Social Media

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Platforms for Building Your Brand Online

July 27, 2011 | No comments

If you are wondering where to begin building your brand online, following checklist will come in handy to prioritize and implement marketing strategies for your business.

  • As a business owner, you may have already setup a legal entity for your business by registering with the state and other entities depending on the type of business you are in. It is equally important to also secure a domain name for your business. You may not be thinking about building a website right away, but you must secure your brand name by
  • Once you have secured your brand, you can put a marketing plan together to adopt marketing strategies into your business. Prioritize strategies depending on your business environment and demographics.
    • If your target market is not looking for your products and services on social media profiles, Social Media Marketing may not be the best option for you. You can determine the effectiveness of different strategies by evaluating industry trends and competitive analysis data that is available for you. You can seek help from a professional if you need help on how to get started.
  • If you are going to defer company website for a while, customize your social media profiles to be consistent with your brand, so consumers can get to know who you are. Just having a profile online is not going to get you any exposure. Follow some of the tips I shared in my previous blog posts on how to remain active on social media profiles.
  • When you are ready to build company website, spend time in understanding your target market demographics. Information you gather in the research process is going to come in handy in designing your website in choosing the look and feel for the website and in choosing the right content to publish on the site. Consult with a professional and get help in designing a professional website. After all, this is going to be your greatest marketing tool for long time. You want the website to be built on a platform that is scalable and also
    easy-enough to update content, to keep your website fresh and up-to-date.
  • Consider hiring a Web Copy writer, if you are pressed for time and can’t focus on writing content by yourself. This is going to help you getting your website launched on time, so you can start marketing. Get into the habit if writing content in your spare time, that you can post on blogs and article websites. Remember, ”Great content in the Right Context is the King”.  Content Marketing is the best way to present yourself as an expert in the industry.
  • Once you have a professional website, integrate all your social media profiles with the website, and start driving traffic from search engines and social media to your website.

 

How to Build Your Brand Online?

June 24, 2011 | No comments

Overview

Are you asking yourself the question “How well is my business branded online?” and are unable to answer the questions or not really sure about your answer?

Be assured that you are not alone. However, you can set yourself apart from many other businesses that are in the same boat, by starting to educate yourself about how to brand your business online and asking for help in achieving the goal.  There are numerous platforms that are available to businesses to build brands online. But, it is critical that you understand your market before you do anything.

How to Build Your Brand Online?

First and foremost thing to do is to take a look at your website and see how it has performed during the time it has been online, based on the demographics you cater to. Get a professional opinion on look & feel, content, & usability of the website and see if is in fact serving the purpose for the visitors and helping them in their buying process. Consider improving the website, if there is room for making it better, & keep it current. Next step is to promote your website by driving traffic to it from various platforms.

I often get asked by business owners, whether they can do away from building a company website and use social media profiles such as Face book fan page, & twitter to promote their business.  The fact is, Social Media Profiles cannot replace your website. They provide great platform to build your network online and engage in conversation. However, in order to build your brand online & present yourself as an expert and valuable resource in the industry, you need a platform where you can make these resources available to your customers. You have limited options to achieve this using social media profiles.

Benefits

Your goal is to make consumers recognize your expertise & quality of products and services.  By having a web platform that you can work with, & by getting into the habit of keeping the website  current with latest industry news, tips to consumers and other useful resources, consumers will recognize you as an expert and consider using your services.

Social Media Marketing

May 16, 2011 | No comments

Overview

In my previous post, I shared with you “How to Optimize Social Media”. By Optimizing your Social Media Profiles, you are in good place to improve rankings with search engines. However, if you really want to market your products and services on social media platforms by building a strong fan base,  you have to consider launching social media marketing campaigns. Once you have SMO plan in place and you have resources to manage the profiles on a regular basis and to respond to fan base in a timely manner, you can engage in Social Media Marketing activities.

Social Media Marketing Checklist

This list gives you a list of important items to jump start Social Media Marketing campaign. In addition to these, you can come up with other creative ways to market on social media, once you have run the campaign for a while.

Across Platforms

  • Before starting your marketing campaign in one or more social media platforms for your business, find out where your target market is active.
  • Have a social media policy in place for employees who are allowed to participate in online conversation about your brand. This is critical to set a standard for responding to fans & to avoid any negative publicity. If you do get into such situation, be proactive to handle in a timely manner to avoid major damage to your brand.
  • If you are going to use in-house resource to manage social media profiles for your business, be sure to train them for doing the job effectively. You also have the choice of outsourcing the effort.
  • Always plan ahead. If you are planning on running a seasonal promotion for holidays and other occasions, have your marketing road map in place ahead of time, so that your are ready to launch the campaign at the right time, when consumers are ready to shop.
  • Be sure to measure the results of all the activities and adjust strategies as needed.

