Tag Archives: Twitter

A Content Marketing Hub Every Marketer Must Have | by Niveen Salem

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Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
Latest posts by Zeb Welborn (see all)

Niveen Salem – Elite Marketing Secrets

A Content Marketing Hub Every Marketer Must Have

What is a content marketing hub every marketer must have?

Sonia Simone, an author and one of Copyblogger’s co-founders calls it a “content hub – a centerpiece for your content marketing”. You probably figured it out. Yes, it’s a blog!

What is a Blog?

A blog is a online educational center about your business based on value offered. In marketing terms, it’s called attraction marketing. It’s simply your real estate piece of land on the internet. It’s a place to interact with your potential customers. But before you start a blog you need to understand your audience. This will stem from having a strong niche. Only then you’ll be able to research their problems, issues and concerns and help them find the solutions through writing a content marketing strategy about the problems. It’s the foundation of all social media tools.

But, wait a second: I thought social media is Twitter and Facebook?

Social media outlets are great to start a conversation but ultimately you want to bring your visitors back to your home base – your blog. Creating a social media marketing plan for your blog is essential in promoting your content. Here comes the importance of all social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, You Tube and Pinterest.

Why Blogging – 10 Benefits to Start your Own Blog?

  1. Thought Leader: When you blog you’re perceived as a thought leader and an expert in your industry or niche. People will start coming to you for questions, concerns and problems that they need answers for. It creates a conversation rather than a one way monologue.
  2. Trusted Source: When providing valuable content in your blog, your readers will build a trust relationship with you which turns into a lead and a lead turns into a sale.
  3. Blogging Sharpens Your Saw: When you’re blogging regularly, you’re forced to read and educate yourself about your industry. Eventually you’ll become more informed and educated than your competitors. Your presentations will become better, your problem solving abilities and skills will enhance and your tool and resource systems will grow. You’ll simply become a better teacher who have an answer to every question. All this from blogging!
  4. Freedom: A blog gives you an incredible amount of freedom where no one can tell you what to promote or not. You have total control over your content and your audience. No one has the right to flag your content as inappropriate or decide suddenly to cancel your Facebook Fan Page or delete your LinkedIn group discussions. One of my LinkedIn group discussions was suddenly deleted after reaching 42 comments in a few days!
  5. You have 100% control over the look, design and functionality of your site
  6. Blogging Traffic: Statistics show that blogging creates 55% more traffic and visitors to companies. Source: Hubspot.
  7. Build a Tribe: Blogging creates a tribe of followers, fans, readers and build relations with potential customers
  8. Your blog is a great way to generate leads. You can always make money blogging by monetizing your blog if you’re in the affiliate marketing industry
  9. You can include many sources of content marketing in your blog (not only writing) – such as a video or a podcast.
  10. By 2013, it is projected that 128 million people in the US will be blog readers. Source: MyMarketingDept.

There are 100’s of other statistics that you can search online to find out more benefits of blogging.

How to Create a Blog?

Nowadays creating a blog became a very simple process as 1, 2, 3:

  1. You need to choose and create a domain name
  2. Then create a web hosting account
  3. Then use a simple WordPress blog theme

How to Blog?

I know the objection as I was there before you: ” But I’m not a writer! What am I going to write about?” There are 5 reasons why you can become a killer blogger. How to blog is very simple once you follow these steps:

1. Write about your passion
2. Offer valuable dynamic content and avoid putting your readers to sleep with these 6 ways.
3. Use marketing tactics and strategies when writing a blog post. Here are 3 valuable tactics:

  • Be the Resource Your Customers Really Need
  • Answer the Unanswered Questions
  • Find the Questions Your Customers are Asking

4. You’ll always need to improve your blog post using these 5 tips

  • Plan your blog post before you start writing
  • Give examples of how and what to do, not only why
  • Always end your post with a call to action
  • Edit your title, introduction and conclusion
  • Use easy formatting

5. Content curation is a well known concept in blogging which allows you to write a blog post about something you’ve read online. THE RULE is to refer to the author’s name and article link in your post. When I first started blogging on my blog – Elite Marketing Secrets – I used this method a lot until I was able to create my own content.

