Your 2015 Business Plan – Stop Dabbling, Delaying, & Dilly-Dallying!

You KNOW it is time to move your marketing plan forward for your business. Something is always holding you back. A slow season, a health issue, family problems, or a vacation coming up. The problem with this kind of limiting thinking is that your business may NEVER reach its potential. How do you move forward to make your business and 2015 the best year ever? Create a NEW Social Media habit!

Start your new habit the SAME way for the first 10 days.

We cannot sustain motivation through willpower, alone, as much as we WANT to or reward ourselves. So, if you want 2105 to be your biggest and best year, yet, you are not going to will it into existence. If you keep doing the SAME thing but really WANT something else, you are going to get the same result. So, if rewards and desire are not enough, what IS the secret to change? It is super simple, really, and it does take some willpower. It is called The New Habit!

1. Do the new thing or the new procedure, in the same way, for a minimum of 31 days. (some say 10 days, some say that 21 is the  magic number – I am going to round it up to make SURE it is a habit). Do this NEW procedure for a full 31 days – a full month!
2. You need to make the habit have the least resistance. (Example: get rid of all the junk food in the house and have ONLY fresh fruit and high quality snacks in the house).
3. Have a HUGE amount of energy when you first begin the new habit (the first 10 days of the habit). This is the time when the OLD habits are trying really hard to pull you back into the comfort zone of the way that it has always been. Be rested. Be excited. Reward yourself, often.
4. Start the SAME way every day. Don’t deviate from the start procedure. You end up getting into a groove that puts you on automatic pilot fairly quickly.
5. START NOW. Don’t delay, anymore. Because January has only just started, the more productive you become, NOW, the more empowered you are to manifest the best year of your life!

Real-Life Example: Let’s walk through your Social Media Habit, for 2015:

• Grab your bottle of cold water and put it on your desk.
• Turn on the same song.
• Sit down at your computer (don’t open your email or your personal profiles in Facebook).
• Look at your list that you have created (highest priority tasks, first), put a pen next to it.
• Log into Pinterest and Repin two Pins. Take a sip of water and check off task.
• Log into Constant Contact. View results of last campaign. Write and schedule next newsletter. Copy text of newsletter placing on clipboard. Take a sip of water and check off task.
• Log into blog. Paste text from clipboard. Add photos, tags, and appropriate categories. Check SEO. Spell check. Schedule. Reply to any comments of older blogs. Delete any spam. Take a sip of water and check off task.
• Share blog with Google +
• Share blog with LinkedIn
• Log into Facebook. Like any comments, posts to page, or reviews. Answer all of your business page’s messages, and schedule 2 posts (NOTE: Do not go into personal profile). Take a sip of water and check off task.
• Log into Twitter. Retweet 2 tweets. Thank any new Followers. Take a sip of water and check off task.
• Log into TripAdvisor. Answer reviews. Take a sip of water and check off task.
• Log into Yelp. Answer reviews. Take a sip of water and check off task.
• CONGRATULATE yourself – you are on your way to your BEST year ever!

If this list is too much for you to handle, start small and just do ONE Social Media channel. If you need help and want to outsource, we hope you’ll consider SMSimplifier!

Promote your blog for FREE!

You’ve probably already figured out that writing a blog post is really only half the battle. It takes some additional effort (and creativity!) to actually get people to your blog so they can enjoy your content. I have to admit that it used to be a bit disheartening checking my analytics and seeing how few people actually read my posts. Here are some FREE tips, from Kim Garst to get your blog actually READ

1. Tell people about it in an email

2. Share it on your Facebook page

3. Comment on other blogs in your niche. Become a fixture at the blogs of other well-known people in your niche. Leave intelligent comments, and contribute meaningfully to ongoing discussions. Remember: quality over quantity.

 

4. Guest post. Offer to contribute a post to popular blogs in your niche. Remember to include a link back to your blog in your author bio, preferably along with the offer of a free guide, e-book or info-product!

5. Participate in forums in your niche. Let me be clear: do NOT join other forums simply for the sake of promoting your blog. Participate in niche forums with the goal of helping others, sharing ideas, and people will naturally want to find out more about you.

 

6. Optimize for the search engines. While SEO has changed as of late, it’s definitely not dead! Make sure your posts contain keywords that people may be looking for. Pay particular importance to including your keywords (and variations of your keywords) in your title, headings, as well as in your content.

