Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Pin Down an Effective Business Page on Pinterest

Pinterest isn't just for learning how to build a blingy, DIY (do-it-yourself) 8-foot cat tree from toilet paper rolls, it's actually an effective small (and big) business marketing tool. 

ComScore released a report earlier this year showing Pinterest leverages more than 10 million unique visitors monthly. That means 10 million individual people are visiting Pinterest each month - that doesn't include the 30 times each person repeatedly returns in that same month to review that recipe or share that LOL dog pic. 

Even if you're brand-spanking new to Pinterest, it doesn't have to be like learning Latin. Let's break down Pinterest for Small Business into 5 easy steps:






1. Know Your Audience

There's millions of different avenues  you can take with Pinterest and choosing the right road is about knowing your destination. What are your customers looking for: How-to info? Visual inspiration for design? "Best of" category details? Tips and tricks? 

Figure out what makes your audience tick and they'll pin from the palm of your hand. 

2. Keyword, Keyword, Keyword

Everything across the interwebs is keyword driven. Think about how you use the internet. When you're hunting something down, you type a few key words into a search engine and magically, Poof! You get a plethora of possibilities. Your audience is doing the same. 

Tagging everything appropriately, including your pins, helps those hunting the web find what you're offering. Pinning a photo of your confection company's famous candy apple? Tag it with words that are both obvious, and not-so-much (when applicable) such as:

Apple, Fall, Candy, Company Name, State, How To, DIY

And don't forget things that may be very niche specific, like:

Gluten Free, Holiday, Family Craft

3. Balance

Don't just have a page dedicated to you that screams, "Come buy my stuff!" Focus on balance. 

Have roughly 80 percent of your content focus on information and subliminal marketing - using the candy shop as an example, repinning visual ideas for other candy apples or quotes about candy to help populate your page with diverse material. Use the other 20 percent to directly market your own product and expertise. Pinterest pinners want more than just an advertisement, they want entertainment and education. Balance both, and you'll have a vibrant, diverse page.

4. Don't forget about YOU!

Your Pinterest audience needs more than just what you think is helpful, they need you. Create a board dedicated to who you are and what you do. Upload a few original pins (pictures) of yourself, your building if you have one and things that reflect what is most important to your company. 

5. Show off your work

Don't put all that time and effort into building this perfect Pinterest page and then forget to market it. Put that URL on your website, into your email signature, share it on Facebook and Twitter. Use other social media outlets to push traffic back and forth between each other for increased online engagement. 

Need ideas how to pin for your specific audience? Clever Dog is here to help! Don't resist — reach out. Contact sarah@clvrdog.com or lyssa@clvrdog.com. We promise we won't bite ;)

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Pinky Swear by Your Brand - It's the Thing to do!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other
name would smell just as sweet."

The old famous verse from William Shakespeare speaks volumes to the concept of brand awareness, and while the well-known writer may not have known it then - the man's words are eye-opening when it comes to successful marketing. 
building brand awareness
Adding emotion helps customers
fall in love with your brand.

Building a successful brand is about building a desirable concept. The success of your company is not based purely on its name or logo - nor the widespread recognition of either of these - but rather the ability of your customer to connect on an emotional level when coming into contact with your name or logo.

This concept is largely described in the book, "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action," by Simon Sinek. Sinek describes how successful companies develop and - most importantly - stick to the "why" of their company. (Sinek explores this concept in a Ted Talks series from 2009.)

Sinek uses Apple computers as an example. His own words are simply the best way to showcase the difference between using the "why," to sell your company, versus simply trying to sell your product.

A marketing message from Apple not keeping in mind the "why," could be: 

We make great computers. They are beautifully designed, simple to use, and user friendly. Want to buy one?
Sinek continues:
Here’s how Apple actually communicates – Everything we do we believe in challenging the status quo, we believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use, and user friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?
You can almost taste the difference. You feel it in your heart. Maybe it brings tears to your eyes.

As described in Entreprenuer.com, an emotional connection with your customer is key to brand success. Think of the loyalty of Harley Davidson riders, or the way Fedex appeals to its customers with the message that makes life easier, no hassles, more frustrations.

And just you watch this most recent Cheerios commercial and try not to cry. 

If you haven't seen it, a mother and son are enjoying breakfast when he brings up the longevity of the product, and then cutely asks, "So, when we have Cheerios, it's kind of like we're having breakfast with Nana?" >>insert Mom holding back a tear<<

So as you continue to move forward with your company, don't ever forget to stop and smell the roses - turns out, that's your key to success anyway.

Looking for help with your branding strategy? Connect with Clever Dog by e-mailing info@clvrdog.com.
WWhat's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamsha125207.html#zPBTpbTvOp0heO6Z.99
What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamsha125207.html#zPBTpbTvOp0heO6Z.99

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Not Being Online is Like Playing Hide and Seek

"Hey, honey, what's the name of that pizza place we ordered from last time?"

"I don't know. Just Google it."

This is a conversation all too common inside households, as Google, other search engines and the internet in general continue to gain traction and popularity; because of this, for many consumers - if you're not online, you just don't exist.

That's why it's startling to read statistics such as this one on Statisticbrain.com: a 2012 survey found 75 percent of businesses still did not have a website. Statistics also show that just being online isn't enough - your presence should be built strategically, using sound search engine optimization and other tactics that will get your page found. Google searches account for 80 percent of searches, according a Forbes.com article, so creating your website with strategies that increase its presence on Google is important.

There's also more than one way to create an online presence, and being available in multiple places will not only increase your audience but it will also have a positive impact on your website's traffic. Enter: social media.

A Facebook user who is following your brand on the platform, may be so inspired by the relationship you've developed using that platform that he or she will click right through to your website. Boom, visitor. Potential business lead. Platforms such as Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube will have similar effects.

So, what are you waiting for you? Join the world wide web, and create more opportunities for you and  your customers to connect.

For more information about web design, contact Ron Wurm at DesignWurm.com.

Looking for help with your social media strategy? Connect with Clever Dog by e-mailing clvrdogmarketing@gmail.com.



Friday, September 20, 2013

What's Up With #Facebook #Hashtags?

No matter your personal feelings on the trend, Twitter's use of hashtags quickly caught on among Facebook users, with hashtagged run-on sentences often popping up in many newsfeeds.

#isthisannoying? #youbethejudge.

Recognizing the popularity of its use and citing the power a hashtag holds in organizing a conversation, Facebook finally launched hashtag functionality on its site in June. Users can now click on a hashtag to find other users talking about that topic, and businesses can strategically position a particular post to be captured by an audience under a particular hashtag. 

#3monthslater, the use of hashtags on Facebook has been met with mixed results. Some marketers are touting it as a great tool: as it was put on Salon.com, Facebook has opened a "huge door" for marketers because of the increased ease of finding categorized content.

#ThatBeingSaid, a report released this month by Facebook analyst Edgerank Checker showed that hashtagged posts had no better chance of reaching its intended audience then a post that went out sans-hashtag. In fact, the report even showed a possible decreased reach when using hashtags. 

#SayWhat?

I initially react to this in two ways: 
  1. Well, Facebook users probably need much more than 3 months to adjust to using hashtags effectively. Just think back on all of the war cry statuses that people often post when unhappy with changes the social media platform has made to their pages. 
  2. Facebook plans to rollout deeper insights that would reveal hashtag trends, much like Twitter, which can't hurt in helping the site's users implement Facebook #hashtags effectively.
Time will tell whether the hashtag trend on Facebook grows or fades, but in the meantime I can't imagine it being a bad practice to at least play around with. Perhaps you'll find the opposite results of Edgerank's study. 

Besides, hashtags aren't going away everywhere — and, as this funny graphic shows — hashtags have been in use since the 12th century!

Need more help with your business' social media accounts? Contact Clever Dog Media Relations & Business Marketing.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Time: Allocating Your Most Valuable Resource Can be Tricky When it Comes to Social Media

While there's a lot of elements that go into creating an effective social media strategy, one of the basic aspects to consider is time commitment.

Time can be broken down into a few elements: time spent responding to commenters, therefore engaging your social media audience; time spent connecting with with other businesses and organizations in your industry or area; and time spent posting original content.

Showing personality and engaging your social media users
means your on track to implementing a successful strategy.
The importance of engaging with your audience cannot be stressed enough, however it's hard to measure exactly how much time will be spent on this task. A simple suggestion would be to start with a simple 20 minutes a day, checking your page at two, 10-minute intervals to see whether there were comments, and draft an appropriate response. As you get to know your audience, you'll see whether you might need more time to respond — but as a start a morning and afternoon check will be sufficient, and appear responsive in your users' eyes.  (Read more about the two-way street on social media.) 

Time spent engaging other businesses and organizations in your industry or area is a great way to increase your reach on Facebook. If you "like" or "share" something from another business, they are more likely to "like" or "share" something of yours. What this means is that all the fans of that business page now see the content on your page, and perhaps they will decide to like your page, too. This could almost be considered a back-alley, two-way street, if you will.

Time spent posting original content — this one can be tricky depending on the industry your in. A survey on Socialbakers.com found that brands such as iTunes, Skittles, Disney and Starbucks were averaging just one post a day on their Facebook pages; posting less than two times per week is very ineffective for any brand according to the survey. Put two-and-two together, the moral of the story is to post at least every other day in an attempt to be effective.

But then you have to consider that different people are logging onto their social media accounts at different times of the day. If you can easily figure out when your target market might be using social media, you can then determine what times of the day to post. For example (warning, this is a hypothetical example and not researched): Perhaps mom's of small children log on shortly after 8 p.m. when their children are asleep — and you're trying to sell diapers, formula, etc. Then scheduling posts for after 8 p.m. on a regular basis is a good idea. However, if you can't determine that this is when moms are logging on, perhaps you also want to post during the lunch hour, and perhaps in the morning from time to time.

My best advice is to post morning, afternoon and evening — because you'll hit varying groups of people and increase your odds for a return on investment. If you really want to get nit-picky, here's a pretty cool sheet from Business Insider that shows the best and worst times to post on a variety of social media platforms.

Need more help with your business' social media accounts? Contact Clever Dog Media Relations & Business Marketing.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Facebook 'Likes' it When There's A Person Behind Every Page

Social media is a great platform to expand a business' audience (read, customer base), but many organizations struggle with how to do so.

Starting up a Facebook business page merely takes a few clicks of the mouse, fill in some basic information and - *vwoila* - welcome new business to the social media world. But, then what?

There are two main tips that every business owner should keep in his or her back pocket: 1) be personable, and 2) remember that it's a two-way street.

Social media is about being engaging, it's about creating an online relationship with a potential customer. Successful relationships have give and take components, they work together and thrive off of interaction. A business running a Facebook page that merely touts its products or services is not effective. Period, point. Give your Facebook audience more than just a list of the ways you're trying to make money, and you'll see the greatest return.
Mara Boo Schmeyer is the inspiration behind Clever Dog's name.
 



So, how do you create a personality? Don't be afraid to post status updates that show human element: Here's a recent example from ClvrDog showing just that - an artsy picture of a frog enjoying Wisconsin's summer. Does this have anything to do with the Media Relations & Business Marketing firm? Well, no. Will it foster a relationship with those who "like" its Facebook page, resulting in possible business leads? More likely than not!

So what's this two-way street all about? If you've got someone commenting on your business' Facebook page posts - by all means, comment back! Do not let any stone go unturned. Social media is increasingly becoming a popular outlet to show off superior customer service skills, so let this be an easy platform to demonstrate your business' ability to respond to customer comments and complaints.

Yes, complaints. Even if the customer has something negative to say, always address the issue. Leaving a question unanswered will result in more customers seeing the question, and wondering why the business didn't respond. Maybe there really are flies baked into all this restaurant's burgers. At the very least, invite the complaining customer for a private chat via e-mail or phone call.

Another great way to leverage Facebook's platform is by interacting with other businesses nearby that are also on social media. You support each other in person - why not share the wealth online? 

Need more help with your business' social media accounts? Contact Clever Dog Media Relations & Business Marketing.