Social Networking PR
By guest blogger Monica Wilson
Creating a business and getting it off the ground is itself a huge achievement for a budding entrepreneur. Yet, soon the entrepreneur learns that starting the business is only the beginning. Some business people lose their strength to keep going when they discover that they must invest as much effort in promoting their business as they did launching it. No wonder so many businesses do not make it to their first anniversary.
All the same, unlike in the past when marketing required big budgets, today many marketers leverage the power of social media to help even the smallest of enterprises make considerable headway in the marketplace. Experian reports that 80% of today’s marketers have already embraced social media marketing. In a few years, this percentage will be very close to 100%. Given how significant social media has become to the well-being of today’s businesses, marketers must know how to do it effectively. The following are ten ways you can boost the performance of your business by leveraging the power of social media.
Define your target audience first
The excitement of starting a new company often drives many businesses to post generic content that no one wants to engage with on social media. Social media is not just about uploading videos and images and adding captions to them. It is about creating a platform that connects you to your audience, starts a conversation and leads to conversions. None of these things can happen if you fail to clearly define your target audience.
Take time to learn more about the habits of your target audience, the type of content they would want to see and how you can make your products better for their consumption in future. Without a clearly defined target audience, the information you would obtain about people’s response to your business will be false. Use the data-rich features available on Twitter and Facebook to narrow down your target market so that you can put all your energy towards getting this target market to know your brand and its products and services.
Engagement is the key to success
The more posts you publish on social media is not equivalent to increased engagement. To attain any noteworthy success, you must be patient through the process of growing an audience that is willing and excited at the through of engaging and connecting with your brand. Take time creating unique content that speaks to your audience. The idea is to, without necessarily saying it, create an assurance to your audience that someone is listening to their complaints, queries and comments and will respond with answers.
Work on your social profiles
Businesses with big ad budgets sometimes jump fast to ad campaigns and neglect their social media profiles. They spend little time creating social profiles that will get the attention of anyone who happens to visit them. Consequently, they find themselves hardly growing an audience without spending money when the opportunity to grow organically keeps evading them just because they have lackluster profiles.
Don’t make this mistake. Make sure your profile clearly reflects the image of your business you wish to see on display. Remember to optimize the bio so that everyone who comes across the profile is left with little doubt that you have what it takes to deliver excellent products and services.
social media marketing tips
Determine when it is best to post on social media
Social media users in different social networking sites have certain hours of the day that they are most active. Understanding this will help you craft a social media posting schedule that has the best chance to succeed. CoSchedule reports that social media posts published on Saturdays and Sundays have 32% more engagement than those published in other days of the week. The same also said the best times of day for social posting is 9AM, 1PM and 3PM.
Utilize tools and opportunities made available by social networks
Social media marketers know many tools they can use to grow on social media. For instance, HootSuite is excellent for scheduling; Growr is perfect for growing an Instagram following; Buffer is ideal for managing Twitter. However, before you consider third party tools, you should exhaust the functionality of those tools that the social networks have made available. Facebook has scheduling and analytics tools and Twitter has Tweetdeck and its own analytics tools. Use these tools and measure the changes you will see in your efforts in social media marketing.
Offer exclusive, entertaining, useful information and deals
Asking people to follow you on social media can seem odd yet it works. All the same, you should provide value if you want people to follow and engage with your brand. That is why you should think about the promise you can make to those who follow you on social media. This is especially necessary when you are just getting started building a social media following. Talk to your marketing team about creating value that you can leverage on social networking sites to make your audience feel special and part of something great and beautiful.
Video is as social as you can get
For a few years now, marketers have been talking about the power of video in marketing on social media. Yet, few business executives have decide to invest considerable resources towards creating video content. Those who have embraced video have clear results to show. Perhaps this is why YouTube remains one of the most visited website in the world and the second largest search engine platform the world over.
Practically everyone wants to watch videos. Indeed, available statistics show that 82% of Twitter users regularly watch video content on the platform. On Facebook, users watch around 100 million hours of video every day. So, why not create videos for them to watch as part of your social marketing initiatives?
Leverage communities
Consider using employee advocacy programs to leverage communities. This way you can take advantage of the numbers and use your content to reach more people on social networking sites. You can find social media communities on Facebook, Pinterest as well as on LinkedIn. Look for a group in your niche and join. Through this community, you can advertise a product or service to people you are certain that they have some interest in your products or services.
Experiment with content creator communities
Sometimes you may find yourself with no viable ideas for creating content to publish on your social media channels. This is why content creator communities come in. Some of the most popular communities include Viral Content Buzz,Social Buzz Club and Triberr.
The reason these communities exist is to help content creators find creative ways to present content, brainstorm on new and unique content and improve social media promotion initiatives. Furthermore, participating in these communities will give you the perfect opportunity to learn from other content creators regarding what works and what doesn’t.
Share on the right platform & at the right time
Any marketer will tell you that each social media platform has its own unique culture. For this reason, a good plan in social media marketing should include creating customized content plan for each social network. For example, Instagram is big on hashtags, Twitter is perfect for real time conversations and Facebook is ideal when have a lot to say.
Take time to understand the culture that exists in each social platform and how it can help you advance your business. Additionally, familiarize yourself with new and emerging networking sites and see if they offer new opportunities that the existing platforms struggle to offer. Whatever you do, resist the temptation of copying and pasting everything you post in one platform into another. This “dumping” approach will result to low engagements and uninspiring social media marketing results.
Social media industry watches believe that it is still at its infancy and that many things will change as it matures. Businesses that will invest in learning the most effective ways of marketing on social networking sites will continue to record impressive results that will bring conversions and increase sales.
By Guest Blogger Sarah Von Bargen
Friends, a warning.
This post will not give you copy and paste ideas for blog posts. This is not where I suggest starting a meme-worthy post series like “what’s in your purse?”
(Not because I don’t want to know what’s in your purse because I totally do. What’s your stance on those round chapstick ball things?)
Sarah Von Bargen Blogging
These are more start-of-the-brainstorming-session, open-to-your-interpretation suggestions. They’re a great place to start when you’re sitting down to plan out next month’s content.
With that said, here are five questions to ask yourself when you’re filling in that editorial calendar.
Am I working on any projects or offerings that I want to build buzz for? Can I give my readers a sneak peek of any upcoming stuff?
If you’re working on a brunch cookbook, write a post about the magic of brunch, link to your favorite brunchy recipes, tell people you’re working on the book, and tell them they can join your list so they’ll be the first to know when it comes out.
If you’re writing an ebook about getting over a break up, share a story about one of your breakups, what you learned from it, tell readers what you’re working on, and invite them to join your list. You get the idea!
Am I trying to grow my Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest followers this month?
Think about what you can write that pairs nicely with each of those platforms. If you’re trying to grow your Instagram following, do a roundup of Instagrammers you think people should follow (Kaelah does a nice job of this). @mention them so they know you’re talking about them and remind your readers that they can follow you.
If you’re trying to grow your Pinterest following, create content that relates to some of your best, most popular boards. Tell readers if they like this, then they’ll really love your Pinterest board on the same topic.
Is there anything happening this time of year that’s particularly important to my readers and clients?
Do your readers care that it’s tax season? That it’s New York Fashion Week? The shoulder travel season in Europe? Chinese New Year?
blogging tips
Think about the events that matter to your people and write content that helps them prepare and enjoy those events. During college graduation season I wrote about how to be a grown-ass woman and during the holiday shopping season I wrote about how to prepare your shop for a deluge of sales and customers.
Have there been any Big Deal developments in my industry or community that I should talk about?
What does it mean for your clients and readers when Facebook changes their policies? When gay marriage becomes legal? When there’s a polar vortex? When Apple releases a new phone? When New York makes Airbnb illegal?
I’m sure you stay up to date on the news and big developments in your industry and I’m sure you’ve got capital O Opinions. Share those with your readers! And if the developments are challenging or troubling, share any ideas about how to deal with them.
Have there been any big changes (good or bad, big or small) in my life that lead to epiphanies that would help my readers + clients?
Of course, if you blog exclusively about food it might be a bit weird to blog about your cat-ownership realizations. But most epiphanies aren’t industry-specific! I mean, I wrote about the business lessons I learned from creating a cat calendar.
Readers love to learn more about you and your life; they’ll probably enjoy hearing more about you while learning something useful.
Sarah Von Bargen has been writing for 16 years, blogging for 8, and solving people’s problems online since dial up internet. Grab her free book ‘7 TRICKS FOR A POLISHED + IMPRESSIVE + PRODUCTIVE ONLINE LIFE’ here or follow along on Twitter.
As a high school student in Palo Alto, California, I was irrepressibly curious and constantly looking for strange and exciting new experiences to try out. And if those “strange and exciting” adventures meant that I could make a little extra money on the side? Even better!
That’s how I wound up sitting in a laboratory with a guy in a white lab coat who explained that he was conducting an important scientific experiment. I was going to be compensated for my time and, so it seemed, helping to further a scientific discovery. This was great!
“There’s a man sitting in another room, on the other side of this wall,” Mr. White Coat explained to me. “This man is taking a test and if he answers a question incorrectly, you must give him an electric shock.”
Mr. White Coat shocks me the 15 volts to show me how it feels. Ow! I jerk in my seat. Tolerable, but definitely painful.
“Remember,” Mr. White Coat reminds me. “If the test subject gets the wrong answer, you shock him.”
The test begins. The man taking the test gets a string of wrong answers. I shock him. Wrong answer. I shock him again.
