SOCIAL MEDIA

The Many Faces of Social Media

If your business is on Facebook, good work. But the social media pat on the back doesn‘t come
from a fan page anymore. Times are changing. Companies are permeating online social spheres
in more commanding ways than ever before. So rather than post on Facebook ads and call it a
day, you should take a minute to look at all possible social channels, (including a few you probably
haven‘t thought of) and try to build a presence.

Here are some useful social networks that I recommend, from the many faces of social media.

Facebook

Before I go too far, I do want to touch on Facebook for a bit. You probably already have a page, or
have plans to get one, but there are a few things you can do to really optimize this presence. The
best thing you can do is post regularly with relevant content. Don‘t spam people with useless mus-
ings, but don‘t drop the ball and go silent for days either. The key here is interaction.

A side point, if you‘re willing to spend the money, Facebook‘s advertising engine has grown sub-
stantially, particularly in recent years. So you don‘t just have to post a sidebar ad anymore. You
can boost a post, advertise an event and everything in between. It‘s really easy to amplify your
messages now without the hope for viral, organic reach.

Why use Facebook in Marketing?

Various methods are being used in brand building these days. The internet is one of them. Face-
book, to be more specific, has been used by different types of businesses. It is not important what
kind of business you have. Getting involved in this new marketing tool is the trend!

In Facebook, the thing is to get as many fans as you can. Being liked these days can be expressed
through quantity. This can be used as a basis in knowing as to whether something is good enough
or not. Mastering this idea is the only way for you to be a success on Facebook! Maybe you are
asking now, why Facebook?

Facebook has been a favorite pick among many business owners out there. It goes perfectly well
for service-oriented businesses, retail and manufacturing. It is also used not just by big establish-
ments but also those which are to build a name yet. The reason why it has been a favorite can be
attributed to the fact that Facebook is not costly to maintain. Facebook is indeed the most conven-
ient choice of all! It is through Facebook that all information is made easily available. Online notifi-
cation is the thing today! People get to be updated in just a click! What is even more exciting is the
fact that Facebook serves a wide array of audiences. Take note, these people come from almost
all over the globe. With the use of a Facebook fan page, reaching out to many customers or future
clients is just a status away!

The popularity gained by Facebook became really evident. It was dubbed as the most visited web-
site in social networking. This is no longer surprising considering the fact that Facebook enables
users to start on a tested platform. It is not just use to establish a presence. It can also be used in
sustaining relationship that is the key towards a successful business. Creating relationship has
never been this intimate!

Why Facebook Works

A good Facebook page comes with great fans. With fans mean high figures. So, why would you
spend your time getting as many fans as you can? The reason is obvious. It would give you the
exposure that you need. Having many fans may reflect a business‘ credibility. Giving it a try should
not be that hard. There are even instances when buying Facebook fans can be done. This is em-
ployed by businesses which are just about to start. This is an acceptable idea knowing that they
need to start somewhere. How will you outmost the use of your page?

Raise awareness. With the use of your Facebook page, you can introduce your services, products
and ventures. If you are really impeccable, then what you do will become viral for sure. There are
various ways in dealing with market strategies. You can use stories and paid ads. Then after, link
them to your business website. Basically, you will use Facebook in inviting! Facebook has the abil-
ity to generate the word of mouth. If you will come up with a unique marketing scheme, then you
will surely get attention. Getting many views is easy on Facebook.
Create branding. Referrals can be derived from Facebook. Because of the interaction on the said
website, creating a fuss can be done in an instant. If your business is creating the hype that it
needs, then good for you. However, if you are hearing news about your competitors, it means that
they are effective in creating talks for their business. This should be your goal!
Increase traffic! With the use of Facebook, you will be able to publicize your products and brands.
The same can also be done with services and events. All of these can go contagious with the use
of right promotions. Creating a following can be started with closest contacts. In time, it will surely
attract actual customers, fans, friends and a lot more. This is how you would create traffic for your
business website.
Build relationship! Relationship here means customer relationship! This is one of your aims in cre-
ating a fan page. You are going to generate fans for the reason that you want to establish a con-
crete following. You will only be able to do this if you will create a relationship that is far from the
usual customer-provider relationship. Once done, this can be used in predicting the purchasing
behavior of your clients. A customer will not like a fan page if he is not interested. The thing is to
keep that interest. You will work on that by taking a look on the profile of your customer. That is
how you establish a relationship. Facebook can be useful in this because it provides information.
There is the profile wall that you can use.
Go beyond the idea of getting a million likes! Get actual customers by being factual and informative
on what you post on your website. Use Facebook as a means of bringing new clients to your web-
site! It is not just about the like itself. The thing is for them to check on your product. Start off by
building Facebook fans!

7 Elements to a Successful Facebook Marketing Campaign

1. Post Contact Information

Countless studies have indicated that the more contact information that a business posts on their
social media profile, the more sales the company will generate directly from that profile.

A marketer should link a company‘s social media profiles together, include an email address and a
phone number and include the screen names that the business owner uses on various instant
messaging services.

2. Consistently Post New Content

A business owner should post unique and informational content that is likely to be shared by other
users as often as possible, and the owner can slip some advertisements that include promotional
codes into their posts from time to time.

