Social

Creating a Social Media Marketing Plan

May 10, 2012/in Social Media Marketing Plan /by Robert Goodman

Everyone is rushing to social networking sites, but do you really have a plan for how to best utilize this phenomenon for your business? There are millions of people online but only a subset of them are your prospects. You can waste a great deal of time and effort if you have not mapped out your plan for targeting your key prospects. I can tell you from first hand experience that you need to have a plan so that you can maximize your efforts.

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Linked In are some of the most popular sites, but there are hundreds of others such as Plaxo, Meet-Up, Friendster, Flickr, Cafe Mom and Black Planet just to name a few. Here are some high level stats on the leaders.

Twitter – Founded 2007; Unique US Monthly Visitors : 21 million

Facebook – Founded 2004; Unique US Monthly Visitors : 87.3 million

MySpace – Founded 2003; Unique US Monthly Visitors: 62.8 million

YouTube – Founded 2005; Unique US Monthly Visitors: 87.7 million

Listed below are things consider when building social networking into your marketing plan.

What Image Do you want? The internet allows people to Google you, your company and gain access to a great deal of information about you with just a few clicks.

You must decide early on if you are going to build a personal profile, a profile for your business or both. I once had a prospect call our office who had already looked at company website, Facebook and linked in profiles before he decided to call me about my business. He knew a ton about me and quoted my background to me during our conversation. I was was confident in the information and profiles I had created online. In my case, I have both personal and business profiles on line but it all depends on what type of business you are in. In the business of consulting, personal reputation and experience is what your target cares about – they are looking for a marketing expert. Whereas if you are selling a product to consumers, the product should be the lead persona…unless your story is relevant to the product (i.e. testimonial) they really don’t care who created it.

Who are your Customers? Know who your target is and how to connect with them online. Don’t waste time connecting with the masses. I was advised to get on Twitter right away and to follow as many people as possible to get the word out about my business. I even joined tweet later to automate following folks who followed me. At one point I had up to following nearly 2000 people (the max based on followers) and had almost 1500 following me. I ended up with a global network of endless useless, chatter that was impossible to weed though. I had to un-follow a bunch of spammers in order to get and deliver more relevant tweets. The correct strategy would have been to selectively choose folks to follow by looking at the profiles of my prospects. See who they are following – media, other businesses – carefully look at their profiles before you connect. The automated twitter tools do not work well with a selective strategy…

Where do you customers hang out online? Your marketing research should reveal everywhere customers are online as well as offline. You need to know where do they shop, search, get news, weather, and chat. Is your target B2B or B2C and where are the best places online to market to them? Are they Gen Y’ers on MySpace or are they corporate professionals on LinkedIn? How do you find out this information? Survey current and potential customers and start to build a profile on them to understand their online habits and behaviors. Your target may belong to a social networking site but may prefer to network the old-fashioned way.

Understand the purpose and focus of the social networking site. Make sure you understand the nature of the group and make sure you understand the protocol and rules. For example, LinkedIn is not a generally a place to just sell…you can easily lose valuable connections. LinkedIn connections may be considered a higher honor than a Twitter connection. Twitter friends are more accepting casual chatting and open sales pitches due to the nature of the site. Be clear on the rules and learn how to play them.

Where are your competitors? Find out which social networking sites your direct competitors are on and make sure you are there as well. Become a fan or follow them to see what kind of activity and comments they are getting to ensure the strategy makes sense for your business. Analyze the content they provide and determine how you can differentiate yourself from your competition.

What is your communications strategy? What kind of content and information are you going to provide? You should have a communications plan that includes that what, when and where of your messages on social networking sites. For example, will you provide valuable secondary information to your target or will you deliver a direct sales message? If you have created a business profile, make sure your message is strictly business related – don’t start posting unrelated topics or personal thoughts on random subjects. Whatever profile you build, you want to keep the messaging consistent. Determine how often you will communicate and plan fresh messaging so you posts are relevant and timely. The important point is to be consistent.

How do you measure success? The channel has yet to truly prove a return on investment, but lots of businesses are banking that the awareness generated will impact sales. Consumers have an incredibly high level of engagement on these sites and spend more time on social networking sites than on email.

If you decided to jump on the bandwagon and engage in social networking for your business be sure you have researched your market and that you have a plan to communicate and measure results. Be patient! This is a new channel and you dont want to miss the boat – you’d better believe that your competitors are engaging in social networking so you should develop a strategy that differentiates you from your competition.

FREE sample Social Media Marketing Plan! Visit http://www.GoKeyPoint.com

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Social Media Marketing Class Helps Marketers and Business Owners Keep Up With Changes

May 9, 2012/in Social Media Marketing Plan /by Robert Goodman

Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) October 15, 2011

Social Media has a fast-paced, changing landscape and it is difficult to keep up with all of the changes that happen within the social media platforms. That is why Search Engine Academy Northwest has developed the six-hour social media marketing class, Leveraging Linked In, Facebook and Twitter.

Leveraging Linked In, Facebook and Twitter begins with a basic overview of the Social Media Landscape and immediately dives into a variety of tools, strategies and tactics that can help decrease the overwhelm sometimes felt by marketers and business owners when developing and implementing a social media marketing plan.

Because Social Media is in a constant state of flux, this class is revised only days prior to the actual class to capture the latest updates which helps participants stay the most current as they possibly can with social media marketing techniques.

Topics included in this six-hour social media marketing class include:

Understanding what social media is and how it can help grow your business
Developing Goals and Strategies for your Social Media Campaign
Working hands on with the big three platforms: Linked In, Facebook and Twitter

In Facebook students will:

Maximize a Page for their Business
Look at the Pros and Cons of Facebook Ads
Learn how to set up an RSS Feed from your Blog to Facebook
Add a Twitter Feed

The Linked In section covers:

Customizing your Profile
Adding Twitter to your Profile
Managing and Requesting Recommendations
Developing a Linked In Group, is it the right strategy for your business?
Adding a company page for your business
Reviewing Apps that can be implemented strategically
Determining if DirectAds make sense for your company

And then students will learn about Twitter by:

Becoming familiar with the Twitter Interface
Understanding the Lingo
Customizing their page
And reviewing must have tools

Leveraging Linked In, Facebook and Twitter will be held November 3rd from 9:30 to 4:30 in Portland Oregon at the Ambridge Event Center which is centrally located in the Lloyd District. To register for this class please go to http://www.seotrainingnw.com/social-media-class-portland-oregon.

About the Instructor

Colleen Wright helps companies improve their online sales performance by taking her 20 years of marketing knowledge and implementing strategies and tactics that improve sales and leads. In addition to helping clients improve their sales messaging and lead generation, she is an expert at driving traffic to websites through Pay per Click advertising, Search Engine Optimization, Local Search and Social Media Marketing. Colleen also teaches these skills through Search Engine Academy Northwest where business owners and marketing / PR professionals learn hands on how to market businesses online.

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Social Media Marketing: A 21st Century Phenomenon

Article by Carll Halls

Nowadays it is common to hear words such as “wall”, “tag”, “like”, “unlike”, and more recently “tweet” and “retweet”. The landscape of social media has its own set of jargon. It has its own dictionary for a generation that wakes up every day to the excitement of new friends and long-lost acquaintances found on Facebook, to the hilarious and sometimes controversial statements packed in a mere 140 characters on Twitter, and to the amusing videos that are uploaded on YouTube, guaranteed to cure your boredom with just a click. With the growth of social media in the 21st century, it’s no wonder marketers have found a way to use it to their advantage, adding social media marketing to their companies’ integrated marketing communication plans.

What is Social Media Marketing?

We define Social Media as the use of Internet-based platforms and mobile technologies as means of communication. This type of communication is dynamic and easily accessible, which makes interaction among users convenient and continuous. Social media marketing therefore is the use of the Internet and mobile technologies to push products and services to customers, by combining the features of the web with marketing strategies established to boost a company’s sales and presence, to create added value, and to foster stronger customer relationships.

