Every social media platform is unique. The necessities in your social media marketing arsenal need to accomodate the requirements of every social platform. Check out this infographic which highlights the best social media platforms for your brand goals.
Image Source: Greenbookblog
Social media has become a deeply entrenched aspect of our digital lives. We use it as a guide on what to do and to tell us what others are doing. Social media has become an integral aspect of brands’ digital lives too. Companies continue to invest significantly in social media because of its importance to consumers. According to a recent study, 58% B2B marketers are increasing their social media spend in 2014. As brands get more ambitious and expand the scope of their social media campaigns, the volume of social interaction between brands and consumers and also between consumers about the brand, increases. Brands obviously will want to get the most from their investment in social media and mining this data can give them rich insights for further marketing campaigns. Social media analytical tools can help marketers do just this. Following are four kinds of social analytical tools that can help you learn more about your consumers, reach out and engage better:
A brand cannot afford to be ignorant about what’s being said about it on any major social platform. Social media listening tools (also known as social media monitoring tools) can be your digital eyes and ears. They sift through all the chatter and analyze it for positive and negative comments. Depending on their complexity and features, they can give you alerts on where your brand is featured or direct your attention to negative comments and potential trouble creators.
Listening tools provide insights into social data and help formulate informed and effective social marketing strategies. These tools can help brands be proactive either in exploiting opportunities or in defusing controversies before they spiral out of control.
Every brand wants to maximize its reach on social media. With the variety of social media platforms today, this is becoming an increasingly tough task. Each platform has different formats – Slideshare can carry a 100 MB presentation but Twitter restricts at 140 character messages. The growth and diversity of social media offerings makes manual posting across social media platforms tougher with each passing day.
This is where social reach tools come in. Through an automated process they spread your brand’s content across the web, helping you target prospects, engage with existing customers and encourage word of mouth. What’s more, you can use even use these tools to identify influencers (positive and negative) for your brand. As you know, influencer marketing is a great technique to increase reach.
Some products are high involvement products and choosing the right product means a lot to the buyer. It could be a camera for an amateur photographer or a financial software package for a small business owner. The stakes are high for the buyer either emotionally, financially or in terms of effort and impact.
These prospects want in-depth information such as, third party reviews and ratings of your products before they make their purchase decision. Tools that offer social depth help your brand by building rich social content and experiences into your sites. You can even use social depth tools to facilitate comments, third party ratings and reviews on your site.
Social relationship tools are useful for publishing content on social sites. These tools offer scheduling capabilities, which ensure an enduring online presence. This helps the brand stay in touch regularly with consumers instead of making sporadic appearances.
Additionally, relationship tools can create rich content assets like Twitter Cards and experiences like social contests and polls both of which give texture, prompt interest and involvement in the engagement. There are social CRM tools that help you respond to customer queries and build positive word of mouth amongst consumers. Each tool offers specific benefits, each of which is important to your business. You will have to choose your mix of tools based on your business objectives. These tools work best together, after all what’s the point of ‘listening’ to a problem, if you are not going to address it with your ‘reach’ tools or ‘relationship’ tools. Choose your tools carefully based on your resources and watch the effectiveness of your social media activities surge.
Which tools work best for your business? Tell us…
With the launch of the ‘Interest’ tool, Pinterest is trying to make good on its aim to create new ways for users to find pins on the site. This tool is designed to help pinners find pins that they would be interested in.
Pinterest will be rolling out this tool worldwide and on to mobile devices soon.
To get started on pins related to your interests, you need to head over to the ‘Preview! Explore Interests’ option in the Categories menu on your desktop browser.
The current version of the ‘Interests’ tool is still in preview mode. Pinterest will be making improvements to it overtime.
Pinterest has already stepped into the advertising arena with the launch of Promoted Pins in 2013. At the time, CEO and co-founder Ben Silbermann assured users and advertisers that the promoted pins would be relevant to users’ interests.
‘Interesting’ development, the launch of the ‘Interest’ tool now, don’t you think?
Advertisers may eventually be able to target users with promoted pins that cater to relevant user interests using the user interest data available through the ‘Interest’ tool. Ben Silbermann’s assurance about catering to users’ interests especially makes you wonder if the launch of the ‘Interest’ tool is a part of Pinterest’s strategy to bring in more advertising revenue.
If you remember, there were rumors about Facebook Paper earlier this month…Well, we can now confirm that the rumors are true.
The new release by Facebook is the Paper app, which will help users catch up on their reading by collating stories shared by friends and the world around you.
Facebook has made it easy for users to create and share stories of their own by structuring Paper with stories and themed sections based on people’s interests.
The first section comprises of the news feed that will update users with new designs for photos, videos and longer text-based posts. Users can customize Paper from a choice of more than a dozen other sections about different themes and topics. Each section includes a content mix of contributions from emerging voices and known publications.
Paper is the firstborn of Facebook Creative Labs, which is working on new apps that make content sharing for people better.
Facebook is launching Paper for iPhone users in the US from February 3. If you want an early peek at it, you can also take a tour of Paper.
