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3 Easy Steps for YouTube Marketing Success

By on April 11, 2012 in Quick Tips, Social Media, Web Success

Previously we have given tips on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Today we thought we would give some tips with YouTube.

Before I give you guys the tips, let me first share some YouTube stats with you: 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute, or one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second, over 4 billion videos are viewed a day, over 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month, and more video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years. Impressive, right? These stats alone should make you be interested in using YouTube for your companies Social Media strategy. Here are our 3 tips of using YouTube for marketing your business.

1) Be Consistent

YouTube has set businesses up for success by implementing their “Subscriber” option. Users  have the option to “subscribe” to a YouTube channel so that every new video that channel creates will pop up on their YouTube home page when they log in. This is an awesome way of locking in a fan base on YouTube. For this to be the most successful, you have to be putting out consistent content. Whether it be weekly or daily, your subscribers are going to expect to be seeing consistent content coming from your channel. Help yourself be successful by setting goals for uploading video content. For example, make a goal that every “Tuesday” you will have a new video ready to upload. If you have a set day your subscribers will get excited on the day your new content is supposed to be uploaded. It’s the TV of the future!

2) Reply to All Comments

Just because YouTube is video based that doesn’t mean that text conversation between your brand and consumer should stop. On YouTube the comment section can easily be turned into a chat room. YouTube will send you an email with every new comment your videos get. When you get that email it’s important to respond as quickly as possible. Try to imagine catching the user before they go on to their next video or completely different site. Someone is more likely to check out more of your videos if they see that the person creating the content is talking to the viewers. If you’re having trouble getting people to comment on your videos, an easy way to get more comments is to simply ask for them in the video! Add a question of the video to the end of the video to start the conversation.

3) CREATE GREAT CONTENT

Try to remember the last time you shared a YouTube video that was just mediocre…it doesn’t happen! Users only share content that is entertaining. I know it is obvious to say that you should be making great content, but a lot of YouTube Pages think that just uploading a video is enough..it’s not. The whole goal of Social Media is to have your content and brand messaging shared across the Interwebs, and it won’t happen if your content is just mediocre. Invest in a nice camera and editing software, a simple video intro with some graphics can go a long way.

So, are you ready to jump into the world of YouTube for your company? We hope so! If you have any other questions concerning this topic just let me know. You can always reach me on Twitter or E-Mail me at Drew@WebSuccessAgency.com

Thanks for reading,

-@MrDrewLarison

 

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3 Ways to Get The Most Out of Facebook Comments

By on March 19, 2012 in Social Media

With Facebook Marketing so much time is spent thinking of ways to get comments. Whether it’s on a status update, picture, or video it’s important that you are trying to do things to get more comments on your Facebook Page. But what do you do when you have those comments? How do you engage with your customers who are engaging with you? Here are 3 ways to get the most out of your Facebook comments.

1. ALWAYS reply back to comments.

It’s important to always try to reply back to every comment that gets posted. This does two main things. One, it makes your fans know that you are using the page to try to communicate with your fans, not just to push content out. And two, it doubles the number of comments. If ten people comment on your status and you reply back to all of them your content will now have 20 comments instead of ten. Users are more likely to pay attention to a post with 20 comments rather than just ten.

2. Tag users in your responses.

Facebook now allows Brands to tag users in their comments. This is a really cool feature because when you tag a user they will receive a notification saying that “Your Brand” has tagged you in their comment. This helps because the user will actually know you’ve commented back. Before this the user would not of known you commented back unless they came and visited your page again. Just simply start typing in the users name and a menu will pop up with their name in it. Click their name and they are tagged! It’s that easy.

3. Comment back in a timely manner.

Like a lot of things in Social Media Marketing, timing back as quickly as possible to Facebook comments is very important. As communication is changing in our culture, people are starting to use Social Platforms like they used to use a phone. This is good because that means more people will be engaging with your brand to ask questions, schedule appointments, and maybe ever buy your product, but this also means that you have to ready to respond like you have with your phone for years. People expect a quick response from your brand on Facebook, so it’s important to meet their expectations.

If you have anymore questions on this topic just let me know by emailing me at Drew@WebSuccessAgency.com. I would love to help you guys out.

Thanks for reading,

-@MrDrewLarison

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Getting Started on Twitter: Tweet First, then Follow

By on March 15, 2012 in Social Media, Twitter

Tweet Before You FollowAre you or your business just getting started on Twitter?

A key element of an effective Twitter strategy is to follow people who you want to connect with. But before you follow, make sure that your stream of tweets isn’t empty.

When a user gets a notification that you are following them, there’s a good chance they will check out your profile first before following you back. If your tweet stream is empty there’s a good chance they won’t follow you back.

