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Friday, November 22, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 11/22/13

10 Surprising Social Media Statistics That Will Make You Rethink Your Social Strategy

Leading this collection of relevant and useful statistics is the rapid growth in social media usage by people over 45 years of age. For example, people between the ages of 55-64 are fastest growing demographic on Twitter at the rate of 79 percent since 2012. Another important statistic is the fact that 189 million of Facebook users access the site only from mobile devices. This points out how brands must structure their content to be mobile-friendly. Also, the decline in the importance of television to younger audiences is evident in the social network YouTube reaching more 18-34 year olds than cable networks. Full Story Here:


10 Questions to Ask When Measuring Your Social Media ROI

Measuring the success of any social media marketing campaign is crucial in ensuring its long term success. Time is money, as any small business owner knows, so continually repeating strategies which are not gaining traction for a brand doesn’t make sense. Measuring a company’s efforts against its marketing goals is essential to making any social media marketing endeavor worth the time and money invested in it. Full Story Here:


IBM: These Are The Top 7 Social Trends That Will Emerge In 2014

Another influential take on the upcoming year of 2014 and what trends will unfold during the next year. This time from IBM’s VP of Social Business, Scott Hebner. One of his predictions is the convergence of Social, Mobile, and Analytics in the Cloud. Another interesting projection is the emergence of brand journalism in the transformation of content producers into true brand advocates, moving businesses beyond reliance on traditional media. Full Story Here:


Social Media Helps Build Bridges to Customers

Social media marketing has fundamentally changed the way in which brands interact with their customers. Consumers as a result can truly engage with the businesses they find important to their lives. The medium has become the perfect platform for erasing the gap between companies and the consumer. Full Story Here:


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Monday, November 18, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 11/15/13

Social Media For Small Businesses: How To Harness The Hashtag (Infographic)

First used on Twitter and recently added to Facebook, the hashtag (#) is showing up more frequently as its proper use is learned by individuals and businesses. Hashtags offer any business a unique way of sharing their message with a vast audience on multiple networks simultaneously. Businesses need to understand how to leverage this powerful tool that is available to assist them in building their brand on social media. This useful infographic by American Express clearly explains the hashtag and how it should be used for business purposes. Full Story Here:


2013 Social Media Facts for Business [Infographic]

As we wind down 2013 and move forward into a new year social media marketing has grown and been expanded further in its adoption by businesses. Yet their are still many social network holdouts among small businesses. This interesting infographic presents the state of social media near the end of 2013 and offers compelling evidence supporting its use in furthering the marketing efforts of businesses of all sizes. Full Story Here:  


U.S. Small Businesses Take Cues from Major Retailers With Early Holiday Promotions, Ink from Chase Survey Reveals

Ink from Chase has released the results of a survey of small business owners as they approach the coming holiday season. The study found that many plan on ramping up their social media marketing promotions, e-commerce, and mobile marketing sales efforts in response to consumer demand. Over all, 34 percent of small business owners believe this holiday season will be better for their companies over last year. Their expectations are for 30 percent of their business to come through e-commerce and 13 percent through mobile commerce. Full Story Here:


Keep Calm and Keep Posting: 5 Social Media Marketing Myths Debunked

Social media marketing can be a dynamic way to build a businesses brand through engagement with both existing and potential customers, if utilized properly. Over the years of its existence a number of common misconceptions regarding social media’s use by businesses. Many smaller firms particularly feel they don’t have the time or enough quality content to effectively leverage the medium. Even more don’t understand the fundamentals of its use. Others don’t let the human side of their company shine through on social networks, missing the point of social media for business which true connection with their audience. Full Story Here:


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Friday, November 8, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 11/8/13

Pinterest Is Now The Fastest Growing Content-Sharing Platform

The content distribution service ShareThis is reporting that in the third quarter of the year Pinterest became the fastest growing platform for the sharing of content. This finding is the result of the analysis of millions of shares made using the ShareThis service. The explosion of Pinterest recently indicates how important it is for businesses to diversify their social media marketing efforts beyond merely Facebook and Twitter. Full Story Here:


5 Social Media Marketing Trends For 2014

With the holidays and the end of the year right around the corner it is useful to look ahead in anticipation of the coming year. Social media marketing will no doubt continue to grow and be adopted by ever more businesses. A few trends to look for in social networks and business include the rise of Twitter to potentially rival Facebook, Google to really catch on with users, and continued growth for video-sharing. Full Story Here:


Twitter Gears Up To Make Public Debut

Twitter had its initial public offering this week. Another sign of the maturation of social media as business. Twitter is expected to receive a small price jump from its beginning price of $26. Twitter has been much more cautious than Facebook regarding this IPO. Facebook infamously suffered a severe drop in stock value in the aftermath of its IPO, but has since recovered. Full Story Here:


Twitter’s Data Has Unique Value for Business

As Twitter shares begin trading it is useful to see the value to business of the data that can be garnered from social network. Twitter can provide important insights into public sentiment in regards to many topics including brands and their products. To reap the full benefits of this information however, going forward, brands need to learn how to better interpret the data gathered from increasingly improved analytical tools. Full Story Here:



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Monday, November 4, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 11/1/13

Six Signs You’re Using Social Media Wrong

Successfully leveraging social media for marketing purposes takes much more than simply signing up for social network accounts and randomly posting to them. It should be one facet of the company’s overall marketing campaign, utilized in concert with the businesses other efforts. Social media is for promoting brand awareness through relationship building with customers and listening to what they have to say while monitoring the competition. It is crucial to measure your results to gauge your level of success as well. Full Story Here:  


How Local Businesses Should Size Up & Tackle Social Media

Businesses just starting out with social media marketing often wonder which platforms should they begin their efforts. A more important question to ask of themselves is what  are their goals for the campaign and to establish a strategy to get there. It always makes sense to start with the big players in social media which include Facebook, Google , Twitter, And LinkedIn. As the campaign moves forward then concentrate the effort on the channels which garner the best results. Full Story Here:


Brand Presence: How To Choose Where To Be On Social Media, Without Breaking Your Budget

Research by Business Insider has uncovered several importantly relevant findings about big brand social media use with implications for small brands. A study conducted across several years has found that the social media fans of a brand will spend more money on a annual basis buying the products of the company than non-fans. This proves that patience and taking the long view pay off eventually. Also, Twitter adoption rates for Fortune 500 companies are now higher than Facebook. 73 percent of those companies are active on Twitter, while 66 percent have active Facebook accounts. Full Story Here:


‘Tis the Season for Mobile Shopping and Social Media Marketing

Mobile shopping and social media marketing will have an even bigger impact on the holiday shopping season this year than last year. According to information released in a infographic by OfferPop, 48 percent of shoppers used social media in their shopping during the 2012 holiday season and the figure is expected to rise for 2013. Full Story Here:


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Friday, October 25, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/25/13

Social Media Marketing For Small Businesses: How to Hang Onto Every Fan And Follower

