People often think of LinkedIn as an online resume tool. Or a great way to network with others in your industry. Some even utilize it as a way to find a job.  All of that is still true.  But did you know it can be huge for your company?

Here are three ways your business can begin utilizing LinkedIn – starting today:

1. Create a Company Page

Did you know you can create an official page on LinkedIn for your company?  It’s very similar to Facebook pages.  Include a detailed description, location, year founded, etc.  You can also add products and a cover image.  Be sure once your page is created, that your employees link to it from their profile.

Also, be sure to post status updates to your page – just as you would on Twitter and Facebook.  Engagement is key here, just as it is on other social media channels.

Add a LinkedIn icon on your website and link to your company page to increase your followers.

2. Share Your Blog Posts in Groups

Do you have a great blog where you’re sharing informative (non-promotional) content?  Spread the word on LinkedIn!

Find groups that include your target audience.  Join those groups and get involved in the dialog.  When you have a blog post that might be of interest to group members, post a teaser with a link back to your website to read the full article.  The teaser should never be more than a paragraph or two.  It’s simply meant to give an overview of the article.  They can click on your link to read it in full.

Watch LinkedIn become one of your top sources for referring website traffic!

3. Advertising

LinkedIn advertising is still relatively new and they still have a few kinks to work out.  But if you’re budgeting, consider using some of your marketing spend on LinkedIn advertising in Q3 or Q4.    You can target specific audiences with demographics such as age and location.  You can also target job titles – which is great if you know you’re wanting to reach out to CEO’s, Directors of Marketing, etc.

How are you currently using LinkedIn – either personally or for your business?  Let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

The post 3 Ways Your Business Can Utilize LinkedIn appeared first on Kelley Media.

The good news is Facebook is implementing a change so that your fans can guarantee they ALWAYS see your content. The new feature, “Get Notifications,” is now being rolled out to Facebook pages.

To do this, users simply go to the Facebook page, mouse over the “Liked” button and select “Get Notifications.”

While this new feature is great news for Facebook pages, a better approach may have been an option for fans to opt-out instead of opt-in.  If a user likes a Facebook page, clearly there’s an interest in the product or service.  Why not show them all content until they choose to no longer see it?

Either way, we’re excited to see this new feature implemented.  What are your thoughts?

The post Facebook Offers Option for Page Fans to View All Content appeared first on Kelley Media.

I wanted to share a few reasons why you should skip the offer.

1) If it sounds too good to be true …

There is a reason they say “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” There’s also a reason they say “you get what you pay for.”

While Facebook can take some time to build up – it’s worth the effort and hard work. Instead of buying fans, try other methods. Run a contest via a third-party app provider that requires entrants to be fans (I use OfferPop). Or you can run a Facebook advertising campaign that is geared directly to your target audience.  Granted, this is still buying fans – as there is a cost associated.  But you’re reaching out to users who have the highest potential of being interested in your product or service.  Very different from buying fans that you have no idea who they are.

2) It isn’t all about the numbers

I have always been a firm believer in the “quality over quantity” method when it comes to social media. Your social media goals are to increase your brand awareness, keep your community engaged, drive traffic to your website and increase sales.

Facebook fans who are bought (not via advertising) are typically spam or fake accounts. And if they are legitimate, chances are slim they are your target audience. Which means that even though you may have 10,000 Facebook fans, you’ll be fortunate if 1% of those fans are actually prospective customers.

3) It can negatively impact your Facebook EDGE Ranking

Facebook relies on a ranking system to determine how often your content displays in a users news feed. One measure that impacts your ranking is engagement. If the fans that you buy are not legitimate or in your target audience, the chance they’ll get engaged with you on your Facebook page is slim to none.

When your engagement figures are low, it decreases how often you’ll appear in your fans news feed. This means when you buy a ton of fans who don’t engage, you’ll hurting the fans who DO want to engage with you.  Don’t take the chance.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has bought Facebook fans.  What has been your experience?  Would you do it again?  Leave a comment below.

