From Social Media Campaigns
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
Great Business Resources To Check Out This Week By Harper Roark
1. “8 Steps to Effective Content for Social Media” – If we want to convert new contacts into new customers, we cannot merely create informative content about our brand. We must also engage our potential customers by telling stories and sharing images. This article by Michael Brenner briefly covers eight strategies for creating more helpful and entertaining content for your viewers and readers, including listening better, finding the right rhythm, following the “golden rule” of effective content (being helpful), and more. He also links to his slideshow that provides examples of effective content and how to create it. For the complete list and examples, visit the article here http://www.b2bmarketinginsider.com/social-media/8-steps-to-effective-content-for-social-media
2. “Want a Retweet? Include a Photo” – Think twitter’s 140 character limit is keeping you from really getting your message out to your followers and other potential customers? Wrong! To get more retweets and reach more new people, you just need to include a photograph. In this article, Kurt Wagner reviews recent studies that detail just how much a photograph will increase your likelihood of being retweeted (hint: it’s a lot). But not any photograph with do, links to other imaging sites, like Instagram, don’t yield the same results. For the full details, read the entire article here http://mashable.com/2013/10/07/retweet-photo/
Great Business Resources To Check Out This Week By Harper Roark
1. “eCommerce Blogging: How to Drive Conversions with Content” – Have you been wondering how to get started with Inbound marketing strategies, which draw potential customers to your site using interesting content rather than paid advertising? Try blogging! In this article, Shannon Good thoroughly explains four simple best practices for eCommerce blogging: blog to drive traffic to your site, promote your products without pushing a sale, give readers a reason to come back (by consistently having fresh and relevant content), and make your blog social media share-friendly. To read the full article, go here http://savvypanda.com/blog/beginner-level/ecommerce-blogging-how-to-drive-conversions-with-content.html
The Everything Guide To eCommerce Marketing And Increasing Sales
Friends of mine are often surprised when I tell them they need social media for their small business, or to promote themselves as the artsy types they are. They’re surprised because the game only recently changed, and people who don’t work in online marketing, like yours truly, are often totally blind to it. Publishing houses now expect authors to promote themselves via social media and blogs, and are much more likely to take an author who already has a large Twitter following. Seriously? Yep. The last journalism job I applied for required a minimum of 2,000 Twitter followers AND high emotional intelligence which is also totally a thing now. The truth is, without social media and marketing knowledge it’s not likely that your Etsy store, eCommerce biz, or blog will get off the ground or that you’ll be able to compete effectively on the interweb of MEGA COMPETITION.
How To Use Twitter (If You’re Over Sixteen And Struggling Like The Rest Of Us)
If you’re a normal person who surpassed your teenage years at least a while ago chances are you kind of suck at Twitter. Twitter is probably one of the easiest and somehow the most complicated social media tools to master. It’s kind of amazing when you hear stories of people like Syed Balkhi who has nearly 500,000 followers under his list25 username. Impressive? Yes. Luckily for all of you eCommerce store owners out there he’s willing to share his strategy, or what he calls his “formula.” It seems simple enough. He writes that Curating+Automation+Personal Interaction=Success. Seems easy enough, right? If you want to give it a shot: Get The Full Article Here.
10 Twitter Tips For Starters
Twitter is such a simple tool yet it manages to confuse the masses when it comes to marketing. You have to be more creative when using simple tools but Twitter can really be easy if you know the basics. Here is a great list that I created inspired by The Money Dummy Blog.
1) Shorten your URL’s. That little thing on your blog that says “short URL”? USE THAT!
2) Be social! If people are showing you love then show it back! Retweet your followers tweets!
3) Use @ when you want to talk to someone. If you’re replying back to someone for example you’d say, “I agree with you @Bob.” So Bob sees it.
4) Check your direct messages and send some messages too! Yes, your mailbox is usually full of spam, however, there are a few normal people out there who will probably write you once in a while.
5) #FF or #FollowFriday! It’s the day to thank your followers by giving them a shout out with a #FF and their name.
6) Clean your stream! Lists will help you clean up your stream so you can pay more attention to the people you love!
7) Pictures! We know that everyone loves pictures! Share pictures and people will love you for it.
8) Get some help! Hootsuite or Tweetadder can help you out with your Twitter needs!
9) Download an app for your phone! Social media works best when you’re always engaged. Plus, you’ll often find inspiration when away from the computer.
10) Comment on other people’s tweets! The more you engage the more people will interact with you.
Why You Need Facebook For Your Business To Succeed
Analysts have noticed that too many business’ create a Facebook page, update it infrequently, and then abandon it after a few months thus losing out on potential customers in the process. They don’t realize that an inconsistent posting schedule can give the impression that the company has went out of business, doesn’t care about customers, or is disorganized or unprofessional. Facebook can seem unimportant to many businessmen/women if they don’t understand the full potential of social media. However, every business can increase sales and acquire new customers by using Facebook. The key is in knowing how to do it, according to this article, Why You Need a Facebook Marketing Strategy for Business Success?
Related articles
- Why Facebook Home failed and Google Now will succeed (pocketnow.com)
- People Rarely Succeed Unless They have Fun in What They are Doing (lifehack.org)
- Extra! Extra! Facebook now highlighting the news with updated rankings (pcworld.com)
Are You Managing Your Social Media or Failing Flat?
Every size of business struggles with managing their social media efforts. There are blog posts, Twitter updates, Facebook Updates, hashtags, keywords, related links, not to mention recommendations, photos, and the most important aspect of building deeper business relationships and getting to know customers better. Doing each of these things can take hours every day and it can be difficult to do everything necessary along with tackling the other aspects of owning a business. Larger business’ can often break the job up between multiple people however in a small business it can be a lot of responsibility for only a few people. That’s why there are a few companies designing programs to streamline social media like you can see in this post about Bundle Post Pro . It’s good for any size business but is especially helpful for smaller business’. Saving time on social media saves you money.
Related articles
- Forget Me Not, Social Media (sidunbl.wordpress.com)
- How Journalists Can Use Social Media to Build Reader Relationships (business2community.com)
- The Four Steps to Social Media Success (green-umbrella.biz)
The Power Of The Customer And Social Media
From Branding Personality (dot) Com
Everything you read regarding eCommerce is about social media and why your business should maintain an active account on google+, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, and a number of other networks. It’s all the rage for marketing, reaching out, and increasing sales. Having a tight grasp on all things social media can do even more than that and you’d be surprised. Social media can also help with customer service, product development, and testing. If you’re interested in all the ways that social media can help your ecommerce business, check out this article The Power Of The Customer: Social Media.
Related articles
- The Power of the Salesforce Social Media Command Center at CES (blogs.salesforce.com)
- What’s the Difference between Social Media and Social Media Marketing? (blogs.constantcontact.com)
- When Social Media Isn’t Enough (business2community.com)
- How Will Social Media Change the Experience for Customer Service and Sales in the Next 12 Months? (business2community.com)
E-commerce Holiday SEO Keyword Optimization: 6 Keys to Success
Shoppers are searching for deals and gift ideas during the holiday season. It’s a great time of year to really promote your business by using holiday related SEO keywords. Plan a big marketing push around the holidays. Here is a great article on successfully boosting sales and promoting products during the holidays with eCommerce Holiday SEO Keyword Optimization .
Related articles
- Preparing for the Holidays using SEO in Ecommerce. (semdailydose.wordpress.com)
- Site and Search Optimization for the Holidays (business2community.com)
Epic eCommerce 