 

Facebook Marketing

  • Try to set-yourself-apart from rest of the crowd. Customize your facebook business page with nice graphics consistent with your brand and promote your products and services through these graphics. Always encourage fan page visitors to “Like” your page and become a fan, to receive offers on promotions.
  • Take advantage of paid campaigns such as Face Book Ads to build brand awareness and build your network. This is great way to build your fan base.
  • Explore the option of running contests that are available on Facebook, to create excitement and actively engage your fans.
  • Explore the new  “Deals on Facebook ” feature to offer discounts on your products and services, to encourage fans and their friends to Buy from you.
  • Always encourage your fans to share news about your products and services with friends and family.

 

LinkedIn Marketing

  • 100% profile completeness recommended.
  • Ask for recommendations/endorsements from your colleagues and managers.
  • Join groups that are relevant to your industry.
  • Support Non-profit organizations and involve in community activities.
  • Respond to queries posted by members in your network that are relevant to what you do and show that you are an expert. Always post your opinion on topics started by members in your group.
  • Follow news in your industry and share with your network. Comment on news shared by others, if you find it valuable.

 

Twitter Marketing

  • Setup/Skin twitter profile for your business
  • Start following tweets relevant to your industry. This will help you make yourself visible to other followers and they may start following you.
  • Retweet news that you find valuable.
  • Reply to Tweets that you find valuable .
  • Follow news relevant to your industry and share with your followers.
  • Be visible in the network with valuable information and show that your are an expert.
  • Don’t connect your twitter profile to facebook profile. Use them appropriately

 

Blogs

  • Choose blogging platforms such as wordpress, which are easy to manage. Install plugins for SEO, Spam blocker, & RSS feeds
  • Constantly gather content. Write bits and pieces of content as and when you come across something new you learned and that you would like to share. Once you have enough content (300-400 words), convert it to an easy-to-read format it and post on your blog.
  • Optimize the post with Search Engine Friendly description and keywords. This makes your post to be found on search engines and drive traffic to your blog. If visitors like your style they subscribe to receive feeds from your blog.
  • Follow other bloggers in your industry and comment on blog posts that you find valuable. You can share other blog links in your posts as well, to add more resources to your content.
  • Syndicate your blog posts on other social media platforms & social bookmarking networks.

 

YouTube Marketing

  • Setup/Skin youtube channel for your business.
  • Keep your videos short (<5 min) and authentic. Video testimonials from your customers are an excellent way to promote your products and services.
  • Use keywords in title and descriptions to optimize the video for search engines.
  • Start and end video with your logo & link with contact information.
  • Syndicate same video on multiple video portals.

 

Kriti Web Solutions

Digital Marketing

www.kritionlinemarketing.com

How to Optimize Social Media?

May 2, 2011 | No comments

Overview

Just to recap what I shared in my previous post, when you don’t have resources to manage social media profiles and engage fans in conversation on an ongoing basis, your best option is to adopt Social Media Optimization (SMO) strategies. You are working in the background creating links from various social media platforms, which in turn results in optimization.

Tips on Optimizing Social Media

If you have chosen to adopt SMO strategies for your business, here are some tips that might come in handy. Optimization takes work, initially. Once you have done it a few times, it becomes a habit. However, if you want to be really consistent with your tasks and be effective, you need to set Campaign Guidelines, to follow:

  • Optimize your social media profiles, with keywords in “about” content and ALT-tag for images in image gallery. Some of the popular platforms are LinkedIn, Face book, Twitter, YouTube & Blog.
  • Design a blue print/schedule for social media activities that need to be performed on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. This is the schedule that needs to be followed by resource responsible for executing Social Media Plan. If you are going to use in-house resource, be sure to train them for doing the job effectively. You also have the choice of outsourcing the effort.
  • Syndicate content. Content can be in the form of Text, Video or Images. For example, if you are writing two blog posts a month, when you publish the blog posts, syndicate these posts to multiple platforms & bookmarking sites. There are tools/plug-ins available to automate this process.  If you have scheduled one video per month, optimize the video with tags and SEO friendly descriptions in YouTube & syndicate the same video to multiple video parking sites. Content syndication generates many quality links, & contributes to SMO.
  • Be sure to measure the results of all the activities

Kriti Web Solutions, Digital Marketing

Why you need SEO & SMO strategies in Your Digital Marketing Plan?

April 18, 2011 | No comments

Overview

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is still a key strategy to strengthen online visibility and improve reputation with major search engines (Google, Yahoo, & MSN). But, getting results with SEO strategies alone could be a drawn out process. Because of this, most businesses are adopting SEO in conjunction with one or more Social Media strategies, to improve online visibility in less time. Be sure to consult a professional or do your research, to evaluate whether these strategies are relevant for your business and then put a plan in place to execute these strategies.

