It might feel like there are far too many social media platforms in the virtual world. Here's a list of the top websites and why they might benefit you.
Facebook is approaching 1 billion users (although that number was recently challenged due to the number of fake and/or inactive profiles). Those with a Facebook profile generally leave their browser open for many hours a day, but most are there to connect with friends and socialize. With so many users, this platform can be helpful in both B2B and B2C marketing. Make sure you understand the difference between profiles, fan pages and groups.
Twitter receives approximately 144 million unique visitors each month. Reportedly, Twitter users are multi-taskers who are easily distracted. This platform is more open, which can be overwhelming but useful when searching keywords. Hashtags can help you be part of a larger conversation about topics.
GOOGLE+
Google+ will reportedly have 400 million users by the end of 2012. Sixty percent of their users are web developers or software engineers. Seventy-five to 85% are men, and the most popular age range is 25-34. Google+ is definitely rising in the ranks and may certainly take over the top spot someday if Facebook continues to frustrate users with format changes.
LinkedIn has over 100 million users, the majority of which are there for professional reasons. Over one million are high-ranking executives with decision making authority. LinkedIn is best used for B2B marketing.
Reddit receives millions of visitors. It is a social site that allows users to submit links, and then allows other users to vote those submissions "up" or "down," so that popular posts are more easily found. The site can be useful to help create viral ad campaigns and cause awareness.
STUMBLEUPON
StumbleUpon calls itself a "discovery engine" that finds web content for its users. It recently surpassed Facebook as the highest traffic referrer of any website. To catch the StumbleUpon user's attention, use flashy photos and catchy headlines.
YOUTUBE
YouTube reportedly has a brand value of $18.099 billion. As the internet replaces the yellow pages, television and radio in the advertising department, YouTube can provide you with a format for releasing visual content.
Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. It relies heavily upon photos and videos, which are the most popular posts for business fan pages on Facebook. Women between the ages of 25 and 44 make up 59% of its membership.
TUMBLR
Tumblr is a very simple blog site and, like Pinterest, is photo/image-based (well over half of the content uploaded are images). Tumblr offers seven options for posting content: Text, Photo, Quote, Link, Chat, Audio, Video. Users can then "like" your post or "re-blog" it. Tumblr had over 15 billion page views in January 2012.
The top two social networking sites remain Facebook and Twitter. However, there are many other sites out there. Ask your customers where they spend their time and consider spending some time there yourself. Which sites do you use to promote your business?
What Is SEO And How Do You Get It?
Search Engine Optimization. SEO. You may have heard those "buzz letters," but what do they mean? SEO "is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural," or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic"), search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users." (Via Wikipedia.)
Basically, SEO is what helps people find you faster. How do you raise your SEO and help your customers find you in a sea of competitors? Some of it is simple -- things you may already doing:
- Add a blog to your website
- Add Google Analytics to every page of your website
- Don't use excessive code
- Make every single page unique
- Use meta tags
- Don't use repetitive wording
- Include footer links on every page
- Create separate pages for each keyword
- Use keyword rich title tags on each page of your website.
However, recently it was revealed that Google's new algorithms also include social media in the SEO-raising criteria. Updates can also determine when websites are trying to trick the algorithms into raising their ranking. Therefore, you not only need a great website, you need to be a social media conversationalist.
What else should you be doing to stay relevant in the online world? We hate to sound like a broken record, but...
Maintain your Facebook page: Post interesting content (photos, links, etc.) and respond to questions or comments. It is truly important to have a conversation on Facebook.
Share tweets about your industry, not just your brand. And share interesting links and information so that others will be compelled to re-tweet and respond to your posts.
Upload videos to YouTube (which is owned by Google). Include a link to your website somewhere in the description. An interesting video can go viral and give your brand a boost. The goal is to create content that others want to share.
If you are on Pinterest, pin or re-pin interesting visuals. Don't just pin photos with links back to your website.
On LinkedIn, you should join groups and participate in conversations: answer questions and post your company updates. Although it doesn't necessarily raise your SEO, it contributes to brand recognition.
Since Google obviously owns Google+, it is certainly a place that you may want to consider spending time if you are looking to raise SEO. It may not weigh heavily now, but as Google+ gains momentum, it may matter more in the future for those trying to raise awareness of their brand online.
As you work to build your brand, your ranking in any search engine should organically rise as well. Which sites are you using to build your brand and optimize your search engine ranking?
Is Social Media Included In Your Marketing Plan?
According to a survey by Forrester.com, even though 92% of those polled agree that social media has "fundamentally changed how consumers engage with brands," only 49% of marketers have "fully integrated" social media into their marketing strategy. Have you included social media in your marketing plan?
Here are four tips for successfully including social media in your marketing plan:
Choose Your Platform Wisely
There are so many social media sites. Choose yours wisely. We have discussed various popular sites in many of our blog posts and recently touched upon some smaller sites HERE. The big sites for many businesses are Facebook and Twitter. Other possible sites are YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr or Google+ (among others), depending upon your customer base. Don't waste time on all of these sites, however. Choose one at a time and test the waters slowly.
