// BLOG
What’s Periscope, You Ask?
September 25, 2015
Kids these days with their 801 million social platforms – am I right? (Whatever happened to the days of MySpace and LiveJournal)? It can be hard to keep track of it all and know whether you should be utilizing each one in your marketing campaigns (the answer is no, by the way. You do not need to use every single one that comes along). Sometimes though, a platform comes along that catches your attention and makes you think about all the ways you could integrate it into your advertising. That's where Periscope comes in!
Periscope is a live-streaming video mobile app that Twitter purchased in February 2015. Twitter then rolled it out to the public on March 26, 2015. Basically what Periscope allows you to do is broadcast "live" from your smartphone from any location, at any time of the day or night. And viewers can tune in to your broadcast from anywhere in the world and chat with you in real time while you broadcast (they type in questions/messages which pop up on your phone's screen, which you can then answer verbally). Yes, there are a couple of other networks like this out there right now but Periscope is currently the No. 1 fastest-growing social network to date! Have a look at these numbers: 1) Periscope hit 1 million users in 10 days and 2) Periscope hit 10 million users in 4 months. Wow! Even more staggering than the size of this user base is the amount of content users are consuming: 40 years of content is viewed every day on Periscope. Yes . . .40 years. Unbelievable!
So you know there's absolutely an audience there, at the ready, just waiting for you to press "record"…but what are you going to do during a "live" stream? Here's a few thoughts to get you started:
1) Live product demos – Are customers always wondering how a certain product of yours works or have a new product coming out? Set up a Periscope broadcast and show 'em exactly how it's done! So do an interactive product demonstration by answering pertinent questions from viewers. Showcase cool product features, packaging, etc.
2) Behind-the-scenes look into how your product is made or what your offices look like – People love the idea of " being on the inside" and showing them the magic that happens behind-the-scenes is a fabulous way of humanizing your brand. Not only are you letting people see the art on your office walls but they're seeing you and your employees faces and now have an idea of with whom they're actually dealing. Periscope takes the business/consumer experience and makes it very personal by having the consumer connect with a real person, which in turn builds the "know, like and trust" factor at a faster rate.
3) Live events – Having a live event that not everyone in your fan base can attend? Stream it on Periscope and let everyone know ahead of time when it'll be showing.
4) Expand your fan base – Periscope opens up a big, wide world of new people with whom to interact. Once you start interacting on a regular basis here, you can then start adding people to Facebook or your mailing list, etc.
What do you think? Ready to take the plunge and give Periscope a whirl? Or even just dip in a toe and do something small just to see what it's about? Video is essential for marketing as the world has become a visually driven place. As we get more and more "now, please!", I suspect live-streaming will only get bigger and bigger. Happy broadcasting!
Keeping it Fresh
August 20, 2015
When's the last time you updated your website? A lot of small businesses will build their website and then never touch it again unless it's to add a special or update the contact information or the such. It could be because they just don't think about it with everything else they have going on. It may be that there simply isn't enough time. Or maybe they don't even see the point. We're here to tell you that big OR small, your website should have steady content updates to boost your business' online marketing.
First off, let's discuss content. Content isn't just the copy on your site. Content is anything that acts as a communication tool: images, videos, newsletters, social media and even design are all examples of website content. Updating is starting to sound a lot easier all of a sudden, huh? You can post blogs weekly or connect your Twitter feed so that it updates automatically to your site. Maybe post videos of product demonstrations or photos of "behind the scenes" at work. Do whatever fits your company's personality best so long as you remember that content = practically anything!
Why update frequently? Having fresh content tells the consumer that you have a personal investment in your services or product. If YOU believe in what you do, it's easier for them to believe in you. Having new content of good quality on a continual basis also turns visitors into repeat visitors and that is exactly what you're looking for. Need even more reasons? How about SEO? Search engines have undergone recent algorithm changes that equate bringing sites with fresher content to the top of the search list. If you want to be on top on Google, you'll need to stay on top of your website.
If you're still having some doubts about whether you can keep a stream of content coming, here are some ideas you might consider. Ask your customers what they want to know about and write blogs about that or host an informal "talk show" of sorts. Giving your clientele exactly what they want has probably never hurt anyone before! Have something that was a hit in the past? Use it as inspiration. Make a Part II or drag an idea out of it to use. If you're still having trouble, with writing at least, you can hire someone to write blog posts for you on a steady basis. If you're working with someone like us here at SMS, it's incredibly reasonably priced and tailored to your needs, making your life much easier.
Remember, content is important. Keep it coming and keep it fresh! Have an idea of your own you want to share? Leave us a comment below!
Happy 4th Anniversary, SMS!
July 28, 2015
Social Marketing Solutions celebrated it's 4th anniversary this month and we couldn't be more excited! It's been an amazing 4 years, full of exceptional clients. We couldn't have done it without you guys! So THANK YOU. Our clients are simply the BEST. We wanted to share a bit about how SMS has changed over the past few years so read on!
When we first opened up, our services were limited to Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin daily updates. Now we do not only that, but blogging and newsletter maintenance, as well as working with Instagram and Pinterest. That's not the only way we've grown though! SMS started out with only ONE employee but now we're so busy, we have three! And while we started out with 20 clients, within 2 years we had already reached over 100. All thanks to you guys!
We have worked with a ton of different clients including – authors, online magazines, health/wellness professionals, payroll companies, moving/hauling companies, IT businesses, food services, therapists, recycling companies and many more. We work with everything from service based companies to online business to product based businesses. We have various ways of meeting our clients…We do most of our marketing online – through our website, social media sites and newsletters in addition to the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. We also utilize word of mouth and referrals from past and current clients. The #1 thing we hear when people come talk to us is, "I don't have time to manage my online presence, but I know I have to." That's literally the #1 reason why people hire us, because they don't have time to update themselves, but they know the importance of an active online presence. And our #1 marketing tip that we tell everyone? Online marketing isn't a one time fix; your marketing presence on and offline must be maintained, revisited and an accurate representation of your company. In this day and age, people go online to research a company and their legitimacy and without continued updates on your website and social media, you're not accurately representing yourself and utilizing imperative marketing tools.
We've had some exciting times and milestones during our 4 years as well. Our most exciting project was when owner Kelly Jones assisted Shawn Edgington in the launch of her "No Bull Challenge". She helped with the online launch party which was very successful – Shawn's book hit the NY Times best seller list! Also exciting was when SMS gained its first out of state client…and then went international, with it's first client in Canada. We have had some great times the past 4 years.
So what does the future look like? Well, as the social media world changes, we'll be changing with it. We'll be adding even more social networking sites in the near future along with new services offered and we'll keep growing our team. Our company has continuously grown the past 4 years and we don't see it slowing down anytime soon – and we couldn't be happier!
It’s Time for That Mid-Year Review!
June 23, 2015
Summer's here and the living is easy. Life is laid-back; customers abound; what more could a business want? Knowing that your 2015 marketing plan is going to, well, plan is always a good place to start. Summer is the perfect time to review your marketing plan and strategies to decide what's working and what isn't. So what's the best way to do so?
First things first, dust off your 2015 marketing plan. Take a look at the plan you put together back in January with ideas on how to grow your business in 2015. Did you ever start that blog or newsletter, test a pay-per-click campaign, or launch a referral program? What’s working best, and what still requires some more attention? How happy are you with what's been accomplished the past 6 months? You may not have much to change! But if not…
Go over each of the points and compare where you are now with where you were projecting you'd be. Are you on track? Have you accomplished what you planned? Consider where you are now and decide what you want to achieve by the end of the year. While you're at it, do some spring cleaning. Cut your least-performing marketing activities. Marketing can be hit or miss – don't keep something that isn't working for you just because it's what everybody else is doing at the moment.
Think about how you can change and improve things. A fabulous mid-year change is updating your website. Add some new content based on your 2015 experiences thus far – like success stories, client testimonials, or best practices.
You can't let the year pass you by without making a few changes. The review will take less time than you think and you'll reap the benefits. We're also including this 100 Point Mid-Year Marketing Checklist as a quick in-depth guide. And when you've gone through and decided on what changes, if any, you'd like to make, remember that Social Marketing Solutions is here at all times to help your company have the best marketing campaign possible.
An Interview with Author Denise K. Rago
May 18, 2015
We have something excellent for you guys today – an interview with our amazing client, Denise K. Rago! Denise is the author of "Immortal Obsession" and "Blood Tears" and is currently working on the 3rd book in that series. We help out by marketing the books on her social media sites, helping her connect with reviewers and more. Read on to find out more about Denise and her fabulous novels!
Denise K Rago lives in New Jersey with her husband. A chance encounter with a mysterious stranger inspired her to begin Immortal Obsession, creating her vampire Christian Du Mauré. The author is an avid reader and blogger, with a passion for art museums, Central Park, the French Revolution and all things vampire.
She puts them all to work in Immortal Obsession as well as the sequel, Blood Tears.
To learn more visit her website at www.denisekrago.com
