Online Marketing Solutions

Social Media Strategy: Choosing Channels

Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Do you participate in social media marketing as a way to grow your business and increase sales? If so, do you have a social media marketing strategy? Have you ever considered creating a social media marketing architecture? Do you know what “social media marketing architecture” means? If not, you’re not alone. 

Many businesses (even big ones who are actively marketing themselves through social media marketing channels) don’t. Which is a problem: All the time, energy, and money in the world spent on social media marketing won’t produce valuable results if it’s done in the absence of a solid plan and clear strategy (architecture).

A good social media marketing strategy (architecture) involves first deciding what your business’ goal is -- drive traffic to your corporate site? increase sales? gather new leads? lead conversion? more or better press? The next step is to decide who your audience is (your ideal customers/clients) and to figure out where they are online (what channels) and how best to reach them.With those things in mind (what you want, who you want it from, how you’re going to reach them, and how you’re going to motivate them to do what you want), dedicate some resources (time, staff, and budget; determined as part of your strategy creation) to those channels.

As you move forward, ensure that you stick to your plan (strategy) and have monitoring tools in place to that you can measure the efficacy of each effort (on each channel) and make changes to your architecture as needed. There are countless channels online today. Deciding which ones you’re going to work in (access) can be overwhelming. And depending on how they're used, combined, and leveraged can be the difference between quick and measureable success or wasted time and money. But this needn't be daunting; you don't need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, you can (and should) start small and simple: Choose the channel where most of the population (and, as such, probably a big cross-section of your audience) is already active!

That’s Facebook.

And whether or not you think Facebook is necessarily the right fit for your company or brand isn't really the point. If that's where your audience is, that's where you need to be -- interacting with them on their level and in the place most comfortable and convenient for them. (This can be a great testing ground too. From here, you can learn where else your audience is online.)

So, if you agree (you should) and decide that Facebook is one of the channels you'll explore, here are a few key things to consider:

Quality of conversations (and, ultimately, conversations) over content. That's not to say you don't have to post things that are relevant, timely, and of value to your audience, but getting them to interact with you in a meaningful way is definitely the most important factor.

Customer service is still paramount. You should treat your friends, fans, and followers as you would a real-live/real-time customer (in your store, for example). Customer service is as important here as anywhere else. In fact, perhaps it’s even more important, thanks to the speed at which news and views are shared online (read: like wildfire). Sentiment about your business can change in the blink of an eye. So following up with customers’ questions and concerns quickly is key.

Listen. Let friends, fan, and followers (your audience/customers) drive the conversation. Post/promote things you’re confident they’re interested in reading/receiving. Customers (like everyone) want to feel heard. 

Keep your corporate/brand identity in mind. Remember that even if you don't advertise or optimize your Facebook page, it's searchable. People will find it. So while it's totally appropriate to have a far less formal presence on Facebook than on your corporate website, and real-time interactions/conversations can be a bit harder to manage, make sure that your Facebook activity is in line with your corporate image/mandate, and that if people find your Facebook page before they find your corporate website (in a search for information about your business or your industry), they won't be mislead, misinformed, or turned off.

Twitter and YouTube are some of the other most popular social networking sites today -- though not nearly as popular as Facebook (Some sites indicate that as many as 50% of Americans, for example, are on Facebook, while as few as 13% are on Twitter (and 1% are on location-based sites like Foursquare and Gowalla).) Most importantly, whatever channel (site) you choose to pursue (there are literally hundreds and hundreds to consider), choose carefully. Choose to be active on sites where you know your audience is, and on sites that will encourage interaction and, ultimately, drive them to your corporate website (or your store or your service as the case may be). 

And make sure that you have the strategy/architecture/plan in place (the time, staff, and budget) to do it properly (read: frequently) -- to respond to activity (questions, concerns, and conversations) quickly, and that you have something meaningful to say and something valuable to impart. And remember: social networking through channels like these is about building your customer base (making friends, fans, and followers) and building brand loyalty (good-will). If you do it with the right attitude, the right plan, and the right goal, the result will be valuable word-of-mouth advertising that will increase sales, and customer loyalty that will keep sales growing. 

Stir Solutions offers analysis and consultation services so that you can develop an effective social media marketing strategy. Click here to learn more, and book your free, confidential 30-minute consultation today.
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Are you looking for a reliable Vancouver social media marketing company?

Thursday, November 10, 2011

You’re not alone!

Today, most business owners understand the importance of internet and social media marketing for success and financial growth. But, as one survey indicated, “Social Media Marketing is so new and so different that many companies, large and small, locked in a traditional mindset, simply do not know how to use it”. 

That being the case, the most savvy business owners partner with experienced professionals to navigate the rapidly changing and consistently confusing world of social media marketing on their behalf. 

