However, social media has changed the way we look at relationship marketing.  As a healthcare professional with many years under my belt, I’ve seen and used relationship marketing over and over.  I’ve heard people say that social media is not a technical science but a social one, which could not be more true.

Seth Godin writes in Linchpin that relationships are built on a gift system, the idea being that you should share your intellect and knowledge and it will eventually pay off.  There are three “gift circles” according to Godin, the third one including gifts to online followers, fans and friends of friends.  This huge circle gives you the potential to build relationships with numerable new connections.  These relationships, though grown out of the digital world, can grow to be more important and more profitable in the end.

Knowing the rules of building a relationship, whether face to face or through your digital device, are critical in order to grow your business.

* You must understand and sympathize with the people in your relationship circles.  As business social media users, it is our goal to understand our online community and share information with them that will help them be more successful.  This relationship needs to benefit them in order for it to be worthwhile.

* It’s not all about business.  Entertainment is a large part of building a relationship.  If we shared all business all the time we would not be much fun.  Again, as we bring these relationships online it is important to remember to show our silly side.  If you make someone laugh through social media you’ve hit the jackpot.

* Remember to share.  We learned this in kindergarten and it goes back to what Godin writes.  Learning to share our knowledge and resources (free of charge!) allows people to understand our abilities and trust that when we say we can do something we actually can.

*  Make it personal.  You should remember to ask about their children, how their weekend was, or if they are enjoying their new house.  People like to talk about themselves and want us to listen.  Our egos are inflated when someone remembers our kid’s piano recital.  This will show mega bonus points for you in the end.

* Be polite.  Say “please” and “thank you” and always be kind and welcoming.  I hope we all do this ever day, so it should not be anything new.

Cultivating a relationship through business is strikingly similar to building one online.  The same rules apply no matter how its formed.  As a proponent of your brand it is important to know how to not only create these relationships but how to make them last.

The post Relationship Marketing as the Cornerstone of Social Media appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

I have a great client who is learning the important of blogging firsthand.  We started blogging for them the first week of February.  We have been consistent in blogging once per week and will soon increase that to twice per week.  Our latest analytics report showed some encouraging results.

As you can see, around the time we started blogging the site traffic dramatically increased. Our other content marketing strategies remained the same, so we can safely attribute the increased traffic to our regular blogging.

I point to this example as a reason to stop procrastinating and start blogging.  I often hear how business professionals don’t have time to write and I completely understand.  Plus, let’s be honest, not everyone wants to write.  However, blogging isn’t a practice that can be passed off as optional anymore.

The bad news: just writing the copy won’t cut it.  There is a list of things that you can do to promote your blog after you write it that will increase your website traffic even more.  A few of these critical steps include:

1. Share on social media: Once you hit that “Publish” button hop on over to your favorite social media sites and start sharing.  Don’t forget to customize your post based on the network and add a direct link (preferably shortened using bit.ly or ow.ly).  Hopefully you have created a community on these networks that will build a conversation around your topic.

2. Keyword optimize your post:  This is done while writing your post.  Scan through your post and pick out the main topics.  Plug those keywords into Google Adwords free keyword tool.  For WordPress users, Yoast has a great SEO keyword tool that will also help identify if your selected keywords are used properly in your post.  These tools allow you to beef up your content in order to optimize your post for search.  (Word of caution: don’t go overboard here.  There is nothing worse than reading great content, only to have it obviously overwhelmed with keywords and phrases.)

3. Include your blog posts in your email marketing campaign:  If you currently have an email marketing campaign it only makes sense to include your blog posts.  Make sure you have a catchy headline that will get people to click on your link (Copyblogger’s series called “How to Write Magnetic Headlines” is a great resource for this).  Email in-boxes are crowded these days, so also be sure to have a great subject title.  I used this  recent blog post of mine to create an email subject title of “Why We Should All Just Shut Up”, which got the attention of my readers AND a great open rate for my email.

4. Build relationships and ask other people to link to and share your post:  If you have good relationships on Facebook and Twitter consider asking friends if they would mind sharing your post.  A retweet or an original tweet are always helpful and be sure to offer to reciprocate the favor in the future.  This is a great way to reach a new audience and  grow your network.

5. Consider guest blogging:  A great blog post doesn’t have to be published on your own blog.  Guest blogging is becoming more and more popular and is a great way to reach a new audience.  Include a link directly to your own blog and, again, reciprocate the favor to the owner of the blog.  The key here is to understand the audience and to write for their interests.  They may be similar to your own audience, but they may not.  Communication between you and the owner of the site is key to understanding which topics to give focus.

