All Posts, Blog, Branding, Marketing
This post is part of our Reluctant Social Media Manager series, support for those of us who want measurable social media results with the least amount of effort.
We all know engagement on Facebook is almost a requirement for any online businesses. There are millions of daily active users on Facebook, and the ability to engage and connect with your audience on Facebook is so simple it’s scary. Have you ever seen a Facebook Business page or group that posts constantly but the engagement is non existent? Posts that get less than 10 likes, or no shares, or no comments? That business is putting in the work but they aren’t getting the results. Today we’re going to outline the 4 main types of blog posts that provide engagement that matters. Here at Design Theory, we thrive on results, and we can get those results by working smarter instead of harder – that’s even better. Let’s go….
- Share Articles – Let’s started with the easiest form of Facebook posts, sharing content from other sources. Even though this sounds simple, the key here is sharing content that appeals to your audience. Choose a few content leaders and articles within your industry that will resonate with your audience. Did you know, and articles with shock value work well in this space. Here’s an example, we have a client that sells natural hair and skin care. We recommended that they share articles like “10 reasons why your Lotion isn’t safe”. An easy way to do this is to utilize tools like Buffer or DrumUp. Buffer allows you to schedule almost any article or image to be posted to your Facebook page, and it’s free! DrumUp is another free tool that automatically gather content for you based on the keyword you specify. The free version allows you to read and schedule your posts.
- Engagement Posts – These posts take a little more time, and rely on meme’s and images to capture attention. Here are some examples of engagement posts:
- Tag a friend who….
- Polls or Surveys
- This or That using images
- What’s your favorite brand/thing about this/thing to do when…
- Note: Captivating images work best here, try and find attention grabbing images. They don’t have to directly relate to your post, it can be a tangential relation (i.e. an image of a melted ice cream cone, with a post reading “What do you do when…”). There are plenty of free image websites that can give you the content for your posts. Try sites like PicJumbo, and Pixabay to get some awesome images for your posts.
- Sales Posts – These posts highlight a specific product and sales price with a clear call to action. Utilize a link directly to your MailChimp or Infusionsoft account, or directly to your shopping cart. Pictures or videos should ALWAYS accompany these types of posts. These are also great candidates for Facebook boosted posts or ads. We’ll talk in a future post about frequency, but for now sale posts should be the LEAST used type of post on your Facebook page or group.
- Original Content – And finally we get to the most time intensive type of post, but arguably the most effective. Original content allows your audience to know you, know your brand, and make a lifetime connection. Behind the scenes images and videos (using Facebook Live) are awesome ways to create original content without having to spend a lot of time or money on ads. Provide your fans with value by giving them information, statistics on things important to them, insight on how you have positively impacted your community or client base with your product or services. Lastly, provide lots selfies or images that represent your business, product, or service.
Remember that balance between these 4 strategies is key to success. Don’t forget to respond, reply, and engage – and most importantly BE CONSISTENT. After reading this blueprint – what actions are you going to take now to promote your Facebook Page Business? Let us know on our Facebook page, we’ll like your business page AND follow up with you as an accountability partner.
All Posts, Blab Video Replays, Marketing, Social Media
This week we’re back with another new Blab! This was such a good talk that I don’t even want to spend a lot of time explaining it, I really want you to just watch. In short we talk about how being a professional we don’t take out enough time to go back and inform our clients and audience that we actually have other skills, traits, or services that we can offer among our main ones that everyone knows us for.
We talk about ways to get the word out about the extra skills we have through means of email lists, videos, and social media. But not in a bragging way, but informative. Check it out and add your thoughts to us on Twitter or the comments below.
All Posts, Blog, Featured, Marketing, PRESS RELEASE
Pretty regularly I am asked about SEO, and my response is usually the same; I know a lot about it, but it’s a service that should be handled by a company who does that entirely. As a photographer and web designer, it’s part of my job to understand how SEO works on a basic and pragmatic level. However I am happy to introduce Rhett DeMille of PalmettoSoft.
What I like the most about Rhett is that he’s got the same approach to customer service as I do. In the way that taking time to explain how his process works, understanding the true needs of his clients, and proving his efforts with progress reports like the one below.
Rhett DeMille has been working in the IT field the last 14 years, and PalmettoSoft, his current company, will turn 11 this May. In the earlier days, most his professional time was spent on web design projects and their associated customer support efforts. Fast forward to four hundred websites later; his company now specializes in Internet marketing where he leverages previous experience to create custom solutions which help businesses grow.
Rhett also serves as the account manager for his clients so he can have a high level understanding of each account at all times. To further bolster this effort, his managers work through project management software with built in methodologies and business rules to always provide customers timely and professional service. Basically all projects and tasks are tracked and recorded to ensure the best client service available– all with a personal touch.
Moving forward, PalmettoSoft strives to continue to help businesses grow by utilizing experience, ethics and sound principles in the quick and ever changing world of the Internet.
Be sure to check out Rhett’s website and apply for the Free SEO Analysis that he offers. You’d be surprised what you’d learn from just that report. Then you can create a marketing plan that will be successful for 2016.
Blab Video Replays, Marketing, Social Media
Earlier this week we hosted another Blab talking about Marketing and Blogging Tips and Tools for 2016. Much like any of our other Blab shows, we start off with a topic and only are able to get through maybe half of our notes. This is due to the great dialog and engagement we get both in the guests and in the chat. Special thanks to all of you who subscribe and watch our shows each Tuesday morning at 10AM.
Check out the replay below, and under that are some links to some of the tips and tools we mentioned in the show.
Show Notes:
- For adding strategic popups to your website check out Ninja Popups
- Medium is a community of readers and writers offering unique perspectives on ideas large and small
- Stream directly to your Facebook Business page using NomadCast
- Triberr A community of talented Bloggers and Influencers come together to read and share great content.
- Advertising banners and ads on your website with The Blogger Network.
- Email list builder app Sumome that also shows heat-maps from visitors on your website.
- Schedule and share your social media posts in a smart way with Buffer App.
Content & Copywriting, Infographics, Marketing, Product Reviews
Most marketers know that one of the best ways to convey pertinent information, especially statistical data, is through infographics. When potential or new clients ask me what they are, I often say “it is a visually pleasing and engaging way to consume medium to large quantities of information.” The purpose of the infographic is as multidimensional as the design. Over the years, I have seen infographics used for a variety of purposes – educational, political, business soliciting – you name it.
One that recently caught my attention, made me start thinking about companies and organizations purposes, agendas and the like, that are using this “visually pleasing and engaging” method of marketing to accomplish the their vision and goals. Join me as we journey though some of the most compelling and captivating infographics published to date.
Peta’s Life of a Cow infographic tops many emotion-evoking infographic lists. It educates consumers, encourages veganism, and intentionally elicits emotional pain over what baby calves go through to become dairy- and food-producing options. This infographic holds nothing back when it comes to mapping out the beginning with the fear-inflicted eyes of the baby calf to the ill-fated end of becoming dinner.
Domestic violence is a huge issue in our society, in the U.S. and abroad. It can be physical, sexual, emotional; and the least publicized, psychological. Millions of Americans, women AND men, have been victims of domestic violence and this infographic displays the ugly truths of these heinous acts. Developed by NowSourcing for Socialworkdegreeguide.com, Exposing What Happens Behind Closed Doors, is an educational infographic reflecting truth, demographics, and current statistics. From the first, engaging image through the un-ignorable statistics, this in-depth domestic violence awareness all-in-one definitely does what it should.
Sure to get a few guffaws, this infographic from Killer Infographics is sure to crack the corners of your mouth with statements that most people think but don’t have the guts to say. I’m Cooler Than You Because…was designed in 2013 to showcase “why certain people are cooler than other people” relying on “bold icons and funny copy to make this infographic super effective!” And that it does! So if you don’t have a bunch of nay-saying, humorless colleagues, post this in your cube to surely receive a few laughs and engaging conversation. And in case you didn’t know and are bold enough to rock it, you can get this on apparel by visiting here.
Eye-opening content is always welcome in my book, and as well, that which is shockingly truthful. In the 21 Shocking U.S. Food Waste Facts & Statistics, the designers at AZ Solutions, ensure you are well aware as to how much food wasting goes on and its riveting impact. So many of us do it in one way or another, but I had no idea that my disregarding, no left-overs mentality impacts the masses. It was compelling enough to change both my mind and my own behaviors.
So there you have it folks, just a few jaw-dropping, tear-welling and knee slapping infographics that are out there. Stay tuned as I may address this topic again in the future and once again reveal why well thought out, skillfully designed infographics are such captivating and compelling content around.
Content & Copywriting, Entertainment, Marketing, Product Reviews, Social Media
Ah, the beauty of a New England fall season…The crisp air, apple cider donuts and many trees display the multifaceted colors of fall. Content consumption trends this fall are just as varied as trees lining I-90 to the Berkshires. As a device dependent nation, the consumers of content have pushed both manufacturers and marketers to infinite boundaries – a flurry of multifaceted demands to have everything we want (or think we need) at our fingertips all hours of every day. So for mobile technology, Fall 2013 is blowing in with many winds of change for the content consumption marketplace.
Will the PC become obsolete? According to Digital Trends, “research firms have been informing us for some time now that sales of desktops and laptops are on the decline, with consumers turning increasingly to reasonably priced tablets and smartphones that do more than enough to keep them happy.” Even Morgan Stanley analysts have predicted that mobile web use will outgrow stationary device browsing by 2015. This is great news for mobile device makers while stationary PC’s and even laptops sales may continue to fall to below expectation when it comes to content utilization. With the impending November 29th, 2013 Black Friday and Cyber Monday on December 2nd just around the corner, its predicted that consumers’ choices are definitely shifting from PCs to handheld tablets for daily content consumption.
What’s everyone humming about? Yes it is finally arrived – Google Hummingbird. By replacing the old algorithm, Google has answered the call for easy search queries for people on-the-go. Hummingbird is essentially an entirely new ranking algorithm that understands the relationships and relevance of words and phrases, instead of just considering a bunch of individual words. Thus, making it more “human friendly” than ever. So it focuses on ranking information based on more intelligent and naturalistic search requests – providing more useful, intelligent and higher quality content in the digital world.
Seemingly Unlikely Bedfellows – Adobe & Data Analytics? Adobe Marketing Cloud is the latest user interface and in the new Adobe Analytics with an iOS operating system for mobile devices reports the baseline norm from historical user trends and then identifies data points that fall outside that norm. This super smart app offers real-time reporting capabilities to give marketers and copywriters/editors solid intel on readers content consumption, marketing campaign success and on-site conversion as it happens. An SDK mobile app will provide unparalleled opportunity analyze data collected from mobile apps in Adobe Analytics, giving marketers the ability to serve location-specific content to customers based on their location when they access a mobile app. I noticed this most recently while on Pandora. An audible ad, that was specific to my location, popped up to gain my buy-in on their services. This is perfect for true lead generation efforts and capturing the right demographic for a successful campaign.
Branding, Media Style
This fall, many companies are beginning to understand that they need to think more like publishers and not just marketers. Connecting brands with online audiences is essential for true consumer, marketing integration and growth. More brands will use sizeably more video and mobile-friendly content in response to the growing number of smartphones and tablets. Media integration helps businesses generates revenue and strengthens customer relationships by leveraging the latest technology and draw on a full range media marketing resources. Since content consumption is at an all time high, using social video resources like Vimeo, YouTube, Instagram, or Vine ads flavorful social content that reaches your audience in quick and impactful ways.
Content Curation Marketing
For those who don’t know, content curation goes way beyond just making sure website content is both up-to-date and SEO rich. Content curation is the process of connecting content creators, i.e. marketers, bloggers and writers, to easily and quickly target relevant content. Since content is king, content curators oversee and manage the entire landscape of content – from driving product development and marketing strategies to social networking integration, Notably, this is a fantastic tool to boost social media presence and true engagement for key target audiences.
So there you have it folks – all things content and dominant trends for the Fall season of 2013.
What do you think? Are there other content trends you see fading like the leaves of fall or flourishing in full bloom for 2014?