Targeting Niche Markets

Although some people assert that the origins of social media marketing date several decades back, it was only during the dawn of the World Wide Web in the early 90’s that the foothold of social media in modern communication became apparent. Social networks have evolved from Geocities, Angelfire and Tripod, to Friendster, Multiply, MySpace, YouTube and now, dominating the scene, are Facebook and Twitter. Each social network has its own use and a niche market. For instance, Multiply has been the outlet of choice for start-up entrepreneurs who have no capital to build physical stores. The ease with which sellers can showcase their products and promote their services, is the reason why Multiply has become a bustling online marketplace. All you need is a Multiply account, a camera to take pictures of your goods, some selling savvy and most importantly, plenty of friends who will recommend your products and direct other people to your site. MySpace, on the other hand, has been responsible for the discovery of new artists and bands. With your very own page containing your profile and some samples of your songs, it is quite easy to be seen and heard by agents and recording studios that are scouting for raw talent. MySpace Music has launched the careers of Colbie Caillat and Lil Mama to name a few.

The Age of Facebook and Twitter

The most powerful networks helping social media marketing right now are Facebook and Twitter. These sites allow its users to “repost” and “retweet” comments about people, products and services, and the repetition of these messages enables marketers to reach a multitude people in a matter of hours. Social media marketing gains from an amplified “word of mouth” transmission. As more people talk about your product to their next-door neighbor or office colleague, the chances of other people sharing that information to another set of individuals becomes greater, thereby increasing traffic to your company’s website and prompting millions to actively seek you out and learn more about your products and services. It’s as simple as having your very own Facebook page where people can “like” what you offer.

Mobile technologies are also key players in the arena of social media marketing. Cellular phones and tablets are capable of connecting wirelessly to the Internet, letting consumers have immediate access to their favorite social media sites, informing them of anything new that’s happening in cyberspace, in real-time. These gadgets are practically glued to their hands and this connection makes it even more convenient for marketers to update users about their offerings. Advertisements placed on social networks are always visible, creating top-of-mind awareness, allowing people to think about your product or service first as the one that will answer their needs.

Establishing a presence in social media is now a must for anyone who has something to promote. Small enterprises and big businesses alike are shifting from traditional advertising like print and TV, to the more convenient, readily available and at most times, less costly social media. It’s amazing to look back at history and realize that social media marketing started with people pinning memos, flyers and brochures to bulletin boards, or placing ads on newspapers. Now we all just need an internet connection and any gadget capable of connecting online, and the world is virtually in our hands. It would be even more amazing to see how social media can still evolve in the coming years, and how it would make the world a smaller, more connected place.

Social media marketing – Read the book Sales 3dot0 – The New Contact Sport book for more on social media and marketing strategies. Get this book at reasonable cost at Newcontactsport.com.

Social Media Manager | Social Media Marketing Plan | Palm Beach | Florida

May 9, 2012/in Social Media Marketing Plan /by Robert Goodman

aaatargetedinternetmarketing.com Local Marketing experts. Social Media Manager | Social Media Marketing Plan | Palm Beach | Florida visit website for more articles, videos, tips, consulting
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Registration is Open for Social Media Tulsa Conference 2012

May 8, 2012/in Social Media Marketing Plan /by Robert Goodman

Tulsa, Ok (PRWEB) December 01, 2011

Following their inaugural conference in 2011, The Social Media Tulsa Conference is back.

With an added day of knowledge-sharing, presented by local and global social media leaders and thought starters, #SMTulsa conference attendees are sure to be inspired to take their online marketing strategies to a new level.

Early registration rates are available through December 31, 2011. Full time students and non-profit organizations also receive special discounted rates to attend the conference.

Whether you are a small business looking to get started with a social media marketing plan, or a corporate marketing manager needing tips for taking your online marketing strategies to a new level, the Social Media Tulsa Conference is for you, said Cheryl Lawson of Party Aficionado and Founder of Social Media Tulsa.

Register now and follow the #SMTulsa hashtag on Twitter to learn more about Social Media Tulsa and to receive updates about the 2012 Conference.

