Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Measuring.

Measuring Social Media ROI: 3 Things to Consider
1.) Social Media is not the vehicle, it's the destination. Social Media should be measured by specific activities that we engage in. The A ROI is the Return on Investment and it is a preformance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare a single investment to others.  Marketers have to take action on their prospects and have to take their fans and turn them from passive fans to transacting customers.
2.) Listening and Applying Learnings to Every Department. When using Facebook as a platform for Media Marketing, you must observe what your viewers respond most to. When they "like" something on a page more than other things, then that is a topic that you should try to stick to or incorporate in your sales. It benefits the seller because they find out what the viewers respond to most with negative or positive feedback. It is an indirect way to see what they like and what they are going to buy. A chef learned that a post about a chicken recipe may get more likes than a fish recipe, therefor, he should try to have more chicken recipes in a cook book.
3.) Performance Metrics Are Media Agnostics. To measure social media success, a business must first understand how social media is being used. It is important to understand which departments are using social media. Then measure success based on performance metrics that are relevant to the departments.

Building Effective Social Media Channels
Part of measuring the effectiveness of a channel is deciding whether the organization is able to integrate what's happening in social media with their marketing automation system. They do this so that they can track the usage of the different social media channels. Then they can see how people are progressing through the buying process.There's a lack of integration. The other missing piece is the integration of social media with the larger marketing strategy. Social media has to support and be supported. A lot of companies are in the early stages and just getting started with the social networks that exist. They are not creating social media platforms. Other companies are building social media platforms. They are not just monitoring engagement, they are managing social media. That's what makes a good Network.

Many Marketers Don't Measure
Marketers are spending millions of dollars annually on social marketing programs. However, roughly 30% are not tracking the impact of social media programs on lead generation and sales, according to a survey conducted earlier this month. 95% said they use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube. However, despite the increased use of these networks, only 70% are monitoring and measuring the viewers/hits and money spent on these channels. The 42% of marketers that do monitor said that zero or an uncertain number of sales leads resulted from social media programs. The gap between cost and return for social marketing may have something to do with social media protocols.

Summary:
Measuring Social Media is important because it shows us what is beneficial and what is not. When there are a lot of hits/likes/interaction on a site, this is a good things and helps the corporation make positive business choices. When the site isn't very active and not that many people really look at it, this can be bad for a company and something needs to be fixed in order to make the site helpful. If no one is monitoring the success or downfall, how will a corporation know whether or not Social Media is helping them. It could be hurting them and by them not keeping an eye on what is going on, they won't eve know. Monitoring allows you to observe front row and find out what works best.

Monday, November 14, 2011

#2

St. Jude Research Hospital.

The St, Jude Research Hospital uses Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube to connect with the world in more ways than 1. They allow you to Donate Now, leading you to their website where you can make monetary donations and become a partner in hope. They provide many photos of children at St. Judes and fundraisers and events.

 The goal of this website is to be able to send the message out, virtually, that St. Jude is out there and help is avaiable to children in need of it. Another goal is to help raise money for the facility and the children who are there receiving treatment. The website is upbeat and used as a positive goal to spread the news about great things happening at St. Jude and the children there. You can view the Patient of the Month, Shop at their stores, and Give thanks. All of the money spennt goes to St. Jude directly and helps the patients there.

The viewers goals are to see how St. Jude is progressing and events that are going on to help benefit. They get these goals met very well with the photos, posts, and videos that are shared through St. Jude. Viewers are allowed to post on the walls expressing gratitude and share upcoming events in other places that help benefit St. Jude. Their mission is to find cures and save children. By them using Social Media to spread their goals and achievments, people can see what St. Jude is all about. This helps the donation process very well because it can all be done through the website.

St. Jude uses their Social Medias very well by meeting all of the goals by the viewers and by handling their websites in a positive way shedding light on the situations remaining positive that with the help by the viewers, we can make a cancer free world. They have over 485 thousand likes, over 5 thousand people talking about it, and 7 thousand people checked in there. Many people participate in the donation process and charities. They use their Social Media Networks very well and are quite helpful towards all.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Case Study.

