The Future Of YOUR Social Media Marketing?

What is the future of social media marketing?

The games of the rule might change, the players might change, but the game is here to stay.

Related Article: Social Media Marketing To Younger Generations?

Isn’t social media a recent buzzword?

Or is the social media era waning off?

Technically the buzzword social media or social media marketing is the most hyped ‘in’ thing. A career in this field is yet the most sought after one. Even today a new brand or product needs extensive social media marketing to show its existence to maximum potential consumers. But hold on! Is the fad of social media plummeting? Do you feel the world of social media is a thing of past?

If you reach a conclusion now, it will be invalid as the future is highly unpredictable. With the volatility in the market structure and the ease of promoting content, social media apps- Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Ello, Instagram are the rage among youngsters and entrepreneurs alike. Rajat Bhatia, the founder of Geekay Bikes, quotes, “When I had to launch the new E-Bikes, all that was needed was the right social media channel to create awareness among the youth and bike-enthusiasts. Instagram and Facebook publicity along with the services of a social media marketer helped in building a good market for the bikes in its first year.”

Related Article: Marketing Strategies To Transcend YOUR Industry?

Yes, entrepreneurs do swear by the name of social media. Even for the youth of today, who clamors for instant publicity and fame, social media is an integral part of their life.

From the morning gym to what they eat and whom they meet, all is judiciously posted to stay swanky and reaching out to the social network. Khushi Dawar, MD of Bright India Corp. Pvt. Ltd. says, “I have been learning video making and editing to establish my own Youtube Channel. It would be a boost to my product as well as a boost to my own creativity.” Who wouldn’t want those 10 minutes of fame, when it is so easily possible with social media!

“Social media has become a steady source of income for millions of bloggers and marketers and a blessing in particular for those who wish to opt for work from home. With the new revenue streams social media is here to stay,” adds Ashish Gupta, CEO of Reva Enterprises.

Related Article: Promote YOUR Brand With Social Media Videos?

The Flip-Side Of The Coin

Another school of thought says the era of social media is gradually retrograding. With stringent privacy policies and laws regarding safety, the craze and ease of accessing social media are dwindling. “Whenever I surf on Google, what irks me the most is the influx of unwanted advertisements flashing in the forefront. With the technology getting smarter, the ads of my recent surfing start popping up, which gives me a feeling of being spied on,” says Ankur Gupta, CEO of Shori Chemicals.

Millennials and Gen-X are gradually deleting their Facebook and SnapChat accounts to stay grounded and focus on work. Dhruv Trehan, MD at Shree Ram Wood Industries says, “I was too overwhelmed with whatever was posted by my peers. It was intriguing as well as time-consuming to keep a track of latest updates. I felt like I was being pushed into a rat race. So deleting my FB account saves a lot of constructive time to focus on my work.”

Related Article: YOUR Marketing In The Age Of Social Media?

Moreover, with pro-privacy policies, the social media is restricting the incessant promotions.

Clients who do not wish to receive random advertisements and un-requisite e-mails are being paid a heed to and the norms of promotions are getting stricter. WhatsApp, restricting the forwards to maximum five people, is a step in this direction. You can easily streamline the notification settings of your phone and e-mail to prohibit mails gatecrashing through.

The games of the rule might change, the players might change, but the game is here to stay. Social media is the buzzword and is a table-turning game of future. You need a channel to showcase your work to customers, you need a channel to create demand and you definitely need a channel to prove your mettle. This media will serve it all on a single platter.

Guest Authored By Sania Gupta. Sania is Founder and CEO of Digital Kangaroos, an author, entrepreneur, marketer and blogger. And as a career coach at My Study Destination, she has helped thousands of students realize their dreams. Follow Sania on Twitter.

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"The games of the rule might change, the players might change, but the game is here to stay. Social media is the buzzword and is a table-turning game of future.

You need a channel to showcase your work to customers, you need a channel to create demand and you definitely need a channel to prove your mettle. This media will serve it all on a single platter.." -SaniaGupta

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  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Salt Lake City, UT. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

The Future Of YOUR Email Marketing?

Why relying solely on social media marketing could be a disaster for your business..

Related Article: Adjusting YOUR Business Social Media Presence?

This old-school technique may not be sexy, but it offers big returns..

