Popular Articles on Business 2 Community

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• 3 BIG Myths About WordPress
• The Fundamental Business Problem With Social Media
• Content Marketing In 2014: 5 Things You Need To Know To Succeed
• How To Use Social Media To Create Brand Advocates
• A Wine Lover’s Guide To Europe [Infographic]
• Understanding the Future of Work: 8 Traits of Collaborative Leadership [Infographic]
• Why You Should Increase Employees’ Social Media Intelligence
• WordPress Proven as the Most Powerful Blogging Platform
• Search & Social Must Reads For The Internet Marketer
• 9 Tips For Writing Effective Email Subject Lines
• The New Social: A Sensory Experience
• How B2B Marketers Will Spend Their Budgets In 2014

3 BIG Myths About WordPress Posted: 05 Dec 2013 04:00 AM PST Continuing to be the largest CMS platform used in the world WordPress surprisingly still has some alarming myths surrounding it. To help set the story straight below are 3 of the biggest and most common myths surrounding WordPress. WordPress is only suitable for small sites It started as a blogging platform but has soon expanded and reached into bigger markets. WordPress now caters for complex websites, ecommerce sites and directories. It is one of the most easiest and affordable ways to get any type of website live. Some of the biggest names use WordPress as the platform to their websites, NBC Sports, CNN and Time just to name a few dedicated WordPress users. WordPress won't work for ecommerce sites You may have heard this one floating around a bit; it mostly follows on from the number one myth of WordPress only being suitable for small sites. WordPress has advanced a great deal in the last few years and can now offer countless frameworks and plugins to support anything from a small shopping site to a site featuring thousands of products. Need some proof check out www.jigoshop.com/showcase WordPress sites aren't secure WordPress is just as secure as all the other systems available. But there are measures you can take to ensure your site remains secure and is free from threats. Keep your WordPress site up to date and make sure your passwords are difficult to guess and changed often. The easiest way to guarantee security for your site is by going with a web host, that will not only back up your site but protect your site from cross infection from other sites on the same server. Web Hosts will also be able to quickly react to any new threats before they attack your site. Find out more about WordPress hosting here. WordPress is an adaptable system and this is proved by the 60million websites built on its platform. It provides people without technical experience the ability to create and manage their own website for a fraction of the cost.

The Fundamental Business Problem With Social Media Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST The fundamental problem of social media within the context of traditional business metrics and reporting is that no matter how much of a media darling it is, Social Media is merely another medium in the total marketing pool and hence falls within the expense category. Think about the last time you looked at a P&L, did you see the following financial metrics? - Number of Likes - Number of Followers - Number of Friends - Number of Re-tweets - Number of +1′s? Obviously not. That’s because none of these “metrics” are directly related to the financial reporting of any business. How about Marketing, Advertising, IT and Payroll? Of course because these are standard expense lines in the P&L. As a fan of Social Media, I am a true believer in the power of the medium. A recent article on Huffington Post rightly points out that, “Social media is powerful at two points during the sales process: the beginning (lead generation) and the end (customer retention).” Another major attraction of social media is that it is cheap. Small businesses have access to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc just as large corporate’s do. Sure, there are snake oil salesmen out there who will tell you have to spend a fortune to “design and implement an integrated holistic social media strategy“, but I have come to the realisation that there is a direct correlation between the crap talk and the amount billed. Another major benefit of Social Media is that so much of it is trackable. That is, you can see what revenue your expenses are generating. Tools such as Google Analytics are excellent at providing tracking of the financial impacts of social media activities. With a little coding on a website, one can track the Facebook link through to check out. However, for any non-accountants out there, from a financial reporting mechanism, the Facebook link is not recognised as revenue but as an expense. Tragically, as some articles point out, one of the key reasons for generating a Social Media ROI is to “justify the expense“. In my view this comes down to the fact that Social Media seems to have been discussed as a New World revenue model, rather than accepting its’ true fate as an expense. Having read countless articles about the ROI of Social Media (here are a couple of thousand, if you are keen to completely waste your time – http://goo.gl/YWjFNX), I have often thought I was a laggard of the social media medium. However, I was delighted to read a report from Business Intelligence with the none too subtle page header, “The Death Of Social ROI — Companies Are Starting To Drop The Idea That They Can Track Social Media’s Dollar Value“. It seems the corporate world is catching up to the fact that measuring the benefit of social media is more than “Likes + Shares = $$$” For businesses looking to invest in social media as part of the their marketing effort, the benefit can generate fantastic results. However these results are an outcome of an expense because, as I just mentioned, social media is an investment. Is social media the best marketing medium available? I don’t have any facts to suggest it is better than a major TV campaign, although pretending that this is a medium that sits outside a traditional P&L because it is new and special, is absolute nonsense. Social media is an expense. Spend well and the financial gain will hopefully exceed your costs. Spend poorly, then close your eyes and pretend that “Likes + Shares = $$$” (and polish your resume).

