An Examination of the Social Demographics for Various Major Networks

Social networks have taken on a great role in our lives, and a number of major networks have established themselves over a few years. It is interesting to examine the kinds of social demographic that major networks such as Facebook, Google +, Twitter, YouTube and others have.

Why is it interesting to learn these demographic facts? Well, if you are a marketer, it always helps to know about the people you are advertising to. If you are not a marketer, you are probably visiting certain networks for some other reason. Knowing the kinds of users each network has will give you a greater understanding of where you can connect with people who have goals/interests similar to yours. Below is a brief examination of the people who frequent Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

"Social networks allow you to find and connect with people who have goals/interests similar to yours" [tweet this].

Social Networks and Their Demographics

GENDER

Google Plus is the best social media site to promote gadgets, software and other products for males.  Given that more than 70% of its users are males (40% of them are single), products that will help with meeting or attracting ladies will be easier to sell.

Pinterest users are mostly (more than 80%) women. These women have been identified to be highly interested in sharing their knowledge and ideas about crafts, gifts, hobbies, leisure, interior design, fashion etc. Social media marketers are advised to open an account and promote their products in Pinterest if their product is for creative and fashionable women.

AGE

Twitter has a lot of captive buyers for you if your product is for 25 year olds or older. Whoever is composing tweets (messages) for marketing should be witty since there is a limit of 140 characters per tweet. In addition, more than 40 % of Twitter users access their accounts using their mobile phones so products related to mobile phones would be interesting to twitter users.

EDUCATION

As you can probably tell, LinkedIn is a network filled with academically-accomplished people who have a lot of money to spend. Many of them are businessmen and businesswomen. Studies show that more than 60% of LinkedIn users use the site for business. So, whether you want to make connections or help grow your business (or anything else business-related), LinkedIn is perhaps the best place to start.

INCOME

Considering the diversity of Facebook users, this site is a great venue for all social media marketers to connect with current and possible clients. Also, since around 200 million of their users access the site using their mobile phones, it is a great site to promote mobile phone devices, accessories and applications.  

YouTube’s social demographics are harder to get a clear or precise picture of; for instance, the base age demographic is said to be between 18 and 54 years (a very wide range), and 70% of the website's traffic comes from outside the U.S.

As a result, if you are going to be using YouTube to reach out to specific social demographics, you'll have a good chance of succeeding. There are millions upon millions of people of all ages, from all kinds of backgrounds and parts of the world, earning different incomes; from spoiled ten-year-olds to wise elders who just learned to use the computer. You'll find it's a true mixing pot of demographics.

However, one thing can be certain, and it's that most users go to YouTube to watch short videos and be entertained, meaning many users are looking for short thrills and don't have much patience, at least not when navigating that website. So make sure your videos are short and entertaining.

Conclusion:

Based on the above data, social network users come from all walks of life, and of varying ages. One can safely conclude that there is a huge pool of prospect clients for all social media marketers. All they (marketers) need to do is identify the right site for their product to ensure that they are promoting their product to the right clients.

Sources:

Mashable

YouTube Analytics

ReelSEO

Facebook Newsroom

Venture Beat

Amzini

Slideshare

HubSpot Blog

Ignite Social Media

Maximize a Conference Event

Use your social marketing tools before your conference event

How can you make the most from a conference event? You meet a lot of people, shake hands, and gather business cards, but you can only do so much during the event. There are so many people there that you don’t really know anybody until you get there. Sure, you might see a familiar face or two, but for the most part, a new group of people is going to provide you with the most opportunity. 

However, there lies the problem of meeting the right people. How do you prepare for a conference? Would you show up and simply demonstrate your professionalism and wisdom, and hope you catch some good leads? Or would you prepare for the event, utilizing all the tools available to you?

Meeting the right people

Having something in common with your fellow attendees is incredibly helpful for beginning a conversation. For this reason, social networks can be incredibly invaluable. Consider contacting the hosts of your conference and asking them for a list of other attendee names. From here, you can research business-oriented networks such as Linkedin and other social sites, to gain insight on what their interests are. Who is going to be there? Social links help you discover associated interests you share with others. What are some trending topics that other attendees are discussing? 

This will help you develop a connection strategy to employ during the event. What individuals have the most in common with you? What are some good conversation starters for these people? You will enter the event knowing who to look for and how you can help each other. In these cases, sites such as Linkedin are ideal for identifying the business side of an individual. 

Networking

When you do begin to network, associate yourself and communicate that you would like them to join and enhance your networks, ideally social networks. This is a great way to start an ongoing relationship, and often it is much less bulky than juggling business cards. Smartphone technology is handy in this type of situation- simply tell them you’ve sent them a request to join your network. Now you have a good contact and information that won’t be lost or misplaced. Also, inquire from your associates on their own social sites and tell them that you are going to follow them, such as Twitter. This tends to stimulate more conversation, such as- “I prefer to use (fill in the blank) social sites”. This will help you identify hot spots and social preferences to look for later on.

Keep talking

What about making others talk about you? Word of mouth marketing is a powerful tool, but it can be limited in a networking setting in which everyone is talking about themselves. But, don’t neglect the fact that conferences don’t end when everyone exits the scene. Following up is just as important as the event. Follow attendees on Twitter or Pinterest where social sites are open networks. Investigate their company pages and subscribe to their blogs. Each time you follow, friend, or otherwise associate yourself with your contact’s online network, they see your name one more time. Additionally, you are able to see their expertise and apply their network to your own. 

