Social Media Tips For Google+

Google+has not reached the massive level of acceptance found by other social networks like Facebook. However, the network has grown to over 170 million users and in certain circumstances, might be a better choice for social media marketing for some brands. In any case, Google+  should at least be considered, for it does offer some specific advantages to business users. If your company is giving it a try, here are some helpful tips.

1. Customize Your Sharing -

This is probably the greatest advantage offered by the Google+  platform. Google Circles gives you the option of sharing information with specifically targeted groups of followers. Posts can be automatically sent to all of your followers or to only certain circles of followers. Also, if you don’t want information re-shared outside the circle, re-sharing of each post may be optionally disabled.

2. Fire Up Engagement With Sparks

The Sparks feature allows you to search for relevant information or topics of interest and share them with your circles. The reverse works as well, since others can search for your content and share it. Sparks can live up to its name by getting engagement and interaction started within your circles.

The Meaning Of Facebook Timeline For Your Brand

The Facebook Timeline for brands places a greater emphasis on interaction, as well as being more visually oriented than the previous format. One of the features that has proven to be most controversial is the elimination of a landing tab. This feature of Timeline has raised the ire of businesses that have successfully leveraged the format into large numbers of “Likes” and followers.

The format tries to encourage increased engagement between brands and their followers. The Timeline platform does not reward companies who would rather set up a landing page, walk away and forget about it. That style of one-way marketing has never been what social media is about anyway. A business that puts in the time and makes a concerted effort to make a success of the company Timeline will reap the benefits of their work. Once again, interaction is the key to that success.

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/26/12

Consumer Social Media Engagement with Brands Leads to Increased Sales, Study Reveals

A study released by LoyaltyOne, Northwestern University, and Ivey Business School has found proof that the effects of social media on the purchasing behaviors of consumers is both significant and measurable. The research showed an increase of 15 to 30 percent in transactions by consumers who were engaged on social media with participants in 10-million member air miles reward program. Full Story Here:

A Big Boost for Small Business, Social Media is an increasingly important component in growing businesses

The online business directory, Manta.com, found 9 out of 10 small businesses are now utilizing social media as a part of their overall marketing efforts. According to Facebook, 11 million businesses keep a page up and running on their site. These facts point out the importance for all businesses to engage their customers on social media. To assist companies who have not joined in, the U.S. Small Business Administration is holding workshops to inform them of the potential growth possibilities and advice on getting started. Full Story Here:

Ignore Fads

New trends come and go. Hardly a day goes by that you don’t uncover a new social media site. Early adopters love these opportunities and often jump in without assessing the real effort and pay back. A business can easily be lured into wasting precious time learning about new unproven fads.

 

Some basic questions to ask your self are:

• Is this site popular and will it generate traffic?
• How vast is the audience?
• What are the demographics?
• Is this effort compatible with my strategy?
• Will this effort generate new business?
• Can you quantify the results?
• Do I have the time and resources to make this work?

 

Don’t be tempted into becoming a “Social Media Technical Expert” while the real challenge of growing the business is ignored.

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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Twitter Techniques -- Lead Your Followers To Other Platforms

In this final segment of a series on techniques for implementing a Twitter strategy for business, we will consider a few techniques designed to lead your loyal Twitter followers to other platforms of your social media marketing campaign.

Creative Use Of Hashtags -

By creatively using hashtags you can lead your followers to your website. For example, followers take pictures of themselves using a company’s product and tag themselves on a map featured on the website with a hashtag. There are many ways to accomplish the goal of getting your followers to cross over to your website. It is only limited by your imagination.

Share Links To Your Blog And Website -

Of course there is the more direct approach of simply sharing a link to other platforms you wish your followers to visit. However, they may not bite, so give them incentives to go where you want to take them. Give special offers for Twitter followers that visit your website and ask them to provide an email address so you can keep in closer touch. Always provide an exclusive offer for followers willing to travel down the path you wish.

Twitter Techniques -- Network More Effectively On Twitter

In this second part of a series on implementing a business Twitter strategy, we will examine methods for effective networking.

