Social Media News For The Week Of 6/29/12

Social Media, Mobile Technology Use Grows Among SMBs: Report
In a study conducted by j2 Global, owners of small and medium sized businesses are optimistic about their use of social media and mobile technology. Seventy-six percent believe their companies will see growth in the second half of 2012. Thirty-nine percent of businesses state social media makes up a quarter of their marketing effort, while twenty-six percent say it is more than half. Full Story Here: 

American companies use social media more than European firms

A report by InSites Consulting USA states American companies have adopted social media for their marketing strategies at a higher level than their European counterparts. 80 percent of American companies use Facebook, 45 percent for Twitter, 48 percent use LinkedIn, and 31 percent are on YouTube the study said. Full Story Here: 

Choosing social media to market a small business

Social media can help a small business become successful in a crowded field. With all businesses striving for attention, social media helps small firms stand out and achieve their goals. Full Story Here:

States With the Most Social Small Businesses [INFOGRAPHIC]

According to an infographic by the sales intelligence firm, Radius, The West Coast tops the East when it comes to socially connected small businesses. San Francisco is at the top of the list, followed by Los Angeles and Washington D.C., with New York in seventh place. Full Story Here: 

Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com

Blogging Tips - Write For Your Audience

Effective blog writing begins and ends with the audience. Your blog audience should always be kept foremost in your mind as you plan, write, and edit your blog posts. If you are not writing for your audience, you are only writing for yourself and you won't attract followers.

Get to know your audience by researching and analyzing what makes your readers tick. Read as much as you can on websites and other blogs about the things that motivate them, the problems they need solutions for, and the real reasons they would be looking at your blog. In other words, what questions are they hoping to find the answer to by reading your blog?

FourSquare For Business - How To Use FourSquare For Business

The wildly popular location based mobile device application; FourSquare is taking businesses whose customers come to their physical location, such as restaurants and retail stores, by storm. This social network/app is proving to be a potent force for businesses to use for driving in new customers and bringing them back again and again. Here are a few pointers for getting the most out of this tool for your business.

Finding Easy Blog Content - Medical

A well written medical blog can help a practice that is looking to expand and gain more patients, become more visible. Busy physicians usually feel they either do not have the time for blogging or they don't have any ideas of what to write about. A medical blog does not have to take up large amounts of time to be effective. Here are some content ideas for a medical practice blog.

Pinterest For Business - How To Use Pinterest For Business

In recent months, the social media pinboard, Pinterest, has grown by leaps and bounds. The network raced to become the quickest to surpass the 10 million monthly unique visitor mark and isn't looking back.  All of this attention to Pinterest may have you considering whether your company could benefit from using the network. Pinterest is helping certain types of businesses gain considerable accomplishments, but is not a network for all companies.

Since it is essentially a tool for organizing visual images, only businesses that offer products and services with eye-catching appeal will find success on this platform. For example, Pinterest would not be a wise choice for a lawyer who is expanding his/her practice.  But if you think your company's presence on Pinterest is a good fit, here are some techniques for success with this exciting and relatively new social media network.

Did You Know?......

Around the world, Facebook users share over 100 billion connections collectively. (All Facebook)

69% of Twitter users decide who to follow based on the recommendations of their friends. (AllTwitter)

LinkedIn members share their knowledge and insights through over one million groups. (LinkedIn)

86% of mobile Internet users are using their devices while watching TV. (Microsoft Tag

Over 66% of all online users are connected with at least one social media networking Platform.

 OnFast.com

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Social Media News For The Week Of 6/22/12

How Businesses Are Using Social Media (INFOGRAPHIC)

A new infographic put together by MBA Programs shows how businesses have integrated social media into their overall marketing strategies. The graphic reports that while use of social networking by companies has risen dramatically, blogging has decreased. 94% of businesses now engage on social media networks and/or blog. Full Story Here: 

Business social media use is highest by far on Facebook

A report by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal states that American companies use Facebook more than any other social media platform by a wide margin. 80% of companies surveyed by InSite Consulting use Facebook compared to 45% for Twitter, 48% for LinkedIn and 31% on YouTube. Full Story Here: 

A very serious business: Are you ready for real social media engagement in 2013?

Edward Perry, World Hotels' global senior director of social media, OTA partnerships and innovation projects; states in Eye for Travel that the time has come for the hospitality industry to become fully engaged in social media in the year 2013. Full Story Here: 

Businesses have social media but don't know what to do with it, new study shows

Businesses all around the globe have been adopting social media as part of their overall marketing efforts, but don't really know how to use the medium yet. The study by InSites Consulting shows only 12% of companies using social media have integrated it into their overall corporate strategies. 29% have a social media presence, but do nothing with it. Full Story Here: 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com

Social Media Tips - Use Video For Your Social Media Marketing

If your company is not integrating video into your social media marketing efforts then you're missing out on a great, free advertising avenue. Using video in social media marketing is en vogue right now, and there are valid reasons for this trend.

