So you’ve decided it’s time to bring your business to social media. Like many people wanting to try something new, you’re probably unsure where to start. And with so many social media sites calling for your attention, and new ones popping up all the time, it can be overwhelming to pick one and figure out just what to do once you get there.
Our guide to navigating social media for beginners can help whether you are looking to join your very first social media site or want to try showcasing your business on a new platform.
Using social media sites to represent your brand is a great way to engage with customers, both new and prospective. Nearly one out of every four people worldwide are connecting with each other using social media, so you definitely want to make sure you are getting in on the conversations.
The social media beginners guide provides you with insight into:
Plus, there’s a bonus section on using LinkedIn to reach out to other professionals and how to make sure they can find you as well.
The guide begins with a foreword by Scott Stratten, President of UnMarketing and one of Forbes.com’s top 5 social media influencers worldwide. Find out what Scott learned when he decided to give Twitter a 30-day intensive trial, and what it took for him to finally “get” social media.
Get started now by downloading the free social media guide for beginners below!
Once you’ve set up your social media accounts, help your friends do the same:
Typos happen. And when they do, they can stand in the way of growing your email list.
But that doesn’t have to be the case.
Introducing an awesome new AWeber feature for your sign up forms: Sign Up Spellcheck. No more losing subscribers to typos. We catch typos in email domains as they happen and give your new subscribers the chance to correct them.
Pretty cool, huh? And it means your email list can grow like it should.
We actually released this feature in July, but wanted to crunch some numbers before we told you how AWesome it is.
Over the past two months, Sign Up Spellcheck detected over 290,000 email typos. More than 214,000 new subscribers selected whether the caught typo was right or wrong, and of those over 177,000 chose the corrected email address and got added to the list.
That means 82% of the time, people who mis-typed their email address corrected and resubmitted it with the right spelling. That’s a lot of people added to our customers’ lists who would have been lost to a simple misspelling.
Who knew typos could have that much impact?
Someone visits your site and decides to sign up for your newsletter. But, oh no! They typed their email address wrong!
Not to worry. Sign Up Spellcheck catches the typo right there and offers the chance to change it:
Note that this works for domains (the “@gmail.com” part). Since we don’t know each person’s username, we can’t check spelling there (as much as we’d like to!).
Have you ever had to manually add subscribers to your list? Maybe you met a few people at an event who asked to get added to your list.
Now your own typos won’t get in your way, either. The Add Subscribers page in the control panel works the same way as your site’s sign up form does, catching typos if you make them.
This is just one of the ways AWeber makes your marketing easier. Don’t have an account yet? Check out some of our other list- and time-saving features.
Already a customer? Tell us what you love most!
Award-winning ads can teach us a lot about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing. That’s why we’ve been looking at some exceptional ones and extracting important lessons from them.
This last ad we’ll cover won four International Advertising Bureau’s MIXX Awards and an AdWeek Buzz Award.
HBO and Campfire put together a highly effective marketing campaign for the “True Blood” series.
Here’s a detailed look at the marketing campaign for the show:
Vials of a mysterious red liquid with messages in a “dead language” were mailed to goth and horror bloggers, leading them to a “vampire-only” website. Videos featuring “real vampires” debating whether or not they should reveal themselves to an unsuspecting human populace were “leaked.” An outdoor poster campaign promoting a new beverage called TruBlood and featuring PSAs supporting equal rights for vampires appeared in major metro areas – none of which ever mentioned the TV show.
By creating a complex backstory about a synthetic beverage that enabled vampires to “live among humans,” HBO and its creative partner, Campfire, were able to tap into an existing community of horror aficionados and organically build an audience that made True Blood one of HBO’s most anticipated and successful show debuts.
The result? 6.6 million viewers tuned in for the premiere.
The True Blood Story has two lessons for marketers:
I’ve been seeing a lot of animated email campaigns lately, and this one really caught my attention because it is also a re-engagement campaign.
Re-engaging past customers is ALWAYS a good idea no matter what time of year. But it is even more important now as you prepare for the holidays. You want as many active subscribers and customers on your list as possible, and sending a campaign like the one I received this morning from Improvements Catalog is a great way to do that.
Right around the same time that Google+ was introduced in June 2011, Google formally announced the Google authorship program, where authors could link their content to a Google+ profile and identify it to Google in search rankings.
But the idea of ranking Internet authors actually goes back much further, according to Mark Traphagen, director of digital outreach at search optimization firm Virante. “Google first came out with patents back around 2007 talking about a system in search for being able to identify individual authors, link to their content and then evaluate and score them as authorities in various subject matters based on various signals pointing to their content,” he explains.
Just because Google has filed a patent doesn’t mean a ranking system for authors is imminent, but it does look like the search engine may be headed in that direction and that means we need to pay some attention.
“All we know is that Google has these patents. They’re formally known as agent rank patents. Several patents apply to this where they talk about being able to evaluate a number of kinds of things, with an author being one of these agents, so the term ‘author rank’ has kind of sprung up as a folk term. It’s not really a Google term,” says Traphagen.
