// BLOG
Awesome Marketing Ideas for Your Business!
February 18, 2014
This month we came up with some marketing ideas for your business.
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Offer something free
Everyone loves to get something free. Free samples of a product or service give potential customers a risk-free opportunity to try you out, this can help you get new clients and as well as remind current customers why they love you so much.
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Have A Loyalty Rewards System
A rewards system encourages customers to return to buy your products or use your services. Repeat customers are also more likely to spread the word to friends and family about your business.
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Encourage Customer Reviews
Positive customer reviews drive business. In addition, when customers offer suggestions or let you know about an experience that could have been better, it gives you the opportunity to make improvements.
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Use Email Marketing
A simple email can get your customers thinking about your company. Emails are also a great way stay in touch with customers and clients by letting them know about special deals and promotions. Maintaining an email database makes distribution more efficient.
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Join Multiple Media Social Networks
Joining multiple social media networks gives you the greatest opportunity to reach your audience, but don’t make the mistake of substituting social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn for an actual website. A company website is the place your customers will go when they are looking for information and it builds a sense of trust with your customers.
Welcoming Change: Top Marketing Solutions for 2014
February 8, 2014
As social media platforms evolved into cutting edge marketing tools in 2013, it has become crucial to take various technological tools, devices, and digital solutions into consideration. Is your goal to effectively reach more customers, fans, and potential investors in 2014? Read below for our wrap-up with everything you need to know.
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Video marketing is in. Did you know that more than 50% of all web traffic has become video based? Audiences feel that they are making a smarter purchasing or investing decision after viewing a video – and this is not to be ignored. Video advertising should be catchy, short and simple.
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Mobile marketing is a cornerstone. Mobile marketing is no longer a marginal feature; it’s a necessity. Consumers spend the majority of their time online on their mobile device. Digital platforms and marketing solutions you choose to invest in this year should be mobile friendly, responsive, and adaptive. While most digital platforms and themes are now designed to scale appropriately with mobile devices it is important to confirm this ability.
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Revise & incorporate Search Engine Optimization. This year SEO has become more easily understandable. Google has made SEO all about quality and relevant content, audience appeal, social media activity, customer voice, and a small smattering of keywords directly related to your business. It is time to review the new best practices of SEO and bring your content in line with them.
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Strategize social media use. It is safe to assume that people understand the need for an active social media presence. It is imperative to realize that successful social media marketing cannot be self-centered. Integrate your social media presence with other marketing tools and engage your customers and fans.
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Create an online presence that engages and inspires. Throughout 2014 marketing and public relations will shift from a focus of winning customers to goals of gaining investors and supporters to push their company’s online presence to a new and exciting level. This shift entails an interconnected online presence that inspires fans while engaging potential customers and investors to buy.
Stay onboard in 2014. Develop a professional, clean website and a strong logo. Build a social media presence as a new cornerstone to your marketing and public relations plan. The social media ship for 2014 has set its sails but it’s not too late to jump onboard. Don’t capsize your business endeavors – contact Social Marketing Solutions with all of your social marketing needs.
2013 Was a Year Full Of Social Media Marketing Successes – Now What Does 2014 Have To Offer?
January 8, 2014
2013 Brought Many Social Media Marketing Success Stories and Statistics. What Does 2014 Have In Store For The Social Networking Universe?
As you know, social media marketing is forever changing with new trends, interests, and opportunities emerging every day. With the new year comes new ways to market your business to past, current, and potential clients.
Before I talk about what you can do in 2014, let’s take a look back at 2013. Here are some interesting statistics Alicia Lawrence, online PR specialist for WebpageFX, reveals in her blog “The 12 Social Media Marketing Stats of 2013”:
• 74 percent of marketers saw an increase in traffic after dedicating only six hours per week on social media sites
• 50 percent of Internet users are active on Facebook
• 52 percent of marketers gained a customer through Facebook and 35 percent have done so through Twitter
• 54 percent of Facebook users access the site on a mobile app
• Social media popularity is growing with older age groups
If not, you can start right now. Begin with an analysis of what you tried, what worked, what failed, and what you have yet to accomplish. Identify your areas of strength, know who and where your audience is, and set goals for areas for improvement. Try something new. If your social media marketing efforts are working on the platforms you currently use, don’t be afraid to try another site. Research sites for your target audience industries and know where your audience is looking to communicate. Build your online identity and devote time to communicating with your audience. Finally, create a month-by-month plan outlining the steps to improve your efforts to reach your goals over the next 12 months.
We look forward to assisting you!
Tips for Brainstorming Blog Topics for Your Company
December 19, 2013
Writing blogs on a consistent basis is something you know your company needs to do but it can sometimes be difficult coming up with ideas, especially ones that are fresh, new and exciting. We came up with some tips to help you be creative and original when writing blogs for your company. Read on to learn more!
Tip 1: Our first tip is to ask your customers what they want to know more about. Since they are your target, it’s important to write your blog towards them and their needs. They can give you a lot of ideas of what they want to hear about and this is a simple and effective way to get your blog on the fast track. This tip is also important because it shows your readers and customers you care about them.
Tip 2: The second tip is to write a blog about a recent news story that relates to your company. It can be something that interests you personally, something that might affect your customers or just the latest industry news. This keeps your clients updated and informed with what’s happening in your world.
Tip 3: Interviews are a great way to add depth to your blog. Interviewing people in the industry or company can give people an inside look into what is going on behind closed doors. People want to trust you and your company, so by being open and sharing stories with them they will automatically feel connected to you.
Tip 4: Another way to come up with blog ideas is to read the customer review section on your website. People love to complain so this gives you an opportunity to address some of their concerns and show a solution. This will also allow your customers to feel as if you know what they need and want. It’s not only important to look at your website but also to check your competitors website out and see what people are complaining about. Then you can write about the common issue people have and give a solution to the problem.
Tip 5: Our last tip for you is to keep a journal. The journal can be a place where you can write ideas you come up with everyday as well as ideas your customers and readers want to hear about. If you keep the journal you will be surprised by how many ideas will come to you. While writing a blog you may get 10 other ideas that relate to the blog you’re writing that would be perfect to one day write about. Blogs are about connecting and sharing what you know, so don’t be shy about being creative.
Staying Social in the Summer
May 20, 2013
We may be nearing the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, but you want to make sure you don’t get too lazy when it comes to maintaining your social media presence.
While people may spend less time on social media during the summer months, it’s important to stay consistent with your business’s online presence. For example, if you want to post on Facebook three times a week instead of daily, decide when you will begin and end the summer schedule and stick with it.
Be mindful of special offers you want to promote and coincide them with events like graduation time and the holidays (Memorial Day and July 4 for example) when there is likely to be increased online traffic. Similarly, if there is a big news or sporting event, you’ll want to post on that day when people are likely to go online for information.
Think about what is important to your audience in the summer (traveling, vacationing, seasonal interests) and target your content accordingly. Depending on your business, there are many ways to be creative with your posts.
People also take a lot of photos during the summer, so it’s the perfect time to ask them to post pictures on your page. A Realtor could ask readers to post pictures of their favorite neighborhoods or a massage therapist could ask clients to post pictures of themselves relaxing on vacation.
Because people are usually more laid back and less hurried during the summer, this is a great time to run surveys, contests or events that encourage interaction and participation.
Think about your own online habits in the summer. Chances are your current and potential clients are adopting similar summer social media patterns.
