Archive for the 'Social Media' Category
November 1st, 2009, 10:00 am by Jon Lansner
Remember email, the once hot-new-thing in communications and marketing? Charles Harris of Coast 2 Coast Experts in Irvine — who’s done marketing for the likes of the Anaheim Ducks and Experian — had a few thoughts …
A client’s email marketing campaigns had problems. Specifically, the client was not happy with the open rates – better known as, “how many people who actually received the email and took the time to open it.” They were turning to us for help in “fixing the problem”.
This is a pretty common occurrence for businesses and organizations today. More leaders know they need to take the plunge with online marketing, search and social media. However, they do not yet have all the skills to manage the process. In any medium you must first listen before you run. By having a small open rate, the clients message was not being heard. Consider these tips:
- Listen, really, listen to what your current customers needs are.
- Also, listen to what is being said in the online marketplace. What are the trends, issues and opportunities?
- Master the technology you are using and make it work for you. Don’t start using something because it is the flavor of the month
- Measure, measure, measure. The days are over that you produce work and hope for the best. Benchmark your efforts and track all impact. From driving visitors to your web site to orders or engagement. You need to benchmark and measure a campaign’s effectiveness.
- Experiment. Try new ways to improve your results. We are in an age when everyone is learning. I have not seen a definitive book about “How To …” for everything online. Tweak this — and move that — in order to find your best chances for success.
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Posted in: Social Media • Charles Harris • email • marketing | Post a Comment »
November 1st, 2009, 9:00 am by Jon Lansner
 LinkedIn is the “professional” social networking tool, with a decidedly corporate edge. Neal Schaffer (@nealschaffer) is an Orange County social media strategist who blogs on the topic at windmillnetworking.com and is author of the new book, “Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn.” We at sOCial sunday thought he could clue us in …
LinkedIn is a huge database of 50+ million professionals which includes an executive from every Fortune 500 company and has a demographic with an average household income of $100,000+. But are you maximizing your presence there? Here are 5 simple strategies to build your LinkedIn pipeline:
- Be Found: LinkedIn is as much about finding others as it is about being found. Make sure that your professional profile is completely filled out with the keywords in which you want to be found. Since you never know where your next lead will come from, so make sure you allow your former classmates and colleagues as well as new potential clients to find you.
- Troll Answer Boards: This is where businesspeople with real problems are looking for solutions. Yes, spam and unrelated questions are on these Answers boards, so follow the categories most applicable to your industry to filter out the noise. Consider subscribing to the RSS Feed as well.
- Join Groups Where Your Customers Are: These are communities where there are Discussions, News and Jobs posting. But it is also a chance for you to start participating in discussions and developing relationships. Do it.
- Advertise Your Events For Free: Similar to Facebook Events, LinkedIn also has an Events application. It is one of the few viral marketing things that are possible on LinkedIn. An “Event” can be anything, so even if you don’t have an event planned, why not be creative, sign up for a free Go2Meeting account, and try hosting a webinar on whatever subject matter your are expert in? Sharing your expertise in social media is one of the most important investments you can make.
- Profile Your Company: Does your company have a Company Profile? The LinkedIn Companies database has unique functionality that the free version of Hoovers doesn’t have, so make sure you register your company and be found. It’s free and even a sole proprietorship can have a profile, so long as you have an email address with a registered domain.
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Posted in: Social Media • LinkedIn • Neal Schaffer | 1 Comment »
November 1st, 2009, 7:30 am by Jon Lansner
 Puzzled by Twitter’s deep and instantaneous pool of information? sOCial sunday asked PR person Rochelle Veturis (@rochelleveturis) of LPA architects in Irvine to ponder Twitter!
With the addition of Twitter Lists this week, it made me think about some of the other tools people use to make their Twitter experience more organized and enjoyable. A few of the tools in mine include HootSuite, TwitterGrader, TwitPic, and AllTop … although there are many, many more.
So what’s in your toolbox? Share them in the comments below.
Top 10 Articles of the Week — Mined exclusively from Twitterville
- 12 Awesome social media Halloween pumpkin carvings http://bit.ly/2eU3FM via @10000Words
- I know you’re wondering, “What are the top 100 lists on Twitter?” There you go: http://bit.ly/1CMF02 via @leeodden
- Don’t Feed The Trolls http://ow.ly/x0nW via @unmarketing
- Use Client Comments in Your Content Marketing http://bit.ly/jd7vs via @vincelove
- How brands can use Twitter lists via @dan360man http://bit.ly/3vols
- Best Twitter overnight success story ever? @FakeAPStylebook: 33,000 followers, listed 1,467 times. Days on Twitter: 10 via @mediabistro
- Top 10 Ways Freelance Writing is Like Working Out http://bit.ly/1K1YFX via @debng
- 10 Essential Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter http://bit.ly/1dt5CL via @mashable
- How low can you go? Newspaper circulation continues to drop http://bit.ly/4qqSUH via @journalistics
- Study: Educating Your Customers About the Web Could Make Them Smarter http://hub.tm/?BCfoz via @hubspot
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[ MORE: TWITTER | QUESTIONS | JON | REAL ESTATE ]
Posted in: Social Media • Best Bits • Rochelle Veturis | Post a Comment »
October 25th, 2009, 1:02 pm by Jon Lansner
Maples Communications in Mission Viejo offers businesses a “Free Social Media Makeover!” Since that means telling folks what they’re doing wrong with their online conversations, we at sOCial sunday figured we’d get Maples to tell us 8 big social media mistakes businesses are making …
- Inconsistent brand identities: The ease in which companies can set up social media properties has led to multiple brand identities on multiple sites. This problem is even worse for large companies with many different departments if those departments don’t communicate with each other. This confuses the end user and makes it harder for them to get the information they are looking for rather than making it easier. It also fragments your company’s audience.
