Archive for SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING – Page 9

Posted by DBC Digital on
 April 26, 2012

Do You Make These 10 Social Media Mistakes?

 

By now you’ve probably heard about what social media can do for your business.  You may have even gotten on board.

What many Denver business owners don’t realize is the fact that mistakes made with inbound marketing using social media  (especially LinkedIn, Twitter and your Facebook Business page) can quickly wipe out any progress made with this type of marketing.  So, before you put yourself and your brand out there, consider how you can save yourself some grief—and increase ROI in the process.

Here are 10 common social media mistakes and how to avoid them:

1.  You have no plan.  Lack of strategy is bad for any type of marketing, and social media is no different.  So think about what your goals are first.  Do you want to increase leads?  Boost brand recognition?  Gain x more sales per month?  Gear your efforts toward specific goals to avoid wasting resources.

2.  You’re not sticking to business.  But wait!  Isn’t social media all about being social?  Yes, but businesses using it for marketing purposes need to keep their eyes on the prize.  Friends don’t pay the bills, so save your personal comments, posts and links for your personal accounts, and concentrate on connections you can leverage to reach your business goals.

3.  You’re not engaging.  Tweet enough, and you’ll soon realize that your posts sound as robotic and auto-generated as they actually are.  So, mix in some conversation!  Start a discussion, respond to a question or offer a helpful tip.  Do it daily if possible.

4.  You don’t sound sincere.  Overly enthusiastic posts get people’s spidey senses tingling.   So, avoid overselling yourself and your brand.  If you are creating useful content, responding to your community, and offering value—trust us, you won’t need to yell and scream.

5.  You aren’t clear.  Your readers are faced with millions of pieces of information each day.  If your message isn’t clear and to the point, they are likely to pass it up.  Your social media accounts are great places to offer the kind of juicy little snippets that grab attention.  Make your headlines and tweets clear, compelling and SEO-powered to get noticed and prompt further action.

6.  You’re ranting.  There’s a time and place for strong opinions and yes, we all have moods.  But, social media is not a private place, and the Internet is forever.  So, keep the tone neutral or positive.

7.  The “Likes” are going to your head.  Social media is kind of a popularity contest, which means that more Likes are better than few.  But, don’t get so hung up on the Likes that you forget what they’re supposed to represent.  Their real value lies in how many of these people are converting into leads and sales.  If your number of Likes is not corresponding to hard sales figures, you need to make adjustments.

8.  You’re not consistent.  Consistency applies to every aspect of your social media campaign, from posting on a regular schedule to keeping your message uniform.  But, don’t forget your voice, as well.  Your FaceBook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc. pages are the voice and face of your brand, so keep it consistent—especially if multiple people handle the posts.

9.  Your pages are cluttered.  It’s understandable to want to add everything plus the kitchen sink to your social media pages.  Resist this temptation.  Too much stuff on their screens makes people’s heads hurt, so visually streamline your pages and only include relevant SEO-rich information and images.  Make every element count.

10. You aren’t measuring results.   ROI can be an elusive beast, especially when it comes to social media marketing.  Hiring a Denver social media service like DBCdgital can help you stay on track.

Categories : SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Posted by DBC Digital on
 February 2, 2012

4 Tips to get Social Media in the C-Suite

You may be an experienced social media marketer; in fact, if you’re like a growing number of employees and team members (or clients of dbc!) in the Denver area, you’re becoming a real pro and understand how valuable being active with social media can be.  But what about the C-Suite?  You know, the top executives in your company lurking around in the background, happy to let others do the posting, friending and tweeting?

Let’s assume you’ve already convinced them of the value of social media for your business.  Now that they’re on board, how do you get them actively involved?

For many busy executives, the hesitation is due to a fear of the time commitment.  Having a carefully planned-out approach to daily social media marketing, as well as a clear strategy, may help alleviate this fear.  Getting help from an experienced social media service in Denver is not a bad idea, either.

Here are some ideas to help take your C-Suite from passive observers to active players:

1. Break Down the Schedule

Plan out a set-up schedule, or, the actions needed for your C-Suite to get started with social media.  This will make the process less intimidating and more doable for busy, stressed-out executives.  It might include:

  • Time required to set up accounts
  • List of all daily activities
  • List of all weekly activities

Here’s a tip:  Schedule an initial educational meeting with executives where you lead them through the process and give them opportunities to get hands-on with these activities.  Make sure that each member of your C-Suite is set up to have access to all accounts and tools at this time.

2.  Set Expectations

Your execs want to know up front how much time their social media engagement will take each day and each week.  This depends on certain factors, such as which activities each individual will engage in.  Go over the scenarios, find out which activities each executive is interested in, set their expectations and be realistic.

