Social Media Marketing: Interact with Your Audience

May 18, 2011 By 1 Comment

The best part about social media marketing is right in the name: social.  Being social requires people to interact with others on some sort of field.  Social media marketing allows for this direct and personal interaction with the networks users. Many people that are first starting out with social media fall short of this duty of interacting with the people they’re connected with.  Having a social media profile is just the beginning!  Here are a few reasons why you need to be actively engaging your audience:

Are People Reading Your Content?

If users are responding to your posts, this means that your posts are relevant and interesting enough that people will take the time to respond.  Include questions and think statements that will make the reader feel the need to respond or have the inclination to interact back with you.  Also, creating messages that allow for readers to make personal connections increases the likelihood of these readers returning to your page.

Build Relationships

The purpose of social media is to connect with people who are interested in what you do.  Interacting with these fans on a personal level will help in building these relationships that could ultimately lead to sales in the long run.

Also, creating a relationship with your audience is important because it allows you to gain honest feedback.  The people you build relationships with are the people who will give you the best advice on how to improve your online marketing strategy.

Get Feedback

If your strategy is working, chances are you will know!  You will see results and your social media pages will show it.  If you are not seeing any results, try something else.  Change the tone of your message to make it more interesting.  Create messages that allow readers to make a connection with what you’re saying.  Cater to your audience – understand who your audience is and what you’re trying to say to them.  If you have a solid relationship with your audience, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback and if there are things you can improve upon.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Why Restaurants Should Be Using Social Media

April 18, 2011 By 2 Comments

Many restaurants are already taking advantage of social media as a part of their marketing strategy.  Those who aren’t leveraging social media and Internet marketing might be missing out on one of the most important things that has happened to marketing in the food industry.

Social media is ideal for restaurants for the following reasons:

1) They know their customers well

Restaurant owners tend to have first hand knowledge of their customers and the items being served.  Being close to your customers makes it easier for restaurant owners to understand how to leverage social media.  The first step in social media is to understand your customers, their needs and wants and the social aspects of your restaurant business.

2) The price is right

Let’s face it.  Small restaurant owners can be strapped for cash.  While there are costs associated with social media (especially training and time) it is much more cost effective than many other marketing avenues.  For restaurants that need to get a high ROI, social media is a no-brainer.

3) They already have a personal connection

The best way to build an audience for your social media profiles is to already have a personal connection (yes, in real life) to the people you want to connect with.  Many restaurant owners actually know, by face or name, their customers.  This can be a strong point of leverage in your social media execution.

4) They have a real personality

Many big chains and brands have a difficult time determining the personality of their restaurants or can also be redundant.  Restaurants are often chalk-full of personality, which can be brought to life via social media.  In addition, the personal connection of the owner or key manager can be a further point of leverage with your social media strategy.

5) The resources are already at hand

Most restaurants already have resources that can execute their social media strategy for them.  Look for people within your network who are passionate about your restaurant, reliable and passionate about social media.  These people are probably already working for you.  You just need to empower them and give them a strategy!

6) They have a good story to tell

Many restaurants have a compelling story to share.  How and why was the restaurant created?  What makes your restaurant different?  Share this story in an authentic way.  Some owners want to seem more “professional” so they use stock images instead of their own.  Use your own photos, videos and stories to create a real authentic story that people connect with.

7) They can do something remarkable

Large and medium restaurants have layers of bureaucracy that they have to deal with to get anything done.  There are also lawyers and IT folks that have to be included.  Restaurants can try different things quickly and adapt.  Try something really interesting and remarkable.  The risk is usually pretty small.

If you restaurant hasn’t taken advantage of social media as a marketing resource, it’s not to late to start.  Not sure where to begin?  Boot Camp Digital has the tools for you to get your social media marketing plan up and running!  For a limited time, you can receive $100 off your social media marketing training package – specifically for restaurant owners.  Visit http://bootcampdigital.com/restaurant-social-media for more details.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Strategy, social media marketing, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Tools Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Social Media Training: Creating Quality Content

April 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Having accounts for social media networks is just the beginning of your road to success with social media marketing.   Next is creating a plan that focuses on the content.  What is it that you want to post? What message do you want to give to people? Creating good content will help generate a broad fan base and help with your search engine optimization.