Keeping social media fans and followers through engagement is more important for a small business than gaining large numbers of meaningless ones by not connecting with them. 80 percent of social media users prefer connecting with brands on social networks over websites, according to a report by MBA Online. Social media marketing  is not meant to be one way communication, postings must be followed up with responses to the comments and questions of fans. This is how true engagement and connection take place, which the purpose of the medium. Full Story Here:


Chasing the Wrong Rabbit? Social Media Goals for Small Business

Social media marketing is not meant to be an instant revenue stream for businesses. It is rather a platform for relationship building with customers while building brand awareness for its products and services. Setting up specific goals and objectives which are measurable, achievable, and relevant within a set timeframe should be what every company’s social media efforts strive for. Full Story Here:


Social Media for Small Business: Choose Wisely, Then Execute

Social media and online marketing have not provided businesses with a magic wand of technological success. Instead they offer new platforms from which to promote themselves and connect with a wide audience. Small businesses should carefully spend their resources within a clearly established strategy. Full Story Here:


What Consumers Are Doing On Social Media [Infographic]

Interaction between consumers and brands has increasingly taken place on social media over the last five years and will only continue to do so in the future. As businesses compete for the time consumers spend on social media, it is valuable for brands to know where their potential customers are spending their online time. This informative infographic offers some insights. Full Story Here:



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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Don't forget the hashtag

 

 

Hashtags (words or phrases prefixed with the symbol #) started in 2007 on Twitter and have since spread to Pinterest, Instagram, Google and more recently Facebook. Hashtags ensure that people can categorize content according to their interests and make it easy for other people to find their relevant content.

Visit Onfast.com.

 


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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Social media posters: Do you know these people?

The Chronic Updater

It’s a beautiful day. I’m on my way to work. Going for lunch.  Buying wine at the grocery store. Driving home. I’m home. On and on…………

The Happy Vacationer

Here I am on a mountain. I’m overlooking a valley in Maine. I’m overlooking a lake in New Hampshire. I’m on the interstate heading south. Happy to be home……

The New Parents

Little Joey. Little Joey 5 minutes later. Little Joey eating Cheerios. Little Joey sleeping. Little Joey waking up. Little Joey. Little Joey…….

The Foodie

My vegetable lasagna. Here’s my picture of really green beans. Pizza in a cup. The big steak at the Texas barbeque joint.

The Rage Guy

I hate government. Why do stores close at 6pm? We need more roads. They messed up my burger order again.

 

You get the idea. Hopefully, you are not one of them. Too often social media posts are just too much information (TMI). You can tire out your friends quickly with mundane, irrelevant, and frequent posts.  Be considerate of your followers’ time and keep it pithy, spontaneous, and interesting.

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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Monday, October 21, 2013

Set up Google Alerts to find content

With Google Alerts, you can set up alerts for topics and news relevant to your business.  Google Alerts provide a window into what’s making news and what others are saying, including your competitors.

Monitoring online digital conversations can inspire ideas for your posts and introduce you to new content resources.


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Friday, October 18, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/18/13

For Online Video, Social Media Is The New Hit-Maker And Virtual Remote Control Rolled Into One

Social media-influenced video has now eclipsed stand-alone online video in viewership numbers, according to Business Insider. Social networks YouTube and Facebook along with many other emerging platforms are giving businesses a cost-effective alternative to traditional television advertising and video content distribution. YouTube is still the number one platform for Social TV, but Facebook has the fastest-growing online video audience. Full Story Here:

 

5 Reasons You Should Be Using Social Media To Promote Your Business

The benefits for a small business to market itself on social media are well established. For any company that may be still on the fence about it, social media marketing will build up trust in your brand while increasing awareness of your business. Social media also will drive increased traffic to your website and boost search rankings with improved SEO. Social media provides the perfect platform for keeping track of what is being said about your brand while offering your company a forum for response. Full Story Here:

 

How Social Media Campaigns Will Change In 2014

Social media marketing continues to grow and mature as a promotional tool for brands as we head toward 2014. Google will become a viable platform as businesses expand their circles and share their content on the network. Image-based content shall become even more prevalent and influential. Customer engagement will be a key influence in determining if a brand truly stands out from its competitors. Full Story Here: 

 

Creating a Social Media ‘Fingerprint’ for Your Small Business

Social media marketing has evolved from a luxury to a necessity in the last few years. As this transition has taken, it has also become imperative for brands to establish a clear strategy for successfully leveraging the medium. This strategy can be seen as a virtual fingerprint for the business, across multiple channels. This fingerprint should be an imprint the brand’s character and culture spoken on the medium in it’s own company voice. Full Story Here:

 

 


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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

SEO Keyword Tip

A careful choice of keywords in your social blog posts is a major consideration since they attract visitors who are interested in your products and services. These visitors are not only interested they are motivated in doing business. If you are experiencing a steady increase in traffic to your social sites your choice of SEO keywords is on target.

OnFast.com rates your posts for effective keyword usage. Try it today.


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Monday, October 14, 2013

Don't Let Your Social Media Efforts Backfire

In days gone by, advertising, marketing, and communications were one-way outbound channels and could be controlled by the brand. Brands could regulate what messages were disseminated, to whom, where, and when.

Today with social media, a whole separate conversation among consumers is going on behind the scenes. For the most part, your coveted brand reputation and purchasing influence has been transferred to the whims of consumers.

Through social media channels, consumers can comment and rate products and services either positively or negatively. These trusted testimonials carry a heavy influence with prospective customers. Most amazingly, comments along with video, and pictures can be transmitted in real-time from mobile smartphones to an unlimited audience with little effort on the part of the sender.

Recognizing the perils of negative media, brands are being compelled to be more open, honest and transparent. Seeking to hide or disguise legitimate issues on social networks is likely to fail.

Most important, in today’s social media marketplace you must deal with a negative issue immediately. Assign a skilled, knowledgeable, and empowered resource to monitor and deal with the discourse.

Remember you are dealing with real people in a two-way conversation. Never be formal, or authoritarian with your responses to negative posts. Be genuine and take responsibility for actions within your control.

Above all, your goal is to show you are reasonable, fair, and easy to work with.

