Lowell Brown, Author at Going Social

What Are The Most Effective Social Media Platforms For Your Business?

Posted on Sep 5, 2014 by Lowell Brown

Match Your Social Media Objective With The Most Effective Social Media Platform

Objective: Improve SEO

Google+ and YouTube are two social media platforms that can improve your SEO results. Google+ is by far the most popular search engine in the world [searchengineland]. The content within your Google+ profile will be indexed by Google and searchable on the web. Your content can gain page rank and appear in search results indefinitely.

YouTube is now the second largest search engine in the world with over 2 billion searches per day [seoinc]. Since Google acquired YouTube, users can search for YouTube videos in Google search which makes it all the more favorable for search engine optimization. Uploading quality, relevant videos to your YouTube page is a great way to stand out from the competition and improve your search results.

Objective: Increase Traffic to Your Website

You should focus your social media marketing efforts on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Integrating these social networks into your company webpage will contribute to an overall increase in website traffic. In a recent study by Shareaholic, Facebook drove the most traffic to publishers (a whopping 10.4%). Pinterest came in second at 3.7%, followed by Twitter at 1.2%.

With the share-friendly nature and strong community aspect of these three social media platforms, it’s no surprise that they are the top social media traffic drivers.

Objective: Increase Brand Visibility

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram could all increase your brand’s visibility. However, managing all of these social media platforms effectively is near impossible. Consider focusing your efforts on the platform with the largest population: Facebook.

Do not forget about LinkedIn – this platform is a great way to reach professionals if you’re a B2B company. The majority of users on LinkedIn are middle aged to older adults with a college education or higher.

*Focus on gaining quality “Likes” and followers, rather than building high numbers.

Objective: Improve Customer Engagement

The best way to improve customer engagement is by focusing on high engaging platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Facebook is a great platform to host contests and giveaways for your fans. Twitter allows you to engage with your customers by hosting your own real-time chats. Uploading interesting, useful, and time-worthy videos on your YouTube page encourages users to comment and share.

Objective: Increase Market Reach

With 1.19 million monthly active users on Facebook, it is easier than ever to reach your target market [Facebook 2013]. Facebook is no longer just for younger users. There has been an increase in the 45-65 age bracket, growing 46% since 2012. The market is there – you just have to know how to effectively reach them.

You can target your appropriate market by investing in Facebook advertising. With Facebook’s recent algorithm change, it is more difficult for brands to get seen. By spending a little bit of money on Facebook ads, you can expand your market reach.

Infographic Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/brianna5mith/1648356/how-choose-most-effective-social-media-platform-your-brand

Available Resources

What are the resources needed to effectively manage each platform?

Copywriting [Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+]

Graphic Design [Pinterest, Facebook, Google+]

Trend Spotting [Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram]

Videography [YouTube]

Photography [Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest]

5 Strategies to Grow Your Pinterest Audience

Posted on Aug 15, 2014 by Lowell Brown

You might already have a good grasp of how to best grow your audience on Facebook and Twitter. After all, these dominant social media channels have existed for around a decade. But what about newer social media websites like Pinterest? What are some strategies to attract the right people to your Pinterest page?

Pinterest is only four years young which means users, current and new are still learning the most effective Pinterest marketing strategies for their business. We’ve created a list of 6 tips to follow to grow your Pinterest following.

1. Promote, promote, promote!

Every time you pin content you should be sharing it on Twitter as well. In order to do so, you must first connect your Twitter page to your Pinterest account by going into your Settings and Social Networks section. You use hashtags on Pinterest the same way you do on Twitter so make sure to include at least 3 hashtags (but no more than 5 – it can look spammy).

You know the saying “nothing good in life is free?” Well it’s true! Pinterest has recently announced a self-serve dashboard for promoted pins. The promoted pins will show up in people’s search and category feeds. Tap Pinterest’s 70 million + users by testing this self-serve promotional tool ads.pinterest.com.

2. Add “Pin It” and “Follow” button to your website

Encourage people to pin things from your website by adding the “Pin It” button to your company webpage. You can build your own here (http://business.pinterest.com/en/widget-builder#do_pin_it_button).

To get the word out about your Pinterest business page, add the “Follow” button to your webpage. Keep in mind that you should have social plugins for each of your social media pages including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. (Ask us for help on how to build your own social plugins for your website!)

3. Verify your website

Verifying your website on Pinterest tells users that you own it. Once verified, a checkmark will appear beside your brand’s URL on your profile and in search results. You can now display your full website URL on your Pinterest profile. You’ll also be granted access to Pinterest Analytics, where you can find out important information about your follower such as when they’re online.

4. Original content > repins

Did you know 80% of content on Pinterest are repins which translates into only 20% of original content? Yes, it will take more time to create your own compelling content but it will also get the word out about your board. I suggest checking out Canva.com, a free, easy-to-use graphic design tool that pretty much does the work for you. This design tool already has plenty of designer layouts to choose from. Browse and choose your layout then edit the text/images accordingly.

When you’re designing your graphics keep in mind that red, orange, and brown images have 2x more repins than blue images.

5. Engage, Follow, Engage

Let’s face it, if you create a complete Pinterest page and add compelling content on a daily basis, sure your page probably looks good but is your following growing at the rate you want it to? Probably not. And that’s because engagement is key to expanding your Pinterest fan base.

Go to the “Popular” section of your Pinterest feed and start liking, commenting, and repinning interesting content. Never leave a comment on another user’s pin trying to sell your products/services. This is a big no-no! You first need to establish trust with the user by showing them you know and care about their pin.

Try searching for influential followers in the “Find Friends” tab and add 5-10 new followers on a weekly basis. If you’re following people who share the same interests as you, they’ll likely follow you back.

What other tips can you share to attract more followers to your Pinterest page?

Top (Free) Social Media Analytical Tools

Posted on Aug 8, 2014 by Lowell Brown

Effective social marketing begins with setting goals for your business. How you measure these goals is absolutely fundamental to the success of your social media marketing strategy. There are many social media analytical tools available on the web, however, most come at a monthly fee. If you’re looking for budget friendly analytical tools, we’ve already done your homework for you. Check out our favourite (and free) analytical tools to monitor your social media marketing efforts.

FACEBOOK INSIGHTS

Cost: $0.00

Facebook provides a very comprehensive built-in reporting platform for your company page. You can see analytics for your page, posts, and people who like your page. Some key metrics include page likes growth, post reach, and page engagement. You can even compare the performance of your page between time periods (usually by a month-to-month basis). You’re also able to see what types of posts are most valuable and when you’re fans are online. This information is vital so you can better optimize your content calendar and post schedule.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/help/336893449723054/.

SIMPLY MEASURED

Cost: $0.00 – Free Sample Report or $500 + per month (depending on package)

Simply Measured offers a variety of free reports for multiple social platforms including: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The reports are free on one condition: you follow or “like” Simply Measured on Facebook or Twitter. The reports give you a taste of their paid measurement packages but they are nonetheless quite useful if you’re a smaller company with a strict social media marketing budget.

http://simplymeasured.com/free-social-media-tools

SOCIAL BRO

Cost: $0.00 or $13.95 (and up) per month

Analyze your Twitter page with the free Social Bro plan. With this plan you can analyze up to 2 Twitter accounts and you have an allowance of 5000 social contacts, which include your followers and the number of people you follow. View important community insights, manage your followers, and discover the best time to tweet so your posts get maximum reach.

http://www.socialbro.com

PINTEREST ANAYLTICS

Cost: $0.00

Find out how many people are visiting your Pinterest page, seeing your pins, and engaging with your content all in one convenient place – Pinterest! There’s only one catch – in order to get access to your analytics you must first verify your website. For step by step instructions on how to verify your Pinterest page, go to http://business.pinterest.com/en/verify-your-website.

Recently, Pinterest has released a new and improved analytical feature, based on feedback from a number of pinners looking for more detailed analytics. You can now discover your most engagement boards and pins and which ones are driving the most impressions, clicks, and repins.

To learn more, visit https://analytics.pinterest.com/

While this list of free analytics tools is very limited in terms of social stats, if you’re not looking to pay a monthly fee for analytics, these are your go-to tools.

What free social analytical tools have you tried and tested?

How (And Why) to Create Your Own LinkedIn Group

Posted on Jul 25, 2014 by Lowell Brown

Let’s start by addressing the question: “What is a LinkedIn group?”

LinkedIn groups provide a place for like-minded professionals to share discussions, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry leaders.

Actively participating in groups discussions on LinkedIn is a great way to expand your reach and build brand credibility. You can easily get started by searching for and finding groups in your area of expertise.

You can search for groups in one of two ways:

In the search box at the top of any page, select Groups from the dropdown list on the left. Then type in your keywords or group name to search. You can choose to refine your search results using the checkboxes on the left.

Move your cursor over Interests at the top of your homepage and select Groups. Scroll down the page and select the Find a group link on the right side of the page. Type in your interests.

Some groups on LinkedIn are free to join while others may require the group manager to review your request to join.

You can join up to 50 groups – tip: focus on groups with a larger membership to extend your reach even further.

Actively participating in LinkedIn Groups is a powerful lead generator for your business. So why not create your own LinkedIn Group? I’ve outlined 3 reasons why you should create your own group on LinkedIn.

1. Drives Traffic:

When you create a LinkedIn Group, you have the option to feature your website URL in the group profile. This will be one of the first things a people will see when they join your group. You can also add a group welcome message that includes a link to your site.

2. Builds Your Network:

Create your own LinkedIn Group and you’ll likely receive new invites to connect on a daily basis. People can use your group as a reason to connect with you on a personal basis because sharing similar interests is a good reason to connect.

3. Generates Leads:

As mentioned above, LinkedIn Groups are a place for professionals who share and connect around a common interest or goal. People in the same industry or with similar interest join your group to find answers. Take advantage of this opportunity by helping members achieve their own goals. During the process, you’ll be able to establish yourself as an industry leader.

So how do you get started with creating your own LinkedIn Group?

To create a group:

1. Move your cursor over Interests at the top of your homepage and select Groups.

2. Click the Create a group button on the right.

3. Fill in the requested information. A red asterisk means it’s required.

4. Click the Create.. button to create your group as an open group or a members-only group.

You’ll want to invite others with similar interests to join your group by clicking “Send Invitations” under the group “Manage” tab.

Are you a LinkedIn Group Owner or Manager? Feel free to share your LinkedIn Group page in the comments below.

5 Tips to Stand Out on Facebook

Posted on Jul 18, 2014 by Lowell Brown

Are you frustrated with your Facebook reach?

Is your post engagement lacking?

Are you spending countless hours on Facebook with no results?

With more than 23 million small business pages on Facebook (and growing), it’s getting increasingly difficult to score quality Facebook Likes. That’s why we’ve provided you with 5 key tips to separate yourself from the crowd and stand out from the competition.

1. Claim customized URL: a short, simple URL is much easier for people to find your business page than a long, numerical string.

2. Choose a unique profile picture: if you’re a small business choose a unique profile picture that showcases what you do. For example, you can use this space to display your top-selling product, or to add a personal touch to your page, upload a staff photo. In most cases, businesses will also use their company logo as their profile picture. Ask yourself “would people recognize our company logo?” This works well for medium-large businesses that are already well established.

3. Create an eye-catching cover photo: Your cover photo is the heart of your business page. This is the first thing a person will see when they land on your page – so make it interesting. Your cover photo is the perfect spot to advertise current promotions, giveaways, and contests. When you’re not running special promotions, giveaways, or contests, use this space to advertise your products/services with a clear call-to-action such as “call now”, “visit our website”, “visit us in store today”. You can also include the words “click here”, where people will be prompted to click on your cover photo for more information. When people click on your cover photo it will enlarge to photo viewer mode. You can then add more information about your cover photo by including text in the description space.

4. Post engaging content: spend some time researching your audience’s interests. If they already “liked” your Facebook page, we know for sure they’re already interested in your business – but what are their other areas of interest? It’s okay to post content, on occasion, that doesn’t directly correlate with your business. Your goal here is to attract engagement on your page and if doing that requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, so be it.

5. Know when your audience is online: use Facebook Insights to find out when your fans are online. Obviously, you want to schedule your posts when the majority of your fans are online so you’ll get both a larger reach and more interaction. Schedule your posts just before or after the hour to reach people during the work week, specifically office workers who will most likely be in meetings on the hour. With this tip, you’re likely to catch these people right before or after a meeting.

Are you already using these tips to leverage your Facebook marketing strategy? If you have any more tips that you’d like to add, leave them in the comments below!

It’s All About The Visuals

Posted on Jul 3, 2014 by Lowell Brown

You’ve likely noticed some striking changes over the past couple years with how all the social platforms look – both on mobile and desktop. There has been a trend that’s slowly developed over the past year to make desktop interface design very similar to a mobile experience. So what does this mean?

Overall navigating around is simpler, for any user. Screens aren’t cluttered as much with navigation links, ads and tiny text. The biggest change is bigger and brighter pictures. Almost all of the social platforms give users and brands much more visual space on their profile pages.

But that’s not the only change – visuals have been given more screen real estate. The biggest change falls in the newsfeed. Sure, platforms like Instagram and Pinterest have always been heavy with visuals but their success and popularity, as well as ease of use are what have caused the other platforms to take notice.

