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How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Event

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Business owners know that holding events are one of the best ways to get customer through the door. If your goal is to get as many people interested in your event, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can be an excellent way to spread the word to your customer base, followers, family members and friends.

This week, we’ll give you 4 easy ways to use social media to create a buzz-worthy event and increase the number of attendees.

Engage

Social media is an ideal channel for initiating conversations. But before anything else, you want to identify your target audience and the types of people you’re trying to reach.

Post your event on Facebook and encourage engagement. With over 1 billion users worldwide, it is an ideal place to interact with potential attendees and speakers.

Promote early. The earlier you promote the event, the greater your chances are for success.

Hashtag properly

This is an important element of your event marketing strategy. When creating a hashtag, be sure to keep it short, unique and relevant. Don’t forget to do your research so as to make sure that it hasn’t been used previously.

The hashtag is a great way for attendees to follow conversations about your event, engage with speakers and each other. So, be sure to use it every time you post something about the event.

Create buzz

Create buzz by highlighting your greatest assets, your guests of honor. Considering that these people are admired in their industry, they already have loyal fans. This makes it a lot easier for you to get people to attend the event. You can also mention them in your tweets, in the hopes that their followers would see it too.

Be sure to incorporate the official hashtag and call to action at the end, urging people to register or buy tickets.

Updates

Set up a blog and post short updates to give attendees an idea about what to expect. Include photos and videos in your blog post to build traffic and engage your audience.

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How Often Should You Post on Social Media

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If you are using social media to build an engaged community of fans and customers, generate leads and raise awareness of your products and services, it is imperative that you post on social media on a daily basis. However, you also want to connect with your audience without driving them away. The key is to strike the perfect balance between informative and annoying.

Your social media efforts can take you places. This is especially true if you know when to share and when to listen. We’ve got some great tips for you to inspire you in your efforts.

Twitter

Twitter is a fast-moving social network. Due to its fast-paced nature, you’ll need to update it more often.

We generally advise business owners to maintain a consistent presence in Twitter. While being active on Twitter is advisable, you don’t want to overwhelm your audience. So, keep your posts spaced throughout the day.

With Twitter, it seems the more the merrier. You can tweet as much as 14 to 20 times a day. Just make sure that they’re full of great info.

Facebook

With over 1 billion users throughout the world, Facebook is the place to be. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to post twice a day, 7 days a week.

You don’t want to post too frequently as people easily get frustrated with too many posts. Make each post count by sharing fun pictures and posts that your followers will be interested in. Remember, the more your followers comment, share or like on your posts, the more likely are they to see them.

Pinterest

Like Facebook, Pinterest has a feed that almost everyone can see. With the high volume of content being shared on Pinterest, you’ll want to create new boards on a regular basis if you want your pins to get found. Feel free to post 5-10 times a day.

Pinterest is all about visuals. So we suggest that you use beautiful, quality images.

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Customer Service on Social Media

Marketing your business through social media is way more than just attracting new consumers. Having your business out there on social media also means building strong relationships with your consumers. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, make it easy to connect with your customers and make sure they are satisfied with your business.

A lack in customer service is an issue that many people have encountered with businesses. Social media platforms give us the opportunity to reach out to our customers’ needs, but it isn’t always that easy. Here are some tips to make sure that you are making sure your consumer’s needs are met:

1. Make Sure Communication Is Immediate

With today’s technology, people no longer have to wait days for a response. Social media enables us to be in contact with our customers at all times. Customers expect immediate responses when posting on social media, so if your response team isn’t prepared, it could cost you. If you can respond within minutes of the post, you’ll be able to make your customer very happy.

2.  Give People a More Personal Brand Experience

Social media helps your business reach out to customers on a more personal level. People hate to be waiting on the phone with an operator and feeling like a robot is answering their questions. Social media platforms help us to be available whenever you may receive a question or complaint from a customer. This is something that people immediately recognize. Being available through platforms such as Twitter and Instagram help build strong personal bonds with your consumer ad making them feel like their problems actually matter to you.

3.  Have Social Users Spread the Word

If your customers are satisfied with your business, they are most likely to share their experience with others. Usually, if your customer is using social media to ask questions about your business, this means that they are avid users of social media. This also means that they are likely to spread the word about their positive experience with your business. This is a huge advantage to getting a good rep in the social media world, leading to more customers.

Making sure your customer’s needs are met should always be your priority in making sure your business succeeds. Social media enables us to easily reach out to our customers, strengthen bonds, and make sure they have a positive experience with your business. Following these crucial tips will ensure that your customers are happy.

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4 Strategies for Writing Effective Emails

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For most people, business owners and marketers in particular, email is their primary means of communication. It is so widely used these days that it often replaces face-to-face interactions. In fact, some of your first interactions with clients will start online. Unfortunately, a lot of people still find themselves struggling to communicate effectively via email.

