What are your competitors doing with Social Media?

Your competitors have made a commitment to social media advertising and are actively integrating social media marketing into their advertising efforts. They are moving away from legacy print advertising in favor of digital media such tablets and smartphones.

• Savvy businesses are turning readers into fans and paying customers by offering valuable information and targeted promotions and coupon offerings.
• Your competitors are establishing themselves as reliable sources for information and are connecting and influencing the social media community.
• Most important, they are increasing market share and driving sales by running successful, consistent social media marketing campaigns.
• Your competitors are using the top social platforms and tools,  i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Google , LinkedIn, Google Blogger, and OnFast.
• They are learning social media tactics and tools and developing in-house personnel resources to use them.

How do you catch up? Visit OnFast.com and kick start your social media marketing campaign today.

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Social Media News For The Week Of 6/14/13

Facebook finally gets #hashtags

Facebook announced they will be supporting the use of hashtags to find and share information on the social network soon. It will be rolled out in increments to users during the coming weeks. Pioneered by Twitter in 2007, hashtags have been adopted by other social networks as well, such as Tumblr, Google , and Flickr. Hashtags have even been in use on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, for some time. Full Story Here:

 

Is Google Plus social media’s Next Big Thing?

The search engine juggernaut, Google’s social network, Google has been on a slow burn since it was launched in June 2011. But, gradually at first, the network has now really taken off and is gaining in popularity and use. It has some unique features, when compared to Facebook, and is claimed to be easier to use. Full Story Here:

 

American Airlines Marketer on Ramping up Social Media

American Airlines has significantly and successfully used social media in a re-branding  launch in the wake of its recent bankruptcy. The airline giant has made social networks, such as Twitter, central to its current marketing efforts. Their story provides excellent examples of how to mount a successful social media marketing campaign for businesses of all sizes. Full Story Here:

 

Digital Marketing: It’s Not Just Business, it’s Personal

One of the most important things, a key to social media marketing, is to always be personal. Make your audience see that they are interacting with real people and not some faceless business entity. Speak in an online voice which is approachable and friendly. Dispense with company insider lingo and make yourself easily understood by the average person. Make it simple for customers, fans, and followers to reach and contact your brand. Tell your audience your story and what you can do for them. Go where your audience is present, meaning choose your social media platforms carefully. Full Story Here:

 

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Inspiration for your next blog post

Read your competitor’s blogs

The next time you are drawing a blank while trying to come up with a blog topic, try surfing the Internet for what others in your industry are writing about. You are not stealing ideas or plagiarizing the work of others but rather using currently trending topics to develop your unique insights and perspectives.

Interviews with industry gurus are always interesting

A simple Q&A session will bring new and interesting ideas into focus. Control the conversation by preparing the questions that you want to ask on behalf of your readers. Choose to interview someone who is strong with their opinions that will encourage debate and feedback from your readers.


Respond to comments

Promptly, reply to comments and criticisms that have been posted to your blog. Invite others to weigh in on your point of view. Offer sound researched facts to prove your point of view.  Respect the point-of-view of others, never argue or cut off the dialog.

Ask for ideas

Let your online blog followers help you by soliciting their ideas for blog discussions. People are always willing to help. You will not only have something to write about, but also will attract some like-minded traffic to your blog.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Social Media News For The Week Of 5/31/13

Moms Are Power Users Of Social Media On Mobile

Social media users are increasingly accessing their social networks via mobile devices, leading the way in this trend are moms. According to a study called the BabyCenter’s 2013 Social Mom Report, 89 percent of moms with a Facebook account and a mobile device access the site with mobile at least once a week. This is compared to non-moms at 73 percent. For Twitter, the figures are 61 percent for mobile mothers vs. 55 percent for non-moms. This is useful business intelligence, particularly for retail businesses. Full Story Here:


Branded Pages Lead Social Marketing Efforts

Social media marketing does not require a big budget, setting up a branded page on Facebook is free for example. A report by eMarketer found that 73 percent of businesses in a survey have set up a branded page and post to it regularly as part of their marketing campaigns. Supporting those efforts, a study by the social media marketing research firm Lab42 states half of Facebook users think a branded page is more useful than a company website. Furthermore, the study found that people are more likely to connect with brands on their branded pages. Full Story Here:


Engaging With Millennial Customers Through Social Media

The millennial generation grew up with technology and are comfortable expressing themselves and engaging with the world around them in real time. Businesses must be aware of, and strive to meet, the unique expectations of millennial customers. According to a survey by NICE, 65 percent of 16-34 year olds seek problem resolution with brands online first, before phone calls or in person. Also, according to Nielsen, millennials expect a customer support response within just twelve hours. Full Story Here:


Social media is open 7 days a week

Finding success for your business on social media requires constant attention. Social media is always turned on and is available to users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Brands have found out, in fact, that at nighttime and on weekends is when most of the engagement action takes place. Mobile technology is helping managers and small business owners stay on top of their game. Full Story Here:

