Creating a Social Media Strategy

Social media can seem very time consuming when you are getting started with it either for personal use or even more with business use. As a business owner it is so important that you have an online presence, it is your reputation these days. If someone is searching for you, and they can’t find you online, then you may be losing customers and business. If you are just getting started with social media you need to make sure you have a strategy behind what you are doing. Here are a few tips to help with your social media strategy:

# 1 – Know what your goals are going to be

When you are starting to market online with social media you need to spend some time figuring out what you want to put into social media and what you want to get out of social media. Really take time to write these things down. Be realistic, most people think since you have a Facebook page that your phone is going to start ringing off the hook that is not the case!  Sometimes your business and your personal life on social media can easily blend and distract you from your real goals, so it’s important to know where you are spending your time, and what tactics work to earn you more business. Figure out how much time you are willing to spend each day to put into social media, we usually recommend an hour a day. Use a time block that will work for you and your schedule. For example, if your goal is to use Facebook to drive more traffic and leads to your blog then make sure you are blogging frequently so people want to read your blog!

# 2 – Building an online Brand- Know your audience.

For some people and companies, it can take some time to really understand what your brad is. Having a clear picture on what your brand is and who the audience is, and then you can choose the right social media platforms, that you feel would be the best for your brand.  Remember, if you can’t be on a platform, and do it consistently well against your local competitors, figure out which ones you will choose to focus on.

 

# 3 – Measuring your success – ROI

When it comes to analyzing your return and success, this is one area that is peoples least favorite and most often overlooked. The ONLY way you will be able to see if social media and Internet marketing are working for you, is to be analyzing it! From Search Engine Optimization (SEO), blog traffic, referrals, mobile and social media, having a firm understanding of how and when you reach your audience is the best way to know what social media efforts are paying off. Which content is popular? What gets shared the most? Do you ask how the callers on the other end of the phone how they found you? (A lot of companies DO NOT ask where their customers are coming from. CRAZY!)

Here are some basic steps:

  • Set up Google Analytics on your blog. Take one to two hours familiarizing yourself with the various free tools, real-time traffic, social referrals, and mobile activity.
  • Do research on hot keywords for your business through Google Here is a great tool for Twitter on hashtags http://tagboard.com/
  • Use social media measuring tools like Hootsuite to help you understand who is retweeting you and following you.
  • Did traffic increase when you started doing more posts on LinkedIn? Did your use of Pinterest for 30 days increase views of your website? Get your coffee, a quiet morning once a week, and analyze. You’ll be doing more for your business than more than 80 percent of marketers on social media!

# 4 – When is it time to try something new?

The one thing you can always count on with social media is it is constantly changing, as are the consumers who interact with them. Be watchful of these trends, not the ones of those you compete with in the industry. It’s very common as an industry to follow our crowd of opinions and do something because someone said it was a groundbreaking new technology, or suddenly everyone started doing it, or a report came out saying all the popular people in the industry were doing it. These are NOT the metrics upon which to decide a social media or marketing strategy. 

Be cautious; be analytical; try new things; have fun; be yourself; build your brand voice; and measure your success!

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LinkedIn Gradually Rolling Out Ability to Comment/Like Status Updates as Your Company

One of the many services that Boundless Internet Marketing offers is managing companies LinkedIn accounts. As one of the newer social media networking services, LinkedIn is constantly making changes. Most recently, Linkedin has made the decision to roll out the ability to comment/like status updates as your company. Is this an improvement, or a step back? This article explains the change, and examines the pros and cons of the companies most recent decision:

Well, it looks like this morning’s LinkedIn quick tip wasn’t the only LinkedIn feature rollout to slip through our cracks in the past several months. To be fair though, I can’t really find an official announcement about this one from LinkedIn.

 

In any event, it looks like LinkedIn is slowly rolling out the ability for Company Page admins to comment on and “like” posts on their Company Page as their company, rather than their personal profile. In other words, if our social media manager, Brittany, wanted to comment on or like a post appearing on HubSpot’s LinkedIn Company Page, she can now do so as HubSpot instead of as Brittany.

 

The Pros & Cons of Commenting/Liking as Your Company

That being said, it seems like commenting as HubSpot is now her only option. I can’t for the life of me figure out a way to swap back and forth between a personal and company account like you can with Facebook’s “use Facebook as ____” feature, and unfortunately, LinkedIn has published very little detail about the feature. Furthermore, this capability seems to be limited to the activity on your Company Page alone. In other words, as an admin, if I comment on or like another status update on someone else’s personal profile or Company Page, I’d be commenting as myself even though I’m an admin of the HubSpot Company Page. Believe me — I tried it. (Sorry for the somewhat fake comment, Bob and IMPACT.) 😉

 

So depending on how you look at it, this update has both pros and cons …

On the “pro” side of the coin, the ability to comment/like as a company is beneficial to a social media manager like Brittany because it allows her to keep her personal and marketing use of LinkedIn separate. Furthermore, it shows other visitors to yourLinkedIn Company Page that certain comments and likes are officially from HubSpot, leaving the guesswork out of it and making your page look more professional.

On the flip side of the coin, the ability to (only) comment/like as a company sort of makes things a little bit less personal. And in social media, personalization is kind of what it’s all about. At least when Brittany had to comment as herself, she could manually denote that she was HubSpot’s social media manager in her comment.

How to Use the Feature

Considering you really don’t have any choice on the matter right now, you might as well know how it all works. And it’s pretty simple really.

You’ll know if you have the ability to comment as your company if you’re an admin of your LinkedIn Company Page and you see this banner atop the page. If you don’t see the banner, the feature hasn’t been rolled out to you yet (or you’re not an admin), and you’ll have to be patient. Unfortunately, LinkedIn doesn’t seem to have made any mention of when it will be rolled out to everyone — just that they’re rolling it out gradually.

 

Step 1: Make sure you’re an admin of your LinkedIn Company Page. If you’re not, you’ll need to ask an admin to designate you as one in your page’s settings.

 

Step 2: This is literally the last step. Just leave a comment on your Company Page, and it will show up as being from your company, accompanied by your company logo. Easy, right?

Article S0urce-

http://blog.hubspot.com/linkedin-rolling-out-commenting-liking-as-your-company-nj?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=9629097&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9zHE7HOT5p_45drTdQUL6cSopulZ7JaM1p8iN0Ft0NrdVx0fgfOjcPTMPD8TPztcxbFeJMhXxmLte43Io7M3WM4ll1wdc5kYUZfq0c0vmssLVa3Qc&_hsmi=9629097

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10 important steps to your LinkedIn Profile

With over 175 million users, LinkedIn is a potent platform that can get you and your business the attention it deserves.

The following 10 steps will walk you through the process of building your LinkedIn network. These steps will help you optimize your LinkedIn presence for networking, marketing and growing your business.

1. Post Your Head Shot

It’s a Social World, if you don’t post a professional-looking headshot, your visitors will think you must be hiding something!

2. Write a Compelling Headline

Instead of just listing your current job title, write (120 character maximum) a compelling headline that describes what you do. Use keywords that will attract your ideal followers. (Insert Keywords)

3. List your Experience

Post your current and 2 most recent past positions. Describe the positions and your role. Use the keywords from your compelling headline.

4. Complete the Summary

The LinkedIn Summary is the place where you can communicate who you are and how you help people. Write your summary in the third person, as too many “I”s may appear self-effacing. Google picks up this section, be sure to insert keywords here!

5. Get Endorsed

List the skills you want your LinkedIn connections to endorse. You receive endorsements when your connections click on the + sign next to each of your particular skills. These endorsements show up on your profile in the Skills & Expertise section. That is why it’s important to complete the Skills & Expertise section with keywords that people in your target market will be searching for to find folks with your experience and background.

6. Request Recommendations

Recommendations require a bit more effort from your connections, as they are LinkedIn’s versions of client testimonials. So, choose your biggest fans and ask them to write you a recommendation.

#7 Complete the Organizations Section

Each organization is hyper-linked to other users who are also members of your listed organizations.

#8 Customize Your LinkedIn URL. 

Edit your URL (located under your profile photo) with your name. For example, mine is www.linkedin.com/in/amberirwin/ . This helps search engines if someone is searching for your name.

#9 Customize Your Website Listing

Located in the “Edit Contact Info” section under your profile box. Chose “Other.”  Edit and name your website.

#10 Make Your Profile PUBLIC TO EVERYONE

Congratulations! Having a completed LinkedIn profile is the most effective way to communicate your background, experience, talents and interests. With a completed profile, you will demonstrate your social saavy!

What to do next:

  • Make sure your profile is 100% completed
  • Create business page
  • Add connections
  • Upload contacts list
  • Get involved with at least 5 good groups
  • Post to those groups as a discussion 1 time a week

 

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Your Marketing Voice has merged companies!

I am very excited to announce as of July 1st, 2013 Your Marketing Voice and Boundless SEM have merged companies to Boundless Internet Marketing Solutions AKA The BIMS Team. We manage everything from social media, blogging, videos, PPC, Facebook Ads, lead tracking and much more! We would love to bring your company on as a client and manage your Internet Marketing campaigns. For more information about what we do please visit that website http://thebimsteam.com/

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Ever had somebody asking you about your social media ROI?