Google recently changed how web pages are indexed in their search engine. These changes have made the addition of short videos one of the most effective techniques for raising a company into the top tier of search results.

Following Facebook Rules

It's so easy to sign up and create a Facebook account. Within minutes you can customize your page, find friends, and create status posts.

Most users dive in without ever reading or understanding the legalities. Facebook is very accommodating and upfront about publishing the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities in multiple languages and making it easy to find.

For new users just starting out it's best to read the Facebook Principles page and understand what Facebook and social media is all about and then drill down into the legal issues in the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Finding Easy Blog Content - Real Estate

Writing a real estate blog may seem like a time consuming chore and you may be a bit intimidated about finding content. You shouldn't be because there are plenty of topics to write about as a realtor. Keep the blog's focus on the community in which you serve, and the buyers / sellers who you are there to help, and you will never run out of subjects.

Writing a real estate blog from this perspective will help you gain your clients' trust and it will be a service to the community. Here are some suggestions for real estate blog content. 

Pinterest For Business - Why Your Business Should Be On Pinterest

The virtual pinboarding social network, Pinterest has seen phenomenal growth in recent months and business is starting to take notice. However, the questions are - should your company have a presence on Pinterest? Can Pinterest benefit your brand? If your product lends itself to a visual presentation of any kind, your business should be on Pinterest. Here's Why:

 

Did You Know?......

-  One out of every five Internet page views is of a Facebook page. (infographiclabs)

-  The number one reason people retweet on Twitter is that the content was interesting (WhiteFireSEO)

 -  In North America alone, LinkedIn has 64-million registered users. (All Twitter)

-   Internet usage will more than double by 2015, with most users accessing via mobile.
     (Boston Consulting Group, Mary Meeker, Kleiner Perkins, Morgan Stanley Research, Berg Insight via Business Insider)

-  The National Restaurant Association has found that consumers who use social media and apps dine out more frequently and are more likely to become repeat customers. (ReadWriteWeb)

Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com

Social Media News For The Week Of 6/15/12

23 Things For Day One of Social Media

If you are just starting out with a new business or not sure how to begin a social media marketing effort here are some ideas and things to consider for your first day. Using social media is a learning process, these should be considered as guidelines as opposed to hard and fast rules. Full Story Here:

7 Ways to Make Your Small Business Stand Out Online

Online marketing has become a crowded field and it can be difficult to get noticed. Here are some tips for helping your brand stand out and keep above the crowd. Full Story Here: 

Using The OnFast Calendar

It's quick, easy, and an excellent way to organize your social media posting schedule.

The OnFast Calendar provides users with an innovative way to view and plan their entire marketing campaign at a glance. Once signed in, you can view the calendar by clicking "Calendar" from the Home screen. By default, the calendar shows a view of the current month.  Across the top of the calendar are buttons to change the calendar from the month view to a day, week, month or agenda view. The day and week views are further broken down and show the business hours of 8 AM to 5 PM.  The agenda displays a list of your calendar events sorted by date. The arrow buttons allow you to move forward or backward in the calendar by month, week or day.  The "Today" button brings you back to today's date within the calendar, whether you're in the month, week or day view.

If you're going to blog being efficient matters

The task of writing a blog and maintaining a consistent schedule can be intimidating. Usually, the blogging assignment falls to someone with an already full schedule. Seemingly, there are never enough hours in the day to get it done. Rather than succumbing to chaos, the prudent blogger should adopt some clever time saving techniques to make the process easier and less stressful.

Getting your source content organized is the place you should start.  Most bloggers sit down, boot up, and begin by searching for content as the first step in writing their blog.  There is a better way.  A shrewd tactic is to let your content come to you.  One of the most effective tools to find content is to add search subjects to your Google news homepage. See below:

The next trick to add to your efficiency repertoire is Google alerts. Google alerts will send you regular e-mails based on a list of keywords. This is the best way we know of to get a constant "Heads-Up" on what's going on in your community and industry. Google alerts are so easy to set up and use. it's amazing that this stealth supply of content is frequently over-looked.

Finding Easy Blog Content - Restaurants

The popularity of restaurant and chef related shows on TV illustrate how a restaurant blog can be exciting and draw customers into your restaurant. Understandably, restaurant owners and chefs are extremely busy individuals, and not finding the time to blog is usually the reason given for not blogging. A restaurant blog does not have to be very long to be effective. Here are some simple and easy blogging content ideas for the restaurant owner wishing to have a better social media presence.

Tom's Restaurant in Manhattan was made internationally famous by Seinfeld

Recipes

Recipes are probably the single most popular and effective topic your restaurant can blog about. People love getting new recipes and trying to recreate tantalizing food dishes for themselves at home. Recipes are a popular Google search topic that will drive people to your website and blog.

Menus and Restaurant Updates
Showcasing different menu items with images of the finished product can wet appetites and draw customers into the restaurant if the dishes are appealing. Be sure to highlight any new menu items whenever they are added. If your restaurant changes the menu with each season, that will make for interesting reading.

Pinterest For Business - What Is Pinterest?