It seems like every day some new influencer is posting about the death of email. Fancy cars, cool videos and hordes of fans have them convinced email is useless. Not only that, they want you to follow the hype and buy their new strategy for Instagram, Snapchat or whatever else is trending.

As your trusted digital marketing consultant, I'm here to tell you: Don't trust the hype. Email is alive and stronger than ever. It may not be sexy, might not allow you to showboat your success, but if you take a look under the hood, you'll find email is still the champion for online sales. In fact, here is a comprehensive list of 70 incredible email statistics to make any business owner salivate and start typing up those unsexy emails to make more profits.

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From the list of those salacious email statistics, one of the most notable metrics for entrepreneurs is this one from the Direct Marketing Association: For every dollar spent, email marketing generates $38 in ROI. I love that little piece of data, and from my own experience, in many months my return on investment has been over 1000 percent.

Since I've made a great deal of income with social media, I can't argue with the fact that it helps to create revenue, but when it comes to the hierarchy of importance, email comes first. This one tragic event of internet celebrity Felix Baum losing millions of fans because Facebook deleted his account paints a clear picture as to why building social media leaves you vulnerable. Since he didn't own the information of his fans, there was nothing he could do.

In contrast, if Baum owned the list of his fans, if his provider shut him down for some reason, he could just migrate his list of subscribers to another hosting service -- and he'd still be able to communicate with them. The panacea to being so susceptible on social media hosting sites is simple -- build your email list.

Related Article: What Other Peoples Advertising Can Teach YOU?

How To Capitalize on Email

By now, I hope we're on the same page -- email isn't sexy, but it's worth it. To capitalize on email, you'll need to start collecting emails from your web visitors. Doing this isn't hard; it'll take just a bit of time, thought and elbow grease.

First, you'll need to place email capture boxes strategically. The first place your website should do this is in the upper middle half of your site's homepage (right above the scroll).

To see an example, here's my website. On average, we currently collect upwards of 50 emails a day. If your email box is large, easy to spot and catches your visitors' eyes -- they're more likely to give you their information. Oh, and did I mention that those opt-in boxes help us generate upwards of 50 new leads on a daily basis? Imagine that, having a website that collects prospects for you -- while you work, eat, sleep and take care of the kids.

Related Article: YOUR Local Business Social Media Marketing?

The next place to have an email capture box is at the bottom of your website, across all pages.

Some examples of major brands that do this are Victoria's Secret, Eddie Baur, Ralph Lauren and O'Reilly Autoparts, just to name a few. Another way to capture emails is through a pop-up on your website.

Yes, I said it, install one of those annoying pop-ups on your site. I know that as a user you hate them, but the data is clear -- pop-up email opt-in boxes work. It's for this reason that companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Virgin use pop-ups.

Related Article: Marketing Trends To Dominate In 2018?

What To Offer So Web-Visitors Give You Their Email Address

When it comes to creating eye-catching and compelling email opt-in boxes, I advise you to focus on building highly targeted offers that your visitors would want.

A straightforward offer you can make is a discount. In fact, according to data collected in the National Email Client Report (in conjunction with eBay Enterprise Marketing Solutions and others large corporations), 38 percent of users give their emails in return for a discount. If you're a business, the lowest hanging fruit to collect your visitors email is by offering a discount code that requires users to give you their email.

Related Article: YOUR Marketing In The Age Of Social Media?

If you don't want to offer a discount or it's not something you believe is right for your industry, there are other options.

In my case, since I work in the world of consulting and information-based products, I offer free trainings instead. Similarly, you could offer your visitors a guide and video series that helps with the problems you solve. The goal is simple: Offer visitors a good reason to give you their email and later follow up with an offer for them to make a purchase -- but before you can send them inbox offers, you'll need their email.

Guest Authored By Eric Congdon. Eric is the CEO of Thriving Launch. Follow Eric on Twitter.

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"If McDonald's, O'Reilly Auto, Virgin, Polo Sports and just about every other multibillion-dollar company is using email to increase business, isn't it time you did, too?

And I hope your answer is a strong and definitive yes!!" -EricCongdon

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  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Keeping YOUR Social Media Marketing Current?

Social media, like technology, is ever-changing. The industry evolves every day, and it can be difficult for companies to keep up. However, digital marketing is crucial for the ongoing success of businesses..

