Blog Archives
Social Media Business Trends 2014
The writing was all over the wall and it was inevitable that social would truly turn into a marketing machine. I remember the days when I had my own social network for motorcycle enthusiasts, motorsport companies desired to be there because it was their target market all in one place. So why wouldn’t they want to pay to be there to advertise their products? But, today social networks aren’t that niche specific anymore because it’s just easier to be where the majority of your “friends” are and to just just create groups or hashtags of shared interest.
With social networks having member numbers the size of countries this obviously is the targeted area for brands and small companies. But, this also forces them to have to be more creative and truly think outside the box in regards to strategy. Below I took some snippets from Online Social media that really provided some great imagery breakdown of trends to look for in 2014. Like I said the writing was on the wall with Social Business, all that hard work of building your Facebook fans, especially your going to have to pay to play. According to the data below 82% of people don’t believe Facebook ads to be true, so it’s going to come down to what you’re trying to accomplish and being really creative and setting defined KPI’s. This will also force business to take a hard look at all their other social networks such as, Instagram, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest for new exciting ways to engage their audiences. Bottom line is that this year it’s time to really use your Social CRM!
By,
Tanesha White
AKA~Digital Diva
Social Media audit time, it’s not just tax season
Ahh tax season is in the air, smells horrible to me but Uncle Sam needs his money! On a brighter note this may be a perfect time to run an audit on social media strategy and profiles. Things are constantly changing in the Social world and it is very realistic that what was working 4 months ago just might be obsolete today. So running a social media audit should not be happening once a year it should be happening quarterly if not more frequently.
So what does a Social Media audit consist of?
First, a master list of all your social accounts with links and passwords etc. The easiest program to use is excel so everything is in columns and you can 
make notes accordingly.
As you’re going through your list check the networks and do some competitive research on each one. For example look at your competitors Facebook page and see if anything has changed in their strategy. Are you seeing more engagement? Has there been a huge spike in fans? Are they running contests? These are all important things to look at, because this could be an indicator that you may need to get more aggressive especially since page post views have plummeted since October. Continue to use the same technique of research down your check list and don’t forget to make notes!
After you’ve done your competitor research take a look at all of your profiles.
Are they up to date? For example did you add a new location, or has your company offerings changed? Do you have a new logo or new website design? If so you want may want to have that looking consistent across the board.
Have their been updates to the social network? Have image sizes changed? Are hashtags still relevant or became relevant? Such as the changes in Facebook or Pinterest.
Syndication- This is important if you are syndicating social feeds throughout your network make sure they’re all working correctly. For example If you have tweets being syndicate to google Plus make sure they are being deciphered correctly. Sometimes characters from Twitter come over looking like code. When looking at syndication this is also a great time explore new sources. There are so many great social management tools out there today. Some of my top favorites are Buffer, IFTT, and of course Hootsuite. Some are better at one thing than the other so you may want to try to mix it up.
Lastly take a look at your social media content strategy. If you find that your social media content calendar is slightly boring incorporate some fun contest ideas. Social contest can really boost engagement and turn a boring social party into a blast again.
If you haven’t done a social media audit in a while this may be very time consuming at first. But remember to do these as often as you can so everything is always up to date. Especially in regards to the competitor research you should do this monthly because you may find a promotion or type of posting that received tons of engagement or vice a versa, you could take this a learn what the mistakes were and make it better.
By,
Tanesha White
Your DigiDiva~
Your youth has flocked from Facebook, No not really!
You’ve probably read numerous publications and have seen so many stats that have been telling you that teens are leaving Facebook. If you’re a brand that carries a product for this hardcore demographic then those stats probably freaked you out a little bit.
But, hopefully you’ve had SME’s or really awesome “in the know” agency partners that have brought clarity to this nonsense.
Truth of the matter is teens didn’t run away screaming like Facebook hosted the infection that begun the zombie apocalypse or anything like that, they simply gravitated to more visually stimulating networks that don’t call for much dialogue such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Vine and not to mention where parents might be scarce.
According to the stats on the left young audiences still make up the majority share demographic for Facebook and is projected to hold that title through 2017. In reality they haven’t left Facebook now has to share the space with fast growing social networks that are catering to the youth slightly better.
Harvard studies have showed the shift in personalities and communication skills that the internet and social networks created. We’re demanding information fast and the instant gratification of receiving it. Also the satisfaction of narcissistic behavior can be satisfied faster with networks like Instagram, Vine, or Snapchat.
Knowing this information brands just need to get more creative and do some more fact finding and become power users of these networks themselves. Really try to understand how the younger audience is utilizing them. Understand the psychology of this younger generation and cater to the “it’s all about me” mentality. How can your brand make it about these users? Nowadays everyone wants to be an internet superstar why not showcase and share some of what your young audience is doing with your brand.
Don’t be afraid to jump in conversations about it. For example PS4 is doing a great job of interacting with their fans and showcasing them with their Greatness Awaits campaign. Telling fans to take stills of their awesome gameplay moments and having the opportunity to get showcased on the Playstation website for people to vote is how it should be done. When it comes to social networks don’t get discouraged or worked up thinking the end is near once you feel you’ve “gotten” a network down. Just be adaptable and ready for change are bring it on!
Infographic of the Week: Marketing is Zombie survival at its best.
Now that we’re left on the edge of our seats with Sunday’s heart pumping, “The Walking Dead”, this week’s infographic by Marketo is perfect. If we ever have a zombie apocalypse watching the show has surely prepared us. But, I never thought about applying these survival skills to a marketing strategy. Having a plan, and having people as a team perform specific duties… yes that sounds familiar right? This and amore tips can be found in this infographic, so enjoy!
By,
Tanesha White
Brought to you by Marketing Software by Marketo
Infographic of the week: Why you should be using them
Happy Friday everyone!
This week’s infographic is an oldie but a goodie, only because it’s what inspired me to share infographics in the first place. In today’s world we’re exposed to so much information. In the morning I have to stay rather strict on my routine because it’s so easy to become distracted. Did you know that 99% of that information is filtered out of the brain almost immediately? Crazy, but I guess it’s a necessity to keep our sanity. But of that 99% of information, 90% of it is visual and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text. Since I am part of the 65% of the population that is a visual learner I like to pass on things that can easily be digested to my other fellow 65%’ers. Let this information soak in and think about how you can apply this to your marketing strategy. Remember it’s all about how you’re presenting your information.
Fun fact: The stats of my blog shows growth of 50% more traffic from last year since I decided to share infographics. I guess there are a lot more people out there like me who are overloaded with info and just need a pretty picture that gets to the point without all the text! Like I say, “give me the baby, not the delivery.”
Have a great weekend,
Tanesha White
Throwback Infographic of the week: Guide to Online Marketing
Instead of throwback Thursday I found this throwback infographic today, and we can pretend it’s Thursday:-) This infographic by the gang at SEOMoz was created in 2011and happens to be one of my favs. What’s ironic about it is that nothing has really changed over the past few years except for the social media aspect. This guide gives you all the tools and tips to get that social strategy started, but there’s definitely a lot more to social marketing than this infographic displays.
What would you add to it?
Sincerely,
Tanesha aka Digital Divia
Digital Shot: Get out of the “Like Factory” and get more social
By now most businesses small, medium, and large have a good hold on their social media management. But, many are falling into the “like factory” which I like to call when people scroll through their wall and aimlessly like stuff without paying attention to who actually posted it. When you fall into this, social media doesn’t feel that exciting. When you get to this point it’s time get more social with your social media marketing.
It’s surprising but common that most employees of businesses that keep up with their social networks aren’t interacting at all with their content. The first step to really getting social is to make sure that employees are involved. A good way to really give this strategy a kick start is to get your social following out of that rut of just randomly liking your funny dog pics and get them to want to come out to your location. This is great way for employees to get excited about what’s going on by actually seeing people come through the door. I worked with a client that really liked posting fun non traditional holidays such as, National Ice Cream Day. They really got into the spirit by offering ice cream sandwiches that day to people that came out to the store. This strategy is great for local businesses especially if you can be consistent. If you want to generate some sales right away think about not only posting Happy Mothers day, but maybe giving a discount or a special coupon on that day.
I hope some of these ideas will help you take the steps to get out of the “like factory” and get more social.
Yours Truly,
Tanesha White
Digital Diva
Infographic of the Week: How social media changed our lives
Being in the digital marketing space it seems like all the information in my social feeds and email box is all about social media marketing this, and the top 5 steps in effective marketing that… It’s only natural that marketers talk about the marketing benefits of social media. With that being said we seem to have lost sight that social media has really changed the world. Never in my adult life have I ever read a newspaper accept the comics when I was kid:-) now breaking news just comes to our social feeds. Social media has changed the way the way kids communicate in school, how law enforcement catch criminals, etc.. This infographic of the week displays all the ways that social media has really changed our lives minus the marketing.
Enjoy,
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Infographic of the Week: Social Media Usage other than Marketing
When it comes to social media small businesses really have an advantage. Sure big brands get the amplification and viral juice from their national/global visibility, but when you get down to the localized brick and mortar businesses that’s where you can take advantage of personalization and real relationships.
In this infographic below, courtesy of Michael Nelson, “The Cogent Coach”, displays how small businesses can leverage social media other than for marketing usage.
Enjoy,
Tanesha W
Digital Diva
Infographic of the week: Local Business Owners What Social Network Have You Adopted?
I came across this infographic on Business 2 Business Community that shares some interesting comparisons between local business and national brand usage of social network use to reach customers. The fact that Facebook is the only network where local businesses have reached the same adoption as national brands isn’t that surprising. Businesses “get” Facebook they understand that it’s just part of our lifestyles, so it just makes sense to be there.
Other networks such as Twitter, Instagram, Google plus, etc… really requires more strategic direction for local businesses to really leverage these non Facebook networks. Local businesses will adopt using these networks once more understanding on how consumers are using them. If you aren’t working with an experienced agency, as a small business owner you need to join these networks and actually participate to see how they are being used. Make them apart of your lifestyle and then think of ways that you can incorporate them in your business.
Good luck!
The Digital Diva 