Tag Archives: business owners
Are You Connection Rich? How to grow your local business.
Connection Rich: When value is generated by making connections.
Is your business connection rich? Are you utilizing every possible avenue to increase your company’s visibility and reach new customers where new customers are looking? Let’s take a look at what you need to be designating a full time position to for your business to survive and thrive in 2016.
1. Social media. For many — if not all — small businesses, connecting with customers, prospects, suppliers, and others via social media can deliver tremendous value. It is always suggested that you hire a professional, like everzocial, to assist you in covering all these basis on a consistent and daily basis.
To get connection rich using social media, you need to understand who you are trying to reach and what your goal is when you reach them. In other words, it wouldn’t make any sense to consider established customers and brand new prospects in the same way. Further, you might establish social media relationships with suppliers as a way to improve your competitiveness; suppliers may, for example, use their social media channels as pipelines for insider tips and other useful industry information.
Taking this a bit further, Alignable is one social media platform whose purpose it is to create and enhance relationships between businesses. Connecting with similar small businesses can be extremely helpful, for example, when you’re trying to determine which cloud services would best suit your business.
2. Review sites. When you’re using your social media accounts, you’re broadcasting information about your small business and trying to spur people’s interest. When customers say something about you on a review site — or their own social media accounts — they are taking over the microphone. You need to recognize these instances as opportunities to create connections.
An important attribute of being connection rich is to recognize that it’s not just about your direct connections, it’s also about the onlookers and others who will hear things via word of mouth. Take advantage of the review sites and even create strategies that will point your customers toward positive reviews to start a conversation among people that will cover to positive revenue for you.
3. Forums. Forums are probably the most overlooked avenue for engaging prospects in becoming connection rich. Some successful small businesses have started because their owners first established themselves as experts on the forums. However, the point to stress here is that you should engage on as many good forums as there are that relate to your business, and your posts should be very helpful and knowledgeable. To be ranked as an authority you have be an authority.
Create time each week or hire a designated Marketing professional, like everzocial, to browse relevant forums and look for posts that pose questions or discuss problems. The connections you make while interjecting can be very valuable in the long run of your success.
4. Local community. Old-fashioned local networking should never be overlooked in this age of high-tech, web-based connections. For many small business owners, their local connections are by far their most important.
Have you noticed that all the highly successful local business leaders are heavily involved in community business groups along with other local events and organizations? Do you think this is merely coincidence? Do you think they had achieved their level of success before they got involved with the community?
Social Media and SEO and a great Website Design are merely the tools you have to have full time in order of survival. The roots of your business and how it grows are strongest at its personal core; the people and personalities behind the business that are worthy of being connection rich. Many newcomers start out as unknowns, but by working with community groups they make names for themselves as both knowledgeable and trustworthy. Establishing yourself in your local community will pay big dividends over the years. These are investments you’ll make more with your time than with your money. The Beatles were a success in Liverpool first; then they hired a manager to market them and they went global. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Contact us today for free assessment of your online needs and goals.
5. Employees, family and friends. Connecting with all the individuals in your business and personal lives is extremely important. Your family and close friends should be among the biggest boosters for your small business. This means that you should be certain they understand what you do and have even experienced it themselves.
They should be shopping at your store or using the service you provide whenever possible. Then, when they know people who need what you provide, you’ll get a recommendation.
This is extremely important with your employees. You need to develop these connections so well that they go beyond mere employees and become brand advocates who are ready to put in a good word for your small business even when they’re “off the clock.” This means you must treat your employees well, give them opportunities to advacnce and have input regarding the direction of your business: If you don’t listen to your employees, you can’t expect them to speak up for you.
Your business is your business. No one cares more about your business than you do. Your business should be taken very seriously and should be met with great passion and exhilaration. Do your part to grow your company in the community face-to-face and get involved with other local business owners that are also growing. Hire smart. Delegate all tasks other than your sole focus of increasing your revenue. Utilize all your connections and turn them into revenue boosting tools that you can press like buttons to generate sales and new customers. Being connection rich isn’t just about having the connections, it’s about using those connections to further your business and grow your revenue.
