Four Steps to Successful Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has become a very useful tool for businesses to use to market their products, services or ideas they want to share with potential clients. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc., have been on the rise for the past decade and experts are learning how to use them effectively to market their business.
There are four steps to market a product, service or an idea successfully through social media marketing. The four steps are broken down to:
• Create long-lasting relationships
• Serve an attractive purpose
• Paid for results, not hard work
• Effectiveness of your marketing strategy
- Create Long-Lasting Relationships:
Relationships are the key to being successful in any business or industry. Relationships are the gateway to being introduced to the new prospects in your market for your client base from a good referral. A quality relationship where the company representative has satisfied the customer more than they had been expected can lead to a referral, which is a necessity in social media marketing. Marketers should start to create long-lasting relationships at networking events where their target prospects are located at, and send referrals to potential prospects that are in need of a service while expecting nothing in return from the potential prospect. The referrals will come in once the marketer meets the potential prospect again when the prospect has learned that the referral that was sent to them was referred from the marketer.
- Serve an Attractive Purpose:
The secret to an attractive purpose is perfecting the combination of increasing sales in the organization and the purpose that the target community is attracted to. Many companies in the market today donate a certain percentage of their proceeds to different types of charities or to foreign countries that are in need of resources. For example, a company that donates a lot of proceeds to Kenya is a company known as Artiken, who specializes in wristbands for runners. These wristbands are handmade in Kenya and are imported to many different countries and the company has guaranteed to donate a portion of their earnings back to Kenya to help supply clean water and to introduce jobs throughout Kenya. This marketing strategy is a perfect combination of having an attractive purpose to the target community along with increasing sales in the company.
- Paid for Results, not Hard Work
In business, there is a difference between goal driven and results driven. Goal driven is the definition of hard work, and an individual that is results driven is understood to be achievement orientated. In social media marketing, the individual is paid by the sales that are brought in from the company they are representing, which means that the marketer must be achievement orientated and results driven. A method to manage your time through marketing is determining the most important activities for the week. While eliminating the less important priorities, the most important activities must be identified and the activity that must be completed should be designated as the most important priority.
- Effectiveness of your Marketing Strategy
Social media marketing can be a very effective tool for businesses, but only if it analyzed and measured correctly. In order for your marketing to be effective for your business you must analyze to confirm if the current marketing strategy is a benefit to the company. Consistent contact with the customers will keep the representative updated on the customer's needs, and offering products the customer is in need for. Many online services offer data researching tools where the social media marketer can measure demographics, type of industry and the age group the company's purpose and products that are offered are most attracted to.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Samuel_Hippely/2298078

