From Little Tips That Make A Big Difference
Why You Should Switch from Facebook to Google Plus: A Review of Rebekah Radice’s Article
I have a confession. I am one of those typical social media users who has been unduly wary of Google+. After using Facebook for a solid decade, since around the time Myspace was widely abandoned, I have become very comfortable with it. Part of that stems from the duration of my usage, and part of it stems from the fact that virtually every single person I know also uses Facebook.
My social media presence is obviously not limited to Facebook—I have joined Twitter and Instagram and Pinterest over the years—but I have been hesitant to really get into Google+.
Why? Simply put, because Google+ seems like another Facebook, except a more difficult version that not nearly as many people use. Also, I’ve fallen into that old rut of inertia where I would rather stay with something comfortable and defunct than make the switch to something unfamiliar and less ubiquitous.
Reading Rebekah Radice’s recent comparison of Google+ versus Facebook knocked me out of my rut. Her ultimate conclusion that Google+ is not only better, but is the future of social media marketing for eCommerce, made me reconsider my social media complaisance and start reworking my Google+ profile and circles. I will outline a few of her more salient points here, but her article is worth reading in its entirety.
One of Ms. Radice’s main points of contention with Facebook is that the platform no longer allows users to shape their own experience and decide which content they will view. “Liking” a page does not mean that you will see that page’s posts. In order to make sure that a lot of people see your posts (even your own followers) you now have to pay to “boost” your posts to increase their reach. Pages with several hundred “likes” will often only have an organic reach in the single digits for their posts. Starting with an organic reach that small makes it nearly impossible to get organic sharing of your content. Which is exactly what Facebook wants: for you to have to pay to get your content in front of its users.
Not so with Google+. Google+ will put your content in front of anyone in your circles and will let them decide what they want to view by determining who they place in which circles. The platform is similar to Twitter in that if someone decides they want to see your content as it is posted, they will see it because Google+ will not suppress it.
Though Radice notes some issues with Google+ (a more difficult interface that is less user-friendly, fewer people and more tech-savvy people using it, etc.) the benefits of having a community of online marketers who want to share your content and are actually seeing your content (instead of having your posts suppressed by Facebook) outweigh all the potential negatives.
Another obvious benefit is that Google+ is still a completely free platform, so it will be a more cost effective option for marketing your content as well.
While Facebook has many valid uses, and I’m still using it regularly for interaction with my friends and family, the savvy eCommerce businessman or woman would do well to take a page out of Rebekah Radice’s book and transition to a social media strategy that incorporates at least as much Google+ promotion as Facebook promotion (and probably more).
Here’s hoping that in a few years Facebook will go the way of MySpace and the primary social network will be one that allows users to create their own experience, view content without suppression, and organically share that content without having to pay for it—a more useful social network that looks a lot like Google+.
Other posts by Harper Roark:
A Fresh Look At Using Story for Branding: A Review of Chase Reeves’ Podcast on Fizzle.co
Internet Explorer Bug Has The Internet Scared And Laughing
First thing, stop using Internet Explorer! Second thing, WHO STILL USES INTERNET EXPLORER?
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that users should stop using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser immediately. Researchers discovered a security flaw over the weekend that they believe allows hackers to potentially take control of your PC.
On Saturday, Milpitas, Calif.-based FireEye Research Labs identified a vulnerability that only affects Internet Explorer. The bug exploits corrupted Flash content allowing hackers to attack windows computers and essentially take them over (SkyNet style).
The United States government said in a recent statement that they have yet to come up with a solution to the problem. Microsoft said that while it is working to find a solution for the bug they have yet to announce anything. The company is urging users to update their software, but experts are warning users to can Internet Explorer altogether.
The internet is spreading the news at lightening speed, although, there is an air of humor about this vulnerability that you don’t see with others such as Heartbleed.
“I’m not sure what’s worse, that there is a huge #InternetExplorer security breach or that there are people that still use IE.”— Drew Pope (@PopesGoneFishin) April 29, 2014
“Homeland Security urging people not to use #InternetExplorer due to security problem. Also fix your Flux Capacitor and come back from 1998.”— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) April 29, 2014
“Internet Explorer users are vulnerable to hackers. All 16 of them are worried.” #InternetExplorer — Social Mime (@Social_Mime) April 29, 2014
This isn’t to say that the bug shouldn’t be taken seriously. It’s important that you stop using Internet Explorer immediately. Personally, it’s a lot easier (and better) to simply use another web browser. Chrome, for example, is a great service.
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How To Increase B2B Sales In 3 Moves
It was easier back in the day when decisions were linear. One of the biggest challenges in a B2B campaign is often understanding that prospective clients no longer make direct decisions. Now, they decide they need something, shop around, do some reading, come back poke around a bit, do more investigating, and then, and only then, do they hand over the credit card to make a purchase. Here are three ways you can make your marketing and sales efforts more effective using the idea of the CDJ or “Customer Decision Journey,” which aims to understand the customer decision making process and their needs.
1) Find out what matters to your prospective clients. It’s not enough to just know your demographic, you also need to understand what influences them to make a buying decision. What are they looking for and what do they need? Your company efforts should be focused in these areas so your budget results in the turnaround you’re looking for. It’s not uncommon for a company to discover that the budget given to the efforts that actually influences their prospective clients is low, while the budget for areas that has little impact is high. Putting your money into the right area is crucial and that requires knowing what prospective clients want.
Article Roundup: The Best Marketing Articles This Week By Harper Roark
1. “25 Smart Ways to Promote Your Latest Blog Post” – So, you’ve written and published another great blog post! You’ve only completed step one. If you want comments, shares, and new readers, you will also have to allot time to effectively promoting your new blog post. This thorough article by Rebekah Radice lists the best ways to market your latest blog post, including promotion on social media sites, blog-sharing sites, bookmarking, guest posting, and commenting on other blogs. She also includes how to tailor your promotion to each location. To read the full description of each location and strategy, read her full article here http://rebekahradice.com/ways-to-promote-your-latest-blog-post/
2. “How to Get More Blog Comments – Killer Ways” – Are you just hearing crickets after you publish your blog posts? This useful article by Chetan Gupta details 7 ways you can generate and manage more comments on your blog posts. These strategies include using an easy commenting system, including a “call to action” for comments in your blog post, engaging in conversation with your readers, rewarding your commentators, use a “top commentator” widget on your blog, and more! To get the complete list and all the details on each strategy, read the full article here http://www.globalcraze.com/2013/10/05/how-to-increase-blog-comments-on-your-blog/?utm_content=buffer0c953&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer
The FCC doesn’t want to destroy net neutrality, but it’s going to anyway
This could change the way we see the internet. What are you thoughts?
The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t want companies like Netflix or Viacom to have to pay to get their content to end users of broadband networks, but it doesn’t see a way (or maybe even a reason) to ban the practice. In a call with reporters on Thursday, FCC officials laid out the agency’s thinking on new network neutrality rules and tried to address concerns that the internet as we know it is broken.
The agency’s hope is to have new rules in place by the end of this year, and it plans to release a public document called a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) outlining its thinking and asking questions about the new rules. It plans to release this NPRM in three weeks at its May 15 open meeting. Once the documents are released, the public will have a chance to comment on them.
What was once unreasonable…
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Facebook For Business; A Comprehensive 8 Step Guide By Harper Roark
Everyone who works in marketing, new media, or eCommerce has read a thousand times how important it is to use social media to promote your business or organization online. But if you have a new business or blog, or are new to the concept of using social media for eCommerce, figuring out which of the 100+ social media networks to use and how to best use them can be tricky.
As the largest social media network (by a lot), Facebook is both the best place to start and the most important social media network to master. Facebook currently has more than 1.23 billion active users worldwide. The number of active users who log onto Facebook every single day is 757 million, and more than 128 million of those daily active users are in the United States. This truly massive group of potential customers is on Facebook every day, ready and waiting for you to reach them with your great content and target them with your advertising.
But where to begin? Many guides on using Facebook for business focus on either inbound marketing or outbound marketing strategies, with little attention to analytics. In this article I will cover what I consider to be the most essential aspects of all three elements of marketing for Facebook.
WHY A CUT-RATE SITE DESIGN ISN’T WORTH THE “SAVINGS” By Andrew Brandley
This is a very, very basic article. If you understand the concept alluded to in the title, feel free to move on. But for those who are just venturing into the wonderful world of E-Commerce, there are so many temptations to skimp on site design that someone needs to explain the reasons why it should never happen. So here goes:
Studies show that you have seconds to convince an online shopper your business is not only legitimate, but secure. Let me emphasize that: SECONDS. If anything about your site makes them feel insecure, they will leave and likely never return.
A good example of people following this gut reaction in the non-digital world could be the different types of ice cream trucks that drive down our streets. Imagine for a moment that the two ice cream vans below sold the exact same type of ice cream. If both of these vans drove through your neighborhood, which one would you buy your ice cream from?
A Secure Website Is Vital To Your Success (INFOGRAPHIC)
A Secure Website Is Vital To Your Business
How To Become PCI Compliant AFTER You’ve Been Hacked (INFOGRAPHIC)
What To Do When You’ve Been Hacked
eCommerce Highlight Of The Week: Kustom Koozies
Who doesn’t love a good success story? We’ve decided to post an EPIC success story every week, highlighting the trials, tribulations, and eCommerce success’ achieved by hard-working individuals like yourselves. This week we’ll share the start-up story from Kustom Koozies, an eCommerce Biz that makes insulated beverage coolers with super cool screen-printed designs. They started out small and now take care of about 6,000 weddings every year among other things. They’re kind of awesome.
Epic eCommerce 