When it comes to networking at an event, it is always best, and most efficient, to come prepared. Know the people you are going to meet and identify the people you need to meet. Spend your experience wisely and always be prepared.

Higher Google Results for Your Personal Brand

Higher Google results for personal branding

At one point or another, most of us have tried to Google our brand… and chances are that the results were less than pleasing. This makes sense considering there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people out there trying to promote their own unique brands with the help of search engines. Fortunately, there are ways to create results in order to make your brand appear higher up on Google search results and here is a little guide on how to implement them.

Understand Google’s Power

To start things off, it is important to understand the kind of power Google has and how people see you through it. It should be said that every single day, more than a billion names or brands are searched on Google by people from all over the world. Another interesting fact states that about 94% of people who make searches on Google don't go beyond the first page of results. This means that if you are to make it with the help of search engine rankings, you will have to dominate on the first page.

Dominating the first page is easier than it sounds, considering that only 2% of people actually own the first page of Google; only 50% own their first result, a quarter of pages have absolutely no positive content whatsoever to help themselves, with 15% of Google results on the first page having at least one negative result that lowers their reputation. To put it in other words, many first pages are still up for the taking with Google search rankings.

Which Networks

So how exactly should you work on increasing your reputation? Well, social media profiles are an excellent way to do that, especially with Facebook having just reached the billion user mark recently. Not all profiles will give you the same kind of boost. For starters, the most beneficial one is Linkedln, ranking higher than all other networks and website builders. You can also use Facebook  and Twitter as they have a large number of users themselves. As far as blogging goes, you should focus on making WordPress profiles; they rank much higher than even Tumblr and Blogger. Also, as surprising as it may seem, a profile on Vimeo ranks higher with search engines than a YouTube profile. Yet YouTube is by far the powerhouse that can deliver the reach and frequency of your message.  If you are into hosting pictures, then Flickr should be your only choice as it is the only picture hosting website that appears within the first two pages of Google.

Unfortunately, simply creating a run-of-the-mill profile isn't enough. You need to use a service such as BrandYourself which works by first having you submit content about your personal brand. Then, you are provided with tools you can use to make sure that your links are friendly for the search engines. Their tools are going to analyze your profiles and provide you with "boost steps" to increase your positive pages’ ranks. Finally, you are going to receive alerts whenever anything happens to your profiles, allowing you to constantly stay on top of your business. You can even find the service to find out who is Googling your brand and when!

How Can Great Content be Created

Content creation for your personal branding

Content generation and content distribution are some of the phrases that you will come across when you start building your own business. You will also often hear the term, "content is king". When you’re focusing on building great products and services, you may wonder what exactly is so important about having good content and who can create it.

You may be aware of the crucial role that a website, Facebook, and Twitter page can play in ensuring your brand’s exposure. You can enhance your brand’s ranking in search engines by adding relevant and intuitive content to your website and social media accounts. When you do that, your website will not only be a place where your customers will go to in order to see your products or services, it will also be a place where potential customers will go to for valuable information.

To illustrate the point better, let us assume that you want to buy a kayak and that you have come across a couple of different websites. In one website, you see different models of kayaks along with their prices. However, a second website has that and a blog written by the founder of the company giving beginners tips in kayaking. It also has links to some of the best kayaking destinations and videos showing helpful tips such as what to do when your kayak overturns. Though both websites provide the information you were initially looking for, the content in the second website makes it much more attractive and is more likely to gain new customers.

It is a fact that incorporating as much information as possible into your website will not provide the intended benefits. The content that you provide must have value to the visitors of your website. Here are five simple ways of finding great content for your brand:

1. Provide how-to information

You may have extensive knowledge about your products as well as your industry. However, your target audience is not likely to have the same in-depth knowledge. This presents you with an opportunity to help them. Starting with the basics, you can include information on how to do many things. To give you an example, if you are a maker of online applications, you can offer tips that your audience can understand as to how they can become successful through a distance learning program. You can make use of a blog post, a video presentation or articles to convey the information to your audience. Whatever the method that you adopt, it must be simple, light, easy to read and informative.

2. Provide inside information

Give people the feeling that they have the privilege of getting insider information when they go to your website. They will absolutely love it. The information that you add or update on a daily basis may not be exciting to you, but your audience may be looking forward to it. To give you an idea as to what you can do to give them this feeling, here is an illustration. Assume that you are at a trade show and identifying suppliers for your upcoming product. You can take a few pictures of the fair and make it available in your website. Such information sharing will not only provide greater access to your brand, but also add a human touch.

3. Have a Founder's Column

Customers often want to get to know the founders of a company better as it helps them identify better with the company. As the founder, you must have a presence on your website and contribute to your column regularly. Founder's blogs are available in the websites of many companies. The topics in these blogs include the latest information on trends in their field of operation, personal success stories, etc. This is not only an opportunity to provide unique and enticing content, but it’s also great for public relation efforts and helps build customer loyalty to your brand.

