SEM & Digital Marketing Advice New Orleans, Louisiana | WSI

We all agree that every ‘like’ we receive on Facebook is appreciated and is often accompanied by a sense of accomplishment.  But what is the actual monetary value of a Facebook like?  It’s hard to say.

Unless your Facebook page is generating substantial leads or traffic to your website, you shouldn’t rejoice just yet. If all that ‘engagement’ you are producing on your Facebook isn’t contributing to your overall goals, than how can you justify the time and investment you have made as part of your marketing budget?

Monetizing your Facebook presence

Turning ‘likes’ into leads, fans into actual paying customers, or generating website visitors to help monetize your marketing can be achieved by following a few simple steps:

1. Build a custom landing page or ‘like’ gate

Custom landing pages, or “Like gates” as they are sometimes called, are a great way to turn likes into leads almost instantly as it encourages visitors to like your page before they are able to view your content. This directs your new fans into a specific marketing funnel, which you can create based on your individual goals and plans.

For instance, let’s say your company sells a product and you offer a discount to new customers.  You could use your custom Facebook landing page to offer this discount to new fans by offering a special code that only appears after you become a fan.  This coupon can be easily tracked in your business to determine how many came from Facebook.

You can activate a custom welcome page by adjusting your Facebook fan page settings as you have a few options under the current settings.  The most popular is to show the custom landing page only to Facebook users who have not yet “Liked” your page.  Once they like the page, they will be directed to the wall as the primary landing page after that, making the next 2 points all the more important.

The harder part is actually creating the page itself and crafting the message.  Many businesses think that they can just put up a pretty looking custom page to get more likes, but the larger challenge is thinking through what you want to do with new fans and what action you would like them to take.

2. Share links to specific content or offers on your wall

Now that they’ve liked your page, now what should you do?  Our recommendation is to give them what they want!

According to research compiled from ExactTarget, a whopping 58% of Facebook users reported they expected exclusive content from business pages. Take advantage of this information and make sure the content you supply is available exclusively to your Facebook fans only, and don’t forget to tell them so!

So don’t just post links to your website’s home page on Facebook.  Helpful ways to offer exclusive content can include:

• Setting up a landing page on your main website for this specific content
• Sharing links exclusively on your Facebook page that are not shared other places
• Require that page viewers must like you to view content

Other great ways to gain interest and connect with potential customers can be to offer:

• eBooks
• Seminars
• Webinars
• Other educational downloads

3. Make use of custom tabs

Customizing your Facebook tabs is another great way to monetize a Facebook page. You can create as many tabs as you like, and we recommend doing this for your most important products or services that drive revenue in your business.

Why not consider creating pages, or tabs for specific purposes such as:

• Highlighting all those great offers you have been compiling
• Downloading all those exclusive content promotions you’ve been generating
• Or a landing page to rotate promotions and offers

Don’t give up just yet

It’s important to find a balance between direct advertising which allows your potential customers to know what services you provide but doesn’t flood them with a long list of obnoxious information all at once!  On the flip side, many businesses make the mistake of thinking they can’t talk about what they sell on Facebook or other social media sites for fear of being seen as a spammer.

Using the tools outlined in this article will allow you to post your sales content in an appropriate place so that when your fans want it, they can get to it.  Follow these instructions and you’ll soon find those likes are turning into leads.

Google+ is the newest and most anticipated social networking site that I can remember hearing about for some time.  Google claims it does much more than other sites used by most people and that it ties Google’s most popular features together, making it much easier to manage your public profile, as well as, streamlining how you interact with friends, family and business associates and spend your leisure web time.

Google+ is now live, and chances are you have already starting seeing the +1 button showing up on website pages and even in your search results.

Here is a quick look at how Google + works:

Google Circles – these are your friends; you can organize them by lists, such as Childhood Friends or Family, to easily target messaging, share images, music and other important things with only who you want.

Sparks – is a reader similar to the current Google Reader, that brings content you are interested in directly to you on topic specific Spark pages; easily categorized, your interests will be streamlined, thus saving you search time and having to scroll through unwanted material.

