Collective Clicks Internet Marketing Blog

Facebook has useful features for marketing

The newsfeed feature on Facebook allows people to see the activities of their friends collected in one place.  These activities include status updates, posted or tagged pictures, joining groups and fanpages, and application activity.  A software company could use the newsfeed to post things like news articles about the company, a count down to a product release, or important things happening within the company.  Photo albums in Facebook are where people can upload an unlimited amount of photos from their collection.  The software company could use photo albums to show people pictures of their products, screenshots of the products while running, or new developments in software.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, facebook marketing, Social Media, social media marketing

Social media offers many marketing benefits

The music industry would benefit greatly from engaging in social media.  First, it would provide a great avenue for bands or record labels to connect directly with fans and consumers.  This would allow them to provide new content and receive feedback in a quick and direct fashion.  Fan opinions on things such as new songs, tour dates, and signees could be gathered immediately.  Likewise, the band or label could actively engage fans in a dialogue about almost anything, whether it pertained to the band/label or not.  This ground level approach could help bands and labels cultivate a stronger and wider fanbase and allow them to adapt to changes occurring within their audience.

Technorati Tags: benefits of social media marketing, Social Media, social media marketing

Youtube can be great for marketing music

I would use videos that had user-controlled volume to promote products or services on the internet.  The video could first be places on the site of the product or service company, as well as any affiliate companies.  It could then be uploaded on Youtube and tagged with effective keywords to try and get the most hits.  This video could be linked to through Twitter and Facebook profiles, as well as embedded in Facebook pages pertaining to the particular product or service.  The video could then be embedded in the adspace of other sites.  These embedded videos would initially be silent, and would have an option to turn on the sound, as well as links that lead users to the appropriate front end site.

Technorati Tags: effective, multimedia, multimedia marketing

With the accessibility of Twitter in any profession comes an equivalent level of responsibility to maintain a sense of professionalism which, when not recognized, can have very real consequences. The NBA league judicial process in the suspension of NBA star Gilbert Arenas for the remainder of this season following a highly publicized gun incident was expedited by the above Twitter statements posted on his account, according to NBA commissioner David Stern.

Points to Consider When Writing for Twitter, #1: Is Your Tweet Pertinent? – Although Twitter allows companies large and small a similar capability of having a voice online, it is important to know when to use that voice because the accessibility of Twitter allows practically anyone to post anything they choose.  You will want to be certain that your posts are done with strong purpose and appeal which will keep followers engaged.

Points to Consider When Writing for Twitter, #2: Do Not Flood Followers With Repetitive Posts – Once you have your followers, it is your job to make sure that you keep them up to date with all the latest information they may want to know.  In doing this, however, it is important to save your updates for the important points.  You do not want to flood your followers with repetitive, unnecessary or irrelevant posts that will begin to seem like junk mail rather than anything useful to the followers.  As with almost any mailing list or subscription service, users can choose to “un-follow” your feed, so try to stick to what is worthwhile to your followers.

Points to Consider When Writing for Twitter, #3: Keep It Professional – Although Twitter’s SMS style may seem to add some room for a tone of informality in communicating with consumers and business partners, it is never wise to say something over Twitter or any social media network which you would not say in the office.  Keep in mind that unnecessary, foolish or inappropriate posts can have real consequences.  One example which can be cited was the season-ending suspension of NBA star Gilbert Arenas in the midst of a highly publicized incident involving unloaded guns in the Washington Wizards team locker room.  NBA league commissioner David Stern cited Arenas’ Twitter posts in which he joked about and mocked the seriousness of the incident among the reasons for changing his indefinite suspension of Arenas to a season-ending suspension immediately following his posts.  Remember you are affecting your company’s image with every word of what you publish, so there is no room for any unprofessional, foolish, or inappropriate content whatsoever.

Points to Consider When Writing for Twitter, #4: Advantages of Positive Press – Twitter is one of the most effective tools for reputation management because it allows for links to positive press coverage, reports and reviews to be sent to a greater number of clientele more directly, more accessibly and more quickly than ever before.  This can be especially helpful in an instance where a company may need to patch up its reputation after an issue with a product and let the consumers know that their concerns have been addressed.

