social media

Social media: why people really use it

GlobalWebIndex is a U.K.-based company that claims to run the world’s largest market research study on the digital consumer. Its latest quarterly report on social network trends asked almost 42,000 adults in 32 countries — i.e., nearly 90% of the global internet audience — a battery of questions. Their responses give some good food for thought, especially when it comes to a fundamental question which I’ll paraphrase: why are you on social media in the first place? Let me start by killing the suspense: no one seems to have answered, “Why, to see more ads, of course!” No surprise there. In fact, if data from Media Dynamics Inc. is correct…
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switching costs Emphatic

Switching costs: friend or foe in your marketing plan?

“We’ll buy out your contract,” declares the voice over the techno-music playing, Millennial-happy TV ad that’s making me regret not using my DVR. The small print at the bottom of the screen shows the dollar figure the company’s willing to pony up to your current cell network so you can escape your contract: $350, paid directly to your old carrier. No cheap goodbyes in voice-and-data land, apparently. That a departing customer must pay such a hefty fee in the first place might be one of the reasons why telecoms companies seem so unloved today. Consumers are more accustomed to being able to come and go as they please, picking up
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Featured Image for 6 Social Media Mindsets To Try in 2015

6 Social Media Mindsets To Try In 2015

Social media networks changed a lot in 2014, are likely to change even more in 2015 and, like everything else, probably at an even faster rate. Is it possible to develop an overall social media approach that works regardless of what changes the networks throw at you? Definitely. Here are some general attitudes and approaches that will allow your brand or business to thrive this year, come what may. 1. The Pro. Woody Allen said that eighty percent of success in life is showing up. I submit: ninety-nine point nine percent of success in social media is showing up. If you’ve started on social then you must do everything within your power
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3 social media tips from the comet-landing robot sensation

You may have heard about the robot that landed on a comet last week. The Rosetta Mission has been quite the social media sensation, with the comet-landing robot Philae Lander earning 380,000 followers on Twitter. Sure, a history-making space mission always has the potential to be a very hot social media topic. But success is never a given, you need flawless execution to make sure an opportunity like this doesn’t go to waste. What, exactly, did the team behind the Rosetta Mission do and what can all marketers do to experience a taste of the same success? Here are 3 Social Media Tips gleaned from the social media team behind the comet-landing robot’s Twitter account.
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social media can help you climb to new heights

7 ways social media can directly grow your business

I still get it. The question. Sometimes I can see it coming. Maybe at a coffee break during a small business conference. Or a local networking event with lawyers, bankers and other relationship-based businesses. The head cocks ever so slightly. The gaze squints. The weight shifts and a hand shoots out with a palm slightly upturned. Half their body is saying “Yes, tell me more” and while the other half holds all the welcome of a hungover traffic cop: “Stop — I don’t need to feel any more guilty about something else I need to be doing.” The words are different every time but the tension underlying them never changes.
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Active on social media

How active do you need to be on social media?

Let’s answer this question with two others: How often do you check your own Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? A few times a day? Once a day? Once a week? How many Facebook friends do you have? How many LinkedIn connections? And how many people are you following on Twitter? If you are not on social media 24/7 (we hope not!) and you have a moderate number of social connections then there’s no way you’re seeing all of what’s being shared with you. Seeing your own social media efforts from this viewpoint might help you appreciate just how fierce the battle for eyeballs can be. And if you’re using social media
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Picking just one social media network

Need to pick just one social media network? Read this.

So you finally gave in. For years people have been telling you to put your small business on social media, but you resisted. Sure, you’ve got a personal Facebook profile. Doesn’t everybody? But when it came to social media for business you balked. You weren’t exactly sure what to do. And you sure as heck weren’t sure where you’d find the time amidst your other tasks. But you’re tired of having it hang over your head, like the threat of extinction hung over the dinosaurs. So you’re finally ready to take the plunge. Yet just one question remains, as you ponder, “I only have time for one social network, so which one should I use?” Here
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Is Twitter mute the start of a stormy new chapter?

Should Twitter mute change how you tweet?

Ah, Twitter. It used to be so simple: Follow a user Dig or don’t dig what they’re adding to the conversation Realize they’re not as interesting as you thought? Unfollow! But now there’s a Twitter mute button. Muting a user means you won’t see their tweets or retweets any more, and you won’t get any notifications from them. They’ll also have no idea that you’ve done this. However you’ll still be following them. Why mute instead of unfollow? If your strategy for growing your Twitter followers is to follow a ton of people just so that they follow you back, then mute lets you have your cake and eat it, too. You
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Wheat Field, to illustrate LinkedIn social media tip

Here’s how to get your LinkedIn updates noticed

If the social media strategy for your business involves LinkedIn, you might want to know about this easy way to get more visibility. Let’s say your company has a company page on LinkedIn, the most professional social media network. And you’re pretty diligent about sharing new updates about what’s going on in the business, with your customers and in your industry. How many people will actually see that update? Answer: only the LinkedIn members who have chosen to follow your company will see its status updates. Including employees, customers and partners, how many eyeballs does that amount to in your case? Tens? Hundreds? A sobering fact about LinkedIn is that many users don’t
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Looking for your target audience on social media?

How to find your target audience on social media

If you’re using social media for business then you probably keep close tabs on the number of Twitter followers, Facebook likes and LinkedIn company page followers you have. But more is not always better. If you’re Coca-Cola it makes sense to go after literally billions of followers, you’re selling something that’s available to almost everybody. If you’re an optometrist in Washington D.C….not so much. So how do you find the target audience for your business on social media? And how do you convince them to follow you? Here are a few tips. How to determine your target audience on social media Know thyself. What’s unique about your business? Is there a specialty you
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