social media • Stephanie Frasco – Musings on Social Media Marketing

Posts Tagged "social media"

Jul28

How to Brand Yourself As An Expert and Get More Business with Facebook Questions

Posted at 2:26 PM • Comments

Facebook launched a new section called “Questions” recently. I am not sure exactly when they launched it but today it showed up in my feed.

As a Social Media Professional, the questions I get most is almost always about Facebook and their business. More specifically, “How do I Market My Business on Facebook?” Well, Facebook Questions could be your answer to effectively marketing yourself as an expert in different topics that could drive traffic to your website and business to you and your company.

If you are familiar with LinkedIn question section, then you are already one step ahead. Facebook Questions work pretty much the same way.

While this is limited – Facebook says that this is intitally rolling out to 3-5 million users, they have plans for a broader roll out down the line.

Not only is this new service a great way to brand yourself and reach a large audience, it is also a great way to reach a relevant audience. (The most important aspect of Social Media Marketing) These questions and answers can be tagged with category keywords, too, which will eventually be used to fill up an aggregate “questions” tab on relevant Community Pages on Facebook, meaning more relevant people seeing your answers.

Why is this important?

There are officially over 500 million users on facebook. That is a lot of potential traffic.

Facebook is the number 1 “Social Network” referring source of traffic ALL sites on the web! According to ReadWriteWeb, Facebook sends nearly 7 out of 10 visits to websites that come from a Social Network. (Twitter brings 25% and LinkedIN 4%.)
Eventually when this becomes a mature product questions and answers will be found on google and other search engines increasing visibility and traffic if used correctly.

Cautions
Everything in Questions is PUBLIC and will be shared with everyone! This refers to both questions and answers. So if you are a Facebook privacy hater this is probably not for you.

Techcrunch says, “Facebook obviously isn’t going to ask your question to everyone else on Facebook; instead, its system is going to try to analyze a user’s interests to determine who would be best able to answer your question. The service will also show the question to some of your friends, so ideally you’ll receive answers from a healthy mix of friends and experts.”

Who can benefit and use this?

Anyone with a product or service to sell!

If someone asks a question about the best type of camera to buy, online retailers can answer and give a link to buy.

If someone asks the best place in NY to get a massage, spa owners/marketers could offer a discount and link.

The list goes on and on!

How to Get Started
If you are not on the “chosen” list of 3-5 million users request access here.
To test other facebook apps go here.

Start answering question and asking questions and start building your name!

For all you in the travel industry you can get your start now! I have asked a question which may pertain to you.

After we spend time in Costa Rica, where should our next destination be?
SEE QUESTION HERE!!

Like I say with everything…Get in Early! By doing this you will be positioning yourself as an expert before it gets too crowded.

READ MORE:
Mashable
CNET
Facebook Blog

Jul6

How To Optimize Your Blog On Facebook – Networked Blogs

Posted at 12:35 PM • Comments

Every time I see a friend of mine post something manually from their own personal blogs to Facebook a bitter-sweet emotion runs through me. On one hand I am excited that I am no longer the only “computer nerd” out there, and I say that with the utmost respect. I am happy to see my friends blog about their passions, whether it is food, travel, or business, I tingle with social media pride. But on the other hand I cringe at the fact that they can be doing it so much easier with NetworkedBlogs. A large benefit of utilizing Social Media is to make our lives easier and that means auto-posting to Facebook and Twitter. One less step = a more productive blogger!

Advantages of using NetworkedBlogs
* Save Time with Auto-Publishing
* Attract New Readers through the NetworkedBlogs Community
* Cross Promote Your Blog on Facebook and your Facebook through Your Blog
* Allow Others To Share Your Blog To Their Facebook Network

Luckily I just set up a new blog – Costa Rica For Two, a blog about my travels and my working relocation to Costa Rica with my boyfriend and Laptop Business Expert, Jason Clegg, and I am going to show you step by step how you can do it yourself using NetworkedBlogs on Facebook.

(Not only will this allow you to publish directly to Facebook (either your fan page and/or your profile page) once you post to your blog, but it will also tweet it automatically). Talk about killing 2 birds with 1 small stone!

Setting Up Networked Blogs To Auto-Publish On Your Social Networks.

Step 1.
Log Into Facebook
- Simple Enough! If you are anything like me, a Facebook addict, you can probably skip this step.

Step 2.
Set Up Your NetworkedBlogs Account on Facebook by going here.
* Click on the “Register A Blog” Button.

Step 3.
Add the details of your blog.
* Note – Make sure to be as specific as possible on the keywords so that people can find your blog!

Click on Next.

Step 4.
It will ask you if you are the author of the blog. Click YES!

Step 5.
Verify through use of Technology. This is the quickest way to get your blog up in the database. It will only take a few minutes.

Step 6.
Verify your Blog by adding the NetworkedBlogs HTML code to your blog editor.
* Copy and Paste the HTML Code Shown.

This will also allow people who go to your blog follow you on facebook.

