Category: Social Media

  • The Hidden Benefits of Social Media Marketing

    Most businesses venture into social media expecting to see a big return on investment. The hope is that new customers

    Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...

    Image via CrunchBase

    will come in droves, and that the benefits and revenue generation will be huge. However, this is rarely the case. It takes time to build momentum with social media, and the benefits aren’t always as obvious as we would like.

    If you’re feeling a bit skeptical about social media marketing and whether or not it’s worth the effort, following are some reasons why it may be working better than you realize.

    1. Brand Recognition – One of the most powerful ways to use social media is as a brand-building tool. With social media, you get to decide how you want to position your company and what you want people to know about what you do. With consistent effort and great content, you can build a reputation for your brand around your company’s values, benefits, and advantages.

    2. Community – There is nothing like social media when it comes to cultivating a community. When your followers become part of your community, you gain instant access to them. That means you can find out what challenges they are facing and what they like and don’t like about your offerings. You can engage in ongoing dialog that can be more valuable than any kind of paid market research.

    3. Repeat Exposure – There is an old marketing adage that says it takes six to eight exposures to a product before a customer decides to buy. A clear benefit of social media is repeat exposure with your network. You have the opportunity to remind them over and over again about what you have to offer, which can shorten your sales cycles dramatically.

    Click Here to Read More (Source: Stephanie Chandler, Forbes.com)

  • Help Wanted: Benefits Technology and Social Media Support

    New part time position in Keller office has been posted! We are looking for a great talent to join our team!  The position will start with 15-25 hour per week but will increase in hours – being able to work between 15-30 hours a week is what we are looking for. This position will be in the office with the ability to work from home when needed, flexible days and office hours. Not a sales marketing position.

    Position Description
    Benefits Technology and Social Media Support will be the primary focus of the position. Learning the process and ongoing support we provide clients will lead into managing client projects and relationships. Tasks included setting up social media profiles, posting content to blogs and other platforms, simple website updates, conference calls with clients and customer support. Communication, organization and follow through with clients and our team are most important and what we are looking for in a candidate.

    Requirements
    Experience with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn clearly required, some background in pro tools like Photoshop or Dreamweaver is preferred but may not be required.

    The ability to manage clients by email and phone, great attention to detail, excellent follow through and focusing on tasks are key. The Technology aspect of our business can be taught, these skills cannot!

    Contact Us
    Email your resume or detailed qualifications to jeffh@etekhnos.com. Interviews will be scheduled for potential team members in the next 2-3 weeks.

    About Our Company
    We are the nation’s leading web design and social media firm for employee benefit professionals. We manage over 800 custom benefit portals for employers of all sizes for benefits, HR, enrollment and more. Visit us at https://etekhnos.com/ & http://www.rockstartechnology.com/

  • Twitter set to become more like Facebook

    Twitter is to become more and more like Facebook with its new profile redesign.  The new exciting main features of the new look are the “Best Tweets” feature, which makes tweets with the most traffic appear to be slightly larger and more prominent, “Pinned Tweets”, which allow you pin a tweet to the top of your page and “Filtered Tweets”, which allow you, when browsing other profiles, to view tweets, tweets with photos and videos, or raw tweets and replies.

    How does this affect you – you may be wondering?  For the moment, not a great deal but Twitter will be rolling out the new redesigned profile across all of their existing users over the next few weeks with new users signing up today getting the new profile automatically.  Unless you have any Twitter site placement specific images – then there is nothing you will need to fix but being aware of the new look and features will help you get significantly ahead of the popular crowd. 

     

    Using the “Pinned Tweet” feature will almost be a supplement to your initial bio or indeed it could be used to be an easy in-house advert for your company.  For example, a “Pinned Tweet” could be pinned to make sure that everyone knows about the upcoming company BBQ or that you are running an April promotion?

     

    The core essence of Twitter will of course remain the same.  Don’t think that they will replace the beloved #Hashtag just yet but as they merge closer to being flashier and including more videos and pictures – will we still be able to contain our thoughts about the new Twitter within the 140 character set limit?

  • 4 Things You Need to be Doing on Social Media — Now

    By now, if social media isn’t a critical element in your online marketing strategy, it should be. Having a presence on sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can add value to your product, to customer service and ultimately to your brand.

    But simply having an account and broadcasting company news isn’t enough. To attract and keep customers — and to build a strong brand online — business owners need to be active on social media. They have to provide valuable information and engage with their followers.

    Here are four things businesses should be doing on social media in order to grow the brand online:

    1. Engage with followers and provide customer service.
    Your customers are engaging with your brand wherever they are — including over social media. Don’t miss this opportunity to listen to what they’re saying to and about you, and to provide the best customer service.

    Why is this so important? Responding to customer questions and resolving issues over social media shows everyone who’s following you — and potentially anyone who is online — that your company cares about its customers, potential customers and goes the extra mile for people.

    Related: 10 Tips for Using Twitter Like a Pro

    Tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck can be handy for monitoring mentions of your brand over social media. As for when and who you respond to, set the tone early. If you reply often, people will expect it. If you don’t reply a lot, people will see that as well and might stop engaging with you as often.

