Brand Imaging & Build Leads Via LinkedIn [Infographic]

Brand imaging is the most important thing while doing business online or offline. We do it via several  personal social networking and microblogging sites and we are very much successful on that. Here is a professional way which involves the massively popular professional networking site LinkedIn.

Check out the infographic below to become fluent in LinkedIn. You may even realize ways to both promote a positive brand image and connect with your customers.

Source : PayStream

How Social Media Helps In Recruiting [Infographic]

Social recruiting helps the companies to get connected with large number of qualified candidates across the world looking for a appropriate job. The benefits associated with social recruiting are it helps you to connect with largest pool of qualified job seekers, send multimedia text to targeted job seekers and it reduces the cost incurred in sourcing.

While executing social recruiting strategy to hire employees, it is important to encourage the existing employees to spread the recruitment notice through social media, place the content that is related to job opening, allocate specific time for yourself to communicate with the potential hires. Measure the success that you achieved in recruiting through social network and look for avenues that you need to tweak. Here is an infographic which explains this in a easy way.

Source : Jobvite via graphs.com

The Internet & Social Media Revolution [Infographic]

How the social media has evolved businesses and what could be the next? Most of the B2B and B2C companies are relying on social medias like facebook, twitter, linkedin and many more. Social media is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on the marketing frontier. Some would say it is already there, although it still remains only one component of an overall marketing plan.

Below is a nice infographic by ADEO Internet Marketing group, which explains how the social media revolution began and going on.

Source : Visually.

China’s Social Media Equivalents [Infographic]

Chinese use different social networking sites such as Facebook for social networking, LinkedIn for professional social networking, eblogger for blogging purpose, Twitter for microblogging, WhatsApp for mobile chat, YouTube for sharing videos, Flickr for photo sharing and wikis for acquiring information related to various aspects.

Individuals in China make use of Spotify for streaming online music, eBay for online trade, Quora for quality and assurance( Q&A). Please find below the infographic which explains the Chinese Social Media Activities.

Source : graphs.net

How Much Data Is Generated In One Minute [Infographic]

We sleep but the information over internet? Never. There is no downtime for the hugely transferred data over internet in every minute. As highlighted by DOMO, ‘every website browsed, status shared or photo uploaded leaves a digital trail that is growing into a mass of  data’.

Some interesting statistics from the infographic include:

a) 2 million search queries through Google.
b) 684,478 new pieces of content shared by Facebook users.
c) $272,070 spent shopping online.
d) 217 new users on the mobile web.
e) 47,000 Apple app downloads


Source : DOMO

Digital Acquisitions & Mergers Between Most Prominent Businesses [Infographic]

A lot of acquisitions have been going on since years and gradually they merged business processes and been on track of business strategy. Is it a matter of looking within your marketplace, identifying potential disruptions to your business and then looking to find a solution that will avert that pending collision? Or rather broadening the search beyond traditional areas of operation, in order to leverage opportunities in new growth areas yet to boom? 

Whether an acquisition occurs, no doubt businesses that keep aware of these opportunities will be better poised to respond if and when their industry is disrupted. The following infographic provides some interesting insights about digital acquisitions between some of the most prominent businesses in the world and why they think these alliances will work.

Source: marketdominationmedia

How Executives Are Using Social Media [Infographic]

Executives from different industries use social media to maintain professional network and stay connected with their acquaintances. 1 out 2 executives is using 3 to 5 social sites regularly. This is even more eye opening — 3 out of every 10 are using six or more social sites regularly. We're guessing smartphones have somehow improved our multi-tasking skills and efficiency.

Perception: Many still have the idea that social media is a just a marketing tool. It’s more than that. The concepts of conversing and relationship building with people were obviously lacking when “building support community” and “client relationship” were ranked lowly in the survey. It would probably take some time before this perception changes. Here is a beautiful infographic which shows how executives communicates.

Source : SOCIALCAST

How Your Travel Habits Influence Your Social Media [Infographic]

While some are clearly using their mobile tech for reasons other than finishing up a project or communicating with a co-worker, it appears that the majority are taking advantage of their smart devices to create a more efficient workplace.

Below infographic shows what types of social media you're most likely to use based on your travel personality. Are you a "Sunset Explorer" who barely uses social media or an "Elitist" who updates frequently with every device under the sun? After taking the quiz ourselves, we're inclined to say that the graphic is fairly accurate, but would love to know your thoughts.

Source : Expedia Media Solutions

The Impact of Social Media on the PR Industry [Infographic]

The infographic below only shows a summary of the findings, the actual results are much more detailed and in-depth as all survey questions not only had pre-determined answer options, but also open-ended questions asking for explanations, more details and opinions.

Nevertheless, the following infographic should still give you some food for thought.

Source : IllianaStareva

Infamous 70/20/10 Rule of Facebook [Infographic]

The internet is stuffed with articles about how to manage a business with a proper social media presence. If someone searches by a topic in Google search, it will return more results than you could ever hope to find.

So when a tool, trick, or pneumonic device comes along that gives clear directions and is easy to remember, we should bookmark it for reference. Here is a nice infographic which explains how the 70/20/10 posting rule works.

Source : SnapRetail

Using Pinterest in Higher Education

Pinterest use is booming among people age 25-34 and the site has shown remarkable growth with unique users growing from 11.7 million in January, 2012 to 17.8 million in February making it the third most popular social networking site behind Facebook and Tumblr. While the primary demographic may not be college students, there is certainly potential for using the medium in the higher education classroom. 

Instructors can use the site to remix their curriculums for students by pinning online resources – videos, infographics, images, and links to articles – into a course-based pinboard that provides students with an interesting and engaging visual "reading list" that contains some or all of the elements for the course. In addition, innovative instructors can assign students to curate and annotate a virtual bibliography or interactive report.

Students can use Pinterest to collect resources for either classroom research or personal interest in an easy to access visual representation. They can also use the site as a classroom presentation tool similar to (but dramatically different than) PowerPoint or Prezi. The following video and step-by-step instructions will help you get started using Pinterest for education whether you are a teacher or student.

Getting Started with Pinterest

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Get Invited! Part of what makes Pinterest so appealing is its perceived exclusivity. To get your invite, go to http://pinterest.com/ and press the "Request an Invite" button that appears at the top of the page. Follow the instructions to request your invite.

Step 2: Once you’ve been invited to join and have set up an account, you are ready to get started pinning. The first thing you will want to do is add the Pin button to your browser’s bookmarks toolbar if you are using Firefox. Click on "About" at the top of your browser window and select "Pin Button" from the drop down menu. On the "Goodies" page simply grab the "Pin It" button with your mouse cursor, drag it into your bookmarks bar and drop it there. You can now press this button to pin any page on the Web.

Step 3: Once you have installed the Pin Button you are ready to start your first pin board. At the top of the page click "Add +" The "Add" option box will appear. Click "Create a Board."

Step 4: On the next screen, give your board a descriptive yet catchy title. I’ve chosen "Using Pinterest in Education" for my sample pinboard. Then select a category that your board fits into. I’ve chosen "education" for this one. You can also add additional pinners at this point if you are collaboratively curating a board with a classmate or another instructor. After completing this page click "Create Board."

Step 5: You are presented with a blank canvas upon which to start pinning items that will fill your board. Before you start pinning you will want to click "Edit Board" in the center of the page. On the new page fill in the "Description" box so that others will be able to find and follow your pinboard. When you are done click "Save Settings."

Step 6a: Pinning method #1: If you have already found something that you want to pin you will want to copy the page URL first. Once you have copied the URL you can click "Add +" at the top of the page, then select "Add Pin" on the next page. The following box will appear on your screen:

Paste the URL you have copied into this box as shown above and click "Find Images." There are several things to do on the page that pops up. The first is to use the "Prev" and "Next" arrows to scroll to the image or video from the page that you want to use as the visual image on your board.

Next use the drop down menu to choose the correct board. Here I have chosen "Using Pinterest in Education." Finally, enter a description of the item you are pinning. You can also copy and paste information from the original page to include in this box. When you are done click "Pin It" to add the item to your pinboard.

Step 6b: Pinning method #2: If you have already installed the "Pin It" button in your browser’s tool bar you can easily pin from any page on the Web. When you are on a page that contains a graphic or video that you want to add to one of your boards, just click the "Pin It" button in your browser bar to begin adding that resource to your pinboard. When you press the button, a small pop-up will appear on the screen displaying a thumbnail of the item you want to add. If you mouse over it, a button that says "Pin It" will appear. Click that button.

In the pop up window, choose the appropriate board and type a description of the item you are pinning. Click "Pin It" when you are done.

The successful pin pop up will appear which allows you to see your pin or tweet it via Twitter.

Step 7: You have now successfully pinned items to one of your Pinterest boards using the two basic methods. Check out your board then fill it up.

Pinterest is a fun and engaging tool that appeals to many people in a world dominated by visual media. It provides an easy way to keep track of all that you find on the Internet in a way that allows you, your students, colleagues, and friends to quickly browse through information to find what is most appealing to them. As an educational tool the uses are only limited by your own creativity.

Source : http://www.onlineuniversities.com

How To Build Your Brand Online [Infographic]

As your Digital Marketing increases, finding the appropriate platforms to share your brand and connect with clients is important.

Here is one infographic which highlights an array of gathered statistics on the status of businesses websites, analytics, ecommerce and social media presence as a whole. Lets see how how small and medium businesses are making huge noise in online market with their online presence.

Source :  FreeWebsite

40 Social Media Tips for Your Business

No doubt Social Media has a huge impact in online business and its promotion so here are some 40 Quick Social Media Tips for Your Business.

General Social Media Thoughts:

1. Don’t talk about religion, politics, or sports unless you represent a religion, a politician, or a sport.

2. Keep your post 90% on topic in your business.

3. Don’t over sell, educate about 90% of the time.

4. Re-Post other material that would appeal to the audience you are creating.

5. Always ask yourself, “Would my audience find this interesting or informative?”

6. Update your Google+ & LinkedIn status daily.

7. Once a week schedule your posts in advance with TweetDeck, Hootsuite, or SocialOomph.

8. Fill out all your profile information the same on all your social media.

9. The naming of your social media handles should all match.

10. Offer Foursquare or other social media specials not found any other place.

11. Add social media buttons to your websites, emails, and product literature.

12. Register your Google Places, Facebook Check-In, Foursquare, Bing, etc. with your company’s address & phone number.

13. Write a press release on your business at least once a quarter. Tag it with keywords.

14. Add pictures to your business Pinterest page and link them to your website or blog.

Twitter:

15. Design a custom Twitter background with your company’s contact information.

16. Tweet at least three to four times a day.

17. Follow people that matter to your business or potential clients.

18. Welcome all new followers (SocialOomph is a great way to do this.)

19. Check your Mentions and Replies daily.

20. #Don’t #over #hashtag #everything #you #tweet.

21. Tweet out your new blog posts.

22. Consider a dashboard application like Hootsuite or TweetDeck to help manage your tweets.

Facebook:

23. Update your Facebook wall daily.

24. You best Facebook wall post times are between 8:30a-9:30a and 4:30p-7:00p Monday through Friday.

25. Your best weekend and holiday post times are 10a-12p and 4:30p-7:00p.

26. Cross “Like” other businesses whose audience would benefit from your product.

27. Be the last to respond to all comments on your Wall even if it is “Thanks.”

28. Insert pictures into your wall posts.

29. Consider adding custom tabs or contact forms to your Facebook fan page.

YouTube:

30. Keep your videos short. Best time length is 30 secs to 2 mins.

31. Each video you create should address one project or answer one question.

32. Mention your company name in the beginning of all titles, descriptions, and tags.

33. Brand the background of your YouTube channel.

Blogs:

34. Create blog at least weekly.

35. Whatever blogging frequency you start, you must stay consistent.

36. If you consider yourself a serious blog, host your own blog on your own URL and SEO each and every blog post.

37. Keep your blogs short between 400-700 words.

38. Start a blog post with a good picture.

39. Comment on other blogs in your industry and  add social media sharing buttons to the bottom of your posts.

40. Embed your YouTube videos in your blog posts.

4 Quick Tips To Appeal To The Users with Social Media Marketing

A lot of business owners forget that social media marketing is not the same as simply advertising. Instead, it is about building a relationship with the audience. In fact, social media is basically public relations, which is vastly different from advertisement. Business owners are encouraged to use the following tips to create mutually beneficial relationships with their audience.

1. Make It Personal

One difference between advertisements and social media marketing is that ads do not allow the audience to communicate back. Viewers often get the distinct feeling that there is a corporation behind the ad, not a real person. Social media, on the other hand, focuses on allowing the audience to feel comfortable communicating because there is clearly a person behind the messages on Facebook, Twitter, or other popular social media platforms. Ensuring the voice has some personality that the audience can relate to is vital to creating a positive relationship.

2. Keep Self-Serving Posts to a Minimum

Companies that are successful at social media marketing tend to offer helpful links and advice. Merely linking to their own website pages and advertising special deals will come off a spam, which readers do not tolerate. It is considered okay to occasionally sprinkle in some self-serving links or reminders, but the goal is to truly benefit the audience in some way. This is usually achieved through linking to articles and videos with useful tips, and by asking readers what they think so they realize their feedback is important.

3. Be Dependable

Viewers like consistency since it lets them know what to expect, so business owners are encouraged to post regularly. Social media with random postings will not gain a following, nor will they impress viewers. This is no way to build a good relationship with audience members. Businesses that rarely ever post may be ignored by the public, while those that suddenly stop posting much may lose their followers since they will feel let down at the sudden change in post frequency.

4. Be Honest

Advertisements are notorious for only portraying the best side of the business, while social media marketing is known for being a bit more honest. When site owners invite feedback from their audience, they should be prepared for some criticism from some. Even the most well-liked businesses cannot please everyone, but they are able to survive because they genuinely care about correcting their mistakes. Social media marketing offers the perfect platform for business owners to respond to critics and dissatisfied customers. This is why they should avoid deleting negative comments, and instead show their stellar customer service skills by publicly responding to the concerns.

Top 10 Restaurants In Social Media [Infographic]

If you're like most people, you go out to eat a lot. Chances are, you like to hang out at a major limited service food chain and are social when you're doin so. Between checking out specials on Foursquare, interacting with the brand on Facebook and Twitter and posting images on Instagram, there's a lot behind the inner workings of popular fast food brands on social media. Let's take a deeper look at the top players in social media when it comes to fast food.

Coming in first place for top restaurants is Starbucks Coffee. Starbucks Coffee has a total of 31,381,422 likes and growing. Starbucks actually beat out the world famous McDonald's, who came in second place with 21,768,039 likes.

There's just something about that caffeine boost and morning muffin that has people following Starbucks all over the web. Coming in first place, Starbucks coffee beat out everyone on the number of followers on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest. Although, coming in second place for YouTube subscribers and scores on Klout, Starbucks really takes the cake in popularity on the Internet.

Since Starbucks Coffee was second place for YouTube and Klout, what took the gold for these social media sites? Burger King took the crown for YouTube subscribers with 27,488 people following the famous viral video site. Taco Bell took the first place rank on Klout with a score of 85.

Check out the infographic below to learn more about the top restaurants in social media.

Credit : QSRweb.com and Foodservice Social Media Universe

How Can Social Software Get You Fired [Infographic]

Social media is fast becoming a major business expense. But are its human resources, marketing, and public relations benefits offset by its impact on the working day? As more people sign up for Facebook and Twitter, more people are bad mouthing their bosses online, wasting company time, and over-sharing their day-to-day lives.

Below is the inforgraphic which shows How can social software get you fired?

Source : Visual.ly

Total Online Presence - 7 Essential Stages

Online element's  importance are increasing with each passing day. But, marketing is a system, and to effectively operate this system you must assemble and integrate each of the important parts into something that looks like the whole.

Your online presence is your key to success no matter what your business sells – no matter if all of your transactions are done face to face – no matter if you don’t yet see a way to get a return from your Facebook page – no matter if you have never bought an online ad.

The main thing is to build a Total Online Presence, much like you would a tall, sturdy building, by constructing floor by floor in specific order or in stages. Your stages may differ just a bit based on where you are today and you’ll surely come back and revisit, add on and revamp each stage as you grow, but I believe the following model is the surest way to view your online marketing as a system.

Below are the 7 stages of building a Total Online Presence.

1. Content Platform

So much of what happens online revolves around content. It’s how you get found, why people pay attention and how you start to exchange value. Without a content platform to build from a great deal of effort in other stages will be wasted.

To me the content platform starts with building a listening station with tools like Google Alerts, TweetDeck, Trackur, Social Mention, Sprout Social orRadian6. From this point you can you can gain insight into your market, your competitors and important groups, such as key journalists, while starting the work of better understanding your most important keyword phrases.

Keywords are like chapters in your total body of content plan. Doing research, using tools such as Google Keyword Tool or Wordtracker, on the most important ways to show up when people search for a business like yours and creating blog posts around these chapters, using an editorial calendar approach, is how you fortify your content platform.

Once you start consistently creating content, you can produce valuable eBooks that will be the pivotal element of your email lead capture stage.

There’s really very little reason to play this game if your don’t put the effort in at this stage.

2. Organic SEO

Having someone type a search phrase that is key to your business and finding a blog post or page from your site on page one of the results is the ultimate payoff and, long-term, may be the difference between success and failure.

Search Engine Optimization can be complex and time consuming, but most businesses can generate significant results without making it so, if you simply focus on the following three elements.

Produce keyword rich, educational content – we covered this above, but search engines live on blog posts and other educational content. Use a tool like Scribe from Copyblogger to help you write more search engine friendly content.

Make it easy on the search engines – Make the on page elements such as your blog titles, URLs, ALT image attributes, subtitles and internal links work for you and use XML sitemaps that make it easy for search engines to grab your latest. Check out Search Engine News for great primer.

Draw lots of links naturally from other sites – Simply writing great content will start this process, but so will writing guest posts, uploading content to places like YouTube and Slideshare, making thoughtful comments on other blogs, submitting online press releases and amplifying your content in social networks. (Covered below)

3. Email Marketing

An engaged email list, eager to hear from you, is the most valuable asset your can build. 1000 responsive email followers trumps 25,000 Twitter followers every day when it comes to actually promoting the things that make your money.

Focus on building a list of email subscribers that want to hear from you and social media will become a tool set to help you do more of that.

Choose an email service provider (ESP) such as Constant Contact, GetResponse, AWeber, MailChimp or Infusionsoft and go to work on building email capture forms with the offer of your free eBook or weekly newsletter before you move on to social media.

GoDaddy email marketing is also offering very good service.

4. Social Media Marketing

This is certainly an area where you should consider strategy before tactics.

The first step is to understand how your current customers are using social media and how you can use social media to somehow serve them better. If you do that, you’ll get immediate value.

Create Twitter lists of customers and add their social profiles to your CRM tool. Add a tool like Rapportive to your email.

Then claim and build your profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Picasa, Slideshare and Pinterest.

Your plan to work and engage prospects in all of these networks may not be clear yet, but the first step is to claim the free real estate so you can start exploring.

Once you start to share content, build connections, reshare other people’s content and discover best practices in each individual network, you can begin to amplify your content and start finding ways to drive prospects to your eBook and newsletter in an attempt to start a relationship headed towards conversion.

5. Online Advertising

Many people waste advertising and then conclude it doesn’t work. Pay per click advertising can be very effective when done right. One of my favorite things about it is that a platform like Google AdWords allows you to test your thinking a dollar at a time.

Here’s my take on how to make ads pay – Use your ads to drive content awareness instead of simply to sell. Drive Facebook users to sign up for your eBook first and then you can sell them over and over again.

The basics of PPC are this: Use lots of punchy, dramatic ad copy, but test, revise and test. Create tightly focused ad groups with highly relevant ad copy, work negative keywords out of your list. Test some more.

6. Mobile and Location

Mobile is more of a behavior than a tool. The first step is to analyze what behaviors your customers are exhibiting before you dive into or dismiss Foursquare or text messaging.

I can assure you this however, your customers are reading content, searching for things to buy and using reviews to make decisions on mobile devices. Claim your location based profiles in places such as Foursquare andYelp.

Create mobile and tablet friendly viewing options with tools such asWPTouch, Tekora or GoMobi. Start creating mobile specific ads, landing pages, coupons and offers that take advantage the growing use of mobile devices as a major part of the purchasing process.

7. Analytics and Conversion

Like many stage-based processes there is a cyclical aspect as well. For some, creating benchmarks and key performance indicators is really the first step. So, if you’re one of those folks you can start here, because no matter where you are in the process this stage will always evolve.

Many people can’t start the process of measuring success until they are measuring in real time or can’t start the process of tweaking and testing until all of the elements are in place.

As you build make certain you install tracking code from a tools such as Google Analytics, Spring Metrics or KissMetrics so you can begin to build the data to test and refine from.

Then you can start building conversion goals, funnels and events, tracking your ads and split testing your landing pages, opt-in pages and sales pages to discover ways to increase conversion.

Even something as overwhelming and complex as the changing face of marketing online get just a bit more manageable I think when you start to view it as a system.

Source : Ducttapemarketing

6 Elements of Social Media Strategy

Here is a presentation on vital 6 Elements of Your Social Media Strategy to keep you and your staff on track. No matter where you are in your online marketing, whether you’re just getting started or are a veteran, it helps to have a reminder.

Image Credit : Google

1) Who is your audience?

Where do you start when it comes to a social media strategy? How do you begin a strategy when you’re not sure where to start? That’s what this series of articles will step you through: what you need to know so you can develop an effective social media strategy for your business. Your plan will look widely different from others taking this same course, because their business is unique from yours. No two strategies will be exactly alike. 

2) What are your goals?

You wouldn’t think of starting a business without a plan, would you? What about your marketing strategy? It’s critical that you identify goals for your social media strategy, because they will drive every decision you make, every tactic you use, and all the research you do.

3) Where are your customers in the social media landscape? 

What tools do they use? Let’s briefly review the most popular social media platforms and who you can reach using them:

Blogs

Readers tend to be under 45, but more seniors are catching on. Blogs, along with video, are the best way to increase your Google search engine ranking, and a fabulous method for reaching out to both new and existing customers. Be prepared though: blogs take time to do well and consistently. What do we recommend as  blogging platform with hosting? You should have WordPress with Dreamhost. Awesome customer service which is very important if you face any issue.

Email Newsletters

The deepest content channel of them all, they are great for reach existing customers and telling them what’s new with your business. Also great for educating customers because you have the space to do it. Key advantage of email newsletters is they appear in your customer’s inbox, but be savvy about your subject line, as Google’s Gmail is a tough spam blocker and often blocks credible content. I use iContact for their ease of use and superior customer service.

Facebook

Everyone is here, period. Whether you love or hate Facebook, if you do business with the general public, you need a Facebook page. On your wall, don’t make the mistake of hitting people over the head with a hard sell: give them helpful information that makes their lives better and relates to your product. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook? Females over 55. Best time to post on Facebook? 6-11p.m., when people are at home and spending leisure time on the internet.

Twitter

Micro-blogging in under 140 characters. Twitter is huge in metropolitan areas, for B2B networking, and for under 40 demographic. Excellent for restaurants. Upscale mobile taco stands in Los Angeles have customers lining up when they let them know their location for the day. Rural areas? Forget it.

YouTube

The second most-visited search engine, behind Google. If you don’t have a YouTube channel, you are missing out on customers, period. Your videos don’t have to be slick or expensively produced. Authentic is the new black. Get a Flip video camera and upload your own videos without breaking the bank. Great for new and existing clients, and people can subscribe to your videos, automatically getting new ones.

LinkedIn

Great for B2B networking and catching up with colleagues. After every in-person meeting you have professionally, make sure to connect via this social network. LinkedIn is a great platform to establish credibility by answering questions and find online groups in your niche.

4) When do you plan on communicating with your customers? 

How often? Do you currently have an advertising schedule that clearly defines when you advertise and in what publications? Start there.

Think in terms of your business calendar, and identify the seasonal nature of your product. If you’re an accountant, then April and October will be your busy periods, and you need get in touch with customers before those months. If you are a retailer, your merchandise changes with the seasons, and you want to let your customers know about your changing inventory.

5) Why should customers choose your company? 

What’s in it for them? Identifying the why in your social media strategy is often the toughest step, because it requires you to really differentiate your products from all the rest and tell why you’re special. Word to the wise? Don’t do it by belittling the competition: negativity only makes you look bad. Example? Negative campaign ads. When was the last time you felt good about voting for a candidate? If you and your competition spend too much time pointing out each other’s negatives, you both look bad and no one wins. You want loyal, raving fans.
6) How will you reach your clients? 