History

Few years ago, social media was popular among individuals to interact with family and friends, and stay in touch. It was not the norm for businesses to have fan pages and build their network online. So, businesses allocated their marketing dollars towards paid-search marketing, such as Google Adwords and search engine optimization (SEO) to improve rankings in organic search. As we are aware of the fact that Search Engine Optimization is a long term strategy, for some businesses it took lot longer than others, to achieve rankings in search engines, even after aggressive link building and content marketing strategies. This is not the case anymore, since businesses now have the option of adopting social media strategies in their marketing plan, based on the proven results in the industry relevant to their business.

Current Trends

Now, businesses can allocate resources between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Optimization (SMO) / Social Media Marketing, and achieve results in less time. By engaging in Social Media Optimization, it is now easier to adopt Social Media Marketing Strategies as well.

If you are a hands-off type of business and don’t have resources to manage Social Media profiles and engage in conversation with fans on a regular basis, SMO is the best option for you. Once you have SMO plan in place, if you have resources to manage the profiles on a regular basis and respond to fans in a timely manner, you can engage in Social Media Marketing activities.

Benefits:

By executing both SEO, SMO & Social Media Marketing strategies effectively, you are leveraging the power of the internet to:

  • Improve online visibility
  • Strengthen brand awareness
  • Build Credibility Online
  • Build a strong following online
  • Generate leads by viral marketing
  • Be the source of information, when consumers are ready
  • Create excitement about shopping online

Kriti Web Solutions, Digital Marketing

Social Media Marketing Vs. Social Media Optimization

February 1, 2011 | 2 comments

You are in the time of digital marketing era, where having social media presence for your business is critical. However, if your target market is not yet on the social media platforms to engage in conversations regarding your products and services,what do you do?

Benefits of Social Media

Before you jump into social media platforms, you have to understand the benefits. With this understanding, you will be able to build a priority list as to what kind of results you would expect from engaging in these social networks.

According to companies worldwide using social media, here are the benefits of using social media.

  • Customer Engagement
  • Low Cost of Marketing
  • Relationship Building
  • Ability to reach new customers
  • Reach/Influence customers
  • Direct Customer Communications
  • Gain Credibility & Build Brand Awareness

Though majority of companies are aware of the benefits, many of them have not taken the next step into implementing this in their marketing plan. Why? Either they are skeptical about the results or they don’t think it is important for their business.

Social Media Marketing

This is a process where you actively engage your customers in conversation about your products and services by posting, information that they can benefit from, on social media profiles. You are not always selling. So, when it is time to sell your fans are ready to listen to your marketing pitch and if they like what they see, they are doing the viral marketing for you online.

Social Media Marketing is an excellent strategy if your target demographics is already engaged in these social platforms. You can spread the word at low cost.

Social Media Optimization

This is a process where you are using social media platforms to secure your company brand online and to contribute to search engine optimization. You would choose this strategy, when your target market is not yet engaged in social media platforms. This will give you an opportunity to secure your place and be ready for social media marketing when your target market is ready for it. How is this done?

Social media optimization involves content syndication and content optimization. You can syndicate the content in text, image or video format on various social media platforms and optimize them with tags and seo-friendly descriptions. Content syndication allows you to build quality links to your website, which helps you in search engine rankings.

Should You Start Building Social Media Presence for your Business?

If you are skeptical about the results of social media campaigns, you will never know unless you try it. Consult with a professional to find out what works in your industry. If you decide to manage the campaign in-house make sure you have a resource who is trained to be a social media campaign manager. Most importantly, have social media tracking tools in place to measure the performance of your campaign(s).

If you are thinking “Why should I start social media campaign when none of my competitors are doing anything?”, then this is the best time for you to start implementing, so you can be ahead of the curve. Because, by the time your competitors realize how important this strategy is, they will be playing catch up, while you already have a fan base and all set for marketing & selling!

Kriti Web Solutions, Digital Marketing

Where is Internet Marketing Going in 2011?

January 10, 2011 | No comments

Know What’s Hot for 2011, and Prepare Your Business for These Online Trends.

  • It’s the year for social media marketing. In 2011, businesses will be executing social tactics that are fully integrated into the overall marketing strategy. Every company needs a social media marketing strategy and the right resources to manage it.
  • Mobile marketing is on the go. Mobile marketing is on the go. The increase in smart-phone use and relaxed download caps on mobile phone plans has seen mobile marketing gain momentum. Tablet devices should now be a mainstream consideration in your digital marketing strategy.
  • 2011 will see a new era of online video content, re-introducing the human element and changing the nature of communication; making it dynamic, interactive and instant. Video will be used more for mainstream online content and advertising.
  • SEO is going to be complex (if it isn’t enough already!). Competition for Google heats up with Yahoo, Bing, Search.com, and social sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Getting your business on the first page of search results will become tougher. Mobile search and geo-location will further increase the challenges and surprises for search engine optimizers.