    2. Crowdsource ideas.
    Use social media as a marketing research tool. Just as people can reach out to you, follow you and stay connected with you, business owners can do the same with their customers. Social media is a two-way street.

    Say, for instance, you’re getting ready to launch a new product. You can ask your fans and followers what they think about specific details like which colors they prefer or what types of features they want. Not only can you get real, valuable market research at no cost, you’re involving the consumer in decisions. Asking customers for their opinions can help show that they matter, and when they see their ideas become a reality, ideally you create brand and product champions.

    Read More (Source: Scott Levy, entrepreneur.com)

  • How to Attract More Customers With Content Marketing

    Are you looking to attract prospects, convert them to customers and keep them coming back?  Then social media and content marketing are a match made in heaven.

    The key to success is to make the connection between content marketing and social media.

    Let’s look at the content needed to get your marketing to that lucrative intersection.

    #1: Attract Prospective Customers

    The first question on a prospect’s mind when considering a purchase is, “What solutions are available?”

    Your goal is to create awareness and make sure that your solution meets the buyers’ need when they’re ready to make a decision.

    According to data from Google and Shopper Science’s Zero Moment of Truth report, consumers in 2011 consulted an average of 10 sources before making a buying decision. That’s up 100% from five sources in 2010.

    zmot sources used
    The number of sources a buyer consults before making a decision doubled year over year.

    Successful businesses are communicating with prospects on social networking sites and directing them to the material the prospects need to make an informed decision. How are they doing this?

    One way is to create informational articles.

    Social network users are constantly sharing, curating and consuming informational content. Often, the headline or a short description of the content appears on the social network together with a link to view the content on a company website.

    Businesses need to share this informational content and have it written for prospects who are in research mode, learning about the solutions that are available.

    Charles Schwab, a financial planning company, distributes links to resources via social networking sites and makes them available for prospective leads who reach out via social media.

    Read More (Source: Russ Henneberry, Social Media Examiner)

  • How to Attract More Customers With Content Marketing

    Are you looking to attract prospects, convert them to customers and keep them coming back?  Then social media and content marketing are a match made in heaven.

    The key to success is to make the connection between content marketing and social media.

    Let’s look at the content needed to get your marketing to that lucrative intersection.

    #1: Attract Prospective Customers

    The first question on a prospect’s mind when considering a purchase is, “What solutions are available?”

    Your goal is to create awareness and make sure that your solution meets the buyers’ need when they’re ready to make a decision.

    According to data from Google and Shopper Science’s Zero Moment of Truth report, consumers in 2011 consulted an average of 10 sources before making a buying decision. That’s up 100% from five sources in 2010.

    zmot sources used
    The number of sources a buyer consults before making a decision doubled year over year.

    Successful businesses are communicating with prospects on social networking sites and directing them to the material the prospects need to make an informed decision. How are they doing this?

    One way is to create informational articles.

    Social network users are constantly sharing, curating and consuming informational content. Often, the headline or a short description of the content appears on the social network together with a link to view the content on a company website.

    Businesses need to share this informational content and have it written for prospects who are in research mode, learning about the solutions that are available.

    Charles Schwab, a financial planning company, distributes links to resources via social networking sites and makes them available for prospective leads who reach out via social media.

    Read More (Source: Russ Henneberry, Social Media Examiner)

  • 4 Things You Need to be Doing on Social Media — Now

    By now, if social media isn’t a critical element in your online marketing strategy, it should be. Having a presence on sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can add value to your product, to customer service and ultimately to your brand.

    But simply having an account and broadcasting company news isn’t enough. To attract and keep customers — and to build a strong brand online — business owners need to be active on social media. They have to provide valuable information and engage with their followers.

    Here are four things businesses should be doing on social media in order to grow the brand online:

    1. Engage with followers and provide customer service.
    Your customers are engaging with your brand wherever they are — including over social media. Don’t miss this opportunity to listen to what they’re saying to and about you, and to provide the best customer service.

    Why is this so important? Responding to customer questions and resolving issues over social media shows everyone who’s following you — and potentially anyone who is online — that your company cares about its customers, potential customers and goes the extra mile for people.

    Related: 10 Tips for Using Twitter Like a Pro

    Tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck can be handy for monitoring mentions of your brand over social media. As for when and who you respond to, set the tone early. If you reply often, people will expect it. If you don’t reply a lot, people will see that as well and might stop engaging with you as often.

    2. Crowdsource ideas.
    Use social media as a marketing research tool. Just as people can reach out to you, follow you and stay connected with you, business owners can do the same with their customers. Social media is a two-way street.

    Say, for instance, you’re getting ready to launch a new product. You can ask your fans and followers what they think about specific details like which colors they prefer or what types of features they want. Not only can you get real, valuable market research at no cost, you’re involving the consumer in decisions. Asking customers for their opinions can help show that they matter, and when they see their ideas become a reality, ideally you create brand and product champions.

    Read More (Source: Scott Levy, entrepreneur.com)