For example, setting up a LinkedIn account might take less than an hour, and involve about an hour of activity each week.

3.  Prioritize and assign

How important is each social media account?  Who should be involved in each one?  You may be focusing on Twitter, you may be going deep with Google Plus, or you may be dabbling in a little of each.  Let your C-Suite try them all out and decide which activities they want to be involved in.  Then assign daily and weekly activities according to the time commitment and how much time each executive has to spend.

For example, LinkedIn offers your top executives the opportunity to make direct connections with fellow businesspeople.  Your CEO may welcome this as a quick and easy way to create a network of professionals in the industry, and a place to share resources and ideas without having to travel or make phone calls.

4. Offer analytics

We all know that the C-Suite loves measurable results.  Provide them with a way to track the results of the social media marketing campaign through monitoring software.   A social media service in Denver is the simple and easy way to monitor your social media conversations and feedback to get the best results.   

Is it time for your C-Suite to get involved with social media?  In today’s digital marketing environment, the real question is—can they afford not to?  Use these tips to help your reluctant higher-ups harness the power of social media and gain greater marketing success this year.

Give us a couple of examples of how you got Social Media going in the C_Suite.  We’ll publish some of the best ones in a follow-up posting!

 

Categories : SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Posted by DBC Digital on
 January 19, 2012

5 Powerful Ways To Develop Blogging Ideas

Most of our Denver-area clients may already know that blogging is a smart inbound (internet)marketing tool.  It adds fresh content to your site and SEO power to your web pages.  It draws viewers like a magnet.  Of course, if you’ve been blogging for a while, you also know that coming up with new ideas for topics can become a chore.

The bad news—if you don’t post fresh, creative content every few days, your traffic will take a nosedive.  The good news—there are many powerful ways to get inspiration for your blog content.  Here are just a few:

1.  Set up Google Alerts

Save time and energy by setting up alerts for topics of interest to your blog.  Google Alerts are email notifications that bring current news right to you, so that you can get new ideas quickly and easily.  Monitor topics and subtopics relevant to your industry and discover new sources of content without having to spend hours scanning the Web.

2.  Subscribe to other blogs

Find out which blogs are authorities in your niche and subscribe to them via RSS feed.  This is another great way to find out what others are saying about the topics that matter to you.  This not only short-cuts your search for new blog content, it also ensures that you’re staying on the cutting edge of your field.

3.  Engage with bloggers

Blogging is all about engagement, right?  Engaging with other bloggers boosts your own blog’s visibility and helps establish your credibility with others in your niche.  It’s also a rich source of ideas for content.  Use others’ blogs as a jumping-off point for your posts.  Rather than just comment and post a link to your site, add to the conversation.  You might be surprised by how much useful information (and inspiration) you’ll get from fellow bloggers.

4.  Set up an editorial calendar

Staying organized can help you squeeze more content from your topics, so consider setting up an editorial calendar.  An editorial calendar gives your blogging efforts structure, and keeps you from having to scramble for material at the last minute.  Make a list of your topics, then your subtopics.  Use the above ideas to add new subtopics daily or weekly.  Plan out and schedule your blog topics at least a week in advance, and you’ll never lack for fresh content.

5.  Ask for help

Does your business participate in social media marketing?  If so, you have a vast human resource at your fingertips.  Get blogging inspiration from your followers, friends and groups.  Solicit stories, post questions and encourage people to share their thoughts.  Some of the best blogs posts ever written were spawned from personal experiences, from controversy, and from the perspective that only conversation can generate.

Blogging ideas are everywhere—you just need to know where to look!  Don’t let writer’s block stop you from creating the next great blog post.  Try these ideas and before you know it, your blogs will be the “go-to” authority, the resource and the place bloggers come to when they need a little inspiration!

 

 

Categories : BLOGGING, INTERNET MARKETING, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, STRATEGY
Posted by DBC Digital on
 January 10, 2012

4 Ways To Increase Your Success With Facebook Business Pages

4 Ways To Increase Your Success With Facebook Business Pages

 

If you’re one of the 300 million active Facebook users, you already know what it can do for your ability to communicate with friends, family and groups.

So, as a Denver-area business owner, it’s probably crossed your mind that Facebook could also be a truly awesome marketing tool.  If not, consider this your wake-up call!  According to Forrester Research, over 90% of businesses surveyed use social media for marketing.

