Erik Qualman's Blog, page 592
August 8, 2014
August 7, 2014
How to Stand Out on Twitter
Every day on Twitter, more than 500 million tweets are sent. That translates to about 5,700 tweets every second, according to the social media site. That’s a lot of 140-character tweets floating around. Furthermore, that’s also a lot of competition to grab the attention of other users. To make your tweets stand out from the crowd you’re going to need to do more than just include trending hashtags in your character count.
In fact, hashtags aren’t necessarily going to be the driving force behind making your Twitter accounts unique. That’s because, while hashtags are one way to attract new followers, that’s what so many people already do. Meaning it’s still easy to get lost in the shuffle.
Additionally, while one of your end goals for your Twitter marketing may be to grow your number of followers, that’s not what you should be focusing on. Rather, focus on goo — meaning, interactive — content, and the social media site will start to work for you more than ever before.
Inject Your Personality into Every Tweet
The number one thing to do on Twitter is to be yourself: utterly and completely. Show your uniqueness, and the uniqueness of the company you’re marketing, with every 140 characters you send out into the world. Specifically, don’t just fill your profile with headlines and links to industry-related news, whether it be about restaurants or travel.
Rather, be your interesting self so that when people view your page as a whole, or catch a glimpse of just one of your tweets, they get a sense of you and your company. While this doesn’t necessarily mean to outrageously over-enthusiastic, it does mean being opinionated and showing your knowledge about the topic you’re discussing and tweeting about.
Don’t Rely on Pre-Populated Text
As an offshoot of rule number one, don’t just hit the retweet button. Although that’s the easy thing to do, at the end of the day, it’s just pre-populated content that’s already been tweeted (sometimes thousands of times).
You can still retweet content, but you should also add something of yourself in the retweet. Such as commentary on what you’re reposting or a question about the retweeted link. Questions work particularly well, because that way you’re encouraging engagement with your followers. For example, if you’re retweeting a review about the new movie Sharknado 2, you can also ask your followers what they thought of the sequel.
Test Out Different Tweets
Even if you’re an influencer in the tweeting world with thousands of followers, your tweets can still get lost in the shuffle. As such, send out the same links but with different headlines to get the most exposure. Then you can monitor which ones get the best engagement with retweets, favorites and replies. Those analytics can drive how you write your tweets in the future.
Think Outside the Text
Since Twitter says you’re limited to 140 characters, people usually think of Twitter as a text-based social media site. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Get creative with your tweets and add photos or images too. These could be a company’s product, or an inspirational quote in meme-version. Not only are photos worth a thousand words, but they also make your tweets more prominent in the Twitter feed.
Other ways to get creative with Twitter include sharing a story across multiple tweets, or even creating an interactive game built around bit.ly links that lead to other tweets.
Listen, and Then Engage, Engage, Engage
Engagement is key on Twitter, but so too is listening. Pay attention first to what other people are talking about before responding. For example, if you notice drug addiction is trending, as seen in the Twitter sidebar, see why that phrase is trending first – was there a new study done? Did someone die from a drug overdose? Before you add your two cents to the topic, or send out a link related to the trending topic, be aware of the trending context.
Additionally, rather than just sending out your opinion as a tweet, respond to other people talking about that topic in order to start conversations.
Welcome New Followers
There’s #FF, or Follow Friday, but that isn’t really engaging with your followers. It’s just telling people who else they should be following. While that has some value, to be a bit different from others in your industry, welcome your new followers publicly (rather than sending out direct messages – especially if those DMs are non-specific to who you’re sending them to). This not only gives your new followers public recognition, but chances are they’ll either retweet or favorite this tweet.
To make these “welcoming” tweets even more unique, offer something to your new followers, whether it be a recipe, or a free eBook download. Think of it as a thank you gift!
Twitter may continuously update with lots of new content, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow your influence on the social media site. By focusing on creating a personal identity for yourself online, being unique, monitoring what works and what doesn’t, and interacting with other tweeters, you’ll, soon enough, become someone others look up to on Twitter. And, yes, the number of Twitter followers you have will most definitely grow, even if that’s not what you’re focusing on.
