Learn How A Lead Generation Company Can Assist You With Social Media Marketing

By Gregory Stevenson

Social media marketing is the fresh wave of the future that lots of companies are taking advantage of to get out there in front of the public. What many companies do not realize is the fact that having a social media marketing strategy is something that any sized business can have. You do not have to be a big company to utilize social media.

Technological know-how is improving in jumps and bounds and social media is just one more way that companies can advertise themselves. This is not only something for large more successful businesses, but also start-up companies. Social media may act as an ideal method for a new business to develop their client base due to the availability of social media.

Two of the forms of social media that social media marketing strategy can cover are Facebook and Twitter. The reputation of these providers is not in doubt. All you have to do is watch the news or read the Sunday paper to find out information about these types of services and just how they're getting used. The recent movie, The Social Network, uses the founding of Facebook and proves how the open public is immersed with social networking in all its functions.

A company doesn't have to employ both of these methods for their social media marketing strategy, though the ease of use and cost involved it can be a good idea to expand to both. Luckily, using these social media outlets does not require a degree in information technology, but as you expand it is possible to require more help in either keeping up with updates and posts or more technical aspects.

It is never too late for the business to get involved with a social media market strategy. Do not feel that since the popularity of social media has skyrocketed that you missed the boat. This is not something that will go away over night based on that reputation and can help your company gain popularity also.

There's still sufficient time for the company to start utilizing social media. Any business will benefit from having a presence on social media sites. Starting out now with social media is not hard and will be a good way to advertise the business.

The simplest way to get started doing a social media marketing strategy is to become familiar with the different services. Head to their particular web sites and search over any materials they provide regarding how to sign up and account set up. There is plenty of material available on the internet and in book form on using social media for your company. He can also contact a lead generation company who can assist you in getting started. They can also help with your content marketing.

A different way to understand social media is to set up an individual account first, if you don't already have one. In many ways a personal account is very similar to a company's account in the way they are set up and used. Having the ability to apply what you have learned through a personal account is a good way to learn more about social media.

About the Author:

Today there's social media marketing, content marketing, SEO, PPC, and other marketing strategies that can deliver your message to more people than has ever been possible before. But none of that matters if the message doesn't stick, if it doesn't resonate with your public. Contact a lead generation company to begin your marketing campaign.

Using Twitter As A Marketing Tool

By James Duncan

Social media marketing is hot right now, and for good reason. Businesses that utilize it are seeing significant benefit in terms of brand awareness. Along with Facebook, advertising with Twitter has risen meteorically over the last year.

You almost certainly already know tweeting entails writing a message to your "followers" or subscribers in 140 characters or less (inclusive of spaces), but check out these amazing details describing Twitter's growth:

A study from Twitter app Twopcharts, (not a Twitter organization), showed a stunning 465 million Twitter accounts in 2012 with 500 million expected sometime in 2012. Further, as reported at thenextweb.com, in September 2011 Twitter announced that the quantity of active Twitter users was 100 million per month. Also, Twitter.com was visited by over 400 million special monthly guests. With that sort of reach, no organization can afford to miss out on using this tool in their marketing and PR.

Here are a few simple guidelines to help you execute a successful Twitter marketing campaign:

Tip 1

Just launching a Twitter account or want far more followers? The top strategy to get activity fast is sign up for a totally free "get followers" service. You'll find some excellent web sites out there but beware that you'll find also many pay solutions on the market that try and lure you with a free of charge demo period. To locate a genuinely free site, take a look at howtogetlikes.com which is a totally free page that rates and will direct you to the best free of charge websites that enable you to acquire Twitter followers. Howtogetlikes.com also lists best free of charge Internet sites to find Facebook likes, YouTube subscribers and other social media activity generation.

Tip 2

Follow Twitter's official blog, which is constantly updated with new tools and resources. You can find the latest there on resources to make the most of Twitter. For example, the company will be launching a small business advertising option in 2012 in the U.S. that will add a new way for small businesses to get into advertising with Twitter.

Tip 3

Use a URL shortener like the free tools at TinyURL.com, bitly.com or another to shorten your link and not take up all your characters. It's hard enough to write a well-crafted message in 140 characters as is. Don't make it harder by taking up vital space with your URL. You should also be including a URL in almost every tweet to lead your followers to taking some kind of action.

Tip 4

Make sure your Twitter account profile is complete and designed as a marketing piece on its own. It should contain an image, your website URL, and short but detailed enough information about your company, product or service. Many people click on profiles and some will click through to your website if you've sold them on a reason to visit you.

Tip 5

Assign the activity of managing your social media marketing to one individual within your company. It is best to make your "Social Media Manager" a key part of your staff. They should come up with social media tactics based around all actions your company takes, whether it be introducing new products or what have you. Ensure they develop a consistent flow of social media communication , including frequent tweeting, to create your social media approach function. Note that not communicating enough or, perhaps worse, an excessive amount of can render your campaign ineffective.

