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Where Does Search Fit Into Social Media?

August 23rd, 2011

Social media marketing and SEO: one should not exist without the other. Your business and customers will benefit the most when these two work in synergy. Effective optimization requires an understanding of how and why social media works to connect you with customers. Content plays a big role on whether you succeed or whether your business is left behind.

From the beginning of your social media campaign, you should also look at it from a keyword advertising point of view. This means using this keywords as you optimize photos, videos, bio information in your profiles, URL names and more. Remember, you are choosing these keywords based on research about your your customers are searching for your products/services. Sound complicated? We’d be glad to discuss our thorough strategy that goes into every SEO campaign with you!

Nowadays, you cannot look at social media without think about SEO and vice versa. While some think that this is a curse, this is a blessing for businesses who are willing to embrace this dynamic channel.

Why does it matter?

A study from last year shows that search AND social results make an impact on the online buying decision. the impact of social media Online buyers rely on a healthy mix of search and social media throughout the purchasing process. Take a look at what buyers think as important:

So, if you still think social media isn’t important after all… your business will truly suffer. The benefits of incorporating social and search features onto your website will grow your business because of the increase in online/offline word of mouth recommendations. This will help open up new conversations with potential customers that you would never reach by just using traditional marketing.

Tags: buying decision, search engine marketing, seo, small business, social media marketing, social media optimization
Posted in search engine optimization, social media | No Comments »

Facebook Marketing: Do You Feel Left in the Dark?

August 19th, 2011

If you use Facebook, you’ll know that there are constant updates and policy changes. For businesses, these changes can have a big impact on the way you use Facebook as a platform.

Companies Leave Facebook

Recently, Facebook denied drug companies the option to disable public comments on their Wall. As a result, companies such as Bayer and Purdue Pharma have removed affiliated Pages from Facebook. Public comments can make small businesses feel uneasy but is it best to run and hide? In the case of these pharmaceutical companies, the situation is more complicated than what a local business will normally encounter. The actions depend on the situation and the outcome is a strong reflection of the brand.

Are Fans Ignoring Your Page?

Managing a Facebook Page takes a special balance of skills. Patience, creativity and common sense will come in handy, but what happens when customers are ignoring your status updates or not interacting as much? If this is the case, they most likely aren’t interested in your updates. A customer can like your brand but keep scrolling past updates that they can’t relate to. For example on the Emarketed Facebook Page, we don’t just update about SEO. We like to post about all the different aspects of internet marketing.

Another reason why fans might not be interacting with your Page is that your posts will disappear from their default News Feed if they continuously pass your posts by! I noticed this when certain Pages I Like and Friends’ posts weren’t showing up in my Feed. Here’s how to fix the problem:

Login and as you look at your News Feed click the Most Recent dropdown.
Click Edit Options (at the very bottom) and then in the Show posts from area, click: ‘All of your friends and pages’.
The default option is ‘Show posts from: Friends and pages you interact with most’.

Need Help with Social Media Marketing?

A crucial part of marketing on Facebook is analyzing your improvement and adapt whenever and wherever necessary. We know what it takes to invest time and effort to keep up with all the constant changes. If you’re interested in social media marketing for your small business but don’t know where to start, we are here to help – contact us today!

Tags: facebook marketing, facebook news feed, marketing goals, social media marketing, social media tips
Posted in facebook | No Comments »

Mix It Up: Social, Email Marketing and More

August 10th, 2011

According to a survey by Pitney Bowes, 76% of small businesses believe that their ideal marketing mix should include a combination of both physical and digital communication.

A marketing mix is usually made up of 4 P’s:
Product, price, promotion and place.

The emphasis on this term is mix – meaning that there is no “right” combination of marketing methods. But the frantic nature of a “mix up” is not always a bad thing. In the business world, it allows you to reach a different/wider range of customers.

Businesses Get Social

The popularity of social media marketing doesn’t mean that it is replacing all traditional forms of marketing but rather, complementing them. After all, small businesses can’t expect to find success by just using one marketing channel. That would be like having a website without SEO or PPC. Or distributing promotions without a website or customer service!

While social media serves as a great starting point for businesses to introduce themselves to customers, a small business cannot expect to succeed by solely relying on this channel. This will mean that you leave other customers behind. You’ll be surprised at the amount of customers who still rely on physical coupons, emails and even Yellow Pages listings!