Twitter now shows visuals directly in the feed. You no longer have to click image links to see pictures.

Google+ has continued to focus on giving people a clean user experience and the visuals are continually getting larger. If you share visuals on Google+ you’ve more than likely noticed they are much larger.

Facebook has also become heavily graphic supportive. It’s even been documented that Facebook gives posts with images a better “reach score” than other posts per their post algorithm. Brands have also been pushed heavily to use images with Facebook’s Ads to promote their pages, boost engagement and post reach.

Images make the experience for users more enjoyable. Bright, creative visuals whether text or a photo captured attention – and in social it’s all about eyeballs. The more people see your posts, engage with you and take some sort of action, the better.

So what’s the take-away? Use more visuals with your posts, as much as possible.

If you’re looking for ways to create and find visuals, check out our other blog post: http://www.goingsocial.ca/easy-to-use-tools-for-designing-social-media-visuals/

2014 Social Media Marketing Tips

Posted on Jun 19, 2014 by Lowell Brown

Do you want to boost your social media marketing strategy to increase web traffic and generate more leads for your business?

Do you want to stay ahead of your social competition?

Supercharge your social media marketing strategy with these tips from the pros:

1. Schedule posts just before or after the hour

When you’re scheduling your posts, schedule them just before or after the hour as you’re more likely to hit more people. You’re more likely to catch people checking social media just before or after a work meeting.

2. Don’t ignore paid advertising

Organic posts simply do not have a large enough reach. You must invest in paid advertising as well to reach more people beyond your current fan base.

3. Create lists on Twitter

Twitter lists are handy in more ways than one. We recommend creating lists for clients, leads, and competitors.

You’ll want to create a list of your clients who are on Twitter so that you can see what they’re tweeting about. Knowing what they’re interested in (besides your brand) will help with your content marketing strategy.

An easy way to build your lead list is to search for people who need your services. Go to Twitter search and type in keywords related to your business. If you can answer a person’s question, for example, you may have scored a business lead.

See what your competitors are up to on social by referring to your competitor list. Sometimes your biggest competitors may inspire you.

4. Acknowledge engagement

Keep an eye on who is sharing your content. Type your company name in Twitter search to see who is interested in your content. Try to reply back to all users who mention you. Follow those users who mention you, or at the very least favourite their tweet.

5. Drive engagement

According to a report by Buddy Media, Facebook posts with questions generate 92 percent higher comment rates than posts without questions. Ask a question at the end of your post to drive a higher comment rate, but ensure your post is short and simple. Include a call to action with your post, such as “check it out”, or “comment below” to drive engagement.

How have these social media marketing strategies worked for your business?

Do you have any effective social media marketing tips you’d like to share?

Easy To Use Tools for Designing Social Media Visuals

Posted on Jun 11, 2014 by Lowell Brown

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create stunning images for your social media channels. It’s now easier than ever to design your very own images (for free!) on the web. We’ve put together a list of our favourite resources to create professional-grade graphics for your social media pages.

1. PicMonkey

The basic (free) version of PicMonkey is all you need to create one-of-a-kind graphics. You can upload an image and edit directly on the web or you can design a graphic from scratch. You can crop and re-size your image and add text in almost any font style. Frame your image with a border and add a special effect to make it really pop.

There is also a paid version which offers even more cool features.

www.picmonkey.com

2. Share As Image

This program is useful if you are frequently sharing quotes. When you install the bookmarklet, it’s conveniently located in your browser’s toolbar for easy access. When you find a quote online that you’d like to share, simply highlight the text and click the Share As Image button in your toolbar. Another window will open where you’ll have the option to choose font style and background. You can either upload your own background image or design your own. There are limited background features with the free version, however with the ability to upload your own background image, the design possibilities are endless.

https://shareasimage.com/

3. Canva

Designing a new Facebook cover photo is a piece of cake with Canva, a free online design platform for just about anything – including posters, presentations, social media, and blog pages. For social media use, you can upload and edit your own images or create an entirely new image using their layout designs for free backgrounds. And did I mention the designs are already sized appropriately?

Canva does not yet support Internet Explorer – you’ll have to login with your Facebook account using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari.

www.canva.com

What free online-image creation tools are you using? What other tools would you recommend for creating social media visuals?

How to Shorten URL’s for Google Plus Pages

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Lowell Brown

As a Google+ user, you can now create a custom URL that links directly to your Google+ page. A URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator and is a specific number spring used to define a resource location on the Internet. A custom URL is a shorter and much easier to remember web address. With a shorter URL, you can easily share your Google+ page and avoid the difficult-to-remember long numerical string.

An example of a typical Google+ URL: Lowell Brown, CEO of Going Social https://plus.google.com/113380608144434661819/posts

Now, if we took this Google+ profile and claimed a custom URL, we might end up with something like: https://plus.google.com/+GoingSocial

Before claiming your custom URL for your Google+ page, you must ensure that your business page is either a verified local business or has a linked website. As a side note, when you link to your webpage, you can use Google+ Direct Connect to increase your search visibility in Google. To demonstrate, users can type into Google search the “+” symbol before a brand name and be linked directly to that brand’s Google+ page.

As soon as you meet the eligibility requirements you can get started creating your custom URL with these four easy steps:

Step 1: Sign into your Google+ profile and click on “Profile” in the main menu.

Step 2: 2.Click the About tab, and under Links > Google+ URL, click Get URL.

Step 3: Google+ will assign you a custom URL which you cannot change. You can however add letters or numbers as you wish.

Step 4: When you are happy with your new URL, you must agree to the Terms of Service and click “Change URL”. If prompted for mobile verification, follow the instructions and you’ll be given a code to verify. Note that once you “Confirm Your Choice” you will be unable to request a new URL.

Remember that you cannot change the URL itself, but you can edit the punctuation and diacritics of the custom URL. To edit the URL:

Go to the “Links” section of your Google+ page
Make your desired edits in the editing box

Simple enough isn’t it? Let us know if you’ve created a custom URL for your Google+ page and feel free to share it in the comments!

Using The @Mention Function on Twitter

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Lowell Brown

Twitter speaks its own language, one that can be baffling to new users. However, I would argue that Twitter is one of the most powerful marketing tools in the social media sphere. With that being said, if you’re on Twitter or considering joining for that matter, it’s absolutely crucial that you understand the basics of Twitter.

One commonly used function on Twitter that is poorly used is the @mention function. Learning what this function is used for, when to use it, and how to use it is important to get the most out of your Twitter marketing efforts.

What is the @mention function used for?

The @mention function is used to ‘tag’ users in your status updates, typically at the beginning of a tweet.

Mentioning a user on Twitter is an effective way to grab a user’s attention, quickly.

When to use the @mention function?

Generally, you’ll want to ‘mention’ someone in a tweet if you’re referencing their content and/or replying to their message.

How do you @mention a user?

If you’re referencing a user in your tweet for example, you’ll want to use their Twitter handle somewhere within your tweet, typically placed at the beginning your tweet. If you want to reply to a user’s message, you can also press the ‘reply’ button that appears under the tweet.

It’s important to note that you do not have to ‘follow’ a user (or that user does not have to ‘follow’ you) to mention them on Twitter. Each time you mention a user on Twitter it will show up in their ‘@mentions tab’ on their profile page, so they’ll be able to see that you’re tweeting about them.

For example, I found a great quote by Jay Baer, a NY Times bestselling author, marketing consultant, and keynote speaker. When I share this quote with my followers, I will want to include Jay Baer’s Twitter handle (@jaybaer) to maximize my reach. A tweet that begins with a @mention is seen by you, the person you mentioned, and users who follow both of you.

For example, @jaybaer “Social media creates kinship between companies and customers, and kinship equals purchase intent.”

To find a user’s Twitter handle, simply type in Twitter search the user’s first and last name (or the company name) and the handle will show below their page name within their profile.

What if I want to reach out to a user privately?

If you’d like to tweet someone a message and do not want others to see it, you can send a direct message to that person. This message will only show up in their message page and the only people that will see it are you and that person. It will not be shared on your profile or show up within their newsfeed.

It should be noted that you can only direct message your followers. I cannot send a direct message to Jay Baer, for example because he does not follow me on Twitter.

To send a direct message to a user, go to the ‘Messages’ tab at the top of your Twitter page, create a ‘New Message’ and type in the handle of the person you’re privately messaging.

How do you share tweets with ALL of your followers?

Now the @mention function will only show your tweet to mutual followers – meaning the users who follow both you and the recipient you are mentioning.

If you want ALL of your followers to see your tweet that includes this function, simply add a period in front of the @ symbol.

For example, .@jaybaer “Social media creates kinship between companies and customers, and kinship equals purchase intent.”

It’s important to remember that you shouldn’t abuse this function as it can begin to annoy some people.

Were you aware of this @ function trick? Have you used it before?