Archive for the ‘Social Marketing’ Category

Social Media Marketing for Businesses | WordStream

Social media marketing is a powerful way for businesses of all sizes to reach prospects and customers. Your customers are already interacting with brands through social media, and if you're not speaking directly to your audience through social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, you're missing out! Great marketing on social media can bring remarkable success to your business, creating devoted brand advocates and even driving leads and sales.

Social media marketing, or SMM, is a form of internet marketing that involves creating and sharing content on social media networks in order to achieve your marketing and branding goals. Social media marketing includes activities like posting text and image updates, videos, and and other content that drives audience engagement, as well as paid social media advertising.

Weve created this guide to provide you with an introduction to social media marketing and some starter social media marketing tips and training to improve your business's social presence.

With these tips, you can begin developing your own social media marketing expert plan.

Before you begin creating social media marketing campaigns, consider your businesss goals. Starting a social media marketing campaign without a social strategy in mind is like wandering around a forest without a mapyou might have fun, but you'll probably get lost.

Here are some questions to ask when defining your social media marketing goals:

Your business type should inform and drive your social media marketing strategy.

Example of a drone company doing social media marketing on Instagram

For example, an e-commerce or travel business, being highly visual, can get a lot of value from a strong presence on Instagram or Pinterest. A business-to-business or marketing company might find more leverage in Twitter or Linkedin.

Social media marketing can help with a number of goals, such as:

The bigger and more engaged your audience is on social media networks, the easier it will be for you to achieve every other marketing goal on your list!

Ready to get started with marketing on social media? Here are a few social media marketing tips to kick off your social media campaigns.

A great Facebook ad should be consistent with your whole brand image

Measuring social media performance through Twitter Analytics

Here's a brief overview abouthow to use social media for marketing according to each platforms unique user base and environment. Different social media marketing sites require different approaches, so develop a unique strategy tailored for each platform.

Using Facebook for Social Media Marketing

Facebooks casual, friendly environment requires an active social media marketing strategy. Start by creating a Facebook Business Fan Page. You will want to pay careful attention to layout, as the visual component is a key aspect of the Facebook experience.

Facebook is a place people go to relax and chat with friends, so keep your tone light and friendly. And remember, organic reach on Facebook can be extremely limited, so consider a cost-effective Facebook ad strategy, which can have a big impact on your organic Facebook presence as well!

Using Google+ for Social Media Marketing

Google+ entered the scene as a Facebook competitor, but it now serves a more niche audience. It won't work for everybody, but some communities are very active on Google+.

On Google+ you can upload and share photos, videos, links, and view all your +1s. Also take advantage of Google+ circles, which allow you to segment your followers into smaller groups, enabling you to share information with some followers while barring others. For example, you might try creating a super-fan circle, and share special discounts and exclusive offers only with that group.

You can also try hosting video conferences with Hangouts and experiment using the Hangout feature in some fun, creative ways. Some social media marketing ideas: if you're a salon, host a how-to session on how to braid your hair. If you own a local bookstore, try offering author video chats. If you're feeling adventurous, invite your +1s to your Google+ Community. Google+ Communities will allow you to listen into your fan's feedback and input, truly putting the social back into social media.

Using Pinterest for Social Media Marketing

Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media marketing trends. Pinterests image-centered platform is ideal for retail, but anyone can benefit from using Pinterest for social media purposes or sales-driving ads.

Pinterest allows businesses to showcase their product offerings while also developing brand personality with eye-catching, unique pinboards. When developing your Pinterest strategy, remember that the social network's primary audience is female. If that's your demographic, you need a presence on Pinterest!

Using Twitter for Social Media Marketing

Twitter is the social media marketing tool that lets you broadcast your updates across the web. Follow tweeters in your industry or related fields, and you should gain a steady stream of followers in return.

Mix up your official tweets about specials, discounts, and news with fun, brand-building tweets . Be sure to retweet when a customer has something nice to say about you, and dont forget to answer peoples questions when possible. Using Twitter as a social media marketing tool revolves around dialog and communication, so be sure to interact as much as possible to nurture and build your following.

Using LinkedIn for Social Media Marketing

LinkedIn is one of the more professional social media marketing sites. LinkedIn Groups is a great venue for entering into a professional dialog with people in similar industries and provides a place to share content with like-minded individuals. It's also great for posting jobs and general employee networking.

