by Brian Mawdsley | Jun 21, 2016 | Online Marketing, Social Media, Websites
Turn your website into your market’s favourite hangout area with these easy forum tips and seriously boost your websites traffic
Forums are really blogs before blogs were created. Forum submission falls under an Off-Page SEO and is known to be one of the most conventional, yet effective, ways to generate backlinks that are necessary for boosting blog traffic and page ranking. According to research and practice done at Rising Phoenix SEO Company, here’s how a forum can triple the amount of traffic to your website, boost search engine optimization and get more sales to your brand.
- Build a community around your website
With forums, you form a sort of community around your website. You create a bond with your visitors, meanwhile, your website becomes your market’s favourite chill spot, which in return delivers more value.
- Free content and a refreshed website
According to the SEO Brisbane company, content creation takes some time to produce, as you have to factor in research, value identity, creation, and posting. By getting regular comments and live posting, you tend to receive free and valuable content and a constantly refreshed website.
- Support and advice by consumers
Consumers are able to provide support and advice through forums. When someone isn’t sure about something, they can ask questions through your forum and collect immediate feedback.
- A moderator to the rescue
Sometimes you might not be available online to answer queries, thus, having a moderator(s) can be beneficial. However, before choosing a moderator, you might want to do research about your candidate and factor in their response to criticism and how quickly they respond to questions that are targeted at them.
- Best day for a forum
Set the time and day for your forum(s) based on your consumer’s time online, do the necessary research on what time your consumers are likely to be online and interact. According to Forbes, the best days to host forums or live chats are Thursday, Friday, and Monday.
- Promoting your forum
There are many ways to promote your website on the internet; the most obvious being through social media and Google Advertising. Online advertising and online marketing are easy, cheap and effective when used properly. Through Facebook’s targeted advertising, you can specifically target the community you want to reach. The more value added to your community, the more visits and identity it builds for your website and brand.
Allow your opt-in message to promote your forum, and use your newsletter to market your forum.
- Integrating your website with keywords
Integrate the rest of your website with your forum, in other words, when someone is searching for car parts (for example), they can be linked to a forum with a subject that has to do with cars and car parts. You can integrate this method using keywords as categories.
- Welcome new members
Social media is temporary as any social gathering, nightclub or party, it is not the venue that counts, but the people. And so it is for forums too, treat it like a social function, it is your duty to welcome new members, set the tone and make sure everyone gets along well.
- Getting people to subscribe to your forum
Get people to subscribe to your forum, and automate a welcome email or message. This will play a pivotal role to ‘lurkers’ or people who visit your forums to read conversations but do not necessarily contribute to answers. The opt-in option will increase the chances of the visitor joining your forum and newsletter based on the quality of the conversation.
- Listen and learn, is one of the best ways to boost your websites traffic
The most important part of it all is listening and learning from your community. Visitors will discuss issues and interests that either concern them or uplift them about your brand or product. By listening, you get a better understanding of what they need and in return, you broaden your market research and deliver a product based on your target audience’s needs.
In conclusion, a forum is a great way to build and grow a community, and at the same time to get valuable feedback on what works, and what doesn’t work. There’s never a negative feedback, all feedback is either positive or educational. It is a superb way to find out what interests your consumers, while boosting your SEO, traffic to your website, and ROI.
@Lobzmarele
by Brian Mawdsley | Jun 1, 2016 | Digital Media, Online Marketing, Social Media
There are many different ways of marketing on the internet, and with the ever-changing online world, we are always close to our laptops and smartphones to get the latest news.In a super-connected world, the news does not reach us through traditional channels. Instead, when a plane crashes, politician falters or global car manufacturer falsifies emission reports, we still find out.When the content is of a high enough value to the majority of people, the following statement is true: Online marketing is the future.
- News stations and advertising agencies leverage social networks such as Twitter, Periscope, and Facebook to link us to the latest news topics. When the story is sensational enough, users who see it first may share it with their friends and followers, it spreads on its own.
