Tag Archive for google

30 Apr 2012
blogging • facebook • google plus • linkedin • social media • social networking • twitter

What to say on social media

Help – what do I say on social media?

This is a “frequently asked question” in my experience, and it seems that many business owners wonder what to say on social media.  They are worried about saying the wrong thing,  and/or they simply can’t think of enough different things, or indeed anything at all, to say to make social media activity worthwhile.  A common misconception is that people only use social media to post about what they had for breakfast…

It’s not unusual for people to feel that they aren’t interesting, or they don’t want to sound like they’re bragging, and they know it’s not about what you had for breakfast……so their perception is that they don’t have anything useful to share on social media.

Newsflash…

…you don’t have to post about yourself or your business most of the time!  Here’s the thing:  there’s absolutely no need to continually produce original content to post on social media, in fact it’s far better not to.  Sharing other people’s content is far more valuable and will go a long way towards building your social communities and generating interaction and engagement. A good rule of thumb would be to make at least 80% of your social media updates not directly related to your own business or products.  However you can – and should – post links to your own blog articles whenever you produce them.  If you don’t already have a blog for your business,  you might want to read this article I wrote last year.

Ways to find shareable content

If you’ve just set up your social media accounts –  we’ll assume you’ve chosen Facebook and Twitter to start with – I’d recommend not posting anything for the first week or two.  Instead, just watch and learn from others.  Run a few searches to find other businesses in your niche, follow them,  then keep an eye on the type of things they post.  Do you find any of it interesting?  Chances are that you will – you might click a few links and find yet more useful information.  Would your colleagues also find it interesting?  Go ahead and share (on Facebook) or retweet (on Twitter).  Congratulations,  you’re learning what social media is all about!

To make sharing easier,  try setting up a few lists in Twitter and in Facebook.  This allows you to curate content from like-minded people or those in the same field of business as yourself,  without having to trawl through updates from all of your followers.  You can then simply visit your lists daily and quickly find anything of interest that you feel is worth sharing.

From my own viewpoint, I’d be lost without Google Reader.  It has been a real goldmine of information for me and I spend time every day going through my list of blogs and sharing links on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus.  (I don’t share every link to all networks, I am selective about it).  Take a look at my previous article on Google Reader to learn more – I highly recommend you set up an account if you’ve not already done so – it’s free :)

Interact with others

Once you’re feeling comfortable on your chosen social networks and are starting to build a community, you will want to start giving back to others, perhaps by recommending them.  If you see a request for help and you know someone who offers that particular service,  all you have to do is reply and tag / @mention your contact and guess what, everyone benefits and you might well gain a new follower and/or potential customer.  And it goes without saying that if anyone recommends you, you should respond quickly and thank them.  This is one reason why you do need to visit your social media accounts regularly, to check for messages and mentions so that you aren’t leaving someone waiting and wondering why they’ve not had a response to their question.

And finally…..

The burning question – YES!  It is OK to mention yourself, your products and services occasionally.  But try to keep the self-promotion as subtle as possible.  For example, I might post something like “Need help using social media for your business?” with a link to my website.

Need help using social media for your business? Take the first step! Contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

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Naomi | 2 comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
16 Mar 2012
business growth • pinterest • SEO • small business • social media • social networking

Why you should use Pinterest for business

Pinterest

 

Naomi's Pinterest

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: , , , , , ,
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

google plus setup

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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”.

google+ page setup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Create a Google+ Page

Choose a category for your page

 

As you can see, there are 5 categories:

  1.  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.
  2.  Product or Brand – according to Google, this would include cars, financial services, clothing, electronics – food and drink brands would also come under this category.
  3.  Company, Institution or Organisation – also including charities and non-profit organisations
  4.  Arts, Entertainment or Sports –  pretty self-explanatory (books, films, musicians, bands, athletes etc)
  5.  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)

g+ profile button

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: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
05 Feb 2012
business growth • google • google plus • SEO • social media

Google Plus For Business

What is Google Plus?


I know there are some of you out there that haven’t heard of Google Plus (I will refer to it as G+ for the rest of this article) – mentioning it often produces blank looks while chatting at networking events! So if you’re not aware, G+ is a new social network, launched by search giant Google on June 28th 2011.  Despite having initially been “invitation only”, the new network has grown at an unprecedented rate.

It is becoming increasingly important to use Google Plus for business, as I’ll explain below. According to this post by Paul Allen (“unofficial” G+ statistician), within 2 weeks it had 10 million users, rising to 38 million by October 1st 2011, and 62 million by December 27th 2011.  On January 19th 2012, Google CEO Larry Page announced that G+ now had 90 million users globally – more than 60 percent of whom use the site daily, and more than 80 percent of whom use G+ weekly.

Growth of G+

Equally interesting is the comparison with Facebook –  whose first 25 million users were added over 3 years, compared to G+’s 1 month.  On paper this looks astonishing, but when you consider how fast technology has developed in the 8 years since Facebook launched, it’s not so surprising.  A large percentage of the world’s population is now completely at home with social media, so the addition of a new network from a company as massive as Google, was always going to get a lot of attention.

G+ went “public” in September 2011, meaning that an invitation was no longer necessary to set up a personal profile on the  network.  On November 7th, business pages were launched, with this quote:

For business and brands, Google+ pages help you connect with the customers and fans who love you. Not only can they recommend you with a +1, or add you to a circle to listen long-term. They can actually spend time with your team, face-to-face-to-face. All you need to do is start sharing, and you’ll soon find the super fans and loyal customers that want to say hello.

Further Developments

Another major development followed on January 10th 2012, when Google announced “Search Plus Your World”, a significant change to its search algorithm.   What this means in a nutshell is that when you search for something now, priority will be given to your friends’ and contacts’ online experiences rather than links and domain authority.  Moreover, this makes your G+ network very important.  According to Marketing Land,  SPYW is a massive heads up from Google to businesses to get themselves set up on G+.

The week after SPYW was announced, another new feature was introduced whereby you can share and join in a conversation directly from search results.

Yet another telling sign is that now,  in order to sign up for YouTube, Gmail, or any other Google product, you first have to create a G+ account.

Google is certainly going all out to integrate search and social, and these recent updates will have a massive impact.  Businesses will  need to get up to speed with the changes and have strategies in place to take full advantage.  Clearly, the most important action to take immediately is to set up a G+ business page if you haven’t already done so.   I will write about how to do this in my next post  - stay tuned :)

Meanwhile if you’re already using Google Plus for business, why not add me to your circles?  (see link in the sidebar to the right)

Need help creating shareable content and establishing your presence on social networks, or 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: , , , , , , ,
16 Dec 2011
facebook • google • online reputation monitoring • small business • social media • twitter

Your Online Reputation Matters!

Do you care about your online reputation?

I’d consider it pretty strange if you’re in business and you don’t!  OK,  it’s not that easy to monitor your offline reputation (unless you’re into eavesdropping, or wish to employ a private detective).  But it’s not at all difficult to keep track of what’s being said about you online.

Online reputation monitoring is one aspect of social media activity that people don’t automatically consider when the subject is mentioned.   From my experience with networking events and chatting with a variety of business people,  many of them dismiss social media because “it’s about what you had for breakfast”.  They haven’t looked beyond the noise to discover the real power of social media.  This is a pity.

So, let’s look at a few methods for tracking your online reputation.

Here’s an example of what might happen,

and British Gas’s timely Twitter response (including typos!)

British Gas on Twitter

What if the company hadn’t had a presence on Twitter?  That complaint was seen by the followers of the original poster and of British Gas,  in other words several thousand Twitter users…….if just a few re-tweeted, you could multiply that by several thousand more.  See why it’s essential to  keep an eye on things?

Google Alerts.

You may already have come across this free tool.  You can set alerts for absolutely any keyword or phrase, including your business name, your own name, or a brand.

Google Alerts

The drop-downs are “everything; news; blogs; video; discussions; books”, “as-it-happens”; once a day; once a week” and “only the best results; all results”.  So you have a good choice in setting up your alerts.  If you use quotation marks around your specified search term, you’ll get only exact matches – so this would be useful for monitoring your company name, for example.   I’ve used Google Alerts myself for several years – it’s well worth a try.

Social Mention.

SocialMention

Quoting directly from SocialMention:

“Social Mention is a social media search and analysis platform that aggregates user generated content from across the universe into a single stream of information. It allows you to easily track and measure what people are saying about you, your company, a new product, or any topic across the web’s social media landscape in real-time. Social Mention monitors 100+ social media properties directly including: Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, YouTube, Digg, Google etc.”

Basically, SocialMention is Google Alerts for social media – and is also free.

TweetBeep.

TweetBeep

TweetBeep is another “alert” application and as the name suggests,  restricts its searches to Twitter.  So you could search for any mentions of your own name, your brand,  your company, or your competitors :)

Finally,  there are the social media management tools such as Hootsuite and Tweetdeck (each with a loyal following). These allow monitoring of online reputation,  and also pre-scheduling of tweets and Facebook updates.

Now what’s your excuse for not knowing who’s talking about you online?!

Do you have other monitoring tools you’d recommend?  Share your thoughts in the comments.

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

Naomi | 4 comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
01 Dec 2011
digital marketing • facebook • google • google plus • linkedin • marketing • mobile marketing • social media • twitter • youtube

Digital Marketing – An Integrated Approach

Wordle: Digital Marketing

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 :)

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: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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

QR code

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: , , , , , , , ,
11 Oct 2011
facebook • facebook pages • google • linkedin • marketing • network marketing • social media • social networking • twitter • youtube

Social Media in Network Marketing

The Role of Social Media in Network Marketing

network marketing

image courtesy of duchessa: www.i-pix.it

 

I think it’s likely that most people nowadays know what’s meant by “social media” –  if you don’t, all you need do is browse around this website!   But do you know what network marketing is? A common misconception seems to be that it’s “pyramid selling”. Well, sorry, but pyramid selling is actually illegal – and who’d try to sell pyramids anyway??  :)  So, how about social media in network marketing?

Kleeneze, Avon, Herbalife, Forever Living, Utility Warehouse….

…. do any of these sound familiar?  Yes?  Well, they are all network marketing companies.  Network marketing (also known as MLM, multi-level marketing) is a simple business model. Individuals are recruited, but are not employed by the company. They are self-employed (usually as sole traders) and form part of a group or team.  Each team has various levels.  It’s up to the individual to sell products (which they buy at a discount)  to earn commission. It’s also beneficial to the individual if they can recruit others into their team.   The exact details vary between companies but there are incentives and bonuses for performance in both sales and recruiting. The larger the team, the greater the potential to earn more.

However,  this post isn’t intended to be an in depth study of network marketing as a business model.  Rather,  I would like to explore the role of social media in network marketing and why it’s a valuable asset. As it happens,  in addition to my social media business,  I am involved with two network marketing companies – Wikaniko and Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic.  More information is available on my Eco-Friendly Living website.

I’ve found social media invaluable in promoting my activities with these companies.  Of course, as with any business, social media in network marketing is not the answer to all your problems, but it does add value to the mix.  I’d go so far as to say it’s essential for network marketers.

Social Media Your Strategy For Success

With most network marketing schemes,  you’re aiming to sell products and recruit new team members.  Chances are that a high percentage of potential buyers, and potential recruits, are already on the social networks.  It’s your job to find them!   At the least I’d suggest setting up a Facebook Page (preferably with a custom landing tab as these have been shown to generate more “Likes” – and a Twitter account.  You might also consider getting yourself established on LinkedIn, to gain professional credibility.  There are a number of discussion groups on LinkedIn for network marketers.  YouTube would also be an excellent channel for promoting your products and sharing the benefits of joining your team!

Once you’re set up on the social networks,  you need to find potential customers and team members.  Don’t post a string of updates promoting your latest products – that will turn people off immediately.  It’s all about being subtle,  not shouting about yourself. Post links to interesting information about your niche,  e.g. general health and wellness if you’re a Herbalife or Forever Living distributor. Search on Twitter for tweets asking about your company or products,  or just general information related to your niche.  Follow “thought leaders” in your field of interest and begin engaging with them.  It’s OK to post “sales” updates occasionally,  but no more than 10-20% of your posts should be self-promotion. Set up Google Alerts for topics around your niche,  browse a selection of blogs and share links to these.  You might find this post useful if you’re not sure of the best way to do this.  Give value to your followers and always invite comments and questions.  If someone responds to your update,  always reply and invite further engagement.

Don’t expect things to happen overnight –  it will take weeks or more likely months, to build up a following. It can be hard work to keep your community engaged – you have to keep at it and not abandon your Facebook or Twitter accounts for long periods.  If you’re not sure of the best way to maintain your presence on social media,  you might consider getting help from a professional.   Your social media strategy will pay dividends in the long run, but plenty of patience is a must!

Are you in network marketing? Need advice on setting up and using social media accounts?  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 | 5 comments | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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