Social Media News For The Week Of 1/18/13

Five Social Media Tools to Fight the Flu

This season’s flu outbreak has been officially declared an epidemic by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), leading health officials to find new and innovative ways to keep track of it’s spread. Officials, unfortunately, have to follow behind information which is a few weeks old when they receive it. Social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, are now giving the CDC vital information in real time. Full Story Here:

The Importance of Facebook’s Graph Search

Facebook announced it’s new Graph Search feature this week. This new feature is important because it will help Facebook retain the immense world-wide membership it has gathered and will open up the network to the rest of the world. Besides benefiting businesses and organizations, the Graph Search provides the Facebook community with valuable search information more relevant to their lives, based on what the network knows about them. Full Story Here:

Maximize Your Brand Exposure

To optimize the effectiveness of your social media catch, all of your social channels should cross-link to each other. Clear, clickable and actionable links on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn sites will drive traffic to your website.

In addition, your printed collateral should prominently identify your website and social touch points. Invoices, receipts, and brochures all should carry link info to your social channels, along with your website.

The purpose of having a social presence is to provide an easily found entry point for commerce opportunities.

Let your potential customer choose how and where they will contact you. Your job is to ensure they have as many choices as possible.

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

4 Things You’re Doing Wrong on Social Media - and How to Fix Them

Social media can be a powerful tool for brands to leverage, if the unique nature of the medium is carefully taken into consideration. Assuming social media is just another platform for traditional marketing blasts is a mistake, as is the assumption that it is the solution to all of a business’ problems. It is vital for a business hoping to find success with social media to clearly define their company “voice” and properly measure the results of their efforts. Full Story Here:

People Love Free Stuff: Social Media Contests and Giveaways

Building brand awareness while increasing the SEO visibility for your company’s website, resulting in higher site traffic are all crucial reasons to engage on social media marketing. A highly effective technique which businesses of all sizes and types can leverage, is the giveaway. People love getting stuff for free. Giving your audience incentives to follow and become fans of your brand is a useful way to gain their loyalty while expanding your reach at the same time. Full Story Here:

Social Media News For The Week Of 1/4/13

5 Social Media Marketing Strategy Lessons From 2012

Now that we have turned the page of another year, it is a good time to reflect back on some of the major developments and trends in social media during 2012 and look forward to strategies for success during the coming year. 2012 social media milestones include Facebook reaching the 1 Billionth user mark, LinkedIn attaining 175,000 new users each day, and the impact of social media on the recent elections. Strategic points of interest to consider in 2013: The rise of Pinterest, Google , and LinkedIn. Full Story Here

Here are 10 of the worst social media mistakes brands made in 2012

Engaging in social media marketing can be a highly effectual technique for growing any business, if handled with care and restraint, even when faced with negative commentary by your brand’s audience. Here are some examples what not to post on your company’s social media networks. Full Story Here

Social Media News For The Week Of 12/21/12

Fewer Than One Quarter of Small Businesses Have Social Media Strategies

Small business use of social media marketing has grown tremendously over the course of the last year, but it appears the majority of small companies who use the marketing medium, do so without any clear strategy or goals. According to the results of the 2012 Small and Medium Social Business Study released by the SMB Group, only 24% of small businesses have a planned social media strategy. The majority at 29% use social randomly, indicating they are not informed as to the proper utilization of social media to grow their businesses. Full Story Here:

An Argument for Social Media Scheduling

Opinions vary about automating the scheduling of posts to social media networks. This article makes a very strong case for brands to do so. Full Story Here:


How We Use Social: Highlights from the Social Media Report 2012

The rapid growth and ever-changing landscape of social media usage in the U.S. is documented in the annual report released by Nielsen and NM Incite recently. The study, conducted between July 2011 and July 2012, found many fascinating trends in the social media world during the time covered. Results include, total time spent online is up 21% and mobile usage increasing by 82%, with mobile apps up by 85%. Full Story Here:


