If you want to learn more about Social Media Marketing and which marketing channels are right for your business, Download our Free Social Media Strategy Kit Today. Packed with resources that will help you succeed in social media and help you develop a strategy, make sure you grab your free copy. 

There is a lot of information floating around about social media. Some people rave about how great social media is while others believe it's a total waste of time. Below is a list of common misconceptions that businesses often have about utilizing social media.

"Sites Like Twitter And Facebook Are For Kids"
Fear: Business owners have trouble understanding that it could be possible that the same site that kids use to socialize with friends could also be utilized to connect a business with it's target audience.
Fact: Yes, there are a lot of teens and college students on social networking sites. However the fastest growing demographic has been those 35 and up. In fact internet users age 35-54 make up 40.6% of MySpace visitors. Social media is a great way for organizations to reach out and connect with their audience to grow business.

"Building Online Relationships Is A Waste of Time"
Fear: There is no reason to network with people you will never meet. It will not drive my business.
Fact: Social media is a medium in which you can network with your target audience, clients and customers. There is no such thing as time wasted when you are networking with your target audience. Not all of your contacts will become customers but they can still provide feedback on services and products plus you can keep them informed about what is happening in your organization.

"You Cannot Measure Social Media"
Fear: It will be impossible to measure ROI on social media.
Fact: Social media is internet based which automatically makes it measurable. You can look at the number of fans that increased over time, the number of comments posted on your channel, the number of discussion threads on your forum, or the number of ratings your video received. These performance indicators can be measured to determine campaign success.

"Social Media Is Free"
Fear: I can easily create my own Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn page. Why is it being suggested that I need to pay money to implement these campaigns.
Fact: A lot of the technology is free but simply creating an account on Facebook is not a social media campaign. You need to ask yourself:
~How do I increase the number of fans I have on my Facebook page?
~How do I get users to subscribe to my YouTube channel?
~How do I get people to retweet my message to their followers on Twitter?
~How do I get users to subscribe to my blog?
You need the campaign, creative and the drive to get your social media plan working for you.

"This Is Something I Can Probably Do In-House"
Fear: We have employees who are using social media. Why not use them to grow our business online?
Fact: Most employees are probably using social media for personal reasons, connecting with friends, sharing photos etc. When leveraging and monetizing social media for business it's an entirely different ball game. For creativity, campaign ideas and experience the key is to find an expert in this field to put your plan into place.

With these common misconceptions explained you can click here :
to read more about Social Media Marketing

The short answer - yes and no. Most of the population have come a long way from learning how to send an email a couple of decades ago to updating our Facebook status and "tweeting" on a daily (sometimes hourly?!) basis. But is there a practical use for business in the hyperconnectivity of today's social networking sites? The answer, again, is yes and no.

Email and email marketing are still effective ways to communicate for many businesses, and offer an opportunity to stay in touch with your clients in a cheaper and easier way than traditional snail mail campaigns. And for many of our clients, email is still going to be an integral part of the internet marketing mix. That said, there is a tremendous opportunity to also connect with your existing and potential clients through these other social media channels.

For example, I was shopping in a local toy store this weekend and the shop owner reminded me they were having a fall sale beginning the following week. She was having a hard time locating a coupon for the upcoming sale during a particularly busy sales rush, then remembered "I'm planning on putting it up on Facebook tomorrow, are you a fan?" I was not a fan, but now I am and I have received the coupon information and plan on visiting the store during their upcoming sale. This is a great example of how retail is a great fit for social media and why. We have also found that certain service industries like spas and hair salons can create fun and engaging social media campaigns. There are also a select few clients for whom these tactics just aren't a great fit.

I'm not sure that email will ever become obsolete, especially as the method of preferred communication in the workplace and for the remaining few who like to be somewhat disconnected when they aren't in the workplace. An article in today's online edition of the Wall Street Journal has some interesting points, though, about where email and online communication in general may be headed. Our recommendation, as usual, is that you should never become too dependent on any one form of internet marketing. The best return on your investment comes when you work with WSI on a dynamic integrated internem marketing strategy that constantly evolves with new technology. And for now, for most of you, that still includes email.

Twitter is a social networking site that people and businesses use to stay hyper-connected to other people and businesses. By "following" a user on facebook, you receive up to the minute updates ("tweets") as often as they are posted. If you're like most of our clients, you've heard of Twitter - maybe you're even a member - but you're not 100% sure how it fits in with your overall Internet marketing plan.

Although Twitter has been around since 2006, it has only recently blown up to the 30,000,000 users it currently has. And even with those astounding numbers, according to a recent article by eMarketer, 25% of users have never "tweeted." Obviously there is a tremendous opportunity to reach businesses and consumers using this service, but industry experts have yet to pinpoint exactly how.

We're using Twitter to update our followers and drive traffic to our website, and a handful of our clients are doing the same. Twitter is a great complement to the rest of our Internet marketing solutions, but it doesn't appear that it will replace any of the tried and true methods of revenue generation like search engine optimization and pay per click.