5 Tweets to Post Before You Start Following

(1) Post one tweet which includes a link with commentary to an article which your target audience will fine valuable

Ex: “Smart article for small biz: 6 Steps to Cashing in On Online Reviews www.websuccessagency.com/blog/“. This shows your potential follower that you’ll provide value by linking to quality information which they will find relevant.

(2) Post one personal thought which is relevant to your target audience

Ex: “I’m thinking the biggest challenge for small biz owners is focus. what do you think?” This shows potential followers that you’re not just a stream of information but a real person – and you’ll tweet like a real person.

(3, 4, and 5) Post three relevant @ replies to others’ tweets

Ex: “@avinkline thanks for sharing this article – it definitely made me think”. This shows potential followers that your not just looking for one-way communication and that you’ll engage with your followers. After all, Twitter is not a numbers game, it’s cocktail party.

The main point here is to be strategic. Don’t just start following hundreds of people while you have an empty stream of tweets. First put some quality tweets out there, then follow. This will help ensure you’re followed back.

For more tips on setting your Twitter profile up for success, check out 3 Ways to Make Your Twitter Curb Appeal Undeniable

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3 Ways to Make Your Twitter Curb Appeal Undeniable.

By on March 9, 2012 in Social Media, Web Success

I have been on Twitter for quite a while now, and the more followers I get the pickier I am becoming on who I follow back. There are some things that completely turn me off to someone’s Twitter page. For example, if you’re Twitter account shows that you follow 30,000 people and only have 2 followers…DEAL BREAKER. If all you post is links to articles titled “I am making $50,000/day working from home! You can do the same here!”…DEAL BREAKER. If you don’t have any @ replies on your timeline…DEAL BREAKER.

I have come up with 3 ways to make it so that no one will ever not want to follow you on Twitter. Here they are:

1. Make sure your stream is social.

It’s very important that you make sure that people feel like they will get some kind of social response from you by looking at your Twitter stream. If people look at your Twitter stream and see nothing but links and normal tweets, they will know that there isn’t a good chance that you will ever respond to them. Someone once told me that your tweets should be 90% @ replies, and 10% normal tweets. I’m all about this idea. NEVER FORGET TO BE “SOCIAL” WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.

2. Have a professional picture.

Your profile picture might be the first impression you will have on someone with your Twitter profile, so it’s important that you impress them right off the bat. I’m not saying that you should go hire a professional photographer, and spend $100′s of dollars for a Twitter profile picture, but I am saying that you should put some thought into it. Don’t just put up a picture of you and your best friend from college at a frat party. Make people want to know more about you by your picture alone.

3. Have a well written bio.

After the profile picture, your Twitter bio is the second thing people will notice about your Twitter profile. I’ve seen a lot of different Twitter bios in my life. I’ve seen ones that were full of hashtags, I’ve seen ones that were full of awards, and I’ve seen ones that were blank. A lot of people will give you advice to put your professional title and then a fun fact about yourself. In my opinion, the best Twitter bios are the ones that I feel like I really know the person after reading it. My best advice would be to just be yourself. Showing people your genuine self is always the best idea.

If you follow these three rules people that find you on Twitter will have no thought but to follow you.

If you have any questions about this topic feel free to contact me at Drew@WebSuccessAgency.com. I would love to chat with you.

Thanks for reading,

-@MrDrewLarison

 

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3 Things Every Brand Needs to Know About Facebook Timeline for Pages

By on March 7, 2012 in Social Media, Web Success

If you didn’t notice, Facebook released Timeline for Pages last week. This is a HUGE change for all brands that have been using Facebook as a part of their Social Media Marketing plan. Here at Web Success Agency we have loved reading all of the new blog posts, watching all the videos, and seeing all of the new brand Facebook pages. We have come together with our top 3 things that every brand needs to know about Facebook’s Timeline for Pages.

1. Cover Photo and Profile Picture

 

The first thing you and everyone else will notice about Timeline for Pages is the new Cover Photo and Profile Picture set up. Facebook has taken away the photo strip on the top of the page and given brands the opportunity to make a custom “cover photo” that can be 850 pixels by 315 pixels. I personally have loved the cover photo design ever since they made it possible for people to have it. I think it’s a great opportunity for brands to show their fans more about them in a creative way.

The profile picture has also changed. The dimensions of the profile picture are now 180pixels by 180pixels and can be viewed as a 30pixel by 30pixel image next to any post. The trend with the profile pictures is to use this space to put your brands name, and then to use the cover photo as a call to action or describing what your brand is all about.

2. Brand Highlighted and Pinned Posts.

One of the mail goals that Facebook is trying to accomplish with Timeline is to help brands tell their stories over Facebook. Highlighted and Pinned posts will help do that in a HUGE way.

With Highlighted and Pinned posts, brands now have to the opportunity to pick which posts they want to show up at the top of the page and also in a larger more eye catching way. For example, if your company just posted a new video showing a new product you could Highlight the post of the video and make it show up in a much larger way so that people will notice the post more easily.

