Pinterest is one of the newest kids on the social media block, but in terms of visually powerful media, this one packs a punch. If you are creating products and want to connect with potential customers – even LOCAL ones — Pinterest may be the one for you. It’s an on-line pinboard for all your pics – interests, art, work, hobbies, you name it. You have to “request” an invite, but don’t worry. They’ll invite you.
This is the time to jump on Pinterest, too…it’s just ramping up and you can get on there and experiment. For content creators (read: marketing folks or entrepreneurs like you) — creating visuals that people want to tie their identity to is the fastest way to get things (read: your brand, your “stuff”) SHARED on-line. Create with community in mind.
A couple of cool tips about Pinterest: you can connect with people you’ve never met right in your local area. Search for your city and then connect – it’s that simple. On Facebook, actually knowing the people is the pre-requisite and the polite way to use that social site. Not so on Pinterest — if someone shares an interest or likes your pics (or “pins”) they can follow you and share what you have to offer.
Follow. Follow. Follow. Follow a lot of folks. Upload a lot of pics and drive people to your site to purchase or see more – or both. Really – it’s just that simple.
Some basics: my video today. Why do Pinterest?
[New Video] LinkedIn for Non-Networkers
July 30, 2012
SO many people say they don’t “do” LinkedIn but, frankly, I don’t get it….if you’re an entrepreneur, or if you’re a professional or, heck, if you want a JOB, it’s the perfect place to be.
Watch my latest video for a few tips on getting LinkedIn to work for you. And then — connect to me on LinkedIn and let me know what works for your business in the social media world – and what doesn’t. ‘kay?
Yes, I know…you have a LOT on your plate. And now, everyone says, “you HAVE to be on Facebook!” It’s enough to completely burn you out – or turn you off.
So – want to get on Facebook and use it correctly? Understand — Facebook is a marathon, not a sprint. With that in mind, check out the video. Stay tuned — at the end of the video, there are lots of HOW TO tips!! (p.s. especially if you own a restaurant!!)
Now – a challenge. Are you on Facebook? What works for you? Write me a note and share with the community – and here’s a bonus: best story wins a little Amazon.com gift card.
I know….yes, it’s still a debate in some parts – particularly in the one-man-band, overworked entrepreneur segment, that social media is optional. To that, I say — well, depends on your strategy.
Nonethless….ya win some, ya loose some. This weekend, I had a chat with a small business owner convinced…no, CONVINCED that because his kids loved social media, it must be completely irrelevant for his business (that is not a strategy discussed around marketing tables, but whutever). Even if you only argue with YOURSELF, sometimes we all need to understand WHY these tools (if used correctly) can help.
I don’t try to convince, but this one time, I really couldn’t help myself. Here’s what he said….and here’s what I said…..and see if it help YOU when you think about how to use social media sites to attract new clients to YOUR business. Stick around ’til the end…some VERY important information about YouTube that we will continue to build on this week.
The upshot? Not all social media is created equally. It depends on what you want to ACCOMPLISH. Not every business can use Facebook successfully for every purpose. Sometimes, LinkedIn makes the most sense. The point is: it’s about your strategy — and your customer.
In the next few days, we’ll talk about how to think about each of the social media options that are out there and how to decide if that tool will work for you.
If you’re a small business owner, then you probably are feeling a little overwhelmed by now. Especially if you hated marketing before – you probably REALLY hate it now.
You’re probably thinking: “Everyday, I have to blog, Tweet and LinkIn. Every day….day after day…and WHAT is it getting me?”
Well, how about a little secret that will perk you up?
Psst….everyone is overwhelmed. You are NOT alone.
A little better?
OK…maybe a few ways to keep your sanity from leaking out of your ears are in order.
1. Understand WHY you are marketing and to whom those messages are intended. (Focus) Yes, yes…..as we have often discussed, everything begins and ends with STRATEGY. Really, just a fancy word for the best (most effective) pathway to your ideal customer – how you are going to do it. If you are laser-focused on your target audience, you know EXACTLY who they are, what they need from you and what you want them to DO (do you want them to call you for more information? purchase your book on your website? Join a group?) then it will be easier to determine which social media tools will work best. Think of social media/marketing as breadcrumbs. They must lead your target to that ACTION. If you find the shortest distance to your ideal customer and make that path back to action crystal clear – touchdown!