Encourage customers or clients to give your business a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile. Recommendations makes your business appear more credible and reliable for new customers. Also browse the Questions section of LinkedIn; providing answers helps you get established as a thought leader and earns trust.

Using YouTube for Social Media Marketing

YouTube is the number one place for creating and sharing video content, and it can also be an incredibly powerful social media marketing tool. Many businesses try to create video content with the aim of having their video go viral, but in reality those chances are pretty slim. Instead, focus on creating useful, instructive how-to videos. These how-to videos also have the added benefit of ranking on the video search results of Google, so don't under-estimate the power of video content!

Location-Based Social Media Tools

Social media platforms like Yelp, FourSquare, and Level Up are great for brick and mortar businesses looking to implement marketing on social media. Register on these sites to claim your location spot, and then consider extra incentives such as check-in rewards or special discounts. Remember, these visitors will have their phones in hand, so they will be able to write and post reviews. A lot of good reviews can significantly help sway prospective visitors to come in and build your business!

Using Reddit for Social Media Marketing

Reddit, or similar social media platforms such as Stumble Upon or Digg, are ideal for sharing compelling content. With over 2 billion page views a month, Reddit has incredible social media marketing potential, but marketers should be warned that only truly unique, interesting content will be welcomed. Posting on Reddit is playing with firesubmit spammy or overtly sales-focused content and your business could get berated by this extremely tech-savvy community.

If you have content you believe the Reddit community (majority is young, geeky, liberal, and internet-obsessed) would enjoy, you could reap tremendous benefits and earn valuable traffic.

Using social media in marketing does more than improve site traffic and help businesses reach more customers; it provides a valuable venue for better understanding and learning from your target audiences.

We love paid social advertising because it's a highly cost-effective way to expand your reach. If you play your cards right, you can get your content and offers in front of a huge audience at a very low cost. Most social media platforms offer incredibly granular targeting capabilities, allowing you to focus your budget on exactly the types of people that are most likely to be interested in your business. Below are some tips and resources for getting started with paid social media marketing:

Learn the ins and outs of social media advertising on four major networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

If you know how to use it properly, Facebook can be one of the most powerful advertising platforms for driving your business forward. And it's not just for raising brand awareness. In this guide, you'll learn how to create effective Facebook ads that generate real leads.

If you're already advertising on Facebook and are looking to save time AND money, check out WordStream Social Ads, our new offering that makes Facebook advertising easier and more effective.

Many businesses arent quite sure how to tackle marketing on Twitter from a paid perspective. Its certainly not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, and if you dont quite know what youre doing, you could wind up wasting a ton of money. Learn how to master Twitter advertising in this guide.

Looking to learn more detailed information about implementing social media in marketing? Get more information about social media and how to use it for your business.

Social Ads 101 - Visit PPC University to learn everything you need to know about advertising on social media.

Our 13 Best Social Media Marketing Tips Ever - The best of the best!

Do Facebook Ads Work? - Learn how Facebook advertising works, and why.

5 Reasons to Advertise on Facebook - If you're not using Facebook ads yet, you should. Here's why!

The Ridiculously Awesome Guide to Facebook Remarketing - For advanced Facebook advertisers. Learn how to recapture lost audiences and close those leads!

Experts Guide to Keyword Research for Social Media - Learn about how to conduct winning keyword research for various social media marketing campaigns.

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Social Media Marketing for Businesses | WordStream

Social media marketing | Smart Insights

Improve your Social media marketing with our hub page

Use our hub pages as a reference to get up-to-speed on all the main digital marketing techniques. They will help you quickly understand how to make the most of the technique through definitions and recommendations on our member resources and blog articles covering strategy, best practices and the latest statistics.

Social media have transformed marketing, for the better most would say. We'll help you make the most of the power of social media marketing using a strategic approach sharing approaches from the leading commentators and companies.

See our latest blog articles on social media for our latest coverage of the tools and techniques.

1. Statistics compilation:Global social media statistics

2. Free download:10 social media marketing mistakes

3. Infographic:What happens in one minute online?

4. Paid guide: Social media strategy- our 7 steps guide to creating a strategy

5. Paid guide: Social media plan example - a worked example of a social media marketing plan

The success factors for developing social media marketing are summarised through the different parts of our 7 Steps to Social Media Success Guide:

1. Set business goals for your social media - it's best not to experiment without a clear idea of how social media will support your business goals.