Cut to the Chase

Content does not have to be elaborate.  Be direct and short with your message.  On average, the typical Internet user has an attention span of 10 seconds when surfing the web.  Therefore, structure your message to gain your audience’s attention within that 10-second time frame.  If they are interested, they will click to read more where you can then direct them to your blog that can have more in depth posts.  Twitter only allows for 140 characters for each tweet so you have no choice but to be concise.

Be Useful

If I have a problem and I’m trying to figure out how to fix it, the first place I look is the Internet.  With this in mind, your content should address a problem and offer possible solutions.  This is your chance to show that you are an expert in your field.  Provide tips and advice about your area of interest.  When people see that you know what you’re talking about, they will trust your advice and use your again as a resource.

Keyword Rich

Including keywords in your posts is important. This is the way that your audience is going to find you in the first place. However, be strategic with your keyword placement. Don’t go overboard or it may take away from the actual content of your site. Use them, but use them appropriately. Using keywords in our titles will carry more weight for search engine optimization. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What would they to search for that would make your site come up?

Entertaining

Set yourself apart from the others. Your brand or company should have a personality and this should show through your content. Be entertaining. Be personable. Make connections. Presenting real life scenarios or examples is also a good way to get people hooked.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Strategy, social media marketing, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Social Media: More Powerful Than You Think!

March 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I challenged myself to give up Facebook for 40 days and have found it to me the most difficult challenge in terms of staying informed.  Facebook is one of my bookmarks of sites that I visit on a daily basis, as it is for many Facebook users.  Without Facebook, I immediately tuned in to other social media networks that I am subscribed to such as Twitter and LinkedIn.  Ultimately, I have failed this challenge of eliminating Facebook from my everyday tasks but have come to understand the significant influence that Facebook and social media has made globally.

    “Twitter Revolution”

In regards to the current events and the revolutions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, they are often described as “Twitter Revolutions.” The defining characteristic in comparison to the Revolutions of the past, like the Russian revolution, is the means of communication.  I have read a number of articles that claim that the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions were set off my social media activity.  Wael Ghonin, Google’s Middle East and North African Marketing Director and leader in the Egyptian uprising, told CNN that the Egyptian protestors had the Internet to thank for their victory with President Hosni Mubarak stepping down from power after 14 days of protest.  “I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg and thank him personally.  I’m talking on behalf of Egypt.  This revolution started on Facebook,” said Ghonim.  In regards to the Libyan affairs, researchers found that the main way for protesters to communicate inside and outside Libya was through social media.  Considering the power of social media in igniting an entire revolution, imagine the impact these networking tools can have on your business.

    Where is the world are you?

With the recent Tsunami in Japan, many students were witness to the terrible tragedy overseas as they were spending the semester studying abroad.  Three NKU students were reportedly studying in Japan during the Tsunami and made contact with the University and friends and family back at home through Facebook and letting them know he was safe.  Without Facebook, we would not have been in contact with these students for several days.  Facebook is a way to stay connected.  In times of disaster, Facebook allows just that.  This can be important for your business as well – many people have global networks and knowing where your assets are is important.  Social networks allow for these connections to prevail.

    Special Events

Moments ago, I found out I missed an event on campus because I missed the Facebook invitation.  I haven’t been on Facebook in two weeks.  JUST TWO WEEKS!  Events are being promoted through Facebook more often than they are through e-mail, and when you’re not on campus that often to see the paper promotions, Facebook is the primary medium.  Facebook is where every college student looks to see what’s going on.  Businesses are now doing the same.  Facebook has over 500 million active users, meaning that most of your audience, more likely than not, is on Facebook.  Promote where your people are instead of just your traditional mediums.

If social media can inspire an entire country to revolt, imagine what social media can do for your business!  It almost seems unreal the tremendous impact that social media can have on such a global scale.  It is crazy the amount of information I’ve missed from being detached from Facebook for just two weeks.  Social media marketing has certainly come a long way from where it first began – utilize these Internet marketing tools and, when properly implemented, you can watch your business grow.

How powerful is your social media strategy?

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Strategy, social media marketing, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Tools, Social Networks, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Get Certified at Cincinnati State’s Institute for Social Media!