- Through social media networking, website engagement, email marketing, search engine optimization, Google map marketing, promotion campaigns and blog marketing; you can reach a many people from all walks of life, all over the globe. The limit of the reach that your message gets is only really limited by you (the creator of the content)
- With more than 1000 social networks worldwide, some mainstream others not as much, there is a change in the marketing game that has taken hold.
- Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, and Periscope were launched and gained massive followings with a ‘Freemium’ model and offer premium (paid) value add services or enhanced access to these, now massive networks.
Many companies we have worked with in the past understand the power of trending on Twitter, particularly when a new product, service or campaign is being launched. As a company we have successfully gotten over 85% of our hashtags to trend over the past 3 years, all our hashtags trend locally and nationally, by only using generic content and a focused team. Online marketing should be a part of your business plan.
On Wednesday, 25 May 2016, Insideman had a Periscope session with Zachariah George, CEO of Cactus Advisors, hosted by Diana Mjojo, at the King James Group. We kept our focus on answering questions to why start-ups fail within 1001 days of business and why planning is important for any entrepreneur.
We uncovered the basic importance of planning. According to The Santam Start-Up Survey, most entrepreneurs said that their pre-planning took less than 6 months, and finances were seen as the biggest challenge during this initial phase.
From idea, to plan, to implementation. When compiling a business plan, the following may play a pivotal role (in no particular order):
- Marketing strategy (traditional and online marketing),
- Competitor/ influencer review,
- Financial planning,
- Development system,
- Supplier negotiations,
- Geo-location,
- Market research
- Development strategy
- SWOT Analysis
- And various related resources that your business may require.
Planning is extremely important, it doesn’t matter what business you’re in… Success is where planning meets opportunity” – Nelisiwe Masango, Bear Run Investments.
It’s pretty simple, in fact, you are reading this because of an online marketing plan.
Online marketing is a psychological funnel from the marketer to the audience. It flows from one topic to another in an instant, from a business’s research, and deliverance, to the listener’s inner excitement.
The content you deliver should at all times be relevant, newsworthy, catchy or evergreen.
When your content is inspiring enough to get the listener to stay longer on your page, blog, website or social network, you will be able to direct your product to the consumer without directing them to a sales page or a services page. The potential consumer may pick up the phone and call, or send you a message via social media.
Through online marketing, it is important to have a strong social media, website, and advertising presence. For instance, entrepreneurs such as Gary Vaynerchuk or Jeff Bullas are Digital Media moguls who leverage the power of the blog, video marketing, and many more marketing tactics to get more business.
Every week I receive a newsletter from Gary Vaynerchuk, and every week I read it. Now, imagine how many people receive the same email, and how many people get on the phone and buy whatever it is that he is selling? Of course, it is part of an online marketing strategy, you have got to have a marketing plan for your business.
Successful businesses practice the process of planning, adapting and implementing. How is your business plan coming along?
Need help? Let InsideMan Digital Media assist in any way possible.
@Lobzmarele[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by Brian Mawdsley | Apr 13, 2016 | Online Marketing, Social Media
The introduction of virtual internships in South Africa
Internships are a key program for students to attain workplace experience. Virtual Internships, or eInternships, are a program whereby the intern gains experience working from anywhere, where there’s internet access, besides the job location.
The introduction of social media has paved a solid way forward, for the advantageous use of technology.
Managers and supervisors utilise video networking (Facebook & Skype etc.), instant messaging (WhatsApp), webinars, and various project management tools such as Hubspot or LogMyHours to keep on track with the intern.
In our second year of Journalism school, we were allowed to partake on online courses, in order to gain more understanding with regards to the ever changing media. It’s a less formidable, yet educational journey in which I believe all or at least most University programs should introduce.
Virtual internships should be accessible to anyone, anywhere.
There are a variety of virtual internship programs. The most common virtual internships are in the fields of:
- Information Technology,
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO),
- Journalism, Media & Writing,
- Public Relations,
- Marketing,
- Human Resource Management,
- Video Creation,
- Editing,
- Digital & Graphic Design,
- And Event planning, to name a few.
A chat we had at the office the other day developed around a new intern. We brainstormed ideas with regards to a virtual intern. We work with social media and websites all the time, to have a virtual intern would be beneficial in the future.