Content Marketing In 2014: 5 Things You Need To Know To Succeed Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:33 AM PST In the movie Back to the Future, Marty McFly traveled all the way to the year 2015.  Back in 1985, that seemed so far away!  But now that we’re getting ready to start 2014, it’s safe to say that the future is officially upon us. And if you plan on seeing success online, content marketing is going to have to be a big part of your future. “Content marketing” became THE buzz term in 2013, but publishing quality content isn’t a new idea.  In fact, according to research done by AOL and Nielsen, there were nearly 27,000,000 pieces of web content shared every single day in 2011.  So, the only thing that’s new about content marketing is all of the attention it’s getting! All of that attention means that you’re going to have to fight harder to get to the front of the pack.  According to a study done by the Content Marketing Institute, Marketing Profs, and Brightcove, 93% of B2B businesses used content marketing in 2013, and 73% of them were producing “more” or “significantly more” content than they did in 2012. Bottom line — your content strategy can’t just be “good”.  If you want it to stand out, it has to be “great”!  So, what do you need to know if you want to see content marketing success in 2014? 1.  You have to make things easy for your readers At Business Insider’s Ignition 2013 Conference, the media companies in attendance said that 50% of their core audience’s content consumption came through their mobile apps.  That’s proof that people want easy-to-understand answers and solutions right at their fingertips.  (The mobile web isn’t for heavy reading.  After all, when’s the last time you read Hamlet on your smartphone?) Even people who are reading on a traditional computer screen want to see content that’s easy to digest.  Back in 2006, the Nielsen Norman Group did a groundbreaking study on how people read web pages, and the results are still very relevant today.  After tracking hundreds of readers’ eye movements, they found that people scan web pages quickly, focusing on the top and left portions of the page the most.  (That’s why so many successful web writers break things down into lists and short paragraphs — because it fits in with this reading pattern!) No matter what device people use to read your web content in 2014, you’ve got to keep it concise and conversational.  Take all of those fancy words you learned for the SAT’s and forget about them!  Your readers want quick answers and solutions; they don’t want to marvel at your extensive vocabulary. 2.  You have to focus on promotion If you’re going to put a whole bunch of time and energy into creating quality web content, you’ve got to get everything you can out of each piece!  That means you’re going to have to find new ways to promote everything you publish. Sharing links on your Twitter and Facebook pages is a good start, but remember, this is the future we’re talking about!  You’ve got to expand your promotional efforts to include things that are specific to your niche. Like what? If, for example, you’re targeting small business owners, places like Biz Sugar, the OPEN Forum, and Share Bloc can be a gold mine.  Each one is chock full of small business owners that are trying to learn more so that they can offer more to their customers.  If you share great content with the people on these sites, they’ll view you as a bonafide expert.  Plus, you’ll be able to get your name out there — all without having to rely on Google! 3.  You have to measure your progress Even the highest-quality content and the best promotion aren’t enough to succeed at content marketing in 2014.  If you really want to set yourself apart, you need to know exactly how your content is being received! Don’t worry, you don’t need to go out and spend an arm and a leg on fancy analytics software to measure your progress.  Instead, just be observant! For example, which blog posts generate the most comments?  Or, which of your articles fetch the most re-Tweets? The answers will tell you which subject matters are most important to your readers. They’ll also tell you which pieces people were fascinated enough to read all the way to the end. (After all, would you share something or comment on it if you zoned out during the first half?  No way!) 4.  You can’t avoid it, no matter what kind of business you run Lots of brick and mortar business owners seem to think that content marketing is something that only online businesses need to worry about.  However, that couldn’t be further from the truth!  These days, the vast majority of customers head online to check out a business before they call it or visit it in person.  So, if your potential customers are going to be checking you out on the web, you need to make sure they find good things. For example, if you run a local hardware store and your blog shares easy DIY tips for homeowners, the people who are checking you out online are going to see that you REALLY know what you’re talking about.  That will make them much more likely to get in the car and head to your store.  After all, if they have a question or a problem, your employees will likely have an answer or a solution! 5.  You can’t afford to cut corners Unfortunately, the corner-cutters who rely on cheap tricks and automated gimmicks are coming with us into the future.  These people know how important as a solid content marketing strategy is, so they’ll look for ways to try and reap all the benefits — without doing any of the actual work.  They’ll continue to use spinners, unqualified writers, and any other cheap trick that they think will help them manipulate the system. Luckily, they’ll fall off the content marketing map in 2014.  If nothing else, the content marketing surge has set the bar higher.  Business owners are doing what it takes to publish quality content — and more of it — so the corner-cutters will find themselves even further behind the curve. Remember, readers want legitimate answers and solutions.  With so many businesses doing content marketing the RIGHT way, readers have the power to simply ignore businesses that don’t provide what they’re looking for.  After all, there are — literally! — millions of other businesses to choose from.  Why would a reader waste his time with a “wannabe”, when he can deal with a “somebody”?

How To Use Social Media To Create Brand Advocates Posted: 04 Dec 2013 04:50 AM PST A few weeks ago, I stayed at Club Mahindra's resort in Varca, Goa, taking a much-needed yearly break and visiting relatives in Goa. As a happy customer, enjoying their world-class service and ambience, I shared a few holiday photos of the resort on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Way to Varca beach from @ClubMahindra by @priyaflorence By posting a few photos with the @ClubMahindra tag, I became a brand advocate for the company – one that would happily recommend them as being responsible for many happy family memories. Today, social media has become one of the most powerful channels for Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing. Here are some facts about social media that demonstrate just how powerful it can be. • Social media users who receive great service tell an average of 42 people (compared to just 9 for social absentees). (Source) • Approximately 40% of all Twitter users regularly search for products on Twitter. (Source) • More than 88% of consumers are influenced by other consumers' online comments. (Source) • 44% of Indian consumers have bought a brand because their friends like or follow the brand on a social network. (Source) This is a very convincing argument about the power of social media in creating brand advocates. But just how do you go about creating brand advocates through social media? Here are a few steps to go about doing that. 1. Listen to what your customers are saying. Use social monitoring tools, such as SocialMention, Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Klout and Buffer, to listen to what people are saying about your brand across multiple social media channels, and then respond to them individually. All these tools are free and they will help you monitor the sentiment about your brand across the web. 2. Have efficient social customer service. Customers on social media have come to expect speed and reliability in brands responding to their queries and complaints on social media. Social media users tell three times as many people about positive service experiences compared to the general population. (Source) A majority of social media-savvy organizations in India respond to fan queries within 30 to 60 minutes on Twitter and within 30 minutes to a few hours on Facebook. (Source) Having an efficient customer service program for social media fans will ensure that you respond to complaints quickly and avoid negative comments from escalating to become a crisis. 3. Create incentives for brand advocates. A well-designed social media incentive campaign, coupled with excellent social customer service, can help you create strong advocates for your brand and give you the benefit of excellent word of mouth recommendations from your customers and their peers. Offer your fans and followers discount coupons, free downloads or any kind of incentive relevant to the product or service that you're trying to sell. Introduce an element of exclusivity in the incentives you offer. See how Jacksonville Jaguars incentivized their brand advocates in the campaign here. 4. Make their actions public. Create an application on Facebook that posts your customer's actions to their Facebook newsfeed or Twitter stream every time they redeem a discount campaign or complete a successful purchase on your website. This would tell all their peers about their interaction with your brand and give you amazing word of mouth publicity. According to studies, this kind of marketing-induced consumer-to-consumer word of mouth generates more than 2X the sales of paid advertising. (Source) See again how the Jaguars did it here. 5. Create a rewards program on multiple levels Reward your customers with a bigger discount for purchasing from you consistently and get them to post about it to their peers. You can design a number of levels, such as Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and increase the discounts awarded as they work their way up the rewards program. If you design the rewards well and make them look good when they share about it, they will readily tell all their friends about it. You could even give them additional benefits for sharing about it to all their friends and for any friends that sign up through them. 6. Showcase your brand advocates on your page. Starbucks does this very well on Instagram by inviting users to send in their coffee photos tagged with #Starbucks. Many brands invite their customers to send in photos engaging with their product and then showcase the best ones as a cover photo or even on a hoarding. Give your fans and followers some love and they will return it multifold. Again, the Jaguars did it really well here. 7. Respond to damaging posts quickly Remember the crisis Dominos faced when a couple of their employees posted a damaging video on YouTube performing "unsanitary acts" with their pizzas? The failure of Domino's management to respond quickly resulted in the video getting over 1 million views within two days. The crisis cost Domino over $50 million in sales and 65% of respondents who would previously visit or order Domino's s Pizza were less likely to do so after viewing the offending video. (Source) Had Dominos responded quickly and had the video taken down, it might have mitigated some of the negative press and loss of business. It was a lesson for all brands to take customer sentiment on social media more seriously. Creating brand advocates can help your company weather the ups and downs of the social web and actively respond to any negative press that might come your way.