Step 7.
Log into your blog Admin. (I use Wordpress.)
Click on the Editor Link in the Appearance Box.

Step 8.
Click on the Sidebar Template and add the HTML code that you copied from the NetworkedBlogs page on Facebook.

Step 9.
Go back to the NetworkedBlogs Page where you copied the code and click on the verify button.

Step 10.
If you have added the widget correctly you will see this! Click on Next to set up your settings.

Step 11.
Double check your blog to make sure the widget is active.

- As you can see I only have one follower – so go ahead and jump on over and follow my new blog. http://www.costaricafortwo.com

Now that you have set up the NetworkedBlogs you are halfway there! Don’t get discouraged though. The fun is about to begin! The only thing left to do is adjust your feed settings so that your blog will publish automatically to your facebook page and twitter.

Setting Up Your Feeds On NetworkedBlogs

Step 1.
Set up your feeds by clicking Feed Setting on the righthand toolbar.

Step 2.
Click on Auto-Publish under the Personal Profile area and if you have a fan page click it on the fan page section too.

NOTE – you will also want to click on the publish test to make sure it works.
Step 3.
Once you have done that click on the Add Twitter Account Box and configure accordingly.

Step 4.
You will be directed to your main NetworkedBlogs page. From there you will see your blog and previous posts. Click on Pull Now and then the Publish link.

Step 5.
Check your profile to make sure it has posted.

Step 6.
Check twitter to make sure it posted.

AND YOU ARE DONE!! Congrats — You are on your way to NetworkedBlogs Fun!!

For my auto-published posts make sure you follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

Nov30

The Intersections of SEO & SMO – Holiday Shopping in an Online World

Posted at 6:03 PM • Comments

I just can’t get enough of the Holiday Marketing Buzz. Check out my newest podcast on The Intersections of SEO & SMO with Jason Clegg.

Affiliate Marketing for the holidays
Top SEO strategy for last-minute holiday marketing
What online retailers and offline stores can be doing to drive traffic and sales during Online Shopping Season.
How Peter Shankman’s “HARO’s List” can help with social promotions
And much more!

Listen Here

Nov30

Social Media Holiday Guide to Selling Online

Posted at 2:38 PM • Comments

The good, the bad and the ugly….Social Media :: Retail Wars

Happy Cyber Monday! As the holidays are coming up quickly, retailers are amping up their promotions. Next to Black Friday, Cyber Monday is coined as one of the next most popular shopping days of the year. Cyber Monday is the online version of Black Friday, meaning people are shopping heavily today and they are doing it online.

According to a recent survey over 100 million consumers are expected to be shopping online today.

Although Cyber Monday may be halfway over, online shopping is up 3% this year and I expect that to be slightly higher for this month. Which means if you aren’t doing anything NOW is the time to REV up your Social Media Retail Plan.

WHAT ARE OTHER RETAILERS DOING?
According to a new study by Deloitte Services, National Retail Federation

• 47 percent of retailers plan to increase social media use for the holidays
• 75 percent will improve their Facebook pages
• 59 percent will boost Twitter use
• 60 percent of consumers will use social media to locate coupons and discounts
• 53 percent will research gift ideas through social media

What can you do?
Here are some easy ideas to accelerate your sales online through the holiday season.

1. Make sure you have your facebook/twitter page up to date with current products, images, and deals. (Need help?)
With over 50% of consumers researching gift ideas through social media and 60% using social media to locate coupons and discounts, now is the time for you to make your mark! Your brand needs to be found.

2. Create an online promotion for twitter, tweet it yourself and submit it to relevant feeds.

CheapTweet- Designed for medium-to-large e-commerce sites and national brands, our Stores program delivers maximum exposure to eager buyers across all CheapTweet properties
CouponTweet – Will retweet related sale tweets
TwtqPon – Allows you to create your own twitter coupon

3. Submit yourself to different Social Shopping Sites and Coupon Forums where people will be shopping online. If the key is exposure, make sure you are able to be found.

CafePress
Etsy.com
Zazzle
Amazon
Ebay
FatWallet
ThisNext

4. Utilize your own network and email list to notify current customers and encourage pass along and sharing to their networks and friends.

5. Listen to the conversations out there.
For example I did a summize search on Gift Ideas. Here is your first lead.

6. Advertise
My choice for Advertising is Facebook. If you need help with this let me know!!! It is my forte.

Do you have a B2B product/service to sell?
Tis the season! You too should be doing some sort of promotion. You never know what is on people’s Holiday Wish List. Check out some other tips from Internet Marketing Guru, Jason Clegg here.

Nov13

Sprouter :: An Early Adaption Guide

Posted at 12:31 PM • Comments

It has always been my belief that as an Entrepreneur it is very important to be ahead of the curve. In Social Media being ahead of the curve also means being an early adapter to new technologies and building a presence on new sites that could potentially benefit your business.

A new site that I recommend to all Entrepreneurs is Sprouter, which is something like the Twitter for Entrepreneurs.

