20 Social Networking Tactics for Business

The growth of social media has exploded on to the web – and there are no signs it will be slowing any time soon. While Tweeting, poking and tagging may primarily be consumer-based activities, it would be unwise to assume there are not social network marketing opportunities to help promote your business.

A word of caution though, getting involved in a social network or two with the sole purpose of selling can quickly turn customers away. The key to successful participation in any social media marketing is to do so genuinely, to value relationships and not to take goodwill for granted. So, what are some of the best social media marketing techniques that can work for your business?

Get Social Media Marketing Working for You
The choice of social media platforms continues to grow – with a plethora of social networking websites to choose from. While hugely successful sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube may be taking all the plaudits, there are many more social networking websites to consider. Your first goal is to establish where your target audience is active, and then 'get on board that bus'.

A final word of warning before we move on to review the 20 social networking tactics for business. Don't dive in too soon. Take some time to monitor and learn from your customers' existing activity. This will enable you to participate in a similar fashion, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb.

20 Ways to Use Social Media to Promote Your Business
The following 20 social media marketing tactics will enable you to genuinely participate within social networks while simultaneously promoting your business successfully.

1. Highlight – and link out to – industry news or world news relevant to your field.
2. Share your own thoughts on topics related to your business.
3. Feature links to insightful articles and include an explanation as to why they are valuable.
4. Be helpful; share some of your expertise to help build a positive reputation.
5. Ask questions to get feedback and invite discussion on industry topics.
6. Recommend other social media users –they will usually reciprocate your recommendation.
7. Hold a contest and publicise it across your social media profiles. Competitions can spread like wildfire across social networks.
8. Announce business updates, including links to new products or special features.
9. Link to your website content occasionally; too often might seem pushy, but this doesn't mean to say you cannot do it at all.
10. Link to rich media content, such as webcast presentations or videos that enhance your message.
11. Announce – and link to - the publication of your latest email newsletter.
12. Similarly, link to your latest blog post with a brief summary.
13. Post discount coupons and other deals exclusive to your social media audience.
14. Personalise your profile with your company logo and colours, and maybe even an image of yourself.
15. Think quality, not quantity. You don't need to be the most prolific participant to impress.
16. Don't be afraid to share some personality.
17. Pick up tips and tricks from other experts in your field.
18. Share links to your social media profile, or profiles from your website, newsletter and regular email signature.
19. Combine your content across multiple web platforms, including your website and social media profiles.
20. Identify the best times of day to engage with your target audience.

In conclusion, remember that whether you are tweeting, poking or tagging, be yourself and enjoy participating in the social conversation. If you would like help improving your social media marketing activities, call us on 01454 261111.

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Google Caffeine – Is It Good For You?

One thing is certain when working with the World Wide Web: change. Web technology is not stationary – nor should it be. Complacency in implementing improvements leads to limited functionality, which translates ultimately into losing traffic. No individual or company is exempt, including the Internet giant Google, which has maintained its dominance in global cyberspace through its clever adoption of leading- edge technologies for its online tools and services.

Introducing Google's latest algorithm update, nicknamed Caffeine. While updating their search engines to be more efficient may bode well for users, it may have negative implications for marketers who have worked hard for the web traffic they enjoy as a result of good organic rankings. So what can we expect from Google Caffeine and how might it affect your rankings?

Google Caffeine – Cause for Concern?
Google engineer and Quality Control Team leader Matt Cutts has described the Caffeine update as being the most fundamental change to the Google search system since its Big Daddy update of 2005. When a search engine changes its algorithm, it usually leads to a shake up of search engine rankings (as many businesses experienced in 2005). So is there reason to be concerned about the Google Caffeine update?

What is Behind Caffeine?
When asked why Google has made this update, Matt Cutts explained it as improvements being made 'under the hood' – with most searchers not even noticing the difference. The upgrades have been made to the way Google indexes content, by rewriting its indexing system to crawl faster, index more efficiently, and serve up fewer results much more quickly.

The huge popularity of real-time, content-sharing platforms, such as the micro-blogging website Twitter, indicates how internet users' surfing habits are changing, demanding a more immediate web experience that includes search capabilities.

As the nickname implies, the update is about injecting more speed and a sharper focus. At the end of the day, Google, like any search engine, wants – and needs – to quickly serve up fresh, relevant and focused search results to maintain and improve its market share.

How Caffeine Might Affect You
The simple answer is: if you adhere to search engine optimisation best practices, then Caffeine will affect you very little, if at all. In fact, to genuine search marketers Caffeine is more likely to be a benefit than a disadvantage. The reason for this is that one of the update's aims is to weed out less relevant, older content that may be in the way of better search results being served on the first few pages.

Google says the changes in search results will be subtle because it will be introducing the changes over a period of months from one data centre to another. So, as mentioned, while it may be a significant change to the way the Google engine works, it is unlikely most users will notice it.

What Can You Do?
If you already employ a well-prepared search marketing strategy, then you already have a head start on a lot of people – and probably won't need to do an awful lot different. But without resting on your laurels, it could help to consider the following points:

• Make your content easy to crawl. Help Google identify your content quickly by keeping your website code uncluttered (boring techy points), fast loading and well structured.
• Is your website easy to navigate? Keep your best content easy to find, not buried under layers of unnecessary hierarchical layers.
• Make sure you regularly update your content. As mentioned, searchers want fresh content - what's being said today, yesterday, last week or month, not last year.

If you are already doing these things, then keep on keeping on. The Google Caffeine update will then be very unlikely to affect you.

