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The fourth edition of Street Fight’s Local Merchant Report, based on a survey of small business owners and decision makers, launched today. The data shows a continued movement to social media as a preferred marketing tactic among local merchants. They deem it their most effective tactic, so they’re increasing their spending. Analysis of the survey suggests that would-be marketing suppliers can help them integrate social with their own site and email campaigns, as well as assisting them with reputation management and reviews. Street Fight surveyed over 250 local merchants on their marketing and e-commerce usage, effectiveness, and challenges. The digital marketing usage trend is consistent with what we’ve seen in previous years’ surveys. Social usage is up slightly from last year, and email marketing retains its number two spot. That’s at the expense of print: newspaper and Yellow Pages advertising are each down by almost half. Those patterns will only get more pronounced. Over 40% of local merchants we surveyed said they would increase their social media spending. Email and local sites will see increases, according to 35% of those polled....
ndall Jenner, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and Cara Delevigne are all worth $230,000 per social media post when the message appears across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, D'Marie told Adweek. The celebrities represent a sample, according to D'Marie, of the top 2 percent of social influencers—which includes numerous other big names who can ask for $230,000 per post.
The tech company aspires to be a Nielsen Ratings-style system that brands can use to measure the value of influencers. It has a proprietary algorithm that takes into account 56 factors to determine the marketing success of individual social media posts, including reach, engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc.), clicks and purchases.
How Instagram and Pinterest Are Powering the Visual Content Shift
"Our system is also going to predict your sales conversions," noted Frank Spadafora, CEO of the New York-based company. "And this is the type of granularity we are talking about: If you are selling a yellow dress for $75 to $100, we are able to look at our system and find the best person, best social platform and best [message]."...
When it comes to social media, it’s a pretty well-known fact that images automatically do well. Users are attracted to visuals much more than they are plain text. However, sharing an image that isn’t the right size can be terrible for you or your brand.
SurePayroll has created an infographic (featured below), giving you the inside scoop on making sure your image is perfect, no matter where you choose to share it.
From Twitter and Facebook, to Pinterest and Tumblr, this infographic has guidelines for getting your image sizing right on the seven most popular social media sites. The next time you have an image you’d like to share, double check the size before posting to ensure that your picture isn’t too big – or too small – to make an impact....
Many studies show that when people answer surveys asking "How did you hear about us?" somewhere between 25 and 50 percent of the time they will just guess. "I saw your ad on a billboard," someone might say, even though the business doing the asking doesn't advertise that way. Or, "I heard about your product on the radio or in the newspaper," when the business has never placed a radio or newspaper ad. People who answer incorrectly don't want to be misleading. They give an answer because they want to be helpful.
The point is that social media isn't only about ROI. And it isn't only about sales. Social media is about branding, opening channels of communication with customers, building loyalty, being transparent and establishing good will.
And if you cover all of those bases, then guess what? If your product or service is worthy, you will most definitely see a return on your investment. Here are four things to know about investing in social media....
I’ll beg Dr. Barnes to forgive me the editorial liberty I’ve taken with this headline, but that’s my takeaway after finally reading the UMASS Dartmouth Study: The 2014 Fortune 500 and Social Media: LinkedIn Dominates As Use of Newer Tools Explodes.
My interpretation of the results are completely different than those of the researchers who concluded:
“The 2014 Fortune 500 has now fully embraced new communications tools that have taken so many other sectors by storm.”
“These giant corporations are demonstrating an interest in experimenting with new tools.”
“This is a group that now seems comfortable and even excited with its newfound ability to engage its vendors, partners, customers and others in ways that could not have been imagined when most of their corporations began.”...
There’s already an endless supply of LinkedIn B2B marketing best practices advice out there. So I thought I’d look at the worst practices. From over-promoting to lacking focus, here’s four LinkedIn B2B marketing don’ts you’ll definitely want to avoid.
What first attracted me to Twitter and social media six years ago was that you could achieve world wide marketing for free. It’s called organic reach. This enabled bloggers to build global brands.
That is changing.In 2014 we are seeing the rapid emergence of “pay to play” to reach your followers. So a question needs to be asked.
Is the social media “free lunch” over?
That also leads to another question. Is social going the way of mass media where the only way to gain attention is to pull out the cheque book?
The answer is much more complex than that. It is dependent on many factors including your choice of social networks, tactics and tools....
American Millennials (18-34) spend a slight majority of their weekly media time using digital devices, and are the only generation where digital media consumption exceeds traditional media, details Experian Marketing Services in a new report [download page]. But, Millennials share a common trait with their older counterparts: of the various devices available to them, TV still rules, accounting for the single largest share of their total weekly media time.
For Millennials, TV captures about 25 hours of their 67 weekly hours of media time, or about 37% share. By comparison, TV accounts for 42% share of total weekly media time among all adults, with its consumption far higher among older generations....
Crowdfund marketing for your Kickstartercampaign is heavily reliant upon your social media efforts and those of others that you can enlist or hire.
For the sake of example in this article, I will assume that you are planning to launch a new Kickstarter campaign to promote your app. These techniques should work for other popular crowdfunding platforms like indiegogo just as well.
The steps are laid out in the same order as your crowdfunding campaign plan should reflect as pre-launch, launch and post-launch....
Never underestimate of the power of a woman, especially when combined with social media. From the number of active users on a social network to the frequency of their interaction with other users and brands, women are a powerful force in the social media realm. Curious how much power women hold on social media?
Take a look at the infographic below from Finances Online for some possibly surprising statistics. While it is well-known that women dominate Pinterest, they also outnumber men on four of the other top six social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. However, men continue to account for the majority of LinkedIn’s users. In addition, 30% of women use social media multiple times a day, while only 26% men report using social media sites several times a day...
Social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ can be high efficiency platforms that serve as a hub for all your social media engagement activities.
...That said, social media should not be viewed as a standalone channel that is separate from other marketing initiatives. Instead, view it as a “multiplier” that integrates with and enhances existing marketing communication strategies.
In other words, rather than create social media campaigns, make all of your marketing campaigns social.Here are eight ways to integrate social media with other forms of marketing....
Learn the elements your homepage should have to ensure it's optimized for lead generation.
Run your current homepage through this quick 8-question assessment: 1. Does it have a clear, compelling statement that addresses your target audience's pains as a headline on the homepage? 2. Does it have an empathetic photo so people can connect with your company? 3. Do you articulate your differentiation right there on the homepage? 4. Is there validation to back up your story on your homepage? 5. Do you provide a variety of educational content, like reports, videos, webinars, and research? 6. Does your site deliver a personal experience? 7. Can your site be shared via social networks quickly and easily? 8. Does it work just as well on tablets and smartphones?
If you answered “no” to even one of these questions, you might want to make some changes to your homepage. Here are 8 upgrades you should consider to optimize your homepage for better lead generation....
Are you wondering how to promote an event with social media? Whether you have a small local gathering or a large conference, social media can be used to get the word out in a powerful way. In this article I’ll reveal 10 creative ways to use social media to increase your chances for a gangbuster event....
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Whole Foods has gone all in on social media. In addition to its main Twitter account (boasting 4.83 million followers), there are hundreds of smaller ones run by individual stores. Many locations also have their own Facebook pages, with follower counts any marketer would be happy with. For example, Whole Foods Austin has more than 32,000 fans. Clearly, there isn’t a single department that “owns” social media at Whole Foods. It belongs to everyone: from the CEO, who blogs about the natural food industry, to individual employees, who share product recommendations and stories about their jobs. Interested in seeing how every team within your company can use social media? Great! Let’s jump in....
Ask just about any stranger on the street who Felix Kjellberg is and you’ll likely get a blank stare. Identify him as PewDiePie, his name on YouTube—where he’s got almost 40 million subscribers—and you’ll get a few more positive responses.
The 25-year-old Swede is the top-earning YouTube star on the planet, pulling in $12 million pretax over the past year, all for providing expletive-heavy commentary as he plays videogames. Thanks to the millions of fans who make up his “bro army,” advertisers are willing to pay a pretty penny to have their products featured in his videos.
In our first-ever ranking of the top-paid YouTube stars, we have uncovered the 10 channels that have managed to earn the most from their Internet aspirations. The minimum to make the list? $2.5 million in pretax earnings in the year ending June 1, 2015....
Each year we see continuous change and growth in the digital arena. As such there is a regular flow of new digital insights and information to keep on top of - a consuming task for any business leader. Last year we released Five digital strategy reports you should read from 2013. Given the great feedback, we've once again selected four reports released in 2014 that provide valuable insights to business leaders looking to build or improve their digital strategy....
The biggest question marketers ask as they get started: Which social networks should I advertise on?
Well, that depends on your business, what you offer, who your target demographic is, and your goals.
In this post, we’ll go over everything a marketer needs to know about social media advertising—how it fits in among existing marketing efforts, how to choose the right channels, how to measure and analyze your campaigns, and a few best practices to make sure your campaigns stand out from the rest....
You already know social media marketing is a channel that can drive traffic and sales, but the question is: are you actually seeing an increase in traffic or sales?
Chances are you are not. Why? Because you are using obsolete tactics that aren’t effective anymore.
If you want to change that, just avoid these 7 strategies
...Jarre gets paid to do all this, something that would, naturally, be a dream job for any kid with a smartphone. MTV enlisted him for its marquee event to share these videos on his Vine account, which boasts an impressive 7.2 million followers. The going rate for one of his Vines is $25,000. He pulls down $35,000 for sending a single Snapchat message.
Jarre has helped to transform the six-second looping video into an art form and a marketing vehicle. It all may look really easy, but it isn’t. Jarre has to measure every second, carefully inspect each frame, shoot and often reshoot what appear to be spontaneous moments. Six seconds can take as much as six hours of work. The result is Jarre’s unique blend of comedy, pranks and absurd vignettes—all in his distinctive French accent....
Social media marketing isn’t enough these days. You also need social media marketing that stands out. Below are some of the most unusual social media campaigns for businesses large and small.
Read this entire list of some of the best social media marketing examples and you’ll find some very clever campaigns and ideas that perhaps you can use in your own business.
Some are simple reactions to the needs of a fan or customer but ended up giving massive brand exposure. Others were calculated steps in the march toward brand awareness. All are examples of social media campaigns that go above and beyond the norm and make a real impact....
...According to Maximize Social Media, sales are directly linked to social media efforts in the following ways and for the following reasons: - Each month there are 10.3 billion Google searches. - 78% of shoppers research products online before making a purchase. - 57% of customers are acquired through company blogs (linked to social networks).
It’s clear that without a solid social media strategy, brands will fail to reach a large percentage of potential customers....
To get people to convert on your website, the conversion process needs to be a) easy, andb) enjoyable. The key is keeping visitors on your page long enough to get them to fill out your form, which means clean formatting, concise language, and a compelling offer.
But it's not as easy as it sounds. There are a lot of really awful landing pages out there. To help you convert as many visitors as possible into leads, here is a comprehensive look at the things you shouldn't do on your landing pages -- and how you can fix them....
Here are 14 Tools Every Entrepreneur Needs for Managing Social Media VISUALLY'S GOOGLE ANALYTICS REPORT What is it: an app that creates a custom infographic of your website’s activity and performance....
In his new book The New Rules of Customer Engagement, 6 Trends Reinventing The Way We Sell, Daniel Newman drives home not just the trends, but what they mean for business and those responsible for driving revenue and creating satisfied customers, i.e. those in the marketing space....
In order to make Linkedin work for your brand, you’ll need to incorporate certain practices into your strategy. There are various social networks that can be incorporated into any online marketing strategy. Through these networks, we can meet, network, and improve our visibility to various audience groups. Amongst the most valuable to anyone working on personal branding is Linkedin. Designed and organized with the concept of brand networking, this site proves incredibly valuable to any brand and their online marketing strategy. Like other social networks, Linkedin has its own audience and application. In order to make Linkedin work for your brand, you’ll need to incorporate certain practices into your strategy. First of all, you must consider the purpose of your profile. It might be improving visibility, making new connections, or even expressing your expertise. But for most brands, it is a combination of various purposes, designed specifically for their brand. The goal here is to determine exactly what you want out of your Linkedin profile so that you can work towards getting the results you want....
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Street Fight's Local Merchant Report shows social media as a preferred marketing tactic among local merchants.