At OrangeSoda, we’ve spent plenty of time learning, teaching, using, and breathing social media. Since social media users change all the time, we’ve done some research to see how people currently use different social networks. Today we’re happy to share our findings with you. Enjoy.
Facebook has made Timeline mandatory for brand pages, and some businesses are still struggling to effectively use it to their advantage. Almost every day, I come across Facebook pages that are missing small but important pieces of their Facebook Timeline. Whether it’s your cover photo, company description, company milestones, or a product launch, every bit of information that you add to your company’s page will greatly help potential customers see your brand’s story. Read On
With the Facebook IPO this week, everyone’s buzzing about the social network. Some who bought Facebook stock have confidence that the business will find a stable way to monetize itself in the future. Others have less confidence, even to the extent of filing a class action lawsuit, claiming that Facebook provided false information regarding their self-evaluation. As of now, there are definitely problems with how Facebook measures its own value (regardless of whether they did it on purpose or not). Facebook makes money through its ads, and though Facebook ads may be useful for businesses when utilized properly, the way businesses can best utilize Facebook is through a professional and eye-catching Facebook page that encourages likes and fans.
There’s a reason why many Facebook ads don’t see results. When businesses use Facebook ads, there’s a right and wrong way to do it. Read On
Pinterest (pronounced “PIN-terest”) is a sensation that every small business should know about. The hot new social network is not based on who you know like most. Instead, you connect based on shared interests.
Think of a cork board that has notes, products you want to buy, or inspiration. This is the online version. People post pictures or video of things they love (called pins). Other people can follow them and add them to virtual pinboards (pinning).
The genius of Pinterest is that you can click on a pin and follow it to the source – including your web site or blog post.
Pinterest is one of the fastest growing web sites in the world with over 7 million visits a month. According to research Pinterest is sending more traffic than Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn combined.
The majority of people on Pinterest are women between the ages of 25 and 44. These are the perfect demographic to reach. Women tend to be “social extroverts” who like to talk about brands online. Together they represent incredible buying power (many are moms who make buying decision for their families). They have special enthusiasm for arts, recipes and crafts.
Pinterest is simple to figure out and can get you from the home page. It’s addicting. Because of this Pinterest is reaching a new demographic of people who may not spend much time on social networking web sites. Even your mom who can’t figure out how to use Facebook is on Pinterest.
Unlike a lot of social networks, Pinterest doesn’t require a lot of extra time or the upkeep of say, your Facebook page. Read On
In a previous post, I talked about how social media can be a very effective tool for improving customer service as it allows for direct customer engagement. While this aspect social media is usually very beneficial for most businesses, it can also turn ugly when it’s not handled correctly. Social media gives people to ability to become broadcasters of information to the rest of society at literally the click of a button. Lately, people have been discovering that social media is one of the most effective ways to capture the attention of businesses whose traditional channels of customer service have proved unsuccessful. These companies really get the point when this information starts to go viral. Ironically, both of my examples have to do with airline companies, but the same principle applies to businesses in all industries. Read On
Link building is a hot topic in the SEO world. While there are thousands of factors that go into the ranking equation for each site, having high-quality links to your site is always a benefit. Not only do high-quality links help in the ranking equation, but they are also beneficial in drawing visitors to your site outside of search engine results pages. If you have the time and want to put forth the effort to do some link building for your site, guest posting on various blogs can be a great way to build quality links. SEOMoz posted some great tips for blogger outreach a while ago. However, in order to get those quality links, you need to have quality content, too. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re creating quality content for your link building strategy: Read On
Social media matters. Sure, some may see it as a fad, but it has been proven time and time again to bring real results to businesses that use it correctly. Not only does social media influence SEO, but it also has a significant impact on your branding, marketing, and PR efforts as well. For those of you who haven’t pushed your business into the social media yet, or for those of you who have, but still can’t quite grasp it, consider these tips. Read On
When I watch reruns of one of my favorite TV shows, “The Office,” I’m typically not seeking any type of knowledge or profound inspiration – mostly just a good laugh. However, my expectations were proved wrong during one particular episode where the newly hired intern, Ryan, was sharing some of his “business school” knowledge with Michael Scott. It caught my attention when he said “it costs ten times more to find a new customer than to keep an existing one.” I had learned this concept in past business classes; however, I thought it would make an excellent topic for a blog post. We may not be working for the Michael Scott Paper Company, but I think the same concept applies to practically any business. Read On
Mark Zuckerberg spoke at Brigham Young University in Provo on the 25th of March, sitting down for the first official interview he has had on a school campus in front of an audience of 10,000+.
Never graduating from a formal university himself, his advice on company management and choosing a career path is based on life experience and successful entrepreneurship. The words of wisdom I took away from his interview with US Senator Orrin Hatch all funneled into two basic principles: advice for creating a successful company, and the second is a necessary characteristic to become a happy and successful employee. Read On
OrangeSoda recently invited skydiver, adventurist, and entrepreneur Peter Shankman to talk about social media.
Peter is best known for founding HelpAReporter.com (or HARO), a site where journalists and bloggers put up queries describing what they’re writing about. If you answer and it’s a fit, you could be interviewed and mentioned in their story. It’s a great way to get free publicity for your business.
Over 200 small business owners came to hear Peter (here’s a blog post with video clips). He’s really funny!
This video introduced Peter Shankman and the idea that with social media, the best way to learn is by immersion — just jump in. Read On