Co-existing Marketing Channels

58% of small businesses in this survey use multi-channel marketing. While a slight majority of the businesses are optimizing their use of different marketing channels, that number may grow as owners see more options and opportunities available. The survey also suggests that 72% of small businesses would do more for marketing their business if they had the right tools for managing customer communication.

What are you waiting for? Take a look at our FREE whitepapers for a better idea of what you can do to help your business get found by using different marketing strategies.

Tags: direct marketing, email marketing, marketing mix, social media marketing
Posted in Search Marketing, email marketing | No Comments »

How Will You Be Using Google Plus?

July 15th, 2011

In the battle of the giants, which one will reign supreme? Like vs Plus is a site where you can show your brand loyalty and cast your vote. After all, you can’t both Like and +1 everything, right?

Even if you’re tired of hearing so much on Google +, it’s important to stay connected so that you can adapt in the fast paced world of social media marketing. Here are some more ways you can use Google +:

- Chris Brogan shows us that we can blog with Google +. This basically consists of sharing a video/picture or some other media content and quickly following up in your own post with comments and links.

- Since business profiles are not allowed yet, you can take this opportunity to be innovative and show a personal side. Creating a personal profile associated with your business will allow you to socialize in a niche community and showcase your expertise.

- In a way, Google Circles reminds me of communities and groups on LinkedIn. Creating and organizing different Circles will allow you to network with different groups of people without worrying about keeping matters separate. (For example: connecting with clients, partners, employees, and friendly competitors… frenemies, anyone?)

- Watch out for Google Sparks. This is a section where you can receive personalized news articles and other information based on your interests. I see where SEOs can use this feature to their advantage by utilizing the right keywords.

Google + is more extensive than other social media platforms right now but it doesn’t necessarily mean that users have the time and knowledge to use them all. Let’s just see where all this potential can take us – after all, we’re talking about something that’s less than 3 weeks old!

Tags: blogging, facebook, Google, google plus, social media marketing
Posted in Google | No Comments »

This Week in Social Media: Twitpics, Hamburgers, & You

June 10th, 2011

Do You Know What Happens to Your Twitpics?

Last week, we discussed Twitter’s photo search. This week, I came across an interesting article about Twitpic’s terms of service. Many people may not know or care all together. Apparently, when you use this service to upload and share your photos, Twitpic has permission (or rather, given itself permission) to pass your photos off to third parties. Many people speculate that Twitpic has added this to its terms in an attempt to make money from photos tweeted by celebrities or photos tweeted of celebrities. Or maybe even breaking news stories? Although it’s slogan is, “Share photos on Twitter”… it should be more like, “Share photos with Twitter”! In other words: before you Twitpic, think carefully!

Everyone Loves Burger Week

No holidays to promote your business? Make one up! This week is official Burger Week at a local Eagle Rock hotspot. The Oinkster, has made quite a name for itself by taking on signature classics of other famous hamburger joints – such as the Big Mac and Umami Burger. With CBS, LA Weekly, LAist and more picking up on this story, The Oinkster has reached above and beyond in the world of local news and social media. If you check out Twitter search results, there are non-stop tweets as eager fans await another tasty burger of the day.

This is a great promotional campaign because it can be translated well into so many different mediums. Although word spreads quickly through social media, this will also spark word of mouth recommendations. And when it’s over, the buzz still won’t stop. I look forward to people posting blog posts, Yelp reviews and Flickr pictures based on this magical burger experience. Remember, these will all help your business SEO-wise in the long run!

On Display at Your Very Own Museum

Speaking of magic, have you seen Intel’s creative Museum of Me? It has been a top social media news story this week and for good reason. Whether it’s intrigue or just plain fun, social media users love to feel like they are part of something more. Intel’s campaign does a fantastic job of showcasing users’ connections to their social network in a simple way. (Oh yeah, and they also promise not to store your Facebook information). This ad campaign is successful because it reminds users WHY they want to use your product in the first place.

Do you have any favorite social media stories of the week?

Tags: eagle rock, intel, local business, oinkster, social media, social media marketing, twitpic
Posted in local search marketing, social media | No Comments »

Optimizing Your Facebook Posts (Part 2)

March 3rd, 2011

Now that you know about how Facebook ranks Top News posts (see previous post), you’re probably wondering how you can optimize your posts for optimal viewing.

To optimize your posts, you’ll need: regular updates that are also engaging.

