Marketing Matters

Hi all

Today we are delving brief in the world of Marketing, more specific were going to be exploring different types of online marketing. Social media marketing is not content marketing and content marketing is not search engine optimisation. Simply put there is more than one way to market a business online. They are each unique. Techniques that come with their own methods and purposes. So let’s discuss these three different practices.

Social Media Marketing 

Social media marketing is the art of conversing for networking purposes, meaning this is how the customers speak to the business and visa versus. The platforms become a sort of stage for the companies with the followers as their audience. While each platform has its different uses which marketers should take advantage of, the main purpose is to communicate.

Communication between business and customer is vital for a number of reasons to providing feedback or just strength an existing relationship. These business relationships so important so Social Media Marketing has become a crucial cornerstone in any marketing strategy.

Content Marketing 

This is a strategy to entertain and inform. It’s all about creating brand awareness to your target audience. Brands can’t scream sales pitch at its audience. So content marketing is a better way to deliver a brands’ message instead of sales person and customer the become reader and informer. Content is a piece that provides value on its own to both business and customer.

This way of educating people about a business is taking online marketing by a storm with content being produced on mass. So while content marketing is crucial it’s also crucial that the content is affecting in providing readers with interesting and accurate information.

Search Engine Optimisation 

S.E.O is the process of tailoring content and websites so that it will receive more website traffic. Search engine rank websites based on keywords. So to improve the ranking businesses use specific keywords to generate a higher ranking.

This final component makes business more noticeable. Search engines are vastly used by people looking for something specific so they must be able to provide relevant results. So, therefore, businesses must make their online presence as efficient as possible so they can be sorted and ranked into the right results.

 

Overall the world of social media has given us the ability to consume more content than ever and in more different forms. The important thing is that they should go hand in hand. There is not one right practice there are multiple ones. In conclusion, while they are separate forms of marketing they should work together to build up the business and the brand.

 

sources:

The Difference Between Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing and SEO

http://digitalbrandinginstitute.com/the-5-cs-of-content-creation-for-your-brand/

Setting Goals & Tracking Progress: Identifying Success in Social Media Marketing

 

The Method behind Marketing

Hi all

Business marketing can be a tricky business. No one could argue that the point of any business is to sale it’s product but what about selling its self. Some might say that there is no difference between marketing and sales, while others would say the difference is obvious. It is clear however that the two go hand in hand and there should be a strong connection between both but it is important not to confuse them.

Sales is the processes of reaching out to your targeted audience and nurturing their interest until they eventually purchase your product. Where as marketing can have a range of purposes which is what we are going to be over-viewing today. We will focus on creating brand recognition, building a positive image, providing general knowledge about your business and create interest in your audience, which are some of the main functions of business marketing.

Creating Brand Recognition 

Branding involves creating a unique and recognizable identity for a company and its product in the consumers minds. It is a sort of theme that is carried through product imagery and advertising. This is all done with the aim of establish, a significant online presence which both attract new customers and retains loyal ones.

Building a Positive Image 

While this is closely link to a companies brand this is not the same thing. You need to show customers your business that can’t be trusted and that has a good repetition. Whether your display star rates or have a comment allow yours to show there appreciation for a job well done helps others to see that you are business worth using.

Providing General Knowledge 

Part of any marketing strategy that is designed to get customers to trust a business has be allowing people to get to know that business. History of a business or it’s back story can be very important. People like behind the scene knowledge and to know these faces of those involve in the running of the business since it makes the company more tangible and human.

Creating an interest in the Business 

This brings us back to the discussion at the beginning. While marketing must provide information that is of interest or value to that customer and not just throw sales pitches at them. Sales and marketing are forever joined. Part of marketing must be to interest the customer in the product that the business is selling. It very similar to being on a tight rope because the line between marketing and sales is so fine and if you do the wrong thing there is often no net to catch you. But the trick is to see it has a helping partnership the right kind of marketing leads to stronger sales.

Business Marketing has many facets and is a length process. I hope this very brief overview has helped to define what we mean by marketing and made the processes of this practice much clearer. However it would while you certainly can do the wrong thing in marketing I think the biggest mistake you can make is to not market your self, your business and your product.