Social media influencing retailers’ decisions

As the holiday shopping season winds down, shoppers may not be aware how much they have influenced what retailers have offered to consumers. This influence has come about through the online interactions between brands and their customers, whether that is with likes on Facebook or comments. Brands are now making stocking decisions based on those social media interactions. Full Story Here:


Social media pressure gets to Instagram and Netflix

The public has learned in recent years the power and influence they have through social media to bring about changes in company policies. Facebook recently needed to change and clarify the photo sharing policies of Instagram, which it owns, following outrage from the public in social media. In 2011, Netflix was forced to rethink policy changes it had made following a similar situation of public outcry through social networks. Full Story Here:

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Using LinkedIn for Employment Search

The professional social network LinkedIn remains the single greatest social media asset for job seekers. During the course of LinkedIn’s existence, the network has offered improvements and new features. This has made an already effective platform an even more powerful tool for those seeking a company in need of their skill set and experience.

 

Ways to Make the Most of LinkedIn for Employment Search

 

Create a Complete Profile - According to LinkedIn, profiles that are 100 percent complete are 40 times more likely to gain an opportunity. Make sure your profile is detailed and contains all current and past employment. Include complete educational and industry information. A professional looking headshot photo and relevant keywords and skills also help.

Take Advantage of LinkedIn’s Newer Features - Some of the new features added by LinkedIn include their Resume Creator and JobInsider toolbar. The Resume Creator gives users the ability to create a resume from a selection of templates using all of their profile information. Then LinkedIn customizes a URL for the resume, expediting its distribution. The JobInsider toolbar may be installed on Firefox and Internet Explorer Web browsers and it allows users to see if anybody from their network works at a particular company when the user is looking at its website.

Look at your Network Statistics - LinkedIn gives you the ability to keep tabs on two important pieces of information about all of your contacts: their location and industry. This data can be very useful when you are planning a career change or thinking about relocating.

Follow the Companies of your Dreams - LinkedIn lets you follow and get updates from both companies and individuals. Find out all of the latest news and job posting information from your favorites.                         

Join and Interact with Groups - Join as many professional groups related to your field as possible and interact with them on a regular basis. Show interest and ask questions about topics where you lack knowledge. Highlight your expertise by answering the questions about which you are knowledgeable.

LinkedIn is unlike any other social network with its professionalism. The platform can give job hunters an edge in a very competitive job market.

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

 

 

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Social Media News For The Week Of 12/14/12

Affect Releases 2013 Predictions: Public Relations and Social Media

The public relations firm, Affect, has released their 2013 predictions for social media and its impact on public relations. Top on the list is the rise of LinkedIn as a platform for brands to leverage themselves. Affect cites LinkedIn’s new profile and company page tools for the growing trend. Also, companies whose target audience is other businesses, are beginning to utilize the marketing potential of the platform. Other predictions from Affect include the continued explosion of mobile devices and the rise of visual content such as infographics and photo sharing. Full Story Here:


Boosting Sales with Social Media

During the busy holiday rush it is important for businesses to not forget about social media and the important role the medium plays with consumers today. The nearly 25% of the buying public is using social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to seek out the best deals. Companies with visually appealing products or services should use Pinterest as well. For business-to-business marketing, LinkedIn should be the platform of choice. The social media sites should be used to lead your audience to your company’s website. Full Story Here:


10 Easy Ways Social Media Can Get Your Business More Referrals

Social media has become part of our everyday personal lives and is increasingly an important tool for brands to market themselves to the consumers. According to Mediabistro, 50 percent of small businesses are successfully leveraging social media to drive referrals and sales. It can be difficult however for small companies, with limited time and resources, to take full advantage of all the opportunities offered them by social media marketing. Here are ten useful techniques a small business can utilize to better leverage social media for their company. Full Story Here:


Useful Social Media: Global CMOs Gather in New York to Discuss the future of Social Media in Business

Over 250 of the biggest leading brands will gather in New York this coming June to discuss the future development of social media’s role in business. The summit, being held by the business intelligence firm, Useful Social Media, will take place June 12-13th. The focus of the summit will be how businesses can get closer to customers by building loyalty through direct customer engagement. Full Story Here:

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