3. Fan to Brand Messaging

I’m really excited for this new feature. I said about 6 months ago when Facebook started allowing users to have @Facebook.com emails that they are trying to control 100% of the communication on the Internet. I believe this is just another step towards that goal. Users can now send private messages to brands. This is a great opportunity for brands to humanize their message even more.

What do you think? Do you like/dislike the changes Facebook has made? I really think all the changes are positive ones and will help brands share their message with all of their followers.

Thanks for reading,

-@MrDrewLarison

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3 Reasons Why NOT to Connect Your Twitter to Your Facebook.

By on February 29, 2012 in Social Media, Web Success

Connect Twitter to FacebookThis is one of those blog posts that came from a request. The other day I tweeted this: “PLEASE STOP CONNECTING YOUR TWEETS TO FB! TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLATFORMS, TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS!”. This tweet got around 7 RT’s and started some good conversation. People were asking why I felt that way about connecting Social Platforms, and why was I using ALL CAPS! So, I decided to write a blog about it. So, here are my 3 reasons why NOT to connect your Twitter to your Facebook.

To understand any of my points you first have to realize this: Facebook marketing and Twitter marketing are two completely different beasts. They both flow differently, they both work differently, and they both communicate differently.

1. Different platform, different communication.

Let’s say a company has set up for their Twitter account to automatically send their tweets to Facebook and one of their tweets has the term “RT” in it. If that tweet is sent to Facebook where there is no such thing as a “RT”, it will come off as confusing. Twitter users have their own language that Facebook users do not understand. Have you ever seen an Italian try to speak with an American? It’s not pretty, and the same thing goes for Facebook and Twitter.

2. Don’t overload your Facebook feed.

If you use Twitter and Facebook you understand that you Tweet a lot more than you put out new status updates on Facebook, which is a good thing. I look at Twitter like a giant chat room, so seeing someone tweet 50 times a day isn’t weird to me. But, if someone was putting up 50 Facebook status updates every day that would get annoying and more than likely I would unfriend you. If your tweets are connected to Facebook and you are tweeting more than 50 times a day, that basically means you are putting up over 50 Facebook statuses a day. This will be looked at as SPAM and you will be either ignored or unfollowed.

3. It makes you look lazy.

If your goal on Facebook and Twitter is to grow an effective brand, than connecting these platforms will work against you. It is a much better idea to show you are intentional by creating a custom message for both platforms. This also makes it look like you are favoring one platform over another. If your tweet is sent to Facebook, people will be less likely to read it because it’s not from Facebook.

There are many reasons why I believe you shouldn’t be doing this to your brand messaging, but these are the main 3 to help you get started. If you have any other questions over this topic I am always ready to discuss! You can tweet me at @MrDrewLarison or email me at Drew@LarisonSocialMarketing.com.

Thanks for reading,

-@MrDrewLarison

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3 Easy Steps to Success with Instagram for Your Business

By on February 27, 2012 in Social Media, Web Success

Instagram for BusinessSince the new year came there has been so much talk about Pinterest and how everyone is predicting for it to be very successful, which I completely agree with. But, let’s not forget about the other startups that I think will have a huge impact in 2012, like Instagram.

Wikipedia defines Instagram as a free photo sharing application that allows users to take a photo, apply a digital filter, then share it a variety of social networks including Instagram’s own.

Like all new applications, I like to use it for my own personal use and then strategize how a business could find success using it. I used Instagram for close six months and always found myself checking it to see who has put up new pictures. I could be wrong, but I think this means that I really enjoy using this app.

Like Pinterest, if your content on Instagram isn’t great quality and unique it won’t be successful. Luckily with Instagram and their professional looking photo filters, it is really not that hard to make great looking content. All you have to do is take a picture using your phone and then choose a filter that you think works the best.

Here are 3 steps on how a business can be successful with Instagram

1) Get creative.


Don’t look at using Instagram like you would look at just taking pictures with your cell phone. Get creative with it. Starbucks is one of the top Instagram users because they are very creative with their pictures. They just don’t take a picture of a cup of coffee, they take a picture of a cup of coffee sitting a deck of a lake house looking over a beautiful lake. It’s very important that you try to make people smile with every picture you take.

2) Reply back to other user’s comments.

On Instagram, people can “like” and leave comments on pictures. It’s important for you to try your best to turn that comment section into a chat room. With every comment you get, reply to it. Another important fact about commenting back at people is to use the @ sign in front of their name. If you do that they will get a notification saying you replied back. If you don’t use the @ sign, they will not get a notification and your reply will most likely go unseen.

3) Give users a behind the scenes look of your company.