A Wine Lover’s Guide To Europe [Infographic] Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:03 PM PST Wine has become an inevitable part of the European life, culture and diet since we learned how to produce it, during the expansion of the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean. At the time, many of the major wine producing regions we know today already existed and, even then, wine production was composed of several specific techniques that fostered the development of different grape varieties and cultivation methods. So it's not all about the drinking, is it? Yep, wine is delicious for the people that like it, but you must face it as part of the European life once you set foot on the territory of the major producers like Italy or France. You can have wine with fish, cheese, meat, dessert… Pretty much anything you like! - Oh, here's some lasagna, let's wash it down with a Chianti Classico. - No, wait a minute, I want strawberries. It's okay, because you can have them with this fine and fresh Moscato d'Asti. If you like wine, you can surely thank the people that were here even before the Romans: in ancient Greece, wine was a privilege of the upper classes, usually praised by poets, historians and artists like Homer and Aesop. Apparently, the Greeks have been making wine for more than 4,000 years. However, with time, the art of wine making spread to France, Spain, Germany and other countries like Portugal and England. Wine started to be a part of the daily diet and people wanted to try stronger and heavier wines, leading to the mix of different grapes and styles of production. During the Dark Ages, drinking water was so unreliable that people preferred wine to accompany their meals. Those were the golden days for the rich merchants and noble classes, who had wine with every meal and maintained well-stocked cellars, like the one we have to show you. Source

Understanding the Future of Work: 8 Traits of Collaborative Leadership [Infographic] Posted: 03 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST "Collaboration isn't about giving up your individuality. Quite the opposite: it's about realizing your potential. It's about bringing your many gifts to the table and sharing them in pursuit of a common goal. It's about bringing your ideas, your passion, your mind, heart, and soul to your leadership and culture." — Meghan Biro, Smart Leaders and the Power of Collaboration With the collaborative economy pushing businesses into the next phase of social business, executives must learn how to motivate, encourage and lead employees [and customers too] in a way that adds value to everyone involved in the collaborative work environment. Employees and customers are collaborating on products, services and content more than ever before. In preparation for the collaborative economy, consider what role do executives play in fostering a collaborative environment when employees and customers can receive what they need from each other? During Marissa Mayer's keynote at Dreamforce last week she explained that one of her greatest responsibilities as CEO at Yahoo! is to clear the path for her employees to easily develop and run forward with their ideas. According to Mayer, your role as a collaborative executive is to play defense — always moving obstacles, bureaucracy and naysayers out of the way in order for your employees to accomplish what is best for the business. Gianluigi Cuccureddu, co-founder of Damarque, a company offering sustainable solutions to improve performance and innovation, sees collaborative leadership as the way of the future. On Cuccureddu's blog, he explained that, "In a time where organizations are more and more perceived as platforms, I believe that leaders need to be platforms as well." How can leaders and executives help their organizations, employees and even customers be more collaborative? What are the best ways leaders can facilitate a collaborative work experience?

Why You Should Increase Employees’ Social Media Intelligence Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:05 PM PST Companies spend lots of time thinking about corporate branding, but often over look branding another critical part of their business – their employees. Helping employees build their personal brand has positive effects for both employees and the company alike. Empowering employees to become active on social channels helps employees to be seen as thought leaders within their networks and establish a position of authority on the subject matter within their community. For salespeople, using social media to sell means outperforming peers –78% of sales people using social media to sell outperform those who don't use social media. 54% of sales people who use social media can track social media usage to at least 1 closed deal and 40% report closing 2-5 deals as a result. But it doesn't stop there. Increasing social media intelligence and empowering employees to become active on social channels benefits all employees and has a positive impact on employees overall career adding valuable skills to their repertoire. In fact according to a recent study by Indeed, job mentions with 'social media' in the description grew by 89% over the past year. It's clear that social media skills are becoming of increasing important across all departments in the organization, not just sales and marketing, as many companies still believe. Plus, by activating employees to participate, listen, and engage in social media, organizations can actually improve their overall corporate social media strategy. Empowering employees to create and share content can help companies reach more people, increase engagement, and deepen relationships with customers in social channels. Today's leading brands are doing just this – empowering employees to listen and engage in social channels and rolling out social media programs company-wide in an effort to transform employees into brand advocates. To learn more about how to transform employees into brand advocates, check out our recent webinar with Liz Bullock to see how leading companies are powering employee advocates.