4. Facility for interaction

People like interacting with others and also the brand they adore. This is one of the major reasons why social media is so popular. It is therefore important that you have the facility for regular interactions with the audience. You can arrange for contests on a weekly basis, rope in guest bloggers and encourage your audience to share relevant videos, photos, thoughts, etc. You will have a growing community around your brand even before you realize it. You will also have a great archive of content.


5. Take charge

You may think that all the content has to be created by you. But that is not correct. You can share an article or any content related to your industry or brand that you happen to come across. You should not reproduce the articles that you see on websites without prior permission. However, you can always share a link or an excerpt. It is even better if you add your own opinion. This is a great way of making your audience know about your connections outside your business. This adds to your credibility and also helps to stay ahead of the competition.

As you strive to educate, inspire and establish a connection with your audience, you should keep in view the fact that your content is an extension of your brand. The content must be kept relevant. It is also important to ensure that words are not spelled wrong and the content is always grammatically correct. You want to give the impression that your company is professional, not careless.

RebelMouse Initial Review

Gather information and control your social marketing tools

The number of social media sites that we use continues to grow as the years pass. It wasn't too long ago that we had no concept of a status update, but now most of us have promoted them from just one part of our Facebook profile to the cornerstone of our Twitter accounts. It seems clear that the social media integration is not complete, as sites like Instagram and Tumblr have become more and more ubiquitous. Indeed, the days of social marketing are just beginning.

But already with only a couple of sites, many of us are wondering how to achieve some integration. For those of us with independent websites, we are involved in a near constant existential crisis over our inability to keep our homepages as fresh and new as our Twitter feed. This is where RebelMouse comes in. RebelMouse is a beta site unveiled by former Huffington Post chief tech officer, Paul Berry.

Your own updated and fresh home page

RebelMouse provides you with a homepage that collects all of your social media accounts into one place. And what's even better is that the page is constantly refreshed - without you having to do anything! It gathers your fresh social media content automatically, and then allows you to rearrange your posts to highlight those that you feel deserve it (and demote those that don't).

RebelMouse also provides you with a platform where you can create new posts and content. You can invite people to contribute to your page and follow your page, both of which foster the sense of community found with other social media sites. Analytics are provided that help you to learn about and analyze the demographics of your traffic.

The possible uses are nearly endless. They range from basic attempts to aggregate social media to advanced social marketing. Its features make it a great option for blogging. The format of RebelMouse also makes it a great way to disseminate information about particular topics. For example, a page on categories of products or even famous personalities could group posts and tweets about a particular topic and give you a vast amount of information from a variety of sources. This rich complexity of information seems to be the internet at its finest.

It’s a great place for a snapshot of what your connections are interested in and talking about all across all social networks and the site is also a repository of information for what interests you and what you are focused on.

A combination of the best

RebelMouse combines all of the great aspects of other social media sites into one easily digestible feed. The simplicity of Twitter is still present; you can read status updates on RebelMouse. But an additional layer of complexity is added when those Tweets are juxtaposed with other comments, news stories, and pictures that logically belong next to them.

It’s visual aspects also allow for fluid movement between pictures and text, all the while in a way that seems to allow you to absorb information very unintentionally. This format, similar to Pinterest, adds another informative layer. It provides an ease of transition between text and images that is hard to find elsewhere.

One of the reasons why this site is so useful is that we find updating our Twitter or Facebook feeds very easy, but when it comes to keeping our homepage up to date, we struggle. RebelMouse does away with that problem and takes all of the difficulty out of having an updated homepage.

Social is Brand Research and Brand Communication

Boost your personal branding with social media

Social media is definitely a way to pass time now.  In the past, people used to while away their time listening to the radio or watching TV. Now it seems that everything and everyone can be found on the web. And the word “social” has come to mean social networking sites and platforms where people and brands can engage and connect.

For brands, social has a different meaning, however. It’s about reaching out to consumers in the best way possible. It’s about engaging with them and connecting with them. It’s about understanding what consumers want and providing it.

Social media provides brands with two basic benefits: ability to do brand research and brand communication.

Brand Research

If you’re wondering where to start in your word of mouth marketing, then social media is the way to go. And one of the best things you can do within different social media platforms is to conduct brand research.

There are many insights to be gained from social media interactions. By researching your target audience in social media, you can understand their lifestyles, their behavioral patterns, and even what motivates them to buy and purchase products and services. You can gain a better picture of your target audience and how they engage and connect with brands online. This can really help you discover and learn the best way to connect with them and hopefully get sales in return.

Here are some ideas on conducting social brand research:

       • Monitor keyword “buzz” in the social world and see what products and services related to your brand are trending

       • Test out campaigns to see which ones are effective and which ones aren’t

       • Create polls and surveys for your target audience

       • Monitor your customers and see what compels them to interact and engage with a brand

       • Get on Google Alerts and Analytics, use Twitter search, check Facebook insights, and monitor opt in rates to see which social marketing campaigns are getting the most reactions and which ones are getting left in the dust

Social media can definitely help you learn more about your consumers and what they’re really after. By conducting brand research in different social media platforms, you can effectively create a social marketing campaign that will reach your audience and make them respond.