Images: Flazingo | Robert S Donovan
[image error]
Get Social About Retirement Aspirations
Social media is grabbing the attention of just about every demographic, including soon-to-be retirees.
With that said, if you’re a retirement advisor, then you can use social media to your advantage by getting the word out about your retirement services through a variety of social avenues.
When it comes to socially savvy golden years, here are just a few ways you can spread the word about the retirement plans you offer via social networking:
Keep Your Audience in Mind
With more and more of the 50+ crowd adopting social media into their lives, there’s a growing retirement clientele on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
But, just because the audience is there doesn’t mean any approach will work. To get the most out of your social efforts, you need to keep your specific audience in mind.
Are you marketing to men and women who are retiring in the next year or are you dealing with a younger crowd?
Planting the retirement planning seed via posts and tweets will gain attention, but not if the audience you’re marketing to is already well into their retirement years or, worse yet, not even close to retiring.
Tailor Your Message
Social networking is a great way to reach a massive audience, but for marketing purposes, not everyone is a potential client.
When promoting your retirement planning services on social media, make sure you tailor you message to a niche audience as opposed to the social site as a whole.
Creating bland, mass-produced blanket messages and posts will come off looking like you’re in it for the business, not the customer. To truly connect with soon-to-be retirees, you must assume each and every post you create is going to a niche audience.
Be Informative, But Brief
If you can’t tell already, social media is all about getting the right message across to the right crowd.
With that said, retirement plan advisors who really want to make a social impact should keep their messages short, sweet, and informative.
Whether you’re posting a call to action or details about your services, avoiding long-winded posts is definitely the way to go. This is especially the case considering online attention spans are only getting shorter.
Get Social with Your Customer Service
Once you get the social ball rolling, you can also use social media as a secondary form of contact for all of your customer service needs.
Whether your customers have questions about their current retirement plan or they’re looking for general information about other plan options, you can use social media as an open forum for your client base.
In addition, you can also use social media to ask your customers about their level of satisfaction with your services.
For example, posting questions about ways to make your retirement planning services even better not only shows you care, it will actually improve the customer satisfaction aspect of your business.
Be Patiently Consistent
Social media marketing and outreach success doesn’t happen overnight, which is where being patiently consistent comes into play.
Patient consistency means continuing to post, comment, and reach out to your social audience even if there aren’t any results at first. Besides, the only way to gain an audience is to remind them you’re there.
By keeping in mind the social media pointers above, you’ll have an easier time reaching your audience of retirees.
Photo credit: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
[image error]
August 5, 2014
Become More Social in Boosting Your Career
Whether you’re looking to advance in your current career or change careers completely, social media can help you land your dream job. What are you waiting for?
Tired of being stuck in the same job with no room for advancement? Are you living paycheck-to-paycheck for a job that doesn’t even satisfy you? Are you bored with your life and looking to challenge yourself in more ways than one?
If so, it’s time to pursue a job with a high salary and high-growth potential. Say goodbye to boredom and get ready to live a fulfilling life, starting with a new job.
What is the Best Career for You?
According to the article Six High-Paying Jobs That Are on the Rise,” there are six careers that have projected growth potential in the coming years and offer a $70K per year salary.
Those jobs are software developers, medical and health services managers, management analysts, information security analysts, dental hygienists and financial analysts.
Though most require a bachelor’s degree at a minimum, some – like dental hygienists – only require an associate’s degree.
Look at each career path and the requirements to get there before making a decision.
Consider talking to a few experts in the field to see what their day-to-day life is like and what qualities make them successful. Ask as many questions as you can and learn as much as possible before diving in.
Using social media to help land a job
Did you know that 92 percent of companies now use social media for recruiting future employees?
That’s right, according to Sprout Social, the top means of recruiting candidates via social media are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Here’s what you can do to increase your chances of getting a job via social media:
1. Use social media regularly – Let’s face it – you won’t be able to get a job via social media if you don’t actively engage in it. Create a professional LinkedIn profile, Facebook page and Twitter account, at a minimum. Engage other users in your field of choice and slowly but surely build up a following of like-minded professionals. Social media takes time, but if it lands you your dream job, it’ll be worth it.
