Mediaboss Marketing

NEW YORK When Snapchat went public earlier this year, it was a reminder to many small business owners that they need to be part of the social media evolution. But which network? Snapchat? Facebook? Instagram? All of the above?

Many owners opt for a mix, picking services that will be the best marketing tools for their companies.

"Each channel is used in different ways, and should be used in different ways. There's no 'one size fits all,'" says Michelle Vroom, whose public relations company in the Philadelphia suburb of Horsham advises small businesses on how to use social media.

Instagram and Snapchat, for example, have more young users. LinkedIn, for many people, is a tool for professional networking and job searches. The majority of users on Pinterest are women, while Tumblr appeals to social bloggers. There are also channels focused on specific industries, such as Architizer for architects and Glozal for real estate.

Owners shouldn't think in terms of this service or that one, but look at all the options to develop a strategy, experts say.

"They need to think about where their audiences are, what they are reading, what they are doing," says Kenneth Hitchner, public relations and social media director for Creative Marketing Alliance, which is based in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. "If you are marketing to seniors, you're not going to be using the latest social media app like Snapchat because the audience isn't there just like if you are marketing to teens you probably aren't going to use something like LinkedIn."

White Rabbit New York, an online lingerie retailer, uses Instagram to reach customers in their 20s and 30s. Co-owner Mariana Hernandez finds that those shoppers, when they hear about a brand, want to look it up on Instagram. Once they've bought from the company, they also visit its Facebook page, where there are stories, event announcements and other posts.

The New York-based company also uses Pinterest, where users "pin" links to items for reference or for their friends to see. Hernandez continually experiments with different kinds of pictures, videos and content to keep up with the changing tastes of social media users.

"There's a lot of trial and error, seeing what sort of content works on each site," Hernandez says. "We try to stay connected to other startups to see what's working for them."

That kind of experimenting is what draws studioSPACEnyc to Instagram and Snapchat. The company, which creates art installations using nylon string, lights, images and videos, posts about its work on social media and sees the reaction in effect test-marketing the art it sells to companies and organizations.

Prospective customers are more likely to see the company's work on social media, founder Jacob Fisher says. Like other business owners, he uses the data provided by the platforms that show how many visitors his posts get to judge whether the outlet is effective.

"If we look at the analytics of the website and how many people view my Instagram account, we'll see 200 a day on Instagram and 15 on my website," Fisher says.

Facebook is the most widely used social media service, with a 2016 study by the Pew Research Center finding that nearly 80 percent of adults who use the internet are on Facebook. Thirty-two percent use Instagram, 31 percent are Pinterest users, 29 percent are on LinkedIn and 24 percent use Twitter.

The differences among the services go into an owner's social media strategy. Facebook posts are available for years, while some Instagram posts disappear after 24 hours. Companies that use video in their marketing have many options. While YouTube was the online video pioneer, the most popular services also have video capabilities. Twitter is used by companies not just for advertising, but to break news about their products and services.

Abhi Golhar likes Snapchat for its feature allowing users to put dog faces on photos an irreverent add-on that appeals to his sense of fun as he promotes his real estate investment business.

"It gives you the ability to be you," says Golhar, owner of Real Estate Deal Talk in Atlanta. "I'm a crazy, goofy guy and I'm answering questions for investors."

He also uses LinkedIn to reach people who focus on specific topics like real estate investing, and he likes Instagram because it includes hashtags that he can use to start online conversations.

What a company sells can also affect its choices. Consumer products and services that can be beautifully photographed are perfect for Instagram and Snapchat, where images and videos are the main draw. Facebook is set up more so users can click on links that will take them to websites where they can browse or order merchandise.

Jon Leonoudakis uses four different platforms as he advertises "The Sweet Spot," a streaming series about baseball. He uses Facebook because of its 234 million users in the U.S. and Canada, Twitter because he can do quick tweets aimed at people who are baseball fans and Instagram because it has more younger users. Leonoudakis writes longer posts detailing his project on LinkedIn.

Besides being a great advertising tool, social media also gives Leonoudakis' project credibility with streaming services that he wants to sell his series to.

"They ask, 'what are you doing to promote yourselves?'" Leonoudakis says. "When they see we're on social media they know we're in the ebb and flow of the business."

Many companies that don't believe social media can help them grow nonetheless make sure they have a presence on at least one channel.

MemberSuite, which makes software for organizations like trade and industry groups, posts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn although social media doesn't necessarily help it get new customers, CEO Andrew Ryan says. Its news and blog items increase awareness about the Atlanta-based company, and also help it maintain its reputation.

"What (social media) does is give us a sense of credibility and gives our customers confidence in us," Ryan says.

Link:
With many social media options, small businesses need focus - Charleston Post Courier

Kristina: Kristina: What do brands need to change about their current presence on social media?

Ben Cockerell, Director, Global Marketing, Crimson Hexagon: For brands, social media should be used proactively - not just reactively. They often use social to respond to things like customer complaints, which is great, but there are ways for them to get ahead of these issues. Is there an incoming complaint that's starting to become repetitive? For example, airlines often see this with social media posts about delayed or missed connecting flights. By analyzing social media posts, they are able to identify a pattern - is it a certain airport where flights are getting delayed most? Or a specific plane? These conversations can then trickle down throughout the organization, from customer support to engineers, pilots, marketing, and so on. When social insights permeate an organization, crossing into different functions, that's when it's most effective.

Kristina: 4. What are your top 3 tips for brands to better use social media data to shape their ad strategies?

Ben: 1. Start every campaign with a question. Just like any research project, it's important to know what you want to get out of the data before you start running any analysis. Otherwise, you're left with a huge data set that will just leave you perplexed (and completely overwhelmed). 2. Don't just use the data to determine if your campaign was successful - make sure you apply it to future campaigns as well. Be sure to identify trends and patterns to improve not only your targeting, but your messaging as well. 3. Use the agile marketing method. Today, marketing is all about being in the present. With social media, consumers can react to campaigns instantly - meaning your ads can be rejected and ridiculed rather quickly if they're a flop. Instead, build campaigns with smaller, strategic goals that you can easily update.

Tags: advertising, Crimson Hexagon, social marketing, social marketing tips, social marketing trends

Continued here:
Top 3 tips to a better social strategy - BizReport

Is social media marketing really dead? Thats one question business owners, marketers and leaders are currently struggling to answer. According to recent reports, social media platforms are losing their momentum, with the likes of Snapchat losing subscribers and Twitter losing the conversation appeal. This, in turn, is affecting the impact social media marketing has on business.

In a study of B2B buyers, only 19 percentof those surveyed said that social media played an important role in their discovery process. This report, among others from industry influencers, has sparked a new concern about the future of social media in business. But dont be alarmed.

Related: Social Media Matters in Marketing for More Reasons Than You Think

In reality, social media isnt dead. In fact, its not dying anytime soon. It is very much alive and remains an effective tool for marketing your products and services. This is why 78 percentof companies have dedicated entire teams to social media and others have reported more than a 700 percentincrease in social media sales from their efforts on social media.

If you are thinking of boycotting social media in your marketing efforts, think again.

Its undeniable the way we use social media today isnt the way we used it a few years ago. Due to the fast advancement of technology, more people are now online, and the amount of information available is enormous. Users, bombarded with a never-ending flow of information on different social platforms, can only read a fraction of it.

As a business owner, you have a challenge to reach your audience in the midst of all this information. To succeed, you need to:

Know where your readers like to hang out

Understand the type of content they like

Strategically plan your content based on that information

Its the only way you can guarantee readership and an increase in customer base. Thats why a company likeTED, known for its TED Talks, is winning on social media. The company has managed to leverage its content by turning those long videos into short, easily shareable viral videos. They found their winning formula because they understood what their users were looking for.

To understand why you shouldnt give up on social media, you need to understand how it works today. Some time ago, a business could easily go on social media to sell its products and services directly to consumers. Today, the landscape has changed.

People no longer appreciate direct sales on social media. They want to be enticed with interesting information or videos before they decide whether or not to buy what youre selling. Thats why an informational blog post will be shared more times than an advertisement. By posting easily shareable content like videos, images or posts, you will:

Achieve better online visibility

Improve your credibility as an expert

Increase your customer base

Related: 4 Ways to Boost Your Social Media Creativity Game

Through the data you are able to gather on different social media platforms, you can better understand the demographics of your followers, their preferences and their thoughts on your brand. This information can help you generate targeted content that will lead to improved readership, an expanded follower base and increased service inquiries -- all of which are good for business.

In addition to providing valuable insights, social media is a great tool for converting leads to customers. When you respond to their concerns or make them feel special in some way, they regard your company as more desirable. They also become more loyal to the brand and are more likely to recommend your products or services to friends.

Through personalized customer service and regular interaction on social media, your business can gain new customers and retain existing ones very easily.

In todays digital era, the importance of website traffic cannot be overstated. More traffic to your website means more subscribers and more potential customers. You can later convert these subscribers into buyers, increasing sales.

While website traffic can come from different sources, including organic search and links from other websites, social media is a great component of it. When you post clickable content, people share it among their circles, and the cycle can be endless.

At a time when more people are online at one particular time, you can expect increased website traffic from increased social media presence.

Related: 3 Ways to Master Social Media Content Marketing

The reality is social media isnt dead. Is just changing and requires businesses to adjust accordingly. You have a shorter time than before to reach your audience, communicate your intention and draw them to whatever service you provide.

According to research, only 16 percentof your Facebook followers are able to see your company posts organically. And on Twitter, only 10 percentof your followers can see your tweet when its posted. To reach the right users, you need to make sure your content can be found. You can achieve that by sharing the right content at the right time and on the right platform.

Ayodeji Onibalusi is an inbound marketing expert and advocate of high quality digitalmarketing. He has over five years of experience helping companies create winning contentdistribution strategies. You can check out his company...

Read more here:
Don't Believe Those Reports You're Hearing About the Death of Social-Media Marketing - Entrepreneur

Cheryl Cook's Social Scene

Dell EMC partner marketing chief Cheryl Cook is keeping her foot firmly on the accelerator as she brings new tools and strategies designed to make partners' marketing efforts simple and seamless to a growing number of solution providers.

Cook launched Dell EMC's Partner Marketing Institute little more than a month ago, and so far it has attracted nearly 2,000 solution providers. The turnkey site gives partners access to a full suite of marketing resources and training and provides tools to seamlessly make their marketing efforts an extension of Dell EMC's. With that, Cook is building plans to help partners maximize the effectiveness of their MDF dollars and go-to-market strategies.

Ultimately, Dell EMC wants partner marketing to become self-service for solution providers who can turn to the vendor for collateral materials and resources to carry out unified, comprehensive social media marketing campaigns.

Having Dell EMC's social media acumen encapsulated for easy digestion by partners means those partners will come to rely less on Dell EMC for lead generation, instead becoming self-sufficient while using a standard, Dell EMC-sourced approach.

What follows is an edited excerpt from CRN's conversation with Cook.

Read more:
CRN Exclusive: Dell EMC's Cook On Partner Marketing Momentum, Social Media Traction And New MDF Initiatives - CRN

Lithium Social Media Management Now Supports the Most Social Ad Integrations in the Market, Adds New Listening and Competitive Benchmarking Capabilities

Lithium Technologies announced a series of significant enhancements to its social media management platform. Lithium Social Media Management will now integrate with ad automation tools Brand Networks, Nanigans, and Smartly.io to give marketers the ability to manage paid and organic content together. Additionally, the social media platform also announced integration with social listening platforms Netbase and Synthesio that empower marketers to make intelligent decisions; all-new competitive benchmarking; and sophisticated mobile publishing capabilities for Android and iOS.

Lithium was recently listed as a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Social Media Management Solutions, Q2 2017. Currently, Lithium is expanding its next-generation product to help brands centralize and scale their social marketing and engagement efforts.

Currently, Lithium has a massive digital footprint with approximately 480 million new digital interactions analyzed daily, 100 million monthly visitors across its online communities, and 850 million online profiles scored through Klout.

Rob Tarkoff, President, and CEO at Lithium, said, Marketers know they must provide better digital customer experiences, but its becoming more and more challenging with the multitude of digital channels, the fragmentation of tools to manage those channels, and increased noise from competitors. With this next generation of our social media management product, we want to make things simple for brands to manage digital at scale within one unified, integrated platform.

Integration with Paid Ad Automation Tools Offers Marketers More Choice

Lithium now supports the most ads integrations on the market, giving marketers more choice in their preferred ads partner and enabling them to schedule and analyze paid ads alongside organic content. Ads integrations with paid ad automation tools Brand Networks, Nanigans, and Smartly will make social media analytics more refined.

Todd Taplin, CEO of Brand Networks, mentioned, Our customers have longed for a partnership that replaces the siloed approach to data gathering with a holistic social media strategy. Interoperability like this is key to achieving next-level efficiency and performance. Our best-in-class social advertising platform, paired with Lithiums engagement platform, will streamline how marketers drive real business results through social.

Peter Caswell, CEO, NetBase, adds, Top brands and agencies deliver superior customer experiences by listening to their customersacross channels globallyand acting on it in real time. Our strategic partnership with Lithium marries leading intelligence capabilities with in-the-moment, strategic action, that drives immediate impact to the business.

By integrating with social listening and intelligence platforms, Netbase and Synthesio, Lithium allows marketers to sharpen their campaign strategies, act upon trends and intelligence, and better manage brand health. Moreover, marketers will be able to access the Social Impact Ranking a new competitive benchmarking capability, to measure how their campaigns stack up against competitors in areas like influence, sentiment, audience and more.

Comprising social media management and communities, the Lithium engagement platform enables brands to manage multiple digital touch-points, facilitate millions of conversations, and drive smarter decisions through data connecting customers, content, nd conversations at the right digital moment.

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Lithium Unifies Paid, Earned and Owned Social On a Single Marketing Platform - MarTech Series (press release) (blog)