2. Create a social media strategy. A strategy will help you to deploy social media in the best way to reach your goals by prioritising on the channels in our RADAR which are most effective.

3. Active social listening and reputation management. Most advice on social media marketing strategies advises to start by listening to your conversations. We prefer the term coined by Brian Solis in his book Engage of "Active Social Listening" since this shows the need for a feedback cycle within social media marketing.

4. Define content and engagement strategy. We've noted that encouraging engagement and participation are the biggest challenges to social media marketing, so clear strategies are needed to show how to achieve these.

5. Define communications strategy.In the social media era, a continuous communications strategy is necessary to engage your audience through the many channels available. Key issues here are defining the types of content value you offer through different social channels and the frequency. Integrating different digital channels including email marketing through a social media marketing hub is also a key issue here.

6. Deploy best practice approaches for the core social media platforms.Each social media platform such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has unique characteristics and audience needs. There is also a bewildering array of tools to deploy and etiquette to follow so you won't be seen as a spammer.

7. Social media optimisation. You may have a presence established, but this is only the beginning in your journey to optimise your presence to deliver real value for your business.

We think the CIPR Social media panel defines social media marketing well:

Social media is the term commonly given to Internet and mobile-based channels and tools that allow users to interact with each other and share opinions and content. As the name implies, social media involves the building of communities or networks and encouraging participation and engagement.

Their definition emphasises that we need to use different digital media channels to encourage our prospects and customers to interact to form communities. It also hints at the challenges of encouraging engagement.

These are the related techniques which we recommend as important for managing Social media marketing effectively. View these hub pages giving details on best practices, statistics and examples for these techniques:

View all blog articles on Social media marketing

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Social media marketing | Smart Insights

Social Media Marketing Software – getapp.com

Who is the ranking for?

GetApp's Category Leader ranking is for business owners and decision makers looking for a comprehensive list of the leading cloud-based software products in the industry.

The ranking serves as a point of reference highlighting key factors that small businesses should look at when assessing a piece of software. These factors include user perception (reviews), compatibility (integrations and mobile compatibility), market presence (media presence), and security features (security).

An app's score is calculated using five unique data points, each scored out of 20, giving a total score out of 100. The ranking and scoring methodology ensure complete impartiality and independence from any relationships that GetApp has with app vendors.

Review scores are calculated using reviews collected from GetApp and its sister sites, Software Advice and Capterra. Scores are calculated based on the total number, average rating, and recency of reviews.

The number of reviews and average user rating are scaled against the category average. A weighting is then applied to reward recency of user reviews: reviews written in the last 6 months score up to 10 points, those written between 6 and 12 months ago score up to 6 points, and those more than 12 months old score up to 4 points. These numbers are added together to give a total maximum score of 20.

Integration scores factor in a number of variables. Up to 16 points are awarded based on the number of integrations an app has; the first 10 points are awarded based on the number of integrations relative to the category average, while 4 points are awarded based on the number of integrations relative to the leaders in the category. An additional 5 points is awarded for an integration with Zapier, a widely used software integration platform, while an extra point is given for having an open API. The total possible score for integrations is 20 points.

Mobile scores are calculated based on the availability of an iOS and Android app. 5 points are awarded for the presence of each app, with an additional 10 points being awarded for the number and average rating of reviews in both the App Store and Google Play. These review scores are calculated and scaled against the competition for a maximum of 5 points per platform and an overall maximum score of 20.

If there isn't a native iOS or Android app, the product's website is assessed using Google's PageSpeed Insights to measure mobile usability. The score is returned out of 100, then scaled to a score out of 5 for a maximum of 5 points.

Media presence is calculated using the number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans that an app has. The number of fans and followers are added together, and each app is scored based on this overall number, compared with others in the category. The first 15 points are awarded for the combined number of followers and fans scaled against the category average, while the final 5 points are awarded for the combined number of followers and fans scaled against the top leaders in the category. These two scores are added together for a total out of 20 points.

