Holiday Season Marketing Tips for Local Business Owners & Marketers

'Tis the season for location marketing!  Millions of local business owners and marketers update holiday hours in local listings, offer specials and provide a reason for customers to return.  Holiday sales will represent 19% of the retail industry’s annual sales of $3.2 trillion in 2015, according to the National Retail Federation.  It is a great time to build customer loyalty and relationships with new customers.  93% of annual retail sales transactions occur in physical stores, compared to just 7% for ecommerce.  The holiday season is an exciting time of year!

Be ready to make the most of this holiday season.

We see Thanksgiving and Christmas advertising beginning earlier each year. For many small businesses, holiday sales are crucial to sustaining the business. Consumers budget for holiday expenses and begin doing research on the perfect gifts to give to friends, family and business associates.  They plan parties and buy for holiday events. The following tips for local business owners and marketers will help you build loyal customers for years to come.

1.    Schedule holiday hours and specials ahead of time.  

Planning ahead will help you budget and give you an edge on important dates of the season. Communicate holiday hours via directory listings online and post them in the store.  It is important to create a marketing calendar. This will help in breaking down all the actions you need to take and meet the deadlines.  Build specials to create repeat traffic.  Reward loyal customers for coming back into the store.

2.    Staff up to make a good impression with first time customers.

Dun & Bradstreet lists 22 million businesses in the US, with 19 million defined as "local" businesses.  The majority of them have 1 employee!  

You may need to add a few contractors or seasonal staff, to manage holiday traffic, and holiday marketing campaigns. You have one chance to make a first impression.  Since over 19% of all retail sales are done in the last two months of the year, many customers will be introduced to your store for the first time.  Proper planning and supplemental staff will help you build new loyal customers, while maintaining the influx of sales and seasonal consumer requests.

3.    Engage your customers in social media.

Of the 3.01 billion consumers online in 2015, 2.08 billion used mobile devices to log in, according to this global digital snapshot.  Consumers are actively using social media to communicate with each other about products and services online.  They post in social media, rate businesses with reviews via mobile apps and find those reviews in search results.  Local businesses are joining the social conversation.

    

Your customers are interested in what you have to offer this season.  Make sure you have the
proper technology in place to know who your customers are, when they come in your store, what specific interests they have, and how they would be enticed to come back in.  Show them images, post videos in interesting social media content.  Post promotions, offers, and greetings. Keep loyal customers engaged and they will return time and time again!

4.    Reach new and loyal customers on the go.

Mobile searches surpassed desktop on Google for the first time this year. Google reported more than 100 billion searches per month on devices with screens that are less than six inches.

Many consumers use their phones to research and find business locations during the holiday season. According to Local business owners and location based marketers understand the value of building and maintaining updates to local listings with images, video, holiday specials that provide information to those searching online, on mobile devices, in maps, apps and car navigation systems.  They build a presence that is dominating search in top local listing sites. Fill your listings with information that is of relevance to the consumers, within your specific local market.

5.    Show some holiday love.

Give back this holiday season.  Get your local business involved in the community by donating money, resources and time. Communicate causes of interest in social media.   Take time to encourage your customers to participate in the effort. You could support a charity group by promoting a day's sales to donations of a cause. The stories and images of these events can be used in your blog posts, emails, and social media pages to generate more awareness.

The holidays are an exciting time of year.  Build strategy behind your local marketing efforts and you will see great returns via an increase in sales, larger customer base, brand recognition, and new loyal customers!  Happy Holidays!

Rostin Ventures launched SearchAMP™, SocialAMP™ & ReputationAMP™ services to provide affordable marketing services for local businesses.  The services provide location based marketers with a powerful platform to update business listings in directories, which feed into search results online and mobile devices, where people are searching for products and services in maps, apps, and even car navigation.  The platform enables clients to manage customer reviews and build online reputation and communicate through social media.  With these innovative technologies, local business owners know who their customers are, when they come to their location, and how to reach them to entice them to return!

Contact Rostin Ventures in Dallas at (844) 330-7466 or visit Search-AMP.com to learn more.

