Ask The Marketing Coach: How Can I Stay On Top of the Changes Happening in Social Media?
Friday, June 11th, 2010Dear Marketing Coach,
What’s the best way to keep up with the all of the changes happening in the social media networks, specifically Facebook and Twitter?
Social media is one of the fastest evolving technologies on the web today. In fact, as I’m writing this, Facebook is getting ready to announce yet another Privacy Policy change. Keeping up with the changes and advancements on Facebook can be very time consuming; on top of the time it takes to develop a strategy for social media marketing, then there are the actual social interactions, and of course you still have to do your day-to-day work for your company. It’s enough to make your head spin! This is why so many businesses decide to turn to social media professionals for consulting and profile management.
But for the do-it-yourselfers, there are several resources out there that can help you keep up with the rapidly changing world of social media. First, start reading some popular industry blogs such as Mashable, The Facebook Blog, ValleyWag, and AdWeek. Some of these blogs don’t just cover social media topics so another time-saving tip is to subscribe to each blog’s RSS Feed in a news reader, like Google Reader, so you can quickly scan the latest posts from each blog and only read the articles that are of interest to you. You also save time by not having to visit each website or blog that you want to follow. If you are using Google Reader, you can take this one step further by setting up Google Alerts for keywords like “Facebook update”, “Facebook change”, “Facebook policy”, etc. to instantly receive access to all articles on the web that mention these phrases, without leaving your Google Reader. Another way to keep up on the latest Facebook and social media news is to follow these industry blogs and other social media professionals on Twitter. Think of Twitter as a modern-day news wire and use it to stay on top of what’s happening in social media.
We want to hear from you! How do you stay on top of the latest social media changes and strategies?
Ask The Marketing Coach: What’s the Difference Between a Fan, a Like, and Share on Facebook?
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010Dear Marketing Coach,
I started using Facebook a few months ago to promote my company. Just when I thought I had a grasp on how my Page worked, Facebook changed “Become A Fan” to “Like” and now I’m seeing a new Like button on other websites after I had already integrated the Fan Box and Share buttons on my website. Now I’m confused, what’s the difference between a Fan and a Like? Should I add this new Like button to my website too?
The recent Facebook Page change from Fan to Like really has no impact on how your Page works, how you grow your Page’s audience, or how you interact on your Page. However, this does tie-in to the other change you mentioned– the new Like button. Basically, Facebook wanted to create a universal action that users can execute in Facebook and on any website outside of Facebook. So now instead of someone becoming a Fan of your Page, they Like it, but after that everything else works the same (for now). Even after this change, Page owners are still referring to their audience as Fans because what else are you going to call them? Likers? I’m guessing that the transition to Like will take some time so for now don’t worry about addressing your audience as Fans in your promotions and communications.
I do recommend adding the new Like button to your website, but first you should understand the difference between this new button and the old Share button so you can determine if it makes since to add Like to your site. There are two main things that differentiate the Like and Share buttons– 1) What each action means on Facebook, and 2) How each action shows up in a users profile on Facebook.
Share is still an action that allows a user to automatically share information on their Facebook Wall. The shared information still includes a link to the original source, a brief description about the content, and usually a thumbnail image or video. However, with the introduction of the new Like button, the meaning of the Share action has changed slightly. Share used to imply that you liked whatever you were sharing or that you just thought it was interesting enough to share with your Friends (maybe because you strongly disliked the information or you just wanted to start a conversion about the content). But now if you read something on website that you like, you have the choice to Like it or Share it. The new Like button lets a user make it clear that they like the content they have found on a website while Share is still a somewhat ambiguous action. Although the new Like button action sends a stronger message about the users feelings about the content they are sharing, the Like action does not generate as much detail about the content on the users Wall. Unlike the Share action, the Like action appears as a message on the Wall that simply says “Joe Smith likes Keeping Up With Facebook on The Pomerantz Agency Blog” with a link to the original content but there is no description of the content or a preview image. So with the Like action it’s a stronger vote of opinion about the content but less information about the content appears on the user’s Wall. With the Share action, the user isn’t necessarily telling their Friends that they like, or dislike, the content but more information about the original content appears on Facebook.
We want to hear from you! Send your toughest marketing questions to thecoach@pomagency.com.
Ask The Marketing Coach: Is Telemarketing A Good Strategy For Generating Leads?
Friday, March 12th, 2010Dear Marketing Coach,
Our company needs to get some leads in our pipeline pronto. We’re contemplating hiring a telemarketing person to do cold calling for us. Is this a worthwhile investment?
Here’s the short answer to your question: dialing for dollars doesn’t work.
Think about it. How often do you actually answer your phone at work? Be honest. Don’t you let it roll into voice mail more often than not? And, if you do answer it, don’t you want to ring the person’s neck if they’re a sales call? I know I do. Once in a while, I’ll be nice but mostly I find them to be a big annoyance.
Now with this said, there is a place for the telephone as a part of your integrated lead generation mix. Note the word “integrated”. It is key for success. Here’s a brief summary of how integrated lead generation works:
1. Make sure you have a targeted list of suspects that fit the criteria of your ideal customer. If you don’t have a list, get one. Do research on the Internet. Use a database service like Hoovers.com. The best lists are the ones that are built from scratch. It’s not easy — especially finding email addresses — but it works.
2. Know your audience’s pain points and address them. Why should your target audience give you the time of day? What problem(s) are you going to solve for them better than anyone else can?
2. Define your goal. What do you want from your target audience? While we would all like a signed contract upon hello, it’s not reality. Do you want a meeting? A call? Do you want them to attend an event? Be clear about the outcome that you want.
3. Once you know your goal, you need to figure out what you’re willing to give to get. You need to give something of value — especially these days. Is it a whitepaper about your product? A case study? Some sort of complimentary evaluation? You need to figure out a way to prove yourself.
4. Now you’re ready to get busy. Craft a series of three or so emails that you can customize with the recipient’s name and company name. Keep your subject lines simple. Have the content of the emails build upon one another. Hit your pain points. You can send the emails using an e-marketing tool so that many can be sent at one time but use an all-text, simple format. Simple is better.
5. Ideally, link to a page within your website that also includes a form where the recipient can review more information and respond to your request.
6. Between emails, leave a voice mail or two. Keep these simple and not annoying. Tie your message into the same messaging you’re using in your emails. Maybe you’ll even get lucky and land an actual, live person. If you do, you’ll have something of substance to say to them and something to give so you’ll be in good shape.
7. The ultimate key to success is mixing it up. No one thing works better than another but it all works better together — much better than dialing for dollars.
If you’re inspired by what you’ve just read but can’t fathom doing all of this yourself, learn more about Pomerantz’s Lead Generation Services. We’ll do all of this for you…and more.
Ask The Marketing Coach: Is SEO Really Worth The Money?
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Dear Marketing Coach,
I’m considering search engine optimization for my website, but I’m not sure if it’s something that is really worth spending money on. Can you tell me what kind of results should I expect and how long it will take before I see the effects of SEO?
When it comes to search engine optimization, exact results can vary greatly, which is why so many business owners have a hard time justifying the cost of SEO services amidst budget cuts and company lay offs. However, if your website hasn’t already been optimized then you should expect to see an improvement in the quality of traffic you receive (which can be measured by an increase in qualified leads or sales), an increase in traffic from search engines, or if you hired a skilled SEO professional you will hopefully get both. Although exact results may vary, SEO campaigns can be measured for success using an analytics tool so it is pretty easy to determine the return on your investment, which we all know is what matters most.
Keep in mind that there are a few things you can do to contribute to the success of your SEO efforts. First off, SEO should be seen as a long-term investment in your business and not as something you do once and then you don’t have to worry about it again. Even if your budget doesn’t support a full-blown SEO campaign, it is a good idea to come up with a 6-12 month SEO plan in order to achieve your goals. With SEO, best results are obtained by first optimizing your website and then focusing on off-page optimization, such as link building, and content creation, which should be done on an ongoing basis as part of your marketing efforts. It is also important that you set proper expectations because SEO results don’t happen overnight. Depending on the competition surrounding your target keywords, and how well your site was doing in the search engines before your started your SEO campaign, it can take more than 6 months before you see a significant increase in search engine rankings. But don’t despair, you should start to see some initial results within a month. But if you are really eager to get a boost in traffic, consider launching pay-per-click campaign while you are waiting for your SEO efforts to kick in gear.
Do you have a question for the Marketing Coach? Go ahead, just ask! Email thecoach@pomagency.com or leave a comment to have all of your marketing questions answered.
Dear Marketing Coach,
I’m considering search engine optimization for my website, but I’m not sure if it’s something that is really worth spending money on. Can you tell me what kind of results should I expect and how long it will take before I see the effects of SEO?
When it comes to search engine optimization, exact results can vary greatly, which is why so many business owners have a hard time justifying the cost of SEO services amidst budget cuts and company lay offs. However, if your website hasn’t already been optimized then you should expect to see an improvement in the quality of traffic you receive (which can be measured by an increase in qualified leads or sales), an increase in traffic from search engines, or if you hired a skilled SEO professional you will hopefully get both. Although exact results may vary, SEO campaigns can be measured for success using an analytics tool so it is pretty easy to determine the return on your investment, which we all know is what matters most.