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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Friday, October 11, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/11/13

Twitter’s Comcast Partnership Moves It Leaps And Bounds Ahead Of The Competition In Social TV

In the emerging trend of Social TV, Twitter has positioned itself ahead of competing social networks by entering into a deal with Comcast. This partnership is the biggest step taken so far in the convergence of social media and television. Comcast will embed  a “See It” button in tweets by Comcast’s NBCUniversal. The button will take the user to a live program either on a mobile device or a television. To use this functionality users must be subscribers to Comcast’s Xfinity service. Full Story Here:


Tune-In Your Social Media For Customer Focus And Better Business Practice

Social media can be a highly effective tool for small businesses to keep in touch with their customer base and meet their needs. Social media can provide companies with valuable market research information. Listening to your followers, linking all social accounts, and planning a clear strategy for your social media campaigns will lead to success with the medium. Full Story Here:


The Top Twelve Business Etiquette Tips for Social Media

Society functions best when people follow basic rules of etiquette in their interactions with others. The same holds true in social media networking. Businesses must be polite and treat their customers on social media the same way they would in a face-to-face encounter. This article offers guidelines for companies to follow in polite engagement with their fans and followers on social media networks. Full Story Here:


Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media Tips for Small Business Owners

Small business owners should never forget where their attention should always be in all their social media posts. The reader should be the focus point of all postings on social media channels. Never make your brand the point of anything shared in blogs or social networks. Full Story Here:




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Friday, October 4, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 10/4/13

The Death of Social ROI - Companies Are Starting To Drop The Idea That They Can Track Social Media’s Dollar Value

Businesses are realizing that their social media marketing efforts can’t be measured in the strict terms of revenue-per-customer metrics, according to a study conducted by Business Insider. The report found ROI tracking use by marketers fell from 17 percent to only 9 percent and the tracking of conversion rates dropped from 25 percent to 21 percent. At the same time investment in social media by firms is up and expected to reach 16 percent of the total marketing budget of companies by 2018. As businesses have moved forward with social media they have learned to concentrate their efforts on audience-building, brand awareness, and customer relations. Full Story Here:

 

Social Media Strategies to Grow Your Business

Frustrations over the lack of measurable returns for a company’s social media investments results when they fail to understand the nature of the medium. Social media is about building relationships between people, not products. Learning who the business’ target audience is and connecting with them will lead to successfully leveraging social media marketing. Full Story Here:

 

4 Businesses That Use Social Media for Growth

While social media is about interaction and connection between people, the end goal for business is to get those people talking about the brand’s products and services. This article provides a few good examples of businesses who have successfully grown as a result of their social media marketing efforts. Full Story Here:

 

Why Social Media is Now The New ‘Word of Mouth’

Social media has taken over the role of ‘word of mouth’ advertising. A successful social media marketing campaign results in a large number of people talking on the medium about a firm’s products and services. The brand’s fans, in a sense, do the marketing for the company. Social media thrives because of the ever shrinking attention span of modern society. Social provides instant gratification in the form of social opinion provided through instant communication. Full Story Here:

 


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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Do I need social media if I have a website?

Companies that have long relied on their web sites as a means of attracting customers are now finding that a website alone is not enough. In today’s marketplace, social media presents a better opportunity for enhancing relationships and expanding brand awareness. No one will deny that the web has become the most cost effective, “Go-To” method for finding answers to problems and identifying resources.  Google is clearly the world’s number one research tool with billions of searches daily. 

When it comes to building and maintaining relationships, finding employees, and researching clients, social media presents far better opportunities. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn should be among your first choices. Social media’s biggest advantage is that it is an open conversation among like-minded people. Your audience can ask questions and leave replies. Most important, your viewing audience can share your posts with people you don’t know but have an interest in what is being said.  If you use social media, your web of influence will proliferate organically and you will win friends and likes. Do it now!


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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

A Contest Generates Excitement

If you’re considering clever ideas for a social media marketing campaign to help get your message across, try running a contest to attract viewer attention.

People crave freebies. Have you ever noticed at a trade show how willing people are to enter a contest?  Running a social media contest on your Facebook page or company blog will produce the same results, especially if you include a quality picture of your prize as a visual aid.

Asking people to enter your Facebook contest will get valuable prospect names and addresses. Even small prizes like T-Shirts and gift cards will produce a flurry of activity.

Be sure to make the contest period reasonable and always post the name of the winner. You can purchase custom T-shirts at www.zazzle.com

If you are successful, you may consider offering contests on a regular basis to draw in new fans and viewers.

OnFast offers an easy no hassle way to set up a contest. Try it for free during our 30-day trial subscription at www.onfast.com


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Friday, September 27, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 9/27/13

Does Small Business Understand Social Media?

Many small businesses may have a few misconceptions about social media and what it can and can’t do for their business. Many small business owners have jumped on the social network bandwagon with unrealistic expectations of miracles. Social media is about being social with people, real people. It is not the place for advertising campaigns to be thrown in the faces of the brand’s followers. True engagement between people is the name of the game. The end result will be, over time, increased sales. Full Story Here:

 

Social Media Demographics: The Surprising Identity Of Each Major Social Network

It is crucial for businesses attempting to reach out to their target customers on social media to choose the correct networks for the concentration of their efforts. Each social media network has its own unique demographic makeup. Business Insider has released their latest figures this week for each of the top social channels. A few interesting takeaways - On Facebook the 45 to 54-year-old age group has seen the largest growth since the end of 2012 at 45 percent. 27 percent of the 18 to 29 year old age bracket use Twitter as compared with only 16 percent of those in their thirties and forties. Pinterest is still dominated by female users at 84 percent. Full Story Here:

 

How To Generate Leads And Engagement Through B2B Social Media

Quality content, which is relevant to the target audience of the brand, should be central to any social media marketing campaign. Google and LinkedIn are the favorite social channels for businesses that primarily derive their revenue from other businesses (B2B). These social networks have grown tremendously in the last year and will see continued growth in 2014, especially Google . Full Story Here:

 

3 Annoying Social Media Mistakes Businesses Need to Avoid

The worst social media mistake, which any business can make, is to forget the true purpose of the medium and blatantly self-promoting with an endless stream of marketing and advertising content. Some other missteps include not sharing the content provided by others and being insensitive about controversial or sensitive subject matter or even being overtly offensive. Full Story Here:

 


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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Marketing A Small Business In The 21st Century - Part 3

Today, marketers can produce and share their own homemade video marketing messages, alongside all of the other technological developments in marketing discussed in parts one and two of this series. The small business marketer still has some tried and true older techniques to fall back on as well. Television, radio, and print, in addition to the good old yellow pages are still viable options alongside the newer and more provocative marketing choices.

 

Video 

The video sharing social media site, YouTube, has provided the do-it-yourself video marketer a tremendous platform from which to launch their videos across the third most visited website on the planet, after Google and Facebook. Since being bought by Google, YouTube also offers one of the most powerful search engines, second only to Google’s own search engine. Videos on YouTube can become extremely viral due to the medium’s nature. An important factor in what can make a video go viral is the fact that YouTube videos can be embedded across a wide spectrum of social media networks and websites. With billions of views every day, YouTube offers your marketing videos a potentially massive audience.

 

Traditional Marketing Tools

The marketing tools used by businesses to promote their products and services in the past, including television and radio ads, print newspaper advertisements, and even the yellow pages, are still useful tools at the disposal of small business marketers. The more modern platforms discussed here should be seen as additional marketing options, not necessarily replacements for tried and true techniques. These older methods should be fully utilized while they are still available, especially in the case of yellow page and newspaper ads. Your company should want as many eyes to see your products and services as possible.

 

The options available to market a small business to its target have never been more broad and exciting. Today, small firms truly have the tools available, if properly utilized, to compete with much larger companies and reach a worldwide audience. 