At everzocial we would be very happy to assist you in all your online needs, so that you can focus on your business.
Contact us today for Free Assessment.
Social Media: From Personal to Pro
For a small business owner, knowing where to begin with social media can be overwhelming, especially if it’s a new concept. To start, running a personal Facebook or Twitter is MUCH different than running a business Facebook or Twitter. There are a few rules & regulations to abide by, both to uphold your brand name and reputation, and to grow your overall media presence.
Take a look at the infographic below, and be sure to check out our own pro tips posted beneath!
These general guidelines will help you create content that is both sensitive & intruiging!
Everzocial PRO tips on your DO-list:
1) Truly be consistent! We recommend 1-2 Facebook posts a day, and if you even miss one, single day, your Facebook insights will show it! Having a consistent queue of quality content that your fans can scroll through is extremely important to your social media reputation.
2) Don’t just post – ENGAGE. This means respond to all comments and posts on your page, visit the pages you’ve liked and engage on THEIR pages, comment on posts in your newsfeed… the more your business name gets out there, the larger your fan base will grow!
Everzocial PRO tips on your DON’T-list:
1) DO. NOT. SPAM. We cannot emphasize this enough. Your fans want to engage with you on a relational level, not a commercial level. Think about this: why did YOU join Facebook? To follow the people you love, to grow relationships with them, right? Use your business in a similar fashion, and this will gain your fans’ trust.
2) Don’t stick to just one social media platform. Facebook, though the most popular, is not the only avenue or medium for reaching people. Pinterest, for example, attracts a different kind of people with different interests than, say, Twitter. Contemplate which platforms will optimize your business’s reach, and start dedicating a quality bit of time to them to grow your fan base there.
Yes, it’s a lot. Social media marketing is definitely a full-time, non-stop job, requiring monitoring 24/7.
Which, by the way, is why WE exist… so if you want to grow your online presence and simply don’t have the time, we’d LOVE to help, so contact us. 🙂
New Budgets are Geared Towards Social Media Not New Hires.
Small businesses are starting to see success with social media. According to a survey of over 1,200 small business owners, 39 percent saw a ROI from their social media presence in Q1 with 30 percent of that group claiming that it was an ROI of $2,000 or greater. It’s no wonder that small businesses are increasing their social media presence. 26 percent of small businesses are planning on investing their dollars in social media marketing in Q2 2013 and 49 percent are increasing their time spent on social media platforms.
Small businesses are unique in that they have limited resources to allocate in order to achieve success. So, it’s a no brainer that the results they are seeing from social media, which costs little to no money to run, beats out hiring on new employees. Yes, nearly 79 percent of those surveyed are optimistic about their business in Q2 but it seems as though social media is proving to be more valuable and cost effective than manpower.
It makes you wonder, if small businesses are short on resources (time, money, employees) then how do they invest in learning and managing their social media? Well, 36 percent of small business owners refer to online resources (articles and blogs) to help them with their social media. In addition to online resources, 22 percent seek advice from their circle of friends and colleagues. Even though these learning tactics are economical, they don’t capitalize on time management. Knowing how to effectively utilize social media for business is complicated. It is a new marketing tool that has yet to be thoroughly explored.
That’s where we come in. Our goal here at Everzocial is to provide affordable social media services for your small business and free up some of your valuable time. We already know the ins and outs of the industry, it’s not just our job it’s our passion. You have enough on your plate already; let our team of experienced social media managers handle the rest. Feel free to contact us for more information or if you have any questions!
New Discoveries Regarding Social Media and ROI.
Pinterest Pinpoints Your Potential
Pinterest’s New Analytics Tool Allows Businesses to Track User’s Engagement…for Free
I know what you’re thinking; nothing in life (worth having) is free, until now. Pinterest launched its free analytics tool for site owners March 12, giving them the opportunity to gain insight into what works and what doesn’t for their fans.
