Virtual Environment Options for Business of any Size

There is an increasing interest in the virtual world and how it may apply to the business environment.  In the virtual arena, businesses can offer a low cost, time-saving solutions to the problems associated with long-distance communication.  A home office may be the perfect startup business but if you need a professional address, meeting room or receptionist to impress clients, there are virtual offices.  REGUS VIRTUAL OFFICES.  Not every business is suited for the virtual environment; however, if you desire to operate more efficiently and move forward as a tech-savvy business, you may want to consider the possibilities.

Social Networks that Support Video Chat

• SKYPE : Make internet calls for free with Skype.  (The most highly rated FREE service!)   Call friends and family on any phone with Pay As You Go and Pay Monthly subscriptions.  *Will need to download Skype 5.0 or higher to make group video calls.
• Google Hangouts: Make free internet calls.  Send photos or emoji, see when people are engaged in the Hangout and message friends anytime, even if they’re not connected right now.  You’ll need to install the Google voice and video plugins to get started.
• Facebook: Video Chat is a fairly new addition to Facebook, look for  video camera icon at the top of each Chat window. Facebook’s Video Chat is powered by Skype.
• More FREE VIDEO CONFERENCING OPTIONS

 

Powerful Virtual Conferencing

Better than web chat.  Ease of interaction and security ensures the participants feel  fully engaged.   Previous technology may not have provided the best results, but today’s experience is much more user-friendly and reliable.  Actually, there are handfuls of choices out there, some free and others requiring small annual fee. (Depending upon the options you choose.)  Especially for business with remote locations, virtual meeting tools are excellent for training and role-playing scenarios, facility tours, and 360 views of products.  Smaller business can also benefit from virtual meetings and phone conferences, online collaboration and screen-sharing tools.  Some virtual web conferencing meetings can be recorded.  Many work with iPhones, iPads, Android Phones and 800 numbers, and there are even options for receiving audience analytics.  There are of the below services below are FREE, may offer free 30 day trials, may or may not need software… and others have a small annual fee.  But, ALL rank high in customer satisfaction! 

• AnyMeeting.com FREE, with ads.  It allows for meetings of up to 200 people, and has essential functionality like screen sharing, VoIP and phone conferencing, meeting recording and it even has a follow-up functionality.  Free 30 day trial.
• Gotomeeting.com  Strong  international features and several audio options that make it useful for business with clients or satellite offices in other countries. It has very high ratings and is a commonly used service.  However, there is a small annual fee.
• Adobe Connect Based in flash, no software needed.  Great tool, similar to Go To Meeting, for video and VoIP conferencing. Can have numerous people on the call, and give control to a single presenter or transition.
• Business Conferencing S0ftware compare & see reviews here! 

Social Media position in the Sales Funnel to your Website

Social media can be used a variety of ways depending upon your business, amount of time you can dedicate, it’s relevance to your audience, and how creative you are.  Social media is not a “one-size” fits all application;  every channel has unique strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.  One thing you can count on for sure?  Constant change!  If you’re a business who wishes to unfold the many benefits of social media and become part of the emerging trend, you must be prepared to change….and update…and monitor…and tweak….FREQUENTLY!

Social Media is Complementary:  There are plenty of myths out there regarding how to use social media for business.  In my opinion, social media should never replace what your website is designed to do.  Social media is complementary to your website, your brand, and any other major media or ad campaign that you implement.  As a matter of fact, social media can stretch out your dollar to create a much broader reach and frequency.   Don’t play copycat.  Put your creative hat on.  Those businesses that lead the way will benefit most from new ideas on how to harness the power of social.

Social Media is New Word of Mouth:  Maybe it hasn’t replaced face-to-face completely, but it is undoubtedly a BIG change from traditional networking.  Friends+Customers+Vendors+Family+Community+Brand+Products+Services+Employees = a great way to communicate!  You couldn’t possibly reach all these people as quickly in person as you can online.  It’s that simple.  In addition, social media is a great way to learn about your customers.  Unveiling the information behind it will allow you to plan better, and make adjustments to keep your business aligned with what people want and need.