Hangouts – is a video chat room where you can interact with friends in your Google Circles lists.

Notes for Mobile Devices

For mobile devices Google+ is currently available as an Android App, (iPhone app on the way) and offers two significant services:

• Hudddles – is a targeted messaging program that uses your Google Circles list.
• The App will also automatically upload photos to Google+ to share with your Circles members when you take them with your mobile device.

How to get in the action

If you are invited to join, the first step is to accept the invitation to join and finish the simple registration process.  You will then notice a change to your gray toolbar at the top of our Google homepage. The bar will become transparent gray and a, “+You” tab will join the Images, News and other tabs currently on the bar.

Clicking the +You tab will give you access to all the features mentioned above.

Reviews are being closely guarded by Google, but the information I have seen shows positive results thus far.

The competition for social network users is fierce in today’s market as more people are using these sites to manage lives and businesses. Google is counting on branding and reputation to set it above other providers. Releasing Google+ by invitation has done a great job at generating buzz on the net and will undoubtedly generate a surge of users as more invitations become available.

If you have any questions about Google + or any other social media questions, please email me info@mywsiconsultant.com.

There are a lot of technology-based books out there “for dummies,” but I believe that just because you don’t know how to use Twitter or Facebook, that does NOT make you dumb. I know a lot of very successful business people who are slow to adapt to technology.

The reality is that everyone has their own starting point for getting comfortable with using social technology.  And salespeople aren’t always the first group of people to jump on the “change” bandwagon.

Free E-Book:  Social Media for Salespeople

So as part of our regular Social Media University courses, we have developed a special e-book that is free for your download.  Among the topics we cover include:

• How to get started with social media
• The importance of planning
• Online reputation management
• Social media tools every salesperson needs

> Download the Free E-Book: Social Media for Salespeople

If you would like to learn more about our social media training courses, please email us today info@mywsiconsultant.com.

For the last 4 years, I’ve heard many people tell me why the mortgage business wasn’t really a good fit for internet marketing.  After all, it’s super competitive with so many national companies competing even on a local level.  And the big guys have big budgets and resources that local lenders often don’t have.

But the truth is, despite all this the mortgage business remains primarily a locally driven business.  And that makes it, in my opinion, a great candidate for online marketing – and especially social media marketing.

New package offering – Social  Media for Mortgage Professionals

WSI is pleased to announce our new social media program designed specifically for mortgage professionals. This package was created specifically to allow mortgage professionals the opportunity to build their social networking presence without having to invest the time to post, Tweet or otherwise manage social media.

Our package has several options to choose from will generally include:

• Creation of social profiles on the most important sites.
• Creation of a custom blog and regular blog posts by a professional writer
• Posting of your content to your social networks
• A custom email marketing template and monthly newsletter
• Social Media University with courses on:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Blogging
• Reporting

> Email us info@mywsiconsultant.com to receive a sales sheet

Social Media for Salespeople – EBOOK

Being in internet marketing, it’s fairly common to run into businesses that tell me they are doing just fine without putting a lot of effort into the internet or social media.  The discussion usually centers around the fact that their business has been around for awhile and their customers don’t really rely on the web or social media to find them.

This certainly sounds like a convincing argument on the surface, but the hard truth is that EVERYONE these days is becoming a consumer of digital media.  And there is no better proof than when this year two of the oldest organizations in the world, the British Monarchy and the Vatican, have taken the plunge and moved their organizations full force into social media.

The Pope learning to Tweet

Papal Tweets & Vatican You Tube Channel?  Really?

The Vatican has done a great job of creating a well conceived plan to utilize digital marketing technology.  Their internet and social media properties now include:

• The Vatican Main Website – While this website has been running for some time, it is very well done with a great deal of information.
• The Vatican News Portal – This news portal is brand new and features a rich media experience including the most recent news, videos, and yes even Tweets!
• The Vatican You Tube Channel – Includes over 1,100 videos on various topics
• The Vatican Twitter Account – The new Twitter account tweets news & events happening within the Church
• Vatican News Facebook – Yes you can now officially “Like” the Vatican.
• Vatican Flickr Page – Includes more than 800 photos of Papal activities
• The Vatican Radio Channel – Publishes podcasts and radio broadcasts around the world.

