An Editorial Calendar Will Save Your Sanity!

Social media tasks, marketing tasks—an editorial calendar will save your sanity. Do you sit down at the beginning of each month and lay out your plan for your social media and marketing efforts? If not, I would HIGHLY recommend that you start. You will be organized and your social media and marketing will be streamlined. Below is a sample Social Media Editorial Calendar.  You can adapt this to your needs—marketing or social media. An excel spreadsheet would be a great tool to utilize when creating your calendar.

Men or Women...Who is More Likely to Share on Social Media?

Have you ever thought about who might be more willing to share their opinions, reviews, etc. on social media?

Finally an answer....WOMEN are more likely to help your social media campaign go viral. A recent study was completed by uSamp, which found that 78% of women and 74% of men were happy to share what brand they prefer.  According to Gaelie Normand, MD of uSamp, “This is good news for retail brands trying to harness social media as a marketing tool. Those targeting a female audience are likely to see more success with viral campaigns, as women recommednd their favorite products to friends and followers more readily. Those brands with a male following might find it slightly harder to create a buzz through social channels.”

Are You LinkedIn?

Why Every Business Professional Should be LinkedIn: Be found • Find others • Demonstrate your expertise • Give a professional first impression • Join industry specific groups • Keep up with competitors • Research potential customers before your first meeting

What is LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a professional networking site where you can build your resume, add connections, join groups and contribute to conversations. According to their website the network currently has 135 million members. This includes approximately 43% of business people. 

A LinkedIn profile is something that everyone should have. Your profile will help you to connect with other professionals in your area or specialty. Having a presence on LinkedIn will help you network with these professionals by exchanging knowledge, ideas and opportunities. Similar to Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn allows users the capability to follow status updates of professionals in their network.

HERE’S YOUR CHALLENGE: I challenge each and every one of you to visit the LinkedIn Learning Center (learn.linkedin.com) to find out how LinkedIn can help you grow professionally and help your businesses grow. When you are done “learning,” create a profile and start networking!  

When you are finished creating your profile on Linked In, if you are serious about learning more about LinkedIn, the first person I suggest that you follow is Wayne Breitbarth, a Social Media Trainer, Speaker and Consultant. I first attended one of Wayne’s seminars when I was a member of SMPS (Society of Marketing Professionals) in Wisconsin. He opened my eyes to features of LinkedIn that I had not utilized and he can help you do the same. Wayne posts on his profile daily with useful articles and information on how to effectively use LinkedIn. If you would ever have the opportunity to attend one of his seminars, I would highly recommend it!

Social Media IS The New Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing has always been the most effective form of marketing because, naturally, we trust our friends opinions about products and services that they have used. Social Media has changed word of mouth marketing because now you are able to get opinions from more people than just your social circle. Did you know that product reviews posted by strangers are among the most trusted sources of information?

According to DP Dialogue, “14% of people trust ads, while 78% of people trust consumer recommendations. This means that 2/3 of the economy is influenced by personal recommendations.”  

Before today’s consumer visits a store, they grab their laptop, Ipad, tablet, smartphone, or any other wired device and visit social media sites, company websites, reviews sites,  and etc. to learn about a product or service. The following are some social actions that consumers take:

• Getting an online referral from a friend

• Becoming a friend or follower of a brand

• Reading blogs where products and services are discussed

• Writing reviews about products and services they have purchased

• Seeing a brand mentioned on a social networking site such as Facebook, Twitter, 

   or Google+

So, keep in mind that customers are talking about your brand right now, both online and offline. Word of mouth marketing is FREE, but it is your job to get out there and be responsive and interact with your customers. 

Marketing in a Social World

“A fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”

Social media has evolved what used to be a message to consumers to conversations between consumers and marketers. Consumers no longer want to be told what product or service is good for them and their families. Therefore, today’s consumers are heading to the internet to figure out what products and services they should purchase. The Internet allows consumers to find incredible detail about products and services from every possible source, such as: blogs, search engines, social networks, review sites, etc.

Social networks provide marketers a platform to hold conversations and interact with their customers. Social media allows far more options than just loyalty cards for keeping in touch with consumers and driving them to make repeat purchases. Social networks allow marketers to develop awareness for their business, establish expertise, build relationships with customers, and improve customer service by being able to give immediate feedback. 

Having a social media presence is so important to marketers because today’s consumers are taking “social actions.” Consumers are getting online referrals from friends, becoming a friend or follower of a brand, reading blogs where products and services are discussed and seeing the brand mentioned on social networking sites. Consumers are spending more time online than ever before and to reach them and stay competitive, marketing online is not an option anymore, it is a requirement!

Your customers are already there, are you ready to go social?