Social Media is on Google Radar:  Yes, it does help your organic ranking for search results.  That ranking is dependent upon a few factors we know, and many that we don’t.  Your digital competitors, keywords, content, comments, followers, friends, links, reach, and relevance are a handful of likely influencers.  You can find out how your current social media strategy is working by doing a simple search for your business.  Be sure to ‘clear your history’ by removing ‘cookies’ from your browser prior to each trial.  Type some key search terms into a search engine and see how your business appears differently in each.  *Leaning Tree Marketing Social Success for Local Business

Social media in the Sales Funnel:  Social media platforms and the impact each has on the path to a sale will vary greatly.  (See chart.)  Convertro used multi-touch attribution technology, reviewing 500 million clicks, 15 million conversions, and three billion impressions in 1Q14 to build this report.  The middle of the sales funnel is where social media has the biggest impact. It’s an excellent influencer, a great way to deliver brand messages and build awareness in the research phase.  It’s also a great way to push out your competitors and prevent them from stealing your lead.  (That’s a big bonus!)

 

Research has shown that investing money on social channels will create a significant lift in conversions to your website.  Maybe try a few creative ideas organically, before investing a bunch of money?  You really can build your business using social media.  Remember to use it as a compliment or enhancer if you will, to other strategies, set realistic goals and keep your eye on the prize!

 

 

Facebook buys PrivateCore to strengthen network security

Internet security has so far to go, at least some are taking steps to improve it.

Gigaom

Facebook said Thursday that it’s acquiring PrivateCore, a networking security startup whose founders previously held senior engineering positions at VMware and Google (s goog), for an undisclosed amount. Facebook said it will integrate PrivateCore’s security smarts into its server stack.

Facebook (s fb) has been working to secure all network traffic that gets funneled around its data centers, and one way to do so is to use PrivateCore’s vCage technology as a way to protect servers “from persistent malware, unauthorized physical access, and malicious hardware devices,” wrote Joe Sullivan, Facebook chief security officer.

The idea behind the vCage technology is that in typical private or public clouds, thousands of compute nodes are scattered across multiple regions. If just one node were to be infected or tampered with, there’s a chance that the entire cloud infrastructure could be compromised. Having vCage hooked in to the cloud infrastructure will supposedly provide a…

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Ten reasons why your business needs a digital strategy

Marketing is about reaching people.  Technology aids in getting that  job done.  Technology advances have led to, and continue to mark major marketing milestones.  The printing press, radio, and TV are examples of technology breakthroughs that changed marketing forever.  At their highest points, they were cutting-edge technology that ONCE HAD the capacity to reach the largest numbers of people.

By far, however, the most impactful marketing inventions included the computer, internet, high-speed cables, and software applications.  These new developments have created a fragmented market of new choices and mobility.  The mainstream adoption of digital technology allows the connection to networks and people just about anywhere, anytime they want to use it.  Today, more than 1/3 of the global population had access to the internet, and that number continues to grow.   As technology pushes forward, the world of marketing has become far more complex, and exciting at the same time.   The most important piece of advice:  “If the audience has become digital, so must the business!”

Why you need a digital marketing strategy

#1        Only the internet has the capacity to broaden reach and narrow target at the same time.

#2        Digital marketing is less expensive, easier to track, and more productive.

#3        Nothing spreads “word of mouth” faster than the internet.

#4       Without a digital tie-in, traditional media will not work like it used to.

#5        Internet offers unmatched tools, techniques and tactics to engage with customers.

#6        A relevant website, SEO and/or SEM, is what displays your business in search results.

#7       Social Media is the best way to build, retain, and reward customer relationships.

#8        Mobile Marketing, email marketing, content marketing and display are all digital.

#9        Internet platforms builds authority, legitimacy, public relations and brand perception.

#10      Without one, you will miss opportunities, become less competitive, and lose business

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About The Leaning Tree Marketing, llc:  The Tree was established late 2009 to offer local business many years of advertising, marketing, sales, research and promotions experience.  Today, The Leaning Tree has become an expert in branding, bridging the gap between traditional and digital while harnessing the unlimited potential of digital marketing for business success.

