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April 23, 2016 By Jody Raines 1 Comment

Social Media Tips: How Much Time Should I Spend on Social Media?

Clients who have accepted the fact that Twitter and Facebook and Linkedin are great for business, have asked me how much time they should devote to social media marketing. It’s a valid question, and one that has more than one answer.

It depends on what your goals are and what you hope to achieve. Keep in mind that Google has admitted that social media clout is one of the ingredients in their search engine ranking formula, and having your message tweeted by others can briefly have your website listed as number one on Google.

The Internet is a dynamic environment and the old days of optimizing a website and then leaving it for a year just don’t work any longer. We no longer can say the Internet is changing daily or even hourly – the content is changing every second as more and more people add to the information that is available online.

If you are not adding your business or brand information to the mix, then it’s tantamount to everyone taking a step forward, and you are standing in the same place. Even though you didn’t move, you wound up behind everyone else!

So, the first step to determining how much time you should spend on social media marketing is to determine what your goals should be. What do you hope to achieve using social media? Are you using social media as a broadcast device? If so, I can already tell you, it doesn’t matter how much time you spend, you are using it wrong!

One of the things I look at when I evaluate how my client is using social media marketing – and this is a great way to determine whether that so-called “expert” really knows what he or she is doing – is to see if there is a broadcast mentality to what they are sharing, or whether there is true engagement. I have seen these ‘experts’ with the same message sent multiple times. That’s enough to recognize that they obviously do not understand how to use social media and therefore, I wouldn’t waste any money or time investing in having them help set up a campaign.

Automated programs also are a waste of time. That’s the same as calling and hoping to get a live person, and then become frustrated with not being able to reach a person. They can actually cause more harm than good in a social media program, and any ‘expert’ who is advocating automating should be burned at the stake!

So, how do you manage your social media and how much time should you invest?

Just as organic optimization takes time, so does your social media program. If done correctly, it will stand the test of time. Just like “black hat” SEO techniques can have a short upsurge then have dire consequences, so can these ‘quick win’ social media plans.

So, with that being said, here is my recipe for a general social media program:

1. Post a blog at least once a week. Twice a week if possible.

2. Link your blog to your Facebook business page and Twitter and Linkedin profiles.

3. On a daily basis, check into Twitter and send out Tweets for fifteen minutes. You can break that into three five minute intervals during the day. You’d be surprised how much useful information you can obtain in those five minutes.

4. Post a question or observation on Facebook on a daily basis. Ask for input or feedback on a topical issue. Encourage interaction. This may take another ten minutes.

5. Daily, review your Linkedin messages and respond. This may take another 5 minutes.

So, all told, excluding the time you took to write your blog, your entire social media program may take thirty minutes a day. Of course you can spend more time if you’d like.

There are tools that can make monitoring your social media much easier, and we will address these tools in a future post.

How much time do you take for your social media program? Where do you focus your social media efforts? Have you seen an increase in sales based upon your social media efforts?

February 16, 2014 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

What Is The Value Of Social Media Marketing?

This morning, as I am drinking my coffee and evaluating website analytics using Google Analytics website tool, I saw an interesting trend. Traffic comes from several sources, including organic search, direct traffic, referrals and social media. First, one of the most fascinating statistics regarding social media is that it contributed more traffic that any of the other channels. This phenomena may be due to the fact that I haven’t really worked on this website until recently, but I do have a fairly strong social media presence. Of the social media channels, the strongest was Facebook, followed by Google+. Surprisingly Twitter sent only a spattering of visits and even Linked In was much stronger than Twitter.

Of the traffic that came from social media, the quality of the traffic was better than the organic traffic, in that they stayed on the website longer, and they also visited more pages. It also out performed the referral traffic for the same metrics.

I’m not sure how much of this is due to the nature of the website, which is more along the lines of a personal blog than a company website. It could be that there is a correlation because the highest referral source, Facebook, does contain may people that I know personally. However, I also have a few pages on Facebook related to the company, my personal page, and a couple of podcasts that I co-host, so that may be part of the reason. I usually post on several Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and social media sites as blogs and other items are published.

What does all this mean? Here are my thoughts, and I’m curious if you’ve noticed these trends as well, and also if you agree with my analysis:

1. Social Media offers higher engagement. It appears that when someone finds my website through social media, they tend to visit more pages and also stay longer on the site. It could be due to the fact that most of the visits are due to blog posts. I am careful when writing blogs to try to focus on topcs that I feel would be of interest to potential prospects, and this appears to be an effective approach.

2. Social Media offers opportunity for sharing. Many of my posts wind up being shared or re-tweeted. I’d like to believe that is due to the quality of the content and that I offer some good advice. Regardless, it’s more likely to occur within Facebook and Google+ and Twitter than this re-sharing seems to appear in LinkedIn. That means that I will tailor content that is sharable more to the networks where sharing seems to be more popular, and unique, more intellectual content to LinkedIn where it may only be viewed by my immediate network and groups.

3. Social Media offers amplification. Another trend that I’ve noticed is that the new visits as a percentage of all visits is higher from Social Media than from other sources, like organic search or direct search. That makes sense to me. Social media sharing can create a way of amplifiying word of mouth recommendations though cyber space. In other words, when someone retweets a message or shares a Facebook post, it’s perceived as almost a recommendation for the content. In some ways, that amplification is more valuable than the intial post. Moving forward, one way I will utilize this knowledge is to be more concious of “influencers” who can share my message and who seem to have a fairly loyal following.

If you are trying to get a message out, or to establish a brand, social media can be a powerful tool. I get a kick out of those businesses who are still avoiding social media because they think it’s not their “market”. The funny thing – your public and potential prospects expect you to be on social media, and to not only post, but also to be listening.

What do you think? Do you agree that social media is powerful for marketers? How have you utilized social media to amplify your messaging?

February 9, 2014 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

Social Media Marketing And Inbound Marketing Trends For 2014

Want your online marketing to be a Knock Out?

Internet marketing trends continue to evolve and as we enter the new calendar year we evaluate what the Internet marketing trends will be, and what the impact will be on social media marketing or inbound marketing. Some of the changes we are tracking will have great impact on the way we communicate using the Internet.

Semantic Search Yields Improved Results. The world of Google and search changed with the introduction of Hummingbird and the birth of semantic search. What this means is that search is more intelligent and adaptive. The old days of matching specific keywords for “optimized search” results are hopefully dead. Long live the new SEO and semantic search results. With a more intelligent and personalized result, the old days of ‘gaming’ the search engines are hopefully over. A new dawn of improved search results will dictate that websites become more serious about improved and helpful content. If the information is simply ‘marketing pablum’ with keywords sprinkled through the text, it will no longer garner top placement or search engine rankings.
Mobile’s Influence On Responsive Web Design And Marketing. It still amazes me when I am searching for a company or service or product on my mobile device and the result is difficult to read or evaluate. More and more, mobile has become the way we find what we are looking for, and if your website is not mobile enabled, you will be knocked out of the game. Google Webmaster Tools even offers some best practices for mobile websites. This past Holiday season, statistics show that over 25% of online purchasing was done on a mobile device. With the increasing number of transactions and searches being performed on mobile devices, mobile responsive web design will be a huge factor for online marketing success moving forward.
Social Video, Real Time Increase In Offers And Adoption. Google+ was revolutionary with the Hangout and Hangouts On Air platforms. Integrating with YouTube (the #2 search engine) makes G+ Hangouts an important tool for 2014 and beyond. Many traditionally audio podcasts have made the transition to video. In fact, video production and embedding have become relatively easy. There are tremendous advances in editing software that makes video production more attainable for the general population. Apple has proven that you can use an iPhone as an all in one video capture and editing platform for creating surprisingly professional results.
Wearable Technology And The Dick Tracy Era. Wearing your heart on a sleeve will take a back seat to wearing your phone on your wrist. Jewelers who lamented the fact that no one wears watches any more are now excited about trends in wristwear that incorporate technology. Whether it’s a watch that monitors your phone messages or records video or monitors your exercise, the way that we will communicate in the future is making great changes. Google glass has had it’s blips and false starts, but generally its an exciting new technology. At $1500 a pop, people have to wait to get an invitation to even line up to purchase the device. Seems a bit expensive to have glasses that take pictures or record video, and perhaps the early adopters are reluctant to share the Emperor’s clothing scenario, but it’s definitely a trend to watch.
Business Networking Expanded. In the age of Linkedin, Quora, Google Plus and other networks that have a business edge, the importance of business networking, both online and in person has been escalated. No longer can a company grow without a network of evangelists. Brand evangelists will do the job of spreading the word better and faster and with greater credibility than the company can through advertising or other methods.
Consolidation of Social Platforms. As social media platforms evolve, there is a tendency for them to become more and more similar. When LinkedIn and Facebook added a Twitter-like stream, then when Twitter added a new improved Facebook-like wall the fuzzy differentiation became even more diffuse. As Google+ and Facebook vie for social dominance with the newer entries like Pinterest and Jelly, the delineation will become blurred, and the fast pace of absorbing the newer, successful social channels will increase. The good news is that the same skills for engagement and sharing social content that have helped to develop associations in the past will continue to be important, and those who have mastered the ability to identify and connect with influencers will continue to have success.
Analytical Information Gains Importance. Does your social media program work? How would you know. Identifying measurable goals then finding a way to determine progress towards those goals will be the lifeblood of any social media program. If a company is involved in social media, it’s not to say that every tweet or post or like has to be a contrived part of a plan, however the messaging and momentum should be consistent, especially in organizations where there could be more than one voice for the company.
Sharing is the New SEO. While Facebook celebrates its tenth birthday, social media and the era of engagement and sharing has blossomed and in some cases, social sharing has greater credibility than the old formula for inbound links. The age of semantic marketing, of creating content that is meaningful and not just a mish mosh of keywords has begun. For your web presence to be important, you must contribute and those contributions must be recognized by third parties. To the extent that you are tweeting or “liking” or “plussing” or being tweeted, liked or plussed, that is the way your authority and web presence will grow.
Demands for Privacy Escalate. (The Downfall of Big Data). Eric Snowden may have brought new focus to this issue, but it was there before the NSA backlash began. In fact, there have been waves of people proclaiming loudly that they are leaving Facebook due to concerns about privacy, only to be lured back and lulled into ambivalence by the comforting presence of their peers. Just because other people are doing it, does not make it save and more and more the call for the opportunity to hide or block information has become louder and more strident.
Accountability Of Individuals. (Reductions in Cyber threats, anonymous trolls, spam) Recently Google made a rather bold change in they way comments on YouTube videos are posted. The comments are linked to a Google account and appear on Google+. The anonymous troll who used to post derogatory and inflammatory comments is limited to a greater extent than ever before. Whether the individual tries to obscure his or her identity or creates pseudonyms, the fact is that this is getting harder and more difficult than ever before. Perhaps by making individuals accountable for their actions and words, we can begin to put a stop to cyber threats and online harassment. Then again, if the person is truly “off their rocker”, its evident by their posts. Well, more appropriately clear to everyone except the perpetrator… The good news is that the public is demanding great accountability of organizations and individuals, and decrying those cowards who troll the Internet with the intent to do harm.

Have you identified additional trends? I’d love to hear about them and learn your thoughts – please share you ideas with whether you agree (or disagree) with these trends, and also whether you feel that there are even greater waves of change coming?

Giving the One, Two Punch to Improve Web Marketing Communications.

August 20, 2013 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

Mobile App Recommendation: WAZE Is A Great GPS Alternative

Traveling in a mobile society has it’s advantages. Using a GPS or Global Positioning System for navigation information makes traveling so much easier. With so many ways to get from point A to point B, todays mobile society has more than a GPS as an option. Google Maps, Apple Maps (although greatly criticized), Yahoo maps, Yelp Directories, and even Mapquest are all excellent solutions.

Although for some navigation, a paper map is still useful, for the most part, a GPS can determine a route to get you pretty much anywhere these days.

But with most of the mobile solutions, there are some limitations – for example, most GPS’s need to be updated periodically. These are not built to contend with real-time, real-life ongoing challenges. They are accurate to a point, and if you do not get a GPS that offers lifetime map updating, you may be working with bad information which can result in wrong turns and travel delays.

My last vehicle had an in-dash GPS which I thought was super cool at the time. It was, to a point. At the end of the two year period, I would have to pay a few hundred dollars to get a CD with new maps. I was unwilling to do that, so I just dealt with the inconsistencies that had developed over the last two years.

My next GPS was a small Garmin, which I then upgraded to a top-of-the-line Zumo, which coud be used either in the car or on my motorcycle. The Zumo is water resistant, programmable and can be operated in either motorcycle mode or car mode. The touch screen can be manipulated even if I am wearting gloves. I can swap routes with my friends and can download points of interest that appeal to me. I have all the Roadside America attractions set to alert me when I am near by. Pretty darn neat. right? I thought so, until recently…

I didn’t realize how limited my Garmin GPS was until this past weekend when I downloaded and started using the WAZE app. Yes, the GPS is still clearer and generally more reliable but WAZE (which was recently acquired by Google) brings a brilliant solution of crowdsourcing that has the edge when it comes to real-time reporting of road conditions.

