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Social Selling: How to Generate Leads and Sales by @DONNAAMOS

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social selling

by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor 

Leads are life to your business. Leads are potential customers who have expressed some interest in your product or company and have provided contact information you can use to follow up with more information.

When thinking about how to generate leads on social media, consider that 76% of buyers are ready to have a conversation on social media.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of lead generation using social media specifically is the ability to focus on highly qualified leads through advanced targeting. Targeted leads are much more likely to respond to your sales pitch because the are already qualified and interested. That’s what I like to call “low hanging fruit.”

Useful Tactics for Generating Leads Through Social Media

So how do you go about using social media for lead generation? Here are some of the best ways to start filling your sales funnel with qualified leads.

Offer Links to Gated Content

Gated content is content hidden behind a virtual gate. If the content is valuable enough, interested readers will be willing to provide some basic contact information in exchange for access.

When using social media for lead generation, you can promote gated content by sharing a link to a landing page where potential readers provide their information before gaining access to the content.

Some people who click through to the landing page will click away without accessing your content—maybe they were mildly interested in the information but not so interested that they feel it’s worth sharing their contact details.

But those who are truly interested and understand that they will gain significant value are willing to overcome this minor hurdle, qualifying themselves as more than casual readers in the process. These are great qualified leads.

Run Contests

With contests, the prize has to fulfill two important criteria. First, it has to be valuable enough that people will actually be interested in entering the contest. But second, it has to be valuable specifically to the people who have the highest potential to become your customers, and not much value to anyone else.

If the prize is not valuable enough, no one will enter your contest. But if it’s so generically valuable that everyone who sees the contest will want to enter, you’ll gather loads of contact information but no qualified leads.

So, what should you offer as your contest prize? An extended trial of your product could be a good option, or an upgrade to a higher tier of your service. After all, those prizes only have value to people who are genuinely interested in using your product. If you sell physical products, you could give away some of the products themselves.

Pay-to-Play Social Media Advertising

While organic social media posts can be targeted to some extent, social media advertising takes targeting—and therefore the ability to collect leads from laser-focused groups of potential customers—to a whole new level.

Using highly specific target audiences to promote gated content is a great way to keep advertising costs low while ensuring the leads you collect meet certain desirable criteria.

Here are a few good places to begin:

Facebook lead ads

This specialized ad format offers a low-commitment, low-barrier way for potential customers to connect with your business without leaving Facebook. As with a gated content offer, the potential customer provides information in exchange for something of value. That something of value can be either digital—like a newsletter, white paper, or coupon—or something that’s delivered in real life—like a product demonstration at a brick and mortar store or a test drive.

One great advantage of Facebook lead ads over a regular gated content offer is that Facebook automatically populates the lead form with the user’s contact information, so it can take as few as two clicks or taps for a potential customer to connect. You choose how much information you need, so you can get enough information for the lead to be useful, but not ask for so much that it scares the user away.

Instagram lead ads

Since Facebook owns Instagram, Facebook lead ads can also appear on Instagram, as long as the ads meet Instagram’s design requirements. However, lead ads behave a little differently on Instagram.

Instagram can only pre-populate the lead form with email, full name, phone number, and gender. If you want to collect additional information, the user will have to type it in.

Since Instagram lead ads only appear on mobile, and it takes 40 percent longer to fill out a form on a mobile device than on a desktop, you should only request additional information if it is critical for your initial sales efforts.

LinkedIn lead gen forms

LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms also make it very easy for potential customers to share their information, since they are pre-populated with details from the user’s LinkedIn profile.

Since LinkedIn is primarily a professional networking site, the pre-populated information can include work details like job title, company, and seniority, as well as education details, giving you an extremely rich set of data about each lead.

Like Facebook lead ads, LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms require no typing at all to complete, making them easy to complete even on mobile devices.

Host a Virtual Hangout, Webinar, or Live Video

There are two approaches to generating leads with live video, hangouts, and webinars. The first option is to present the video as gated content, requiring interested viewers to register in advance by providing their contact information.

The second approach is to open the video up to a wide audience and generate leads from that audience in one of two ways:

  • During the video, direct viewers to offers, contests, or other social media lead generation tools on another platform, such as a landing page on your website or a custom tab on your Facebook page.
  • Encourage live interaction by offering a reward for participation, then be sure to follow up with those who leave comments. The follow up could be as simple as directing people to resources related to their comments (including gated content), or you could encourage them to reach out to your team on social media with any further questions.

Keep in mind that the more specialized or niche your video, the fewer leads you will likely generate, but the more targeted the leads.

Better Leads Mean More Sales

Of course, the more top-quality leads you can acquire, the better your chances of making more sales. The world is on social media. If your business plans to market itself to the world, and especially to target a select audience in that world, social media is a great place to start.

How are your results with social selling? Do you depend on totally organic results or do you spend dollars on social media ads? Share your experiences with us in the comments below.