*For interesting statistics and research regarding the growth of the internet: www.internetworldstats.com

LinkedIn for Business Opportunities

There are obvious reasons for creating a LinkedIn personal profile, but with the addition of company pages, this social site goes far beyond connecting with people and sharing employment opportunities.

LinkedIn company pages are bountiful in business opportunities.  Here are a handful of them:

• Opportunity to share company news, events and updates.
• Share content and examples of your work.  (Adding relevant content can be an excellent tool for lead generation, not to mention the fact that this will all improve search engine rankings.)
• Bragging rights through reviews and referrals.
• Perform market research and gain knowledge with Polls.
• Answer questions and show expertise without a hint of self-promotion
• Start and manage a group or fan page for your product, brand or business.
• Research your prospects before meeting or contacting them.
• Generate more profit.  Research shows that 50% of LinkedIn members are more likely to purchase from companies who are also on LinkedIn.

Once you have a LinkedIn profile and/or company page, be sure to carefully manage your account privacy and security options.  Here are 3 tips, with tools…directly from LinkedIn:

1.  Choose how your information is shared using privacy settings.  your settings

• Turn on/off activity broadcasts
• Select who can see your activity feed
• Select what people see when you’ve viewed their profile
• Select who can see your connections
• Change your profile photo and visibility
• Block members for added privacy

2.  Protect your account with two-step verification  Opting into two-step verification can greatly reduce identity theft and unauthorized access. SlideShare presentation

3.  Turn on secure browsing (HTTPS)  Turn this on when viewing all pages across LinkedIn — learn how

8 Mistakes You Should Never Make on LinkedIn.   For more, visit the LinkedIn Safety Center.

 

Shoppers prefer online and mobile

Stores opened earlier, and stayed open longer than ever before this Thanksgiving weekend.  As a result, two million MORE people shopped this year, over last.  But here’s the catch….they weren’t all purchasing something.  According to the National Retail Federation, the average consumer who did purchase spent $407.02.  Although this number is slightly less than last year, the expectation was that Cyber Monday would cover the difference, and it did.  “Online shopping surged about 20 percent to a record on Cyber Monday as many consumers took to the Web to buy holiday gifts.”  With sites like eBay and Amazon offering free shipping, it’s no surprise that the internet is eating up more and more of the sales.

It’s a growing trend, people window shop, then purchase online.  (Then, want to return in-store.)  Today, nearly every store today that has a physical location also has an e-commerce site.  What is most interesting about the trends in retail shifting to online is the increase of purchases using mobile devices.  Mobile traffic over Thanksgiving accounted for 32 percent of site visits, a 45 percent gain from last year. That’s HUGE.  Just think of the opportunities stores could unlock through sharing Wi-Fi, promoting mobile-friendly websites, and offering online deals.

How consumers are using their mobiles in-store:  

• 35% of smartphone owners in Q2 2013 used their device to locate a store
• 59 percent used mobile while in the store, 24% of them just want to see if there was an online discount or coupon available
• Many used mobile to search a different retailer’s site, (92 percent wanted to see if they could get a better deal somewhere else.)
•  23% used mobile phones in-store to text or call family or friends about a product
• 17% send a picture from the store to share product to family/friends

*Source, The National Retail Federation

Social Media and other popular sites for Mobile Deals:

• Retail Websites
• Foursquare
• Facebook
• Google+
• Groupon
• LivingSocial
• Amazon Local

Couple more interesting facts to ponder:   

• Hispanics are almost 30% more likely than      the average US consumer to use social media to find coupons.
• Thanksgiving      weekend deals are especially attractive to the younger generations      as (76.2%) of 18 – 34 year olds shopped or planned to shop over the      holiday weekend.

