Marketers “Secret Sauce” for Social Media in 2014

With new Google algorithms, social advertising, and big data, the online marketing game has been revolutionized. Social media continues to be a way for businesses to get their brand traction and drive conversions. Take a look at some of these “secret sauce” formulas for better social media marketing.

Social Media as a Research Tool
Use social media as your research tool. Social media is being used more and more to mine for actionable insight and highly relevant information on consumers. Individual and company blogs, tweets, and posts can be mined for data about types of products they are looking for, unhappiness with another product, etc. With more people and companies turning to social to vent their frustrations and announce their every move, there is a ton of information there on which to base business decisions.

Content is King
Content that is specific, high quality, and accessible is king. If an individual or company writes 50,000 words on a specific niche topic in the next 12 months, that person will be one of the internet’s leading experts on that topic. But it takes determination and someone has to read it. There are brilliant and complex content funnels from individuals like Neil Patel. The trick is to start simple, get momentum and then leverage it. Using tools like BuzzSumo.com writers can see what is popular about a specific topic, recreate that content for their own purposes, and then connect with people who have already shown a dedicated interest. And, if you’re looking for niche writers, there’s a new tool that’s hit the streets called ClearVoice where you can search for authoritative writers based on subject matter expertise.

Written by Allie Gray Freeland.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

How to Use Facebook Groups to Build Your Business

Are you looking for new ways to network?

Have you considered using Facebook groups to build your business?

Facebook groups offer a proven way to form lasting, productive connections that generate leads.

In this article you’ll discover how to create stronger relationships with customers by networking in Facebook groups.

#1: Join the Right Groups

With millions of active groups on Facebook, there truly is a group for every interest. If you’re looking for networking, you can track down groups within your industry to connect with your peers and prospective customers.

With so many groups to choose from, you’ll need to start with some research to find groups that fit your needs. Start by asking your colleagues and customers what groups they’re active in.

Written by Maggie Patterson.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

3 Social Media Rules Most Entrepreneurs Don’t Follow

For all the talk about the drawbacks of using social media, it’s hard to imagine a better all-in-one tool for business owners. If used correctly, social media can boost your search engine rankings, allow you to provide better customer service, build an effective online personality, connect with new business partners, foster relationships and educate consumers.

The basics of social media are simple: create great content, publish it and share it with your network. Most entrepreneurs leave it at that, but promoting content is only one part of the game.

Here are three ways to engage with customers and build your audience on any social media network.

1. Answer questions from customers and clients.

Twitter and Facebook have become customer service platforms. At first, it can feel intimidating to answer a question publicly; you may feel you should be as eloquent as you are informative.

Written by Jacqueline Whitmore.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

Blog Local SEO Tips: How To Increase The Local Influence of Your Website

Because more people than ever are now searching for local businesses using both standard and mobile devices, local SEO has become essential for any business that serves a specific geographic region. While it’s something that simply can’t be overlooked, it has actually become more complicated in recent years.

The main reason is because Google wants to ensure that they provide the best experience to searchers who are expecting local results. This goal has caused them to put measures in place that discourage businesses without an actual local presence from gaming the system.

Although executing the right local SEO strategy can be a challenge, the good news is Google does want to display real businesses in its local results. So if you have any kind of retail presence in your area, you should be able to get the visibility you want by following a handful of straightforward steps, as well as knowing certain pitfalls to avoid:

How to Get Started with Local SEO

The first thing you’ll want to do is create a Google+ Local page. When it comes to filling out this page, the more information you can provide, the better. That includes adding plenty of pictures to your page so people can see what your business looks like and exactly what it has to offer.

Posted on webstrategyplus.com.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

How to Harness the Power of LinkedIn – INFOGRAPHIC

A presentation on the topic of how to cook a chocolate tart is  going to “bomb”at a cheese maker’s  convention.

It will be the wrong audience for an interesting topic, but the cheesemakers didn’t pay $1,200 for a conference ticket to hear information about “Tarts”!

A paying participant at a car dealer expo will want to hear about horsepower and handbrakes and will either leave the hall or fall asleep if the speakers start talking about knitting and slipper making.

The art of successful communicating and engagement  involves selecting the right audience and providing them with information and content that resonates with their needs and wants.

Not all Social Networks are Equal.

When it comes down to sheer popularity Facebook is the social network that wins.

Facebook is also about “Identity” whether that is a personal profile or a “business brand” persona.

Twitter is about “Events” which could be the next plane crashing into the Hudson river or letting your audience know that your latest blog post is published…that is an event!

Google plus is “Core”  and is woven into the science of search as Google embeds it into every one of its web properties from Picasa to YouTube.

It cannot and should not be ignored by marketers as  social signals are now being measured and monitored by Google machines and is being woven into the DNA of search. Optimizing your online assets (blog and website)  for search engines is vital.

