Are You Tired of Trying to Figure Out What a Blog Tour Is? If So…You’ll Love This

11Jan

In the online marketing arena, my peers and I tend to get sucked into using lingo that can sometimes be a bit too “exclusive”. Much like other industries where the terminology can not only be off-putting, but can cut you right out of the conversation, the online community can be a bit tricky sometimes to navigate.

For me, I really hate it. I think there is nothing worse than reading an article with the goal of getting actionable tips….and then finding yourself Googling ten of the terms in the article in order to make sense of it? Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve been guilty of this in the past as well. That’s why I try to be as clear and to the point as possible. Our time is precious, so let’s just get to it, right?

This brings me to “Blog Tours”. I’ve seen this broadcasted far and wide, but never really saw an explanation that I thought hit the nail on the head.

Basically, toss the “cool” terminology out the window and think of this as a “blog comment” strategy. I’m sure you have gone onto a blog (or even a website) and read an article that at the end allows you to put in your comments. A simple idea, but it packs a punch!

Commenting on blogs is a wonderful way to build more links to your online point of sale, or your company website. In terms of SEO (search engine optimization) – it is definitely a golden child.

But how do you do this? Here’s my BLANK rules of blog commenting:

If you are using blog commenting for SEO purposes, before you even take time to read the article, scroll to the bottom of the page to make sure that there is a place for you to key in your website when you comment. If this is not here….there is no way to link you (unless you register to the blog or community which can be time consuming).
If you have to comment via Facebook, it will not pack the SEO punch that you are looking for. Again, having a spot to key in your website is the best option.
Once you’ve decided to comment on a post, first read the full article to see that it’s message is in line with your brand. You can disagree, but make sure that your comment is not vulgar in any way.
Think of the next three ideas as a “compliment sandwich”. Begin your comment by agreeing with a few points made in the author’s article.
The second part of your comment (the ‘meat’ of your activity here) should be you sharing your expertise. If you agree with the whole article, maybe share a quick story of something that has happened to you in this arena.
Round off your comment with a note of thanks for the article or something similar. You don’t want to sound too canned, so make sure to make it personal.
Then after you post your comment (or sometimes before) there is a button you can push to have all future comments sent to you via email. Click this, as you want to see how people react to your comment as well as have the opportunity to jump back in if needed.

It’s that simple. I suggest to help you FIND these blogs (which is the most time consuming effort), use a site like StumbleUpon, Zite, Scoop.it, Trap.it, AOL Editions, or even Google Currents to find random blogs within your company’s niche category. This site is easy to use and very straightforward. You can also you sites such as Alltop or even a simple Google search for keywords.

My final piece of advice is to make sure you do this on a consistent basis. If you comment on one blog a month, the SEO impact will be non-existent. I say shoot for two comments a day and keep up with it. After a week you will get in the groove and it will become second nature. Also there is a wonderful side-effect that I’ve found in searching around the web – you might learn something new!

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Healthcare Social Media Marketing: 5 Reasons Not To Wait Any Longer

By Dale Griffen

9Jan

Healthcare Marketing, Uncategorized

It’s exciting to see more and more healthcare organizations buzzing about social media marketing over the past year. Social media marketing is such a wonderful way to connect with members of your target market (including your customers, referral sources, patients, and their families and caregivers) I’m happy to see healthcare organizations are beginning to adapt their marketing plans to include a social strategy that extends beyond the traditional ‘face to face’ and old school collateral brochures.

As we at The Go! Agency handle many healthcare clients, the trend that we have seen when speaking with these various organizations is that many are struggling to get things off of the ground. Whether it be red-tape such as writing social media policy and procedure clauses, dealing with HIPAA guidelines or just superiors who are reluctant to invest time and money in this ‘new med‘ – push back has been a common problem.

While time will force these problems to vanish, there are quite a lot of advantages to being an early adopter as a healthcare organization. After extensive research, we have found many healthcare companies fall flat when it comes to their use (or misuse) of social media.

Here are a few of the reasons why healthcare organizations shouldn’t wait any longer when it comes to executing a social media marketing campaign:

1. Facebook is not just for Starbucks. With its millions of active users (and I stress the word “active”), Facebook has a sea of people that you can engage with from your healthcare organization. These people are consuming information in every category, not just the mega-brands. Everyone has their space on Facebook. Even better, with Facebook Pages you can categorize your organization fully, and configure locations and other valuable information for your target audience. Whether your business is local, national or international, Facebook has the ability to create real connections, support customer/patient communications and will help you let your audience know about any events, or exclusive information with just a few clicks.

2. Your audience (and competition) is on Twitter. The healthcare and medical community is not only on Twitter…they are active! Doctors, medical companies, hospitals and many more are offering updates, event news, guidelines and much more on a daily basis. Yet another massive and active community, Twitter is a hot spot for sharing information and you need to be in the mix!

3. There is a LinkedIn Group to fit your needs….or 50! Just adding your hospital or company to LinkedIn is wonderful and important step…but what if you could also add an additional audience of 50,000 to 1 million+? With LinkedIn Groups you can engage with potential customers/patients based on subject and location and get in front of them on a daily basis. Now that is coverage!

4. YouTube is the portal for promotion. Using video as a promotional tool is a must in the healthcare industry. Having the ability to illustrate what your company is capable of in addition to the skill of your team or products is imperative. Now imagine having the ability to place this video on the second largest search engine out there: YouTube. Fully branded and packed with information, this vehicle does nothing but build your profile, credibility and positive sentiment.

5. Act now or be left behind. As there are many organizations that are understaffed or unable to give the appropriate time to either do the social media or even pitch the idea of a campaign to the CEO….the organizations are simply trickling in. But this speed will begin to increase at a faster and faster rate. By being an early adopter, you can gain more market advantage and make a splash as one of the first organizations in your area to have a wonderful Facebook Page, an active Twitter account, a linked in LinkedIn account and a sharp and slick YouTube page.

I like ending with number 5 as there are many healthcare marketers out there that have received a lot of push back on social media from their organizations. But for every one, there are numerous others who are getting their campaigns approved and are launching effective social media marketing campaigns and claiming their social real estate. My advice is to get your plan together quickly so you don’t miss the boat!

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Social Media for Nonprofits: Raising Awareness vs Raising Money?

By Christopher Tompkins

raised-hands_volunteer_031612_blog-crop-800x335

9Jan

Social Media, Uncategorized

A topic that I am very passionate about is the idea of giving back. Whether it be by service, money or time – I believe that there is a lot of value in helping others.

As helping nonprofits is a passion, one question that I have been asked is how do nonprofits truly harness the power of social media to get results. This is a huge question but one that deserves my attention.

So in today’s newsletter I would like to address the top 10 ways that nonprofits can use social media to get results!

1. Get Strategic!

I am always banging on about the importance of a strategy, but let’s face it: with low budgets and, in many cases, volunteers doing a bulk of the work – a strategy helps create consistency, save time and maximize production. First, you already need to have a marketing plan in place. If you don’t….write one! Marketing plans can be irritating to write, but will save you time and money! I promise! Once you have your plan together, add a Facebook Page, LinkedIn Profile and Twitter account to your list. These are the main and most highly populated channels for you to do your outreach with. Study each of them to make sure that you are using them in the most effective way….don’t just dive in!

2. Messaging!

When you are doing outflow, updates, messages, comments and the rest on social sites, you really need to have a solid idea of what your brand message is. Make sure that your posts SOUND like the brand, and not like a toddler who just arrived at the party. You want to build credibility and visibility….so don’t use posts like this (which I have changed slightly to not shame the original poster): “great daiy 2day. Lots of qualetty donatuns REceive”. The best part – it was a huge national charity! Come on, would you give $100 of your hard earned cash to THAT?

3. Stop It Already With the Pushiness!

One thing that social sites enable us to do is to engage with our audiences. Time and time again I have said that everything you do in social media, no matter in what capacity, should bring value to your network. You want to engage, entertain and educate. This means not asking for money in every single post. Mix it up. Share some news articles that support your position that your cause is important, ask questions that are relevant, give thanks to your large supporters (and small). You can always work in a donations request, but if you keep being so pushy….you will push people right out of your network.

4. Video and Pictures? Really?

Yes, really. As a nonprofit you know about the power of a press opportunity and how public relations can greatly benefit the profile of your organization and in turn your bottom line. Now listen up: every nonprofit should have at least ONE person who is in charge of shooting video and taking pictures at any opportunity. When you share things like this in your social profiles, it not only illustrates the good that you do and your credibility as an organization, but it also helps donors to see what their hard earned dollars are going towards. And I have seen nonprofits miss this opportunity again and again. If something interesting is happening…don’t leave the camera and video camera at home. Plus….you don’t need to be shooting like a professional. Make the picture clear and the video solid and you are in good shape.

5. YouTube Ahoy!

Going on from point 4, video is another component that can truly shake up your online marketing presence. If you didn’t know already, YouTube is the SECOND largest search engine after Google. Yes…really. Setting up a channel is easy, its getting the content that can be tough. That’s why you should always have your camera on you to shoot something interesting. You can even do video blogs, or vlogs, where you can share your weekly, or even daily, news with your target market.

6. Where’s Your Link?

Something that nearly everyone misses, nonprofit or not, is promoting their social hubs outside of the given medium. Meaning, are you only promoting your Facebook Page on Facebook? What about the 10,000 people that are in your email database? Have you invited them? Is it in your email signature? Is there a link or “badge” on your website? Do you tell people about it? Is it on your business cards or brochures? You catch my drift. There is a whole world that wants to connect with you….they just might be elsewhere.

7. Stop Thinking “Build it They Will Come”

Unless you are an absolutely MEGA charity with loads of national and international recognition, you will not explode on social media over night. You have to roll up your sleeves and do outreach. I’ve spoken at many nonprofit marketing conferences and one question I get over and over is “Why isn’t my (insert site here) working?” The reason it isn’t working is that, on a regular basis, you are not supplying good quality content, you are not reaching out to other pages/charities/individuals, you are not sharing pictures/videos, your logo is pixellated….etc. Social marketing takes consistent and daily interaction, not a “look-in” every once in a blue moon.

8. Get Measuring!

Another popular question is “How do I measure the success of my campaign?” The answer once again is, sadly, roll up your sleeves and get to work. There is not one true blue measuring tool, you have to use various ones to track success. On Facebook, they provide “Insights” which you can find on your nonprofit’s Facebook home page. These are similar to Google Analytics and can be learned quickly. For Twitter there is Twitter Grader and Klout that can help you manage your growth and response rates. LinkedIn can be tricky, but when you view your profile it gives you a lot of useful information for tracking. There are also programs like HootSuite (which I love) that will create reports for you across social platforms. They may have a price tag, but time is money….and measurement can be tough!

9. Quantity Does Not Equal Quality

In the wonderful world of social media, there are lots of “gurus” who say that you need hundreds of thousands of connections to succeed in social media. What they are omitting is the fact that quality connections are more valuable. For example, if your nonprofit dealt with the homeless in Salt Lake City, Utah and you had 100,000 Twitter Followers who were based outside the USA….you missed your target a bit. Also, tools such as ManageFlitter will help you see how active your network actually is. Sometimes you may be very surprised! Quality people who are interested in your message are the only way social success can be reached.

10. You Are Playing a Long Game.

The last thing that I like to point out is that social marketing is about relationship building, not direct response advertising. What I mean by that is, unless you are a highly visible nonprofit, you won’t find instant “returns” on your campaign. You need to start new relationships and build them, which takes months of consistent effort. Remember – social media is an integral part of your marketing plan….it is not your ENTIRE marketing plan. While it is effective at branding, visibility, customer service and credibility, it works best alongside a thriving marketing plan. My advice: look at it as another marketing channel, not the golden egg of free marketing. While membership is free, your time and effort are not. It is a definite investment.

To round out this topic, I want to stress to all of you out there that nonprofit social marketing is extremely important, just don’t be misled into thinking that it is the only marketing that you have to do. Events, email blasts, exhibitions, speeches, advertising, public relations, etc are all still relevant and do work. Integrate a social element to your marketing strategy and don’t expect an immediate windfall. Stay consistent and realistic and before you know it, the benefits will begin to roll in!

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Social Media 101: Where Do I Start?

By Christopher Tompkins

9Jan

Social Media, Uncategorized

As someone who specializes in the online marketing arena, I meet and chat with people everyday who are interested in using social media to market their business. Not a big surprise right? But what you might be surprised to learn, is many of these medium-to-large firms have a major problem: they don’t know how to start.

While social media marketing advice can be found on every corner of the internet, most of it doesn’t address this problem or offer ways to enhance or “reinvigorate” an existing campaign.

So in this article I want to push aside the “Go Get ‘Em Tiger”s and technical mumbo jumbo and provide you with a fool proof step-by-step 101 list to get your social media marketing campaign underway in no time flat!

Let’s dive right in:

Step 1: Write Down Your Objectives

The first thing you’ll want to do is really identify what you are trying to achieve through using social media to market your company. Keep in mind that more leads is not your only goal. Think about possible objectives such as; engaging your current customers/clients, offering better customer service, building brand recognition, getting more local exposure….these are the types of objectives that you should be looking at.

Step 2: Know Who Your Target Market Is

A social media marketing campaign that is laser focused has the ability to reap better results than a broad shoot campaign. You don’t want to waste time here wading through unqualified leads….you want the real deal. Make a list of 5-10 target markets that you want to hit and keep it handy throughout your campaign. Having this list will help you keep your “eye on the prize”.

Step 3: Look at What Your Competition is Doing on Social Media

Many of us do a competitive analysis when we put together our marketing plan….so why don’t we do one when we are developing our social media marketing strategy? Usually the easiest way to begin this exercise is to go to their website and follow their social media links from there. If you can’t find the links there, login to sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and search for their company name. When you find them, see what they are doing and if it is successful. Are they getting lots of comments? Do they use lots of graphics and design elements? Are they posting often? Taking a look at these items can even give you good solid ideas of what you need to do…and what you don’t need to.

Step 4: What Are You Going to Say?

This is one of the trickiest things to come by as many organizations don’t have a wealth of available info to share. If your company does – the battle is nearly over! If not, it has just begun. Make sure that you are able to come up with content that is timely, engaging, entertaining, thought provoking and educational…or one of those 5. Also, think out of the box! If I was a healthcare organization, I would go to the website for the medical association that is within my niche and share some of their updates and tips, as they would be relevant and interesting to my audience. Sharing is caring….not stealing! But content is king folks.

Step 5: Choose Your Sites

Once Steps 1 thru 5 are complete, it is time to choose the social media sites you want to start using in your marketing campaign. Every business is different and some will find success quicker on one site than the next. There isn’t a hard/fast rule on this (while many say there is). All of the sites are constantly evolving and making it easier for businesses to get involved everyday. The playing field has changed greatly over the past years (and even months!) and there is a spot for everyone on all of the social media sites out there.

Step 6: Find a Good Support Site

Search and find a site to help you manage your accounts. There are free sites out there such as HootSuite, TweetDeck, SocialOomph and others that allow you to track, search and even schedule profile updates on the fly. When you create your plan, these sites will make it a little easier for you to manage your overall campaign.

