The below post was contributed by my social media strategy consulting client Herbalife. I received no money for publishing it but would like to share their experiences of creating a new social media community for sports fans and what can be learned from it with my readers. Sports are one of the great shared human experiences. Since the javelin throwing contests of the ancient Pharaohs and the first Olympics in Athens, athletics have been core to our social DNA. Marketers understand this. They know their relationships with teams and players have unmatched power to build a brand, promote products and …
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Is marketing dead? No, but it’s definitely changing! Modern marketing is less about convincing and more about educating, and self-employed professionals are best suited to capitalize on the trend. Whether you’re talking about modern marketing in general, online branding or the evolving world of social media, the key to success boils down to your story and how you tell it. Below, you’ll find the top five questions to craft an unfair marketing advantage for your business:
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I believe that many businesses in 2011 are as confused as ever about how to maximize their social media presence. There are some that are finally looking to take social media seriously this year, while many have had a presence for a year or two but are still trying to determine the ROI of their efforts. Some businesses have been implementing social media for several years, but even they are still trying to figure out how to get more engagement from their followers or perhaps plan new campaigns to try to leverage their social media fan base. The net result …
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Business blogs are becoming an increasingly common way to expand a company’s online presence. Six months ago I asked does your business blog? According to Hubspot, the number of companies that blog has risen 17% in the last two years to represent 65% of all businesses surveyed. That increase is not at all surprising to me. After all, as well as improving search engine rankings, blogs can be one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available to businesses. With so much competition online, they have become a powerful channel for both developing brands and generating sales. While blogs continue to …
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Twitter is now 5 years old – Long Live Twitter! With an estimated user base that is now double that of LinkedIn at more than 200 million users, Twitter is less about what we are doing now and more about becoming a channel for customer service, consumer campaigns, and big brands to engage with their present and potential customers. Needless to say, with the mass usage and attention to tweeting on the Internet, many businesses have taken advantage of the site for its marketing potential. This has become such a popular and fruitful business tactic that Twitter have included an …
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Over the last few years blogging has become a recognized marketing tool as a component of a social media strategy. While businesses used to scratch their head as to why they should be fiddling with something that was originally created for individuals, B2B marketing professionals should now realize that a blog can and should play a central role in their content marketing efforts as well as provide the foundation for their social media engagement. B2B blogs are not only showing up within the websites of more companies, they are providing real and measurable success for those that are doing it …
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I often get calls from potential customers looking for the secret ingredient to make them “successful” in social media. I got a call yesteday from a gentleman looking for help with his Facebook Page. How did I quote him for my services? I simply told him to buy Facebook Me! and hire a virtual assistant if he didn’t have time to engage. I can’t teach those who don’t understand the value of social media, and they won’t fully understand my value, without them having experienced it for themselves. In such a way, business both large and small embark on the …
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Today’s blog post is from a guest and is about the importance of content, a topic that I have touched upon recently in posts such as the importance of everyone’s content on Twitter, and its value not only as part of your social media marketing, but also how it positively affects your relationship building as well as SEO efforts.
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It’s 2011. Facebook is fun, but you wouldn’t want to waste a whole workday on there. Social media networks are your strongest means of self-marketing aside from a high-profile portfolio, but the bounty of social sites quickly becomes a burden when they all land on your daily to-do list. Unless you have a staff dedicated to your daily Internet presence, it’s best to set a few professional boundaries and goals. Your aims are simple, social media butterfly: you need to get the maximum visibility and presence for a minimum time investment. Six Social Media Marketing tips for 2011:
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As I continue to speak to corporations, professional associations, as well as social media workshop attendees on the strategic value of Twitter for both B2C as well as B2B companies, I am finding many businesses starting to take the plunge and explore tweeting as a business tool. As you can imagine, becoming comfortable with a Twitter presence, especially for a business, can be confusing, especially if you’re just starting out and getting your feet wet. There are many different objectives that businesses have in embarking on using Twitter, but a common goal for many companies is to build brand loyalty …
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