Related Article: How Facebook's Changes Impact YOUR Social Media Marketing?

"Social media has undoubtedly become a critical platform for marketers," said E.J. McGowan, vice president and managing director of Campaigner. According to a digital marketing forecast survey by Campaigner, 73 percent of digital marketers believe it was a top strategy in 2017.

It's important to leverage these trends as they're occurring and to anticipate any new ones. Doing so will prepare your company for competitive marketing strategies and set you apart from other businesses. Here's what the future of social media marketing looks like.

Video

Video is a growing marketing strategy that fares well on social media. Consumers would much rather watch a short clip than read paragraphs of text, especially while browsing social platforms.

Related Article: Promote YOUR Brand With Social Media Videos?

"Video creates a longer lasting engagement and is generally more familiar to advertisers," said Ian Wishingrad, founder and creative director of BigEyedWish. "They like buying it because it feels like a TV-buying experience -- it's familiar and therefore more brands/advertisers want to be a part of it.

Video also personalizes user experience, helping you connect with your consumers on a more relevant level, said McGowan.

"In their easily digestible format, videos serve as an excellent way to convey a brand's message in a creative and interactive way,' McGowan added. "As a result, social networks and other media have made it easier for individuals to consume and broadcast video. As video continues to grow at a prodigious pace, marketers must learn to adopt this disruptive technology or risk falling behind to competition."

To attract and retain attention, you can implement video on your business's website, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, but recognize which integrations work well and which do not. Don't expect as much success with video marketing on LinkedIn as you would on more informal platforms.

Related Article: Marketing Trends To Dominate In 2018?

Endorsements

A popular way for companies to promote their brands is to get someone else to do it for them. These people are often well-known personalities or even celebrities sponsored to endorse a business's products or services, often on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and other social media.

While you might think that you'll find more success with more renowned endorsers, statistics prove otherwise. Companies experience a higher level of sales when they sponsor individuals with a smaller, yet notable, following.

Typically, lesser known influencers attract more relevant consumers than celebrities, whose audiences are primarily attracted by their fame. To this end, Courtney Reum, co-author of "Shortcut Your Startup"(Gallery/Jeter Publishing, 2018) and co-founder of brand development and investment firm M13, advised shifting endorsements to these micro-influencers to personalize the experience for potential customers.

Related Article: Leveraging YOUR Social Media Reviews?

Social Media And Email Marketing Integration

According to McGowan, one trend on the horizon is social media integration, which leverages two or more media or marketing tactics at once.

"While the concept itself isn't entirely new, the benefits have gradually proved effective, and its implementation has only become even more seamless with new technology," McGowan said.

The idea is to combine marketing strategies to impact a broader audience. For instance, you can broadcast your Twitter feed on the side bar of your website, or include a video of your brand's mission on your company's Facebook page.

The most crucial integration this year, however, is social media and email, said McGowan.

"When leveraged correctly, social media and email marketing can have a synergistic relationship for brands, with social media driving email subscriptions and emails bringing more followers to social channels," McGowan said.

Marketers should coordinate the timing and content of posts and emails, and ensure congruent messages are being sent across all channels, McGowan added. "This will, in turn, maximize reach across the customer's journey.

Related Article: Social Media Secrets To Going Viral?

Social Media Platforms

The Campaigner survey outlined which sites marketers would most likely be willing to invest in, which they ranked as so:

--Facebook (48 percent)

--Twitter (12 percent)

--LinkedIn (11 percent)

--Instagram (8 percent)

--Google+ (2 percent)

--Snapchat (1 percent)

The remaining 18 percent do not plan on investing in social media.

It's important to note that each channel is different from the next and is intended for different purposes. Snapchat and Instagram don't have the same level of broad search functionality that Facebook does, and are geared more toward friendly connections than professional ones, said McGowan. But this doesn't mean you should write them off entirely.

Related Article: The Social Media Platform For YOUR Business?

"Marketers can leverage these social networking sites in 2018 by crafting media campaigns that highlight the strengths of each site," said McGowan. "For instance, video may fare very well on Facebook; however, marketers should pivot back to text content when launching campaigns on LinkedIn."

Reum suggests keeping up with platform innovations and priorities, and any incremental changes.

"Figuring out how to capitalize on these small edits, in addition to keeping an eye on major trends, will be key to successful campaigns going forward," he said.

