by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jan 10, 2018 | Guest Blogger, Small Business, Social Media
To successfully promote your business with social media, you need a strategy in place. A well-built strategy provides your business with a path that works. It also makes it easy to measure results and check if what you are doing is working or if you need to make changes.
Therefore, in this post I am going to show you how to create an effective social media strategy for 2018. Read my tips and implement them to ensure you get positive results from your social media marketing in the new year…
Choose goals:
A strategy only works if it is results oriented. Hence, before you create your strategy you need to choose goals. For example, if you are running a business the main goals of your social media strategy should be to generate more revenue or things that contribute to boosting revenue like traffic and leads.
Most people make the mistake of choosing apex goals like increasing engagement and followers. These goals are important too and should be part of your strategy, but they shouldn’t be your apex goals. Only have apex goals that have a direct impact on your revenue. After that begin choosing the secondary goals that can have an impact on your apex goals.
Research your audience, social networks and competitors:
Once you know your goals you need to conduct plenty of research to learn as much as you can about your audience. For this you should conduct interviews and surveys.
Conduct social media research
Also, checkout the latest social media demographics research put out by credible organisations like Pew.
Once you know your audience and the networks they use you should conduct research on the social networks they are most active on. Next figure out which ones you would like your business to be active on.
Once you know the social networks you want to use you can learn the best practices and use social media analytics tools to spy on your competitors. See what type of content they create and how it is working for them.
Practice visual content creation skills:
If you look at the fastest growing social networks right now (Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat) you will realise that they are very visual centric (you can only post visuals on these networks). Also, if you checkout recent research on established networks like Facebook you will see that images drive the highest engagement here.
This is why you should invest plenty of your time to learn as much as you can about creating visual content. This should include understanding basic design principles and the types of images that fare well on different networks.
Once you understand this, creating great visual content shouldn’t be a problem as there plenty of online visual editors that make the process of design easy. They come with premade templates and design ideas too.
Create social media visuals
A company that certainly understand the importance of visual content is Whole Foods. Make sure you checkout their Pinterest and Instagram pages to gain some inspiration.
Incorporate blogging and other content:
Building a social presence with engaging content is an important step, but along with this you must share content from your blog. This lets you transfer some of the engagement onto your blog where you will have the opportunity to convert traffic to leads and sales.
Write longer posts
For best results you should step away from creating short blog posts as a study by Buzzsumo found that long posts between 3,000 and 10,000 words get the most shares. But make sure the entire post is filled with quality information. Just beefing up a blog post with filler content won’t do.
Write long top quality posts
An example of a quality post is Social Media Marketing Made Simple by Neil Patel. It is over 3,000 words long, but every inch of it is filled with quality information.
You should publish long posts like this a few times a week. But if you are pressed for time try you can write them once a week or once every 2 weeks.
Along with the blog post create other forms of content like ebooks, white papers and webinars that can convert blog traffic into leads.
Regularly modify your strategy:
No matter how carful you are with the initial research, you won’t set up the perfect strategy in your first attempt. On top of that industry trends change and social networks are redesigned with the introduction of new features. Hence, you should use a good analytics tool to regularly analyse your strategy and make any modifications if necessary.
Gradually you will be able to build the perfect social media strategy. Of course, you will need to make modifications every few months as trends and features change.
Now go and set up your strategy for the new year…
These are all the steps you must follow while creating an effective social media strategy for 2018. Start by choosing your goals and gathering as much data as you can on your audience and the social network they frequent. Next spy on your competitors and see what’s working for them.
After that get active and begin creating visual content and blog content that will help you accomplish your business goals. And don’t forget to regularly analyse your results and determine if what you are doing is working.
Guest Author
Mitt Ray is the founder of Social Marketing Writing, where you can download 100 free social media background images.
Connect with Mitt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mittray
Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mittray
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialmarketingwriting
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jan 24, 2017 | Marketing, Productivity, Social Media
Social media marketing continues to grow at exponential rates and remains one of the simplest tools a business owner can use to reach their audience and further deepen their digital footprint.