Points to Consider When Writing for Twitter, #5: Use a Pleasant Tone – In having a new way to have an active dialogue with your clientele comes a responsibility to interact with the customer with basic customer service etiquette.  Their needs are your concern, and you want to convey that through language which creates a friendly and approachable tone with which customers can more easily communicate in voicing their concerns and providing constructive and honest feedback.

Technorati Tags: social media marketing, Twitter, writing for twitter

TinyURLs are a very useful tool for Twitter marketing because of their ability to fit within Twitter's 140 character limit without taking a large amount of character space.

Tips for Effective Twitter Marketing, #1: Get Straight to the Point – Don’t waste character space prefacing or elaborating on details of the subject of your announcement.  Twitter is designed for simple posts that get straight to the heart of the matter and sum it up in as few words as possible.

Tips for Effective Twitter Marketing, #2: Choose Your Words Wisely – Because you will be using fewer words to make your announcement, the weight of each word you choose is much greater than it would typically be with a standard blog-length post.  Therefore, you will want to use extra care in choosing words that are appealing and that represent you and your company the way that you want people to see you.

Tips for Effective Twitter Marketing, #3: How to Post URLs – Because you are limited to 140 character spaces for every Twitter announcement, you will want to avoid posting long URLs that take up a large portion of this character space.  Services such as TinyURL allow for the shortening of URLs to make them more compatible for SMS style writing and can be quite useful for Twitter.

Tips for Effective Twitter Marketing, #4: Make Connections – Making connections via Twitter differs from Facebook in that connections made through Twitter often do not imply or entail the same level of personal connection.  Making Twitter connections is more similar to subscribing to a YouTube channel or mailing list in that you can choose to follow any page to start receiving instant updates as long as the owner of the account has their settings such that it is made available for your viewing.

Tips for Effective Twitter Marketing, #5: Keep Track of Your Reputation – It is generally a good idea to stay on top of the latest comments other users are posting regarding your company to gauge how successfully you are promoting the image you want for your company.  One way to make this easier is to follow people who you find writing about your company, so you can allow their feed to update you on the latest word among consumers regarding your company’s reputation.

Technorati Tags: Social Media, tips, twitter marketing

Twitter has rapidly become a popular marketing tool for businesses large and small.

One way in which Twitter can be used as an effective marketing tool is by providing updates on new products and services, select discount offers and press releases to a select base of clientele instantly through mobile phone networks to cater to their particular interest in products or services.  Twitter’s 140 character limit allows it to be more easily integrated into SMS limited cellular networks, giving it an advantageous level of compatibility for companies to bring the latest news and announcements directly to the clients wherever they may be.

Twitter can additionally be useful as a marketing tool is for CEOs who may not have sufficient time to write a full length blog and keep it updated on a regular basis.  Twitter’s format designed for sending information in SMS is an excellent way to allow those who do not have the time to keep full blogs to communicate and publish important announcements through social media on a regular basis to keep their network up to date.

Technorati Tags: marketing tool, Social Media, Twitter

The Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is one casino business which uses Twitter to update its clientele on new attractions and special offers.

A casino business which can considerably benefit from keeping in touch with and updating its base of clientele using Twitter.  The Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is a perfect example.  The Golden Nugget Las Vegas uses Twitter to send followers updates on the latest special packages for hotel reservations as well as notifications of upcoming events and news regarding new attractions as they are added to the resort.

The San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Southern California is another example of such a business which uses Twitter to update followers on special opportunities for major winnings in its popular bingo hall— and also to provide updates regarding entertainment and concerts—another popular attraction for a large portion of the clientele.

Technorati Tags: business, casino, Twitter

Before posting an ad on a social media or networking site, it is important to give it the polish and organization that not just any individual with internet acces can make, and also to make certain that it is reaching its legal target audience.

