Facebook marketing: 5 effective ways to cater to your mobile audience

There are 1.08-billion active monthly users on Facebook, which is why your business would be crazy not to have a marketing strategy for this platform. However, many businesses don’t realise that it’s also important to cater to a mobile audience. Currently, there are 680-million monthly active users, and this number is growing. So here are five effective ways to improve your mobile Facebook marketing efforts.

Optimise all website content for mobile users

If you plan on sharing content on Facebook, you should realize a lot of users will click through on a mobile device. So you need to make sure all of your content is mobile optimized. This means you need to have a mobile website that adjusts your content for smaller viewing screens.
According to a 2012 Mongoose Metrics report, only 10 percent of websites are currently optimized for mobile use. This presents a unique opportunity for you to boost traffic. A developer can help you out with mobile optimization, or you can choose an app to turn your website mobile.
It’s also important to note that the number of mobile users is growing, making mobile websites even more important to businesses. According to HubSpot, more smartphones than PCs were sold in 2011, and one in seven searches is performed on mobile devices.
Case in point: Kiddicare.com grows via mobile optimisation
A good case in point would be Kiddicare.com, an online nursery and infant supply company that experienced significant growth thanks to a mobile optimized website. Kiddicare discovered that seven percent of its traffic came from mobile devices, but its website was too difficult to use on a smaller screen. That’s why they decided to optimize, which was a process that took seven weeks from concept to launch. After the optimization, they predicted 20 percent of their revenue came from mobile users in 2012.

Build brand awareness with Facebook business pages

It’s important for every business to have a website, but it’s equally important to have a Facebook business page. This can drive more traffic to your website, which helps acquire more customers. Additionally, people search for local stores and businesses when they are away from home, and Facebook drives some of that traffic through its mobile app.
The mobile business page on Facebook features recent photos, events, and check-ins, so it’s very important to use compelling images that look good in a mobile browser. Plus, as more and more people use the Facebook mobile app to interact with brands, fostering brand awareness is more important than ever. Ergo you need to carefully choose the content you share.
Case in point: Property Minder gains new Facebook fans
Property Minder is a web-service firm that offers services to real estate companies. The company used its Facebook business page to establish credibility in the industry. It worked on brand awareness, and subsequently gained new fans. It also had 584 whitepaper downloads through brand-awareness efforts.

Integrate coupons and promotions into your Facebook posts

Facebook users want to read informative and useful posts. Your business will be “unliked” if you’re too promotional. So the best way to overcome this is by integrating coupons and promotions into your Facebook posts. For instance, you can offer a coupon or run a contest via Facebook’s “Offer, Event+” function. You’ll be advertising, but users will also like the content.
Promotional Facebook posts are also important from a mobile user’s standpoint. Conversion rates are 12 times higher with sponsored ads on Facebook mobile than with the desktop version.
Case in point: BellaSoleill increases sales
BellaSoleill is a Tuscan home décor retailer which decided to offer a special code on their Facebook business page for 10% off merchandise. This offer increased profits by $10 000, and it helped subscribers grow by 200% in only three weeks. This was all because Facebook users had to like the page to gain access to the promotion.

Create targeted Facebook ads to promote your business

Facebook was originally slow to adopt ads on its mobile platform, but it now nets US$305-million from mobile ads quarterly. These ads look and feel more like natural posts, which means more clicks for your business. Additionally, people using 4G phones can access Facebook feeds as quickly as someone on a laptop or desktop computer.
The Facebook app is the third most downloaded app for mobile phones — it’s only behind Google Maps and YouTube. This means mobile ads on Facebook get a lot of views. You can used sponsored stories to drive more traffic to your business, because these stories have a click-through rate that’s seven times higher than regular posts.
Case in Point: Zappos.com increases annual ROI
Zappos.com claims that Facebook ads drive traffic in the US$10-million range each year. This demonstrates the obvious advantages of using Facebook ads. Plus, these ads can be targeted toward specific demographics, meaning you gain traffic outside your page’s own fan base.

Build a customer list and discover customer interests

From a marketing standpoint, one of Facebook’s biggest advantages lies in creating a huge list of followers with relatively little effort, especially if your business is already has a big name in the mainstream public. Then you can learn about customers by reading their comments and viewing the limited information on their profiles. You can also target potential customers based on their location. If you have a physical location, there’s also a check-in feature for mobile customers to share their patronage with friends.
Case in point: Sugarbush Resort increases subscriber list
Sugarbush Resort had a goal of increasing their email subscriber list and Facebook fans to have more opportunities for targeted marketing. The company ran a sweepstakes on it Facebook business page and gained 3 000 likes in only one month. Additionally, they gained 2 000 email list subscribers. This helped Sugarbush in its mobile marketing efforts, too.
Mobile marketing is a constantly changing animal, but your business is missing out on a lot of traffic if you don’t implement a mobile strategy. Use Facebook in your marketing efforts and you’ll likely see a significant increase in sales and customer loyalty.

http://memeburn.com/2013/03/facebook-marketing-5-effective-ways-to-cater-to-your-mobile-audience/

Ranking #1 in Google for 110K Exact in 30 Days

How to Increase Your Twitter Traffic

In a few short years, Twitter has become extremely popular around the world. People tweet about many different topics. Many talk about their personal interests while others use Twitter as a way to promote their business, website or artwork. Twitter is one of the most effective ways to increase traffic to your website.
With increased traffic, you’ll likely make more sales. But, how can you increase your Twitter traffic? Here are some effective ways to do that.
A good place to begin is by letting others know that you are on Twitter. You can include a link to your Twitter profile in emails, blog posts, and your website.
Tweeting regularly also helps to drive traffic to your site. This will help you to gain followers who may visit your site through links in your tweets. Also be sure to have a link to your site on your profile.
Find quality accounts in your niche to follow and retweet some of their best content. Many of them will follow you back.
You will want to build good relationships with your followers. Don’t inundate your followers with promotions or too many links. Concentrate on posting helpful information and interacting with your followers.
Using Twitter can be a lot of fun, but it also takes hard work to use it effectively to promote your business. Don’t expect results overnight. It takes time to build up a respectable following of people who trust you enough to further investigate your business. If you concentrate on quality instead of taking shortcuts, you will no doubt find Twitter to be a very effective tool for reaching out to your customers.

http://newmarketspace.com/how-to-increase-your-twitter-traffic/

Should Your Business Have a Podcast?

Image credit: Shutterstock

Your business probably has a website, Twitter account and Facebook page, but does it need a podcast? Consumers enjoy podcasts because it gives them alternative and more convenient ways to consume content, says Deborah Shane, a Florida-based branding expert and podcast host.
She says that more professionals are using podcasts as a marketing tool to establish expertise and distinguish themselves from the competition. Shane's Metropolis Radio business podcast has featured more than 350 guests and has been downloaded 245,000 times in the last four years. The 15 to 30 minute segments consist of interviews with expert guests on topics such as branding, social media, and entrepreneurship. "Podcasting has opened up more doors than just about any platform I've used," Shane says. By inviting experts as guests on her show, she's networking, building credibility, and making professional connections.
 But podcasting is a time commitment. Shane suggests waiting a month before you start promoting your podcast. Use that time to create visual branding for your site, think about the content you'll provide, the show's format, how frequently you'll record the podcast and which guests you'll invite on the show, etc.
Shane recommends using BlogTalkRadio, which offers a free, turnkey solution to record your show and link it to iTunes, Facebook and Twitter. Once a show is scheduled through BlogTalkRadio, the host and their guest(s) call a special number and are patched through to a "studio" dashboard that the host controls on his or her computer where he or she can take calls live or interview through the switchboard.
The show is recorded live and archived as a podcast, where it's made available on iTunes and can be shared on social networks or blogs. Editing is not available with the free version, but premium paid levels (which range from $39-$249 a month) allow users to edit their shows.
Here are six things to consider before starting a podcast:
1. Choose your format. Shane uses a late night talk show format and discusses talking points with her guests beforehand, but allows the conversation to evolve on the show. Another popular format is giving a tutorial or lecture on a topic relevant to your business that many people have questions about.
2. Record a podcast at least once a week. You want to listeners to know when to expect new content. While "live listeners" (people listening to the show as it airs) are great, Shane says the goal is to increase the number of downloads your podcast receives once it's posted.
3. Find guests with energy. Your guest may be brilliant in their field, but you want someone who's interesting and with whom you can have a good conversation. Shane suggests reaching out to experts in your field who have written a book or have a lot of Twitter followers, so they can promote their appearance on your show. The appearance is mutually beneficial, as they are gaining credibility as an expert, and you're building an audience and area of expertise.
"Great guests are actively marketing on their own social media platforms. They have energy, articulate well and know how to tell their story," Shane says.
4. Practice. Do two or three practice shows to get the feel for podcasting. Shane recommends recording a few test shows and posting them on your site to become comfortable with the process before promoting the podcast. You can set the show as "test" or "private" when scheduling your podcast.
5. Promote your podcast consistently. Use your other social media platforms, blog, website, etc. to promote your podcast before, during, and after the show has been recorded. BlogTalkRadio allows you to post updates automatically to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.
6. Get ideas from the competition. Visit podcast.com or iTunes to see how other businesses are using podcasts to promote themselves.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226298