3. Give Patrons Incentives

A company should offer patrons who refer their friends to the business a large discount on their
next order or a gift card for each friend whom they refer.

4. Engage The Community

A representative from the business should comment on the pictures of other users, like their posts
and engage in conversations that are related to the company‘s niche in a meaningful way.

5. Offer Surveys
A business can use a customer satisfaction survey software to allow patrons to rate many aspects
of the business, such as the quality of the customer service that the business offers, the quality of
the company‘s products and even the perceived effectiveness of the company‘s marketing tech-
niques.

6. Answer Questions
If one person posts a question on the Facebook page of your business, it is likely that hundreds or
thousands of other people have the exact same question, so answer it thoroughly and post a link
to a page on your website that also contains the answer.

Various studies have indicated that users almost always side with people who respond very posi-
tively to derogatory questions on Facebook. If a question is worded in a negative way or posted by
a competitor, answer it as politely and kindly as possible.

7. Encourage Positive Reviews

After a customer makes a purchase, a representative from the business should ask the client to
leave a positive review on Facebook. Google and other search engines are now using social sig-
nals, which is a code phrase for reviews, as key indicators of a website‘s authority and relevance.
As a result, the more positive ratings that your business receives on Facebook, the more organic
traffic your website will generate from the search results.

Twitter

Next in line for top-of-mind networks is Twitter. You probably have your own Twitter account, but
I‘m always shocked at how many companies don‘t think they need to have a Twitter account.
Twitter is enjoying a youth movement. Twitter mostly appeals to the younger demographic, both on
desktops and, naturally, mobile phones.

So, is Twitter popular only for the young people or not?

In an analyst note sent Monday to All Things Digital, Anmuth showed that while Twitter has users
across every age spectrum, its core group in the US is made up of those between the ages of 13
and 44.

And here‘s your global data (also desktop):

That stands in stark contrast to

Facebook, which has a much
broader range of users.

Young people‘s Twitter dominance

continues when we consider users on mobile devices; more than 24 percent of Twitter‘s mobile
users are between 18 and 24 years old.

These numbers show that the micro-blogging site has an edge over Facebook for reaching teen-
aged audiences. Facebook‘s falling popularity amongst teen users is coupled with a recently failed
offer to acquire Snapchat, which is highly popular with that demographic.

The power of outreach (particularly through trending topics and hashtags) is pretty impressive on
Twitter. You don‘t want to miss out on opportunities to reach all new audiences without creating an
entire rebrand. Though if you‘re looking to pay for marketing, Twitter‘s engine isn‘t exactly as viable
as Facebook‘s.

How To Use Twitter For Your Business (Infographic)

Many small and medium sized businesse (SMBs) put themselves a very simple and appropriate
question: How to use Twitter for my business? Twitter partnered with a research company (DB5)
and surveyed 1100 small and medium sized business owners and employees from U.S. With the
results of this survey was created an infographic and was published on Twitter‘s blog.

Here is a Resume of How to Use Twitter for Your Business Survey

Twitter as a marketing tool

– 72% agree it is important to have a Twitter presence
– 70% post a tweet at least one at day
– 41% use Twitter to promote their business
– 68% feel Twitter is important to their marketing strategy

Twitter = Simplicity
– 58% have a personal Twitter account
– 9 from 10 people agree that Twitter is an easy tool to use
How can Twitter help
– 73% say it provides a quick way to reply to customer service issues
– 66% say it can replace the need to provide regular updates on their website
– Digitally savvy SMBs use Twitter to drive traffic to outside content

The value of engagement

– 51% see Twitter as a ―very important‖ customer service tool
– 88% tweet directly at customers

Amplification
– 89% of those who have tried advertising on Twitter said that it was successful

If you want to read the full survey results about how to use Twitter for your business, check out the
infographic below and give us a reply with your opinion.

Tips for using Twitter for marketing

Twitter could be a very effective tool for marketing, sales, technical and customer support. Your
customers and potential clients talk about you and your competitors online, so you should watch
what their opinions on you and your strategy on Twitter and think about how you can respond. Al-
so, you can use Twitter to promote your brand, business activities and to be bound with your cus-
tomers in real time.

Here you can see a few tips for using Twitter for marketing:

– Promote your brand by optimizing your account on Twitter.

– Make sure you are using your logo as a profile picture.

– Use the name of your brand/company as your account name.

– Add a link to your company website.

– Use the name of your brand/company as a hashtag and use it in each post.

Generate leads, giving them access to videos with product presentations, e-books and product
samples if appropriate.

Write a fascinating publication aimed at your target group. Always point the user to a separate
page with opt-in form. In this way you will be able to send them letters with various presentation
materials. Observe the results about which assets are the most popular and generate the best
feedback. Publications are like a subject in the letters, making it easy to keep track of them in
spreadsheet.

Promote web seminars, conferences, workshops and events sponsored by your company.

Send publications in order to promote events by adding a link to the page on which visitors can re-
quest presence. Here again it is necessary to use a separate page for each event to have clarity
what works best.

Add the Twitter logo in your company website to encourage visitors to follow you on Twitter.

Add a reference link to Twitter in signatures of your company‘s mail and blogs. Constantly invite
people to follow you in any published materials.
If it is profitable, generate a guaranteed discount codes in your Twitter profile.