Brand Communication

Another thing that social media allows you to do is brand communication. In the past, advertising and marketing campaigns were all about the one-way broadcasting of their message (think TV and radio) in the hopes of convincing people to try their products or services. Social media has changed all of that by giving consumers a voice. Now the conversation is a two-way street, where consumers can react to what brands say and claim, and brands can respond. Social media has basically given the power to the consumers.

As a small business brand, you can’t expect to just blare out your message and hope that people will docilely agree and accept it willingly. Consumers are a lot smarter nowadays – they ask questions, they want answers, and they aren’t passively absorbing what you say anymore. They react, they respond, they complain, and they make suggestions. If you don’t satisfy them, you can be sure that you will hear about it in social media.

Through social media, brands can communicate with their audience effectively. They can engage with them through different types of content, respond to their questions, and offer customer support if there are problems that need to be addressed. Many people prefer interacting on a brand’s social media page, as this gets a lot faster response than a ticket submitted through the brand’s website. After all, in social media, it’s not just the two of you talking – the whole world can view your conversation.

Brand research and communication in social media

Social media has truly innovated the way people interact with brands. It’s not enough to provide a solution to a problem anymore. With the competition among brands today, you really have to offer your consumers something more valuable than that in order to be successful.

Utilize social media in brand research and communication so you’re able to understand what your audience wants and can communicate with them effectively. Don’t just be the brand who blends in with all the others. Make yourself stand out by really offering what the consumers want.

So always remember to do your research and regularly engage with your audience so that your brand isn’t far from their minds. Social media is here to stay, so make sure you utilize it wisely.

Author:

Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com – a word of mouth marketing firm.   She helps create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.   Maria Duron is co-founder and moderator of #brandchat - a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.

Youtoo Can Benefit You Too

Youtoo helps your personal branding

Want to be on TV? Well, today, you no longer have to be an actor to appear on TV. With Youtoo Social TV, you can have your 15 seconds of spotlight. You can even be featured in your favorite TV shows.

What exactly is Youtoo Social TV? It is currently the only Social TV platform available in the market that allows viewers to become participants in a television program from practically any location. So even if you’re on the other side of the world, as long as you have Internet, you can record using Youtoo’s app and create a high-definition video file that’s ready to upload.

Youtoo already has mobile apps for iOS and Android where you can record 15 seconds of video, which you can then upload and share with the network. Not only this, but Youtoo recently launched something even better – a Facebook to TV app.

This is the first ever Facebook to TV app that allows Facebook users to create videos of themselves and upload them so they can air on national television. The app is called “Be on TV” and it basically lets any Facebook user to have the chance to interact with their favorite TV show.

All you have to do it search for “Youtoo” on Facebook. When you find it just download the “Be on TV” app. After you record a video using the app, it will be posted on your Facebook wall so you can share it with your friends, and then it will be subject to approval by Youtoo.

Once the video is approved for airing, you will receive a Facebook notification to let you know the date and time your video will air so you can inform your friends and audience about it.

As a small business owner, getting some exposure on national television can definitely be significant for your brand. You want to promote brand awareness, you want people to know that your business exists, and you want customers and clients to know what you can offer to them. If you can get some air time, this can definitely boost brand awareness and is a great way to spread the word about your products.

Another feature that Youtoo offers is the Social Stream and Social Shout. It’s like text messaging but done a million-fold, since you’re broadcasting your text message to the entire TV audience. This is yet another feature that you can utilize for word of mouth marketing, as you aim to spread brand awareness and promote your products and services.

As Youtoo continues to grow, they continue to push out features that can benefit both people and brands. For example, during January of this year, Youtoo gave away 30-second PeopleMercials. Anyone could submit a 30-second video recording that, once approved, was aired on national television. People could talk about themselves and their business, show off their skills, and so much more. As a small business owner, you could create a short video telling how you started your business and what it’s all about. If your video is chosen to be aired, then you’ll definitely have some huge exposure for your small business.

As Youtoo continues to roll out some exciting events and features, as a small business owner, it would be to your advantage to monitor what’s coming, in order to benefit the most from the site.

Since it launched, Youtoo has broadcasted more than 90,000 videos recorded by viewers on national TV, and it has really revolutionized the concept of social TV. With its launch of “Be on TV” for Facebook users, it has truly bridged the gap between network TV and social media, enabling people to use these two platforms in one sitting.

Though social media may currently be the most popular platform for brands in today’s market, national television continues to hold a significant number of the population in thrall. Many people continue to enjoy spending their time in front of the television, whiling the hours away watching TV series, movies, game shows, and so on.

With Youtoo, you can now get exposure for your small business brand for free! Yes, Youtoo is a completely free service, but it’s important that the videos you submit for approval meet the criteria and don’t violate any of the site’s policies.

Are you wondering if you can promote your brand on national television? Yes, you can, with Youtoo’s Social TV platform. The best part is, you even have the ability to combine your social media campaigns with your exposure on TV, using Youtoo’s “Be on TV” Facebook app. So don’t ignore this site, since it may very well help you market your small business brand and increase your revenue.

Companies' Personal Connection as Influential as Friends'

For most brands of today, social media is “THE” place to be. It’s where most people are devoting their time nowadays, which is why small business brands are adding social media to their marketing mix in order to promote brand awareness and increase consumer engagement.

