Lena West, Author at Influence Expansion

5 Social Media Truths

May 15, 2013 By Lena West

Building a social media following and expanding your influence takes some creativity, along with a decent amount of trial and error. There is no set formula that works for each company when it comes to social media, but there are some truths that can make an impact on your success in digital networking.

Remember these social media certainties:

Quality followers are greater than quantity. In an attempt to raise Twitter and Facebook numbers, some businesses will run a few contests. While their numbers got up initially, many of the new followers will leave those pages once the contest period is over. Sure, some of them will stick around but not many interact on a consistent basis. A person who chooses to follow your business through social media channels, no strings attached, is one that is truly interested in you and what you are selling. It is okay to try to boost your numbers through things like giveaways, but look for meaningful ways to draw in quality, long-term followers too.
It’s not (always) about you. Before you post anything in a social media sphere ask yourself this: how will this benefit my followers? Helping out your followers is not always about saving them money; sometimes it is simply providing them with valuable information. That expertise may not always come directly from you. Follow other social media accounts in your industry and monitor what they do right when it comes to statuses, tweets, images and other forms of social media outreach.
Sharing is good. When other people share your status updates, retweet your links or repin your images, your Web clout goes up. Even social media shares that are not directly about your business put your name in the spotlight. Mentions on social media are digital word-of-mouth advertising that work to further the online credibility of your company. Make sure you have social media buttons enabled on your website and blog so that others can quickly share the things they like with others. You may also want to join LinkedIn Groups to find other people with similar interests that are likely to share your information with others.
Visuals get attention. People respond more quickly, and with more enthusiasm, to graphics. Why is it that social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram have caught fire with followers? People love visuals. When you post a link to your blog, be sure to include a thumbnail photo. Even if you don’t think your business is a fit for Pinterest, sign up anyway and create boards that relate to you and your industry.
Interaction is vital. Social media accounts provide businesses an opportunity to start informal conversations with their customer base. If a particular topic or type of post gets a lot of buzz, copy that style for future posts. When people do respond to a post, reply to them and keep the conversation going.

When it comes to social media, businesses can really get ahead by focusing efforts in the right direction. Keep your customers in mind every time you post new content to make the most of your social media influence.

What rules about social media guide your actions?

(Photo Source)

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

GUEST POST: Button Bling: Why Social Media Buttons Matter

April 16, 2013 By Lena West

Expanding your influence in the social media world often starts on your website or blog. You may have seen small squares on websites and blogs that have the Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr or other social media site logos on them. Typically these “buttons,” as they are called, lead people from the website or blog to the social media pages that correspond with the site.

On the right are a few examples of social media buttons you may have seen.

So why should you have these buttons on your site if you don’t already? Here are just a few of the reasons:

Social media buttons are the easiest way to link people to your social media sites. With a single click, visitors to your business website or blog are connected to you in social media circles too. And the more followers you have on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, the more likely your business is to be successful. Did you know that the Google+ button is pushed 5 million times each day? Those are numbers small business owners cannot ignore. Having people follow you on several social platforms makes it easier for them to see all the content that you post – keeping you fresh in their minds when the time comes to do business in your area of expertise.
Social media buttons make sharing easy. Having social media buttons makes it simple for people who visit your site or blog to share articles or content that they find interesting with others. People can easily recommend your posts on their own personal social media pages as well. This is a great way to build consumer trust. The best type of referral, even in online terms, is word-of-mouth. A Neilson Global Survey found that only 14 percent of consumers trust ads and 78 percent trust recommendations from fellow consumers. Let other people brag about your brand and expand your influence on your behalf.
Social media buttons add dimension. Forget the practical reason for social media – they just look good. Most are brightly colored and use easy-to-recognize icons that users are comfortable clicking. They are also concise and provide practicality while keeping your site uncluttered.

If you are going to add social media buttons to your webpage, it’s important that you keep your pages up to date and current. It’s not wise to direct people to your social media pages if you don’t post fresh content on a fairly regular basis. A person who visits your Facebook page, for example, and sees that the last post was months ago is unlikely to “like” the page. The same is true for all the other social media accounts you maintain.

Drawing people into your social media pages gets you more exposure. People are more likely to check out your business if you post regular updates and are on their feed, and on their mind, often. Posting constantly isn’t the only thing that matters though, make sure you’re posting what your audience wants and that the content is quality and engaging to readers.

Have you had success building your social media following through social media buttons?

(Photo Source)

Filed Under: social media marketing Tagged With: buttons, social media, social media buttons, social share, social sharing, social sharing buttons

GUEST POST: 5 Easy Tricks to Increase Your Twitter Followers

March 15, 2013 By Lena West

Establishing a Twitter account is easy enough – it only takes a few minutes to sign up and start sending 140-character or less updates into the cyber world. However, your brand won’t benefit from sending tweets into empty space. Building a strong list of Twitter followers doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s worth the time and energy you funnel into building your network. Interested in a shortcut? Decrease the time you spend building your Twitter following with these five tips.

1. Complete Your Profile

Make sure that your Twitter profile is complete. The goal is to have a full bio with information that will captivate people and tell potential followers who are you as an entrepreneur or business. Avoid allowing Twitter to fill in the photo portion with that boring default egg -– a company logo or photo is a must! And take advantage of the ability to create a customized Twitter background by including branding elements like colors, logos and company contact information.

2. Follow Other People

This may seem like an obvious point, but never stop looking for high-quality, relevant Twitter accounts to follow. Don’t just follow others blindly, but determine which profiles will add value and credibility to your own network. Worst case scenario, you only add a number to your “following” list. Best case, these accounts follow you back in return and build your online clout. It’s a good idea to check out the followers of accounts that you admire or feel reflect your industry or business ideals. You can also find other Twitter chats or hashtags in your industry and follow accounts that are actively participating in relevant conversations. As you continue to build your following, keep in mind that after the first 2,000 accounts you follow, Twitter imposes a follow limit based on an unpublished follower/following ratio that varies by account, so choose your follows with care.

3. Watch Your Competition

It’s a good idea to visit competitor Twitter accounts from time to time to check out their lists of followers. You will likely discover some important profiles that are missing from your own lists. You can also see what sorts of tweets your competitors send out and gauge customer response and interaction. The rule of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer certainly applies when it comes to social media base building.

4. Stick to the 80/20 Rule

Tweeting should never be all about you. Sharing quality content in your area of expertise will show that you care about your audience and give people a reason to engage with your Twitter account. Quotes, links to industry leaders, cool infographics, fun photos, etc. are all great things to consider sharing so you aren’t just feeding your blog posts through your Twitter account. Make sure you take time to respond to the people who tweet directly to you, too. After all, Twitter (like any social network) isn’t a broadcasting platform. The site is built around conversation, so if you’re not taking the time to interact with current and prospective followers, the poor quality of your network will soon reflect your one-way philosophy.

5. Stay Positive

When possible, avoid negative tweets. If you’re in an industry that’s having a rough quarter, don’t further the damage by drawing attention to that fact. Instead, try a constructive approach like creating a blog post with innovative ideas for improving the situation. This doesn’t mean ignoring what’s going on, but rather being proactive with what people can do in a positive way, not to mention seizing an opportunity to demonstrate your industry knowledge.

If you are new to Twitter, take advantage of these tips to maximize the quality and reach of your following. If you’ve been on Twitter for awhile, it could be time to assess your current following and clean house by unfollowing inactive accounts. Cultivating a large and effective Twitter following takes some work, but it can help establish the social media influence of your brand or business and give you a powerful resource that you can tap into for relevant information, conversation and opportunities.

(Photo Source)

Filed Under: social media marketing Tagged With: followers, social media, twitter, twitter followers

WordPress Themes Gone Wild!

February 19, 2013 By Lena West

By now, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. You don’t have to pay a mint to have a website that looks good. There are all sorts of websites that offer fully-programmed WordPress themes for sale (some of them are crappy so if you don’t know, you better ask somebody!)

The themes come in all colors, are usually fully customizable and offer so many daggone options, you won’t know if you’re coming or going. Well, as usual, it’s Lena to save the day here’s a really helpful decision tree that will help you to make sense of it all — and make sure you don’t end up with a theme that looks rockin’, but doesn’t provide you with the functionality you’re looking for.

Happy planning!

WordPress Themes

Filed Under: business Tagged With: template, themes, wordpress

GUEST POST: What’s Your Real-Time Engagement Strategy?

February 15, 2013 By Lena West

Real-time engagement and strategies are necessary for small and large businesses alike. Social media is increasingly becoming consumers’ go to avenue for contacts with companies. Instead of visiting official websites and looking for “contact us” forms, potential clients are stopping by Facebook pages or sending queries via Tweets. Unlike a contact email that usually comes with a 24 to 48 hour promise for a reply, the comments, questions and complaints through social media are live and visible immediately.

Here are six tips to best utilize in-the-moment marketing at your company:

Prioritize. There is simply no way to comment or respond to every online item that has a direct connection to your company – let alone the marginal ones. Decide what areas of focus are most important to your business success and address those in real time first. Create a hierarchy that outlines what comes next after the most important online issues are confronted, commented upon and highlighted.

Double-check. Mistakes are inherent when it comes to quick turnaround of any material but try your best to keep them at a minimum. If possible, have another set of eyes look over every status, Tweet or other online posting before they are live. If time is of the essence, read your posting aloud to yourself in order to catch any mistakes in content or grammar. It is far easier to make a correction on the front end than try to address it once other people have seen the error.

Act professionally. Unfortunately much of the interactive content online is negative, even aggressive, in nature. It is tough to sit back idly and think ‘the customer is always right’ while a disgruntled customer or client berates your business, especially if it is in an anonymous fashion. Remember that your reaction to negativity online reflects upon your company philosophy and brand image. Sometimes the best comment is conveyed privately or not dignified at all.

Stay out of it. When there is a debate going on about your company or one of its products or services, there is no reason to involve yourself in the conversation. Most times, another customer will come to your defense against negativity anyway and that is a more powerful endorsement than any official company stance. Know when customers are looking for outreach from you and when it is best to stay silent.

Empower. If every form of communication must have the approval of a company leader, you are sure to miss real time marketing opportunities. Give other employees that are in-the-know permission to act when there is a chance to maximize timely company outreach related to posts on your business or industry news.

Plan ahead too. Real time marketing is not all running around putting out virtual fires all day long. There are some opportunities that you can plan for in advance. These include upcoming events in your industry or the predicted passage of legislation that affects your company. Get geared up to implement your real time strategy the instant that it makes sense to do so. Planning ahead in these situations means less room for error and strength of information that benefits consumers.

A strong social media presence is necessary for an effective real time marketing plan which means that a solid base of followers is also vital. The more people that see your statuses, Tweets and blog posts in a timely fashion, the higher your credibility. Find ways to build up your following online and then roll out a strong strategy for real time marketing.

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. Search the ChamberofCommerce.com directory to find local business providers and solutions.

Filed Under: social media marketing Tagged With: engagement, real-time, social media

WordPress Themes Gone Wild!

Popular Posts

Contact Us