7. Exchange posts with another blogger. Propose a post exchange with another blogger in your niche. Try to choose someone with a similar audience size and demographic, and both of you will benefit from the cross promotion.

 

8. Write a magazine article. Trust me when I say that trade publications are always looking for contributors! Submit a query to magazines in your industry and be sure to include your url in your author bio.

9. Pin to your own Pinterest board. Create a board on Pinterest specifically for your blog posts. Make sure you use great images that add value and interest to your posts.

10. Pin to a Pinterest contributor board. See if there’s a popular Pinterest board you can pin to as a contributor. This can help drive traffic to your blog as well as to your Pinterest boards.

11. Include a link on all your social media profiles. I know, obvious, right? Make sure you include a live link on each and every social media profile you have, even on those sites you may not use regularly.

12. Share on Google+ for added SEO benefits. If you’re not already using Google+, I’d encourage you to get started! Sharing your blog posts in your Google+ circles is not only great for driving referral traffic, but is also becoming increasingly important for SEO.

 

13. Submit your link to Reddit. 

As one of the largest social bookmarking sites out there, submitting your posts to Reddit is definitely worth your while. Who knows when one of your posts will rise to the top of the approximately 70K links that are submitted each day!

14. Created a Slideshare based on a post. Expand your audience by re-organizing your blog posts and making them into Slideshare presentations.

 

15. Try social ads. Try your hand at Facebook ads, promoted posts, or sponsored tweets. This can not only drive traffic to your blog, but can increase your social media following.

 

16. Have obvious social share buttons. How hard is it for your blog readers to share your content with their friends? Make sure your social share buttons are in a prominent location, and that you’re including all the major players: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and LinkedIn (at the least).

 

17. Create a top 10 list with badges. This is an easy one that often yields great results. Write a post that lists a ‘top ten’ in your niche: it could be top ten bloggers, top ten businesses, etc. Have a simple badge or seal designed and award them to the winners (who often post the badge on their blog with a link back to your post).

 

18. Buy cheap banner ads on niche sites. Oftentimes taking out a banner ad on a niche site will result in more relevant targeting and a greater ROI than buying expensive ads on larger, more generic sites.

 

19. Target the long tail. When optimizing your blog posts for the search engines, be sure to pepper your content with longer, more specific phrases that people may be searching for. With Google’s move towards more natural-language search, blogs that rank well for long tail search queries will be miles ahead of the competition.

 

20. Hold a contest. Hosting a contest on your blog is always a great way to not only generate some buzz, but to drive traffic to your site. Promote the contest to your email list, social media followers, and be sure to submit your contest to contest directories.

 

21. Become a contributor at a popular website. If you’re already quite well known in your niche, apply to become a regular contributor to a well-known news or business magazine. This can be a great way to establish your reputation as a thought leader as well as to drive traffic to your blog.

 

22. Recycle old blog posts. Don’t be afraid to re-promote older blog posts from time to time. Many of your subscribers or followers won’t remember your older content, or if they do, will appreciate the reminder.

 

23. Mention an influential person in a post. If it’s relevant to a post you’re writing, include a reference to an influential person in your niche. Then be sure to @ mention them in a tweet or tag them in a Facebook post. Who knows: they may just share it with their followers too.

 

24. Create and submit regular press releases. When you write a newsworthy blog post, or have something ‘newsy’ happening in your business, write a press release that links back to your blog.

 

25. Put your blog url on all your marketing materials. Don’t forget about offline marketing! Make sure to include your blog url on all your marketing materials, both offline and online: your brochures, product pamphlets, business card, banners, etc.

I’d encourage you to set aside a few minutes each time you write a blog post to implement at least a couple of the strategies above. You’ll be amazed to see what you accomplish in a short amount of time when you’re intentional about promoting your blog!

Is Advertising on the Internet Social Media Marketing?

No. Social media is two way, engaged conversation. Advertising is typically ONE way, on the internet they would be such things as Pop-Up ads or Social Media campaigns. So, why not just use them? You can target your audience and get it in front of millions of potential customers. Well, consumers are savvy and very blind to ads, at this point, because of 1) General lack of interest 2) Poor timing vs search engine optimization and 3) Lack of trust – number three because of questionable content accessed once.

So, if your goal is to create or edit an existing presence, what now? Social Media Management can streamline your strategy. For instance, the main goal of your internet presence should be to convince visitors to become customers, engage with your business, or recommend your organization. As marketing specialists, we “listen” to your fans, to your competitor’s fans, to the replies and comments, and watch what makes them TICK. And by tick, we mean SHARE, and Re-Tweet, and create a buzz about you. Sure, you’ll want to keep fans in the loop about news, events, gather insight into customer needs and desires, or inform prospects about an upcoming sale or offer and obviously, you won’t stay in business long if your goal isn’t to SELL, but Social Media Marketing isn’t for selling, it is for warming up the prospect, creating community, and building trust. Those are our goals for your internet strategy. Give us a chance to show you how all that works for you and your bottom line, at Social Media Simplifier

Can Social Media REALLY Make a Difference to your Business?

Contrary to popular assumption, the economic downturn is actually good for the internet… and your business. More people are shopping online to find better deals and looking to thier “friends” to show them the way. More merchants are moving their advertising dollars from offline media to online venues.

Just imagine….

Gym One has a great website, beautiful facility, some great aerobic teachers, and some really great Zumba dance classes. They have a Facebook fan page, and even a Youtube Channel, but nothing is updated with current schedules and they’re not actively doing social media.

Then there’s you…

Gym Two (YOU!) also has a great website, with links to your Facebook fan page, Twitter, flickr, and Youtube accounts. You have a really great welcome/video commercial on your website’s home page. Plus, you have a blog where you offer great tips, and post helpful articles for kids, parents, families, etc. You update your Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube accounts on a regular basis, and as a result, you seem relevant, knowledgeable, and approachable.  Any opportunity that you have to highlight your level of knowledge and expertise, will help you to distinguish your gym from your competitors. You have to get people in the door to see that you have a great facility – and social media sharing is really one of the best ways to do that.

 

Your Facebook Fan Page is YOU, YOUR business…but be smart

Track your efforts. Measurement is key;; you need to see where traffic is going, coming from, and where they leave your main website. Use Google Analytics on your main website.

As the marketer, automation feels canned – it isn’t, in fact, it can actually help your social media if you are a busy person who pre-plans their updates, tweets and schedules them for when they are too busy to tweet or update Facebook. This way, even if you are busy, you are still regularly keeping your followers up to date.

Create a schedule/pattern for posts –  being organized helps you and your following. Your readers and fans will get used to your rhythm and have expectations about when you blog, have specials, have contests, etc.

Search Engine Optimization is temporary and needs updating – you may have already paid for SEO, but just because you paid and optimized your website a couple of years ago, search engine optimization needs to be updated.

Have fun, be you – social networking is allowing your customer to get to know the real you, and the human side of your business. It isn’t advertising, like advertising used to be. Have fun, inform, entertain, build relationships, and listen when they respond.

What is your content strategy in your Social Media Marketing plan?

With ever-changing platforms and technology, Social Media Marketing seems endless. So let’s compartmentalize and focus on how to create content, today.

 

• Organize by Brand or Service and then by Team or Department. In other words, if you have more than one brand or product, they each need different activities and each team should understand their role (i.e. responding to customer care inquiries or posting corporate news, etc.). Run multiple engagement channels, for each, with a variety of ways to engage with you.
•  Images! Images! Videos and images are shared more than any other form of content and that is what the entire Timeline, of Facebook, is about, so capitalize on this fact.
•  Certainly plan content, in advance, through brainstorming sessions; it allows a loosely woven plan. You need to be nimble, to allow for real-time engagement and viral activities, unplanned or planned. Have a list of the following, handy: appropriate responses that are consistent and repeatable, tips and tricks, approved images and videos, and helpful resources.
•  Mix campaign types–the posts that get the most comments, for instance, may not be the most shared. You will learn, eventually, what kind of content initializes engagement and … then it changes, again. You will constantly need to watch and listen to your audience, to brainstorm and create new content.
•  Use all Social Media channels to disseminate all pertinent company information (i.e. advertise new positions, software updates, white papers, Public Relations photos, promotions). Tie content to larger business goals. If you are pushing a big initiative for customer service, tout that.
•  Use Calls to Action to seize opportunities by asking people to Like, Share, or Comment (i.e. “Share our Page”, “Vote by Liking the photo below”, “Choose your favorite fragrance, below”, “Enter our Contest by visiting our Webpage”). Asking or telling your audience what to do, works.

EXAMPLE: Using a blog about how your product addresses an industry need and a press release for the new launch. Send an email to customer base with highlights and a link to your website for purchasing, at pre-release pricing. Create a video about the product on your YouTube channel. Add a product insert to your to current customer’s bills. Link back to the video, press release and blog, in all Social Media sites.