6. Be Consistent:  Writing once every three months is not going to grow your website traffic.  Though you may follow the above list and promote it properly, you likely will not grow a readership will irregular posts.  A regular content schedule can help you stay on track to keep your blog up-to-date.  Once a week is a great goal, though if you can do it more frequently go for it.  The key is quality paired with consistency.

What are your greatest challenges in blogging and what are your most successful ways of promoting your posts?  Have you found that your website traffic has increased since beginning blogging?  

The post Promoting Your Blog to Increase Web Traffic appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

We combined our talents to present how SEO (search engine optimization) and social media marketing can work together to increase web traffic for business.  Here I will pull out the most important pieces for marketing and the tricks we can use to help developers.

1. Content creation: Content creation is usually controlled exclusively by the marketing team.  The unique content, including images, is essential to boost SEO.  It must be consistent and updated regularly, though for SEO purposes it does not have to follow a strict schedule.  Posting your blog on Monday one week and Tuesday the next will not hurt your SEO and may even boost it.

2. Usability: Where you rank in search is also dependent on the user-friendliness of your website.  An estimated 5 billion people worldwide use their mobile phones to search websites.  If your website is difficult to use on a mobile device your bounce rate will increase and the time spent on your site will likely decrease.  Google will interpret this to mean that people are not finding what they want on your site.  As a result you will begin to fall in search rankings.

3. Brand recognition:  Google loves brands and considers them trustworthy, resulting in them getting preference in search rankings.  Activity of a brand off-line, through traditional PR, can help boost their presence online.  Newspaper reports, radio advertisements,  and TV spots usually find their way online, boosting brand recognition and ultimately their ranking.  This is a good counter-argument for those that believe there is no place for traditional marketing.

4. Reviews: Though they are not always trusted by businesses and may not always be accurate, review sites can have an affect on your SEO.  Mentions of your business name, as well as links to your site, will increase your search rankings.  As marketers it is our job to monitor alerts and maintain a positive reputation online.  Though arguments can be made on both sides, I usually recommend allowing customers to review your business online. Even if it is a bad review you then have the opportunity for a positive customer service experience.  The added SEO benefit is yet another reason to encourage and promote online reviews.

5. Social media: Chris highly recommended sharing blog posts and other unique content immediately on Google+ as a way to “timestamp” and authorize your content with Google.  In a sense, you are verifying that you created the content and any future claims on the content will be duplicates and unauthentic.  Additionally, sharing your content throughout social media channels is good to increase web traffic, though your activity within these sites will not necessarily increase your SEO (Google+ is the exception here).

6. Authorship: Assigning authorship can greatly increase the personal SEO for individual authors.  Guest posting is another strategy that builds links to your site and can boost the value of your authors.  Having a headshot image with your content, which is an easy addition, can also boost your search ranking.

If SEO is new to you hopefully these 6 tips help guide you in the right direction.  They are basic and relatively understandable, especially if you have a marketing mind and background.  Chris is an expert in the SEO field and is always happy to help with further questions and to weave through the technical side of other on-site strategies.  Combining marketing and developer strategies can lead to superb SEO results, thus boosting your business above the competition.

The post 6 Ways to Boost SEO Through Marketing appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

There are three very important reasons to conduct the discovery process:

1. Knowledge is power:  The more we know about your business, past and present, the more successful we can be at planning your future.  We are looking for information about you, your competitors and your industry: How does your product or service work?  What marketing strategies have you used in the past?  What has worked or not worked?  What are some of the new innovations in your industry?  What are you currently doing to market yourself?  Who are your top competitors?  All of these questions lead to knowledge that powers us to better work for you.

2. Strategy is based on discovery: Would you want a builder to build your house without a blueprint?  Before they consult the blueprint, shouldn’t the land be surveyed and prepared for the build?  Too often people want to skip to the building.  It doesn’t make sense when building a home and it doesn’t make sense when selling your business.  The information gathered from the discovery is a blueprint that is a necessary step for your marketing strategy.

3. Your current marketing strategy isn’t perfect: But don’t you want it to be?  Unfortunately, we won’t make it perfect, either.  However, we can try to get it close.  What breaks our hearts more than anything is when a small company tells us they are dumping a boatload of money into a marketing tactic that we know is not the best for their business.  Discovery paired with a great strategy helps to avoid these pitfalls and strive for perfection.

Discovery, though not flashy or exciting, is a part of marketing that is non-negotiable.  Please take the time to complete a proper discovery to make the next steps of marketing strategy successful.

The post 3 Reasons to Complete the Marketing Discovery Process appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

Particularly in social marketing, listening is extremely valuable.  It’s the first step in communicating with our clients, customers and potential business prospects.  When I sit down with a new client my first step is to listen to their needs.  What is it they want from me?  What do they view as the next necessary step to grow their business?  Once they can communicate this it is my place guide them in the right direction.

Step One: Listening to Our Customers

I always want to know whether or not they have been listening to the social conversations that have been taking place online.  My hope is that they have and that they now want to be a part of the conversation.  I want to know if they fully understand the content being shared, whether it be positive or negative.  They must be prepared for all types of opinions and know that it will not always be filled with rainbows.

There is an ongoing debate for Facebook fan pages as to whether or not to allow others to post on pages.  There are drawbacks to allowing this feature, such as the possibility of unhappy customers posting publicly about their disdain for your company.  However, by banning posts by others we are eliminating ourselves from the conversation.  We are taking away the opportunity to positively respond to a customer that may be less than satisfied.  Not listening or responding is one of the most dangerous positions in which any company can find themselves.

Step Two: Strategy Based on Listening

Once we listen to the conversation we must act wisely and strategically.  Strategy is another cornerstone in marketing, yet it cannot be developed without the critical first step.  Like a chess game, marketing strategy is developed one step at a time and each move is based on information already gathered.  Omitting listening leads to haphazard  strategy that is based on guessing rather than solid facts.

Have you ever been in a situation where your action steps seem to be leading nowhere and you ask yourself why you are doing what you’re doing?  This, unfortunately, is the result of poor strategy.  Getting push-back on the importance of strategy is not uncommon, yet understanding that an important step-by-step guide is critical is invaluable.  Why listen to your customers if you are not going to strategically respond?

Step Three: Acting Based on Strategy

The actions, or the steps we take based on the listening and strategy, are what most people see.  The tweeting, Facebook updates and blog posts are what people judge us on.  Our business grows based on the actions we take.  Conversely, our business fails based on the wrong actions.

Thus, the importance of taking the right actions is monumental.  In the social community, this is a very circular relationship.  Action, based on strategy, based on listening, based on prior actions, etc.  Each step is based on previous steps.  It is dangerous to think any step can be omitted.

We often harm ourselves when we forget the listening and skip right to the action of communicating our message on social channels.  Imagine a real life situation.  Do you make friends by running up to someone and telling them everything about you?  Likely not.  A more socially-acceptable approach would be to listen to someone else tell their story before you jump in with yours.  Based on respect and patience our listening skills help us build relationships and ultimately trust.  Just like a real-like situation, a company who listens is rewarded.

The post Why Marketers Should Be Quiet and Listen appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

Which has gotten me thinking: why are people giving up the popular social media site? And once people leave, are they coming back?

Pew Research conducted a recent survey that found that 61% of Americans broke their relationship with Facebook for several weeks at a time.  Though this sounds high, the sample size was only 525 adults in the U.S.  These participants were asked if they had “voluntarily taken a break from using Facebook for a period of several weeks or more” — ever in their life.  So if you had a baby or went on a long vacation you could fall into this category.

The reasons they reported for the break up were interesting:

The top reason for quitting Facebook was that the user was too busy or did not have time.  However, many access Facebook from their mobile devices while waiting for the bus, in a doctor’s office or in the bathroom.  Their reasoning seems to be more about their own hectic lives rather than about the platform itself.  Or, perhaps, their desire to better allocate their time to more productive or meaningful tasks.

That being said, Pew also found that just 27% of those 525 Facebook users declared their intention to use the service less in 2013. So, even though people are taking breaks, they aren’t breaking up.  Their desire to rid themselves of the social media site are short-lived.

This behavior of Facebook users is perplexing.  Users want to rid themselves of the site, yet they usually come back to it sooner rather than later.  If someone took a break because they were “too busy”, how did they make time just a couple weeks later?  And if they weren’t interested in the content, how is it hey became interested again?  I highly doubt that the content itself is changing.  I suspect that it is about the natural desire to stay involved.  Knowing what is going on with friends, family and acquaintances is an innate desire for most of us and we miss knowing what is going on in other people’s lives.  Whether we like it or not, our desire to stay connected is fed through Facebook and other social platforms.  Regards of our desire for a brief break, we always come back.

Have you ever taken a hiatus from Facebook?  What was your reasoning?  Do you know others who have done something similar?

