Posts Tagged ‘Social Media Marketing’

How to Make Google Local Work for You

by Erica Viscio

April 11th, 2013

If you’re an avid ‘Googler’, as most people these days are, you may have noticed a few shifts in the way Google displays your results. Of course, there are still the ads up top and on the right, but some big changes have been made to the way organic results are displayed. Instead of a list of large companies that have their SEO caps on straight, you come across another type of result with addresses, telephone numbers, and reviews right on your search page. This is the new Google.

New Google Local listings highlighted in blue.

These results are called local listings and they’re customized for each user, depending on their location, geographic terms included in their search phrase, what device they’re using, and other criteria. Go ahead, Google “Oklahoma Real Estate,” and your results are probably different from the ones listed above. Why? Because Google is gathering these results using unique parameters defined by you, for you.

So, how do you know if your business is going to show up in searches? While all of this seems a bit up-to-chance, there are things you, as a business owner, can do to help your site have a better shot at appearing.

Encourage customer reviews. Good reviews build trust with Google and with potential customers/clients. The more positive reviews you have, the better your “score” (Google’s version of stars) will be. This score is based on a 30-point scale that Google also takes into account when showing local listings.

Claim your listing. Seriously! This makes all the difference. Log into Google Places for business here, to establish your identity with Google and gain control over your listing. Once your page is verified you will be able to edit the information that Google has about your business. This also allows you to connect your local listing to your Google+ Business Page. As this in-depth Inman article points out, you will be able to connect your page with your Google Analytics account, which means more insight into your social ROI.

Keep your information accurate and up-to-date. Once you’ve claimed your listing, here are a few ways to make sure your page is optimized up to Google standards:

Be sure that all the basic information is correct and filled out: business name, title*, bio information, etc…
Pay special attention to the categories. Google allows for 5 different categories. Consider categories such as: Real Estate Agency, Buyer Broker, Home Appraisal, Realtor, etc… No need to put location-based keywords here.
Be sure to include a local address. Google Local is all about finding people near you. Having a street address rather than a PO box will automatically help you.
Same thing goes for phone numbers. A local number looks better than a toll-free number to Google. Try to use your office number, one with a local area code.

*Tip: Do not use your title as a place for keywords. Google will think you’re using black hat SEO techniques. Stick with your company’s name such as: Guy Incognito Realty, not Oklahoma Real Estate by Guy Incognito Realty.

What this means for SEO

Because of the massive amount of space Google+ Local Listings are now taking up on the page, old-fashioned “organic results” are getting less and less visibility. While you may rank #3 for a particular search term, your site may be pushed down to the bottom of the page by local results. This is all the more reason to get your Google+ Local and Google + for Business pages set up and ready for search. You can use these pages to a) drive more users to your site and b) gain more branding/exposure. Two things that you can never really have enough of.

What this means for Realtors ®

This innovation in Google search is particularly important to those in the real estate industry. Everything you do is about location, and Google has come out with a tool that is seemingly tailor made for you. So go forth, get your Google Local pages claimed and your Google + Business page set up. The more accurate information Google has on you, the more likely it is you will appear in searches.

Tags: Google Local, Internet Marketing, Local Search, Social Media Marketing
Posted in Internet Marketing | Comments Off

Pinterest for Brands

by Allyson Locke

April 18th, 2012

Over the past few months, Pinterest has exploded in the social media world. While the majority of its users thus far have been women in their 30’s-50’s who love crafting and planning weddings, things have changed a bit, now that more people are using the site. Brands have begun tapping into this market with subtle product promotion and brand identity creation. If your company has a product or service that relates to women of this age and interest, you should get on Pinterest right away.

What is Pinterest?

It’s a visual-based site which allows users to create boards (think virtual bulletin board) and “pin” items of interest to them. The idea is that you can separate craft ideas, products you love, etc. into categories using different boards. You can also “re-pin” things you find on other people’s board and save them for later. Pinterest has become a very popular social media site that allows people to save projects, home-improvement ideas and the like for later, in a magazine-style layout.

How Does This Affect My Brand?

While brands are just beginning to play around with the idea of promotion and sales on Pinterest, it proves to be successful for those who are tapping into its specific market and engaging with users. It turns out that brands who post images on the site have dramatically increased traffic to their blogs and websites. But don’t think that posting any old picture will influence people to click; you have to post something relevant, tag it appropriately, and give your followers a reason to check it out.

How Should My Brand Use Pinterest?

Post relevant, creative content that your demographic would be interested in. This could be anything from recipes using your product to your staff’s favorite vacation spot.
Make sure all images are attractive. Because Pinterest is image-focused, all of your content should be visually interesting. Posting a tiny, blurry picture won’t drive any traffic to your site or influence people to learn more about your company.
Don’t only post your own products. While images of your products might help drive traffic to your site, you should also mix it up by pinning DIY projects and other items that would be relevant to your customers.
Show some creativity! Don’t simply post images of your office or your employees, show your brand’s fun side. You can still think outside the box while maintaining your company’s professional image.

So while it may not be clear how your company fits into the Pinterest scene yet, you can still play around with it as a brand development tool. Many sites are using it to show the personality behind their brand and its employees. Either way, it is another great social media tool that could potentially drive traffic to your website, so take a shot at it!

Tags: Internet Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media Marketing
Posted in Social Media Marketing | Comments Off

Introducing Facebook Timeline Brand Pages

by Allyson Locke

March 7th, 2012

Facebook rolled out a completely new profile for brands called Facebook Timeline. Facebook users have already had access to Timeline on their personal accounts. The way you interact with your followers has changed, too. Brand Pages have become much more visual, with a new Cover Photo, and your posts can be highlighted differently. While there are many new options for creativity and branding, it’s important to note the changes have undone some of the features from the last update.

Your Company’s Timeline

The biggest change to Facebook Brand Pages is the new timeline or history feature. It will list any activity that has occurred on your profile since you created it. This means any posts you have created and anything your fans have posted on your page will show up. You can also add in any past milestones your company has experienced, by date. This gives you the option of telling your company’s story and evolution over the years.

Cover Photo

The Cover Photo gives brands a new way to enhance their Pages. Similarly to Google+, you can display your logo, images of your staff members, or new products. There are some guidelines however; you cannot use it as a promotional billboard. Facebook rules specifically restrict any sales, calls to action, or contact information. You will also not be able to reference any Facebook features, so no more arrows pointing to the Like button. Facebook wants this to be completely about your brand’s image and nothing else.

No More Tabs

One thing that companies have already started complaining about is the change to Apps and Tabs. With the previous Facebook Pages you could create a Landing Page which listed sales or promotions and could even link to your website. The new layout doesn’t allow that; visitors are directed to your wall instead of a Welcome or Landing Page. You can still provide these tabs, but they will be featured in a much smaller way that people will need to click on to see (pictured below). This makes it a little trickier to draw attention to announcements about events or sales.

*Hint: Your tabs will have unique URLs that you can attach to social media icons or include in emails.

Admin Features

Another change is the way you can interact with your brand’s page and your customers. Now you can see, in better detail, the performance data of your page. You can find out how you’re doing with helpful charts and in-depth information. Another beneficial feature is the ability to speak directly to your customers via private messages. Your customers can now message you with questions or feedback and you can respond back without making anything public.

What You Should Do

I know that’s a lot to take in, but don’t panic, Timeline won’t be mandatory for brands until March 30^th. The first thing you should make sure to do is delete any old posts that you don’t want to show up in your timeline. Then, find a high-quality image for your Cover Photo and begin adding any basic info you can about your company’s history to your Timeline. The in-depth research stage will take a while, so don’t dive into the project just yet. Try to understand the basic features before delving into that. While some of these changes may not seem helpful or beneficial to your brand, they are meant to help you interact with your customers more closely than before.

What do you think? Will Facebook Timeline Brand Pages really help you connect more personally with your audience?