Find the Right Audience and Interact with Them -

In order to ensure the ultimate success of your company’s Twitter campaign, it is critical to find the right audience of interested, relevant followers. Merely trying to build a large count of meaningless followers will not get your campaign off the ground. You must seek and find people who are interested in your company, its products/services and your industry. Finding an audience to engage and interact with, regarding relevant topics for both you and them is crucial for establishing your brand on Twitter. Online and Twitter directories will assist in building up your audience. Start out by following them first.

Build Relationships with Engagement -

You can start building a relationship with your fans by thanking them when they tweet about your company, comment favorably on a blog post, or retweet one of your posts. Don’t take people who like and appreciate your company for granted. When conversations are going on in your community, dive in and provide useful and relevant information to the discourse. Engage with your followers by starting discussions and sharing content they will find interesting or useful. There is a time and place for pushing promotions, but don’t let your feed become an endless stream of self-promotional noise.

Twitter Techniques -- Creating More Effective Tweets

With a growth rate outpacing that of Facebook and over 500 million registered users now, Twitter has become a powerful social media marketing platform. This is the first of a three part series on how to refine your company’s techniques for Twitter marketing. In this first part we will look at how to create more effective Tweets.

Load up your Tweets with Keywords -

In all facets of online marketing the creation of web content needs to include industry keywords. This principle is still vitally important and can’t be overemphasized. Keywords are the foundation of effective web content. Tools like Google AdWords can help you put together a list of effective keywords and get the most out every Tweet.

 Include Links in your Tweets -

Sharing links with your followers and embedding links in your Tweets is a highly effective technique for expanding your follower base. Any time you find content relevant to your followers, share the link with them on Twitter. Engaging in conversation with your brand’s fans goes a long way to endearing them to your company, but so does sharing links they will find useful.

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/19/12

Social Return on Relationships: 13 Tips to Ignite Relevant Value

Successfully marketing a business on social media requires a commitment of time and and resources combined with carefully planning a strategy for achieving goals. Success is best achieved by establishing true relationships between brands and their customers and followers. Full Story Here:

Social media building a business connection

According to study by Lab42, a marketing research firm in Chicago, people think Facebook is a better platform for connecting with brands they like than the websites of those companies. 82 percent of the 1,000 social users surveyed, think Facebook is good for interaction with businesses. The study said further that 48 percent will “unlike” companies who spam their newsfeeds with too many posts. Fresh content is what people are really seeking. Full Story Here:

Small Business’ Big Use of Social Media

A study by Northwestern University and the firm Syndio Social, has found that small businesses who market themselves with social media stand to gain the most, over larger companies. Over half the traffic coming to small business websites is being driven by Facebook and Twitter, three times more than the traffic coming to larger sites. Facebook drives 48 percent of the traffic, while Twitter nearly 4 percent. Full Story Here:


87 More Vital Social Media Marketing Facts and Stats for 2012

A collection of very interesting statistics surrounding the utilization of social media by businesses as we go forward in 2012. Full Story Here:

24-mile skydive a boon for Youtube, social media

The recent 24-mile high skydive by Felix Baumgartner has clearly illustrated how the world is now connected by social media. Almost 7.3 million people watched the event live on Youtube, while a picture posted on Facebook by his sponsor Red Bull, got almost 216,000 likes; 29,000 shares; and over 10,000 comments in less than 40 minutes. Full Story Here:

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New OnFast Features - October 17, 2012

OnFast Releases New/Updated Features

1) Improved Blog Editor:

• Brand new Image resize / align capabilities.

• Much improved cut/paste from Microsoft Word.
• Search/Replace of text.
• Integrated spell checker on all browsers.
• Full Screen Mode for easier editing of large posts.

2) Increased length of social posts

Users can now post social updates up to 512 characters.  Posts are automatically shortened for posting to Twitter.

3) Leaderboards / User Voting for Contests

We've expanded the Contest application to include support for both leader boards and user voting.  Facebook applications are also now available to all Business customers.

