Mom it Forward » Marketing

Technology: 8 Reasons Why Social Media is Essential for Your Business

lior — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:51 +0000

Social media marketing is pervasive and popular, but is it really effective? Will a business’s investment of time and money in social media campaigns really provide a return beyond winning a popularity contest on a blog, Facebook, or Twitter?

According to a number of recent surveys and reports, social media marketing is not only effective at boosting a company’s profile, it is actually providing a wide range of benefits. In fact, it’s so effective that far more companies are using social media to connect with customers than those who are not.

8 Ways Social Media Marketing Can Benefit Your Business

Here are eight ways social media marketing can benefit your business:

1.) Increase Website Traffic

A 2011 report by the Social Media Examiner found that 88 percent of business owners surveyed use social media, from blogs to Facebook to YouTube, as a way of generating exposure for their businesses. Better yet, while a high number of social media marketers are seeing results for their efforts, 49 percent also enjoyed cost savings through social media investments.

2.) Manage Marketing Channels and Actions

Besides being easy to set up, business owners are able to meet customers where they’re already spending time and make connections for a minimal investment of time. Entrepreneur Magazine reported that “67 percent of owners said the fact that social media marketing is easier to master and utilize brought them around. That’s up from 54 percent in the previous survey. And it didn’t hurt a bit that 51 percent of these surveyed merchants and business people discovered that their customers prefer to use media channels.”

3.) Interact With Customers

In a 2011 survey of small business owners, e-mail marketing firm Constant Contact found the following: “Facebook continues to be the social media tool of choice — but Twitter is gaining ground, both in terms of usage and effectiveness. 60 percent of those using Twitter found it to be an effective tool to connect with customers — up from 47 percent in the spring.” These tools make it easy to interact with customers, an approach to social media adopted by 60% of the business owners surveyed.

4.) Improve Search Rankings With Google+

With the recent addition of Google’s Search Plus that integrates a user’s Google+ network with search results, a company profile on Google+ and Google+ buttons on a website can help increase a business’s exposure in Google’s searches. Chris Brogan writes, “[Google+] makes it a lot easier for people to find–and shop at–your business. Run a hamburger business in Milwaukee? Post “best hamburgers in Milwaukee.” You should see more customers walking through your door in no time flat.”

5.) Achieve Greater Product Awareness

Though Facebook has helped brands increase their visibility, Facebook’s new “Actions” option will help customers specify what they’re doing with particular brands—a real step forward in brand awareness. Search Engine Journal reports, “These Actions let users specifically indicate their interaction with a location, products, and more. For example, one may visit a local coffee shop and indicate they “bought” a particular drink. Immediately, that action is posted on their wall and their average of 130 friends can interact with that action. Others may comment, share, or even visit that store the next day to see for themselves.”

6.) Conduct Market Research on Social Media

As early as 2008 marketing executives caught on to the value of social media for tracking customer preferences, with 59% of respondents to an eMarketer Survey stating that they use social networks in order to track the responses and preferences of their customers. Social networks break down walls and create opportunities to interact with customers.

7.) Increase Sales Through Social Media Marketing

Though many businesses are still focusing on increasing brand awareness and connection points with customers through their social media efforts, there are some real returns that companies report. According to a 2011 report by Wildfire Marketing, 58 percent of their respondents point to increased sales and partnerships. This is a number that will only grow as businesses become more adept at turning social media connections into conversions.

8.) Generate Leads With Social Media Marketing

Besides generating exposure and sales, social media also increases the number of sales leads for business owners. The Social Media Examiner shares, “By spending as little as 6 hours per week, 52% of marketers see lead generation benefits with social media.”

Social media is now, without any doubt, an essential tool for any business that wants to increase interaction with customers, build brand awareness, and expand revenue opportunities.

How has social media changed your life? What are your favorite social media tools?

Picture courtesy of flickr.

This guest post is written by Lior Levin, a marketing consultant for an inspection company that offers Pre shipment inspections and, who also consults for a company that provides a to do list application for businesses and individuals.

Small Businesses: Using Social Media as an Online Marketing Tool

EarlBowser — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:00:15 +0000

You probably have heard the term “social media” and you may be well-versed in using social media. If you’re a small business owner however, chances are you’re not. According to InfoGraphic, “many small business[sic] reported being overwhelmed by social media, with typical frustrations including having too many different social networking sites to manage, information overload … and staff shortages preventing them from realizing the full potential of these platforms.”

The primary advantage of social media is being able to interact with your market. Social media has the potential to be exponentially more powerful than traditional passive media such as television and radio. Social media allows you the ability to build your market, one person at a time, then directly serve and sell to your market, 24 hours a day, many times at zero cost (other than time).