 

How To Leverage The Power Of Video For Your Business by @XLConsultingGro

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The power of video for your business

by Elaine Slatter | Featured Contributor

Nothing says it better than a picture…..well yes there is something better, the power of video for your business.  All the popular social media platforms are emphasizing video content.  How can you get started and use video marketing and leverage the power of video?   Here are some tips to help you.

Get Started By Using The Video App On Your Smartphone Camera

Taking a video with a smartphoneThis is the easiest way to get off the ground.  People like authenticity and nothing beats being you, talking about things that you are passionate about.  Keep the videos short and sweet, one message per video and around 1-2 minutes are ideal.   These types of videos are great for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  If you are not sure how to take good videos with your smartphone, check you this YouTube how to video.

Other things to consider are, a smartphone tripod or selfie stick, lighting options, either natural light or professional lighting kits, remote button and a lapel mic.  All these items can be purchased at a reasonable price from Amazon.

Professional Video Shoots Have Their Purpose

Professional video shootIf you are launching a book or a prestigious event, or a product, then consider a professional video shoot.  Video shoots should tell a story.  Add an emotional element that appeals to your target audience and it will pull them in and prompt your followers to share your video.

Start A YouTube Channel

YouTube is the #1 place people go to learn “how to” _____________ .  Yes, fill in the blank here.  It could be how to apply makeup, how to cook different foods, exercises to eliminate “muffin top”,  how to use Canva etc.  Once you have created your channel, you can work on building an audience and over time, monetizing your YouTube channel.  Currently, channels will require 4,000 hours of watch time within a 12 month period and at least 1,000 subscribers before you can get ad revenue.

Even if you aren’t interested in monetizing your YouTube channel, you can direct your audience to subscribe to your feed for all the new and interesting things you are creating to support your audience.  Subscribers will be automatically updated on new videos you have launched.  To encourage subscribers to your channel you can use Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to talk about your channel.  You can even have a ‘giveaway’ incentive for YouTube channel subscribers to help build your channel.

When posting your video don’t forget to categorize it, tag it and put any links to websites (including your own) in the description.

Show Up Live On Facebook And Instagram

Facebook groups and Instagram TV are great venues for live video.  It’s always a great idea to invite people ahead of time to watch your “lives”.  If you schedule them on the same day and time each week, you are more likely to get your tribe to tune in to hear what you are going to say.

Conduct Video Interviews With Interesting Guests

Using the Zoom technology (free for one on one recordings) you can split the screen, invite a guest and record the session for posting on any of your social media channels

Post video on the home page of your website

Nothing helps visitors to your website understand your business than the power of video.  To produce a video about how your company serves its clients you can record a video on Lumen 5 free of charge or use software such as Powtoon to make an animated video.

Post Testimonials On Your Website

The best videos to post on your homepage are short and snappy testimonial videos.  Instant referrals from people who love your work.  Yes, you can film them with your smartphone.     They can be filmed at your location, your client’s location or just about anywhere without a distracting background.

How to Make Your Videos More Professional?

Make sure you edit them and add some snap with a bit of music and branding intros and outros.  If you are a little tech savvy then you can do it yourself using these tools:

Editing on iPhone or iPad: iMovie, Voice recording on iPhone or iPad: Voice Memos, Editing on Android: 10 best free apps. Voice recording on Android: Voice Recorder.

If you don’t feel confident and have a small budget, Fiverr is a great platform to find a video editor/producer.  Look for a 5* review with around 100+ reviews and you will have a few choices to pick from.

Have you tried the power of video for your business?  What channels are the best for you for audience engagement?

Entrepreneurs: How to Not Get ‘Owned’ by Social Media by @thedriftingdesk

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by Lisa Jordie

We all know unplugging from social media every so often is important for our sanity, but what happens if using social media is part of your job? Social media marketing was all fun and games until the platforms started being villainized. And, in some ways, rightfully so.

Many sociologists, academics and scientists are quick to point out the need to ‘unplug’ from social media to reconnect with humans, free up your time and stop contributing to the seemingly insidious nature of these tools.

Sure, unplugging may mean you miss a cute Snap of your adorable nephew wearing virtual bunny ears, but what if your job requires using social media? There’s no way to simply delete your accounts for many entrepreneurs who utilize the platforms to:

  • Find and connect with clients
  • Promote and market their brand via ads
  • Answer questions from customers
  • Countless other opportunities

In his book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, author Adam Atler says of social media platforms,

“They’re distracting because they remind us of the world beyond the immediate conversation…”

So, say you agree that you’d like to spend less time on your phone and on social media, but you are still an entrepreneur who needs to use these tools for your business. Here are some sure-fire ways to not get owned by social media:

Disable App Notifications

Do you really need to get a notification that your old boss loved a picture you posted last year? Or that that dude you met once at a baseball game just checked into an airport in Missouri?

These are all notifications you can look at once you open these apps on your own time.