2. Follow your favorite companies – Do some research and find 10 or more companies you would love to work for. Follow them on Twitter; add them on LinkedIn and “Like” their Facebook page. Doing this will help you stay up-to-date on when your ideal company is hiring and what types of candidates they are looking for. You can then be one of the first candidates to respond all because you utilized social media.
3. Keep it professional – According to a survey by CareerBuilder, 51 percent of companies that use social media for background information on potential employees wind up not hiring them because of what they’re finding on these sites. So, leave the inappropriate comments, drinking photos and negative comments about other employers off of social media. Instead, use it for sharing positive information about your life and always remain professional.
Social media can be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to landing a job.
Choose to have it work for you instead of against you by actively engaging companies in your area of interest, following your favorite companies and keeping your pages free of negativity.
Photo credit: Image courtesy of posterize / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
[image error]
August 4, 2014
How to Apply a “Customer First” Mentality to Your Ecommerce Business
Mobile happened. Eventually the term “mobile first” came to be by changing the way websites are designed and applications are created. In fact, the mobile strategy actually changed the way businesses reach out.
Yet, we missed something along the way. Apart from the fact that we marketers love using phrases and buzzwords like Mobile First, there was something else begging for immediate attention.
That something (someone, rather) has always been: the customer.
Now mobile first, or anything-else-first, always makes way for “customer first.” SEO, design, functionality, and marketing, last time we checked, all got down on their knees for the customer (and the omnipotent Google also intends to keep it that way). The rise of responsive design along with increasing adaptation to UX/UI principles is now an inseparable part of design.
Businesses now have a need to “go selfless” – to think about the customer and not so much about revenue and profits. As Emma Jackson puts it on Small Business Trends, this is an emerging culture at leading brands like Google, GE, and others.
Customer lifecycle used to equate to the total volume of transactions over a period of patronage with respect to a customer. Now, that stands corrected. It’s about “customer experience lifecycle.”
How do you get this experience to your customer? How do you make your ecommerce store more user-friendly and pro-customer oriented? Here are a few tips:
Forget “mobile-first,” go “whatever touch-point first”
In an eMarketer interview, Johnna Marcus, Director of Mobile & Digital Store Marketing at Sephora, declared this:
“Sometimes we get hung up on mobile-first as meaning we have to do something for mobile before we do it anywhere else, and that’s important, but it’s more about making mobile very strong and comprehensive. So it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go to market first with mobile, but that the customer should be able to come and go from whichever touch-point she wants and get the information or get the experience.”
Going mobile is mandatory. It’s not even worth asserting. But it’s also obvious that emphasis should move to all those touch points that customers have access to: social media networks, in-store aisles, online shopping experience overall, emails (including transactional emails), SMS, phone calls, in-person interactions, etc. You just have to be everywhere your customer is likely to be.
Allow your customers to pay in any way they find comfortable. Enable mobile commerce for instant checkout through any device. For online stores with an offline presence, use web-based, available anywhere transaction points. An example is Vend HQ’s responsive POS system that works on iPads, Macs or Windows PCs and connects barcode scanners, receipt printers, cash drawers, and the like.
Reduce friction (your store might still have some)
Friction has an ugly way of creeping in, without you knowing it. Your ecommerce store – while you might not be aware of it – still has some things that slow it down.
For starters, don’t make your customer think – go read this book.
Second, give what your customers really want (you’ll know what they want if you listen to them) as Emily Heyward said on Fast Company.
Finally, do the heavy lifting for them.
A few checkpoints relevant to your ecommerce store:
When they land on your home page, do they know what to expect from you in less than 2 seconds (assuming your site loads in the preferred 1.5 seconds)?
After they seemingly know what to expect, do they know what to do next?
How many elements on your landing pages have STOP slapped all over them? Read Oli Gardner’s critiques on landing pages regularly to see where you’d possibly go wrong.
