Tag Archive for digital marketing

16 Mar 2012

Why you should use Pinterest for business

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 3 months, you will be aware that Pinterest has been making headline news, and not just in the blogosphere (although I have to say I have never seen such a slew of blog posts on any topic in such a short space of time!). The BBC, as well as several national newspapers, have run articles on Pinterest recently. A high percentage of Pinterest users are women, and you know how good we are at spreading the word about anything! Pinterest recently became the fastest ever site to reach 10 million unique (US) monthly visitors

What is Pinterest?

Simply put, it’s an online pinboard (actually, a group of pinboards). You set up a number of boards based around particular niches or concepts, and then “pin” images (or videos) of your products/services. These are then “repinned” by other members. All images/videos link back to their site of origin. It’s especially good for creative businesses (web/graphic designers, photographers, interior designers, crafters, catering/restaurants etc). Images of clothes, shoes, food, hairstyles, exotic locations, beautiful interiors, handcrafted items abound. However, virtually any business can build a presence on Pinterest – if you use images in your blog posts (as you should) then these can be pinned and of course they link back to your site…….get the idea?

The compelling fact about using Pinterest for business is that it drives massive amounts of traffic – latest statistics place it above Twitter in the “traffic league table”. So, as a business, you really do need to take advantage of this and get pinning! I’ve only been on Pinterest since January and already (via Google Analytics) I’m seeing traffic referred from there.

“But”, I hear you cry, “I just don’t have the time to manage yet another social media account”……. Well, the good news is you don’t have to! Read on to find out how I can help you set up and manage your Pinterest account – all you’ll have to do is watch as traffic starts flowing to your website! Oh and please follow me on Pinterest too – link is on the right hand side of this page

The Pinterest Management Package – £60

Setup of Pinterest for your business
Creation of 10 boards related to your niche
Pinning your content/products/services on a regular basis
Repinning by me of the above
Promotion of your boards via other social media channels

As stated, the initial cost is £60 – I suggest we give it 6 weeks, by which time you should see some effect on your website traffic. If not, and you don’t want to continue, that’s absolutely fine – you still have the account to carry on yourself if you wish. If you do see an increase in traffic, and would like me to carry on managing your account, the monthly fee will be £75 or just £50 if I’m already managing other accounts for you..

Want to get started with Pinterest? Take the first step! Contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | No comments | Tags: business growth, digital marketing, google, pinterest, seo, social media, twitter

13 Feb 2012

business growth • digital marketing • google plus • marketing • SEO • social media

How To Set Up Your Google Plus Business Page

Get Started with G+

In my last post, I discussed some of the reasons why businesses need to establish a presence on G+ as soon as possible. This time we’re going to go through the process of setting up your profile and Google Plus business page. If you don’t already have a personal G+ profile, you will need to set one up. If you already have a Google account (gmail, YouTube etc) then it’s easy – otherwise just go to http://plus.google.com

If you would like more detailed instructions, below is one of the best G+ profile setup videos I’ve come across – the process is explained slowly and clearly. It will be easy to go ahead and setup your own profile while watching/pausing the video.

Did you get your profile set up OK? Now for the next step!

Set Up Your G+ Business Page

In your personal profile, look on the right hand side of the page and you will find a button to “create a google+ page”.

After clicking this, you are taken to the next screen where you need to choose the appropriate category for your page:

Choose a category for your page

As you can see, there are 5 categories:

Local Business or Place – includes any local business, e.g. restaurant, dentist, accountant, solicitor, hair salon etc. If your business already has a Google Places listing, the details from that will be used, otherwise you’ll need to enter the business phone number and address.
Product or Brand – according to Google, this would include cars, financial services, clothing, electronics – food and drink brands would also come under this category.
Company, Institution or Organisation – also including charities and non-profit organisations
Arts, Entertainment or Sports – pretty self-explanatory (books, films, musicians, bands, athletes etc)
Other – to be used when your business doesn’t fit into any of the above categories.

For all categories, users will need to choose age ranges for which their page content will be appropriate, and there is a specific choice of “alcohol related” too. Finally, you’ll need to tick the box agreeing to the G+ Page terms, before clicking the “Create” button Make sure you read these terms before creating your page – there are similar guidelines regarding competitions and promotions as there are with Facebook, so don’t fall foul of these!

Personalise Your Page

Congratulations, you have set up your Google Plus business page! Now it’s time to personalise and customise the settings for your page. Firstly, you can give yourself a tagline (“10 words that describe your page best”, according to Google), and upload a profile photo. This would ideally be your business logo, but you can of course use any photo that represents your business. Once you’ve created your tagline and uploaded a photo, click “Continue”.

You are then asked if you want to share this Google Plus business page with your G+ circles – you probably won’t want to do this yet, as there’s no information on your page, so click “Finish” (you can go back later and share your page)

Edit Your Profile

Click the profile icon (top of page to the left of the google search box)

On the next screen, click the blue “Edit Profile” button and fill in as much information as you can – remember to use the “Recommended Links” section to put in details of your social media profiles, and other websites/blogs you own or are associated with. Don’t forget to use keywords throughout your profile!

Customise your Photostrip

You will see on the profile editing screen, below your page title, the words “add some photos here”. You can add up to 5 photos and they do not change on each page load as with Facebook. You could even get creative and split one photo into 5…… Just to get you thinking, here are a few examples.

Start Posting!

Woohoo – your Google Plus business page is ready to share with the world! Once you’ve posted a few updates, use “Spread the Word” (in the right sidebar of your page) to share your page with your contacts.

Just as with your personal G+ profile, you are able to add contacts to “Circles” – the default Circles for a Google Plus business page are Following, VIPs, Customers and Team Members, but you can of course create new circles at any time. On G+ (unlike Facebook), you are able to follow your fans back, and add them to your page’s Circles. It’s a powerful way of connecting with current and potential customers! Your followers can +1 your posts and you can do the same for their comments – all of this adds to your visibility in Google search.

So what are you waiting for? I hope this has inspired you to get your business established on Google Plus – please share in the comments how you’re getting on, or if you’ve encountered any issues.

Need help setting up your G+ page? Take the first step! Contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | One comment | Tags: business development, business growth, digital marketing, googl, google, google plus, search engine rankings, seo, small business, social media, social media marketing, social networking, youtube

22 Jan 2012

facebook • linkedin • marketing • small business • social media • twitter

The Future of Social Media?

Back to the Past!

I recently read a thought-provoking blog post by Jeff Bullas, headlined “Why Social Media Will Disappear”. (great example of a headline that hooks you!) Basically the gist of it was that “social media” as we call it at the moment, will very shortly encompass all forms of media. Let’s explore this further.

Many of you reading this won’t remember the days of black and white television – those cathode ray tube TVs that measured about two feet from front to back, with a screen inches thick but only a foot across. You had to sit quite close to the screen to be able to see anything, but I can clearly remember “Watch with Mother” favourites such as “Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men”, “Andy Pandy” and my real favourite “Muffin the Mule”. The arrival of colour TV in our house in the late 1960s was very exciting. But the most exciting TV experience of my childhood and teenage years was undoubtedly the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 - we were on holiday in Cornwall and I watched it all on a tiny black and white TV!

First footprints on the moon

A few more of you might remember the famous BBC colour test card – apparently it lasted from 1967-1984.

Original BBC colour test card, 1967 - via Wikipedia

Back in those days, the only other things you could do while watching TV were sewing, knitting, eating or drinking (any others I’ve forgotten??) But just think what many of us do now – we have our laptops, tablets, or mobile phones with us, and we’re constantly interacting with friends to comment on what we’re seeing on screen. I’m not a fan of X Factor and during the last series I got quite annoyed on Saturday nights as my Facebook and Twitter feeds were taken over by the armchair critics! On the other hand, I’m sure I annoy a lot of people when I comment on tennis and rugby matches

Traditional vs “new” Media

Getting back to business as it were – in the 1960s, there was a limited range of media available for advertising / promotional purposes. Basically there were newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, cinema, and billboards. Apart from perhaps local papers, most of these would have been prohibitively expensive for a small business. Word of mouth would have been the best form of advertising – as it still is, to a large extent.

But, in addition to the above, let’s consider the range of media available in 2012:

CD
DVD
Internet radio
Podcasts
Blogs
Mobile websites
Apps
iTunes
Satellite TV & radio
Online video
Online magazines
Tablets
Smartphones
File sharing

When you think about it, in 2012, you really only need one device to access all these new forms of media – a smartphone or tablet. The number of people accessing traditional media will shrink dramatically – just look at the exponential increases in sales of devices such as the iPad! “I want it all and I want it now”, as the late great Freddie Mercury sang, has never been more true. We do want – and expect – instant access to news, weather, sport, films, music, books – and this is now possible.

Looking Forward…

Coming back to the title of this post – the future of social media is that social media will simply become “media”. In the blog post mentioned above, Jeff Bullas refers to “channels of convergence” and says that all media will need to be created with the “three screens” of TV, computer, and mobile in mind. Social media will become all-encompassing. Already, we’re able to share a huge amount of online information to a wide range of social networks. If you have no social sharing buttons on your website or blog nowadays, don’t expect many visitors! When I read a blog post I expect to be able to share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus at the very least.

With this in mind, when we create media, we need to do so with the knowledge that it must be shareable across all possible social networks. More than ever, it’s vital for businesses to establish a presence on the major social networks and to maintain that presence by frequent interaction and engagement with their communities. And, more than ever, a business must create and maintain a central hub, i.e. its website and blog, to be the point from which all content is derived and shared.

Do you still find traditional media of value? Do you intend creating more shareable content in 2012? Let me know in the comments…..

Need help creating shareable content and establishing your presence on social networks? Take the first step! Contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | 2 comments | Tags: blogging, digital marketing, facebook, google plus, linkedin, social media, social media marketing, social networking, social sharing, twitter, word of mouth

30 Dec 2011

blogging • business growth • digital marketing • facebook • facebook pages • small business • social media • twitter

Ready for 2012?

New Year Initiatives For Your Business

I have spent the last few days going over my successes and failures of the last year, and deciding what direction I will take with my business in 2012.

My achievements so far are modest, but I’m confident that I am heading in the right direction. I’m not foolish enough to expect instant results – to establish a well respected and trusted business takes years.

What I’ve achieved in 2011:

I made the decision in April to set up a business as a social media consultant.
I launched this website having had little experience of WordPress, and have learnt so much more about the software during the year.
I took advantage of free resources – Business Link, ebusiness club, Angle, and HMRC workshops, thus educating myself on many aspects of business and marketing
I attended a number of paid seminars and workshops
I have realised that social media is just one marketing technique and it must combined with a range of tools for an integrated approach - hence I have educated myself on various other marketing techniques.
I set up a Twitter account and a Facebook Page and worked very hard to build up an engaged community of followers. This has begun to generate interest and enquiries.
I have added training/coaching to my range of social media services
I have joined a business mentoring group which I feel sure will add value to my future development.
I’ve taken on the role of Operations Assistant at my local 4Networking group. This will consolidate my networking activities and help me to become better known in the area.
I’ve established closer relations with a few business colleagues and have scheduled collaborative projects for next year.

My Plans for 2012:

Consolidate my networking activities and concentrate on building trust with a range of local businesses.
Continue and develop an initiative (in collaboration with others) to help business mums with young children who want to network but are hindered by lack of childcare / inconvenient timing of meetings.
Deliver social/digital media training workshops at venues in the local area.
Gain experience in public speaking (hopefully no. 3 will help with this)
Target specific business niches to market my social/digital media services.
Establish a client base for social media management programmes.
Get involved with live-tweeting/blogging events
Further develop my WordPress skills so that I can offer website/blog setup as an additional service.
Establish additional collaborative partners in order to broaden my range of services.
Last but not least – I will not allow those who have set themselves up as my enemies (in my personal life) to get in the way of my business aspirations!

I’d love to hear your plans for 2012 and what you’ve learned from this year – please share in the comments

And a VERY Happy New Year to my readers!

Need digital media marketing advice? Take action now – contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | No comments | Tags: blogging, business development, business growth, digital marketing, facebook pages, social media management, social media marketing, twitter

01 Dec 2011

digital marketing • facebook • google • google plus • linkedin • marketing • mobile marketing • social media • twitter • youtube

Digital Marketing – An Integrated Approach

Digital Marketing – Why You Need An Integrated Approach

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the need for an integrated approach to the whole digital marketing thing. Social media is of course a vital component in any business marketing toolkit, but it can’t stand on its own. Traditional marketing also plays an important part, as do the newer innovations as described below.

We already know that tweets, Facebook updates and Google Plus posts are indexed by google, (are you using keywords in your social media updates?) and of course YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. So you should be establishing a presence on all of these networks and building your communities.

But how many businesses (thinking particularly of the UK here) are aware of the huge growth in mobile technology? I’ve talked about this issue in a previous post on Mobile Marketing, and another where I discuss an infographic on Mobile Marketing Statistics. I also suggested actions that business owners could take immediately to respond to this new revolution in digital marketing. There’s no doubt that a high percentage of web browsing, search, and online shopping will take place via mobile devices in the very near future and businesses need to be ready.

Meanwhile, I would like to share this presentation. It shows how to take an integrated approach to your social media activities. Feel free to download if it will be helpful

Social Media – Your Strategy for Success

View more presentations from Naomi Johnson

Are you finding it easy to integrate traditional and newer marketing strategies? Is your website optimised for mobile devices? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Need help with digital marketing? Take the first step! Contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

you can also TEXT

INF SOCIALMEDIA or INF SOCIALMEDIA + your email address to 60777

to receive your free copy of my booklet “10 Reasons Why You Need to Get Up To Speed With Social Media”.

Naomi | One comment | Tags: digital marketing, facebook, google, google plus, linkedin, mobile marketing, search engine rankings, seo, social media, social media marketing, social media strategy, twitter, youtube

05 Nov 2011

business growth • marketing • mobile marketing • SEO • SMS marketing • social media • Text message advertising

Mobile Marketing – 7 Things You Should Do Right Now

More on Mobile Marketing

A QR Code

Yesterday I attended one of the free Action Planning Workshops for East Midlands organised by Transformational ICT and E-business Club. Once again I learned a huge amount and left feeling inspired – I couldn’t get to sleep with all the ideas buzzing around in my head!

The Workshop was entitled “Developing a Mobile Marketing Strategy“. This is something that every business needs to look at and take very seriously. In fact, I’d recommend you take action within the next 6 months if you want to stay ahead of the game in mobile marketing. It’s expanding at the speed of light right now.

Here are just 7 points you can and should take action on before the end of 2011:

1. Make sure your website is optimised for mobile devices. One-third of UK adults now use a smartphone (Ofcom, August 2011), and 45% of UK internet users connect via a smartphone (Office for National Statistics, August 2011). Many leading UK businesses have not yet optimised for mobile…..

2. Once you have a mobile-friendly version of your site, make sure it is optimised for search – Google displays different results for mobile sites than for their static equivalent. People search for different things while out and about using a mobile device.

3. Consider having an App developed for your business. This can be even more powerful than a mobile-optimised website, as it sits on the “home” screen of the device. The user does not have to open a browser to view it, ensuring easy access and keeping your business in your client’s view.

4. Make use of QR codes in your mobile marketing. These are 2-dimensional barcodes that can contain virtually any information. A link to your website, details of your special offers, directions to your shop/bar/restaurant – what else can you think of? QR codes are free and simple to create. Scan the one above and see what happens!

5. When you create your App, integrate and use Push Messaging to keep in contact with those who download it. It’s a modern and permission based version of email marketing, but far better targeted because you’re only contacting people who have already expressed interest by downloading your App.

6. Use geo-location. Again, this can be built into your Apps. Ideal for “find your nearest” type of searches. Twitter and Google already use this.

7. SMS mobile marketing has been around for a while – have you tried it? S ee my
previous post on this. You could also consider MMS advertising – fairly unique at the moment. Pictures always carry more impact than plain text!

I hope this has given you a few ideas. As with any new project, take some time to sit and plan your strategy. Start with research (maybe run a customer survey?) – what information or services do your potential clients want at the moment? What services or information could you provide via mobile devices in future? How often will people access the information and on what specific devices? What tools are relevant to users in your field of business? Check your Google Analytics to find out what percentage of website visitors are already accessing via a mobile device. And finally – don’t forget that social media and mobile marketing can and should be totally integrated. Both are necessary and vital components of your marketing strategy.

Need help with social media or mobile marketing? Start by contacting me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

you can also TEXT

INF SOCIALMEDIA or INF SOCIALMEDIA + your email address to 60777

to receive your free copy of my booklet “10 Reasons Why You Need to Get Up To Speed With Social Media”.

Naomi | 8 comments | Tags: business development, business growth, digital marketing, google, mobile marketing, seo, SMS marketing, text message marketing, twitter

23 Sep 2011

business growth • google places • marketing • mobile marketing • SMS marketing • social media • Text message advertising • twitter

Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing – The Future

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mobile marketing – relevant statistics:

1,000,000 text messages were sent every 5 seconds in 2010
75 million mobile phones in the UK in 2011
More than 90% of adults own a mobile
approx. 150 texts sent per mobile per month
Over 70% of the world’s population owns a mobile

Watch this video and you’ll get the idea…….. mobile marketing really is the future. It’s getting much easier to use a mobile device to do all the things you used to do on a PC or Mac, and this digital shift is set to continue.

I’ve been researching mobile marketing for the last couple of months and am convinced of its potential, particularly for local businesses. The majority of searches nowadays are for local information – in a previous post I discussed the necessity for businesses to claim their Google Places listing. Imagine the results if a local business such as a restaurant placed a notice in the window asking people to text a code to a certain number, and receive in return a discount voucher. Most restaurants have certain days and times when they’re quieter than they’d like – if the voucher specified a discount for those days and times, it could well bring in additional customers – and revenue. This could also work very well for hair or beauty salons, pubs, bars, coffee shops, etc. And how about dentists or vets using a text service to remind clients when appointments are due? Mobile marketing is a cost-effective way of reaching out to local clients.

Via Twitter (more proof of the power of social media!), I recently came across TellMeTxt, a UK company offering text message advertising. I have signed up for their 3 month free trial because I believe the best way of learning about something is to get hands-on experience.

I signed up for the text messaging plus email option. If you’d like to try it out and see the message and email you receive, this is what you need to do:

Text INF SOCIALMEDIA + your email address to 60777

You should receive an immediate text back (may not quite be instant depending on network and signal strength) from “NJohnsonSM” with the message:

Free Booklet – Get Up To Speed With Social Media. Available from www.naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

You should also receive an email that looks like this (click to enlarge):

Email you receive after sending text

(My logo will be at the top of the email but I couldn’t capture that as well as the message itself!)

I don’t know about you, but this looks very impressive to me and I think there are huge implications here for businesses wanting to expand their marketing strategy. As already mentioned, 97% of text messages are opened and read, compared to a mere 20% or so of emails…..you more or less have a captive audience!

TellMeTxt is offering 3 months’ free trial of the service, but you need to take this up by September 30th – not long to go! I’d recommend anyone wishing to explore the massive potential offered by mobile marketing to visit their website and contact them very soon.

Please note I have no link with TellMeTxt, I am merely a happy “trial” client.

Are you using mobile marketing in your business? How’s it working for you? I’d love to hear your comments!

Need help promoting your business via mobile marketing? Get started by contacting me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | 7 comments | Tags: business development, business growth, digital marketing, google places, mobile marketing, SMS marketing, text message marketing, twitter

05 Aug 2011

facebook • marketing • social media • social networking

Peanuts Goes Social with Digital Marketing

Peanuts characters

Something light-hearted for a Friday!
If you’re of a “certain age” like me, you’ll have grown up with Charles M Schultz’s (he died in 2000) world famous comic strip “Peanuts”, featuring neurotic Charlie Brown, his Beagle, Snoopy, and several of his friends.

The Washington Post recently announced that Peanuts is to expand into the digital sphere, including mobile gaming, apps, e-books and Facebook. Peanuts Worldwide’s existing Facebook page already has over 830,000 fans.

Iconix Brand Group, the owner of Peanuts Worldwide, wants to ensure that Peanuts appeals to younger fans and naturally this has to involve digital and social media marketing.

Nearly 50 years ago, Peanuts was first aired as an animated TV show – the new digital initiatives will ensure that it remains as popular as ever – after all the characters are timeless and the message will remain relevant.

Lucy

So who’s your favourite Peanuts character?! (Mine’s Lucy!)

You can contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | One comment | Tags: digital marketing, facebook, facebook pages, social media, social media marketing

Tag Archive for digital marketing

Let's Connect!

Subscribe By Email

My Tweets

Circle Me on Google Plus

Great Value Web Hosting

Categories