To be successful in social media marketing, you have to do two things: Provide interesting content that gives people value for their time. Deliver your message at a time and place when your audience is there to hear it. Creating interesting content is the easy part for most marketers.  Finding the right place to communicate your message is a function of targeting your message to the right audience, and then finding the communications channel that reaches that audience. There are many tools and techniques for doing that. Timing, on the other hand, can seem mystifying.  How on earth are you supposed to predict when a particular person will be online to receive your message? The answer, of course, is that you can’t predict the behavior of a particular individual in the future – but you can certainly get clues as to their likely behavior from their past behavior online. That’s… read more

There are less than 30 days until 2013 arrives, and most of the planning and budgeting for the new year’s marketing campaigns have long been completed.  But the last few weeks of the year are a good time to take a second look at your plans and tweak them to expand your social media reach in 2013. Once considered strictly a consumer-oriented communications channel, 2012 is likely to be remembered as the year in which B2B companies began to master the art of social selling.  It may also be remembered as the year in which Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn became routine communications channels that are treated as part of a cohesive marketing communications campaign rather than stand-alone efforts. For 2013, it’s time to shift your attention to a broader, more integrated communications strategy that combines blogs, social networks, wikis, industry forums, online communities, image sharing (Pinterest, Instagram), paid media, email… read more

Facebook seems to be the tool that social media marketers can’t live without – and love to complain about.  From promoted posts and EdgeRank, to Timeline, 2012 was the year when many people took exception to some of Facebook’s changes. Over time, however, many marketers have come to love some of this year’s Facebook changes – even Timeline.  Here are five Facebook tools that marketers need to seriously consider now, or risk being left behind as your competitors adopt them. Make Your Cover Photo Sizzle The large 851 x 315 pixel cover photo on your Facebook page can become a valuable part of your social media marketing plan.  Why?  Because it’s located at the top of your Timeline, overlapping with your profile picture, above any tabs.  So it’s the first thing visitors see when they click on your page. Also, if you don’t upload a cover photo, users will see… read more

The benefits of using webinars as part of your marketing strategy. For many businesses who offer their clients specific products and services, their average web user is typically looking to be educated by their website.  Whether they are specifically looking to learn more about what your company can do for them, how your services differ from your competitors or simply whether or not they would like to work with you one day, most visitors looking at your business site are in research mode and are hoping to learn something more about your company. One of the best ways to attract these potential customers to your site and keep them coming back for more is to continuously feature educational offers on your website that will not only give users the information that they are looking for, but also establishes your company as an expert in that particular topic or field of… read more

You’ve probably thought about adding videos to your social media marketing strategy.  If you haven’t turned on the power of online video branding for your business yet, chances are some (if not all) of these excuses have played a part in the delay. I don’t have the know-how to make a video. I don’t look good enough to be on camera. I don’t sound good enough to be on camera. I have to hire a full production studio. Sound familiar?  The truth is that creating videos today is much simpler than it used to be. And, you don’t need to look like a Hollywood star to be an online video star. #1:  It Works Here are just a few facts and figures about online video that might help you decide to add it to your social media marketing strategy.  The first fact to understand is that online video works. Did… read more

One of the most common misconceptions about social media marketing is that it’s incredibly easy and effortless. After all, how hard could it be to send out a few tweets or post pictures and status updates? But while social media may take place in a casual, laid-back environment, using it as a successful marketing tool requires time, research, and careful planning. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Social media marketing can be extremely effective, but having a comprehensive strategy in place is critical to giving your social media plan the direction and guidance it needs to succeed.  In journalism, writers use the Five Ws – who, what, when, where, and why – to cover all of the essential elements of a story and create a complete picture that provides all relevant information. The same Five Ws – with the addition of “How” – can also help… read more

To succeed with social media and online marketing, brands must find their voice. This process involves balancing the level of professionalism that is expected of their company with a social, relatable tone that helps followers engage with the brand. While this balance will be different for every company, the casual nature of social media and increasing corporate comfort with online marketing is leading more brands to leave their reserved comfort zone and embrace humor, relevancy, and even a bit of an edge in their online voice. For the most part, this trend has lead to more engaged and relatable social media marketing, increased interaction, and campaigns that are innovative and entertaining. A number of brands have capitalized on embracing this type of personality, from pizza companies known for goofy and whimsical Twitter interactions to professional sports teams who take to social media sites to good-naturedly “trash talk” other teams with… read more

Predicting what is in store for paid search marketing in 2013. Now that we are halfway through the month of October, it is time to start finalizing end of the year marketing campaigns and looking ahead to what is in store for digital marketing in 2013. For those of us who work closely with Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns and paid search marketing, it is no secret what a hectic, fast-paced industry this is. You are constantly having to tweak and experiment with what ads work best for your target clientele, while also staying in the right budget and campaign for your company. However, given the growth of mobile and tablet-use for web searches within the last year, 2013 is going to be especially hectic for marketers learning to adapt to the many changes. It is predicted that mobile search clicks could account for as many as 20-25% of all search clicks… read more

This guest post is by Pete Kennedy, co-founder of Main Street ROI. Want more SEO tips?  Register for Main Street ROI’s free Halloween SEO teleseminar: The Death of “Old-School” SEO.  You’ll learn about the 3 “old-school” SEO tactics to avoid, plus the 5 new SEO rules to follow. Sign up here. One of the biggest myths about search engine optimization (SEO) is that you should expect to wait several months before you start ranking on the first page of Google for your target keywords. While it’s true it can often take several months to crack the first page for super competitive keywords, there are also opportunities for fast rankings with SEO. And one of those opportunities is local SEO. Local SEO is the process of getting your website ranking on the first page of Google+ Local, Google’s local search engine results (formerly known as Google Places). The Case for Local SEO Here… read more

When Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion earlier this year, many wondered whether the mobile photo app was worth the price it commanded.  But in the month that followed, Instagram exploded from a niche iOS photo-sharing social app to a platform on both iOS and Android devices that boasts over 100 million users. As the community grows and the application gains mainstream popularity, businesses are increasingly recognizing Instagram’s unique and creative visual features as a powerful asset to their social media marketing efforts.  Here are some tips to creating valuable content to help gain visibility and engage with fans on Instagram. Remember: Visual Interest is Everything There are countless services out there right now that allow users to store and share their images. What sets Instagram apart – and what has made it so popular – are the features that turn everyday snapshots into unique, interesting, and even artistic photography…. read more