Check out the suggestions below on how to write effective emails so you can build better relationships with customers and prospective clients.

Start with an appropriate salutation

Just as you would in a letter, it is polite to add a salutation before jumping straight into the text of the email. But be sure to address the person appropriately.

If you are sending an email to a prospective client, then you want to address him as Mr. Johnson. Meanwhile, if you are writing to a friend, starting the email with Dear Mr. Johnson would be too formal. In this case, “Hi Bob” is the best way to go.

Write clear subject lines

A newspaper headline has 2 functions: 1. it sums up the content of the article; 2. it captures people’s attention. Based on this headline, you can decide whether or not you want to read the article. Your email’s subject line should also do the same thing.

If you have a very short message to convey and can include all the information the person need in the subject line, even better.

Get to the point

We’re all busy. And if someone opens your email, this is your chance to get the message across. Don’t ruin it with poor content.

No one wants to read a long, ambiguous email. So get to the point and keep your word count low. Also, use simple English and steer clear from technical lingos.

Call to action

Your email is intended to get the recipient to do something. After all, there is no point in sending the email if you can’t get the person to do something.

 

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Tips to Speed Up Your Content Creation

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Creating content is a fundamental component of an online marketing strategy. Unfortunately, a lot of business owners fail to generate a steady stream of high quality content.

While we understand that most of you are occupied with running and managing your business, keep in mind that your content plays an important part in your marketing campaign.

If you find yourself feeling discouraged about how long it takes to write a couple of blogs, please know that there are steps you can take to become more efficient  and effective in your daily tasks and speed up  the content creation process. Here are some of them.

Write about something you love

This is one of the most important tips you should keep in mind. When your write about something you absolutely love, words are going to flow quickly. But if you write about something that is not your area of expertise, it’s going to take you a lot longer.

Outline a month’s worth of ideas in advance

Coming up with new ideas to write about is probably the most challenging part of content marketing. To make things a bit easier, we suggest that you come up with a month’s worth of content ideas in advance.

Just because you have a list of topics, it doesn’t mean that you have to stick to it. You can always write about new topics, especially if breaking news or hot topics come up in your industry.

Do not multi-task

Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking does not help you get things done faster. In fact, studies show that doing a number of things at the same time may cause you to commit mistakes and even double the amount of time you need to accomplish the task. So do yourself a favor and focus on one task at a time.

Do not self-censor

In an attempt to come up with a masterpiece that would wow your audience, your inner critical voice would hound you to constantly check and revise your content until you are satisfied with the result. However, this can slow you down.

If you wish to spend less time creating content, you have to turn off your inner critic temporarily. Let the ideas flow and give yourself a time to write. Once you are done, you can then review your work and start editing.

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Rookie Mistakes You Might Be Making on LinkedIn

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There is no doubt that LinkedIn is a valuable tool for people who are looking to network with fellow professionals, generate more leads or boost their reputation. LinkedIn can be an even more powerful social media tool than Twitter and Facebook, if used properly. Unfortunately, a lot of people are not taking advantage of its networking features.

It’s time to take a look at your LinkedIn profile to make sure that you are not making any of these LinkedIn blunders. These mistakes could be limiting your success before you even start.

You have no profile picture

This is one of the biggest mistakes we see on LinkedIn. Typically, people do not connect or even click profiles that do not have a profile photo. A missing photo can easily lead to missed connections.

Adding a photo to your LinkedIn profile can make a big difference. In fact, studies suggest that you’re profile is seven times more likely to be viewed if you have one.

Using the wrong photo

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. You want your profile photo to be professional and approachable.

While your LinkedIn photo doesn’t have to be a picture of you wearing a suit, it would be best to stay away from selfies of vacation photos.  When choosing your profile photo, go for pictures that convey professionalism or at least something that reflects the type of industry you belong in.

Not using LinkedIn groups

LinkedIn offers groups to help members connect with professionals within their areas of interests or industry. Occasionally, LinkedIn suggests group you may like. But you can also search for a specific group or browse the directory. These groups are a great way to connect with people who have the same interests as you, troubleshoot issues or share ideas.

Lacking a descriptive job title

If you are a job seeker, it is important to be as detailed as possible in this section. Instead of simply writing “Student at University of Colorado”, it would be better if you write “Advertising Major at University of Colorado”.

Keep in mind that a lot of people with similar qualifications and education are competing for the same job. Having a descriptive job title will give you an edge with a prospective employer.

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Best and Worst Times to Post on Social Media

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I know a lot of people who would log on to their social media accounts when they wake up in the morning. So, that’s probably one of the best times to post on social media, right?

But wait, I heard that most people also use it in the afternoon to mess around when they get bored at work. Or maybe they spend a few hours browsing through their newsfeeds after business hours. Okay, I’m officially confused.

Determining when to post on social media requires that you consider which platform your target audience is using. Remember, each social network has different users and their activities vary.