The main point in using social media in your marketing mix is to engage and connect with your audience. People don’t want to be bombarded with advertisements in Facebook or Twitter – they want to keep in touch with their friends, read interesting posts and updates, watch relevant videos, and get information about sales, specials and giveaways with regards to the brands they love.

As a small business owner, you’re definitely interested in how much you’re influencing consumers through social media. You want to know if you’re really increasing brand awareness, if your website is getting traffic from these platforms, and if it’s resulting in an increase of revenue for your business.

In a survey conducted by Market Force Information, they discovered that social content posted by brands are practically as influential as social content that are posted by friends. Social content is influencing consumers’ buying decisions, whether they’re posted by friends or brands.

The recent Market Force survey interviewed adults who are into social networking, and asked if they read comments, updates, tweets, and other social media content that were posted in the past 90 days by friends and brands they follow. The results showed that 81% of these people were influenced by their friends’ posts to purchase, while a comparatively high 78% were influenced by brands. This is very significant for businesses, both small and large.

Since companies and brands who are active in social media also wield a significant influence in consumers’ purchases, then there’s really no better time than today to ensure that you’re utilizing your social media platforms properly. As a small business owner, this is data that you can’t ignore – consumers want to connect with you on social media; they want you to influence their buying decisions.

The survey also shows that consumers are now seeking recommendations and checking reviews in social networking sites. This is where they try to obtain information about restaurants they want to try, retailers they want to buy from, and other products and services that they’re curious about. About 60% of those surveyed from the US say that they rely on brand feedback they read on friends’ social media posts, while in the UK, about half do this as well.

Some other revealing data: around 76% of US respondents regularly “like” the Facebook page of a business, with the most popular ones “liked” being those involved in food, travel, entertainment, finance and retail. This is comparable to 65% of UK respondents. Nearly half of these also follow the same businesses on Twitter. The main reason given by the respondents for following the brand on social media is to be updated on giveaways, specials, discounts and other incentives given by the business.

Perhaps the best part about brands in social media is the fact that it offers a two-way interaction between the business and its audience. Communication isn’t a one-way street anymore, and even the people in the audience can interact with each other within the platform. Your audience can reply to other people’s questions and comments, and this really helps in building a community around your brand.

Though having a social media account can also open you to criticisms and negative feedback, most brands find that having a social media presence really helps spread the word about their brand in a positive way. It offers an excellent way for the consumers of your small business brand to engage with you as well as with other clients and customers.

Rather than have people talk about your brand behind your back, it’s far better that they talk about you within a platform that you can monitor. This is what a social media presence helps you do. With the site, people can post both positive and negative feedback, and it really helps you discover what you can do to improve your brand and be able to answer any criticisms that come your way.

So don’t be afraid of social media. They’re currently the most popular platforms online that can help you promote your brand and increase revenue for your business. By ensuring that you have a social media presence, you can effectively connect and engage with your audience, and convince them to buy your products and services.

Does Your Business Need Moms?

There’s one group of people who are one of the most active in social networking sites and other social media platforms, it’s moms. In a social media study sponsored by Performics with nearly 3,000 participants, it was discovered that moms are more active, more present, and more engaged when it comes to using social networking sites, as compared with other women.

Here are some other statistics that came from the study with regards to usage of Facebook:

       • 85% of moms visit Facebook daily, as compared with 73% of other women

       • 82% of moms have had a Facebook account for more than a year, as compared with 76% of other women

       • 68% of moms consider their Facebook account extremely important, as compared with only 54% of other women

Also, with regards to purchasing as a result of social media, moms are also more likely to purchase because of a recommendation on a social networking site, and they are also more likely to purchase from brands and companies they “like” on Facebook and other social networks. This offers a world of opportunity for brands and businesses, and if there’s one question they should be asking themselves, it is this one: “Does my business need moms?”

The study also found that:

       • Moms are approximately 61% more likely to own a Smartphone compared to other women

       • Moms are 75% more likely to trust information from businesses in social networking sites compared to other women

       • Moms also actively champion and talk about the brands they like – 34% of them recommend brands on social networking sites, 24% of them talk about the brands they follow on Facebook, and 50% of them post interesting or relevant content about a brand

With the little spare time they have, moms are taking advantage of all the tools at their disposal. They are using their Smartphones, updating on Twitter, interacting on Facebook and Google+, creating fabulous pinboards on Pinterest, and even maintaining their own blogs. Because they devote a lot of time to these different social networking platforms, they really become excellent brand advocates and influencers, as they promote and talk about the brands and companies that they like and don’t like.

It was also discovered that one out of three bloggers are moms, according to a study by Nielsen. Bloggers are truly influential people, since many of them are posting, talking, and reviewing different brands honestly and straightforwardly. A negative review by an influential blogger can end up ruining your brand, unless you address the issue immediately.

As a small business brand, you can benefit a lot from including moms in your target audience. This is especially true if you’re in the apparel, automobile, and travel industry, since according to the Performics study, these are the main types of items that moms are ipurchasing.

Did you know that mom bloggers control around two trillion dollars worth of purchase power. This discovery revealed by this study is very significant to brands, since mom bloggers influence other moms and other people as well with regards to purchases.