Sources:

Online Marketing: Don’t Just Do The Right Things – Do Them Right

The Devil in the Marketing Details – Do One Thing Right Before You Try Another

http://digitalbrandinginstitute.com/8-tips-for-great-marketing-content/

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/07/content-marketing-best-brands/

The Difference Between Marketing and Sales

Community Managers

Hey Everyone

In this age of social media marketing, it can be tough to keep on top of your social platforms and channels. So both big businesses and small are now hiring people to fill this role and paying them substantially to socially network all day long. Social media Managers (S.M.M) do exactly what it says on the tin they manage a business’s online presence and help promote their brand. This article is just going to take a quick look into the in’s and out’s of being a Social Media Manager, from their day to day duties to the requirements you need to actually finding that all important job.

What do S.M.M do

Social Media Managers have a wide variety of tasks include account setup, account management, account audit, produce content and form social media business strategy.

Account set up simple entails creating their platform and website profiles or keep them updated if they are already in existence. Account management is the day to day posting or tweeting and audit the accounts is all reviewing sites stats and implementing any necessary changes. Produce on the surface is pretty self-explanatory but there is a lot of work that goes into to each piece of content, such as researching and writing articles, which all has to be taken care of by this manager. Finally, all these processes need to be set a planned strategy with goals and direction that improves that business; which the manager must be equipt to provide.

What do you need to become an S.M.M

To provide all these services listed above takes a certain amount of skills and knowledge. You need to keep up with the latest trends by reading books and blogs around social media and related topics. It’s important to take courses on the latest trends such as live streaming or marketing strategies. Invest in tools such as Analytics, Adwords, and Grammarly (for details on those apps see the links to my previous articles at the bottom of the page) to improve your technique.

A manager should never stop working on self-improvement no matter how many jobs they have because the world of social media never stops evolving so can’t either. So it’s important to keep reading and learning throughout your career.

Finding a work as an S.S.M 

While it’s true that a lot of companies are hiring people, it’s also true that a lot of people are looking for these kinds of jobs. The competition for social media managing positions is high, so it’s not the sort of job you can just walk into. You have to hit the ground running and prove your worth before you can think about applying. So set a web personality with social media profiles and professional websites and create content in spades. Show that you can do the work before you are starting to apply for jobs. Also, it will give you a lot to talk about interviews.

 

In conclusion, managing social media is all about showing you can manage social media it’s won’t happen overnight but through experience so be prepare to put in the work. My final is also to put the social in social media. Showing you have people skills as well as computer skill will go a long way.

 

Sources:

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/why-community-managers-should-start-freelancing-asap

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/how-become-successful-social-media-manager-infographic

Previous articles:

Correcting with Grammarly

Analytics Essentials

Google AdWords

Outreaching to Influencers

Hey Everyone

Content Marketing has become one of the most popular strategies of self-promotion in today’s world of online marketing. Almost everyone is getting in on this great method to reach out to customers. Just one way that content marketing can be so effective is that when you produce good quality content people share that content widening your business reach and hopefully bring in more customers.

This is the internets version of good word of mouth instead of neighbour recommending a good plumber or bakery. Today we have people liking or following businesses that they use and sharing that with their social circle via their social media platforms. So all business should be working to get their customers to share their content but there are some people in a customer base that can be more useful than others. Either because they have a significant social following that is very loyal or because of some indirect just useful connection to your field that could bring in a lot of relevant business. These people are referred as influencers since they influence potential customers your way.

An example of an influence might be a reader who runs a blog that contains book reviews could be very useful to a bookstore since if they post a positive review of that bookstore on their blog then that would be seen by all their followers some of who may choose to visit that bookstore. Or different example might be a charity that supports wildlife might choose to advertise a new nature reserve that opening influencing people who care about animals to visit that new attraction.

Whatever your customer base maybe there will be people inside who carry a lot of weight and could, therefore, be beneficial to your brand. So as a marketer there are certain things you need to be doing to in order to make your social sites attractable to these potential influencers.

