The Social Press - June 2014

THE SOCIAL PRESS June 2014

www.NewMediaAngels.com New Media Angels

june 2014

contents ENGAGEMENT

HOW DO YOU GET A CONVERSATION STARTED

BY HANNAH

BRAND AWARENESS

WHY KEYWORDS AREN’T ONLY IMPORTANT IN YOUR WEBSITE

BY HANNAH

STRATEGY

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

BY ANGEL IN TRAINING

CONTENT

Top Stories

77% of Shoppers Abandon Baskets: 3 Easy Tips for Online Retailers http://bit.lyOnlineRetailerTips Major Digital Marketing Changes From The Last 12 Months, Are You Keeping Up? http://bit.ly/MarketingChanges2013 Rich Pins on Pinterest https://developers.pinterest.com/rich_pins/

WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT SO IMPORTANT

BY CHARLOTTE

VISUAL AND DESIGN PERFECT BY DESIGN

BY CHARLOTTE

TRAFFIC

WHY IS WEBSITE TRAFFIC IMPORTANT FOR MY BUSINESS?

BY DOMINICA

TOOLS

NIMBLE CRM SYSTEM

BY HANNAH

ANGELS ON THE LOOSE

BY CEMANTHE

FINAL WORD

A Note from the Editor

These last few months have seen much change in the land of social media and online marketing. With midsize brands writing Dear John letters to Facebook (http://blog.eat24hours. com/breakup-letter-to-facebookfrom-eat24/), to Twitter changing their platform to look more like Facebook (sigh), it’s becoming more of a consideration as to whether or not social media is very relevant in an online marketing plan. I think that the answer is yes and no, and it’s becoming necessary to have a strategy. See our article on having a social media strategy on page _. In this month’s edition we also discuss design with Charlotte, and review a new tool for business.

Part of doing social media is to always be ‘on’; to be there when your audience is online, to be there when

they are making a purchasing decision, and to always be human. So this month Hannah covers key elements to getting a conversation started and building brand awareness.

For our Angels, we’ve had some team changes which I’ll share with you on the last page and some exciting additions to our services. Social media on its own is just not enough anymore; you need to have a comprehensive marketing outreach plan and other elements to your online presence. And to extend your reading this month, we have a roundup of top stories.

I hope you enjoy this month’s edition and our new style.

CARTOON OF THE MONTH QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Cemanthe june 2014

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New Media Angels

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Why keywords aren’t only important in your website We’ve all heard that Search Engines look for keywords within your content on your website. These keywords help you get found when someone types what you do into a search engine, hoping you will pop up at the top of the list and thus, if your website is good enough and your brand sings from the same hymn sheet as the viewer, they will turn into a customer.

How do you get a conversation started?

It’s all well and good that we say engagement is King and content is Queen, but how do you actually get a conversation going with someone on social media, particularly if it is someone you really want to have as a potential customer?

This can be tricky, I won’t lie! However, there are a few ways I have found to get people engaged with you and even actively getting the conversation started by them starting it with you.

1

Have content with questions or that are open to debate – I don’t mean political updates (unless you are, in fact, in politics!) I mean content that will cause people to want to get involved. Questions are usually the best place to start as you can ask questions to do with their pains, such as “What is holding you back from using Twitter?” or “What have you got planned for the day ahead?” When people see questions in their stream they will tend to notice them.

It is also a great way to show that you are interested in the people following you, not just using social media as a marketing sales board.

2

Say hello to new followers – saying a quick thank you to the new followers you have received really will get you brownie points, and

Hannah june 2014

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most will reply. They followed you for a reason, so getting that relationship started is the best place to get going. I tend to do a group thank you of 5 people at a time, so they can all get talking too. Have a question within the tweet too, such as “Hi @ @ @ @ thank you for following us, what attracted you to our profile?” or “Waving hello to @ @ @ @ pleased to have you following! Hope you have had a good week?”

3

Join in! This is the best way to get into conversations with people.

When you see a link you want to share, always put something before the retweet, showing you have read or recommend the link they have shared.