Security scoring is calculated using answers from a vendor-completed survey. The questions in the survey are based on the Cloud Security Alliance self-assessment form as part of the Security, Trust & Assurance Registry. With 15 questions, each answer is assigned a point value based on vendor response, with additional points given for security certifications, for a maximum possible score of 20.

In the event of a tie, each data point is weighted for importance, with security taking precedent, followed by reviews, integrations, mobile apps, and media presence, respectively.

*All data points combining calculations for both ratings and reviews are calculated using a Bayesian estimate, which is a weighted average that includes the number of reviews and the rating of an app, benchmarked against others in the category.

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Social Media Marketing Software - getapp.com

Social Media Marketing Services | Social Marketing

. / Credit: Social Media Image via Shutterstock

As a business owner, you are well aware that relying on traditional forms of advertising is no longer the best option for attracting new customers and clients. Social media marketing helps businesses reach a larger audience and possibly entice a new demographic. Since so many kinds of social media platforms exist, social media marketing services help determine how each can be used to a business' advantage. They also teach those in the business how to manage each site's content and evaluate where their views are coming from.

Our sister site, TopTenREVIEWS, does extensive in-depth reviews of social media marketing services. Here are the Top 3 recommendations for social media marketing services:

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#1 WebiMax

WebiMax ranks as TopTenREVIEW'S best social media marketing service for combining a vast array of networking tools, such as blogging, text messaging, videos and podcasts with its industry-leading innovation. WebiMax scores well for continuing to develop new strategies that help businesses of any size open new doors that lead to new customers and higher productivity. The company has the tools to help businesses increase traffic to their site while also making it easier for them to acquire new clientele and make more money.

Social Media Distribution: In addition to the top four outlets Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google + -- WebiMax utilizes a number of others, including blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds and eBooks. WebiMax also houses its own video and audio tools that provide more publicity flexibility than writing a simple press release. The company also has started building websites designed for mobile devices.

Support: Users can chat online with a live customer agent who will answer questions or give prices regarding services. Email, phone support and an extensive section of FAQs is also available.

Costs: To compare costs, visit TopTenREVIEWS best social media marketing services here.

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Editor's Note: Looking for information on social media marketing services for your business? Use the questionnaire below, and get quickly connected to our vendor partners to learn more about a customized strategy and pricing for your business:

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#2 Custard Media

Custard Media rates highly for helping businesses build a solid relationship on different sites across the social media stage. It offers distribution through every social media site and helps businesses create and distribute videos. Custard Media monitors and participates in social conversations in real time and alerts businesses when someone is talking about their brand or keyword on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, YouTube or any other blogs or forums.

Social Media Distribution: On Facebook, Custard Media will create a full page for each brand and get fans to follow it by providing regular updates and convenient and effective interaction with the page's followers. The company users Twitter to provide small updates that contain big news. Custard Media also utilizes other aspects of social media such as Digg, Reddit, LinkedIn and Google+. The firm also has a video department that helps businesses produce short films that go viral.

Support: A support email and phone number can be used to reach the company with questions or requests for a consultation.

Costs: To compare costs, visit TopTenREVIEWS best social media marketing services here.

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#3 Netmark

Netmark scores well for providing social media campaigns that arecustomized to fit any size business and any product the business wants to promote. Users can choose what social media campaign is the best fit for the needs of their business. The company also has extensive knowledge when it comes to how best to monitor social media accounts.

Social Media Distribution: Netmark has an in-house video and multimedia team that creates videos designed to promote a business' brand. The company also creates blogs for businesses and then posts that info to a number of other social media sites, such as Reddit and Digg. In addition, Netmark creates custom social media profiles for each company.

Support: The company has toll-free and local telephone numbers that users can call for support, as well as a live chat feature on its website.

Costs: To compare costs, visit TopTenREVIEWS best social media marketing services here.

See full search engine marketing services reviews on social media marketing services at TopTenREVIEWS. See BusinessNewsDailys Small Business Resource Center for more business reviews.

Chad Brooks is a Chicago-based freelance business and technology writer who has worked in public relations and spent 10 years as a newspaper reporter. You can reach him atchadgbrooks@gmail.comor follow him on Twitter @cbrooks76.

