Biz (262)
Measuring the success of your social media marketing program
by Cintia Miranda
No marketing campaign lasts long without a way to assess its return on investment (ROI). With social media, though, accurately measuring ROI can be tricky. ROI is a basic mathematical formula:
Profit (or Gain) – Cost
Just like any other formula, however, it needs real numbers in order to work correctly – and this is the challenge in measuring the ROI of a social media. How can marketers and small businesses transform likes, retweets, pins, comments and other engagement markers into concrete numerical values - or better yet, into dollars?
So you or your baby has completed college. Congratulations to you both! But now what? Where is the smart money path? Here are a few tips.
Though Google+ may not be a pinnacle for social media marketing, it’s becoming a major component. Google+ has grown drastically larger, more functional, and more popular in the last year – in fact, some comparison studies now rank it as the second-largest social media platform, second only to Facebook. Whatever the statistics, its great influence on Google search result rankings sets Google+ apart from other platforms. Businesses that stay strategically active on Google+ can reap the benefits of a golden marketing opportunity.
Google+ offers three distinctive features to help businesses get connected.
Pinterest may not be the largest social media platform out there - but it’s quite possibly one of the most valuable for businesses. According to a study by Simply Measured, Pinterest drives more traffic to websites and blogs than Twitter, Linkedin, Google+ or YouTube – and one in five of those visitors will purchase something from that site.
At the same time, however, the platform’s overwhelmingly visual focus poses a challenge for many traditional text-based companies. How can businesses find the optimum balance between trendy eye candy and professional presentation to make the most of Pinterest’s marketing opportunities? Here are a few tips:
Levant Corner Store needs public votes to win
LEVANT - Two small Maine businesses are anxiously awaiting to see if wishes do come true. The owners of the Levant Corner Store and My Happy Pace in Old Town are competing to win a $5,000 grant from Intuit's Love Our Local Business Challenge, but they need the community's help to pull it off.
"Intuit is offering up 15 $5,000 grants to small businesses. We stumbled upon it [the challenge] on Facebook," said Jamie Clark, owner of the Levant Corner Store. "They're granting wishes. They asked you to submit your wish, and they're basing the results on how many people vote for the business and what type of effect the grant would have on local business in the area."
Deal breakers. We all have them – especially when talking about relationships. But we should also have them when it comes to our business and professional lives. Not only should we have them – we should know what they are! I once interviewed Ben & Jerry’s and learned that the ice cream they’ve been making and we’ve loved for years is much more than ice cream. Every pint represents Ben & Jerry’s values and mission as a company. If you visit their website you’ll find this:
Ten ways to build a successful LinkedIn business profile
by Cintia Miranda
1. Complete your entire profile. Your LinkedIn business profile is often the first place customers and other users land when they search for your business. Make sure you put together a solid, detailed and accurate first impression.
2. Stand out from the crowd. Your profile is your chance to showcase what your business is all about, as well as the talented people behind your brand - so be adventurous! Use video, stories and other creative elements to provide insight into your products, services and personality.
This column is dedicated to all the parents who let their kids be who they are.
Last week I boarded a plane from New York City back to Maine. I sat next to a nice young man and we began to chat. I soon learned that he was returning home to Maine from a business trip to South Carolina. I asked him what kind of work he did, to which he replied, “I’m a traveling pastry chef.” I was intrigued.
LinkedIn hosts some 200 million global users as of January this year, making it the world’s largest and most popular professional network. If correctly leveraged, it’s also a powerful tool for B2B businesses to expand their brand awareness and generate leads. The most important component of a successful presence on LinkedIn is your business page.
More than 2.6 million companies maintain business profile pages on LinkedIn. These profile pages often serves as a background check of the legitimacy of a company, its expertise and its employees. They also provide your business with a chance to showcase your distinctive attributes and expertise in a professional platform outside your website. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your company’s business page:
Waterfront Concerts and Machias Savings Bank announce exclusive pre-sale opportunities for bank customers
BREWER – Waterfront Concerts recently announced an exclusive arrangement with Machias Savings Bank in which the bank's customers will have access to tickets prior to their availability to the general public. The arrangement was announced during a press conference at the Machias Savings Bank branch on Wilson Street in Brewer.
"We have already announced some big shows this year, but there is more to come," said Alex Gray, president of Waterfront Concerts. "And because of sponsors like Machias Savings Bank coming on board and realizing the appeal of the Waterfront Concert Series at the Darling's Pavilion, we are able to bring bigger shows to the Bangor Waterfront ... like the top-tier shows that have already been announced - Toby Keith, Sting, Phish and Kenny Chesney."
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