                                                      

Are Consumer Reviews Affecting Your Local Business?

Consider the average online consumer review.  With platforms like Google Maps, Yelp and Trip Advisor simplifying distribution of customer reviews, should we use algorithms to build presence of quality reviews in consumer search?  If so, what are the standards for those quality reviews?

Ratings from 1 to 5 stars are in place.  The definition of those stars varies by reviewer.  The content of consumer reviews vary, as well.  If we sent the consumer a rating request by category, would the reviews change?  Example - Service, rate 1-5 stars, next rate Quality 1-5 stars, Experience etc.  Is that the answer?  Consider this article on how consumer reviews affect local businesses, the individual and you.  Please collaborate, share comments and links here.

What is Inspiring Social Trends in Search Marketing?

Is social engagement increasing search marketing value?  There is no doubt that social engagement is up.  Business to Consumer and B2B marketing managers are utilizing social media to engage customers, benefiting from increased social media communities and consumers interacting in social media.  In an effort to research engaging images and videos. We began with a review of 2014 Google search trends.

What inspires social trends in search http://t.co/V0fg8izaeh @rostinventures
— Julie Ross (@julieannross) April 14, 2015

The Social Marketing Circle #socialmarketingcircle members follow +Interesting Things to research trends of image engagement.    The account holder on Google+ is using the account to show interesting things, gain followers, and promote ideas, products and services of affiliate products.  The use of social media in this case goes far beyond the average account holder on Google+ and demonstrates an extraordinary use of social media as an affiliate channel.  We reviewed the following images.  How many views, shares, likes +1s does each image have? 

What images are consumers responding to?

This image received over a million views.  Take a look at the following images, shared in social media.  Note we have placed alt tags to associate images with the social account holders, in an effort to give credit to social collaboration.  However the images are public domain, as they are posted and shared in social media.

Does image engagement increase search marketing value?  Yes, absolutely.  When you use relevant terms to title images to define them in search.  Use .alt tags and descriptions!!

Eventhough this image has over a million views on Google +, the account holder is not getting credit for it in Google search.  WHY? 

With over 120,000 followers and 450 Million views on images, shouldn't the header image of the profile rank on google images under interesting things?  The profile owner has titled the image interesting things and the associated twitter profile is also titled interesting things.  Why would Google not show associated value to this account holder's profile in search engine results?

Please follow this blog and follow up with comments.  Join the Social Marketing Circle.

</script><title itemprop="name">Interesting Things - Google+</title><meta property="og:title" content="Interesting Things - Google+"><meta name="twitter:title" content="Interesting Things - Google+">

In the following Google Search on Shark Kayak, in an effort to find the story from September 2014 on the shark attack of kayakers off the NE US coast, we found this image of Thomas Peschak Photography, effectively using .alt tags to promote images on the ocean reportage conservation photography website.

The most prominant search result on Google web, via a Dallas Texas search on "shark kayak" is credited to Images and Thomas Peschak.  The second search result links to his website under a page titled True Story Thomas P Peschak.

The third result notes the Boston "shark kayak" anticipated result, with thousands of associated Press and News links.

There are images on the page, which provides links to associated topics and events associated with the "true story" photograph.  This page has anchor text category links, but very little on page text and no text using the keywords "shark kayak"   However the associated anchor text terms do include separate anchor text associated with Kayak and others on Shark.  Notice we have alt text on these images giving credit to the original owner and artist:  "Shark Kayak Thomas Peschak"

The metadata show us relevant best practices in SEO <meta name="description" content="Thomas P. Peschak is a contributing photographer to National Geographic Magazine and a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers." />

Although this image has only recieved 6600+ views on Google+ posts, According to SEMRush, the website has over 1000 visitors a month, associated with this image, due to external links, relevant social media marketing and SEO SEM for the topics in .alt text, anchor text, and metadata placement.

   Looking forward to learning more at the Partners Summit #GoogleAllStars

#GoogleAllStars Partner Summit - looking forward to the event

A photo posted by Julie Ross (@julieannross) on Jul 14, 2015 at 11:04am PDT

Social Media Active Users Make the News in 2015

2015 is producing increased activity in social media. Increased users equal increased valuations for up and coming IPOs. With another round of funding, Pinterest estimates an $11B valuation.

Pinterest Eyes 11 Billion Valuation - new round of funding http://t.co/uGnFFvVez3 pic.twitter.com/arZTZM9JX6
— Julie Ross (@julieannross) March 16, 2015

Facebook remains at the top of the list. YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are all engaging consumers to B2B markets. Marketers are paying attention to gaining search value, as Google and Twitter open up communication, increasing search value of #hashtags and Twitter content. Contributions of social users are engaging interest as news is enhanced by consumer social posts.  Social Media Active Users for Top Social Networks [Infographic] #socialmedia via
— Larry Kim (@larrykim) March 17, 2015

Today, @RostinVentures released Cyclone Social on Storify/RostinVentures to show weather news of Cyclone Pam, released on social media prior to traditional formats.



2015 PR Starts here. Get #1 on Google with PR4-PR8 Contextual Links - GUARANTEED rankings & PageRank increase on Google. Check out the details.

Proactive Brand Reputation Strategies to Prevent Negative PR

Proactive online reputation management for PR planning should including strategies to monitor employee conversation within social media.  Online brands are defined by consumer conversation within social media communities these days, to include comments on Twitter, Google+, Facebook posts and images placed on Instagram and Pinterest.

Google your brand name.  Place #Vegas next to that name within the search bar.  What do you see? There are millions of references to #Vegas within search results to include comments, posts, and images of employees. 

Social results reveal those online conversations about your brand to employees' friends who also may be searching online for your brand.


We posted the content found in this search result today.  Within hours, it was ranking on the first page of search results under #Vegas.  Business events associated with brands, company trips, comments about individual activities are all ranked in search.  The  good and bad reputation is formed through these conversations in social media.  Immediate results are found in search.

For proactive brand management - on a paid reputation startegy, get #1 on Google with PR4-PR8 Contextual Links - GUARANTEED rankings & PageRank increase on Google. Check out the details.

Social Engagement Strategies to Reach Consumers Today

Social engagement should be the heart of social marketing strategy.  Marketers planning digital strategies are finding the social media user evolves in social interests of platforms and communities. This new target is not only using social media, they are contributing to news online.  They are collaborating and expect you to become part of that collaboration.  The days of one way communication have come and gone.  Consumers expect to be entertained.  CMOs and top markers today are building strategies which not only entertain the audience, but engage the new target market to assist in marketing efforts as they leverage the social network of each engaged consumer.

Your brand's reputation will be affected by social strategy, to include brand image seen within social communities, in comments of users, posts to blogs.  These strategies to reach social media users will include images, video, and social aggregation of content.  Engagement of consumers in social media begins with images, video and animated gifs. in posts.

Provide content which the target market can identify with and serve the content, in a new and interesting way, to enable social user engagement, shares, and likes.  For example, if you are targeting women, of a certain demographic, consider general interests.  Consider needs of the market, where they collaborate within social media and listen to what they are saying.

Presenting fashion trends of 2015, served to Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter users, with images and animated files found online would engage social female users.  It would provide teens and college students with prom dress ideas, Gen Y with fashionable work attire and women of all ages with the latest trends on fashion.  In order to serve this content, we do not have to necessarily be selling fashion.  We could be marketing services and realize consumers who are engaged in material we provide them will appreciate the content, have a desire to like, share and contribute to it.


Follow NY Fashion Week on Pinterest.


Stay up with current events and review trends of your target market.
Social media planning should include review of current trending topics, as consumers are responding to current trends and collaborating on the topic.  Fashion, Food, Movies and Art have a big impact on social culture.  Use images with animated gifs to add interest and entice engagement.

Twitter and Dove released information on recent social media use, associated with comments tweeted by women.  Dove launched a campaign, to contribute to the social good through #SpeakBeautiful which gained respect of consumers, media and marketing peers alike.  Look up #socialmarketingcircle on Twitter or Google+ to see more on Social Media Outreach .  We embedded a tweet of Arianna Huffington on the subject, in social conversation held last night on Twitter.

One tweet can start a trend. Let's #SpeakBeautiful. http://t.co/SLpBop9DAN
— Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) February 23, 2015

Include social media outreach to give back.
Position your brand to contribute to the social good.  This generation of mobile users is interested in sharing content and affiliations to brands which they are proud to associate with.

Consider customer loyalty programs.
Earn loyal customers through transparent customer loyalty programs. Tell them what they will be getting for brand shares and interaction up front.  Build relationships with social consumers.  Include Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Tumblr in your plan.

Advertise in the social media.
Many social media users are rarely disconnected.  Advertising in social media, with use of images and video, is converting to visitors and online sales.  Advertise to reach the consumer and drive traffic back to the page they will convert on.  Use Facebook display ads to link directly to your site or targeted landing page.  Use retargeting display advertising to bring consumers back to your website. Make sure your brand stays in front of the target market, with a message they are responding to.  Post buy analysis of social marketing strategies should take place frequently.  Don't wait 90 days to change a negative trend or optimize a positive campaign.

Trending campaign analysis can be found via social network engagement of advertising on Facebook and Twitter, for example, in metrics found in Ad management dashboards.  Watch views and engagement  of certain elements, to refine strategy.

Watch what your audience is responding to and move swiftly.  Although social media campaigns involve planning, the frequently optimized campaign could realize higher returns. See an example in our engagement of the bridal runway gif advertisement trending on Google @rostinventures


Social media customers are producing a measurable economic impact in 2015.

Contribute to brand acceptance of this market through a clear vision and understanding of the future.   Creative thinking is required when structuring a social marketing plan. Reach social users with these strategies, and they will reward your brand with increased acceptance, brand loyalty, and valuable online reputation.

Use social aggregation and content curation platforms like Storify.com to reach, quote, and contribute to social media strategy for 2015.  Join The Social Marketing Circle to learn from experts in social media marketing as we review examples of brand strategies of the SMB to the Enterprise. Engage through High PR Valued Sites on a paid ranking strategy. Get #1 on Google with PR4-PR8 Contextual Links - GUARANTEED rankings & PageRank increase on Google. Check out the details.

Social Conversation Ranking in Search Results

Social media conversation of consumers is ranking in Google search results. Consumers are referencing brands and social conversation is affecting online reputation more than ever. Google gained a timely interest in Twitter engagement and conversation, proving a new value of the social algorithm associated with overall search engine algorithms. Social conversation is ranking in search and brand social engagement and relevant online reputation will be greatly affected.

Social Media Live Feeds Making News Via Consumer Contributions

Social media users are defining news these days, with well respected brands reaching to secure long term loyalty of this new demographic. The mobile marketing generation is creating live news feeds through social media posts on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Facebook, and posts to blogs like WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogspot. The Millenial Generation, or Gen Y is making news and defining the future of news outlets.

You will find examples of this transition on Storify.com/WSJ were we see the Wall Street Journal and other publications using social aggregation of content to post social media user content online, creating stories associated with the long standing, respected brand.

Social media ratings hit an all time high on Tweets with #SNL40 noting the Saturday Night Live special on Sunday, as Tina Fey poked fun a the young demographic who would rather tweet live events than actually watch the SNL special. These consumers are not only Tweeting, they are postin on multiple devices within multiple media streams.

Gen Y is making news and brands such as The Wall Street Journal, BMW and Metropolitan Museum of Art are feeding into the desire of consumers to contribute to social media press and news, with real time accounts. #WSJ #Met #MetMuseum #BMW

The Social Marketing Circle References to Reach Gen Y Millenials

Reach Millenials here. P.S. Get #1 on Google with PR4-PR8 Contextual Links - GUARANTEED rankings & PageRank increase on Google. Check out the details.

