6 Ideas for Making Social Media Work

If you're like many business owners, you struggle to understand just how social media can work for you. You hear social media success stories, but your efforts thus far (if you've been brave enough to jump in) may not be producing the results to balance out your time. Social media - and more broadly, digital marketing - doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. It just seems to grow stronger every day. Smart money says get on board, but just like any other marketing medium, you want to do it right...you want to make it work.

Have a Plan

Just like any marketing medium that your company decides to invest in - whether that investment is time or money (or both) - you need to map out a plan for implementation. Decide who on your staff is in charge of managing it, and set realistic goals for both getting it done and for what you expect to get out of it.

Integrate

The success of your social media marketing efforts is integration. If you decide to establish a presence on Facebook, for example, in order to reach your intended audience, you must promote your Facebook page. Link to it from your website. Talk it up with clients. Have your staff talk it up to clients, vendors and partners. Add the Facebook icon to your business cards, print advertising - anywhere your URL and phone number appear, your social media icons should appear, too.

Keep Up

Social media marketing is fast-paced, which can seem overwhelming. But if you've set a realistic plan in place, it will eventually become as ingrained in your company culture as your website, e-mail, direct mail, or whatever other marketing mediums you use to get new business.

Make It Worth Their While

If your customers are going to engage with you via social media, they need to get something out of it. Give your connections special offers that are only available through social media. Offer an amazing deal (a la Groupon) that will get your information going viral. Provide valuable information that your customers are hungry for. Be creative - no matter what business you're in, you can find ways to get noticed.

Track Your Efforts

Digital marketing is highly trackable. On social media, you have the opportunity to connect with and engage your customers. You can also see how much activity is happening daily. And what you can't track online, you can get straight from your customers' mouths. Ask them how they heard about you, and whether or not they are looking for you or businesses like yours on social media sites. When you're paying attention to the results, you'll have a better idea of what's working and what's not.

Consult With an Expert

Because social media is such a new marketing medium, businesses large and small have made big social blunders. Before you dive in too deep, it is a good idea to consult with a social media expert. Through analyzing your business, your target market, and your ability to implement a solid social media program, a social media expert can help you map out a plan for social media success.

So go ahead - take the social media plunge! With a plan and a little effort, you're sure to see results ahead.

Understanding the Google Basics - A Helpful Guide for Small Businesses

Understanding digital marketing – Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn – may have you in a digital daze. We're here to help! In this post we will cover the Google basics. Google is a robust search engine with many features that go well beyond the basics. But for those simply wanting to get to know a little more about how this search engine giant works, this article will be just what you need.

What is Google?

Google is in internet search engine. Internet search engines are computer programs designed to search for and find information on the World Wide Web. Search results are presented back to the searcher as a list of information and links, and may include images, maps, video and other types of files.

Google is so widely recognized and used worldwide, that it is responsible a reported 63% of all search engine traffic. The remaining 37% is shared by a host of other search engines including Yahoo, Microsoft, Safari and others.

How does it work?

Google runs computer programs called search robots, or search bots, that scour the web reading and cataloging its content. Google uses search algorithms which are very closely guarded to deliver content back to the searcher. These algorithms are designed to provide information that is highly relevant to the search terms used. Google reports that they change these algorithms hundreds of times each year, making it impossible for anyone to 'crack the code', and figure out exactly what makes a site most relevant in Google's eyes.

Search engine experts continuously speculate on what Google and other search engines deem relevant. There seem to be tried and true methods to achieving good search results, however they are not a sure bet. They are, however, your best bet! See 'How can I get listed on Google' below for more.

Sponsored Listings
Google's primary source of income is through its Sponsored Listings. Sometimes called pay-per-clicks, Google's sponsored listings are search listings that appear either at the top of Google's search results (slightly shaded in pink) or along the right side of the search results screens. Both areas are noted with the word "Ads".

In order for a company to obtain sponsored listings on Google, they must create a Google AdWords account. Google's AdWords service allows business to create ads, choose the keywords for which the ads will appear, control when and where the ads appear, and set daily and monthly budgets.

Google AdWords also users to log in to view reports on ad and keyword performance, and make adjustments to ad campaigns in real time. The system also allows for more in-depth ad tracking through the Google Analytics engine. See 'What is Google Analytics?' below.

