Very often the dilemma to start investing on Youtube is knowing what content you should be having in the videos in order to make your channel interesting.

The content to use on your videos should of course be relevant and make sense for your type of business, but here are some ideas on how to use the videos in different ways and attract your audience:

1. Video testimonials

Who better to speak about your products or services than your customers? Creating a video with customer testimonials is a wonderful way to influence and get new customers. People like impartial opinions on the web, that’s why websites like TripAdvisor are so popular. If you have happy regular customers just ask them to participate. Do more than just talk though. People don’t want to sit and watch a person just talking to the camera. Make it exciting and interesting as well as fun. There are several video production companies that are experienced in producing testimonial videos or you can have fun creating your own.

 2. Meet the team/company

Create videos that show your company ‘behind-the-scenes’ and also show who your employees are. You can have several videos with different people inside your company, talking about what they do, their (positive) experience working there, etc. This puts a face to the brand and help people relate to your. It can be useful for recruitment too.

3. Staff training

You can create videos for the purpose of staff training so new employees can easily get up to speed about your company and products or services. You can use a mix of content with real staff working, graphics, staff and/or client testimonials.

4. Expert advice/tutorials

One way to add value and drive traffic through video is creating content that offers value to your customers. It can be expert advice about your products or services, anything related to the industry you’re in, or even ‘how-to’ problem-solving tutorials.

 5.  Tip of the week

Create a weekly short video with the ‘tip of the week’, something that is useful and drives lots of traffic. Publish it on the same day and time each week so people get used to it and look forward to it.

 6.      Fun or inspirational videos

You can create videos that are fun and/or are inspirational, around your product or service. These types of videos can often go viral if it provides really good content. Contrary to belief, you don’t need to spend thousands to have a viral video, you basically just need a great original idea!

Finally, don’t forget to optimise your videos with the right keywords and also to promote your videos, on your website and your other social media channels!

Are you investing in Youtube for your social media marketing? Let us know any other content ideas you’re using!

This article was written by SocialB – one fo the UK’s leading social media and online marketing experts

The post Youtube: what type of content to use on your videos? appeared first on #Bizitalk Business Network.

In this article we answer some of the most common questions and give you 7 simple tips to supercharge your business communication on Facebook:

1. What type of content should I post?

The best way to deliver real value content is to understand what your audience care about. Your Facebook business page shouldn’t be about aggressively marketing your business but rather provide value to your fans: informing them, solving problems, entertaining, inspiring or providing an excellent customer service.

Use a mix of different content: text, links, photos, videos, and then use Page Insights regularly to track which posts sparked conversations and sharing, then try to keep posting this kind of content.

 2. How often should I post?

There isn’t a “one size fits all” response to this question but one thing is for sure: try to update your page regularly and consistently so you gain your fans attention and trust and also to keep the conversations going.  Only you know how much your fans want to hear from you, so listen to them.

3. How often should I respond to fan’s comments?

You should respond to your fans’ comments asap. Usually the most interactions take place about 1 to 2 hours after you post content, so you should be online monitoring and responding to your fans. Create alerts so you get notified each time someone writes on your page. Responding quickly means you’re there for your fans and that you care about them.

4. How do I attract more fans?

There are several ways of attracting more fans, using a Facebook Ad, a Sponsored story, inviting your mailing list, putting a “like us” button on your website, etc. But one thing that SME’s can benefit from Facebook is doing cross-promotion. Let’s say you’re the owner of a boutique hotel, you may make a connection with a leisure company in the same location that has the same audience as you and do several activities: share each others posts, run competitions together, etc.  Don’t let your Facebook page be an island, connect with other relevant pages and business owners and you can increase massively your targeted audience.

 5.  How do I deal with negative comments?

Whatever the reason is as to why someone writes something negative on your page, never take it on a personal level. Always respond in a polite, professional and positive way. Even if the customer’s not right, communicating promptly and in a polite way shows to other fans that you care and they feel at ease to communicate with you.

 6.   How do I build my reputation?

You should always deliver real value content for your fans, but another key point to build a strong reputation is to always be authentic. When a brand is authentic and transparent it creates trust and is able to form long-lasting relationships with their audience.