SEO SEM Trends for 2015

Trends in SEM and SEO continue to evolve in 2015.  A good marketing strategy will focus on both search engine optimization and search engine marketing in order to promote a brand and produce leads. 2015 advertising strategies are evolving, and a savvy marketer will look ahead to anticipate changes in trends. By understanding some of the biggest issues for SEO and SEM, you will be ahead of the competitors this year.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Trends for 2015

While social media is becoming increasingly popular in marketing, search engine optimization is still essential. In 2015, SEO trends are becoming more complex, and there are numerous strategies that businesses should consider when developing their marketing plans.

Earned Links

In 2015, earned links are going to be more profitable than paid media in terms of SEO. Paid media is using a third party to gain exposure or advertise, such as placing ads via promoted tweets, Google AdWords, or banner displays. Unfortunately, paid link schemes are a good way to get your site penalized for SEO.  The key will be to gain earned links  to rank in search results. Earned media occurs when others talk about your business or share your content, and a good SEO strategy will focus on earning high-quality links.

Mobile Search Optimization

According to Google, half of all searches done on mobile devices have local intent, meaning the user is searching for a business or company in order to make a local, in-store purchase. A Smartphone acts as a personal computer that your customers can carry in their purses or pockets, and search engines like Google are considering using the mobile experience that a website provides in order to determine search ranking. In November 2014, the website launched mobile-friendly labels, and it is currently experimenting with ranking boosts to reward these sites. Businesses should consider this potential development in their marketing strategy for 2015.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Trends for 2015

SEM trends are changing constantly, as search engines refine algorithyms for search.  Businesses are looking for innovative ways to get their brand noticed by potential customers, and constantly researching trends for SEM, to maintain ranking in search and brand presence among highly active markets. Search engines are adjusting continuously so that the playing field remains competitive, and 2015 is no different. A variety of new trends are on the horizon, and businesses need to shift their SEM strategies if they intend to keep up.

Location-based Mobile Ads

People are more commonly using their mobile devices in order to do online searches, and a good business

will take advantage of this opportunity. Location-based mobile ads can be a great way for brands to reach out to this market, including app-installed ads and location-targeted search ads.

Real-Time Marketing Campaigns

The world of social media, instantaneous search results, and immediate feedback has left consumers with short attention spans. Businesses will need to utilize real-time marketing campaigns to provide potential customers with instant results and short lead times in order to capture the attention of digital consumers.

Utilizing Various Search Engines

While Google is arguably the most popular search engine and is the leader in click-through rates, Yahoo’s Bing actually develops higher-quality leads that generate more revenue. In order to run a successful SEM strategy in 2015, marketing strategies will need to allocate their advertisement budget to several search engines rather than putting all of their money into Google.

Personalization

Over 70% of consumers expect to receive a personalized experience from the businesses that they deal with. A successful company with an effective SEM strategy will focus on using consumer data to provide real-time and relevant experiences that are tailored to the individual. This strategy will provide better results than using an approach of “one size fits all.” 

For more best practices and SEO SEM trends for 2015, see The Social Marketing Circle showcase at SearchAMP Social.

SEO Trends are going to High PR Valued Linkbuilding. P.S. Get #1 on Google with PR4-PR8 Contextual Links - GUARANTEED rankings & PageRank increase on Google. Check out the details.

Is There an ROI on Social Marketing?

ROI on social marketing begins here. CMOs and marketing managers of top brands are featured in The Social Marketing Circle to showcase social media campaigns that provide high return on investment.  SearchAMP Marketing features best practices in social marketing.

Social media marketing campaigns provide brands which invest in these best practices with high customer loyalty. This long term brand loyalty begins with trust developed through social media communication, peer recommendations, and social media brand transparency. Join SearchAMP Social as we identify and review top social media marketers of today who demonstrate best practices in social media marketing to achieve ROI gained through customer loyalty and desired affinity programs.

Use these social media marketing practices and blueprint to rank in social media.