According to We are Social, 3.81 billion people worldwide have active online accounts which exemplify the tremendous opportunities to build and connect with your audience. It does take time and effort to develop a strong foundational footprint but where else are you able to assemble a sizable following at pennies per impression?
My dad used to say “if you throw enough shit against the wall, somethings gonna stick.” This still holds true but I recommend a planned attack, some SMM strategy. Nothing willy nilly if you’d prefer better results. So let’s dive in!
Here are 13 tips you can use to maximize your social media footprint
- Social visibility – include all social channels in your marketing collateral (print and online), email signatures, and your website. Don’t make people have to click, search and discover. It should be an act of ease and grace to connect with you on their terms.
- Profiles – make sure they are all up to date with cohesive branding and content. If your information is scattered with various profile details, obscure images, varied company/service descriptions, you’ll confuse your audience.
- Consistency and frequency are key – post several times daily. Don’t be a flash in the pan with sporadic posts. You won’t give people a reason to follow you or look for your content. You’ll get lost and forgotten.
- Incorporate video and branded images.
- Content-rich, relevant, and sharable.
- Ask clients to “check-in” and tag the business. The more the merrier right? Each time a client checks in, a little bell goes off. Figuratively speaking of course. What greater way to help promote your business and generate a little social proof with people clamoring in your front door. To take it a step further, offer an incentive.
- Build relationships – engage with your audience, share, and comment on their content. Keep the social in “social media” and humanize your brand. Buyers and prospects don’t want robots or the sound of silence. Relationship marketing develops authentic relationships based on real connections and emotions. Reach out.
- Branded visuals – incorporate branded images into your marketing magic. Your images should be strong, convey a message, emotion, or thought, and most important, it should contain your logo or company name. It’s been proven that visuals generate a greater response to your posts.
- Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images (source)
- Hashtags – use popular, trending or industry hashtags. Join the conversation, gain authority, share rich/relevant content. #UseHashtags
- Social proof – Display (ask for) testimonials/reviews. People buy from people. People trust people. People will follow the crowd. Be the people that people love to talk about and ask them to talk about you. Social proof generates business with the peer to peer discussions.
- Local business – make sure all online digital maps/places/directories are up to date with your address/phone and hours. Finding your whereabouts shouldn’t feel like a mission impossible or a CSI investigation.
- Blogging – weekly/bimonthly – go for daily if you can or hire someone that will
- Consistent blogging pings Google and other search engines to new activity
- Increases SEO with keywords and tags
- Content is shared by your network, bringing people to your website and social platforms
- Cross share the content on your various accounts to drive site traffic
- Write for the audience and their needs/problems/pain points. Your content isn’t about you or what you feel is essential in the world. It’s all about your buyers and what moves them most.
- Blog commenting – Each time you comment on other relevant business blogs you have the opportunity to provide your website which links to your name. It can be time-consuming, but create a few keyword alerts with daily email digests or use tools like BuzzSumo, Feedly, and Tagboard to discover appropriate content.
- LinkedIn – comment on daily pulse articles as those are shared in public domain. Public domain is your free for all link to the search engines.
- Team involvement – suggest that staff also share and like content. This helps FB algorithms and exposure. The more people who like/share content, the greater chance of being seen, showing up in keyword searches, and increasing social proof once again.
Social Media is not just a spoke on the wheel of marketing. It’s becoming the way entire bicycles are built. Ryan Lilly
Social media and the online environment has become an integral part of people’s lives and it’s only going to continue to explode. With approximately 4.5 billion people on the internet and 3.81 billion using social media, don’t you want to wriggle in with your target market?
Be discovered before your competition?
Maintain a stronghold on your market share?
Distribute those digital breadcrumbs to maximize your social media footprint and give your audience a full meal, not just a tidbit snack.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jun 9, 2015 | LinkedIn, Small Business, Social Media
LinkedIn isn’t simply a platform for job hunters and recruiters, but also multi-dimensional social media channel to build your circle of influence and network with other professionals.
The stats alone will convince you that LinkedIn is a marketing tool you just can’t ignore.
- There are more than 460 million users on LinkedIn — in 200 countries and territories. That’s quite the global reach.
