Tag Archives: marketing

How to Ensure Your Business is Found on New Facebook Graph Search

by Brand Adoption • on January 16, 2013 • in News

Once again Facebook will put marketing departments all over the world in a mad rush.  Why?  The new ability to search through pictures, aka Graph Search.

, for Small Talk, writes about how to ensure your business isn’t left in the dust.

image via searchengineland.com/

 

Lo writes, “Number of likes becomes more important–since search will begin with people connected to Pages, the more people liking your Page means more people connected and thus the higher frequency of showing in search results.”

Read Lo’s Full Post and Get All His Tips: Click Here…

 

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Your 2013 Social Media Marketing Plan From “A” All The Way To “Z”

by Brand Adoption • on December 7, 2012 • in News

Melinda F. Emerson, blogs on The New York Times website about the 2013 Social Media Marketing Plan.  Yep- that elephant in the room for most small business owners.  From blogs to Pinterest to that 24-hour/7-days a week twitter feed… Staying on top of Social Media can be a daunting task. Emerson writes, “Maybe you set up a blog, but you haven’t been up updating it. Maybe you set up a Twitter account, but you have yet to post that first tweet. Maybe you can’t remember the last time you updated your Facebook page. Well, now’s the time. Social media can be a great equalizer for small businesses. It used to be that guy who had the most advertising dollars was usually going to win. These days, people are much less interested in being sold; they are looking for useful information, and if you have some to offer, you have the opportunity to build a relationship.”

image via Decidedlysocial.com

Emerson showers us with early holiday gifts by breaking down a successful 2013 Social Media Marketing Plan from A to Z.

To See A – Z: Click Here…

Here is one of our favorites – Letter E: “Execution. Develop a daily execution plan. How much time will you invest each day?”  10 minutes a day looks a lot easier than 15 hours a month!

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The Basics: Facebook Marketing Made Easy

by Brand Adoption • on September 19, 2012 • in News

Stephanie Chandler, contributor to Forbes.com, reminds all small business owners about the basics of Facebook.

image via basicfacebookmarketing.com

Make sure to read all 10 of her tips – while we highlight a couple of the best ones here.

Chandler writes, “Pin to Top – You can ensure that a post gets premium exposure at the top of your Facebook page with this handy feature. To implement, hover over the upper right corner of a post and click on the pencil icon that reads “Edit or Remove,” then choose “Pin to Top.””

Pinning to the top can allow your page to keep older posts relevant by positioning them on top.  Fans, or future fans, are most likely to see a couple of your most resent posts…don’t let them go before they get to see your current contest or major announcement.

Chandler also says, “About Section – Below the photo on your business page is a small box of text where you can share details about your business. More importantly, this box can include a clickable link for your website. While your website link may appear on the bio area of your Facebook page, you can assure more clicks by adding it to this prime real estate on the main page. To update yours, simply click on the box below your photo where this text appears, and then click on “Edit.””

Having fans on Facebook is great – getting them to your website is even better.  Make sure you make it as easy as possible to get there.  By adding links in your about section – you take out the risk of them not making to your site.  Remember the less roadblocks, the higher success rate.

Read Full Post Here…

 

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Failing At Social Media? Let’s Make A Plan

by Brand Adoption • on July 25, 2012 • in News

Social Media Examiner tackels the problem many businesses are now facing. A failing social media presence on the World Wide Web.  Jim Belosic writes, “Businesses often fail in their social media efforts for the same reason New Year’s resolutions fail: It’s a good idea, but there’s no structure or commitment.  Then, when there are no immediate results, or the goal ends up being more difficult to attain than previously thought, it goes by the wayside.”

If that sounds familiar you have to read this article.  If you are wondering what Belosic says the first thing you need to do…you’re in luck.

#1: Make a Commitment

Before you even start creating your plan, you have to make a promise. Establishing a healthy social media presence can be a very slow process. You can’t expect your list of fans, followers or subscribers to grow overnight.

Read The Full Post Here

 

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Millennials Changing The Food Marketing Game

by Brand Adoption • on July 5, 2012 • in News

Grocery Headquarters posted a recent study, Trouble in Aisle 5, done by Jefferies, the global investment bank, and AlixPartners, the global business advisory firm.

The results confirm the belief that Millennials are going to change the way companies do things – if they don’t make the change, and keep up – they’ll be left in the dust.

Picture via www.guardian.co.uk

The food-at-home industry will see an accelerated change because the old-school methods are not cutting it with the new kids on the block.