Never give up, you’re a step away from winning it all, stay grinding.
The more South Africa has access to the internet, the more our education system revolutionises. However, the use of social media and the internet has not been too productive. Which is part of our duty as an organisation to educate and train more people about the good value of social media.
Feel like you’re being left behind? Don’t be, send us an email and we’ll assist you ASAP.
by Brian Mawdsley | Mar 17, 2016 | Social Media
Look who made SA’s top 10 social media personalities
An in-depth research done by the Inside Man Media team, on who has a wider reach from South Africa’s social media personalities. The list includes industry key players from sport, music and entertainment, politics, and the media.
We’ve done a social media analytics report on their social influence via the “Klout Score”. A Klout score is a statistical value between 1 and 100. News organisations commonly rank 80 – 99, however, there aren’t any recorded accounts with a 100 Klout score ranking.
Have a look on the social media personalities below and share your views.
- Bonang Matheba (Radio and Television Personality)
Klout Score: 77
Twitter: 1.47 million Followers
Facebook: 792K Likes
Instagram: 793K Followers
- Candice Swanepoel (Supermodel)
Klout Score: 80
Twitter: 1.28 million Followers
Facebook: 68K Likes
Instagram: 8.3 million Followers
8. Gareth Cliff (Radio Guru)
Klout Score: 80
Twitter: 1.31 million Followers
Facebook: 553K Likes
Instagram: 38.8K Followers
7. Caspar Lee (YouTube Personality)
Klout Score: 80
Twitter: 3.43 million Followers
Facebook: 1.5 million Likes
Instagram: 3.8 million Followers
- DJ Fresh SA (Dj and Radio Personality)
Klout Score: 81
Twitter: 1.17 million Followers
Facebook: 365K Likes
Instagram: 109K Followers
- Graeme Smith (Former SA Cricket Captain)
Klout Score: 82
Twitter: 1 million Followers
Facebook: 153K Likes
Instagram: 99.6K Followers
- Trevor Noah (Comedian and TV Personality)
Klout Score: 82
Twitter: 3.16 million Followers
Facebook: 3 million Likes
Instagram: 765K Followers
- Seether (Musician/Band)
Klout Score: 83
Twitter: 251K Followers
Facebook: 3.9 million Likes
Instagram: 73.1K Followers
- Ab de Villiers (SA ODI Cricket Captain)
Klout Score: 83
Twitter: 3.3 million Followers
Facebook: 1.27 million Likes
Instagram: 820K Followers
- Troye Sivan (Musician/Actor – Spud)
Klout Score: 84
Twitter: 3.6 million Followers
Facebook: 1.99 million Likes
Instagram: 3.6 million Followers
“Influence is the ability to drive action. When you share something on social media or in real life and people respond, that’s influence. The more influential you are, the higher your Klout Score. The Klout Score isn’t the average of your influence across all your networks, it’s the accumulation.” – Klout.
The average Klout Score is 40. Social Media users with a score of 63 are in the top 5% of all users.
InsideMan Digital Media Team
@brianmawdsley – Klout Score: 73
@LobzMarele – Klout Score: 61
@PippaTuckwell – Klout Score: 67
What is your Klout Score? Comment it below, and we can help you set it up.
by Brian Mawdsley | Mar 1, 2016 | Digital Media, Online Marketing, Social Media, Websites
6 Social Media Marketing Trends to Consider In 2016
The huge part of online marketing is about what the consumer needs and wants to hear. The first three split seconds are immediately relevant and interesting, to avoid being boring. If your content is boring, consumers will never hesitate to use the ad-blocker browser extension.
Ad-blockers are a result of approximately $22 billion (R347,35 billion) loss in revenue for publishers, according to PageFair. There are over 198 million active ad-block users in the world.
Planning and implementing an online strategy to engage much effectively will play a key role in your visibility. You need to adapt to the growing tech trends and the way consumers digest information. Here are 6 social media marketing trends you can’t afford to miss out in 2016.
- Say hello to Virtual Reality
The first time I tried out Virtual Reality I immediately got mind blown away, at the Tech Lab Accelerator – 2015, hosted by Barclays Africa in Cape Town.