- 133 million users in the US
- 1 in 3 professionals have a LinkedIn account
- Over 49% of key decision makers are on LinkedIn
- 35% of users access LinkedIn everyday
- Reachforce found that 44% of B2B marketers have generated leads via LinkedIn.
- There are over 1 billion LinkedIn endorsements
- Over 25 million LinkedIn profiles are viewed each day
Your LinkedIn profile will act as your laser-focused billboard, presenting you as the subject matter expert in your field. Writing it may seem like a daunting task, but simply set aside some time, maybe a weekend to brainstorm what you want to share. Gather your information in outline form and dive in. If you aren’t confident with your skills, hire out the creative writing aspect but keep in mind, you’ll have to do some of the heavy lifting as well.
Headline
By default, LinkedIn will populate this field with your current company and job title. You are not obligated to retain this. Mix it up and get creative using robust keywords and phrases. List your expertise and other credentials as well, but don’t overwhelm the header with details. It can be overkill. Try to keep it to about 10-15 words. Less is more.
Summary
Design your killer profile to gain traction with a strong summary, industry keywords and in the first person tense, using “I.” Example: “I facilitated a team of 18 people to drive sales 24% above the previous quarter.” List 4-5 of your principal achievements. It’s important to note that you are writing to your target market, so make sure you are hitting some of the crucial points that would make the most sense to them.
Photo
If you don’t have a professional headshot, make time for a photo shoot. Wear something businesslike, no flash or bling. AND smile. It portrays you as someone who is real, reachable, open and personable. People are influenced by visual images, so keep in mind that you have just a few seconds to make an impression. Make it a good one.
Content
Fill in the blanks: awards, recognition, special achievements, education, associations, volunteer work and so forth. It helps to clearly demonstrate your well-roundedness, diversity in projects and skills as well as making you appear more versatile.
Endorsements/Recommendations
It never hurts to ask. Reach out to people you know, past and present clients, or even colleagues. People are always delighted to share a few kudos. Give it a try. Here’s a small tip for you, reciprocate the kindness.
Claim Your Custom Profile URL
LinkedIn’s default profile URL is not only hard to remember and share but it doesn’t showcase your name or your brand, making it more difficult for Google to display your profile page in the search results. Personalize your custom URL with your name or company name that is consistent with your other social media platforms. Click here to update your profile URL settings.
Status Updates
Everything you share is a direct reflection of yourself, your brand and your company. Your content is the cornerstone of building your digital footprint and circle of influence. It’s how you communicate your expertise with your target audience. It helps establish you as a credible source by nurturing the relationships with real content that drives conversation, educates, and encourages that coveted SHARE. With each post, consider what your audience wants and needs. Don’t get too comfortable on the soapbox because if that’s where you’re shouting your message from – trust me, no one is listening. Always remember that good content solves your customers’ problems. This is what drives your own personal influence. There’s no need to shout how awesome you are. Your content will speak for itself.
Consistency and frequency are key to authenticating your online reputation. It isn’t good enough to share a post on LinkedIn once a week. You won’t be able to develop a watchful audience unless you maintain a visible presence. Sharing content that matters – and doing it often – is the only way to build your personal brand.
To keep yourself in check, outline the topics or themes you’d like to share in support of your keywords and phrases. Write your own posts as a LinkedIn Publisher, in addition to searching for quality content from others to share as status updates. Authoring your posts in the Publisher format allows:
- People to follow you
- You to write long form posts
- Google to index your posts
- Your posts to reach a larger public audience
- Showcase your expertise
You’ve got your posts all lined up but what’s next? When to post? According to HubSpot research, the best times to share content on LinkedIn are on Tuesday’s 10-11 am (via AddThis) while Fannit stated the best times are 7-8 am and 5-6 pm. My suggestion is also to test different days and times to see what produces the best results with your personal audience. Science and social metrics can be a struggle, but pay attention to your engagement, comments, likes and shares. Everyone is different as are their goals and tactics. Find what works best for you.