When you see a question or a request by someone you are following or want to have as a potential customer, engage with it. If you know someone who can help, recommend them in that update too! If you see someone has got a new job or are celebrating a milestone, congratulate you (LinkedIn is great for this!).

Getting in on the conversations within your home feed is the best way to get people to know, like and want to recommend you.

Don’t expect everyone to reply to everything you share, but getting the timing right for the content (using tools to help you see when your followers are most active) and taking the time to be engaging too, will help get you there.

However, did you know there are other places where keywords will get you to the top of the search engine world?

Using the words that you believe people in your target audience are searching for, within your social media content, your blog titles and in your profiles across the web, will also get you found.

Social media as a search engine optimiser

YouTube, for example, is owned by Google, as is Google+, both great big brownie points for your SEO. If you want to get found, and have a likelihood of getting potential customers, a great thing to do is to create professional videos that share everything you do, within a wrapped up gift packet of a video. You need to share useful information, so the user will want to watch until the end, where you will add an action that they simply cannot resist.

Getting videos onto YouTube, with the keywords you know your target audience are using should be at the top of your list.

Then comes social media profiles such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

These are all places where your profile, and your content, should be sharing the words your customers are searching for, as sales trainers would say “their pain” words. For example, if you are an accountant, specialising in helping small business owners in the health and beauty industry, you can share fantastic updates within your twitter content that are around this industry, from tips to helpful updates. This helps when someone in that industry searches on Twitter for that sort of information, as Twitter shows the “all” filter first

when you enter a search term. This means it shows users and content that contain the words they have searched for.

Social media profiles do a heck of good for your business, ensuring that your profiles all share what the customer is looking for as well as how you can cure that issue, will help to getting you found by the right people.

Blogs as your SEO booster

Blogs are another fantastic way to get you found. Use key words within your title and remember to use them (not too much!) in your content, so Search Engines know that this really is the subject you are talking about.

Places like Google do continue to bring in new changes, such as how long they consider a real blog to be (300-500 words) so ensure you stay updated on any changes and implement them accordingly.

With the blogs you do create, you can then continue to boost your find-ability by sharing them on your social media profiles and by using tools to help get them seen. Also, set up accounts on popular blogging websites which cover your industry or have your target audience within them. For example, if your target audience are female entrepreneurs, you need to head on over to Women Un-Limited, and get commenting! You could even sign up to become a guest blogger on spaces such as 30ish.me too. All fantastic ways to utilise another websites higher SEO rankings to help yourself along!

All of these methods take time. As with social media and marketing, SEO will be a progression, so do not expect to see results instantly. We recommend giving at least 5 months to your SEO systems, whilst monthly checking the analytics, until you decide to change anything. We also recommend using a good web designer to ensure that when those happy prospects come to your website, you know it will convert them!

Hannah

New Media Angels

june 2014

Why is Social Media Content so important?

Social Media is a window into the world of your business. It can be so many things for a business; a marketing platform, a customer service tool, a way of interacting with customers old, new and future; a way of connecting to other businesses in your industry, a virtual shop front for online businesses. What do your customers see when they look through this window?

The Importance of Social Media Strategy As a business that wants to grow and ensure their success, social media should already be on your agenda.

We live in a generation where checking our social networking accounts has become as important as checking the daily headlines. With the introduction of smart phones and tablets people can now access their social networking websites wherever they are and whatever they are doing, so as a business it makes sense that you do your best to tap into this.

The Right Social Media For Me

The good news is that the variety of social media networks out there means that there is something for everyone. You can chat your customers on Facebook, share pictures of your crafts via Pinterest, network on LinkedIn and so much more.

A big part of your social media strategy is working out which site(s) will work for your business industry and which websites you want to make sure you have a presence on. One of the most important things is making

Angel in Training june 2014

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sure that when you do have a social media profile it is one that is used well - there is little worse than having social media accounts that are dead in the water. Your potential customers will find your dormant accounts and this could be enough to put them off of dealing with you. Start small and make sure that the social media websites you do sign up are ones that you can keep up with.

Using Social Media Properly

You can carve almost any sort of social media presence you like, depending on the needs of their business.

Some companies use their social media to mainly promote new products whereas others use it as an extension of their customer service channels and as a way to deal with customer complaints. You need to have a think about what is going to work for your brand - although this could be something that is almost trial and error.

Of course a bit part of your social media strategy should also be about generating new business and sales.

You can do this by promoting products on your channels, letting customers know of special deals and even running competitions in order to encourage more followers to your social media channels - the choice is yours!

Just as you want your marketing materials to be well-written or your shop window to be artistically laid out, so it goes with your Social Media. Put as much care into your social media content as your other marketing materials.

IMAGES

Images are so important to a brand.

If the images don’t resonate then the potential customer won’t get as far as the text. Images are easier to see and understand than written text. They can save space - a picture can replace several paragraphs of description.

As a consumer, I am increasingly impatient with poor images online. There is no need for over pixilated pictures, or photos that have been strangely cropped or stretched to fill a box in different proportions. If businesses can’t get that right, what else will they get wrong? Strangely, even businesses in visual industries are making these mistakes.

Images serve a double-duty. They don’t just work within your own world, but can be linked to by others. Instagram use on smartphones is approaching that of Twitter. Pinterest is

a rabbit-hole that increasing numbers of people enjoy falling down. If your images are good quality and capture current trends, they will be shared widely. This exposes you to new customers more widely than an advertising campaign could reach.

TEXT

Text should be proof-read and grammar checked. This shows attention to detail, care about finishing - all traits you want to be known for. Blog-posts should be looked at by a few people to check that it makes sense. No point publishing something that confuses people.

VIDEOS

Youtube and vimeo provide free or low-cost video-hosting. Technology allows people to film and edit their own videos on their phones or tablets.

All this is great, and allows small businesses to get videos out very cheaply.

Production values remain important.

Do it properly and it is something to be proud of as it is shared. Do it badly and potential customers are put off before they have even interacted with you.

LINKS

Social Media allows you to share the output of others. So you don’t need to reinvent the wheel so much as retweet it. You get all the benefits of appearing knowledgeable about the current hot topic, without the time and financial costs. However, reposting from a source links you to that source.

Choose your sources wisely!

Charlotte New Media Angels

june 2014

Why is Website Traffic Important for my Business?

Perfect by Design Image is everything. Content may be king, but image is emperor.

Social media is like any other marketing material people should know it comes from you even if your brand name isn’t on it. This means spending time on your branding to ensure it permeates through every platform.

A checklist will help all team members achieve the look you want. Areas to consider could be:

Logos - do you have several different logos in different aspect ratios to suit the different platforms.

Colour palettes

- much has been written about the image different colours portray. Do you have a palette of several colours that people can associate with your brand?

Profile and cover images You could work

with a graphic designer and photo editor, or you could use software such as picmonkey to support you to do this.

Define the minimum acceptable image quality in terms of dpi (dots per inch) Define the house style in terms of image

content. Do you have a unique way of styling your products? Do you have a quirky style you want reflected? Is your attention to detail meticulous and you need that portrayed in your images?

Do your team members have the expertise to

carry follow the checklist? Is this something you need to contract out?

Can software support you - for example

picmonkey is free online photo editing software that even has templates for various social media platforms.

What fonts are you using?

Your website, email newsletters and printed materials should all match.

Are your images pinterest-worthy?

Even product shots can contain other styling elements that get people interested.

Let the images rule: give images than to text.

june 2014

New Media Angels

more space to

Charlotte

When starting out on the web with an online business, the importance of website traffic can be vague. However, many people begin to realize that the success of their business depends on it.

Website traffic can be defined as the number of people that view your site, the pages that they view and the length of time they spend on those pages. When someone goes to your site, that visit is recorded and any links that individual might click and follow are also recorded. At the end of the day, these numbers are added up to give you an idea of your website popularity.

The Importance of Website Traffic

So, why is website traffic so important for my business, you ask?

If you aren’t attracting visitors, your website is bound to get lost in the vastness of the internet and perhaps, never found. Every site needs traffic, and even if your site is made very well, if you are not attracting visitors, you won’t be generating sales or achieving your end goal with your business.

