BroadVision Marketing Blog

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Advertising from 1890s"] [/caption]

Since we have been having conversations about large businesses taking over social media as an advertising platform, I think it’s time to back up a bit and consider the basics of advertising.

What is advertising? Advertising is a way to persuade a targeted group to do something in regard to ideas, services or products.  It can take many different communications forms. The purpose is to drive the targeted group into behaving in a certain way. Advertising can be about buying products, but also about things like selecting a political side and voting.  The driving force pays for the advertising and places it in mass media settings, including but not limited to television commercials, direct mail, magazine, newspapers, bill boards and, of course, social media websites, email and text messages.

Topics: marketing, Using Different Media, Advertising, Marketing and Advertising, United States, Television advertisement, marketing mix, Marketing Plan, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by HRC via Flickr"] [/caption]

What is your Facebook marketing strategy? Do you have one? You need a good strategy in order to make sure that you continue to grow and increase your page’s engagement activity.

When do you practice patience and when do you decide that you need to make some changes because you are not having the success you were expecting? Was your goal really realistic? Did you set a length of time that you were going to wait to get those good results?

Topics: Using Different Media, Google, YouTube, Fansite, Google Calendar, Marketing Plan, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Twitter, Marketing strategy

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="245" caption="Facebook logo"] [/caption]

Does Facebook overwhelm you? Do you have a daily schedule of what to do on Facebook to help you get results from Facebook?

Facebook marketing, when you know what you are doing, is a powerful business tool that can get you more leads, attract prospects that are highly targeted and put you in a position as an industrial expert.

Topics: Using Different Media, Online Communities, Fans, Social Networking, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business, Twitter

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="WordPress blogging system"] [/caption]

Not everyone who reads the blogs I've been writing is an expert yet. If you are a newbie, do you know if you are writing a blog that is used for a website? What does it become then?

Mike Clough in his post of June 28, 2010 ( http://bestbizpractices.org/2010/06/28/is-your-blog-really-a-blog/) clarified the question by saying, “When a blog is used for website functions, it loses its value as a blog and in fact becomes just another website.”

Topics: Using Different Media, Small business, information, Web content, blog, website, Facebook, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Blogging

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Blogging workflow"] [/caption]

You have decided to add a blog as a marketing method. You’ve looked at questions that help you focus what you want to say. But throughout all the studying you have done, you are not really sure what you are using blogging to accomplish.

Many companies use social media to “connect” with their customer by talking about what their company has been doing lately, information about their products and service and awards they have received.  These companies have missed the boat.

Topics: marketing, Using Different Media, Marketing and Advertising, Customer, Company, information, Web content, blog, inbound marketing, Marketing Plan, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business, Blogging

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="193" caption="Google search"] [/caption]

Now that you have decided to write a blog for your business, you go on line and ask Google to do a general search on your product. What’s this? There are millions of blogs on the internet and it looks like millions about your product. One look at the competition and you are tempted to head for the hills.

But don’t do that. You can compete if you spend the time to create informative blog posts. This is not just a business whim, but a strategic point of your marketing campaign. If you want to be successful, you have only to take the time and effort to write content about your product. Before you start you might want to spend time answering some questions that will help you develop your strategy and actually help you write.

Topics: marketing, Using Different Media, Marketing and Advertising, Google, Google Search, Customer, readers, social media strategy, product, informative posts, brand awareness, blog, clients, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business, Branding, Blogging

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Lead nurturing is a concept that is easily confused with sending out brochures or marketing copy focused on product information or company announcements. This is not the same thing as nurturing a lead.

To nurture means:  foster, help develop or help grow;  the act of nourishing or nursing; tender care; education; training; that which nourishes; food; diet; sustenance; the environmental influences the contribute to the development of an individual. Sending out information about you or your company is not the same thing as “feeding” your leads. When you talk about yourself, you are not focused on what the leads need or your relationship with them.

Topics: marketing, Using Different Media, Marketing and Advertising, lead, Company, Sales, Salesforce.com, Sales lead, nurturing leads, Marketing Plan, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business Owner

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What is the ultimate purpose of social media? You want to get good solid leads that will convert into customers. Basically, social media tells you how your customers are getting interested in you and your company.

You use social media as a business process, which means that you develop a process in writing that you follow and test regularly to hone it. The sales department and the marketing department, as two very different entities, need to sit down together and discuss what criteria a lead must meet before being passed from marketing to sales. Furthermore, marketing needs to follow-up after the lead is passed on in order to find out if the sale occurred. Also in order to keep the customer for life, the marketing department needs to stay in touch with the client for future sales.

Topics: marketing, Using Different Media, Marketing and Advertising, Email lists, Sales, leads, Marketing Plan, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Business Owner, Business, Twitter

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Facebook business fan page owners are in the business of selling both their goods/services and proving they are getting their Facebook visited by the number of Likes they receive. In this regard a Like is a vote and a way to measure the effectiveness of the site.

Topics: marketing, Using Different Media, Online Communities, Likes, Like button, Facebook, Social Media, Business, Twitter

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How many of you have tried your hand in social media by launching contests, promotions and branding campaigns on blogs, Facebook, Twitter,  and YouTube? OK, raise your hands.  If it worked for you, keep your hands up. Oops.

I have a clue for you. “Social” is not the same as “sharing.”

You have to identify your key influences and motivate them to share with their friends or you are missing the main idea. Social content works best when people share it.

Topics: Using Different Media, YouTube, Uniform Resource Locator, Brand, sharers, influencers, Meteor Solutions, super influencers, Subway, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Branding, Twitter