This business tool has become very popular both in B2B and B2C. In B2B sales, Twitter helps for
an easy communication. In B2C targeted sales, you can post promo codes and/or create contests
to generate sales.

Here are some ideas for using Twitter in sales

– Listen!

– Follow the profiles of your competitors and see the feedback from their visitors.

When you see negative information about their product or service, use it as an opportunity to im-
pose your product/service. Also watch out the feedback on your products and brand. Do everything
possible to refute bad customer reviews as quickly as possible, helping them and process their
problem as quickly as possible, to turn them from disgruntled to satisfied customers.

– Use the search engine on Twitter to find people using your keywords in their profiles, hashtags
and publications.

There are a lot of people unhappy with the products of your competitors and these people may find
you as a solution to their problem. They are potential customers, so it is desirable to see their pro-
files and decide if to follow them. Once you see who they follow you can reach another mass of
potential customers.

It is very important to look for every opportunity and to be able to appreciate it and to turn it into a
new way for business.

Pinterest

Besides Facebook and Twitter, the next largest social media network is Pinterest. Pinterest is a
visual social media tool that allows users to share, plan, organize and express their ideas for all
different types of events, thoughts, projects and collections. Each collection/event/idea can be or-
ganized onto a different ―board‖. With over 70 million active users, it‘s hard to argue with the suc-
cess of the network. 68 % of Pinterest users are women between the ages of 25-34.
This one is a personal favorite of mine for engaging fans on a personal level. Depending on your
business type, it could mean a really valuable ―extra‖ for your customers. If you run a bake shop for
example, you could post creative recipes and decorations. But if you‘re something like an engi-
neering services company, you can still cash in. Post cool ―life hacks‖ that use everyday household
objects using physics and engineering conventions. The Pinterest community is hugely engaged in
photo content and they will thank you for cool things with ample repinning.

7 Tools to Help You Rock Pinterest

Pinterest became a popular social network in 2010 due to its dynamic picture and bookmarking
features. This past year social media as a whole has seen a shift in the type of content users crave
most—images. From Infographics to memes, the rise of images has spurred Pinterest to the top of
the social scene.

If you are a crazy Pinterst user like me or a company looking for ways to increase traffic and reve-
nue, here are seven Pinterest tools to help you rock Pinterest account.

1. Pinterest for iPhone

One of the more useful Pinterest tools that will help you dominate is the Pinterest iPhone app that
allows for you to go on Pinterest whenever you need.

This app will make accessing your Pinterest account simple while you are on the go. The app is
more effective than the mobile website because it allows a company user to pin a photo they have
taken through it. The mobile website allows a person to access the website and view information,
but pinning photos to your page is disabled.

2. PinReach
PinReach offers you a wide array of information regarding your analytics and follower influence.

Upon signing up for the service, you will be redirected to the main page where information is gath-
ered into four tabs:

Analytics: When you come to this tab, you will be greeted by a huge line graph that shows you
your daily PinReach Score History. On the side of this, you will be shown the number of pins, re-
pins, likes, liked, followers, following, comments, boards and community boards you have interact-
ed with in total.
Boards: If you have created boards on Pinterest, which is highly suggested, you can see your total
interaction information here. Each board you have created will be listed and underneath it will be
the number of repins it received, number of followers, pins, likes and comments.
Pins: This tab will show you your most popular pins on Pinterest. On the lower right-hand side of
each picture will be the number of repins the picture received.
Influential Followers: If you have thousands of followers, it can be difficult to find which ones hold
any interest on Pinterest. This tab will help rate which of your Pinterest followers have a strong in-
fluence, as well as giving you a link to their Pinreach to view their analytics.

3. Pin A Quote
Do you like posting quotes on Pinterest?

If you answered yes, then Pin A Quote will be a good extension for you. This simplistic feature will
allow you easily to publish any quote you find on the web to your Pinterest. All you have to do is
highlight the text and click the bookmarklet. From there, you will need to complete the form and
click ―post‖ and there it is – on your Pinterest for all your followers to see.
The pro version for this is only $6.99, which is a good investment if you intend to use this several
times a day or week. A similar free tool is Quozio, although it comes with limited options.

4. Pinterest Image Expander

Are you looking to enlarge images that you find on Pinterest?
Pinterest Image Expander will be the perfect tool for you and will allow you to see all pictures in
detail. You might even want to recommend this app for customers if you own a business to allow
them to see products you pin in a more clear version.

5. Pin Search
This program is a Google Chrome Extension, which helps you search the Pinterest database for
relatable photos and information for a photo you have found on Pinterest.

Upon adding the extension to your Chrome toolbar, when you browse Pinterest you will notice
there is a ―Search‖ button now on the photos below the ―Comment‖ button. Clicking the ―Search‖
button will direct you to a Google search relatable to the picture.

This is great if you find yourself unsure of what to place in a Google search bar to find additional
information.

6. Instagram
One of the more unorthodox apps is Instagram, available for Android and iPhone.

For those unaware of what Instagram is, think Pinterest but for your phone with less words. Insta-
gram currently has a large user base and can be used in accordance with Pinterest.