Business Listings
Google recognizes that the majority of its search traffic comes from people searching for local goods and services. Therefore, Google allows businesses to create a Google business listing which can greatly increase your chances of being found on Google. Google business listings include a marked map location of your business, and allows for the inclusion of expanded information such as business hours, payment information, and photos and videos.

Organic Listings
Google's organic listings are those search result listings that appear in the main content area of a Google search results page. These listings are unpaid, and are the listings that Google has deemed most relevant to the search key words or phrase entered by the searcher. Finding your way to page one of Google's organic listings is not always easy, but most certainly possible.

What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a part of the Google AdWords progam, and is a way for businesses and marketers to track a website's performance. After establishing your business on Google, you may sign up for Google Analytics and receive auto-generated code which you can place onto your website. This code is then tracked by Google, and provides information back to the Google Analytics program. Reports are generated in Google Analytics which allow for the reporting of things like top paths and visits, and conversion.

How does Google rank websites?

Once they reach a website, Google's search bots 'read' the site and catalog its content. By looking at items like page title, meta tags, image tags, and actual page content, Google's search bots rank a site's relevancy for the search terms and phrases contained on the site. Because Google changes their search algorithms frequently, what makes a site rank highly today may not be what makes it rank highly tomorrow. However, most search engine experts would agree that by following known methods of creating and  maintaining a site, you can enjoy solid Google rankings.

I have a nice site, why doesn't Google list it higher?

There are many reasons why a site may not be found or highly ranked by Google. There is no one universal answer. In order to determine why your site is not being found, it is best to have it analyzed by a search engine expert. There are also many online resources for analyzing your site.

How can I get listed on Google?

You can get listed on Google within 24 hours by creating a Google AdWords account and creating sponsored listings! You can also claim your Google business listings for free. And most importantly, you can analyze your site and make little programming changes, content updates and link building strategies that will help Google find and rank you higher now and in the future.

If the prospect of getting your business on Google has you in a digital daze, contact Digidaze. Our search engine experts will get you on Google fast. We can set you up to manage your Google accounts on your own, or we can manage them for you so you can focus on the business you do best. Visit http://www.digidaze.com/ or call toll free 1-855-DIGIDAZE.

Why Is Social Media So Important for My Business ?

“‘Like’ me on Facebook”… “Did you see my tweet?”... “A colleague wants to connect with you on LinkedIn”… “Check out my YouTube channel!”  If you own a business and you’re scratching your head trying to figure out why social media should mean anything to you, you’re not alone. Millions of business owners are struggling to determine if social media is right for them, and why. In this post, we’ll break down a few of the top social media sites and how businesses are using them to grow.

 

What Is Social Media?

Social media is a relatively new means of connecting people via the world wide web. People are able to establish personal and business profiles online, then use them to find and connect with either people they know or people they want to know. The first social media site to gain wide recognition was MySpace. On its heels, and a site that would all but put MySpace out of business was Facebook. Almost simultaneously new sites such as YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn were online and quickly gaining followers. So exactly how many people are using social media? Facebook alone has over 400,000,000 users currently, and is projected to have more than 600,000,000 by the end of 2011! (Yes, all of those zeros are correct…hundreds of millions of users!)

 

Breaking Down the Top Four

While there are literally hundreds of social media outlets, four main sites are standouts for different reasons.

 

Facebook

Facebook is a personal social media site created by college students as a way to meet and interact with other students online. Facebook quickly graduated to a social media site that nearly every age group utilizes – from school-age children to grandparents. To be a part of Facebook, you must create a personal user profile. This profile becomes your Facebook identity, and you’re in control of how much information you share with other Facebook users. Once you have become established on Facebook, you can search Facebook’s database for friends, colleagues, celebrities, companies or anyone or thing you have an interest in finding.

 

How Businesses Use Facebook

Once you have established a personal profile on Facebook, you then have the ability to set up a business profile. Facebook business pages are like mini websites, but give the administrator(s) the ability to reach out to those who are connected to the business page via wall posts. Creating a business page on Facebook is relatively simple, however establishing the desired connections with customers and prospects requires work. Facebook also offers advertising opportunities (they have to make money somehow!), which are similar to search engine pay-per-click ads. The advertiser creates the ad, chooses its geographic and demographic reach, and sets a daily budget using a credit card. Ads can either connect to the businesses Facebook page, or out to their website.

