Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Optimization work best when synergized. Businesses that employ an integrated search and social media strategy achieve greater web-success at lower cost because they amplify their message manifold simply by combining the power of organic search and viral media. When you search-optimize and add relevant social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (etc) to your media mix the result is far greater than if you had used them as un-optimized channels, independently at different times!  Similarly using SEO without social media substantially limits the potential of organic search.  Synergy is the essential ingredient in achieving high ROI and maximizing the impact of your online media plan. Here are some tips on optimizing one with the other. (more…)

With so much hype surrounding the enormous benefits for businesses to  reap with social media, many have eagerly (and expectantly) jumped into the social landscape with a Twitter account and maybe even a Facebook profile or fan page built around their brand or business.  The problem happens when these expectant businesses look around and say, “Now what?” How do I get followers? How do I use these sites to generate leads? How do I justify social media? How do I find the time? What else is there? Why are we even here? …and so on.

If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions, or are less than enamored with the success of your social media campaign, try these social stump-blocker solutions below:

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In the world of social media marketing, we often hear of the importance of monitoring as the first actionable item. Although social media monitoring has numerous benefits to a businesses, both large and small, it may be unclear as to how to use monitoring. A recent study reveals that close to half of businesses surveyed don’t know how to use monitoring effectively for marketing purposes.
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A recent study by HubSpot concludes that the cost per lead for inbound marketing is dramatically lower than the cost of lead acquisition through outbound channels! That’s great news for businesses suffering due to the economic downturn. What’s more, the effectiveness of the leads does not end there. The organic leads that you acquire through social media, blogging and other inbound channels are also of better quality in terms of loyalty, referrals and bringing repeat business.
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More than ever, prospects are making purchasing decisions based on their interaction with brands and recommendations from peers. They are most likely to interact with brands and each other on social networks…especially Facebook where they spend hours on end.  Nielsen reported that in January, U.S. consumers spent a staggering seven hours a month on Facebook!

It is hard for marketers to keep up with all the developments on Facebook, let alone in the social universe. Here is a roundup of some recent Facebook changes and useful Facebook utilities and statistics and their implications on business.
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While on the hunt for meaningful metrics tools, Erwin Hendriks, creator of Social Website Analyzer, brought his insightful resource to my attention.

Simply put, Social Website Analyzer is a one-click snapshot of the state of your website’s or brand’s social media presence across the top 20 social media sites.

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As the saying goes…if you’re going to do something, do it right.

This tried and true philosophy rings just as true today for any businesses entering into social media marketing.

For small businesses and entrepreneurs, it is not uncommon to find the owners and employees wearing many hats – from new business development to accounting to customer service. And now, if they don’t also dawn the social media marketing cap…they’ll be left behind.

According to Maria Veltre, Executive Vice President of Citi’s Small Business Segment…

“While social media can provide additional channels to network and help grow a business, many small businesses may not have the manpower or the time required take advantage of them.”

Social Media Marketing is more vital than ever for businesses of any size to gain exposure and compete in the marketplace. When a business attempts to undertake this type of marketing themselves, they can set themselves up for failure and summarily dismiss an impactful, powerful marketing tool.
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You may be familiar with Dell, Starbucks and Jet Blue…a few well-known brands that have been trumpeted for their brilliant use of social media. But what about lesser known and smaller businesses? Does social media marketing “work” for them too?

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Strategy is Key
While it is free, and relatively easy to build your Facebook public page, attention to detail in set up, naming and business apps are important. There are certain apps to avoid that will end up weighing down your page and creating long download times. And once you have your page up, you’ll need time to invest in updates, social ads, event ideation and page growth.

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Facebook has significant implications for business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs. This highly successful online social networking platform currently boasts 200 million active members and is predicted to be at 500,000 million members by 2011 or sooner. Over half of all active members log in daily for an average session time of 20 minutes – that’s a huge captive audience! Plus the demographics are a more mature and wealthier audience.