6. You can find blogging ideas to create your own content using these sources:

  • Other blogs (curating content)
  • Books
  • Magazines
  • Movies
  • TV
  • Forums
  • Friends
  • Real life story
  • Success / failure stories
  • Google
  • Social media
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Best of…..
  • How to…..
  • Case studies
  • Solve a problem
  • Your blog comments

7. Humanize or personalize your blog posts with your personality. Nothing is more boring than reading a blog post on a certain subject without feeling the author’s personality involved in the post. Mention your experiences, likes, dislikes, others experiences or stories. Storytelling is the #1 reason for grabbing your audience attention. It’s key in content marketing. If you master storytelling, then you mastered marketing and that is what 99.99% of marketers lack.

8. Here are a few more good blogging practices and tips:

  • Be consistent
  • Be organized
  • Be specific
  • Make it about your audience not about you (be interested not interesting)
  • Write a compelling headline
  • Engage your readers
  • Respond to your comments
  • Promote your content
  • Optimize your post
  • Join a blogging community
  • Share your expertise and others

Free Blogging Book

I’d like to offer a free blogging book here as an added value. Inside the book, you’ll discover how to blog your way to the top of your home business organization. The concepts in this book can be applied on any business.

Click here to get your free blogging book from Elite Marketing Secrets

To Your Success,
Niveen Salem

27 Tips on How to Build a Vibrant Twitter Community

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Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
Latest posts by Zeb Welborn (see all)

@WelbornMedia

Building a Twitter community is the most important skill to develop when starting a Twitter campaign.  Fortunately, building a strong Twitter community is easy to do.  Follow these steps and you’ll be on your way to establishing a thriving Twitter community:

  1. Tweet, Tweet Often and Tweet with a Purpose – Before you start your Twitter campaign begin by thinking of your purpose . . . or generate a mission statement.  Our mission statement is to help business owners share their passion with others.  We work with passionate business owners to help them increase their exposure, build their businesses and become positive examples for their communities.  Every tweet we send out is aligned with our goal of helping business owners become successful.  You won’t see tweets from us about what we had for dinner or our plans for the weekend.  Be true to your mission, tweet, and tweet often.  The more active you are on Twitter the faster your community will grow.
  2. Provide Value – Everyone says you need to provide value, but I never really understood what that meant.  Value is an ambiguous term, but it still applies.  My understanding of value is offering something to someone else that is a genuine effort to improve their lives.  Many people online, and on Twitter post what I call, “look at me articles.”  The greatest way to give value and create a more enthusiastic community is to genuinely try to help others.  It helps by addressing specific people’s issues and concerns and then sharing those issues with others.
  3. Actively Listen – The coolest thing about Twitter in my opinion is the search feature, type in any word into the bar at the top of the Twitter page and every single tweet that had that term in it will show up.  This provides marketers with an amazing opportunity to reach out to people who are actively communicating on Twitter.  For our clients we actively look for users who are communicating about their product or service and we reach out to them . . . we listen to them and we alter our strategies based off of their responses.  Listen actively and you will have a more engaged community.
  4. Don’t Sell – Don’t post “Look at Me” articles . . . most people get on Twitter and constantly post tweets that sell . . . buy this or buy that.  Do that and be sure to create a non-existent Twitter community.  No one wants to constantly be sold to.  So, don’t sell . . . be helpful and sales will come.  Use Twitter as a way to generate relationships first . . . trust second . . . a whole bunch of other things between and sales last.
  5. Follow Others – Follow others who post tweets that resonate with you and engage with them.  The more you engage others, the more likely they are to engage with you.
  6. Use Your Face as Your Profile Pic – People connect more to other people so be sure to use a profile picture that shows your face and preferrably a happy face at that.  We personally use a logo for our business twitter account, @WelbornMedia, but I usually connect with more people using my personal Twitter account, @ZebWelborn which has a picture of my beautiful face.  It always feels nicer to know who your talking to and easier for people to develop an emotional connection with you . . . thus making your community stronger.
  7. Look at Other Peoples Lists.  Once you find people to connect with and people who you enjoy communicating with, check out the lists they’ve created.  Chances are there will be more people like them that share their passions and interests and you can connect with them thus building your Twitter community.
  8. Jump into Conversations – Don’t be afraid to get your feet wet.  Conversations are happending all over Twitter all the time.  Twitter chats are a great way to get involved.  But, most importantly, don’t be afraid to respond to people . . . most people love getting responses to their tweets, so don’t be shy and meet more people.
  9. Followers Don’t Matter.  Active Followers Do. – The amount of people following you will not matter when it comes to making sales . . . the amount of engaged followers will.  There are tons of automatic following programs and Twitter has a large amount of users who don’t use the service on a regular basis, meaning a follower who is no longer using Twitter is no longer seeing your Tweets.  Building an engaged following is much more important than building numbers.  Don’t be obsessed with numbers, be obsessed with relationships.
  10. Be Consistent – I heard an analogy once that being a Twitter user is like being a farmer.  Few people have the patience to be a farmer, to plant the seeds, to tend to the plants all year long and then to harvest the plants at the end of the season.  A farmer can’t be absent during the process . . . if he does not tend to his crops, his crops will die before it’s time to harvest.  Twitter is the same way . . . You plant seeds by initiating conversations with different people.  You cultivate those relationships on a regular consistent basis and, then, and only then will you harvest the fruits of your labor.  If you ignore your crops they die.  If you ignore your Twitter followers they will not become your customers.

