Social Media and Social Networking were trending topics (excuse the borrowed phrase from Twitter) and we listened to some excellent talks by South African Social Media pioneers:

• Mike Stopforth from Cerebra
• Mel Attree from 5fm
• Paul Jacobson from Jacobson Attorneys – Paul’s site is currently down for maintenance but be sure to check back so you can get his insights about Social Media ‘giving the finger’ to legal paradigms
• Jason Norwood Young from the Mail & Guardian Online

Besides providing some useful tips about how to use Social Media platforms like Twitter for business, most of the seminars rung true with the fact that if you aren’t using Social Media yet, and more importantly correctly, then you need to start.

We hope that The Internet Show becomes a fixture on the South African technology expo calendar.

While you may have a LinkedIN profile, are you really leveraging the power of it? It’s great for small businesses for many reasons among them:

• Brand Asset Optimisation
• An excellent platform for service oriented professionals

Useful Tips for Small Businesses Using LinkedIN

Use these simple tips to make the most of your small business LinkedIN profile.

Your Profile Page

Make sure you add a photo. Your profile will appear dormant without one. There is also an option to choose a branded url for your profile – For example http://www.linkedin.com/in/yourcompanyname. Login regularly and show that your account is active. Post updates and interesting industry related topics that help you to become a thought-leader in your market. Alter your email signature so that it links to all your Social Networking profiles (including LinkedIN).

Giver’s Gain

Use the Question & Answer feature on LinkedIN wisely. By answering questions throughtfully you are given the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in the field. In addition to this you will attract/gain leads that are drawn to your knowledge. If you’re really good you will be rewarded by LinkedIN’s rating system and you will gain extra exposure.

Remember to ask questions too. Aside from gaining the information you’re looking for, asking questions on LinkedIN is an excellent way to create discussions and engage with other connections.

Start a Group on LinkedIN

Anyone can start a LinkedIN group and begin networking on a specific topic. With some added effort you’ll be able to gain influence with your network and some professionals have found this to be one of the surefire methods of building a strong following. Building a group around an established brand is also a great way to bring users or customers together.

Start a Poll

Another feature worth exploring is their poll tool. You can create and send polls to your networks for free, or send polls to a targeted community for a fee. Great conversation can come from starting a poll on LinkedIN.

Read more about Optimising your LinkedIN profile for search.

LinkedIN Profile Headline

This is the most important step you’ll take when optimising your LinkedIN Profile. In SEO terms, the headline field in your LinkedIN Profile is similar to a meta description. Rather than using a job title that no-one understands, explain to user’s what you do in as few words as possible.

Do some keyword research around your job and use the keywords in your headline. Include your contact information (an email address will suffice) in your LinkedIN headline.

Your LinkedIN Profile Summary

As well as your chance to describe yourself and your aspirations, use your summary as an opportunity to use loads of industry-related keywords (think long-tail keywords). Just beware of creating a keyword-stuffed, long-winded summary that comes off sounding like a robot. Just like any effective website, a LinkedIN profile optimized with user experience in mind will get the sale long before a keyword-stuffed can of SPAM. As an extra tip, try not to exceed 100 words in your summary.

Your Group Memberships and Connection play a part in your LinkedIN Profile Ranking

Your group memberships and  total number of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connections also play a part in determining your ranking in LinkedIn search results. Group memberships and connections can be likened to incoming links- they serve as a “vote of confidence” of sorts, and the closer your connection is to the searcher, the higher up you will show if they use the one-click filter option to sort by relationship. My best advice would be to join as many (relevant) groups that you can and connect with a few LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers) from your industry.

Note: LinkedIN etiquette stipulates that you shouldn’t connect with random strangers, it’s just plain rude!

WSI has vast experience with Social Networking sites like LinkedIN, Facebook and Twitter. Contact us now for Social Networking solutions.

Only you know your audience well enough to know what they would consider as valuable information. But what kind of information constitutes valuable content? Look at the 3 points below and decide which one rings true with your organisation:

• Having the CEO engage with the man-on-the-street via a Blog or Social Media account
• Using a combination of humour and industry-related content as a way to keep people interested
• Publishing pricing information when no other competitors share that kind of information

Below are a few things you can try when you’re creating content for the web.

Shake Things Up

If you’re going to shake things up and get noticed for your content then you’re going to have to do a few things that are different (even out of the ordinary) to others in your industry.  Address an unpopular topic and help people solve it. If there are problems with what your industry is selling then someone will be looking for a solution.

Be a Risk Taker

Don’t be afraid to take a different approach. Before you publish content that could damage your reputation/business, ensure the worst case scenarios aren’t bad at all. Then go about creating content that causes a stir but will cause people to sit up and take notice.

Speak to your Audience in their Language

Make sure your Content speaks to your audience in a language they can relate to. And by that I mean you should stray from high-tech industry jargon. Create content that appeals and encourages conversation among your followers.