Shopping cart abandonment is an online retailer’s nightmare. The average documented shopping cart abandonment rate is about 67.91% according to Baymard. Shopping cart abandonment is partly attributed to customers’ indecisiveness. The other part could be friction. How many clicks does it take for the customer to complete the transaction? Even checkout form descriptions could cost you millions. Are you doing it right?
Emails are precious
Jason Corrigan reported on the Search Engine Journal that emails have an ROI of a whopping 4300%. Everything you do with your email to run your online store affects profitability.
To start with, how compelling are your subject lines? Jay Baer of Convince and Convert revealed that at least 35% of consumers open emails based on subject lines alone, and over 44% of them actually made a purchase following a promotional email.
Again, how considerate are you, really? When a demo could be made available online in the form of a video, why should a customer actually spend time and fill up forms just to see how a solution works? Take this email from Vocus.com:
Clicking on that button leads you to this page:
Requesting all this information for a demo is an unnecessary step since this demo could be shown on the site in video format. If you argue that this is a great way for signing up new subscribers, remember that you already need to be subscribed to Vocus to receive this email in the first place.
Do you see how easily a few steps in a customer purchase flow can go redundant?
The best thing to happen to email marketing is the advent of triggered emails. You can now send out automated emails when a user completes a certain action on your site or even on your social networks. Each time a fan clicks a relevant link on your social networks, send them an auto-responder email that helps them take the next step towards purchase.
Emailing tools now include features such as GetResponse’s auto-responder, which offer you the flexibility of sending emails on triggers that make sense to your brand, regulating the times these emails are sent and defining exactly what you want to say in each of them.
Forward steps
Test every design element, colors, the buttons, and the microcopy on your ecommerce site. Don’t take anything for granted. An ecommerce site can lose customers at any of a multitude of points.
If you thought that these fault lines are more an exception than the norm, know that most e-commerce sites don’t visually reinforce credit card fields, have out of context mobile checkout forms, and aren’t fully optimized for touch sensitive keyboards.
Going “customer first” might sound like a new marketing buzzword, but there’s work behind it. Not following this will result in your online store bleeding cash.
What are you going to do about this? How ready are you to go customer first?
[image error]
August 2, 2014
How to Maximize Social Media Exposure in the Construction Industry
When “business” and “social media” are mentioned in the same sentence, the construction industry is one that does not immediately come to mind. After all, the construction industry does not possess an immediate tech-hungry and youthful demographic, like a hot new mobile app or upcoming action film would.
While a more scattered demographic within the industry poses some challenges for construction professionals to gain exposure via social media, recent studies and examples show that it is very possible. To maximize social media exposure, construction professionals should keep the following tips and facts in mind.
97% of Construction Professionals Use Social Media
According to a survey conducted by the Construction Marketing Association, 97% of construction professionals were active on social media in 2013, a 7% growth from 2012. For the 3% not on social media, this means that their competitors have already began attracting leads while they sit idly. If there’s any statistic that should prompt construction professionals to begin using social media immediately, it’s this one, which shows their competitors are ahead of their game.
Blogging, Tweeting and YouTubing Are Increasing in Popularity
From 2012 to 2013, blogging, tweeting and posting videos on YouTube has increased by 8%, 13% and 12%, respectively, among those in the construction industry employing social media. Identifying the appropriate social media platform for promotion can be tricky, but for construction professionals their spread-out target demographic means one should consider using them all.
Recognize the Benefits of Each Social Media Platform
For example, Facebook is a great platform to connect with customers individually, since it is the most popular social networking resource for casual and tech-savvy internet users alike. If there is any social media site where you can look up a customer’s name and connect with them via that information alone, Facebook is it. Meanwhile, the likes of Twitter and YouTube are more useful for promoting viral content, such as a witty status update or promotion of a video, instead of one-on-one communication.
Paid Ads Are Not Mandatory
Eighty-three percent of construction professionals say they do not pay to use ads on social media. While paid ads can provide a definite boost to your company’s exposure on social media, it’s very possible to raise awareness without paying a dime. There are plenty of free-to-do methods, like engaging with social media followers and create viral content, that can generate significant exposure on social media.
Prioritize Engagement to Result in Highly Exposed Posts
Although it will be annoying to have some of your Facebook posts reach less than 10% of those who liked your construction business’s page, trying to generate likes and shares on the post will pay dividends, as the more likes a post gets, the more users’ newsfeeds it shows up in. To accomplish this, play around with call-to-action statuses that ask interesting questions or provide fascinating trivia. For example, a web site selling CAT parts could provide a discount to the first Facebook user who correctly answers a trivia question, like: Which year was Caterpillar Inc. officially founded? The answer: 1925. They can also post construction related articles, memes and company news on their Facebook.
Using the tips above to maximize your construction business’s social media presence will aid significantly in attracting new customers and keeping current ones satisfied. Social media publicity is rampant in the construction industry, so it’s a no-brainer to begin taking it seriously.
[image error]
How America is Watching TV [Infographic]
Did you know that the average American watches over 9 years of television over the span of their life? Or that 65% of US households have 3+ TVs? Luckily the folks at Koeppel Direct created this interesting and informative infographic on everything you need to know about the viewing behaviors of Americans. This topic is extremely relevant for markets and advertisers to look at the statistics and facts about just how we are watching TV.
[image error]
August 1, 2014
What’s Different in Google Analytics App for iPhone?
Google has finally released the Google analytic app for iOS, which it has named Analytiks. With this app installed on your iPhone, you can keep a track of your mobile website statistics while on the go.
There were a lot many 3rd party analytics app available in the iTunes, but none of them could match the standards set by Google analytic. The Google analytic app was available for Android, but this is the first time that a version of this app was released for iPhone. Webmasters around the world were awaiting the launch of this app.
What’s Different in the Google App?
This analytic app from Google comes with some dedicated features that are unavailable with the other apps. There are three main features that make it distinct from the other 3rd party analytic app available on iTunes.
Overview
If you want to know how your website is faring at a glance, this analytic app’s overview section is at your service. This overview section shares with you details on the footfalls received by your website. This app tracks the visitors coming to your website, and shares with you details on total number of visits made to your website as well as the source for this traffic. A pie chart will show you percentage figures of the traffic channels.
Real Time Tracking
This analytic app allows webmasters real time data tracking of their internet properties while they are on the go. This feature offers web masters data related to active visitors on the website. It also tells them how many of these current visitors are new, while how many of them are returning visitors. This feature also provides data on the locations from which these visitors are logged in
Build Graphical Representations with Analytic App
This app allows you to build graphical representations of the data being tracked. You can build infographics or charts based on the real time data as well as the overview data presented by this app.
Infographics
Infographics is a popular way of featuring your data. It builds your data in a way that is easy to understand. You can build 25 reports by simply tapping on the data.
Charts
Want to show real time data in a chart format? Just tilt your iPhone and tap on the dots. Let them connect and form a pictorial representation of the data.
The Tracking Features
With the analytic app for iPhone, webmasters can track data from social networking sites as well as their own internet properties.
Facebook has added a feature to this app which allows webmasters to track their mentions on Facebook. Apart from this, the other tracking features included in the analytic app includes tracking referral website traffic, as well as tracking multiple internet properties.
As a webmaster, you are aware that 1% of the traffic to your website comes from major domains. You will need to keep a track of the kind of traffic generated by them. You can use the Google’s analytic app to help you track these details.
So, you are connected to your analytic even when you are on the go. Keep track of your internet properties, and strive to improve them with this analytic app.
[image error]
Content Writing Outsource: Best Practices for Online Businesses
There is no business today (especially, when it comes to online businesses) which would not pay much attention to content marketing; and annual research results from the Content Marketing Institute prove this fact categorically. Thus, in 2012 they reported about 91% of marketers that used content marketing for their businesses and spent 33% of their budgets on it.
