Your Business Needs a Content Marketing Plan

April 30, 2013 By mariasconsulting Leave a Comment

Your business has a free, powerful marketing tool – your industry expertise. By disseminating quality content related to your field, you expose your brand to potential customers and reinforce yourself as an authority to existing clientele, all while increasing sales.

Content marketing also improves SEO (Search Engine Optimization), social sharing and targeted traffic. The practice is growing, with 86 percent of B2C (business-to-consumer) companies planning to keep or increase their existing content marketing budget in 2013, the Content Marketing Institute reports. Before you jump into filming YouTube videos or writing white papers you think everyone will love, create a content marketing strategy that will ensure measurable results. Here are the basics:

Flickr image by buddawiggi

Content Hosting

Choose your website platform, such as one by WordPress, and decide whether it will be on-brand or its own entity. Decide which type of content hosting system you’ll use, from iPage hosting to an in-house server. Decide how the new site will relate to your business site — it could get its own vanity URL, it could be a blog section on your main site, or a combination. Set goals for visitors, page views and direct traffic percentage, and install an analytics system, such as Google Analytics, to monitor content performance.

Types of Content

Decide who your target audience is. It may be existing customers, who you hope will share content with potential customers. It might be people who have never heard of your brand, who you’ll target on niche social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon.com. Stephanie Chang, SEO consultant at Distilled, also recommends conducting a competitor analysis and keyword research related to your brand, along with existing user surveys. Determine which parts of your sales funnel need strengthening, and consider targeting content to those areas.

Choose which types of content and media are most appropriate, and create a content schedule that ensures delivery of original, innovative and shareable content. Avoid keyword stuffing (using a search term over and over again) your content as search engines could actually penalize you. Instead, aim for content that your target audience will find useful and informative and will want to share. Decide if the content will be created in-house, by freelancers, by guest bloggers, or a combination.

Be mindful of key dates that might influence content, like holidays, product launches and selling cycles. You may already have engaging content to convert for the web, such as interviews by your CEO or articles you can repurpose. Internet marketing firm Vertical Measures, which has a downloadable free content calendar, suggests including target audience, distribution channels and keywords to optimize distribution. Stan Smith, managing director of Pushing Social, recommends publishing new content at least once a week to ensure your site stays relevant to search engines and keeps readers engaged.

Promote Your Content

Now that you’re producing solid content on a regular basis, share it with followers and industry influencers. Use social media algorithm sites like Klout to find top influencers and pitch them to share your content with their audiences. Offer to return the favor, and build content sharing relationships with social media marketers. Use your own social networks to post your content and encourage discussion. Respond to comments on your content for increased engagement, and revise content strategies based on successful channels and content types.

Guest post by:

Ken Porter
A programmer and web designer, Ken has developed multiple programs to help site owners improve their SEO and page rank.

Filed Under: Guest posts, Social activity Tagged With: content, Marketing plan, SEO, tips

Savvy social media marketing

April 24, 2013 By mariasconsulting Leave a Comment

Intimidating is what marketing is, right? There is a balance that must be achieved using social media where you aren’t selling but are creating interest in an informational way that is remembered by your audience. There is no one right way, or is there?

Balance, that is one solution answer we all want the answer to

Most common social media platforms have a balance of selling and sharing of information. Each one is unique, there is no one size fits all approach. I’d like to share with you some common guidelines to help you find the solution of balance on social media.

First and foremost, keep your business and personal profiles distinct and separate. This way the photos and information shared of your day to day personal life are not intermixed with your business postings. Business postings should be professional, engaging and encouraging to engage customers in conversations around your business brand and products or services.

Most if not all business are selling something on social media and we need to first be honest, that’s why you are here. For every ten posts on social media, one can be a direct sell including a call to action to buy. Customers above all deserve and respect honesty, so take the one in ten opportunity to sell.

Marketing, do it with photos

The story they say is in the picture and that pictures tell one thousand words. Use visuals in your company social media posts, ensure likes and shares or plus ones by choosing photos that are awesome and can capture the attention of your current and future customers. Be cognizant of the impression all images will have with your customer, make them memorable and stand out in their mind.

Know the best image sizes for each social network, they’re easy to find, just Google it and seek current parameters.

Studies show images are more memorable than text so use them more. You have my permission to be awesome.

Humor and the curious nature of us all

Yes I could quote someone funny, instead I’ll quote Seth Godin in his brilliance.

“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
—Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Faking it, no just don’t

As businesses we can buy just about anything.

You can buy fans and friends on Facebook
You can buy followers on Twitter
You can acquire testimonials for $5 on Fiverr
You can buy reviews for your products

Get the picture?

We are blinded by it all. Being a faker has costs and benefits. Gain your fans, followers, testimonials and reviews the real way, by earning them.

Filed Under: Social activity, Social Media Management Tagged With: Connections, customers, relationships, tips

Four Tips To Increase Your Twitter Followers

April 15, 2013 By mariasconsulting 2 Comments

I strongly advocate that individual and especially business social media users target followers and engagement organically, via sharing valuable content, links and great information. Sometimes businesses just want to have big numbers, especially on Twitter. This guest post by Nate Atkins shares reasons why numbers matter.

Twitter, the numbers matter

Small business owners cannot underestimate the power of Twitter and the revenue a properly written and timed tweet can bring them. Though very few small businesses will ever accumulate the 35 million followers Lady Gaga or the 17 million of Kim Kardashian, marketing companies are willing to pay these individuals $100,000 or more to publish a sponsored tweet just for the exposure, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Twitter can become a valuable asset to any company, blogger or socialite as the number of their followers increases. Branden Hampton, who founded @notebook on Twitter, told Smart Money he built a 4.4 million strong following in two years without spending any money on marketing. He said its possible to earn a six-figure income with a half-million followers. Here are some ways to increase your number of followers on Twitter.

photo by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer

Twiends.com

One of the best kept secrets on the Internet when it comes to increasing your number of followers on Twitter is Twiends. This free service is like a virtual business card printing mechanism that subsequently hands said cards to thousands of individuals. In a nutshell, the applications lets users accumulate “seeds” every time they watch a video on Youtube or “like” a Facebook page. You can then use those seeds to, for lack of better term, buy followers. All you have to do is sign up for an account (you get 25 free seeds just for signing up) and, depending on how often you use it, could have a few hundred new Twitter followers in a matter of days.

Use Hashtags

Some people prefer to get followers the old-fashioned, organic way. Including #hashtags in your tweets exposes them to millions of Twitter users who would otherwise never see your thoughts. Small business owners should check what is trending locally and in their fields of business. Tweeters can tailor their trends to these specific subject matters simply by clicking the “change” link where trending items appear on your Twitter page.

Guest Postings

Writing for other blogs and websites exposes your name and brand to a whole new audience. Every guest post you write should include a link to your Twitter bio so readers can learn more about, and hopefully, follow you as well. Most websites that accept guest postings will post their policies about the process somewhere on their home page.

Follow “Autofollowers”

You may notice that there are some Twitter users with tens of thousands of followers, who also follow tens of thousands of people. Autofollowers automatically follow everyone who follows them, with the idea of attracting like-minded followers from the new followers’ following (say that three times fast). Some of these autofollowers are obviously spammers, as they only have a few followers in return. When you find one of these spam accounts, follow everyone who follows the spammer. These people are all likely autofollowers, and you’ll get a follow-back instantly.

Keep in mind, people are more willing to do business with and interact with those with thousands of followers. Just like the crowded bar is more likely to attract more patrons than the empty one across the street, the same goes for social media.

Guest post by Nate Atkins
Nate is a programmer and technology blogger living the dream in Silicon Valley.

Filed Under: Guest posts Tagged With: customers, Engage, relationships, reputation, tips, Twitter

Power blogging Jon Morrow has its secret

March 29, 2013 By mariasconsulting 2 Comments

Few writers active in the blog-O-sphere capture more of their audience than Jon Morrow. You probably already know Jon’s writing because the style is simple yet effective enough to stick in your head. He reads your mind with each post, consistently making it seem like you need the information he just delivered to you in each blog post. Yes he writes for Copyblogger and yes he has the secret to building a popular blog.

Wait – Jon’s a blogger?

Yes and he is a genius with a witty sense of humor and great business sense. It’s why the posts he writes will speak to you on a psychic level. He doesn’t offer tricks, or fancy advice. Jon gives real time, truth to what makes your writing matter – so that you too will read your readers mind.

I can’t get him out of my head!

You’d never know that Jon resides in Mexico enjoying an ocean view because his writing makes it seem like he just met you, is your best friend and summarized information you need to know now – the mind meld trick just happens. It’s kind of nice to know that he knows what we are all thinking.

Jon has an OUTSTANDING series of videos and posts that explain on this guest blogging stuff that you can get by signing up here. Some of the topics Jon covers are how to get your first 1000 email subscribers, SEO for bloggers and how to build an email list from nothing.

How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World was a guest post Jon wrote for Problogger.com.

The following text is by Jon from a different article on Copyblogger.com named Editor Admits to Sleeping with Readers and Recommends You Do the Same:

With 5,518 shares on Facebook and 2,365 tweets on Twitter, this is the most popular post I’ve ever written, and some folks are saying it’s their favorite post of 2011 … from any blog.

Why?

Because it’s about dreams.
Every blogger dreams of quitting their job and writing full-time. Every blogger dreams of moving to paradise and working from their laptop on the beach instead of a cubicle. Every blogger dreams of somehow, some way doing their own small part to change the world.
And I packed all three dreams into a single headline. It’s like taking pure Godiva chocolate, the world’s strongest espresso, and the finest scotch known to man, and combining them all into a single drink. The potency of it would damn near blow your head off.
Same thing happened here. People were so touched they burst into tears. One guy emailed to say he had been planning to commit suicide, and the post changed his mind.

It wasn’t my impeccable grammar that stopped him. It wasn’t my flawless spelling. It wasn’t even, I’m sorry to say, my devilish good looks.
And it wasn’t my dream.

It was his dreams.

His dreams, seen through a lens that made them seem achievable. All I did was build that lens.

Jon’s program is free, get it by signing up here. You have nothing to lose.

Want to learn more? Take up his offer to mentor with Guest blogging course it’s a BLATANT ENDORSEMENT. Go get the videos now if you’re serious about blogging for income. Nothing to lose no worries sign up here.

P.S.

Before you go, Jon has another web property, maybe you’ve heard of it, learn more about that here: http://boostblogtraffic.com/about/.

Filed Under: Social activity Tagged With: blog, Dialogue, Engage, Jon Morrow, Promotion, respect, tips

Social media federal tax implications

March 27, 2013 By mariasconsulting Leave a Comment

Social media and taxes, wait are you kidding?

No. I’m not kidding I saw it coming.

The use of social media, has significantly increased communication capabilities of tax-exempt organizations. Tax-exempt organizations cover a wide range of businesses: not-for-profit enterprises, political campaigns, booster clubs and civic organizations to name a few. YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are some of the most popular social media platforms that are being utilized by business to reach the public in pursuit of their exempt mission and fundraising efforts. Use of social media provides organizations an opportunity to reach out to a vast audience through an efficient and inexpensive, form of communication.

Along with these opportunities, social media may potentially carry unintended federal and state tax implications. Taxation is enforced across many levels such as compliance, informative disclosure including leveling penalties and interest with enforcement of the rules. State taxation should not be ignored especially when it comes to sales and other taxes levied across and within state lines. Remember Amazon?

The Internal Revenue Service logo, doesn’t it resemble a maze?

Wait, the IRS knows about social media?

The IRS is very active on social media and could use it as an investigatory tool. Divorce attorneys have found it useful just as private detectives to uncover once unknown information. The IRS social media portfolio includes multiple Twitter accounts and YouTube accounts, Facebook pages and more.

The IRS has provided minimal guidance on the tax implications of online communication including Internet/Social media activities for tax-exempt organizations. The IRS deems online communication to be similar to other forms of communication, therefore a Web site is considered to be a form of communication. The IRS generally applies the Tax Code and judicial authority to an organization’s online activities as if those were the same as its conventional day-to-day activities. Scared?

A nexus is created that may generate unrelated business income (UBI). UBI is generally taxable by federal and many state authorities.

Consult your tax adviser before, not after you go social.

Unrelated business income is revenue generated by activities unrelated to the tax-exempt organizations purpose and mission. Use caution when promoting your tax-exempt organization using social media. Federal taxation of unrelated business income may apply to you in certain circumstances. It’s better to play it safe and consult with your tax adviser as the rules apply to your situation.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, as a Certified Public Accountant I inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

Filed Under: Social Media Management

Business or Personal? Facebook ‘Likes’ Can Kill Your Profits

March 25, 2013 By mariasconsulting Leave a Comment

It is imperative for small-business owners to have an active Facebook account promoting their values and accomplishments. But it is now more important than ever to keep your personal matters separate from commercial dealings.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the results of a study of more than 58,000 Facebook users in America. The study, conducted by researchers from Cambridge University and Microsoft analyzed the “likes” of each volunteer user. The statistical analysis used to crunch the numbers successfully determined some very personal information about the individual users. Researchers, among other things, were successful 88 percent of the time in determining male sexuality, 85 percent successful identifying Republicans or Democrats and 65 percent successful identifying drug users. One quirky, unexplained result of the study found a positive correlation between high IQ scores and liking curly fries.

Personal Views and Business Don’t Mix

The personal views of Chick fil-A CEO Dan Cathy spilled over to the business side of his life after making public comments about marriage and the Bible. Some will argue Cathy’s declarations could have resulted in thousands of people breaking out their American Express small business credit card and treating friends and family to chicken sandwiches to support the chain. Others will argue it bought negative publicity and several in-store protests featuring individuals kissing one another at Chick fil-A restaurants.

Though Cathy’s comments did not originate on Facebook, the aftermath was spawned by the social media giant. Successful small businesses cannot and do not discriminate when it comes to whose money is making them successful. A corporate chain like Chick fil-A can withstand a blunder by the CEO. A startup can be severely crippled or completely destroyed under the same circumstances.