Instagram gives brands a great opportunity to show their fans and followers a behind the scenes look of their company. Burberry does a great job of this by taking pictures of their models backstage of a fashion show. Users love to see this type of content because it gives them that VIC (Very Important Customer) feeling. 



So, don’t get all caught with Pinterest and forget about all of the other valuable platforms that are there like Instagram. I hope this will encourage you and your brand to get on Instagram and start making some awesome content.

If you would like to follow all of my pictures on Instagram you can search for me by searching “MrDrewLarison”. I would love to follow you back and check out how you’re doing. If you have any other questions about Instagram feel free to email me at Drew@WebSuccessAgency.com

Thanks for reading,

-@MrDrewLarison

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Twitter is Not a Numbers Game

By on February 24, 2012 in Social Media

Twitter

Twitter is not a numbers game.

In this past I have heard Twitter being compared to a huge cocktail party. I love this comparison. Whether you are running a personal account or a business account, your first and most important goal with twitter should be conversation and relationships- not the follower count.

To start more conversations and get more engagements from people all you have to do is three things: follow people, start talking, and have quality shareable content.

With all of my Twitter accounts I make it a priority to FOLLOW a solid amount of people. I start engaging with them, build relationships with them, put out my own content, and then eventually they will be recommending some of their followers to follow us :) See how that works?

When you go to a party do you leave saying, Wow! Over 100,000 people listened to me talk tonight or do you leave talking about the conversations you had at the party? Concentrate more on your conversations and people, and those follower numbers you want will show up.

I’ve always wondered what kind of difference it would make if people would brag about how many people they FOLLOW and talk to, not how many people FOLLOW THEM.

Follow.Engage.Care.Build.Win.

Thanks for reading.

-@MrDrewLarison

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3 Things Businesses Have to Know About Pinterest

By on February 22, 2012 in Social Media

If you haven’t heard of the Social Media site called Pinterest yet, I’m going to have to ask you to get out from under your rock.

Wikipedia defines Pinterest as a pinboard-style photo sharing website, which basically means that users can find photos or videos from all over the Internet and post them onto different pages or “pin boards”.

In my opinion, Pinterest is going to grow unbelievably in 2012 because of it’s content and usability. Users love seeing quality images/graphics and they love sharing them with their friends, so Pinterest is just set up to be an amazing success.

As this site keeps growing, businesses are looking on how they capitalize on it. I have been on Pinterest for close to six months so I have come up with 3 ways to use Pinterest in the best way to advertise your company.

1. Don’t just pin things that you’re interested in.

There are over 30 different categories on Pinterest that are filled with awesome content. Which means that you have plenty of things to choose from to pin. It is really important not to just pin what your brand is interested in. The same goes on Twitter and Facebook. That’s like saying your brand’s target market always is watching ESPN, but your employees love QVC so all of your commercials should go on QVC. Remember this, it’s not about you…it’s about your customers.

2. Don’t post your all of your pins to other Social Channels.

We all know how annoying it can be when all a Twitter or Facebook account posts are links to similar things. Well, this is a possibility with Pinterest too. On Pinterest when you are pinning something they give you the option to send it to your Twitter or Facebook account. If all of your pins on Pinterest are also Tweets, people will unfollow you or just ignore your Twitter content. It is acceptable to post a Pin every now and then on Twitter or Facebook, but make sure it is really awesome content.

3. Re-pinning on Pinterest is just as important as re-tweeting on Twitter.

On Twitter, re-tweeting is a great way of reaching out to people in your target market, or in your industry. It shows them that you are active in your industries online community. This same rule applies on Pinterest. Pinterest has given users the ability to re-pin content. When your re-pin someone’s pin it will show up on the board of your choice.

These are the first 3 biggest ways I have found to be successful on Pinterest. If you guys have any other tips, I would love to hear them. Email me at Drew@WebSuccessAgency.com

Like I said in the start of this post, Pinterest it going to grow in HUGE way in 2012. There will be plenty of other tips and tricks as I find out more about Pinterest.

Thanks for reading,

- @MrDrewLarison

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Ring, Ring, Ring…Twitter is Calling.

By on February 20, 2012 in Social Media

Twitter for businessA client just told me that when we ran a contest last Tuesday on their Twitter account they literally had more traffic on Twitter than they did on their phones all day. You would think that this wouldn’t surprise me, since I am all about Social Media, but I was just as shocked as you are.

I thought of all the times I got asked the famous question of Social Media Marketing, “what is the ROI (return on investment) with Social Media Marketing?” I answer this question the same every time I am asked it, “Well, what’s the ROI of your business having a phone? People are trying to communicate with your business. Will you be there to answer back?”

This answer of mine means a completely new thing to me now. There is a huge opportunity with Twitter and reaching your market share. If you’ve ever questioned if it was a waste of time, hopefully you see now how valuable it can be for your company.

Thanks for reading.
-Drew

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