Different social networks will be need to be included in your social media marketing strategy depending on your goals, audience and tactics.

Written by Jeff Bullas.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

3 Small Businesses That Found Social Media Success

As a small business, you’re always looking for a way to make your brand stand out among the competition. It’s important to find inspiration for something unique that fits your brand, but it also helps to learn from the success of others.  For example, how have other small businesses used social media to grow and improve their business?  

To answer that question and give you some inspiration, I’ve gathered 3 small businesses who have found success in social customer service, building a brand with social media, and social media engagement.

Here are 3 small business social media success stories

Herschel Supply Co used social media to improve customer service

Founded in 2009 in Vancouver, Canada, Herschel Supply Co. manufactures the finest quality backpacks, bags, travel goods and accessories. As an innovative, design-driven retail business dedicated to producing modern classics, Herschel Supply attracts a fashion inspired, tech savvy following around the globe.

Written by Kristina Cisnero.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

The ‘Giant Selfie’ and 6 Other Digital Marketing Trends to Watch

When Shama Hyder published her book The Zen of Social Media Marketing in 2010, she got an email from a potential customer. “Is it available on the iPad?” he asked. “You mean that device that came out yesterday?” she replied. “Yes,” he said.

Customers keep raising the bar on what they expect from businesses, said Hyder, founder and CEO of the The Marketing Zen Group, to the crowd during a breakout session at Inc.’s 2014 Growth conference in Nashville. And businesses have to work even harder to meet those expectations.

In the talk, titled “Digital Foresight: 7 Pivotal Trends Every Leader Must Know,” Hyder shared her advice for companies navigating the ever-changing world of digital marketing. Here are the trends she says you need to follow:

Written by Bobbie Gossage.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

Why Search, Social Media and Content are Vital for Your Company’s Success

Search engines like Google are like racing car mechanics, constantly under the hood tweaking their complex code engines to maintain their relevancy on a web that has moved from stiff, static and slow to dynamic, social and real time.

It is said that Google makes up to 500 changes every year to its search algorithms to ensure that it delivers fast smart search results that keep people typing “Google.com” into their web browsers and continue to pay for its paid search advertising.

Companies with websites that didn’t change in years are slowly realizing that they need to have an active presence on the web by creating and publishing content that attracts customers, begs to be shared and Google will find.  These changes to an increasingly dynamic web is leading to the rise of digital agencies that can partner and guide customers through this maze of choices, change and confusion.

In this video interview I chat to Andy Jamieson about his company “Switched On Media” which has won several awards recently including ranking 9th in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 and 3rd in Smart Company Fast 50 for 2010.

He talks about the “Three P’s” behind their company’s success that he and his partner Scott Ennis started only 5 years ago.

Written by Jeff Bullas.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

How to Create a Google+ Community

Google+ Communities, similar in structure to LinkedIn Groups and Facebook Groups, have been around for a while now. Communities have popped up for all kinds of interesting topics, from Science to different music genres and sports, to specific tech areas and social networks. Whatever your interests might be, you can probably find a community you can join and meet other people with shared interests (and here’s a growing list of the Best Google+ Communities if you’re interested).

But what if you can’t find that community you’re looking for? Or, what if there are a few communities related to your interest topic, but you want to start a new one, for whatever reason? Here’s how you can do that step-by-step, as well as how to promote your community, plus 6 community suggestions and 6 community uses!

If You Build It

First, give some thought to why you’re going to build a community. There are some ideas and uses listed below, but the most common example is a community devoted to a specific topic of interest. It represents a place people can join to read and participate in discussions that interest them.

Once you know why you’re building the community, come up with a name. Give this careful consideration as it needs to aptly describe your community. Most people will only see the name of the community in the Google+ Community list and will decide if they’re interested in looking further based solely on the name.

Written by Mike Alton.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.

Networking on social media – Twitter Hours

At Harrison Mann we set up a number of Twitter Hours as we love social media and the plethora of opportunities it brings to businesses. As a digital agency in Bradford we set up BradfordHour, LeedsHour, YorkHour, HullHour and SheffieldHour so businesses could interact, network and come together in an online environment.

More and more businesses are realising the power of social media, and are exploiting its potential to reach out and engage with their customers and followers.

Twitter, a microblogging site, has revolutionised the way we communicate. In recent months, there has been a spate of ‘Twitter Hours’ being launched by businesses and organisations for marketing, PR or customer service purposes.

Our Twitter hours have increased to more than 11,500 followers in only a few months. And each week we have seen user engagement go through the roof.  Our Bradford Hour has been featured in the Telegraph & Argus and Hull Hour was discussed on the BBC and Hull Daily Mail – the coverage attained is evident of their importance in today’s digital world.

Written by Richard Barker.  To read the full article, click here.  For more information on creating your own online brand, website and social media strategy, please visit our website at www.mydigibrand.com and follow us everywhere @mydigitalbrand.