With this tech, you get to be part of the game you’re playing, you practically get lost in a world with only ‘bots, machines and heavy future armour… Point is, Virtual Reality is a superb concept for your products and services. Technology such as Oculus Rift later bought out by Facebook for $2 billion (R31,58 billion), will have an enormous impact on how brands communicate with consumers.
The personalization of consumer content in 3D virtual experience will be a big thing in 2016. Think about how you can provide customers with a 360-degree immersive story through visual content.
Virtual tours, one-on-one engagement and interactive and immersive commercials are just a few ways marketing will likely shift in the near future via the use of virtual reality.
Related posts: The best web design Las Vegas
Envision introducing Virtual Reality to Tourism companies, including a 3D virtual video shared with your consumers, a one-on-one interactive engagement and immersive commercials are just a few out of many ways of future marketing.
- The 21st-century search engine
No offence, but most of us use Bing to search for Google, and sometimes we use Yahoo too. We’re now seeing Facebook including a mix of special features that could soon embrace a huge challenge to the top three search engine giants. Google has dominated the search market for over a decade, however, Facebook (pages) could just be on another online impact with its call-to-action buttons and payment messaging.
Users join groups and like pages every day; join social discussions and engage with online brands while chatting with friends on Facebook. Marketing is improvised with the society in an all-in-one platform for the web and professionals as l.a seo experts are leaders in managing these trends and becoming good at it.
Sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn allow brands to create digital experiences. Leverage the importance of online engagement.
- A step-up for Snapchat and Periscope
Brands that embrace platforms such as Snapchat and Periscope are going the right direction. Push instant content, shorter and briefer yet crushing your expected demands.
Everything is happening on the go and consumers are strapped to their screens for a certain time, because of online marketing tactics. Since time is an essence, good brands know what time to post in order to reach their target market.
Both Snapchat and Periscope provide unique peeks into brands that consumers feel connected to while satisfying their avid cravings for new and unique content.
- The power of marketing automation
According to Stephen R. Covey, author of the number one selling book “7 habits of highly effective people”, you should not try to be better than your competitor, but you should analyse what you do and what they do. And with a profound strategy, introduce a product or service that the people need and want.
The above applies to marketing automation, delegate to your team, lead and go about with informative content.
There are plenty of platforms for marketing automation, it’s all about choosing the one that’ll make it easier for you and your customers. Improved email marketing includes email tracking and built-in reports, a proponent to consider in 2016.
- Location-based marketing growth
Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter give you the option to select the location when advertising. Be wise when delivering content directly to or near the point of engagement.
Use Bluetooth technology, you can use push notifications to nearby devices, enticing the attention of your target audience.
With marketing automation, consider targeting a much larger audience than your actual target market, it’s rather safer to have more consumers than no consumer at all.
According to Forbes contributor, Sujan Patel, Analysts estimate that beacons, acting as hubs, will be deployed all over airports and transit stations to easily send out notifications on departures, delays and passenger assignments. Later this year we’ll be seeing Bluetooth beacons being deployed in the smart home and at large tech event venues.
Consumer and brand engagement will have more insight promoted and engaged with due to Bluetooth technology and marketing growth.
Push marketing delayed the web market in previous years and phone manufacturers lacked to support. The tables have turned, brands have options of reliable and cost-effective solutions to push location based marketing growth.
- Step-up your relationship marketing status
Last week I read an article about Absa being independent to Barclays Africa and sent a tweet to Absa with a question. Absa tweet back in about an hour and my query was answered.
If Absa hadn’t replied, it would’ve been a relationship flop for their online marketing, hence, because they responded and their consumers saw the engagement, they too can communicate their trusted queries online. Relationship marketing is a strategy more banks and businesses are picking up on in order to adopt better customer loyalty, as well as improved long-term engagement.
There’s no barrier to entry in the market, social media has opened a gateway for start-ups to level engagement with the market. While a brand can broaden their reach, community, engagement and brand, social media has all the perfect platforms to personalise your relationship marketing status.
According to Entrepreneur, An estimation of 2 billion consumers is expected to own smartphones in 2016.