For example, if you post a picture on your Instagram, you can also upload it to your Pinterest sim-
ultaneously with a caption already attached. Reaching out to two different user bases simultane-
ously will lessen your workload and will only benefit your business. Don‘t forget to include a related
link back to your site of where users can find that product you took a picture of.

7. Piqora
If you are using Pinterest for your business, Piqora (formerly known as Pinfluencer) is a must. The
tool allows you to create promotions on Pinterest and track your results. You can schedule pins,
identify influential pinners (possible mavens), and see which of your pins is most engaging.

Piqora can also track your social efforts on Instagram and Tumblr.

Tumblr

Now we‘re starting to get a little further down the rabbit hole. I‘m willing to bet that your business
doesn‘t have Tumblr. But don‘t fret, it‘s not too late. What I like about Tumblr is that the tagging
system is very similar to Twitter. You can tag posts with concepts and hashtags and people will
organically find them, meaning new customers for you. But what makes Tumblr differ from Twitter
is that the content is rich, GIF-filled and offers plenty in the way ―repostability‖. The days are gone
where you‘re limited in characters (at least on this channel).

Instagram

I‘ll close with Instagram, because well, making your business work on Instagram is really tough.
This is kind of the last corner of social media that promotional messaging hasn‘t really infiltrated.
Sure, there are plenty of companies using the photo-sharing app, but they usually just post fun,
inspiring pictures with little means for linking back to buyable services. But if you‘re really savvy on
your own Instagram, it could be a way to gain new organic followers.

Instagram announced yesterday on their blog a new milestone: 150 Million Monthly Active Users.

Their last important milestone was also this year (February 27, 2013) , when Instagram passed
100 Million Active Users.

It took Instagram 19 months from its founding (October 2010) to passed their first 50 million and
only 6 month for their last 50 million. Facebook help a lot to Instagram‘s popularity and now more
than 60% of Instagram users are from outside the United States.

Instagram introduced in May: photo tagging and on June 20, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom
presented the much talked about video functionality for the photo social network: Video on Insta-
gram.

When it comes to brand engagement, Instagram is the reigning social network. It‘s better at draw-
ing people in than either Twitter or Facebook. A recent study found that Instagram averages an
incredible 58 times better engagement per follower than Facebook. For Twitter, that figure is a
whopping 120 times better. More than 55 million photos are shared on the site every day, which
means lots of chances to interact with potential customers.

Little wonder, then, that so many Instagram tools have popped up pledging to help businesses bet-
ter connect, better engage and better impress their audience. Many offer analytics that can help
you more narrowly target your posts. Check out these seven outstanding options.

7 Most Outstanding Instagram Tools

1. IconoSquare
IconoSquare, formerly called Statigram, spits out fun and informative stats such as which photo got
the most likes ever on your account and how many likes you‘re averaging per picture. More ad-
vanced options include charting your account‘s growth over the years.

2. Followgram
Want a more personalized Instagram tool? Followgram pledges to work with its customers to de-
velop customized analytics. It also serves up a WordPress widget and RSS capabilities, helpful for
smaller companies without their own IT department.

3. Instarchive
So what happens if Instagram goes down and you lose all your photos? You probably don‘t want to
find out. Use Instarchive to get a quick backup of your account. After you sign in, the tool will com-
pile all of your photos into a folder and send them to you via a zip file.

4. Search Instagram
Search tools are a huge help for businesses that want to see what types of photos and posts do
best in their target niche. The free Search Instagram allows you to search by location or hashtag
for your chosen keyword, and then you can sort the answers according to relevance to your indus-
try.

5. Ink361
Ever thought, ―Gee, Instagram is great, but I‘d really like to be able to manage my account on my
phone?‖ Well, there‘s an app for that. Ink361 gives you most, though not all, of Instagram‘s capa-
bilities on your desktop, including organizing your album and commenting on others‘ posts.

6. Repost
Reposting someone else‘s content is a smart way to engage followers, and Repost makes it easy
to do. This tool lets you browse through other people‘s Instagram photos and pick out the ones
you‘d like to repost onto your own feed. When you put it on your account, it retains the information
from the original poster, giving them credit for the great picture.

7. Postso
Like Hootsuite or other scheduling tools, Postso allows you to schedule your Instagram posts so
you‘re not deluging your followers with 10 photos in a row of a certain event. By picking and choos-
ing when the photos will go up, you are giving your feed consistent, timely content, rather than let-
ting it go dormant when you haven‘t taken a good picture lately. Plus, Postso has added options for
other social networks as well, so you can manage them all from just one account.

Everyone hates the person who uses Facebook as a place to chronicle every mundane event of
their day. And people get in trouble all the time for tweeting before they think. Posting hundreds of
photos of your cat on Flickr is sure to cost you friends.

Even choosing a profile picture of yourself at the best party you ever went to might even cost you a
job. Every social media forum, including Instagram, has its pitfalls and a certain culture that is ob-
served to avoid them. Using Instagram can be a great way to connect with friends or to augment
your social media marketing strategies, but using it poorly may even hurt your social media identity
as an individual or a business.

What are the top Instagram sins? There are many but most of them are easy to avoid with a little
common sense.

Here are 10 things to never do on Instagram for a proper Instagram etiquette

1. Keep it original
You might love someone else‘s picture, but if you repost or ―regram‖ it, make sure that you give
credit to them. Taking a screenshot and posting it as your own isn‘t just impolite, it‘s also illegal.
2. Not the cat, again!
There are certain Instagram clichés, like posting hundreds of pictures of your cat, which can really
annoy your followers. Posting a cute picture of your feline friend once in a while won‘t chase off
your followers. But posting a cute picture of your feline friend once an hour might. The same thing
goes for other things, like pictures of your shoes—once in a while, okay, but try to mix it up a little.

3. I didn‘t want to see that

There are some things that your fans just don‘t need to see. Anything that could be considered
porn, drugs or you doing something illegal is off the table when it comes to posting on Instagram.
You may call it art; other people may call it gross. So be considerate of your fans. Post things that
they actually want to see.

4. I didn‘t see that coming

Your fans want to see your pictures. And seeing several pictures in one day is fine. But being
bombed with dozens of pictures in five minutes is going to annoy people. If you are going to upload
several pictures in a day, try to keep your Instagram use consistent so that your fans know what to
expect from you.

5. What is this picture even about?

On Instagram, much like on Twitter, people use hashtags to categorize posts and images. Using
Instagram hashtags is a great way to give your fans some context of the picture that you uploaded,
but be cautious of overusing them. Smothering your unsuspecting fans in a stream of endless
hashtags is #impolite.

6. The demise of the self portrait

People are not looking at Instagram to see dozens of picture of your face. They want to see your
trip to the Caribbean, your sister‘s wedding and that artsy shot you took at the park last week. So
exercise some ―selfie‖ control. Keep the camera pointed toward something or someone other than
you.

7. But that‘s so cute!

Yes, your child is adorable. And yes, your dog is, too. But similar to the cat cliché and the selfie
lack of self-control, it is too much to post dozens of picture of your child or dog every day. People
want to see your children, but posting a single nice picture once in a while is the best way to go.
Then people will comment ―Aw, how cute!‖ rather than ―Aw, not again!‖.

8. You are more mature than that

Liking a photo on Instagram should indicate that you actually, um, like the photo. Just because you
like a photo, don‘t expect to get a like back. If you follow someone, don‘t expect to get a follow
back. Maintaining honest, consistent and high-quality interactions on Instagram will get you likes
and follows, but you should never take them for granted. And never, ever un-follow someone be-
cause they didn‘t follow you.

9. Doodles
As much as your friends and fans want to see your beautiful photos, they don‘t want to see your
doodles. If you are an artist and drew an inspiring, beautiful piece of artwork, put it on Facebook
instead.

10. But that‘s what Instagram is for!

This is the overarching rule of Instagram. If you are thinking that Instagram is meant as a place to
post all of your photos, think again. Instagram is meant to be a chronicle of the great moments in
your life, like the time you went skydiving or whitewater rafting or got married. It‘s a place to share
the pictures you are most proud of and the ones you spent the most time and effort on. It‘s a place
to post the photos that you love, the quirky ones and the ones that tell a story.
Let‘s keep Instagram beautiful! Following a few simple rules of etiquette lets you and everyone
else enjoy your time with Instagram more. Carefully evaluating your posts before you upload them
to ensure that they are polite will help to keep you and your followers happy.

Here are some Instagram techniques to boost your business:

Create leads
Take advantage of Photos of You and @mentions. At Photos of You, add potential customers to
your photos. It‘s like the Facebook tag: just add users to your Instagram posts and Instagram
sends notification that you‘ve added the photo to the Photos of You tab on their profile. This is one
way to get exposure. Put simple caption @mention on your photo. It sends a notification also to the
user‘s phone.
Use hashtags. The same as Twitter where you use hashtags so your content is searchable and
accessible to users. Many Instagramers flood their captions with hashtags in order to generate
likes – something you should never do. Regard hashtags as a competent way to understand your
photos. Hashtags adds context to your post. What‘s in the photo? What will be your audience‘s re-
flection on it? In what special location or industry event was the photo taken? Hashtags gives this
info fast.
Comment on target customer‘s photos. Hashtags are complementary. While you use them to facili-
tate people to find your photos, hashtags also help everyone to understand the content. List topics
pertinent to your company, and search for them through hashtags on Instagram. Comment on the
best posts that you find, citing their authors (contributor @username for your information).
Instagram is all about photos. But earlier this year, Instagram announced that some of the busi-
ness ads may soon be done through videos. Now, Instagram posting of video ads, with a maxi-
mum of 15 seconds, is becoming one major source of video traffic on the Internet. A 15-second
limit on running time has been set. Within this year, Instagram gets ready to start selling ads.

Nurture relationships with existing customers

Instagram, like Twitter, gets personal compared to other social media for your business. But it‘s a
bit like Twitter. Your tweets may primarily be industry news relevant to your followers, while others
may be personalized to specific groups or individuals. In Instagram, all your photos are publicly
seen, but you can alternate between posts catering to your viewers on a worldwide magnitude and
messages for your existing client base to keep their trust.