Little River Pet Resort
I work at a boarding kennel called Little River Pet Resort. We just began using Facebook as a Social Media Channel and it has been a big success! We have a Youtube channel as well where we have a few videos of our facility, including one from being on the news! I believe LRPR’s goals with the social media channel that they use are basic. They are a locally owned business that is very tight knit with the surrounding communities. They want to hold a strong bond with their clients by providing them with an up-close look at what their pets are doing while they are away from home. They have over a dozen photo albums currently where they continuously update photos each day of the guests at the resort so families can feel more at ease knowing what their pets are doing rather than picturing them sitting alone in a kennel building all day, bored and neglected.  Not only do they frequently upload photos, but videos as well while interacting with clients who post on the walls asking about how their pets are doing. They have done a great job at keeping their clients up to date with the current expansion project that is going on and their nomination on Fox 8’s Engers Hot List where they are currently in 1st place out of 30 boarding kennels! LRPR gets back to posts and messages very fast which makes clients feel even more welcome and at home with their pets.
 The customers’ goals are to be able to see their pets on the website, stay up to date with what is going on at the facility, and to find information that they are looking for such as directions, location, testimonials, etc. The use of Facebook has benefitted the facility in many ways. Clients love to see photos of their pets while they are away. It makes them feel more at ease being able to see their pet enjoying themselves. Many kennels do not offer this, and if they do, they charge a price. The photos are displayed on Facebook and we offer them a link to go to even if they do not have a Facebook to log into. LRPR’s Facebook page makes it very easy for others to interact with other pet owners and clients as well as the staff.
They do a very good job at achieving the goals that the clients have by viewing the page. Everything is very easy to read and their news feed is filled with things that pertain to the facility and information that benefits dog owners. Anyone can view it and there is no negativity. I believe that LRPR makes good use of their Social Media Channel because they make it so much easier for families to contact them and view photos of their pet. We used to do “photo report cards” which cost money. However, now we use Facebook and pictures are available for free, even to print out at your own will. It’s more convenient for pet owners and easy to access. It only takes seconds to get to and always brings a smile to clients’ faces. Not only can they gain useful information about boarding, but they can see it for themselves!   

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

  • A link to your Twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/holly_schroth
  • Rank the three organizations using Twitter to market their products/services, that you have followed, by how effective they use Twitter. Explain your rankings:
               1. Verizon; Effectively. Verizon posts a lot of information about their phones and services.
               2. AT&T; Effectively. AT&T has good information but a lot of tweets to people rather than tweets about their services.
               3. T-Mobile; Not as effective. A LOT more tweets to people and less information.
  • Define some guidelines for the effective use of Twitter: Posts about a product or service. Appropriate posts. Consistency with posts. Following viewers. Interact with followers.  

  • Answer the following question: Is Twitter better suited for some organizations than others? If so, what about an organization makes it well suited for Twitter? I believe that twitter and virtually any social media netowork can be suited for any organization as long as they know hot to use it correctly and productively. Organizations that have A LOT to say should stick to blogs because twitter only allows a certain amount of characters.  

  • A summary of the other Social Networking platforms you tweeted about, what benefits they offer their users, and what marketing benefits do they offer to marketers: The other Social Media Networks offer meeting new people, music, and blogging. Most of them offer all three. They are good for their users because they can interact with a wide variety of people. If marketing, they can use the sites just as they would use Facebook, Twitter, etc. They are good for regular people and organizations. However, their popularity isn't as big as Facebook and such.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Youtube.

     Social Media Marketing in 3 minutes!

This video is very informative and shows you how there is a world full of online social media marketing sites online that you can do tons of things with in order to expand a products client base. It shows the advantages of social media marketing and how it can properly be used. It also shows how to successfully use social media and what happens when you are successful. It discusses how trusting relationships with the people who are viewing your social media is crucial. This video is basically an informative video teaching you how to postively and successfully use social media marketing for your business.


                         Social Media Marketing is the new black!
This video is showing how social media is becoming "the thing" to do. Big companies use websites and social netowkrs to communicate and sell their products more these days than ever before. People would rather watch things online than on TV. The world of media is changing into the world of social media. The radio can be replaced with online music streaming and podcasts. Everything that once was is turning in to what we used to use. This video shows how valuable social media has become as opposed to just media.


                         Social Media Marketing..quick!
This video is a very quick and simple guide to show you if you are using social media marketing and you don't even know it. Mostly everyone is, as long as you are online using a social netowork such as twitter, facebook, myspace, blogger, etc. Anything that allows you to interect with other people is social media and in many cases social media marketing, especially if you are selling, advertising, or trying to show something to the world. This video also brings attention to the fact that social media marketing, in most cases, is free. It is a great way to expand your client base to a whole other internet world of people.


                                                                     To sum it up!
I think what really makes the best Social Media Marketing video is that it explains the postives, negatives, possibilities, and basic rules that come along with having a social media market. Social Media Marketing isn't hard but it can be explained in many different ways because there are many different forms and websites. Videos help users understand what to put on a site for their product so their users feel comfortable. Demonstrations and examples also make a good video because to some people, the internet is a whole different concept. Videos are very beneficial and helpful to anyone interested in learning how to properly market themselves while using social media.  