- Failing to engage: Many times the fans/customers of certain brands will self-congregate online — independent of the company — yet many companies do not engage or reach out to them. By simply responding to a Tweet with a “Thank you”, replying to a Facebook wall post, or commenting on a blog, companies can build their image, engage their customers, and learn more about what their customers want.
- Confusing selling with engaging: A recent study by Citibank indicated that 76% small business owners felt that they were not getting business leads from social media sites. This isn’t because the leads aren’t out there, it is because the companies dare trying to force traditional marketing and sales into the world of social media rather than taking the time to listen and learn what their customers want.
- Campaignitis: Traditional marketing is rooted in the idea of “campaigns” that have a set budget, a set beginning, and a set end. Social media is an ongoing process that never ends. You can use campaigns within your social media program, but they are just a small part of the bigger picture.
- Failing to appreciate fans: Many times companies will look at their existing fan base that have self-congregated and ask “how can we get more fans” instead of reaching out to those they already have. One of the best ways to “get more fans” isn’t to force yourself on them. If your company treats the fans it already has well, it will result in those fans bringing in more.
- Blatant SEO begging: People using social media are not stupid. Most are early adopters who are ahead of the curve. So when an organization launches a campaign for its members to create videos, or submit photos, all using the organization as a tag or keyword, those members know they are being used to create search engine optimization for the organization. Can have a big backlash if members take offense.
- Attempting to control the conversation: Companies hate losing control of what is being said about them for fear of negative things being said. What these companies don’t realize is those negative things are already being said, just without them being involved. Give up control and respond accordingly to the conversations taking place.
- Giving up before you can succeed: Some firms try social media in small amounts, then claim no return-on-investment. This is before they’ve researched their audience and devised a strategy to meet realistic business goals.
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Posted in: Social Media • Maples Communications | 2 Comments »
October 25th, 2009, 11:58 am by Jon Lansner
At the recent BlogWorld in Vegas, your sOCial sunday blogger Jon Lansner ran into old pal (in social media years) Dan Honigman (@dan360man), creator of the popular @coloneltribune Twitter persona for the Chicago Tribune who now is getting paid by some ad agency.
Dan’s a big fan of “lifestreaming,” which is, well, we’re not sure. But it’s some social media craze, popularized by the posterus.com Web site.
Thanks to the good people from the Utah Valley University (Go Wolverines!) — who were supplying podcasting tips and technology at BlogWorld — we could corner Honigman for an interview. In the first edition of the Kevin Sablan Show (minus @ksablan; it’s a long story), you can hear the scoop on what “lifestreaming” may actually be.
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Posted in: Social Media • Dan Honigman • Jon • lifestreaming | 1 Comment »
October 25th, 2009, 11:00 am by Jon Lansner
Puzzled by Twitter’s deep and instantaneous pool of information? sOCial sunday asked PR person Rochelle Veturis (@rochelleveturis) of LPA architects in Irvine to ponder Twitter!
The 80/20 rule –we’ve all heard it. Where 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your efforts. It’s a simple formula, yet many find it hard to weed out the time wasters and focus solely on tasks which yield results. With Twitter especially, the results can be varied. Examples include, building and caring for new relationships, listening, gathering market research, engaging in conversations, following members of the media or news as it happens, or growing your influence with followers who adore you.
I love this saying, “Dig the well before you’re thirsty.” It’s the same with Twitter and the other social platforms. Field of Dreams style, build it and they will come. Set specific intentions, and you’ll accomplish them. Be mindful of what you’re doing and where you’re spending your time. When it’s no longer fun, take a break, turn the computer off and get out and enjoy life.
Top 10 Articles of the Week — Mined exclusively from Twittertown
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[ MORE: TWITTER | QUESTIONS | JON | REAL ESTATE ]
Posted in: Social Media • Best Bits • Rochelle Veturis | Post a Comment »
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Here’s some noteworthy thoughts gleaned from the “#140conf” — a Twitter fest dubbed “Exploring the State of Now” — last week at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater …
