Do You Have the Right Social Media Consultant?
It’s unstoppable. Social media today is an online hub for a large number of businesses in Melbourne and elsewhere for promoting products and services. Along with the demand for effective presence on different platforms (such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest and etc.) is the clamor for expert social media consultants in Melbourne & everywhere to assist businesses run effective social media campaigns.
Why do you need a great consultant?
If you want to have a good social media reputation for your business, remember: it’s not as easy as creating a personal Facebook or Twitter account. It demands the following work:
· setup
· tracking
· analysis
· working with a variety of tools
· Generating reports
· Effective campaign strategies
So if you’re too busy in other areas of your business or you lack the know-how to run your own campaign, then turn to the experts. That’s the best solution.
Identifying the qualified consultants
Nowadays, Whether you’re still trying to find providers or presently working with one - you have to be wary of the following:
Overcharging you
Grand promises
Unsatisfactory results
Here are 4 ways of telling you’ve got the wrong consultant:
Vague monthly bills - Be suspicious if there are no specifics that come with your bill. It should indicate and outline information that your consultant is asking you with. Don’t hesitate to ask about details coz you've every right to do so.
You are promised a “one time but successful campaign” - Take into account that social media campaigns - or any online marketing campaign for that matter - do not have the ideal results with just one go. So if you’re promised that a single run of a campaign will take your business to new levels, be cautious. Results either can be nothing or at most, short-term.
Rare communications and feedback - You should be able to get hold of your consultant when you need him/her. If you don’t receive updates at least once a week or as agreed, and if your efforts to get in touch are often unsuccessful, maybe it’s time to move on to an agency that will treat you well.
Poor reports - You get reports that are vague or complicated. Something’s definitely off here! A qualified social media consultant or elsewhere possesses innovative tools to create reports for you. And when the tools are relevant and up to date, your consultant can produce measurable and quantifiable data.
Remember: the best social media consultant will see to the following:
Transparency
Accuracy
Reasonable and specific project timeline
Goal-setting
Why do you need a great consultant?
If you want to have a good social media reputation for your business, remember: it’s not as easy as creating a personal Facebook or Twitter account. It demands the following work:
· setup
· tracking
· analysis
· working with a variety of tools
· Generating reports
· Effective campaign strategies
So if you’re too busy in other areas of your business or you lack the know-how to run your own campaign, then turn to the experts. That’s the best solution.
Identifying the qualified consultants
Nowadays, Whether you’re still trying to find providers or presently working with one - you have to be wary of the following:
Overcharging you
Grand promises
Unsatisfactory results
Here are 4 ways of telling you’ve got the wrong consultant:
Vague monthly bills - Be suspicious if there are no specifics that come with your bill. It should indicate and outline information that your consultant is asking you with. Don’t hesitate to ask about details coz you've every right to do so.
You are promised a “one time but successful campaign” - Take into account that social media campaigns - or any online marketing campaign for that matter - do not have the ideal results with just one go. So if you’re promised that a single run of a campaign will take your business to new levels, be cautious. Results either can be nothing or at most, short-term.
Rare communications and feedback - You should be able to get hold of your consultant when you need him/her. If you don’t receive updates at least once a week or as agreed, and if your efforts to get in touch are often unsuccessful, maybe it’s time to move on to an agency that will treat you well.
Poor reports - You get reports that are vague or complicated. Something’s definitely off here! A qualified social media consultant or elsewhere possesses innovative tools to create reports for you. And when the tools are relevant and up to date, your consultant can produce measurable and quantifiable data.
Remember: the best social media consultant will see to the following:
Transparency
Accuracy
Reasonable and specific project timeline
Goal-setting
The Necessity of a Social Media Consultant for SMBs
You happen to be small or medium business and have a variety of good products or services that you offer to your customers. You have been trying traditional marketing techniques but you are unhappy with the results, and they are also proving very costly for you. Your company is just not doing as well or growing as you had desired. Perhaps, the time is right for you to take a good close look at your marketing methods and approach a Social Media Consultant.
What does a Social Media Consultant do?
I am certain that you have heard about social media marketing and sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, blog and so on. Do you also know that regardless of how small your business, you need to be out there on these sites to encourage your business better and to reach out to a widespread local or global audience. Also, do not forget that all these sites are supported and accessible on your mobile phones, thereby, further enhancing their reach.
Just to give you a concept of the reach of social media: Facebook has over 500 million subscribers globally. Twitter has crossed 100 million subscribers. LinkedIn has most of the executives of Fortune 500 companies as its members. And, Google, let’s face it, everyone googles once they search - search for information, products or services. Considering this, if you are planning your social media marketing properly, you are able to capitalize on this huge exposure. But, there is no “one solution fits all” method of social media marketing. And, this is where a skilled Social Media Consultant steps in. They understand the best way to customize your social media campaign to fit your business objectives and needs.
Why must I hire a Social Media Consultant?
They are professionals and have experience and expertise in
• Setting up accounts in various social media sites
• Interlinking various media to optimally utilize them
• Doing regular updates of various accounts.
• Promoting your new products, events, services etc.
