Archive for category Media
Social Media Success Summit 2010 and a Tadpole Comes of Age
Posted by James in Glass Frog, Hints and Tips, Internet Marketing, Media, Social Media Marketing on June 9, 2010
What a month of information we had in May.
The Social Media Success Summit was in full swing and to be frank, I am still trying to absorb the wealth of information that was given out over two very intensive weeks.
The seminar revealed some real cutting-edge stuff; applications and methodologies that haven’t even raised their heads above the parapet in the UK.
Thankfully the seminar provided transcripts, slides, audio and video to revise , reabsorb and act on and this is the state of play with the Images team now; to pick over these pearls of wisdom, select the most appropriate for our clients then find ways to apply them to our other marketing activities.
Glass Frog?
You may have seen some obtuse references on these pages to ‘Glass Frog’. Well, the tadpole that was the Glass Frog is about to turn into the full blown adult version. Glass Frog is the name of our new company, that will focus more on New Media Marketing, all aspects of Social Media Marketing, and a whole raft of promotional and viral systems designed to increase your company profile, its footfall (physical and virtual) and ultimately profitability.
We have been around since 1994, through many ups and downs in the economy, and feel that while the current Government is promising us all cuts in services, this really presents a great opportunity for SMEs to really show the bigger guns how to perform.
If service cuts, which naturally means lesser and poorer services for all, don’t you think that the people out there will flock to an organisation that delivers an even higher level of service?
There has never been a better time to blow your own and there have never been as many tools to blow it with.
If you would like to know how we can help your reputation achieve 5 star status, drop us an email to fivestar@theimagesgroup.co.uk or call us on 0191 5197278, and we can arrange a time where we can meet with you over a cup of coffee in our downstairs Bistro and give you a free, no-obligation, one-hour consultation on how to create an exceptional company.
To Your Success
Why Social Media? A Quick-Start Guide
Posted by James in Hints and Tips, Internet Marketing, Media, Social Media Marketing on May 13, 2010
What is Social Media Marketing All About?
Social Media is all about engaging with your target audience, building your brand awareness and establishing yourself as a trusted company to your audience. You can do this in a variety of ways, but the methods and vehicles you use very much depend on where your target audience hang out.
For instance the median age of Twitter users is 31, and Facebook user’s ages vary considerably, so a bit of research is necessary before you start.
Social Media is not about bombarding your audience with a relentless stream of sales offers; it’s about providing them with relevant, valuable information that will establish your company as a trusted supplier.
The ratio of valuable information postings to sales messages should be around 80/20, or even 90/10
Advantages for Small Businesses
For small businesses it is a way of reaching a large, targeted market at very little capital cost. And because small businesses have a flexibility in the way that they can carry out their business that larger companies can only dream about, they can quickly adjust their offerings to fulfil rising demand, pick up on trends and create a product or service that meets those demands.
Social Media is a great market research tool, a reputation monitoring tool or even a competition spying tool: Social Media has many applications.
Twitter needs to be studied carefully.
The new advertising model is still in its infancy and is still being refined, but many corporates have jumped on board to try it out. To see it in action, go to your Twitter account and type ‘coffee’ in the search box and you will see the Starbuck’s sponsored tweet appearing at the top.
Risks
The main risk is in creating the wrong image for your company through social media. It is important to create a strategy first then build your social media networks slowly, because any errors you make will live forever. The internet has a good memory and it is difficult to undo mistakes.
Build your Social Media networks ‘right’ from the start and decide form the outset what your persona or image will be and remain congruent as you build your networks.
Top 3 Tips for Social Media Newbies
1. Identify your market and where they hang out or socialise on the internet.
2. Create a Social Media strategy before you start, then start slowly and continue congruently
3. Focus on the top four Social Media performers first:
- Your blog. This is a very powerful tool and needs to be updated at least twice a week
- LinkedIn – build your professional network and obtain recommendations from former clients; it is a great way to put yourself in the shop window to other professionals.
- Twitter – play with it, follow some industry leaders such as Guy Kawasaki and you will soon learn its power.
- Facebook – take your time with this, it is very powerful and easy to get wrong. Do your research first!