From the post:

“We envision an environment that will require increased nimbleness and a relentless focus on the consumer for established food manufacturers and retailers, and the potential for rapid growth for new concepts and products,” said David Garfield, Managing Director at AlixPartners and head of the firm’s Consumer Products Practice.

“Millennials clearly present significant challenges, and food-makers and traditional grocery retailers need to start making changes now to address the emerging needs of this demographic group, as in many ways we’re just in the second inning of this ball game” said Scott Mushkin, Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst covering Food & Drug Retailing and Packaged Food at Jefferies.

The study shows that Millennials want connivence, the best possible price and the best quality.  If they have to get it online, on their smartphone, at a grocery store or a connivence store – they will find it.

From the post:

Overall, the study sees a more demanding environment across the entire food-industry value chain.  For food companies, there will be greater pressure to deliver more for less –fresher, higher-quality product, with more choices and more convenience in a shopping environment where consumers are becoming less brand-loyal and more inclined to shop across channels.

 

To Read More About How Millennials Are Changing The Way Things Are Done…Click Here

 

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University Rep Network Fueled By Millennials

by Brand Adoption • on April 25, 2012 • in News

Millennials- This is definitely a term that you will be hearing more and more. In fact, “Hearing” about them might be the wrong way to put it; truth is, you will most likely read about them in a post, tweet, blog, or news feed. That’s because Millennials (ages 18-29) are spending more and more time on social networking sites according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center.

The term Millennials is used because their birth into adulthood happened on or near the new millennium. In the overview of results, the Pew Research Center reports that Millennials “are more ethnically and racially diverse than older adults. They’re less religious, less likely to have served in the military, and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history.”

Millennials have also grown up having multiple modes of communication at their fingertips. They now take full advantage of the wide variety the World Wide Web has to offer. Three out of every Four Millennials has created some kind of social networking profile.

Millennials that are connected to the University Rep network are even more connected than the average user, averaging just fewer than 1,000 friends on Facebook.

Pew Research Center reports Millennials key distinctiveness comes from the way this age group has welded social media platforms to their everyday lives. The report conveys, “It’s not just their gadgets- it’s the way they’ve fused their social lives into them.”

Ureps are known for frequently communicating with friends and family through Facebook. Additionally, company communications are sent email, Facebook, and text messages that reach the connect brand evangelists instantly. A second Pew Research publication recently released finds that the more people use social media, the more they trust people in general. We can infer that Millennials are more trusting in people because of their involvement with social networks.

Brand Adoption uses its University Rep network (ureps) to execute Word of Mouth marketing. Connecting brands with consumers using social media and guerrilla marketing strategies. Combining influential peer-to-peer recommendations from the most connected Millennials, and the powerful new media technologies. The mix has already created buzz across the national on college campuses.

According to one of the creators of the urep network, Don May, the successes are because of the Millennials. May said, “this generation connects to brands and companies with ease thanks to social media. They can become the biggest advocates and the most trusted.”

Trust.  It is not something companies and brands get very easily.  With only 12% of consumers trusting advertisements.  Genuine advocates of brands used and liked will keep the urep network thriving on campuses for years to come.

To learn more about becoming a urep, Click Here

To get ureps connected to your brand, Click Here

 

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Powerful Word of Mouth

by Brand Adoption • on April 9, 2012 • in Blog, News

Joe Bush wrote an amazing piece for the Path to Purchase Institute on the power of Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM).

KEY INSIGHTS:

“Gone are the days when ‘word of mouth’ was simply a free benefit to deserving brands.”  Bush reports that WOM marketing is now an increasing part of companies operational expense.

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association defines WOM as ‘any business action that earns a customer recommendation.’  Online, offline, promotions, in-store activations, etc. are all different campaigns designed to spark positive WOM.  These campaigns use brand ambassadors, but often times the ambassadors will work for product instead of money.

 

Bush writes about effective WOM marketing campaigns highlighting Nestle USA’s creation of hype.  The brand was participating in Walmart’s Ice Cream Social sampling event – Nestle wanted to create buzz before the event, and drive even bigger numbers to the sampling event.  Using a collaboration of 110 bloggers, Bush says, “the result was a 37% sales lift over the six weeks from Memorial Day to Fourth of July.”

 

Shopper marketing manager for Nestle, Andi Pratt, told Bush, “shoppers are more and more engaged in user-generated content, whether it be from people they know or people they don’t.  Those are heavily weighted in the decisions they are making every day.  It doesn’t feel as forced… Brands that are able to do social in a genuine way will start to stand out.”

 

Key Insight #1:

Genuine Brand Ambassadors = Sales Lift

https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/1850947279/DellUniversity_avatar.jpg
 
Dell, Inc. knew genuine Brand Ambassadors were important, but they also know that training was just as important.  Dell currently uses more than 100 paid Brand Ambassadors across the country to promote, present Dell products, as well as manage its online presence.  In just a year Dell watched 135,549 people like them on Facebook and 388,827 follow them on Twitter. Dell and its marketing team knew that this program would only work if the brand ambassadors were the “right fit.”  Location, knowledge of town, connection to campus all played a major role.  Monthly brand messaging meetings kept ambassadors up to speed and focused on trackable goals.  Dell University brought the company to the local level – instead of hoping the students would go to them.

 

Key Insight #2:
Local Brand Ambassadors = Greater connection to customers = increase in sales.

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Facebook Timeline Touts Lift in Brand Page Engagement

by Brand Adoption • on March 29, 2012 • in News

Just a day before Facebook timeline becomes mandatory for all Brand Pages – We read on Mashable that the change might not be so bad.  highlights a recent study on Facebook’s timeline that would suggest that these new brand timelines might actually create a better relationship between companies and consumers.  Wasserman says, “If you’re a marketer wondering if migrating your brand to Facebook Timeline was worth the effort, here’s some encouraging data: A researcher reports that brands are getting an average 46% more engagement with Timeline. The researcher, Simply Measured, drew its results from an admittedly small sample: just 15 Facebook brand pages. Doing so may have created a false sense of lift, especially since the greatest beneficiaries, Livestrong and Toyota, saw their engagement rates jump 161% and 156%, respectively.”

Wouldn't be true without a graph via Mashable

 

The real question will be how the smaller brands survive the change- We’ll find out SOON!

Read The Full Post Here…

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Tips To Get Your Facebook Timeline In Shape

by Brand Adoption • on March 26, 2012 • in News

Brands are being forced to update its pages to timeline.  Marketers are at their desks going crazy!  How are they going to get more people to like their page if they cannot self-promoting tabs?!

Don’t stress – Pam Moore has complied 15 tips that you should know before the big change. Read All 15 Tips Here…

We’ll highlight a couple of Moore’s tips:

1. Know the Facebook cover image content guidelines (rules).

Facebook has set pretty strict guidelines for what can and can’t be displayed and communicated on the new timeline cover image.

What you CAN do:

  • Brand the heck out of your company, book or personal brand. This include brand images, logos, photos and any other visual marks.
  • Inspire your audience with visually appealing graphics, colors and images.
  • Use simple language that will help you inspire and connect with your fans.

What you can NOT do: (Per Facebook cover guidelines)

  • Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
  • Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
  • References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
  • Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

Basically the cover image is provided to inspire and connect with your fans. It is not meant for blatant self promotion or hard sales.

*Obviously make sure you have legal copyrights to all images and content.

2. Create custom thumbnails for apps.

It is super easy to create a custom thumbnail image for each and every app. Note custom images can not be set for photos and likes.

a. Create an image that is 111  x  74 pixels.

b. Click on the arrow to the right of your timeline (underneath the cover image). It will show a number which represents the number of apps you are using.

c. Click on the arrow next to the image of the app you want to change.

d. Click on edit settings.

e. Click on change (for the image)

f. Upload the new image

Cover Photo

urep cover photo via Facebook

Be Sure To See All 15 Tips: Click Here

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Is Pinterest For You And Your Brand?

by Brand Adoption • on March 20, 2012 • in News

The fear of most marketers- missing out on a huge flow of traffic that can be directed at their brand.  The latest and greatest headache… Pinterest!  We have often posted about the pros and cons of Pinterest – Mashable has also weighed in on this heated issue.  writes for Mashable and says, “If your brand isn’t on Pinterest, you could be missing out on a growing stream of potential customers. While shaping your brand’s image on Pinterest, remember to take into account the specifics of the site’s userbase. A recent study showed that home, arts and crafts,  style/fashion and food are the most popular categories on Pinterest.  The food category is the fastest growing segment of Pinterest.”

Cabalona also focuses on this infographic from web optimization company Maxymiser

@MAXYMISER

Read Full Post On Mashable Here…

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