Start with this as a recipe for posting
- Post 2-3 times per day, 7 days a week
- Mix up your posts with URLs, images, or even quotes
- Comment on other people’s content
- Share in various target groups
- Write long-form posts as “LinkedIn Publisher”
- Search for our keywords and phrases in the “posts” section
Growing your network
The next rung toward your success is to join a few industry groups with like-minded peers, target audience and influencers. Participating in LinkedIn Groups affords you the opportunity to further develop your own thought leadership with professionals in your field. They function as a “private” space to interact with other members that share common interests, skills and industries, further widening your network and affiliations. While you are permitted to join up to 50 groups, it is advisable that you maintain a level of sanity and be a little choosy with the number of groups you join. It can be overwhelming to try and keep up with the discussions as well as share relevant content. Don’t overextend yourself.
Creating your profile, posting and joining groups is the foundation to your LinkedIn success but as with any SOCIAL network, it requires the human touch and by that I mean engagement with your community. Set aside time each day to fully engage in conversations and comment on posts that resonate with you. It is the nurturing of relationships that builds trust in you and your brand. People buy from people. That will never change.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Feb 25, 2015 | Entrepreneur, Productivity, Small Business, Social Media
No, not a financial burden imposed by the state, but the tax social media can have on an entrepreneur can feel like a huge time-sucker.
Dictionary.com presents 5 ways to define the word tax, the best fit for this article is:
Too Many Hats
An entrepreneur has a lot to do in a bootstrapped business. They are the person performing the customer service or generating the product they deliver to a client AND they are also every other department such as marketing, creative design, accounting, sales, talent management, and more. Their passion is clear and focused on the service and product, but it can begin to dwindle with the burden of necessary duties to support that business.
Social Media Visibility
Add to this, there is an expectation that all entrepreneurs are online at all times providing continual content to build a loyal audience and that content must live on Social Media platforms. After 6 months to a year of generating content, responding, being conversational to build relationships, and doing everything they can to rise above the noise and be noticed, they grow weary of it all. I heard one woman entrepreneur state that because of social media, she needs a wife, an assistant, and a design team because the weight of her business does not fit into the 24 hours she is given. Some days it feels like a heavy tax and burden on an entrepreneur’s day.
The Anchor
The message seems to be, if you are not on social media, you don’t exist. Yet many feel that being tied to the responsibility of social media keeps them from living, much less working on their business. They want to be there interacting with the people who need their business, but it doesn’t always feel like they are reaching an audience when using social media. It is a tough balance, entrepreneurship, and all it entails. However, there is a strategy that can be implemented to ease the load on a business owner’s time.
Delegation. Plain and simple.
Delegating is the simple act of entrusting authority to another person. While you can’t or shouldn’t delegate every task or responsibility in your business, you should move some of the non-essentials off of your plate. The ones that are the most time consuming, don’t generate revenue and take you away from the core of your business.
According to VerticalResponse, 23 percent of CEOs and business owners spend between six to 10 valuable hours each week on social media.
In a Constant Contact market survey, they found that:
- Small business owners spend at least 20 hours per week on marketing
- 82% market their business using many different platforms, including email, e-newsletters, social media
Wow! That is a big chunk of time to give up. I bet this doesn’t even include those hidden hours when you are sucked into the black hole of searching and link clinking. Before you know it, the day is over.
Who nurtured your business and your clients?
Yes! Your social media efforts represent the architectural structure that leads to brand recognition, credibility, a positive customer experience, brand advocates, increased web traffic, search rankings, and word-of-mouth marketing. There is absolutely NO question that you do need an online presence. It is vital in today’s super socially connected world. Everyone does business online; searching brands and companies, reviews, social proof, connections, tips, tools, apps, and addresses. It is only going to continue to expand.
BUT…..
What about the commitment to your business beyond social engagement?
Are you ready to apply for your social media tax rebate and get back to building your company??
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Oct 8, 2014 | Content Marketing, Customer Service, Social Media
Online success isn’t just about generating rich, relevant content and being on social platforms. While all that creates the basic foundation for success, you need to build your relationships and nurture your network.
[Tweet “Your community is your greatest asset; your megaphone of social proof.”]