A consumer with an everyday internet connection provides the means to directly engage with that individual. Every smartphone is an opportunity for good relationship marketing.
Through social media applications, you can build a stronger loyalty program and foster long-term engagement based on an emotional consumer connection, not just a connection because you want to sell something.
Engage with trust, honesty and interest. Don’t just market, educate. Invest the time in building marketing relationships and watch your business prosper. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by Brian Mawdsley | Feb 23, 2016 | Online Marketing, Social Media
Conversations on Twitter are just like the face-to-face encounters you have with customers each day. When you’re ready to start Tweeting, use these tips to write Tweets that establish an ongoing dialogue with your followers. Using the 321 strategy is the most effective way of building a community and getting your brand / tweets shared.
3 = value adds – they need not be about your business, could be a weather update or a feel good story or even a cool image with a quote. Just something that enriches the lives of your community
2= aligning with influencers, large accounts (retweet their content if it is good and in turn you get seen in the same boat as them when the return the favour)
1= marketing, talk about how good your product is, it would be a useful tactic to have a client’s talking about you too. Rather than self-promoting have your clients “promote for you”
Some additional basics
1. Listen and observe.
Take a moment to see what other businesses are doing on Twitter. You can find competitors and monitor relevant conversations using search.twitter.com. When you see how other businesses interact with customers and what types of content they share, you can try testing similar tactics to see which resonates most with your followers.
2. Use the 80/20 principle.
80% of your Tweets should focus on driving interactions with your followers, such as Retweets, replies and favourites. Once you’ve built some rapport, you can mix in direct offers or promotions that get followers to take actions, such as clicking on a link or making a purchase from your website.
3. Let your personality shine.
Strive for an approachable communication style that is authentic and friendly without being overly formal. Wit and humour can help in providing entertainment value.
4. Test and learn.
There’s no right or wrong number of times you should Tweet each day, or when. Instead, focus on generating quality content and establishing a regular cadence so followers know when to expect updates from you.
Develop your strategy
Compelling content will help you attract new followers and keep them engaged over time. Start by creating a Tweet calendar to help you plan your content and get into the habit of Tweeting regularly.
Here are a few examples of how you can fill your Tweet calendar each week:
Monday: Promotions
Build follower loyalty with an exclusive sale or discount that can be redeemed online or in-store using a special code.
Write Tweets geared towards your goals
Whether you want to drive direct response or engagement, here are some tips to help you create Tweets that achieve your desired result.
Tuesday: Behind-the-scenes
Tweet a photo or video that showcases your business operations or work environment. For example, if you’re an artist that is writing new music, provide a glimpse into the creative process.
Wednesday: Helpful tips
Create a regular series of Tweets that are informative or surprising. If you’re a chef, Tweet recipes or kitchen tips. If you have a fashion boutique, Tweet ways to match current trends with vintage items.
Thursday: Customer spotlight
Respond to questions or highlight a positive review to show your customers how much you appreciate them. Make sure that you mention the @username of the customer in your Tweet.
Friday: Feature industry experts or news
For #FF (Follow Friday), encourage followers to learn more from industry influencers. Or you can Retweet content from them that is relevant to your business.
Tweets that drive engagement
If you want to get followers to retweet, reply or favourite you’re Tweets:
Get visual and creative.
Followers are more likely to respond to Tweets that are funny, newsworthy and inspiring.
Ask for what you want.
Increase your reach by explicitly asking for Retweets, replies, favourites or mentions.
Seize the moment.
Tap into popular conversations around seasonal, cultural and industry-based events.
Tweets that drive direct response
If you want to get followers to take an immediate action:
Start with a compelling offer.
Pique curiosity, drive clicks and generate leads by delivering a relevant and timely offer. Ask followers for suggestions.
Create a sense of urgency.
Harness Twitter’s real-time nature to inspire action. For instance, limit the availability of your offer to a specific time period, such as 24 hours or a week.
Include a clear call to action.
If you want people to click on a URL, don’t include hashtags, mentions or photos that could distract from your link.
In addition:
Follow relevant twitter accounts
Use Hashtags
Give people right content they will need to share
Follow the right people
Be available
Connect and engage