Since we already know these social media platforms are psychologically and strategically designed to keep reminding us that they exist, disabling app notifications goes a long way!

Remove Apps From Your Phone

If the temptation to use social media apps is still too great even without constant and real-time notifications, consider removing the apps all together.

Although you can access the apps on your computer for business-related tasks, some platforms just don’t function the same on desktops. Trying installing the apps on a tablet and using this instead of your phone.

Using a tablet for social media apps is also a great way to be able to separate business and personal accounts as well. Say goodbye to constantly logging in and out of separate accounts!

Create Separate Accounts

This. Is. Pivotal.

Switching gears quickly is part of the game if you are an entrepreneur, but it can be mentally straining to go from responding to a message with pictures the bounty of sweet Aunt Sandra’s vegetable garden to responding to message from a confused client who needs clarification on one of your business processes.

This may mean making a quirky name for your personal account and your ‘real’ name for your business account. So be it. Separating your personal and business social media accounts will also make it easier to stay organized with your business.

Set a Schedule

Instead of being available on social media all of the time, set a schedule with specific times during the day when you check in to and publish on these apps. Using a Social Media Manager tool is incredibly helpful to auto-schedule posts as well (and is a huge productivity booster).

Live

Get out and live your life:

  • Take a painting class.
  • Hike with your dog.
  • Knit a boho-style macrame plant hanger.
  • Whatever. Just live.

Most importantly, give yourself time away not just from social media, but from your job.
This is why you’ve worked so hard. To live a fulfilling life. So go enjoy it..away from electronic devices..even if it’s in small doses.

How do you set boundaries with social media as an entrepreneur?

 

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Lisa Jordie has been a blogger and freelance writer for hire since 2014 when she ditched her cubicle for a more flexible lifestyle. She offers work from home, blogging and freelancing tips at TheDriftingDesk.com.

How to Build a Thriving Online Community by @AnnaMcAfee

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Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

by Anna McAfee | Featured Contributor

Online communities are all around us, and changing the way we work and live.  As humans we seek connection and often find ourselves participating in and contributing to online communities.  Not just for humans but for brands and businesses its an ever increasing need to create a following and engagement with your end user.  As online networking evolves these online communities become integral to that way in which we connect to one another in the digital world. 

In 2017 I intentionally created an offline community in my local area called #LinkedInLocal.  Shortly after I unintentionally co-founded a movement with the same hashtag created an online community of hosts.  We were and continue to be a tribe of LinkedIn users looking to follow the core idea and share the value and experiences among setting up local groups across the globe.  This has continued to grow to over 1000 host members globally, with 15-20 new hosts being added each week.  Along the way I learned some valuable lessons on what makes online communities thrive. 

Whatever you medium is for creating an online community, be it a Facebook group, Slack, or a LinkedIn group, here are some tips in order to get your community growing and thriving. 

Create a space for shared values where people can hang-out

When it comes to shared values private online groups can create a sense of belonging for users.  United by an idea or a cause, they are great opportunity for digital users to network.  Online communities should foster the sharing of ideas so in order to do this the community needs some shared values or themes.  It could be working moms, industry or location-based entrepreneurs, or hobby-based tribes, but this should be clear in both name and description. 

Say hello and value new members

New members help spread the message and continue the spread of ideas in a thriving online community.  They are integral to its success.  Its important to welcome new members to foster an environment where they feel valued.  We are all member of so many online groups, the ones in which we feel significantly more welcome will really help engagement.  This can happen in the form of a welcome message, and opportunity to introduce themselves, and communicated values around a welcoming environment. 

Facebook has a great tag within groups call New Member  for the first two weeks upon joining.  This helps identify those who are new and need more support, and well as context on their questions.  Slack also provides the ability to set up bots that welcome members as they join the community.  In the words of Maya Angelou, “its not about what you say, its how you make them feel”, so appreciation will go a long way.

Make the space safe

Privacy is an issue for everyone, so showing that your community values and respects that will help members feel safe.  Make the group rules on bullying and worrying discussions very clear and stick to them.  Protection from spammers is another matter you need to deal with.  Be strict on the pitching rules in the group and remove anyone who continues to not comply.  People often use closed online communities to open up and share thoughts on matters they don’t want those close to them to know about.  Ensure your online space has that in mind. 

Be consistent and show up

No one feels valued or engaged in a community that lacks consistent content, questions or the sharing of ideas.  Have certain days for types of content and schedule these, for example the

Ability to share instagram handles or offers in a Thursday thread.  Keep members up to date about what’s going on and create content that will either help add to their businesses or help them learn.  Use scheduling tools to make things easier but make sure the content is engaging, and not just external links or sales messages.  Content should be engaging and consistency related to the shared values and message of the group.

Its not just about creating content, but also answering questions. If necessary appoint some community ambassadors or champions to moderate and answer messages.  This will help ensure everyone is getting the information they need at the right time. 