In conclusion then, while the Google Caffeine update is significant, it's not something to be unduly concerned about if you already have a good search marketing strategy in place. If you would like help with winning more search engine traffic for your website, give me a call on 01454 261111.

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5 Tips for Converting Online Leads

Websites have moved on from being merely online company brochures. While your website should still be your online 'shop window', open twenty four seven for your customers to visit – it should also be working hard for you to convert visitors into clients.

Think of your website as an additional member of your sales team – always available and ready to win new sales. Just as you might invest in training for such an employee to hone his or her skills, your website can be a great instrument for converting more online leads by putting the right tools in place together with some tried-and-tested lead conversion techniques.

Simple but Clever Lead Conversion Tactics
Influencing your website visitors to take the next step in becoming your customers can take many forms. It could be to:

• Fill in an online form in return for a free White Paper, industry report or discount coupon.
• Sign up to a newsletter or stay updated with your blog via RSS feed.
• Follow your social media updates on sites such as Facebook or Twitter, for example.
• Register to gain access to exclusive areas of your website, such as video tutorials or a webcast.
• Buy a product, request a meeting or make a booking.

Once you are clear on what the desired outcome should be, you can start crafting an appropriate online conversion strategy. While the desired end results may vary, the following key conversion techniques will mostly apply.

1. Attract the Right Audience
Consider this your foundation. It may take longer to get up and running in order to research the market and identify the best ways to attract targeted web traffic, but your conversion rate and advertising budget will thank you for it. The scatter-gun approach may get you started quicker, but it will also drain your resources, with little return.

2. Create a Great First Impression
Once you have attracted your audience, presenting them with a well-designed website that offers a first- class user experience will be a great start. But don't stop there, use dedicated landing pages which relate specifically to your ads and which funnel your visitors into the direction of your conversion process.

3. It's Time to KISS
Keeping it straight and simple is key to channelling your customers' attention. Remove distractions and make the next step – your conversion goal – blindingly obvious. Other ideas for giving your most important message some focus would be:

• Keep your copy short and to the point.
• Try to keep your content readable without too much scrolling.
• Present your strongest selling points towards the top of your page so visitors see it immediately.
• If you are using an online form, make it easy to fill in. No jumping through hoops.
• Use a mixture of text and images to help break up the copy and complement your message.

A well-prepared landing page will make a big difference to the effectiveness of your advertising campaign and help you gain favour with search engines that emphasize more relevant content.

4. Give a Great Incentive
Whether you are offering an industry White Paper in exchange for contact data, or selling state-of-the-art golfing attire, the starting point for completing the conversion is the same question all customers will ask: "What's in it for me?"

Creating value-added offers not only provides potential buyers with incentives, but it also fosters loyalty and can act as a gatekeeper to qualify your customers.

5. Respond Swiftly
Research shows that customers are most responsive immediately after initiating correspondence. An automated email function will allow you to send an immediate message – perhaps with an offer – upon your visitors filling in a form, signing up to a newsletter or making an enquiry.

In conclusion, don't leave it to chance, it may take a little testing and tweaking before you optimise your conversion process – but it is worth the effort. If you would like help converting more leads from your website, call us on 01454 261111.

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Using the Web to Listen, Learn and Engage

As web behaviour evolves, online and offline marketing need to evolve with it. The World Wide Web has not only brought everyone closer, it is also bringing about a significant shift in attitudes toward consumers, including the recognition of their value as customers. Brands that recognise this shift, and successfully engage with their customers will win the day.

With this in mind, it may not come as a surprise that research conducted by the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA), identified just over 45 percent of senior marketers (worldwide) who said developing their social networks and applications is their top priority for 2010. Their second priority is to improve their digital infrastructure. So what can you do to make your website more engaging?

Five Website Tips for Engaging Consumers Today
The web is not a static medium: as technologies improve, user expectations increase. As they do, meeting customers' expectations will mean developing your marketing to be more appropriate, timely and relevant to what consumers want.

Here are five steps to develop your website to engage more effectively with your customers:

1. Study Customers' Online Behaviour
Use your website analytics to learn from your intended audience – your customers – and give them what they want. Identify website hot spots that attract the most attention; understand when your email marketing messages will be best received; discover which social platforms are leading them to you.

If used well, your web analytics are a key component in understanding and fulfilling your customers' expectations.

2. Consider Your Content Presentation
The first step in engaging customers is not only the quality of your content, but also the ease with which it can be read and its user-friendliness. A professional web design and carefully thought out content arrangement will help you make a great first impression – and draw your website visitors in.

3. Creative Content Formats
The web is no longer a text-based medium, and hasn't been for a while. Even the less frequent web user will be used to animated imagery and video content. Be creative with your content to engage your visitors' senses and get your message across dynamically, but ensure the technology doesn't distract visitors from your pitch.

4. Emphasise Social Media Connections
Make it easy to share your content across multiple social networks, such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Reddit, Facebook and many more. Including an easy-to-use 'Share' widget with your content makes content sharing a breeze and demonstrates your intention to be engaging.

5. Make it Easy to Correspond – No Jumping Through Hoops
If you want to encourage correspondence, show it. Make it a simple process for site visitors to leave comments or get in touch to take 'social conversation' to the next level. Streamline your forms and have multiple points of contact through which visitors can leave comments.

Finally, with all the above, adapt your marketing mix to incorporate a coordinated, consistent approach. Developing a coherent online marketing campaign can be done very effectively at a fraction of the cost of traditional promotional activities. If you would like to learn more, call me on 01454 261111.

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