March 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Missed out on the last certification sessions?  Not to worry!  With the tremendous amount of success brought from the previous certification programs, Cincinnati State has announced the upcoming dates for the Institute of Social Media’s upcoming session.

The certification program is a 3 day intensive social media course that covers the social media plan building, execution and advanced social media topics.

Through the program students create an actual social media plan that they are ready to execute.  The program includes in-class instruction, real-world application, creation of social media assets, building a social media plan and testing.

social mediaThe next program is scheduled for April 13, 20, and 27. Our previous sessions have been sell outs, so please register soon if you are planning on attending.

Course participants include:

  • Social media marketers and practitioners
  • Seasoned marketing professionals
  • Advertising agencies
  • Marketing consultants
  • Marketing agencies
  • Marketing managers
  • PR practitioners and managers

Why should you get certified?

Social media is transforming your business, your customers, your colleagues, your partners and your competitors in revolutionary ways.

  • Dell Computers sold $6.5 million through Twitter alone.
  • Facebook now has more than 500 million users; if it were a country, it would be the third largest country in the world—bigger than the U.S., Canada, and Mexico combined.
  • More people check Facebook every day than listen to the radio or read a newspaper.
  • Social media is the #1 activity on the Internet.

Now you know how important it is to establish a social media presence. But how can you navigate through the clutter and get people to notice you, your business, or your brand? That’s where we come in.

Don’t delay – get your social media marketing certificate and show the world that you know your stuff!

Click here to register or drop me a line if you have any questions.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Strategy, social media marketing, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Training, Social Networks, Speaking & Presentations, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Social Media Marketing: Keeping Your Audience Informed

March 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

One of the great things about social media is its real time interaction with its audience.  Because of this, your fans, followers and viewers can stay up to date on what you and your company are doing.  Using social media in your marketing plan will help you build your personal relationships with your audience and keeping your audience informed is just the way to help these relationships grow.  Here are a few tips on how to keep your audience informed:

    1. Update Regularly

You always want to provide your audience with current information.  There is a site that I visit once a week because I know that’s when they will add new content to their page.  If I were to visit that site on Sunday and find it to be the same content from last week, I would be a bit disappointed.  Keep a schedule so you know when you want to update and how often.  If there’s a lot going on with your business that week, share it!  Your audience likes to see what’s going on and lots of updates means there’s probably a lot going on with your company!

    2. Share your travels

Just this past week, Krista attended the SXSW conference and wrote a number of blogs about her experiences and things she learned while at the conference.  This is a great way to let your audience know what you’re up to and where you are in the world!  Traveling always produces a “wow” response and will build up your credibility because it shows that you’re out in the world staying up to date and keeping sharp!

    3. What’s in the future?

What do you want people to look forward to with your company?  What new announcements or additions to your company do you want your audience to know about?  Give your audience something to look forward to!  Just like Apple announcing upcoming new products like the iPad 2, give your audience a reason to come back to your site and check in on what’s going on!

    4. Encourage feedback

Feedback is the primary and best way for your business to improve its social media plan.  Listening is key.  What are people talking about?  What posts are getting the most comments or likes?  Ask questions in your posts to get your audience to respond and so you know what your audience is interested in.  Great constructive feedback can come from these posts as well as reassuring feedback!  Getting your audience talking and participating should be one of your objectives in your social media-marketing plan and it’s your job to help instigate conversation.

People like to know what’s going on and social media networks make it easy to stay informed.  It’s your job to make it happen – let everyone know what’s new and upcoming with your company and give them something to be excited about!

How else are you keeping your fans informed?

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Strategy, social media marketing, Social Media Strategy, Social Networks, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Power of the Blog

February 28, 2011 By 2 Comments

As I was reading New York Times Magazine yesterday, I came across an article about a Mommy blogger who receives around 100,000 hits on her site per day as she blogs about everything from her family, her job, her kids, her pets or her life as an ex-Mormon. This amount of traffic is a number that every blogger strives for! Coming from woman who blogs daily about her everyday life, businesses should be working to do the same with their corporate blogs. In Krista’s digital marketing training, she talks about the importance of a blog for businesses, large and small.  Here are a few reasons why blogs are an essential tool for your company’s digital marketing plan!