Weighing the risk / reward of social media

You would be hard pressed to find a more surprising organization that is embracing social media than the Catholic Church.  Opening up to the world of social media certainly seems like a big risk for an organization steeped in tradition and always cautious about what they say publicly, especially given the scandals and controversy in recent years surrounding a number of topics.

But in this case clearly the risks are worth the reward.

And what is the reward?  Simply put, social media is allowing the Church to communicate with its followers all over the world in ways they’ve never done before.  In fact, earlier this year the Church launched its “Catholics Come Home” campaign geared at reaching those who have left the Church and inviting them to come back.  So the reward for the Church is helping Catholics re-enforce their faith by providing information in ways they want to consume them and, I dare say, making it a little more fun to be Catholic.

In the last of our LinkedIn tips series of blog posts, we’ll take a look at some of the more advanced features of the platform – including groups, content sharing and advertising.

Tip #1 – Find Groups & Learn to Participate

I recently completed a social media training course for mortgage professionals, and during this training several of the loan officers who were active on LinkedIn talked about the ways they connect with realtors, builders and borrowers online.  The ones having the most success were using local groups.

Now, there are many types of groups on LinkedIn.  In fact you should have no problem finding a group for just about anything you are interested in.  But professional groups can be scary for those who are new to LinkedIn; so I suggest starting with something easy and moving up to professional type groups.

For example, here in New Orleans one topic everyone loves is food – especially “po-boys.”  In one of the local groups I found a harmless question “What is your favorite po-boy?”  Now this is a great question to start with because really there is no wrong answer.

The idea is that by participating in group discussions that aren’t related to business, you can get a feel for how they work, and also learn to spot what not to do. Because in that same group, someone had posted “The best po-boys are at my shop (unnamed here) and you can get one for (xxx) price on whatever days of the week.”  The rest of the group slammed this person for advertising on the forum as that was not what the group was there for and this type of blatant selling on LinkedIn is considered spam by most.

Once you have a better feel for how it works, it’s time to venture into professional groups where you can really showcase your expertise.

Tip #2 – Create and Share Your Content

If you are taking the time to create a newsletter, blog post, newspaper article or other content, there is no better place to share it than LinkedIn.  Although Facebook has much larger numbers in terms of members and usage, I would argue that LinkedIn is the better place to share your professionally generated content as those who have connected with you have done so on a professional basis.

Sharing your content on LinkedIn will help build your online reputation as an authority in your area and is a great way to provide value to those in your network.  This is especially true if you take the time to create content that is focused on what your connections want.

And don’t forget about sharing your content in groups.  If you are active in a group and present your content in the form of sharing expertise, don’t overlook the fact that it could get in front of hundreds of potential clients with the click of a mouse!

Tip #3 – Apps, Apps, Apps

These days everyone has “apps” and LinkedIn is no different.  The trick is to find the apps that you can use quickly and easily to get more out of your LinkedIn experience.  A few we recommend are:

1. Mobile apps – this is a “must have” if you want to make posting updates a snap.  Most smartphones will allow you to download some version of a LinkedIn application that will allow you at least the basic functionality like posting status updates and responding to messages via your phone.
2. Browser Toolbar – Many web browsers have toolbars that you can download and use for quickly posting new content to your favorite social channels.  Shareaholic for Firefox is one that we like but there are many others out there depending on which is your favorite browser.
3. Aggregators – Tools like Ping.fm and Hootsuite are called “aggregators” as they allow you to manage multiple social sites in a single dashboard.  These tools are free and can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to either post to sites like LinkedIn or keep tabs on what’s happening on those sites.

You can view a full list of the LinkedIn Apps on their website and see which ones interest you.

In our continuing series of blog posts on LinkedIn, we will share the top things that we see people failing to do on LinkedIn and how you can fix the problems quickly and easily.