Control Your Content

It is never a good idea for a business owner to let any of their personal views and political affiliations overshadow the business. One of the easiest (and inadvertent) ways to do this is by “liking” groups and organizations on Facebook potential customers may see as divisive. One blogger suggests that Facebook is bad for business in general because one customer’s negative experience can and will be read by all your Facebook followers. Another blog entitled “Facebook Is Dangerous For Business” argues that it only takes one user claiming your company page violates Facebook policy and get you shut down. You instantly lose all those contacts and time you invested with few avenues of recourse.

Business owners and social media administrators must stay on top of the content being posted on their networks. It’s also important to monitor what members of management and other high-level employees for your company post on their personal pages. Fair or not, the company will be guilty by association.

Don’t privatize your business Facebook page, but it behooves the savvy small-business owner to only befriend those they truly know on their personal pages, and enforce a policy that keeps top-level employees in line with the company’s vision.

Guest post by Thomas Duke
Tom is the digital director and owner of an SEO startup. He lives in New Mexico.

Filed Under: Guest posts

R U Ready 2 Order? Businesses Use Chat to Connect With Customers

March 12, 2013 By mariasconsulting Leave a Comment

Can you imagine a world where the only way to reach a service provider is over the phone? Up until 2011, ACN, a North Carolina based marketing company that sells telecommunications, television, electricity, natural gas, and other services through a network of independent agents in 23 countries, had been serving customers exclusively over the phone.

Take It Online

In an attempt to cut down on service costs and improve the overall customer experience, the multi-level business decided to offer its customers the option of communicating with independent sales and service reps through a web-based chat platform. The results were astounding. In a short period of time, ACN was able to reduce the cost of customer support by 12.5 percent. It also was able to take 7 percent more customer requests and deflect 16 percent of phone use to online chat.

More companies are offering chat to their customers to communicate, solve problems and even assist with online orders. Companies like Sprint and even some car dealerships are grabbing customers online and closing sales via chat. You don’t have to be a large corporation or a franchise to implement this type of service—you can easily sign up for a standard LivePerson live chat platform and start increasing your conversions immediately. Here are two examples of how text and video chat are helping companies increase revenue and decrease costs for customer support.

1 Venti 2 Go

To create a more friendly drive-thru ordering experience, a few Starbucks locations in Nevada and Washington are now making it possible for their customers to speak with their barista face-to-face via video chat. Alisa Martinez, a spokeswoman for Starbucks, recently told HuffingtonPost.com that this change has been made in an effort to offer customers more “personal” interaction, while they place their orders. While it’s still in the testing stages, Martinez can’t say at this point whether the video chat screens will replace all of the PA systems that are currently in use at the other Starbucks drive thru service areas.

Get Answers 2 UR Plumbing Queries Instantly

Live chat is making waves in the world of customer service for small companies as well. Based in the UK, Victorian Plumbing is an online seller for bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies. Many of Victorian’s customers appreciate being able to ask about products while they peruse items offered on the company’s website, according to news.yahoo.com. One of the customer service managers at Victorian, Lynette, says that as they’ve been rolling out this service, they are keeping an eye on feedback and making small tweaks here and there, but their feedback has been mostly positive.

Whether you are a small or large business owner, the message seems to be coming through, loud and clear: customers prefer communicating with reps via chat. If you are a business owner, and you want to improve your customer conversions and reduce your customer support spending, signing up with a live chat provider is definitely the way 2 go!

Guest Post by Ted Briggs. A former IT manager, Ted shares trends and reviews of the latest in customer service tools and software with his readers.

Filed Under: Guest posts

Business social media dashboard tools

March 1, 2013 By mariasconsulting Leave a Comment

Businesses are busy doing business. Your business tasks include important things that must be done daily. Marketing must be one of those tasks especially in today’s competitive market but with all the other things to do it’s often neglected, right? Social media dashboard tools are key to success online.

If you aren’t online with a social presence engaging potential customers, you are letting them pass you by. Being on a social network and connecting with your customer audience is important.

What are you doing to get more time for marketing?

The social media dashboard just may be the tool you need to save that time. See what’s being said, manage your reputation and social media performance.

You know what’s awesome? It’s free, yeah I said free.

See the guy looking through the binoculars? He’s looking at you or maybe just past you to see the customers standing at your door. Looking past you is what you need to be ready to catch because if that other guy gets the customer before you, that is a bad thing. Turn that customer around, get a social presence going and achieve the online presence you deserve.

Reputations matter, time matters and new customers who smile matter even more.

Marketing your business online will help you attain reputation and customers.

Advantage is what you need to free up time so you can reveal your marketing efforts in one place.

Filed Under: Business, Social Media Management Tagged With: customers, Opportunity, presence, reputation, search, Social Media Management, tips

Four Tips To Increase Your Twitter Followers