Social proof, also known as informational social influence, is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. This effect is prominent in ambiguous social situations where people are unable to determine the appropriate mode of behavior, and is driven by the assumption that surrounding people possess more knowledge about the situation. Wikipedia
The Internet is a social environment; a tremendous force for buying decisions. The information gathering process is performed online, everyday. 80-95% of purchases are made because of online reviews. You, as well as your customer base, are influenced by your peers and community. We listen for the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s the social way of doing business.
BrightLocal’s 2013 Local Consumer Review Survey found that:
These statistics alone are good enough reason to enhance and promote your own social proof in your digital environment. Build your digital reputation with authentic engagement, outstanding customer service and selfless connections. While there may be a method to your madness, ulterior motives are pretty transparent so don’t waste your time with disingenuous actions.
Be real.
Be the person you’d like to do business with.
Your service, not services is one of the key factors that can be your unique selling proposition. Your competitor may sell the same widgets, but it’s YOU who has the opportunity to rise above and offer something superb and personal.
Relationships are like muscle tissue… the more they are engaged, the stronger and more valuable they become. Ted Rubin
Truly connect and go the extra mile. 100 miles even. Don’t stop there. If you want something bad enough and believe you’ve got the best there is, then give it. You can’t go wrong.
What can Social Proof do for you?
- Build credibility
- Foster trust
- Grow loyalty
- Increase brand exposure
- Substantiate your products and services
- Empower your prospects
- Cultivate a community of influencers
Typical forms of Social Proof
- Social mentions, shares and likes
- Case studies
- Testimonials
- Online reviews
- User generated content
The Crazy Egg: social proof in the marketing community simply refers to using these crowds and their input to create positive connections with a brand or business.
How can YOU use social proof in your marketing?
- Share client case studies
- Embed tweets and mentions in your posts and social channels
- Add customer testimonials to your website and newsletter
- Show social endorsements from industry influencers
- Engage with interested online influencers who may help to promote you
- Add the Facebook “like” box to your blog
- Incorporate “As Seen In” logo boxes
- Save shout outs in your Twitter Favorites
When someone lands on your landing page, they don’t know whether your offer is any good — which gives you the opportunity to sway them using quotes from customers, embedded tweets, and so on. HubSpot
“The proof is in the pudding.” People can buy followers and likes so don’t depend on numbers to build your credibility or to make your own buying decisions. Unfortunately, just because you saw it on the Internet does not mean it’s real. Large numbers don’t equate to authenticity, dedicated fans or genuine relationships. Stir up real relationships.
Too many websites only talk about their products and services. Blah! Blah! Blah! While it may be important to talk about your company, offerings and services, it isn’t enough to sway your buyers. They showed up on your site for a reason. They have a need. You have a service. Make the decision process a little more comfortable and create the confidence and trust they are seeking.
Social Proof is your key to more magnetic marketing [KISSmetrics]
Showcase your undeniable true network of connections and clients with valid social proof that you produced with honest hard work.
You earned it.
Demonstrate it.
If you want to elevate your sway, develop strategies to put social proof to work in your online communications. Barry Feldman
What are your tips to foster and share your social proof?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 10, 2014 | Content Marketing, Organization, Productivity, Social Media
How many times have you started your day feeling a little discombobulated? Out of sorts or otherwise, a hot mess?
Maybe your alarm didn’t go off, you’re missing a sock, can’t find your keys or worse, your coffee pot died! Oh yes it did. It’s not even a Monday! This is a horror and seems to set the tone for the rest of the day.
You throw up your hands and opt for the bedhead look. If you’re like me, you might even have a little crazed Medusa look going on. No, I’m not doing an HOA or SKYPE video call with you.
HOWEVER, you cannot bring this uncoiffed mentality into your social media marketing world. Oh it is so tempting to just jump on board and start posting, commenting and singing your song. Who cares about the different platforms, best times to post, what to share, syndication sites, building relationships and the whole ménage of social etiquette, tips, tools and suggestions? Right?
A little chaos and messy hair feels good.
Close your eyes for me. Just for a second. Now shake your head from side to side. Flip your hair up and down. Run your hands through it. Yeah, you men too. Okay, gradually open your eyes. Doesn’t it just feel a little freeing to let go?