In posting content for customers, always ponder on its possible effect on them. What would it do
for your brand? Would it make your market more comfortable doing business with your company?
Aside from just directly promotional work for your products and/or services, also post photos show-
ing your employees working, your important meetings, awards received, new concepts, and so on.
You should also consider videos in creating an emotional link.

Foster customer service on Instagram

Use Instagram for status updates of your plan. Mention when things aren‘t going as smoothly as
expected. Respond to comments on you photos. Addressing each comment on each post is ideal.

Post a photo a day. When flooded by the number of comments, set up rules to help you address
most of them. About 90 percent of exchanges on Instagram happen during the first few hours after
posting. Assess what‘s best for your account. Frequently check for comments on your photos until
they‘re too old to yield more. You‗ll receive notifications for new comments, anyway, so it will be
easy for you to reply promptly.

Get ready to use Instagram to your advantage. You‘ll be amazed at how people will start following
you. In return, follow them, too, and give attention to what interests them. Their interests can be
your inspiration for your next topics for posting. Those attracted to your posting will potentially be
attracted to your business. And that will only be the beginning.

The One Rule

 There really is only one closing rule that carries true for all channels (in my opinion). And that is to
monitor your engagement and adjust accordingly. Make sure you don‘t just blindly post what
comes to your mind. See which Facebook posts people like, which Tweets they‘re favoriting and
what Pinterest boards get the most repins. That way you can optimize your business strategy just
like you do for the rest of your marketing. Happy friending!

Linkedin

A Linkedin survey of more than 400 wealthy individuals has shown that 84% of mass affluent cus-
tomers who control between £65,000 to £650,000 in investable assets, use social media for any
industry. What‘s more, almost two thirds of these use the financial information they find to make an
investment decision as a result. Therefore, not only is this a marketing channel that helps to in-
crease conversions, but one that focuses on the prime target audience.

Despite this, it may seem unlikely that those who visit financial brand profiles on social networks
would spend their free time interacting with content posted. Wrong again. 1 in 3 mass affluent con-
sumers engage with updates, photos and statuses found here.

If you‘re still hesitant about social media marketing for your industry, a little prior research can point
you in the right directions. There are three main areas to concentrate on, but your first priority
should be which platforms to use.

Choose your network(s). If social media is a completely new venture for your company, or
you have limited staff or resources, it might be a good idea to start small. Rather than setting up
profiles for as many networks as you can find (only to fail to update these regularly), concentrate
on two or three that you can manage more easily. It is also important to select a network with a
similar demographic to your audience. For example, if you own a small dress company, image-
based sharing site Pinterest with its largely female base might be the best choice.
Check out your competitors. Just as with any aspect of your digital marketing campaign, you
can‘t put together a successful strategy until you know precisely who your major competitors are
and what needs to be done to overtake them. Research how often they post and when, as well as
what type of content they use. Somewhat surprisingly, a recent report from Sticky Eyes revealed
that price comparison sites are much more effective on social media than high street banks. Attrib-
uting social scores out of 100, based on criteria such as number of follwers, sentiment, retweets,
the study revealed that while the likes of Tesco Bank relied on sheer volume, Compare the Market
and Confused.com had healthier engagement ratios.
Research your target audience. Whilst the above point will give you valuable insights into
what your competitors are doing, it is worth looking further into how this is received by your target
audience. The previously mentioned Sticky Eyes report revealed that techniques such as vouchers
and loyalty schemes are largely responsible for Compare the Market‘s success across social net-
works. Not only does this give you a head start, it also allows you to be more effective with your
time.
Therefore it really doesn‘t matter what you specialise in, it‘s about tailoring your social media expe-
rience to your specific industry.
LinkedIn celebrated 10 years, two month ago (5 May, 2013) and have now 225+ million profes-
sionals in their social network.

There are some LinkedIn Company Pages that passed 1 million followers like: Google, Microsoft or
IBM. One of the most important assets for this 3 million companies active on LinkedIn is the possi-
bility of recruiting directly on their LinkedIn account.

Useful Tips To Expand Your Business Reach On LinkedIn

Many people associate LinkedIn with job hunting and career connections. That‘s certainly true, as
LinkedIn‘s 259+ million users take advantage of a variety of features, from job searches to a rec-
ommendation space where previous employers and co-workers can publicly applaud your
strengths. In a time when finding a job is tough, many are resorting to LinkedIn as a tool to make
new connections and nurture familiar ones.

The professional networking advantages of LinkedIn are notable, but what many businesses over-
look is that LinkedIn offers the same marketing potential as fellow social media giants Facebook
and Twitter. Building a LinkedIn marketing plan for your business requires tactfulness and pa-
tience, but using the tips below you can expand your business‘ reach on LinkedIn in no time.

Useful Tips To Expand Your Business Reach On LinkedIn

Create a Company Page

A LinkedIn company page provides a way for business to share their story, highlight products, and
connect with followers. A personal LinkedIn account goes a long way in making one-on-one con-
nections, but a Company Page on LinkedIn has a farther reach, as it allows people to connect with
the entire company, as opposed to just the founder or marketing director. Creating a Company
Page on LinkedIn is easy, just follow the instructions after you click on the link. Once your personal
account and Company Page are both running, you‘re ready to consider marketing on LinkedIn.