Social Media Marketing for Today – The Social Circle

The social media landscape is diverse.  Social community platforms and sites are added to the online space every month. Brands are now faced with a larger audience, using various social media applications.   Marketers are realizing a more competitive environment.  According to a 2014 study by PewResearch, 74% of the world’s population utilizes social media.  To follow are principles brands should follow to stay up-to-date with the latest social media marketing strategies and developments in order to keep a leg up on their competition. 

Social Media Diversity – Demonstrated by Dove

Awarded the First Position of The Social Circle

Developing brand or company presence on a variety of social media channels allows the brand to personally connect with prospects.   Social media presence builds long term brand loyalty.

A recent study from GlobalWebIndex indicated that about 92% of Internet users under the age of 64 had an account on at least one social network. Additionally, Internet users aren’t limiting themselves to one platform.  The average adult has accounts on 5.07 social networks.

Dove realized the value of engaging the consumer within social media, earlier than many brands.  In 2006, Rostin Ventures noted case studies of the brand as they developed grass roots campaigns in social media, to reach early Gen Y markets.   Evolution has been viewed over 17,000,000 times.  The YouTube videos were showcased and discussion groups rose among the most talented marketers online.

A model’s evolution from reality, to makeup, touchups in print to billboard are demonstrated in timelapse.  The images bring the viewer to understand: “No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.”     

The Social Circle would like to recognize Dove and showcase the company for brand excellence in social media marketing.  

The campaign:           Imagine Beauty as a Source of Confidence

Dove has a vision of a world where beauty is a source of confidence, and not anxiety... to help the next generation of women develop a positive relationship with the way they look - helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential.

Research shown on Dove.com demonstrates the need to build self-esteem.  According to Dove,

“Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful.   They note that number is up from 2% in 2011.”   

The Dove campaign may be affecting these numbers.    The company website quotes, “Each time you buy Dove, you help us and our charitable partners provide inspiring self-esteem programming for girls.
 
We have reached more than 11 million girls so far, and with your help, we can reach our target of 15 million by 2015. “   

The company extends an invitation to the consumer:

Join the conversation to support positive self-esteem.

Dove demonstrates all principles of social media marketing, carrying traditional campaigns over to the online space with ease.  This company gains acceptance of the social media user, in a seamless transition from television, to print, to online, mobile and social media. 

Imaged-Based Marketing

Use of imaged-based social networking platforms, including Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat, is expected to become increasingly popular in 2015. Social media sites like Facebook allow users to filter their News Feed, which can limit the amount of exposure that a business receives on this site. Instagram doesn’t use an algorithm that determines what people see, and the future for this site in terms of social media marketing is bright. According to Forrester Research, Instagram posts generate over 100 times more engagement per follower than Twitter and more than 50 times more engagement than Facebook.

Dove utilizes social media platforms to communicate directly with the target market and extend their cause to support positive self-esteem.  On Instagram, Dove encourages its followers, “Be yourself.  It’s the best thing you can be.”    

They remind over 21,000 followers: 

“Today, tell a friend all the things you love about her personality.”   

As Dove welcomes over 2400 followers to their Pinterest page, the company delivers the message again: “Dove is committed to helping women realize their beauty potential by creating products that deliver real care. “   

Twitter images resonate with users.  Image shares are demonstrated by Dove as they send out daily reminders to their 141,000 followers:  You + a positive attitude = everything you need for a #HappyMonday!  The delivers a consistent brand message:  “Dove is committed to helping women realize their beauty potential by creating products that deliver real care….”

Dove drives the point home through Google+ profile, encouraging the consumer to “Embrace your real beauty and spread your wings” Clever animation of a dove soap bar wrapper is used in a paper dove that flies in and off the profile image section, to slide the headline text in.

Use of Video in Social Media

Dove leads many brands in YouTube followers.  The brand engages users to watch and respond.  As “Evolution” was released on YouTube October 2006, now watched by almost 18M viewers, Dove has evolved to reach younger generations, making an impact and encouraging women of all ages.