Where Twitter asks the question, “What are you doing?” – Sprouter asks entrepreneurs the question “What are you working on?” Sprouter enables collaboration and networking between Entrepreneurs globally in a real-time format. It also allows you to expand networks, discover events, start discussions, and follow topics relevant to your business.

While many may argue the need for a site like this that is so similar to twitter, I argue if you get in early, the benefits could be endless.

Benefits of Sprouter

1. Grow your network before it is over-populated and market yourself as an expert before the next wave of users come in.
In an untapped network, making yourself an expert in your industry is easier as there is less competiton and less noise. Having a presence on a site before it blows up gives you “street cred” and the opportunity to be heard before the noise and spam sets in.

2. Own Your Own Hashtag

By owning your own hashtag, you are given the authority in that subject. Although the limit is 12 hashtags per account, owning the keywords that are important to your business will give you influence and will result in a larger following or network.

For exmple, I own the #smo (Social Media Optimization) hashtag on Sprouter.

3. Follow Topics and Conversations in an Organized Manner
Sprouter is extremely easy to navigate and all content is presented in an organized and clean way. I particularly like the way replies are set up as it allows you to follow the conversation and see the conversation as it is happening.

4. Get the User Name You Want
Get in before your username is taken. As I have mentioned before – owning your search is crucial.

Connect with me on Sprouter – http://www.sprouter.com/frasco

Other Experts & Early Adapters to follow:
Jason Clegg, Web Entrepreneur
Brett Petersel, Events Director at Mashable
Janine Just, PR Entrepreneur
Sarah Prevette, Founder, Sprouter
Erin Bury, Community Manager, Sprouter
Paul Farkas, Socialpreneur
Bill Murphy, Startup Financier
Todd Levy, Emerging Leader

Nov6

The Intersection of SMO & SEO – Social Advertising

Posted at 6:36 PM • Comments

There is a powerful relationship between Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Marketing Campaigns. According to this article, some 34% of social media site users who are exposed to a particular advertisement are taking their curiosity to a search engine like Google, Yahoo, or Bing to find out more about it.

This is supports my case for my love of Social Ads and gives more reason that all businesses should have at least a simple Social Media Marketing strategy for themselves or for their business.

PROS
1. Cost Effective For Business
Since you can pinpoint target who you want to see this ad, the exposure is not as large as you would get on a search engine, but it is much more direct. Since there is less demand for the keywords the cost per click is also lower than on a traditional search engine. Low Cost with High Brand Recognition = WIN!

HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE:
Use a CPC campaign on Facebook. In this case you are paying only for those who click on your ad. With a well branded ad (that includes your logo) hopefully you can take that 34% who remembered your ad then searched for more information, as a bonus freebie! (assuming that your search engine strategy is in place)

For a $90 campaign ($20/day), the ad gathered 455,280 impressions. Each click on average cost only 69 cents.

With that same budget ($20/day) and similar keywords you are paying much more for a click.

You can listen to what else I have to say about the Intersection of SMO and SEO on the SEOSMOPodcast with Jason Clegg and good friend and “in-house” twitter expert, Marlooz.

Oct29

Marketing 2.0 Conference :: Paris, March 2010

Posted at 12:55 PM • Comments

You will hear me say this time and time again…when it comes to Social Media, the key is getting out there and being social. You will also hear me say accept opportunities as they come knocking, which is what I have jut done. Nils Andres, Founder, Brand Science Institute, has just invited me to moderate a panel at the annual Marketing 2.0 Conference in Paris!

As you could imagine, not only am I honored to be recognized among Social Media and Marketing Industry experts, but it also means I am going to be back in Europe! Please let me know if you are going to be there as I would love to meet you.

ABOUT M2C
The main goal of the M2C is to exchange and learn from the latest knowledge, and best practices in how to handle the dramatic changes in media, marketing and consumer behavior in your day-to-day business.

Speakers Include
Steve Hayden, Ogilvy
Dave Knox, P&G
Randi Zuckerberg, Facebook
Karin Timpone, Disney
Kevin Yen, YouTube
Julie Sun, MTV
Bonin Bough, PepsiCo
Joshua Benton, Nieman Lab @ Harvard
Oke Müller, TBWA/CHIAT DAY
Kevin Anderson, The Guardian
Masuaki Akamatsu, International Academy of Arts an Sciences
Bonnie Kiesling, Innocentive (Eli Lilly)
Travis Falstad, Electronic Arts
Angel Djambazov, Jones Soda
Sanj Matharu, Vodafone
Bruce Rogers, Forbes
Alex Hunter, Virgin America
Brian Morrissey, AdWeek
David Witt, General Mills
Matthias Lüfkens, World Economic Forum
Guillaume du Gardier, Ferrero France
Angela Natividad, MarketingVOX.com
Michael Seibel, Justin.tv
Emmanuel Vivier, Vanksen

Now that is a list of heavy hitters! From Malibu to Paris…Here I come!

-Oh, and if you want to sponsor my flight let me know.

Stephanie Frasco – Musings on Social Media Marketing

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