Reddit is an online hub where people shares links, content, and stories. Every post made has the potential to generate user discussion, too. While Reddit as a community doesn’t respond kindly to direct advertising or marketing, it can still be a useful place to get the word out about your site, product or service. Just go about it the right way. Since Reddit has more than 234 million unique users, it’s worth taking the time to learn how to join in and share on the site if you aren’t already fluent in Reddit. [Read more…] about 9 Ways to Maximize Your Reddit Marketing
Social media marketing
Try Tweeting Less Links
Twitter is a hugely important platform for businesses to be on and utilising in their social media tool belt, unless a firm already has a lot of traction online or is advertising their account then getting your content noticed in amongst the hundreds and thousands of other Tweets in a users stream is going to be tough!
Although there are a lot of guides out there providing tips on how to grow your Twitter account not all these strategies work for everyone and it’s important to experiment with different tactics.
I stumbled across this interesting post the other day on Socialfresh.com, the author Jason Keath had observed how Conrad Hacket who works for Pew Research, had sent the exact same Tweet 20 minutes apart (back in August) on some data relating to population growth by 2050. What was interesting about the second Tweet was that he didn’t include a link to the original data source, he simply used the content of the most populous countries, however the second Tweet was re-shared almost 300 times where as the first one with the link in it only 86 times. See for yourself:
Most people in 2050 (new UN projections) 1 India 2 China 3 Nigeria 4 US 5 Indonesia http://t.co/k2KnEyDzIJ pic.twitter.com/5GmyUEzTvJ
— Conrad Hackett (@conradhackett) August 4, 2015
Most populous countries 2050 1 India 2 China 3 Nigeria 4 US 5 Indonesia 6 Pakistan 7 Brazil 8 Bangladesh 12 Egypt pic.twitter.com/4H80c83TFu — Conrad Hackett (@conradhackett) August 4, 2015
This is just a single example so obviously nothing is conclusive here but it’s an interesting experiment. Why the Tweet without the link got more shares and reactions isn’t clear but I would say that Conrad appearing to be providing useful information & data himself instead of just re-sharing something from a website as pulled in his followers attention. Also when a link is shared you are prompting your followers to click that link which will take them out of Twitter and thus reducing the chance of them sharing your Tweet.
If you are normally Tweeting links on your account either from your own website or others, try changing this tactic up a bit and share the data from these posts without any link and see what happens.
More Twitter Strategies!
How to Participate in Twitter Chats
How to Utilize Twitter Marketing Strategies
How to Use Twitter Hashtags to Your Advantage
How to Implement Internet Memes into Your Social Strategy
Images and videos that are popular online, such as infographics, grumpy cat, “Charlie Bit My Finger” and others are a great way to stay up-to-date with what the internet is talking about, while also creating a chance for your existing social media profile community to interact with you and each other.
However, the first step toward being successful with occasionally discussing internet memes or viral videos with your audience via social media is to do it the right way. Don’t be cheesy or make it look like you are trying too hard. Make the video or content part of the natural conversation on your social media pages.
For instance, an animal shelter could pull in a photo of grumpy cat with the line, “Find your own grumpy cat at the ASPCA!” Brands that are lighthearted with their responses and tie-ins to viral content will find more success with it than companies that are just posting it to ride the wave of sudden attention the meme or content is experiencing.
Video Responses
For viral videos, many companies and individuals go beyond just posting the video on their blog or social media profiles. They create versions of their own. For instance, after there was a rash of sing-along parodies of Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit single, “Call Me Maybe”, even the 2012 USA Olympic Swimming Team got into the action.
Having fun with videos can be a great way to get involved in internet memes while also introducing your customers to your staff in a fun medium.
Asking for Feedback
If a meme is controversial and relates to your company or blog, simply asking discussion questions about the topic on your social media profiles can garner great conversation . For instance, if a questionable parenting topic, such as shaming your children through Facebook, went viral, a parenting blog or toy company could post a link to a story about and ask, “Would you embarrass your kids like this parent? Is it an effective discipline strategy?”
It may be worthwhile to emphasize that stating the company or blog’s policy on the topic, just to make sure everyone knows where they stand on the issue. This can clear the company of choosing sides. Remaining impartial may be the best bet for controversial memes.
No matter how a company chooses to partake in sharing and discussing memes and other viral content, keeping it lighthearted and impartial is usually a best bet.
How to Stay Connected With Customers Via Social Media While Out of the Office
In some company’s marketing departments, there are only one or two employees who may handle the social media aspect of a company’s online presence. Because of this, when those employees travel for work or go on vacation, there may be issues that arise from ensuring that the company presence online stays constant. However, there are some ways that social media coordinators or marketers can ensure that the corporate social media marketing and outreach isn’t compromised just because they aren’t in the office.
Scheduling
There are a variety of services that allow companies and individuals to schedule their social media posts to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These include LaterBro, HootSuite, TweetDeck, and Sendible. Costs and features may vary; some services offer a free account but have limited features. A social media marketer could schedule posts to run while they are out of the office, thus keeping the social media presence current and updated.