Make a good first Impression

There are so many social sites these days that standing out online can be difficult but it is important that your site makes a good impression on first-time visitors. Your pages need to be clear and concise with an obvious brand message. These platforms are how you present your business to the outside world so they need to be as polished as possible so that people and more importantly potential influencers not only understand what your business is about but can also become familiar with it.

Content promotion 

You need to be putting your content out there for people to find. If your followers can’t find your content then they can share or talk about it. So all marketers should have a plan on how they want to use their social sites to share their content. It’s also worth paying close attention to what content does better on what sites that way you can maximise your customer’s engagement with that content.

 

Make Connections 

It’s also important that once you have identified those influential people who are sharing your content that you reach out them and form a connection. Building a relationship with these types of people only strengths that good impression of your business. Also since you want them to keep saying good things about your business it gives you a chance to offer them exclusive access to new content or other perks that might help to keep that relationship going.

 

These are just a couple of ways in which a page can reach out to influential people within their customer base and business market but even such simple methods as these are not be underestimated. It’s human nature to trust other people’s opinion more than people who work for that business because an individual with a stake in the business will natural only say good things about that business. Which is why so many platforms have feedback options because the opinion the masses is valued. So it is well worth in addition to reaching to these few who the community hold in high regard, to add a feedback section to your sites. Even if it’s just a simple star rating little touches like this matter to customers.  Keeping your customers feeling positive is vital because it’s the happy customers who will hit that all important share button.

 

 

Sources:

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/peteschauer/2015-09-26/how-get-your-influencers-share-your-content

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/4-powerful-social-media-outreach-tactics

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/281106

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/08/secrets-award-winning-content/

One Year Aniversary

Hi all

As of today, I have been writing this blog for a whole year!

I want to thank you all for supporting me on this journey and I hope you will continue to do so.

I feel like I have learned a lot but there are still leagues to go so I can promise there will be more to come

 

 

What to do when things go Negative

Hi all

Social media sites are all about encouraging a dialogue between businesses and their customers. Unfortunately, that dialogue can sometimes be unpleasant or negative. Whether it’s someone with a genuine complaint or someone purposely looking to be offensive; businesses need to be not only prepared to receive this type of interaction but also to know how to respond appropriately. So here are some steps to follow when things turn negative.

Be quick to Acknowledge

Sometimes this negativity can steam from a feeling of not being heard, so it’s important to show that you are willing to listen. Whether the complaint is actual one or looks more like someone with an axe to grind it’s important to acknowledge the comment quickly and professionally. You don’t have to have a quick fix or even an instant solution at hand, just saying that the query will be looked into is a good start. However, it’s important to mean what you say and create some credibility.

Take the Comments on Board 

Criticism is how we learn. It’s important to see things from the customer’s point of view. They just want someone to care about their issues not cause them. So don’t list excuses as to why mistakes were made as it will just irritate them further, which is not good diplomacy. Instead really take the complaint on board and try the best to learn from the process and improve your business as a result.

Take it out of the Spotlight

Social forums may not be the best place to air dirty laundry so if the customer is receptive take the conversation to a more appropriate forum. Also, it’s important to show you are taking the complaint seriously. Don’t just forward them to a complaint call centre that just seems like your trying to get rid of them. Instead, try emailing them directly or set up an instant message chat if possible. You can even give them your work number to call if you feel confident in that course. The Important factor is that you give the customer a better place to communicate with you more directly so that you can better understand their concerns.

Accept the blame 

Take responsibility for your mistakes even if you don’t feel that it is your mistake and it’s important to actually say the word sorry. Customers need to know that you are willing to accept the blame so that your professional relationship can move past the small screw-up and become stronger for it. Of course, that apology must fit the situation but still saying the words and trying to right the wrong is the best way to make your customers happy.

Don’t feed the troll

A troll is someone who deliberately goes out of their way to cause trouble on social sites through posting inflammatory messages online. Though it can be difficult to spot the difference between a genuine frustrated customer with an actual complaint and someone just stirring up trouble it is important to try identify these individuals. Of course, airing on the side of caution is important so if you aren’t certain whether a comment is genuine then it’s best to treat it as a real complaint. However, if you do have a follower grandstanding and being offensive then be professional and don’t engage with them since attention is just what they are hoping for. In extremes, for example, if someone is flooding your page with abuse, then you should delete them comments and block the person but be careful with this action.

 

Most interactions on social sites are positive and promote the customer business relationship but all marketers need to be prepared to deal with unhappy customers. So I that this article helps you feel better prepared for when things turn negative.

 

Sources:

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/how-handle-different-types-comments-social-media-infographic

5 Ways Brands Respond to Negative Social Media Comments (Hint: Only One is Effective)

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/how-to-handle-negative-feedback/

http://www.salesforce.com/uk/socialsuccess/social-customer-service/6-ways-deal-with-negative-social-media-comments.jsp

More Blogging about Blogging

Hi all

Blogging is a constant content machine but at times that machine can seem like a monster. Either we writers have so many ideas that they burst from us and it’s a struggle to get them all down then translate them into good quality articles or writer’s block becomes our worse enemy as we scramble to turn crumbs of thought into some idea, any idea at all. Today I want to talk about some ways in which bloggers can get their creative juices following in order to produce more content.

Reading other material 

Bloggers read blogs. we all have our special few favourites that we enjoy reading for whatever reason and return to over and over. This can be a great source of inspiration since good engaging writing should make you think intelligently. Maybe they write a particular topic that interest you; maybe there is something that everyone is writing about or just maybe you have two blogs sharing opposing views. The point is there content should be making you think about your content.

Also with popular blog’s it’s worth thinking about why they, in particular, have captured your attention. Is there some key element that hooked you to their in that you could re-work in your blog. All in all, bloggers should be reading and learning from one other to produce better blogs as a whole.

Anticipating your readers  

Part of the purpose of any blog is that exists to be read. So all bloggers should be paying attention to what their readers want to hear more about. A great way to do this is through social media. See what topics are trending through join linked-In groups and watch out for popular Hashtags all to gain a flavour of what your readers want then try to write something that fits that need.

Another way to find out what your readers want to read is through your own post. Posts that were popular show where the reader’s interest lies. So use that; take a look at your analytics and blog stats to see whether you can expand more on posts or topics that got a lot of engagement from your followers.

Learning and research 

Attending to readers interests is important but your interests are equally important. if you are passionate about a subject it shows in your writing so it’s important that you write what you want to write. This may sound simple on the surface but sometimes as a writer, it’s one hell of a daunting question.

So some ways to work on that can be taking 5 minutes to sit quietly and just let your thoughts out. no editing just you and a notebook. Then later you can go back to those ideas and try to build on them. You could track new developments or news and see if there is a spark to work on in that department. Finally, writing can be about learning maybe there is a topic you want to know more about so take some time, do some research and see what you can find out.

The thing to remember is to explore topics that inspire both you and your audience since it is much simpler to come up with ideas for new content when you are inspired.

 

In Conclusion, there are many ways to brainstorm new content ideas but I think the most important piece of advice I could give you is not to let the content monster trap you into producing bad content for content’s sake. This can be very damaging to a blog. So while it is vital to try and produce content regularly sometimes it’s better just to take a step back and evaluate things in order to keep your blog at a good quality standard rather than the alternative.

sources:

7 Effortless Ways to Find New Ideas for Your Blog

http://www.problogger.net/content-week-how-to-consistently-come-up-with-great-post-ideas-for-your-blog/

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blog-post-topic-brainstorm-ht#sm.0011g4yaylbjfi710141y2xoi0lnx

10 Ways We Come Up With 15+ Blog Post Ideas Each Week

7 Ways To Come Up With SUPER AWESOME Blogposts From The Blogging Community

4 Resources to Help You Brainstorm Ideas for Your Next Blog Post

Google AdWords

Hi everyone

Google AdWords is advertising app for businesses. It is one of  the most widely used and effective ways of  advertising on a worldwide platform. Google Adwords helps businesses to grow their reach by becoming more visible to potential customers.  In this article; I will provide a brief explanation of how the app works, some of the benefits of using Google Adwords and a couple of top tips to remember.