Take Advantage of the Product Tab

One benefit of the Company Page is the ‗Recommended by Your Network‘ section that appears on
the right sidebar. This enables visitors to see if anyone in their LinkedIn network is endorsing the
company‘s products. This can be a fantastic way to generate leads, as profile visitors are much
more likely to explore your company further if an established connection has recommended your
products or services. For example, if your company specializes in selling Mustang Parts, visitors to
your Company Page can see if any LinkedIn connections purchased parts from the company and
offered positive reviews.

Use LinkedIn‘s Newsfeed Like Facebook‘s

The home page for LinkedIn acts like Facebook, showing a constantly updating newsfeed that dis-
plays updates from your connections, from text updates to photos and video. With both your per-
sonal LinkedIn account and Company Page, it‘s important to update your newsfeed frequently and
with interesting content. There‘s no shame in cross-posting between Facebook and LinkedIn, ei-
ther. Hosting contests or polls via newsfeeds on LinkedIn and Facebook will increase viewer en-
gagement, potentially resulting in more leads.

Consider LinkedIn Ads

If your company‘s marketing budget allows, consider placing ads on LinkedIn. A self-service adver-
tising solution, LinkedIn has a flexible and easy ad process, where — after creating an ad — you
can set a target audience, budget and bid. LinkedIn also has a thorough tutorial, so you can be
sure your ads are exactly how you want them, from placement to appearance. Whether you want
to link to your company web site or Company LinkedIn Page is up to you, though if you‘re linking to
your web site, be sure to have a clear call-to-action on the front page. An unfocused business
home page can mean many missed opportunities.

If used properly, LinkedIn can be an important tool that businesses can use to expand their reach
on social media. LinkedIn has the unique quality of catering to a professional audience, so it is
much easier to find niche-relevant leads and connections, as opposed to Twitter and Facebook,
where listing occupations and skills aren‘t nearly as encouraged. By creating Company Pages,
posting relevant updates and perhaps considering LinkedIn‘s ad services, businesses can take full
advantage of LinkedIn‘s marketing capabilities.

6 Tips to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is the ultimate place to meet possible employers for any job seeker. Finding a po-
tential candidate through LinkedIn has become the newest trend among employers. Thus
your LinkedIn profile will be your gateway for a better career and a future. Following the
tips below will help you to improve your LinkedIn profile.

1. Complete your profile

Make sure to have a fully completed LinkedIn profile. It should contain a professional pho-
to of yourself and all your qualifications. Make sure to add details about projects you are
involved in. Use a descriptive headline which gives a proper idea on what you do.

2. Get recommendations
Recommendations are a great way to impress your potential employers. Try to get rec-
ommendations on LinkedIn for yourself by former employers, customers and supervisors.
These recommendations are more significant than listed skills and experiences. Most of
the employers are more interested to get an idea about yourself through third party people
rather than from yourself.

3. Join LinkedIn groups

There is an option to join groups in LinkedIn. Search for groups that are related to your
field and join. These will help you to make contacts with other people who have the same
interests and new job vacancies will be advertised through these groups. Also you will be
able to identify the trends in your field and you can choose to gain new skills according to
those trends.

4. Update regularly
Regular updates are very important. It will give an impression to other people that you are
active on LinkedIn and employers will like to make contact with active LinkedIn profiles.
When you finish a project or get a promotion or acquired a new qualification, it should be
updated in your LinkedIn profile as soon as possible.

5. Improve your contacts

Contacts play a vital role. If you have good contacts you can get more notifications of job
vacancies. Most companies today have one of their HR staff assigned to LinkedIn. They
will search for possible candidates and notify them about vacancies. Make sure to add
those people to your contact list. Also make sure to connect with all of your current clients
as well as former clients. They are your best source of referrals.

6. Follow companies
LinkedIn has the option to follow different companies. Make sure to follow few companies
that you are interested in. It will help you to get notifications from those companies regard-
ing vacancies and other stuff. It will also demonstrate that you are interested in working in
that company and it will be an added advantage when applying for a job.

How to Decide Which Social Media to Use

Choices, choices… There are presently such a large number of social media stages out there that
can all conceivably demonstrate valuable to your business however so natural to get impeded with
which one to use. With the limitless measure of data accessible, it can get befuddling and excep-
tionally lengthy simply choosing which social system to use that will at last demonstrate the best
for your business. Along these lines, in this post I plan to shed some light and help you in your
mission to enhance your social media showcasing battles and how to decide which social media to
use.

There is a number of factors to consider on how to decide which social media to use:
Devotion and Time

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Youtube, Google+ to name simply a couple of all the more
well-known social stages, obviously there are various of them, some offering exceptionally special-
ty administrations for specific necessities. E.g., websites, picture offering, news imparting, features,
and so on. The principal thing I will dependably say in regards to any social media battle is guaran-
tee you commit enough time to it. Social media is adequately free however for it to work at an ideal
level you have to be taking a shot at it consistently along these lines the amount in fiscal terms
does that time liken to? This is regularly where a business neglects to get the best from their social
media action as they begin off with extraordinary propositions, posting intriguing substance con-
sistently however soon the variety wears off and it gets disregarded, un-used, which can have a
negative effect on the brand.

