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Marketing Needs to Start BEFORE…

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“Before what?” you ask. Before you actually launch something. Before you sell. Before you are even ready.

If you are going to start something new – the minute you decide that you are going to do it, is the right time to start marketing – do not make the mistake of waiting with your marketing until everything else is finished and ready for launch.

Sometimes it starts even earlier – I know people who start their marketing before they ever decide to do something. Just in case.

I recently talked to a couple of young founders. They are in the middle of building a new app which I think I am going to love. I asked them what they plan for market entry and they told me they are not ready for marketing. They would still need a few weeks to finish the product.

Really?Blackboard with text

… I told them they are wrong

These founders are not alone with their take on marketing and postponing the beginning of marketing for far too long. We have had clients calling and saying, we are launching something next week and we want you to send some tweets to push it.

Launching unprepared and without a headstart in today’s world is not just a mistake – it’s careless.

Well, I can send a couple of tweets for anything, but that won’t get you far if you do not have a strategy and a concept behind it. If you did not start your marketing and started building a brand a while before your launch, most likely the tweets will not sell the way this client expects them to.

There is not only a lot to plan, there is also a lot to build before you actually launch something – especially if you are new to the market and have no “brand” and fame to build on.

Marketing is not about an ad campaign or sending some press information to journalists

Social Media marketing is much more than a couple of tweets or a handful of Facebook updates.
Marketing is not about selling something for a few days. If you want to do that – hire a sales person and pay him by the hour.

Why Social Media is Important for Small Businesses

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If you’re one of the few small businesses that are not yet plugged into social media, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Do you really need to use it, or can you just get by with an optimized website and an e-newsletter? The short answer is yes, you need social media – at least you do if you want to reach customers and stay competitive. Here are just a few reasons why social media is so important for small businesses.

Your customers are already using it.

According to a 2011 report published by Nielson, Americans spend nearly a quarter of their online time on social networks and blogs. This means that chances are much of your target market is already using social media. If you want to reach clients and prospects, you need to be where they are – by using social media you’ll increase the odds that your marketing message will get through to a significant number of them. [Read more…]

Tips to Create a Strong Social Media Content Strategy

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By Debbie Hemley

Are you looking for ways to strengthen the impact of the content you create?

It isn’t always easy to generate the buzz you’re looking for.

Knowing what to publish, when and where can greatly increase the visibility and reach of your content.

In this article, you will find 26 topics, an A-Z guide, with key points that will help you create a social media content strategy that resonates with your audience.

#1: Align Content Development With Social Media Metrics and Goals

Understand the goals of your company’s social media content delivery to help you develop a more attainable strategy.

Jason DeMers suggests, “First you need to know what to measure. The end goals dictate the measurement metric.”

He offers metrics for four social media goals:

  • If you’re looking to generate traffic, your metric should be: unique visitors from social websites where you’ve run your social media campaigns.
  • If you’re looking to create a following, your metric should be: subscribers, followers on your social channels (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
  • If you’re looking to generate interaction, your metric should be: quantity and type of commentary (Facebook comments, Twitter replies/mentions).
  • If you’re looking to generate revenue (which is the ultimate purpose), your metric should be: the precise dollar value of every lead a social post generates.

Keep this information in mind when crafting your social media content. Read More

How to Setup a Social Media Business Strategy in Seven Steps

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By Heidi Cohen

Does your business have a social media strategy?

According to research conducted by Constant Contact, over 50% of small businesses need help with social media.

While many businesses have a social media presence, many are not engaging on those platforms and thus not meeting their goals.

With planning, your small business can use social media effectively.

Here are seven steps to a social media strategy for your business.

#1: Determine Your Business Objectives for Social Media

How do you want to use social media to help your business? What goals do you want to achieve?

Make your goals as concrete, measurable and achievable as possible. For example, if you currently get five new leads a month, setting a goal to get 100 new leads in the next 12 months is more realistic than setting a goal to get 5,000 new leads. Read More

26 Ways to Use Visuals in Your Social Media Marketing

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By Debbie Hemley

Have you noticed more photos on social networks?

Do you have a visual component as part of your social media marketing strategy?

Do you need some help in getting started or maintaining momentum in sharing more visual content and in creating a visual conversation with your audience?

In this post, you’ll find 26 tips, an A-Z guide, for getting started with a visual strategy.

#1: Add Text to Your Photos

Do you want to get more mileage out of the photos you share on your social sites? You can, when you add text to your images.

Adding text to a photo can help you get your message across faster. And these messages are more likely to be shared by others on social media.

Read More