This is a great article we found at  http://ezinearticles.com/?Improving-Social-Media-ROI-the-Easy-Way&id=7810932 As social media managers, one thing we get asked all the time is “How do you get a ROI with social media” here are a few great ways to monitor your ROI. One thing to remember is if you are spending time or money on managing social media, it is not a dollar to dollar return, you want to monitor your interaction, your likes, comments, new likes, followers, Re-Tweets etc. Please let us know if you have any questions with getting an ROI with social media, we would love to speak with you.

Chances are you are either one of the two kinds of people:

1. Somebody who definitely no idea what social media ROI is or

2. Somebody who knows it is but has trouble giving an exact number.

Fret not my friends. Around 1/4 of the marketers we have worldwide realize that finding their social media ROI is one of the biggest challenge they face as marketers.

To further help you, I will list down some techniques you can implement on your social media campaigns so you can easily reach your ROI.

#1 Promote offers using social networking sites – We all know and recognize the power of social media. It is a very important channel to promote anything one creates. It can be a white paper, a report, an eBook a simple article or even a webinar. Promoting your products or offer using social networking sites is not as tough as you think. Fun in fact!

 

  • Twitter

 

Twitter marketing is quite easy as you just need to put a link that includes your content/product/offer. Also, don’t forget to use #hashtags. Tweets with words that are hashed are more valuable that tweets that are not. Once you hashtag a word, it goes to the world of hashtags. Your tweets will become more visible to your followers. But there’s a rule. I recommend using only 2-3 hashed words per tweet. Using too much will make you look like spam.

 

  • Facebook and Google +

 

People are visual when it comes to Facebook and Google+. Take advantage of this behavior by using pictures on your post with your link. And like Twitter, these two social networking sites have adopted the #hashtag, so make sure take advantage of this new feature also for maximum visibility.

 

  • LinkedIn

 

Post on marketing groups that are discussing principles or ideas that are same as yours.

#2 Use tags on URLs to track traffic – To further understand social media ROI you have to know where people are coming from when they get to your site. If you are promoting your work on multiple platforms, you have to know what campaign works and what is failing. This will make future campaigns easier. In order to successfully track traffic, you have to put tags on URLs so you know if it comes from a specific platform. Remember that the whole idea behind this technique is finding campaigns that work and find out those that needs to be tweaked.

Surveys – You can also use a tried and tested method of knowing how your visitors get to your site is through the use of a simple survey. If you thought that surveys are a thing of the past then you are gravely mistaken.

#3 Take advantage of Google+ – I asked some friends the other day as to what they think the best social media platform for Google is and I got varied answers. I really can’t blame them because most of them had no idea what I was asking. As for internet marketers, Google+ is hands-down the best SEO partner you can have for your campaigns.

Other than Google+, make sure to make your presence felt using Google Places and Google Authorship. The overall idea of a social media campaign is for more traffic to your site so this means that a good presence on all Google platforms might just equate to more traffic for your site.

Bottom line, use the best social media practices to improve your ROI.

You may be into Twitter marketing or Pinterest or Facebook but you always have to remember that social media marketing is not a magic cure that will surely remedy your problems in no time at all.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7810932

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3 simple rules to follow with social media

In today’s marketing world, businesses of all types are realizing how important it is to have an online presence. The average age on Facebook is 25-55, so it really is reaching all types of demographics, one issue we see our clients run into, is how to start that online brand and online community. More and more businesses are noticing that this Internet Marketing is not just a bandwagon thing; it is here to stay and changing the way of how businesses market themselves. If your company has not yet dipped into the social media world here are 3 simple steps to follow:

 

1.  Pick the Right Social Media Platform

 

Just because “all” companies are on Facebook doesn’t mean that’s the right platform for your business.  Social media is not a cookie cutter program; it works differently for each company. If you are just getting started with social media, research the different platforms; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram. See which ones you like and feel comfortable managing, set aside an hour or so on your calendar to visit three social media sites to see what they offer before making a business page or profile.  Take a look at what your competitors are doing, especially those who have been successfully using social media. Then after about a week of research (if that long) choose 3 profiles to set up and start using, stick with it for at least 6 months

 

2.  Social Media Policy

 

Each and every business should have a social media policy in place that addresses two issues:  (1) employee usage of social media and (2) the company’s social media activities.  You can read more about what should go into a social media policy by revisiting this blog post titled “9 Tips for Drafting an Employee Social Media Policy.”

 

3.  Create a Social Media Strategy

 

Once you choose your 3 profiles or platforms to start posting to there are a few things you will need to start doing, putting out valuable content and growing your online community. Let’s say you start with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, on Facebook and LinkedIn you want to make sure you set up your business pages completely with links to your website and logos, also make sure those business pages are linked to your personal profiles, with Twitter you want to make sure you have all areas filled out and upload custom header. In each online platform be sure to insert keywords in the about sections. Social Media is a great tool to help with organic SEO. Once you have these platforms set up then you want to upload your contact list to your Facebook business page and your LinkedIn account, you will then start to grow your online community. It is important to bring your offline market online.

 

These were just a few steps to help you with the beginning stages of Social Media. If you need help customizing these platforms or managing them we can help! Please contact us today for a free 30 minute consultation Marketing@TheBIMSTeam.com

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Pinterest Marketing Tips

 

Pinterest can be a great way to expand your social media presence and market your products. Make sure you are using the Pinterest business account (you can easily convert your account if you need too).  Promote your products using a theme. Think of something that can be categorized, weather its colors, designs, materials, ingredients, or whatever is relevant to your company. For example, say you own a furniture store. You could create different boards around the colors of different rooms.  The goal is to make your boards visually appealing. Make sure to label your boards creatively, while also calling attention to the organization.  This will also help your search engine optimization, If you organize by colors, make sure to put that keyword (color) in the board title, board description, and pin description.

Do your research. Check out the Pinterest boards of big companies in your industry to get ideas. Invite people to pin on your boards, and do your best to gain an audience. Be sure to specify the category of your board under the “edit board” option.

Emphasize your most popular products. Create a popular products board to show your audience what is selling! Pin the images and be sure to include a description of the product. You should also add the price! Tell users how they can get the product. Be sure to link the image back to your company website, or include directions in the description of how to get in touch with you. Keep the board updated and current. Remove products that have fallen in rank or are no longer available.

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Small Business Marketing On Pinterest

If your not sure exactly how to use Pinterest for your business, check out these quick tips to get started!

First off, make sure you are using the Pinterest business account (you can easily convert your account if you need too). Promote your products using a theme. Think of something that can be categorized, weather its colors, designs, materials, ingredients, or whatever is relevant to your company. For example, say you own a furniture store. You could create different boards around the colors of different rooms. The goal is to make your boards visually appealing. Make sure to label your boards creatively, while also calling attention to the organization. This will also help your search engine optimization, If you organize by colors, make sure to put that keyword (color) in the board title, board description, and pin description. Emphasize your most popular products. Create a popular products board to show your audience what is selling! Pin the images and be sure to include a description of the product. You should also add the price! Tell users how they can get the product. Be sure to link the image back to your company website, or include directions in the description of how to get in touch with you. Keep the board updated and current. Remove products that have fallen in rank or are no longer available. Do your research. Check out the Pinterest boards of big companies in your industry to get ideas. Invite people to pin on your boards, and do your best to gain an audience. Be sure to specify the category of your board under the “edit board” option.

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Retweet With Class

As a small business, one benefit to using Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms is the ability to connect with your audience in an informal environment.However as a business, it is just as important to remain professional on social media. There are a few simple rules that should be followed when it comes to social media.

Be polite on Twitter.

When you are re-tweeting, credit your source. Twitter’s 140-character limit makes this a little bit challenging, but crediting the author and/or source with a simple ‘@username’ can go a long way. Let’s say you tweeted out a personal thought or opinion about a hockey game. If one of your Twitter followers agreed with you, it is likely they would simply retweet your original thought. Now, wouldn’t you want to be informed that someone supported your thought enough to retweet it?

Give shout outs when your blogging.

When you are blogging, simply include an “article source: (insert original article link) at the end of your post. This lets readers know where the information came from, and it gives credit to the original author.

The beauty of the Internet comes from access to information. In the same sense, the beauty of social media is the added ease and convenience of sharing that information. If we continue to share, and share politely, the social media world will continue to grow and develop in the big-hearted and giving way that it has already.

The Takeaway: Give credit where credit is due.

Article Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/chrissyme/1503106/social-media-etiquette-101-attribution

 

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Are You Paying Attention To Social Media Etiquette?

Social Media is one of the easiest and fastest ways to connect with your audience.However as a business, it is just as important to remain professional when engaging on social media. There are a few simple rules that should be followed:

Is your blogging content original?

When you are blogging, simply include an “article source: (insert original article link) at the end of your post. This lets readers know where the information came from, and it gives credit to the original author.

Use ‘@username’ on Twitter.

When you are re-tweeting, credit your source. Twitter’s 140-character limit makes this a little bit challenging, but crediting the author and/or source with a simple ‘@username’ can go a long way. Let’s say you tweeted out a personal thought or opinion about a hockey game. If one of your Twitter followers agreed with you, it is likely they would simply retweet your original thought. Now, wouldn’t you want to be informed that someone supported your thought enough to retweet it?

The beauty of the Internet comes from access to information. In the same sense, the beauty of social media is the added ease and convenience to share that information. If we continue to share, and share politely, the social media world will continue to grow and develop in the big-hearted and giving way that it has already.

Article Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/chrissyme/1503106/social-media-etiquette-101-attribution

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