As easy and simple as that sounds, you’ll find that there is much more to it, especially when you have to apply it to your target audience. Speaking of, here are a few things you can try:

Target your Facebook updates by region. Before you post an update, hit the Everyone/Customize button (next to Share) to choose specific states or even cities. Depending on your product/service type, this can really help you zero in on your audience and experiment with the best types of updates for them
Encourage comments. If you’re unsure of where to start, you can start with simple yes/no, this/that posts. Giving users direction will often help illicit responses rather than just open-ended ‘please comment’-type posts.
Use different media. Your Facebook Page updates shouldn’t be filled with all text, picture or video updates. Mix it up from time to time to give your fans something different to look at.
Give them a reason to keep coming back. Do you want to offer helpful information, great deals, weekly updates or just entertainment? You can’t expect repeat visits if people don’t have a reason to do so

This is a great example of a post that works because of the right elements. Adventure Time is a Cartoon Network show and this update includes: a video, a connection to being a fan of their Facebook Page, and a reminder of when you can watch their show.

So, the next time you think that just making a Facebook update will automatically make it visible to all your fans – think again! Social media marketing takes a lot of hard work and time and that’s why it continues to be such a big deal.

Tags: edgerank, facebook, facebook posts, social media marketing
Posted in facebook | No Comments »

How Do You Retweet?

February 22nd, 2011

Retweeting is a great way to share a interesting facts, shocking statements and little nuggets of wisdom. Even though there are countless types of messages to Retweet, there are two basic ways to do so. Twitter has an official Retweet button but some users still prefer the “old” style, by manually typing a RT in front of a tweet.

But does it really matter how you choose to Retweet things and here’s a better question, “Do Retweets make a difference in your social marketing campaigns?”

Manual RT Versus the Button

RT: When I mean the “old” style of Retweeting, that means copy and pasting a message after adding “RT @user” to the front of your message. This method allows you to answer questions, fix spelling mistakes and add whatever comments you’d like. Pros include customization, searchability (your RTs will show up when searched for), your username will be included in the message as others you want to credit. The downside is that makes your message more limited and can be more time consuming.

Official RT Button: If you use Twitter’s official button, your account will show up along all the other users who have Retweeted the same message. In a way, I feel that this is similar to ‘Liking’ a Facebook update. Your RT will not be counted as an individual message but rather, it will give that post more prominence. Highly Retweeted messages show up near the top of Twitter search results and that’s a good thing.

Why Does Retweeting Matter?

Either way you do it, Retweeting is an important part of the social aspect of Twitter. What makes a RT so important is the potential to reach a greater audience that what your account has alone. If one friend Retweets it, their friends will also be exposed and so on.

Remember, the timeline for a Tweet is very short lived and the message brief (140 characters). That’s why the most powerful tweets will be interesting, useful and/or also contain relevant keywords. So that when they do get Retweeted, that Tweet-juice will be counted in your favor SEO-wise.

Tags: retweet, social media marketing, twitter
Posted in twitter | No Comments »

Managing Your Online Reputation

February 10th, 2011

As Joan Jett famously sang,”I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation.”

If you’re amongst the few with this mindset, there’s always room for improvement. One important aspect of social media marketing is managing your online reputation. And that consists of two basic parts:

1) Staying alert about negative feedback
2) Being ready to respond quickly and appropriately

Social Media Monitoring
There are many different tools and services that can keep you updated on what’s been said abut your business. Good ol’ Google Alerts should be the first on your list and it’s also free. Radian 6 and Monitter are a few others that come to mind.

Regular participation on your social media profiles should also help if you get any customer inquires or direct complaints. (Another reason why you shouldn’t just create profiles and let them sit there.) Remember, these are only tools that will help you be more aware of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Crafting a response is another area to focus on.

Choosing an Appropriate Response

When I see a bad review on Yelp or Facebook, it’s always refreshing to see a meaningful reply from the business owner. Unless, it’s something like this: “Why don’t you come in here and say it to my face?”

As verified business owner, you can respond directly to reviews on Yelp, Google Places or Yahoo! Local Listings. But remember, your online reputation and future business is on the line, so it’s probably not wise to blame or threaten the customer. There are many things you can do in these cases but it’s best to take action first – especially before the complaints pile up. You can invite the customer to a more private mode of communication and help fix their problem. You can also apologize for their experience and invite them to try your products/services again. I’ve seen this happen many times with reviews reversed (from bad to good) when customers are offered a second chance.

Brand monitoring is a key function of social media marketing. Don’t let your little problems snowball into a reputation crisis that you can’t avert!

Tags: customer feedback, facebook, online reputation, reputation management, social media, social media marketing, twitter
Posted in search engine optimization, social media | No Comments »

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