Google’s move toward quality and authority
Right now, Google’s authorship program results in profile photos that appear next to search results in Google. “It’s good personal branding, and in most cases people seem to think that it increases your click-through rate for search results; that people are more likely to click on a result that has a face next to it,” Traphagen adds.
But industry experts predict that “author rank” is the next signal Google will use in its ranking of web content, according to a video introducing Google authorship to the world. Aside from photos appearing in search results, Google has stated it could factor in authorship to help curtail what many see as the widespread plagiarizing or theft of content on the web.
Is it possible Google is already using a version of author rank? Traphagen doesn’t think so. “I think they are still working towards it being that,” he says. “We’ve had some encouraging signs along the way,” such as Google Webspam team leader Matt Cutts stating in videos posted online and at conferences that it’s something Google intends to do, ranking the most authoritative authors on a given topic higher in search results. However, Traphangen says all the language he’s heard is future-oriented.
Another sign that Google may be working in this direction is a recently introduced feature highlighting in-depth articles. “It’s showing up on a limited basis so far, but it happens for high-level topics,” says Traphangen. “In the search results, you’ll get a special box that will have three featured articles in it, and Google calls those ‘in-depth articles.’” Such content tends to delve deeper into the searched topic and Google search results for them show the publisher’s logo and sometimes indicate the author, as well.
How to prepare for Google author rank
How do you prepare your search marketing strategy for the possible inclusion of author ranking in Google’s algorithms? Here are some steps you can follow now:
1. Make sure you have Google authorship connected with your content, both on your own blog and on any other sites you contribute to. If possible, the sites you write for should include a Google+ link to your profile on the bottom of the article or on an author page. Then connect all the sites you contribute to, including your own blog, to the contributor section of your Google+ profile.
2. Do you write for a site that won’t list you as a contributor? You can still link back to the publisher in the contributor section in your Google+ author profile.
3. Continue focusing on quality content. “I think people who are using Google authorship and who are producing really good, authoritative content that is focused on their areas of expertise and are getting good interaction engagement,” says Traphangen.
4. Consider allowing authoritative bloggers or writers to guest post on your site and connect their Google authorship to your content. “If and when that begins to become a strong ranking factor for those authors, that’s only going to drive more traffic to your site. If their content on your site is ranking better because of their personal authority, that’s a positive thing for your site,” Traphangen explains. Authors benefit from posting on sites that have a high rank in the topic area, but authors with a high rank in an area can help the site they write for as well. Authors with their own audiences can bring eyeballs, increase trust and raise the quality of content on your site, so it’s a good marketing move in general, in addition to potential future benefits with search.
Traphangen speculates that it’s possible that Google could one day create some kind of brand rank or publisher rank to add a level of authority to a site on Google. Get a head start by making sure you have a Google+ brand page. As with Google authorship, a verified connection between the Google+ page and the brand page is necessary. Once you get enough followers on a brand page, you can apply to have the page verified, and content marketing specialists believe that this too may well be included in the algorithm to determine page rank in the future.
If you’re interested in getting a bit more technical, you can go to Google’s webmaster tool, log into your account, and search the data on content across the web connected to your authorship. Click on “Google Labs” and “authorship stats” and you’ll be able to see statistics (including page impressions and clicks) for pages for which you are the verified author.
This post contributed by guest author, Yael Grauer. Grauer is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and editor. Find her online at Yaelwrites.com.
© 2013, VR Marketing Blog. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
The post How to Prepare for Google’s New ‘Author Rank’ appeared first on VR Marketing Blog.
When you run your own business, having a personal life tends to placed on the back burner, and not just when you’re first starting out. Cultivating a balance between running your business and living your life is essential to the health of your company. Without time to relax and socialize, you may miss opportunities for the kind of creative growth that leads to truly successful business ideas.
Here are 10 ways to achieve and maintain the work-life balance you’ve been longing for.
1. Do less
You don’t have to do everything at once, and you certainly don’t have to get everything finished today. By setting small, achievable goals (like finishing two important items instead of seven or eight), you’ll get more done by doing less. With fewer tasks to focus on each day, you’ll be able to give each job the undivided attention it deserves. The quality of your work will improve and you’ll feel less burnt out.
2. Set an end time
When you’re your own boss, it’s easy to get caught up working nights and weekends and everything in between. Decide on an end time, like 6 p.m., and stop working at that time each day. You’ll be inspired to get more done during the day in order to finish before the clock runs out, and you’ll actually have time (and energy) for a personal life in the evenings.
3. Stick to a schedule
Whether it’s weekends off, taking a mid-week “weekend” every Wednesday, or getting into the office at 10 a.m. each day, a set schedule will greatly improve your work-life balance. Use the time off to reconnect with family and friends, enjoy your favorite activities, or just relax. Make sure that your schedule allows for ample time away from work.
4. Commit to socializing
When setting plans to see friends and loved ones, you may be tempted to let work dictate your level of commitment. “I’ll see how much I get done” tends to be the answer of many entrepreneurs when asked to commit to a social event more than a few hours in the future. Force yourself to give a firm “yes,” then stand by that commitment. Treating fun, non-work events like important appointments ensures that you’ll show up and get some all-important face time with people besides your team and clients.