Stir Communications Group is an internet and social media marketing company in Vancouver, BC and, since 2002, we’ve helped countless clients like you to build their brands, beat the competition, boost their sales online.Stir tailors specific communications, web, and marketing strategies around each client’s unique needs, budget and objectives. We are committed to excellence in communicating with clients and consistent in creating positive results for clients. 

Choosing to partner with Stir Solutions for your business’ internet marketing campaigns and projects can make the sometimes difficult task of getting started (or gaining momentum) in internet marketing easy, educational, and fun!

To learn more about Social Media Marketing and Stir’s Social Media Marketing Services, click here. Or call Stir (1-866-899-7847) to book your free 30-minute social media marketing consultation with one of Stir’s Internet Marketing Experts.

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The Best Social Media Monitoring Tools for Tracking your Business, Product or Brand

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Best Social Media Monitoring Tools for Tracking your Business, Service, Product, or Brand

 Social Media Marketing is the use of web-based and mobile Internet applications (or sites) like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and blogs by individuals, organizations, and businesses to market themselves -- to tell the world about their perspective, their mandate, their unique selling point, their services and their products, upcoming events, and news (campaigns). And it’s an inexpensive, fast, and far-reaching marketing tool for businesses.

But you can’t just tell people about yourself, your organization, or your company. You must actively listen to what they’re saying, analyze the response, and react to it in a proactive way.

That’s where Social Media Monitoring comes in.  Social Media Monitoring is the use of one of a variety of tools to gather and analyse that online conversation about you, your organization, or your company. Today there are a multitude of social media monitoring tools (of varying levels of quality) that will monitor the internet (social media sites), gather information,  and produce reports using which you can improve marketing tactics and increase sales. Below are some of the best Social Media Monitoring Tools available today.

Note: Choosing the right tool, analyzing the data it provides, and deciding how best to react to that data can be onerous, difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Working with an agency, like Stir Solutions, that specializes in Social Media Marketing and Monitoring will be a crucial component of your online marketing and monitoring effort. Stir Solutions will help to make the process of online marketing and monitoring easy, exciting, and effective.

Google Alerts
“Get the latest relevant Google results based on your choice of query or topic.”
Using the Google Alerts Monitoring Tool – which sends an email alert each time Google finds a new result – you can monitor a product, find out what’s being said about you or your company, and keep up with the news on a topic you’re interested in (like industry trends and competitor updates). Monitors webpages, newspaper articles and blogs and can accommodate up to1000 alerts at once.

Trackur
“Social Media Monitoring Tools Made Easy...with a money-back guarantee.”Trackur Social Media Monitoring was founded by online reputation management expert Andy Beal – widely considered the “the go-to-guy for reputation building, managing, and monitoring” – and offers powerful results through a userfriendly platform. Trackur offers several packages for different needs and promises users will “be up and running in less than 60-seconds”.

Lithium
“Social customers don't talk just to talk. They want to be heard.”
Lithium Social Media Monitoring monitors search-specific mentions and sentiment (whether online comments are positive or negative) on a variety of platforms including blog posts, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr and presents the results in easy-to-read graphs and metrics. Current clients include Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Disney Online, Motorola, Coca Cola, and Netflix.

Spredfast
“Ready to plan and execute your social media initiatives effectively?”
Spredfast Social Media Management is considered a full social media management, measurement and campaign tool with a user-friendly dashboard from which clients can manage, monitor, and react to online conversations from multiple networks. Clients include AOL, Nokia, and IBM among others.

Brandwatch
“A brand’s best friend. How are you listening to social media chatter?”
Brandwatch Social Media Monitoring’s tool monitors news, blogs, forums, wikis and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to provide clients with information about mentions of their company, brand, and/or product. Clients receive reports and brand summaries on which they can act. Clients include Aviva, CheapFlights, and The Body Shop.

Collective Intellect
“Our semantic technology pinpoints your customers preferences and considerations”.
Collective Intellect Real time Social Analytics is considered a “top-tier player” in the social media monitoring field, and combines self-serve dashboards and human analysis to provide comprehensive reports. CI’s tools are best suited to mid-size and large companies, and package pricing is scaled based on specific client needs and according to published reports. Clients include General Mills, NBC Universal, Pepsi, Walmart, and Hasbro.

Attensity360
“Listen, Analyze, Relate, and Act”
Attensity360 Customer Experience Management tool monitors trending topics, influencers, and “the reach of your brand” while recommending ways for your business to join the conversation and respond to customer needs and wants. Attensity360 uses text analytics to understand sentiment and to uncover trends. Clients include Whirlpool, Vodofone,TMobile, and Oracle.

Spiral16
“Go beyond social media monitoring.”
Sprial16’s Monitoring Software focuses on gathering and analysing “who is saying what about a company, brand, or product” in comparison to competitions. Spiral16 promises to help monitor social media strategy success while effectively sourcing and analyzing extensive data. Spiral16 works with companies (like Toyota, Lee, and Cadbury) to tailor plans that fit their budgets.

Sysomos’ Heartbeat
“...redefining social media analytics.”
Sysomos’ Heartbeat Social Media Monitoring Dashboard is a “real-time monitoring and measurement tool” that provides frequently updated synopses of social media conversations related to your company, product or brand in a variety of reports and graphics aimed at helping you find ways to engage in that conversation. Clients include IBM, HSBC, and Shell Oil.

Crimson Hexagon
“Know what the online conversation really means.”
Crimson Hexagon Social Media Monitoring and Analysis popular and reliable tools mine and analyze vast amounts of data and turn it into “actionable data for better brand understanding and improvement”. Clients include CNN, Hanes,AT&T, HP, Johnson & Johnson, Mashable, Microsoft, Monster, AdWeek, Thomson Reuters, Rubbermaid, Sybase, the Huffington Post, A&E, the Wall Street Journal.

Alterian SM2
“Are you ready to engage?”
Alterian SM2 Engagement Management & Analytics’ tools track and monitor conversations about a person, product, or company on blogs, forums, social networks, video- and photo-sharing sites, and Craigslist and provides easy-to-use and interpret reports. Clients include Rosetta, Pursuit, and YouCast.

Radian6
“Provides organizations with a platform to listen, discover, measure and engage.”
Radian6 Social Media Monitoring and Engagement helps business owners “listen to what’s being said about them” online and determine the best responses through a monitoring dashboard that tracks mentions on more than 100 million social media sites. Reports and summaries help clients respond to data, and a comprehensive dashboard allows for updates to various social media platforms all at once. Clients include Adobe, Cirque de Soleil, Red Cross, and Microsoft.

To find out which tool will best suit your needs and help you to reach your business goals, contact one of the Social Media Marketing and Monitoring Experts at Stir Solutions today.

 

Related Reading:
Social Media Marketing for Business

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Custom Facebook Page Design, Facebook Landing Pages, Geotargeted Facebook PPC & Marketing Strategy

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Custom Facebook Page Design, Facebook Landing Pages, Geotargeted Facebook PPC & Marketing Strategy

We can help with all of your Custom Facebook Page and Facebook marketing needs. Our social media marketing and Facebook page design experts can create custom Facebook pages, increase likes/fans, run Facebook advertising campaigns, provide business Facebook marketing strategy and consulting, and implement any Facebook apps you've seen on any Facebook page. Here's a list of our Facebook marketing & design services:


  • Facebook Advertising Campaigns
  • Facebook Analytics & Reporting
  • Facebook Apps
  • Facebook Cause Promotion
  • Facebook Contact / Signup Forms
  • Facebook Contests & Sweepstakes
  • Facebook Custom Graphics
  • Facebook Custom Landing Pages
  • Facebook Discount Codes / Offers
  • Facebook Donations
  • Facebook Fan Offers for Like Building
  • Facebook Landing Page Design & Programming
  • Facebook Links and Widgets
  • Facebook Maps Integration
  • Facebook Newsletter / Email Signup
  • Facebook Page Promotion
  • Facebook PDF / Whitepapers Document Display
  • Facebook Photo / Image Gallery
  • Facebook Places Marketing
  • Facebook PPC Keyword Marketing / Advertising
  • Facebook Recruiting
  • Facebook RSS Feed
  • Facebook Marketing Strategic Planning & Consulting
  • Facebook Sales / Buy Now Product Pages
  • Facebook Signup Forms
  • Facebook Social Media Links
  • Facebook Social Media Monitoring
  • Facebook Twitter Feed Integration
  • Facebook Video & Music Player

For more information about getting a custom Facebook page design, implementing a Facebook marketing or advertising campaign contact us at Stir today for a free estimate or free consultation
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Location Based Advertising: Game-Changing Opportunities for Internet Marketing with Foursquare, Facebook Pages, Gowalla, Yelp

Tuesday, September 07, 2010
location based social media marketingWe are at the beginning of an exciting new era of location based advertising that integrates geo-location with advertising and apps. Foursquare, Facebook Places, Gowalla, Yelp, BrightKite, Loopt. These are just a few of the geo location based applications that are going to change everything in advertising & marketing.  Location based advertising allows anyone to target potential customers when they are within a certain distance from a select location such as a store, event or meeting place. Start thinking now how your business can integrate its goals, offerings, services and products with location based advertising opportunities.

Have you claimed your business location in Foursquare or Facebook Pages? Do it today. We can help with all of your social media marketing needs. Take control of your social media presence so your existing and potential future clients and customers can accurately find, check in and post about your business.

Contact us today via email or schedule a free 30 minute online marketing consultation to discuss how your business or organization can use location based advertising and social media marketing to help you achieve your business goals.
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