WordPress Proven as the Most Powerful Blogging Platform Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Blogging, as most online marketers have learned, is a number one priority. Modern content marketing trumps pay-per-click campaigns, helps enhance social media exposure, and climbs search result page rankings. Choosing the most powerful blogging platform, however, is a good first step. Blogger, Tumblr, Medium, Quora, and other platforms fall short of WordPress. Not only are accounts free on WordPress, the platform is highly versatile, functional, and easy to use for non-tech-savvy writers and marketers. Why WordPress Wins WordPress streamlines a lot of complex marketing strategies. Search engine optimization, for example, is often misunderstood or over-utilized (which leads to Google page ranking penalties) by companies. Whether you're experienced in SEO or not, WordPress is authoritative enough to help any blog achieve its maximum potential. WordPress is even endorsed by Google, a megalithic entity that is typically against all things SEO. SEO relates to keywords. Keywords are how people find information on the Web, and today that info is usually picked up through blogs. WordPress allows users to upload their posts and implement backend SEO without a headache. It's all based on keywords, as mentioned, and finding those keywords greatly influences the topics writers write about. With Google Hummingbird, the search engine's newest algorithm, Web surfers are able to retrieve semantic search results. This means phrases like, "Where can I find an outlet mall in my area?" are easier to search for than, "Outlet malls in San Francisco." This is linked to Google's push for voice-activated searching, and keywords play a major role here. Writers need to find keywords that are popular, timely, and encapsulate the purpose of the blog and the business writing it. When you're hunting for topics, consider checking out what the competition is blogging about, using previous analytical information to see how old blogs performed, and even Google potential topics to see how other blogs rank. The idea is to find keywords that Web users will search. Other than SEO, WordPress makes content easy. The most powerful blogging platform doesn't require marketers to understand HTML or Web-editing tools. Instead, writers can use WordPress' built-in tools for creating intriguing and original pages. The same goes for extensions (plugins, themes, etc.). The platform has hundreds of pre-made designs for a minimum cost. WordPress also has unparalleled support. The blog company's developer and support staff are able to help you try new things on the platform and maximize a blog's true potential. Better yet, WordPress is made for sharing. Sharing the News With Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, and other tie-ins, users can easily share their posts through a number of social media channels. With built-in plugins for auto-sharing and liking, all bloggers have to do is write intriguing content that readers want to promote. Another thing bloggers should keep in mind is Google Authorship. Since Google launched Hummingbird, the search engine has begun to promote Google+ authors with blogs. You can tie your blogs to your Google+, which increases the likelihood of them showing up on search engine result pages. When a searcher clicks your authorship profile, he or she is directed to a directory of other blogs you have written (which is a great way to keep all of your business-based blogs in one place). Accessibility Yes — the most powerful blogging platform is free. There are pay-for-service options, though beginner bloggers don't have to worry about being charged for anything. The platform is also extremely easy to learn how to use and optimize. More often than not, companies directly link their created content to their websites. With plugins, it is simple to keep sites updated with fresh blog content directly from WordPress. Web-Building Like Facebook, WordPress sites can act as a second or even primary website. This is useful for smaller companies who are currently building Web-based assets or don't need a full-on website in the first place. Through WordPress, marketers can create: Online directories Landing pages Newsletters Sales information E-commerce tie-ins In-depth articles WordPress, because of how flexible it is, is also respected by readers and other companies. With the most powerful blogging platform in your corner, you no longer have to worry about "What platform is best" or figuring out how to optimize websites. Photo by: Page by Matt Petronzio

