Social Media News For The Week Of 8/10/12

Olympic Games offer social-media lessons for small business

As the 2012 Olympic Games in London wind down, some clear lessons for small businesses using social media can be learned. The Olympics have offered examples of the right and wrong ways to use social media. Some important lessons: Think before you post, respond to customers quickly, don't bad mouth competitors, and you are in control of your social media. Full Story Here:

The Developing Role of Social Media in the Modern Business World

Business marketing use of social media has taken on a crucial role for companies in recent years, and the trend is still evolving. One thing is certain, business social is here to stay. However, many firms are still trying to get a handle on how to properly utilize the medium in an effective manner. Full Story Here:

Tablet, mobile users expect pages to load within seconds: report

With consumer use of mobile and tablet devices quickly on the rise, it is vitally important for businesses to deliver a quality experience for users. According to a study by Keynote Systems, of 5,000 people surveyed, 64% of smartphone users expect a web page to finish loading within 4 seconds. 82% have expectations of 5 seconds or less. 60% of tablet users expect to see a page load within 3 seconds. If these expectations not met, 16% will leave and never come back and 6% will go to a competitor. Full Story Here:

Why shopping will never be the same

The technology of smartphones, social media, and future developments such as 3-D printers will lead to the end of shopping as we know it. These technologies will combine to bring about the end of brick and mortar retail business models. The traditional retailers will become unrecognizable over the course of the next 10 years. Full Story Here:
Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com

Blog Tips - Adding Calls To Action To Your Blog Posts

You will not get any results from a blog post that is lacking a call to action. Your post may be written very professionally in a terrifically engaging style you think is your best, but it loses its effectiveness without a call to action. Anytime you ask, suggest or tell your readers to do anything specifically, you are giving them a call to action.

Here are some examples:

•  Asking people to subscribe.
  
•  Suggesting readers buy from your company.
•  Telling a customer they should try something.

These are just examples of calls to action, which can be anything that is useful, helpful etc. to your readers, but which also provides a benefit to you or your company.

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1. Clearly and specifically state what you would like the reader to do

In your call to action make it very clear what you are asking of them. Leave no doubt about it and be specific. You can't leave a link and then expect all your readers to click on it. Say to them "Click Here for more information" "Click to find out more" etc. If you want them to leave their comments, tell them specifically what you want to hear about from them.

 

2. You can put your call to action at the end of the post

Many times the call to action will just naturally fit at the end and do its job effectively as your last thought to the reader. For example:

•  Asking for comments below.
•  Asking readers to share the post on their social media networks.
  
•  For more information read... with a link.

 

3. You can sprinkle a call to action throughout the post

This gets your readers thinking about taking action before they are even finished reading your blog.

•  Tell them "Find out more now by clicking..."
  
•  Ask what they think by leaving comments.

Try these ideas for your next company blog post; they may help you attain the objectives and goals for your blog.

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

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

Finding Easy Blog Content - Pest Control

Pest control is a service industry that is sometimes misunderstood and can produce fear and apprehension in some people. A well-conceived and clearly-written blog by a pest control expert has the power to break through the natural fear people have of pests and the chemicals used in their control. A pest control blog can be an effective tool in educating the public about the industry and fostering improved public relations for pest control companies. Here are some examples of blog content for pest control.

1. General Pest Information
Explain about each target pest species and where they are commonly found. Provide information that will help the public better understand the pests in their homes and businesses. For example, identifying features and hazards associated with pest, if any, is useful information for the readers of your blog.

2. Tips and Advice
Provide pointers and tips about how to prevent pest infestations before they become a problem and get out of control. Advice about topics such as proper sanitation, repair of leaks, and the trimming of vegetation around the home will be of great help to your blog audience.

Blogging Tips - Creating High Quality Content

You may have been writing a blog for some time or maybe you are contemplating starting a new blog for your business, either way it will happen to you - writer's block. It's an uncomfortable feeling of not having a clue of what you are going to write on the blank page staring back at you. The answer to the problem of writer's block lays in what your blog audience is looking for in the first place, high quality content. Here are three things you can do to improve your blog content and get over writer's block.

1. Do Your Homework
Research is the key to having something valid to offer to your audience. You need to have your facts straight and verify the accuracy of the material you are presenting in your blog. If you don't understand your content how can the readers? Taking the time to research the books, magazines, online articles, blogs, and company materials etc. before you get started. This will not only give you ideas of what to write, but you will have a better handle on the content your audience is seeking and will find interesting, relevant and useful.

Social Media News For The Week Of 8/3/12

Trial and Error for Business Social Media Will Fail

Many businesses fail to understand how to properly utilize social media in their marketing efforts, relying on trial and error without a plan or strategy. Clearly defined goals, reachable objectives and concrete metrics are necessary in carrying out a social media campaign. These elements, combined with thinking outside the box of traditional marketing, will lead to success on the medium. Full Story Here:

Sensible Social Media Checklist for Businesses v2.0 [Infographic]

Businesses that don't embrace social media will be left behind. However, many businesses which currently use social media still need a strategy for success. This infographic provides a common sense approach to implementing a social media marketing campaign. Full Story Here:

Social Media Hits Olympics

The 2012 Olympics in London is the first to be impacted greatly by social media. In the last Olympics in China social media access was difficult. Social media is changing the way the world interacts with the games and the brands which sponsor them. Full Story Here: 

Which Social Networks Take Home the Gold? [INFOGRAPHIC]

The social media agency, Ignite, just released the results of their annual report on the state of social media. The information is clearly laid out in a infographic and Twitter and Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, and LinkedIn are leading in rate of growth. Google , launched a little over a year ago, did not make the list of the fastest growing networks. Full Story Here: 

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

Infographics - Part 2 - Why are Infographics Important?

The information graphic, or infographic as they are referred to, has become an exciting and new way for businesses to present their social media marketing material. This technique can transform content that, in written format, could be less than dynamic to the reader. Infographics can be effectively used to make factual and statistical data more appealing to the eyes.

Five Reasons Why Infographics Have Become Important

1. Infographics Are Fun

The visual nature of infographics makes learning fun and the consumption of information easier for the audience as well. People will remember a picture in their mind longer than words. As the old saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words".

2. They Are Engaging

Infographics present written text much more engagingly for the reader. When engaged, the audience is attentive to the message and open to suggestion.

Infographics - Part 1 - What Are Infographics?

In today's fast-paced world of social media marketing, you only have seconds to grab your prospects' attention and get your message across. Offer the audience boring content and they are gone in a flash, searching elsewhere. People have short attention spans and desire to consume information in small, easily digested visual pieces. This has led to the rise in video online marketing usage. A more recent development has been the infographic, a technique that falls between video and more conventional text-based content.

Infographics, which stands for information graphics, are a hybrid of a flashy color poster and a brochure that provides useful information. An infographic combines compellingly relevant data and information, and presents it in a highly visual way. They can be used to easily explain statistical and factual information, which may not interest the reader as much if it was presented as written block content. Written content of any kind may be broken down into segments that are simpler to comprehend. Readers can quickly grasp the message when it is laid out clearly within a visual context.