7.   How do I measure results?

First of all you should be measuring results and know what’s happening on your page in order to drive strategies. Inside your page you have access to Facebook Insights. This will tell you the activity that has been taking place each month (reach, engaged user, virality, etc). Take advantage of this in order to drive your Facebook strategy forward.

This article was written by SocialB – one fo the UK’s leading social media and online marketing experts

The post Facebook: 7 tips to supercharge your business communication appeared first on #Bizitalk Business Network.

Many businesses invest significant amounts of money in things like advertising, websites, printing brochures, etc. Few make the same investment in their copywriting. What you write about your business … your ‘copy’ … is the biggest and best sales tool in your armoury. But most small businesses neglect this and end up firing blanks.

Does it really matter what you write and how you write it? Yes, it does. Today’s customer is sophisticated and discerning. They want knowledge and they want answers. If you don’t give it to them, they’ll find someone else who will.

You might have heard the term ‘content marketing’. Rather than a hard sell, content marketing means giving your prospective customers the information they want. In return, they’ll recognise your authority and your professionalism, and when they’re ready to buy, they’ll come to you. That’s why it’s so important to invest your time (or your money) in writing good content … that’s what copywriting is all about

You probably rely on your website to generate enquiries and sales. You want it to be on the front page of Google. Then you wonder what’s gone wrong when it doesn’t happen. An article by IT Donut revealed millions of micro business websites don’t perform.

The majority of us can write. We’ve been doing it since we were knee high to a shirt button. But being able to write is a world apart from writing good copy. On a website, good copywriting will increase your conversion rate and sales, and boost your SEO.

Let me tell you a (true) story …

A hairdresser in a small market town had a website. They wrote the copy themselves and thought it was OK. But the site didn’t work, so they spent money on SEO link building. The site still didn’t work. In two years, the website had netted them just one customer (yes – they did ask). And they were spending a king’s ransom on advertising.

It cost them less than the cost of one advert to have their website professionally rewritten. Guess what? Two weeks later their site was at the top of Google and bringing in customers. Soon they were able to reduce their advertising spend because the website was finally working for them.

This isn’t a copywriting sales pitch. It’s a plea to you, the small business owner, to start appreciating the power of words and what they can do to increase your sales. If you can write, you can learn the skills needed to write good copy. Invest some time in that, and you’ll reap the rewards.

Many years ago, I went to a networking meeting where keynote speaker and entrepreneur Nicola Cairncross delivered a simple message. She said, “If you’ve got the time, do it yourself. If you’ve got the money, outsource it.”

It was good advice, but what she didn’t explain was what happens if you don’t have the time or the money. And for many small business owners in today’s economic climate, that’s a big problem. But if you spend some time learning how to turn your writing skills into copywriting skills, there’s a good chance you’ll increase your sales and solve the money problem too.

The internet is a huge, free resource. There’s plenty of copywriting advice out there if you look for it. Perhaps you could find a copywriting workshop near you – there are plenty of affordable training options.

Find examples of what you think is well-written copy and look for the bad stuff too. If it’s wordy, full of mistakes or hard to read – it’s bad. Learn from the bad and emulate the good writers. Here are a few copywriting tips to get you started:

• Keep your sentences short – 20 to 25 words at most
• Write short paragraphs – they’re easier to read
• Don’t show off by using big words – keep it simple
• Be economical – never use 10 words when one will do
• Forget abbreviations, acronyms and jargon – nobody will understand them
• Avoid using all capital letters – they’re harder to read and suggest you’re shouting
• Use headings and sub-headings – let your readers choose which parts they want to read
• Tell your reader what to do next (the call to action) – e.g. phone now or buy now
• Write about the benefits to your customer – not the features (Google this one – it’s not easy to master!)
• Check your copy carefully for mistakes – ask a friend or colleague to help

Finally … make no mistake, good copywriting does increase sales. And remember everything you write says something about you and your business. Make sure you’re saying the right thing in the right way and you won’t go far wrong.

Blog post by Joy McCarthy

Joy McCarthy is a freelance copywriter. She is also a director of Copywriting Training Ltd, a company which delivers distance learning copywriting training, and copywriting workshops for small business owners and managers.

The post Why business owners can’t afford to ignore a single word appeared first on #Bizitalk Business Network.

Some business owners however can feel a bit confused about how Twitter works and how to take advantage of the network.