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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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Marketing A Small Business In The 21st Century - Part 2

The arrival of the Internet and its acceptance by the public over the last twenty-plus years has given businesses a variety of new and exciting marketing tools with which to promote their companies. The rise of the Internet and the associated technology has resulted in brand’s having the ability to put up their own company websites featuring whatever information they choose to present to the public. Currently, the web is going through a second evolution, which is putting all the information of the web at people’s fingertips through mobile technology.

 

Website 

According to Google, a small business that has its own website will grow 40 percent faster than one without a site. Yet despite this, Google states that almost 60 percent of small businesses have no web presence at all, making them completely invisible to the digital world. Unfortunately, many small firms believe websites are too costly and will dominate their time. However, Google offers free help and there are web tools available to simplify the process. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical factor in creating a successful company website so that it can be easily found by customers and prospects searching the web within your niche. Industry keywords must be employed within your company’s website. Social media presence and engagement also play a vital role.

 

Mobile

There has been a massive eruption in the number of mobile devices and smartphones around the world in the last few years and seems like it will outdistance conventional desktop computers in the near future. For a business, this means that just having a website isn’t good enough anymore. Your company’s website must be optimized for mobile at the very least and at best have a mobile app created specifically for smartphone and tablet users.

 

This technology presents several unique marketing opportunities to businesses that will embrace it. Location-based marketing is a growing trend with the rise 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.

Mobile marketing can also be much more than local. If your company sells products, create a mobile friendly online catalog. Make sure it is easy to use, looks good on mobile, and maybe even give the customer the option of paying via their device.

These technologies and others should not be looked upon as a burden by marketers, but as new and exciting platforms to showcase products and services. In part three of this series, we will at the new possibilities offered by video marketing and take a look at some old stand-by marketing tools.

 

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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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Marketing A Small Business In The 21st Century - Part 1

21st century small businesses have more opportunities and marketing options than ever before. The advent of modern technology, combined with social media, has given the small business owner a multitude of platforms from which to promote their company. In many cases, these marketing tools have helped to level the playing field between small and larger-sized businesses. Of course, all of the marketing possibilities available to any small business now means competition is fierce and not necessarily limited to the local area. In this three part series, we will examine marketing tools at the disposal of a small business today. In this first part, we will briefly examine and review two areas this blog has covered extensively already, social media and blogging. Then in part two and three, we will see what other options are now open to a small business marketer.

 

Social Media

Social media during the last 5-10 years has exploded globally and it is becoming necessary for businesses of all sizes to have a presence on the medium. Whether small companies like it or not, ignoring social media is not an option anymore. It would help any business to do a little research and determine which social networks their target audience prefers to use and start there. Remember, fresh, relevant content, delivered consistently, is key to gaining and keeping a following. Also, showing the human side of your business while engaging with your fans will help.

 

Blogging

A business can effectively establish themselves as an authority in their industry with a well-written blog. Being helpful, informative, and timely should be the goal of a company blog. This will promote the business in a positive light, without coming across as a blatant sales pitch. Once again, quality content is critical. A company blog can be a wonderful source of material for the business’s social media networks, in addition to standing on its own in a blog hosting site or the company website. 

In part two, we’ll see how a business’s own website and the emerging mobile technology can fit into a brand’s marketing strategy.

 

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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Monday, September 23, 2013

Using Hashtags On Facebook For Business

 

The recent roll out by Facebook, allowing the use of functional hashtags, presents an opportunity for businesses that market themselves on the world’s largest social network. Hashtags simplify searching for and sharing of information and have been a popular tool on other social networks, such as Twitter. A hashtag consists of a ‘#’ symbol, followed by a word or phrase. A hashtag, when clicked, will take the user to a feed of all posts that include that tag word. These hashtags are completely clickable and also searchable. 

 

 

Opportunities provided by hashtags on Facebook for brands include:

 

 

 

1 - Promoting

 

Carefully chosen keywords can be used as a hashtag and bring your company’s promotions to a wider audience, beyond your existing base of followers. Be careful that the words chosen cannot be associated in any way with unpleasant or controversial subjects. Also, make sure they are unique enough not to bring up a slew of unrelated results. Make sure you test your hashtags before you use them.

 

 

 

2 - Monitoring

 

Hashtags offer a way for businesses to closely monitor the conversations surrounding their brand by following their hashtag’s feed. This will provide valuable marketing intelligence, and keep track of how a brand is talked about on Facebook.

 

 

 

3 - Targeting

 

Hashtags give businesses the ability to target specific audience segments that may be following certain, specific hashtags. By using #greatburgers, for example, a restaurant could target all of the people looking to eat out at an establishment that serves great burgers.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, functioning hashtags are still not supported on the Facebook mobile app. Users can post hashtags, but without the ability to click-through to the feed. With over a billion users, Facebook’s adoption of the hashtag will bring the mainstream into awareness and use of this sharing, following, and searching tool, which will be beneficial to all.

 

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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Friday, September 20, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 9/20/13

7 Major Social Media Mistakes You May Be Making Without Knowing It

Social media marketing has is a learning process, keep in mind that not very long ago it didn’t exist. There may be some mistakes your company is making, unintentionally, without realizing it. This article offers some food for thought about waging a successful social media effort, some of which goes against previous conventional wisdom and established best practices. Full Story Here:

10 Questions to Ask When Creating a Social Media Marketing Plan

Embarking on a social media marketing without a clear cut strategy plan is a plan for certain failure. However, many businesses launch their social media marketing efforts without any plan whatsoever. The only plan is to increase revenues for the business. A strategic of goals and a pathway to get there must be established in advance. This article provides some vitally important aspects to consider before starting a campaign, or for a business that would like to take a step back before they re-double their efforts. Full Story Here:

 

Five Steps to Becoming a ‘Social Media Ninja’

Some more good advice and best practices, along the lines of the above article. Know your audience and what network they spend most of their time. Concentrate on that one network before moving on to other channels. Give the audience quality content which is relevant to their lives. Be consistent and be careful with self-promotion. Full Story Here:

 

The Top 7 Online Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2014

According to predictions for 2014 in social media marketing, many current trends will become even more prevalent. The rise of mobile; image-centric content; content marketing; and the diversification into emerging channels such as Pinterest, Google , Tumblr, and Instagram; will become even more important in the coming year. Full Story Here:

 


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Friday, September 6, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 9/6/13

A Blueprint for Using Social Media for Business Success

For businesses just starting out, social media and other internet resources can give entrepreneurs the illusion of easy success. However, only a carefully planned marketing strategy which utilizes the social media channels where their target audience are present. Making the effort to know your audience and being willing to pivot your efforts to where they are, then building a relationship with them will create success. This may be on lesser known networks such as Google Plus or Pinterest, rather than Facebook or Twitter. Full Story Here:

 

Why Social Media Is So Addictive (And Why Marketers Should Care)

Society’s obsession with social media shows no signs of abating, it only grows. The reasons for this phenomenon come down, very simply, to human nature. People find some of their deep, psychological needs met on the social networks of their choice. Brands that learn to tap into factors such as ego and self-esteem among others, by meeting those needs, will position themselves for success. Full Story Here:

 

How 4 Major Companies Revitalized Their Brands By Being Great To Their Customers On Social Media

The examples offered by these large companies provide useful clues for businesses of all sizes to effectively leverage social media. Brands, who carefully listen to their customers and respond to the valuable business intelligence they gather on social media, will profit from the excellent customer service they provide. Full Story Here:

 

2013: Is this the year of real returns and social media coming of age?