Logon to http://www.onfast.com today to check out the latest features!

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

Social Media Demographics For LinkedIn

LinkedIn Demographic Data

• 161 million members worldwide
• 85.7 million visitors per month
• 50% female, 50% male
• Average user spends 21 minutes per month on site.
• Estimated user worth $71
• LinkedIn for business growth: 64% of users
• Use LinkedIn for business purposes: 75% of users
• Companies on LinkedIn: 2 million
• Average time spent on site: 8:00 minutes
• 61% of members are located outside of the United States.

How Social Media Makes Money For Your Business -- Boosting Brand Awareness

In just the last few years, social media marketing has gone from being an attractive option to becoming vitally important for companies. A social media presence has grown to be an essential element for maintaining a high level of brand awareness for businesses of all sizes. In spite of this, there is a hesitation on the part of some businesses to get on board. social media has opened up new possibilities for communication between individuals and organizations. The market is moving forward and embracing social networks; the clock won't turn back.

How Social Media Boosts Brand Awareness

1. Social Media Optimization (SMO)

How a brand is perceived across social media networks is playing an increasingly crucial role in determining how highly a company is ranked by search engines like Google. The more "Likes", retweets and followers a company has, the higher they will be placed in online searches. SMO rankings have become nearly as important as search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. A company without a social media presence is likely to be shut out of many business opportunities due to low search engine rank. By having a robust social media profile, a company increases its brand awareness across a broader spectrum while giving other platforms, such as websites, a lift.

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/12/12

Social Media Myths Worth Debunking

As businesses have been coming to terms with understanding the impact of social media many myths have arisen. Dispelling these myths will help companies fully grasp the potential for growth available to them when using social networks for marketing purposes. Full Story Here: 

What's a Facebook Follower Worth?

Many businesses are questioning the value of Facebook followers in the wake of the network's Promoted Post program. Companies are being asked to pay a fee to have their posts promoted beyond the average 16% of users who see them. Some small business owners have complained their fans have been devalued, while others have clearly benefited from the program. Full Story Here: 

Using Google+ for Employment Search

While Google+  certainly has not knocked Facebook off its perch atop the social media world since launching in mid 2011, the network did grow to 150 million active users by the end of its first year. This is a significant audience job seekers should consider in their search. Google+ also offers several advantageous features over other social networks for job hunting users.

Ways to Use Google+ for Employment Search

1.  Circles -

This feature really sets Google+  apart from other social networks, particularly from the perspective of job seekers. Circles allows users to categorize their contacts into groups or "circles". This gives them the ability to tailor fit their postings and information sharing with specific audiences. Circles presents the user with a level of relevancy control only found on Google+ . Importantly, personal and professional information can be kept entirely separate, allowing the user to maintain a degree of privacy, while keeping friends and family from having to wade through irrelevant posts.

2.  Sparks -

Sparks empowers users to easily keep track of industry news, developments and topics of interest related to their job search. Keyword searches can be saved so new information will appear in the user's Sparks newsfeed on their profile page. Information received through Sparks can be easily targeted and shared with appropriate Circles.

Social Media For Employment And Recruiting - LinkedIn

LinkedIn, with its prominence as a social network for professionals, naturally leads all other networks for job recruiting and employment. LinkedIn, just like other social networks, should be part of an overall recruiting strategy that includes more traditional methods, such as job boards. LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for bringing talented, high quality candidates to your company.

Ways to Use LinkedIn for Recruiting

1.  Complete Your Company Profile

Make sure your company profile is complete in every way and loaded with industry-relevant keywords. Your keyword-rich company profile can entice candidates who are seeking employment and searching profiles for great places work.

2.  Use LinkedIn Search

Search for qualified potential employees from the pool of LinkedIn members who match your requirements. Using keywords in personal, as well as company profiles, is key for this reason. Be sure to share all of your contact information with prospects.