Guest Authored By Sammi Caramela. Sammi is a recent graduate of Rowan University, where she majored in writing arts and minored in journalism. She currently works as a Purch B2B staff writer while working on her first novel in her free time. Check out her blog. Follow Sammi on Twitter.

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"Go LIVE - Videos are the new black.

Meaning, in the words of Zoolander, Videos are hot right now. If a consumer were to choose between a business that was using video versus the same type of business who wasn't using video, the consumer would choose the business capitalizing on video visibility hands down.

The reason? Brand Awareness.

There is a deeper connection made with video and a result of higher visibility. In other words, adding a product video on your landing page can increase conversions by 80%. Using tools such as Zoom can help in creating great live videos with just a push of a button.." -LindaMendible

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  Authored by:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBr@nd.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO  where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Is Social Media Making YOU Money?

A few weeks ago, my sister — a small business owner — attended a small business event in her community.

The speaker energized the attendees, sharing the many ways they could grow their businesses using social media: targeting prospects on Facebook, networking with small business customers on LinkedIn, pinning pictures of products on Pinterest or Instagram..

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The Speaker Was Right: Those are good ways to grow your business, especially if you’re willing to put the time and money to really learn how to use these services well. But for most small businesses, what they’re really interested in is making sales, and you have to be really knowledgeable to make significant sales through social media.

Whether you have one of the world’s largest enterprises to run or just your own small business, perhaps it’s time to spend less time on social media and more time actually getting things done.

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In my sister’s case, as with most small business owners, she has limited time to spend on marketing and sales. She sells advertising specialty items, and she needs to make sure that orders get placed, problems resolved and invoices sent. She’s more interested in “sales”   than “marketing.” So, regardless of how enticing social media seems, she’s going to spend the bulk of her time cultivating sales from her current and former customers, calling on prospects and leads, and networking with other local businesses rather than posting, pinning or tweeting.

Of course, hitting the pavement is more intimidating than hitting the keyboard, but there are time-tested methods of bringing in small business sales:

• In-Person Meetings: To build relationships, whenever you can, meet your biggest customers and best prospects face to face. This way you build relationships, listen to their needs, and better meet their requirements.
• Entertaining Customers and Prospects: In-office meetings are great, but lunches, coffees, drinks, and dinner are even better for building rapport and developing long-term customer relationships. When was the last time you asked one of your best customers for lunch?
• Phone Calls. Remember Telephones? Well, many customers and prospects still like to have a person-to-person conversation, and they can often lead to sales faster than many back-and-forth emails. Don’t hesitate to suggest a phone call (you can set an ‘appointment’ for a phone call) with a prospect or current customer.
• Trade Shows and Industry Conferences. I get the bulk of my leads and have landed my biggest customers from exhibiting at industry conferences. Generally, attendees are looking for new solutions, so they’re eager to hear what you have to offer. It’s an efficient way to meet many prospects face-to-face. You don’t necessarily have to fly across country: look for local industry association events or small business mixers.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Bandwagon?

• Direct Mail Solicitations. There’s a reason your mailbox is still filled with “junk mail.” Direct mail still works. Direct mail can be relatively expensive, but if you’ve got a good mailing list, use direct mail to announce new products, offer discounts, and remind prospects you exist.
• Email. If targets are carefully selected and have “opted in” to your list, your emails are welcomed and can be a good way to communicate new products or services and promotions. They also are fairly inexpensive, especially for the smallest of businesses.
• Online Sales. Just because you’re not spending a lot of time on social media, it doesn’t mean you should ignore digital marketing and sales. Selling on the web is efficient, especially when you buy search engine ads to boost results. If you spend time to learn how to use data analytics, you can get better at crafting offers that convert to sales.

Of course, these aren’t necessarily as sexy as getting thousands of followers and fans, but I’d rather have $20,000 in sales than 20,000 followers on Twitter any day..

Guest Authored By Rhonda Abrams. Rhonda is a USA Today Columnist, Author of 19 books including Entrepreneurship: A Real-World Approach, just released in its second edition. Follow Rhonda on Twitter.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Conference Power?

“Of course, these aren’t necessarily as sexy as getting thousands of followers and fans..

But I’d rather have $20,000 in sales than 20,000 followers on Twitter any day..”

• 

  Authored by:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

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