With each progressive shock, the man on the other side of the wall — the man I am shocking — begins to yelp, then cry out, then scream. It sounds like the pain is becoming unbearable. I glance up at Mr. White Coat and he urges me to keep going. After the third shock, the man on the other side of the wall SCREAMS out, “Stop! Please! STOP! Let me out!” and starts pounding frantically on the wall. I yank back my hands and stand up.
“This experiment is over. I won’t shock him any more. He’s screaming. It obviously hurts.”
Sternly, he urges me to sit down and continue. “You agreed to this experiment so you have to finish it.”
“No, forget it, I won’t do it,” I tell him. I gather my things and prepare to leave. Mr. White Coat puts his hand on my shoulder to stop me and says,
“Wait.”
Photo Credit: Death to stock photo Experimenter The Movie
“The man on the other side of the wall is also participating in the experiment. He wasn’t really being shocked. You weren’t hurting him. He was just pretending. He wasn’t the test subject. YOU are.”
You can imagine, my teenage jaw fell right down to the floor. I was stunned and also relieved.
He went on to explain that he and his colleagues were conducting an experiment to see how people obey orders and respond to “authority figures.”
The results were pretty troubling.
Many of the people controlling the “shock” button kept shocking, and shocking, and shocking, and shocking…up to 450 volts (“Danger: severe shock”) despite horrible screams and pleas coming from beyond the wall.
According to The Atlantic Magazine, in one variation of the experiment, 65% of the people shocked the other person to “death.” (Not really, of course, because the actor was just pretending. But they didn’t know that.)
When asked, “Why did you do that? Why did you keep administering the shock?” most people would respond with some variation of, “The guy in the white coat told me to do it!”
Pretty staggering, right? As this experiment, first conducted by Stanley Milgram — which went on to become a famous, historic experiment, and is now a Hollywood movie called Experimenter — demonstrates, most people do not question authority. If someone who appears to wearing some kind of “uniform” doles out an instruction, most people simply obey.
I was one of the few people who wouldn’t obey. Why? Because I won’t be bullied into hurting somebody, even if I’m told that I “must.” (“Must” is not a word that I like and I do not like being told what to do.) But I do know that it comes from my family, who has always taught me to stand up for what I believe no matter what. And to be kind and to help others who are in distress.
So this non-conformist attitude came from the example of my upbringing. As far as I can remember, I’ve always been wired that way — and it definitely carries through to my work today.
Photo Credit: Death to Stock Photo Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. ~ The Dalai Lama
When a client said to me, “My publisher wants to put out a press release that doesn’t accurately represent my work and the content of my book and I don’t feel right about it, but don’t feel like I can say anything. After all, they know best.” I told my client, “Don’t go against your own moral compass. Let’s come up with a new strategy and present it to them.” That’s what we did and it was readily accepted.
Or when another client said to me, “A sales expert told me I had to use his coaching model to get clients, but those aren’t the people I really want to work with,” I told my client, “Then stop that. We can find another way that reaches the people you resonate with.” I helped her get her first $10,000 client for a new program we devised. She was elated and said, “You turned my world upside down. What you have really opened my eyes to is another level of living. One to which I have aspired, but my only model was ‘become a guru.’ (shudder) Not only are you helping me, you are modeling a way of thinking that uplifts my spirit.”
When I see someone doing something that’s painful, unethical, ineffective, or that just “doesn’t feel right” for whatever reason, I urge them to speak up. I urge them to stop. I urge them to trust their instincts, rather than blindly trusting “The Man in the White Coat.”
Your “speaking up” story can be anything you want. Stopping a person from beating their dog. Telling a teacher that you DO in fact have singing skills. A time when you spoke up in a meeting and suggested something totally opposite to the common group think.
Speak up for what is right
By speaking up and choosing to behave differently than your peers, you could transform your industry, change your customer’s lives, or (who knows?) even save someone’s life.
When you feel the urge to speak up or defy the “orders” you’ve been given, do it.
With very, very few exceptions, you will not regret it.
Can you think of a time when you spoke up and it changed your life or someone else’s life? I want to hear your story.
Here’s how to share:
- Head over to Instagram (download the app here to sign up if you don’t already have an account).
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Once you’re logged into Instagram, follow me and then post a photo plus some text. For the text, briefly tell a story about a time in your life when you chose to speak up—where you were, what you said, and what happened next.
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Include this hashtag somewhere in your text: #TheMagicOfSpeakingUp and tag me @susanharrow
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Guidelines: please keep your story brief. 250 words or less. Think: “sound bite sized.” Also, please keep your story G-rated and appropriate for kids and teens to read. Extra credit for concise stories!
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Please do your Instagram post by November 24 and encourage friends to participate, too!
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Not on Instagram? No problem. Do the same thing on Facebook. Please “like” my page and remember to use the hashtag #TheMagicOfSpeakingUp and to tag me @susanharrow.
Prizes!
Prizes for everyone
Every single person who shares a story on Instagram or Facebook receives my E-book Girl On Fire—which shows you how to speak up in 10 of life’s trickiest scenarios—just for participating!