5. Maintain boundaries
If you make yourself available to clients 24/7, they’ll come to expect it. Set boundaries and office hours, and stick to them no matter what. You don’t have to return phone calls or emails within an hour every time. Setting a standard can help set expectations; for example, you could inform clients that you’ll get back to them within 24 business hours.
6. Really be “out of the office”
Do you often find yourself out with friends but constantly fielding calls or checking your email? Next time, turn off your phone and leave it in your car, or assign one of your friends as the “phone police” and make sure they enforce your no-phone rule while out. After all, you won’t receive the benefits of socializing if you’re working during that time.
7. Take breaks
A 10-hour workday doesn’t need to mean working for ten hours straight. Take frequent, short breaks to maintain energy and focus throughout the day. And yes, that includes taking a few minutes to call your spouse or answer a personal email. A few minutes of personal time during the workday is perfectly acceptable and normal.
8. Personalize your workspace
You spend a lot of time working, so make sure your work environment is inspiring. Bring your dog to the office (if appropriate), buy yourself a plant, and fill your space with photographs or artwork that makes you happy.
9. Take vacations
Solopreneurs may not have assigned vacation days, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a break! Check in with your regularly employed friends and be sure you’re taking a similar amount of days off each year.
10. Stay organized
It’s impossible to maintain work-life balance when you’re buried under paper clutter. Keep your workspace organized with a service like Shoeboxed, which will scan and digitize your receipts and paper documents for you. With a clean desktop and an organized office, you’ll be better able to leave work behind at the end of each day.
How have you achieved a work-life balance?
This post contributed by Emily Farrar. Farrar is the Lead Customer Advocate at Shoeboxed , the fastest way to turn a pile of paper receipts into digital data for effortless expense reporting and bookkeeping.
© 2013, VR Marketing Blog. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
The post 10 Steps to Achieving Work-Life Balance: Small Business Edition appeared first on VR Marketing Blog.
We’ve recently looked at award-winning ads from big companies that taught us how to handle criticism and target the right audience.
We’ll look at a new ad today that’s all about getting attention.
Jeep had the first car ad ever to win top prize at the Cannes Film Festival:
Can a Jeep really do that? No. But the imagery is captivating, right?
The idea here is to grab attention. You’ve probably heard this again and again; it’s preached to death in the marketing world. To help you out, we’ll get a little more specific: you want to capture attention with shock value (the good kind, of course).
Jeep wasn’t going to capture attention with a flashy car leaping and bounding over rocky terrain during a storm. Every single car company has done that and the commercials have gotten as dramatic as is realistically possible. They’re glamorous and they’re death-defying and they’re… boring to us, right? We’ve seen them a hundred times. So to actually grab attention, Jeep had to take it a step further.
Translating this to marketing your own business, think about what people usually expect to hear about a business like yours. Now think about what would shock them to hear. Use it.
There is a danger with using shock value to grab attention. Do it the wrong way, and you can seriously annoy some people. I’m willing to bet we all hate getting a piece of mail that’s designed to look like it’s from the government and stamped with a phrase like, “Legal matters require you to open this immediately.” You start to get a little worried! You start to wonder if you pushed the “submit” button when you were filing your taxes.
So the question is, how do you make marketing with shock value work well for your customers?
We wrap up award-winning ad lessons with a look at how storytelling can get your audience excited. Don’t miss it – sign up to join our email list below!
At SES in San Francisco this morning, Matt Cutts, of Google recently announced that since last night, Google Webmaster Tools is now showing more back links and a better diversity of links that are available to download. Previously, he said that links were sorted A-Z and the first 100,000 links were given. This has been a very frustrating point for many SEOs and webmasters trying to dig themselves out of a Google Penalty. This is great news for many webmaster who have larger amounts of back links and are unable to rid themselves of toxic or poor quality links. For a example, at VerticalResponse, the 100,000 links would only be around 10-15% of the total links pointing to our site, according to Google.
Matt said an official Google blog post will be up within the hour and we will keep you updated with that. Here is a tweet from SES San Francisco, right after Matt’s announcement.
NEW INFO: Google Webmaster Tools has radically improved links they show to webmasters via @mattcutts #SESSF cc/ @dannysullivan @rustybrick
— Chipper Nicodemus (@chipnicodemus) September 12, 2013
© 2013, VR Marketing Blog. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
The post Google Updates Webmaster Tools, Now Showing More Backlinks appeared first on VR Marketing Blog.
Whether you’re the cream of engagement crop on Twitter, or just getting started, knowing how to put your best tweets forward is essential for social media growth. But crafting retweet-worthy content isn’t the only key to unlocking the kingdom of Twitter engagement. Sporting a savvy profile and understanding Twitter dos-and don’ts will also make you stand out from the birds of a feather.
So what does a sharp Twitter profile look like, and what are the top-notch best tweeting best practices? We’ve compiled all this information for you in our Ultimate Twitter Profile mockup/infographic below (click the image to zoom in). Read, repeat and retweet:
© 2013, VR Marketing Blog. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below):
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