About Social Media Tulsa

Social Media Tulsa is the area’s most active social media group. #SMTulsa has rapidly become the place for thought leaders and newbies alike to share social media’s best practices while at the same time going beyond the technology to create face to face connections. It all began with Social Media Day Tulsa 2010 at Fat Guys Burger Bar in the historic Greenwood district. Social Media Tulsa invites its members to gather and talk about the impact of Social Media on business, news, entertainment, sports, nonprofit, and any other topics. To learn more visit SocialMediaTulsa.org

About Party Aficionado

Party Aficionado is a leading social marketing firm specializing in event marketing, social media marketing, internet marketing, and PR. To learn more visit Partyaficionado.com.

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Start Your Social Media Marketing Plan

May 3, 2012/in Social Media Marketing Plan /by Robert Goodman

Vloglicious! Successful vlogging for everyone: tutorials, how-to’s, tips and more! Video #3: how to start out on social media marketing for your vlogs and video’s. Check out our website www.vloglicious.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter for the latest video’s, updates and vlogging news on http

Topics include: How usability affects social media marketing effectiveness; How social media button placement affects their performance; How the quantity of social media buttons affect their usage; Strategies for an effective social media marketing plan, specific to your industry / company; Measurement of your company’s website marketing effectiveness.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

AuthorityDomains.com's Bundled New Social Media Services Offer Unique Marketing Solution

May 2, 2012/in Blog, Template /by Robert Goodman

Canyon Country, CA (PRWEB) May 2, 2008

Companies looking for more effective, targeted marketing campaigns now have the opportunity to take part in the newest innovation in online marketing: Social Media Marketing. Search Engine Marketing company AuthorityDomains.com has recently launched a new set of bundled Social Media Marketing services.

AuthorityDomains.com’s Authority Social Marketing (ASM) packages seek to achieve marketing and branding goals for clients through participation in varied social media networks and bookmarking sites, including Facebook, YouTube, Squidoo, Reddit, Digg, Stumbleupon, Onlywire, LinkedIn and Myspace, to name a few.

“Social Media Marketing is where everything’s heading,” says Marcela DeVivo, President of Authoritydomains.com. “In the near future you will see Social Marketing grow and expand to become the new method of online marketing everyone is looking for. The time is here and now, and everyone should be taking advantage of it.”

“Social Media Marketing will rise to prominence in the non-geek world, as businesses worldwide increasingly realize the power of user-generated content and online social networking communities,” she adds, “and Authority Domains plans to ride the wave.”

Other features of their new social media marketing packages include, but are not limited to:

Blog setup and promotion: they will set up a blog with the theme of your choice, optimize it and submit it to the search engines.

Custom and bulk link building: one-way links are some of the most powerful you can get, and Authority Domains offers both custom and bulk link building solutions tailored specifically to your niche and site.

Article creation and promotion: monthly creation and submission of professionally written articles. Press release creation and promotion: monthly promotion and creation of targeted, unique press releases.

Site submission: one-time site submission and monthly paid directory links.

“The beauty of our packages is that we can customize our campaigns to every client, depending on the niche and industry they’re targeting, while at the same time keeping our prices reasonable,” says DeVivo. “Its a win-win solution.”

AuthorityDomains.com also offers many stand-alone solutions including bulk and custom link building, article and press release writing and promotion, custom and template blog setup and promotion, video submission and much more.

For more information on AuthorityDomains.com’s Social Media Marketing services, please call 866-8541572 and see their website at http://www.authoritydomains.com/social-media-marketing.

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Biznessmeet.com Announces Social Networking for Marketing in the Digital Age

April 29, 2012/in Social Media Marketing Plan /by Robert Goodman

Winston Salem, NC (PRWEB) February 14, 2012

Marketing of businesses in the Digital Age is essential for any company to succeed. The internet and explosive growth of social networking sites have given consumers instant access to global communication, information products and services. Companies who embrace this concept and take advantage of social networking sites can reach thousands of people in a very efficient and cost effective way.

Social networking and business go hand in hand. Word of mouth has always been a very useful way for companies to advertise their products or services. Business and social networking sites such as Biznessmeet.com are the modern day version of word of mouth.

Biznessmeet.com is an innovative and user friendly, virtual community that was created to provide a unique platform for individuals and businesses to connect with each other around the world. Biznessmeet.com is a website that brings together businesses and individuals to share ideas, discuss important topics and assist in selling products and services. It is free to join and by becoming a member, businesses and individuals are brought together in a social and professional perspective and simultaneously.

While Biznessmeet strives to be beneficial to everyone who joins, there are added benefits to being a premium member. Premium memberships are extremely beneficial for businesses and individuals alike. Businesses that upgrade to a premium membership are able to post and share any specials, discounts, promotions and savings with the entire Biznessmeet community. Individuals who upgrade to a premium membership are able to create a more in depth profile that includes their resume and any news or ideas that they would like to share with other members. Premium members can also share their experiences, business reviews, thoughts and opinions in a variety of ways. Features on the site such as Contact Feed, Biz Feed, Biz News and My Reviews are all ideal ways to create and expand a broader social network.

Expand with social media marketing plan with this cutting-edge social network today! Remember its not always what you know, but who you know. For more information please visit: http://www.biznessmeet.com

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Social Media Marketing Plan

April 28, 2012/in Social Media Marketing Plan /by Robert Goodman

The Social Media giants like Twitter and Facebook are no secrets to you, right?

And you KNOW that you should be using these Web 2.0 sites, among others, yet perhaps you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or just plain out confused on HOW to harness these beasts! There’s a very large probability that your competitors are already trying to implement these marketing methods, or at the very least, TRYING to. Wondering when would be a good time to begin using these social media mammoths, like LinkedIn, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter? How about YESTERDAY!?!

Here’s some factual data to further drill the importance of this message:

* With over 260 million active users and counting, Facebook has been deemed as the number one social network, according to Facebook.com and Neilson.com.
* Credible analysts have predicted that Facebook will have in excess of 500 milion active users!
* Between June 2008-June2009, Twitter has increased its user base by an astounding 1,928%, making it the fastest growing social network on the planet, says Nielson.com
* According to Facebook, over 120 million users log into Facebook no less than once a day!
* For a week straight, Facebook was visited more often than Google itself, around about April 2010!
* The largest growing demographic rapidly joining these social medai groups are aged 35 and above
* Alex.com’s statistics also show that Facebook is in the TOP THREE MOST VISITED SITES GLOBALLY!
* As of July 2009, Twitter had attained 50 million unique visitors, as per TeleCrunch.com’s statistics
* Both Fool.com and Twitter.com indicate predictions that by the end of 2k10, Twitter’s user user base will reach 100 million or more
* According to Facebook, 65+ milion of their users access their accounts directly from their smart phones and PDA’s
* Cell phone users of Twitter and Facebook are said to be TWICE as active as non-cell phone users
* Nearly 80% of Facebook users are based outside of the USA

If these comprehensive statistics haven’t already blown your hair back about the true power of a social media Marketing Plan, then you’re probably already harnessing it’s force! If you were a business owner, what would this kind of data mean to you? Basically, what you’ve got is an open market, with hordes of potential clients that are easily accessable via strategic Facebook Marketing and Twitter Marketing (among others), that are open to the marketing of your products and services! Are you going to sit around and allow your competition to capitalize on this phenomena before you do? Not very likely, for the clever business owner.

Social Media Marketing can be seen as access to a gate opener, or a portal if you will, with powerful communities which can have insurmountable implications for entrepreneurs, businesses, whether small or large. Everyone is aware that the current marketplace is a constantly changing climate, making it even more imperitive that you stay one step ahead of the game. Based on the facts described above, you can see that there’s no doubt that Social Media Marketing will become increasingly important to the future of your business’ success.

Weve now surpassed the Information Age, and now have entered the Recommendation age. Surely you’ve heard the quote Its not WHAT you know, its WHO you know.”Times have changed, and that statement isn’t as true anymore. Lets put it this way Its not WHAT you know, its NOT WHO you knowits WHO KNOWS YOU!”And with the power of an effective Social Media Marketing Plan, you CAN connect with near anyone in your field of business, and harness that relationship. The quality of your relationships can now be a direct reflection on the quality of your finances.

Is a Social Media Marketing Plan now higher up on your list of priorities for the prosperity of your business?