Giving you an in-depth look at social media along with understanding the myriad of choices on what to use and how to use social media is beyond the scope of this article. We will however, offer you a very brief overview of three of the most popular social media platforms. With this overview, you will hopefully gain the motivation to investigate your options even further, begin realizing the full potential of these platforms, and ultimately broaden the reach of your own voice.

Facebook

TOS (Terms of Service) states users of Facebook must be 13 years or older
Objectionable material (nudity, adult language, hatred, etc.) is rarely found and can be reported
Post messages on your “wall” containing text and multimedia
Privacy of your messages is controllable in multiple ways (groups, friends only, friends of friends only, etc.)
Create business pages
Create multiple “tabs” for business pages (i.e., Welcome, Photos, Videos, Store, Specials, etc)
Customize business pages to fit your own unique branding
Create contests
Post links to other web pages or event announcements
Create news stories and event announcements
Post pictures and videos within posts or albums
People “Like” or “Recommend” you via direct invitation, ad campaigns, and sharing via your friends
Marketing is accomplished by building a network of “friends” or “fans” (used interchangeably)
Viral content is created by posting compelling content that is shared by your friends/fans to their friends, and so on.

Twitter

TOS does not state a minimum age requirement
Objectionable material is often found, and can be searched for
Messages are posted as text only on a public feed, called “tweets”
Multimedia can be added to one’s account profile and linked to
Web pages and multimedia can be linked to within posts but not seen directly within post.
Marketing is accomplished by building a network of “Followers”
Viral content is created by posting compelling tweets that are subsequently “retweeted” to their followers, and so on.

Blogs

TOS varies, but usually states users must be 13 years of age and prohibits objectionable material
There are a number of blogging services, the most popular of which include WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr
All blogging services allow you to create posts and link them together in a variety of ways, most popular of which simulates an interactive magazine
All blogging services allow pages to be any length, along with having a variety of multimedia embedded within pages
All blogging services provide a variety of ready-made templates, along with the ability to create one’s own, or customize existing templates
Blogs are “subscribed to” via RSS or Atom feeds
Marketing and viral content are both created much like a standard web page via promotion, word of mouth, ad campaigns and search engine optimization; there are no internal ways within blogging services to create traffic.

How do you use social media as a marketing tool? What is your favorite social media platform?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Earl Bowser is a native Californian staying constantly busy with a large variety of interests. Owner of Bowser Multimedia Productions, his passions include photography, film, online marketing, genealogy, writing, philosophy, entrepreneurship, travelling and world changing action. Be sure to check out bowsermultimediaproductions.com - Marketing Your Business for Online Success

RSVP: Marketing to Women & Moms Using Social Media Part II—The Brand’s Perspective

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:45:12 +0000

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a brand representive—a “Wal-Mart 11 mom,” a “Hanes mom,” or a “Fishful Thinking Faculty Member or Ambassador”? Curious about what mom-involved campaigns include, how these moms are selected, and why businesses are finding it so advantageous to involve them not only up front in focus groups, but as representatives for an extended period of time.

What are the results businesses are getting from these campaigns, how does the mixture of moms and social media help them get the word out faster, better than traditional advertising?

You can learn the answer to these and many more questions by joining us here this Tuesday night.

What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)

When: Tuesday, May 26, 9-11 p.m. EDT

Where: Tweet Grid (use #gno hashtag)

Topic: Marketing to Women and Moms Using Social Media (from the Brand’s perspective)

Who: @barbarajones (from One2One Network), @johnflandrews (formerly of Wal-Mart and now of MARS Advertising, @levitanl (from Mr. Youth), @lindsaylebresco (from Graco), @mattyb123 (from Mr. Youth)

RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

@ClassyMommy Shares Tips on Working With Brands: Know Yourself, Find a Niche

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:11:05 +0000

The chatter on last night’s #GNO made my head spin. I think I’m still recovering from the stimulating and informative discussions on how brands are tapping into Social Media Moms as we enter the “New Age of Brand Evangelists.” Clearly, there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to this hot topic. Tweeters asked how bloggers and brands connect in the first place and wondered what triggered the relationship. Is it traffic stats, influence, twitter followers, or something else entirely?
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I think all of the above are important, but venture to guess that the “something else entirely” is the essential ingredient that triggers the lasting or more formal relationship with a brand. (And I think it goes without saying that bloggers obviously need to work with brands they are passionate about and are a genuine fit for their lifestyle, tastes, beliefs, family, etc.)
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For me, vlogging has been the “something else entirely” factor which has created my more formal relationships with brands. Before I ever imagined companies would send bloggers free products I started Classy Mommy to write about all my favorite finds and the gazillion products on the market for Moms and babies. Back in 2006 the one thing I did that was different and a natural fit for my style was start doing “video reviews” of products.
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Circa 2006: My 10 month old daughter tests organic baby food for one of my first videos. At the time the word vlogging was not even in my vocab, but for those who know me in real life, you know I talk alot and enjoy the camera so “vlogging” was an instinct for me. 3 years later, I still don’t use any script and find being myself on the fly is my best strategy for a fun video.
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This month, since I’m a professed microwave chef, I’m working on a vlogging campaign for Healthy Choice to showcase their products. Clearly, I’m still being myself as I let viewers in on the dirty little secret that is my jam packed freezer. I mean really have you ever seen a freezer like mine? I’m a disaster and my crazy kids are a pretty good match for my crazy freezer!
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And vlogging was the reason Wal-Mart asked me to join their 11 Moms campaign last summer as they were looking for Moms willing to share money saving tips on YouTube. This video I created about saving money with rechargeable batteries, probably also caught the eye of Energizer as I’m now a brand advocate for Energizer Rechargeables. So for me, I definitely think vlogging was the “something else” factor to trigger my brand relationships.
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Just like a a blog post incorporating a brand needs to be genuine, so does a video. I’m still doing the same thing as when I started messing around with the camera 3 years ago, but I have learned that my best videos are super short – cause even I don’t want to watch myself chattering if I start going over 1 minute!
Know yourself, your blog, your niche, and how you are different from everyone else. Are you a heavy tweeter? Really funny? An expert in living green? Do you have a large family? Wild kids? Love to vlog? Take phenomenal photos? In my experience, I see companies reaching out to bloggers based on how they differentiate themselves and how that particular angle might be a fit for a specific campaign or brand.

RSVP: The New Age of Brand Evangelists—Using Social Media Moms & Mavens for Marketing

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:35:30 +0000

Did you know that moms control 80% of household spending for a whopping 1.7 TRILLION (yah, you “heard” me right, TRILLION) dollars in annual spending. Furthermore, there is somewhere around 86 MILLION moms in the US alone.

What does all this mean? Data supports that moms have influence. And now, companies are paying attention to that data by not only involving moms in focus groups and research up front, but also in marketing initiatives/events and programs during product launches where they literally get to be brand evangelists. For many, it is becoming a full-time business opportunity to help shape and market brands through social media.

Join us here Tuesday, May 19 as these moms chat with us about the brands they’ve been involved with and their experiences with the various initiatives.

When: Tues., May 19 from 9 pm to 11 p.m. EDT (8 CDT, 7 CDT, and 6 PDT)

What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)

Topic: Moms in Social Media Marketing Campaigns

Where: Tweet Grid (use the #gno hashtag)

Who: @alliworthington, @audreymcclellan, @jessicaknows, @designmama, @gwenbell @classymommy, @babysteph, @SITSgirls

RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

RSVP—Guy Kawasaki Joins #GNO This Week at Our Virtual Pajama Party Sponsored by My Mommy Manual

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:18:28 +0000

What’s a Pajama Party Without a GUY?

The fabulous Ria and Suzanne from My Mommy Manual and in partnership with Mom It Forward and the 12 for 12K team, are throwing the pajama party of all pajama parties and you’re invited. In support of our 6-week focus on charity, service, and giving, they are raffling off a wide array of prizes with the proceeds going to Yehu Microfinance, Basa Body, and Coast Coconut Farms. Click here to enter to win!

What’s more? Guy Kawasaki is joining in on the fun! After all, what’s a pajama party without a GUY? Join us Tuesday, April 14 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. eastern (8 CDT, 7 MDT, & 6 PDT) to chit and chat about tips for entrepreneurs—starting and running your own business and using social media to do it.

Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. Guy is the author of nine books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. He has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

When: Tues., Apr.14 from 9 pm to 1 a.m. EDT (8 CDT, 7 CDT, and 6 PDT)

What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)

Topic: Tips to Starting & Running Your Own Business—in conjunction with our charity to fight poverty in Kenya (Yehu, BasaBody, Coast Coconut Farms)

Where: Tweet Grid (use the #gno hashtag)and on UStream

Who: @guykawasaki, @riasharon, and @zenmommy

RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

How Do You Enter to Win the Giveaways?

My Mommy Manual has rounded up nearly $5,000 in prizes. Check out this short video below to see how to enter!