Here’s how to get that prize (and be entered in the contest for the grand prize):
Go to Instagram or Facebook.
- On Instagram follow me and then tag EITHER the photo OR the text using @susanharrow.
- Post your story and image. NOTE: Make sure that you own the rights to the image or have creative commons commercial use rights. All submissions must have an image as well as text. Need some photo inspiration? Go here.
- Use the hashtag #TheMagicOfSpeakingUp.
- Tag me: @susanharrow.
- Go here to download your prize!
- I’ll announce the grand prize winner on December 9! (I hope it’s you!)
(Note: this is purely an “honor system” situation. No big hoops to jump through. If you posted a story, then go ahead and get your prize! It’s yours for the taking. Enjoy.)
Grand prize for one person
I will also select one story—the one that I feel is the most poignant or had the most impact—and that storyteller will receive the grand prize: My 6 month mentorship program to get prepared for publicity for or to launch your publicity program (Worth $11,500). I’ll announce the grand prize winner on my Instagram account and my Facebook Page on December 9. (Follow me on Instagram at @susanharrow and on Facebook to stay in the loop!)
This will be so fun and inspiring!
Whether you have a story about a huge, life-altering moment—or a small, quiet, everyday act of bravery—I want to see how you decided to speak up.
Small print:
In submitting a photo and story (The Work) you give me, my publisher, and its licensees and assigns permission to use any and/or all of the material from your post including the photo in all editions and derivations of The Work throughout the World, in all languages and all media, whether now known or hereinafter devised, and in the advertising, publicity, and promotion thereof. Proper credit will be attributed to you in The Work.
In submitting a story with an image/photograph you grant the permission requested above and warrant that the material indicated below does not infringe upon the copyright or other rights of anyone. If you do not control the rights requested by this post in their entirety, please provide me with the name and address of any other party from whom permission is required.
I cannot wait to see your story. Whether it’s a story about a gigantic act of courage — or a small, everyday act of bravery — it all counts and it’s all amazing.
This blog post was inspired by a lovely & very popular book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It’s delightful. You should read it.
Speak your mind. Stand your ground. Sing your song™.
By Nancy Marmolejo
I was chatting with my colleague Nancy Marmolejo about how she was getting so much traction of Facebook. If you offer high-ticket programs or services this is something you’ll want to consider as it’s a “new” and innovative Facebook Marketing strategy. I’m just going to copy the post here with a few of my edits… read it… then if you want to reach out directly to Nancy to talk to her about this, simply go here.
Facebook Marketing with Nancy Marmolejo
The public is on to you. They’re sensing something isn’t entirely real when you post in social media. It’s all gotten SO contrived. Your carefully crafted photos, status updates, and strategically planned posts — come across like you phoned them in. It’s not the real you. And people see that. I see that. We all see that…we’re not buying it…literally.
Simply put, these overly “airbrushed” posts is not the kind of engagement that results in revenue.
Look, let me share this with you. Do you know what it’s like to post something that speaks from the heart and then have someone — a total stranger who isn’t even on your list — hire you for $20K? I do. It’s awesome. Sure beats doing a launch, paying JV partners or forking out thousands of dollars for Facebook ads.
Have people ever private messaged you asking how they can work with you?
And I’m not talking low level work, but high-level, high priced work that’s gratifying and profitable and amazing.
People who are ready to take action and don’t want to jump through your funnel to get to you. They want you NOW.
What if posting about your dog on Facebook could fill your programs? That resulted in getting a bunch of newclients just for talking about something you love? Or what if sharing about your favorite juice bar could get a person to invest in your highest level offer?
No selling. No posing. No B.S. Just you being you. All while you’re still “on brand” and authentic.
Welcome to the world of real engagement… that converts.
For close to a decade, social media has been “my thing” to get clients.
People have been asking me for YEARS how I have successfully mastered social media engagement and Facebook marketing. “How do you get all these comments on your posts? How did you get so-and-so in on that conversation? How come you get clients — high-end ones — from social media and I don’t?”
What if Posting About Your Dog on Facebook Could Fill Your Programs?
For example, one woman, who regularly signs up 5 figure clients into her high-end program, put out a video to invite people to it. But it got zero traction. No engagement. No one watching it. Once I worked with her to change the wording in the Facebook post her engagement went wild! She has over 1000 views and counting and has converted a number of her ideal clients into her program.
It’s an ART. But like any art form, it can be taught. What’s cool is it will become YOUR art. Your voice. Your magic.
I can teach you how. But I want to do it right, so here’s how it’ll get YOU the best results.
I’m inviting 10 people to do this with me. I will teach exactly what I do, why I do it, how I do it, and how to customize it to YOU so you find your irresistible social media voice. (Hint: you don’t have to be anyone but yourself to do this. But you can’t see yourself the way I see you… that’s why mentoring for this is so important!)