The WAZE app was actually recommended to me by friend Brad Chasenore during a TechWebCast podcast. It was also recommended to me by Chris Voss of the Chris Voss Show, on another podcast. I was reluctant to get involved with another location based application because I just don’t want people to know where I am. But this past week, I was visiting my 88 year old mom who is taking classes on how to get the most out of her iPad, when she asked me if I heard about WAZE, and whether I had used it. Frankly, Mom knew more about the app than I did, which was a tad embarrassing… (I’m fessing up here!). As with any app I was skeptical and at first, I was concerned about an app that has a cute interface that represented me with a pink blob that looked a bit like an old “ABC” piece of chewing gum.

I had the opportunity to “road test” the app on a recent 1,000 mile trip along the East Coast. Real life experience using the app has made me a believer and here’s why:

Waze is used by thousands of other drivers who are reporting real time information such as
- Location of police officers along the route.
- Location of construction hazards.
- Location of debris on the road.
- Issues like abandoned vehicles or animals on the roadway.

Waze is a social community for reporting driving hazards and conditions that is refreshingly simple to use and has crowdsourced real-time road conditions. And it’s free!

Recently purchased by Google, Waze recently started integrating Google Maps with the Waze Map reports, hopefully to create a newer, more powerful interface. Although they are currently under examination by the FTC, there is hopefully a strong opportunity for this powerful little app to have the benefit of a cash injection from Google.

Some of the reasons I love Waze is because it truly helps you get where you are going faster. Recently I avoided a serious headache when my little Waze app told me to go around an accident scene before I could even see that there would be traffic on my route. I use the app each morning, and it does evaluate which route will be fastest that day – one day it’s one way and the next day it sends me a different way. I am not 100% trusting the app yet, but it’s proving itself to be very reliable.

In addition, there is a cool gamification aspect that will keep you signing in more and more. Each time you report a hazard or a traffic jam, you are awarded points. Sometimes you are thanked by other drivers who you helped. The points accumulate and you “earn” different avatars. I am proud to report that in my first fifteen days, I’ve advanced to a Waze Warrior! But that’s not all. You can integrate the app with Facebook and Twitter and then compare your score to your friends score. You can compare your score to the leaders in the state as well. If that’s not enough, you can Facebook post or Tweet to let others know what is going on with the road.

Downsides to the app – it makes my phone heat up. It depletes the battery – I go from 100% charged to no battery – shutoff in about an hour even with no other apps running. Other friends who use the app have complained about cell phone quality dropping and even being unable to make calls while using the Waze app.

Plus, we don’t know yet what Google will do with the Waze app. Right now, I think it’s definitely worth having, especially if you are someone who commutes a distance or who drives alot.

February 12, 2012 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

Google+ or Facebook: Which Social Media Is Best?

Google+ is the “new” social media and social networking platform for Google, which is purportedly the new rival to Facebook. No question, Facebook has more users, and there is incredible loyalty despite the variable security issues that Facebook has been struggling with.

Whether you like it or not, the world has change to a place where ‘social’ is the new ‘business’ platform. Social media, including Facebook and Google+ are important for business marketers for many reasons:

Your customers are using it
Your competitors are using it
Your customers expect you to be using it.

In the marketing battle for awareness and band identity, social media has become an important tool.

The relationship between search and social has become fuzzier and fuzzier. Google, which is recognized as the premier search engine, only recently became a power player in the social media and social networking arenas. As Google+ grows in popularity, the interrelationship between search and social has become more and more evident. Now, if you are logged into Google and you search for a term the recommendations of your social network will appear next to the results. Whether it impacts the ranking of the results is still a question, however there potentially is a tendency for people to click on the result that a friend or peer has recommended.

With Facebook business pages, Facebook has upped their stake in the social media marketing wars by enabling business pages to be indexed by Google. Originally, personal pages were not indexed. Business pages are subject to terms of use that govern the way contests or giveaways can be conducted, however, since so many people are already on Facebook, there is the expectation that businesses will also be there, and will be sharing information and engaging with their customers.

Google+ business pages are relatively new, and the rules to add people to business page circles are not as easy as the rules to add people to personal Google+ pages. To circle people as a business, the person must circle the business page first.

How you intend to use Google+ business pages or Facebook business pages will enter into your decision regarding where you feel you need to invest your time. Currently, Google+ is more business and tech heavy with regard to the audience, and Facebook is much more social. Dependent upon who your target audience is, and what your message is, and how you want to engage, you may chose to be on both platforms or concentrate on one or the other.

With regard to which is best, the answer is – it depends upon your business, who you intend to reach, what your message is, and what your goals are for your marketing program. Establishing your marketing plan first and determining what your goals are would be the first step to determining where you should spend your time and your marketing investment.

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