Mistake #1 – Failing to get recommendations

One of the things we like best about LinkedIn is the transparency.  Unlike other social sites where spam is prevalent, LinkedIn offers you the ability to read and see if the people you interact with are real and credible.  For instance, if you have a recommendation in your LinkedIn profile, anyone you are connected to can click through the recommending person’s profile.  This lends tremendous credibility when I can see what type of person is making the recommendation.

It therefore goes without saying that having testimonials are very helpful on your profile. They’re a great indication of the quality of your work and the relationships you maintain.

Ask and you shall receive…

The reality is that testimonials won’t just shot up in your profile without a little work.  You have to ASK for them.  Remember that everyone has a few hundred connections and if we all took the time to write recommendations about everyone we know, we’d never get to work.  So be sensitive that others are busy too, and send a note asking for a recommendation to someone you think can provide a good one.

Tip – the easiest way to GET a recommendation is to GIVE one first.  When you write a testimonial for someone else, LinkedIn asks the person to approve it, then suggests they write one about you.  It’s quick, easy and the fastest way to get testimonials showing up in your profile.

Mistake #2 – Waiting for people to come to you

This is one of the big mistakes, and unfortunately one we see all the time especially in our social media training courses.  Someone sets up a profile and then sits and waits, then complains that LinkedIn doesn’t work as they don’t have any connections coming in!

Just like any other form of networking, if you want this to work take the initiative to reach out and make connection requests yourself.

Here are some easy ways to promote your profile:

• Include your profile link and icon in your email
• Promote your profile on your website and traditional marketing materials
• Look for mentions of LinkedIn profiles on Facebook and Twitter
• Use all of the connection tools LinkedIn offers including Outlook Connector and Search
• Answer questions on the Q & A boards
• Look into mobile apps for your smartphone to make it easier to post updates
• Consider LinkedIn ads

Mistake #3 – Wasting new connections

After all this work, you finally get someone to connect with you.  Now what?  I suggest you type up a quick “Thanks for connecting” email and send that to new connections.  Think about what you are trying to get out of your LinkedIn participation and craft the message that way.

For example, if you were in real estate and were using LinkedIn to make new connections and maybe sell more houses you could try something like this:

“Hi New Connection,

Thanks for taking the time to connect with me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to keeping up with you on this great tool.  As you know I am in the real estate business, and if you would like to keep up with information about real estate in your area, take a moment and checkout our blog http://blog.example.com where we update the most important information buyers and sellers need to know.

Again thanks for connecting with me on LinkedIn!”

Remember, tell them why they should care that they connected with you and what they can get out of it.  Don’t sell hard, just remember to remind them of the value you bring to the table.

Continuing on our series of blogs about how to use LinkedIn, here are 3 easy to make mistakes that we often uncover during our social media training classes, and some tips you can use to avoid making them!

Mistake #1:  Having a Poor Profile

It’s easy to fall into the trap of making a nice, safe LinkedIn profile.  After all, the system prompts you to fill in the blanks and all you have to do is comply.

However, chances are you aren’t the only person who does what you do and is trying to find some new connections via LinkedIn.  So in order to make your profile stand out, I recommend you create a profile that grabs a potential prospects attention and stands out from the crowd.  We suggest that you introduce yourself as someone who solves problems or handles big issues and see what happens.

Mistake #2 – Failure to optimize your profile

“Optimize” is one of those words that makes people’s eyes glaze over.  But when we are talking about “optimizing” a LinkedIn profile it shouldn’t be that scary.  What we mean is to make sure your description includes lots of good keywords that people might be searching for.

Remember that one of the most important features on LinkedIn is “search” where users can search for people based on any keyword they want.  So if someone wanted to find a social media training course in New Orleans, I had better make sure those keywords or services are in my profile and chances are it will show up.

A secondary benefit is that these LinkedIn results DO show up in Google.  So when someone searches for what you offer in Google, there is a chance that your LinkedIn profile could show up for just the right keyword combination!

Mistake #3 – Failing to give recommendations

One of the most powerful tools LinkedIn offers are Recommendations.  Ideally you will eventually have your profile filled with glowing recommendations from real customers or people that may make the difference between someone reaching out to you or going to the next listing.

The easiest way to GET recommendations in your profile is to give them first.  When you give a recommendation on LinkedIn, the system sends it to the recipient for approval.  It then asks if they would like to recommend you as well, and suggests an introduction.  So by giving recommendations you can expect to get at least a few back in return.

You would think that by now people would be getting the hang of social media.  But as we conduct more and more of these social media training classes, I am becoming convinced that for every person who has embraced this technology with both hands, there are just as many people who are burying their head in the sand for as long as they can.  And I think I understand why they would do this, but sooner or later these people are slowly coming around to find out what they have been missing.

As such we are dedicating this series of blog posts on “Dumbest LinkedIn Mistakes” in hopes that we can help them learn the ropes, and maybe have a few chuckles along the way…

Top 3 Dumbest Things to Do On LinkedIn

Mistake #1 – Ignore Connection Requests

I am amazed at how many people that I hear from tell me that they don’t participate in LinkedIn for one reason or another.  I’ve heard the usual reasons ranging from “I’m too busy” to “that doesn’t work in my field.”

However, when the phone rings with a client or prospect they always manage to take the call…

So when you receive an email notification that someone wants to connect with you on LinkedIn, think of it as the digital equivalent of a phone call from a friend, client or prospect.  Don’t ignore it and don’t waste the opportunity.

Mistake #2 – Have a profile only a mother could love

The second item on our list is only a close 2nd.  After all, how many profiles have you seen where the person didn’t have a picture, or had so little information in their profile that you couldn’t tell if they were John Doe from New Orleans or New York?

It only takes a little bit of time to build out your LinkedIn profile – and your goal should be 100% completeness.  Upload a professional photo, fill in your experience and don’t forget to take advantage of new tools such as adding in your specific skills.

Some good features your profile simply must have:

• Current and past positions
• Your website url
• Your Twitter account
• Your blog
• Your summary
• A few recommendations
• Your certifications
• Your specialties
• Creative Portfolio Display
• Amazon Reading List
• Honors and awards

Mistake #3:  Sell, sell, sell

Like Jim Cramer banging on a poor performing stock, many people still get onto LinkedIn with the idea of “sell, sell, sell!”  LinkedIn is the digital equivalent of a high level business networking event, and while you should let people know what you do it’s important to let them know what value you bring to the table.

As in life, the Golden Rule should be followed in this case.  If you don’t want to get on a networking site and be bombarded with hard sales pitches, don’t do it yourself.  Try giving first and see what comes back…I think you’ll be glad you did.

This is just our first installment of “LinkedIn Dumbest…” series.  Look for more posts in the coming weeks, and if you have your own ideas and suggestions feel free to post them here.

Lately I have been doing a lot of training on social media, and I find it interesting that while so many people are aware of the increasing adoption of social media – not everyone is sold on whether or not it is of value to them. Now I know we live in Southern Louisiana which is not exactly a technological hotbed, but the shift towards social communication seems like a major deal to me that has transformed our personal lives so why wouldn’t it have a big impact on business?

So what does social media have to do real business anyway?

The short answer is EVERYTHING. There is a fundamental shift that is going on in our world in the way we “consume” information. And if you own a business or are in sales, that means a fundamental shift in just about every facet of your business world.

Think about how technology has changed the 3 primary aspects of any business:

• Customer acquisition - customers often find us first from a website. In fact, in a Nielson Online study, 82% of consumers cited a search engine as the most commonly used search tool. And even when they hear of us in some other method, they often go to our website first to check us out.
• Sales – Unless you live under a rock, chances are you’ve bought something or at least researched it first via the internet. Today, just about everyone has the ability to sign up or pay for something online, allowing us to transact business sometimes without ever meeting our customers.
• Customer retention – Email is the first choice of many businesses, but there are many great digital tools available to us today to keep customers engaged.

Without a doubt, if you’re in sales then the digital revolution is changing your world. For some it may come faster than others, but there is no denying that social technology is changing the sales cycle.

The real question is what are you going to do about it?