How is ChatGPT a beneficial tool for marketers


Note: This post was written in its entirety by ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a beneficial tool for marketers today because it can help automate and improve a variety of tasks. Some of the ways ChatGPT can be used in marketing include:

  • Chatbot development: ChatGPT can be used to create chatbots that can interact with customers and provide them with information or assistance.
  • Content creation: ChatGPT can be used to generate high-quality, unique content, such as product descriptions or blog posts, which can help improve SEO and attract more traffic to a website.
  • Social media management: ChatGPT can be used to write and schedule social media posts, allowing marketers to save time and increase their reach.
  • Customer service: ChatGPT can be used to answer frequently asked questions and provide fast and accurate customer service.

Overall, ChatGPT can help marketers to be more efficient, consistent, and effective in their tasks, reducing the need for human resources, and increasing the automation of their processes.

Marketing Refresh for the Upcoming New Year: Are you Ready?

 

As you wave goodbye to another year, and January is hitting you right in the planner, your marketing mind is thinking, ok, what is 2023 for my brand? What can I do this year to take my brand further? How can I make a larger impact? How can the brand break through the clutter and demonstrate it’s our year.

First, you start with Data. If you find the time to invest in collecting the right data, and ensure you then in turn take the time to analyze it properly, you’ll find the data as your gold. It’s the ammunition you need to find what is working, and what you need to do more of.

For example for most brands the bread and butter is google analytics, crm, search and social analytics (in addition to any larger media program learnings).

Here are some of the main areas to ensure you’re looking at the right data (no matter the brand):

WEB, SEO and PAID SEARCH:

– Time on Site
– Referral Traffic
– Content engaged with
– Bounce Rate
– Keyword and campaign performance

These are helpful to see how your overall campaigns and content are performing, which channels are bringing in the most traffic, what people are searching for in regards to your brand, and in turn what times/days your brand receives the most traffic.

CRM:

– open rates
– click through rates
– a/b test on subject lines, imagery, topics

It’s best to find your category for benchmarks so you can see if your rates are below or above average and go from there.

ORGANIC AND PAID SOCIAL:

– Which channels are working from a spend perspective
– Engagement Rate for content
– Best and Worst performing posts (content types per channel)
– Day/time
– Cost per View, Click, etc

Each channel will be a little different, but it’s good to look at each separately for social, but also together to see which channels are best for your investment, especially when boosting posts.

With these mandatories, you can see what is working best for your brand across channels. The best part is you’ll probably seen some synergies across these channels, too. For example a certain type of content may resonate well with your consumers no matter where they are. In turn, some types of content may work better on certain channels.

It’s good to evaluate the above every 3 months, and then every 1-2 months thereafter to ensure you’re getting a full yet also recent picture of your brand. In addition, a year over year view is good to see where your efforts and spend is most wisely used for yearly planning.

In turn, after you’ve looked at your data, you want to make sure you move on it (with quality and effort, not just speed). Your audience isn’t waiting around for your content – they’re also looking at your competitors. Based on on your buyer personas, you’ll want to practice what’s working well and optimize accordingly (derivative content, etc).

Another thing to consider as we go into the new year, is the things that matter to consumers. Consumers are searching on their mobile for things that matter to them at that very moment. In moments like this, it is more likely about being both mobile and local. Ensure your product/brand is accessible on a local basis. For example if you have key markets, ensure your product is available to your consumers in their region and in their language, too. Whether it’s through a third party or your own site, be sure your consumer feels comfortable with the information, and also finds it convenient. So convenient that they can access through your website in seconds of finding a piece of content that resonates with them.

Lastly, don’t forget to be nimble. Be ready to change your tactics, and try new ones. The brands who fall behind are the ones who are unwilling to change and try. Ensure your success by being the ones who do.

 

Image source: pixabay

How B2B brands can benefit from NFTs

NFT

NFTs – also known as non-fungible tokens – are defined by Invetopedia as “cryptographic assets on a blockchain with unique identification codes and metadata that distinguish them from each other.”

Tons of B2C brands are taking advantage including Starbucks, fashion brands, bands for concerts, and more. So why bother caring in the B2B world?

Recently I wrote about the metaverse and how NFTs are utilized and what came to mind most when it comes to brands and this new tool in marketing is events. The metaverse is one location, but in real life events or brand events such as live streams can utilize NFTs as well.

B2B Brands can utilize NFTs with potentially the following:

  • Event admission with NFT
  • Event bonus content
  • Brand loyalty created through NFT in wallet
  • Brand ambassadorship through specific NFT in wallet
  • Utilizing the cool factor of the popular types of NFTs
  • Partnerships with other brands who are already in the space vs starting from scratch
  • Partnering with creators who have made an impact vs creating your own

It’s not about you in the space, it’s about the person who carries the NFT in their wallet, and what it means to them. What feeling will it evoke? What type of attention will that carry? Will it provide some sort of special place in the crypto space for them? Will it give them loyalty points? Will they get special access to things or events or products/services?

Lots of things to consider here, but the main point is – what is the value YOUR brand is providing.

image source: pixabay 

 

So what about the Metaverse?

Lately all we hear or read about is NFTs and the Metaverse. So what about it? What does it really mean for marketers and brands?

However social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. Whether you want to connect with your friends, share your ideas, check what’s happening around the world, share your recorded video, or anything else, you turn to social media. Applications like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are some of the most widely used social media platforms these days. Brands have always been proactive in looking out for smarter ways of promoting their products. Those who started using social media for business long ago are already reaping its benefits and have been successful in reaching a wider audience.

WHAT IS IT

The metaverse, founded by Meta -  is a digital location similar to what we had with second place and if you recall the palace from the nineties but more immersive. It uses AR and VR and blockchain, to create a place to interact outside the “real world.” If you have devices like the Oculus, you can see how it’s already starting…

ACCORDING TO ‘THE WIRED’ TO UNDERSTAND THE METAVERSE…

“Mentally replace the phrase “the metaverse” in a sentence with “cyberspace.” Ninety percent of the time, the meaning won’t substantially change, learn about the productivity at work apps. That’s because the term doesn’t really refer to any one specific type of technology, but rather a broad shift in how we interact with technology. And it’s entirely possible that the term itself will eventually become just as antiquated, even as the specific technology it once described becomes commonplace.”

 SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE METAVERSE AND NFTS?

The metaverse gives people a space of their own in the digital sphere for showcasing, having events, and more. While NFTs are how people can price and sell said items such as images you’ve been seeing folks create and sell lately within the art and digital world.

WHY IT MATTERS TO BRANDS

Metaverse participants are able to engage in a new way with an audience who appreciates the online setting as more than just a place. It’s a setting to create another place that is reality, but outside reality at the same time. It’s a new location for experiences, events, content and a way to reach an audience in a way they’re excited about including gaming and more. This includes marketplaces where users can buy, sell and exchange items such as digital items including fashion, NFTs and event tickets. 

EXAMPLES OF BRANDS AND INFLUENCERS PARTICIPATING ALREADY

While the metaverse is still being created, adapted to, and evolving day by day, brands such as Forever 21, Miller Lite, Netflix, Coca-Cola, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Apple and Nike have started creating content, experiences and in turn targeted content for this environment.

Want more examples  - check them out here by digital speaker. 

 EXAMPLES OF WHAT NOT TO DO

Do not treat it as another ad opportunity or place to throw the same content your brand has elsewhere online such as on Twitter or Instagram. It has to be ideated and executed specifically for this environment and experience, even if it’s apart of a larger campaign.

 BEST PRACTICES

  • Create for the platform and use of it
  • Do not be intrusive or interrupt use of the platform or location within it
  • Be apart of the experience that’s immersive or passive

Are you ready?

The Rise of the Content Platform Wattpad

 

Why does Wattpad matter?

Let’s start with the stats, because they’re pretty huge (according to wattpad.com):

  • Audience: 90M+
  • Avg Eng Time Per Day: 52 Minutes
  • MIn Per Month: 23B
  • Audience: 80% Gen Z

These aren’t just users, they’re “hyper-engaged” users who not only consume content, but contribute by writing said content too. They’re involved. They want to consume content that isn’t the norm and allows for a new way of engaging with like-minded individuals (and now brands too).

Why should brands care? Well some are already here, and production companies are ahead of the fold by getting partnerships with Wattpad to bring these stories to life through other mediums including video on Netflix and more.

Other brands and studios are allowing Wattpad users to submit their stories to allow them to create a film using their content. These are new unique opportunities to allow a target, potentially less tapped audience, to be apart of the content creation mix. They aren’t just consuming, they are engaging, creating, and being apart of the beginning of a story. A story your brand can tell, with the audience.

Some used to called it the YouTube for writers/stories. But it’s become so much more.

Here’s a cool example with how Netflix got involved and how Lionsgate created a consumer contest for creation … and it appears it’s only the beginning.

Where will Wattpad go next? Maybe your brand can help steer that.

 

When your Story goes Stale

…what do you do when your story, your brand story, tastes a bit like stale bread? It’s gotten old, people don’t care about it, and are making their own assumptions and their own version of your brand story instead. So…now what? What can your brand do to redeem itself and bring back some fresh, warm, out of the oven, share-worthy bread?

Start with:

  • Understanding why your story went stale in the first place – what was the cause, and when did it happen.
  • Understanding what your audience really thinks about your brand – what are the emotions and feelings behind that.
  • Understanding if your audience still cares, or still has challenges/problems your brand can help with. And if they’ve changed/evolved – can your brand fit there too?
  • Understanding the bigger picture, of where your competition has filled your brand’s void while yours went stale.

Then comes the hard work:

  • It’s time to take the story that exists, and start to spin it. You may not want to take it backward, because you want to go forward. What’s your evolved story?
  • Bring your consumers on your journey with you. Ask for their opinion, and let them help you.
  • Work with those who have cache in your field, to help your brand build it’s own cache back.
  • It doesn’t have to be overnight, but your brand will need consistent, regular communication with streamlined content across owned and influential distribution channels to confirm and reconfirm the new story.

Note, It’s okay to be the brand that comes after to learn from others mistakes too, so you don’t make them as well. Bread isn’t made easily. And it sure doesn’t taste great cold or stale. So let it bake, and let it bake some more until you’re ready

 

How can your content work smarter?

Content isn’t just “king”, it’s clutch. It’s the key to your marketing success. Without great content what can you really do? I mean your product or service isn’t Brad Pitt, so I highly doubt just a dashing smile will sell for you…

So, we need content. We need great, awesome, make your audience stop in their tracks content. Stop in their feed, content. 

But how can you make your content work smarter, not always just harder?

Here are some thoughts:

  • Create derivative pieces of content from your original piece that can be drivers to the main piece of content. For example if you have a whitepaper or video as your hero piece, consider an infographic, cut downs, social (yes, obbviously) posts, audiograms, podcasts episodes, blog posts, teasers, etc to lead people in, learn how to become an accountant.
  • Get your advocates, writers, influencers, to promote for you. Your brand will have more cache if it’s not always boasting about itself.
  • Create a series. Sometimes a hero piece isn’t enough, but a series around the theme or area of content focus could help leverage it further and allow for greater shelf live. For example ,consider different industry variations, creative flavors for the season, and/or must-haves based on audience targets (based on your product/service of course).
  • Give extra bonus content for people who sign up. Not only will you get their data, but you’ll be able to leverage it to build that relationship.
  • If it really works, rinse and repeat with another hero piece in a similar fashion.

Content can’t do all the work itself, but it also shouldn’t have to take an army to make it work well.

Let your content work smarter, not harder.

image source: https://www.instagram.com/bradpittofflcial

From the consumer’s perspective

As brand/agency marketers we sometimes focus too much on what the business needs are and what we need to market, sometimes we forget, or let slide the fact that the customer/consumer/client and what they need/want is a key part of what is being marketed. Payroll administration services for small businesses cater specifically to their resource-saving needs. All organizations need to save costs, and that’s especially true for small businesses, the decision to outsource.

What it’s not about:

- using the cheapest paid marketing: this is just inefficient spend

- trying to get content out fast: this is not thinking strategically but instead tactically

- creating a bunch of content to serve up: it’s not about quantity, it’s quality (we know this)

- being everywhere at once with the same message: tailoring content to audience and platform is important. The same content format and message will not resonate everywhere.

- just doing what has worked in the past: yes it may have worked in the past, but trends, behaviors, and platforms change.

What matters more in today’s digital marketing world:

- Where the consumer is, and why they’re there: this allows you to tailor the content and message appropriately and/or be there or not be there based on the consumers reason for being there (i.e. does it work for your brand)

Nowadays, hiring the best digital marketing agency has become crucial for businesses to connect with customers and promote brands and products. Since most buyers have smartphones, they prefer online purchases, and digital marketing has the solutions for customers, over at https://www.socialboosting.com/buy-tiktok-likes/ are great at promoting any type of business. It helps both the business and the customers; businesses can display their products to attract buyers, while the customers easily find the products for which they are looking and those are the advantages of digital marketing for business.

- Understand who your consumer is and what their behaviors are: understand your audience before creating your content. They may prefer a type of format over another.

- Think from their perspective: would you want to be marketed this why?

- Understanding where you are marketing: The platforms and channels change constantly, you need to understand the changes and what that means for how your content is displayed, engaged with, consumed, etc.

- Measure, Measure, and oh, yeah, Measure: You need to understand what is working for your client/audience today, not just yesterday. Things change, and so does your audience. Be ready to pivot, optimize, and rejigger your content and digital strategy based on your learnings.

Until next time, keep a pulse on your consumer.

 

digital fatigue has hit the runway

“Digital, Digital, get down”… (quoting N*sync for a hot second), and chill out. We’ve all felt it, the digital fatigue that has run its course through our fingertips on the keyboard, our fake webex backgrounds, zoom filters, and hangouts. After one video meeting to another, it gets a little tiring. You’re literally drained. And you didn’t even have to commute!

So what do brands do, when their target audience is tired of being online?

We have to get creative. We have to remind our audience why they love our brand. And speak to them in a way that shows “you – the brand” care and understand. Reach out to them in a way which is not intrusive, yet fun, helpful, educational, and/or just plain awesome.

Your brand really, really….really has to push out content that matters, and is quality. Just putting out content for contents sake, has never worked, and definitely will not right now.

There’s a lot of chaos and commotion in the digital media air, and your brand can only push through it if your content stands out. Here are a few ways:

1. Entertain: This is the most fun, yet hardest way. Your brand should still be authentic to itself, but consider humor, where possible to lighten the mood. If your brand doesn’t do humor, consider partnering with someone who can help in the entertainment side, to push your brand into new audiences, and impress your current one. For example, use an influencer, musician, comedian, actor, instagram star, etc – who has a way of compelling an audience to “stop, and listen”. It makes them stop in their feed. Aesthetic also matters, so ensure the look and feel is quality, and authentic to your brand’s look and feel, too. One brand that has stood out to me lately is Bala (Bala bangles for exercise), because they’ve put on a nostalgia, throwback, aesthetic to their ads that definitely stopped me in my tracks and in my feed. I mean check out their insta here.

2. Be Helpful: Provide tips and tricks that help your audience whether in a particular area, or in their overall wellness. For example, during the pandemic, a lot of people have been coping with stress, food delivery services, health, wellness, and more. If your brand can help relieve a pain point, or has a product/service that specifically can cater to an area of help, point it out deliberately. Let your people know! Let them know you’re here and ready to give them what they need, at their finger-tips. For instance, getting their food already prepared for the week, a discount on their favorite delivery service, hair and nail essentials that can be done at home, how to make fun cocktails to entertain their friends in a safe environment, and/or how to take learn X hobby online with friends. Make your value known, and make it known easily.

3. Educate: Similar, to being helpful, it’s good to make it known to your audience what you have to offer. Especially if you’re a B2B brand, perhaps offer live classes, demos, webinars, or on demand versions of what your audience can learn from in order to apply to their business, fast and efficiently. Don’t make them jump through hoops to learn what you can offer, and how it can help them – bring it to them on a silver platter. Make it shiny and exciting that this education is ripe for their picking. Make it available easily, often, and when and where they want it. Trust me, they’ll be back for more if it truly helps them.

And in the end, remember, sometimes your audience just needs a break, that’s okay too. It’s not the end of a relationship, so remember to give them a ping once in a while to remind them you’re still there, and ready when they are to continue entertaining, helping, and/or educating through your product/service offering.

Today, social media has a significant impact on the global population. You can get your business on social media to improve your marketing practices and enhance your business reach. By then you have to take every user’s query as a priority and respond to them immediately. This will help you build a strong presence on social platforms and build authority.

Until then, zoom out.

 

image source: pixabay

Checklist: How to Create a Successful Social Strategy for Your Brand

social strategy fashion business

It’s important to remember that great social media content is the key to being successful on any platform. It sounds obvious but a lot of brands (especially those with minimal resources), post things on social, just to post. There’s not a thoughtful approach. Furthermore, social media is more than a channel. It’s not just Facebook and Twitter. It’s a behavior that people have daily. And in order to reach them, brands need content that truly connects with their target audience.

So how do we build a social strategy that will be successful for your brand? Let’s consider this formula:

First: Do the Research

  • Identify your target based psychographics (what they value and care about)
  • See where they spend time online (are they on Instagram 10 times a day or do they tweet every last thought that pops into their heads?)
  • Compare how your competition fairs on these channels (what are brands that are similar to your doing?)

Second: Put Together Your Plan

  • Identify your overall purpose or goal for each platform (think more creatively than “making more sales”- mailing list sign ups is a good one)
  • Choose a few different kinds of content that you think will resonate with your audience (be specific- if you want to post inspirational quotes, what kind? About what topic? Around what sentiment?)
  • Identify the platforms you’ll use and their purpose for your brand and reaching your customer (i.e. customers use Pinterest to dream/plan – let them dream about their upcoming Fall wardrobe made by your brand)
  • Consider content formats and frequency per channel (i.e. Twitter will have a larger frequency than Facebook)
  • Identify content sources for creation/curation/co-creation (how will you make these graphics? Where will you find these interesting articles? etc)
  • Create success metrics to measure by (video views, website visits, social shares)

Third: Get Moving

  • Create the content!
  • Test your content
  • Measure your content against the goals you created
  • Review and assess, then make changes as you learn what’s working and what’s not

Tools You Need:

  • An editorial calendar to keep track of your monthly content per channel, and allows you to plan ahead for upcoming cultural events
  • A scheduling tool such as Buffer or Hootsuite
  • A budget to boost and target posts that are successful and important for an upcoming campaign or product launch

Finally:

  • Create a crisis and response management plan for when things go wrong – because eventually something usually does
  • Determine how you will mix in customer service or separate it from your posts within each channel

Your content is part of your brand’s identity and it should be created with similar thought and care as your collections.

This post was originally written for Startup Fashion. 

Digital Marketers Rejoice: Instagram Multi-user Testing and What it Means

Since brands began their “invasion” (we all know consumers felt this way at times) of Instagram, digital marketers have been feeling the pain. There is no way to post seamlessly through the Instagram platform for multiple accounts. It’s led many down the path of testing third party apps, and many particularly into frustration. And typically both.

Now with the announcement of android multi-user beta testing in play, it could be a whole new playing field. What does this mean?

For brands and digital marketers:

  • Ease of handling multiple accounts. This doesn’t just mean personal and professional (but it does for many of us). It also means for agency and multi-brand folks, the ability to jump from one product line to the next without having to log out.
  • Assuming this allows for multi-login alerts at the same time, it would provide marketers with easier listening and in turn engagement with the target market.
  • Saving hashtags, because when you logout, you lose the ability to auto-fill your most recently used hashtags.
  • Less money spent on third party tools for something a native tool should allow for
For consumers:
  • Faster response by brands for questions, contests, and engagement with UGC content
  • Potential to be “seen” by a brand as a significant / loyal consumer sooner
  • More content they want to see
But for now we wait. We wait for the beta test to expand to iPhone and to all Instagram users (rather than just beta testers). We wait for Instagram to give us what we’ve been hoping for … for far too long.
Until then.
This post was originally written for Socialnomics. 

Launch of: “Marketing on the Rocks” by Four Best Friends

So it all began a few years back when the four of us met through mutual friends and networking events around the city. We had social mentors in common, similar career inspirations, shopping habits, healthy living ideals, a love for boston, and most of all a quick love for one another.

Janet Aronica, Kristin Dziadul, Elisabeth Michaud and I are four best friends and four marketers in Boston. We each have a bit of geekiness when it comes to digital marketing, social media, and staying on top of what’s savvy and new. We tried GroupMe during SXSW, we’ve been on Path since before it became cool, we constantly tweet at one another in the midst of Gchatting, and support each other in all of our endeavors. I can’t say enough about how much I trust these girls personally and professionally. And that’s what brought us here today…

Over a couple adult beverages and some inspiration from fellow digital marketers in the space, we decided to work on a marketing project as a team. We brainstormed on what we could offer the Boston community and beyond as we each have diverse backgrounds from working with startups, individual consulting, agencies, big brands, and more. And then we realized – that’s exactly what we can offer. We are experienced in so many different areas and can offer unique advice and strategy because of it. And “Marketing on the Rocks” was born…

Want to learn more, and see what we’re cooking up? Check out the launch of our new site!

www.MarketingontheRocks.com

And feel free to reach out to us anytime for more info:

@pamsahota

@janetaronica

@kristindziadul

@emichaud

Follow: These Steps to Successfully Market Your Event

Have you ever been to a trade show or a promotional event and you just knew that brand had not prepared enough? Don’t let yourself be that brand. Two words: Plan Ahead.

When it comes to online and offline events, online event marketing is key to success in order to engage your audience pre-event, during the event, and even after the event.

EVENT MARKETING written on blackboard background high resolution

Use your social media presence, your online prowess, and your awesome marketing team to succeed at marketing your event.

Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, you name it…

You know the age old saying, “be where your audience is”… if your audience is engaging with you heavily on Facebook or Twitter, why not help promote your event to them there? Start early and update as the event approaches with new tidbits they may want to know.

Do you have a cool speaker? Special giveaways? An early bird entry fee? Your audience wants to know! And don’t forget a fun branded hashtag to corral the conversation so you can listen in and so can your followers. That hashtag can be used before during and after the event in order to keep the conversation flowing and get a larger audience to over hear what an awesome event your brand is having.

Event Page(s)

Why pay when you can leverage free offerings. Eventbrite allows for advance planning of events, social media integration, ticket fees and more; a great way for people to easily purchase tickets or sign up for an event online or through their mobile app.

Best part – you can keep track of sign-ups as they happen and alert the attendees as needed.

To learn about the 3 other necessary steps to successfully market your event, check out my full post on Startup Fashion. And leave comments below with questions!

 

Three Examples Why LinkedIn is stronger than Facebook

Facebook may have over 910 million users, but it still has stealthy competitors such as LinkedIn. LinkedIn may not be where most individuals share their photos, check their newsfeed or share their daily status updates — but it is where businesses can flourish, B2B kicks butt through lead generation, and  ”likes” can have more weight.

Businesses Flourish

Facebook is a great place for businesses and fans to share content, but the types of content vary from all different spectrums: from Justin Beiber to brand news to business strategies to the Red Sox to pictures of  cat. In short, business content that is relevant to marketing, B2B, finance, etc may get lost in the clutter that is the Facebook news feed. On the other hand, the content on LinkedIn is largely related to marketing and business, and has a higher chance of being seen on the channel. It is purposefully designed for business-minded folk who want to share relevant content. In addition, it is a great platform for brands to distribute similar content and where many followers will look to find information on a brand, what they offer for a product/service, and the content related to it.

B2B and Lead Generation

So it is evident that LinkedIn is great for business content and businesses. But what else? “David Meerman Scott stated that LinkedIn’s conversion rate is now 2.60 per cent, less than what it was back in January, but this is far greater than its nearest rivals Twitter and Facebook, which has 0.67 per cent and 0.39 per cent respectively.” So what, you ask? In short, LinkedIn has competitive percentages when it comes to B2B lead gen due to the ability to target content, optimize for SEO, focus CTAs and utilize both company page and groups.  In addition, those who are visiting LinkedIn are visiting in order to post, read and/or comment on business content. The leads are prime for the picking.

“Likes” Have More Weight

On LinkedIn, people are more careful on what they post on their site, who they “link” to, and what they like, comment on and/or share. It is a site where people are judged for who they are career-wise. In short, if someone “likes” your post or comments on it or shares it — it holds greater value than it would on Facebook and Twitter where Likes and ReTweets are a dime a dozen normally. A recognition on LinkedIn = how many Likes or ReTweets? That’s still up for debate, but in my opinion, LinkedIn has a bit of a lead.

Last piece of Advice

LinkedIn may be a great place to invest in for businesses and those that are business-minded; but it is also easy to goof up if relevant content is not posted appropriately. Invest time to research first, target your content appropriately and grow your page within the channel over time. It is not an overnight success, but the trick is to maintain quality versus quantity.

Note: I originally wrote this post for Socialnomics – my original post can be found here

Additional Reading

http://thenextweb.com/asia/2012/02/21/growing-faster-than-facebook-linkedin-passes-1-million-members-in-indonesia/

http://writingontheweb.com/2012/02/21/the-pros-of-linkedin-vs-facebook-for-professionals/

http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/linkedin-4-times-better-than-facebook-twitter-for-b2b-leads/

https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30030/LinkedIn-277-More-Effective-for-Lead-Generation-Than-Facebook-Twitter-New-Data.aspx

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/02/16/why-linkedin-is-more-valuable-than-facebook/

http://www.donhalbert.com/10-reasons-why-linkedin-is-better-than-facebook-and-twitter/

Five Ways to Utilize Data to Improve Marketing

Your marketing team should be relying on data to see what’s working, what could use improvement, and what should be squashed as an approach. Data may seem intimidating, but it can also be a marketer’s best friend. How? Keep reading!

1. Referral Sites

It’s important to monitor analytics in order to see which sites are the best referral sources for your website. Keep track of your top ten. For example, is your blog one of your best referral sites? Then maybe you should be beefing up your blog even more in order to improve its performance as a top referral source. Are some of these sites ones where you guest posted or advertised? Continue to do so, as these can be great avenues for your potential customers to find you, visit your site to lean more, and hopefully one day convert into actual leads and customers.

Furthermore, if your blog or another site isn’t in your top ten list and you were hoping it would be, you should figure out why it isn’t working and re-work that strategy. Or perhaps admit that it isn’t working for your target audience, and focus on the channels that are working to refer potential customers to you.
Keep readying about my 4 other ways you can kick ass in marketing with data — by clicking the link below for my full post on the Hubspot blog!
Read more: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/27424/5-Ways-to-Instantly-Improve-Marketing-With-Data.aspx

 

Three Steps to Utilize Content Mapping to Improve Lead Nurturing

Marketing and sales teams must work hand-in-hand in order to provide a company with the leads and profits it needs to grow and succeed. But let’s back-track a bit. Exactly how does a marketing team help a sales team with those leads once they’re generated? It should all start with a content map for lead nurturing, which can help a marketing team nurture existing leads into more qualified leads for their sales team. As a result, these more qualified leads will be more likely convert into customers at the end of the sales cycle.

What Is Content Mapping?

Content mapping is the process for lead nurturing by which a marketing team prepares and organizes relevant and valuable content. Once organized, this content can be distributed to prospects depending on the type of lead and their point in the sales cycle.

Here are three ways to strategize a very helpful content map:

1. Identify Marketing Personas

First, you need to identify the different personas of the target audience you are selling to. Each of these personas will likely have a different variety of needs and wants when they’re considering your particular product/service. Once this identification had been made, you’ll be able to identify, create, and provide the valuable content different segments of your target audience wants and needs.

Depending on your company, you may have 3 personas or you may have 50. It all depends on your products/services and all the different types of people who become customers of what you offer. Are you a marketing agency selling a service to help people with their social media marketing needs? What types of people would want this assistance? You can determine these personas by examining roles, titles, demographics, goals, pain points, and more. Just make sure you define these personas in a way that allows you to easily group and segment them using similar motives and that you can clearly define their stage in the buying process.

To continue reading my other two steps on how to best utilize content mapping for lead nurturing efficiency and success, please continue reading my full post on the Hubspot blog at the link below. 

Read more: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/27100/3-Steps-to-Improve-Lead-Nurturing-With-Content-Mapping.aspx#ixzz1b5ZzU8C5

15 Incredible Mobile Statistics

Love your smart phone? Debating a tablet? Gone app crazy? Check out these stats on the mobile market …

1. Smart phones

“Of the world’s 4 billion mobile phones in use, 1.08 billion are smartphones.”

2. Smart phones

Of those, 3.08 billion are SMS enabled.

3. Mobile

One half of searches are done via a mobile device: smartphone,tablet, etc.

4. Mobile

86% use their mobile devices (smartphone/tablet) in conjunction with watching TV. My question, aren’t most of them watching TV on their mobile device too?

5. Mobile Apps

Over 300,00 mobile apps have been developed in three years. Apps have beendownloaded 10.9 billion times. But demand for download mobile apps is expected to peak in 2013.

6. Mobile Web

The number of people accessing the mobile Internet is growing fast and is expected toovertake the PC as the most popular way to get on the Web within five years.

7. Mobile Hours

Average Americans spend 2.7 hours a day “socializing” on a mobile device.

My thought…that’s all?

8. Mobile Use

61% use their mobile devices to play games.

9. Mobile Use

Almost 50% use for social networking. Like it, Share it, Tweet it, + it.

10. Mobile Demographics

Women 35-54 most active in social networking on a mobile device.

11. Mobile Marketing

Search ads and location ads (paid-for positioning on maps and augmented reality apps) will deliver the highest revenue, while video/audio ads will see the fastest growth through 2015.

12. Mobile Search Engine and Advertising

Google’s gross revenue from mobile advertising is over US$1 billion per year.

13. Mobile Marketing

71 percent of smartphone users that see TV, press or online ad, do a mobile search for more information.

14. Mobile Marketing

But 79 percent of large online advertisers still do not have a mobile optimized site.

15. Mobile Apps

One in four mobile apps once downloaded is never used again.

In short, Mobile devices, mobile marketing, and mobile apps are not going away. My advice, get in while it’s hot…!

This post was originally done for Socialnomics

Sources:
http://mobithinking.com
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/
http://tag.microsoft.com/home.aspx

StrawberryJ.am & Buffer Partner Up: Online Sharing News Made Easier

StrawberryJ.am is not your typical “spread.” The startup recently partnered with Tweet scheduling tool Buffer to offer a more robust service for your Twitter needs and wants. I had the opportunity to check out a trial of StrawberryJ.am and am excited to share my findings with you eager readers…

Twitter is a great news source

Most of us have realized that Twitter is a great way to keep up with friends, networking, engaging with your target market, consuming news and more. I know that when I get to work in the morning I peruse my Twitter lists to see what’s “shaking,” what’s the latest  news, and what of those I want to share. However, as one’s followers grow, people Tweet more, and your time decreases — the ability to keep up with social media news isn’t always so easy anymore. In addition, curating and creating Tweets takes just as long too! In short, it would be great to have a nifty tool to help tell me (and you) what’s the latest and greatest of real-time news and most popular/trending news. Here’s where StrawberryJ.am and Buffer come in…

Why StrawberryJ.am + Buffer = Awesome

1. Popular News: You can keep up with the most “popular” news among the people you follow on Twitter – aka via how many people share that article. As seen below, currently the most popular thing was the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup.

 

2. Real-Time News: You can also keep up via real-time news as it happens.

 

3. Hashtags: You can stay up to date with popular/recent articles that were shared in correlation with certain hashtags such as #Fail!

 

4. Lists: Keep up with particular lists rather than all the people you follow. For example I have a list of people I follow that are specific to Boston and/or just awesome people in the industry of marketing/branding/social-media. It keeps it easier for me to “listen” to the people I respect, like, and think are just plain awesome.

 

5. Search: Be current on articles related to keywords that are a focus of your brand/company such as oneforty!

 

6. Email: You can have these updates emailed to you with however many links you want per however many categories (as above) that you have set up.

 

7. Buffer it: When you go to share these awesome news articles you find in your specific, focused, quick, and efficient manner — you  may not want to share them all at once. Might feel a bit spammy and ad-nauseam? Buffer allows you to space out these Tweets.

 

The value for your business

1. Popular News: Great way to see what’s most relevant to people in your target market list quickly and efficiently.

2. Real-time News: Keep up with what’s current so you can curate, respond, question in real-time as well.

3. Hashtags: This way you can organize what you are searching for and keeping track of easier. And in turn you can listen and respond just as easily. Have a campaign with a hashtag but too many tweets? This way you can see what is most popularly shared from that hashtag. Aka cutting through the clutter a little easier.

4. Lists: This allows you to be more specific in your up to date or popular news. You can focus on the news by competitors, target market, etc.

5. Search: Gives you the ability to see what articles are being spoken about from people you may or may not follow yet. For example, are you in the car industry, and want to know who’s talking about SUVs and what types of news is popular/current. Easy enough!

6. Email: Have the news come to you. Another way to save time and get your news on the go. Because your time is important!

7. Buffer it: Another vehicle to save time in addition to the efficiency of finding news via StrawberryJ.am. Buffer allows you to be more efficient and timely with your Tweets when sharing said articles.

Having spoken to the Co-Founder of Buffer, Leonhard Widrich, he offered up his thoughts on the alliance and the benefits being offered to their target audience… ”Our first goal with Buffer is to help people to do well on Twitter. As the team fromStrawberryJ.am is chasing the same aim by making it more efficient to read tweets, the partnership was fantastic. We hope to make Buffering from anywhere even easier in the future and integrate into more reader, mobile and Twitter clients.”

That sounds pretty fantastic to me. I look forward to hearing what the rest of you think of this integration and to make it easier for you awesome oneforty readers to check out StrawberryJ.am and Buffer who have offered a free trial just for you!

Note: this post was originally written for oneforty, which was acquired by Hubspot. 

5 Small Busineses Who Do Facebook and Twitter Right

There are so many businesses throughout the country, often times the smaller ones are overshadowed by the larger ones. However, we cannot forget the little guys, the businesses who are kicking butt, but just aren’t all over our radar as Microsoft, Apple or Verizon may be. These small businesses are utilizing social media such asFacebook and Twitter to keep their target audiences well informed of their product/service and are showing it’s not about the deep pockets completely, it’s also  about the dedication and putting your all into a company/business you love and of course using the tools at your fingertips to reach your audience.

Here are five of my picks for small businesses utilizing Facebook and Twitter like they own it!

(1) Notch Session Beer: Founded by Chris Lohring of Salem, MA, Notch provides low ABV % beer for those who love a great tasting beer, without falling off their stool after drinking. Not only has Notch provided a killer tasting beer, but it has done a great job at going the extra mile with their social media resources. For example on Twitter, Notch does not just post about their beer constantly and ad nauseum. They provide fun facts, news, and invite their fans to in-person events to try the beer at local pubs (aka a “session”). Thus, Notch does a great job at utilizing Twitter to promote live events and engage audiences on and offline. In my opinion, Notch is just beginning, watch out folks, and don’t spill that beer!

2) Naked Pizza: A “natural” pizza offering with 10 grains and probiotics and more. Who knew pizza didn’t have to be all bad for you? That’s a great excuse to indulge in my opinion. And aside from the fabulous pizza, Naked Pizza has shown that social media can spread news like wildfire and arouse the awareness of both potential and current consumers. For example, when Naked Pizza was looking to open up in Dubai (spreading its wings), they decided to actually “talk” to people (in person and via social media such as Twitter) and get their thoughts and opinions on food and health. The idea of consumer involvement is not new, but it’s essential to the success of companies and their products/services. Consumers love to be involved and share their opinions and they will find a way to do it, even if you don’t give them that avenue personally. So, why not (like Naked Pizza) immerse yourselves with the consumers and find out what they really want. In the mean time, check out this cool video of how Naked Pizza did it via Twitter.

3) Coffee Groundz: A coffee shop that understood the awesomeness of free Wi-Fi and embracing tech and social like Facebook and Twitter. The coffee shop quickly became for social-media-aholics and the like due to the atmosphere, the culture, and of course, the coffee. This coffee shop does not just provide a great venue for drinking coffee, doing work, and catching up with friends, it also allows you to keep posted on what’s going on with the shop via Facebook and Twitter. For example (as seen below) they post events such as musicians who will be at the coffee shop. Like the Facebook page? Love that musician? Attend the event? Buy some coffee (or other yummy item)? I think that sounds like some fabulous Facebook ROI.

 

4) Roger Smith Hotel: The Roger Smith Hotel in midtown NYC is known for its devotion to the arts and embracing social media, and as of late become a go-to hotel for many social media VIPs and geeks alike. Why wouldn’t you want to stay at a hotel which embraces social media, has a great roof deck and a staff which is not just polite, but inviting, gracious, and off the charts engaging with each and every person who walks into the hotel (either in person or via Twitter,  Facebook etc). Not only do they useTwitter to interact, but there are special Twitter rates available for rooms. Awesome ROI and perks! I have also had the personal pleasure of meeting Adam Wallace, Director of Digital Marketing at Roger Smith, and can say without a doubt, that Adam, along with others at RS are dedicated to how social media touches each potential and current consumer, as well as in person. Have questions, hit up @rshotel and ask away.

 

5) Krista Photography: Krista, a Boston wedding photographer is not only delightful in person, but her photography is thrilling to view. She captures the emotion of every wedding, child, and special event in each individual photo. Impressive and breath-taking at the same time. And as a smart businesswoman she realizes the potential of utilizing social networks to show her photography, engage further with current clients who like seeing their pictures online, and illustrate to potential consumers that she is the photographer they want, and the pictures tell all. When looking on her Facebook Fan Page, you can see some great visuals of weddings, head shots, and more. Krista realizes that Facebook is not just for chatting with friends anymore, but a great tool to for her consumers to view, discuss, and comment on her work.

 

After delving into these intelligent and great businesses above and how they have dedicated themselves to utilizing social media to further their awareness, engagement, and conversion of people to customers I am inspired and look forward to seeing how these businesses continue to grow via their social media efforts. Now I have a desire to pick up a camera, grab a pizza, a beer, coffee, and chill on the roof deck of a great hotel.

Note: this post was originally written for oneforty, which was acquired by Hubspot. 


Graphedge Offers Detailed Twitter Analytics and Follower Analysis [Product Review]

The company to keep on your radar: Graphedge. Why? They went live a year and a half ago and are providing great analytical tools for marketing agencies and marketing departments for brands across the nation. They have two tools that are great to have in your back pocket (and another one coming out soon), which can assist with Twitterfollowers (Graphedge Followers) and Twitter campaigns (Graphedge Pro). Want to know more? I had the pleasure of getting the inside scoop when I spoke with one of the awesome Graphedge peeps, and now I’ll share the scoop on their two products and how they can help you and your brand marketing.

Graphedge Followers:

Fun Fact: Was developed because of pain points consumers had regarding tracking Twitter for clients. Agencies wanted it, Graphedge made it.

  • Quick and simple sign up – Pay and you have the product.
  • Unlike other products which may just identify a Tweet and how far that Tweet went, Graphedge goes beyond the individual Tweet because that they believe tracking each  individual Tweet is futile and time consuming. Instead, they help agencies and brands look for a pattern. Graphedge Followers does an aggregate of all the Tweeting that you or your competitor (or whoever) has done recently and measures the metrics in response to those aggregate averages. Thus, it measures the engagements and correlates those numbers to actions you are taking. Basically, it goes beyond most free tracking products available.
  • This product also has the ability to track the lifespan of every individual follower.
  • Great to see who’s following you, dropping you, and why they are dropping you. Thus, you can see when you were dropped and can correlate with what was going on during that particular time span and see what went right/wrong in order to revise any marketing strategy if necessary.
  • In short, it helps to build a clearer picture of what’s going on in Twitter for you or your client, your brand, etc.

Graphedge Pro:

  • Sign up and Graphedge also works with each agency/brand in order to assist with the campaign they are working on. Hands on assistance in order to guide and execute.
  • The campaign product (in comparison to the Follower product) is in greater granular detail.
  • It captures every single Tweet in order to look and process. Thus it is not just about counting up Tweets, but goes deeper into the sentiment analysis of each Tweet.
  • Great for finding the influencers in your market and using them in your campaign efforts.
  • Find out how your company/client Tweets are spreading and what impact each Tweet is having.
  • In short, this product gets to the root of the analytics behind your Tweets and how you can revise, expand, and/or improve your campaign.
  • In the words of Graphedge — “The Campaign Tracking tool captures every tweet for a series of keywords. From this set of data we create metrics about the tweets, the users who tweeted them, their sentiment, when they tweeted, etc. For select clients we generate a credible  ”Estimated Impressions” metric, which clients use to calculate ROI and/or CPM. Emphasis on “credible”… competitors’ methodologies for generating these numbers are frequently dubious and/or opaque.”

 

Try out Graphedge for yourself, if you are an agency and/or marketing department for a brand that is looking for a unique and in-depth analysis tool for your or your client’sTwitter handle. And if you have tried it, share your experience and how you feel the product benefited you or could be better.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: this post was originally written for oneforty, which was acquired by Hubspot. 

Takeaways from “All Marketers are Liars”

Last time I was in NYC, a good friend of mine insisted I borrow his copy of Seth Godin’s “All Marketers are Liars.” Knowing I am a marketing junkie and social media geek, he felt that this book would be right up my alley. He couldn’t have been more right!

A few points I took away from this insightful book…

“Stop trying to find the formula that will instantly make your idea in the winner. Instead of being scientists the best markers are artists They realize that whatever is being sold is being purchased because it creates an emotional want, not because it fills a simple need.”

From my own experience, this could not be more true. How many times have you bought a product because you want it, and justified it as a “need”, but it’s really a “want?” Example: I decided to buy an iPad. Did I need this when I already have a Macbook and numerous other Apple products? Probably not. However, I realized I would be attending SXSW and may not want to carry around my laptop. An iPad would be perfect for this, right? I can throw it in my purse, go to the sessions I choose to attend, and then out and about afterward with ease. This definitely was not a “need” but a “want” in order to be comfortable and feel that I could take part interactively via Twitter, blogging, Facebook, etc. In addition, it’s an Apple product, which is so much “cooler” right? Furthermore, I hate being left behind in technology, and when it comes to the newest and latest and greatest, I must be a part of this right? Emotional want. Not a simple need.

The marketing team for Apple are without a doubt exceptional. They make each product cool and sleek and an immediate “want.” But how did I connect myself to this enough to purchase it when I didn’t need it? In this case, Apple made me a loyal consumer. I am a complete Mac user (convert from Dell a few years ago) and love the simplicity and ease of use of their products. The innovation is always above and beyond and makes you feel like you are in the “in group.” Does this mean I have an inner need to feel included and part of the cool group? Was this the route of my emotional want of this product? Perhaps. My point? Marketers such as Apple are able to demonstrate and create a want emotional enough within us, that we buy their product. Is this a science? Some argue yes. Godin, says it’s an art. I say, a bit of both.

Do not spend all your time on just your website. “Every point of contact” is what matters. Be consistent. Be authentic. Cover all the possible impressions and allow the consumer to make them into a coherent story, you win.

In short your story is what the consumer believes it to be. It’s not your story, it’s theirs. You, the marketer, may try to “sell a story” but in the end its the consumer who convinces themselves why they “need” such and such product. For example, in Godin’s Puma example he notes, “The way Stephanie felt when she bought the Pumas was the product. Not the sneakers…” Again it was the emotional connection to why the consumer buys the product. Maybe it will make her feel prettier. Maybe it will make him feel richer. Maybe it will make her feel thinner. Whatever the reason, there is a deeper connection to why a person chooses to buy a product, and although the marketer can do a great job at “selling” it — it’s the consumer who really “sells it” to him or herself. Case in point: my iPad.

Godin did a great job in this book and really made me think of myself as a consumer when trying to think as a marketer. In the end, we’re all selling something whether to ourselves or to someone else. Maybe all marketers are liars after all…