  11. The Tutoring Solution – http://www.thecatutoringsolution.com/

    Share Stuff – As the owner of The Tutoring Solution, our mission was to help inspire students to become successful in and out of the classroom.  To develop connections with other groups similar to ours we began sharing messages from other members of the #EdChat group, as a result they learned about our programs and our goals and began sharing our stuff.  We then, worked together to promote our missions and our community grew.

  12. Use directories like Twellow, Twubble, Twits Like Me, etc.  There are numerous Twitter directories that has influential Twitter users in your field, you can then use those directories to follow people who share your interests and in turn may follow you.  At the least you’ll see what influential people are doing to make an impact in your community.
  13. Follow those who follow you.  If someone follows you and they’re an active Twitter user, follow them back . . . not only should you follow them, but you should also reach out to them and thank them for following you.  I feel honored every time someone new follows me and I want to make sure my Twitter users know how honored I truly am.
  14. Develop a Strong Bio – Often times, Twitter users will check out your Twitter bio to see if you’re someone they would like to follow.  Be sure your Twitter bio is compelling and lets Twitter users know exactly what kind of person you are and what kind of relationship you will be creating with them.  Optimize your Twitter account . . . be sure to include target keywords, links to your website, add your location and give users a reason to follow you.
  15. Use a Strong Brand Name – Your name is important.  Use your own personal name, a name that goes with your brand, and one that Twitter users will want to connect with.
  16. Create Lists – You can create lists on Twitter which will help you when you start to follow too many people to keep track of.  I’m involved in many Twitter discussions:  SEO, Google AdWords, Social Media, and Education just to name a few.  By putting your followers into groups you can then jump into their discussions by accessing the list you have created for each group.
  17. Introduce People to Your Followers – As you communicate with people its important to share them with others.  If you know two people who share the same passion, connect them with each other.  Twitter is all about building relationships . . . Help people build relationships and they will help you build your community.
  18. Follow People from Different Niches – Everyone has their area of expertise, but that doesn’t mean you need to limit the users you follow.  If I only engaged in discussions with people who associated themselves with “Social Media,” I would be missing out on the potential to connect with new customers.  As a result, I look for niches where my services could either be used or easily referred by and connect with people there.
  19. Reciprocate – If someone does something nice for you . . . return the favor.
  20. Try to Connect with Twitter Friends Offline – While working for Los Serranos Country Club, I am frequently trying to connect with golfers offline.  Often, they will tell me they are headed to the golf course and I will connect with them.  This gives me an opportunity to meet them and get a face to the name, but it also enhances the bond we have with each other and the golf course.  I’ve always told businesses that one of the benefits of attracting people that use social media is that they have access to much more people, the people who I have met at the golf course have sent positive messages about Los Serranos Country Club to their lists of friends on Twitter, Facebook, through email and in person.  If you can build those connections you’re on the right track.  Check out this video of a user we connected with offline from our social media campaign – Louis Castillo on Golf at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills.
  21. Build Up.  Don’t Put Down. – Nobody likes a bully.  Being negative and angry is not conducive towards building a strong community.  Everyone loves people who make them feel good about themselves.  Be a person who makes people feel good and your community will grow.
  22. Use Twitter Tools – There are enormous amounts of Twitter tools you can use to  help manage your Twitter account(s).  Do online searches or ask other Twitter users how Twitter tools have helped them.  I’ve personally used HootSuite, TweetDeck, TweetAdder and TweetChat at different times to help me manage my Twitter accounts, but there are lots more.
  23. Learn the Lingo – Do you know what DM, @, RT, MT,  Tweet, Tw, # mean?  Ask the people on Twitter and they’ll tell you.  (I can’t tell you everything)
  24. Pay Attention to @ Replies – (Ok, I’ll tell you this one)  @ Replies are when people mention you directly in a tweet.  Respond to all @ replies in order to generate a discussion and build a stronger relationship.  @ replies is where I spend most of my time on Twitter . . . when you build a big enough community you will spend most of your time there too.
  25. Add Your Twitter ID to All Signatures – As with anything you’re using, be sure to let as many people know you’re using Twitter as possible.  This means including it in any documentation you may have, in your email signatures, on your Facebook page and anywhere else you can think of.
  26. Read the Bios of Those You Follow – You can develop an understanding of what makes people tick by reading their profiles and then develop more meanginful relationships as a result . . . the more you care about their interests, the more they will care about yours.
  27. Know Who the Players Are – Know who the leaders are in your industry on Twitter . . . Follow them, learn from them and try to connect with them.  By reaching out to people who are perceived as the experts in an industry you are associating yourself with the experts . . . and who knows . . . if you follow all these steps you may become the expert yourself.
  28. Get a Personality – Get creative with your tweets . . . the more creative you are, the more you’ll stand out and the more people will want to follow you.

    Scrapbook Expo Tweet

The most important thing to remember when building a vibrant Twitter community is that it takes time and effort.  You must work at it, but that is what makes social media so amazing . . . the small business owners have the same opportunity for success as the big guys and in some cases, when done right, can outshine the largest of competitors.

I am always happy to educate anyone who is interested in learning more about how you can use Twitter, Social Media or the Internet to reach more customers . . . If you would like me to discuss how Twitter can benefit you or your business, please send me an email – Zeb@WelbornSocialMedia.com or call me at (909) 973 – 9089.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team GB vs. New Zealand: The Kick-Off

Posted on by
Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
Latest posts by Zeb Welborn (see all)

Karen Bardsley

Having never been to Cardiff before I didn’t have any preconceptions of the city, stadia or the people but sure enough we were greeted with open arms. Cardiff was a beautiful town and we had the good fortune of staying at a hotel in the middle of the city, directly across from the high street. It was so nice to be able to wakeup in the morning and walk to the local Starbucks and get a lovely coffee in the morning. A barista asked us to sign some coffee cups, he was dedicating a shelf to all the Olympians that were visiting and to be fair he had quite a few from various nations. He also asked for our twitter handles so he and his co-workers could follow us – pretty cool! We also had an interesting dinner while in town, when we were in Middlesborough with the Men’s team someone spoke with Craig Bellamy. Being Welsh he knew quite a lot of good places to eat in Cardiff so he recommended an Italian restaurant, naturally we assumed it would be a treat but it turned out to be a little bit of a nightmare. A few of us ordered the seabass and it was quite different then what we expected, it certainly sounded delicious on the menu but when it was delivered it was literally a fileted fish, complete with eyes, head, and tail. It was stuffed with lemon and a few herbs sprinkled here and there. Sorry Craig but it was not my bag, they must really like you!

Kit

In preparation for our matches we did a lot of training but as the matches drew nearer we allotted more rest and recovery time. Players do a lot of different things to aid their recovery: ice baths, massages, walks, jogs, bike rides etc. but how do we stay entertained? Usually we find various ways to entertain ourselves or each other but one night in particular we felt like going to the cinema. We did the usual, we rounded up the team in the lobby and asked who would be interested in going but this time the manager on duty at the hotel overheard us and said, “I know the manager at the Cinema, let me give him a call.” We waited a few minutes and he came back to us with times for the films. A majority of us wanted to see “The Dark Knight” so we walked over and we were greeted and escorted to a theater. We sat there for about 15 minutes and the theater wasn’t filling up at all, we thought it was a bit strange but didn’t take much notice. A few people walked in a few minutes later and sat down mid-level but an usher quickly scurried in a asked them to follow him to another showing! WHAT?! Hang on a second. Were we having a private screening? We couldn’t resist tweeting about it.

The build up to the first match was great; not only were we full of enthusiasm, the whole city was buzzing with excitement too. Unfortunately we didn’t get to go to the opening ceremony but we did get to watch it together in our private viewing room (hotel meeting room) dressed in our snazzy opening ceremony outfits! We went down to dinner in our “spacesuits” and some of the girls paraded around the lobby, dining area and bar to rousing applause: the team made quite a scene. The following day we had the opportunity to visit Millennium Stadium and walk the pitch, it was a beautiful ground, the grass was immaculate. Unfortunately due to Olympic regulations, teams were not permitted to train at the stadium in the group stages so we had to go back to our training ground and get on with business as usual.

The following day was match day, Team GB v New Zealand. The most awesome thing about match day, especially on a massive stage like the Olympics, is the energy. As soon as the team woke up we could feel the energy and excitement exuding from every single person in the squad. It carried on all throughout the day: to Millennium Stadium, where we were escorted the last few kilometers by Police on horseback through a crowd of supporters, to the changing room and on to the pitch as we began the warm up. People were chanting our names, chanting Team GB and making up songs. The match hadn’t even started yet! It was definitely a feeling we will never forget. New Zealand were a very dangerous team, they were very fit and physical. They put us under some immense pressure at times, especially in the first half. The occasion may have got the better of us but in the end we came together as a team and secured our first three points and Team GB’s first official victory.

David Kramer Recommends Welborn Social Media | Senior Vice President at Los Serranos Country Club

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Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
Latest posts by Zeb Welborn (see all)

David Kramer recommends Welborn Social Media – We began working for Los Serranos Country Club in July, 2008 and have helped foster a thriving online community for golfers who play golf in Southern California and at Los Serranos.  With over 2,500 Facebook fans, over 5,500 Twitter followers, over 100 YouTube videos and over 300 blog posts we have established and maintained an active and vibrant online community.

When I announced my presentation at the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce entitled, “How Social Media Can Benefit Any Business,” David Kramer, Senior Vice President at Los Serranos Country Club had these words of encouragement for me:

“We’re in a communications economy where story telling i.e. subjective narrative brings educational value i.e. that has transformational value. Transformation towards health, happiness, easiness and orderliness on all levels of life.  If that value is missing from what a business performs then what is the point?   Certainly not just money$$.

Social media is a reflection of advanced artistry and brain functioning. It’s a vehicle that expands the territory of influence.  It makes everyone more effective and affluent in what they know and how they learn to know.”

David Kramer recommends Welborn Social Media and Los Serranos Country Club has seen the benefits of a thriving online community through the use of social media.  His statements regarding the impact social media can have on any business is simple, yet profound.  We are living in a communications economy, our collective knowledge is growing and those who have the passion to achieve their dreams have a far greater ability to do so than ever before.

Thank you David Kramer for all your encouragement and support . . . it is an absolute pleasure to work for Los Serranos Country Club.

Los Serranos Country Club is located in Chino Hills, CA.  For Southern California golf there is no greater golfing destination.  Please check out the Los Serranos Blog Page, the Los Serranos Facebook Page and the Los Serranos Twitter Page to see some of our work and to connect with Los Serranos Golf & Country Club.

David Kramer Recommends Welborn Social Media

David Kramer and the Kramer Family

 

Thank you David Kramer for the kind words.  To learn more about Welborn Social Media, Zeb Welborn and golf, visit 19th Hole Media.  At 19th Hole Media we provide tips and advice on how to help golf courses grow using social media.

David Kramer also appeared on the Defining Success Podcast with Zeb Welborn where he shares his insights on business and how to grow your business using friendliness and hospitality.

Team GB Women’s Football by Karen Bardsley

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Zeb Welborn
The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.
Latest posts by Zeb Welborn (see all)

Team GB Women's FootballBeing at the Village was an eye opening experience. In hindsight, I am glad we got our bearings before we played Brazil. Most of us made the best of the evening and headed over to “the globe” to shoot some pool and hang out after meetings and meals. This place looked like it was straight out of the film “Roadhouse,” it was filled with neon lights, pool tables, a few XBOX, and Wii consoles, bandstands, a digital jukebox, and a Powerade bar where you could customize your own Powerade bottle and name bands. Quite a lot of athletes were tweeting their custom bottles, using hashtags and all sorts of mentions. I felt that social media outlets were well used throughout the Olympics and almost all of the interactions I saw were very positive. I even used the search feature a few times to find other athletes, where they were competing, how they did and send them well wishes. Team GB Women’s Football was constantly connected throughout the games, most of the staff were on Twitter and constantly posted updates, results and more good luck messages. Our time in the Village was brief; we very much enjoyed it but were were soon back to business as we had a pre-Olympic match to prepare for. So off we went to Middlesborough following morning.

We made our way Stratford Station ,directly across from the village and after multiple security screenings we were joined by Team GB Men’s football. Police escorted us to Kings Cross where we boarded our first class train to Middlesborough. Ooh la la. We were all left to our own devices, I filled up my time editing video and scarfing my sandwich whilst most of the others tweeted, “facebooked,” napped or watched movies on their iPads and computers. I had never been in a first class cabin on a train before so I was a bit surprised when the attendants came around with the trolley and gave us a selection of snacks to chose from, as I eluded to earlier I had a sandwich and the attendant asked how many I wanted. I thought we only got one, that’s first class for you – an unlimited supply of sandwiches.

After a short coach journey we arrived at a rather palatial hotel, it was absolutely massive – gorgeous. The corridors were decorated with ornate filigree, antique paintings, bold carpeting and our rooms were enormous with all of the accoutrements and even a fancy turn down service (I could get used to this). There was a golf course on the grounds as well as Middlesborough’s training ground – immaculate pitches. The staff were all obliging and lovely and even took us on a few guided golf buggy tours, lucky us. As the week went on we had a few open training sessions; media and supporters came to watch – we enjoyed that immensely!

Before we knew it match day was upon us. This day in particular was a bit of a rush due to the doubleheader’s early kickoff but regardless we were eager to get started. The excitement was palpable, it had been building for a few weeks now and it was finally time to warm up and play. The match ended in a goal less draw but there were a lot of positives to take away from our performance. We had many opportunities but failed to convert, all things considered it was a pretty good start to our Olympic campaign. Not bad for a team that had only been together for two weeks. After the match we headed back to the changing rooms for ice baths and showers but not before taking some photos and signing autographs for our awesome supporters. One thing the team really enjoyed about Twitter and Facebook was seeing the photos that people took at the match and mention the enjoyment it brought to them. It was nice to feel supported, especially when everyone’s comments were so positive!

After a lie in, breakfast and a recovery session we packed up and made our way to one of Middlesborough’s local airports. Much to our surprise a private jet awaited our arrival. We breezed through security, had a browse in W.H. Smith and boarded the plane to Cardiff; where we had the honor of kicking off the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Making the Most of Twitter

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Karen Bardsley
Latest posts by Karen Bardsley (see all)

The way people interact with each other is changing. More and more people are communicating and interacting with one another then ever before. But before you say, “Well, social media allows more people to connect but it doesn’t mean that the connections are meaningful.” Take a moment and think about how you are interacting with people. Are you sending out mass messages or are you encouraging personal relationships? Are you engaging and strengthening communication with people or are you simply talking to people because it is convenient?” Do you only communicate when you want something? How much time do you spend making an effort? Your relationships are only what you make them. Like it or not, the facts still remain.* You are in control of your social media experience.

Let’s focus on Twitter. Twitter can be a very educational and fun resource. Not only is it great for keeping people informed about your daily life but it’s the conversations that are most rewarding. Interactions are fast, short and generally straight to the point. One of my favorite uses is simply asking people questions, there is a fantastic community spirit on Twitter, most people like helping fellow tweeters or just giving advice. One of most under utilized tools on Twitter is the search tool (www.twitter.com/search), type in a few key phrases and you’ll get an incredible amount of information back. It’s a great conversation starter!

One great way to get to make connections is to find experts and joining their group of followers and friends. When you are doing your search make sure to check out Bios, websites, links, number of followers and read their tweets to see if their content is relevant to you. If you decide it is, see if you can “join the conversation.” Content rules in social media and twitter is no exception so make sure what you contribute isn’t drivel; be genuine, be thoughtful. Reply to tweets, use direct messages but most of all befriend people and gain their respect through meaningful interaction and conversation.

 

* Twitter is a powerful tool, there are: over 465 million accounts, 175 million tweets a day and 1 million accounts are added to Twitter every day. In the U.S. alone there are 107 million users, 33 million in Brazil and nearly 30 million in Japan. “The busiest event in Twitter’s history is now “Castle in the Sky” TV screening 25,088 tweets per second (previous record was the last minutes of the 2012 Superbowl with 10,245 tweets per second).” Statistics and facts – http://www.blogherald.com/2012/02/22/twitter-2012-infographic/

Social Media Strategies Vs. Tactics | Marketing Vs. Advertising

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Lacey Welborn
Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

Marketing vs. Advertising

Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.

Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.

When talking with business owners and decision makers we are constantly inundated with questions about ROI, or Return on Investment.  While platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google have attempted to address those concerns the fact remains that it is difficult to track the complete ROI benefits social media can bring to a business.  Advertising makes it very easy to track the ROI of a particular campaign because it’s a one-shot deal which can be easily tracked.  Marketing on the other hand is very difficult to assess because it encorporates the overall plan of a business to attract new customers.

Marketing is a strategy, and advertising is a tactic that can be an implementation of a marketing strategy. However, advertising does not usually work alone toward its goal. Other tactics such as market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement are implemented alongside advertising. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. A tactical executive may be very skilled at putting into motion plans to get results, but fail to see the bigger picture. That is why they may confuse advertising for marketing. Strategic executives will have a better grasp on bigger concepts, but may not understand the best way to reach their customers.

In Chet Holmes’ book, The Ultimate Sales Machine, he tells us there are three types of executives, “A full 90 percent are what I call ‘tactical executives,’ while 9 percent are what I’d call ‘strategic executives.’ And only 1 percent – the most effective executives – possess the rare combination of both tactical and strategic abilities.”

Ultimate Sales Machine, Three Types of Executives. 90% Tactical, 9% Strategic, 1% Both

Holmes goes on to say, “Tactical executives think only in terms of making the sale for today. They don’t understand strategy . . . Strategic executives will often look at the situation from a global perspective and see if they can develop some high-level strategy that might help to solve the problem. These executives are brilliant. They create concepts, ideas, and strategies that most would never adopt. But strategic executives are not good at, or interested in, tactics. Hence, I’ve seen many big ideas that never come to fruition because strategic executives fail in the implementation of their big ideas.”
How far ahead do you see?
The executive who thinks both tactically and strategically can develop the big ideas and the big strategies and also use discipline and determination to see those brilliant strategies implemented at the tactical level. And just for the record, the second type of executive, the strategist, can often be paired with a strong tactician and be very successful. However, the strategist may have to keep explaining and selling his or her ideas again and again to the tactical executive.”

Social media is most effective when it is used as a strategy and not a tactic.  While a social media campaign can include some tactics and advertising features, it is most successful when used as a tool to market to potential and current customers.  When done properly social media can have a profound impact on any business.

To use social media properly it is imperative to become a social business.