Tell me why this would be valuable to you. I’m offering a small number of free consults to anyone interested in doing this work with me. Tell me about your challenges and what you’d love to see happen here.
Nancy Marmolejo has been in business since 2003,and has won numerous awards in business innovation and achievement, been featured in 5 books (and counting!), has over 100 media credits to her name, and maintains a great reputation in her industry as a thought leader. Her own Talent and Genius draw from a fascinating upbringing in a family business, a first career as an inner city school teacher, and an insatiable curiosity that drives her. She’s a genius at finding yours.
Guest post by Melissa Camilleri
As long as you haven’t been living under a rock the past couple years, you’ll know that Instagram should be a key component to your online marketing strategy, especially as a service-based business, where the competition often believes Instagram will not work for them. Newsflash: it can and it will. With over 300 million+ active users, it’s pretty certain your people are on Instagram. So, it behooves you to show up there, too.
Likely, you already have a presence on Instagram. If you’re anything like I was when I first started using the platform, your growth has been slow going and your reach not quite multiplying in the way you see it happening for other businesses. It’s frustrating to be in this space. In fact, I know that feeling well.
It took me one full year to grow my following on Instagram to 1000. But I was determined and focused. I observed and took action. I put in place some key strategies that took my Instagram (@shopcompliment) from 1000 to 17,000 the following year. These days, I’m adding an average of 1500 new followers per month and get 70% of my website traffic and conversions from Instagram. I’m selling multiple five-figures month after month, and my Instagram strategy is a large part of that.
I have no special photography or tech training under my belt. Just sheer will + an iPhone + a pretty good sense about people. There are some key things you can do to make sure your efforts on Instagram are giving you a solid ROI for your time– no matter your business model.
Here are my Instagram marketing tips – four things you can start doing today to give you the foundation to start actually making money on Instagram:
1. Show up consistently.
It is essential that if you have an Instagram account, you are posting at least once a day to maintain a part of the conversation. Posting consistently will keep you top of mind in your customer’s heads. Did you know that studies show that a potential customer has to interact with a brand a minimum of 7 times before ever taking action? The more you post, the quicker this will happen. I do suggest posting no more than 3 times per day, with your posts at least 3-4 hours between posts. Anything more frequent will just clog your followers’ feeds and get annoying.
2. Get social.
Interact with the people who comment on your photos. @Mention them back. Ask them questions. Share your gratitude. And don’t be afraid to leave comments on other people’s pictures, too. Be generous with your likes. Follow back people who are consistently interacting with you. It’s called a social network for a reason! Let people get to know you, and seek ways to get to know your followers.
3. Post with your ideal customer in mind.
What does she like about your brand? What is on her mind at the time of the day you’re posting? What does she talk about with her friends? Where is she when she buys from you? What are her dreams? What are her problems and how does your product solve them? When you write the captions of your photos, keep her in mind. Write directly to her. You’ll find that your engagement will grow authentically with people who are excited about what you’re putting out into the world.
4. Understand that your numbers are less important than engagement.
Don’t get me wrong, the number of followers you have is definitely important. Followers act like little votes of confidence and give your brand credibility. And because people do what they see other people do, the more followers you have, the more followers you will get.
But, what good is a bunch of followers who don’t ever book your services? (I’ll give you a hint: NO GOOD AT ALL.) Numbers aren’t everything. Authentic engagement is what matters most. You build engagement by building relationships. By putting some key strategies into place (like the ones listed above), you can make sure that you are building trust and turning the followers you do have into raving fans and eventual customers.
Melissa Camilleri is the Founder + Creative Director of Compliment– a gift brand she launched in 2011 while she was a full-time high school English and AVID teacher. She credits Instagram for helping her grow her business from a production line on her dining room table to the socially-responsible corporation it is now. At the urging of her business-owner friends who wanted to replicate her marketing success. Tens of thousands have attended her virtual courses, participated in her workshops, and studied under her guidance. She believes we rise by lifting others. She lives and loves in Northern California.
Say hello to Melissa on Instagram @shopcompliment.
Want more ways to leverage Instagram for your service or product-based business?
Register now for FREE webinar with Melissa Camilleri
Sometimes I’m totally obsessed with pinning, tweeting, and blogging. Then I catch myself….Whhhhaaaaat am I doing? This isn’t work.
Or is it?
Dunno. I go back and forth.
Is sharing this pic good for my brand because I think it’s funny—or cute?
Maybe.
Some things to think about BEFORE you post something on social media.
1. Does this link really represent a great article that will help my further my business or brand?
I admit I ALWAYS click through and read any article before I share because some people are fabulous at writing headlines/titles, but don’t deliver on content. Are you curating your content closely to make sure that you don’t send something that is potentially offensive or worthless? Don’t be in a super hurry to promote things just because others think it’s great. I’m not always of the same opinion.