• Running promotional schemes through social media
• Helping you in setting up a blog for your website
• Helping you with SEO content for your website and blog
• Setting up monitoring mechanism for your various accounts
• Tracking your social media expenditure and ROI (return on investment)
You can actually go for all or any of these services offered by a Social Media Consultant. Furthermore, they help you with a comprehensive marketing approach, which is not too heavy on your pocket.
Can you do this yourself?
Certainly! But first, you have got to spend time and effort in understanding each medium, setting up accounts, updating them and monitoring them. Most likely you will not have any experience here, so all the mistakes that you make could cost you precious money. You might end up spending too much time on this, and that time could be better spent in your business in the areas that you are competent to handle.
So, hire an excellent Social Media Consultant. A good pointer would be to check their portfolio of work, the brands they have handled and their performance. That can give you some idea about how good they are at the job they actually do. So, continue, give social media marketing a try for your business.
Social Media Consultant - Your Partner in Social Media Marketing
There are millions of websites on the internet today. Every business, no matter how small, has a website these days. But, very few of its customers or immediate employees know the exact URL or the exact business name to reach the website. Most others would never really access this website ever. To make sure that this website features in the maximum relevant searches on search engines or through other internet promotion methods, businesses use the assistance of online marketing techniques. One of the most successful of these techniques is Social Media Marketing. To assist you with this, you need an able Social Media Consultant.
A Social Media Consultant is experienced person that knows guidelines for social media marketing for the benefit of your business. Social media is a wonderful platform for networking, but it can be a very useful aid for business promotion, liaising with business contacts, generating and following up leads, and online advertising. Let us look at the various social media that you simply must be on:
Facebook: Founded in 2004 and initially useful for networking among Stanford students, this social media platform is indeed popular that it has more than half a billion members of all age groups. As a business, you need to have a Facebook Page. This seems as if a normal profile but is more like a window of your business on this networking site. It is free of cost but provides a great possiblity to get in touch with all your business contacts, acquaintances, friends, and colleagues and continuously update them about your business often. Also, it is an excellent place to try out promotions or discuss new launches. In other words, no company can afford to disregard Facebook any more. It has its own analytics that provides statistics to help you monitor your Page. Facebook Ads are also a sensible way to advertise your company or its products.
Twitter: This is a simple networking site where one just “tweets” or puts up status messages within just 140 characters. This has become immensely popular lately with 105 million users and counting. It is a place where breaking news happens live. A business needs to have a profile here to update its followers about what is going on with the company. Not only is twitter a great tool for image building or promotion, it assists to a business monitor its competitors. You can list your company on Twellow, which is like a Yellow Pages on twitter. This would allow you to come up in searches and contact more people.
Youtube: A place where one can upload videos, Youtube is used for searches of all types. It would help a business to put up informational or demonstration videos on Youtube and provide the links on its website or other social media for easy access.
LinkedIn: This is a place for professional networking. A great spot to find prospective employees or customers, LinkedIn offers a platform for professionals to connect and collaborate. This is also a place to know the buzz about your business or the industry in general.
All these social media tools are effectively used when you interlink them to derive obtain the most from them. Thus, you link your facebook and twitter accounts, provide blog updates or Youtube links on both of these and so on. Though, it might seem simple enough to create accounts or profiles by yourself, which it indeed is, the difficult part is in discovering how to keep the profiles interesting, updated and connected. A Social Media Consultant can tailor the most effective according to your business need, can maintain and update accounts professionally, track and monitor their performances and give you feedback as well as concrete results.
Social media marketing if done right can reap great benefits for your business. All you need is to find a good partner in an able Social Media Consultant who understands your company, your products and services, your brands, your goals and your dreams. And, your internet marketing initiatives will take the suitable course.
LinkedIn for Business: How it can Help You
A frequent misconception is that often LinkedIn is a job board or social media, but Cliff Rosenberg Managing Director of LinkedIn Australia and New Zealand disagrees. In a recent event by the #SMC Melbourne held within the Order of Melbourne, Cliff Rosenberg declared that LinkedIn is not so much a online social network but an established network that also delivers intelligence to its users.
How LinkedIn delivers Intelligence to You
Whilst, Cliff Rosenberg didn’t discuss this aspect, probably the greatest means of getting intelligence is by your own network. LinkedIn is a fabulous tool for obtaining in contact with tough to reach prospects. By observing 2nd and 3rd degree connections, you can often find that the people you wish to reach are connected to someone you know. It’s a networking goldmine and I will discuss this in more detail later in this post.
LinkedIn Today
LinkedIn is also a platform for staying up to date with the newest information in your industry. A case in point in LinkedIn Today that was launched in March this year. LinkedIn Today covers Top Headlines and stories from multiple industries which can be shared the most by LinkedIn’s network of professionals.
Members can also view top trending news relevant to a certain industry and what is being shared those most from people within that industry. It shows the Top 3 stories that are relevant to you which in my case includes Social Media Marketing and Advertising, Internet and IT. For anyone who is not happy with the information delivered, it is possible to change your profile so you are delivered the Top Stories for various industries or from different sources. LinkedIn Today can be accessed by going to the Home Page.