Be organised

Within any community there are common questions that come up time and time again.  Seek to create resources that help answer these questions and add them as pinned posts, or even share as a mailer if you have a list to support your online community.   Use the files section in order to add regular documents.  Use learning features to put together modules or units from content in the group, such as previous live videos.  Online events are another way to foster community for connection, the sharing of ideas, and help facilitate connection.

Reward your best community members

Facebook now have some incredible tools to help you really make your community members and followers feel valued.  Slack and other providers do have recognition emojis, but LinkedIn groups have a lot to learn from Facebook’s badge system.  They’ve done their research and these badges are adding a lot of value to communities. These can be switched off but here are some of the great badges that help community moderators and members feel truly valued.

Facebook Group Badges

  • Group Anniversary: Celebrates the time a member has invested in your group, appearing on their anniversary day of becoming a group member
  • Conversation Starter: Recognizes members who start meaningful group discussions. This badge will appear for members whose posts receive the most likes and comments in the past month.
  • Founding Member: Acknowledges early members who have helped grow your group.
  • Conversation Booster: Recognizes people who frequently generate meaningful discussions can encourage other group members to contribute more
  • Visual Storyteller: Recognizes members for unique contributions to the community can help spark conversation within the community. It will appear for members who share photos or videos that group members find valuable.
  • Greeter: Provides new members with information and support upon joining can help them feel welcomed. The greeter badge will appear for members who frequently respond to new members’ posts and comments.
  • Link Curator: Recognizing members who help bring topic-relevant news to the group, the link curator badge will appear to members who share quality, external content with their group that receives good engagement
  • Rising Star: Recognizing new members within their first month with the group that contribute to the community


Facebook groups also offer a section of members with things in common, such as common friends or liked pages.  This provides a great conversation starter and a way to connect.  Facebook Pages offer the ability to add Top Fan badges and Valued Commenter.  The “Valued Commenter” badge is awarded when someone comments frequently on a Page, and the “Top Fan” badge is acquired when a fan is one of the most active.

4 Keys To Better Social Media Engagement by @XLConsultingGro

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by Elaine Slatter | Featured Contributor

Would you like to get more social media engagement?  Of course, you would, and so do millions of businesses.  The social media space is getting more and more crowded every day.  We can’t be all things to all people because that just doesn’t work for engagement.   So, what are the four key tips to help you with social media engagement?

Community

Your community will help with your social media engagement if they become loyal followers of you and your company’s brand.  Take your time to develop your own community.  How do you do this?  Map out your ‘why’.  The reason your company does what it does.

For example, Toms is not just a shoe company, it is a movement.

Its mantra: “With every TOMS purchase, you stand with us on issues that matter.”  That’s ‘why’ they are in business.

People who purchase Toms shoes care as much about issues that matter as they do about buying shoes.  They can buy shoes from anywhere but no other company is committed to helping others like Toms.  Toms supporters are a very committed community of buyers.

Our XL Consulting community, under the Fabulous Fempreneurship brand is made up of women entrepreneurs who want to help develop the women leaders of tomorrow in the business community.  It’s ‘why’ we are in business. Who is your community?

Curating

Once you have found your community, the next step is to curate content.  Finding content is much easier when you know who you want to engage with.  Not all the content you develop has to be your own.  Find other thought leaders who share the same community as you and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

The next step is to engage with these thought leaders and curate their best content and share with your community on a consistent basis.  This is the “give” aspect of social media. By promoting  their curated content these thought leaders will engage with you and share YOUR content.

Content

While you are curating content from influencers in your market space, don’t forget to create your own content!

This is pretty easy to do once you are following leaders in your industry.  You can take a topic that your community wants to hear about and spin it many different ways on multiple platforms.  Just don’t be lazy! It may seem easy to connect your platforms together ie Facebook/Instagram, but that is just duplicating content and the audiences on different platforms do not always share the same interests.

For example, the audience demographic on Facebook is not the same as Instagram.  The younger community who hang out on Instagram definitely do not have a Facebook profile.  They have no interest at all in Facebook.  If you have a teen to early 20’s community, they are more likely to have a Twitter account than a Facebook profile.

If your community is B2B or leaders in the business community, then producing content to post on LinkedIn is important.  Content for this platform is not the same as the material you necessarily post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  It is a Business platform so leave out the very personal stuff, it doesn’t fit this platform.

How do you produce your own content for a variety of platforms without sucking up all your valuable time?  One of the best ways is to create a content calendar for the month for each platform.  This could be in the form of 4 blog posts that can be geared to twitter and facebook audiences, plus 3 videos for IGTV, & 4 videos on YouTube.  Add in a couple of podcasts to share on LinkedIn and you have a variety of material that can produce a month’s worth of content.  And, let’s not forget photos.    Video and photo content can be produced easily on your smartphone because your community will enjoy the personal side of your content as much as the professionally edited content you produce.  It will be more real for your community and show your brand personality.

You can show the raw side of ‘you’ by hosting Facebook lives, or Instagram lives. There are a variety of ways to engage your community.