If you’re posting a status update when the majority of you audience are not online, then your time and effort goes to waste. Since you’re a busy person, you can’t afford to waste time.

Let’s get into the stats then.

Schedule tweets for lunch time

If your target market is on Twitter, be sure to tweet between 1-3 pm. During lunch break, a lot of people are checking in on Twitter. Traffic starts to build at 11 am, with peak posting days from Monday to Thursday. Avoid posting after 3pm on Friday.

Post Facebook status in the afternoon, when less people want to be at work

Engagement is one of the key considerations to a post’s visibility. An ideal time for engagement is between 1-4 pm.

Most people need some form of entertainment just to get through the afternoon slump, like around that 3:00 pm lull. For a lot of people, that means logging on to Facebook. These numbers hit rock bottom during the weekends, before 8 am and after 8 pm.

No one uses LinkedIn on a Friday

People are less interested in what’s happening on LinkedIn when they are winding up and winding down their work week. That means you shouldn’t bother posting on Monday and Friday. The best time for engagement is between Tuesday to Thursday, particularly before and after business hours.

 

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5 Ways to Improve Your Twitter Marketing Results

1: Turn a Pinned Tweet Into a Feature Box

The Feature Box is an email form you place at the top of your homepage, which offers your website visitors a freebie in exchange for signing up for your email list.You can add a similar feature to your Twitter profile page by combining two of Twitter’s native features: a lead generation card and a pinned tweet. Simply create a Lead Generation Card that includes an incentive for people to opt in. Offer regular email updates, a special freebie or a subscribers-only discount. Pin the tweet to the top of your Twitter profile and you’re all set.

2: Communicate Less and Tweet More Links

A recent study by Dan Zarrella looked at the “reply rates” of about 130,000 random Twitter users and discovered that highly followed accounts tend to converse less. Keep in mind, the study results don’t suggest that Twitter conversations have a negative effect on your following, just that conversations aren’t what motivate people to follow you on Twitter. According to another study by Dan Zarrella, the way to get more followers is to invest more time tweeting relevant links to your followers, rather than communicating directly with them.

3: Ask Twitter Influencers for Help

According to BuzzSumo who recently studied the share counts of more than 100 million articles, when influencers share your content, the reach increases substantially. If one influencer shares a piece of content, it will get 38.8% more social shares. Three influencers double the social shares and five influencers quadruple them. It’s crucial to network with influencers and develop relationships with them. Then, when you have an important piece of content you’d like to get seen, you can ask the influencers you know to share it.

4: Use Twitter’s Recommend Feature

Recommend is a new feature of Twitter’s tweet button that many people don’t pay attention to. After a visitor tweets an article from your blog, the window recommends they follow you on Twitter, if they don’t follow you already. This is an excellent way to grow your Twitter account, since people who just tweeted your article are likely to want to follow you. Look at the code of your tweet button and make sure the recommend field contains your Twitter username. To double-check you’ve set up the feature correctly, ask a friend to unfollow you on Twitter and then tweet an article from your blog. If the recommend field contains your Twitter username, you’re all set.

5: Repeat Article Tweets

According to a study by Wisemetrics, the second tweet of an article gets as much as 86% of the performance as the first tweet. Clearly the performance will fade with each new tweet, but considering your followers are probably in different time zones, you still need to tweet your most valuable content more than once. Your new followers will appreciate it, since the content will be new for them.

 

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Tips for Finding the Right Social Influencers for Your Brand

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With the powerful combination of social media and word-of-mouth, businesses from all over the world are changing how they market to consumers.

As marketers, our first instinct is to create contents or videos that would allow us engage with our target audience and persuade them to buy our products or avail our services. But today’s buyers are smart and savvy. They start losing interest the moment they realize that you are selling a product. One of the biggest keys to connecting with your target audience is leveraging influencers.

With thousands of bloggers and Youtube stars in your industry to choose from, finding the right influencer to partner with may seem like a daunting task. Find out how to choose the perfect influencers to inspire trust from your customers.

Content

This is the most important characteristic when targeting the right influencer for your brand. Read through the blogger’s posts and determine how aligned their contents are with your brand message.

In order to stay relevant, you need to determine the type of content your audience is interested in. Take a moment to browse through the influencer’s blog posts, infographics or videos. This will give you an idea if the influencer will be a good fit for your brand.

Engagement

Engagement indicates how active an influencer’s social community is. Do they share, respond or comment on his posts?

Just because someone talks about your product, doesn’t mean that you should get in touch with that persons and turn him into an advocate. Your goal is to find someone who talks about your products or services and are earning high levels of engagement.

Reach

Part of what makes a social influencer is the fact that they have a large following.

In order to determine whether or not this influencer will be a good representation for your brand, it would be best to define your target audience and compare them to your potential influencer’s audience. There’s no point in partnering with an influencer with 200,000 followers if their audience doesn’t align with yours.

 

 

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