Here are the top 10 common mistakes that SME’s and start-ups do on Twitter and how to avoid them:

1. You’re selling

As any other social media network, Twitter is all about creating trust, delivering and sharing great and valuable content. Like in real life, you’re not going to form strong relationships if you always talk about how wonderful you are. You need to find common issues and information related to your industry and then share it with your followers. Marketing should be done on a subtle way.

2. You don’t follow

You expect people to find you and follow you, but you need to be proactive and search for your key audience and influencers! Identify who they are and where they are and start following them. Most people and businesses will follow you back too.

3. You don’t post regularly

There’s no point if having lots of followers if you only post once in a blue moon.

Make sure you tweet several times a week in order to engage your audience, one tweet at a time.

4. Your content is not valuable

You don’t share content that drives some kind of value to your followers. You should create content that informs, educates, inspires or entertains. This takes work but if you dedicate yourself to it you’ll come out with content that is so good that it just has to be shared. Listen to the conversations already going on as it will give you great insight and ideas.

5. You don’t use a mix of content

Take your followers to a mix of different multi-media rich content: videos, photos, podcasts, presentations, etc. This will make you more interesting.

6. You always use 140 characters

Online readers have short attention spans and like brevity. If you can communicate your message in 70 characters there is not need to fill the 140 character space.

7. You don’t use Hashtags

Using hashtags puts your tweets in front of the audience you’re trying to reach. Figures so that by using hashtags provides 200% better engagement than not using one.

8. You don’t link to your website

You tweet about relevant content on your website’s blog or free stuff you’re offering but you don’t add a link to your website’s landing page. Use services such as bit.ly to shorten your URLs and add it to some of your posts.

9. Your website doesn’t have a ‘Follow us on Twitter’ button

Let your website’s visitors know that you have a Twitter account by putting a visible button on your homepage as well as a call-to-action like ‘follow us’.

10. You don’t measure your efforts

If you don’t evaluate the results of your Twitter efforts you don’t know if you’re achieving your goals or just wasting time. There are several tools (free and paid) that help you see what’s going on, take advantage of them.

It’s your turn now: share with us your Twitter tips or your first post’s horror stories. We all learn from each other’s mistakes after all!

This article was written by SocialB – one of the UK’s leading social media and online marketing experts

The post Tweet your business success appeared first on #Bizitalk Business Network.

But before you even start creating profiles and posting, you need to have a sound strategy in place. One that is specifically created for your type of industry, audience and based on your business goals is key.

When developing your social media strategy make sure you pay attention to these 7 words:

1. Clean

Before you start investing time on social media, you should look into your own website and see if it’s a place where your visitors that will come from social media networks (and other sources) will like to stay and will easily find what they are look for. Be sure you have a clean and relevant website that easily converts. You don’t pay hundreds of pounds for a TV advert and then have your store like a mess where your customers can’t find anything. It’s the same principle.

 2. Research

This means not only searching on which social media networks your audience are using, but also investing your time researching about social media marketing. Even if you’re going to work with a social media agency, it’s well worth educating yourself in what social media marketing is all about. Watch videos, read blogs, embark on social media training. It will help you in briefing others and achieving results.

3. Listening

Identify where your audience is and listen to the conversations already taking place. Is someone already talking about your products and services? And what are they saying? What are the industry trends being discussed at the moment? Doing this can help you a lot in defining content strategies.

4. Knowing

Know and define your social media goals. You need to be really specific in what you want to achieve in social media, only then can you measure your ROI.

 5. Interacting

A social media strategy is based on interaction – every single day. Produce content that stimulates that interaction, having people responding, commenting, sharing, asking questions. And respond to them too.

 6.  Create

The content you deliver on your social media networks should always be valuable for your audience, and should be original. You can and should link to industry trends and content from reputable sources but try as much as possible to create original content, like writing an article with your opinion about a trend, a video with a tutorial, etc. Be creative.

7.  Who

Who’s going to manage your social media marketing on a daily basis? An internal marketing professional or are you going to invest in a social media agency? This is a key question you need to answer since whoever is will be dealing with your online image and reputation.

And don’t forget to have fun! Social media marketing should be something that shows your passion for what you do best!