2. Schedule Yourself – Pace Yourself. If focus is the theme – then patience is the sub-theme of this article. Do not fall victim to marketing from an emotional place or you will find yourself on a very fast treadmill. If you’re thinking you need to be Facebooking and mastering Twitter and understanding StumbleUpon all this morning, then you will quickly drown. As of this writing, there are at least 300 viable, valuable social media tools out there. I give you complete and total permission – in fact, I strongly recommend – that you take on each tool, one at a time, get comfortable, figure out it’s best use for YOUR business before you move on. Your client may not be found on Facebook so easily, but on LinkedIn, now that’s better! It’s very easy to get so swamped by all that’s coming at you – make your strategy, choose the tools that work, find your customer, insert yourself into the conversation. Rinse and repeat.
3. Tools of the Trade. There are plenty of tools out there that will help you manage all this social media marketing – for example, I am a fan of Hootsuite and Hubspot’s social media software. Some very smart people have lassoed the social media landscape into these tools to make things easier for you – don’t blow them off. Some are free – some are monthly subscription and some are more expensive. There are many more out there — and we will discuss others in the future – but for now, know there are tools out there that can help you make sure you are reaching out, engaging and making the best use of social media. As you dip your toes in, see what works – and don’t buy too much in the beginning. Just be patient with yourself and your progress.
4. Givers gain. (Now where have I heard that before…hmmmm) This is more of a reminder to you as to why social media is needed in the first place — and a motivating factor when the grind of Tweeting gets too much. When you are engaging your ideal customer, you are giving. “Engaging” is the heart and soul of social media – it’s not TELLING, is conversing. It’s now all about TWO-way conversation – which is why it’s more time consuming. Giving — your knowledge, your expertise — is only helpful if you are listening first. What does your ideal client need from you? Giving of yourself, giving of your knowledge may seem like a random act in that not EVERY SINGLE person who benefits from your largesse will purchase. However, if you are crafting your social media STRATEGY correctly, a percentage of them WILL. And some of them will buy A LOT – and recommend you to others. Right back to that 80-20 rule….just like ol’ times.
P.S. The world is changing – and business is changing and the truth is, there’s not much choice but to jump on board or be left behind. The key is: focus and pace yourself. The benefits will show themselves, sometimes in surprising ways.
Exactly what IS Really Great Content?
May 10, 2012
The word (or the concept) of “great content” is becoming kind of a buzzword. And when something becomes a “buzzword,” it kind of looses it’s meaning. Or it’s meaning takes on lots of new definitions and connotations that may or may not be helpful.
In terms of your blog/website, and for our purposes here, all we care about is the “great” part. Truly GREAT content has a level of expertise to it, and a mix of experience and know-how that combines together in a magical new way: it’s infused with your very own special sauce. This is great content.
The question you have to ask yourself is this.
“Is my content good enough to get shared? And if so, are high quality experts sharing my content right now?”
- How often is your content (blog posts, articles, videos, etc..) shared?
- Who shared your content? Do they also have expertise in my area?
- How many comments did your content generate?
- Were the comments on your content of high-quality?
- How often is your content endorsed? (i.e. – +1, Like, Pinned)
- Do the same people always endorse your content?
BUT…there is an even MORE important consideration. The REASON they share it is YOU.
When you go to create your content, it’s not enough just to put up the same old tired tips that you see EVERYWHERE (and I mean everywhere these days), you have to add your own special brand. Brand YOU.
If the keys are authenticity and value, then what turns the key in the lock is YOU. Your personal brand. There are thousands – maybe millions – of dentists, movers, engineers, marketing pros, and Tarot visionaries out there – the only thing that will differentiate your content from that of those others is what YOU bring to the table.
YOU are what raises the bar. YOU are what’s going to differentiate what you are saying from all others.
Now, get started.
The Importance of Video on Your Blog
May 8, 2012
There’s a couple of cool things about using video in your blog: not only are people more likely to watch it than read a ton of dense text, video actually affords you lots of creative opportunity to bring information to your “readers” in compelling (and memorable) ways.
Check out these stats……
- Visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not, according to Internet Retailer, April 2010. (via Invodo)
- From a study by Simply Measured, video on your brand’s Facebook Timeline increases engagement by 33%. (via VatorNews)
- According to a Google report from 2010, “Video exhibits higher click-through rates than non-video for both in-page as well as expanding rich media formats.”