If you aren’t sure what kind of content to develop, search platforms such as Buzz Sumo or Quora or Google keywords.  These sites will give you ideas of what a community like yours is interested in learning about and the trending topics.   If you have a Facebook group you can poll the group to find out what they need help with the most.

Once you have developed your content you can schedule it to disperse, rinse and repeat many times over with a scheduling tool.  My favorite is PromoRepublic, a cross between Canva and Hootesuite. I can use their content suggestions, alter it, select one of the graphics and schedule across multiple platforms all at the same time.

You can always update historic content by adding more relevant news, videos, quotes, and photos to make it new again.  If you devote one hour a month to updating existing content, you have created brand new content in a matter of minutes that will help boost your Google ranking.

Connecting

Once you have posted your content on a regular basis, don’t forget the most important part which is connecting.  Respond to your community by engaging with their content, answering their comments and taking note of what your community is adding or responding to. This is the listening part of social media engagement.  The comments and concerns of your community will help you with increased engagement

Don’t forget to SHARE posts from your community of followers on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.  This will show you care and at the same time increase your followers.

Social media engagement is your online marketing strategy, which combined with in person, traditional marketing, will boost your brand awareness and lay the foundation for selling products.

How To be More Human on LinkedIn by @annamcafee

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Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

by Anna McAfee | Featured Contributor

You read that right, LinkedIn is growing in both users and massive engagement numbers in engagement.  Its community content is creating an online platform with a more human approach.  The once “forgotten” social media platform is gaining attention among millenials, business owners, and leaders who are online not for recruitment but to grow professionally.  A recent announcement confirmed the release of Live Video this year, which will add to the “human touch” created by native video 18 months ago.  Here are 5 steps to take to get more out of LinkedIn.  

Your LinkedIn profile is not your resume, and its not just for recruitment

LinkedIn has long-held a reputation as a recruitment-focussed platform, and its the reason many of its 610 million users join.  Whilst LinkedIn is still a place for recruiters and job seekers, it is fast becoming THE marketplace for B2B and a great place to build your personal brand. 

Its important to have the right focus on LinkedIn your profile.  If its to grow your business, network with potential customers, or build your online reputation, its important to ensure your profile is buyer focussed, and not the standard resume template you set up when you first created your account.  It should not focus on the job you were once looking for, but focus on attracting a new connection or lead.  A great LinkedIn profile should clearly explain WHAT you help WHO with, your background, your WHY, your values, your key drivers and what unique value you can add.  It should a representation of who you are, not just what you do and represent your personal brand.  It should be visually appealing with a engaging profile image, background image and rich media, such as image and video.

Expand your connection base to further reach new customers

LinkedIn can open many doors when used effectively and with the right mindset.  Its fair to say that there are many potential customers and collaborators out there that you don’t yet know.  LinkedIn is one large virtual networking room with opportunities to meet new collaborators, mentors, clients and service providers.  In order to gain real opportunities you must be open to new connections, but still remain focussed.  For example, if its unlikely that you’re going to do business outside of a specific region then keep your network focussed on people in that area but broaden it to include new connections you have not yet met in person. 

Its important to always approach new connections with a personalised connection request, or a friendly note when you accept theirs.  Never sell in the first instance when connecting.  Build relationships first and get to know your potential buyer and understand their needs.  Be more human in the connections you build.

Photo by Adam Solomon on Unsplash

All you need is 15 minutes a day to get started

15 minutes a day is all it takes to start building engagement and find new customers online. 

We are all busy and spend an increasing amount of time online but LinkedIn needn’t eat into your day.  Engaging for just 15 minutes a day will boost your industry knowledge, help you understand your competitors better, and you’ll meet and build relationships with more connections to help you in your career and life.

Spend 5 minutes in the newsfeed reading content, engaging with content and reach out to people to expand your network.  Engagement means commenting as well as liking, comments help boost the algorithm and build better relationships.  You can add a lot of value to other posts and your own network through intentional comments.  Spend another 5 minutes sending, checking and responding to received connection requests and messages.  Spend the remaining 5 minutes checking your notifications, with updates on recent posts and flags for anyone who has started a new job, has a work anniversary or birthday.  Reach out to these people to engage with them. 

Produce engaging content and participate in hashtag campaigns to expand your reach

Your LinkedIn content should be focussed on engagement as its comments that are most favoured by the algorithm.  Ask questions in your content, raise a different opinion on a topic, and be empathetic to your clients problems and viewpoints.  In all of the forms of content, both posts and pulse articles, storytelling is significantly engaging users.  Telling stories will deepen your audiences’ understanding of what you do, and why.  Video is king right now and live video will only enhance this.

The hashtag campaigns by both LinkedIn and its users have encouraged support among others and sharing within the community.  Examples include #InItTogether by LinkedIn, and #letsgethonest, in which 26 million people shared their failures, weaknesses, and losses via content, on the basis that what we share as humans aren’t perfections, but universal flaws.   Participating in hashtag campaigns will widen your reach, help give you some engaging content ideas, and deepen your relationships.  What works on other social media platforms is necessarily what will work on LinkedIn, so its always good to experiment, and spend some time ‘listening’ to others in the newsfeed and see what else is engaging other users on the platform.

You don’t need to pay for LinkedIn,  a lot can be achieved with a free account

LinkedIn offers some incredible premium products such as Sales Navigator with a bespoke newsfeed, and access to LinkedIn Learning.  Paying for LinkedIn though isn’t necessary to building trust and an engaged following online.  Share text-only posts, native video, combined image/text posts, and upload document to posts for greater engagement.   External links are ok but won’t be favoured by the algorithm so stick to original engaging content for the best reach. 

Traditional Company pages went through a re-brand in 2018 to LinkedIn Pages. 2019 will see more features coming to these pages that will focus on small to medium sized businesses.  Additionally live video will enhance pages and we will see the release of a LinkedIn Events area.  Add buttons for your website or sign up pages, and create showcase pages under the main company page to showcase events, products or areas of your business, and build a following for these specific areas for greater engagement. 

Social Media Trends to Watch For in 2019 by @donnaamos

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Social Media Trends

by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor 

Social media is here to stay in a big way. One of the best ways for businesses to connect with a target audience is to maintain an active presence on social media channels. The era of, “My business is open, come and see me” is long over. Now, savvy business owners know they must go where consumers are and establish a relationship. Social media is THE place to do that, easily and relatively cheaply.

Therefore, as you embark on planning your social media marketing strategy for 2019, get on board with these important trends. They either gained popularity or became firmly established during 2018, and will play a vital role in how you connect with your audience in the coming year.

A “Pay to Play” Strategy

In the early days, companies could fully expect that 16% of their followerswould see their Facebook updates. By the end of 2018, that reach had plummeted to about 6% or less. Other social media platforms have followed suit. The day or organic reach has ended. Social media platforms will not give away what they can reap a huge benefit from – your followers. Now, you must pay to play.

Now, in order to reach your target audience on any social media channel, you must invest in sponsored posts, boosted posts, and social media ads. Fortunately, social media advertising is one of the most affordable means of marketing available. If you handle your own keyword research and audience targeting, Social media marketing is much more affordable than pay-per-click advertising.

Video is the Preferred Media of Most Users

Now is the time to get on board with video marketing, if you haven’t already. According to research by Wyzowl, “97% of marketers say that video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service, and 76% indicated that it has helped increase web traffic and sales.”

That is easy to accept when we also realize that 95% of Internet users have watched explainer videos to learn more about a product or service, and 81% have bought a product or service as a result of watching a company’s advertising video. No other form of media can boast these high use and conversion percentages.

Video is the absolute best way for a company to put a face to their business. It enables prospects and customers to get to know who leads and works in a business. Video gives businesses an opportunity to show not only what they do but also “who” they are. In our current climate where users seek a personal connection, this is a critical factor.

The Rise of ‘Live’ Video

Live-streaming will continue to emerge as a powerful way to engage people on social media. According to statistics compiled by Go-Globe, two-thirds of all internet traffic in 2017 was streaming video. By 2020, 82% of internet traffic is expected to be video content. And most of that will be live streaming. The interactivity of live video makes it a powerful tool for marketers to engage with their audience and strengthen the relationship between a brand and its followers.

The authenticity of ‘going live’ is a key factor that audiences want, as it helps build trust and loyalty with your company. Even if problems arise when you are ‘live,’ followers are likely to understand that and it may even further strengthen their trust in your company, as only authentic content leaves room for genuine mistakes.

Quality Long-Form Content

Word count isn’t everything when it comes to ranking high on search engines like Google, but SEO experts agree that long-form content can give you an edge. Users and search engines alike want to see high-quality content of more than 1,000 words, and we see that such content consistently outranks articles with 500 words.

Therefore, more publishers are requiring writers to submit articles over 1,000 or 1,200 words, and more company blogs are beginning to embrace similar long-form content. These comprehensive articles that are rich with information and insight, will go far to both attract readers and give Google and other search engines a reason to rank them more favorably.

Building Community

Building a community in social can help you to build trust with your followers. Groups on LinkedIn and Facebook are being encouraged on both platforms. And once you begin building that following you have to immerse yourself and be engaged.

Using hashtags in Twitter and Instagram can help you to find conversations that your community are having and allow you to join in.

Communities can also help to segment your audiences and customize your messaging. By the way, building community is the perfect way to build your personal brand and can be the beginning of influencer marketing!

Personal Branding

Particularly for small businesses, putting a real, human face to a brand name helps to build loyalty. A brand that’s more relatable, and has the human element, naturally garners more trust, and trust is essential for building relationships. Many companies have used the tactic of promoting their brand by promoting the business owner.

His or her face essentially becomes the brand, closely associated with the company logo. He or she personifies all that the company is about, or at least what they wish to portray. By enabling your audiences to get to know the character and expertise of company leadership, your business can strengthen its brand reputation.

What other important social media trends do you see emerging for 2019? Share your thoughts and insights with our readers in the comments below.

Why Community Matters Now, More Than Ever by @annamcafee

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by Anna McAfee | Featured Contributor

“What tribes are, is a very simple concept that goes back 50 million years. It’s about leading and connecting people and ideas. And it’s something that people have wanted forever” says Seth Godin.

You’d have to be living under a rock to not have recently heard the words ‘community’ and ‘tribe’. But why does it matter so much, and why does it matters now?  We need to take a look at the world, where we are as individuals, and where we are as a collective.

But what is a community?  As individuals we are members of multiple groups of people, which are defined by geography, work, study, interests, online social networks, and online group participation.

The lack of real community

As humans we have a basic need for community but modern lifestyles are squeezing this out.  Community is more and more absent from the way we live our lives.  We have evolved in tribes, always lived and hunted as groups, but we are living more isolated lives online and not interacting with individuals and groups around us.  Social change has meant that many of us have moved away from where we grew up, and we don’t have a support network around us. Its alarming that for many its becoming the norm to go for days without seeing another human face to face.   

The internet and social media have created unprecedented opportunities for connection across the globe.  A hyper-connected world, always online, has provided considerable advantages, with greater opportunities for remote work and flexibility, in particular for women.  We have information at our fingertips and the ability to find customers and build business relationships remotely. 

At what cost though? 

Where there is an upside, there is also a downside.  Social media is eating humans. Estimates show that 2.95B people on earth (one third of humanity) will use social media by 2020. It connects us in ways we’ve never before seen or imagined. It disconnects us in ways we take for granted. In a time when social media shapes our world view and drives our daily interactions, we need to define a new balance between online and offline, between global and local, between virtual and reality.  Modern life is creating a human connection gap, there is lack of social cohesion around us, and less of a sense of belonging.

What we can and are doing about it

Photo by Slava Bowman on Unsplash

In recent years there has been a shift towards authentic connection in what has become a fast, technologically advanced world. Social media has added so much to our world and our businesses but we have lost something in the process. We have become accustomed to define ourselves by the job we do, who we know, how many likes we get.  Yet we are so much more than the superficiality of all those things.

As a result of change we are seeing a shift in consumer demands, a craving for a more human experience.  In our DNA there is a desire to be a part of a community, or multiple communities, that support us and help us grow.

Brands and companies are being expected to deliver a more human experience to its customers and followers.  We now have #O2O movements (online to offline) and #H2H (human to human) delivery of content, products and services. 

Another example of this change is the #letsgethonest campaign in late 2017 and re-run again in 2018.  26 million people shared their failures and weaknesses via content, on the basis that what we share as humans aren’t perfections and successes, but universal flaws and failures.

Online brands such as Fiverr and Asana are now delivering a community experience to customers and contributors.  #LinkedInLocal, a campaign to take online connections offline and come together to meet in groups face-to face, has spread to over 85 countries in less than two years.  We continually see the rise and growth of Facebook communities for like-minded people, anything from mothers groups to soul-centred entrepreneurs, there is a Facebook group for literally everything.

Bridging the Human Connection Gap 

Even in a digital world it is so important to build our own “villages” to support us. Social isolation is damaging to health, education, business and society.  As humans we need to find the balance between an increased need for privacy, and shutting ourselves off from the world.  Human interaction must be meaningful and when we recognise this we need to picture what our own ideal in-person villages look like, and use technology for good in order to seek them out.

How the LinkedIn Algorithm Works by @donnaamos

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linkedin algorithm

by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor 

When you visit LinkedIn or the LinkedIn app, you see your homepage feed. This page acts very much like the Facebook feed, where you see updates from your friends or Pages you follow. However, your LinkedIn feed does not show every post from your entire network. It only shows content that LinkedIn judges to be relevant to you. You can, of course, use the setting at the top right of the page to see posts based on recent activity instead of relevance. 

That’s because LinkedIn has implemented a process for content distribution across its network that utilizes four filters, in order to reduce spam and/or inappropriate content. If you include LinkedIn in your content marketing strategy, you need to understand how the LinkedIn algorithm filters your posts and chooses whether to show them or not. 

Filter #1 Quality Level

Every time you post any type of content, the LinkedIn algorithm judges it to be spam, low quality, or quality. In a blog post describing the strategies used to keep the newsfeed relevant, Director of Engineering, Rushi Bhatt explained: “Our online and nearline classifiers label every image, text, or long form post as “spam,” “low-quality,” or “clear” in near real time.

Filter #2: Level of Engagement 

If your content passed the initial round, it appears in the LinkedIn feed temporarily. This is when the LinkedIn algorithm watches and measures the amount and types of audience engagement your post earns. If your post is gaining likes, comments, and shares, you will likely pass this stage. However, there is no definitive number of likes, shares, or comments that determine a pass or fail. 