Mistakes to Avoid in Social Media Marketing, #1: Overcomplicating Your Introduction – Almost no user of Facebook or any similar social networking site comes to the site to shop or to be solicited.  No user is going to want to read a complicated and jumbled body of text on a News Feed or in a comment box or message box that does not have a quick introductory appeal.  Keep the introductory hook short rather than attempting to elaborate within your introduction, and save the more thorough information for your page for those who visit.

Mistakes to Avoid in Social Media Marketing, #2: Lack of Page Organization – If information on your company or organization page is jumbled and it is difficult for the potential client to find the information they are looking for, they will not be likely to return or recommend your page to a friend than if the page is neatly sorted into easy-to-understand topics and links.

Mistakes to Avoid in Social Media Marketing, #3: Ignoring Your Base – Remember that on a social networking site such as Facebook, your base is one of your biggest assets when it comes to spreading word about your company or organization, so it is imperative to keep those who are already clients or partners engaged with updates about any new products or services which may be relevant to their interests.  Without your base of followers on any social networking site, the advantage of using a social networking site for advertising becomes severely diminished.

Mistakes to Avoid in Social Media Marketing, #4: Repetitive Style – After some time, using the same exact format for posted updates will begin to make it seem as if the same post is being published again and again.  If this is the case, members of your base will not likely see reason to keep returning to your page or continue spreading the word to friends if they perceive as though there is nothing new or exciting enough of which to take notice.

Mistakes to Avoid in Social Media Marketing, #5: Lack of Attention to Detail – In presenting your company or organization on a social networking site such as Facebook, it is crucial to maintain a highly polished appearance on all fronts.  Lack of attention to detail in the form of grammatical errors, jumbled words or information not only says to the potential customer that the company may lack the same attention to detail in their product or service, but can make it more difficult to distinguish from a false page or profile.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, mistakes, social media marketing

Your base of followers and clients is one of the most valuable assets you will have in social media marketing.

Tips for Social Media Marketing, #1: Straightforward Presentation – Any company or organization looking to promote a name or brand on Facebook must use extra care in how they convey who they are and what they do.  The presentation must be clear and succinct in its appeal to give an impression of legitimacy and credibility.

Tips for Social Media Marketing, #2: Keep Introductory Hook Simple – It is important to remember that most Facebook users do not come to the website to shop for products or services in deciding how one’s ad or post should appear.  Users will be far more likely to click on an ad or post which uses simple and brief language with effective appeal than one with a lengthy or confusing description.

Tips for Social Media Marketing, #3: Organize Your Page – With the knowledge that those who visit your page are those who have already shown enough interest to click a link to it, your company or organization page is where you keep the essential information that will give a clear outline of who your organization is and what they do.  The page should be neatly organized easily navigable with visible links to allow those who want to find out more information to find exactly what they are looking for easily.

Tips for Social Media Marketing, #4: Stylistic Variety – To keep your audience interested, adding some level of variety to your posts is usually advisable.  Some examples of adding variety could include using different Facebook features and media.  This helps to give an impression that your company or organization will continue to put the same level of effort for its product or service as it appeared to the user on their first visit to your page.

Tips for Social Media Marketing, #5: Maintain a Polished Appearance – The quality of any representation of your company or organization for many users indicates a corresponding quality of substance, so attention to detail in how you present your company is critical.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, social media marketing, tips

The News Feed feature of Facebook is one which can prove a useful tool for charity organizatons.

Two particular Facebook features which can be useful for a charity organization are the Fan Page and the News Feed.  The Fan Page provides a direct mode through which a charity organization can establish a network of its base of volunteers and supporters.  This can be an especially effective way to gain visibility when a member of the organization’s fan base displays a link to the Fan Page for that organization on their profile page, which in turn can be seen by all of that person’s friends when they visit his or her page.  The News Feed can also be effective because it can bring additional visitors who may not see the page displayed on a particular person’s profile, but will be drawn to the page out of curiosity when they see a snippet on the News Feed that one of their friends has become involved in the cause.

Technorati Tags: charity, facebook features