Social Media Marketing

The Line Between SEO and Social Media

by Admin on March 13, 2011

seo-social-media-optimizationThe line between SEO and Social Media is becoming more blurred all the time, especially with the socialization of Google (discussed in our previous post Google Gets More Social) and the partnership between Facebook and Bing. In case you didn’t know it, there is a war going on between Google and Facebook over your “word search” business. This means that your future internet marketing plans will need to include both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Optimization (SMO).

What should you do? My Title Guy says:

Easy. Get a Blog. Create dynamic, engaging content (video, pictures, audio, text) and distribute it through all of your social channels-Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Linkedin, Flickr, Vimeo, etc. Because writing content for search engines can be different that content for actual people-consumers, forward thinking professionals will create highly engaging, keyword rich, VALUABLE content that is worthy of being shared across social networks. Next time you create content on your YouTube Channel, Twitter, Active Rain, Linkedin, Facebook Fan Page (personal FB pages are not indexed in social search) ask yourself “Who am I talking to? Who is my ideal client? What is my message? Is my message valuable? Do I have a call to action? Have I asked the consumer to engage with me- to share my content, etc”. The goal of getting found online stays the same, the method continues to change.

A blog is the best way to keep your web presence up-to-date with relevant, engaging content. It can be the foundation of you Social Media Optimization Strategy. Small businesses, especially, need to stop focussing so much on their websites and start spreading their content around socially.

Key Take-Aways:

  1. Both SEO and SMO are necessary for a good web presence.
  2. A blog is a great way to integrate everything together.

Next Steps:

  1. Start thinking strategically about blogging and get your own blog set up!

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Missed Social Media Opportunities

by blogmistress on March 4, 2011

We have talked a lot on this blog about social media and how it can be used by businesses to help their marketing efforts. Yesterday, Kipp Bodnar at Hubspot wrote a great article called 7 Missed Social Media Opportunities (click on the link to read the entire post). In his article, he states that:

“For marketers, social media should be about one thing: leads. If your social media marketing efforts aren’t driving revenue for your businesses, it is time to evaluate or re-evaluate your strategies and tactics. Many marketers are leaving far too many leads on the table.”

As a Hubspot customer, a Hubspot certified marketing professional (with honors) and a newly certified Hubspot professional, I thought this list would be about things that I already have covered. Now, having read the article, I’m chastened because I find that I am one that has missed some of the opportunities he describes.

Remember earlier this week, the article that asked, “Is Facebook a Magic Bullet?” We discussed the amount of effort social media takes to yield results. Of course, it usually comes down to taking the time to make the effort. Of course, when social media is part of your overall business strategy, we have no choice but to take the time and effort to make it work for us.

Of course, many of us, me included, could use the excuse that, a company like Hubspot has a large staff with many people committed to just writing blog articles or just working on social media strategies. As small businesses, many of us have limited staff and resources to expend on social media and blogging strategies. However, I’m convinced, this excuse doesn’t hold water. We just have to work harder and find ways to make these strategies work for us.

So, now, I’m going to go back to that list and start taking advantage of some of those missed opportunities. What about you?

Key Take-Aways:

  1. Social media marketing efforts should be driving revenue for our businesses.
  2. It is worth the time and effort it takes for a small business to uncover those missed opportunities and make them work.

Next Steps:

  1. Take a look at the list and see which opportunities your business is missing.
  2. Tell us what you are doing to take advantage of social media marketing in your business.

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Social Media Marketing: Never-Ending Party!

by blogmistress on February 21, 2011

As a small business owner, you may be a member of a Chamber of Commerce. Often these types of organizations offer the opportunity to network via after-hour events, breakfasts and luncheons. At these events you get to meet with other business owners in your community and possibly get to know them a bit. You exchange business cards, you chit-chat, learn about their business and, hopefully, let them know about your business as well.

social media marketing

What if, you could go to an event like this and everyone there had shown some interest in y0ur business? What if you could provide interesting information to them that they could really use? What if they were asking you questions about your business and you were able to have a conversation with your customers and potential customers in a personal exchange? What if your other friends joined in the conversation and helped you generate interest in your product or services. And, what if this was going on 24 hours a day/7 days a week and you could join in whenever, day or night?

That is what social media allows you to do. Think about how you might use a social media outlet such as Facebook. The people who “like” your page have shown interest in what you are doing. You can provide valuable information to them. You can make them feel special by providing coupons and incentives and extra information that can help them and can generate interest in your product or service. People can ask you questions and you can have online conversations with them.

People can interact with you when it is convenient for them (which may not be during regular business hours). You absolutely should take advantage of opportunities to network in person, but by adding social media marketing, you enhance all of your other interactions.

Even better, with social media marketing, there is no awkward trying to hold a drink and shaking hands at the same time!

Key Take-Aways:

  1. Social media marketing let’s you network with a targeted group that has already shown interest in your business.
  2. Social media marketing is not limited by time or even necessarily by geographical boundaries. You can expand your reach!

Next Steps:

  1. Resolve to offer engaging content and interaction in your social media marketing. Need a little help understanding the social media terminology? Check out this Social Media Terms Glossary from our partner Hubspot.
  2. Download the Facebook for Business 101 eBook for help with using Facebook for your business.

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Facebook Business Page Checklist

by CDW on August 17, 2010

Facebook Business Page Checklist

A while back we published a Facebook checklist for business pages and we think it is probably worth publishing again. We have noticed that many Facebook business pages are not taking advantage of the vanity URL option that Facebook provides. It is #10 on our list.

The Facebook vanity URL will help you promote your page by giving you a short and more meaningful URL to use in your marketing communications. The vanity URL for our page is www.facebook.com/whartonmarketing – that is much easier to communicate than the string of numbers an characters that are in the URL that Facebook assigns you!

If you haven’t already done it – go get your vanity URL today! Look over the list and see what else you can do to improve your Facebook Business Page!

Facebook Business Page Checklist

Have you completely filled out all your information?

2. Did you use your keywords in your description?

3. Did you include contact information on your page?

4. Do have a strategy for:

-What you will post
-How often you will post

And, are you committed to keeping it up?

5. Do you have a plan for getting fans?

6. Have you published your page?

7. Are you a fan of your page?

8. Have you added your page to your profile’s favorites?

9. Is your website linked on your page?

10. Have you created a vanity URL? (http://www.facebook.com/username)

11. Does your website link to your Facebook page?

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Facebook Business Page Checklist

by Admin on December 7, 2009

Have you made a Facebook business page yet? Here is a checklist to use to make sure you getting the most from your page!

1.  Have you completely filled out all your information?

2.  Did you use your keywords in your description?

3.  Did you include contact information on your page?

4.  Do have a strategy for:

-What you will post
-How often you will post

And, are you committed to keeping it up?

5.  Do you have a plan for getting fans?

6.  Have you published your page?

7.  Are you a fan of your page?

8.  Have you added your page to your profile’s favorites?

9.  Is your website linked on your page?

10.  Have you created a vanity URL? (http://www.facebook.com/username)

11.  Does your website link to your Facebook page?

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