Category Archives: social media marketing

Facebook Pages Go Live on Timeline at the End of the Month

Branding, Marketing, social media marketing, tactics


I knew it was coming soon! Facebook pages for business go to the Timeline format on March 30th.

Do you have your cover image ready? Time to get moving!

  • I like the way the Today Show used the cover photo for the people and the profile photo for their logo.
  • I like the way Coca Cola has a full timeline of things happening over the years.
  • But I dislike the cover image that Red Bull uses on their timeline. Looks like bloody hands to me, but I’m not the target market, right?

How to navigate these changes?   Mari Smith, the Facebook expert, recommends reading HyperArts Web Design‘s post about Timeline for Fan Pages.

My advice this next week, get your cover image created and select the photos with captions you’re going to post — at least one for each year your brand has been in business. But don’t go live with it just yet… I understand there are still a couple of serious bugs in the programming.

In the next week, I’m going to be working on the one I use for my blog, the one for my business and also one of the nonprofit charitable organizations that I help promote.

Have you seen some other great examples of Timeline pages for business — a product, service, consultant or other? Leave a message with a link below.  I find seeing examples is a great way to get new ideas.

Gender Makes a Difference in Mobile Ad Marketing

Marketing, Marketing - General, social media marketing

Smart PhonesA recent report on mobile ad marketing published on the BizReport site concludes that men like ads in the mobile format more than women do.

Why do you suppose that is?

And isn’t this a problem when women control the majority of the consumer spending — as much as 80%?

Do you agree with their conclusion or do you think that most of the mobile ads being distributed right now are targeting young men instead of women?

I’d be interested to hear your take on it.

Smart phones have taken over desktop sales, but brands are lagging behind when it comes to optimizing their websites, blogs and email marketing for mobile.

Recent articles in eMarketer , B2C, and SocialAxcess all point to the reasons why we (as marketers) need to be flexible and reach out to the consumers where they are — on their smartphones.

So how can a small business accomplish ecommerce without spending a small fortune?

Suggestions for marketers to keep up:

* Focus your efforts on iPhone and Droid phones, don’t worry about Blackberry and others. 

*Create a simple web page without a lot of downloadable graphics that can easily be seen, read and navigated on a smart phone.

Let me know your thoughts — both on the gender issue and on how to keep up with your company’s mobile marketing efforts — by leaving a comment below.

Creative Commons License photo credit: MJ/TR (´･ω･)

Marketing and Branding Your Products in Pinterest

Blogging, Marketing, New Products, social media marketing

As Facebook launches their IPO after reaching more than 845 million users, I’ve been wondering what’s next. 

In the last month, Pinterest has been part of of my marketing discussions with other online publishers and marketing cohorts.  Is this the next BIG thing?

Like YouTube, Facebook and most of the social media applications, you’re not supposed to blantly promote your products.  However, Pinterest has a growing momentum and I’ve noticed that many small businesses are using it to showcase their products.

For those with a visual product, Pinterest could be a strong viral sharing tool.

If you haven’t used it before, Pinterest works like an online corkboard where you can “pin” photos and ideas onto different boards.  You can’t start an account without getting an invitation.

Have you considered using Pinterest to build awareness your product’s benefits?  Please leave a comment below.

3 Tips for Reducing Your Time on Social Media Marketing

Marketing, social media marketing, strategy, tactics

Time Management is Necessary for Executing Social Media MarketingAt each of the marketing workshops I’ve presented during the past few years, invariably the question comes up, “How can I reduce the amount of time I spend marketing my business on the Social Networks?”

We all know that social media marketing can take a lot of time.
How to maximize it? Here are three tips for reducing the time you spend on social media marketing:

1. Have a strategy. The most important tip is to have a strategy. Why are you using social media? Know who you’re trying to engage, what you’d like them to do and then figure out how you want to use which media. You may want to combine how you use Facebook and YouTube together to bring your message to life. SlideShare  and Linked In could be exactly what you need.  You’ll want to leverage the social media  sites that is most appropriate for your goal and they each have pros and cons.

2. Create a plan. It can be an editorial type calendar or just a list of subjects with a reminder at the top of the goal (who you’re talking with, what you hope to accomplish and what the measurement of success is.) That way you have a roadmap of what’s to come.

3. Schedule ahead. You can schedule LinkedIn updates by using HootSuite. I’ve been using HootSuite for Twitter and Facebook status updates, but prior to this Linked In wasn’t available. I also use a WordPress Plug-in to post on Twitter to promote “encore” or “archive” posts at regular intervals. Make sure you don’t rely ONLY on automation however or your social media will turn into robot media. And be completely ineffective!

Even following these 3 tips, you can get sucked into reading silly, fun comments. Here’s a bonus tip: Set a timer each time you start your actual execution of strategy. Fifteen minutes should do it. Having that visual reminder on my desk helps me with the sense of urgency and keeps me from sliding down the rabbit hole of reading personal social media versus using it as a marketing tool for business.

What tips/tools do you use to manage your time on social media marketing? Please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Creative Commons License photo credit: Annie Mole

YouTube Video Helps Position Corning as the Glass of the Future

Brand, Marketing, Rebranding, social media marketing, Video Marketing, Viral Marketing

What’s the difference in commercials on TV and video communication on the internet?

Take a look at Corning’s “A Day Made of Glass” to get a look at their vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.

With only 5 minutes of video, Corning positions themselves as the glass of the future. The cost to put a commerical like this on TV would be prohibitive, but it’s perfect on YouTube.

Click here. Over 15 million views in just 9 months. Their positioning: innovative, clean, functional, integrated.

Hat tip to my friend, the owner of pizzaBOGO, who sent me the link to this video.

Does this give you an idea of how you could show your products in action? Do you see how distribution on YouTube makes it easier to view by your audience?

How are you using YouTube to position your product, service or business? Leave your comments below.