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9466679

8 Ways Social Media Helps Narrate Your Brand Story

Didn't we all grow up on captivating good stories as a kid? Nothing could beat that "edge of your seat" feeling when your were waiting for a narrator to get to the climax of their tale. We all felt connected to those far-away, imaginary characters because of the power of a good narrative. With age. Of course, the inkling to those characters has faded, but our love for a good story has remained.
The importance of proper contextualizing can be described as such: Let's say your friend shows up at your doorstep with a new product and reads you an entire sales script about how much they're enjoying their purchase. Wouldn't that be too odd?
How it works is, your friend will first give you a background about their purchase decision and then all about your product before recommending that you should also buy your own. Now imagine, that friend is a company trying to sell you that product. It is easy to see how you would be more likely to consider a purchase if a direction is strategically placed somewhere in a story that's just to hard to not to be a part of.
So, if your aim is to get out there and tell your brand story. Here are a few simple, but effective tips to make your story heard well.
1. What's your current brand positioning like?
Unless you are starting a brand new company, there is already going to be a preexisting view of your brand. Before your story is out in the world, make sure you understand what people think of your brand and why.
This does not denote that your brand's identity must stay the same forever. Just as people change and develop over time, your brand's personality and voice may be adapted. You just need to be sure of where you are starting and where you are heading.
2. Consider the core values of your company
Before putting any kind or material up for marketing into the world for all to see, think about the basic values of your brand. Does the content of your story match all the core values and voice your brand is aiming for? If the answer is Yes, then you may proceed.
3. Remember why you are telling your story
Are you telling your story to rekindle your brand's position in the mind of current customers? Or is it to capture the attention of prospective customers? The most effective stories will turn your followers into leads and eventually into loyal customers.
4. Is your story shareable?
It's very hard to put the above mentioned points in accordance of their importance, but this one's the most vital. Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal customer. Looking at your own story from the outside; do you connect with it on an emotional level? Does the story inspire you enough to share with your friends? Does the concept further interest you in the services/products provided by the brand?
5. Make your customers a part of your story
An easy, effective way to increase the share ability of your brand story is to talk less about yourself and more about your customers. Show your future fans how your brand has positively impacted the stories of your current customers. Sourcing user-generated content is a great way to use your current customers in new ones.
6. Use video
Videos on social platforms are guaranteed to get great engagement. Additionally, nothing can show off the personality of your brand like a short, engaging, or even goofy behind the scenes clip.
7. Select the correct tools
You most likely have customers eager to hear your story on every social platform. This does not mean that you need to engage every platform at once. Locate where your customers spend most of their time and focus there first. Some platforms are particularly inviting of stories. Take note of Facebook tools such as "Milestones" and carousel ads that are practically made for creating narratives.
8. Be consistent and authentic
There are times when a friend tells a story and makes 4 alterations before it's over. You have already put the consumers into a skeptic mind. Don't give them a reason to do so even more. Always be true to your brand and tell your story honestly. Honesty always shines.
With these tips in mind, design your social content into a powerful narrative that your customers will truly connect with.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dharmendra_Ahuja/2303940

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9466877

Instagram Tips And Tricks

Given to the unique concept of Instagram, it has made its space among the most popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. You will be hooked once you start using Instagram. Keeping up with each other's life has become easier with it and people are getting crazy about getting more and more likes and followers. If you love Instagram as much as we do, you will really like these tips and tricks.
Receive notification when your favorite people post
We all are especially inclined towards some people in our Instagram feed and hate missing their posts. it maybe because we love their photography skills or simply because we like them; with the latest update, never miss a single post from those people. Simply turn on the notifications of people you want to receive notifications for each time they post something.
Scroll through people's feed safely
The deeper you dig in someone's Instagram feed, the greater the fear is about double tapping a picture from 80 weeks ago and being labeled as a stalker. But don't worry, there's a hack for this as well. Just switch to airplane mode and scroll safely through their feed without worrying about liking their old pictures accidentally. But before doing that, scroll down their pictures quickly to load all the pictures before going through them slowly later.
Reorder your filters
So you always choose Valencia over Willow? We all like some filters more than the rest of them. And wouldn't it be wonderful if your favorite filters could appear in the beginning of the list? You can actually rearrange your filters with a simple trick. Start by editing a picture and go to far right in the list of filters and tap on "manage". Now, press long on the three grey lines on the right of each filter and drag it to arrange in your desired order.
Hide the pictures you are tagged in
It's a universal fact that the pictures you are tagged in are always less flattering than the ones we click ourselves. but thanks to friends who love uploading embarrassing pictures of you, the world now knows how you look when you have just woken up. You can now hide those embarrassing pictures from others with a simple trick. Go to "photos of you" and tap on the three dots on the above right corner and choose "edit". Now, choose the pictures you would like to hide from your profile and once you are satisfied with the pictures you have selected, tap on "hide from profile" on the bottom of your screen.

Visit owogroup.com to buy the best mobile phone accessories like earphones, phone cases, tempered glass and more at best prices.
http://www.Owogroup.com is an online retail store that provides superior quality mobile phone accessories like mobile phone cases and bumpers, earphones, tempered glass, screen guards, iPhone horns and car mobile holders. We provide authentic products at best prices. Customer satisfaction is our prime objective and hence, we provide 24x7 customer support for our customers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shilpa_Maheshwari/23

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9506044

Which Social Media Platform Is Right For Your Business?