Utilize E-mail Newsletters
It is essential to include links to your website, Facebook fan page, Twitter profile and other social media pages in your newsletter. You can also highlight upcoming specials and events. Newsletters are great because e-mails can be saved and read when your customer has a few minutes. Often posts on social media sites can get lost in a busy news feed, so reiterating certain posts in a newsletter is important.
If you missed our previous post on e-mail newsletters, you can read it HERE.
Create Events on Facebook
Do you have an open house or other special event coming up? Create an event on Facebook! It is a fast, easy and FREE way to invite your fans to your store (make sure you include the Facebook event link in your newsletter). You can store photos, websites, or other information important for the event all in one location. You can also encourage fans to invite their friends (perhaps you can offer a discount or special for those guests who arrive first).
Read our previous post about fundraising events using social media sites HERE.
Content is Key
Whether we are talking about your website, your social media profiles or your newsletter, content is key. If you are not posting interesting and engaging information, your customers are not going to read your posts. Remember to engage your customer in a conversation rather than selling to them. Your content should add value for your audience, and should not overtly sell anything, which makes people want to share it with their network as well. You can read our previous post about the disconnect between brands and consumers HERE.
Keep in mind that building your brand using social media is a process. Have you officially implemented social media into your marketing plan? Tell us about it here!
Social Media in the News
1) Facebook has purchased photo-sharing software company, Instagram, for 1 beeelion dollars. In his official announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg says, “For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we'll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.” Link to Story.
2) On Saturday, Quebec juice maker Lassonde was forced to settle a lawsuit after intense online backlash. After the details of the Lassonde’s 7-year trademark battle with a tiny beauty company over the use of the name “Oasis” went viral, a social media uprising gave the “juice giant” a big reality check. Link to Story.
3) Google has beaten out Apple, Facebook, and Twitter for the title of Most Popular Tech Brand. According to the poll, conducted by Langer Research Associates, a whopping 82 percent of Americans hold a favorable opinion of Google overall, while 53 percent hold a "strongly" favorable opinion of the expansive Internet company. In regards to favorability, Apple still came in a close second. Link to Story.
4) A New Study has pegged Pinterest as the #3 Social Media Website
Experian Hitwise has collated website visitors for the last month, and ranks Pinterest as the number 3 social media website, behind Facebook and Twitter, and just ahead of LinkedIn. Here are the top 6:
1. Facebook: 7 billion
2. Twitter: 182 million
3. Pinterest: 104 million
4. LinkedIn: 86 million
5. Tagged: 72 million
6. Google+: 61 million
Link to Story.
Who is Using Social Media?
MBA Online recently released a report and infographic about who is using the largest social media sites.
They found that 66% of adults are connected to at least one social media site. College students, or those who have completed at least some college, represent the majority on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Digg and Reddit. Among Facebook users, 57% have completed some college, and 24% have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Some might be surprised to learn that people 45 and older make up 46% of Facebook users.
About 57% of Facebook and 59% of Twitter users are women. Eighty-two percent of Pinterest users are women, who pin crafts, gift ideas, hobbies, interior design and fashion. Google+ reports that 71% of their users are men and about half of Google+ users are 24 or younger. LinkedIn reports an even ratio of men and women — 49% over age 45 — who use the site to connect with other business professionals.
Check out the infographic below for other statistics. The more you understand where your potential customers log in, the sooner you can pinpoint where you too should spend your time.
What's Pinterest?
In case you didn't have enough on your plate, here comes another social
media site demanding your attention. Meet Pinterest.
Pinterest, an invite-only website, calls itself a virtual pinboard. The
average person might use Pinterest to help plan their wedding or gather
information about an upcoming trip. It relies heavily upon photos and
videos, which are the most popular posts for business fan pages on
Facebook.
Pinterest does not (yet) allow business or brand pages, however, the
external links that are pinned to each user's page help connect users
with similar interests and may help drive business to your website. By
setting up a personal account, you can "pin" photos and links to your
business' website. If other users follow suit and "re-pin" (re-post)
those links, it potentially allows your brand to be spread throughout
Pinterest. Like other social media sites, Pinterest just gives you
another opportunity to gain exposure for your brand and interact with
your customers.
You must understand your intended audience before you decide to request
an invitation to Pinterest. The site is especially popular with women
between the ages of 25 and 44,
which comprise 59% of its readership. It caters to those searching for
recipes, room décor, and do-it-yourself crafts. Pinterest's mission
statement is: "Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the
'things' they
find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can
reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added
every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on
shared tastes and interests."
You should also be courteous if you are using Pinterest. Like with many
social media sites, the point is to connect with your potential
customers, not "shout" hard sales at them. Pinterest, in fact, warns:
"Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a
photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use
Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion."
So, for the right business, using Pinterest may be a new and interesting
way to share content. If you aren't sure, start by asking your
customers where they are spending their on-line social time. Then you
will know where you should spend your time too.
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