In a recent campaign, Dove asked women what they thought about their bodies:  The description reads:

Published on Sep 30, 2014

The way a girl feels about her beauty starts with how you feel about yours. With the Dove: Legacy film we are encouraging everyone to create their own positive beauty legacy, so the girls in their lives grow up feeling confident about the way they look and reach their full potential in life. This is the mission of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, which has so far helped more than 14 million young people with body confidence education. Join us, because together we can help even more.

To learn more, visit http://selfesteem.dove.us/

Until recent years, video marketing on social media revolved around YouTube. Now, video with subtle branding is beginning to pop up on other social media platforms.  Even short clips are making an impact.

Facebook has seen a large increase in its daily video views, and the audio-visual storytelling that some brands are able to create reaches the target market with compelling messages. 

Through Facebook, Dove reaches over 23,900,000 fans with a unique message:  #Love Your Curls

Company research shows only 4 out of 10 curly haired girls think their hair is beautiful.  

Dove reminds them (You are) “Perfect This Way” Take time to watch the video.  Like their pages.  This is a good cause.

Dove Love Your Curls Video on Facebook

Mobile Marketing

Mobile social media platforms are one of the most effective channels for getting product information out to the public. Push notifications, SMS, and in-app recommendations can easily make their way to potential customers on a one-to-one basis. Major social networking players are constantly improving their presence via mobile devices, and these apps and websites are among the most-used mobile features.

In a search on Dove, you can find just about everything you are looking for on mobile.  Coupon apps provide easy discounts and encourage sharing for those who are looking for a discount. 

The social outreach campaign provides easy applications to view content and social media properties, encouraging fans, followers, and contacts to share the love with their friends.  

Social Media Shares Rank in Search

Social media platforms are actively ranking in search results, as search engines are serving searchers with content their friends share in social media.  If your contacts on Google+ or Facebook like a page, you have a higher likelihood of that page showing up in a search result for you on Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches has  65,149,577 views on YouTube.

This tells the story and resonates with most women.   Of course my contacts like it.  The video was one of the first search results I saw in a mobile or desktop search for Dove.

Published on Apr 14, 2013

Join the conversation at: #WeAreBeautiful
Watch the whole experience at: http://dove.com/realbeautysketches

Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see. 

And don't forget: YOU are more beautiful than you think!

Watch the videos.  View the social profiles.  
We are proud to showcase this work and the cause.   

We encourage you to share this article with your friends.   Of course – fellow marketers, please share with your colleagues.   Feel free to comment on this article and note any case studies you would like us to review for The Social Circle at SearchAMPSocial.blogspot.com.  We look forward to your comments.

7 Content Marketing Strategies to Share

Is content marketing part of your brand marketing plan?  Use these proven strategies to build brand awareness, social media engagement, customer loyalty, website traffic, leads and sales. 

Content marketers use their writing and advertising skills to create high-quality blog posts and articles that will increase traffic to websites of the small business to the enterprise.  Creating content that is intriguing, eye-catching, and presented in a shareable way is essential in promoting your brand, and there are a variety of ways to improve upon your content marketing strategy for the coming year.

State Interesting Facts.

Quotes and fun facts are a great way to keep readers interested in your content.   Facts add value to your content and build credibility.  This information is the easiest for others to share, and it may keep readers intrigued enough to check out other things that you have to offer. Data-driven articles are also highly successful for SEO purposes. 

The fact is – people search for information and everyone enjoys being able to provide answers.  Give them the answers and they will share your content with their friends.  The more people you have reading and sharing your content, the higher your content will rank in search results.

Build in Visuals.

Content that is visually stimulating builds audiences. Today’s reader begins with visual ques.  Video, photos, and infographics are key components to include to increase engagement.

A post that is well formatted and includes an image is more likely to be shared, read, and liked than posts that do not feature an image. Incorporating multiple visuals throughout a post increases the readers’ time on page, engagement, and brand recall.

Video Engagement – Example

Go to your YouTube Channel.  Click on Analytics below your video.  Look at your audience retention – relative retention engagement stats on your videos.   

What images are your viewers responding to?  Where does your viewership move beyond the average, into engaged? 