 

YouTube

YouTube is a place where anyone and everyone can post video content to share with the world. Unlike Facebook, you do not need to create a user profile to view the content on YouTube, making it accessible to anyone with an internet connection. In order to post video content to YouTube, you must create a YouTube channel. Like all of the social media sites covered in this article, there is no cost to creating a YouTube channel.

 

How Businesses Use YouTube

Businesses use YouTube in a variety of ways. Businesses often post how-to or other instructional videos intended to engage their audience more deeply in what they do and how they do it. While some may view this as giving away trade secrets, others find that transparency in what they do actually increases their customer base – particularly when people realize just how difficult it can be to do something that they originally considered a DIY project! Outside of instructional videos, businesses often post advertisements that are either highly entertaining or extended ads which are more like mini feature movies. Old Spice found great success in 2010 on YouTube with their entertaining ads – some with more than 30,000,000 views. Luxury brands like BMW and Tiffany and Company use extended movie-like ads to tell a story and immerse the viewer in an emotion.

 

Twitter

Unlike most social networks, Twitter is relatively one-sided. Where most social media invites interaction and comments, Twitter is a way for people – in 140 characters or less – to shout out some information and move on. From the mundane, to the outrageous, people will tweet just about anything. Whether or not anyone is listening to what is said is another story. In order for anyone to know what you have posted to Twitter, they must ‘follow’ you. Once a person has agreed to follow you on Twitter, your tweets will appear in their Twitter feed in real time when you post them. Information can gain viral attention on Twitter through its ‘Retweet’ feature. If something is tweeted and people want to ‘forward’ that information out to their followers, they simply click ‘Retweet’ and in the blink of an eye, it’s viral!

 

How Businesses Use Twitter

Twitter is successfully used by businesses who have cause to regularly distribute sought-after content. Obviously news outlets find Twitter useful in getting their stories out, but even small businesses may find connecting with customers via Twitter beneficial. A retail location, for example, may drive traffic to their store or their website by tweeting about a large or limited time sale. A business holding a conference may drive traffic to networking events or breakout sessions by tweeting the information to conference attendees. Or a nonprofit may increase donations by tweeting about a timely cause such as a natural disaster. Does every business need to tweet? No. But with a little thought and creativity, Twitter can be a quick and cost-effective way to reach many customers and prospects.

 

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a way for people to connect for business. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn users do not generally share personal information, but use it strictly for business. Users can create a profile for themselves, and one for their business. Employees and customers can connect to the business page, and information can be distributed to those connections. LinkedIn has a wide variety off added features beneficial to connecting businesses such as discussions, industry groups, and presentation sharing. LinkedIn is often used by companies and recruiters to find new talent. It is also used to find goods and services.

 

The Pros and Cons of Getting Into Social Media

Many business owners are currently wondering if they should take the plunge into social media. It’s uncharted territory for most, and if they do it, they want to do it right. Here are some pros and cons that may help you decide whether social media is right for you.

 

Pros

• Each of the social media sites discussed in this article are free to join. Not many other marketing mediums come with a price tag like that!
• Information is distributed in real-time. Delivering up-to-the-minute information is as easy as typing and clicking.
• Engaging in discussions with customers is easy and beneficial to business. Many social media sites encourage feedback and comments, which can promote good word of mouth advertising. And if there are negative comments, you are able to respond to them promptly and show good customer service.
• Social media broadens your reach through viral marketing. It’s the old “she told two friends, then they told friends, and so on…” effect. Only through online social media, it happens much faster!
• Connect with customers on a more personal level. Social media allows you to connect with customers a little deeper, creating a more loyal following.

 

Cons

• It’s easy to offend. Because social media is more personal, people engage with you on their terms. They are wise to blatant promotion, and will disconnect from companies who simply push ad messages.
• If your business or industry typically gets negative public feedback, you can expect that 10-fold (or more) on social media.
• Social media requires continuous care. Having a presence of Facebook or Twitter requires regular updates and customer engagement. It’s definitely not a ‘set it and forget it’ ad medium.

Still not sure if social media is right for you? Take a look around on some social media sites and check out your competition. If they are there, are they doing it right? Are they seeing results? If they aren’t there, is that an opportunity or a red flag? Only you can decide, but taking a look around is most certainly a good first step.

 

Learn more at http://www.digidaze.com/