Archive for the ‘Web 2.o’ Category

Social Marketing Strategies that Work

I was recently asked, “What single component makes a social media strategy outstanding?” Really the answer is very simple. However, who cares is you are effective in your social marketing strategy if you aren’t reaching the right people with the right message?

The key to any successful social marketing is to socialize the right people. The more targeted your efforts the better your results. Another consideration is that if you are making the wrong offers to groups or users with no interest you are perceived a spammer. If you are making offers and never “GIVING” any value you are perceived a spammer as well.

You can use a message across numerous groups and networks if you custom tailor it to meet the needs of that group. You might have a audio book on diffusing angry people and choose to write an article excerpt from the audio book. You can rewrite the article with keywords and solutions specific to certain groups. In example if writing to the Customer service alliance you would want to change the words in your manuscript to match. Instead of, “an angry supervisor raises his voice,” you might write, “a first time customer raises his voice.” By being very specific your writing seems more relevant and valuable.

All that being said; the most important component in any social marketing strategy is to socialize. Make sure you engage your network just as you would face to face. Ask questions, answer questions and share. The more conversational you are the more your network will warm up to you. As they warm up you build trust and credibility.

 I recommend you make a 5 minute daily commitment:

1.  Spend 2.5 minutes to check you updates and reply to any that are relevant and for which you have feedback. You should do this on both Facebook and Linkedin if appropriate and you have time.
2. Spend 2.5 minutes to browse your group’s discussions and comment when appropriate.

You can answer questions, agree, disagree and add you own additional advice and tips where appropriate. The key is to engage the network and have a conversation. Conversational networking is the best way to build trust, rapport and credibility. These will contribute to trust and help you close more sales and build strong leads.

Make sure your posts are branded and contain contact or website URL information so readers can learn more about you. I learned a long time ago that the reader may not be diligent about finding my profile and links but if they are in a post that caught their interest they are very likely to follow the link and explore my site to get to know me better.

Bill “thebuilder” is available for keynotes, seminars and custom tailored training that is guaranteed to build your business momentum. Just call or email for available dates.

937-935-6789 or charles@charlesspeaks.com

Social Media Team

As you begin implementing social media into your business growth strategy it is critical that you choose and prepare your team. A solid social media team strategy includes team members from three groups. You need to consider customers and connections as a part of your team and strategize their involvement. You should also include your employees and the value they may be able to add to your social media campaign. Finally you should consider third party team members. These may include writers, consultants and coaches. These experts can assist you in developing and keeping your social media campaign fresh and interesting.

Three simply components will help you get the most out of your effort while building a solid and well defined campaign.

Begin with solid and clear policies. A social media policy should define acceptable and unacceptable use and guidelines for use. Here are some bases you need to cover:

• Define who can and cannot access social media from the office. Often employees assume that social sites are open to all and are a free for all because the company has a social media presence.
• Define what can and cannot be shared on social networks.
• Designate time expectations and limitations.
• Appoint a social media officer to police and govern your social media.
• Establish guidelines for dialoguing with users who may post positive or negative content about your brand.

Plan campaigns and events that build on your social media presence. Companies that get the best results from social media act more like party planners than marketers. Events can be virtual or actual events hosted for your social connections.

Finally establish a content management strategy. Probably the most important component of a successful social media strategy is relevant content. It is not only important to provide high quality content. You must keep your content fresh. Rehashing what everyone is saying sin not fresh. Ask employees to share, the varied writing styles can add interest and perspective that attracts a wider audience. You can also get third party experts to contribute to your content by doing audio interviews or welcoming their articles with the incentive of posting their contact information for all of your readers. Joint ventures make it easier to keep your content fresh and build relationships that work to grow your network. Your content management strategy should include the following:

• What to post
• When to post
• Who will post
• How to post (written, audio, video & other media)

Making your social media campaign a team effort will greatly increase your results and make it easier to manage.

Traditional websites just don’t pull their own weight. Times have changed, people have changed and your marketing methods must compensate. Web 2.0 is not a passing fad. Web 2.0 works for very specific reasons.

First and perhaps the most important is the very nature of people. We are naturally social and desire transparency. Web 2.0 gives us the freedom to get to know and be known by those we do business with. We are more comfortable buying when we are familiar with our options and the service provider.

The second reason Web 2.0 has worked so well is the fact that just as we are naturally social we tend to be skeptical because of bad experiences. It is easier to do business when we believe we can trust. Web 2.o empowers customers with customer feedback, sampling our products and services, familiarizing with our business model and convenient support.

Finally, Web 2.0 empowers us to reach a much larger number of prospects in less time with less effort. Because we can automate responses and share vast amounts of information we can build relationships with prospects over time through ongoing engagement. Web 2.0 solutions enable a business of any size to reach, engage and eventually convert more customers with little to no expense other than time. Time spent can be very little if the tools are used right.

It is not uncommon for the sales process to take a little longer online. So don’t expect immediate gains. However, if you continue to engage and create value for your web 2.0 site visitors you will start seeing results soon. I recommend using at least four social media solutions.

1. LinkedIn
2. YouTube
3. Twitter
4. Blogging

We have developed a package solution that any business can implement. You can have a strong Web 2.0 presence online in as little as one week including all of the above tools. You package includes a complete marketing campaign. Here is what you get:

• Brand analysis
• A Web 2.0 CUTTING EDGE Web Site that is Search Engine optimized and easy to manage
• Lead Capture system to ensure you capture as many visitors as possible
• Branded YouTube Channel (including 2 free HD video recordings)
• Branded LinkedIn Profile
• Branded Twitter Profile
• 4 hours of training to get you started
• Marketing optimized Web site Graphic design to make you brand look good
• 30 days no cost email support

Whether you have no website at all or have seen little or no results from your traditional website this proven solution is for you. It is not uncommon for a static website without all the needed tools to succeed to cost thousands of dollars. If you have been using free hosting or cheap web site solutions because you didn’t think you could budget better. Now you can.

All of this is only $1200 and your site will be functional within 21 days.