1. People Like Original Content…and so do search engines

People read publications, blogs and other written content because it’s an insight other than their own.  People read for guidance, assistance or just a general understanding of a topic.  Blogs are such a great tool for your business because you provide your audience with information about what your business does as well as providing insightful information and tips relavant to your product or service.  This information is original to YOU and only you.  Therefore, you should create content that potential clients will want to read about.  Also, many search engines are programmed to surface blogs that contain valuable rich content.  In sending out this new, informational content, your blog is put at a higher standard for search engines.  So blog content rich and blog often!

2. Get Personal.

Blogs allow you to step off the pedestal for a moment and provide your readers with a more personal interaction. Blogs allow readers to comment on posts where the writer can then provide personal responses to these audience members.  This form of digital marketing creates that relationship that companies have with their audience and potential clients.  It gives the company personality and a way of showing your audience what you’re about and encouraging client-company interaction.

3. It’s Easy.

In blogs, you are providing YOUR insight. There is no formula for providing advice or expressing your opinion.  Share with your audience what you know and be the expert in your field.  In doing this, you are creating a professional reputation for your company and enhancing your exposure through frequent postings. Creating these frequent posts with lots of key words will increase your SEO and ultimately bring more traffic to your blog and your site. How much easier can it be!

How are you using blogging for your business?

Add me on LinkedIn and follow me on Twitter (@scunn07)!

Filed Under: blogging Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Video Marketing: How YouTube can build your business

February 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A team at Pingdom.com conducted a recent survey and found that YouTube gets over 490 million unique users per month from all across the world.  To put it in perspective, this amounts to 92 billion page views each month!  Also, keep in mind that these numbers don’t account for embedded videos or videos viewed through mobile web – these numbers are just for YouTube’s main website. As you can see, YouTube is an excellent tool for video marketing and can enhance your business’ digital marketing strategy.

Create interesting content

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth a million! The key feature for your video marketing is creating interesting and engaging content.  What is it that makes your business unique?  Your content should highlight your expertise in your field of business. For example, if you were a real estate agent, you wouldn’t want to talk about yourself and the number of houses you’ve sold in the last 6 months. While these numbers might show you are successful, it doesn’t help the consumers who are trying to sell their house.  Instead, offer a video that offers suggestions and tips on preparing to put a house on the market or how to sell your house in 6 months or less. This type of content will show users that you know what you’re talking about and they will come to you for your expert advice.

Integrate into other social media networks

One of the great things about social media networks is that they are all, in one way or another, connected. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter all allow you to share videos, upload photos and post links. When you post a video, make sure you share it through all of your social media networks. This way, you will expand your reach to all of your audiences on each network.

There are also a number of article/video submission sites where you can post your material – this is a great way to enhance your SEO and share your expert advice!

What to share in your videos

Videos are a great addition to a presentation or lecture.  Make sure your videos are rich in information. In my experience providing social media training, I have found that I generate a lot of interest by providing training sample videos and interviews about social media marketing.  Let your audience know what you’re about while also providing helpful tips and suggestions.  You don’t want to appear spammy and sell yourself by talking about yourself – share what you know and show that you’re an expert.

While some think of YouTube as being the source of hilarious videos of cats playing the piano or a place to see Wayne Rooney’s winning bicycle kick against Manchester United, YouTube is number two (behind Google) in being the most popular search engine sites in the world. Create a YouTube channel for your company and get started on sharing what you know!

How is your company using YouTube?

Add me on LinkedIn and follow me on Twitter (@scunn07)!

Filed Under: social media marketing, Social Media Training, Video Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Cincinnati Training Space: Things To Consider When Booking A Training Space

February 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In my experiences training groups about social media marketing, I have encountered a number of obstacles with renting out training spaces and venues.  Here are a few questions to ask and key things to look for when booking your training space

1. Is the space conducive to learning?

You want the space to provide a constructive learning environment for your audience.  The space should have as few distractions as possible so that you, as the presenter, don’t lose your audience’s engagement.

2. Is the space the right size for my audience?

The last thing you want is for you to be short on chairs. Make sure you get an idea of how the room is set up and the maximum amount of seating that is available.

