Stop Trying To Game Social Media

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If you hired a business to do anything for you, let's say to come in and clean your office; if they told you that they were just going to make your office appear as though it were clean to everyone else outside of your company, while not actually doing the job, you would laugh in their face. Who can honestly justify trying to take shortcuts for mere appearances? Well unfortunately a large portion of social campaigns and, "social media experts," are selling just that, a product which doesn't actually connect with users online and simply maintains the appearance of engagement. Social media marketing has been getting a bad rap lately because of the way it is being utilized, not the medium itself. If done correctly, people can engage with companies and traffic can again become relevant without spamming or buying fake followers.

"For those who sell things online, social media seems like any other game of Monopoly; a vast community of users with property for sale that you want to occupy with your product. Unfortunately though, the easiest way with social media marketing is the wrong approach and effectively gaming the system is equivalent to rolling doubles three times in a row. It’s no secret that the old cowboy days of optimization meant a lot of lawless tactics. Subverting the system was the best way to maximize search results, and who was keeping score anyway? Those hoping to translate their mastery of algorithms to a new type of site quickly learn though that things don't work the same way. Instead of a blind algorithm that can easily be fooled, you’re now dealing with real people who have more intelligent reactions to your efforts. Don’t buy utilities, understand railroads are risky, and know that shortcuts in the game of Social Media will get you sent to jail. The only way to succeed is to play the master of the house’s rules, and these days, the master is the average user. "

Read the full article on Social Media Today

How To Analyze Campaign Success Rates Through Landing Pages

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When looking at a digital campaign for any website, unique visits, time spent on page and the bounce rate can be incredibly revealing statistics. With a low bounce rate and the others being high, that means you're doing incredibly well, but in my professional experience this rarely happens right off the bat. Due to poorly written meta descriptions, keywords and content on page a visitor might think they're coming to your site for the wrong kind of information, hence the bounce. So how do you remedy the situation? 

"It's no secret that for companies with an online presence, bigger is better when it comes to digital campaigns. Sometimes, however, the results are not necessarily what the company expects or wants. What do you do at this point? Cry a little? Pull your hair out? No, you do some homegrown research to find what the problems may be and you learn how to fix them.

The best options for determining a campaign's success is by tracking your analytics and conversion rates through your final landing page. By interacting with users online, through social media, blogs, or any other community, you are establishing a relationship that needs to benefit their needs and concerns. Managing a successful campaign is all about understanding your targeted audience and finding the best ways to appeal to them. Get active in finding the best approaches to maintaining customer retention by understanding what pages and information yield the most positive results." --> continued 

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What Do You Want Your Website Visitors To Do?

Read the full article on Business Computing World

If you are doing digital marketing right, then you are reaching the right audience online and effectively drawing them into your website. Great. Now that they are here though, how do you effectively portray your message and generate a lead? Is there a clear path for a visitor to take in order to go through the full process of realization of need, research, consideration and purchase? The conversion process is much more in depth than simply throwing the price of a product online and needs to be thought out carefully to maximize your outlets on the web. 

"Websites cannot remain static and effective at achieving high conversions. It's an either-or decision. Every company should answer the question: What do you want your site visitors to do? Your answer determines your conversion goals. Are you missing out on potential micro conversions by focusing too much on the macro level? Are you only tracking one macro conversion funnel?

You should concentrate on one overriding objective: Relevancy. Ask yourself if you're sending the right message to the right person at the right time? Converting your audience may require a combination of new calls to action, upgraded content and a new user interface. Your choice depends on how relevant it is to your audience."

Read the full article on Business Computing World

The Benefits Of Making Direct Mail Marketing Personal

Read the full article on Blag-O-Vision

When it comes right down to it content is king. Period. If you provide excellent material then your readers, fans, audience, whoever you are speaking to or are trying to connect with will actually relate and connect with you / your product. It proves that you are invested in what they are, and can speak with your audience on their level as equals, not just some brand on a pedestal shouting down commands to buyers. This is applicable to large corporations, distributors, websites, mom and pop stores, and even social media profiles. By being personal and catering to why people are paying attention you can maintain that relationship.

"There are a few disputes about marketing regarding what avenues a business needs to utilize and which are the most effective and profiting. But each time a new conclusion is drawn, something changes the game, a new social media outlet, a Google engine update, the next mobile device. The answer appears simple but daunting: Use them all. Email, postal mail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc, can all help your marketing efforts. Just as each company is unique and feeds off the ingenuity of its various workers, the platform for reaching its audience is equally distinct. While it is essential for any business to use any many means of marketing as possible, spreading out too far can run the impact of its messages thin. A tighter focus on certain direct mail practices can produce personal messages that capture attention."

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