How to use 

You can use AdWords to create ads that target users across two main networks; search networks and display networks. The search network refers to Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC ads) in which advertisers bid on keywords that are relevant to their business and have a chance to show their adverts to users who enter those keywords. For example, a florist might bid on words such as bouquet, roses or arrangements. So that when someone types these words in Google there website appears.

The display network offers advertisers the option of placing a visual banner-style advertisement on websites that are part of the Google display network. For example, a bar that is hosting an open mic night might place a banner ad on music site that Google has access to.

Benefits 

When people want to find something online they tend to either visit a site they know provides that product or they type what they are looking for into a search engine. Which is why businesses should be using Google AdWords because it can be beneficial on two fronts. either by allowing business to place ads on other sites where shoppers might frequent or by buying up keywords related to your business so that you appear in the search results.

Top tips 

When using Google AdWords there are some simple tips that you can use to improve the quality your business ads and therefore their success:

• Understand searchers intent – when choosing what words to bid on Marketers need to consider what words potentially customers might type into Google. This will give them a better chance at appearing in searches that are relevant to customers.
• Appropriate language – it’s always a good idea to set ads to all languages so that you can reach all potential markets and so the ads do limit your customer basis.
• Structure is everything – This point applies strictly to Display network Ads. when creating these types of Visual ads it’s important to consider the location of the ads itself as well the appropriate page to place them on.
• Specific Ad groups – Marketers should choose specific groups of people to target for each ad then fit their advertisements around them accordingly. With search network ads it’s a question of what different types of customers might type into search engines and with Banner ads, it’s more what visual will appeal to different customers.
• Beware of broad terms – This last tip applies to search network ads. Buying broad terms runs the risk of your business showing up in un-relevant searches. So the more specific you can be better.

 

In Conclusion, I hope this brief explanation helps you to understand how Google AdWords can improve people’s ability to discover your website and thereby increase your business reach and customer base. All this app is a must-have marketing tool.

 

Sources: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/google-adwords-ppc#sm.0011g4yaylbjfi710141y2xoi0lnx

http://www.wordstream.com/how-to-use-google-adwords

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242028

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/9-adwords-tips-get-perfect-roi-smile

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/7-adwords-features-didnt-know-existed#sm.0011g4yaylbjfi710141y2xoi0lnx

Facebook Content

Hi all

This is the final article in my series on content marketing on different platforms. We’ve looked at Instagram, Linkedin and Twitter, So now we’re rounding off with Facebook. While some people may argue that Facebook branding pages are becoming less valuable there are still methods for content marketing that can generate success.

The Businesses that thrive on Facebook are the ones that make their fans part of an active, engaging and interesting community. However, just like on any other social site rich, varied content that the reflects the interest and style of your audience will resonate on Facebook.

 

Interactive Content 

With Facebook, it’s important to get people clicking and sharing. So it’s important to consider the timing of each post and the type of post that will attract engagement. This content should be short, eye-catching and if possible spark a discussion or involve some participation. Be sure to add links or call to actions to these posts so that there is clear follow through response for fans.

Just like on any site; engagement is important but fans engage with post that are about something relevant to them so it is important to consider what fan base you wish to attract on Facebook and what their interests might be.

Provide Exclusive Access or rewards  

Providing access is rich and meaningful to fans. It gives them a personal view into your company which is an excellent way to engage and involve fans. People like to feel included so Marketer should be trying to include their fans not only in there business but also in each of their posts.

One method to include or involve fans is to host contests, hold competitions or have feedback quizzes. All of these types of post allow fans to gain something from your content, either in the form of prizes or just the chance to have their say.  Social sites should be used to create social connections with customers and form relationships. For this to be achieved business on Facebook need to be welcoming fans to be part of the brand process.

Good use of Hashtags 

Hashtags are effective across all forms of social media to create an effective brand. (For more details on hashtags please see my article on them a link for which is at the bottom of the article) Hashtags make searching for topics easier and link relevant posts together. It also invites fans in since fans may join in by sharing or commenting on popular Hashtags.