Search & Social Must Reads For The Internet Marketer Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:20 AM PST Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a significant part of our industry and has been ever since search engines started dictating what sites get the most traffic. People "google" everything nowadays so I't important that the information that you offer on your website is content people are searching for. Not only that, if your website hasn't been optimized yet, you may be missing out on the online action while your competitors sites out rank your site. So how do you stay ahead of the game? Stay on top so to speak? Well, as the old saying goes, Knowledge is king.  So, in this dynamic industry, what sources keep you updated on to know the newest trends like Google's latest algorithm or tips to get more subscribers? I have my favorites. Sites I go to religiously for information. I wanted to share these with you. Read them, use them, study them…or not, that's up to you. Favorite Blogs & Websites There are a host of blogs as well as books to read and learn about the latest techniques for optimizing websites so that your business and its USPs are clearly identified by prospective clients. They cover complex details to simple tips that can be employed for ranking high in search results as well as maintaining a prevalent public image on the social media scene. Social Media Examiner is a comprehensive website that introduces basic concepts of mastering social media and how to build your web presence. It gives easy to follow tips with freely downloadable manuals. The website has detailed guides such as how to market and maintain the brand image on Facebook and how to generate leads on Twitter and LinkedIn. They also have a constantly updated podcast. On the SME's networking forum, you can network with the best in the SEO and social media marketing business. Here you can read about accounts of people who've seen what strategies have worked and apply them to your business. Finally, there is the events page that lists out the various events taking place worldwide in social media space. This is a great place to start your day. Search Engine Journal is one of the most popular and highly recommended blogs in the SEO world and my personal favorite. It takes a community approach while reporting the latest happenings in search. SEJ helps businesses improve their online presence through specific articles on optimization and covers the latest on SEO, social media, tools of the trade, pay-per-click and content marketing with the latest tactics and knowledge regularly updated on the blog. You have probably heard me say this before…I Love SEJ, not to mention the people there are fun, smart and on top of their game at every industry event. Moz.com is another favorite of mine. Their mantra is to be as Transparent, Authentic, Generous, Fun, Empathetic, and Exceptional as possible and they accomplish this without fail. If you are looking for high quality content, ideas, resources to broaden your SEO knowledge and great tools this is the place for you. If you want more reading material in blog size portions BlogRank ranks the following as the top 10 out of the top 100 SEO blogs to read: Favorite Books to Read Search and Social is the definitive guide to real time content marketing written by social media expert Rob Garner. Now I do have to say that Rob does work for us but let me tell you that it was the reading of his book that really made me want to have him on our team. (Well one of the reasons any way). In his book, Garner teaches you how to leverage and implement search and social media together to win the hearts as well as the wallets of customers. S&S carries interesting case studies together with technical stuff and also simple tips on how to get your website content more visibility in the highly competitive marketplace. Garner focuses on taking advantage of various available tools and techniques to ensure the quickest and highest return on investment. This is a MUST read for anyone in our industry. Dan Zarella's The Social Media Marketing Book talks about how to engage successfully in social media marketing for your business. It gives you a great overview on how social media websites work. Other recommended reads are – Social Media Marketing: An Hour A Day by Dave Evans and Susan Bratton and The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz and Increase Revenue by Shama Kabani. Last but not least, a book I picked up at this year's Pubcon in Las Vegas is Social PR Secrets by Lisa Buyer, a digital public relations evangelist with a laser sharp focus on SEO and social media. I read the book on my way back home thought it was well written and one that I should recommend. SEO and social media are changing so fast it's difficult for even professionals engaged in the industry to keep up with its pace. So, it's very important that you keep yourself informed on all the latest updates that can help your online business thrive. Keep up or lose out, or like Steve Jobs put it, "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." Oh, and one more thing. Please visit us on our own blog at Advice Interactive Group.