Many people forget that it is people who view your website and do business with you online. In the end, your website and business will not survive without steady traffic flow from the right demographic.

There are many reasons why you need to consider the importance of website traffic, and here are three of them:

1 2

You need to generate more targeted traffic to generate more revenue, ultimately.

Traffic from targeted users, or people who are interested in what you are selling or promoting, are more likely to stay and refer your website to others.

3

An increase in the amount of time a person spends on your page, increases the likelihood that they will sign up for your newsletter or to receive your promotional content, allowing you to market to them long-term.

How Do You Get More Website Traffic?

In order to increase your website traffic, there are several things you can do. Some of these include making sure you always have high quality content, and also new content on a regular basis.

You can also use social networking to your advantage by listing your site on Twitter, Facebook or other popular social networks to drive people to your website.The most fundamental and effective way to increase targeted website traffic is by optimizing all of your content for search engines.

This allows the people who are most interested in your site, or the targeted users, to find your site. Ultimately, Search Engine Optimization is the biggest factor in generating longterm success of your online business.

A common misconception about website traffic is that any traffic is good traffic. It is important to remember that you are not trying to attract everyone to your site but people who are interested in your topic or what you are selling.

Of course, you can make money with higher traffic, generally speaking, with higher volume but it will be short term and unpredictable. Many successful marketers know that driving targeted traffic to your site will generate the most long-term revenue.

Dominica New Media Angels

june 2014

Angels on the Loose

I’m excited to introduce some new angels to the team, Mark and Karla.

Mark is our new Video Angel (in addition to Caitlin) and can offer Doodle Videos and interview or promotional videos to clients. He likes Alfred Hitchcock FilmsChelsea FC.- Pina Coladas- Getting caught in the rain.

And dislikes The lazy presenting on T4 (Show on Channel 4)- Branston Pickle.Ketchup.- The smell of hairspray.

Tool Review

Nimble CRM System

Nimble, a Social Contact Relationship Management (SCRM) system that gets you engaged with your contacts, as well as being able to see what they are doing in their social media world, is a nifty tool.

Why? Well, I personally love it due to it syncing all of the contacts I have in my social media and from offline, into one, easy to manage, system. If you are looking to build your contacts into a useful stream, or for creating a newsletter that you can easily target specific people in certain industries, then this is the system I would recommend.

1

A few features I would like to share: You can sync profiles – for example, you may be connected to Cemanthe Mckenzie on Twitter, but did you know she was on LinkedIn too? Nimble finds her for you, suggests if she is that person and if it is, bam, she’s added to your contacts list and now you can see if LinkedIn is the place she is most active, thus enabling you to know where best to engage with her.

Hannah june 2014

New Media Angels

2

Email straight from the system – as long as you add the email address you want to send from you can email anyone you have the email address of, straight from within Nimble. Why is this handy? It helps you to track your conversations with each person, you can see when and what you said, as well as through what medium. Let’s say you did email Cemanthe, but she didn’t reply. You can then email her through LinkedIn and there is a logged entry of both of these conversations.

3

Mailchimp – yes, my favourite enewsletter tool syncs to your tags within Nimble. If you add a tag to each person in a specific industry, this tag will then become a group within your synced Mailchimp account, making it so much easier to create targeted (and thus much more customer friendly) enewsletters.

These are just a few of my favourite parts of Nimble, if you do want to give it a go, I suggest trying the free 30 day trial on their business account as the personal option does have quite a few limitations, such as allowing only 120 syncs of social media profiles. You will feel much more organised and able to connect with potential customers in a much easier way.

Karla is our external Bookkeeping Angel, you will have heard from her through our Accounts email address when it’s invoice time. She likes playing the piano, Numbers, Travelling, Painting and doesn’t like racism, poverty, irresponsibility, spiders.

We’ve also signed on various new clients that we look forward to working with and added to our services.

So we now formally offer Websites, Design and Illustration, Video, and SEO.

New Media Angels

june 2014

Quote of the Month

Cartoon of the Month

june 2014

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