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/5/12

Facebook reaches one billion users

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the social network has passed the milestone of 1 billion users. This astounding figure reflects the number of people actively using the platform every month. This translates into this fact: 1 in every 7 people on Earth is on Facebook. Full Story Here: 

Facebook Now Lets US Users Pay $7 To Promote Posts To The News Feeds Of More Friends

Facebook has expanded its Promoted Posts feature into America. The social network is now offering U.S. users the opportunity to expand the visibility level of their posts for the fee of $7.00 per post. The feature has already been available in 20 other countries. The network is still testing the pricing of the feature and it may go up or down. Promoted Posts will be marked "Sponsored" and users will be able see how many times more views the post received by being promoted. Full Story Here: 

Social Media For Employment And Recruiting - Twitter

For job seeking and recruiting purposes, LinkedIn and Facebook receive most of the focus, but Twitter should be considered as well. Twitter should be seen in this context as providing a supplement to recruiting efforts across other social media networks. Twitter offers brands a high level of engagement and interaction, along with many opportunities to share information from their other networks. Twitter can be the platform of choice for sending short blasts of information regarding job posts and opportunities, advice for job hunters, or career information.

Ways to Use Twitter for Recruiting

1. Engage With Potential Candidates - Candidates can be reached by searching for the influential people, blogs and networks frequented by potential employees of your company. Engagement in these areas can help further intelligence gathering, thereby providing information regarding pools of talented candidates and their various areas of expertise.
2. Post to Twitter Job Boards - Various companies will post across their networks for a small fee. These companies gather postings and make them easily searchable for job seekers.
3. Post Directly to Twitter - Job listings with shortened URL's linking to more information may be posted directly for free. Using commonly used # hash tags can extend how far those listings reach outside your circle of followers.
4. Keyword Sourcing - This is the inverse of direct posting. Candidates seeking job positions can be searched using keywords. There are even free websites that offer advanced search functionality based on keywords, hash tags, or even zip code location. Highly targeted RSS feeds of Twitter profiles and streams can be set up with all this information for recruiting purposes.

How Social Media Makes Money For Your Business - Generating Referrals

The viral aspect of social media is one of the driving forces behind social media success for businesses. Each person who chooses to befriend your brand by liking or following your company has a list of friends who will be reached by any interaction between you and them. In this blog we will explore how social media helps your business make money by generating referrals.

How Social Media Generates Referrals

1. Top of Mind Advertising

One of the keys to successful advertising is keeping your brand foremost in the minds of customers and prospects. Social media accomplishes this marketing goal, but with unique methods. In part 1 of this series we saw how by sharing your company's expertise on social media, you will build up a collection of loyal followers who trust your brand. When one of your followers sees one of their friends ask about products / services related to your field, who do you think they are going to recommend? When they are in the market themselves, whom will they think of? If you have won their loyalty, your business will come to mind.

How Social Media Makes Money For Your Business - Sharing Expertise

Using social media has become nearly mandatory for businesses. Yet at the same time, social media can sometimes seem like a nebulous arena to some small business owners. The very nature of the medium can confuse businesses into thinking they don't receive any benefit from social media use. This blog post is the first part of a series that will point out the ways in which social media provides a return on your company's investments, in both time and resources. You will see how sharing your business's expertise will position the company for growth.

1. Share Your Company's Expertise

This is one of the more difficult benefits of social media to quantify. Your company, whether it is a new startup or a well-established firm, specializes in at least one thing. Sharing your knowledge and experience of that specialty with your company's clients, customers, and prospects is a way to establish your company as an expert within your niche market. One of the key aspects of social media that businesses often miss is the need to be helpful to their followers and not come across as an endless ad campaign. This will reap benefits for your company later on down the line, when people will remember your company as a trustful and helping friend rather than a sales pitch.

2. Expertise Sells

If your company provides a service, such as consulting or technical firms, sharing your knowledge is a valuable asset that will interest your clients in further information, after you have enticed them with your expertise first. If your company sells a product, you can offer product demonstrations or tips and advice to plant the seed in consumers' minds. Once again, by furnishing only useful information without a hard sales approach, your customers will think of your company as nothing less than an expert that they can count on.