A year post the launch of Graph Search, Facebook will be bringing the feature into mobile devices soon. Facebook users will now be able to use the Graph Search on the move too!
Facebook news feed ads have shown impressive ROI figures in a recent study by Marin Software.
The study found that news feed ads in Q3 2013 displayed 44 times higher CTR and 5x increase in conversion rate when compared to the ads that appeared on the Right-Hand Side (RHS) of Facebook. The news feed ads not only outshone RHS ads, they also have a 67% lower CPC.
Marketers have noticed the high performance levels of news feed ads. Marin Software found that marketers increased their news feed ads spend by 140% in the same quarter.
Facebook’s recent news feed redesign may have had a hand in boosting the performance capabilities of news feed ads.
As the news feed became more visual-oriented post the redesign, the news feed content requirements for brands also changed; thereby also affecting news feed ad content and probably, their performance. The current emphasis on visuals in digital marketing is also a catalyst here.
Another factor that probably is in play is that the Facebook newsfeed is a great platform for native advertising.
Advertisers can subtly slip their messages into the viewers news feed and the better targeted and more attractive these messages are, the greater the chance of them being clicked on.
Marketers, do take note of this!
With more and more consumers accessing Facebook through their mobile, marketers are opting for mobile-only campaigns on Facebook. Marketers also seem to recognize that Facebook users behave differently while accessing the site via mobile and computer, and are segregating their Facebook budgets between these two.
Between Q2 and Q3 2013, 45% more marketers chose mobile-only ads. The reason for this is clear when you see these stats: mobile-only news feed ads outperformed desktop ads with 187% higher CTR and 22% lower CPC.
This rise in choice of mobile-only ads can also be expected to increase due to the separation of ad buying options by Facebook due to which, marketers can now buy only desktop or mobile ads. Given that marketers may have different objectives while advertising on mobile and desktop, this was a good option that was provided.
Facebook’s Custom Audiences tool, which was launched in March 2013, has seen widespread adoption by brands. It’s not surprising given that it offers marketers better targeting options than the broader options available earlier. Sharper targeting through Custom Audiences should in turn lead to better conversion and lower CPC rates.
And it has.
82% more marketers used the Custom Audiences tool in Q3 2013 compared to Q2. This looks like a trend that will continue given the results they have got.
Ads that used the Custom Audiences tool had conversion rates 3.87 times higher than ads with only demographic or category-based targeting. These ads also showed a 14% lower CPC and 64% lower cost-per-conversion than category or interest-based targeting.
Facebook advertisers seem to be hitting the gold mine with Facebook’s ad products. What do you think they are doing right? What can Facebook do to make its ads better
The social site added another feather to its illustrious cap with the launch of GIF images. Pinterest also launched a recipe search feature at the same time.
Pins with a GIF image will have a small ‘play’ button at the bottom left corner using which, users can play and pause the GIF image. The feature will be available to users world over on the web version of Pinterest. However, the company promises to activate this feature for mobile users soon.
Brands can use GIF images on Pinterest to showcase real quick consumer reaction about a new product/service unveiled. Since GIF images are animated and so different from normal static images but aren’t videos at the same time, they can help capture user attention for a quick few seconds.
Their SERPs will now provide users with more information about sites that appear post a search. Users can find out more about every site in the results by clicking on the page name adjacent to the actual link.
Image Courtesy: Mashable
The catch here is that this feature will not be active for all websites. For this information to be shown, a website has to be recognized online, there should be sufficient information to show or the content should be interesting for users.
This information is drawn from Google’s Knowledge Graph, which strives to improve Google Search by taking semantic search information from multiple sources.
For brands, this can mean better chances of increasing site visits when users see what their site is about before clicking. This can mean more engagement with site visitors thereby helping in gaining leads. If people are avoiding clicking on a link because they are not sure about the content of the website, this update solves the problem by briefing users about a site’s content aiding in resolving any qualms about legitimacy of site content.
The latest to its news feed algorithm by Facebook has lead to reduction in the visibility of Page Updates.
According to Facebook’s tests, more text status updates from users’ friends prompted them to write more status updates. But this was not true in the case of text status updates from Pages.
Post this algorithm tweak, text status updates from Pages will be treated as a separate category from friends’ text status updates. Applying its learning that Page posts behave differently from friends’ posts, Facebook is reworking its ranking algorithms.
Page admins will now see a dip in the distribution reach of their Page’s text status updates. A positive here is the hike Page admins may see in engagement and distribution for other story types. If your brand’s Page shares links simply by putting it together with a text status update, post this algorithm change, you should use a link-share.
Facebook recommends that brand Pages should choose the story type that best fits their message without simply going for a text status update.
We would love to know what you think about these updates. Use the ‘Comment’ section below and tell us!
Many social networks were launched in the last few years and attained a respectable amount of popularity. They’ve found their place in brands’ social strategies.
But, it looks like Facebook is not relinquishing its hold on the market anytime soon…
A recent study by Pew Research Center found that Facebook is the dominant network for user engagement followed by LinkedIn and Pinterest. 71% adults had Facebook accounts in 2013 as opposed to 22% and 21% on LinkedIn and Pinterest respectively.
What Facebook is also succeeding in is drawing users to login multiple times in a day. While 63% of Facebook users check the site at least once a day, 40% login multiple times.
According to the study, 36% adults use only one social network. A whopping 84% of those who use only one major social network said that Facebook is the chosen site.
How does this affect B2B marketers in specific?
Facebook is an indispensable part of most marketers’ social strategy. B2B marketers are also using Facebook organically and through paid ads for various purposes ranging from building a strong audience base to selling their products.
The principles of using Facebook for marketing don’t change too much whether it is B2B customers or B2C customers. Brands still have to build a fan base, target them with relevant content, engage them and try to convert them.
It’s important to remember that most people visit Facebook for personal and not professional reasons. So it’s best for marketers to engage with the personal side of the prospect and target him when he is ‘off guard’. GE does this brilliantly with various subtle messages, contests, and trivia such as, the picture of a particular mobile power plant displayed on their Facebook page that weighs 2300 tonne!
The B2B buying process is different from the B2C process and wherein buyers are likely to require more engagement and information before they take a decision. Subtle, but interesting engagement can help build predisposition towards the brand. Visual content can engage the eyes, ears and mind and communicate information powerfully. This can influence the buyer’s decision, which can be critical when it comes to choosing between companies that don’t have significant differentiation.
Facebook, like other social sites, is all about content and an added advantage is that it has a wider base of visitors than others who visit it more often. This is a compelling combination and probably the reason why so many B2B brands like CISCO, Dell, Fluke and GE use it to promote their brands.
If you think Facebook is all about consumer marketing and LinkedIn is only about business, think again! Facebook can be a powerful tool for B2B marketers too if used well. Do you know of any B2B brands that are doing a great job on Facebook? Let us know.
Image Source: Outsourced Communications
News Reader Service
According to a Re/Code update, Facebook is going to launch a news reading service, ‘Paper’, by the end of this month.
‘Paper’ will reportedly be a Flipboard look-alike in the way it works where it will choose social updates along with news stories from publications that are of interest to a user. As per Re/Code’s update, ‘Paper’ will include Facebook posts.
During the launch of the new look for the News Feed in March 2013, CEO Mark Zuckerberg had expressed a desire to bring out a ‘personalized newspaper’ and ‘Paper’ seems to be another result of that desire.
Facebook has declined to comment on this. So, we do not know if ‘Paper’ is going to be a standalone app or if it will be in any other format.
Keep an eye on this space! We will bring you an update on this once Facebook confirms the news.
Acquisition of ‘Branch’
New York based start-up ‘Branch’, is the latest addition to Facebook’s arsenal. ‘Branch’, which is into social discussion tools, will form Facebook’s Conversations group and aims to help users connect with other like-minded people. Facebook also gained ‘Potluck’, built by ‘Branch’ in this deal. ‘Potluck’ focuses on content sharing and discussion rather than signs of engagement such as likes.
The acquisition news was announced through a Facebook post by Branch co-founder Josh Miller. Branch’s capabilities will help in building rich, consistent conversations.
This looks to be another effort by Facebook to improve the content offered to users.
Tailored Audiences Expanded
Twitter is partnering with Epsilon to offer marketers new ways of targeting ads through its Tailored Audiences feature.
Using the SecureConnect technology, marketers can delve into their own audience and zero in on focused segments based on data provided by Epsilon.
New Web Interface
Twitter announced the launch of its new web interface through a tweet recently.
Twitter’s website was behind its iOS and Android sites. With this launch, Twitter is trying to reduce that distance.
A study by Pew Research Center has found that contrary to widespread belief about the popularity levels of Twitter, it is Pinterest and LinkedIn that are stealing the thunder in the social media world.
The study covered Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Pinterest’s popularity has spiked over the past year, with 21% respondents saying that they use the site more today compared to 15% who said they used Pinterest over a year ago.
On the other hand, 22% of the respondents said they use the Linkedin. These numbers are quite high compared to just 18% of the respondents stating that they use Twitter.
But the tables turn when it comes to engagement. 46% of the survey respondents said that they check Twitter every day. The result for Pinterest and LinkedIn was 23% and 13% respectively.
The figures for Facebook prove that the social network is still at the top. 71% survey respondents said they use Facebook, compared to 67% last year.
This study has sprung a surprise in the finding that Pinterest and LinkedIn have surpassed Twitter in popularity. However, seeing the increased popularity and emphasis on visuals, this is a development that is in line with the industry trends.
The fact that Facebook is still the top ranking social site is definitely not surprising. Seeing the way Facebook has ruled the social roost until now, it is expected that it will be topping the chart for some more time.
Did the Pew study results take you by surprise? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
The social site added another feather to its illustrious cap with the launch of GIF images. Pinterest also launched a recipe search feature at the same time.