Here are two questions you should ask yourself to determine if your business needs moms:

     1. Can your small business brand benefit from social marketing?

     2. Are the products and services you offer relevant to moms and families?

Most brands are likely to answer yes to these two questions, since in today’s times, all brands, whether personal or business ones, can benefit a lot from social marketing. And most products and services are relevant to moms and families today as well. From clothing and gadgets to automobiles and travel tours, there is practically no industry that a mom hasn’t expressed interest in yet.

Truly, any brand can benefit from having moms interested in their business. Because moms are highly social creatures who enjoy connecting and interacting in social media and online communities, they are the best people to spread your brand by word of mouth.
Targeting this highly active group of women can definitely be advantageous to your small business brand. So make sure your company doesn’t ignore moms! This incredibly influential group with high purchasing power can become the best brand advocates and influencers you can possibly meet!

What's the Call to Action?

When it comes to marketing your brand, there is always a goal. You want your audience to sign up for your newsletter, follow you in Twitter and Facebook, comment on your blog posts, buy your products, and obtain your services. You want them to complete an objective – to like your posts, join your contests, and share them with friends. You want them to retweet your content, repost it on their Facebook wall, repin your pins on Pinterest. Basically, you want them to take an action, which is why using a call to action in your social marketing campaign is essential.

You may think that it’s obvious what you want people to do, but sometimes, if you don’t clearly state it, your audience will nonetheless be oblivious to it. They’ll read your social media posts, but they won’t click to “like” it, nor will they leave a comment. They’ll read your blog post, but they won’t subscribe to your newsletter. This is why you need to give them a push – a direct call to action. You have to encourage people to go a step beyond just reading your entry to actually completing these specific actions that will be beneficial to your brand marketing.

So how do you effectively create calls to action that garners the attention of your audience and makes them complete your objective? Here are some tips:

     1. State your objective clearly and prominently

If you want people to take an action, then you need to state it clearly and prominently. In a blog post, for example, you can easily end with, “What do you think? Leave a comment.” This is a direct call to action so that people can quickly realize that you want them to leave a comment about what they think. If you don’t place this action call at the end of your entry, then people are likely to simply read the blog post and then move on without doing anything.

Placing the call to action in a prominent position is also a good idea. You don’t have to put it in all caps, or use a bold font just to get attention. But make sure that it’s placed somewhere that people will definitely see it. If it’s a blog entry, ending your post with the call to action is a good idea since some people may just skim through the post, and they might miss it if it’s in the middle. This also applies to Facebook updates – you can place the call to action either in the first sentence or the last once.

If the call to action is on your website, you should place it in a position that gets attention, and also have it in a different color so that it pops out on the page. Ideally, you should put it high on the page and in a central place so that people can really see it. You don’t want it to just blend into the background where people won’t notice it.

     2. Use active language and create urgency

Since you are encouraging people to take action, you should use active language and create a sense of urgency so that people will be compelled to do it now. Examples of some active words commonly used in calls to action include:

- Buy now
- Subscribe
- Register
- Sign up
- Download

And here are some examples on how to create a sense of urgency:

- Limited time offer
- Register now and save
- Today only special
- First ten to sign up will get a free gift

The more active the language and the more urgent the offer, the better. Just remember to always deliver what you promised.

     3. Convince people to take the action

There needs to be some incentive for people to complete the call to action. Ask yourself, what will they get out of it? It can be as simple as getting them to think or laugh with you in your social media posts, or getting them to sign up for your newsletter so they can have access to exclusive discounts and offers. It’s essential that they get something out of completing the call to action. Otherwise, what’s the point, right?

When it comes to social and word of mouth marketing, calls to action are definitely essential. Sometimes people need an extra push before they do something, and a call to action done properly will be just the thing needed for them to do what you want them to do.

Make your call to action clear and prominent, use active language, create a sense of urgency, and convince people to take the step necessary to complete the desired action. These are just a few simple steps that will help you engage and connect better with your audience.

How to Effectively "Game" Your Brand

Successful brands of today know that the key to success is connecting and engaging with the audience. You can’t just capture their attention – you have to learn how to keep it. You want your audience to stay longer in your website, interact more with you in social media, and effectively remember your brand and spread the word about it to other people.

This is why most brands now utilize an array of marketing strategies to promote their brand. And one of the most interesting and fun ways to do this is to “game” your brand.

So what exactly does “gaming” your brand mean? Well, it’s all about giving incentives to your customers, encouraging them to play, and giving them tangible or intangible rewards. Basically, people enjoy gaming – getting rewards, winning prizes, unlocking mysteries to discover new things.

Sometimes it’s not even about the incentive or reward, but the game itself. People enjoy being challenged – they like the thrill of solving a puzzle, and they love competing with fellow gamers.

But how exactly do you effectively launch a brand campaign that includes gaming? Here are some things you should first answer:

     1. Does your brand and gaming fit well with each other?

Not all brands and gaming go hand in hand. There are certain products or services that just don’t fit well with “gamification”, and it may brand’s like that more harm than good if they pursue gaming in their marketing campaign.

On the other hand, if your brand is all about fun and creating your own culture, then adding gaming to the mix can definitely give your brand a boost and encourage more interaction between your brand and your audience.