Their complaints may be your next Big Idea

It’s a known fact that the internet and social media have amplified customer voices, and it’s not a bad thing.  Yes, there are those who use online outlets to vent rage and obtain some sort of power from posting unwarranted comments.  But, because these internet ‘personalities’ are easy to peg, their comments mean next to nothing in the long run.  Of course, every business owner welcomes a positive review and customer feedback.  After all, what’s not to love about a customer expressing their satisfaction and delight regarding the services and products that you offer?  These words can define the difference between your business and the competition.  Encouraging words and praise can lead to some well-deserved free ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising and encourage new business in the future.

But what about the customer that expresses otherwise?  It’s true that most business owners fear complaints and dread a customer revealing a negative experience online.  However, I believe there are important lessons to be learned, and bigger opportunities to be discovered from a legitimate negative comment or customer concern.

Valid reasons not to fear the LEGITIMATE Negative Customer Complaint:

• Having some negative comments mixed with positive ones will make your business reviews appear more relevant and believable.
• Negative reviews add to the total quantity of reviews a business has which is important, providing more confidence in star ratings (represent an avg. across all reviews).
• Customers who bring to surface and issue want to be heard.  If they have taken the time to express their concerns, they are more likely to return when the issue is resolved.
• Resolving a negative complaint allows opportunity to present a special offer or incentive to motivate that customer return and satisfaction.
• A dis-satisfied customer who doesn’t complain in a public manner could harm your business by talking behind your back and amplifying it’s negative effects without your knowledge.
• After a situation has been exposed, your business can take action to obtain the upper hand, change the tone, and gain a new-found respect from current and potentially new customers.
• Responding and resolving a negative comment allows you, the business owner, a chance to be heard and seen as a business that cares about its customers.
• Your customers are always right.  Your customers know the competition better than you do.  Their questions may be your answers!

Be sure to PLAN for complaints…. as they are guaranteed to happen!  Make resolving those complaints a priority and conduct yourself professionally, especially online.  Compensate an unhappy customer for their inconvenience. Really listen to what customers are trying to tell you, especially if you are hearing the same type of concerns repeated.  Knowing and understanding customers wants and needs will absolutely create new and positive opportunities for your business…the next BIG IDEA.

What are you waiting for?  Tap into it!

Local Marketing not just about Search

It’s true that “word-of-mouth” recommendations from family and friends are the top means for getting a good referral; this is precisely why social media is so important to business.  Social sites allow customers to quickly see, or ask what their social connections have to say about your business.   In addition, some of these social sites have become so sophisticated that they are soon become mini-search engines of their own.  However, to get results, it’s important to be active and interactive…the more involved you are, the better the results.

Be sure to select the social media outlets that best represent your business and potential customer base.  Not only can you gain the trust and respect of potential customers, but it will also help with retention, branding, search engine optimization, and ultimately…more sales!  Information derived from social media will also provide valuable information for planning future marketing and advertising campaigns.  When planning your next campaign blitz, don’t forget that it’s absolutely critical to connect social media to purchased advertising.  I call it “cross-platform marketing,” ensuring that your business branding or promotion is well-connected, and consistent.  This will extend the reach, frequency and ultimate success of your campaign.

Business uses for some of the top social media sites

LinkedIn:  LinkedIn is a professional social networking, and outstanding business-to-business, LEAD GENERATING marketing tool.   Your profile is essentially your business card, so make sure it’s public and search engines will index it!  New company pages allow you to update business products/services and add special offers.

Facebook: New graph search feature allows users to search for businesses according to both location and recommendations from friends.  Keep your Facebook page is categorized correctly and consistently updated with new and relevant information.

Foursquare:  Allow users to check in, find specials and rate your business.  Users can share offers with their friends, extending your message reach.   Ask for feedback from your most loyal patrons, and pay attention to which offers customers have responded best to, and keep them coming back!

Twitter:  With the new ‘anyone know” search, Twitter has become closer to a search engine tool.  Your twitter activity can boost Google search results for your business.  But, you have to do a little bit of work here; converse, respond, talk and interact!  Connect with relevant friends and industry peers to get the most out of it.

