20 Ideas for Social Media Content That Engages The cry of “Content is King” has been a rallying call for bloggers and on-line publishers for years. Creating and marketing your content is now as easy as typing text and uploading images and videos and then hitting the publishing button. This has been facilitated by the advent of social networks and blogging software that facilitate fast efficient multi-media publishing. The reality is that everyone is now a publisher as social media has provided easy to use tools which has put a personal printing press in everyone’s hand. We are not only creating but sharing this content on desktops, laptops, ipads and smart phones to our Facebook and Twitter streams. The more engaging the content whether it be video or text the more likely it is to be shared. The “Content” Explosion To put some perspective on the scale of this on-line publishing phenomenon here are some facts and figures Content is what drives people to subscribe to blogs, search on YouTube and play on Facebook. The Thirst for Knowledge 2.
7 Habits of Remarkably Charismatic Marketers You know those people everyone wants to be around? The ones that light up the room with their smiles? The ones that make every person they talk to feel like the most important person in the world? I love those people. And I bet you do too, because they just make you feel ... awesome. That (along with Inc.' Think about it. 1) Draw people in with engaging content. Do you want to be that people-magnet that others just naturally want to start conversations with? Write interesting blog posts to drive visitors to your website and establish your company as thought leaders in your industry. 2) Make your marketing something people want to interact with. Charismatic people aren't usually seen begging for friends. First, make sure your content is relevant to those receiving it. 3) Listen and respond. Charismatic people don't talk your ear off and dominate the conversation. Set up a social media monitoring system . 4) Be genuine and humble throughout all of your marketing. 5) Make others feel loved.
Back to Basics: Defining Your SEO Strategy Hey-oh! Rhea here and guess what? I’m supposed to leave for vacation in about six hours. I know I’m a business owner, what am I doing taking vacation?! Maintaining sanity, that’s what. We all need a break from our technology loop: Before I go I want to follow-up on several questions left in the comments of last week’s Whiteboard Friday. Frame a Purpose Statement We start with the most basic question. Why does the business exist? The usual answer is—to make money! Yeah, we get it, we all want money, but there’s no difference between a bakery and a car insurance company if we look at business in such simplistic terms. So, step back and really think about this. At Outspoken Media, our answer looked like this: Our purpose is to help grow and protect businesses. Using the aforementioned examples, the bakery’s purpose may be to provide fresh, local artisan bread to their community. Set Website Goals Why does the website exist? Let’s look at that bakery again. Awesome! It’s time to ask: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
22 Top Blogging Tools Loved by the Pros Do you blog? Looking for exciting new tools to simplify the blogging experience? If so, keep reading. We decided to get the scoop on today’s hottest blogging tools. We asked 22 pros to share their favorite new finds. #1: InboxQ Mitt Ray @MittRay A great blogging tool I discovered a few months ago is InboxQ. InboxQ lets you create campaigns with different keywords. You can work on these questions and come up with better blog topics in your area of specialty. When people type in questions with these keywords, I get an update. Use InboxQ to find the questions people are asking on Twitter. Mitt Ray, founder of Social Marketing Writing, author. #2: Content Idea Generator Rich Brooks @TheRichBrooks The Content Idea Generator (v2) is a Google Doc that will automatically find news and related stories for your blog from a variety of sources… everything from Google News to Reddit, from tweets to public Facebook updates and more. You can get started here. Rich Brooks, president of Flyte New Media. #3: Diigo
Content Marketing Success: Developing a Broadcasting Strategy More and more businesses today concentrate on content marketing in their efforts to convert prospects and deliver sales. And why shouldn’t they? Publishing helpful information online has several advantages that traditional advertising is missing: it offers the chance to explore new marketing methods that people don’t surf away from, it educates prospects in different niches, and (most important) it provides new interaction opportunities. In this article, I will focus on choosing the channels where you can cast your content, and preparing the actual publishing process. Along the way, I will point out some online resources that I find helpful in implementing broadcasting strategies for content marketing. Play the Broadcasting Manager I confess I really love this game! What’s a broadcasting manager? A broadcasting strategy in a TV network contains three key elements: The ChannelsThe PlaylistThe Automation Machine Let’s go over them one by one and see how they fit in content marketing: Blogs
How Online Content Impacts Your Social Media Marketing Strategy There is a quasi-conventional wisdom developing which says that social media is best used (and sometimes is only useful) for top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) brand awareness. Though this may have been true early on, as social media becomes a more broadly accepted mode of communication by consumers of all stripes, its usage has become more sophisticated. Much like a company website, today’s social consumer expects more than a brochure-level social media experience. Businesses are learning that getting social with their content creates a virtuous cycle: sharing web-based content on social media expands a brand’s social media reach; greater social reach in turn drives more traffic to a company’s web-based content, multiplying its reach, and so on. Having said that, online content marketers are using social media for more than just TOFU brand promotion; they are using it to drive leads and sales. Let’s say your company, Widget World, sells really awesome widgets. Perfect. That’s it. Why did I bother?
Web Sites - How to Create a Successful Blog Editorial Strategy in Just Six Steps Blogs are one of the most valuable content marketing tools that businesses have to engage with and educate their prospects and customers. But many businesses still aren't taking advantage of what is a great opportunity to directly share information and expertise. At my company, we encounter that issue all the time. A solid blog strategy will help you create relevant content on a regular basis to attract the people you are trying to reach and help your business convert those readers into customers. Here are six steps to creating a successful blog strategy that delivers results for your business. 1. Though this first step may seem obvious, many businesses cannot define their exact audience. For example, if you are a winery with a fab Cab, talk about the Cabernet grape, your harvesting process, and great food pairings for your best vino. 2. Just as you have a reason for being in business, you have to have a reason for starting a blog. Think about what you want your blog to accomplish. 3. 4.
Using Instagram for Social Media Marketing Not too long ago a reader asked me how to use Instagram hashtags within a social strategy. Well even before she asked me that question I was thinking of a bigger question: In which ways can a marketer use Instagram in social media marketing? Here are 9 key points in marketing with Instagram. Since marketing is not holistic for any company, product, or situation, I encourage you to read these points and comment below if you want to expand on any ideas raised, or especially if you disagree. Nine Points on Marketing with Instagram: 1: Don’t rely just on Instagram When forming your social media strategy Instagram is a great mobile marketing tool, but it is not the only tool. 2: Involve your Community As with any social media campaign not only should you reply on your own pictures, you should reach out liking and commenting on their photos too, especially if they mention your product or brand. 3: Let Your Community See Behind the Curtain Personally my favorite examples of this are: Connect:
20 Content Marketing Ideas for 2012 I know — just the idea of coming up with content marketing ideas is enough to instill fear in many small business owners. But why? As SMBs, we’re pros at using content as a way to attract customers and build word of mouth. We’ve been doing it our whole entrepreneurial careers! Here, I’ll start you off with 20. Below is just a handful (OK, a few handfuls) of content marketing ideas your business can implement and profit from: Create a free course on a topic related to your business and invite people in your neighborhood to attend. See how easy that was?
Free Webinar: The Science of Social Media Social media effectiveness shouldn't rely on luck. Too long have superstitious, unicorns-and-rainbows myths dominated the field. The culmination of years of research, this webinar presents a framework for reliable social media success. Watch this on-demand webinar to learn how to build your reach, engineer contagious ideas and measure your results, through data-backed, scientifically-proven best practices. This webinar was certified by Guinness World Records as the largest online marketing seminar ever. Webinar Details Duration: 60min Presenters: HubSpot's Social Media Scientist, Dan ZarrellaHashtag: #smsci Dan Zarrella, author of The Social Media Marketing Book, is an award-winning social, search, and viral marketing scientist. Who should view:Marketing professionals interested in optimizing their social media presence. Technical Requirements:Internet connection and computer speakers for audio.
Use Inbound Marketing to Bring In More Qualified Sales Leads | Vab Media An excerpt from a content marketing blog written for Honduran Joe, a coffee fundraising company, is a good example of these benefits. The blog isn’t about coffee fundraising at all; rather, it’s about the difference between two major types of coffee. Content marketing involves providing useful and/or entertaining content. Posting to blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other sources several times per week might sound overwhelming. Imagine your standard customers. When creating a customer profile, ask yourself questions that identify needs and interests: Where do they spend time online? Want to learn more about your audience? You Need to Start Creating your Customer Persona The first step is to start developing a persona by researching your existing customer base to identify the most common buyers for your products and services. What are their Pain or Problem Points? You’re in business because you’re solving a problem for your target audience. Align Content to the Sales Cycles 1. 2. 3. Beg. Buy.