Mediaboss Marketing

Want to learn more about using social media and other digital marketing methods to promote your small business? If so, theres a new weekly livestream show that could be of interest.

The show is called #CoffeeWithCoal and its hosted by Pennsylvania-based digital marketing company Coal Creative. (The whole coal thing comes from the fact that the company is based in and works primarily with companies from Pennsylvanias anthracite coal region.) The show airs every Monday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern on Facebook Live and is simulcast on YouTube and Periscope.

The first episode aired on July 17. Each episode focuses on a different topic. For instance, the first one discusses Facebook cover videos and maintaining a consistent image across social media. You can also catch up on past episodes on Facebook, YouTube and Periscope.

But the hosts also accept audience questions and participation during the show. So if youre able to tune in on Facebook Live, you can get answers to your questions and interact with the team. And since the episodes air on Monday mornings, the team also shares a social media prompt to help viewers get their week off to a great start.

One of Coal Creatives most popular services is assistance with video marketing. For that reason, the company has the equipment and know-how to make really professional looking livestreams. And the ability to showcase that while also sharing helpful tips and information is one of the main motivations behind starting the show in the first place.

Gerard Durling, founder of Coal Creative, said in a phone interview with Small Business Trends, The whole point is to talk about some of the stuff we do on a daily basis like social media and internet marketing while also showcasing some of the services were capable of providing like livestreaming and video marketing.

In addition, the company is using the show as an opportunity to connect with potential customers in other parts of the country. Located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, most of the companys clients to this point have been located nearby. But as a digital marketing company that provides services like video marketing, branding design and social media, the company has the capacity to help small businesses in any location through its content and services.

Image: Coal Creative

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PA Marketing Company Launches Livestreaming Social Media Talk Show - Small Business Trends

Mobile technology has revolutionised the way people travel. Now, more than ever before, people are using mobile devices to plan every aspect of their trip, creating an incredibly flexible and powerful marketing platform for the hospitality sector.

A survey by eMarketer found 51.8% are using their devices to complete travel bookings - a figure expected to rise to 86.4% by 2019 while ThinkWithGoogle reports 49% of all hotel searches take place through mobile phones.

Working hand in hand with the fact that booking companies and travel industries are becoming even more mobile-focussed is the notion that consumers are now looking for a complete travel experience. Its not enough to simply sell the service using traditional strategies anymore.

This is thanks to the increase in brand popularity across social media platforms. Consumers, in particular Millennials, are focusing on the bigger picture when it comes to planning a trip or holiday. Decisions are now based on what they will get out of the trip as a whole and if they are being offered a fully immersive experience.

Thats why building up your brand via mobile is key.

Develop a strong strategy

First and foremost, we recommend doing this through a tailored social media strategy. Using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc. not only gives you a variety of platforms to reach out to consumers but encourages guests to share their experiences firsthand.

New figures show 97% of millennials share photos and videos of their travels online with 89% planning their travel activities based on content posted by their peers online.

People are inspired by others opinions of where to visit, stay and what activities they should try thanks to the power of social media and its ability to pinpoint locations through user check-ins, the immediacy of published material and hash-tagging.

With 73% of travelers using a mobile device to research a trip in 2016, a good social media presence is more important that ever before.

Social media also comes with another vital USP. It gives the brand the chance to reach out directly to consumers and offers a platform for reputation management if any complaints are launched. Its a more intimate and personal direct channel for brands to interact with consumers.

Finally, when it comes to picture sharing, there really is no reason your brand shouldnt be showing of its finest features via Instagram - which boasts 700 million active monthly users.

Video is vital

It may seem like a given to include a good video marketing strategy but many companies are missing out on its true potential when it comes to implementation across social media channels.

In 2017, video content will represent 74% of all internet traffic(hubspot)

In its most basic form, social media videos give you an unrivalled platform to showcase your property, hotel or service as well as the surrounding area, local events, restaurants and bars.

According to Googles Travellers Road to Decision report, 66% of people watch travel-related content while thinking about taking a trip.

Its figures like these which show brands can no longer afford to be absent from social media.

Going above and beyond, developments in video, such as the new live platforms offer scope for experimentation in the hospitality sector. Live video is growing ever more popular. Its more natural and organic and reaches out to consumers in a direct and intimate way. As its still relatively new its important to experiment with live video to see which approaches can really work for your brand.

These developments should be maximised on to stay well ahead when it comes to both digital and social media marketing across the sector.

Its all about content

As social media users are constantly sharing their holiday experiences its facilitating the way branded travel content is making its way across the web.

Mobile content is an excellent way of encouraging consumers to make bookings but its important to have a clear idea of audience and each platforms strengths beforehand.

Stepping up your content in the form of blogs and long form copy raises awareness about events and activities in surrounding areas. Innovative and interesting city and travel guides are incredibly useful in generating continuous conversations and increasing interaction between consumers and the brand in an unforced manner.

With people doing more searches than ever before prior to booking, inspiring organic destination marketing is particularly useful in upping brand visibility through successful SEO and keyword implementation, incorporating a subtle call to action.

Jennifer Kennedy is marketing manager at Cuckoo

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Why social media matters more than ever to hospitality marketing - The Drum

Sustainability is a worthwhile endeavor for a city to encourage of its residents, and Lincoln has long been among Nebraskas leaders in this field.

But such efforts must come with common sense and fiscal responsibility.

The recycling agreement before the Lincoln City Council seeks to achieve positive change by increasing the number of people who recycle and decreasing per capita waste by 100 pounds. The proposed $850,000 cost for the pact, though, is just too high for the city despite its noble goals.

Accordingly, city council members were wise to postpone a vote on the measure on the three-year agreement, one that would cost more than $5,500 per week, while also looking at incentives though theyd likely be more expensive and other means to encourage recycling.

With corrugated cardboard set to be banned from the city landfill next spring, such a campaign is needed and the citys current two-year budget already includes initial funding for the needed program. The best means, as the two Nebraska companies involved with the drive correctly noted, to grow public participation from the wary is through positive reinforcement and education.

Community events and social marketing represent good ways to do so. But the plans use of direct mail, while an effective way to reach people, poses a problem.

In a twist of irony, both companies proposed mailers that would encourage Lincoln residents to recycle more as part of their marketing. However, as one man who testified at Mondays meeting accurately pointed out, a large chunk of those paper flyers will no doubt end up in trash cans and the landfill a counterproductive result that would instead create more waste.

An increase in recycling along with the corresponding decrease in waste destined for the landfill is a positive for any community. Lincoln has been bold in pushing green initiatives and sustainability, with these forward-thinking enterprises helping to drive the city in a positive way as it continues to grow.

Progress comes with a price tag, and recycling isnt cheap. But improving Lincoln by leaving it a better, cleaner place than we found it is definitely worth an investment if done responsibly.

The effort before the City Council is certainly a step in the right direction for Lincoln. However, both the dollar figure and specifics of the recycling plan need a bit of revising before the council reconsiders the measure in two weeks.

See more here:
Editorial, 8/3: Recycling plan a good idea but needs work - Lincoln Journal Star

Did you know Facebook will no longer allow you to change text or images when you publish a link? Or that you can create your own Snapchat geo filters inside the Snapchat app? Those are changes instituted in just the past few weeks changes that show how much the social media landscape shifts in absolutely no time at all.

Whether youre trying to keep up with the changing social world or just want to get schooled on the basics, the Silicon Valley Social Media Marketing Course and Certification ($29, over 90 percent off from TNW Deals) will not only get you socially savvy, but also earn you credentials to make your social mastery a paying proposition.

Across 12 sections of instruction, youll examine all the most popular social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and more. Youll identify what works and what doesnt work in each area, building a deep knowledge base to help you position any message in any social sphere.

Once youre finished, youll know how to max out your social reach, find new customers and followers, and create money-making opportunities through social sales. Your training will also focus on various social media user types, which help you to tailor your message to very specific audiences to achieve success.

That targeted learning also comes with certification from the Silicon Valley Digital Marketing Institute, a physical calling card to signal to potential employers that you know social media and can operate as a shrewd online marketer for the biggest companies around.

Get on board with this limited time deal for the Silicon Valley Social Media Marketing Course for just $29, now over 90 percent off.

Get this deal

Read next: Researchers use science to help you snap 26% better selfies

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Master Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more with this social media marketing deal only $29 - TNW

The following guest post is courtesy ofAdinah Brown, content manager atLeverate.

Do you have an idea for a guest post?Want your article to be viewed by the hundredsof thousands of viewers who regularly visit LeapRate and receive our daily email newsletter?Let us know at[emailprotected].

Everyone is on social media.

This is a good thing, because it means that companies have a great chance to engage with their audiences on social media, however, it also means that everyone who is on social media feels that they are experts in social media and can easily implement social media strategies for their businesses. Just like enjoying food doesnt make you a good chef, being on social media does not make everyone a social media guru.

As social media budgets grow (it is expected that social media budgets will reach 21% of business marketing budgets within the next 5 years, that is more than three times what it was in 2009), it becomes increasingly important to have a dedicated expert managing your social media marketing campaigns.

Herewith, our best practices for B2B social media marketing:

Define your audience: knowing who you are speaking to and understand who they are and what they want. This will help you target your messages and campaigns better, ensuring higher engagement. Start by making a list of people who have traded with our brokerage in the past. Group them together by age, gender, profession, industry, country of residence, etc. Based on these groups, build your buyer personas, meaning a representation of each customer group. Turning each group into an imaginary person who fits the majority of members in each specific group will help you address them in a way that is engaging and relatable.

Once you begin growing your social media community, make sure you monitor audience data so that you can improve the performance of your content.

Rely on employees as advocates: Sharing messages through the voice of your employees is a great way to humanize your brand and improve the value and perception of your business.

According to a report from Nielsen, over 90% of consumers trust earned media over any other kind of advertising. That is because word of mouth from trustworthy sources are exemplary ways of earning business. Employees know the company well, but are perceived as objective, so sharing your businesss messages through employees can be a great form of earned media.

Another benefit of using employee voices is that you are able to fill content voids when you are running low on inspiration.

Put money where your post is: 10 years ago, Facebooks algorithm showed any post on your page to everyone who liked your page. Today however, the algorithm has become much more selective and that number is now closer to 3%. Facebook and Twitter in particular have both low organic reach rates, so using paid social advertising is a must if you want to increase your posts reach. Make sure you use the ads manager interface to target your posts based on the buyer personas youve created.

Optimize your posts with CTAs: Whether paid or organic, including a CTA in every one of your posts will lead to higher clicks. According to an analysis of more than 1.5 million Facebook posts, TrackMaven found that posts that included the word please were twice as likely to create interactions. On Twitter, using verbs or adverbs at the beginning of a CTA earn more clicks than those starting with nouns or adjectives, according to analyst Dan Zarrella.

Use photos and videos: According to a study released by HubSpot, Facebook posts that include images have 53% more likes, 85% more clicks and 104% more comments than those who include only text. Another study revealed that video is the top performing type of media in terms of ROI. The same trend holds true for other social media networks so, include high quality images that relate to the story you are telling in the post.

Measure: There is no good marketing effort if it cant be measured. Make sure you keep tabs on your analytics, such as number of page likes/followers, engagement rate, etc. Also analyze if engagement is in any way related to the length of your posts, time of day in which you post, etc, so you can optimize your social media strategy as needed.

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Best Practices for B2B social marketing - LeapRate