Think about how gaming fits into your brand’s current marketing campaign. Does it seem like the odd one out, or does it blend well with your other strategies? Don’t force gaming for the sake of adding it to your marketing mix – think of how well it fits in with your current plans first.

     2. Are your customers comfortable with “gamification”?


Before you even begin “gaming” your brand, you should start with understanding your audience. What do they like? What tickles their bones? Are they willing to try anything, or are they more cautious about new products and experiences? Would they be comfortable with “gamification”?

By knowing your audience, you can get a rough idea of whether they would be interested or not in gaming, and if they are, you’d be able to create a gaming experience suited especially for their tastes.

     3. What do you wish to gain from “gaming” your brand?

It would be silly to simply include games into your marketing mix without understanding your goals and knowing what you wish to gain from it. Do you want to promote brand awareness? Encourage brand interaction? Obtain more customers?

Getting into gaming should be more than just copying what everyone else is doing. You need to understand why you’re doing this and what you want from it.

     4. Is the game relevant to your brand and community?

It is essential that the game you put out for your brand is relevant to your community; otherwise, how would it work in promoting brand awareness? You want your audience to play the game, yet continue to remember your brand while playing it. You don’t want them to simply enjoy the game and then forget about you.

This is why the game you create should be something that relates to your brand, something that keeps your brand at the forefront of people’s minds. Think of Oreo Pinata and how the game really showed the consumers’ passion for Oreo. It wasn’t just about winning the contest, but the enjoyment of the game and how the community rallied around the brand that they loved.

     5. Does the game create a community around your brand?

This is perhaps the most essential question you need to ask yourself. If the game doesn’t form a community around your brand, then why release the game at all? You don’t want people to mindlessly immerse themselves in the game and forget the world. What you want is for them to enjoy talking about the game and your brand, share the game with other people, and encourage others to play. Otherwise, what’s the point of creating a game for your brand?

“Gamification” can definitely help you create brand buzz, but it’s important that you evaluate whether your brand fits with gaming and understand what you want to gain from it. Don’t just get into gaming simply because other brands are doing it – you want to ensure that gaming works for your brand, not against it.

Here's a Quick Way to Personal Brand Success

Your business success is determined by having loyal customers. It is just one of those “facts of life” for a small business owner.

Social media is a great way to gain and connect with your target market. This is also a way to communicate with them and build strong relationships that will help your brand reach your goals. It’s essential to plan before starting an online campaign. Ask yourself - How can we start our online presence in bridging the gap between our customers and our personal brand (often what drives the brand for small business owners)?

Most small business owners are their business. They will be Googled, along with their business name.

We did an interview with Amy Martin. She is a social media guru and the founder of Digital Royalty, a digital integration and social media marketing firm based in Phoenix. Her business helps celebrities, businesses, and professional sports athletes and leagues to effectively use social media for brand success. She shared some best practices that she uses with her clients to build a solid online identity.

Here are some tips on how to start your personal brand success:

Identify your personal brand – Before you go online to attract and connect with your target market, you must first identify your personal brand. Doing this will give you a clear view of how you can use social media to your advantage. Doing this will help you identify your values and business goals. Once you see how social media can help you meet your business goals, you can start building up your brand online. Attract your target market, and in return, they will start communicating with you.

Listen to your audience – Always pay attention to your audience, whether they are online, offline, or potential ones. Customers have insightful comments and suggestions that you can pick up to continuously improve your personal brand. Listening to their needs and wants will help you strategize your campaign, improve your products or services, and build stronger relationships.

Be aware on how you provide value to your customers – Social media is a great place where you can see how people view you as a brand. You will see how effective your brand is with what customers are saying about you. Take note of the things that your customers like and dislike about your brand. Take the good ones and find ways on how you can provide that to all your customers. Take the bad ones and find ways on how you can improve them.

Success takes patience, a lot of it – Success means you take whatever is necessary to reach your goal. Once you take your brand online, you have to make your presence felt. Post helpful articles and share photos and videos with your audience. Keep them interested. Doing this will engage your audience to share their insights about your posts or your brand. Once you get them interacting with you and with other customers, you start building a community around your brand. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, time and patience. But once you have loyal customers, your brand can have a strong foundation.

Try things and experiment – Customer feedback is beneficial to any business and brand. If you pay attention to people’s feedback, you will get ideas on how you can improve your brand. Listen to their suggestions, refine, and take action. Make changes because it is the only way to find out which strategy, products or services will best work with your target market. And because the market is always changing, the only way to be successful is to keep looking for that something that will get your customers interested. Make sure you communicate your brand’s uniqueness and at the same time flexible to market trends.

There is no shortcut to success and you will quickly get there if you plan and strategize properly, develop your road map and you are keen on executing on it

Do Focus and Engage

Here are some tips to help us focus on the people we interact with and how we can engage them to build a lasting relationship with us:

“What can I do for them” attitude – we always have something to offer to those who need help. If we live by this attitude, we are likely to become more attentive to those who communicate with us. I’m not talking about your business nor your products or services either.  There is always something person to person, in our connections, where we can help. 

In helping others widen their network, you are gaining their trust. They will know that you are not just about making sales but also willing to help others.