If you have questions or need help with your social media marketing, please feel free to contact us.

The post 3 Reasons You Should Skip Buying Facebook Fans appeared first on Kelley Media.

Immediately after placing my order, I was greeted by a fun graphic of a man in a pizza kitchen. At quick glance, I thought it was a cute graphic and went back to work. A few seconds later – a noise. I only had that window open in my internet browser, so clearly Domino’s had something to tell me.

Imagine my surprise when the cute graphic was actually letting me know the status of my order. Jim had put my order in and was now fast at work preping my order. I continued to check back every few minutes to see where my order was in the pizza making process.  You could even change the themes – one had a tropical bird on a beach.

This is a fantastic customer service tool. It puts the consumer in control, allowing them to see exactly what the status of their order is. While I’m not sure a “Jim” actually works at my local Domino’s – or that someone is checking off the status as they go – I do think this timeline helps customers understand when their pizza will arrive.  Based on an estimated time for each step in the process, they were able to tell me at 6:59pm that my pizza was out for delivery.  Once the status was updated to delivery – the order was out of my mind.  Until it arrived at my door.

Kudos to Domino’s on creating this tool.  It’s a fun, interactive way to provide order status to customers.  It’d be very interesting to know how much this cut down on phone calls with customers asking when their order went out for delivery.

So tell us, what is an example of great customer service you’ve seen online?

The post Domino’s Pizza – An Example of Great Online Customer Service appeared first on Kelley Media.

Brand – It’s all about your brand. Regardless of if you have a service you provide or a product you sell, utilizing social media to ensure there’s awareness about your brand is crucial to your success.

Contests – What better way to increase your brand awareness, followers and engagement than a contest!  If you’re looking for a third-party contest provider, we recommend Offerpop.

Digg – One of many social media bookmarking sites, Digg is a great place to share your content (think blog posts).

Engage – Be sure to engage your followers. Posting on social media isn’t enough – you need to constantly drive engagement or you’ll lose them.

Facebook – With over 900+ million users worldwide now using this social media platform, you can’t afford to not have a presence.

Google+ – While Google is nowhere near the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, it is making its presence felt. If you have a business, be sure you have a Google+ page.

HootSuite – I use TweetDeck personally, but have heard great things about HooSuite – a social media management dashboard.

Instagram – Share images with your community! Be creative. Take fun shots – of your product, of your team, of your day at the office. Apply fun filters and share.

Just 20% – I always tell my clients to keep their promotional posts (“Buy our product!”) to just 20% of your total content for the week.  The rest of your content should be informative, fun and engaging.  If you only post about yourself 24/7, you’re going to turn away your followers very quickly.  If they want to solely get sales pitches, they’ll sign up for your company emails.

Kelley Media – Looking for someone to manage your social media efforts?  We can help!

LinkedIn – Get involved in groups! Have a blog? Post teasers in applicable groups of your target audience and link to your website for a full read. Watch your web traffic soar!

Mashable – Be sure to follow them on Twitter (@mashable) to stay up to date on the latest in all things social media!

Now or Never – Not on social media yet?  The time is NOW.  Your target audience is on social media and so is your competition.  You can’t afford to not have a presence.

Pinterest – Relatively new to the social media networking world, but a great platform if you offer a service or have a product to sell.

Questions – Questions are great for engagement on social media.  Come up with fun questions and share them on Twitter and Facebook.  On Facebook, use the poll functionality for option questions (A, B, C, D).

Reddit – Another great social media bookmarking site. Be careful posting here though – too promotional and you’ll receive some negative feedback.  Consider adding socialable icons to your blog posts so users can share your content with all social media platforms – from Twitter and Facebook to Digg and Reddit.

Sprout Social – One of my favorite services for social media analysis and reporting. Looking forward to the day when you can bulk schedule social media posts!

Twitter – They say it best … “Instantly connect to what’s important to you.”  Twitter is real-time dialog.  In addition to posting your own engaging content, stay on top of the dialog – especially that being said by your target audience.  Get involved in the discussion!

Understand – Be sure you read up on social media so that you can thoroughly understand it.  It changes so frequently that it’s crucial you stay up to date not only on the latest trends, newest releases and options – but also on the rules.

Vision – Before you start your social media campaign, have a vision.  Plan out your strategy and ask yourself questions like “Who is my target audience?”  and “What are my goals?”  It’s important to have these mapped out beforehand.  While social media can have “wing it” moments, you should have a general idea of what you’re planning to do in place.

Widgets – Facebook and Twitter both offer widgets that you can add to your website.  Include a live stream of your Twitter feed or simply add a Facebook like button – the choice is yours!  They make a great addition to your site and a quick way to access your social media networks.

X – I’m at a loss for X.  What do you have?

You – It’s important that your social media be personable.  Whether you have a face for your company, like Tony from Zappos, or you simply write in a more friendly tone – you’ll be sure to increase your engagement.  People want to interact with people, not a machine.

Zero – No one wants to have zero fans and followers.  On Twitter, follower users in your target audience.  On Facebook, considering advertising.  It’s a great way to grow your fan base quickly.

The post The A to Z of Social Media appeared first on Kelley Media.

Some businesses are rather large – and the one I reached out to is no exception.  That said, if a customer poses a question directly to you – a response should be provided.  The lack of response, to me, is almost as bad as being hung up on when you call customer service.

If you don’t have an immediate answer, let them know you’re looking into it.  If the question would be better addressed via phone, ask them to call.  But always – always – respond to inquiries, feedback, or product love.  Any time there is a mention – respond in a timely fashion.

Good customer service is crucial – whether done in person, over the phone or online!

The post Twitter Rule: Always Respond to Customer Inquiries appeared first on Kelley Media.

And then the news came today …

Facebook released an Instagram clone.

Are you baffled? So are we.

The new app, Facebook Camera, has a lot of the same features as Instagram and is only available on iOS – as was Instagram until recently.  Similar features include:

• Photo editing, including groovy filters (the filters aren’t as extensive or WOW, for the record)
• Quick posting to social media (in this case, Facebook)
• You can easily see your friends photos

Here’s an in-depth article from CNN that outlines the new app and shares viewpoints from industry leaders – think pros and cons – about the app.

We can’t help but wonder how long Facebook Camera was in the works.  And if the Instagram purchase becomes a little clearer.  If you can’t beat the competition with your upcoming app – buy them?  The new app certainly wouldn’t have been competition for Instagram – which also reaches out to Twitter users and can utilize hashtags.  But it will be interesting to see how the app evolves in the coming months and what, if any, features it will take from Instagram.

What are your thoughts on Facebook Camera?  Have you downloaded it for your iOS device?

The post We’re Baffled – Are You? Facebook Offers Instagram Clone appeared first on Kelley Media.

Why is it so important?

Twitter is about real-time conversation. People interact with their friends, their favorite brands, their favorite authors or their favorite product. Your business must be part of that dialog.

Facebook allows the same type of interaction – but did you know that how engaged your followers are can also affect how often your content shows in news feeds? It’s important!

So how do you get followers talking and engaged? Let’s take a look at a few ideas:

1) Post Questions

It’s one of the oldest rules in the book – if you want answers, or engagement, ask questions! The same can be said for social media. Post engaging questions – ones that relate to your product or service. On Facebook, mix in questions that encourage users to hit like. The more likes – the higher the engagement.

2) Stay on Top of Dialog

Pay attention to what’s being said on Twitter in relation to your industry. Word of mouth is crucial in regular customer service and it’s important on Twitter as well. When your customers or prospects are happy – they’ll spread the word about you on social media.

Example? I was looking for a CRM system and posted a request to my Twitter followers for recommendations. I was impressed when two CRM suppliers stumbled across my post (via search – I didn’t use a hashtag) and reached out to me. I immediately shared the story on my Twitter account – mentioning both companies.

3) Host Chat Parties

One of my clients has ambassadors for their products. We’ve held several successful Twitter Chats with key figures in the athletic industry which resulted not only in increased followers – but massively extended their brand awareness. Each participant was including us in each Twitter post they made to participate – which lead to their followers learning about us.

Try hosting a chat party on Twitter or Facebook. You don’t need athletes! You’re an expert in your field – so share whatever knowledge you have. If you’re an author, answer questions about your books from your fans. Run a law firm? Do a Q&A with prospective clients.

Good luck getting your followers to start talking. Let me know how you do!

The post Get Those Followers Talking! appeared first on Kelley Media.

It’s all too common – a Twitter profile that hasn’t been updated in six months. You’re on Twitter – be sure to utilize it! At minimum, you should be posting a few times per week. I recommend 2-3 posts per day. Promotional posts (i.e. – “check us out”) should only be 20% of your content for the week. Keep the remainder of your posts fun, informative and engaging. If you’re too promotional – you’ll lose followers.

#2 – Don’t Auto-Feed from Facebook

All social media posts should be live. Don’t auto-feed your Twitter account with your Facebook content. Nothing makes me want to unfollow a business more than when I see a lengthy post on Twitter that gets cut off with a link to a Facebook page. Twitter has a limit on characters while Facebook does not. Thanks to this, the auto-feed is painfully clear. Take the time and post manually to your Twitter account. We want to know you – the business – is actually posting.

#3 – Engage, Engage, ENGAGE

It’s great that you’re on Twitter and that you’re posting on a regular basis. But that’s only half of the work. You need to be engaging with your followers. Spend at least 30 minutes each day reading through your news feed and comment on what people are writing about. Twitter is about engagement and real-time dialog. Don’t let the opportunity for conversation pass you by.

#4 – Don’t Overuse Hashtags

Have you seen posts in your Twitter feed where most of the words are hashtagged? It makes it impossible to read the content of your post. Be sporadic in your use of hashtags and only use them when they have the highest likelihood of increasing awareness about your post. Every post does not need to include a hashtag.

#5 – Monitor Your Results

I use a great service called Sprout Social that allows me to track the success of campaigns I’m managing for clients. Be sure you find a similar program (or use Sprout!) that can provide you with in-depth reporting. Analysis is crucial to the success of your campaign. Monitor it daily to see what posts are ranking highest in engagement, clicks and re-tweets. If something is not working, make changes and improve your results.

The post 5 Quick Tips for Twitter Success appeared first on Kelley Media.

Why do I need to be on social media?

The answer is simple – you can’t afford not to be on social media.

Twitter and Facebook made their debuts in 2006 and 2004 respectively and their growth is impressive. Twitter boasts over 140 million active users while Facebook just passed the 901 million mark. These audiences are HUGE and businesses that aren’t on these platforms need to take note about the opportunities they are missing.

1) How else can you quickly – and cost effectively – reach such a large percentage of your target audience?

While print advertising, online advertising, and cold calling still have their place in marketing/sales, there is no quicker way in my opinion to each your target audience than social media.
You can utilize keywords, geo-targeted posts and hashtags that will quickly spread awareness about your brand or service. Are you a local business? Take advantage of hashtags for your city! If you’re in Dallas and want to post about your restaurant, be sure to include the #dallas hashtag.

2) Your competition is already established on Twitter and Facebook. They are getting your business because you aren’t there.

Chances are good that most, if not all, of your competitors are using social media. Some better than others, of course, but they are there. If your business is not there – you’re losing the opportunities your competition is gaining.

3)  Not being on social media can make your business appear outdated.

Whether you’re  a large business or a mom-and-pop shop, not being on social media can make your business appear outdated.  Consumers like to follow their favorite businesses or brands on social media to keep up on product announcements, company news and special offers.  Don’t make your business seem out of touch by not being on social media.

The post Why Your Business Should Be Utilizing Social Media appeared first on Kelley Media.