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Blogs, Facebook, & Google+

Little River Pet Resort.
I work at Little River Pet Resort. It is basically a doggy day (week, month) care. We specialize in personalized care for dogs for families who want more out of a kennel for their dogs. We try to make families pets feel as though they are on a mini-vacation as well. However, this Facebook page just got started. Although it is a local business in my community, we have a strong client-ell. We get customers from all over Ohio. We offer a lot of different options for owners, however, they are not listed on the Facebook page. They are listed on the site created for the business. I would normally think that all of the extra information that is needed should be listed on the Facebook page as well, but I think in this case, they list a good enough amount of information to make the Facebooker want to click on their real website. When facebook is used for businesses, you can't necessarily include every possible thing. Facebook is a simple social network, not something that should have paragraphs of information. They include daily uploads of photos of the guests staying there so families can check in on their pets, directions, reviews, hours, and the phone number. Using Facebook has actually boosted our client-tell. Pet owners feel more at ease when they can see if their pets are happy when away from home. LRPR is marketing themselves very well by using Facebook. However, I rank it #3 of the 3 I have chosen. Mostly because it is a local business and just started up it's Facebook.



TIDE

The Tide Facebook page is very informative. Not only are there free-giveaways, but they stay up-to-date as well. While listing all of Tide's signature products, they give you an overview on what Tide is all about. From when it was founded to the company facts, Tide on Facebook works out well. They have over 2 million "likes" and offer contests frequently. If the information given isn't enough..they offer their website as well. It even offers you to "Shop now." Tide on Facebook has all of the necessities for a potential Tide buyer. Most people know of Tide, but Facebook allows to interact as well! Tides Facebook is useful and I would rank it as the second best choice of the 3 facebooks.

Verizon
The Verizon Facebook page is another very good page. With 1,557,179 likes, 11,905 people talking about it on facebook, and 70,910 check-ins, Verizon has become one of the biggest names in wireless and 4G speed. The website leaves you with locations, promotions, photos, videos, shop tips, events, smartphone glossary's, and tons more. I think this Facebook is probably the most informative. It keeps you up to date with everything that is going on with Verizon. Not just cell-phone wise. What most people do not know is that Verizon has more to offer than just cell phone services. Their Facebook advertises all of their goods and products leaving a viewer understanding what Verizon is all about. On the business spectrum, I believe Verizon is probably the most profitable out of the 3 pages I've chosen.

Facebook Vs. Google+


Given the statistics, Google+ looks like it is giving Facebook a run for its money. With the simplicity of Google+..and the advancements coming into play with Facebook..Google+ may be able to put Facebook to shame. However, in the business perspective, what is going to happen?
Well, Google+ is HIGHLY popular in the bigger cities (New York City, Boston, Seattle, Chicago) And these bigger cities are cities of big business. Google+ started off with under 1 million users..and shortly it climbed to 10 million and is growing. Facebook holds the largest number to this day holding the top spot with 500 million users, but Google+ plus is definitely becoming a threat. Facebook allows for a lot of personality and a lot of information to be posted. Google is basic but now offers things that Facebook doesn't such as Circles. Google was once known for being the amazing search engine and that's all but now it is also being used as a social networking site. Facebook is only a social networking site. Google is the king of all search engines and may soon become the king of all social networking sites. The idea of Google+ is to make every Google product compatable. In the business world, this may boom. Google makes a lot of its money from advertisers. I think the future for Google+ will be bright and steal the business world. Facebook has a lot to offer, even for businesses, but with all Google+ has to offer..the possibilities are endless. Businesses use Google in everyday life..and now..they can use Google+ and integrate all of their resources and ad's into 1 social networking site. However, businesses will flock to where they have the better chance at. If Facebook remains top dog..they will stay close..but if Google+ preservers, Facebook may lose out.
What is Google+ ?
Differences?

Redo Blog.

Caterpillar Blog

Now that I actually understand what a REAL business/corporation blog is, I can better explain it's positives and negatives. This blog, I believe, has nothing wrong with it. The homepage offers many different links to navigate to. Then there a numerous blogs. I chose the "Ask the expert" blog. This blog offers many posts about safety and the tools Caterpillar has to offer. Along with information about projects and ways to do them while maintaining safety. It is up to date and leave room for comments and feedback. Readers can also post and Caterpillar Administrators that are directly related to the company can help out and give their feedback and support. The blogs are up to date and stay on topic with the tools and even the seasons. They keep the blogs up and running to help people who are unsure of what tools they may need or how to properly carry through with projects while using Caterpillar tools. The "Welcome" page also allows for users to ask direct questions to the Caterpillar administrators and insist on their guests to invite friends when their information is useful to them. The blogs all stay on topic and are used in a professional manner to help all Caterpillar clients. I give this site an A because it is well organized and stays on topic with what Caterpillar has to offer. As well as helping as much as possible.