The very nature of social media makes it difficult to measure return on investment for social marketing campaigns. EyeforTravel’s Social Media & Mobile in Travel Distribution Report for 2013 found that travel executives are still firmly committed to social media, but investment in the medium is down. This may not be wise since the research showed that people in developed countries spend upwards of seven hours a day on social networks. Facebook executives promise better analytics are coming as the year progresses. Full Story Here:

 


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Thursday, September 5, 2013

The best excuses not to use social media and they are all wrong.

 

  • Building my brand will take too much time.
  • I’m not sure what to do.
  • My website seems to work just fine.
  • I already known to all my customers.
  • I don’t see how social media can help me do my job.
  • There are too many options and I don’t know which are best for me.
  • Face-to-face contact works best for my business.
  • I don’t have the time.

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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Do I need social media if I have a website?

Companies that have long relied on their web sites as a means of attracting customers are now finding that a website alone is not enough. In today’s marketplace, social media presents a better opportunity for enhancing relationships and expanding brand awareness. No one will deny that the web has become the most cost effective, “Go-To” method for finding answers to problems and identifying resources.  Google is clearly the world’s number one research tool with billions of searches daily. 

When it comes to building and maintaining relationships, finding employees, and researching clients, social media presents far better opportunities. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn should be among your first choices. Social media’s biggest advantage is that it is an open conversation among like-minded people. Your audience can ask questions and leave replies. Most important, your viewing audience can share your posts with people you don’t know but have an interest in what is being said.  If you use social media, your web of influence will proliferate organically and you will win friends and likes. Do it now!

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Friday, August 23, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 8/23/13

7 Steps to Productive Business Use of Social Media

 

Most businesses today are employing some form of social media marketing within their overall marketing strategy. However, many do not realize the importance of having a social media marketing strategy unto itself. After failing to gain measurable results, some companies even return to their former marketing techniques. Social media marketing requires a whole new approach, which falls outside the bounds of traditional methodology. Full Story Here:

 

How to Use Social Media Listening to Build Brand Loyalty

 

Social media marketing offers businesses increased opportunity to hear what consumers are saying about their products, gaining valuable feedback as a result. Beyond merely selling, social network engagement provides companies a forum to clearly learn what the needs are of their target audience. A company that listens and takes heed of what they learn will earn the brand loyalty of their customers. Full Story Here:

 

3 Ways Images Are Changing The Role Of Social Media Marketers

 

The rise of image-oriented social media sites, such as Instagram and Pinterest, is changing the way businesses engage their audience across the medium. Brands are learning how images can garner increased attention and response to their postings, when properly utilized. New techniques, skills, and strategy are required for a business to effectively leverage this growing trend. Full Story Here:

 

Social Apps Trigger Engagement On Business Websites

 

Businesses are incorporating social applications on their websites and seeing results from utilizing these social widgets. This is according to a study by eMarketer which found that 75 percent of companies have added the tools to their business websites. Almost 90 percent of those that have report higher engagement levels with their target audiences, while 54 percent state they are now better connected with their brand’s followers. Full Story Here:

 

 

 


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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Want to Increase Your Social Media Reach?

Post Content That Helps People and Post Often.

By posting articles often you are giving people more reasons to visit your social media marketing site. It’s clearly a numbers game. Frequent posts raise the likelihood that you will attract more visitors. If you give people valuable content and often they will frequent your site to get your message. Most importantly, they will share your information with their friends. Posts need not be lengthy but they do need to provide a service and help people learn more about you products and services. In this fast paced business climate brevity is probably an advantage

Additionally, using effective topical keywords, graphics, and links to supplemental information will make your content appealing and improve your SEO rating. In time, you’ll find yourself rising in the Google search engine return results.

It’s hard to acquire your initial followers, but once you establish yourself as a valuable resource it’s easy to grow a broader audience. The key is to post quality information on a consistent schedule.

Resign yourself to be the best in your niche and the expert go-to resource for helpful material. Make quality and quantity work for your business.

Go to OnFast.com today to learn more about our Social Media Marketing Service and sign up for a 30 free trial.

 


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Monday, August 19, 2013

Content is king when it comes to social media marketing

Brilliant social media marketing campaigns start with a customer-centric approach. It’s a wise entrepreneur who develops a plan that takes into account content, factual data, and customer perceptions. Quality content that reflects a deep understanding of your audience will help drive prospects and customers to the compelling conclusion to purchase your goods and services. Seek to align your customer’s needs with those of your company. Relevant content is the all-important attraction that enables engagement and subsequently entices the reader to action. Good content results in improved social engagement, referrals, and sales at a low customer acquisition cost that has no equal.

Posting informational and promotional content, often with imbedded industry keywords will increase your search engine optimization (SEO) and visibility on Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Additionally, you should seek to improve the reach of your targeted content by carefully choosing relevant distribution channels for your message.  A presence on Facebook, Twitter, Google , YouTube, and a blog is essential.

OnFast.com is the easiest way to distribute content across the social web. Start your free 30-day trial today.


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Friday, August 16, 2013

Social media News For The Week Of 8/16/13

Business, Etiquette and Social Media

In the course of conducting business and living in the fast-paced 21st century, it is easy for some people to forget that proper manners count. Having good business etiquette shapes the way you are perceived by both customers and your peers. This applies to social media marketing just as much as every other aspect of business. Use sound judgment and think through every post you make or your reply to comments on the company page. Full Story Here:

 

Social Media Marketing: How Do Top Brands Use Social Platforms? [Charts]

Very interesting series of infographics about how larger companies, worldwide, are utilizing social media platforms. Based on a study by think tank, L2, of 247 of the world’s top tier brands. Major takeaway from this information is that brands receive lower rankings in Google searches if they are not active on social media. Full Story Here:

 

Does Your Social Media Marketing Actually Have Strategy?

It is vitally important today for a business to have a robust social media presence. The truth of that statement is being proved correct every day. However, what good is social media engagement for a brand if it is implemented without a clear strategy and having concrete and measurable goals in mind? Just showing up will not get the job done. Full Story Here:

 

Social Media Strategy: Using Facebook or Twitter for Business

Part of planning and implementing a social media strategy is carefully choosing which social platforms to concentrate your brand’s efforts. Between the two largest social networks there are many pros and cons. Careful analysis of your company’s target audience and customer base and establishing what the goals are for your brand will help narrow the field. Full Story Here:

 


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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Using Hashtags On Facebook For Business

The recent roll out by Facebook, allowing the use of functional hashtags, presents an opportunity for businesses that market themselves on the world’s largest social network. Hashtags simplify searching for and sharing of information and have been a popular tool on other social networks, such as Twitter. A hashtag consists of a ‘#’ symbol, followed by a word or phrase. A hashtag, when clicked, will take the user to a feed of all posts that include that tag word. These hashtags are completely clickable and also searchable.