Among their findings there was also the fact that content outsourcing had appeared to be a new trend: more than 70% of companies (large and small) outsourced content creation for many reasons:
Lack of competencies: not every successful business owner is a cool writer, as well as he is not a professional accountant, lawyer or designer; so, he outsources all these specialists too.
Time management: content marketing should be planned in advance and attended to on a regular basis, that is why your in-house team may have no time to do that effectively.
Different content needs: as a rule, content marketing strategy involves a different type of content, and it is impossible for one writer to have expertise in all areas at once.
Lack of funds: many marketers are limited in funds for having a good staff writer who would provide top-notch content.
How to outsource content writers
There are several specific steps/tips you should keep in mind when outsourcing content creation. Consider the following:
Start looking for authors at different specific resources (you’ll find more info about them below), give a test task to some writers, and choose the best ones. Always check samples of a writer’s previous work to understand whether their writing style, a niche knowledge and literacy meet your needs.
Find contractors who deliver work on time: even if they write well, you will hardly like the fact of constant delays.
Hire several contractors if you need specific types of content to be written; one person may be good for writing blog posts, but they can hardly write a technical paper professionally.
Check the writer’s research skills: it may appear that you will have to make a research every time you’ll need a new article.
Give CLEAR instructions to a contractor: a list of proposed blog post titles, specific voice and tone etc., as you may have no time and opportunity to discuss every small detail afterward.
Cheapest does not mean best: such-called Third World writers are ready to do your job for very low prices, but you should not expect the highest quality from them.
When you have decided on an outsource already, consider setting up a routine: number of articles per month you need etc.
Where to find writers for your business:
Jobs.Problogger – the best place to hire an experienced blogger or a guest posts writer. Post your project on a job board and provide as much details as you can.
Odesk, Freelancer, Elance – the largest online workplaces where you can hire and manage remote freelancers and teams, check contractors’ portfolios, reviews, skills set and price details.
Сontently – a tech startup based in NYC that provides plenty of tools for brand publishing, including video, photo, infographics, and stories creation. Pro writers can be reached for a higher price here.
Scripted – a platform that will automatically match your task with the most appropriate writers. Plus, you can get video scripts, Tweet or Facebook posts bundles. Go check them out!
Writer Access – an award-winning content marketplace. For extra cost, you can get your article published under the writer’s name (SEO benefits from Google authorship).
Write Essays — a team of authors who position themselves as academic papers writers but still work with different types of content at a reasonable price. A live chat helps you discuss all details of your assignment and evaluate the writer before making an assignment.
Fiverr – a platform that will let you find writers (as well as audio and video content makers) for $5. Cheap and quick, but do not expect to get a Phd level work from it.
Guru.com, People Per Hour and many others to try.
What other resources would you add to the above list? Share them in comments!
image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/amypalk...
[image error]
How to Become a Pinterest Warrior
In a world full of social media sites, sometimes it can be difficult to choose the right one for your marketing efforts. After all, you can’t just go with the most popular social networks out there, because your business or brand might not be well suited to what they offer. Each individual social site has its own unique purpose and visitors, meaning that each audience is going to expect something different. The types of connections you will make with others will depend on how they prefer to connect with you on the network you have chosen. Because of this, it can be helpful to discover your target market and find out how they prefer to engage with your brand. Once you discover where your audience is, it can be easier to decide where to set up shop.
For instance, if you are offering a product or service that is very visual, it might make more sense to use Pinterest instead of Twitter to connect with people. Why? Because it is a social network primarily designed to share images, which can allow you to present your business visually. Believe it or not, pins can have a very powerful and profound effect on your sales, especially if you have something to show to your followers that is visually appealing.
If your business is offering something attractive, why not show it off? With the help of this awesome infographic, provided by eMerchantBroker.com, you’ll learn everything you need to know to become a Pinterest Warrior and take advantage of this incredible image sharing site. When you read through this informative guide, you’ll discover why people use Pinterest, how they use it, and what it can do for your brand. Don’t just talk about what you have to offer, show it off in style and turn pins into profits!
[image error]
[image error]