Use those images to add to other online and mobile content

Photography Engagement

It was easier to understand the video engagement example through use of photography.  The depth of photography allows the consumer to identify with content.  Test image responses in social media to repeat use within article content.

We discovered one of these images was more likely to be shared within social media.   Guess which one it is.  Comment on this article with your response.  We’ll show you where you can find the answers to this question as well as which images you can use to engage your audiences.

  

Infographic – Example

Infographics have become a staple in content development.  Illustrations of a process can be defined through infographics.  Consumers are responding and sharing these files with their friends and contacts in social media.

The result of the most popular photos listed in tweets is shown on Twitter.com.  A graphic image was listed as the “Top Tweet, including a Photo,” which illustrates the value of infographics.  Notice how the image illustrates increased activity of brands engaging social audiences.

 

Format List Articles.

The title of this article included 7 content marketing strategies.  You are still reading.

List articles are one of the most popular types of content available, as they feed the human desire for organization and education.  Make sure you fulfill your promise to the reader.  A structure should be followed, when writing a list article in order to fulfill your readers’ expectations and achieve your desired result.

Large headlines, an introduction, and a conclusion are essential.  Some readers may just scan your article and move on.  Others will read every word.  Lists feed both readers with the information they are looking for. 

Lists are also easily shared, so make sure that you are adding social plug-ins to your page to enable your readers to share articles within social media, tweet and retweet article content, share images and video content.

Post Long Articles.

Some companies tend to stick to short posts when creating online content, believing that no one will be reading their articles anyway.   Believe that, and it will be true! 

The right people will read your articles, even lengthy posts. In fact, research from SerpIQ 2014 found that the average word length from the top 10 results on a Google search exceeded 2,000 words. A similar research initiative by Moz found that their posts with the most words were also the most frequently shared.

The short of it:  Give your readers information and keep them interested.

Write for Readability.

Although we tend to tend to use industry related words in conversation, we need to remember how to write for the market we are trying to reach.  While it’s important to write posts that convey your knowledge about a particular subject matter, being overly wordy or too technical in your descriptions can be problematic. Many social media professionals recommend writing at a middle school reading level, but most importantly, you should always write for your audience.

In summary: Produce content that your readers can understand and enjoy.

Construct Good Arguments.

Engage in debate.  A good argument can create a great piece of content.   While an angry rant isn’t likely to get your business or brand any positive attention, a blog post with intent, structure, and a clear point of view can be a powerful piece of content.

Bottom line: Get to the point.  

Choose a position, stick to it, & use the article to prove your point.  Engage in Debate.  Remember that there are two sides to every story, so be sure that you not only are accurately representing the position that you are arguing for, but also the opposite position.

Engage in Conversations.

If your business operates in a well-defined niche, it is highly likely that you’ll know the names of your biggest competitors and fellow bloggers. You may get their emails, read their articles, and interact with them regularly. One of the benefits of content marketing is that you’ll be able to respond to their content, allowing you to provide a structured assertion of your viewpoint in the event that a competitor writes an article that you feel compelled to respond to. Be careful to be courteous, and you can create an arena of interaction with your intelligent readers.

If you want to attract smart readers that will be willing to share your pieces with others, you’ll need to create smart content.  Follow up your content with the action you want your readers to take.  You will enjoy greater shareability and increased website traffic.

We look forward to engaging in social conversation with you.  SearchAMP Marketing reviews social media marketing campaigns of the small business to the enterprise company at SearchAMPSocial.Blogspot.com.  Please contact us to review and promote your strategy to our network in social media.  We look forward to showcasing campaigns which meet the noted principles in this article:  State facts, build visuals within content that are engaging enough to share in social media.  Send us examples! 

  

In the nature of social engagement – please share your comments!  We welcome promotional comments as long as they bring value to the discussion.  Please – comment and share in social media. Share this idea. P.S. Get #1 on Google with PR4-PR8 Contextual Links - GUARANTEED rankings & PageRank increase on Google. Check out the details.