Anyone with a verified business account can access this gold mine of information. Just log in to your account and go to your drop-down menu located at the top right corner of your screen, then click “Analytics”.
While the analytics tool is fairly basic, there’s still a lot of valuable information here. “The free tool allows site owners to track the number of pinners and pins collecting material from their sites, and the number of repinners and repins those initial pins received,” said Lauren Indvik, Mashable’s associate business editor. “Site owners can also track total impressions and reach on the network, as well as referral traffic, both in clicks and unique visitors, sent back to their sites.”
In addition, you can take a snapshot in time by adjusting the metrics timeframe. Go back to a particular day, week, or month to track trends and monitor progress.
So why is this relevant to you?
Even though third-party providers such as Pinfluence and Curalate are still, well, providing more intense and in-depth data, Pinterest’s new analytics tool will hopefully give site owners a better understanding of their “Pinterest potential”, allowing them to really give the people what they want. In addition, to pleasing the pinners, your business/brand will have the opportunity to increase awareness and exposure, increasing traffic to your site and ultimately your sales.
I can’t even express to you how great this news is considering the fact that Pinterest users spend more money, more often, and on more products than any of the other top five social media sites according to comScore.
The analytics tool also sets the stage for an ad platform on Pinterest. It is a mistake to advertise on a site without the tools necessary to show you where, when, and who to advertise to. This is like being at Disneyland for your first time and not having a map, you are forced to wander around until you find what you are looking for…proving to be a very ineffective way to spend your time and money.
Most importantly, it helps support the social media marketing cause. A lot of people are non-believers regarding the power of social media for businesses and brands but with this new tool the data has definitely got our back!
So if you haven’t already, go check out this new feature and start monitoring your Pinterest potential.
Change the Channel— Your YouTube Channel That Is
YouTube’s One Channel is now available to all users.
First released as a beta test, YouTube’s One Channel is now ready to be used by everyone. The new design offers a lot of great features to YouTube creators, ultimately making it easier to personalize your channel and reach out to non-subscribers.
Say goodbye to custom backgrounds, which kind of reminded us of MySpace before the makeover, and say hello to fun banners otherwise known as Channel Art. Your Channel Art will now scale to harmonize with any screen and device including laptops, tablets, smartphones, TVs…you name it! The branding potential here is exciting.
One Channel also gives users the chance to feature a Welcome Trailer, a video that automatically plays when non-subscribers visit your channel. The trailer, when done right, will give users insight into your content, effectively increasing the number of subscribers your channel will receive.
Not only can you lure prospective fans with your trailer, you can now customize how your subscribers view your content by creating unique playlists and video groups with the new “Shelve” feature. Simply go to the Bulk Actions section in the channel settings to make your videos easier to discover and watch.
But wait, there’s more! Users are just a click away from your other social media platforms. Thanks to the new link option you can have up to four social media destinations in the Channel Art Header. So whether your forte is Pinterest or LinkedIn, they’ve got you covered.
Our hats are off to YouTube’s new design. We have never been so excited about spring-cleaning. If you need any help tidying up your channel or if you have any questions, feel free to visit our website at https://www.everzocial.com/ or give us a ring at 888-859-6156.
Best Days to Post to Facebook by Industry [INFOGRAPHIC]
For those of us who work in social media, switching gears is something we are used to.
One of the the greatest challenges for small business owners managing their own Facebook pages is determining exactly when to post a given piece of content so it attracts the most “likes,” comments, and retweets. A recent infographic from LinchpinSEO could help crack that code by showing the best days to post to Facebook. Even better, it breaks it down by business type or industry.
For instance, companies considered “general retail” will find more engagement on Mondays, whereas nonprofits will see greater success on weekends, according to LinchpinSEO, which analyzed the user engagement of more than 1,800 Facebook pages from the world’s top brands. The data were collected from April 1 to May 31.
It’s important to remember that each type of business will have a different best day and time to post to Facebook. This infographic could help you identify it. If you need further help with your Facebook Business Page, our team of Social Stagers are here to help do it for you.
