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There isn't anything worse than checking a website and clicking their Facebook link to find that they've redirected you to a personal page. Not only do you have to hope they accept you as a "friend," you're taken through one more step to see their content and find their real Fan Page. I hate this! Here are the top 15 reasons to have a Fan Page, and not a personal page, attached to your business.... 
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The rapid growth of Pinterest was one of the big social media stories of 2012, and by all accounts, the platform is continuing to see strong growth in the first half of 2013. What was originally a platform used by women is now expanding across wider demographics, and some businesses are even using the network in rather creative ways.
If your small business or nonprofit is not yet using Pinterest, now is a good time to take a look at how it might fit into your overall digital communications plan. Remember, anyone can just pin their products to Pinterest. That’s boring.
Look beyond the obvious and find more creative ways of drawing people in and encouraging growth and repinning activity. With that in mind, here are 5 ways that small businesses can use Pinterest more effectively....
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 8, 2013 3:15 PM
Really practical tips on how to make interest work for your small business.
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It is never easy to get a small business up and running. From finding funding and new employees to getting the licenses needed to operate, small business owners have to think of everything in order to be successful. Social media is no exception. Today’s consumers are more active on social networks than ever before and this trend shows no sign of slowing.
As your small business begins to develop its social media marketing strategy, you want to know who your target audience is, where you can best reach them on social media. Then, you reach one of the most difficult obstacles: content. What type of content should we be sharing and how should we share it. Focus on these three things and starting up your small business’s social media presence will hit the ground running....
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 7, 2013 2:02 PM
How content contributes in marketing and how to choose the right type for the job.
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Social Media's ROI can be tracked with these 7 metrics. However, measurement is more than just results. It must tie back to your objectives.... For years now you’ve heard everywhere that you can’t measure Social Media ROI (return on investment). I’m not sure if it’s been an excuse to discount Social Media’s value or a fear of adapting to a new marketing model. Perhaps a little bit of both.
Marketing Charts recently outlined on a new report by the Platt Retail Institute, conducted in association with the American Marketing Association comparing marketers’ rankings of various channels’ budget allocations against the channels’ perceived importance and ROI. The study reveals that of the 11 channels identified, Social Media marketing ranks 4th in both current importance and ROI but ranks only 6th in budget allocation.
Scott Monty of Ford Social explained in his blog that “The study reveals there’s a mismatch between marketing budget and effectiveness in key areas. Two are mass media and customer support, which are being overspent on versus their return on investment. Alternatively, email and social are being underspent on while they have a more effective ROI.”...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 7, 2013 2:16 PM
Really useful tips on social media measurement and marketing ROI.
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If you want to learn how to write a blog then you need to understand your customers and write content that they are going to find useful and engaging. Do your homework and you will get more traffic, more click and more leads.... 21 tips for better blogging...
's comment May 9, 2013 12:02 AM
Well said Neil!
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This is partly because Google’s algorithm isn’t playing any games these days, and partly because there are so many businesses working on their local SEO at the same time you are. If these people are your competition it’s going to be more and more difficult to rank as time goes by.
Despite all of this, there are still businesses out there that aren’t embracing the essential nature of local SEO. Some are trying to keep things on a purely social playing field by purchasing ads on Facebook and focusing their marketing efforts exclusively in these areas. Others are (seemingly) deliberately ignoring the opportunity presented by the local listing pages offered by the major search engines – Google, Bing, and Yahoo each offer pages that businesses can claim in order to increase their local exposure. And if the search engine has a result to deliver that was created with their webmaster tools, don’t you think it’s more likely than someone other content to appear when someone searches for a term relevant to your business?...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 5, 2013 6:23 PM
Local SEO is very important for many small businesses and is also one of the more difficult online marketing strategies to master. These tips will help... 
Adam Donkus's curator insight,
May 14, 2013 4:01 PM
The last reason is definetly the most important reason to invest in local SEO
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May Day, May Day! Small businesses are drowning when it comes to social media. Research by Constant Contact shows that almost 60% of small businesses need help with social media marketing. Includes four tips to help small businesses create content.
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 4, 2013 2:27 PM
Heidi Cohen's four content creation tips are really helpful for small business.
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Today, the entire business community is aware of the fact that social media marketing (SMM) is a hugely rewarding way to retain existing customers....
Social Media has remarkably altered the way people connect, interact, and share information. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are the most prominent sites where social interactions constantly take place. SMM may be defined as a method to profitably use social media to build relationships, obtain repeat business, and attract to convert prospects through friends sharing with friends.
In short, SMM is word-of-mouth powered publicity leading to enlargement of customer-base. SMM means connecting with customers and prospects where they hang out online and actively participate in conversations about the topics most interesting to them. Remember, there are already ongoing conversations between your customers and prospects and it is up to you to take advantage.
As a rule, people like doing business with people they know and transact business with people they trust. Though prospects are available aplenty, successfully connecting with them calls for a well-conceived and meticulously executed strategy....
Cesar Rodriguez's curator insight,
May 3, 2013 2:07 PM
Word-of-Mouth is now Digital. It's so important to have well set-up SMM platform.
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 3, 2013 4:21 PM
Good thoughts on how social marketing works and how it can be an important part in your overall marketing strategies.
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![20 Data-Backed Ways to Upgrade Your Social Media Marketing [SlideShare] | Simply Social Media | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/pKfmDj0L0HLuUVZgmQZrKTl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
Get tips on how to improve your social media marketing that all stem from real research and data....
... As a professional social media scientist and part time unicorn hunter, I spend a lot of time chasing down and busting social media unicorns-and-rainbows myths and superstitions -- advice that has no basis in facts -- with real data and science. I've conducted quite a bit of research about social media marketing, and as a result, I've gotten quite a lot of insight into the tactics that do and don't work.
So I decided to compile a SlideShare highlighting 20 of my favorite data-backed ways to make your inbound marketing efforts in social media more successful. Check it out, and share your favorites using the tweet links below!...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 3, 2013 4:36 PM
More recommended reading from social research guru Dan Zarrella.
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There is a lot of social media sites out there, but what are the differences between these platforms and why would businesses want to use each specific one?
Depending on your industry some might work better for you than others, but I believe that all businesses should be using these top social networks as much as they can.
Today, people are no longer turning to the yellow pages to find the services or products you offer, but instead they are doing a quick search online. Making sure you have a positive presence in the top social media sites is important. These are my personal thoughts and opinions on the seven top social media networks (by user base) and an idea of what type of content you might see and want to use on each one....
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 2, 2013 12:47 PM
This post nicely outlines the importance of social media channels and is a good reminder also that local and mobile are trends that small businesses need to appreciate and use.
Jeff Domansky's comment,
May 2, 2013 12:48 PM
Jonathan I agree that it's tough to convince business and professionals to use social media. There is some good research available to shows how big an influence social media is on purchasing goods as well as services.
Jonathan Martin's comment,
May 2, 2013 2:05 PM
As always, most people tend to fear acting on something they do not fully understand. I make it my priority to start them with the basic (1 network) and build their social presence one step at a time.
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Open University, Corning and SAP have been killing it with optimized, creative content marketing. Learn from their most successful campaigns. ...Quality rules the day when it comes to content creation. We write often here on the importance of content planning and optimization and Lee Odden offered a complete framework for optimizing across SEO, social media and content marketing in his book, Optimize. Here are just a few examples of brands killing it with great content. Check them out and see what lessons you can take away to improve your own content strategy....
Savanna Steele's curator insight,
September 25, 2013 8:21 PM
This article presents perfect examples of the correct way to implement creative content marketing. I find this article interesting in the regards to how successful the campagions that were used as examples had been so uniquiely different from one another. Again re-enforcing the content that was taught in week 7 in IMC. The means of communication that they use in the examlpes shows that the brands did their homework on their target audience and used creative methods to draw them into the conversation. 
Finau Tuipulotu's comment,
September 26, 2013 11:58 AM
Good read savanna. This reading is almost similar to “12 Brilliant Direct Marketing Pieces you have to see”. In order to be creative you have to be able to have create unique marketing strategies to overcome competitors and also great demonstrating of marketing communications. Shown in the article are the three steps to creating content marketing success.
's comment September 26, 2013 6:32 PM
Great scoop Savanna! Like you both mention, using the right kind of creativity in the right way is key for successful marketing strategies, in order to give brands that competitive edge needed in today's comeptitive and content driven consumer market. Reaching the right target audience with their creative messages is also important, through the use of communication and engagement that speaks to consumers.
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Don’t Ignore Social as a Way to Connect...
According to a May 2012 survey by Constant Contact, over three-quarters of small businesses agree on their primary goal: attracting new customers. Unfortunately, a more troubling statistic shows that many small business owners are missing out on a vital opportunity.
According to a recent eMarketer post, only 32 percent of small business owners think social media marketing is an effective tool in today’s digital bazaar. This perception needs to change. For many small business owners, social media is still largely an unknown quantity.
Here are a few basic reasons that businesses of every size should invest their marketing resources in social media. Five reasons social media marketing is important...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 1, 2013 1:45 PM
Social marketing can help business get results. Research shows not all business believe it yet.
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... here’s the truth: branding your business does not have to be complicated, and business branding is not just for the big marketing firms. It’s for every business that wants to carve out a space for itself and leave its mark. Now that we’ve gotten that cleared up, what’s the next step? If your business is new and building a brand from scratch, or if you are reinventing your business brand online, here are 4.5 ways to get a head start...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
April 30, 2013 1:30 PM
Here's some great advice on how to keep branding simple for small business. |
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With a defined social media strategy in place, marketers can rock social media in 30 minutes a day. Sound too good to be true? It is actually possible if your daily use of social media is built upon a well-developed social media strategy.
But, a strong social media strategy does not mean that your brand has to be on every single social media channel out there. Instead, focus on the social media channels that the majority of your customers frequent. The infographic below explains how having an over-arching social media strategy in place can save you time and make you a more effective social media strategist....
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 8, 2013 2:57 PM
Take a look at this info graphic for some valuable insight on where to spend your time in social media and social marketing.
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Social media lay people may regard LinkedIn as, primarily, a venue for networking and for career advancement—but smart business owners know better. They know that LinkedIn is nothing less than a critical tool for brand enhancement and lead generation. Indeed, when used properly, LinkedIn can actually be used to drive traffic to a company website and ultimately to garner higher sales. The trick, of course, is having the right LinkedIn marketing strategy. Six basic pointers are offered below....
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 8, 2013 3:25 PM
Here's how LinkedIn can have a positive impact on your marketing efforts. Six really practical tips for any business.
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While LinkedIn only drives 14 percent of social media traffic compared to Facebook's 54 percent, the professional social network has a higher conversion rate and is more effective for B2B conversions. With over 28 million unique monthly visitors, LinkedIn is the most business-focused social media platform for professionals.
The LinkedIn statistics are incredible: LinkedIn has the highest user engagement. Did you know that only 1 percent of LinkedIn users drive 26 percent of the site's traffic? This means that the active community on LinkedIn is extremely involved and open to networking with professionals like you! LinkedIn users want your solicitation. In real life, we hate the idea of cold calls and solicitors. However, LinkedIn users overwhelmingly state that they welcome business proposals online.
Your profile is viewed by people you don't know. On social networking sites like Facebook, your friends and family are your main audience. On LinkedIn, however, coworkers only account for 25 percent of views. The other 75 percent is comprised of other professionals in the industry, recruiters, networkers, and much more! Since LinkedIn fosters an atmosphere conducive for networking, professionals and brands should optimize their profiles for business-to-business conversions....
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 7, 2013 2:12 PM
This is an excellent set of tips for getting the most from Linkedln for your business.
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Relevant content is key to reaching valuable audiences. Outlined are tools you can use to come up with blog ideas for posts to keep your content engaging. Content marketing is helping small businesses generate website traffic, online visibility and ultimately, sales leads. And a business blog is key to content marketing.
But if you’re like many in a small business, you may find yourself wondering, “What do I blog about today?” If you have trouble coming up with blog ideas for posts, read on. We’ve collected 16 of our favorite tools that help us here at Small Business Trends generate ideas for blog posts. Try out some of these tools the next time you find yourself staring at a blank screen....
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Here are four things you should do before starting a blog. These tips and tricks can be applied to someone who has been blogging for years or even days....
The entire concept of blogging may not be rocket science, but there is still a large component that drives a formula for success. If you’re starting a blog and you want your content to spread, you have to do a few things to ensure that the content is worth sharing. You need to focus on creating valuable content and not making the typical content marketing mistakes. Over the last 5 years I’ve learned how to successfully create content for both my personal blog and clients. Furthermore, I’ve learned what not to do and the importance of kick-starting your blogging efforts the right way. If you’re new to blogging or planning to get into it, here are a few things you should do:...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 5, 2013 6:27 PM
New bloggers take note. Experienced bloggers double check ;-) 
Evgeniy Beloshytskiy's curator insight,
May 6, 2013 7:18 AM
4 секрета успешного ведения блогов для малого бизнеса
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Many businesses use the same strategies for their mobile marketing that they use in traditional marketing. They shouldn’t. Each campaign depends on appropriate segmentation for your vertical.
For example, a cosmetics company should focus primarily on women at specific ages, depending on the product. A shop that sells wheelchairs and hospital equipment probably shouldn’t be selling to healthy people. Gym memberships target adults rather that children. You get the general idea, right?
Strategic demographic segmentation helps companies choose their customers according to their need.
Focus on the customer Here are some best practices for a mobile marketing campaign: ○ Keep the customer involved ○ Listen to customers: comments and criticisms are always constructive ○ Be willing to offer something to the customer ○ If the client requests, let them opt-out easily ○ Take every opportunity to socialize with the customer, be sure to notify them of promotions, discounts or offers; ○ Build lasting relationships with customers;...
Marie Dougy's comment,
May 4, 2013 11:06 AM
effectively it is important to consider the creation of an advertising campaign optimized for mobile - starting with reading and navigation for mobile screens
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 4, 2013 2:11 PM
Great tips, useful distinctions between mobile and traditional marketing. 
Zeebric's curator insight,
May 6, 2013 2:41 AM
Detailed and instructive article on mobile marketing.
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The steps and costs of integrating social media into your marketing strategy.....
When people hire me to help them integrate social media into their marketing strategies, the first step is drafting a comprehensive document that lays out the following: - Target market - What terms prospects use to search for them online - Preferred social media platforms - How they’ll brand them - How they’ll drive traffic to their main website or blog - How they plan to connect with followers - A specific strategy for each network (you may post different content and have a different client base on Twitter versus LinkedIn, for instance) - What their competitors are doing on these chosen platforms...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 3, 2013 4:19 PM
Here's a really great outline for a marketing plan and it's most important components. 
Leon Thomason's curator insight,
May 9, 2013 1:14 AM
Developing a media plan is a very vital part of any IMC campaign as is the need to integrate social media in the forever changing marketing environment. The first step is drafting a comprehensive document which addresses; 1. The target market 2. What terms prospects use to search for them 3. Preferred social media platforms 4. How they'll brand them 5. How they'll drive traffic to their main website/blog 6. How they plan to connect with followers 7. Specific strategy for each network 8. What competitors are doing To fully adapt this strategy of developing a media plan for online market it is important to evaluate its effectiveness and efficiently in order to make changes where need be. 
Wincy Cai's comment,
May 9, 2013 4:52 AM
Social media can be an incredible tool for any business. Developing a media plan will helps determine all the factors business needs to take into consideration before deciding on a media strategy.
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Top social media, internet marketing & SEO blogs in the United States and Canada ranked by Cision Digital Reach in 2013....
Ever since Jay Krall compiled the inaugural list in 2009, our top 100 social media and internet marketing posts have been among CisionBlog’s most discussed, shared and trafficked content. Along the way, we’ve made some changes, from Valerie Lopez’s introduction of Compete metrics in 2010, to the addition of SEO as a topic for consideration the following year.
Much like the social Web itself, our lists are constantly evolving, and this year is no different. Rather than ranking by traditional metrics, we’re using our new in-house UVPM measurement, Cision Digital Reach. Given the social nature of this list, the change is quite fitting.
Cision calculates Digital Reach by aggregating the number of quarterly shares a website attracts on Facebook and Twitter, then multiplying this sample by an average number of visits per share. This new method better reflects the way real Web users view and share content. Increasingly, the traditional concept of “reach” in media measurement is intertwined with online sharing activity, and no longer based solely on website traffic.
To create the list, we mined Cision’s media database and found nearly 700 blogs in the U.S. and Canada covering social media, online marketing or SEO. From there, we winnowed it down to blogs that primarily focus on these topics. Finally, we ranked the blogs based on both Digital Reach and inbound links. Without further ado, here are the results...
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 3, 2013 4:29 PM
You'll find many new experts to follow in this social media list from Cision Digital.
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Social media engagement: learn how to get more people-to-people interaction and begin a real conversation with your audience on social media. Is your company’s social media as stale as last month’s bread? Would you like to get more people-to-people interaction and begin a real conversation with your audience on social media? No matter your company’s industry or size, you can encourage these deeper connections and improve your social media engagement. Here are some tips to help you encourage people-to-people interaction, whether you are on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Foursquare or Instagram....
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If you're not sure where to begin when crafting Pinterest boards for your business, here are eight simple and effective places to start....
In her book Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business, marketing and branding expert Karen Leland provides a Pinterest roadmap that will help you drive website traffic, boost your brand and build business. In this edited excerpt, the author describes eight types of boards you can set up in order to strengthen your brand and drive traffic. Before you begin to create new boards on Pinterest, it's smart to consider what types of boards would serve you best given your overall Pinterest marketing goals. We'll explore eight ideas to consider when building your business boards....
Janis Borgueta's comment,
May 2, 2013 7:59 AM
Pinterest is one of the fun parts of social media. Be careful not to get lost in the process as it can be a great time suck. With a bit of discipline though it has been able to open doors and generate a couple of conversations for me. Many people use it and don't see it as a sale pitch if done properly. Read this as it is most helpful
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 2, 2013 12:53 PM
Excellent advice on how to get Pinterest to work better for you. if you're new to it, these are really practical tips to start.
Jeff Domansky's comment,
May 2, 2013 12:55 PM
Janis, totally agree that it's important to budget and allocate your social media time well. Pinterest D. be a great tool for certain types of products or business. Comment appreciated.
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Online marketing is a necessity for any business hoping to ramp up profitability and success in the modern age. However, it can also be difficult to understand what should be done and what should be avoided.
The right online marketing plan and the use of high quality solutions like WordPress templates can make a very real difference in your success. The wrong move can be very costly, though. To ensure that you’re successful, you need to follow a few industry best practices: - Focus on User Experience - Original content - Don't mix media - No spam - Go social...
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Now, I don’t have the luxury of being able to delegate social media marketing duties, which is why I devised a few tricks to be effective and efficient. The first step is to not think of social media as a burden, it’s business. When you allow yourself to accept that social engagement is not optional, you will quickly find what was once a time suck is now the best use of your precious minutes.
Here are four tricks I use to squeeze the most out of my precious time....
Jeff Domansky's curator insight,
May 1, 2013 1:46 PM
These four simple tricks will help you get the most out of your time on the various social media platforms.... |
Some of the top points in this excellent article:
"Having a Facebook Fan Page means:
- Your Fan Page is open and public, and your personal page can stay private,
- You make a good, first impression because new fans are not directed to a brand-disconnected, personal page,
- Your friend count is unlimited (instead of capped),
- The search engines will index it, which helps your SEO,
- You get Facebook Insights, Facebook Tabs, Facebook Contests,
- You get Facebook Advertising, which is very targeted."
If there's one thing to change in your social marketing program, it's to make sure you have a friend page and not your personal page working for your business on Facebook. What are you waiting for?