St Louis Web Marketing

Posts Tagged ‘social media’

From dipping their toes into the water with a low-investment campaign to diving off the cliff, today many nonprofits are actively exploring social media. But a common problem many non-profits face is that they blindly leap into social media without implementing a strategy. Without a well created strategy, there is no way to measure your online efforts. This leaves the non-profits at a loss to justify their investment of time, money and resources, or reap valuable insights to improve their efforts. Whether you measure social media success based on how many new volunteers you recruit, the number of sponsorships or donations, the dialogue shared among your online community, or the influx in web traffic, fans and followers, it is vital to measure your results against clear marketing objectives, just as you would with any Internet marketing campaign.

When starting a social media campaign for you non-profit, remember: a simple, yet powerful mission and message can take a campaign far. Non-profits on social networking sites should set goals, update consistently, become a part of the conversation, build community and create value. Without a clear vision and well thought out strategy, it is difficult to encourage an audience to participate. If the time and energy are strategically spent to create a social community, others will help spread your message and your desired results will come.

The social media space provides the non-profit sector with the opportunity to connect and collaborate quickly and inexpensively, and without the help of big company sponsorships. Many non-profits are leveraging social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, to connect with their supporters online by crowdsourcing ideas, providing feedback and monitoring conversations regarding their organization.

According to Stacey  Monk, Founder and CEO of Epic Change, “Social media is making change possible. With social media, we’re able to hear totally new voices, who might not have had access to mainstream channels, which represents a real shift in power, and where change can originate.”

Recenlty The Net impact, an online interactive agency, teamed with St. Louis based non-profit, the Karla Smith Foundation to help build online aware for their campaign event with BringChange2Mind, a non-profit superheaded by award-winning actress Glenn Close that works to combat the stigma of mental illness. KSF and BringChange2Mind combined forces to host an unprecedented mental health awareness and anti-stigma event, “Change a Mind, Change a Life”, in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Karla Smith Foundation was in need of a strategy to build online buzz around the event and direct traffic to the event website. To quickly and effectively generate awareness around the campaign, The Net Impact worked closely with the Karla Smith Foundation to create the website, www.changeamind.org, for the highly anticipated event. In order to direct traffic to the website and create online awareness, The Net Impact implemented a social media marketing strategy for the campaign, which included a strong presence on Twitter and Facebook. The KSF social networking sites were updated daily with exciting news regarding the event, such as notices of upcoming media appearances, videos and pictures, and sponsorship information. The KSF Facebook and Twitter continued to see steady growth in fans and followers as well an increase in the level of fan engagement in the weeks leading up to the event.

As a result of the social media marketing campaign, KSF was provided with the opportunity to share valuable information with their existing community, increase interest around their event, catch the attention of local media, build their brand awareness and attract new fans and followers to get involved with their organization. Most importantly, the KSF Facebook page now serves as a platform for their online community to share personal experiences and give valuable feedback in real time.

In conclusion, while many non-profits still have a long way to go, the integration of social media in their marketing efforts can help these organizations meet and exceed many different goals. Social  media is a platform that allows people to participate in a conversation about what they think, feel and care about, making social media and excellent space for the non-profit sector to continue to explore.

How do you grade your social media? Is it by the number of fans or followers you have? A common mistake that many internet marketers are guilty of is believing that a successful social media campaign is based on the quantity of followers you have. Just like your website, driving traffic and increasing visitors to your website is important, but keeping the users there and  improving conversion is key to a successful social media campaign. Within your social media practices you must find a way to keep your fans engaged.

Below are tips to keeping your fans engaged:

1.    Be Transparent
Transparency is how the community feeling is formed. Being transparent in social media is letting others inside of your organization and showing the side of you that makes everyone feel a little more comfortable in their own skin.

2.    Treat your Fans like a Customer
If you are participating in social media, you have taken on the responsibility of putting your business in social media. While you think that facebook and twitter are all fun and games, your customers are using this as a personal medium to discuss real things with you. Treat each and every fan as if they were a customer in the store, on the phone, etc.
3.    Treat your fans every once in awhile
Your fans are your best marketing tool. Make sure you are paying them accordingly. Offer them free stuff or exclusive invitations. Sure, some people enjoy talking because they like the sound of their own voice. But if you want something well thought out that will attract others, offer your fans a prize and they will take off from there.

4.    Be an expert in your industry
If you are only posting coupon codes and sales promotions, fans will become bored and annoyed quickly. Show them that you know everything there is to know about your industry, which includes posting interesting articles and promoting events. Soon your followers will turn to you for your expert opinion and know that you are who they can trust when it comes to what you do.

Its official! The Holiday season has begun. Get ready for battling for a parking space, never ending coupon codes and e-mail blasts galore. But, will new trends like smart phones and social media affect the way people shop? Sure, online holiday shopping is nothing new and either is Facebook, Twitter or cell phones, but as these digital forces continue to get stronger, there are sure to be some changes in retail trends.