Step 7: Create a Daily Plan to Ensure Consistency

Plans save time and money and ensure consistency, which is key in a successful social media marketing campaign. Your daily plan should contain a combination of Steps 1-6 and have daily time constraints attached. Also make sure that you identify who will be the touchpoint for the communications that you get as a result of the campaign. For example if you have a marketing team of 5, decide beforehand who will be in charge of delegation and qualification of the leads, information requests, comments, etc.

Step 8: Create a Form of Measurement

This is tricky, so I would suggest waiting until after your first month of social media marketing. At this point you will be able to see what sorts of results come in: website hits, likes, comments, messages, leads, etc. Once you get a handle on this, you will begin to understand what gives you the best results. Create a quick spreadsheet and track these measures on a weekly basis. As all of the sites have wonderful archives, it makes it a cinch to go back through the week’s activity to find what you need. If you are going to use your website to track effectiveness, make sure that you have an analytics program installed that can monitor where your traffic comes from. If you don’t, Google Analytics is a free and easy option to use (and the results are tracked wonderfully).

And you are on your way! The best part about social media marketing is that it is an organic process that can change from time to time. Don’t forget to audit your campaign monthly to see if any of your measures or activities need changing or updating. Staying consistent, organized and informed will help you not only launch effectively, but promote your brand successfully.

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10 Items That Will Boost Your Marketing Plan

By Christopher Tompkins

9Jan

Marketing, Uncategorized

It probably won’t surprise you to hear that not every business in existence has a marketing plan. But the question is: WHY NOT?

The honest answer is the fact that many of us have an aversion to the word PLAN. It immediately scares and intimidates us. Also, who knows exactly what needs to go in it and how you pull it all together?

Hard questions, but I think once you dive in and identify your goals and pinpoint your target market – you are ready to examine what is actually the toughest part, the marketing mix. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed with so many options, but here are some of my favorites and ones that I suggest to get my clients.

These are a mixture of online and offline marketing tools – ‘mixture’ being key. Notice that there are 10 items on the list, not 1. A marketing plan includes a blend of different tactics….not putting all of your eggs in one basket.

1. Email Blasts: Email blasts are great for getting your information in front of your target audience on a consistent basis. Make sure that they are packed with good information and that you schedule them on a regular basis.

2. Article Marketing: A great way to increase SEO and awareness is to share your blogs and articles on article marketing sites. Make sure that they are keyword heavy and really show off your expertise!

3. Advertising: While not an option for everyone, advertising in the media can reap wonderful benefits. Whether it is a free ad placed in Craigslist or a two page center spread in Fortune magazine, advertising is a wonderful way to get your message seen.

4. Social Media: PR is offline public relations and social media is its online sibling. While a relatively new addition to the marketing mix, this powerful medium not only helps you engage on another level with your target market, but humanizes your brand. It is a great way to engage your audience in real time.

5. Content Marketing: This is a very important, while widely ignored, aspect of the marketing mix. At the end of the day, if you have nothing to say or share – what reason does anyone have to listen to you. Press releases, blogs, articles, blurbs, announcements and the rest need to be a part of your strategy so that you have enough wonderful content to push through your various channels.

6. Public Relations: Another tried and true method of getting your brand name in front of the masses is through a media centric public relations campaign. Using talk radio, television, newspaper and magazines to get your content and brand out there is a wonderful way to grab attention and get more people interested in you and your message.

7. Video Marketing: Video is one of the greatest ways to engage with your audience. After all, YouTube is the second largest search engine (after Google). The biggest problem? The myth that it is expensive and time consuming. As more and more videos hit the web, there are more companies coming along, offering seemingly cost-effective solutions. Also, the technology for video is so advanced that you can even buy a couple pieces of equipment and hit the ground running yourself!

8. Contests and Promotions: These are very important aspects of your marketing mix as they drive traffic and interest like wildfire. Make sure that these “customer grabbers” are part of your strategy and be careful to not overuse them!

9. Podcasts: These are another one that, much like video, people tend to shy away from. But with sites such as iTunes and BlogTalkRadio out there….it is simpler than ever before. By following the instructions you can have yourself out on the airwaves in no time and into the iPods and speakers of your target audience.

10. Events: There are two sides to this one. You can attend an event or hold an event. Make sure to take part in events that are cost effective, not cost prohibitive. If you are going to spend $15,000 for a three day exhibition, have the average customer bring you $150 and think you can score 5 new clients – skip it! Brands like Sony and Simon & Schuster can handle it, but if you are a smaller business, make sure to do your homework and count the cost before!

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many more things that you can throw into your own marketing mix. In order to make the perfect marketing plan, look at the 10 items listed above (in addition to your own suggestions), put them against your strategy and objectives and then match them up with your budget.

As a lifelong marketer, I know how small these budgets can be. Anytime I hear “marketing budget” I’m always reminded of something a fellow marketer said to me once. “My boss wants me to create a Taj Mahal campaign for 50 cents.” Pretty much sums it up right?

So start off with the least costly items and then add in the rest. These are not written in stone so if something stops working, drop it and plug something into its place. Just make sure to never replace a successful activity with an unproven one. If your $25,000 quarterly advertising spend is garnering $100,000 in business…..keep it going! I’ve known many companies to jump at the latest marketing activity to the detriment of their successful marketing activity.

To end here, planning is not something that should bog you down and is also not something that can only happen at the beginning of the year. As the landscape for us marketers is constantly changing, be adaptable and be informed. An educated flexible marketer is a successful one!

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6 Healthcare Social Media Mistakes….and How to Avoid Them

By Dale Griffen

9Jan

Healthcare Marketing, Uncategorized

With all of the information out there about social media, it is tough to know what to pay attention to and what to take with a grain of salt. Yet even with all of this information, it is still possible to make a few mistakes when executing your healthcare social media marketing campaigns.

As an owner of a social media marketing firm, every day I speak with healthcare professionals who are trying to make the most out of their Facebook and LinkedIn profile, or making their “tweets” count on Twitter. The following are a few of the most common mistakes that I have seen healthcare organizations make on social media and what we can do to combat them in the future.

Mistake #1: Lack of Research on the Platform

This is a very important one. With all of the hype around social media (and also due to the fact that creating accounts is free and easy), many of us are eager to just jump in headfirst. Keep in mind that social media is a branding and visibility platform and thus needs to carry the right messaging and voice. Before you go full speed ahead, first see what you are getting yourself into.

I suggest taking the time to look through each site. Where is your target market? What is your competition doing right (which can really help you come up with a strategy)? What applications can be useful? How are people communicating? What tools do I have to communicate with my market? While Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter can work to everyone’s advantage, if you only have time to manage one or two presences, it is best to be able to pinpoint the right ones and save yourself time and effort.

Top tip: a great way of seeing what sites suit your healthcare organization is by asking your existing patients and/or clients via polling.

Mistake #2: Lack of Focus

When you execute an advertising campaign, you know who you are targeting. When you do a public relations campaign, you know what market you are trying to reach out to. When you do an email marketing campaign….well, you get the point. Social media is no different.

Social media allows us to target with laser focus, you just need to identify who you are trying to reach. Once identified, the key is to connect with “meaningful people” not just random people to get “the numbers.” Come on, why connect with 10,000 people who don’t care about you? What good does that do? Find connect and engage with people that matter. Focus!

Mistake #3: Lack of Consistency

If you are going to do social media, make sure to do it on a consistent basis – not whenever you can grab a free second. By consistent I mean daily, weekly, bi-weekly…on some sort of schedule. Since you are growing your audience, you need to be in front of them gaining that visibility and credibility consistently. My tip? Create a schedule of when you will be executing social media and what messages you will be highlighting. It takes a few minutes, but can save hours of weekly work.

No time to even make a plan? Outsource! It’s not a dirty word anymore.

Mistake #4: Using a 100% Push Marketing Approach

Push marketing is used all of the time in traditional marketing. While it is a perfect fit in many instances, it is not the foundation of an engaging social media strategy. Push marketing literally “pushes” what you want from your audience directly on top of them, while “pull” marketing using social media is about starting a conversation, engaging, enchanting and much more. My suggestion is to use a 90% pull and a 10% push marketing equation. This is something that I have used and it works a treat. This way you can grow your audience and create value before offering up something exclusive. If they believe you to be credible through your pull approach, when you incorporate the push elements you will have higher levels of success.

Mistake #5: Wrong Goals

Truly look at what you are trying to achieve, and “more patients through the door” is not enough. Social media has many outcomes, so it is smart to have a broader scope. Think in terms of hits to your website, newsletter signups, ebook/book sales/downloads….this is the way to go!

Mistake #6: Lack of Planning

Again, I am going back to the importance of a plan: without a plan, you plan to fail. Although we know this cliche all too well, there is definitely truth to it. Why? Because a strategic plan saves you time and money – two things that we all can use, right?

Sit down and figure out your marketing strategy and then layer your social media strategy on-top. Social media can support and enhance everything you do, you just have to keep the two connected.Without the connection, you are wasting the power of cross marketing and branding. Flying blindly in a new marketing medium could not only be risky for your reputation, but also cause you more trouble than you can handle.

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I hope that these healthcare social media mistakes are ones that you have not made and if you have, you will no longer make. It is important for us to all to take a close look at our plans and strategies in order to see how strong and effective they can be. Without strategy or planning, a healthcare social media marketing campaign takes a lot more time and a lot more effort to execute.

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Pinterest 101: 10 Ways to Get Started (Part 2)

By Christopher Tompkins

9Jan

Pinterest, Uncategorized

Last week I shared the first 5 ways to effectively get jump-started in marketing your business on Pinterest. Now I want to share with you the second batch of 5 ways to make your Pinterest account pop.

These 5 tips will help you overcome two of the most troublesome obstacles that new Pinterest users often face: how to effortlessly share links and information and, getting over the hurdle of not having enough content to share.

Here they are:

1. Install the “Pin It” button. On Pinterest, under the “About” section, there is something called the “Pin It” button. This is a browser-related plugin that, once downloaded, will appear on your bookmarks bar and will allow you to instantly pin just about ANY photo that you see on the internet to one of your corresponding boards on Pinterest. This is a fast and simple way to build your initial group of boards, and as you begin to use the app, you will think of new boards to add to the mix. It also allows you the opportunity to instantly share your pins on Facebook and Twitter….which is up next.

2. Connect Pinterest With Your Facebook Account. This is another great way to promote your content with your network and increase the back-links to your website. When logged into your Pinterest account, simply click on the Facebook button and allow access to your account. Then every time you share something new, you have the option of sharing it with on your Facebook Profile page.

3. Connect Pinterest With Your Twitter Account. I prefer utilizing this function over the Facebook link, as currently you cannot connect Pinterest to the branded Facebook Page for your company, just to your personal Facebook Profile. With Twitter you are able to connect it to your business Twitter account. This is a great feature, as any time that you add a pin, you are able to Tweet it out to your network. This is valuable as the more content that is shared through your Twitter account, the more back-links and shares!

4. Add the Pinterest Button to Your Website. If you want to grow your Pinterest network on a regular basis, add the Pinterest button to your website alongside your other social media links. This will promote more people following you and give you more opportunities to share your content.

5. Use a Third Party to Help Generate Content. There is nothing worse than when the “content” well is dry. Many of us can struggle with finding pictures on a regular basis that will be useful on Pinterest, so it is a good idea to look into any third-party option for help. There are many lists available through a quick Google search that show tools that can help with content creation on Pinterest. One such tool, called Spinpicks, enables you to search the web for images using a plethora of categories that you can instantly share via your Pinterest account. This can be a lifesaver if you have lulls in your content creation.

And there you have it: 10 ways to get jump-started on Pinterest! Remember, with any social media marketing that you do, consistency is key! Make sure to constantly update your account (as surely there will be changes introduced along the way) and engage with other members through commenting, liking and sharing their content. Is all of this successful for you? Make sure to track it using a tool like Google Analytics or your own version of tracking your website hits. You will be pleasantly surprised!

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Pinterest 101: The Top 10 Ways to Get Started (Part 1)

By Christopher Tompkins

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9Jan

Pinterest, Uncategorized

If you are not familiar with Pinterest, let me give you a quick explanation. Pinterest is a cork board-style photo sharing website allowing members to create theme-based image collections which other members can view, share and comment on. If you think: “That doesn’t sound business related…”, read on!

An easier way to understand what Pinterest is and how it works, is to think about it in terms of your Facebook Profile.

Imagine that your photo albums were the first (and only) thing that was visible on your Facebook Profile. Other Facebook members would be able to see your albums, look through your photos and view updates to your account. If a member liked one of your albums or photos, they could comment and/or share it with their own network.

Pinterest is really as simple as that.

That’s all great, BUT the best thing about Pinterest, and the biggest difference with the site, is that when you post a picture, you are able to hyperlink it to your website, online point-of-sale, blog…whatever. Thus, when people click on any of the pictures that you’ve posted, they will be transported to the link where it lives and to all of the additional information you have on the subject in order to bring people closer down your sales funnel. Also, if people share your photo (or “pin”) you will receive valuable back-links to your site, which in turn builds SEO.

So Pinterest is essentially an interactive photo sharing site where people can choose to follow a single board you have, or all of them – and get updates whenever you add to, update, or change a board. So the more you share, the better the opportunity you have to take advantage of its benefits.

While in its initial growth stages, the majority of the audience was women (at 83%) in the United States. But things are shaking, and now men are joining in droves. Outside the USA, in the UK for example, 56% of the users are men. At the end of the day, the ratio of male to female is fairly balanced.

Now – how can you and your business get started?

Here are my 10 essential ways for you to get jump-started on Pinterest so that you can begin to build your following and enjoy its benefits. These are the first 5 with the final 5 following next week.

1. Stake Your Claim Now! I usually suggest researching a social media site before creating your own business account, but as so many people are latching onto Pinterest so quickly – you need to get in there now to set up your branded account and stake your branded real estate. Go to Pinterest.com and you will see towards the top of the page “Request an invite”. If you will be using Pinterest for your company, add your company email address. Usually they will get back to you within 24-48 hours for you to complete the registration. When you get your invitation, go and sign up and register in your company’s name. Fill out your profile, add your company’s logo as your profile picture and add anything else to the profile that is necessary.

2. Plan and Organize Your Boards Before Creating Them. Setting up your Pinterest boards can be time consuming, so I suggest identifying what boards you want to create first. Although your new Pinterest account will come with a few standard ‘board topics’, you will want to edit them for your specific needs. I find the easiest way to think about this is in terms of your products and services. For example, if you were a doctor whose owned their own ear, nose and throat practice, you should create a board for each specialty area (ear, nose, throat). Then fill each of these boards with helpful information on each topic in visual form (“pins”). For example, perhaps you have a diagram of nasal passages, a chart of nasal afflictions and another graphic explaining preventative measures for sinus infections. Add each of these to the board pertaining to “Nasal Information”. Planning will help set you up for growth on Pinterest and save you precious editing time.

3. Add Hyperlinks, Hashtags and Keyword in Your Descriptions. First off, every organization who is marketing online should have a keyword list for their company. When you are sharing “pins” or pictures in your “boards” or albums, each one will need to contain a point of origination on the web (where the picture actually lives online) but also a description. Use #hashtags just like you would on Twitter to make the title of your ‘pin’ more searchable within Pinterest. For exmpale in the ENT example above, using #tinnitus would allow people searching for information on that affliction to find your ‘pin’, and thus a link to your website! Make sure that each description is packed with keywords and contains a hyperlink to the content you want people to see. The best way to do this as a rule is….

4. Add Images to Your Blog Posts, Web Pages and Landing Pages. Every page on your website should have a few images on it. If you do not use pictures on the pages of your website or on your blog….now is the time to start! This is the key method of pulling content from your website to Pinterest and linking it back for added SEO punch. No pictures on your website could equal no web hits generated from Pinterest. Remember that this is a visual site – so make sure that your pictures are eye catching, easily seen, and visually descriptive.

5. Connect With Your Existing Contact Base. The best way to build an instant network on Pinterest is to see who you know that is already a member. You can do this through the “Invite Friends” function where you can connect using your Gmail account, Facebook account or simply manually invite people by entering their email address. You can also send an announcement to your email list, or make an announcement on your website, etc. Connecting with those that already support you is crucial in social media! These people are comfortable and familiar with you, and they can make for the best brand evangelists on social media sites like Pinterest.

Those are my top five ways to get started. Look out next week for part two of the series when I will discuss how to easily share information on Pinterest as well as show you how to get over the hurdle of not having enough pictures and content to share.

If you enjoy this article, please feel free to share it with others who you think could benefit from it!

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Why Bother With LinkedIn? Because Others in Your Industry Are!

By Christopher Tompkins

7Jan

LinkedIn, Uncategorized

CC BY: Nan Palmero

If you are on LinkedIn already, you may be familiar with the following information. But if you are still trying to figure out how LinkedIn is relevant to your company (or just want to know if your marketing is a little off the mark on LinkedIn)….read on.

You may know that LinkedIn is one of the premier social networking sites for professionals to connect, share, discuss and hobnob with one another. What you may not know is how many professions and professional categories that LinkedIn currently services.

While you may be in a niche within a niche inside of a niche professional category, chances are that there are many other professionals networking on LinkedIn just like you.

But as always, the proof is in the pudding. Here is a comprehensive list of all of the professional categories that have vibrant LinkedIn communities. Scan through and see if you find the one that best describes your organization, and THEN make sure that’s the one you categorize yourself under on LinkedIn. Without further ado, here is the list:

Legal

Law Practice
Legal Services
Legislative Office
Judiciary
Law Enforcement

Government

Defense And Space
Aviation And Aerospace
Research
Military
Legislative Office
Judiciary
International Affairs
Government Administration
Executive Office
Law Enforcement
Public Safety
Public Policy
Political Organization
Nanotechnology
Think Tanks
Mechanical Or Industrial Engineering
International Trade And Development
Government Relations

Consumer Goods

Cosmetics
Apparel And Fashion
Sporting Goods
Tobacco
Supermarkets
Food Production
Consumer Electronics
Consumer Goods
Furniture
Retail
Electrical And Electronic Manufacturing
Wholesale
Wine And Spirits
Luxury Goods And Jewelry
Packaging And Containers

Arts

Design
Arts And Crafts
Music
Photography
Graphic Design

Organizations And Non-Profit

Environmental Services
Individual And Family Services
Religious Institutions
Civic And Social Organization
Consumer Services
Non-Profit Organization Management
Fundraising
Program Development
Political Organization
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Security And Investigations
Think Tanks
Philanthropy
E-Learning
Renewables And Environment

Recreation, Travel And Entertainment

Sporting Goods
Entertainment
Gambling And Casinos
Leisure And Travel
Hospitality
Restaurants
Sports
Food And Beverages
Motion Pictures And Film
Broadcast Media
Museums And Institutions
Fine Art
Performing Arts
Recreational Facilities And Services
Newspapers
Publishing
Printing
Libraries
Writing And Editing
Computer Games
Music
Health, Wellness And Fitness
Media Production
Wine And Spirits

Corporate Services

Management Consulting
Accounting
Marketing And Advertising
Market Research
Public Relations
Program Development
Staffing And Recruiting
Professional Training
Translation And Localization
Events Services
Logistics And Supply Chain
Outsourcing/Offshoring
Commercial Real Estate
Import And Export
Human Resources
Business Supplies And Equipment

Agriculture

Railroad Manufacture
Farming
Ranching
Dairy
Fishery

Transportation

Leisure And Travel
Hospitality
Package/Freight Delivery
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad
Warehousing
Airlines/Aviation
Maritime
Translation And Localization
Import And Export
International Trade And Development

Manufacturing

Food Production
Consumer Electronics
Consumer Goods
Furniture
Retail
Aviation And Aerospace
Automotive
Chemicals
Machinery
Mining And Metals
Oil And Energy
Shipbuilding
Utilities
Textiles
Paper And Forest Products
Electrical And Electronic Manufacturing
Plastics
Mechanical Or Industrial Engineering
Business Supplies And Equipment
Renewables And Environment
Glass, Ceramics And Concrete
Packaging And Containers
Industrial Automation

Construction

Real Estate
Construction
Building Materials
Architecture And Planning
Civil Engineering
Commercial Real Estate
Glass, Ceramics And Concrete
Industrial Automation