Best times for social media posts
Photo by: Fey Illyas
2. Should I schedule my posts during optimal times?
Sometimes. I have discovered that, though our Sprout Social app may tell us the best times to tweet and post to Facebook, it doesn’t always predict who is online in the wee hours. I’ve had tons of favorites and retweets when I’m skimming for content ideas on those nights I can’t sleep.
Surprised? Yes, so was I. So don’t always believe the stats as when your tribe is or isn’t tweeting or Facebooking. Learn from your own experience. Those tools are great, but they aren’t God. They are algorithms, not people. The only way to find out what’s piquing your tribe is to choose things that please you or have already piqued others. (Though, neither is a guarantee). Lady luck plays a huge part in viralocity. As does timing and the tenor of the times.
3. Should I hire a social media manager?
Depends…
You want a social media manager who understands you and your brand and can sift through content quickly and make recommendations for posts, articles, pics and respond to people in your network in your voice. Sometimes this takes a bit of training – once you have the right person in that role.
Most of the time I leave all the social media stuff up to my social media manager Kayli Schattner to help me choose and post things I think you would like and share. That said, I send her things i want her to schedule AND I still want to approve most of the content before it gets posted. My VA Kelly has chastised me about this, saying it’s a waste of my precious time. But I’m super particular about my reputation. So that’s your own personal call.
For example, if someone makes a request that Kayli doesn’t know how to answer or feels uncomfortable answering, she’ll jet me and email so I can write up a response. We’ve created a bank of responses for the most frequently asked questions that she can tailor them to any request. That way I ensure that my followers are being handled in the way that matches my conversational style and integrity. And it saves a ton of time for all of us.
And, you’re in for a treat because…
Kayli has a few openings for a new client.
Social Media Marketing
Kayli is the most positive and optimistic person I know. She is always willing to help—and will tell you honestly when she doesn’t know something —or what doesn’t suit her strengths. I depend on her to handle all my social media and the administration of my blog. She’s a gem. Best to be fast. I scooped her up within an hour of interviewing her as she shined far above all the other candidates.
Here’s what she’s looking for:
Are you a creative entrepreneur or blogger looking to refine your web presence and generate leads through the power of social media? Find yourself craving more time to focus on what makes your soul happy rather than community building and small-talk? Social Media Strategist and Web Presence Consultant, Kayli Schattner, is taking on a couple of extra clients and would love to discuss how she can help you and your business. If you’d like a creative, upbeat and dedicated Social Media Manager for your business, be sure to jet her an email at: hello@thepassionpunch.com to discuss strategy and pricing.
Interested in more tips for social media? Try these:
LinkedIn Engagement – 10 Tactics that Take Less than 10 Minutes
(Rule #36 From 42 Rules for 24-hour Success on linked In)
By Chris Muccio
The goal is to help you create a sustainable participation on LinkedIn.
There are numerous ways to create engagement on LinkedIn by using your time efficiently. If you are building out a 15-minute-per-day participation plan, these tactics should fit perfectly. In this rule, we are going to discuss 10 tactics that can each be performed in well under 10 minutes. (Note: these are all online techniques. You could always integrate offline techniques like writing a note and mailing it and sending a card.)
Quickest Tactics: Each Takes Less than a Couple of Minutes
1. Start your day with a quick glance at your notifications tab
(located, as of this writing, at the top right of your page). In a couple of seconds, you can see who has most recently interacted with you. Based on that, you can respond accordingly.
2. Check your morning e-mails with group activity.
Scan to see which posts you are interested in and can comment effectively toward.
3. Open up your Google Alerts, and scan for interesting information to share with your connections.
(Note: if you haven’t already, set up Google Alerts to monitor keyword phrases that are important to you, your industry, or your target audience. Each day, Google sends you an e-mail with a list of articles related to your search. It takes less than a minute to initially set up.) Always add a sentence or two to the link you post. Just posting links without comments does not create the engagement you want people to make with you. One note of caution: be cognizant of articles that you come across that may be sitting behind a site’s paid side (i.e., paywall). Some recipients won’t be able to read these links.
- Click for a larger image
4. Scan your activity stream.
Depending on how you have your filter set, this can show all the activity occurring within your network. Find items to comment on in a value-added way. Making relevant comments keeps you and your company name in people’s thoughts and reinforces the connections between you. If you can’t find something to comment on, then find something to “like.” As we discussed in Rule #24, it can still be a powerful tactic.
5. Endorse someone in your network.
Consider the points we shared in Rule #32.
Quick Tactics: Each Takes Less than Five Minutes
6. When people endorse you, thank them.
If they commented on your update, respond. If they viewed your profile, send them a message.
7. Skip the e-mail in item #2, and go directly into your key groups.
Open each one and post a comment, comment on a post, or add a “like.” Always add value to the discussion. Just do this in your main groups. Spreading yourself too thin will dilute your effectiveness.
8. Post an update on your company page.
It is a great way to engage with a highly targeted demographic.
9. Focus on one-to-one communication.
Check out specific profiles in your network. You can see the last time you’ve communicated with them via LinkedIn’s little CRM function. Take a quick second to send a short message.
10. Invite people.
Take a few minutes to find new people to add to your network. They may be people in your target industry, region, or company. Make a connection request with a personal message. Perform this wisely. Remember to connect with care and with those you have something in common with. Don’t spam invites; LinkedIn is watching
Next Steps
Take a look at these tactics. Try them. Refine them and figure out what works best for you. The goal is to help you create a sustainable participation on LinkedIn. These are quick and can be very effective tools to engage with your target audiences. Take a peek at the video Chris created from our interview on how to use sound bites on LinkedIn.
Chris is a seasoned executive who started his career with PriceWaterhouseCooper . He holds an MBA from the University of Florida, where he was named a Matherly Scholar, the highest honor awarded by the program. Throughout his corporate career, Chris has functioned as a global executive leading multiple highly successful projects, teams and multi-million dollar business functions across 28 countries on five continents. Currently he’s a sought after Chief Digital Strategist. You can get his Amazon Bestselling book and attend CR3 Digital Marketing Telesummit here: www.42for24.com
by Kris Gilbertson
Have you heard about podcasting lately?
It seems to be the buzz word of marketing that everyone is talking about in recent months — everywhere from Entrepreneur.com, HubSpot, Social Media Examiner, ProBlogger and the list goes on and on.
So, Let’s quickly break down the Top 3 Reasons to Podcast:
#1:: Podcasting Creates Positioning
By partnering with a huge marketing giant like iTunes you already get to leverage the loyal following of the Apple market.
There are over 1 Billion Podcast Subscribers — all of whom are seeking expert advice on their problems, seeking experts to provide solutions to the pain in their life or business, and looking for people to entertain them at the same time.
Just like being on the Radio, TV, or Print – you create expert positioning by being on those mediums. The same things happen by default with a podcast. Your expert status is increased and your exposure triples because you are now showcased in the iTunes Platform.
Also — There are over 900 blogs to one podcast. Simply by having a podcast your odds of exposure massively increase for your prospects finding you.
#2: Podcasting Creates Effective Promotion
Podcasting allows you to have your content on the go as an Expert.
Your audience doesn’t have to be in one place — they can be in the car, at the gym, walking the dog, driving in the car — they can be anywhere.
And where are all of our customers today — on their phones.
Your content, as a podcast, just became mobile — a staple that your prospects can take with them on the go.
This is extremely important because when people listen to you on your podcast — you have their undivided attention. They are tuning in JUST to listen to you and for no other reason.
By default, a podcast is one of the most intimate marketing channels you could possibly have for you business. When people are tuning in just for your content their level of Trust increases, your like-a-bility increases, and your sales will increase.
Because who do we only buy from — people that we like and trust!
So a podcast can be a great way for you to strengthen the relationships with your current clients, open the door up to new ones, and provide incredible value that results in people wanting to learn more about you and your business to a whole new audience.
#3: Podcasting Increases Profit
The main reason why podcast listeners prefer to buy products they heard about on a podcast, is because of the level of transparency that happens on a podcast.
You can completely be yourself and let your true personality, style, and character be discovered. This is how my clients have been able to massively increase their website traffic and increase sales from podcasting.
By being your unique self, your tribe will find you. And that is a beautiful day, because it doesn’t matter if you’re perfect or not as a speaker. They will still tune in and follow you – because they like you and your own unique style.
I still remember the day that a top marketing veteran of a top fortune 500 company said to me– Kris, if you want to make a little sell the products. If you want to make a ton – sell yourself.
And that still rings true today – people are looking to get behind people’s brands.
Not be on the outside looking in anymore. They want to connect with you, the real you – and more often.
And this is how a podcast can truly increase your profits because of the loyalty that happens from you regularly podcasting and sharing incredible content that your listeners can implement. By doing this, the level of trust increase and then when you do have promotions you already have people that are excited and hungry for what you have to offer.
Kris Gilbertson is a podcasting expert that teaches business owners and entrepreneurs how to generate free traffic, leads and sales through podcasting. Her podcast Secrets of the Extraordinarily Successful is listened to in over 103 countries and receives thousands of downloads on a weekly basis.
Join us for a free webinar: How to Generate Free Leads, Traffic, and Sales with Podcasting
I’d love to know your biggest question about podcasting?
Please leave a comment below and Susan and I will be sure to address this.
By Guest Blogger Danny Iny
Hi, I’m Danny from Firepole Marketing, and in the next few minutes, in this video I’m going to show you why a lot of the so-called good advice you’ve been following to build your business could actually be crippling your growth – and what to do about it.
Let’s start by stating the obvious: Starting a business online is a gargantuan challenge – especially in the beginning.
You work hard to create excellent content, gather strangers from all over the internet, and somehow get them onto your list. It’s slow going – but you try to trust that if you just keep at it – success will follow. Someday.