Finally, remember that people that are searching online want to be informed as well as entertained. If you get your Content Marketing right a few times, people will notice, remark and spread the word.

Among the VIP’s at this year’s Cannes was Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Mark delivered a well-attended speech at the festival where he highlighted the way Social Media has changed the relationship with the consumer. Facebook joins the ever increasing presence of digital giants like Google at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival.

Laura Klauberg of Unilever said:

“Social Media isn’t just another channel. It’s not just about Facebook, it’s much bigger as it changes the relationship with the consumer, forcing us to change the whole mindset of our business”.

As it turns out, Unilever is increasing its digital ad spend by 50% in 2010 as it turns to Social Media Marketing to complement its traditional marketing avenues.

The 2010 Social Media Predictions

eMarketer, the Internet’s market research and statistics hub, have made the following predictions for Social Media Marketing and Social Networking in 2010:

• Social Network Advertising spending will increase 14%
• Around $1.3 billion is expected to be spent in the U.S. alone
• 60% of Internet user’s in the U.S. will use a Social Network at least once a month in 2010

Why is Social Networking a Popular Marketing Tool in 2010?

Most marketers now agree that Social Media gives them immediate access to feedback about their products. In addition to this they can respond as quickly helping them to build a relationship with their clients and prospects.

When compared with traditional forms of advertising like TV, Social Media Marketing provides great value for marketers.

What are the Advantages of Building one-way Links?

• You don’t run the risk of linking from you website to ‘bad neighbourhoods’ on the Internet
• If you’re offering fresh and good content on your website then other websites will naturally link to your page

How can you get Quality Incoming Links to your Website?

While fresh content is one way to get quality Incoming Links to your Website, there are a number of other things you can do including:

• Post in Blogs and Forums regularly
• Make use of Social Networking sites
• Article Marketing
• Web Directories

All you need to do is come to a decision about whether or not you want to take on the responsibility of Building Quality Links to your website yourself, or hire a professional SEO service to do it for you. Hiring a professional is usually the better choice (if your budget allows) as they have ways and means of getting quicker results.

If you’re dumping prospects on your Home Page and not using Landing Pages to capture them then this could result in several disastrous scenarios including:

• They could get lost on your Home Page
• If they have trouble finding your offer then they’ll give up quickly and go to your competitors
• Landing on the Home Page could result in the desired action being ignored in favour of some other product/service on your website that you’re not pushing

You don’t want prospects randomly browsing your site. You want them to respond to your specific offer and engage with a desired Call to Action.

After prospects take advantage of your offer on the Landing Page it is important you follow up with the lead. Be prepared by having follow up messages that roll out automatically. The whole idea of Lead Generation is to capture contact data and then press ahead with email and other communicative avenues.

Remember to get the crucial data you need to begin a continuing marketing effort.

When leveraged correctly, Social Media can be a valuable source for small businesses in terms of:

• Lead Generation
• Brand Awareness
• Online Reputation Management
• Customer Relations
• Customer Retention

How your Small Business can start taking advantage of Social Media

Ignoring what people are saying about your small business online can be fatal. Up until recently Hello Peter was the best online channel to report/praise service in South Africa. Now there’s a plethora of other online avenue’s consumers can pursue to voice their likes and dislikes – and all this information is publicly available so don’t let it become a missed opportunity.

And even if they’re not talking about your business you should be staying abreast of what others in your industry are saying in Social Media. As a small business owner it has become your responsibility to use the nits of public information available to you so that you can:

• Build long-standing relationships with your customers
• Improve your service to them
• Enhance your products and services

… Think about how easy market research has become for you because of Social Media.

Keep your Social Media Activities Simple

Finding the right way to execute your Social Media Strategy can be daunting especially with the big brands already pushing the limits of what’s possible. That said, many of the big companies that are actively engaged with Social Media Marketing often forget that it’s the simple gestures that work best.

What are ‘Simple Social Media Gestures’ you ask? Start by acknowledging customers that mention you. For example, did someone tweet about their experience at your restaurant? Perhaps they shared a story about your small business on Facebook. These actions take place in the public domain and must be addressed as an opportunity to connect with an existing customer or a prospect.

Make them feel special via Social Media platforms. It worked on me. A few months ago I booked a cheap flight from Johannesburg to Durban on Mango airlines. I mentioned the deal in a Tweet directed at Travelstart  (a South African travel agency who are very active on Social Media). They responded saying “@russell_jarvis awesome stuff mate! Loving the mango and @Travelstart!” Needless to say I’ve used Travelstart the last 2 times I’ve flown. Check them out on Twitter – they’re a small business in South Africa doing some amazing things with Social Media.

As a small business your size is actually a huge advantage when it comes to Social Media Marketing. Strive to respond to every person that mentions you on Social Media channels. This is something large company’s battle to do.