A Facebook Business Page is a good starting point.  Whether you do it yourself, or want to hire a social media service in Denver to handle it for you, here are 4 ways to succeed:

 

1. Set up an Effective Page

A Facebook Page is the business equivalent of a personal profile.  To maximize its effectiveness, add all pertinent information about your business including keywords that will help both people and search engines find your Page.  Local search terms are especially important–for example, social media service Denver Colorado, computer repair Denver Colorado, etc.

Make it interesting and easy for readers by featuring different types of content such as a blog RSS, videos, company news and promotions, as well as a link to your website and contact information.

2. Include Cool Apps


Any mobile device user can tell you—apps are pretty cool.  And they’re even better when you can use them to generate sales.  There are hundreds of apps available for use on Facebook.  Here’s a short list of what they can help you do:

·         Promote your blog

·         Advertise your business

·         Communicate with groups and individuals

·         Network and connect with customers

·         Collaborate on projects

·         Share videos and presentation material

Another option is to develop custom apps—for example, an app that allows customers and fans to place orders directly through your Facebook Page.   This is an investment, but it’s one that could pay off big.  Not sure how to get it done?  A social media service in Denver can help.

 

3. Promote your Page


In other words– get the word out!

This is especially important because you can’t “friend” people the way you can with your personal page.  Your fans must come to you, and that means they have to find you first.   A good starting point is to identify interested parties and invite them to become fans.  Let them know what you can do for them—and be sure to link to your Page.

Network with local Denver-area businesses and buyers.  A social media service (like DBC) can help you develop a strategy for effective networking.

Another tip?  Cross-promote using other channels.  Put a Facebook Page button on your website, a link to your Page in your email signature and business cards, a Like button anywhere you can.  Your blog, LinkedIn account and monthly email newsletter are also great places to include a link.

4. Update and Communicate


Use your Business Page to encourage interaction with and among customers.  This is an effective way to build a sense of community with local Denver-area buyers and promote your company.  Ask questions, invite suggestions and encourage people to tell their stories.

Keep your content updated by adding new information regularly.  If you can’t do it yourself, assign a team member.  Consider using a Denver social media service to help create engaging messaging and content.

Here’s a tip:  Sign up for Facebook Mobile.  This feature allows anyone with admin access to update the Page from anywhere, even on the go.

A Facebook Page puts the power of social media to work for your business!  Create an effective Page, and you’ll supercharge your marketing efforts with increased leads and sales, and better customer interaction.

What other tips do you have to create a successful Business Page for Facebook?  Let us know in the comments section below!

 

Categories : SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Posted by DBC Digital on
 November 23, 2011

Are There Leaks in Your Inbound Marketing Funnel?

Here’s a fact that sometimes surprises our new clients, but it proves to be true over and over again. More than 75% of your best prospects are not ready to buy when they visit your site for the first time. 25% aren’t even ready to give you their contact information in exchange for a whitepaper or eBook.

How do You Keep Your Visitors “Engaged?”

The good news is that many of the people who do visit your website or inquire about your product or service will eventually buy from somebody, but it may not be you unless you keep nurturing the relationship with them.

Marketers often use the image of a funnel with web traffic and prospects pouring into the wide mouth at the top and a smaller number of “converted” buyers exiting out the narrow opening at the bottom.

Middle-of-the-Funnel is Where the Gold Is

Many Inbound (web) marketers in the Denver-metro area tend to focus on the top portion of their marketing funnel – looking to drive more traffic to their website in general, for example, and less on the “bottom of the funnel” – closing the sale. These sites are set up so that if prospects aren’t ready to buy from you right now, they are abandoned. Sometimes they’re never even identified in the first place.

But that’s where the gold is.

For those of you that are not familiar with the term, “MoFu” refers to “Middle of the Funnel.” As the name suggests, it refers to the area in your inbound marketing funnel (the middle) where all of your leads congregate before becoming your customers, your competitor’s customers, or fading into the sunset.

This is when it is absolutely critical to nurture these leads: converse with them, share more information, keep them engaged and interested in your product or service. This is where the battle for market share is won or lost, so winning the middle of the funnel is mission critical.

What Happens When Your Visitor is Not Ready to “Convert?”

You have to engage prospects at various stages of the buying process and “nurture” or develop them into customers. Not everyone is ready to reach for a credit card or speak to your sales team or even give you their contact information. This doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable to you.

Take a look at your marketing process. I’ll bet you’re clear on what you’re doing to generate traffic or inquiries at your site. And you may know what you’re doing to close sales. But what are you doing to continue to nurture the top of the funnel inquiries and convert them in to sales?

 

Let us know your thoughts!  Do you agree that the MoFu is critical?  What are you doing to strengthen this area of your process?

 

 

(303) 357-5757

dbc@dbcdigital.com

Categories : SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, STRATEGY
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