The post Taking a Break from Facebook appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

My response, undoubtedly, is yes.

Without further analysis you only have to look at the numbers:

* Email has 2.9 billion users: that’s three times as many users as Facebook and Twitter combined.

* Facebook and Twitter combined make up 0.2% of the number of emails sent each day.

* 40% of B2B marketers rated the leads generated by email marketing as high quality.

* Only 2% of marketers considered leads generated by email marketing to be “high cost”, making it one of the most affordable means of marketing.

However, there is more importance than simply the numbers.  Email marketing often gets lost in the shuffle and hype of social media marketing.  But here’s a newsflash: social media is not the be all, end all of inbound marketing — it’s only one piece of the inbound marketing mix.  Email marketing play a vital role in your online strategy and should work with your social media conversations.

This video is an interview between Michael Stelzner, Founder of Social Media Examiner, and Christopher Penn, co-founder of PodCamp and Director of Inbound Marketing at What Counts.

The first half of the video (to about 5:22) is most relevant to the integration of social media and email marketing.  Penn describes the circular relationship between your content (blog), your conversations (social media), and the distribution (email).  This ongoing relationship continues to feed itself to make sure all pieces are successful.

For example, once you create your blog post you distribute it through your email marketing campaign.  Within the email you then include links to continue the conversation on your social media sites.  Your social media sites should all link back to your website or blog, thus increasing your website traffic and continuing the circular relationship.

Furthermore, Penn states that where social is more of a pull marketing strategy, email marketing is a push strategy.  Pull strategies involve getting the customer to come to you, such as having an enticing Facebook page that fans want to “like”.  Push strategies involve your brand seeking out your customers to get their attention through whichever means are most successful.  Though they are strategically different, they still work hand in hand, along with your website, to generate leads and awareness of your brand.

Successful inbound marketing strategies excel and understand this relationship.  They know how to manipulate these channels to produce content that appeal to your customers and community.

Does your brand currently use an email marketing strategy?  Are you integrating it with your social media and other online content?  What have you found to be most successful?

The post Email is Essential to Inbound Marketing Strategy appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

The official statement on the Google Reader blog reads:

As one of those devoted followers, it is disappointing to see such a great product get pushed aside.  However, there are other useful options available to those of us who are forced to adopt a new system in the coming months.  Some of the better options include:

1. The Old Reader: This social RSS reader claims to be similar to the old Google Reader that integrated social capabilities.  You can import your feeds directly from Google, allowing for a fairly seamless transition.  This is likely the route I will take as this product is recommended to me by several people.

2. Feedly: Also offering a seamless transition from Google Reader, this is a very popular RSS content application.  Social sharing is easy, mobile versions are available for your phone or tablet and it is very user-friendly.  Tagging and shortcuts are also pluses for this application.

3. Fever: This platform claims to read your feeds and pick out what is most popular for you.  They can hide unread counts to spare you guilt, however you can still control these numbers on a global, group or feed level and keep as close of an eye on them as you want.  The major downer with Fever is that it is a one-time $30 cost.  Depending on how much you like this product it may or may not be worth the investment.

4. Flipboard: Exclusive to iPad and iPhone, Flipboard is a social news magazine that you cater to your interests.  It integrates your Facebook and Twitter with your RSS feeds and displays posts as news stories.  I like Flipboard’s user interface and use it mostly on my iPad.  Do not expect to draw mass amounts of content through this app, however.  I usually review 10-20 articles at a time, at most.  To gather a larger quantity of content I would recommend using a traditional RSS reader.

5. Pulse: This platform seems similar to Flipboard and was just founded in 2010.  The user chooses from a range of topics and interests, allowing them to customize the app to fit their needs.  Pulse partners with publishers and it appears that you only have access to content produced by their partners, which could be a drawback.

6. NetVibes: Allowing you to “Dashboard everything”, NetVibes incorporates RSS feeds, Twitter, and blogs into one dashboard to let you manage everything from one convenient place.  Further analytics tools are available for a fee, but the basic RSS service is free of charge.

These alternatives to Google Reader offer various options for reviewing content and staying connected.  Some are basic feeds, yet others are more visual and integrated.  Your preference and uses will determine which application is best for you.

Do you use something other than Google Reader?  Why do you like it?  Please share it in the comments to help those of us who are mourning the loss of our dear friend and need to find a replacement.