Facebook and Twitter users are growing at a rapid pace and so are the features that they offer. This year it seems like doing holiday shopping via social media sites is extremely convenient and beneficial to the consumer. Facebook allows you to fan your favorite brands and see what kind of deals they have going on without ever leaving Facebook. Twitter’s trending topics helps you stay in the know, as well as be on top of the hot gift ideas. As published by Emarkter, 27% of online shoppers will turn to social networks for gift ideas and 45% will use social networks to research items, compare prices, and look for offers.

Smart phones really benefit the bargain shopper. With a browser on your cell phone you can be browsing the ads to your favorite store or be holding a product in your hand in one store, but be checking the price of it at another. iPhone has an unbelievable $1.99 application that allows you to scan a product barcode and it will look to find a better price somewhere else.  During the holidays people are always out to get the best deal and smart phones make price research easy on the go.

Whether you do your Holiday shopping online or in-store, digital media provides you with the tools you need to get the best gift ideas and deals.

If you’re a retailer, take this information and run with it. This is not the end of the social media trend. Get your facebook page up to date with custom pages and post deals on a daily basis. Participate in Twitter and blogs, this is how you get your name into those trending topics.  And, make sure your website is capable for all browsers (even cell phones).

Keep an eye out for more posts about social media and search engine marketing during the holidays. If you need any assistance in these areas, contact The Net Impact.

You’ve done your research and you know that it’s time for you to integrate social media into your marketing campaign. You’ve got your whole team on board and excited for the new changes, except for that one person. That person is probably a little old fashioned, probably one of those that claimed the internet is just a fad. That person is probably very passionate about their job and doesn’t feel comfortable taking a risk like social media without some proof that it will benefit the company. That person may have some questions that you don’t have the answers to. Here are the answers to some common questions and concerns that an anti-social media employee may have.
How are we even going to get followers?
Adding links from your webpage and to your email template, asking your viewers to “Follow us on Twitter”, “Become a Fan on Facebook”, and “Subscribe to our Blog” is an easy way to let the people that you are already in contact with know they can keep in touch on a more casual level by adding you to their social network.  This will not only increase your number of fans, but it will increase the quality of fans. Also, Facebook’s news feed feature allows friends of followers to see that your company has a  fan page. The more friends your followers have, the more people that are being exposed to your fan page.

Being a part social networking communities increases your brand’s exposure through each outlet. Someone may first come across your blog, which directs them to your site, where they can become a friend on Facebook, and they can then receive a coupon to use in store.

What if someone posts something negative about our company?
Negativity can be out there whether or not you take part in social media. However, by supplying the outlet for negative comments, you are providing a secure and manageable space. You are able to respond to a negative remark and turn it to a positive. It has been proven that negative publicity that has not been addressed tends to remain negative and spread like wildfire. Negative comments that are addressed and mended quickly are appreciated and make for great publicity. Here is a great example of a negative comment turned into a positive.

Without social media, this great publicity would have never been seen and maybe the Zappos would have never been able to address this person complaint in the first place.
There are more questions and concerns that “that person” may have. Check back for Part 2 as I discuss how to quantify exposure and how to create your campaign if you have a brick and mortar store rather than online purchases.

Flickr has become one of the most popular image sharing sites and currently hosts more than 4 billion images. Flickr is such an easy way to store photos, share them with family and friends, and even enhance traffic to your website.

How does Flickr drive traffic to my site?

Just like any other form of social media, Flickr is a great tool that sends traffic exactly where you direct it. Placing images on Flickr can be just as beneficial as uploading videos to YouTube. However, just like your YouTube videos, blogs, and tags, uploading images to Flickr is only beneficial if you optimize your images.

How do you optimize images for Flickr?

• Give your image a descriptive title.
• After you upload your photos, be sure to add tags. Tags are the keywords that describe your image. Be sure to use tags that you think people are searching for.
• Give a quality description with searched keywords. Be sure to always begin the description with your sites URL. This is an easy way to remind viewers where to go next.
• Create thematic sets. Try to organize your photos in to the proper set so there are even more contextual clues provided to the search engine crawlers.

Seems simple right? That’s because it is. Flickr provides you with the space you need to upload your photos and provide the tools for optimization. Be sure to check your Google Analytics Account and see just how many visitors you start getting from Flickr.

Will the growing popularity of social media sites end the need for a website?

Absolutely not. The real time attribute of social media is something that your website can not contribute to the online community. However, your website still offers so much more than any social site can match. The Net Impact, a web marketing company in St. Louis, agrees that social media is an important enhancement to online presence, but not the sole contributor.

“Think of social networks as a friendly gateway to your company website or microsite. Seeding your site with social networks spreads content far and wide through search engines, as well as through contacts who are already a part of your social networking communities – places where rapport has already been established. People tend to share their experiences, good or bad, with their social networking communities – people they have built a connection with. So find out where your audience’s conversations are taking place and establish a strong presence. When social media sites are operated effectively they have the power to steer your audience to your website, resonate with your visitors, humanize your brand and deliver content to the masses in the click of a mouse.”

Social media is what brings the online community full circle. Linking your facebook posts to Twitter, your YouTube videos to Facebook, your RSS Feed to microsites, and so on. The key is that all of these should ultimately link back to your website and drive desirable traffic. Social Media is important, very important, but without a website your brand would be running around in circles. Social media is growing rapidly, but your website shouldn’t be going anywhere.

Businesses are shifting their budgets and strategies from traditional advertising and jumping on the Social Media bandwagon. Can you blame them? This is where the industry is headed and where money is being made. However, just because it is the trend, it doesn’t mean that you are prepared to jump on quite yet. Here is a checklist to help you decide if you are ready to be participating in social media:

• Do you know what you want from social media? Are you looking for more leads, traffic, conversions, or brand awareness?  Are you trying to build a better relationship with current customers or reach a new market? The sooner you understand what you want to achieve from using social media, the sooner you will be able to build a better social media strategy.  Just like your mother said “if everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would you jump too”?  You should know your reasons and goals for social media before you “jump off the bridge”.
• What kind of social media do you have in mind? People just assume that social media is Facebook and Twitter. Those are two great social media sites that can help out your business, but don’t forget about blog rolls, media sharing sites like YouTube and Flickr, and directory sites. Social media is a large pond, so you must be prepared to jump all in and not just wet your toes.
• How will you encourage participation? Talking to a wall isn’t exactly entertaining or useful whatsoever. If you are using social media, but do not have a strategy for encouraging participation, that is basically what you are doing. The wonderful thing about social media is that it allows interactions and a casual interface for conversation about your brand. You must embrace this gift or social media is pretty pointless for your business.
• Do you have the resources to maintain your accounts? Social media can be very time consuming and will absorb many of your resources. You should have a person, team, or company designated to maintain your social media accounts.  They should be there to post real time updates and interact with your followers.  With out the proper resources you may find yourself overwhelmed or dragging behind in your campaign.

So you are ready to jump on the band wagon as well and begin your social media campaign. Check out The Net Impact for assistance in your social media efforts.

So you’ve got your Facebook and Twitter accounts set up for your business.  They are synchronized for a convenient post to both outlets. You’re ready to tell the world about your brand through the all fabulous social media. But, what do you write? And more importantly, what is acceptable to post?

There is such as thing as Social Media Etiquette and it is important for you to follow the guidelines. You and whoever is going to be posting on behalf of your company or brand should be well aware of what is and is not acceptable to post via Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media outlet.

Here are a few guidelines that should be followed and please feel free to expand to better suit you and your business.

• Never represent yourself or your company in a negative way
• Never represent yourself or your company in a false or misleading way
• Be sure to post meaningful, respectful comments. No spam, off topic, or offensive remarks
• Do not violate any company privacy, confidentiality, and/or legal guidelines

Finally, the golden rule that is most important in terms of public relations and protecting your brand:

• Remember that not only do you represent the name under which you are posting, but you represent your company/brand as well

The internet is fast paced and unforgivable. If someone sees a remark that they are not happy with, it can be “retweeted” to thousands in seconds. Users have the option to click away from your page faster than you can say “Facebook” if they see one thing they are not satisfied. Realistically you have milliseconds to grasp your audience, keep them there, and keep them content.

With all of this said, please be selective in choosing who you give administrative rights to for your social media accounts. Social media is apart of a free world, so be sure to monitor your employees and what they are saying to the public. The easiest way of keeping the peace is by distributing guidelines to anyone you think may be using social media on behalf of your company or brand.

Now get to posting…

Facebook has got it all and it is no surprise that users spent an average of five hours and 12 minutes on Facebook in July, 2009. With all of the applications, friends, fans, and photos, there is still one thing missing from Facebook that even Twitter has.

And it is as easy @ b c…

Soon enough, that will not be a problem. Facebook just introduced the ability to tag your friends in your status update. Much like Twitter’s @mention, you will be able to direct a message through your status to any of your contacts. Not only can you tag your friends to your status, but you will able to tag groups, events, applications, and pages.

Capturing one of Twitter’s best features, Facebook is making it even easier to have a public conversation. Fans are sure to love the new feature and it could mean good news for businesses as well. Brands that have created pages, but are having a hard time getting noticed can reach out to their fans in a more direct way. On top of that, fans will be able to tag their favorite pages as well. Soon we will be seeing status updates that read Joe Shmoe: is eating McDonalds and drinking a Coke.  With easy linking to fan pages, this new element is going to be driving so much traffic to sites that users may have not stumbled upon otherwise.

While users and brands should be ecstatic about Facebook’s new feature, Twitter is probably pouting in the corner. This move takes away the need of Twitter for some people and gives them everything they could need on Facebook. If Twitter plans to continue to compete with Facebook it will need some new features, and soon.

More updates on Facebook and other Social Media soon…