Social Media Marketing OBJECTIVES And METRICS That Really Matter.

Social Media Marketing has become an integral part of many companies marketing strategies. But many of these companies are struggling to define clear objectives for their social activity and how to measure success appropriately. The ever-changing social media landscape has made the measuring of social marketing even more challenging.

MARKETING OBJECTIVES AND METRICS.

1. Increase Exposure;

Many of the marketers are profoundly using FACEBOOK and TWITTER only.Other social networks are also gaining ground, in terms of  graphics, pictures and videos as main focus for content. This includes Pinterest, Instagram, Podcast,Vine and Snapchat among others, each focusing on certain user categories and demographics. If you want maximum exposure for your business, it would be wise to develop a strong social media presence not only in Facebook and Twitter but in other upcoming and very dynamic social media networks.

2. Increase Traffic ; 

A term every E-commerce platform usually suggests. It is a word suggested by many but acted by a few. How can you increase traffic through your site, many people ask? I mainly suggest mostly through content. A creative piece shared by many brings traffic to your site. Use of social media as a tool of passing out your organization with hyperlinks on content helps build organic traffic. Some people do the Odds and buy the same traffic from affiliate websites.Example Webtraffic.org . It can be monitored by tools such as ; Alexa & Similar web.

3. Increase Engagement ; 

Do your fans engage with you on social media? Do you want to spark more engagement with them! Here is how? 

a. Ask questions creatively.                   c. Tag people in curated content.

b.Organize unique contests.                  d. Encourage user generated content.

4.Garner Marketplace Insight ; 

5. Develop Loyal fans.

6. Generate leads.

7. Grow business partnership.

8. Improve sales.

By Oscar Njuho.

Why Some Freelancers Fail at Social Media

In my blog digital marketing 101 , i want to show you why so many freelancers these days fail in social media. I was asked this question yesterday – and decided it deserved a longer answer. Because no short answer does do this very important questions justice.

There are several points to social media activities, where you can be lead astray, and most of the mistakes are made not only by freelancers but also by others – for instance, companies or brands. An advantage a brand may have, though: They already have made a name for themselves (created a brand) while a freelancer usually starts at zero at building a brand – or a reputation as an expert, thought leader or simply as a nice and reliable person to work with. If you (as a brand) already have that reputation your start will be much easier – and often faster than for you the freelancer.

FIRST THINGS FIRST...

Selling/finding new customers is a long process – that is no different in social media than anywhere else.

That is the first mistake some people (not only freelancers) do: They expect results to come quickly after their first action. Usually that is wrong. Social Media is about creating – building visibility, building relationships, building a reputation, building a brand. And that takes time online as well as offline.

Second...

Social Media is about interaction and connecting. Not about sales pitches. Find your target audience and provide what they want first.

That directly leads to the second possible mistake: Who are you talking to? Many people rush into social networks and start shouting sales pitches, without even considering, who they want to reach and where they can find them. Imagine going to a baby shower and trying to get someone to listen to your monologue about copywriting (or whatever you offer). Your sales pitch, however, perfected you have it, is out of place on that occasion. The same goes for social media.

Usually, we all start out with a new network with connecting to the people we already know. But the truth is, to sell your service to your best friend, you don’t need to be on Facebook or Twitter. Before you start shouting out your sales message into empty space, figure out, where you can reach your target group.

Thirdly:

Everybody needs a message. What is the value you provide? What do you want to be known for? Why should people want to work with you?

Next, think about your message. How many friends do you have on Facebook, and how many people do you follow on Twitter? If it is below 100, then you might have the chance of checking every update they post. If it is much more, you have to be select.

The messages, the content you share and the wording of your posts are crucial to your success. To get the attention of your target audience, you have to share stuff they want and need – not what you want them to read or sell to them.

By Oscar Njuho.

Digital Marketing 101.

How To Create An INFOGRAPHIC Go VIRAL!!!

Wouldn’t it be nice if everything you put time and effort into it went viral? We can send praise to the Google gods as much as we want, but in order to make anything go viral nowadays you have to put in good and alot of work.​

So, how do you get your infographic to not only show up, but be shared across networks? Follow the below five steps, do even more research than necessary, and begin your road to virality.

1. Developing Your Infographic Content

The first step in making an infographic go viral is by providing readers with valuable content and data. What information do you want to portray to the world? Do you have data that no one else has or that your demographic would be interested in? Create an infographic!

A. Providing Emotional Content

Data and statistics are the core of infographics, but emotion is what drives sharing. Readers need to feel attached to the content in one way or another, whether that be through curiosity, amusement, greed, sadness, anger, or passion. A great way to incorporate such emotions in your infographic is in the headline. Touch on people’s needs and wants right away with a captivating headline, while carrying emotion throughout with supporting statistics.

People share your infographics when the content is.........

B. Including a Call to Action

No company creates infographics for fun. There is always a purpose and business goal behind each infographic: increase sales, website traffic, link building, lead capture, or useable internal content. What helps accomplish the goal, while gaining a viral presence with an infographic is by inserting a call to action in the beginning or wrapping up the infographic with a CTA at the end. Give the viewer a reason to keep reading or desire for more information.

2. Designing the Perfect Infographic

When it comes to infographic design, the most ideal way to accomplish this task is by hiring a company that specializes in infographics. This streamlines the process and allows your design team to focus on their client’s design projects.

If the budget isn’t there for hiring an infographic team or if you have top-notch designers in-house, there are several different programs and resources available to assist with your infographic design.

• Pixtochart
• Canva
• Easel.ly
• Infogr.am
• Visualize.me

3. Sharing on Social

Upon content and design completion, a social media sharing plan needs to be developed. Throwing an infographic into the cyber-wild and hoping enough people will like it enough to share isn’t realistic. Yes, there are infographics released by companies with large enough followings to go viral. But, for a guarantee of viral sharing you’ll need a social media plan, an embeddable infographic on your blog (makes it easy to share), and a solid scheduling tool.

Twitter

Sharing your infographic is easy using Twitter. It can be organized in specific Twitter lists, @ mentioned to influential people, and direct messaged to users who have shared infographics before. Use a tool such as Followerwonk to identify such users and hashtags.

4. Submitting to Directories

Directories specific to infographics are great sources to quickly get your infographic out there, while gaining SEO benefits, such as backlinks. There are tons of directories out there happy to share your infographic. Here are a few:

• Visual.ly
• Slideshare
• Tumblr
• Infographics Showcase

5. Re-Activating Your Guest Posting Super Powers

Just as you scouted for potential bloggers and companies to share blog posts (and links) with, create a new list of potential websites to share your infographic with.

                                                                                           BY OSCAR NJUHO.

Write Great Copy For Your Facebook ADS!

Tone of voice

Start by considering your tone of voice, which should be a reflection of your business’s personality. Is it funny? All business? Adventurous? Every business has its own identity and, the more authentic you are, the more effective your ads are likely to be. Be yourself and be consistent.

Stick to what's important

Remember that people scroll through Facebook quickly, so lead with your most important message. There are also a variety of different ad formats, with different specifications for each. Stick to the important information and pay attention to the character count limit (for ad specs click here). Get the good stuff in before the text is truncated and if you have a specific action you want, be sure to make that part of the ad. For example, Visit our store, Call for a free quote, Check out our website, etc.

Write with the customer in mind

Consider talking about things in terms of your customer’s mindset and what might appeal to them emotionally. Put yourself in their shoes and ask, “What would make me like this business? Why would it appeal to me?”

BY : OSCAR NJUHO.

How Social Media Marketing Can Increase Your Company's Profits

Every business at one point in the last few weeks has asked the question above and even posed it to their marketing team. The answer like with every marketing communication tool is not so direct.

The questions you should be asking are;

How can I increase exposure of my business to the right target audience so as to boost sales for my products or services? 

What methods are currently available and I'm I exhausting all of them?

Social Media and Online Networking platforms are increasing and becoming a staple for a lot of people. How can I benefit from this?

Once the above questions are asked, then you can start looking at all the solutions available.

Today, we look at Social Media Marketing (a part of Digital Marketing) as a channel for your business to have it's products and services exposed to the right markets. Social Media Marketing is growing at an exponential rate, and today, i will take you through the 4 basic channels that your company should be looking at.

Facebook: 

Think of this tool as a website portal for your business. Every business needs a Facebook page updated on a regular basis. Facebook pages are the modern day interactive websites. It's public, dynamic, accessible to everyone and offers in-house advertising platforms to reach different demographics at the same time.

Instagram:

 This is a platform where you can impress your target audience with your products visual power. This is the modern day Magazines. Use this platform as your company's visual directory where your customers can visit and still feel the impact of being in your physical retail store.

Twitter:

 Most companies have already been sold on this but are you using it to it's full potential? Twitter's audience despite being small, has the largest number of learned, educated product and services criticisers. These guys can build or destroy your product as their opinion is largely noted by media outlets worldwide. With trending topics changing very fast, you need to post at least 4 times a day for impact.

LinkedIn: 

Think of this as a direct communication channel to speak with other professionals. This is the modern Business Newspaper geared for professionals. Most companies ignore this platform thinking of it as only for networking professionals. But depending on your target market, this can be a powerful platform. This is the place where those professional messages you would like to communicate appear. 

There are more platforms that you can use like Pinterest which is big with retailers and photographers but the biggest thing to note is;

"Digital Marketing Is Still Advertising" 

So when making your decision, always consider a professional that knows the platform and can give you the most output from your investment.

BY : OSCAR NJUHO.

Think Before You Post ONLINE...

For many of us, we see social media as a way to stay connected with others. There are other ways people and organizations use social media that we may not think about when we post – they use it to help them make decisions. Some colleges, scholarship providers, and hiring managers are using social media to learn more about their applicants before making decisions. Therefore, it is very important to think before posting anything on social media.

Below are some of the reasons decision makers may be looking at your social media posts:

1. Social media accounts can distinguish applicants, especially at competitive departments.
2. Identify and recruit talented people.
3. People who fit the industry image in regards to how they carry themselves publicly
4. Curiosity
5. Alerted by someone about inappropriate behavior on social media

As you start to review your social media accounts, ask yourself, “Do I want _______________ seeing this?” Frequently it is called the “Grandma test,” but maybe there is someone else you want to use as your moral compass. It could be your mom, dad, pastor, future employer, etc. Whoever it is, keep asking yourself that question as you review your profiles and posts. If there is something that doesn’t pass the test, don’t post it or delete the post. This also goes for photos that you have posted, as well as tagged photos.

In addition to reviewing your social media profiles you use regularly, Google yourself and see what comes up. Is there a social media profile you forgot you even had? Did someone tag you in a photo you did not even know was online? It’s always good to Google yourself on a regular basis to see what you find. If you have a common name, search your name along with things like your city, high school, activity, etc.

How to Build a Brand Experience for Customers

Marketing is all about the kind of experience you deliver to your customers with each and every interaction. The more compelling the experience, the faster you will build brand loyalty. In fact, the experience you build becomes your brand in your customers’ minds.

You must think about both the totality of the experience as well as the tonality. The right combination will make the experience unique to your brand and motivating for your customers. Without both totality and tonality, you won’t have a great brand experience, and without a great brand experience, you're just another product.

Totality of the Brand Experience:

Totality is about the completeness and consistency across your various marketing elements. If the experience isn’t complete and consistent, the totality won’t be effective in creating customer loyalty. Consistency is important so that your customers know what your brand is going to deliver each and every time.

Tonality of the Brand Experience: 

Tonality is about the spirit of the experience. It should also be in line with how you have defined your brand and with what you know your customers want. If the tonality is at odds with your marketing, you won’t be able to make an emotional connection with your customers. Others may refer to it as brand personality or voice. I call this tonality. Regardless, tonality should be a conscious decision on your part.

For an effective brand experience, you need totality and tonality working together to give a complete picture of what your brand can offer. Both elements need to be consistent with each interaction. As soon as one element of your marketing falls out of step with the rest, you put the brand in jeopardy with your customers. Execute your marketing consistently in both totality and tonality and you will have a winning formula for your brand.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

What do people find when they Google you? Your competition? Do they see your great website and positive reviews of your products and services? If you have a micro-finance/banking business, you certainly would want to appear top when people search for say “car loan or house loan”, don’t you?

Search Engine Optimization, otherwise referred to as SEO, involves both On-Site and Off-Site actions. On-Site actions are steps you take to improve the optimization of your own pages and the copy they contain. Off-Site actions are done elsewhere on the internet with the goal of driving referral traffic to your site.

SEO isn’t just when your website is at the top when you key in in your company name. It’s when users search for particular services you offer, and your website, social media pages, reviews and your blog articles appear. Think of SEO as a customer acquisition channel.

8 Reasons Why Your Team Needs a Writer

One widely underestimated task in young companies seems to be marketing. Whether you are building a startup with a new product or are on your way to becoming a freelance superhero utilizing your expertise: You might be the best in your field, provide the ultimate solution to a common problem, or have an innovative product everybody needs – If no-one knows you, your knowledge or your product exist you are up for a huge failure.

I have been on both sides of the table: Trying to market a new product, desperately looking for more exposure and a marketing consultant trying to teach young companies the basics of marketing. More often than not the budget for marketing is low to non-existent.

Still, with online marketing, there is a chance for everyone by using brains, social media and content to market a product without a huge budget. But without content, your online marketing is going to be a hard nut to crack.

1. Without content, you have no chance of social media success

I doubt that there is a successful social media marketing strategy without content. You need to provide value on your social channels, or no one is going to follow you.

2. You need your own content

Now, you might answer to #1 that there already is so much great content out there, accessible to you and ready for you to share with your social audience. Providing value is not the problem since you can easily curate great content and this way provide value from other peoples’ content.

So far, so good. But curated content is only to get you so far.

Honestly, how is all that curated content going to bring you any visitors to your own site? When all the value you provide originates from somewhere else, why should people listen to you as a source? And how are you going to stand out from the mass and build a reputation as an expert for yourself or your company, if you only share other peoples’ opinions and knowledge?

Curating content may help you grow an audience in social media, but it is not going to give you any traffic to your own website. It is not going to help you much with building a reputation as an expert – apart from being an expert curator.

Only your own content can drive business your way. A writer can give you all the content you need.

3. A writer can provide you with all the content you need

Everyone can write. If you cannot afford to pay for your marketing, but have at least one writer on your team, your case is half won. You do not have to pay for expensive videos, photographs or graphics if you have someone who can write. You can produce an endless stream of great content with investing only your own (or your team’s) time.

4. In social media, more content can lead to more success

I have seen many young companies trying to push their success in social media marketing with posting more – and for lack of more content, they post more product and company information.Your Team Needs A Writer They understand that they need to tweet more or have more Facebook updates to gain visibility and end up repeating the same boring sales messages over and over again. Most of the time that is not going to work.

Most of the time this behavior can hurt your accounts and reputation. People do not like to connect to over-salesy people in social media. We all are looking for information – but we get enough unasked-for promotional messages to keep us from hitting that unfollow button for long.

5. In social media content is the key to pushing growth

People do not love to follow over promotional accounts in social media. They like to follow accounts that provide value. If you have more great content to push with your social accounts, you can push growth – for your social accounts as well as for traffic to your great content.

6. Well written content is a door opener

A writer also can help you connect to the influencers and to dip into their audiences. By writing guest posts for their blogs and/or performing (written) interviews with interesting people from your niche you can not only connect with these already established people. You can also get your business in front of their audience via guest articles on their blogs. Or get the influencers to share your great interview with them with their own audience.

7. Marketing messages work better if written well

Now, I talked a lot about the importance of a writer to create content that is not promotional. But to be honest, your marketing messages ARE important as well. And the better they are written, the better will be your results.

It is not only that you need to get one marketing message right. A writer can help you create a variety of marketing messages, which you can test and then chose the best. Or use several of them.

8. Copy is everywhere and good copy counts

There are more places than your blog and your social accounts, where good copywriting can make all the difference.Have you ever been involved in optimizing landing pages? Good copy can make all the difference. Newsletters, your website, brochures, whitepapers, … Good copy is needed almost everywhere in your business.