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Socil Media News For The Week Of 5/24/13

Social Media Reacts To Yahoo’s Deal With Tumblr

Announced this past week was the acquisition by Yahoo of the social media network Tumblr. The deal, worth $1.1 billion, has received mixed reactions across social media with Tumblr users leaning toward the negative. Their concern is that Yahoo’s “mediocrity” will be the ruin of Tumblr. It was stated in the announcement that Tumblr founder, David Karp, will keep much of his control over the network. Full Story Here:


How Social Media is Changing the Way We Buy and Sell Homes

The real estate industry is being transformed by social media. Home buyers are searching through social networks like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to find the home of their dreams. Sellers are learning how the medium can help them gain maximum exposure for their property. This is happening despite the fact that only 56% of realtors, many of whom really need to catch up, are using social media in their marketing efforts. Full Story Here:


Ask the Mompreneur: Selling through social media

The convergence of social media and e-commerce is driving the steady increases being garnered by online retail sales, according to Jennie Wong, author of the e-book “Ask the Mompreneur”. Social media referrals to online retail sites doubled between 2011 and 2012, according to the Adobe Digital Index. The figures,which stand at 4 percent for 2013, are projected to be 16 percent by 2015. Full Story Here:


Study: 78% Of Salespeople Using Social Media Outsell Their Peers

A study conducted by social sales expert, Jim Keenan, found that 78.6 percent of sales people using social media outsold their counterparts who have not integrated social networks into their sales strategy. Among those who exceeded their sales quota, social media users were 23 percent more successful. The use of social media by sales people appears to not be a time consuming process either, with over 50 percent of the social network users reporting that it takes up less than 10 percent of their time. Full Story Here:


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Facebook Timeline For Your Brand

The theme of Facebook’s Timeline, not only for brands but individuals as well, is the expression of growth and development over time. Brands that fully embrace the concept will naturally benefit the most from Timeline.

Creatively communicating a company’s rise from a modest startup to a successful firm is an inspirational story that should resonate with followers, customers and prospects alike. Businesses of all sizes can gain a closer relationship with their customers from such a treatment on Timeline. The content shouldn’t just be about a chronology of dates in the company’s history, but showcase the people that have made the business grow and its products outstanding. Dates and photos of employee promotions in addition to images of them doing their jobs is a great place to start. Strategic dates along with pictures of company products being used and enjoyed by the people who buy them is another. Video is also highly effective in conveying this message.

Another feature and benefit of Timeline for brands is the new admin panel. This panel provides a powerful management tool for every aspect of the company Timeline to keep track of new likes and comments on content. The admin dashboard also allows access to valuable new analytics data with graphs illustrating engagement with your content. For the first time on Facebook, private messaging between brands and users can take place. The contact must be initiated by the user and companies that are not ready for the feature can turn it off. For brands ready for such interaction, this feature offers a tremendous opportunity.

Change is what the new Facebook Timeline is all about.  Social media is constantly evolving and the changes to Facebook reflect that. It is neither the first time nor the last in the largest social network’s evolution. Make full use of the new Timeline features and your company will surely benefit.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Effective Mobile Marketing

Marketing to a company’s customer base via mobile technology is no longer optional; it is a necessity. Mobile marketers must optimize their websites for mobile and create mobile apps that serve the needs of their customers. Social media continues to be important to consumers in making their buying decisions, but companies have to be prepared to meet them where they are and this will be increasingly on mobile devices. The freshness of this marketing form means that it is still evolving, but here are some things to consider in mobile marketing.

Effective Mobile Marketing

 

Be User Friendly -

If you don’t want to go to the expense of creating an app for your customers, make sure your website is friendly to mobile devices. This means it looks good and functions well when used on a mobile device.

 

Give Them What They Need -

When they need it, where they need it. The most effective mobile marketing always thinks locally. Location-based marketing is a growing trend with the rise of mobile devices. Using local listing websites to list your business will steer customers, who are already looking to make a purchase, to your business while being helpful at the same time.

                                              

Offer Mobile Online Shopping -

Mobile marketing can be much more than local. If your company sells products, create a mobile-friendly online catalog. In a situation where your product listings are extensive, only offer the products your company wants to promote or specials deals on certain products. Once again, it must be easily navigated and visually appealing via mobile devices. You can even give them the option of paying on their mobile device.

 

Steer Users Where You Want Them to Go -

Mobile users can be directed to the products, offers or pages you desire with the strategic use of QR codes. Quick Response (QR) codes can be used to steer mobile users to specific landing pages, featuring more detailed product information or the redemption of coupons, among many options for their use.

Mobile is and will be increasingly the platform of choice for Internet access. Businesses must be ready to accept the challenges and opportunities the new technologies offer to them.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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