YouTube:  Did you know that the second largest search engine after Google is YouTube, yet the tool is often underutilized by businesses?  This could mean big opportunity for you!  In terms of SEO, titles, descriptions, and tags are the most important content elements.  And, of course, video…

Customer Reviews and Chronic Complainers

Some customers express their positive or negative experience in person, which is ideal.  However, some dissatisfied customers quietly take their business elsewhere.  This is an unfortunate situation for your business because you have no way of knowing what went wrong or what to fix.

Even if you have a stellar business that people love, few will actually take the time to write a positive online review.  However, when it comes to negative reviews, you can have the opposite situation.  There are aggressive and chronic complainers who spend most of their time writing reviews online. They prefer to be hidden behind a profile name, and are empowered by the internet because it gives them a loud and lengthy voice.  The aggressive customer does not respond well to any kind of comment or rationalization because they can’t complain if there is a true issue that can be fixed!  A chronic complainer is never satisfied and never stops whining.  Visitors can identify these people simply by clicking on their profile and seeing the list of chronic complaining they’ve done.  When an internet-savvy customer sees a chronic complainer review, they’ll usually ignore it.

Businesses should respond to both positive and negative reviews.  But be aware, once a chronic complainer is pegged, it’s best to walk away because they will always have to have the last word.  Once they see that you have left the conversation, they will move on to the next unfortunate target.

The best advice for handling customer reviews:

• Manage your online reputation to know what people are saying.
• Respond to both positive and negative reviews whenever possible.
• If a review is negative, attempt to handle the situation offline with a phone call.
• If the customer is satisfied with your complaint resolution, ask for a follow-up review!
• Once pegged, ignore the ‘chronic complainer’ and move on.  (They’re a waste of precious time.)
• Negative reviews are nearly impossible to remove, shift energy towards building positive reviews.

Should your business hire an online marketer?

Do a simple search for your business online

Google reports that 97% of Americans use search engines to find local businesses. (July 2012) It’s easy to see for yourself what is found by simply typing in your business name, or major category it’s associated with.  Because results will vary, check all search engines including Google, Yahoo and Bing.  Also check from your desktop, as well as a mobile device.  For accurate results, don’t forget to ‘clear browsing history and cookies’ in-between each search

If you are a business who has embraced good social media practices, those sites are likely to appear.  If you’re a business who has an optimized website, an active Google+ Places account or other frequently updated online listings, they should also appear.

Most businesses find a mess!

How you have found your business online is how potential customers gain their perception of your business.  Most businesses will find a combination of competitor results, incomplete and outdated information, unmanaged duplicates, unclaimed listings and worst-case scenario….negative reviews!    Half of small businesses never update their online listings.  If your business is not found at all, or found in a way that doesn’t represent the image you desire, you’re probably losing money.  It’s a good indication that you need help, and you need it fast.  Find an outside help in an experienced and trust-worthy marketer that others speak highly of.  Investing in a large advertising agency  may not provide the cost efficiency or personal customer service your looking for.  Instead, seek a local marketer who offers a variety of services such as online reputation management, and cross-platform branding, (which will include social media).  These things will help create a cohesive and ‘buttoned-up’ image, improve search engine results and ultimately help your business gain new customers.

A good Online Marketer will utilize free online tools, inbound and content marketing to organize your business before proposing a ‘Pay-Per-click,’ or any other type of media campaign.  They can help you figure out which social media sites your customers are active on and help create a presence in those spaces.  Social media sites, search engines, (especially Google), and technology will continue to evolve and need to be tested.  An online marketer will help you stay up-to-date with these changes and offer new ideas and strategies to make the most of them.

The Bottom Line for your business

Online marketing, especially inbound/content marketing strategies, can be the most efficient way to generate leads!  Compared to the benefits, hiring a professional is a small investment.  However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, the results can be extremely time-consuming and counter-productive for your business.

 

Google+ Tips, Apps & Your Business

Over the past couple of years Google has been positioning their listings, video channels and business applications in a way that ties them directly into Google+, forcing the user to have an active Google+ account.