Why use Social Media? It's a million dollar question that arises in every second person's mind on this planet. Basically, marketing is more than just the stuff you make and sell; it's all about telling a story for the same that give buyers a reason to make a purchase. If you want to create your presence on the World Wide Web, so, you don't have a choice whether we "do" social media or "not", the question is how well we actually "do" it to get better results. All these platforms will help you to promote your business because what we post on these platforms will always stay on Google forever. Countless platforms are available on the Google to choose from, which may confuse the marketers. But now you don't need to worry anymore, here is a list of the top best of them that you cannot afford to miss.
Google+: Undoubtedly, Google+ is one of the most powerful social media platforms, which is already used by millions of business persons for the branding of their company. Every marketer should use it because it allowed you to get connected with the mover and shaker of your industry.
Facebook: Needless to say, every second person on this planet is using Facebook and therefore, it is a perfect platform to find the right audience for your business that holds their interest and increases the visibility of your website. It enabled you to make a healthy business connection with your patrons to know about their likes and dislikes, so, you can fulfill the same shortly.
Twitter: From an individual to a businessman, everyone is on Twitter. Therefore, it can benefit your business more than anything else and give maximum results. It helps you in branding, generating more leads, professional networking, and competitive tracking and in many other things. You should give it a try for the growth of your business.
Instagram: You cannot forget to use Instagram for your business because it invites brands to get interacted with customers in an active manner. It allows you to share more visual content, including short videos that quickly grab the attention of a follower and boost the ranking of your website.
YouTube: No doubt, YouTube is one of the most successful video-sharing websites over the internet and intranet that enjoy more than one billion visitors in a month around the world. It will allow you to advertise your business visually. It works as a voice of your brand and you will never get bored with this video sharing website.
The list goes on; however, all these platforms are a must for your business. So, what are you waiting for? Try them now and promote your business socially among more and more people.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Gunjan_Singh/2184428

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9519389

Trends That Will Develop In Social Media In 2017

With the increasing popularity of social media marketing, there are new trends that will develop in the years to come. These new innovations and improvements will make social media marketing more developed, widespread and accessible than it already is.
Social media will become default
Social media will become an unavoidable aspect of businesses. It leads to various channels of distribution and opportunities that businesses will not be able to ignore. The past has seen businesses trying to get a hold of their share of social media attention. It is now becoming more common and will be the norm by 2015. Social media will not just be used for marketing but it will also become a part of other avenues like recruitment and sales. Organizations will create their own teams to handle social media.
Content
Although content has been receiving importance by several brands over the last few decades, this will be more widespread by 2015. Brands give high value to incorporating content that is catchy yet meaningful to engage clients and potential customers. Brand content is presented through videos, blogs, games and graphics. Red Bull is one example of a brand that mastered branded content.
Tablets replacing print
Tablets became popular when Apple launched them in 2010. However, now a number of companies have launched cheaper tablets that are replacing print in households. A lot of well-known publishing houses are already swapping from print to tablets. Print media is declining rapidly. The Amazon Kindle Fire, an economical tablet which is soon to be launched will take over a large segment of the printing market.
Progress in social search
Although there has been progress in social media overall, social search is one segment that has not kept up. The search option in Twitter is broken. Facebook and Google's social search is inefficient and does not yield great results. These sits have already begun improvements in order to better the services delivered by these operators. Google has started with their +1 and Google+ options.
Social commerce gains momentum
Most popular brands have pages on social networking sites with a large following. People make suggestions and give recommendations on products via social media. A lot of purchases are made in the real world that is based on these recommendations. Several shops have created custom-made online shops for Facebook, which are more of a publicity stunt. These will soon be realized as a means of attaining sales.
Social TV
Traditional television will soon merge with the internet and give birth to a whole new way of watching TV. Apple maybe planning to launch a TV, but the company has not confirmed any such claims. The content on the TV will become more interactive and will get a social edge to it. Users will be able to share their experiences with their friends and family effortlessly.
Facebook will continue to lead
2017 will see Facebook users surpassing one billion and also becoming a public company. Facebook will become more prominent on smartphones making it an inevitable part of your daily life. By 2017, it may become the default social operating system on the internet.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Daisy_Graham_Jones/880628