Tags: Brand Pages, Facebook, Facebook Timeline, Social Media Marketing
Posted in Social Media Marketing | Comments Off

#BTVSMB Social Hack

by Chris Lei

February 6th, 2012

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the #BTVSMB Social Hack on February 3, 2012. For those of you hearing about #BTVSMB for the first time, it’s the BTV Social Media Breakfast. Unlike previous #BTVSMB events, this event was setup a little differently. Not only did we get to hear from two great speakers, Richard Ting of R/GA and Liz Gerber of Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University, but we also got to implement their ideas with a team activity.

Richard Ting | Image provided by Stephen Mease

During Richard’s presentation, he showcased projects from R/GA and how Social Media played a huge part in their client campaigns. Liz’s presentation focused on the process of identifying a problem within a community and finding a solution to implement. After Rich and Liz gave their presentations, our last presentation was from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Farm to School. Their presentation set the stage for our full day group activity.

The primary goals each team aimed for:

Increase economic development in Vermont’s food and farm sector.
Create jobs in the food and farm economy.
Improve access to healthy foods.

There were a total of six teams which were all named after vegetables. I was on Team Arugula. We worked in our team to come up with a solution which met the goals of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Farm to School using information provided in the presentations.

Here are the steps process of what our team went through to come up with the winning idea!

Liz Gerber | Image provided by Stephen Mease

Step One: Find A Problem To Solve

Every team was given a packet that we’d use to help us follow a standard process. The first step was to consider a problem to solve. We had to write three “worth improving” statements about Localvore/Farm to Plate issues. I consider there to be problems with the attitude of elitism around Localvore, the lack mobile development for CSAs, and the flexibility of CSA drop-offs.

Step Two: Dig Deeper

We now had to describe the target user, their needs, their wants, and what their desired outcomes were? For me, I was described as a young professional living in Vermont. My needs were described as wanting a more accessible way to gain knowledge about CSAs.

Step Three: Define Your Point of View

We defined our point of view by filling out pre-constructed sentences that we’d bring back to our teams. My statement was:

“Chris, a young professional in Vermont is constantly finding himself asking what’s for dinner and how can he eat better. He needs a way to access information about Localvores and CSAs. However, there currently isn’t a mobile solution that provides information. It would be great if CSAs could send out push notifications to his phone when they are delivering near by.”

Step Four: Ideate: Generate Alternatives To Test

We designed quick product sketches that defined what our solution would look like to the end user.

At this point, as team Arugula, we voted on which of our individual solutions was the best and spent the rest of the day working on it.

My mobile app idea was voted the best. The runner up idea was also a mobile app solution similar to mine. Therefore, working as a team on the two ideas, we hashed out the specifics of our solution and made sure that it met the goals of the agency.

Team Arugula | Image provided by Stephen Mease

The Winning Idea

The solution that my team came up with was a mobile application that not only provides knowledge of Localvores and CSAs, but also provides a new distribution process. The two factors that my team kept going back to during our discussions were how currently when consumers don’t always know how to cook some of the items or what to do with them. The mobile app would not only provide a wealth of knowledge about the food being delivered but the user could also schedule drop-off times.

At the end of the day we had the winning solution. The take away really is how just given a few hours, a team of complete strangers are able to work together and quickly hash out a solution. I personally hope this is the first of many #BTVSMB Social Hacks!

For more pictures please check out Stephen Mease Picasa album.

Update: Check out one of Union Street Media’s client, Fresh Tracks Capital as Cairn Cross recaps his thoughts right here. Cairn and I were also partners for Team Arugula.

Tags: #BTVSMB, Social Media Marketing
Posted in Company News, Interactive Websites, Social Media Marketing | Comments Off

Posts Tagged ‘Social Media Marketing’

How to Make Google Local Work for You

What this means for SEO

What this means for Realtors ®

How To Update Your Twitter Cover Photo

Pinterest for Brands

How Should My Brand Use Pinterest?

Introducing Facebook Timeline Brand Pages

#BTVSMB Social Hack

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