Service Industry

Restaurants
Food And Beverages
Recreational Facilities And Services
Package/Freight Delivery
Individual And Family Services
Events Services
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Security And Investigations
Facilities Services

High Tech

Defense And Space
Computer Hardware
Computer Software
Computer Networking
Internet
Semiconductors
Telecommunications
Biotechnology
Pharmaceuticals
Airlines/Aviation
Information Technology And Services
Venture Capital
Nanotechnology
Computer And Network Security
Wireless

Education

Primary/Secondary
Higher Education
Education Management
Research
E-Learning

Media

Entertainment
Motion Pictures And Film
Broadcast Media
Museums And Institutions
Fine Art
Performing Arts
Marketing And Advertising
Newspapers
Publishing
Printing
Information Services
Libraries
Design
Writing And Editing
Computer Games
Arts And Crafts
Online Publishing
Media Production
Animation
Photography
Graphic Design

Medical And Health Care

Biotechnology
Medical Practice
Hospital And Health Care
Pharmaceuticals
Veterinary
Medical Device
Health, Wellness And Fitness
Alternative Medicine
Mental Health Care

Finance

Banking
Insurance
Financial Services
Real Estate
Investment Banking/Venture
Investment Management
Accounting
Venture Capital
Capital Markets

So, as you can see, there are absolutely TONS of categories represented on this professional networking site. I’m a firm believer in LinkedIn networking and LinkedIn marketing – so I hope this list will give you that extra push to dive into LinkedIn and either renew your efforts on the site, or if you haven’t already – see what sort of outcomes you can achieve for your own company!

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LinkedIn for Healthcare: 5 Must-Haves

By Dale Griffen

6Jan

Healthcare Marketing, Uncategorized

With everyone going on about the wonders of Facebook and Twitter, my poor friend LinkedIn sometimes gets left out in the cold. While not the most visible of the major social media sites, it is definitely one of the most powerful. With millions of people from all over the globe taking part in the conversation on LinkedIn, it is definitely a place online where your target healthcare audience thrives.

Whether your healthcare organization is B2B or B2C oriented, you can carve out your own audience on LinkedIn.

So if you have registered for a profile, why isn’t anything happening?

I have the answer.

Let’s get moving and create some stellar results! Here are my 5 LinkedIn “Must Haves” for healthcare organizations who are looking to get the most out of their valuable time online.

1. You MUST Fill Out Your Profile: A name and title is not enough. LinkedIn gives you ample opportunity to showcase yourself and your healthcare brand. Instead of leaving half of the profile blank (the percentage of which LinkedIn will show you on the right hand side of your profile), why not take an hour or two and really fill it in properly. Want people to call you? Add a phone number. Want people to look at your website? Mention it with hyperlink at the drop of a hat. Don’t skimp here…this is where people are going to find you credible or not credible. Oh, and one final thing. Have a professional profile picture, nothing wild and off brand. No picture = no credibility in my book.

2. You MUST Join Groups: Not only must you join groups, you must also take part in them. I know it seems like a tall order, but this is one of the areas where the magic happens on LinkedIn. Now don’t get stuck on the fact that you have to find groups only within the healthcare sector only, you want to find those in addition to groups where your target consumers may be. For example, if you are a cosmetic surgeon in NYC you may want to join 25 groups on cosmetic surgery and 25 groups based around the NYC area. The idea is simple. The professional ones will help you gain news and knowledge in your sector while the others will help you share your business and expertise with target consumers. I say join as many as LinkedIn allows (50) and start working them!

3. You MUST Ask Question and Answer Questions: There is a wonderful function of LinkedIn that allows you to answer and pose questions to your network as well as LinkedIn at large. This is a great way to get in front of prospective supporters, consumers and referral partners – so don’t be afraid to jump in there and share your expertise by answering a few questions now and again.

4. You MUST Reply: Nothing drives a social media user up-the-wall more than sending messages that never are replied to. I’m not saying the mass messages that start with those wonderful words “Dear Friends”, but rather those emails sent to your on LinkedIn. Not interested in what they have to say? Give them a polite “No thank you, but I appreciate your kind offer”, don’t say “Leave me alone” or ignore them completely. This is networking. Would you act like that in a cocktail party? Not likely.

5. You MUST Bring Your Profile Alive With Testimonials and Applications: Even the most engaging profile can use a helping hand now and again. First off, anyone that you have ever worked with or has known you professionally – ask for a recommendation, a mutual recommendation. This is an eye-catching way of proving credibility and the quality of your work. Never ask for testimonials from people you don’t know, never worked with, and just friended. That’s tacky. On the application side of things, go onto your profile and scroll until you see the Applications section and click “More Applications.” This will take you to a section that allows you to not only integrate your Twitter account and your WordPress blogs, but also share pdf files and PowerPoint presentations. These are wonderful ways of bringing your profile to life….not to mention adds to your credibility as a expert in your niche!

I’m sure I could go on with the wonders of LinkedIn, but these are definitely the ones I am most passionate about. These steps will help your healthcare organization get the most out of LinkedIn in addition to helping you learn more about shaping your LinkedIn marketing strategy. Its not easy at first and can be time consuming, but keep with it. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your social media following. It is an ongoing effort that will bring you what your after, if you are patient.

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