About the Author:

James Duncan is Editor at openthebusiness.com. For more tips on social media, marketing strategy and business subscribe to the free bi-weekly e-letter "BizTools Update" at openthebusiness.com. Act now and instantly get a free 33-page e-book on Twitter marketing techniques just for signing up.

What Is Cause Marketing?

By James Duncan

As you and your company work to develop creative marketing ideas, don't forget to look at cause marketing. So, what is cause marketing?

Cause marketing is actually a advertising technique in which there is a win-win for both a for-profit firm along with a charitable cause charity. The charity receives direct monetary benefit and usually also valuable exposure, which can result in more donations. The marketer or company advantages include essentially positive publicity and goodwill, which, if handled appropriately can translate into increased business.

In this article, we're going to examine a fantastic case of a cause marketing campaign executed well. We'll also use the sample case to highlight much more clearly some possible issues that can arise in cause marketing that companies need to be cautious about and the best way to not encounter them.

Our sample case also has a very clever feature regarding how it's paid for. Amazingly, it is 100% cost-free.

Begin with actually wanting to do some good

Absolutely everyone would agree that it is terrific to help a cause they believe in. Find the charitable organization that you would like to aid based on what your heart says. As you select a precise charitable recipient within your chosen cause area, it is best to select a major, well-known charity. Doing this offers the most folks a sense of comfort that the effort is safe and nothing irregular. If you are a local business, like our case study below, pick a local chapter of a major charity if you can. An additional solid solution can be a well-known local charity.

You also need to be happy with your cause choice but consumers are typically very receptive of programs with charities such as the Humane Society, March of Dimes, Red Cross, UNICEF and so on, as opposed to Joe's Truly Huge Children's Charity. Okay, that is not a true charity but you get the concept. Picking an well-established charity is more essential the broader your market demographic is. CharityNavigator.org is an excellent resource for examining the legitimacy of a charity if you're not positive.

Program structure and PR plan are critical

The next key is getting the positioning of your cause marketing program just right. You want people to know you are doing this for the sake of doing good, not just looking good. We'll talk about this more in our example.

You also must take great care with how you let prospects and customers uncover what good works you're doing. It is much better if they learn about it on their own. You should make sure they learn about your charity work on their own rather than being fed PR and marketing messages to ensure they know about it.

In the end, if you've planned your positioning and PR well, you'll see that prospects and clients will perceive your company better than before. Then, theoretically, it is more likely that they will buy your product or service.

Here's our case study

Hybrid Realty Group is complete service real estate firm in Miami, Florida. Like most Realtor firms the company's website hybridrealtygroup.com has elements such as articles about properties, the market, and a property search function. Nonetheless, it also features a home page menu tab called Marketplace. Visitors are directed to the website page "Shop For Charity." (Go see it as you read this--it'll enable you to recognize how this cause marketing approach works). Featured in the Shop For Charity are ads for goods and services that new real estate buyers or sellers would find of interest.

This includes products in categories like home and garden, technology, recreation and more. In other words, the section is a service to Hybrid Realty's customers and this makes it a fantastic inclusion for that purpose alone. The ads are all acquired from a high-end affiliate advertising and marketing network in which advertisers pay commissions to web sites that run their advertisements.

A special charity angle

Here's the special angle: Hybrid Realty Group donates 100% in the affiliate ad commissions it receives towards the Humane Society of Greater Miami. This entire plan costs Hybrid absolutely nothing, but assists a charity in a very real financial way. Hybrid also boosts their presence by giving the charity a banner ad on its home page and participating in local events in the charity also, backing up their assistance with much more activity throughout the year.

Here are some of the things Hybrid Realty did to make this program work and position it just right:

-They state clearly that 100% of the ad commissions go to the charity. This firmly establishes that they have no profit motive behind the move. After all, website advertising is not their business, real estate is. Unless your main business is online advertising/an affiliate site don't create this kind of program and then tell people that only "10%" or "25% of our profits" go the the charity. This sends all the wrong signals, as if you're actually just trying to develop another revenue stream for your business.

-They do not trumpet the fact that they are doing this. They let people discover it on their own. Not talking about this in a PR-fluffed way creates a much stronger positive message than making fanfare about it. Do not issue press releases or plaster it too far and wide. Let your charitable act quietly speak for itself.

-They chose a brand name charity as the recipient. In their case they chose a local chapter of a nationally-known charity.

4. They carefully chose advertisers which can be genuinely helpful to their target web site guests, making a win all around.

5. They put no other marketing on their website and generally make certain that in all other ways they come across as a company focused on their real estate business. Not one looking to squeeze out extra profits at every turn.

-They back up their financial support with involvement at the local level by supporting and participating in local fundraising activities, adopt-a-pet days and so on.

-Last, but maybe most important, they truly believe in their chosen cause. This is clear from the commitment they display throughout the components of their campaign.

Cause marketing can be a great fit for most companies

A lot more can be written on what is cause marketing and different strategies to utilize it. It certainly can bring a refreshing and unique angle to your marketing approach.

In the end, search to find a cause to you believe in, get inventive to land on a unique approach, carefully plan passive communication, and sit back and enjoy increased buyer goodwill and the joy helping to make a slightly better world at the same time.

About the Author:

James Duncan is a cutting-edge marketing pro and Chief Editor at openthebusiness.com. There you can see more of his articles on marketing, social media marketing, business operation, startups and more. Also get a free 33-page marketing e-report now by subscribing to the site's free e-letter.

Improving Your Business With Communication Measurement

By Chloe Gib

Communication measurement is a tool used to maintain good public relations of a business with its stakeholders by checking their attitudes and behavior. It helps in the consideration of the stakeholders when people are making decisions for a company. This helps to align the attitudes of a stakeholder and the business goals and outcomes.

This measurement is commonly done once in a year by experts outsourced by an organization or by those employed to do so. Measurement can also be done before a campaign to know the effectiveness of a program. It is done at some intervals so measure the shifts of stakeholder's attitudes.

There are two main types or procedures of communication measurement that people employ in their organizations. They start with the baseline research. This should be done to check the attitudes, information and behavior that the people have just before the campaign is done. They consider how information is passed and received.

The next type is the functional one. This is done after a campaign to see if its functionality is effective. It is done through comparisons of the results of the baseline research. Some of the element they study is the number of messages sent, those delivered and those that failed to be delivered. They check if it is satisfactory to them.

The first thing you need to do for matching the campaign results with the outcomes of this business is to look for the objectives of the company that can be impacted. You then have to break out behavior that need changing by the stakeholders in order to achieve the organization goals. This should be done as much as many have ignored it. AS soon as you are through with it, you can identify the stakeholders involved and check what attitude and information should change so as to change the behavior and select the best channel for them. After you have finished all this then you may sit down and come up with a good channel and relevant message.

Some of the impacts to measure include the types of messages delivered and the feedback from the stakeholders. One checks on the way the message influenced their behavior. The impact on the business goals and outcomes should be quantified and finally the financial impact is evaluated by considering the clients and stakeholders retained.

The methodologies applied on the communication measurements include questionnaires, making discussion groups and focus groups. This research may be done internally for the employees or externally to the stakeholders. It aim is to stabilize the people involved in the business with its goals and outcomes.

About the Author:

Angela Jeffrey & Associates offers communication measurement and public relations evaluations for your company. Get top research from the best. (http://www.measurementmatch.com/)

The Right PR Is Actually More Essential To Enterprises Nowadays Than Ever Before

By Prescott Greenson

Public relations have long been essential for companies, however these days there is an increased degree of significance placed on public relations. The fact is, the internet has changed the business landscape and a corporation's reputation matters more since individuals can readily discuss their very own ideas via the internet over a number of social sites where negativity moves quickly.

Those that are thinking about making an investment in broadcast PR are often advised to consider the influence this may have when it comes to winning over positive views from an audience that's much bigger compared to what this company could possibly have in terms of its own customer base. PR experts understand that with this type of Public relations, many more people may be reached and a level of authenticity and authority may be accomplished that is not obtainable through print or internet based sources.

With this type of outreach, individuals are far more likely to go ahead and take the sales message seriously and, within their minds, it truly is more essential because broadcast sources are often thought to be more reliable. TV and radio are the best ways of getting in front of people who may not utilize the internet, though businesses are advised of the fact that these people will speak with those who do and this can have an added benefit because of that spreading tendency.

The reality is, the radio still remains to be an amazingly practical approach to get in touch with an audience. With radio PR, an organization can reach people whilst they commute to work as well as during other instances when these people may be congregating with other individuals, as well.

The radio still maintains a ultra powerful position in the minds of clients and together with repetition factor which the proper set of advertisements may offer, the message is also more likely to be internalized by the listener, something which public relations professionals realize is a very powerful effect. For those who are interested in obtaining real results, radio remains an incredibly important way to reach out and establish trustworthiness quickly while relaying an important message.

To get the best quality results, this is certainly one platform that has a solid reputation of delivering everything that Public relations experts consider to be the two most significant goals of just about any platform: reach and also authority. Those thinking about a PR campaign must keep broadcast PR in mind. Although the net gives a variety of positive aspects, broadcast platforms continue to retain a lot of sway over numerous prospects into customers.

About the Author:

The article author is an authority on radio PR and broadcast PR. To learn more about the broadcast and radio PR services have a look at the site.