- Ever since Google integrated video into its universal search offering in 2007, websites featuring video have gained a significant SEO advantage. When a company integrates relevant videos that match the content of its website, search engines find and index the video within the site’s context. This improves your overall website and video search ranking as it relates to your business’ keywords, and also allows search results to be presented with matching videos, making them more appealing, thereby increasing search-based traffic. (SearchEngine Land)
It’s not what you have, it’s what you DO with it. ;-)
April 11, 2012
Now, where have I heard THIS before…. “it’s not what you have, it’s what you do with it that counts.” Oh, true…so true.
We’re talking about SOCIAL MEDIA, people. Settle down.
By now, I think most of us understand that just putting up a Facebook page or checking Twitter once in a while is not going to bring your business any benefit. You have to know how to use it – and share with others in the sandbox – to really make social media relevant to your business.
So….how can you do that without eating up tons of time in development and execution? Here’s my top 5 tips….
1. Be relevant. First, you have to know who you want to talk to and WHY. Just knowing you have customers and clients is simply not enough anymore. You have to know something about them and why they would want to seek you out. When you figure this out, it will be a lot easier to address their concerns, offer information and share with them – and that approach will, in turn, grow loyalty and grow referrals.
2. Be consistent. Ya gotta show up. Every week, every day. Pick the days of the week you will blog – and do it the same time, the same day EVERY week. This consistency will also build trust – and people will start realizing your there to help and be a reliable source of information for them. This is very valuable to clients and customers at this stage in our consumer evolution.
3. Be giving. By giving I mean this: give of yourself, your expertise, your knowledge. Sharing some of what you know is not going to keep people from coming to you as paying clients. In fact, the opposite is true. If you give freely, this will only serve to cement you in their pantheon of “go to pros” when they are ready to spend money. Have a little patience – it will pay off big time.
4. Be transparent. Transparency = authenticity. The social media landscape is very solidly customer-driven. Transparency in all things is king. If you can be open handed about how you do business, what you recommend, how you deal with adversity and in general, with clients and colleagues, this will also rank high among those presently kicking your tires.
5. Be helpful. Answer questions. Seek out conversations on all social media outlets that may relate to your business. Don’t worry that the person may be out of your market or out of your league — if you know an answer and can provide information, do it. You never know how it will come back to you – but trust that it will.
Stuck for content ideas? Check out this list….
April 3, 2012
We all get stuck once in a while….stumped. Utterly devoid of ideas. Especially when it comes to Facebook. Heck, even with our personal pages, we can sometimes lack for ideas. SO – to help rattle those good ideas out of you – how about keep a little checklist of these prompts? These are for those rainy days when you just don’t have a good idea…enjoy….
1. Pictures. Pictures, images and photo albums are rather popular with the fans. How does this generate likes? People are visual….that’s why Pinterest is becoming so big. An example? One of the top five Intel Facebook posts of 2011 wasn’t even technically a post; it was the photo album featuring images of new Intel museum in Santa Clara. The post was liked over 17,000 times and with over 1,000 comments.
2. Fill in the blank. Let fans share their own perspective with you. Example would be “I love cupcakes because _____” Believe it or not…this is one of the best performing posts. Please…make it relevant to your business or your industry 
’nuff said.
3. Questions. Asking fans to share their story or point of view is one of the most effective ways to increase engagement on your page. Though simple, this type of post is often overlooked by community managers. “Real or fake?” “What do you think?” “What is your story?”
4. Trivia. Your real brand fans as well as those who are not very well acquainted with your company would appreciate a little bit of trivia or sharing of historical company facts. This is a great one – especially if your company has a long history (or storied past).
5. Quotes. People love quotes. Use them! OK – but let’s make ‘em funny or in-keeping with your messaging strategy….
6. Videos. This one is a no-brainer. Videos, especially the unusual or funny ones, are always welcomed by fans. Rich media like pictures and videos are also one of the most shared formats on Facebook.
7. Celebrate milestones and say thank you. Did you reach an important milestone? Celebrate with the fans! When you reach 1,00o LIKES or you receive overwhelming response to a contest, THANK them!!
8. Call to action. If you want your content shared or your posts to be liked or commented on, ask! Simple “Like [or share] this post if you agree” or “What do you think?” would do the trick. However, use it sparingly.
9. Offer interesting challenges. Quizzes or trivia questions might be interesting to your fans.
10. Polls. Want to know something? Ask your fans! And if you run out of ideas or if your content calendar suffers from the “boring bug” just ask your fans what they would like to see on the page and deliver on their expectations.
And whatever you do, don’t automate your posts. Show your fans you care enough about this community to create a custom message specifically for them every day.
mary jo cranmore