Google Places Your Google Places business account used to be a stand-alone listing.  Today, Google requires a Google Places account to be linked into a Google+ account, (Google+Places), to manage or update that listing.   Google  Quality Guidelines limit a business to a single listing for each physical location.

Youtube a Google+ tie-in is required in to manage your Youtube videos information.

Google applications – handy for business 

By now, most people are familiar with Gmail and the Calendar features, below are some handy applications for business that many have not yet experimented with:

Google Drive Allows you to store files in the “cloud,” share them, and have access to them from anywhere, including a smartphone.  You get 5GB of storage for free.  Google is always good about privacy settings, so they are always available on the applications.  (public/private)  On that same could you can create:

DOCS:  Include images, tables, and links.  Within DOCS, a business can manage feedback with social commenting.  The application allows multiple people to work on the same document at the same time.  Slides can be created which support embedded videos, animations, and dynamic slide transitions. 

Google Hangouts You can actually hold meetings using a webcam, kind of like a video conference and webinar combined.  With Google Hangouts On Air, you can broadcast publically.  The broadcast can be recorded, edited and then share again online. Limited to 10 active participants, unless you sign up for Google Prime.  Download free Google video chat plugin upon your first hangout.

Team Meetings: See your team, share screenshots or a web URL with a push of a button.

Webinars:  Interactively provide Q&A sessions, create a webinar series or offer sales/customer support.                                                                                

Google updates for Business

Google organic search results.  As you know, SEO is important to your business because it gives you the ability to be found and to connect personally with your potential customers.  Organic or ‘natural’ online buzz is what helps build your site’s reputation with both users and Google.  Try to keep your online material interesting and relevant to your customer by using a variety of rich media, fresh content, interaction and consistent activity.  Creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any other factor.

Search Engine algorithms.  Every business out there wants to know what it needs to do in order to rank on page #1 in organic search.  What Google uses to determine search result ranking is called ‘algorithms.’  Users know good content when they see it, and they will be likely to direct others to it as well.  Search engine algorithms now take into account the social shares that your blog has, as well as emails, forum activity and SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION on sites such as facebook, twitter and Linkedin.

Google Pages.  Has died.  (To be blunt)  If you were managing the site before, you can still get into the page to make changes today.  However, those changes go nowhere.   Google merged business place pages into the Google Plus environment.  (I call the new page the Google Plus Business Page.)  Google allows you to add adminstrators to your new business plus page, much the same as Facebook.  When you go into your Google Plus account to update or change your Google Plus Business Page, you may need to obtain another pin code for verification as was done when originally claiming your Google Places page.  To be safe, check online to make sure any changes you’ve requested have actually been done.

Google Plus & Search. Setting up a Google user account is important, but it doesn’t stop there.  Google calls friends/followers on their network “Circles,” and there is a lot of emphasis on the activity that happens there.  NOTE:  Google Plus is not just ‘any other’ social media outlet.  Let’s say you +1 and article you like, or post a comment that shows up on your profile, visible to all the people in your circles.  Whenever you +1 something, and whenever your post gets a lot of reads, you’re letting Google know what you like, and what everyone else likes too.  The Google search engine is all about bringing you relevant information, so…..what could be more relevant than telling Google what you like?  (By using +1.)  At the same time, what can be more relevant than the buzz that happens when others like what you have posted?  Google will personalize your search results based upon your +1’s and by what the people who you have in your circles show as relevant and interesting.

Summary.  It is a HUGE benefit to meet your potential customers at the point closest to purchase in organic search.  Therefore, I’m really going to emphasize the importance of Social Media and Google Plus activity, engagements and updates to stay current.

Traditional and New Media defined for business

multi-color-leaning-tree-logo-with-rep-mgmt.jpg

Marketing and advertising experts have been accustomed to the fast-paced environment, running along-side new developments in technology and trailing audiences as they find new interests & hangouts.  Ten years ago a company could control its brand and somewhat control its image by releasing information and creating ads that supported its objective.   However, the acceleration of social media and surge of digital media outlets has changed that game.  Business owners today need to be  aware that the ‘social media conversation’ takes place with or without them.  If a business wants to have any part in the public perception of their business they must become an active participant online.  For starters, I recommend Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.   Become familiar with using and start to network within these sites by frequently posting, polling, LISTENING and responding to questions.