9 Tips For Writing Effective Email Subject Lines Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:09 AM PST One of the most important elements of email marketing is writing subject lines that get people to open your emails. How many times have you received a marketing email from someone and never opened it? Chances are more than once, and more than likely, it's because the subject line didn't grab you. So, as you think about email marketing, how can you write effective email subject lines that get your subscribers to open your email? Here are 9 tips that will help: #1: Keep the subject line short Ideally, you should keep your subject line to 50 characters or less. In fact, the shorter, the better! #2: Avoid CAPS and exclamation points!!! It is tempting to write your email subjects in all caps with exclamation points at the end, but this is one of the most ineffective ways to craft a subject line. It makes your email look spammy, so keep the exclamation points and capital letters to a minimum. #3: Don't use certain words Studies have shown that certain words turn subscribers off. These words include "free," "help," "assistance," and "donate." #4: Tell, don't sell Your subject line should tell what the email is about, not sell something. If you're emailing about a new product or service, then focus the subject line on the benefits of your new product. For example, "Stop the struggle for new clients" is more compelling than "My new product is here!" #5: Ask a question One of the most effective techniques for writing a subject line is to ask your subscriber a question that she will answer "yes" to. By crafting a "yes" question, your subscriber will want to see how you can fix her problem. For example, "Are you tired of starving yourself to lose weight?" makes the reader say "YES!" and want to learn more about your email. #6: Say something obscure Pique your subscriber's interest by being a little obscure in your subject line. For instance, if you are emailing people about a free ebook, use a subject line such as "I poured my brain into this." People will be naturally curious about what you "poured your brain into." #7: Start a thought Another tactic is to write your email subject as a start of a thought – sort of a "fill in the blank" for the reader to complete. Let's say you are emailing about a new webinar. Your subject line may be "Aren't webinars great when…." or "The one great thing about webinars is…." See how these subject lines make people want to learn more? #8: Create a sense of urgency People have a natural inclination to not want to miss out on something, and you can tap into this feeling with your email subject line. Be careful, though, not to sound too sales-y or desperate. For example, if today is the last day for a special discount, try an email subject line like "I would hate for you to miss this." That will inspire a reaction more so than "Today is the last day of my special discount." #9: The "from" line is equally important Hand in hand with an effective subject line is an appropriate "from" line. Unless you are a big brand, avoid using your company name in the "from" line. Instead, use your first and last name – just as you would if you were sending out personal emails. When crafting an email message, spend as much time writing the subject line as you would the message. This will ensure you are writing a subject line that will inspire people to open your email and learn more. Experiment with the types of email subjects that work best with your audience. While there is a lot of data about effective subject lines, there is no "true formula," as it depends on your business, message and audience. However, once you master the art of email subject lines, your email marketing strategy will be one of the most effective tools in your marketing arsenal. __________________________ Want to learn more about how to use email marketing to grow your personal brand? Sign up for my free teleclass, "How To Grow Your Personal Brand With Email Marketing," on Thursday, December 12 at 2pm EST. The teleclass will be recorded. During this free teleclass, I will discuss selecting the right email vendor, how to attract more people to your email list, tips for creating a weekly newsletter and more. Sign up here!

The New Social: A Sensory Experience Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:50 AM PST Humans are social creatures; this is something we all know and understand. But recently, at the Pivot conference in New York, I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Hebner (VP of Social Business at IBM) and friend Kare Anderson (author, speaker, columnist and coach) on a main stage appearance about how human behavior fits into the context of social marketing. Given that humans consume socially, where is social marketing headed as it matures? What emerged was exciting. According to Scott, the future of social marketing involves "human sensory building", and weaving this into the marketing experience at each stage of the customer lifecycle. I agree and also believe that directly relatable experiences that human senses bring to social situations will change how we consume information. Here are five sensory experiences that are building the social future: Watch – This is the most accessible sense and it's getting strong every day by the likes of photography and video (YouTube and Vimeo most notably.) Video experiences enhance learning by delivering visuals alongside audio that we can't receive from any other content. Participating in moments in time allows us to be immersed in the experience. Watch is dominating all other senses, as bandwidth increases and technology enables marketers and consumers – as easily as from our mobile phones – to create content quickly. Listen – For everyone, if you don't truly listen to what's being said, you can't hear what's truly being said. Have you ever watched your television with no sound? Then turned on one sound output? Then surround sound on top of that? I believe the amplification of sound across the Internet is only going to get better. The technology put in our hands to record audio has evolved from a complex microphone and soundboard to an iPhone, allowing anyone to develop incredible quality. Will it replace radio? No. But it will enhance it. The audible experience combined with social engagement will continue to create an experience radio has never seen before, giving brands the ability to interact with their customers in more robust ways. Play – Our world is a multifaceted, gamified learning experience. Our kids are learning on touch screen computers that help them educate themselves in a fun way by rewarding them with earned points and levels. Our teams at work are being given digital achievements and benchmarks that encourage