LinkedIn has long been the social media tool of choice by many professionals. In the past it was used mostly as a contact database of everyone you have interacted with on a business level. Recently LinkedIn has added some additional features that make it easier for marketers to reach their target audience. What are some best practice approaches to using LinkedIn for engagement? Update Your Status Frequently Your LinkedIn contacts will be very interested to know what you’re doing professionally. Why? The majority these contacts will most likely be colleagues, prospects, or networking contacts. Your LinkedIn personal profile is a great stage for sharing your professional development and sharing things that you think they will find to be of interest.
The future of public relations relies heavily on interacting with individuals and companies online. Building awareness and brand recognition is only the first step. What are you doing to make your news content and brand story easily found and talked about online? In order to reach journalists, analysts, bloggers and influentials on the web, it’s essential that Public Relations and Communications professionals understand the role search and social media play with influencing information discovery, consumption and sharing.
When it comes to a business’ online strategy, questions abound for social media practitioners about how to best leverage and integrate the many online marketing tools available.
The disciplines of search, social media and content marketing continue to intersect and often combine to create a powerful mix. Companies and individuals are creating competitive advantages as they adapt to shifts in technology and consumer behavior. On Aug. 26, the monthly Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis/St. Paul (SMBMSP) will hone in on this integration.
One of the most common forms of online marketing for small businesses is to have a website. The problem is, with today’s increasingly social and mobile web, a web site just isn’t enough. To help website owners take full advantage of the most important online marketing opportunities, here are 3 things small businesses can do to attract and engage new customers.
1. Content Publishing & Marketing: Consumers are interacting with multiple content sources before purchase and businesses that provide useful information beyond product features and benefits can attract more traffic and referrals.
Great presentation and statistics on social media: Subscribers, Fans & Followers study from ExactTarget.
Microsoft to Acquire Skype for $8.5 Billion IN CASH. Yes, you read that correctly. Just last week we posted about Google and Facebook in talks with the Internet Communications company. Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect, Windows Phone and a wide array of Windows devices, and Microsoft will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities. Via Microsoft.
75% of journalists use Facebook and 69% use Twitter as a tool to assist in reporting. Society for New Communications Research and Middleberg Communications Announce Results of the 3rd Annual Survey of Media in the Wired World. Via Digital Journal & PRWeb.
Marketo Social Media & SEO for B2B marketing webinar with Lee Odden of TopRank Online Marketing and Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz.
Mobile Marketing Spend to reach $56.5 billion by 2015. That’s 6 times the spend in 2010. Mobile is obviously hitting its stride this year with the proliferation of smartphones. The ATT & Verizon plus iPhone and Droid competitive spirit hasn’t hurt growth either. Via MarketingCharts.
The 7 Stages of News in a Twitter and Facebook Era. Insightful observations about social group behavior when it comes to news. Social sites like Twitter have eclipsed mainstream media when it comes to breaking news. Via GigaOM.
Over 175 million users are now registered on Twitter, and per data cited by PCMag, 95% of accounts have been created in the last two years. And where ever 175 million gather, marketers will follow.
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.
From a tactical level, news on the burgeoning trend of social commerce tells us:
“Retailers who currently host the ‘like’ button on their site demonstrated 80 percent higher average three-month traffic.” Digital IQ Index Specialty Retail report (download pdf)
From a more philosophical business perspective, however, what this data truly tells us is that while technology may lead to enhancements – little carries more weight over a buying decision than a personal, trusted testimonial.
Social media and content marketing have moved beyond buzz-worthy concepts to become fundamental cornerstones of leading online marketing programs. A recent poll by Online Marketing Blog, in fact, lists ‘social network participation’ and ‘content marketing’ as two of the top five digital marketing tactics firms will focus on most heavily in 2011.
As social and content initiatives continue to permeate and define online marketing programs, from Minneapolis to Manila, TopRank® Online Marketing CEO Lee Odden will be leading the way. Next month, Odden will be instrumental in expanding social and content marketing best practices globally as he offers the opening keynote and a full day workshop at Social Media Junction 2 in Auckland, New Zealand.
B2B technology companies exist in a world marked by lengthy sales cycles and niche marketplaces. Maintaining awareness, while personally engaging with each customer and prospect, can combine to become a strong competitive differentiator in this environment.
Best practice online marketing programs, integrating elements of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media marketing, can be customized to meet the challenges posed by the need for visibility and engagement. By renewing programs with TopRank® Online Marketing, the two B2B technology companies below will continue to meet and ultimately overcome these challenges:
TopRank Online Marketing Blog
Online Marketing Blog Facebook
@TopRank on Twitter
TopRank on Flickr
TopRank on Delicious
