I’ve worked with a great number of small businesses that I admire, both as social media consulting clients as well as potential customers. I am happy that I have helped several companies get to their next level with regards to their social media marketing, but I also find that many companies that seek my services are looking for social business expertise with a budget that does not place sufficient value on the experience they need. Social marketers have a complex yet unique combination of traits that make them true artists in their field. Are small businesses ready to appreciate the …
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I get a laugh when I read online conversations about people spending hours tweeting and chatting about how to measure “social media influence” as well as the “return on investment” (ROI) from social media. It’s almost as if these people are either 1) having a hard time convincing their clients of why they need to pay for their social marketing services and/or 2) they themselves are trying to figure out a way to “dupe” the system and be seen as more “influential” in the social arena, thinking that there are potential benefits in doing so. I’ve already covered my views …
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Social media marketing (SMM), also sometimes called social network marketing (SNM), is a strategy that helps you build a network of customers and potential customers, stay in touch with those who are interested in your products and services, and ultimately build your bottom line in the form of additional sales. However, many businesses do not know how to build a sound SMM strategy, or they make many mistakes along the way that actually do more harm than good. Here is a look at 6 mistakes you should avoid:
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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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Wow. It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 weeks since my last blog post. This is the first time in many months that I haven’t blogged for such a long period of time. It isn’t that I didn’t want to blog, as I am always thinking of things to say, but I really needed to use all of my creative time to finish my 2nd social media book, which I hope to be formally announcing next week. Not blogging for such a long time gave me some time to think about what blogging means to me and why I feel …
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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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