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9528549

How to Create a Social Media Friendly Business Logo

In today's market, social media is an undeniably important part of any business's marketing strategy. It is important to create a business logo that works well across different social platforms. There are many logo generators available online these days that allow you to create a professional looking logo design but it doesn't end with just a good looking logo, you have to consider a lot more while finalizing on a business logo. It should be captivating enough to look sharp and attractive on different social mediums.
We have listed out some tips below to help you make the most out of social media platforms through your business logo:
Be Mindful of Your Aspect Ratio:
Aspect ratios are important when it comes to images on social media. Your logo shouldn't be too short or too long. There are different aspect ratios for every social platforms and it is important that your image is scaled accordingly. Most social media sites show your images or logos into a square. Your logo should be optimized to look good in a square beforehand because if it isn't then the image will be compressed, chipped or reduced to fit into one.
Keeping Different Versions of Your Logo:
There are chances that every logo gets used in many different ways. Some change it up a little according to different season or events while some make shortened version with just the image or an initial. You really can't tell how your business logo may be used so you need it to be versatile and adaptable. You might need to rearrange or use just a portion of your logo to fit into different sizes and shapes. In some cases, it is almost impossible to use your full logo which is why you have to settle for a different version of your logo for social media applications. It is important that your text and graphics don't lose their meanings when used separately.
Simplicity is the Key:
Avoiding detailed elements in your logo is also very important. We are not saying that you should go so simple that you risk being forgettable but bear in mind that your logo will be reproduced in different sizes and it should lose its meaning or impact when reduced in size. Thin lines, detailed graphics, and too many words are to be avoided. Try to keep it simple because a noisy business logo can confuse your consumers and often fails to communicate your message in a social media thumbnail.
Consistency:
Consistency strengthens your brand power and its visibility. People recognize you better when you have the same image everywhere for your business. The majority of brands create one simplified version of their business logo and use the same image across every social media platform.
These are few of the things you should bear in mind so that your business logo does well across the most powerful form of marketing these days i.e. Social Media Marketing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shelly_Morrison/1966817

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9537439

Top Tips to Optimise Facebook Ads

Facebook is not just a social media for interacting with your friends. It is an important tool for increasing the profitability of your business as well. You can optimise your Facebook Ads now so that they get enough visibility and provide you with the returns that you were longing for. A lot of people give up too easily if their ads are not generating income; however, you need to understand that it takes some smart working and following basic tips to monetize yours. Here are some tips to create your Facebook ads in the most successful way possible. When you follow these, you will become a professional in no time.
1. Create different ad sets for the same ad
When you are planning to post an ad on Facebook, you cannot expect different groups of people to react to it in the same way. So, you need to do two tasks for a single ad - create different ad sets or the ways in which you want to track your audiences towards each set and create segments of your audiences. For example, create sets like digital marketing, AdWords, Facebook Marketing, online advertising and more. Now, judge the audiences based on their reactions towards these sets, so that you can optimise your ads based on user preferences.
2. Study behavioural patterns
You should understand how a user usually makes purchases online. Do some research on online purchase behaviour to understand if they go through some other sites to make their decisions, an internet platform that they use to connect to Facebook, gaming platforms that they use to get to know the ads and more. When you know their sources of reference, it becomes easy for you to position your ads successfully in a way that they get noticeable by your target audience.
3. Setting conversion codes and pixels
When you create conversion codes and pixels, you will be able to track the performance and success of your Facebook Ads. With the help of these, you will know how many people visited your ad and logged off within seconds, how many took the effort to go through your ads, how many of them added the product to their shopping cart and then logged off and finally how many of them made a purchase, eventually. These options measure the conversion rates of users as they go from just looking at the ad to making a deal.
4. Remarketing tracking
Through your codes, you might have noticed that people who visit your website to view your products, don't come back to make the purchase. Ever wondered why? It is because they could be comparing your competitor's site and products. So how do you ensure that you get them back on your site? This is where remarketing helps to a great extent. With the help of this technique, you can now track people who have visited your page earlier and get them back to visit your site. This way, you can position your site well with those people who already showed interest in your products and hence attract them to become your customer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Satvik_Mittal/1728302

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9560501

When Are The Best Times To Post On Facebook?

If you have a business of any kind, be it online or storefront, or a business website, advertising is important. There are many places to advertise that cost you good money, but, there are also places you can promote without having to pay. One of the places that you don't even have to advertise, but merely make a post about your business and it can boost the traffic to your website is Facebook. Randomly posting at whatever times you feel may not be enough, however. Would weekends be better since everyone is home and not at work? Or week nights, maybe, after dinner when everyone is relaxing and surfing the web. When are the best times to post on Facebook? Well, there are more optimum times than others and that is what we are going to take a look at today.
Studies Have Been Done
There have been quite a few studies done by QuickSprout, Fast Company, Huffington Post, etc, on the best times to post on various social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and more. We are just going to deal with Facebook for now. Unfortunately, there is no perfect answer for this because it depends on your audience, your region, your platform and so on. But, putting together the data from the studies can give you a guideline to start experimenting with your particular business and see what works best for you.
Facebook
People get on Facebook at work, at home, from desktops and from mobile. According to SurePayroll, before 8:00am and after 8:00pm on weekends would be THE worst time to make a post. The very best time to post on Facebook is 3:00 on Wednesday afternoon.
Engagement rates are nearly 20% higher on Thursdays and Fridays and Facebook use really hits its highest on Friday. From 1:00 to 4:00pm on weekdays seem to get the highest click through rates. Other optimal times are 12:00 to 1:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.
As mentioned earlier, these results are from a compilation of various studies done by an assortment of companies. What works best for you may not work best for the next person. What works good in the baseball equipment field may be totally different from the book industry or health and fitness world. These are merely guidelines and will give you a starting point for experimenting what works best with your audience.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9542674

7 Common Myths About Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is an important tool for online and offline businesses. But there's a lot of misconceptions about social media. How do you know what's accurate and what's not? Here are the 7 common myths that you might hear about when it comes to social media marketing for your business.
1. Everyone's On It
In spite of the belief that everybody in the world is on social media, the truth is that many people are not. Current data show that out of the 3 billion active internet users worldwide, 2.1 billion people have social media accounts. That's still a lot but don't presume that everyone is able to see your posts. Some people only use it to keep in touch with their family.
2. It's The Only Marketing Strategy You Need
Social media marketing should be part of your entire marketing strategy, not your only strategy. You still need a website, email marketing still provides the highest return on investment, and content marketing are all important elements of your marketing strategy. It's never a good idea to put all your marketing eggs in one basket.
3. It Leads To Quick Sales
Social media marketing is a journey and not a destination and is not a place to make instant sales. It takes time to build up a following. Obtaining more followers and more shares is a continuous and long-term effort.
4. It's Only For Young People
People of all ages are now on social network sites. Evaluating and understanding your target audience is critical to not only choosing your social platforms, but also in developing an effective marketing plan.
5. You Must Be On Every Platform To Achieve Success
This simply isn't true, and can really waste your time. It's better to do your research and pinpoint which ones will be most effective for your business. Which platforms do your audience use? That's where you need to be. It's better to have one really good site than several poorly managed ones.
6. It's Too Expensive For A Small Business
Social media can be low-cost and expensive. You can set up profiles on any social platform for free. Once you get comfortable with the way that your chosen platform works, advertising can be very cost effective.
7. The More Followers The Better
There is no point in having tens of thousands of followers if none of one of them takes any notice of you. It's better to have a hundred followers that are highly targeted and loyal.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/107994

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9563812