This article was written by SocialB – one fo the UK’s leading social media and online marketing experts

The post 7 words for your social media strategy in 2013 appeared first on #Bizitalk Business Network.

You really don’t need masses of followers and friends that are just numbers on your social media networks, you need a relevant and targeted audience that is actually interested on your products or services and will drive your business forward.

Before you go and find your niche however, be sure you have a great product or service, because the people that will be finding you may also show it to others.

But how do I find my niche on social media so I know where to invest my time?

All social media networks have their own specifications, some of them will be very useful to your business, others can be just a waste of time. Don’t only search for your niche on the trendy social networks, there are many specific networks and forums where you can find your core group of fans that will push you out front.

First of all, put yourself on your customers’ shoes. Where would you go online if you want to discuss a certain product or service? With this frame of mind it’s easier to find what you’re looking for.

Here are some tips to help you find your social media niche:

1. Use Google: type in relevant keywords to your industry and find specific social media networks and forums. The Internet is full of them, there’s even a social media network for hamster lovers and another one for moustache lovers! If you sell food for hamsters or moustache trimming tools you better pay attention to them! Your best customers and brand advocates might be just there.
2. Create a sign-in discussion group on your own website: creating a discussion forum on your own website can be a good idea in having your niche finding you, driving traffic to your website and also converting visitors into customers.
3. Understand the specification of each network: On Twitter, see who is using hashtags most often. On Facebook, you might have to friend some people in your industry. On LinkedIn, participate in industry groups or create one yourself. See how each network works and find the followers that are relevant to you.
4. Make Associations: Associate with online industry associations in your niche and interact with them
5. Go offline: Go to industry events, network, make connections. Then invite and bring those connections into your social media networks.
6. Be published: Write relevant articles and press releases and get published with trade journals and magazines in your niche market. If they allow, make sure you add a link to your website or social media networks on those articles.

And after you find your niche, be sure to implement a sound social media marketing strategy and start interacting and engaging!

Article written by SocialB – one of the UK’s leading social media and online marketing experts

The post Find your business niche on social media appeared first on #Bizitalk Business Network.

Like creating a Facebook business page, you can attract followers on LinkedIn, prospects, vendors, partners and job seekers who can see your company’s activity from their LinkedIn Timeline.

LinkedIn is a highly trusted source, so your LinkedIn company page will rank highly in Google search results and people will be able to view it without logging into LinkedIn, giving your company great exposure.

But how to effectively use Linkedin for my business?

Here are some ideas on how you can and should use LinkedIn to drive your business forward, both inside and outside your company page:

1. List your products or services

Utilise the Products & Services tab with a full list of what your company offers. Your LinkedIn page should be a mini-site so all your visitors and potential customers can easily know what your company offers.

2.      Engage your employees

Many of your employees probably already have a LinkedIn profile, so make them aware of the work you’re doing on the company page and incentivise them to connect. The network of your employees can be a powerful resource for lead generation and company reputation.

3.      Post updates in the morning

Since your followers may not visit your company page daily, your best opportunity of getting seen is through regular and valuable updates that appear in their LinkedIn timeline. Try to post these updates in the morning when you have enhanced reach and visibility – most users visit LinkedIn in the morning.

4.       Create a group for your customers

Creating a Linkedin group is a great way of engaging followers and attracting leads. People can share information and experiences about your product or services and it’s also a great resource for you to listen to your customers and know what they care about. You also benefit from the opportunity of sending weekly updates to all your group members.

5.      Follow your influencers

One of the best advantages of LinkedIn is being able to identify and connect with your key industry influencers: journalists, vendors, bloggers, etc. Join your industry related groups, start conversations and build relationships with them. It can lead to key partnerships that will benefit your business.

6.      Follow your competitors

Find your competitors on LinkedIn and start following them. This is an easy way of being up-to-date with what’s happening in their organisation: who works there, who left the company, job openings, updates about their products and services, events, etc.

7.      Add a LinkedIn button to your website

Adding a LinkedIn Share button to your website is an easy way to allow your website’s visitors to share your content on LinkedIn. These buttons are free and adding one can drive lots of extra traffic.

Article written by SocialB – one of the UK’s leading social media and online marketing experts

The post How to drive your business forward using LinkedIn appeared first on #Bizitalk Business Network.