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Mandatory Social Media Marketing for Businesses – Implement NOW

by Matthew O'Brien on February 6, 2010

Every online business must have the basics in place when it comes to social media marketing. If you are still not sure ‘if’ social media makes sense for your business, then you might as well delete your website from the Internet. This is not a pitch for using Mint Social. If fact, most companies we work with have some semblance of social media in place. OK, so here is you must do checklist (it is short because this is just the tip of the iceberg).

Blog – We like self-hosted Wordpress. Not sure you need a blog, skip down to 2-5 below.
LinkedIn (business account and personal account) – Most people have a linkedIn account but we am always surprised when businesses have not taken the time to create a business profile and RSS in their posts from their blog. LinkedIn profiles are usually in the top 10 in Google when doing a name search (if setup correctly). As for your personal profile, you can RSS in your blog posts, SlideShare documents, Twitter account and much more. LinkedIn profiles will become the first or second place people look for making hiring decisions and buying decisions.
Facebook (fan page and maybe ads) – Fan pages are valuable because Google sees them and loves them. You can create a fan base and you can RSS in content from your blog, Twitter and other places. This blog feeds our Facebook fan page and I try to keep my personal profile more personal than business but it ends up being a blend of both.
Google Account – If you do not have a Google account, you are missing out Big Time. Get a Gmail account and start using it for all your social media emails. It is a great way to filter your email but it also gives you access to must have Google tools. Want to show up in the maps area in a Google search? Get you business on Google Maps. Google profiles are another way to promote you and your business and auto populate your profile via RSS. It goes without saying that Analytics, Alerts and Webmaster Tools are essential to have GOOG-411, Talk and Voice are fun to have. Insider Tip: Google Maps is where your customers can give your business reviews. The more reviews you have, the more likely you will show up in the top spot in Google.
Merchantcircle.com – This is another business profile account that is great for geographically targeted keyword marketing. It is also has a great blog and is another place for your customers to write reviews.
Tools for the overworked business – Social media gets a back rap because it is time consuming and does not have an immediate ROI (learn more about ROI and Social Media). If you agree with this or are too busy to Twitter and Blog, here are the last things you should do.
1. Secure your personal name and business name in Twitter (you can thank us later) and use HootSuite to feed your blog to Twitter or find data feeds using HootSuite that can auto-populate your account. Personal and business reputation management is important and Twitter is a great tool for this.
2. Pandora.com – Being too busy does not mean you can not have some fun while working. Maybe you do not have a killer play list on your iPod or need a change with the tunes you listen to. Setup a Pandora account, pick your favorite band and listen to streaming music 24/7 of this band and the music that influenced then while your overworked body is hacking away at the computer.

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Why You Should Pay Attention to Pepsi’s Decision to Pull out of Superbowl Commercials

by Steve Heideman on February 5, 2010

About 2 months ago, Pepsi announced that it would not be advertising in the Superbowl for the first time in 23 years. Why, after so long, would Pepsi concede that large of a customer mindshare to rival Coca-cola? Their answer is, in my opinion the canary in the coal mine for a television dominated media and it should make you, as a small to medium sized business owner very excited. A Time magazine article on Yahoo News puts it very well:

To Pepsi, and to companies around the world, the days when mass-market media is the sole vehicle to reach an audience are officially over. Instead of pouring millions of dollars into a Super Bowl commercial, Pepsi has started a social-media campaign to promote its “Pepsi Refresh” initiative. Pepsi plans to give away $20 million in grant money to fund projects in six categories: health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods and education. People can go to the Pepsi website refresheverything.com – which can also be accessed through Facebook and Twitter – to both submit ideas and vote on others they find appealing.

As a social media marketing company, our answer was “about time”. We have long held the notion that social media can drive just as many eyeballs as mass media and it can do so over a longer period of time. In other words, once you put something out on the internet, it is out there for anyone to find (AND discuss). This is in direct contrast to a TV commercial that is 30 seconds and done. Sure, there can be some residual “water cooler buzz” but this too eventually fades from consciousness. Also, because social media is a dialogue rather than a monologue, we are able to participate in shaping how we want companies (like Pepsi) to behave and interact with us as consumers. The feedback is faster and more direct which can allow even big brands to adjust messaging quickly to the general sentiment of their actions. While many Television networks and companies are frightened of this sudden and dramatic shift, it is my opinion that these new media should be seen as an asset by these folks rather than something to “deal with”. NYU Professor Clay Shirky discussed this very well at the Web 2.o conference a few years ago:

The biggest opportunity for businesses of all sizes in this new media is the ability to inject themselves into the dialogue right alongside large mega-companies such as pepsi and be put on a level playing field with them. Cost of eyeballs–at least in the digital arena as a barrier to entry is no longer there if you can solve the content problem and leverage the conversation that is happening regardless of if you are there or not. As a business, it will greatly behoove you to jump in and participate in your area of expertise.

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What Apple’s New iPad can Teach you About Marketing Your Business Online

January 31, 2010

Earlier this week, Apple launched their long anticipated new device called the iPad with the usual media fanfare. While they set up a micro site to deliver the details of the product, a comment on our post about duplicate content vs. content syndication by Greg Head of New Avenue really highlighted what Mint Social has [...]

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