LinkedIn Signal
Like LinkedIn Today, LinkedIn Signal also delivers information to you from your professional network. LinkedIn Signal, it marries the realm of LinkedIn and Twitter by taking the stream of info from Twitter and making sense of all the Tweets. Essentially it is a view of Twitter via LinkedIn’s eyes - you can refer to it as the Twitter for professionals.
You can locate LinkedIn Signal in your profile panel by going to the News tab at the top of your profile and then scrolling down to Signal. Once you are in the Signal dashboard, you can sort through the Tweets by 1st degree connections, 2nd degree connections, company, industry, time, location and much more. It can be a wonderful means of obtaining interesting information from your own professional network.
LinkedIn Is a Search Engine
These recent innovations from within the LinkedIn team, indicate that LinkedIn is much more about content - in particular curating content from around the web and delivering relevant information to its users. In some ways it is quickly becoming a search engine in its own right, comparable to Facebook has grown to be.The main element distinction between Facebook and LinkedIn in comparison with Google is that information is being found by users rather than users having to look for it. Google isn’t quite there yet however it is changing rapidly and trying to adapt.
Why LinkedIn is Attractive to Marketers
Previously the hunting ground of recruiters and Human Resources personnel, LinkedIn is also very attractive for Marketers targeting businesses. LinkedIn’s statistics tell part of the story:
• Globally Facebook has over 500 million members (with 300 million active users),
• Twitter has 40 million
• LinkedIn has 50 million members.
LinkedIn might lag behind Facebook in relation to users but it has a very attractive demographic which advertisers and business to business (B2B) marketers find very attractive. This is because, according to Cliff Rosenberg, LinkedIn members have an average age of 43 years and an average income of $100K, and that is more than average income.
Additionally, there are 2 million users in Australia so using the tools inside LinkedIn can definitely assist you to reach individuals who you previously found tough to target. Equally as exciting is the fact that LinkedIn is growing, every second new users are signing up to LinkedIn globally. Marketers like growth.
Ways to get In Touch With Difficult to Reach Contacts
LinkedIn have a number of free and paid tools making it simple to reach your target market determined by who you prefer to target.
Paid Options
Of the paid options, LinkedIn Ads are a great paid option to target prospects because you can target prospects by Geography, Company, Job Title, Group, Gender and Age. There is a lot of talk that the ads are much higher priced but bear in mind you are reaching a more attractive demographic with higher disposable incomes as well business professionals.
If you are in recruitment, then the obvious way to reach potential candidates is via upgrading your account to Business, Business Plus or Executive which enables you to send messages to potential candidates outside your professional network. Or else you can go the path of Rio Tinto and Vodafone which have a yearly license to enable them to approach LinkedIn members directly.
Free Options
A great way to relate with members is to join groups strongly related your profession. This is a extremely effective tool. By joining a group, you can take part in conversations, ask questions, get advice or opinions. Hint: It’s a pretty effective way to do informal market research and discover the key requirements are for your potential customers.
The key is not to sell but to add value and build your authority within your industry or profession. As you become more known, you might find people approaching you instead of you being the one to approach them.
Another way is to look at your connections and find out who they are linked to. If they know someone you know, you could approach your contact directly and ask them to introduce you. If they are happy with your service, and know like and trust you they will be more than happy to recommend you to their contact.
The other alternative is to request that your contact recommends you in LinkedIn. If they make a recommendation about you, it will appear on the updates section of your prospects home page. Speaking of recommendations, you must also get recommendations from individuals who can influence your career. When you ask for recommendations, send a note explaining how people can recommend you. Some people just don’t know how to go about it and LinkedIn do not have a big button highlighting people to recommend you.
Be sure your profile is 100% up to date, keyword rich and that you use a professional looking photo.
Use LinkedIn as Tool to Help You Rank Better in Search Engines
There are a number of actions you can take to help you rank better in Search Engines - particularly if you are a business owner or Managing Director.
1. Set up a business profile so that it will show up in search results. Use good keywords. If you aren’t sure, engage a professional to help you refine keywords. Do put your website URL in your company page. Make sure you also nominate yourself and at least one other person as admin in case one of you is not available.
2. Request that your staff put themselves on LinkedIn. It might sound crazy since many people see LinkedIn as a job board, but it is a good way of getting multiple backlinks back to your website which will help you rank in search engines. I can hear the “Won’t people leave” objection now. My answer, if someone wishes to leave, they will leave regardless of whether they are on LinkedIn or not. Is it better for a non-engaged person to leave or is it better to grow your business,
3. Participate in group discussions - groups discussions appear in search results so it is an excellent tool to develop your personal brand and your company in search engines.
How We Can Help
Swoop Digital http://www.swoopdigital.com.au/ can help you target prospects in LinkedIn by:
• Pimping out your Company Page on LinkedIn So it is Search Engine Friendly
• Researching and recommending which groups are most effective for you to join
• Monitoring group conversations and making recommendations where you should participate
• Conducting Market Research To provide Targeted LinkedIn Advertising
• Managing Your Linked In Ad Campaign
• Split Testing your LinkedIn Ads to Measure which Ads are most effective