But you have a nagging sense that you’re missing something important – like there’s one key piece of information that keeps slipping through your fingers – and if you only had it, you’d see a lot more success, a whole lot faster!
And faster would be nice, because it’s been really slow going – sometimes so slow that you wonder if you’re making any progress at all.
Well I want to tell you something. There IS a key piece of information you’re missing….
Watch the video to find out.
Excerpted from the new book Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest For Business by Karen Leland, Sterling Marketing Group.
What pushes one person or companies Pinterest past unknown to being a star player? In short it’s your ability to curate and promote content that is meaningful, attractive, social media friendly, and on message with your brand. To build up a bigger audience on your Pinterest put these 7 strategies in place.
1. Build More Niched Boards
Take a look at the most popular players on Pinterest, and it will become clear they have a plethora of boards, usually between 50 and 100, on average. It’s also obvious that those same users have gone to great efforts to make their boards as niched as possible so they stand a better chance of being found (and followed) by a targeted audience. For example, if you’re a cookbook writer, a single board named “desserts” that features all manner of sugary goodies would work, but you might draw more followers if you took that same board and split it into four:
- Pies and cakes
- Cookies and bars
- Chocolate
- Ice creams, sorbets, and puddings
By refining your boards to be more relevant to the people who are the most interested in those specific topics, you increase your chances of getting followers.
2. Jump on the Trending Topics Bandwagon
People, places, and events that are popular at the moment make great bait for finding new followers. Topics that are trending will be getting keyword-searched on the site, and if you have a pin that fits, you stand a good chance of picking up some of that traffic. Reachli.com says that pins related to trending topics see an average 94-percent increase in click-throughs. So it pays to pay attention to the trending topics on Pinterest and to what’s trending on other social media sites. A few great resources include:
Post to Your Most Popular Boards
For those boards of yours that have a significantly larger following than others, post with slightly more frequency. Since more people are following these boards, your chances for a higher rate of repins—and hence new followers—is greater.
3. Follow High-Profile and Highly Relevant People
While the criteria for whom you follow should first and foremost be the relevance of their pins to your business and brand, there’s a case to be made for having at least 10 percent of whom you choose be the big dogs in their fields. By following these power players, you increase the chances that they’ll follow you back, repin, like, and comment on your images, and give you greater exposure to their large followings.
4. Use Keywords in All Your Pins
Paying attention to SEO is a significant part of pinning. The more on target you are with the keywords you use in your boards and pin descriptions, the more likely you are to draw followers searching for and interested in those topics.
5. Promote Pinterest with Your Email Newsletter
Given the stringent no-spam requirements that exist for email marketing today, it’s a safe bet that the people already on your distribution list want to hear from you. Several ways to build your Pinterest following with a newsletter include:
- Announcing your presence on the site in a regular newsletter you send and encouraging readers to click through and follow you.
- Sending out a pithy, photo-heavy announcement about your Pinterest, inspiring your tribe to find out more.
- Enticing readers to visit your Pinterest by placing a Pinterest icon that links through to your page on all email newsletter communications and featuring a “hot” pin or two you’ve recently posted.
6. Add Pinterest to Your Email Signature Line
You have the opportunity with every email you send to anyone—client, potential client, friend, colleague, stranger you just met on the airplane—to promote your Pinterest and gain followers. Simply add the dedicated URL of your Pinterest to the end of your signature line, where the links to your other social media (website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) live, and allow people to follow you with a single click.
7. Reciprocate
A good best practice is to always check out a new follower, or someone who has liked or repinned one of your images, and consider whether you want to follow them back. Some of the criteria to take into account include:
- Are they a major player in the same space? If so, consider following them, since your audiences are likely to be the same.
- Are they pinning interesting, beautiful, or highly informative content? If yes, they’re worth following as a regular resource for repinning.
- Are they someone on whose radar you’d like to be? Following someone increases the chances they’ll follow you back and gives you regular opportunity to comment, like, and repin their images.
Get your 4 free bonuses here: http://bit.ly/PKaren
50 Ways to Use Pinterest For Your Business. A cheat sheet of Bronze-, Silver, and Gold-Level Tips.
Bonus Chapter 18: Pinterest in 15 Minutes a Day available online only, this chapter shows you how to make the most of Pinterest Monday – Friday, in just 15 minutes a day.
Pinterest Podcast: 14 Types of Boards Every Business Should Consider Creating with Karen Leland, author of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business and President of Sterling Marketing Group.
Pinterest Webcast: If you are new to Pinterest, or want to up your game, this short and information-packed webcast will show you the best ways to use Pinterest to promote your book, business, or product.
Karen Leland is the bestselling author of 8 business books including the recently released Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest For Business, which can be purchased at http://bit.ly/Amazonbook. She is the president of Sterling Marketing Group, where she works with small businesses and Fortune 500 on building stronger personal and team brands. She writes the Modern Marketing Blog at www.karenleland.com.