So much can be gained from participating in social media sites.  You’ll have access to the public perception of your business;  have an opportunity to ‘thank’ people for their positive feedback and respond to anything negative.  You’ll learn more about your audience, discover opportunties, increase organic search results, locate new platforms for advertising and plan better campaigns in the future.  There are a million more online social sites, review sites, free listings and communities out there.  I recommend doing some research regarding “where your audience is” before adding more.  Biting off more than you can chew will result in wasted time and money.  Long periods of time without online interaction will cause you to lose followers and business.  Don’t set yourself up to be overwhelmed and appear ‘unorganized and unattended-to.’  It’s always better to have a few sites that are robuts than 30 that are terrible.  I recommend finding a Marketing Strategist such as The Leaning Tree Marketing.  (Little plug-in of my own.)  Whomever you choose…may sure it’s someone you trust since they will be handling a crucial part of your business future.

Because they have been around for so long, most business owners are familiar with traditional media platforms.  However, before hiring a marketing strategist, it’s still a good idea to have a basic understanding of the two media categories and how they differ.

Traditional Media:  This is a media term used for media advertising options which have been around for many, many years such as TV, Radio, Print, and Billboards.  There was a time when you could reach a sizeable audience in these places, and with a good message, make a solid return on your investment.  Now the audiences have been split off into many directions.  Although audience size has shrunk, cost has not.  Beware of anyone who claims that any of these traditional media options ‘reach everyone’ because none of them reach ‘everyone’ anymore.  (Thanks to New and Social Media)  I’m not saying that traditional media is DEAD.  (As some will say.)  However, an ad campaign using traditional media WILL NOT perform well without the FULL integration of new digital and social media.

New Media:  This is a ‘catch-all’ term in media studies that includes Social Media.  (New generation of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies.  These can take many different forms, including lnternet forums, blogs, wikis, podcasts, as well as picture, music and video-sharing on sites such as Google+, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.)  New Media emerged in the latter part of the 20th century and can include on-demand access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content.  Internet digital text, images and video with web-links, creative participation of contributors, interactive feedback of users and formation of a participant community of editors and donors for the benefit of non-community readers.  Most technologies described as ‘new’ are digital.

How do traditional and new media MIX?  That deserves a blog of its own…

Social Media is a game-changer

Think your business can get by without social media? Think again!  Hang on for a wild ride, this stuff is not going away.  According to Nielsen, 81% of females vs. 72% of males tell others about products that they like using social media as their outlet.  The potential of social media for business is huge and largely underutilized.  Traditional media prices remain high; although many can argue that their effectiveness has been challenged by the diversity and interactiveness of social and digital media.  Online reputation matters;it goes far beyond the company website.  Over 60% of social media users prefer cunsumer ratings & consumer reviews over company websites.  Nielsen, Oct. 2011.  What is your company doing to manage this potential loss or gain in business?

The game has changed!  Give social media a fair shot before it stomps out your potential business.

This means your business MUST:

1. be easily found online; the process smooth & effortless
2. know and understand “how” your business was found online; search phrases, search engines used, IEP addresses, etc.
3. be informed about how organic searches are categorized in order to ‘stay on top’
4. track bounce rate & ratio of leads to sales
5. own a website which is current, competitive &  relevant!  If advertising gets eyeballs there…your site has to be ready to receive & convert to sales
6. participate and take advantage of all free and local search engine platforms…there are a TON!
7. embrace interactive & social mediums
8. maintain and maximize your online presence.   This includes interacting and engaging with your customer through conversation, video and photos
9. address any negative reviews immediately
10. monitor your competitors online

Search results and reviews shape public opinion of you online and offline. False, incomplete or irrelevant information can distort the truth.  Lack of accessible, favorable information online means missed opportunities.

For more information contact Michelle @ The Leaning Tree Marketing.  414-322-8859