The Marketing Edge (73)
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?
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:
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.
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:
With more than 200 million active users, Twitter provides a great way to engage with customers and prospects in real-time, at any time. With a 140-character limit for each post, however, it’s also one of the most challenging social media platforms to use effectively. How can business organizations make the most of Twitter’s fast-and-furious network to engage prospects and increase ROI?
How to optimize your Facebook business page for Graph Search
by Cintia Miranda
Earlier this year, Facebook launched the beta version of a revolutionary search function called Graph Search. Driven by user activity and engagement, Graph Search allows more specialized searches of Facebook information, with results that are personalized for each user based on their friends, behavior and location.
Nonprofit marketing best practices series: Part III
by Cintia Miranda
Positive messaging for success: Securing support for your organization
Maine is filled with amazing nonprofit organizations, making a huge positive impact in our communities. This month, I invited some experts in the field to share their perspectives on effective nonprofit marketing. Our last guest blogger is Sarah McCarthy, the director of Development for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and currently serving as interim executive director. This week, she shares some words of wisdom about how nonprofit professionals can optimize their fundraising efforts.
The Zen of donor cultivation
Maine is filled with amazing nonprofit organizations making a huge positive impact in our communities. This month, I invited some experts in the field to share their perspectives on effective nonprofit marketing.
Mary-Anne Saxl, the Community Outreach coordinator for Penobscot Community Health Care, coordinates development and fundraising activities for the organization as well as managing its volunteer program. This week, Mary-Anne shares a few pointers about how building strong donor relationships can help nonprofits foster steady, loyal support.
How to get the greatest impact from your donor database
Maine is filled with amazing nonprofit organizations, making a huge positive impact in our communities. This month, I invited some experts in the field to share their perspectives on effective nonprofit marketing.
Karen Schaller is an independent database consultant in the Bangor area. For over a decade, she has been helping nonprofits optimize their campaign efforts by better utilizing their fundraising software. Karen shares some words of wisdom this week about how nonprofit professionals can make the best use of their donor databases.
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