The post Google Reader Shutting Down: Moving Forward appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

* Find your “grustle”: That’s a combination of grind and hustle that so many of us have about something, it’s just a matter of finding it.  Your grustle drives you.  It pushes you.  It challenges you to do better, know better, produce better.  Grustle is what keeps you up at night and makes you want to work during the weekend.  It’s that thing, deep down…you know what I’m talking about.  Find it and harness it!

One entrepreneur at the summit gave the example of getting rejected 24 times, then finally getting that “Yes” on the 25th attempt.  It was grustle that got him that far.  Being able to accept rejection and failure and continue going.  It’s faith that you will succeed not if but when.  (Stubborn people are really good at grustle).  It’s this grustle that will help you create the rest of your personal brand.

* Be a storyteller:  Storytelling has become a buzz word in marketing.  To reach their customers, brands are expected to ”tell their story”.  However, personal stories are even more powerful than brand stories.  Yet good storytelling is a learned behavior;  we do not all naturally know how to create the “social proof” of our own personal story.  Instagram pictures, tweets, blog comments, LinkedIn recommendations — all of these tell our story about who we are.  People sometimes comment that they don’t understand why people take pictures of their food (guilty).  The reason I and many others do it is because we are telling our story.  I’m sharing where I dine, my favorite foods, what I cook and who I eat with.  Those that don’t understand have not yet learned this behavior.

Flemings answered a question about the amount of time one should expect to spend creating the social proof of your brand’s story.  The concern should not be about the time spent, but about the quality of the story.  Share and create meaningful content that adds value to who you are.  I would caution anyone on getting hung up on time.  Do what is comfortable and comes naturally for your personal brand.  In addition to creating a good story you want to create a true story, too.

* Tap into undiscovered wants:  Whether looking for a job or creating your own company, always be aware of the wants that people don’t know they yet have.  When the iPad came out many people grumbled that they did not need yet another gadget.  They did not see the need and did not even want it.  Until they tried it.  Now those same people use their iPad daily.

Write a blog post about innovative ideas or sit on a non-profit board and incorporate business ideas to help their organization.  Be creative and willing to propose ideas that may not be popular.  Or even accepted, for that matter.  But remember the guy that got rejected 24 times?  Yet, just keep going until something clicks.  The most successful brand do this all the time; there is no reason why you can’t do it, too.

All of these techniques are firm blocks on which to build a strong personal brand.  These tips are key for all entrepreneurs at any stage.  Like a traditional company brand, building your personal brand takes time and effort.  The exciting part is that you can mold it to be anything you want.  It’s a blank canvas and through your social and professional proof you can create a personal brand you are proud of.

How have you create your personal brand?  What techniques have proven most useful for you?  What advice do you have for people struggling to create their own brand?

The post Entrepreneur Summit 2013: Know Your Personal Brand appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.

So how exactly do employees and customers get involved?  There are a few key steps that the team can take to make sure they are promoting their brand to the best of their ability.

1. Like the page: This is a no-brainer, but it’s all too common that this step does not get done.  Remind and encourage all your employees to like your Facebook page.  It’s likely that most of them are already on Facebook on a regular basis, so this is not a big deal.

2. Interest lists: Create customized interest lists to insure that favorite business pages will show up in the news feed.  This is new feature was introduced by Facebook early last year and is underutilized by many users.  To get more detailed information on how to set interest lists follow this great article from Mari Smith.

3. Share, share, share.  Facebook uses an algorithm to determine what shows up in news feeds.  (For more detailed information about this algorithm visit whatisedgerank.com.)  The more activity a post receives the more feeds it will appear in.  A share receives more “weight”, thus it is the most powerful way to ensure that a post will shows up in other people’s news feeds.

4. Comment.  If you don’t want to constantly share, commenting on a post on a company’s business Facebook page will also boost it’s EdgeRank.  Especially if the page is asking questions or polling followers, a comment is appropriate and will help increase the chances of the page appearing in other people’s feeds.

5. Post on the page. A quality comment on a business page is like gold to Facebook marketers.  A compliment or kudos for a great service or product will make their day and be seen by many others.  This is especially pertinent to current customers, who can vouch for the company’s expertise.  Recent posts by others will appear in the top right section of the Facebook page, directly under the cover photo.

6. Recommend the page: If you have worked with the company recently take the time to recommend them on their business page.  Again, this is so valuable to the business and is one of the first things people will see when they visit the page.

Please share these tips with your management, staff and customers.  Regular engagement with a business Facebook is the best strategy for marketing success.

Do you use any of these suggestions with your employees and customers?  Have you seen more success with some than others?

The post Facebook Marketing is a Team Sport appeared first on TIpping Point Marketing.