Smart phone Access
Scheduling social media posts may be part of the problem, but social media marketers will also need to monitor the accounts to answer any posts, questions, or comments. Usually smart phones like the iPhone or Android make this process fairly easy; the Twitter app can send a user an alert when someone follows or mentions their username in a tweet. The Facebook Pages app does the same. To stay connected to social media profiles, it is almost a necessity to have a smart phone so questions and comments can get answered in a timely manner.
Take It On the Road
Some social media marketers prefer to take their company’s social media presence live on the road with them. Companies live-tweet and share photos and updates from their conference, meeting, or other event that the company (or just a handful of its employees) have traveled to. This may make the users feel more connected with the company, but also takes a higher level of commitment and engagement from the employees’ side.
Transferring Duties
If the employee is on vacation or will be too busy with other duties, they may not want to be responsible for the social media community for their company. This is when it becomes necessary to cross-train other employees to handle social media while those who usually handle it are out of the office. This can take some of the stress and anxiety off of the departed employee’s shoulders while also giving other employees a chance to learn more about what goes into building and maintaining a social media presence and community.
Photo courtesy of vjeran2001 on stock.xchng
How to Combine Real-World and Social Media Marketing
Believe it or not, real-world, in-person marketing, which may include booths, physical advertising (as in signs or banners), or demonstrations make it easy to tie in social media marketing efforts. By making your social media presence known to potential customers at your in-person event, it is possible to get a more involved online community that will carry on past any marketing events a company may hold.
Giveaways and Perks
During South by Southwest Interactive 2012, American Express had a booth that gave perks to attendees who connected their Twitter account with their American Express account. Those who did received perks, such as statement credits or t-shirts. The booth was constantly full of people waiting for their perk. Other booths at the popular annual conference held in Austin, TX included tweeting about a company or mentioning their custom South by Southwest Interactive hashtag. Attendees has no problem tweeting to receive a free t-shirt or other types of perks.
Signing up for Updates
Promoting your digital newsletter by having a sign-up sheet at your promotional event is a surprising way to get more mailing list subscribers relatively easily. Explaining the benefits of getting on the mailing list, such as coupons, exclusive events, or news updates can provide customers an incentive to write down their contact information.
Put the Information Out There
Sometimes companies may be surprised as how many customers just like their company page or follow them on Twitter just because the information is given to them. Put social media profile URLs on all marketing materials and correspondence, including flyers, brochures, business cards, banners, and even packaging. If a customer genuinely likes a product and wants to learn more about them, they are more likely to connect with them via social media. It may seem too good to be true, but just putting it out there can make a company more successful with their online social media marketing.
Stay Creative
Instead of badgering customers to sign-up for a newsletter, follow a company on Twitter, and like their page on Facebook over and over, think of a way to make it more creative. Give users reasons WHY they should complete an action. Skype at South by Southwest Interactive had another good example of this. When attendees tweeted about the conference and mentioned Skype with a special hashtag, a “Town Crier”, dressed up in American Colonial garb of a traditional town crier, read the tweets out loud in a Colonial accent of an iPad covered up by a leather book cover. The town crier generated a crowd and was a great way to get attention online and in person.
Thinking outside the box with clever, seamless offline and online promotions, along with a great overall design, can help a business stay connected with current and potential customers, no matter the event or time of year.
Useful Tips for Entry-Level Businesses Planning to Jump into Social Media Marketing
Jumping in to the world of social media marketing arena for entry-level and small businesses might be quite a headache. There are strategies and a firm plan that must be followed to have a strong social presence on the web to effectively market and advertise the brand, product or services. Sufficient time and patience is required for the strategies to take effect. There are some do’s and don’ts that must be appropriately followed to bring your social media marketing plan strong recognition over the web.
Following are some of the useful tips that might be of great benefit to the beginners in the field of social media marketing. [Read more…] about Useful Tips for Entry-Level Businesses Planning to Jump into Social Media Marketing
The Secret to Creating Shareworthy Content
I often refer to the term I use to describe amazing content that people want to share online as shareworthy, and today, I’d like to dive a bit deeper into the concept of creating shareworthy content, so your blog and online reputation can benefit from the compounding effect of blogging, attract more visitors, and grow organically over the long term. In other words, shareworthy content leads to sustainable growth, and I’m going to tell you how to do it.
What is shareworthy content?
It’s simple. Shareworthy content is amazing content that people like enough to want to tell their friends about it and share it with their social media connections. They can share that content by blogging about it on their own blogs, tweeting it on Twitter, linking to it on Facebook or LinkedIn, and so on. Therefore, shareworthy content is not necessarily viral content that explodes across the Internet. Instead, it’s a tangible form of the world-of-mouth marketing of the social web that businesses covet.
How do you create shareworthy content? [Read more…] about The Secret to Creating Shareworthy Content
5 Ways to Drive a Buzz about Your Events Using Social Media
Whether you’re a blogger, business owner, or individual with an event to promote, you can spread the word and drive an online buzz about it using the free tools of the social Web.
Some tools integrate directly into popular social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn while others not only let you promote your event but also let you search for events, people who might want to attend your own event, and more. Suffice it to say, the social Web offers everything you need to create a successful event buzz at your fingertips!
Following are five easy-to-use and free social media tools that you can use to promote your online and offline events across the social Web: [Read more…] about 5 Ways to Drive a Buzz about Your Events Using Social Media