Tag : Twitter

  • Should You Follow Your Favorite Brands on Social Media Platforms?

    Posted Aug 1st, 2011 By in Social Media With | 3 Comments

    Social media marketing is a booming trend, so it’s no wonder that it’s easier than ever to find all of your favorite brands on popular websites like Twitter and Facebook. Businesses of all sizes are relying on social media to improve customer communication since social networking is much more efficient and cost effective than communicating via the telephone or e-mail.

    If you’re a customer that has a concern, question, or a comment, you can reach out to the majority of brands through social media in a matter of seconds. On top of that, since brands are relying on social media for marketing purposes, many top businesses are giving their customers rewards for following them on Twitter or liking them on Facebook.

    Here are a few top benefits you can receive from following your favorite brands in social media:

    1. You can be heard. Rather than sending an e-mail to a business or even participating in a survey, you can post your comment or tweet a response in just a few seconds. Since most businesses are new to the social media plunge, it’s likely that you’ll receive a response within a few hours or even a day to your question or concern.

    On top of that, since Twitter is a public website, a business won’t want other customers to see a public customer concern that hasn’t been dealt with. If you’re posting on a public social media website, a business is much more likely to respond to you than if you just send an e-mail.

    2. You can find out about special deals and contests. Brands are more excited than ever to use social media to promote specials, giveaways, and contests. Even mega brands like Verizon have leaned heavily on social media by using hashtags on Twitter to promote a series of giveaways to drum up sales from new customers.

    If you have a favorite brand, it literally pays to stay in the know and use social media to take advantage of discount offers you can’t find anywhere else.

    3. You can eliminate confusion. If you’re confused about a company’s new product or how to take advantage of a coupon, you can post a question on Facebook to receive a near immediate response. This is much more effective than visiting forums with answers from other Internet users.

    Why rely on another customer’s speculation or perspective when you can go to the horse’s mouth and get your answer directly from the brand through social media? Even better, you won’t have to worry about staying on hold with a company for minutes on end to get the help you need.

    4. You can become part of the bigger picture. Starbucks is one of the leading brands in social media, and they have taken the next step by introducing the forum My Starbucks Idea. The amazing thing about this forum is that customers are allowed to post their ideas and suggestions, and Starbucks actually listens.

    This is a brilliant strategy on behalf of Starbucks. Customers everywhere are impressed that they are being heard by a large corporation, and Starbucks is getting great ideas for free that they can use for product development.

    Guest Author:  Bethany Ramos is an expert in Internet marketing and social media marketing, and she also co-owns her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump.

     

  • 4 Important Ingredients in a Successful Social Commerce Campaign

    Posted Jun 30th, 2011 By in Social Media, Social Networking With | 1 Comment

    What started as a mere trend several years ago has now evolved into its own culture. Social commerce is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds in the virtual world and shows no signs of slowing down. Selling products online was once reserved for major retailers with massive inventories and the selling power to reach the masses. Now, thanks to sites like eBay, web stores, and applications for social media platforms such as Facebook, anyone can market and sell their products online.

    Having a successful social commerce campaign hinges on a number of factors. It’s not something you should venture into blindly without having done at least some minimal research. Although once you get your ecommerce campaign up and running, it can run on autopilot to some extent. However, there are certain areas in which you always have to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to selling your products online.

    Let’s take a look at the four most important ingredients in a successful social commerce campaign:

    A Multifaceted Approach

    Simply using one or two of the array of free social media tools available today won’t get you very far in your social commerce campaign. The key to making these tools work for your brand is not just using them, but using them in tandem with other avenues of marketing to gain maximum exposure. Add Facebook and Twitter widgets to your business website and blog. Add links to your website and blog to your Facebook Fan Page and Storefront and your Twitter account. Tweet about sales, promotions, new products and services. Blog about these events as well and announce the blog updates on your Fan Page. Let everything you do online reciprocate what you’ve already done, allowing the campaign to come full circle. (more…)