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Social Media Marketing Services | Social Marketing

Social Media Marketing Training Course 2017 | Equinet Academy

Do you know that more than 58% of Singaporeans are on Social Media each day? Or that we spend over 2.2 hours a day on all Social Media Channels? Thats more than twice the global average of 26% and slightly more than the world average of 2.0 hours spent a day.

From Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube, to Instagram, Pinterest and SnapChat, Social Media networks have dominated our cultural landscape.

How can you or your business tap on to this growing trend?

This intensive 2-day Social Media Marketing workshop provides a realistic hands-on session for beginning to intermediate Social Media users to jumpstart their Social Media Marketing journey.

Peppered with practical international and local case studies, role-playing scenarios, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, course attendees will learn how to create, grow, and measure the effectiveness of their Social Media Marketing campaigns.

Throughout the course, students will also be equipped with a rigorous step-by-step process in creating, managing, sustaining and measuring their Social Media Marketing efforts.

Learn more about the Winning 6-Step Social Media Marketingstrategy.

Key Features

By the end of this course, studentswill:

VPs and Marketing directors, PR directors, Marcom directors, social media managers, community managers, bloggers, digital marketing executives, PR executives, account managers, account executives, and anybody who needs to use social media to attract customers and prospects, cultivate leads, deepen customer relationships, increase brand awareness, improve public perception and drive sales.

Prerequisite

Basic computer knowledge.Each participant will be provided a windows laptop for the duration of the course. Participants may however opt to bring their own laptops.

In this 2-day Social Media Marketing course, trainees will learn to put together a social media marketing campaign usinga systematic 6-step process.

1) INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA

2) 6-STEP SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN PROCESS

3) ANALYSE CURRENT SOCIAL MEDIA SITUATION

4) DEFINE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING OBJECTIVES

5) DEVELOP SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT & COMMUNITIES

6) DELIVER SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONS

7) MEASURE SOCIAL MEDIA PERFORMANCE

8) MANAGE SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES

Download Social Media Marketingcourse brochure.

Walter Lim

Walter has almost 22 years of senior management experience in online and offline marketing, public relations, industry development, campaign and events marketing and strategic planning.

A seasoned business blogger at Coolerinsights, Walter is a Jury for Mumbrella Asia Awards 2017 and has been a judge for the Singapore Blog Awards for the past 5 years. He is also a member of the Media Literacy Council and has spoken at multiple conferences and workshops on topics such as branding, public relations, social media marketing, and government-citizen engagement.

As a digital marketing consultant, Walter specialises in brand storytelling, content marketing, social media, PR, and online campaign management. His clients included major government agencies (IDA, HDB, NTU), MNCs (Pan Pacific Hotel Group, Coca-Cola, Citibank, Gleneagles Hospital), Large Local Enterprises (NTUC First Campus, Jurong Point), and SMEs from the retail, FMCG, financial, healthcare, and legal sectors. He also teaches part-time at a local polytechnic.

Formerly the Director of Corporate Communications at Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), Walter managed the revamp of IRAS website (2nd most visited in Singapore Government), successfully pitched an investigation story which received front page coverage on Sunday Times, and launched the agencys first YouTube video.

At National Heritage Board (NHB), he spearheaded social media marketing by starting Yesterday.sg Singapores first heritage and museums blog. He also pioneered social media marketing for NHB, and led in the development of its Facebook page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel.

Walter also organised a Singapore Food Festival event which drew 50,000 visitors over three days at Downtown East, and attracted 60,000 partygoers to a countdown party (the largest outdoor event then) at NTUC Club.

Other Achievements

Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) certified trainer Member of Media Literacy Council from August 2017 to July 2018 (IMDA) Member of Jury for Mumbrella Asia Awards 2017 Judge for Singapore Blog Awards for 5 years (SPH) Vice Chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA) Board Governor for Army Museum Whole Of Government (WOG) team member for social media initiatives Member of the Industry Skills and Training Council (WDA) Member of Productivity Steering Committee (STB) Member of PS21 EXCEL Committee (Public Sector Wide) Judge for Businesses for Families and Tourism Awards (MSF)

Alternatively, you may email your registration details to register@equinetacademy.com

Click to register via Gmail (Desktop)

Click to register via email e.g. Outlook (Mobile & Desktop)

Or call us to register at:

+65 6745 0745

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Social Media Marketing Training Course 2017 | Equinet Academy