them in a clear and concise way to keep achieving. It's no wonder social measurement companies like Klout and Kred showed up on the scene; as humans, we will always need goals to pursue and thrive on recognition and reward. Gamification turns the social web into play and makes even the simplest of tasks – say, checking in on Foursquare – a fun, achievement-filled quantifiable activity. Talk – Engagement is the bond that brings us all together. It's with a common mutuality (as my friend Kare puts it) that we find common ground to live and work together and connect. The social web has magnified these experiences, which I believe has pushed people beyond their comfort zone. From a letter, to the phone, to email, mass communication has evolved. Take these mass communication changes and integrate them publicly, for the world to listen in to your conversations and read your stories; this is social media. Some express, and some try to impress. This massive communication network magnifies our standard offline interactions. Because it's become more accessible, it's forcing everyone to be more transparent. Talking out loud to the world is high risk, high reward. The people and brands that learn how to talk on the social web will thrive. Learn – Learning has evolved from the singular interpretation of fewer stories, to the many versions of stories and thoughts. Everyone is quickly becoming a content producer. The real challenge here is knowing what content to trust. It's free and available on the social web. I triple dog dare you to not find content related to something you want to learn. If the unlimited sources to learn have become a commodity, then the opportunity for brands to become educators and publishers is becoming the true value. The future of learning will rely on trusted "social curators of knowledge" who help to pull together only the most valuable information. Influence – You might say that helping others comes naturally to the human race, but for most people, it doesn't. Yet on the social web, it's the single most effective form of earning trust and gaining influence. While I strongly believe that everyone is an influencer on something, the challenge becomes finding who is the right person for what you're interested in. In social marketing, I've heard the "Age" we're living in coined several different things; the Age of Context. The Age of the Customer. The Age of Commerce. It goes on and on. For me, it is the Age of Influence. In every conversation, online and offline, word of mouth has never traveled so quickly, influencing people to move to decisions and action based on trust earned on the social web. Touch – At the end of the day, we are all consumers of things. Whether you're shopping in store or researching online, we all are looking for value to enhance our lives. Touch is the most tactile sense, because it confirms a good or bad decision when we're deciding to invest in something. As consumers, although our survival requires us to purchase food, clothing and shelter in order to live every day, we find ourselves looking for things that make our lives easier or make them more fun. Where, when and why to touch is an intuitive experience. Apple has made a fortune investing in understanding how humans touch a screen and interact with 2-dimensional applications that improve our lives. The future for brands, to succeed in creating a branded sensory experience people will want to talk about is rooted in its hands-on user experience. TAKEAWAY: The social web is only as good as how well it connects to our social human sensory system. The more you can map these senses into your social marketing storyline, the deeper and more meaningful your reach will be.

How B2B Marketers Will Spend Their Budgets In 2014 Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:22 AM PST Marketing budget allocations should, of course, always be based on the unique a company's unique situation: its specific needs, experiences, strengths, market position, market conditions and trends, etc. That said, it can nevertheless be helpful to know how one's competitors and peers in other industries are planning to split up their marketing dollars for the coming year. This knowledge can help marketing executives identify gaps and opportunities within their own plans, as well as providing "ammunition" for high-level budget battles. So it's helpful that MarketingSherpa recently asked a large number of marketers how they planned to change tactical allocations for the coming year. Among the key findings: Digital budgets are growing. While the trend is hardly shocking, it is striking how pronounced this shift is. All of the top seven growth areas for marketing dollars are digital, with more than half of all marketers planning budget increases in 2014 in five of these areas. The top three areas for budget increases—and five of the top seven tactics—are focused on a company's "owned" media. Taking the top six categories as a group, the strategy being embraced by the majority of marketers in 2014 will primarily consist of: Attracting relevant visitors to their websites using valued content. Converting those visitors into leads by optimizing calls to action and other elements of landing pages. Promoting content using a mixed of organic search, paid search, and social media tactics. B2B vendor websites have come a long way since the days of serving as essentially online brochures. Given that 70% of the b2b purchasing cycle is complete before a vendor's sales team is even aware of the opportunity, websites are now expected to accomplish much of the pre-sales heavy lifting. One-to-one tactics are holding steady. More than half of all survey respondents plan no changes in spending levels for direct mail, trade shows and telemarketing in the coming year, with larger shares of the remaining respondents planning budget increases rather than decreases. Each of these tactics enable one-to-one communication with sales prospects. Direct mail and telemarketing also permit careful targeting. Old school marketing continues to decline. The two tactics for which the largest shares of marketers plan to cut budgets in the coming year are print and broadcast advertising. These channels share three characteristics: The content is interruption-based rather than sought out. They permit only general targeting. Their results are difficult to measure. Taken as a whole, this survey indicates that marketers will increase efforts on content marketing (online) and targeted one-to-one (online and offline) communications over traditional, mass-market media in the coming year. While every company's situation is unique, few B2B vendors are likely to stray too far off this general path in 2014.

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