  • The Social Networking Monopoly

    Posted Apr 8th, 2011 By in Social Networking With | 6 Comments

    It is fair to say that most consumers consider Google and Facebook the Internet in its entirety.  While they may be aware of other sites, when they think about the Internet, what they are thinking about is one of the above corporate giants. Social networking has been around for a long time. One of the first online communities was “The Well,” which still exists and was created in 1985 as an extension of the “Whole Earth Catalog.” MySpace, Xanga, and many others were very popular until the Facebook juggernaut took over the entire Internet. So will there be only one search engine or a single social network in the end?

    The Faceless Book

    It was not too long ago that Facebook was, while successful, just one of a number of social networking sites that people used to keep track of friends, communicate, and post pictures and messages. Friendster, MySpace, Xanga, Classmates, and others all served different demographics and markets.

    Facebook on the other hand was originally a social network strictly built for Harvard students, and because exclusivity breeds desire, it led to Facebook expanding to include all Ivy League students. It later expanded again to include all college students of any school, and, finally, anyone with an Internet connection. This “forced scarcity” and tiered rollout created a huge demand and now we have the Facebook of today.

    Facebook now claims to have 500 million users, which, if true, constitutes 25 percent of all Internet users. The other social sites have faded fast and while some have survived, many are no longer in business. With the social networking side of things well in hand, and Google the largest gateway to the web, Romulus and Remus rule us all and we are experiencing the end of the Internet. Or is it? (more…)

  • 20 Great SmartBrief Social Media Polls and Analyses

    Posted Mar 14th, 2011 By in Polls, Social Media With | 3 Comments

    As many of you a while back I won a seat on the SmartBrief on Social Media Board was awarded the role of poll analyst. Let me tell you, time really flies when you are having fun because I have already written 20 analyses.  Where are the weeks going?

    Below, I gathered the synopsis of all 20 analyses for my readers (Please click on the title to be taken to the full analysis). I would love to hear which analysis was the most helpful to you.  Please share in the comments below.

    Do consumers want to be treated as individuals?

    This was the analysis that helped me win the SmartBrief contest.  Do consumers want to be treated as individuals? Treating consumers as individuals by engaging them through social media and outstanding customer service, combined with amazing products or services and revenue-generating initiatives, can help make the relationship between a company and its customers a more powerful experience and a win-win for both.

    Is social media better executed in-house?

    Is social media better executed in-house? There isn’t one right way to organize your company’s social media marketing management, but which way is right for you?

    5 reasons why market research comes before social media

    Do you need to do market research? Two-thirds of our readers say they didn’t do any market research before launching their social-media initiatives. I argue that companies that do their research are more likely to find a social media strategy that works for them.

    Does social recruiting make sense for your company?

    The recruitment process has unsurprisingly shifted to the online world, and social media seems to be the right fit for recruiting qualified job seekers.  There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every company, but there are many obvious benefits to be had.

    Social media and tablets: A perfect duo?

    Tablet devices can put the Web at your fingertips, along with a broader range of features than a smartphone. These devices are poised to make social networks an even bigger part of users’ day-to-day lives.

    What are the benefits of opening the door to social networking in the workplace?

    About 57% of SmartBrief on Social Media readers say companies should place restrictions on social media access for some or all of their employees — but I am not so sure that’s such a great idea. Social media has many benefits to offer a business, many of which rely on everyone having access.

    Is Facebook Insights a powerful tool for tracking engagement?

    About 37% of SmartBrief on Social Media readers say Facebook Insights has helped them understand and analyze trends and improve engagement. I agree that while Facebook Insights does have its flaws, it’s the most sophisticated data I have seen on a social network.

    What makes social-media followers flee?

    While about 44% of SmartBrief on Social Media readers say they’ll unfollow someone for posting too often to a social network, I argue that having too little to say can be every bit as bad.

    Will 2011 be the year we achieve social-media integration? (more…)

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