Your business type

Certain social media channels might be more qualified to specific sorts of organizations, e.g. B2b
or B2c. Linkedin, Twitter and Google+ for instance are useful for B2b organizations, as there are a
substantial extent of organizations and experts that use these channels. Facebook is exceptionally
social in its inclination, the tone of voice used, the sort of substance, pictures, features and impart-
ing give themselves well to B2c brands where even more a fun, lighted hearted tone is used. Fa-
cebook is likewise incredible for rivalries, advancements, new propels and so forth. So buyer
marks that embrace these sorts of exercises normally, will discover Facebook a useful medium. Be
that as it may, that‘s not to say that B2b business can‘t or shouldn‘t use Facebook, or in fact shop-
per brands use Linkedin.

To any business going to set out on another social media crusade, my recommendation might be
to select one social media account, two at the greatest to devote your endeavors on. E.g. Face-
book and Twitter, Linkedin and Twitter, and so on. Take the time and get to be masters in these
specific channels before investigating another social media stage. You will soon see what is work-
ing admirably, how best to streamline comes about and what possibly needs more consideration.
For my own particular business, B2b on-line advertising I use Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and
Google+. Despite the fact that I work in the B2b environment I have accepted positive engagement
and a deals enquiry through my Facebook account, because of the force of viral promoting and
customary substance upgrades. Keep in mind, as officially said, the key is time and recurrence…
Post quality, pertinent substance consistently, in any event twice a day and normally captivate with
your gathering of people. Social media is not a speedy settle yet done appropriately with the right
arrange set up you will see comes about that will begin to have a positive viable on your brand and
site visitor facts.

How to Use Traditional Marketing within Social Media

As the use of social media is vastly increasing, it is making more and more sense for companies to
integrate it into their marketing strategies. You can take channels the consumer uses, and turn it
into an opportunity to increase sales. Social media helps to bridge the gap between the company
and customer. It allows you to communicate with each other, and is a new form of interaction.

When taking a multi-channel approach, there are several ways that you can combine social media
with traditional marketing methods, here we take a look at a few of those.

How to Use Traditional Marketing within Social Media

Hashtags

One of the most popular methods is the use of the hashtag. When people use a specific hashtag,
you can click and see what others are posting in regards to that topic. For example people use
hashtags when expressing their opinions on a current news story, or ‗live-tweeting‘ during televi-
sion shows. You can also utilise hashtags to increase your sales. By introducing a new hashtag,
you can set up contests and encourage customers to share images whilst using the hashtag. This
is a good way to gain exposure and get your customers involved. Combining the online and the
offline, several retailers are now including posters in their changing rooms, encouraging people to
take ‗selfies‘ and post them with hashtags. This allows them to see what customers think of their
products, view how many people are using their hashtags and of course promote the products to a
greater audience.

Customer service

Social media is also changing customer services. More people are now contacting companies
through social avenues to enquire about products and make complaints. Responses to emails of-
ten take a few days, so social media is a quicker way to receive a response. It can also be useful
for PR purposes because you can control the way that your company is presented. However, when
responding to complaints on social media, always be aware that your response will potentially be
there for all to see.

Promotions and trends

Get inventive with the way you send out discount codes. Instead of just sending out discount codes
to thousands of customers via email, consider taking an old-school customer service approach
with the way you do things. If a customer mentions your brand on social media, why not provide
them with a personal one-time use discount code? Not only will this catch their attention, it will
make them feel incredibly special and provide them with a level of customer service often lost
online. It doesn‘t have to be just about discount though, when a customer is asking a question on
social media, you should go out of your way to ensure that question is answered and that customer
is happy.

Social media is also great for identifying current trends. For example on Instagram, there is a trend
called ‗Throwback Thursday‘, which involves people posting old pictures of themselves. Why not
embrace this trend and post pictures of old products or pictures from when you first started out in
business – or indeed anything they might engage your audience?

Personalised service

Social media allows you to directly communicate with individual customers. By doing so, you can
provide a personalised service and build customer loyalty. For example, if you see a customer talk-
ing about a specific product, you can recommend something else that they may enjoy using. You
can answer questions and make suggestions. By providing this service, it establishes trust and
customers will then feel more inclined to buy from you.

Offering a localised service

If it‘s going to be personal, it‘s got to be local. Make use of location based social-media apps and
set up a system which sends customers push notifications when they‘re near your store. Combin-
ing traditional retail and mobile technology, these notifications will remind customers that you are
nearby. To make it more personal, consider sending out offers that are based on past purchases.

Word of mouth reviews

With the existence of platforms like Twitter; no longer do you have to rely on customers singing
your praises via face to face conversations as people now do this online too. Make good use of
this by tracking mentions of your brand and retweeting the positive mentions for all to see. It‘s a
known fact that customers are more likely to trust the opinions of other customers, so make sure
these opinions are visible.

YouTube
Take in-store product demonstrations to the next level by filming the demonstrations and sharing
them on YouTube. Doing this will allow your customers to see the products in action, provide an
avenue for feedback and provides you with massive opportunities for exposure via sharing.

Integrating social media into traditional marketing allows you to cater for a larger audience at once.
Multi-channel retailing is changing the way that people shop and is breaking the barrier between
the company and customer.