 

Opportunities provided by hashtags on Facebook for brands include:

 

1 - Promoting

Carefully chosen keywords can be used as a hashtag and bring your company’s promotions to a wider audience, beyond your existing base of followers. Be careful that the words chosen cannot be associated in any way with unpleasant or controversial subjects. Also, make sure they are unique enough not to bring up a slew of unrelated results. Make sure you test your hashtags before you use them.

 

2 - Monitoring

Hashtags offer a way for businesses to closely monitor the conversations surrounding their brand by following their hashtag’s feed. This will provide valuable marketing intelligence, and keep track of how a brand is talked about on Facebook.

 

3 - Targeting

Hashtags give businesses the ability to target specific audience segments that may be following certain, specific hashtags. By using #greatburgers, for example, a restaurant could target all of the people looking to eat out at an establishment that serves great burgers.

Unfortunately, functioning hashtags are still not supported on the Facebook mobile app. Users can post hashtags, but without the ability to click-through to the feed. With over a billion users, Facebook’s adoption of the hashtag will bring the mainstream into awareness and use of this sharing, following, and searching tool, which will be beneficial to all.

 

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Go to our website today to learn more about our Social Media Marketing Service.


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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

You can use social media the same way Wal-Mart does

For local “mom and pop stores” social media is an extremely cost effective way to advertise. This medium is often overlooked by small businesses. When merchants do utilize social media marketing techniques the surge in profits is impressive. Wal-Mart is the leader in social media marketing because they take the time to analyze data and use it to their advantage. They engage with customers by sharing corporate news and other important events. They consistently report pertinent sales promotions to their loyal followers.

Wal-Mart customers click, tweet, and favorite like crazy and encourage their friends to do the same. By promoting special deals via Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels, they reach a vast receptive audience.  Their loyal audience then shares the “insider” promotional message with their follower network, which results in record-breaking profits.

By using OnFast.com you too can use these methods to promote your business, and as an added benefit you can create your own coupons. Try it for 30 days free at OnFast.com


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Monday, August 12, 2013

Pew: Number of social media users age 65 triples

In its first incarnation, Facebook was a realm inhabited by youngsters - college students to be more precise. But, since flinging open the doors to all who cared to enter, the social network and, indeed, many other social media sites, have been increasingly adopted by older adults, as recent research from the Pew Research Center has shown.

Click Here to read BizReport Article


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Friday, August 9, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 8/9/13

Mobile Payments, Social Media a Boon for Small Businesses

Small to medium sized businesses (SMBs)are tapping into business generating possibilities of mobile technology and social media in growing numbers, according to a study called the Local Commerce Monitor. The ongoing research is conducted by the firm BIA/Kelsey. New figures released show that 40 percent of SMBs are now using mobile credit card readers to take payments at the point of sale. A further 16 percent intend to add the capability during the course of the next year. The report went on to state that 72 percent of SMBs are using social media marketing with 52 percent having a Facebook page and 25 percent with a Google+ Local page. Full Story Here:


43% of Seniors Now Use Social Media, Pew Study Finds

Seniors increasingly embracing social media, according to a Pew Internet study. Pew’s research found that 43 percent of people over 65 years of age are using at least one social network. Among seniors Facebook is the network of choice, with its features that are more geared toward family interaction. This study has significant implications for marketers since research by Georgia State University has indicated that 75 percent of America’s wealth is controlled by people over the age of 55. Full Story Here:


What Five Guys and Chipotle Can Teach Your Business About Social Media

Now beginning to open restaurants overseas, after rapidly expanding across the U.S., Five Guys and Chipotle are examples of restaurants that successfully used marketing techniques outside the box of traditional advertising. Social media has played a primary role for both companies in their marketing strategies and they are role models for other companies to follow. Full Story Here:


LinkedIn App Lets You Apply for Jobs From Your Phone or Tablet

LinkedIn has taken notice of the fact that one-third of their job seeking members are searching for work via their mobile devices. In response, LinkedIn announced the launch of an addition feature of their mobile app which enables users to apply for jobs directly from their mobile devices. This rollout follows a series of significant improvements to the user experience made by LinkedIn to their iOS and Android apps. Full Story Here:



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Monday, August 5, 2013

What is a keyword?

A keyword is any word or short phrase that describes a website topic, product or service. The more a keyword is used by searchers, bloggers, and websites the more attraction power it has. If you want to appeal to web searchers you need to use strong industry keywords in your blog posts and website titles and text.

If you are not sure which keywords to use try using the keyword indicator in Onfast.com. Click here for a 30-day free trial.


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Friday, August 2, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 8/2/13

What Big Social Media Mistakes do Businesses Make?

Businesses that do not understand social media and how it is best leveraged usually make one of these mistakes. Some do not see the value of social networks and of having a presence on medium for their company. They see social media as a passing fad that will eventually go away, just like many naysayers did at one time about the worldwide web. Other companies think the key to social media success is found in the need to be on every new and exciting platform, while forgetting that true engagement and empathy with their audience will lead to a real connection with them. Full Story Here:


Small Businesses Underutilizing Social Media

Social media is still being underutilized by business, according to the results of a new survey just released. The study conducted by Newtek Business Services, NASDAQ: NEWT, and The Small Business Authority found that 57 percent of the independent businesses surveyed have a Twitter or Facebook account. This is up ten percent from last year, but still leaves nearly half of small businesses without a presence on these social platforms. Full Story Here:


The Perils of Being a Social Media Holdout

Whether a company is on social media or not, their business is being talked about on social networks. This is going on without their participation or interaction, like it or not. This allows a brand’s reputation to be completely defined by others on the medium. Businesses without a social media presence appear to have less credibility, while appearing to be backward in a world of forward-thinkers. Full Story Here:


5 Reasons Why Your Business Shouldn’t Be On Social Media

Many businesses feel they need to be on social media just because everyone else is there. This is a bad reason for a brand to dive into social networking. If a company sets  up accounts and then plans to do nothing with them by not updating or utilizing the platforms properly, then it would be better to stay off social altogether. Lack of interaction and engagement on social media by not answering comments or questions spells the death of any social media campaign. Full Story Here:



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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Don't let the big one get away!

If you are looking for new customers Facebook is an excellent place to go fishing. It makes sense to fish where the fish are.  With over a billion users Facebook is a big pond.

As any productive fisherman knows you want to use a good lure to attract opportunities.  When it comes to social media trawling there are two excellent choices to attract customers: Coupons and Contests.