7 Tips For Building a 'Power Network' on LinkedIn

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Among the social networks, LinkedIn can be one of the most useful when it comes to cultivating critical, lucrative business opportunities, since it has a high concentration of business decision makers. The trick is going beyond connecting with cousins and college buddies to strategically building a "power network" of individuals who should be potential clients.
But building a power network on LinkedIn doesn't happen overnight. Here are seven tips for making the kinds of connections that can benefit your business the most:
1. Optimize your profile: One of the easiest ways is to update your profile picture. LinkedIn views this kind of update as "freshness" and it can help your ranking when others are searching for someone like you.
2. Tell people who you are, who you help and how you help them in your headline: A headline that communicates these points is often what grabs a person's attention when searching the site. I should be able to read your headline and know exactly what you offer and why I should get in touch with you. Be clear and compelling.

 

3. Fill out all current and past work experiences: You never know who's looking for you, possibly a co-worker from an old job, or maybe a classmate that's suddenly feeling nostalgic and wants to see who they can find online. By listing all of your places of employment -- including your educational institutions -- you can create a larger net for capturing searches. Plus, these connections could be second- or third-tier connections to people you've been trying to meet.
4. Join targeted groups: This can be one of the most effective ways to connect with like-minded professionals who are serious about using LinkedIn to form deeper business connections. Participating in these groups also enables you to share your knowledge and to learn from other members.
5. Create a targeted group: Not only can leading a group give you a certain level of credibility, it allows you to connect with people who are influential within your specific industry.
6. Send personal invites: These, in my opinion, always trump generic requests to connect. The invite is your first communication on LinkedIn, so make a good first impression by writing a personal request and asking how you can help the person, or whom you can introduce them to.

7. Get endorsements and recommendations: This can help enhance your profile, but there's a right way and a wrong way to do this. Don't send a mass or generic e-mail to clients or colleagues asking if they can endorse your skills or write a recommendation. First, identify people who have a great story to share about you and your skills. Contact those people directly, via phone or e-mail, and let them know you're personally reaching out to them because of (insert how you've helped them here) and would appreciate it if they'd be willing to write a quick recommendation for you, based on that story.
The same goes for endorsements, which are much easier to give since it's just a click of a button. It also helps if you mention you'll be endorsing their strongest skills as well.


http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/224651

10 Ways to Make Your Blog More Social

 

 Having a blog is relatively easy; all you need to do is create a custom domain name and start writing and publishing posts. The tricky part of blogging is getting people to not only read what you’re writing, but also to respond to it. It takes a lot of work to build your blog into a place where people feel comfortable coming and sharing their ideas and perceptions regarding a particular topic, and then go one step further by sharing your post with other people. So how do you create a blog that encourages people to be social? These 10 tips will help you establish a space where your readers want to both read and communicate:

1. Keep a consistent writing schedule. The first step to making your blog a social place is to write quality articles on a consistent basis. Keeping a sporadic blogging schedule discourages people from coming back regularly to read your posts. Your readers need to know that they can count on you to have new content up around the same time each week.
2. Respond to your commenters. It takes extra time and effort to comment on a blog post after reading it, which means that your commenters felt your post was worthy of both reading and responding to. Show your appreciation by taking the time to respond to these comments. Doing so helps foster a relationship with your readers and encourages them to keep coming back.
3. Allow guest posting. Letting other people guest post on your site is a great way to get people responding to the post and talking about your site. Guest posts also offer you more exposure because the writer will link over to your site from their own blog and they can showcase a variety of topics you might not have otherwise blogged about. This is a great way to get people talking about all sorts of different topics.
4. Guest post for others. Just like allowing guest posting on your site is beneficial to your blog, you should also guest post for other blogs. Include a link to your site in your guest post or your author bio so that the people who read the blog you’re posting for can find your site easily.
5. Make yourself useful. E-books, tutorial posts and posts full of handy information are all great ways to get people to read your content and share it with other people. The more useful your posts are, the more likely it is they’ll get passed around the blogging community.
   
6. Share your posts on social media. At this point, utilizing social media should be a no-brainer, but some people still haven’t taken advantage of marketing through their social media sites. Don’t be that person! Promote your posts on Twitter and Facebook. Consider creating a Facebook page for your blog. When someone comments or tweets about something you’ve written, respond to them. Social media is one of the handiest tools you can have in your arsenal when it comes to being social!
7. Avoid posts that are overly wordy. Don’t write posts that are just one big block of text, because the likelihood of someone reading it all the way through is slim to none. Instead, write posts that have bullet points or numbers so that people can scan through what you have to say and still hit all the important points. These types of posts are the posts that tend to get shared on other blogs and social media sites more often because they contain useful information that is easily readable.
8. Create posts that are visually appealing. Don’t neglect the power that pictures and carefully placed white space have on a blog post. Make sure that you utilize white space wisely as you write and that you insert appropriate pictures and graphics when you can – white space gives your readers a quick mental break from reading and the right graphics or pictures can create a lot of buzz and help reinforce a point you’re trying to make.
9. Vary the types of posts you create. Don’t confine yourself to writing the same types of posts every day – people will get bored! Instead try a list post one day and a v-log (a video blog of you talking) the next. Switching up the type of posts you publish keeps people interested and engaged.
10. Become a brand, not just a blog. Get a custom header with a logo designed and have a blog name that is memorable. Be sure to use your logo on your other social media sites in addition to your blog. Over time people will begin to recognize your logo as an extension of your blog, and having a snazzy blog name creates an impression with people. Making your blog into a brand takes your blog up a notch and helps you seem professional.

BONUS: Ask questions at the end of your posts. Asking questions forces the reader to think about what you’ve written and evaluate how they feel about the topic at hand. Plus, more often than not, people will respond to the question in the comments section.
Readers want to find blogs that they can comment on and be social with. After all, blogging is a social medium. By doing everything in your power to make your blog a more social place you can help skyrocket your blog to success.

http://www.longhornleads.com/blog/2012/10-ways-to-make-your-blog-more-social/

The 3 MOST Powerful Forms Of 'Viral Marketing' That Will PUT Your 'Opt-In' List Building Efforts On

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it.

"The Money Is In The... LIST!"

I bet you've heard this catch phrase once or twice while surfing around on the Internet.

I know I have.

But, the question that usually arises is... "How do I effectively build one that won't cost me an arm and a leg in the process?"

Well, today's your lucky day because I'm going to highlight 3 of the MOST powerful ways to build your targeted 'Opt-In List' by using the Power of 'Viral Marketing' as your engine.

And the best part about using these 3 'Viral' methods I'm about to mention are... they cost virtually Nothing to produce, are Highly targeted, give You INSTANT Credibility and are in constant demand by website owners.

So, with that said, let's move on to what these 3 'Viral' methods are and how they will benefit you and your List Building efforts.

Method #1. Writing 'Special Reports'.

- Special Reports work great because they allow you to go into more depth about the Topic or Problem in question where you'll then be able to lead them to how your Product or Service(or Affiliate product) can fix there current problem.

- They give you Instant Credibility, which builds trust in your customer that you are knowlegdable in your industry.

- Website owners are always looking for quality **Free Stuff** to give away or offer to there Visitors and/or Subscribers.

This is where you could CASH-IN, especially if you make your special report 'Brandable'. This gives the website owner even MORE incentive to give your Freebie away if they can make Money in the process.

- And your Contact Information will always be inside, no matter what. Meaning, as your report is being passed around the Internet you'll always be able to lead your potential customer back to your website where they could sign-up for your newsletter and/or read up more about your Products or Services you offer.

Method #2. Putting Together A 'Free eBook'.

- Free eBooks work great as well and have the same benefits as I outlined through the special report.

The only difference using this approach is, you can put together a free ebook in less time then it would take to produce your special report simply because it doesn't even have to be your own material inside, it can be someone else's.

Just make sure you put together a free ebook with quality information inside.

- And they also allow you to target more then one Product or Service inside because free ebooks are usually a compilation of related articles targeting a particular problem leaving you room to diversify.

Method #3. Writing 'Articles'.

- Writing Articles is probably ONE of the Best and Most Effective Ways to produce a wave of Viral traffic to your website because every website owner needs FRESH content to feed to there visitors and/or subscribers.

- They also allow you to Target your audience's problem specifically that they're dealing with.

- And at the end of the article you have a spot called the 'Resource Box' to insert your personal Bio and/or Website information.

Just imagine if your article were to be picked up by some Newsletter Editor with a large list or High Traffic website and they use it as a 'Featured Article' in there publication, you could see an INSTANT Surge of targeted traffic to your website overnight.

That's where your 'Resource Box' comes in.(Take a look at how mine is formatted at the end of this article.)

Well, that about sums it up for the 3 MOST powerful 'Viral Marketing' methods being used today by most Internet marketers, and for good reason, because they work.

Now, with all that said, what do these 3 'Viral' methods all have in common that'll put your List Building efforts on 'Auto-Pilot'?

- They're in HIGH demand by website owners.

- They're HIGHLY Targeted.

- They give You INSTANT Credibility in your industry.

- They have YOUR Contact Details leading to Your website.

...and Most important of all, they're all FREE!

Just think for a minute, by using only ONE of these methods listed above, how it could put your Opt-In list building efforts on 'Auto-Pilot'.

This article represents just a summarized version of all the different List Building techniques available online, But, in my opinion, these 3 are the most effective.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-3-MOST-Powerful-Forms-Of-Viral-Marketing-That-Will-PUT-Your-Opt-In-List-Building-Efforts-On&id=78342

Internet Marketing Tips For Beginners

Are you looking to become an Internet marketer? If so I imagine, like all beginners, you are struggling to get started. This is probably the hardest part of starting any online business and when you look for help and support online all you find are so called ‘gurus’ who just want to take your money. Do not let this put you off as there has never been a better time to earn an income online. Whether it be a second income to treat the family or even just to help during this poor economical climate. You could even build toward a full time income and quit that job you dislike so much and give you more time to do the things you want. Whatever your reasons I hope that my top 5 Internet marketing tips for beginners will help you.

Internet Marketing Tips For Beginners No.1: Find A Niche

The first and most important step to Internet marketing is to find a niche. This needs to be something within a market that people are already searching for online but where the need is greater than the resources available. This may sound complicated but this simply means to find something in high demand with low competition. This can be done by researching keywords within your market using tools such as the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. This will give you variations of your keywords and phrases along with average monthly searches and a level of competition. Research is key as there is no point going into a niche that does not have people searching for it. No matter how good an idea may seem to you, if the numbers don’t stack up then forget it and move on.

Internet Marketing Tips For Beginners No.2: Find A Product

Once you have researched and found a good niche to begin marketing in you will obviously need a product to sell. You can of course create your own product within that niche and begin marketing it online however as a beginner I imagine you’re thinking ‘how do I do that?’. No problem, because you do not have to create you own product. I would recommend that you become an affiliate to an already proven product. This simply means that you will be marketing someone else’s product for them and taking a commission for you troubles. This way you do not need to worry about creating a product, packaging, shipping, refunds, customer services etc. Your job simply is to drive traffic to the product using your internet marketing skills and knowledge and collect your commission. Affiliate programs can pay anything from 10-70%, sometimes more so it is a great way to start earning money online. Again though I would advise thorough research in the product as you do not want to be selling something that people will be unhappy with as this could damage your reputation as a marketer.

Internet Marketing Tips For Beginners No.3: Become An Authority

Becoming an authority within your niche is crucial. People are far more likely to buy from you if you are displaying good valuable content and seen as an authority. It is important to add personality and to build a relationship with your leads and prospects. This way they are more likely to come back to you and buy your products. The best way to become an authority is to create your own authority website or blog site. This is where you can give reports or reviews of the products you are marketing. You can do this through your blog using articles or video reviews.

Internet Marketing Tips For Beginners No.4: Build A List

You may have already heard the term ‘The money is in the list’, well this is very true. Building an email list of targeted subscribers will make it far easier to build a good relationship with your prospects. The best way to do this is to include an opt-in form on your website. This is often followed up with a free gift or offer to provide value to your subscribers immediately. Once you have built a list of targeted followers within your niche you will be able to continue to provide value to your prospects by broadcasting regularly with your latest blogs, videos and reviews and more importantly your products. Another great way to build your list is to use lead capture pages or squeeze pages. This is basically a single page website delivering your free offer or gift and clearly displaying your opt-in form. There are various ways to drive traffic to this page for free such as using social media marketing, video marketing and article marketing.

Internet Marketing Tips For Beginners No.5: Be Consistent

Once you have your website set up, you are getting a constant flow of traffic and your list is building it is important to be consistent with your content, particularly in the beginning. It is extremely rare for someone to buy from you the very first time they visit your site so if you can keep them coming back to fresh new content that will give value to that person then you are far more likely to generate a regular income and be a far more successful Internet marketer.

http://jaredalleman.com/internet-marketing-tips-for-beginners/