3. Is there wireless Internet available?

A lot of business presentations require its audience to have laptops and Internet access.  Without wireless Internet, it makes business presentations and training sessions hard, especially for audience involvement and interaction.

4. Are refreshments provided?

Many places I have talked to have a catering fee or don’t provide any sort of complimentary refreshments.  With my training being the length that they are, I allow for a break half way through the session so that people can stretch their legs and grab a snack or beverage.  It’s one less thing you have to worry about when putting on these training events if coffee and a light snack are provided.

5. How technologically friendly is the space?

The majority of my training is presented through PowerPoint and involves Internet visuals.  Having the appropriate tools at these venues is important.  Make sure the tools are accessible and work properly.

6. Is there available parking?

The space you rent should be easily accessible for those attending your workshop or training session.  This accessibility will also help with the timeliness of your presentation – if parking isn’t an issue, your audience won’t be coming in late.

In the past 2 years of booking training space for running my popular social media boot camps, I have encountered a number of problems like those I just described.  Fortunately, this year Boot Camp Digital opened up its very own training space to avoid problems it has had in the past.  The new space offers free wireless Internet, PowerPoint projector, numerous electrical outlets, light snacks and beverages, free parking, and a room that can be configured to your needs. Our space is your space – let us help make your next corporate meeting a success.  For more information about the training space and how to book your next corporate meeting, visit http://bootcampdigital.com/training-facility/.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Social Media Training: Setting Goals for your Social Media Strategy

February 1, 2011 By 2 Comments

Have you set goals for your company’s social media strategy plan for 2011?  The year has just begun and it’s not too late to map out your strategy goals.  What is it that you want to accomplish using social media?  How will you measure your accomplishments?  In my training courses, we discuss how to implement social media into a business plan and it’s important to define the goals of your plan.  Here are a few tips and suggestions on what to aim for this year!

1. Identify Your Goals

First, you want to identify what it is you want to accomplish.  You should make a list of each social media networking site you use and decide what it is you want to accomplish using each network.

For Twitter, maybe your goal is to attract a certain number of followers or increase your follower by a certain percentage.  Another possible goal would be for your 140 character Tweets to be so valuable that you get a certain number of ReTweets. Make sure you Tweet regularly and Tweet interesting comments/articles/facts.  You don’t want to be the ‘spammy’ Tweeter.

For your Facebook account, similar to your Twitter goals, you want to up your fan count by 50%, or whatever you think is an appropriate bar to set.  Facebook also has great features that allows you to track the activity on your page – this way you can see if the content your posting is engaging your market.

On your YouTube channel, you could set a goal of uploading a certain number of videos per month.  Or you could set a goal of how many views you want for each of your videos. Identify what kinds of content you want to post and try to increase your followers with your engaging content. YouTube videos can also be integrated into your other social network accounts as well.

For your LinkedIn profile, set a goal for how many connections you make per month.  Contributing to conversations on LinkedIn is also a valuable feature for this network so make a point of getting involved in the buzz.  Finding connections in groups is another aspect of LinkedIn that you could include in your social media goals.

Whatever your goals might be, make them challenging, yet attainable.  Be as specific as possible so you know exactly what your looking for in your results. You can always adjust this list along the way!

2. Plan of Action

What are you going to do that will make you achieve these goals?  Decide how often you want to post on each site and where. Spending a few hours a week on your social networking sites will help build your social media presence and more activity will drive more traffic to your pages. Brainstorm a list of topics you think people would be interested in that you can talk about on your sites.  Also, make a point of checking in on discussion groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.  In giving valuable input, you are presenting yourself as a qualified and knowledgable contributor that could ultimately drive traffic to your page. Just remember to avoid being too ‘spammy’ and blatantly promote yourself- no one likes a spammer.

3. Ready, Aim, FIRE!

Put your plans into action. And stick to your plan! Keep yourself on schedule with your plan and you will see results!  Decide on how often you are going to check in on your social media sites and what results you are looking for – new fans, followers, active conversation or views. The great thing about social media networks is that they provide you with immediate feedback so you know whether or not your plan is working.  If not, adjust your tactics and try again!

What are your goals for 2011?

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Strategy, social media marketing, Social Media Strategy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts