I want to really connect with my customers.
The first step in connecting with your customers involves knowing who they are.  Run a survey of your existing customers to help develop personas based upon their answers.  From there you will have a better sense of what type of communication they prefer, how they interact with content, and their pain points.  What steps should you take to get this accomplished?

• Create a 5-10 question survey using a service like www.surveymonkey.com
• Email the survey out to existing customers with a brief explanation stating that you want to better understand their needs.
• Review the data collected and create 3-5 unique personas based on the information.
• Begin creating a marketing plan with unique content streams aimed at reaching those persona types

I want to implement a social media plan and stick with it.
In order to map out a social media strategy you need to first understand where you are at.  A meaningful and engaging social media strategy should be focused on increasing interaction and generating results.

• Repurpose Content: Be thoughtful about the manner in which you are repurposing content.  By slightly changing your posts you can easily highlight different key points while avoiding the need to start from scratch.
• Interact Regularly:  A successful social media strategy contains 1 part promotion, 3 parts great content, and 6 parts engagement.  Plan on scheduling time to interact with potential customers and current clients on a regular basis.
• Optimize Your Content: If your content can be searched online it can be optimized.  Use proper keywords and search phrases when creating customer centric content.

I want to start a blog to share with my customers.
Starting a new blog or refreshing an existing blog can be a daunting experience.  However, there are some simple best practices that you can implement to improve the experience for yourself as well as your customers.

• Sourcing Content:  A great way to source content for your blog is to survey your existing customers.  This will give you insight into their pain points and information that they would like to learn more about.
• Stand Out:  In a sea of blogs, social media sites, and content it is imperative that you create a unique hook or angle that differentiates your blog from other blogs online.
• Do Your Homework:  Spend some time looking at the blogs that you follow and determine what attracts you to them.  Also, you will want to spend some time researching your top competitors to determine how their customers react and engage with their content.

When thinking about marketing to customers, companies often get tied up on discussions that involve details that seem highly relevant to the company but won’t really matter to the customer. There is a natural tendency to analyze and examine but there can be danger in losing sight of the end goal.

When thinking about reaching your customers remember the following three points:

1)      What’s in it for them?

Everything you do should be focused on the benefit for the customer. They aren’t there to support your needs but to find out the benefit to them that you offer.  Avoid acronyms and language that doesn’t mean anything to the end-user but communicate clearly on how you can improve their business. Think about what they are seeking and searching for online. Focus on how you can help them meet their goals, deliver on that promise for them and you will meet your own needs.

2)      Listen, listen, and then listen even more closely

Every company has a wonderful asset that should never be overlooked and that is your current customer base. Odds are you’ve received feedback (good or bad) over the years which can help inform you on what your customers feel about your product or service.  There can be a tendency to rely on feedback from focus groups, trends in the marketplace, and new ideas but don’t forget to get direct, critical feedback from those that already have a relationship with you.

3)      Start with a goal

Back to the maze analogy, think about where you want to go and begin there by developing a message with actionable steps and a measurable outcome. Every time you connect with a customer online, in person, or by phone you have a chance to learn more about what is most important to them. Work backward in creating a path to get to there and you’ll be more successful.

Read more online marketing tips from TopRank® Online Marketing.

The number of registered Twitter users, and sharp growth over the last twenty-four months alone, suggest a channel that is more than just rapidly expanding.  They suggest an environment that is extremely noisy, extremely volatile – and in the case of unprepared marketers – an environment rife with opportunity for misstep.

If you are implementing Twitter marketing as part of your social media marketing initiative in the new year, how can you avoid the risk of Tweets that fall on deaf ears, or worse, are misinterpreted and live on in infamy?

Start by adhering to the three tips below:

1.  Listen: Simply put, broadcasting your message into a social media channel without listening to those that already occupy this space is much like jumping into the deep end of the ocean without even a passing glance at the pattern of the waves. Listen to the type of messaging being Tweeted by those you are trying to reach, not to mention the competition you are trying to outperform.  This is an integral first step in not just Twitter marketing, but any type of social media marketing.  And if you remember nothing else, remember to listen.

2.  Engage: Twitter is not a channel where you have the right to advertise your message. Twitter is a channel where you are granted the right to advertise your message.  The rules for engagement are simple, or rather, as simple as any human interaction.  Before talking to someone (or 175 million someones) spend time listening, contributing to conversations and sharing material you think will be of value to those with whom you are trying to build a relationship.

Important note – ‘sharing material’ should not be misinterpreted as immediately asking someone to read your white paper or attend your webinar.  Equate this to asking someone out on a date immediately after saying ‘hello.’  Can it work? Yes.  But not very often and nearly always with diminishing returns.  Instead, make it a rule to start by only sharing unbiased content, or content that will not lead anyone directly back to your site.  Do this until your relationships are established.  Then, when it is time to market, you will find yourself doing so from a pedestal of trust, rather than suspicion.

3.  Develop Urgency: Millions of Tweets are posted each day, and many of us can see hundreds or thousands – at least at a glance. And while Twitter may not be an advertorial channel, the advertorial best practice of creating urgency can work remarkably well. B2C companies can promote last-minute sales or specials, while B2B companies can offer exclusive and highly sought after content downloads.

And how do these types of companies know what kind of material to offer – and when to offer it? Simply by adhering to tips #1 and #2 above.

Read more online marketing tips from TopRank® Online Marketing.

Audience engagement, interaction, and participation are keys to building a brand on the social web.  Social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook offer unparalleled options for  audience engagement, but where should a marketer start with so many choices?

Fortunately, Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing and Chelsea Bucoy, Sr. Product Marketing Manager for Zoomerang are here to help. Their on-demand webinar: Engage Your Audience with Social Media and Surveys recorded in July is available to watch at any time.

The webinar discusses important items such as:

• Why you should consider social media as a part of your marketing strategy
• Engaging your audience with online surveys and polls
• How to choose topics which make for interesting surveys and how to share them on your website or blog

The webinar lasts for approximately 50 minutes and is packed full of insightful and actionable information which digital marketing and PR professionals can use today. For further reference, you can download a PDF of the webinar.

Stay up-to-date with the latest social media events by subscribing to our newsroom RSS feed, following @TopRank on Twitter or becoming a fan of Online Marketing Blog on Facebook.

Learn more about the social media marketing programs offered by TopRank® Online Marketing.

Important as it may be, a left wing alone will not complete the elements needed to launch an airplane, just as SEO alone will not be enough to make up an entire online marketing program.  As social media becomes more prevalent, a social media marketing strategy becomes the right wing to help the online marketing program launch and maintain flight.

Below are three ways social media marketing helps support an online marketing program:

1. Builds Website Legitimacy: More and more, search engines are recognizing companies with a social media presence as more legitimate than those without. As such, search rankings, traffic – and of course, corresponding inquiries and sales – all tie into establishing a social media presence.
2. Real-Time Search: Tweets, Facebook comments, blog posts, and more – they can all be found, and found quickly, thanks to real-time search. Social media will do more than just help enhance the online presence of your website – it can become an entirely new online presence all its own.
3. Enhance Trust: Searchers return to websites they know and they trust. Social media channels provide an avenue to build this trust by connecting with users on a personal and interactive level.  This can help reinforce returning traffic while also pulling new visitors.

Stay up-to-date with the latest SEO and social media development recommendations by subscribing to our newsroom RSS feed, following @TopRank on Twitter or becoming a fan of Online Marketing Blog on Facebook.

Learn more about the social media marketing programs offered by TopRank® Online Marketing by downloading our Social SEO Guides.

Below, find how two of the five tips offered by Singer have helped boost everything from search engine rankings to social media exposure for TopRank Clients.

• Leverage formulas which work for others
  ’16 Must-Read B2B Marketing Strategy Ebooks’ by Marketo

Smashing Magazine has made page one of Digg hundreds of times using the headline formula ‘number + adjective + sticky message.’  Of course, this formula only works if the headline directs to content that is equally compelling to the audience.

With Marketo, a leading marketing automation software provider, TopRank provides consultation and helps create blog content that activates a passionate community of well connected and influential B2B marketers.  Tying the successful formula above to content proven to resonate with this audience helped this post achieve 500+ inbound links, a significant number of Tweets and a #4 Google ranking for  ‘marketing strategy ebooks,’ since its publication in December of 2009.

• Headlines should be outrageous, engaging, emotional, useful, counter-intuitive or remarkable – not to the world, but to your community
  ‘Microsoft Dynamics XRM: The Holiday Gift That Keeps on Giving,’ by InterDyn BMI

Not every product or service is designed to have broad appeal.  In cases where more niche markets are being targeted, the key is to find that fine line between broad appeal and bullseye need.

InterDyn BMI, a leading Microsoft Dynamics solution partner, concepted a post in December of 2009 that would connect two seemingly unrelated entities: Microsoft Dynamics XRM, a business software application, and holiday gift giving.

With a compelling headline tying it all together, this post achieved three times greater traffic than any other individual post in December, accounting for nearly 10% of total blog traffic for the month.  This post was also submitted and published to top online industry publications including CRM Software Blog and Microsoft Dynamics Community.

Stay up to date with success stories like these, and the latest news and announcements from TopRank® Online Marketing, by subscribing to our newsroom RSS feed, following @TopRank on Twitter, or becoming a fan of Online Marketing Blog on Facebook.

For more information on how a social media strategy can help improve your online marketing efforts, download the TopRank Social Media Guide.

To develop a social media strategy that works for your business, the first step is to outline your goals. What do you want social media to do for you? Drive traffic to your website, engage your target audience in conversation, build relationships with your prospects, or build awareness for your brand online.

The next step in developing your social media strategy is to know your target audience. Who are they, what are they talking about, where are they making connections online. Once you understand who your target audience is, identify how you want to position yourself with your audience.

Finally, after you have outlined your plan, start listening to the conversation via the social media channels your audience is already participating in and gauge the tone of the conversation as well as the rules of the community.

Contact TopRank Marketing to discuss developing a social media marketing strategy, and the online channels to engage your target audience.