 

Coupons

Coupons are a proven tool to attract customers. Why not offer discount coupons or free gifts with a purchase?  Coupon promotions will not only get your customers to like you, but they will probably stay your Facebook fans in hopes of finding more future promotions. Most important, you will get them in your establishment or onto your website.

 

Contests

Contests are fun, and this could be a good way to target your customer base.  Get prospects engaged and trawl this opportunity.  Winners will create a feeding frenzy and increase interest in your site.

Want to get started? There is one place to go that makes the coupon and contest navigation process easy. OnFast.com offers a free 30-day trial. Try the coupon and contest functions for yourself without any obligation.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. 

 


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Monday, July 29, 2013

Study Your Competitors' Twitter Bios

A Twitter bio reveals a lot to the world about your competition. Study the keywords your competitors use to describe their business and services on Twitter. Search those keywords in a Google search. Where does your primary competitor’s company rank in the search engine results for those keywords? Where do you rank? Is your rival sponsoring ads on Google for keywords relevant to your business? These are all important pieces of information to be used to determine how effective your search placement is working for you.

In addition, review the external links in your competitor’s bio. Do these links go to corporate websites or Facebook pages? By analyzing the links you can get a sense of the relative importance the company places on these links and the information they provide.  Compare your competitor’s links to your links and try to determine where you have advantages and disadvantages.

For a marketing strategy to be worthwhile it must take into account how other companies in your sector are attempting to do the same thing. With a little persistence you can get a clear picture of the keywords being used in your industry and how effective they are.

The nice thing about this technique is that your competitor’s bio will point you in the right direction to get started.

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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Friday, July 26, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 7/26/13

6 Small Businesses That Are Doing Social Media Right

This excellent article offers six examples of companies properly leveraging social media for success. The examples, taken as a whole, support all the basic principles of social media marketing. Engaging your audience while providing them quality content, which is relevant, knowing your target market, and being personable, are all important facets for a social network marketing campaign to succeed. Full Story Here:

 

Don’t ignore customer service on social media

A powerful tool is available to any business to stand apart from their competitors on social media. The tool is customer service; simply make the effort to respond to customer issues, which may arise in a timely manner. According to Desk.com, only 44 percent of top online retailers respond to complaints on Facebook within a day, failing to meet the expectations of their customers. This article contains a useful infographic regarding customer service and social media. Full Story Here:

 

Does Your Social Media Drive Transactions?

This is the all-important question businesses must ask themselves. Vision Critical has produced a sample survey to help companies find the answers to their return on investment questions and how to stay ahead of an ever-changing social media marketing environment. Full Story Here:

 

How social media is transforming customer behavior

Social media is contributing to a change in customer behavior patterns. The fast-paced lifestyle brought about by technology and, by extension, social media has raised the bar significantly for customer expectations. Consumers expect answers to their questions and issues nearly instantly, certainly measured in hours or minutes and not days. Also the assumption is that customer service is always available 24/7. Full Story Here:

 


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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Hashtags For Restaurants

#yourcity

When you add your city name as a hashtag to your tweets, you’re targeting people in your area.

#restaurant

When users are seeking out a restaurant in their city, many will not only search for the term restaurants, they’ll also combine their search with the aforementioned city name.

#TypeofCuisine

If a famished tweeter is searching for “Pizza in Chicago” they just might stumble upon your tweet.

#Vegan or #Vegetarian

If your menu includes dishes for vegans and vegetarians tweet about it.

#GlutenFree

This is a popular item these days. If you have gluten free dishes let it be known

 

Lastly, do some reconnaissance on your competitors. What hash tags are they using? If you want to compete effectively add these hashtags to your tweets.

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Value of Hashtags

Hashtags are an incredible way to promote your brand, attract new customers, and engage in conversations around your niche. Hashtags moved into common usage on Twitter and recently Facebook added the feature.

Now that Facebook has hashtags, it won’t be long before they become ubiquitous.

Lots of people monitor hashtags. That means they are tracking everything that’s said on Twitter around the hashtag in which they’re interested. For example, they might track a hashtag for #Naples or #ACService or #boating. If you include any of these hashtags in your tweets, people who track those hashtags will see your tweets.

Creating a hashtag is simple. You just put a pound sign in from of a word or group of words. For example: #SalsPizza. You can do it with any word. There are no restrictions.

Searching for hashtags is equally simple. Just type the hashtag you’re looking for into the Twitter search bar. If you’re looking for the #Florida hashtag, enter #Florida into the search bar.

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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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Using Images In Social Media

The old saying holds some truth, a picture really is worth a thousand words, or can be. The rise of image-oriented social media sites like Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest is proof of such statements’ validity. In turn, these image-driven networks have influenced other social networks including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to make some changes. Facebook even went so far as to purchase Instagram outright. All of these social sites have increased the amount of space allotted to images, and brands have begun to embrace the power of the photograph.

This visual trend on social media has provided businesses with a beneficial boost to their posts. Here are some facts and figures from Boot Camp Digital: On Facebook, a photo gets seven times more likes and ten times more shares than a link. The links that receive the most retweets on Twitter are images. Every second there are 575 likes and 81 comments on Instagram. Between October 2012 and March 2013 the number of users on Pinterest grew 4000%. The data supporting this phenomenon goes on and on. For brands, social media marketing is being transformed into visual social media marketing. But how best to leverage images on social media? Here are a few tips:

 

Show them what you do

Using images in social media gives you the opportunity to show off your company and its products and services. It doesn’t have to become a product catalog, but you can showcase the best you have to offer, in circumstances that you control. Let the audience get a feel for your excitement when you launch new products. If your company provides services rather than products, feature shots or videos of your business in action.

 

Make it interesting

Boring, badly framed or dimly lit pictures will not grab anyone’s attention. Neither will shaky, poorly edited videos. Don’t be intimidated; there are many photo-editing tools that are designed to be easily used by everyone. Instagram can be particularly helpful in the area of photo enhancement. Focus on your main subject and make sure it is framed large enough in the picture. Remember that the photo needs to inspire people to click on the thumbnail. Also, if your budget allows, you can always hand off the job to a professional.

 

Let people see who you are

People forget names all the time, but usually remember a face. Show your audience that your company is made up of real people. This can go a long way toward developing a comfortable customer relationship for the long haul.

 

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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Monday, July 22, 2013

Quiver Quest iOS Game Using OnFast

Quiver Quest, a game app recently released in the iTunes store, is using OnFast to manage its promotional efforts. With OnFast, game creators Ovilius Studios, can post promotional blogs and images across a range of platforms including Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, and to their website. The postings can be conveniently scheduled in advance with OnFast’s scheduling tool. This way, Ovilius Studios can concentrate on what they do best, creating awesome games that are uniquely demanding and visually appealing. 

 

Quiver Quest is a non-frantic, puzzle-based physics game that tests a player’s archery skills in fun and challenging ways. Available now in the iTunes store.

 

Quiver Quest Website 

Purchase Quiver Quest game on iTunes

Go to OnFast.com for a 30 day free trial.

 

 


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Friday, July 19, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 7/19/13

Twitter Leads Fortune 500 Social Media Surge

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research has released the results of their study of social media use by Fortune 500 companies. The research found Twitter usage among the 500 has surged by over 70 percent since 2012, with 77 percent having an active Twitter account. Facebook use is up 4 percent to 70 percent usage, or 348 companies. Corporate blogs are on the rise with 171 companies, or 34 percent, actively blogging. Full Story Here:

 

In Business, Everybody Uses Social Media For Work; The Question Is How

Business use of social media is goal-oriented, according to Forrester’s B2B Social Technographics study of social media use. The research found that business decision-makers prefer LinkedIn for business purposes over Facebook. 48 percent use LinkedIn for both business and personal purposes, and 26 percent for strictly business. 42 percent use Facebook for primarily personal reasons and 37 percent for both business and personal usage. Full Story Here:

 

Social Media Automation: A Beginners Guide for Small Business Owners

Small business owners are confused about social media marketing. They see large companies successfully leveraging the medium and they wonder why it doesn’t measure up to their expectations. Social media marketing success cannot be measured in raw numbers, such as new leads for the month, in the small business environment. However, ignoring social is not the answer either for small companies. This article provides good advice about how to automate social media marketing without seeming “spammy”. Full Story Here:

 

It’s time for social media to grow up

Having a clearly established social media strategy for business is much more than having set up accounts on social networks, planned content for six months, and engaged with your audience. A social media strategy should have a sense of what the purposes are for the efforts and how they fit into the goals of the company as a whole. Full Story Here: 

 

 


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Thursday, July 18, 2013

LinkedIn Changes Update

Change seems to be one constant feature on social networks. Sometimes the change can just be a small tweak to the look and feel of a site or maybe a few new welcome features. Or they can be in the form of a major makeover, as in the case of the changes that have been rolled out on LinkedIn recently. The site looks completely different, with a much greater emphasis on visual content. This is in keeping with the trend across other social networks as well.

Included in all the changes is an updated Privacy Policy and User Agreement, the addition of a tagging capability for users, easier navigation, and the appearance of sponsored content. LinkedIn has also eliminated the Answers section, a popular feature, but only with a small minority of users.

 

Profile Multimedia Gallery

LinkedIn has replaced Apps with an easy to use gallery for the sharing of images and videos in the profile page. The profile will also support PowerPoint presentations, pdf, and mp3 files.

 

Sponsored Content

In keeping with developments at other social networks designed to increase revenue, LinkedIn is now presenting sponsored content to its users.  Agreeing to receive such promoted posts is part of the new network Privacy Policy and User Agreement.

 

New Site Navigation Tool Bar

An important component of its updated look is the new tool bar for users. Site navigation is grouped together in the easy to use bar and all new messages, notifications, connections, or comments are clustered together on the bar as well.

 

Tags

Reflecting popular practice on other social sites is the new tagging capability. LinkedIn users can now tag either individuals or organizations in their status updates. Whoever users tag in a post is then notified in an email notification.

These new changes to LinkedIn come about as a result of the network’s efforts to grow and prosper alongside their social media competitors. The competition among social networks is helping to drive an enriched user experience for all.

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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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Ask Questions

Are you missing an important opportunity to listen to your followers and gain valuable insights?

Reaching your business goals is very likely dependent on a thorough understanding of your customers and prospects. Why not simply ask them for their input? You can easily use your social media presence as tool to gain an understanding of your customers’ needs and experiences. Asking questions will encourage this important resource to get involved and give you the reliable feedback to act on.

Get started today with a 30 day free trial at OnFast.com.


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Monday, July 8, 2013

Keep it simple

Write as you speak and your blog post will come alive. Here are a few suggestions that you may find helpful.

First and foremost, keep it simple.  You don’t need 3-4 syllable words to get your point across.  Structure your blog post so that it is easy to grasp. Use bullet points and sub-titles where appropriate. Try to offset your text and make it pleasing to the eye. Don’t go long.  To hold your readers interest keep your posts short, easy to understand, factual and to the point. If you are offering directions organize them into simple steps and number them. Lastly, and most important, include a picture.

Taking the time to make your post simple will win you friends, readers and repeat guests. Remember the old axiom: “Less is more.”

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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Thursday, July 4, 2013

Political and religious posts could backfire on you

Having an opinion is fine, but expressing views that might be contentious, will be considered radical or insulting to some of your business’s audience.  This is especially true if your posts insinuate that people that don’t share your beliefs are wrong.  Controversial posts are not a good idea when your intent is to promote your business.

Ask yourself this question: Do I want to risk alienating a large number of followers and potential customers if they don’t agree with me?  Probably not.


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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Blast Messaging

Most people tend to check their social networks at the same time every day.  For that reason, the majority of their messaging goes out at the same time too.  Followers don’t want to see their timelines spammed with message after message from the same source! What’s important to you at the moment may not be of interest to your reader. A more methodical thought out approach to social media and blog posts will produce better results

You should space your messages out for maximum impact.  It’s far better to post messages at intervals throughout the week than it is to post one after the other at the same time.  Blast messaging is not effective.

One important feature of OnFast.com allows business posts to be scheduled in advance. Visit OnFast.com for a free 30-day trial and try this feature for yourself.

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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Friday, June 28, 2013

Social Media News For The Week Of 6/28/13

Social Media Tips: How to Manage Your Facebook Business Page in Eleven Minutes a Day

Time is money when you are running a business and trying to fit social media into your schedule can be a challenge. However, effectively leveraging Facebook for your social media marketing efforts does not have to be time consuming. This article provides an excellent plan for accomplishing your goals without taking too much of your valuable time. Full Story Here:


How Social Media Has Helped My Business

How social media marketing impacts a business can be sometimes hard to measure. Many times the positive effects go unnoticed, unless you ask your customers. Businesses with a social media presence, who take the time to ask their new customers how they heard of the company, many times will find out that it was through social networks. Provide quality content which is relevant to the lives of your audience and customers will continue to be driven to your company. Full Story Here:


Midsize Business More Mobile and Social

Small and mid-sized businesses are becoming increasingly embracing social media and mobile technology, according to a new survey by Cbeyond Inc. The cloud and communications services provider released the results of its Summer 2013 Cbeyond Business Leader Snapshot, finding that nearly 60 percent of growing companies plan to increase their tech budgets over the course of this year. Firms are finding that mobile social business are effective tools in attaining their goals for growth. Full Story Here:


The Rise of Social TV: How Social Media Is Amplifying TV Advertising

People love use social media while watching TV, according to research by Business Insider. 62 percent of audiences are simultaneously watching TV while on their social networks. A significant amount of them, at 25 percent, are talking on social sites about what they are seeing. Recognizing this growing trend; marketers, in what is being called Social TV, are trying to figure out how to best capitalize on this phenomenon. Full Story Here:



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