Filter #3: Your (and your Content’s) Credibility 

At this third filter, the LinkedIn algorithm will look beyond the content of your post and more at who you are to determine if your post should keep showing up in user feeds. According to Hootsuite, “This stage is also when the algorithm decides whether to ‘demote’ your content, sending it backwards in the queue for another chance at winning credibility. 

If your post looks ‘suspicious,’ but the algorithm doesn’t want to make a definitive call on it (giving you the benefit of the doubt), it will remain in the feed but not show very highly or very frequently.” Basically, LinkedIn looks at you and your network to determine whether or not this is a spam post and whether your network will find it valuable. 

Filter #4: Human Editors

It is at this point that human LinkedIn editors take a first look at your content. Up until now, only a small batch of people have been allowed to see and interact with your post. Most of the other determinations are made by LinkedIn algorithm bots that are preprogrammed to search for unpublicized factors. 

At this point, editors review your post to determine whether it should keep showing, if it should be included in a particular channel, or whether they can derive any takeaways from it for future algorithm tweaks and product development. As long as it keeps getting engagement, your post stays in the mix, continuing its algorithmic journey through the feed.

Here is a great infographic that details how the LinkedIn algorithm works. 

How to Optimize Your Posts for LinkedIn 

Follow these three tips to optimize your posts around the LinkedIn algorithm. 

  1. Create Great Content– Vary between text, images, videos, tips, opinions, quotes, and simple sharing links to other great content. Be sure all your content is optimized for mobile users, since about 60% of LinkedIn users access the platform on their phones.  
  2. Leverage the LinkedIn Bias– Since LinkedIn is a more professional-leaning social network, you should focus your posts around topics that LinkedIn admits a bias toward: 
    1. Career Helps
    1. Industry Relevance 
    1. Credible and Trustworthy Sources 
  3. Grow Your Network– A large network of followers spells credibility on LinkedIn, so use these tips to expand your network in 2019: 
  4. Ask all your employees to follow your company and set it as their workplace on their profiles.
  5. Follow influential people in your industry who are prominent on LinkedIn.
  6. Join and participate in relevant groups, sharing your content when appropriate.
  7. Comment on content relevant to your industry.
  8. Set up links to your LinkedIn page on your company website and careers page to encourage more relevant follows.
  9. Mention people when you post something and they’ll like or share if you’ve named them in your post. 

What are some other suggestions you have for optimizing your content to take full advantage of the LinkedIn algorithm and get your posts viewed? We’d love to hear your suggestions or ideas in the comments below. 

5 Tips For Organizing Your Social Media Over the Holidays

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by Chelsea Tobin

We all know that getting everything prepped in time for the holiday season (both in life and in business) can get a bit overwhelming and hectic. One of the last things you want to be thinking about is making sure your business’ Instagram channel is updated over this period! So here are 5 tips for preparing in advance and organizing your social media marketing over the holidays.

1. Schedule in advance
Make use of a scheduling tool to plan out and schedule all your social media posts in advance. Popular tools include Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Sprout Social and CoSchedule – to name a few. Taking the time now to get these all your posts in place means you’ll only need to check in on your social media channels ad-hoc to make sure everything is running smoothly.

2. Minimize the amount posts
If your regular posting schedule usually involves 5-10 posts per week, your business probably doesn’t need to be posting this much over the holiday season. This will of course depend on your kind of business (and whether you have an e-commerce store making the most of holiday specials!), but I recommend cutting the posts back to 3-5 per week if you’re a small-medium business.

3. Factor in key dates
If you’re stuck for social media content ideas during this period, don’t forget that you can utilize the key dates over the holiday season (e.g. Christmas, Boxing Day, New Years) and create posts around these. Even a simple “Merry Christmas” post will likely be appreciated by your audience – and will help keep your page active to keep the social media algorithms happy!

4. Let your audience know you’ll be less active
You don’t need to tell your audience exactly when and where you’re going on holiday, but a courtesy notice to let them know that you (or your business) will be less frequent and available on your social media over the holidays will set expectations for if/when some people do decide to get in contact with you.

5. Set time to respond and engage
Even though you’ll be enjoying a break from business (and even social media), make sure you designate a bit of a time each week to not only check your channels, but also to respond to any comments and messages. It’s important not to abandon your social media entirely; a little of engagement will go a long way when it comes to maintenance and growth of your channels.

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With the desire to go “digital nomad” and help businesses with their social media marketing, Chelsea founded her boutique social media agency, Queen of Swords Media, in 2018. She attended Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Marketing major) and a Bachelor of Communication Studies (PR major). She enjoys speaking and writing about her journey so far in the world of business, self-development and mindfulness as a young millennial woman navigating her way through life, and of course social media. You can find her on Instagram here – https://www.instagram.com/queenofswordsmedia/