Use their name – when meeting people and they introduce themselves, make sure that you remember their names and use it when you are addressing them. If you encounter someone with a unique name or you did not get it the first time, repeat their name and ask if you pronounced it right. Doing this will make it easier for you to remember them, and at the same time, you are avoiding the possibility of mispronouncing their name when you talk to them again.

Why does this matter? The person you are talking to will feel important when you use their first name, and they will also love to be able to call you by your first name. It also leads to a more comfortable conversation.

Maintain eye-contact – paying attention means that we have to show them that we are really listening to what they are saying. Maintaining eye-contact is important when you are talking to someone.

Avoid using your phone. Avoid looking elsewhere. When someone is talking to you, just look them straight in the eye. Doing this will make them feel that you are really interested in what they are saying. They will feel important because they feel that you are respecting them. In return, you gain their trust and respect. When it’s your time to talk, you will have their full attention as well.

Get their contact details – after meeting and discovering how you two can help each other out, don’t forget to exchange contact details. It can be anything from mobile, email, or social media accounts. Once you have it, do stay in contact. Take the time to contact them and see how they are doing, or you can send them your company newsletter (with their permission) to keep them posted. If you did well in communicating with them when you met them, getting in touch will be easy. Invest time in building strong relationships with the people you meet and your business will reap the benefits of long-term professional connections.

All these sound like a lot of work because you may have other ways of building connections and gaining customers. However, these tips will ensure that you develop deeper and stronger relationships with the people that you meet. If you incorporate these as part of your business values, you will gain trust and respect at a deeper level.

It may take a lot of your time, but you will be bringing in more to your business. It is of great value to you when you build strong connection with a network of people whom you can enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with. If you live by helping others, your business will be known as a brand that people can trust. 

How Safe is Your Personal Brand from a Social Media Meltdown?

Creating a social media presence for your business is without a doubt, beneficial. If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, setting up a business page on popular social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Facebook is a great marketing strategy. Customers can read more about your business and get your contact details. You can easily target the customers you need, and at the same time meet people who may help you with your business. Businesses are doing it - the appeal of having a social media account is just great and it comes with great returns, if managed wisely.

Wise management spells success

The boom of social media as a marketing strategy has been around for a while. Some businesses are sharing their benefits while others have to learn the hard way. If you can get hundreds of customers through your sites, you can also lose them faster than you gained them if you experience a social media meltdown. Imagine having all those subscribers that can see your every update. They’ll be so dependent on looking at your sites for the latest happening on your business, especially when something goes wrong.

Social media meltdown can happen in many forms. It may be because an update on one of your sites riled up your subscribers, or possibly the person handling your site responds to subscribers in a rude manner. Sometimes, it may be caused by too much (or lack of) activity in your site. Basically, a meltdown happens when you start losing subscribers in bulk.

The moment you decide to set up a social media site for your business, plan out how you’re going to do it well. Will you be maintaining it by yourself or will you hire someone to do it for you? If you already have an account, have you considered the proper precautions to avoid a social media meltdown?

The biggest failure I see on social media sites are those who think it’s “so easy” that they try to handle it and end up being sporadic in their posts or tweets.  That inconsistency in and of itself speaks volumes about who you are and what kind of dedication, professionalism and follow-through you have with your business or your interactions.

Tips to protect your brand from a social media meltdown

Content planning – when you have your content, follow a schedule to post on your sites. If you have promos or new products, strategically include them in your schedule, but make sure you don’t start over-posting because it may also cause your subscribers to unfollow you.

Login profile inventory – If you are maintaining more than one site, create a login inventory that has all the information you need to access the site. This is important because if you forget your login, you might be missing out on customer concerns and they might think that you don’t care about them anymore. They’ll stop going to your site and eventually lose interest.

Internal communication – If you hired someone to do the updates for you, lay out some rules on how to deal with customers about their concerns. You can also give them sample updates so they get the tone you want for your updates. Remember that whatever update gets posted on your site will affect your business, good or bad.

It’s very important to be proactive with this. Too many are reactive, updating or informing social marketing team members of things after the fact or giving them slivers of information. When it comes to your social marketing team, you can never over communicate.  Include them in all memos, updates and promotions so that they can work well as an extension of your brand.

Man your site – you have given your customers a chance to make it easier to reach you. When they ask or post a concern about you business, answer them in real-time because the less the waiting time, the better. They will love you for your customer service.

Apologize – when customers express their dissatisfaction on your sites, communicate with them properly and apologize for the inconvenience. You can then give them a solution to their concern. Apologizing will calm your customer and make the conversation more productive.

Provide timelines – if your business is going to have problems like delays in delivery or shortage in supplies, set your customer's expectation by providing a timeline. Post updates on when they are expected to arrive, etc.

Avoiding a social meltdown is all about properly managing your social media sites. It all starts with properly planning and understanding your purpose of having a site. You invested time and effort in setting it up and attracting customers, so don’t waste your efforts by neglecting it. As a business owner, review your sites and communicate with whoever is helping you maintain your site to ensure that you are getting the right feedback from your customers. If there is a problem, deal with it as courteously as possible and then try to take the conversation offline (off the page).  This will show that you are listening, caring and cautious about their privacy.  All are important in showing what a true professional you are.  Remember that these sites are public - all your subscribers and possible referrals have the chance to see how you do business.