#SocialProof - How to Build Social Proof

We’ve talked about #SocialProof before. It’s the “psychological preference for doing what other people are doing, because if other people are doing it, it proves that it must be worthwhile”. It’s what gives power to celebrity brand endorsements and phrases like “Limited Edition”.

So how do you build an influence wave of social proof? 

First of all, you need to understand that it is far easier to jump from 20,000 YouTube subscribers, Facebook Likes, etc. to 50,000 than it is to go from 0 to 1,500. This is called a growth curve. You will need to grind to build your social proof from scratch.

Secondly, you must leverage the numbers that provide the most impact. If a brand new food blogger has 18k Pinterest followers on their niche boards, there must be something going on that they need to analyze and figure out how to capitalize on.

Here are thirteen types of social proof and tips on how to get started: 

1. Raw Quantity: The number of people engaging or interacting with you. Gather these numbers immediately. For physical/digital products, how many sales have you made? Blog or podcast: how many countries do people listen or read from? Social media presence: number of followers and number of posts fall into this category. 

2. Celebrity and Expert Endorsements: This could take up a post all its own. When you’re first building your social proof, the likelihood of a celebrity endorsement is slim. Experts in your field, however, are much easier to approach. These are called influencers and influencer marketing is its own niche.

3. Testimonials and Quotes: Authors use other author or industry professional’s quotes on their covers. Testimonials are a fantastic way to build social proof. 

4. Featured locations: Did you show up on a podcast? Have you been featured in a popular or industry standard publication? If not, why not contact larger publications for guest posting? They are often starved for online content, so take the time to target your niche. 

5. Certifications: completely self-explanatory. If you have any that can be used as social proof, display them proudly.

6. Referrals: the #1 trusted source of advertising as proven by numerous case studies. Start by creating a referral program where a referring customer receives a discount for their loyalty. 

7. Gazing: Use photos and images to draw the reader’s eye to your call to action.

8. Ratings and Reviews: One of the most important parts of your Online Reputation and also the fastest growing part of social proof in our mobile market. Encourage your customers to leave reviews, but be careful if you offer perks. This can seem scammy and have the opposite effect you’d intended.

9. Case Studies and Proof of Concept: Lead by example in using yourself as a case study or use other people’s transformation studies as proof. 

10. Limited Time Offer or The Fear of Missing Out: Give a deadline, and stick to it. Create exclusivity. Both of these combine to make a very strong case for social proof.

11. Social (Media) Proof: This is really difficult from the beginning. You can start by creating a hashtag that represents you and your business. Use it and encourage your clients and customers to use it as well.

12. Rankings: New product launch? Use a product launch site. Food blogger? Try to get on Food Gawker. Almost every industry has submission sites that can get your brand noticed and give you the ranking you need to jump to the top.

13. Integration and Platforms: If your product or service is used or integrated with others, show it. 

14.   SEO: The higher your rank on Google, the more automatic credibility you give your brand and your business. 

How are your doing with your social proof? Any questions? Tell us in comments and we’ll tackle them in a future post.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#TeamBuilding - Finding the Right SEO Expert

In this high-tech fast-paced world, having a solid SEO expert on your team is imperative to your company’s success. As your small business expands, outsourcing SEO may be a good idea. With all the options out there, how do you find the right fit for you?

What type of work is needed for your company’s site? There are three main types of SEO professionals: independent contractors, SEO firms, and in-house employees.

If you’re branching out for the first time, it’s imperative that you hire an independent SEO consultant to set up an initial strategy. This gives you a roadmap for future SEO employment.

Independent contractors are typically more cost effective for smaller businesses, and can be hired by the hour or by project. SEO firms are companies with teams who work on a contractual basis with clients. Expect to pay a minimum of $2000 for any project with a firm. An in-house employee is usually for a large or rapidly expanding company as it is the most expensive option.

If you choose an independent contractor or SEO firm, there are three types of payment structures: pay by the project, pay by the hour, or a retainer fee (a monthly fee that reserves their time to work on your site).

Whether you choose an independent contractor, a firm, or the in-house option, there are some questions you need to ask to ensure they’re the right fit for your company’s goals. In addition, you’ll be giving them access to your site, so trust is necessary.

•  How will you determine the keyword target for your site? They should mention an audit of your site, a way to target keywords, and research plans.

• What is your strategy? They should have a three-pronged approach to SEO optimization: technical, on-page site content, and off-page inbound links. This is the trust trifecta for search engines. Technical is how easily a search engine can spider and crawl your site. On-page content involves well-optimized keywords and a good user experience, and off-page inbound links should be from respected sites that actually pertain to your site (your vendor, for instance).

• Do you follow Google’s Best Practices? If they use corner-cutting methods and play it off as fine, this is not the “expert” you’re looking for. “Black hat” processes will get you banned from search engines. It could take months or even years to regain PageRank once you’ve been penalized.

• How do you track changes and show results? Their SEO reports should include a summary of activities (for both your site and outside influences), search traffic and rankings, as well as conversions. They should provide them on a monthly basis, but some will give a weekly update.

• Who are your longest active clients? A company or contractor without a sustainable track record of success should be avoided.

Remember, hiring an SEO expert should take a burden off your shoulders, not add to them. If you want some help deciding which option is best for you, or you are looking for a great referral, give us a call. As always, we want to help you #BeAwesome at what you do!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.

#ReviveYourMarketing – Don’t Put All of Your Eggs in One Marketing Basket

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, the work you are passionate about is your main driving force. However, marketing is an essential element of any successful company and cannot be overlooked. I know, you are busy and don’t have time to focus on marketing. However, the blunt truth is, if you want to grow you can’t afford to not participate in marketing.

So, you dip your toe into the water and you try something. It may or may not be achieving results. That means going back to the drawing board and adapting the technique or trying something new entirely. What I’d like to encourage each of you to do is to try different marketing methods at the same time. Don’t put all your money into the one marketing avenue you think will work. Right now, you aren’t really sure what will work. You have probably done some research and gotten a ton of advice – but the real test is actually trying it and analyzing the results.

Why You Should Diversify

There are many different reasons why diversifying your marketing is a great idea.

• 1.     Your audience doesn’t all hang out in the same place. Everyone gravitates to a different area of the web. By selecting only one method or channel, you eliminate any potential client who doesn’t use it.
• 2.     Websites change, adapt and disappear. If you have invested all of your marketing into the next, great, trendy website – what will you do if that company collapses? What will you do if it is taken over or changes direction? You’ll have to start all over. No one should be dependent on just one approach.
• 3.     The more channels you participate in, the more you build your online web presence and establish credibility. The search engines are more likely to rank you higher if they see your name come up multiple times – from multiple sources. This will also establish your digital marketing equity and increase your brand online.
• 4.     Focusing on more than one source will help keep your content and promotional materials interesting and fresh – for both you and your audience.

Types of Digital Marketing

Here are just some of the more popular options in digital marketing in 2016. There are more marketing methods available than this blog post could possibly cover. The idea is not to try to master them all. No one has time for that. Plus, many of the techniques may not work or connect you with your ideal target audience.

-       Social Media Marketing – SMM covers a lot of territory. This could mean focusing on a single Facebook Business Page, a LinkedIn Profile, a Pinterest account, or keeping up with Twitter. Often the best strategy is picking multiple platforms and cross posting information. Do some trial and error to find out which ones work best for you. Or, better yet, hire an expert to help you narrow down the platforms and teach you the best way to schedule content.

-       SEO – SEO stands for search engine optimization. The Internet is a big place. If you want people to find what you are putting out there, SEO is the method to use. If you optimize your website, social media, and other online content in a way that makes is accessible and appealing to the search engines – you will rise in search ranks in record time! There is both an art and science to SEO but, if you can make it work for you, it’s some of the best free marketing available.

-       Content Marketing – Another way to establish your brand online is by producing content. Content marketing focuses on creating and distributing regular and consistent online content to attract new followers or customers. If you combine content marketing with solid SEO techniques, you will achieve even better results.

-       Influencer Marketing – Becoming an online influencer, or expert, is way to organically grow your following. By regularly producing content, participating in interviews and live streaming, and making your presence known online – you will generate an audience that will become brand ambassadors for you. They will share your content and refer their circles to your online sites.

-       Email Marketing – For many marketers, list building is the first step of marketing. If you aren’t tracking and building a list of people who interact with you, do business with you or are interested in your content – then you are throwing away valuable permission-based marketing opportunities.

Narrow It Down

I’m going to suggest that you pick at least three different methods that will help you reach your ideal client base.  Some of these will appeal to you. Others will appeal to your online followers. Do what is best for your brand and easiest for you to maintain. Consistency is important when it comes to digital marketing. If you get overwhelmed, you will walk away and accomplish nothing. Don’t do that. You need an online presence these days. The focus should be on working smarter, not harder.

As always, if you need help getting starting or advice on which direction to head into – the team at The Social Media Advisor specializes in assisting small businesses with their online branding and presence. Give us a shout so we can help you #BeAwesome.

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a "#BeAwesome" Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them. 

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.

Be aware of who is presenting information about your company online

Buyer beware translates into owners beware in social media. Hiring someone to fill the shoes of your social media manager can make since in regard to time, but unless the individual is personally invested in your company goals, priorities and vision, you will need to invest in a lot of clean up later on.

Management consists of the following items:

• maintain branding
• management of profiles
• response and management of direct messages
• management and increase of followers
• management of product release campaigns
• active viewer response & interaction
• effectively enhancing SEO, SMO (keyword optimization)
• correctly creating profiles to maximize visibility on social media sites
• reporting traffic, communication and hits effectively

If you aren't getting these things from your social media support team, then you aren't correctly using your profiles or getting ROI on your time or investment.

These service can be outsourced or handled internally, but you need to have a clearly defined scope of work and milestone meetings to constantly revise or add to your marketing plan. Your social media solution should ebb & flow with times and market changes.

Contact us today to see how we can help you achieve these goals.

Discover what social media sites your customers have presence

So let's take time to build our profiles on all of the popular Social Media sites & then find our customers? Hmmmm, this actually isn't the way it should be.

Let me ask you the following questions & you let me know if you agree with the answers?

• Should your customer have to build a profile on a site where they have no common interest? No.

• Should you take time to build your profile on a site that your customers don't exist - just because it is popular? No.

• Should you find your customers first, then develop your profile on those particular sites? Yes.

This post is straight forward. The purpose of networking online is to connect with others of like business, like interest & like industry.

Don't waste your time doing something that isn't worth doing because you will be harder to find & connect to.