Okay, you’re done. Come back down in your chair and focus!
If you’re like most small business owners, you think social media is just something you do versus a marketing tool that you MAKE time for. Remember, the majority of your customers and prospects are online and consuming information every day. If you aren’t online and making time for social media, you can rest assured that your competition is.
I will tell you this: YOU do NEED a social media strategy; a plan of attack. Nothing is accomplished by haphazardly flitting around tapping a few keys here and there. This goes beyond just the SMM goals for your company. You need more than that.
Focus on strategy, not tips and tools. It begins with your audience, their objectives, who are you connecting with and what they need from you. Pam Moore, CEO of Marketing Nutz
You should outline a daily plan for each of your social profiles, including goals for each one.
A daily routine will help to keep you focused and productive, otherwise, you will be spinning the hamster wheel of frustration. It is already so difficult to keep up with everything, figure out social media AND operate your business. Who has time for all of this??
Social media can be a tremendous time suck. Many business owners spend 12-20+ hours a week maintaining their online presence. Do you really have this kind of time? Can you afford to step away from the core of your business to search, write, edit, post, comment, share and otherwise be seen, be heard and engage?
Again, your routine and time management will keep you from wasting needless unplanned hours. Everything has a road map or a blueprint. Create one and stick to it.
Simply posting or tweeting a random thought without a strategy behind it is a recipe for disaster, and a complete waste of time. Rebekah Radice
Let’s assume (and I do hate this word):
- You have defined your SMM goals? Yearly? Monthly? Weekly? Daily?
- The tactics you will use to achieve them
- Understand your audience, their needs and their most used platforms
- You maintain a content or editorial calendar
- You search and curate content to meet the needs and questions of your audience
- You write weekly rich and valuable blog posts
One through six are the bare naked basics, part of your standard workflow.
Your daily schedule can make you or break you. If you find yourself with a knotted nappy head then you should probably revisit what you do every day and how deeply you sometimes get dragged into the abyss. You should be using time tracking tools or those that limit your website use, but that is a whole other post. Simply put, discipline yourself.
Ready. Set. Go.
- Outline your SMM platforms, include the URLs and logins
- Include the dates/times you will post on each.
- Type of post (examples): URL, quote, image, reshare, educational
- Create lists and groups in each channel of thought leaders, colleagues, friends or other important people in your network that you follow, engage with or want to share their content
- Gather a list of the RSS feeds of industry blogs or those VIPs above enabling you to read, share and discuss their content
- Curate information from the above as well as content that mirrors/supports your company products and services, buyer’s needs, drivers and pain points
- Search industry keywords and trending topics on sites like Triberr, scoop.it, buzzsumo, tagboard, Twitter search, topsy, paper.li, or pragmatic.com
- Find and implement time saving tools to curate and schedule content
- Automate: schedule some of your daily content
- Retweet, share and comment on posts
- Create relationships: engage in meaningful conversations (NEVER automate the personal touch. NEVER)
- Create relationships: yes I repeated myself because this is worth repeating. Don’t just shout out some content and run away. That isn’t social. Not by any means. If you want to see and feel a return then be personable not a conveyor belt of URLs.
- Follow your routine. Set aside time each and every day to accomplish these social media tasks, at a minimum. Even jump on at least twice a day to manage your digital space. Schedule this time on your calendar like you would any other appointment
- Most importantly: Shake hands. Smile. BE HUMAN. While cliche, be social, don’t do social if you hope to see any type of payoff.
Remember social media isn’t an overnight million dollar sensation. It’s almost a lifestyle. An investment. It takes time, nurturing, honest engagement, understanding and a hell of a lot of patience.
You’ve got this and with a little help from a few tools and perhaps a virtual assistant (Ace), you can manage a successful social media plan AND operate your business.
If you’re tired of doing it all or not having enough time in the day to do much of anything, let alone pour a fresh cup of coffee, simply click on the Contact Us button and we can talk.
Come on… it’s easy. You deserve a little sanity. A little hair product for a more coiffed look. We’re here to help YOU.