 Pinterest is a self-described "virtual pinboard", designed as a place where people can ?pin' images and videos of the things they love and share them with others. Pinterest is the fastest growing social media network at the moment. It holds the distinction of being the fastest site ever to cross the 10 million mark for unique visitors. According to Shareaholic's recent report, Pinterest is driving more online commerce traffic than LinkedIn, YouTube, or Google Plus. That fact, combined with the site's visual focus, has huge implications for brands.

Did You Know?......

 Every single day there are over 2.7 billion "Likes" on Facebook. (Infographic)

 In 2011, Twitter delivered 33 billion tweets per day, every day. (Infographic)

 Over 2 million businesses have company pages on LinkedIn. (LinkedIn)

 More than one third of Facebook's 600 million+ user base uses Facebook Mobile. (Microsoft Tag)

 67% of Americans use social media to keep in touch with their friends. (OnlineMBA.com)

OnFast.com

 

Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com

Social Media News For The Week Of 6/8/12

NEW POLL: Americans Using Social Media Are Engaged Consumers and Citizens, But Remain Skeptical of Social Media Trustworthiness

In a survey conducted by The Allstate Corporation and National Journal, Americans think their involvement in social media makes them more informed and influential consumers and citizens. Among the findings of the poll: 79% of social media users are more likely to consult others about products and services and 64% will change their mind as a result of consulting with others. Full Story Here: 

Caterpillar Brings Social Media to a Blue-Collar Business

U.S. has recognized Caterpillar as one of America's most connected companies as a result of the firm's extensive use of social media. Caterpillar has been a leader in corporate social networking utilization. The company has taken customer preferences gathered through social media into account in the design of their trucks. Full Story Here:

Will Your Content Produce Results?

For content to be useful it must satisfy the needs and interest of your readers. It's important to remember not all readers will find your content worthwhile. What is worthwhile to you may not be to someone else. You must be in touch with your readership. One effective way to learn what will interest your readers is to do a little research. Ask your readers for their opinions and feedback. You may want to research similar Blogs to determine what topics are popular and which topics are drawing the most feedback and commentary. Don't make the mistake of falling in love with a topic dear to your heart but of little use or interest to your readership.

Here are four general considerations to help determine if your content will be useful. The first two are of particular importance. Readers land on your blog primarily for these two main reasons. Simply, if your readers are looking for information, give it to them.

 

Just What Are You Doing?

When it comes to blogging or social posting about your business, the conclusion just might be that you are wasting a lot of your time. To be successful at blogging, you need a clear perspective of what you are doing and why.  To blog or post to the social media community without prudent contemplation is a gigantic waste of time and effort that you'll never recover. Review the following considerations and adjust your efforts accordingly.

1. Have a clear understanding why you are blogging

This is fairly basic but, if you can't define how your efforts are going to help your business, how will you know it's working? Many businesses join the "me too" treadmill just to stay even with their competition. Set a clear goal for yourself and decide what your expectations are when it comes to your readers. Measuring the results will tell you if you are effective.

Finding Easy Blog Content - Hotels

 
Beginning a new hotel blog may seem like an intimidating task, but it shouldn't be. There is an almost limitless amount of topics that can be written about from a hotel's perspective. Content ideas literally surround you, both inside the hotel and out in the surrounding area. If you are having trouble, here are a few subjects you could tackle to get started.

LinkedIn Techniques For Business - Part 4

Connect LinkedIn With All Your Social Networks

 

A key aspect of a successful LinkedIn campaign is connecting the professional social network to all your other social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. All of your connections on LinkedIn should know of your presence on other networks. Whenever someone connects with your company on LinkedIn, that connection should be extended to them across all of your marketing platforms. LinkedIn and Twitter even allow information to be easily shared between the two networks by way of status updates.

Did You Know?......

One out of every five Internet page views is of a Facebook page. (infographiclabs)

The number one reason people retweet on Twitter is that the content was interesting (WhiteFireSEO)

In North America alone, LinkedIn has 64-million registered users. (All Twitter)

Internet usage will more than double by 2015, with most users accessing via mobile. (Boston Consulting Group, Mary Meeker, Kleiner Perkins, Morgan Stanley Research, Berg Insight via Business Insider)

The National Restaurant Association has found that consumers who use social media and apps dine out more frequently and are more likely to become repeat customers. (ReadWriteWeb)

Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com

Social Media News For The Week Of 6/1/12

IDC: Home Businesses Will Turn To Social Media

The rise in social media use by traditional businesses has been followed by a surge in social media utilization by home-based businesses as well. The research company IDC reports 40% of businesses that are operated out of the home are using social media networks to promote and conduct their company. The study also found that almost 40% of those using social media, do so without having their own website. Full Story Here:

Social Media Analyst To Visit DSM; Says Businesses Doing It Wrong

The highly respected social media expert, Brian Solis, spoke before attending a local midwest technology and social conference about how businesses are getting social media wrong. He stated companies have adopted social media without a strategy for understanding why consumers are on social networks in the first place. Full Story Here: