If you ever watch television, read a magazine or listen to the radio then you have probably heard about people using Twitter or “tweeting”.   Twitter is a very popular “micro blogging” social network.  It is similar to Facebook, MySpace and other platforms in that you can post an update on what you are doing.  The difference with Twitter is that it gives you 140 characters to give your followers your information.  You can add links to sites you would like share and you can even upload photos. 

For those of us that follow users on Twitter, we appreciate the fact that the users have to keep the updates short and to the point.  Like many people, I don’t have time to read 50 blogs a day but I can get the general idea of what is going on with those people and companies that I care about by following them on Twitter and just reading one or two sentences as they update.

In business, there are few social media tools as powerful as Twitter.  Twitter has around 200 million users that do over 800,000 searches per day.  This platform is easy for all users to access.  You can update using your phone just by texting and smartphones all have an application to use for Twitter.  It is the easiest to set up and easy to maintain because it really doesn’t require much.

If you are using Twitter to promote a product or business it is a good idea to make sure you update often.  Customers and clients love to feel like they are “in the know” when it comes to information.  Update Twitter if you add a new web page, a blog post, a new product, etc.  Be sure to add links to drive traffic to your site.  This will even help your page rank in the long run. 

We all know that you can’t be awake 24/7 to update your Twitter account but there are people you can hire to make sure that your Twitter account is always updating or you can use services available online that let you schedule updates.  Just never underestimate the power of frequent updates.  But as you do, remember also that your timeline on Twitter can be annoying if one user floods it with constant updates so be sure to be consistent but not annoying.  One update per hour is a good idea to start until you get a feel of what your followers would like. 

One last tip:  if you are using Twitter for business, keep it professional.  If you have an online sports equipment store it really isn’t a good idea to use your stores Twitter page to announce that you are eating ice cream at Baskin Robbins.  Save those tidbits for your personal page.  Clients love to know that you are all about their business when they follow your commercial Twitter account.

Social Media, Twitter

Get the Most ROI for Your Social Media Marketing…

White label daily deals platform and TC Disrupt finalist ChompOn is releasing some interesting data today comparing the value of shares, Tweets, likes and follows in the context of e-commerce. Using data from the sites that it powers daily deals for, ChompOn examined the conversion rate and action for deals shared on Facebook and Twitter.

According to the startup, the value of a Facebook share is $14 and the value of a Tweet is $5. For shares and tweets, ChompOn was able to directly attribute sales to the original action and took the total revenue attributed to each action and divided it by the total number of shares/Tweets. ChompOn is working with 50 partners including Blackbook Magazine, JDeal and the wine vertical of flash sales site Beyondtherack, to power Groupon-like crowdsourced coupons.

By comparison, ChompOn says the value of a Facebook like is $8 and the value of a Twitter Follow is $2. For likes and follows, ChompOn estimated attribution by looking at traffic references and subtracting out purchases made through shares/Tweets as well as purchases made through direct traffic. Of course this data is a bit tenuous and anecdotal. And it’s important to note that this analysis does not capture the long-term value of customers over time.

We’ve seen other data that shows the higher value of a Facebook share over a Tweet. Eventbrite recently reported that a share with Facebook friends results in $2.52 worth of ticket sales whereas a Twitter share is only worth $0.43.

As we wrote back then, Facebook and email most closely match your real friends. In the context of events, this produces better conversions. But it’s interesting to see that in terms of commerce, Facebook again provides a higher value than Twitter in terms of conversions.

blogging, facebook, Social Empire Media Marketing, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter

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With the movie “The Social Network” out in theatres and all the buzz that surrounds that, there is even more interest in Facebook.  In typical Facebook (genius) fashion, FB has now made it possible to get more creative with your page.  For private pages and businesses alike, this is a great boon.  Here we will discuss just a few things you can do to utilize these new features!

1.  Find a new profile templates that reflect your personality or the attitude of your business.  If you are a business owner, you can be very creative and connect with people through these creative medians.  Just be sure to keep it professional.  It may be hard to believe but professional can be fun and creative without losing credibility.  Make your page something to keep coming back to.

2.  Use photography.  Some of you may have seen different profiles where one picture is displayed through many different blocks on the page.  It gives the illusion that the full photo is behind the “wall” on your Facebook page.

3.  Get creative with your photography.  Check out this link.  If you have the know how and the creativity, you can have a lot of fun with your product, personal photos or whatever you choose.

The opportunities to have fun with this are endless and keep in mind – you want to keep people on your page and interested.  We all want our visitors to keep coming back.  Keep it fresh, updated and relevant and you can’t go wrong!

Social Empire Media Marketing Sample Facebook Pages Links:

www.facebook.com/chapmanchiesl

www.facebook.com/gotopatty

www.facebook.com/voakhomesrealestate

www.facebook.com/baggettrealty

http://www.facebook.com/RobertMaesandAssociates

http://www.facebook.com/PowayRealEstate?ref=ts&sk=app_4949752878

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Weichert-Realtors-Elite/129540968782

http://www.facebook.com/luxuryhomesofhenderson#!/pages/Luxury-Homes-of-Henderson/127115167326447

http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheFleetWoodSD?sk=app_4949752878d

blogging, facebook, Facebook profile, Facebook template, Social Empire Media Marketing, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter

You may have recently received or seen messages on Twitter and Facebook offering a free iPad.   If you saw this it could be that your friends have fallen for this latest scam.  The Twitter safety people say:  “If you’ve received a message promising you a new ipad, not only is there no ipad, but also your friends have been hacked.”   Twitter also says that for those who were “hacked” they will be sending out password reset messages.

The  message that users see usually say something to the effect that you must check something out and because there is a problem with the system it is sending out free iPads to everyone.    The message then contains a link that when you click on it gathers your personal information.  If you do receive messages or did click on these types of links it is a good idea to go in immediately and change your password. 

This scam is just one more warning as to why you should never follow links that sound too good to be true or offer something for nothing.  It is also a reminder of why you NEVER offer your personal information online unless you know exactly who it is that you are giving it to.  Even then you need to use a lot of common sense.  Nothing is fool proof and anyone can fall prey to these types of scams but if you are aware of them you know what to look for.

facebook, Facebook scam, free iPad, iPad, online scams, Twitter, Twitter scam

We recently did a post on Foursquare reaching a milestone in their “check ins”.  Here we will discuss location based applications and what they do for your business.  It is important to note that now, more than ever, all businesses should be taking advantage of these powerful and free resources online.

What are location based applications?  These applications let consumers tell their network of friends online where they have been and what they are doing.  This is like tweeting on Twitter but the world knows where you are and you can post that you found a great sale somewhere and tell your friends when that sale ends.  Or say Starbucks is having a giveaway that ends at 3 p.m., you can let your friends know so they can join in the fun before the event ending time.

Here are a few of the location based applications that we know to be great! 

1. SCVNGR- This is a  fun application.  Rather than simply telling friends you have been to a location you actually have a challenge to do at that location.  You check in at a location and take pictures, answer riddles, do challenges and more.  For customers this adds a fun element to exploring the city around them.  For business owners this is a great way to build exitement about events, sales, and more.  For example, you could have a challenge in a clothing store that whoever folds the most t-shirts in 45 seconds gets a gift certificate or a savings of some kind. 
2. Gowalla - The application allows you to visit different businesses and locations and give your friends tips and recommendations.  When you check in to a certain place you get a stamp in your passport.  Gowalla has games where they make “trips” and as you complete the trips you can win certain items.  This is a great way to encourage more participation from your customers.
3. Facebook - Just this month Facebook announced their new product which allows users to check in to certain locations.  As with their photos you can even “tag” your friends that are with you on your outing!  As users post the place that they are in a feed is sent to that locations Facebook page as well.  This can be fun because if you check in at a location and your Facebook friends get your update you can join each other for coffee or a museum tour.  The possibilities are endless. 
4. Brightkite - This is an application that is very much like Foursquare but the main difference is that you have more options.  You can chat, update, upload photos and more.  Businesses benefit because you can really get specific about the geographical location of your visitors.   Say you own a salon – you can send out a message to those that are checking in that if they bring in a friend their service gets a 20% discount or another incentive. 
5. Loopt- This application actually has many different aspects for the iPad.  For users you can check in at locations and keep up with your friends.  For the business owner it is a great way to spread the word about promotions, discounts, coupons and more.  You can also offer virtual rewards for your customers.
6. Whrrl -  This is a unique application that focuses in on specific audiences.  The are called “societies”.  For example if you are an avid bird watcher you would be in a society with people that have the common interest.  For the business owner you can offer what they call “society rewards”.  This is their version of a loyalty rewards program or frequent flyer number.  It is a great tool for offering rewards for frequenting your business. 

While you may see a lot of very large businesses getting in on this type of marketing, you should know that the small business owner has a lot to gain from these applications.  Use them to your advantage and watch your sales soar!

Brightkite, facebook, Gowalla, location based applications, Loopt, SCVNGR, Twitter, Whrrl

In business we all know the value of having “followers” on Twitter.  They are those faithful clients and fans that keep coming back to see what is new or improved.  It is also a valuable tool in keeping our followers in touch and feeling connected to us and our businesses.

This brings the topic of “retweets”.  A retweet is when one of your followers pushes the retweet button on Twitter and spreads the word about what you posted, their followers then see your original tweet.  As you can imagine, as the retweets flow down the social line it creates a domino effect.  This can be a vital key for your business.

If you look at Twitter as your free marketing friend you will see that yes, you need as many followers as possible.  Put your Twitter name everywhere you can and ask people to follow you and stay up to date with you.  Put this on your business cards, your websites, your blogs, everything you can think of.  You should also follow others and send them private messages asking them to check your site out and to follow you as well.  While this may take time, it is well worth it.  Use this free resource to the fullest.

Now let’s say you have your many followers.  You want to make good “Tweets”.  Topic is key.  Look at your followers and post things that are useful to them.  Keep it fresh and current and chances are they are more likely to retweet your post.  You should also reciprocate the retweets when you can.  Look at those you follow and when you can go ahead and retweet what they have to offer if it is consistent with your line of business.

Be greedy with your tweets, but not too greedy.  Always add a link to your site or blog in your tweets.  After all, that is what you are there for is to drive visitors to where you want them.  However, you should share the love on Twitter and link to others as well, even in the same tweet.  By doing this you will show your followers that you want to reciprocate and they will do likewise.  It’s just fact.

Keep in mind that you don’t want followers just to show a high number of them and you don’t want retweets to be your main focus.  While Twitter is powerful and retweets are priceless, keep in mind that you are there to inform your customers and to stay connected to them.  Don’t lose sight of why you are in business and who you serve.  Your customers will recognize your loyalty to them and they will return it.

retweet, social networking, Twitter, Twitter followers

So much is written on social media, it’s importance and relevance.  For a new website owner or a new small business owner this can seem overwhelming.  It is common to hear people say that they just aren’t technologically savvy, or that they just don’t have the time.  To the last comment, may we pose the question:  How can you afford to not invest time and energy into social media.

For those that reading the social media blogs, articles, newsletters and more but still don’t get it we can make it simple for you.  It is simply networking and building relationships with those customers you already have as well as potential clients.  You can start simple by building a profile on one social media website.  For example, you could just set up a Twitter account.  Then just once a day, perhaps you could “tweet” about what is new in your company or what is on sale, etc.  Anything will do, just keep it professional.

Keep in mind that while there are simple ways to go about social media networking, it is another story to come up with a social media campaign for marketing.  This takes a good game plan, a lot of thought and great execution.  The results may not be immediate but they will come.  Some campaigns have to run for quite a while to get the results you may expect.   Just be aware that instant gratification is not everything and give it some time. 

Please feel free to use our contact form and let us know how we can help you with your social media marketing campaign.  We would love to help meet the needs of your company!

Social Media, social media marketing, social media marketing campaign, Twitter