How Can You Make Changes in Your Business?

It is not too late to get in the game, and start making plans to incorporate internet marketing strategies in your marketing plan, if you haven’t already.

  • Revisit your current marketing strategies and study the results from past campaigns. Seek the help of professional internet marketing consultant, if you don’t have an in-house resource to help you with this.
  • Take the time to get industry trends and competitive analysis data before choosing  strategies for your business
  • Implement strategies and monitor performance of campaigns regularly
  • Analyze the campaign results and make further optimize the campaign as needed. Make adjustments to strategies based on these results.

Kriti Web Solutions, Internet Marketing Consulting

Do you need Social Media Strategies for your business?

September 28, 2010 | No comments

I come across businesses that are skeptical about how effective social media strategies can be for their business. I understand their dilemma. They don’t want to invest their marketing dollars in strategies that are not going to help them extend their target market. If you are business owner or the marketing resource in the business, here are some tips on how to make a decision on whether social media is for you or not.

Is Social Media for you?

If you answer “YES” to one or more questions below, then if you haven’t already it is time for you to start thinking about adopting social media strategies in your marketing plan.

1. Do you rely on referral or “Word of mouth” to get leads?

2. Are you trying to find ways and wishing to increase online brand awareness and visibility?

3. Do you and your management understand what social media means and understand the benefits it can bring to your business?

4. Are you customers active in social media networks and very likely to join your network, when you start building one?

5. Do you have time to invest in managing your social media profiles and other social media activities and ready to engage your customers in conversation?

Next Steps

OK. You are ready to adopt social media in your business. However, there are numerous social media platforms to choose from to promote your brand. Syndicating content (text, images, videos, etc.) on multiple platforms is key to your social media campaign success. So, before choosing the platforms, make sure you do your homework on their effectiveness and be sure to allocate resources whether it is in-house or outside consultant who can help you manage the campaign on a daily basis.

Another very  important step is to have policies in place to assist you in managing the campaign professionally. Every employee in your business has to be made aware of these policies and follow them strictly, to maintain a professional image online. If you decide to have a in-house resource manage the campaign, make them go through social media training and have them get into the habit of keeping up with changes in social media technologies. This training would save you a lot of time and resources in the long run.

Social Media Dashboard Tools

September 15, 2010 | 1 comment

I have been looking for a platform that where I can manage all my social media profiles from one place. Recently, I found few options to explore. The tools I came across are Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and Seesmic. All these tools help you connect and engage across multiple social networks, with slight differences in features.

HootSuite

Hootsuite offers you the tool which runs online and very easy to manage. It requires you to configure your dashboard, to add multiple social media profiles that you can manage and customize the dashboard. Current version of HootSuite 5, allows you to manage multiple twitter accounts, multiple face book accounts, facebook pages, LinkedIn, WordPress, etc. With Hootsuite you get the cool feature of scheduling your posts for later. Hootsuite also offers  statistics tool to track the performance. It also allows you to integrate your Google Analytics account to analyze the impact of social media campaigns. There is no installation required to use this tool. I find Hootsuite to be more comprehensive compared to Tweetdeck & Seesmic.

Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck is an Adobe Air application that installs on your desktop. It allows you to add face book, twitter, & Linked In profiles to the dashboard. You can find more information on this tool at tweetdeck.com.

Seesmic

Seesmic has Seesmic Web which does not need any installation. It also has a desktop version for Mac or Windows. It allows you to add face book, twitter, & Linked In profiles to the dashboard. However, I have not found a way to add face book fan page to the dashboard, which is an essential feature. You can find more information on this tool at seesmic.com.

YouTube Advertising for your business

June 24, 2010 | No comments

YouTube is a great marketing tool for not only large corporations, but for small and medium size businesses as well. A great video about your products and services can go a long way in spreading the word to the target market. If your budget permits hiring a professional to create a great video, it is always a good way to go. However, even with a digital camera and some help from experts in creating video scripts, you can create a great video in-house and publish it on the YouTube channel dedicated to your business.

You can go an extra step by optimizing the video that you plan to publish, in order to leverage the video to improve the ranking and online presence of your business. By using the right keywords to optimize the video, your video can land on the first page of Google, within no time. So, it does not hurt to do some research on how to optimize video for YouTube or consult an online marketing professional to make the most of your video.

Another great advantage of incorporating YouTube into your marketing strategy is that you don’t need advanced technical skills or expertise to create and host the video. A short video of your product or service can greatly increase the brand awareness among online marketers and builds a strong online image. If they like what they see in your video, online shoppers come back for more and they are a great resource for marketing your products and services via viral marketing.

Based on the research data, YouTube is the #1 referring site for a lot of businesses to drive up sales with impressive conversion rate . So, if you have not already on board, it is not too late to start exploring your options on how to get started.

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