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10 Social, Search and Mobile Tips to Know This Week (Small Business E-Commerce Link Digest)

by Tim on October 12, 2012

in content marketing,del.icio.us links,Facebook,Google,Mobile,Search,Social Media,social strategy

Loads and loads and loads of social, local, mobile links this week worth checking out. So, as I often do, I’m going to skip the setup and get straight to the links:

First up, Techcrunch reports on a Forrester study showing 66% of employees use 2 or more devices at work, 12% use tablets. Mobile isn’t a coming thing any longer. It’s here.
I mentioned this in yesterday’s podcast, but it’s a clear sign of the growth of mobile when Google revamps its homepage for mobile phones.
Speaking of search, Search Engine Land says that Yahoo’s search share continues its downward slide. I’m not sure that’s news, sadly. Your website’s stats probably tell you the same thing.
Search Engine Watch details a new study that claims 53% of organic search clicks go to first link. Not terribly surprising and a great reminder of why you want to both improve your search engine ranking and find additional traffic sources, such as social.
Speaking of social, here’s a great example of how social leads to Big Data. LinkedIn has a blog post that reveals insights into U.S. talent pools based on their use of the professional networking site. Cool stuff.
And if you want to see examples of social commerce in action, Business Insider looks at brands testing Facebook’s ‘want’ button
Long-time e-commerce players are learning lessons from the social world, too. For example, EBay has updated its site to be more personal, Pinterest-like
Continuing on the social scene, I read a great piece yesterday that argues why Instagram will be the next big social media platform. For what it’s worth, I agree. In particular, note Jeremy Floyd’s comment, which notes, “What stands out to me about Instagram is that the bar for creators is so low. Your data may reveal this, but it seems that the disparity between creators and consumers is lower on Instagram than other networks.”
Of course even on sites like Instagram creating content isn’t always the easiest thing. HubSpot looks at how to keep your marketing engine chugging with community-generated content
And, wrapping up this week, I’ve often said that email is the “forgotten social network.” Search Engine Watch agrees, explaining why email marketing shouldn’t be an ugly stepchild. Good read.

Have a great weekend, Big Thinkers. Look forward to seeing you back here next week.

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Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Tagged as: f-commerce, Facebook, Google, linkedin, m-commerce, Mobile, mobile commerce, mobile device, mobile ecommerce, mobile internet, mobile marketing, mobile phone, mobile search, mobile strategy, mobile web, Search, search engine, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, search marketing, search strategy, social, social business, social commerce, social e-commerce, social ecommerce, social is people, social marketing, Social Media, social media marketing, social media profiles, social network marketing, social networks, social search, social search strategy, social shopping, social software, social strategy, social tools, social web

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Building your followers on LinkedIn

by Tim on July 5, 2012

in Business,content marketing,Engagement,Marketing,Social Media,social strategy

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on the Biznology blog claiming that “everyone needs both Pinterest and LinkedIn.” And while I’ve offered plenty of Pinterest tips over the last few months, it’s unfair to say I’ve offered similar coverage of LinkedIn. Until now.

Here are some of my favorite tips for growing the number of LinkedIn followers on your LinkedIn Company page.

Your LinkedIn Company Page

Why have a Company page on LinkedIn? Lots of reasons, really:

Attract new employees
Stay engaged with clients and customers
Promote your products and services to LinkedIn’s 100 million+ members
Effectively measure your LinkedIn visitors
Improve search engine results for your brand name

So, to gain more followers, first they have to have a reason to care about your brand. In other words…

What are you using your LinkedIn Company page for?

You want visitors to your Company page to have a solid first impression of your business. What do you offer? Is it clear? Is it compelling? Are you doing a good job of telling your brand story? While it may be obvious, few people will follow your brand on LinkedIn (or anywhere else for that matter), if you don’t give them a reason to care about you. As I’ve noted before, make sure you promote your values and your value to your Company page visitors.

How to reach potential followers

Gaining followers for your LinkedIn Company page actually isn’t dramatically different from any other social network. The basic steps are going to be very similar.

First, begin promoting your Company page during your routine customer contacts. This includes places like:

Phone calls
Business cards
Email signatures

Do each of your employees have your Company page in their email signature? Do you still provide business cards to your team? Why not place the URL for your Company page there, too?

Additionally, following a “hub ‘n’ spoke” model for promoting your business, ensure your company’s website, blog, and product pages all include a “Follow Company” button.

Additionally, you can promote your Company page on any of your other social outposts, whether Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, or this month’s social site of the moment.

Once you’ve started promoting your Company page, begin updating the page regularly, offering your followers shareable content. We’ve covered the idea before, but you want to engage your (real and potential) audience with relevant items that engage, enlighten and entertain. As LinkedIn attracts a more “corporate” audience, you’ll likely want to skew the content towards “work-related” items. But that doesn’t mean they should be stiff or dry. Make the updates fun as well as functional to drive your follower count.

Conclusion

LinkedIn connects your company to educated and business-oriented contacts. Whether you’re looking to attract talent, customers or media, it’s a great source of high-value leads for your business. The social network’s Company page represents an effective means of reaching those folks. Ask potential contacts to follow your brand on LinkedIn and offer them solid reasons to do so. The rest, like much content marketing, is just a matter of time.

Oh… and while I’m at it, you can follow Tim Peter & Associates on LinkedIn, too.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: integrated marketing, internet marketing, LinkedIn, marketing, marketing best practices, online brand building, online marketing, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy, strategy

Tagged as: linkedin, social, social business, social commerce, social e-commerce, social ecommerce, social is people, social marker, social marketing, Social Media, social media marketing, social media profiles, social network, social network marketing, social networking, social networks, social search, social search strategy, social shopping, social software, social strategy, social tools, social web

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Everybody needs both Pinterest and LinkedIn | Biznology

by Tim on June 20, 2012

in Marketing,Social Media,social strategy

When it comes to marketing strategy, whether social, mobile, local, print, broadcast or anything else, there’s no “one size fits all” model. Each business depends on (ideally) having the right strategy focused on reaching the right customers in the right channels and at the right time.

Piece of cake, right?

When you consider how challenging that mandate is, it’s no wonder many snake oil salesmen want to fit you into their box, applying the same “strategy” they’re using with everyone else.

So, why would I suggest that everybody needs both Pinterest and LinkedIn in my latest Biznology blog post?

Well, read it and see.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: Biznology, LinkedIn, mike moran, Pinterest, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy