Ideas for Business

Editor’s Note: This guest post coverage of a recent Marketingsherpa webinar comes from TopRank’s SEO Designer Thomas McMahon and Account Coordinator Kristen Hebert

Are companies engaging in social media? Are they monitoring their brand? What’s a social media press release? These were a few of the topics covered in MarketingSherpa’s recent “Engaging Bloggers, Journalists and Customers” webinar featuring Todd Defren from SHIFT Communications and MarketingSherpa’s Sergio Balegno discussing new ways journalists are using social media.

MarketingSherpa surveyed 1800 people from both small and large, B2B and B2C companies. In their findings, three out of four companies surveyed feel that social media is changing the way companies communicate. Details of this research can be found in the new Social Media Marketing and PR: Benchmarks and Best Practices report.

The most social media tactics being used include press releases, social network profiles, blogging and interacting with forums.

In their research, MarketingSherpa found that the most effective tactics were blogs, forums, press releases and company blogs. The most effective tactic implemented is engaging in user review sites. While commenting on user review sites was the most effective tactic in terms of cost and time, it is the tactic least implemented. Companies do not seem to be matching up their tactics with what is effective.

Commentary and reputation management is a hot topic that goes hand-in-hand with social media. When companies were asked if they monitor or respond for negative feedback, 25 percent of companies polled said they don’t monitor social media commentary at all. 31 percent monitor, but don’t respond.

While larger companies are more likely to monitor brand reputation, smaller companies admit that they should also be responding to negative commentary. Google Alerts is a simple way to monitor your brand commentary. With this free service, alerts are sent to you via email when your name or brand is being written about.

So what are the barriers? Why aren’t companies engaging more with social media or tackling criticism? Most said that it was because of a lack of knowledgeable staff. Other reasons included inability to measure ROI, lack of budget funding, management resistance, technical obstacles or they just didn’t feel social media was relevant for their company.

The second part of the webinar covered the social media press release.

Did you know that the first press release went out in 1906 by Ivy Lee, a 102 years ago! The basic press release hasn’t changed too much since then. However, with the changing face of communication, the basic press release needed a boost. That’s where the social media press release came in.

Nearly 50% of B2B and B2C companies surveyed by Marketingsherpa didn’t know what a social media press release was. Out of those who did know about the social media release, only 20 percent actually distribute them.

In this new era of social media marketing and PR, saying things like “we are a leader in”, “we are very excited to announce” and slapping a boilerplate on the bottom of your release doesn’t cut it. People want pictures, videos, links to additional external resources, and all around, more information. 

The originator of the social media press release, Todd Defren, encourages these five principles:.

1. Democratize Access
2. Ensure Accuracy
3. Embrace Context
4. Build Community
5. Be Findable

If you’re a beginner trying to encourage social media marketing and PR within your organization, social media news releases can be a useful tactic to deploy because showing a return on investment is as easy as consulting your analytics report.

An added bonus of including a social media release component to your news distribution is the ability for readers to comment at the source. This will allow an upper hand with brand monitoring and tracking because readers can share their opinion ofyour news, with you watching of course.

No matter how you look at it, the internet is evolving into a social community where people connecting, sharing, publishing and collaborating. Customers are talking about companies, complaining about products, making recommendations and looking for advice. If a company is not engaging with their audience and monitoring what’s being said about them, then they are out of touch with their customers.

Start engaging with your customers and kick start your social media marketing and PR efforts with a social media roadmap.  For even more sage advice on social media marketing, check out ‘Get Social Media Smart with 26  Tips on the Social Web‘ and read what other internet marketing practitioners are recommending.

Speaking of social media and public relations, check out this upcoming conference in New York April 30 - May 1 from the PRSA “Digital Impact“.

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Post tags: digital pr, marketingsherpa, social media training, social-media-marketing, social-media-news-release, social-media-pr

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You always want to show yourself in your best light–online or in person. So why limit yourself on LinkedIn? Did you know that how you present yourself can make a big difference? This is important whether you own a a small business, work for a large corporation, or own a company. LinkedIn is about connectivity, so make sure people have something to connect to.

An important hint to making the most connections on LinkedIn is to take the time to fill out your whole profile–much like a resume–be sure to include past companies, education, affiliations and activities. Most people who sign up for LinkedIn only list the their current employer, or company they own. This limits your contacts. You want lots of ways for people to identify with you–from your recent award, to where you went to college–to your love of kayaking.

Another smart thing to do is to include a link to your profile as a part of your email signature. Make it easy for people to check you out. That way, you don’t have to brag–just “point.” Walt Whitman said, “it ain’t braggin’ if you really did it.” But there’s no need to toot your horn when you can simply link to see your credentials and get to know more about you.

Another benefit of LinkedIn is that it makes your profile information available to search engines. In fact, LinkedIn ranks high on PageRank. So when someone Googles your name, your LinkedIn page will come in high. That’s impressive. Be sure to click on “full view,” and not private setting. And all you had to do is fill out your profile and start connecting with co-workers and business associates. Make sure you customize your public profile’s URL as your real name (or whatever name you use for business) so that it doesn’t use the default. Take it one step further and use your LinkedIn profile link when you comment on blogs or other internet activity. This will strengthen your rank as well.

LinkedIn is all about connections, but it’s up to you to make the most of it.

You’ve probably heard some statistics about who’s on LinkedIn. The “average” LinkedIn subscriber is a 41 year old male, with a median household income of $109,703. And while statistics might be skewed, it does tell me a few important things. People who sign up are using LinkedIn for business and networking purposes. So it sounds like LinkedIn is a great business party that’s online and a perfect place for small businesses to connect with other professionals.

LinkedIn has even more relevance in today’s economic light. Male or female, everyone is scrambling to either keep their job or find a new one. Networking is more crucial than ever. Small businesses need these connections to diversify, make stronger ties, and locate new marketing opportunities.

LinkedIn has many uses, and when handled correctly it’s quite appropriate to make business contacts through this social media network. And you should–there are over 8 million professionals on LinkedIn, and they represent over 130 industries. Nowhere else do you have this kind of chance to work your way up or over the ladder of success. You can ask for an introduction, form a partnership, or find out about an employment opportunity–all while increasing your online presence.

You have to do more than sign up for a LinkedIn account and then set up a profile. You have to learn how to “work” it. Increasing your visibility is crucial to making LinkedIn work for you. Type in every business associate name you know. Go down your rolodex, get out all those business cards you never use–and start typing in names and asking for a connection.

But I already know these people! Yes, I’ll give you that, Do you know who they know? Bingo.
That’s where the connectivity really starts. You can “name drop” on LinkedIn. “I’m a business associate of Joe Bob, will you join my LinkedIn network?” That’s how easy it is. Not only will you connect with Joe Bob, you’ll also be privy to all of his friends and networking associates. Hundreds of names for you to peruse–many of those people will agree to connect with you because of their association with Joe Bob. It’s well known that people in the business world like to have a reference for a future employee, or business partner. LinkedIn, when handled appropriately can will have something in common with you.

So to continue with our party analogy, don’t just agree to show up at the LinkedIn social networking party–and don’t just grab a drink and stand in one corner–get out there and mingle.

I had the great pleasure of instructing the Digital Marketing Institute course this past Thursday, and I have to admit I had a great time delivering the Website Architecture session twice on the day. I was worried that I’d run out of steam - delivering the same presentation over concerned me. It turned out very well (I thought anyhow), and being honest what made it really cool was the calibre of the attendees.

Big Thank You to All Attendees

I just want to say thanks to all the attendees who made both sessions so interesting and varied - we had questions, discussions and bant all mixed in. It’s obvious to me that there are a lot of hungry marketers out there looking to deliver the best online user experience possible, while growing their organisations’ web-based revenues. There’s absolutely no better time to do so than now, as there is no other platform delivering the ROI of web.

Really well done to you all. You made my day incredibly interesting, and I hope you all took something positive from our discussions over the two 3 hour sessions. I know I did. So thanks you all for that.

Thanks also, and well done, to Stephen and Anthony for making it all happen.

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As Simon Cowell tells the contestants on American Idol, “You want to be rememberable.” People summize what they know about you, think about your small business that quick. Sometimes their impressions are spot on. Sometimes it’s a bit off.

Having a personlity online makes people remember you and your website or log. Your business cards, your website, your blog, your e-newsletters, your direct mailings say something about you–and not necessarily in words. People get a feel about a company in an instant. Can you close your eyes and “see” your website? What’s the dominent color? Is there a icon, or logo? Do you see the font clearly in your head? You should be able to. Think of a couple of other sites. Are they jumbled and non-descript–or can you see one thing clearly?
That’s personality in a nutshell.

Does your marketing plan have a personality? It needs to.
I recently visited a site that had done everything right–almost.

Perhaps here’s what their checklist looked like:
Header with title and keywords placed through the text
White background for easy reading
Photograph so that viewers can identify with a real person
Email subscriber box
Follow me on Twitter
StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, and Digg
A list of quotes
Daily blog
Place for readers to join in a comment
Reader Stat Counter
Appropriate Links
The “Best of” archives

I could go down their check list–check, check, check. Yes, the marketing plan was well laid out. I loved the content but…it felt like someone had created this site for the them. It lacked personality. When I closed my eyes I saw too much. It was packed, but nothing stood out.

Web development is just that–development. It takes time to find who you are. It takes time to project the right tone in both words and iimages. Some things you’ll just know–a color or graphic–where other elements evolve.

It’s tempting when you first start a business to spend lots of money on marketing–everything from stationary to storefronts. But pace yourself. You may find that in your enthusiasm to get the ball rolling that you made a few hasty decisions.

That’s where a graphic designer and website builders can lend their expertise. You can brainstorm with them, say what you think you’re after, and then work through the process to get where you want to be. They’ll be able to turn your ideas into personality. Consider visiting WebsiteTips.com or GraphicPush.com, and remember that finding and showcasing who you really are and making sure that your “rememberable” is worth the fortitude it takes to get there.