Hashtags are a very popular social media trend currently as Marketers should be use them in. Its important as a marketer to keep up with popular trends in order to keep their social following interested. So shortly put one good popular Hashtag can lead to brand success.

Use Insights 

As with any other social site, it’s always important to analysis your progress in order to adjust and improve your posts. Facebook provides you with data through their insight function (again see the bottom of the page for my article on Facebook Insights), which tells you about your like count, page views, and many other relevant statics. Markers should be using Facebook Insights to better understand what their fans are looking for in a page and the best way they can deliver that type of successful content.

 

All in all, Facebook is still a site on which Marketers can reach out to potential customers and build their Brand on. It’s just about finding the right method of Content marketing. I hope this series has shown you that you can brand your business on almost any site as long as you plan effectively and work to earn each sites following.

 

 

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/05/keep-facebook-viable-content-marketing-platform/

https://facebookmarketingpartners.com/about/content-marketing/

5-Step Strategy To Improve Your Facebook Engagement & Growth

https://blog.hootsuite.com/7-facebook-marketing-tips-to-help-increase-engagement/

 

#Hashtags

Facebook Insights

Twitter content

Hi everyone

I’m continuing my series on content marketing on different platforms. We’ve looked at Instagram and Linkedin so now were going to take a look at Twitter. Content marketing on Twitter follows the same rules as other social sites; you provide valuable messages to get people hooked and to gain an audience.

However, there is a difference between Twitter and those other sites and that is 140 characters. That limit changes everything and as a result, should define how a business chooses to build their brand on Twitter. Whether they are using Twitter to generating ideas, for self-promoting or doing market research all business should centre their Twitter marketing strategy around 140 characters.

All the steps for success on twitter are the same such as setting up objectives, identifying your audience, getting content ideas but what content marketers really need to do differently with Twitter is to decide your purpose on being on Twitter. Since you are limited to 140 characters can’t produce long articles or pieces of content instead you need to use it for a different purpose as part of your larger content strategy.  The shorter messages can make it more difficult to connect with your customers or it can make that small connection all the more powerful it all depends on how you use those 140 characters.

 

The Method behind the tweet

It’s important that before any business begins tweeting that they decide exactly what they want to achieve on Twitter and how they are going to use each tweet to further that purpose.

• If you want to use Twitter to drive traffic to your businesses website or a different site then your tweets should be about highlighting why they should visit that site. What does that site provides for them, what is its value to customers, what can they get there that they can’t get anywhere else.
• You could use Twitter to call your customers towards a certain action like signing up for your newsletter or getting to take part in some competition. Again the theory behind these tweets would be convincing the customers that they will gain something by following that action.
• Selling products on Twitter is an obvious possible purpose yet it can be a successful one if done correctly but people use social sites to socialise so sometimes throwing a lot of product promotion at them can be harmful. So this a fine line to walk.
• Do you want to use Twitter to announce important events or sales or maybe just changes in your company; the daily going on’s. This can be very much to your advantage since it’s you going your customers a chance to be more involved with the Business. To really get to know your business and the people behind it.
• Perhaps you want to get to know your customers and their needs a little better. So you ask questions or use Twitter polls to do a little market research or get for some feedback to help improve your business for them. (for on this see my previous post on Twitter polls or Market research links for which are at the bottom of this article)
• Do you want to use Twitter to keep an eye on your competitors or build relationships with potentially influential businesses or people. This sort of networking is more than possible on Twitter and can be advantageous for your business and your brand.

it would be a mistake to choose only one of these also not to test all of these potential methods of marketing on Twitter just to see what your followers might respond to and therefore what is best for your company and brand. Whatever you want to achieve on this site the important to remember is the power of words, letter, characters even just 140 of them and is something that Twitter understand.

 

https://mention.com/blog/twitter-marketing-content/

http://corp.wishpond.com/twitter-marketing-resources/content-marketing-on-twitter-how-to-get-twitter-followers-through-engagement/

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/12/twitter-founder-content-marketers-best-advice/

 

Twittering about Twitter polls

Simple Market Research