Plan AND be Nimble. Brand you and become your brand.

Social Media Marketing – content tied to objective

What is content? What is successful content? Why should it be linked to your marketing strategy? It is my opinion that your business has to have a niche market – a specific audience. Your business is created for them, your content, in the Social Media world, is created for them, to sell more to them, or to help them become more and more loyal to you. So, the first step to creating successful content is to have business objectives – very clear, measurable objectives. Once those are created, content is more easily created because you understand your niche market, what attracted them to your niche market, and you immediately begin to attract more of this type of client in droves.

So back to the question: What is successful content? Once you understand what your customer wants from you, specifically, content is easier to create. Content creation becomes fun. You know what your customer is looking for, from you, and you will be able to work fewer hours and starting “playing” at content creation. Bottom line, failing to create the niche market and understanding your business objectives to attract that niche market may have a staggering cost to your business. And you will miss the chance to differentiate yourself from your competition. Right from the beginning. So… get your pen out. What ARE your objectives?

Why is Consistance so important in Social Media?

Social Media is about attention to the details. It is also constant contact, great content, and interactive 2-way conversations with your clients. But … consistency is the key. I have many, many clients that have great Fan bases. Some of them have these fan bases because one of their clients loved them and “checked in” to a place, even without a Fan Page. Customers start commenting and complimenting. Because it isn’t monitored nor has an administrator, the conversation dies. Even with the creation of the Fan page, the content, and watching the conversation, if the consistency stops, so do the conversations and shares. Without the watchful eye of detail over the conversations and the constant reaching out and reaching towards conversation, the conversation dies. It is hard to let go of the reins, but, giving this piece of your business away is a good thing and as the business owner, you have enough hats to wear. You need someone else paying attention to the details, listening, and enjoying your customers so that you can enjoy their purchasing your product, when they are ready to buy.

 

“To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.”

~Giorgio Armani

What does Crowdsourcing have to do with Social Media?

What you, as a business, are hoping is that crowds of engaged people will provide feedback and produce content for you, on the appropriate Social Media platform. It (Crowdsourcing) enlists your customers, followers and fans to help you improve, market, and provide customer service to your customers, publicly.

Crowdsourcing can be a poll, on a Fan Page, daily, offering a deal and engaging followers. For instance,  Carolina Panthers DeAngelo Williams, running back, asked fans to submit videos of a touchdown celebration dance. 192 submissions, 242 likes, and 37 shares later – Crowdsourcing! Threadless, a graphic Tee Shirt retailer, created a Crowdsourcing contest that asked artists and graphic designers around the world for submission of designs. The prize was $2,000 and that design would be printed and sold.  Designers told designers, designers told their friends, friends scored, friends told their friends, etc, etc. Threadless has, now, over two million followers.

Using a Social Media Marketer can allow you to run your business while they watch for negatives, reply, tally responses, and send you reports. And what should the new buzzword “Crowdsourcing” mean to your Social Media Plan? Well, the bottom line is that the benefits of Crowdsourcing are increased engagement and customer insight. The benefits of actually USING the information gleamed: new customers.

Common Email Campaign Mistakes

Drive sales through email marketing – it is cost effective and most people, today, have an email address they are willing to share. 77 percent of your consumers want to be on an opt-In list ( permission-based marketing). An email promotion sent to an opt-in list can translate to thousands of dollars in sales. Do it wrong, though, and you can alienate prospects or have all email from you blocked as spam. Here are a few simple tips:

• Don’t add people to your list, without permission. Email addresses added off of business cards or association membership isn’t opt-in marketing and they won’t be prospects, long. Emails should be on your list that have explicitly asked to be there. And once they are on your list, there should be a clearly stated “Unsubscribe” link.
• Don’t make your entire email and image. Over 67% of emails are read on a smart phone that block images, automatically. What they’ll see is a big box with a red “X” in it and an “Unsubscribe” link. Not good.
• Don’t forget the subject line or use a bad or misleading one. This will make people delete your email or open it; make sure it is a call to action.
• Don’t forget to ask subscribers to add you to their address book or your email will end up in the junk mail folder, if the email program uses a spam filter. Want to have customized whitelist instructions? Click here.

Email is one of the most cost-effective ways to communicate with customers and drive sales and if you think email doesn’t work anymore, you are wrong. Your customers are in their inbox every day – several times a day. Reach them, correctly, and you end up with more revenue.

Do you still use email campaigns?