Marketing Strategy

Packed Crowds at Week of Digital Marketing Training: SES San Franciso 2011

Written August 16th, 2011 by

Li Evans and myself, Kim Krause Berg, are here in San Francisco for a week of intensive conferencing, networking and training in the search marketing industries. There are some interesting new things to note.

Firstly, not only is the Moscone Convention Center and the San Francisco Marriott hosting Search Engine Strategies this week, but other companies are offering training as well. Running alongside SES are the OMS Social Medea Marketing Summit, MMA, the EEC, the IAB and more, such as Bruce Clay’s Training workshop on Friday.

A group of SES Francisco 2011 attendees shares a Mexican meal Monday evening.

This Clickz Connected Marketing Week allows attendees of all the various training and conferences to mingle with each other. So for example, last night’s meet and greet at the Thirsty Bear drew a packed crowd of attendees with a wide variety of interests, careers and skills. This unique blending allowed for a nice depth of networking opportunities and permitted marketers to meet people in related fields.

Instead of conference handouts, booklets, printed schedules, and the usual, everything is put into a small 3 x 5 pamphlet that is attached to where the conference passes are typically worn. On the back of each one are QR Codes. The lanyards are sponsored by SEOMoz. While I need my reading glasses to read the tiny print, that’s worth the effort to save trees. The pamphlet is light, always handy (around our neck) and includes exhibitors, maps, speaking schedules, rooms, and in the back are the free lunch tickets.

For those who want a more robust amount of information, SES offers a free app to download in the iTunes app store, as well as Android and Blackberry. I downloaded it to my Android. It loaded quickly. The app gives you a “My schedule”, photos gallery, events, exhibitors, news, speakers, Twitter access and more. All from your Smartphone. Very fitting for a digital oriented crowd.

This year’s Connected Marketing Week gathers folks from the digital marketing industries and related fields (like mine, usability.) They expect 8000 attendees. The weather is in the low 70′s. And it’s San Francisco, with its trolleys and famous places to see. Flying in from the East coast I got to see the mountains along the way with especially gorgeous views over Colorado.

Will be working and blogging this week for Libeck Integrated Marketing, Cre8pc.com and Cre8asiteforums.

Foursquare and Your Small Business – A Quick View on Advertising your Brand

Written August 15th, 2011 by

So far we have talked about the basics of Foursquare use and the new features for businesses. What I would like to go into today is your Business Page on Foursquare.

For over a year businesses would fill out an application, supply graphics and then wait for Foursquare to approve their application. Once the application was approved, Foursquare would create the page rather than the business.
This process could take weeks and even months of back and forth communication before completion. With varying results in the last year they have helped over 3000 businesses by building pages for them on Foursquare. Originally this feature was first only offered to companies like Intel, MTV, the New York Times, Tiffany & Co. and NASA to name a few. This summer, however, the decision was made to open it up to all small businesses. What we are going to focus on today is a 25,000 foot view of business pages and how they can help your business succeed.

Creating Your Page

Firstly, creating a business page takes less time than it does to brew a pot of coffee. (Seriously) The directions are quick and easy to follow. To create your own Foursquare page, you will need the following:

  1. A Foursquare user account – if you don’t have one, you can sign up here.
  2. You need to agree to the terms of Service
  3. A twitter account for your business. Your new page’s link will be Foursquare.com/twitter_name

Once you have these you can go here to create your own page by following their directions.

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Local Businesses Can Find Great Opportunities in Location Based Marketing

Written August 5th, 2011 by

*This is a partial reprint of Liana Li Evans’ article from ClickZ

Mobile Marketing StrategyWith the exponential growth of Foursquare over the past year, there’s a reason why Facebook is rushing to capitalize on the mobile advertising with its own geo-social networking feature, “Places.” The opportunity is great for small businesses if they can harness interested Facebook users utilizing these types of services. They already see it with Foursquare’s user base, as people post to their profiles from the Foursquare smartphone apps.

However, that being said, geo-social networks are still not the mainstream social communities that Twitter and Facebook are. These geo-social networking communities rely heavily on smartphone adoption to allow the community member to get the best value out of the community. Many times I’ve walked into a local store, logged in, became the mayor, and told the owner, and guess what, they had no idea what I was talking about.

These geo-social networks provide a great opportunity for small businesses to find and engage with their most loyal customers and smart small business owners would be wise to adopt some kind of engagement strategy for utilizing these networks and their users. Most likely, these loyal users of applications like Foursquare, Gowalla, or Yelp have some affinity to the place they are logging into and if they are a mayor or they are uploading digital media along with their check-ins, you might even have found an evangelist for your local business.

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Audience Research: Don’t Fall for the Counting Trap

Written August 3rd, 2011 by

Traveling and speaking at many conferences, I’m often asked, “How do you come up with a successful strategy for a client? Do you use Twitter, Facebook or YouTube?” I reply that it all depends on my client. Now that may sound like I’m side stepping the answer, but to be perfectly honest, that is exactly the right answer.

There’s No Cookie Cutter Solutions

Photo credit Flickr user coljay72 I know everyone would love to have a “rip open the box and install” solution to creating the perfect online marketing strategy, especially when it comes to social media. However, while a few tactics can be considered to be standard, i.e. securing profiles in social media communities like Facebook & Twitter, how you engage in them can be a totally different story. That’s why research is so vitally important to an integrated marketing strategy in today’s world of marketing to consumers.

There are a variety of different tools you can use to help you with your research. From free to paid, you will get what you pay for. The more expensive the tool, the more information you are going to receive, in both the amount of records and the type of data. From sheer ‘counting’ to actual sentiment analysis, some tools can be very overwhelming in what they bring back – let alone being able to pull actionable insights from that data in order to build a sound strategy for a marketing plan.

Don’t Fall for the Counting Game

When you are beginning to do your research it’s very easy to fall for the counting game. What I mean by the counting game is looking at the sheer number of conversations going on about a particular keyword. Looking at the sheer number, and reporting those numbers as the volume of conversation out there, can be a fatal miss-step if you are planning a strategy around engaging actively interested and motivated audiences.

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What Your Small Business Can Learn From Google and Apple

Written August 1st, 2011 by

For most small businesses the challenge is to stay viable. These days with social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare this goal is easier to achieve. Coupon sites like LivingSocial, Groupon, Dealtificate and TravelZoo allow businesses, big and small, to offer specials that when combined with Facebook and Foursquare, let you reach more clients than ever before.

The biggest challenge for a business of any size is to stay ahead of their competitors and more importantly, stay in business. Everywhere we look companies are thriving and failing. Two of the world’s most successful companies, Apple and Google, can teach small businesses about succeeding in their own markets.

Keep Improving Your Products and Services

Every successful company knows that a product that is not updated soon outlives its usefulness. One of the oldest man made products in the world, books, are now available in digital and audio as well as on the written page. In some cases this has caused the demise of brick and mortar bookstores, but in truth it has evolved them.

Take for example, Apple. Every year or sometimes even twice a year, Apple “refreshes” their product line. We get new computers, iPods, iPads and iPhones. Some of this is to keep up with their competitors, but most of this is to stay ahead of their competitors and to drive the market. That’s the key. Whoever drives the market can control what everyone else does and you will find very few people who don’t think Apple does just that.

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How Mommy Bloggers & Small Business Can Benefit from Social Media

Written July 28th, 2011 by

On Monday July 25th, 2011 I had the gracious opportunity to be in Philadelphia’s NBC 10‘s  studios  for taping a segment that appeared on the Wednesday July 27th, 2011 airing of The 10! Show.  The segment highlighted my book, Social Media Marketing:  Engaging Strategies for Facebook, Twitter & Other Social Media, and with Bill Henley I discussed the different aspects of social media marketing.  From researching your audience, to engaging with them and rewarding them.  the clip of the segment is below, but feel free to also look at our special NBC10 offer on the book – 30% off!

For reference about the analytic & measuring tools I mentioned in the interview, check out Google Analytics, Trackur and Viral Heat

[hana-flv-player video='http://www.dalisocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mommy-Bloggers-NBC10-Liana-Li-Evans-social-media-marketing.flv' /]

 

10 Ways to Reward Your Audience

Written July 27th, 2011 by

One of the major influences on how solidly, far reaching and influentially you build your social network, whether it’s your own personal network of friends or a business account, is making sure you take the time to stop and reward your audience. Figuring out how to reward them in ways they will appreciate and feel your sincerity is essential. Just saying thank you with a generic coupon won’t get you anywhere. That type of gesture comes off as insincere and pandering.

Rewarding Your Audience Keeps Them Coming Back

Reward Your Audience

Time and time again, when you are being real, transparent and genuine with showing your appreciation, your audience will reward you in kind. You’ll see your recommendations increase, your content being shared and the number of people who want to connect with you because of that genuineness grows.

The problem comes, however, when you continually utilize the same measures over and over again. You have to really understand you audience and what they appreciate to be able to reward them in a manner that’s going to impress them personally. Touching them in a personal manner is what social media engagement is all about. With that in mind, here are 10 different ideas that can help you come up with ways to reward your audience.

Like or Favorite Their Recommendations of You:

When someone recommends you, whether it’s via a “follow Friday” on Twitter, a recommendation via a  Fan Page or posting, make sure to let them know in some way that you like their actions. Give it a thumbs up, favorite the tweet, and of course saying thank you lets the person know you recognize the time they took to do that action.

Include Them in Exclusive Lists:

Groups on Facebook, Lists on Twitter or even a list of “Top XX Influencers” in a blog post is definitely a way to reward your audience members. It lets them know that not only are you listening, but you find them important enough and appreciate them enough to include them in something that singles them out to say, “Hey these people are important to me”.

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Social Media Flowcharts

Written July 22nd, 2011 by

At Blogging Strategies Summit, Charlene Li showed the Air Force Web Posting Response Assessment chart and wondered how many organizations had done something similar, and she only knew of one or two similar charts. I thought it’d be interesting to see how it had been used, and here’s what I found.

The Air Force Web Posting Response Assessment

This is the current Air Force Web Posting Response Assessment, available as public domain in a pdf format. The Air Force also has links to several other resources that could be helpful, including the Army Social Media Handbook. Read the rest of this entry »

20 Ways to Improve Newsletter Subscriptions

Written July 15th, 2011 by

Despite social networking and blogs, newsletters remain popular with your web site customers and fans who want to keep up with you. Some of the best offer a mixture of business and personal information. That extra human connection endears readers to you so they’ll look forward to your next issues each month.

The following are suggestions for how you can increase subscription rates and persuade newcomers that you have a newsletter worth receiving.

    1. Are there too many opportunities for signup?
      Some web sites appear desperate. There may be a text link in the global navigation and footer, plus a box placed on every single web page. Some web sites have two boxes – one above the page fold and a duplicate below the fold. One “call to action” per page is fine.
    2. Did you extend a polite invitation during conversational content somewhere?
      There are many ways to invite signups, such as when introducing yourself or company, in a form return page when you direct visitors back to the homepage or somewhere of interest, or as an item in the About Us content. Link to a page containing information about the newsletter, and make sure this informational page contains a convenient signup form.
    3. Does your invitation contain scan words such as “Free”, “Sales”, Special”? (Ex. “Subscribe to our free newsletter.”) If not, consider adding one of them.
    4. Did you study your target market to learn if there is a need for your type of newsletter? Who are your intended readers?
    5. Be careful. Some forms are confusing, such as when they ask for a mailing address for an EMAIL only newsletter. Why do you want to know where they live? (If you have a good reason, it’s best to clearly state what that is.)
    6. Is the newsletter intended for an International audience? Have you made this clear in your invitation? If there is a reason to ask for personal information, make sure the form is designed for International users to fill out. For example, do not “require” a State field for countries that do not have States.
    7. Link to a privacy policy at or near the top of the sign up form. This explains exactly what will happen to the subscriber’s email address and any other information they’re asked to give. If they don’t trust your motives, they may refuse to sign up.
    8. A simple newsletter sign up box should request a name and and email addressthat will accept the newsletter. Instructions near or inside the box, or in the newsletter information page, explaining they’ll receive a confirmation email verifying their information, will increase user confidence.
    9. Always link to a sample issue. Otherwise, they have no idea what they’re signing up for. Always refer to the title of the publication. I’ve seen signup requests for publications with no name!
    10. Provide free archives. A history of a newsletter indicates if it’s new, or an established publication. The latter hints at authority on the subject matter. If new, note somewhere that archives will be provided. In this way, you offer a second chance to sign up later, once the prospect has an opportunity to see the product.
    11. Don’t tease. Some newsletters ask for content suggestions and ideas, but they don’t have an issue available, or archives online, making it difficult to understand what they cover or what was previously written about.
    12. How often does it arrive? Make sure this is indicated on the informational page. An informational page is a great way to sell your newsletter. It contains many of the items on this checklist and answers their questions. This will encourage more subscriptions because they have a much better idea of what you intend on sending to them.
    13. Is it HTML or text based? Do you offer a choice? Keep in mind that everyone has different needs. It helps to offer a choice. If your newsletter software allows a text version and an HTML version of your document, you can offer subscribers a choice of receiving it depending on how their email client preferences are set. For example, many prefer to read in a “text only” format. By presenting choices, you can make your newsletter offering more attractive.
    14. What are the benefits of subscribing? Does it teach? Offer discounts? Accept advertising?
    15. How good is it? Provide testimonials and reader feedback, with their permission. This is especially helpful in competitive industries. Another advantage is when you ask for feedback; you can follow up on their suggestions. In many cases, improvements are made based on reader feedback.
    16. If your publication is monthly, here’s an idea from magazine publishers. In your information page, list the topics to come in the next year beforehand. This is great for fee-based publications too. Keep the reader interested by what you plan to cover.
    17. Offer referral incentives. This may make more sense for fee-based publications, but be creative. If you’re a consultant, and want to drive up readership, is there something you can offer such as free 15 minutes of your time, or a free gift, or discount on future services?
    18. Announce upcoming issues on your homepage, and the publication itself. Some newsletters come the same day, every week. If for some reason they will NOT be delivered, make sure to warn subscribers in the previous issue. Otherwise, you may be bombarded with “Where’s my newsletter!” emails.
    19. Avoid relying on a simple box signup alone. Place a “View information” text link inside it that invites your visitor to learn more, gain trust, and get excited about your publication. Place a “Tell a friend” box on the information page too, for fast and easy referrals to your newsletter.
    20. Always create confidence and trust by offering an opt-in/opt-out system. A no hassle way to subscribe or unsubscribe is always appreciated.

      21.  

      Your newsletter sign ups can grow even more if you enable readers of the newsletter to share it with friends. Some text like this on the newsletter might lead them to share it with others:

      “If you enjoyed this edition of the [name of newsletter], and you know of someone else who might like it, consider forwarding a copy of it to them.”

      Towards the end of your newsletter, include a link to your newsletter informational page where people can subscribe if they’ve received a forwarded copy from a friend and decided that it’s something they would like to receive too. For example, you can write,

      “If you received this newsletter by way of a referral and wish to receive further issues, you can sign up for free using the link provided.”

      Even if you’ve been publishing a newsletter for years, updates to your procedures or offers provide interesting trackable data that will prove how successful your new enhancements are. The best newsletters have years of loyal readers because they’ve learned to incorporate the points listed above, but more importantly, they truly understand what their readers want.

How to Create a Google Ad Campaign, Part 3

Written July 6th, 2011 by

In our first two articles we went over how to write a PPC ad and use the web version of Google AdWords to put that ad to work. Now that you have learned the basics, I am going to show you a few more tools to use to make your job easier. The first has to do with keywords.

In previous posts, you have seen how keywords narrow things down, but what happens when you don’t want certain words to point to your website, for example?

Let’s imagine you have an ad that uses the keywords free and trial in various phrases. Let’s take two of these search phrases – free tour and one day trial. Each of these phrases can lead searchers to your ad. What you don’t want to see is any search action containing free and trial leading to your ad. So a search for free one day trial should NOT trigger your ad. The method you use is adding negative keywords.

What are negative keywords?

I. Definition

Negative keywords are a core component of a successful keyword list. Adding a negative keyword to your ad group or campaign means that your ads won’t show for searches containing that term. By filtering out unwanted impressions, negative keywords can help you reach the most appropriate prospects, reduce your cost-per-click (CPC), and increase your ROI.

II. Example

The negative keyword –free trial would prevent your ads from showing on any searches containing the terms free and trial. It wouldn’t prevent your ads from showing on variations of these terms, however. It also wouldn’t prevent your ads from showing on searches that only contain one of the terms. For instance, the search terms one-day trial and free test could trigger your ads, while free one-day trial could not.

Negative keywords are the best way to reach your appropriate prospects, reduce your cost-per-click (CPC) and most importantly, increase your ROI. It is important to note that when writing your first campaign you really want to see what works before adding negative keywords. Yes, this may be a little costly at first, but it will save you money in long run.

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