What’s New and Useful for Twitter Users

Twitter recently announced some improvements to get excited about:

Direct messages: read them only once      

Twitter has now allowed direct messages to sync across all of your devices. For example, when you read a message on your iPhone, it will be marked as read on your tablet. Now you can avoid re-reading the same message every time you use Twitter from a different device.

Improved Search

Twitter has optimized search results, so that users can now view a full bio when searching for people. This account preview is more expeditious for Twitter users as you no longer have to click through to read a profile. Click on/see the image below: it's easy to find the right 'Jocelyn Murray' when all the bios are displayed at once.

 

Promoted

Recently, Twitter has been experimenting with ways to make ads more relevant to users by showing promoted content from brands and businesses that you have displayed interest in. Twitter will now match your account to information shared by ad partners to tailor the ads you see. If you do not wish to take part in this new feature, simply go to your account settings and uncheck the box next to “Promoted Content.”

Create a video bio in Twitter

Now you can turn your most engaging Tweets, photos, and videos into a highlight of your best moments on Twitter. Vizify has partnered with Twitter to roll out a new feature that allows you to create a short video biography automatically using data from your Twitter account. By signing into Vizify and connecting it to your Twitter account, you can put all of your best tweets together and add it to your Twitter bio, so that your followers can see your greatest moments all at once.

 

 

Create Business Connections on Google+

So you have a Google+ Account? Now what?
Be sure to create a profile including your name, occupation, and education, along with your interests and places you have lived. Having a complete profile will increase interactions for you and will make it much easier for other Google+ users to find you. Use the “Suggestions” found in the right hand column to discover more people you are likely to know or share similar interests with.

Create differentiated content – don’t simply post the same things that you post on Twitter and Facebook. Remember to play to your company’s strengths and do something different to gain the attention of other users

It is important to spend some time commenting and “+’ing” on the streams of people that you would like to create connections with. Become an active member of Google+. The more you partake in Google+, the most other users will “Circle” you and start sharing content with you.

Google+ Local Substitutes Google Places
Google recently announced that it is replacing Google Places with Google+ Local pages. Consumers now have the ability to view more in-depth local business data, along with Zagat ratings, for a richer Google search experience. It will also offer Google+ users the ability to submit their own reviews and view what places their friends are visiting.

This new version allows local businesses to upload photos that will show up on the Map, along with special offers to invite users to visit their company.

5 Tips for Using Google+
1.    Build circles, big and small
2.    Create a memorable “About” Tab (so that more people add you to their circle)
3.    Join as many Hangouts as possible
4.    Give attention-grabbing posts a “+1” (so you can meet new people who share the same interests)
5.    Honor your clients and customers, rather than only promoting your business

How To Use Google+ For Business

Is your business on Google+ yet?
Studies show that Google+ is the 2nd largest social platform with 359 million active users and has grown 33% in the past year. Google+ is becoming a social media giant, where users can share content and increase the chances of their information appearing on the first few pages of Google's "search results."

So where do you begin?
Use the "Find People" search box to explore names, companies, topics, and places to discover people you may know. Once you have connected with other users, create groups for your new contacts called "Circles." No one can see which circle you put them in; it is simply a way to personalize your stream. Create a "Bookmark" or "Favorites" circle to save preferred posts.

Most importantly for businesses is the +1 button. This is a great way to show your approval of a contact's post and effectively endorse their photo, video, or other content as a quality piece of information. This could also lead to more people adding you to their circles.

 
What are the benefits of having a Google+ Account?
You can use the Communities feature to interact with potential customers, people of interest, and influencers. This feature allows groups to form around common interests.

I like the "Hangouts" feature best because it is something completely unique to Google+ where you can create a panel discussion for business meetings or demonstrations by simply using your webcam. Save your recorded hangout videos and share them on your website, YouTube channel, or Google+ profile.

Any content that your business shares on your Google+ page will show up in related Google searches. This could dramatically boost your company’s online search ranking.

Five Tips on How and Where to Find Useful Content for your Blog and Social Media

 

I hear it all the time: how can I consistently come up with content for my blog and social media sites?

 

If you're looking to attract prospects and customers, useful content that includes potential solutions will help you develop a reputation as a reliable resources and expert in your field.

Content marketing can be challenging on many levels, from producing quality content that appeals to your target audience to developing enough new content on a regular basis.

Plan and create content based on what you think will entice your audience to engage.

Daily Business
As you go about your typical work week, keep a list handy where you can jot down content ideas that cross your mind. So many things, such as work challenges or mistakes, can make for great content if you're on the lookout.

Your Clients
How are you solving customer problems? You offer tips, suggestions and techniques regularly- how can you turn that information into a blog or a post?

Poll Your Social Media Followers

Ask your social media followers and blog readers what type of information they want to learn more about.

Google Alerts
Set alerts for words or topics related to your industry or niche. By monitoring the news and other sources, you can find new ideas and inspiration.

Twitter

Use your Google Alert words in a Twitter search. Twitter Hashtags (word or phrase with the # symbol in front of it) are a good way to find trending information on specific topics.

Share your sources of inspiration for content!

How to Use Custom Facebook Tabs for Marketing

If you're using a Facebook Page for business, are Facebook Tabs part of your marketing strategy?  The Tabs (or Apps as they're sometimes called) are the row of boxes under the Cover Photo that allow you to give your followers are better experience on your Page (only four show up in the top row but click the small arrow to the right of the boxes to see up to twelve).  Drive traffic to Tabs through your News Feed or your ads to make your campaigns more productive.

Promote Your Brand and Campaigns
Create a Tab that prompts visitors to "Like" your Page in order to download information, enter a contest or see a video. Use Tabs to make special offers that tie in with your current campaigns. I've seen restaurants drive traffic to a Tab that offers a free appetizer for all who "Like" their Page.  Link prospects directly to your custom Tab through your Facebook ads, Tweets or other social media posts.

As I did on my Facebook Page, use Tabs to build your email list. My "Join My List" Tab encourages all my Facebook visitors to sign up for my marketing tips emails. To encourage action on other social media pages, see how I set up a Tab that links to a sampling of my Twitter account and encourages people to follow me there too. 

Tabs can be used for almost anything.  See how brands like Coca Cola and Target use Tabs for creative ideas.

Check out applications such as ShortStack which let you easily create your custom Tabs to meet specific needs.  Or let us help you incorporate Tabs into your next marketing campaign.

Are You Blogging Yet?

For those of you who aren't blogging yet, what are you waiting for? 

If your business is committed to social media marketing then a blog  (a page on your web site) should be an integral part of your marketing plan. 

Your blog is an easy way to frequently share your ideas, knowledge, promotions and other useful information.  It's much easier to post a blog entry than update content on your web site. And if you're positioning yourself as an expert in your industry, a blog is the perfect place to reinforce that notion. 

Many people ask, "What should I write about?"  With some planning, it's easy to identify topics and ideas by simply paying attention to the questions you get asked every day.

Stop putting off  the launch of one of the most important, inexpensive components of your marketing. 

To get started, contact Jocelyn today.

Testimonials: Let Your Clients' Satisfaction Work for You

When it comes to marketing, there's nothing more valuable and credible than sharing what satisfied customers have to say about your business. Testimonials are an effective way to build interest in your products or services.

Your prospects are interested in hearing the first hand experiences of your clients and understanding the specifics of how you helped them.  Here are some ideas on how to obtain and use testimonials in your marketing:

·         Make it a regular practice to follow up with clients regarding their satisfaction with your services or products.  When the feedback is positive, ask for a few sentences describing the value of their experiences.

·         Show an example of a valuable testimonial to get the client started. Or draft a testimonial that your client can revise or simply approve.

·         Ask for permission to use the testimonial in your marketing campaigns.

·         Use the name, title and company name of the client offering the testimonial for credibility.

·         Collect multiples testimonials and use them in your print and online campaigns including social media.

·         Include a headshot of the person offering the testimonial to maximize it's effectiveness!