What tactics will you use? How will you incorporate the previous 5 W’s into your strategy? Here are several best practices for how to reach your customers via social media:

• No amount of outstanding social media will overcome poor quality products and services. Before you invest in online promotion, ensure you offer superior quality. Social sharing makes it simple to spread the word, and you want positive news being shared about your company.
• Educate instead of resorting to the hard sell. Once consumers feel you are competent, qualified, and trustworthy, they want to learn from you. Teach them.
• Give people a sample of your company by offering something for free in exchange for their contact information. I offered a free first chapter of my book, Color Mastery, and at the time I was the only one in my industry doing it. Readers could figure out whether my book was for them and where they could buy it.
• Make it easy to contact you and buy your product. Put your telephone number on every page of your website, along with all of your social network links. If you make it difficult to get in touch with you, people won’t, period.
• Incorporate your social media into every aspect of your business. Put your social network information on your receipts, invoices, and every printed marketing material you use. Have salespeople in the store remind buyers they can find you online and encourage them to do so.
• Give people an incentive to join your social network. Offer incentives, exclusives, or other special promotions exclusively for your email newsletter subscribers, Facebook fans, and Twitter followers.

How To Find Beta Web, Mobile and Social Apps

There are a lot of Apps available over the net for Web, Mobile and Social Media. So finding the beta apps is sometimes very useful and for that we have such services too. BetaBait is one of such service to connect with early adopters who love to test and try new web, mobile and social applications. It is a destination for startups to find beta users and testers, while providing consumer and professional early adopters access to the newest applications. BetaBait service is available over the net since year 2011. BetaBait has introduced the easiest way to get your product, service or web, mobile or social application whenever and wherever required.

Betabait provides two type of services mentioned in below columns. The services are for those who want to test their own application and for those who need testers and users for their applications.

Startups need beta users and testers. These people play an important role in helping the startup work out bugs, create new features and even turn into the first customers. However, in the past, founders and marketers have not had an organized and convenient way to find these testers without spamming email databases, social networks and personal contacts.

Below are some key tactics to find more beta users and testers :

• Build a landing page – It’s important that you have a place for potential users to come, learn a little bit about the application or service and be able to either sign-up for a beta invite or request more information. While you can get a web designer or front end developer to create a page like this for you, there are also services that can make it quick and simple, like LaunchRock (www.launchrock.com).
• Leverage social networks – With the sheer amount of people and brands using social media networks, like Facebook and Twitter, they can be prime real-estate for attracting interested beta users and testers. For example, setting up a Twitter profile and finding relevant weekly chats, such as #cmgrchat or #smmeasure, can be a great way to get your new startup in front of a relevant crowd. However, don’t just ask for these people to request an invite, participate in the conversation and after you’ve earned their trust, then ask politely.
• Introduce yourself to the right people – One of the most important activities to do when trying to find more beta users and testers is to find the influencers. Most people think this is just top tech bloggers or journalists, but there are others, too. For example, reaching out to other startup founders who might have large networks of potential customers (make sure your product doesn’t compete with theirs). Also, asking a blogger if they are interested in learning more or testing the application themselves can be a great way to gain early interest for potential coverage. These types of people, who have access to large networks, are key to find and engage.
• Be proactive – If people are willing to sign-up for a beta invite, the best thing you can do is be transparent, open and timely. Don’t keep people in the dark for to long because the chances are if you wait, they will forget they signed up and when your email comes across, they’ll delete it. So make sure you’re close to launch, or, even better, already launched, before you go out seeking beta users and testers.

Source : BetaBait

Top 20 Infographics On Social Media [Infographic]

All of you know and heard about infographics which are basically visual representations of information, data, or knowledge. They depict information in text form or a visual form which makes information easy to understand and follow. In one word, infographics turn data into information. It has been always helpful to use infographics in presentations, reports, articles. An infographic can immediately explain what the data actually means and what is the data all about.

Here are 20 social media infographics :

1. The Social Engagement Spectrum

2. 10 Levels of Intimacy in Today’s Communication

3. The Social Media Effect

4. Social Marketing Compass

                               

5. Facebook vs. Twitter

6. Balance Your Media Diet

7. Social Media Statistics

8. Social Web Involvement

The Spectrum of Online Friendship

10. How People Share Content on the Web

11. Donut Marketing

12. Twitter Territory

13. Twitter PR Strategy

14. The Journey of a Tweet

15. The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions

16. When Social Media Attacks

17. The Art of Listening

18. The Conversation Prism

19. Word of Mouth Visualized

20. Social Web Reputation Management Cycles

Credit : To all the publishers of each infographics - DavidArmo.com, SocialReflexion.com, JESS3.com, GlobalWebIndex.com, Mike Arauz, AddToAny, Elliance.com, Hubspot.com, Digital Influence, InformationIsBeautiful.net, TheConversationPrism.com, Laurelpapworth.com.