Small Business SEO

Social Guide to Tools, Positive Online Visibility and Building Relationships

Industrial media has been limiting for businesses for many reasons. First and foremost, big companies are the only ones that can manage to prosper in using mass media. To simply put it, smaller businesses do not have adequate resources to bring out massive marketing plans. Good thing, the buzz about social media has been going on for some time now. More and more people are acknowledging its influence that many have embraced its culture and technology. Businesses are particularly curious about taking advantage of this cheaper means for marketing. The costs are undoubtedly cheaper compared to traditional means that limit the capacity of smaller companies to flourish.

Social media can be interpreted in many ways. Some would explain it as the group of internet-based applications that encourage interaction between end users. Some see it as the new culture brought about by the technological advancements after Web 2.0. These applications have interoperability that allows people to exchange ideas in no time and with no fuss at all. A lot of people would also refer to it as the user generated content. For businesses, it is also called consumer generated content.

Both big and small businesses embrace it because it is more economical. The fact that it is also accessible makes it easy for anyone to jump into the bandwagon. The truth is that there has been a great shift in how the general public receives and consumes the media. Because what people need can readily be found online, people spend less time watching television, listening to the radio and reading publications. Many people also use the internet for leisure. If it is being used for work-related, school-related and recreational activities, people may already have an idea of how much time is spent online.

The usability of these internet-based applications also did a lot in helping social media flourish. To be able to take advantage of traditional media completely, high level of skills are required. The applications are geared towards encouraging people to join and encouraging people to invite others and that is the reason why each is user-friendly. Instead of the need for writers like mass media, there is a need to develop the personality or the voice that the target market can identify to. Such applications are also more sensible as oppose to traditional media in terms of permanence. Mass media does not allow alterations to be done once it is printed or aired. The web social interaction allows constant updates that lead to faster results. The truth is that it is even possible for people to respond instantly. This means that if a business knows how to take advantage of it, it would take a shorter while to reach the audience that the business is targeting.

Now that the idea is out there, people who own businesses would understandably want to get into it. As simple as it sounds, a lot of people are still lost as to how they are going to carry out their social media plans. Most people into marketing have probably been doing the same thing for years but are still clueless on how to make the shift from tactics intended for industrial media to social media policies. Initially, people should be open about educating themselves so they can understand what it is all about. This Social Guide is part of a larger educational program I have created to guide small business to understand and create effective Internet marketing strategies.

It is crucial to learn the basic dos and don’ts especially when trying to experiment would lead to wasting time and money. Before jumping in please read this Social Guide and the other marketing strategies and recommendations found on this site. It is all about doing what is recommended and avoiding the usual pitfalls for a smooth-sailing online marketing strategy. Some competitors are probably already in it. If businesses do not jump into it, they would definitely be left out and lose the chance to be level or better yet dominate their competitors.

After learning about the rules of the game and having a sense of how it goes around, it would be time to immerse themselves on a lot of listening. A Social Guide highly recommends the business owner or the marketing representative to have an idea of the existing online material related to the business. It can be what people are saying about the brand or the company and how people are seeing the competitors. Planning strategies would be simpler if the individual has an idea of what is being talked about. If there is material found, it does not stop there. They can look further into the material and see if it is leaning more towards positive or negative outlook of the product, the company or the individuals working for the company.

The company or the business would probably already have some sort of online visibility. It would be useful to have an idea of how people are taking the existent online connectivity. For instance, it would be useful to know if people are visiting the website. If there is constant web traffic, then they should know if the hits are from existing customers or new audiences. They can also have a look at the email marketing strategies and check how they are being received.

The business owner should also be aware of the purpose of getting into this marketing strategy. Without having a purpose for it, it would be more difficult to set goals. Being clear about why they want to try their luck with social media would help a lot in plotting the most crucial points they need to focus on. The group or the individual assigned for online marketing should also have a concept of where the industry they belong to is currently standing. For instance, they have to be aware of things like if the business is a bit late to start a campaign for online expansion of the market. Just like traditional marketing strategies, this is all about research. If they use search engines for similar businesses and nothing much comes up, then it means that they are ahead in the game. In summary, listening is all about knowing what is there to work with. Part of it is the evaluation of the current online visibility, how people have responded to the ones already available, what people are talking about the brand and what the status of the business is in terms of comparing it to its sensible competitors.

The social guide to be followed is best served by having a team. The individual should already know who would be working in the team. Those who make up the team should also be assigned tasks that they are interested in or tasks where their styles and skills would be most effective. After the team has been assembled, the question is where and how to start. The online marketing tools to be used would be dependent on what the goals of the company are. The good thing about the internet-based applications is that there would be minimal costs. If something else turned out to be more effective, nothing much would go to waste. These tools are also not limited to those applications. It can also take form of gadgets that would keep the individual or the other members of the marketing team updated of what is happening online.

Google alerts can be a useful tool in building keyword searches for terms that are related to the company. It can be the name of the company, specific products as well as competitors. It would be ideal to get to know how RSS feeds can be utilized for this. If an individual is already on twitter, then it would be a good start. Searches for each of the products, the brand name, the common terms in the industry and even the name of the individual can also be done using twitter. The content of the material found should also be assessed in terms of the sentiment or the tone. Making notes of the results would be advantageous for future references during the course of carrying out the steps in the Social Guide.

If there is one thing that the marketing team should make sure of, it is finding a personality and living it. Social media is all about people relationships which means online endeavors are likely to fail if they are not exactly enthusiastic about what they are doing. This means that people who are going to be recruited for the team should be eager about making the reputation of the company more visible and more positive. On top of that, people skills are also highly-welcomed. If it is going to be managed by a lone individual because it is a small company then that person can also focus on connecting with people and not see them merely as a customer. It has been said that people are doubtful of advertising. There had been studies that have reported that the percentage of people who trust what commercials relay can be as low as 15%. With this bit, the individual would have an idea of how significant it is to build valid relationships between real people.

A twitter account, for instance, would be more efficient when it has the individual’s real name. Uploading a picture on the profile would also be valuable in convincing people that the one behind the account is someone who can be easily approached. For example, if it is the logo of the company that is used as the profile photo, people are bound to think that it is less personal. Another thing that should be avoided is adding numbers to the account’s username. It has the tendency to mislead people because most seem to associate it with spam. The description or short bio should be done in a natural manner much like how most people would introduce themselves when they meet someone for the first time. This is also applicable to other interoperable networking sites that will be used as the foundation for optimal online visibility.

What people have to remember is to build relationships that is not only limited to transactions or business-related material. If an account is all about selling merchandise and informing people about the promotional items, people would be readily turned off. The team has to have real opinion and real insight on different issues. If the motto before had been strictly business, a Social Guide preaches the total opposite. Ideally, people should get personal to win the others’ trust.

With the knowledge of how the tools are being used as platforms for the online marketing campaign, the team can identify the realistic goals of each of the little steps they take. They should also be aware of the tools that can be used to measure how far they are in their planned marketing endeavors. The set goal can be focused on increased brand loyalty of existing clients. Some companies may be geared at attracting new customers. Others are concerned about the online reputation of the brand. The goal can also be to have more favorable reviews of the product or services. If negative material has been found during the online marketing research, then the obvious goal would be how to turn tides. Some businesses are also interested in improving customer satisfaction so the goal should be geared towards grasping the clients’ needs and wants.

Surely people already have an understanding that there is a need for avid participation. The nature of the internet-based applications that make up social media has made that clear. It has been mentioned that the interaction should be personable and should go beyond the transactions. Developing a unique voice is very useful in winning the other people’s approval and it would do so much better as compared to having a purely businesslike voice. The bottom line is that achieving the set goals would always be dependent on the people working for the company. It is how they relate to other people that makes that connection, wins their trust and productively keeps the relationship. A Social Guide would restate the significance of conversing in a human fashion. When customers reach out, they are expecting to be attended to. The attention granted, minus the promotions and links, would be a good start in building bridges.

When it comes to a social guide, blogs play a major role. There is a need to spend some time commenting on other blogs as oneself. This simply means that an individual can read about the things they are interested in and say what they like. The comments to be left in the blog do not have to be a representation of the brand or the company. It can simply be an opinion regarding what they have just read. People will sense if they have a hidden agenda if they are choosing the most popular sites and are always promoting products they have to offer.

Those who are part of the team who feel they are up for the task can even make their own blogs. The key is passion and sincerity. This means that people would see right through them if they do not know what they are doing. Just the same, a blog would garner raised eyebrows if the one responsible for it do not like what they are doing. Forcing someone to write a blog about a topic they are not familiar with can only lead to catastrophe. The blog does not necessarily have to be limited to the products or services the company has to offer. If the merchandise of the online store is mostly about costume make up then the most probable niche can be geared towards costume design and stage make up. The blog content has to be substantial. The helpful bits that the blog offers, along with the voice it has, can garner interest and support from other people. The key is the same as the other applications, it is all about participation.

Blogs can be merely informational sites but it would not be the same as something that addresses the subscribers’ concerns. The blog has to be catchy which is not too difficult if the one who is behind it is in love with what they are writing about. Adding to the text content, other elements of web design can also do wonders in luring visitors to the site. For instance, the uncluttered layout, the attitude as well as the use of visuals all add to the feel of the blog.

The voice and the niche should still be the core of how people should work at getting the blog look more appealing. Secondly, the content has to sustain the audience to read on. This can be done as simple as regularly updating. If people have consumed the blog from cover to cover then they have no more reason to come back for more. Much about sustaining an audience for the blog is based on interaction. Aside from the blog moderator’s responses, it would also be ideal for the end users to have the liberty to converse with each other more. Other than talking about the product or the company, the online conversation can also touch on the entry itself and other relevant topics. As long as people are talking and visiting the site, it spells good news.

Twitter as a micro blogging platform allows users exchange ideas and updates in 140 characters or less and it is what makes it quite simple. For those who are still not on twitter, they can expand their network simply by keying in the name of the people they know. A person can also let twitter search the contacts in some email such as Gmail, Hotmail and AOL. Finding people with similar interests as well as groups that are relevant to the brand or the company can also be added. It would be as simple as using twitter search to access the list of topics that interest the individual and see the other people who are also talking about them.

Some people are mislead that utilizing twitter is all about quantity. It is not about building a large network and it may even be a setback if the account becomes marked as a spammer. Twitter does suspend those who are likely spammers so people should be warned about adding too many people too fast. They have to let it run its course. The account is made for enjoyment and people might just as well enjoy what it has to offer. It is not simply about following or being followed by other people. In fact, there is no need to worry about some people unfollowing the account made for the company. There is also no need to be too conscious about rankings and recommendations of who the best people to follow are. What they have to focus on is creating relationships to the relevant individuals and groups. It is also much about how much they interact with their contacts.

Other kinds of applications such as Flickr allow photo and image sharing which is another straightforward way of being visible online. Products can be shot in a creative manner and shared using such applications. Spending some time interacting with people with the same interests would also be quite useful in building online connections. The tactics would follow the same concept as any other internet-based applications that have interoperability. The site preferred will not always be effective but that is no reason to give up on following the Social Guide so soon. There are countless sites where accounts can be made for free and potential customers may be a click away.

The goals to be achieved need to be outlined in a concrete time table so that the company can assess where they are currently standing. It can be a weekly plan or a monthly plan. The more important thing is that people can see their improvement and people can see if they are behind schedule. The assessment can also be done by means of having a look at the sales analysis. There are also website metrics to help them identify their status. Early on during the online marketing research, the online reputation and visibility has been looked at. This can also be done periodically after executing the different steps as stated in the Social Guide. The number of times the brand, the company or the individual has been mentioned online should be noted as well as the sentiment of the end-user about them. In terms of the efficiency of the blog, the subscribers as well as comments can be the basis. With the help of Google Alerts and Technorati, people can also check the inbound links to the blog. An individual can also check if people are talking about the brand or the company even when the administrators are offline.

Using customer surveys, the company should also take interest in the rate of referral or the chance of the product or the service to be recommended to other individuals. Of course the overall customer satisfaction is vital and has long been approached as an angle way before marketing strategies has penetrated online applications. The analysis of sales or the rate of repeat customers would also say much about whether the marketing campaign based on Social Guide is working or not.

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