Keep in mind that there are a few things you can do to contribute to the success of your SEO efforts. First off, SEO should be seen as a long-term investment in your business and not as something you do once and then you don’t have to worry about it again. Even if your budget doesn’t support a full-blown SEO campaign, it is a good idea to come up with a 6-12 month SEO plan in order to achieve your goals. With SEO, best results are obtained by first optimizing your website and then focusing on off-page optimization, such as link building, and content creation, which should be done on an ongoing basis as part of your marketing efforts. It is also important that you set proper expectations because SEO results don’t happen overnight. Depending on the competition surrounding your target keywords, and how well your site was doing in the search engines before you started your SEO campaign, it can take more than 6 months before you see a significant increase in search engine rankings. But don’t despair, you should start to see some initial results within a month. But if you are really eager to get a boost in traffic, consider launching a pay-per-click campaign while you are waiting for your SEO efforts to kick in gear.
Do you have a question for the Marketing Coach? Go ahead, just ask! Email thecoach@pomagency.com or leave a comment to have all of your marketing questions answered.
Ask The Marketing Coach: How Is A Website Optimized For Search Engines?
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009Dear Marketing Coach,
How is a website optimized to make it “search engine-friendly”?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines. This process focuses on 3 main areas of optimization: On-Page, Site-Wide, and Off-Page. When a website is optimized to make it more “search engine-friendly”, the focus is strictly on the On-Page and Site-Wide optimization, meaning the SEO enhancements are made to the actual website. Other external factors also influence search engine traffic and rankings, which is when Off-Page optimization comes into play.
On-Page and Site-Wide optimization techniques ensure that your website is fully accessible to search engine robots so your web pages can be rapidly indexed and appropriately ranked. On-Page optimization concentrates on improving the “search engine-friendliness” of a specific web page whereas Site-Wide optimization addresses the more technical issues that affect the entire website. On-Page optimization includes writing keyword-rich page titles and meta tags for every web page, adding keywords to the content on the site, and weaving hyperlinks throughout the content to link to other internal web pages. Site-Wide optimization identifies and resolves issues with site maps, 404 error pages, page URLs, directory structure and file naming systems.
If your website doesn’t use proper On-Page or Site-Wide optimization tactics, then search engines probably won’t be able to find all of the content on your website. This can result in your site missing out on opportunities to show up in search engine results, which limits your site’s exposure to potential customers on the web.
Do you have a question for the Marketing Coach? Go ahead, just ask! Email thecoach@pomagency.com or leave a comment to have all of your marketing questions answered.
Ask The Marketing Coach: My Website Needs Help, What’s My First Move?
Monday, November 16th, 2009Dear Marketing Coach,
I know my company’s website needs some help, but I’m not sure what to do first. Our budget is tight right now so can you tell me a couple of things I can do to get started and what will give me the most bang for my buck?
When revamping a website, there are two areas of improvement that I like to focus on— traffic and conversions. A conversion is the desired action you want your website visitors to complete, such as filling out a contact form or an online purchase transaction. Typically, increasing volume while improving the quality of traffic and conversions will get you the most bang for your buck. But there are many tactics to achieve this goal so it’s no surprise that you’re left wondering where to start. To determine which tactics you should focus on first, take a step back and look at your website through the eyes of a potential customer. Now what do you see? Overall, is the site visually appealing? Can you tell right away what the purpose is of the website and what action to take if you are interested in the product or service offered? Is the site easy to navigate? Are there multiple conversion points that make it easy for you to contact the company or complete a transaction?
If you answered “No” to any of these questions then you’ve got yourself a lazy website! Whip it into shape with a fresh new conversion-focused design and save room in your budget for search engine optimization (SEO), which will improve the quality of the traffic you receive and boost your search engine rankings— you’ll start getting more website visitors and those visitors will convert to sales.
However, if you answered “Yes” to most of these questions then you are ready to focus on search engine marketing via a SEO, Pay Per Click (PPC), or Social Marketing campaign. SEO, PPC, and Social Marketing are all proven strategies for increasing website traffic and conversions. Which tactic you choose depends on your budget, goals, and target audience.
If you had a hard time answering the above questions, then contact Pomerantz for a free Website Evaluation and let us tell you what we think!
Do you have a question for the Marketing Coach? Go ahead, just ask! Email thecoach@pomagency.com or leave a comment to have all of your marketing questions answered.