JP William Social Media Outsourcing Firm

McDonald’s Has Mc’Egg on Its Face Again

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:09:04 +0000

Whether the old school marketers agree or not, social media is here to stay and many companies – including the BIG ones – are still experimenting and learning how to engage prospects and customers via social networks. Last summer we wrote about the importance of every business having and controlling their social media presence BEFORE social media is used against them by consumers. You can read that article here. Why is it important to control your company’s social media presence before there’s a crisis? If your company has to respond to a social media/PR nightmare and you haven’t already been engaged in social media then you are a day late to the game. McDonald’s continues to learn this lesson, and it’s an important one for ALL businesses regardless of size!

This time McDonald’s social media marketing team made a mistake in their recent Twitter campaign. They asked for #McDStories on Twitter and instead of getting a deluge of “I can’t live without my daily french fries #McDStories” they got a lot of “I’d rather eat my own diarrhea than McDonald’s #McDStories” Wow – who would have thought that one of the most popular fast food chains in history would have so many #haters? We understand the vegetarians and the animal activists who disagree with the meat sourcing and preparations (it is kind of gross when you think about where that hamburger came from!). But, it was unexpected by all that the #McDStories hashtag would be hijacked by the haters on Twitter so quickly.

Because McDonald’s has a well developed social media presence this is not fatal to their brand. But imagine if this was the first time you heard about McDonald’s – would anything they subsequently said or did after the criticism change your opinion of them? Probably not. That’s why your company must get ahead of any negatives by having a well developed and refined social media presence. No one will listen to you if you suddenly decide to respond to negative stories if they had never heard of you before the negatives. Sure, we’re using a huge company as an example but just imagine this business nightmare on a smaller scale when some dissatisfied customers start posting on Facebook that your company and its products suck and are awful. Will it be too late to effectively use social media to respond to the criticisms? It just may be. So what are you waiting for? Get going with your company’s social media presence now.

Google+ Business Pages – Not Quite Great Yet

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:26:20 +0000

While Google+ business pages have been around a shorter period of time than even Kim Kardashian’s ill-fated second marriage, the jury is still out on whether they will be “great” as so many other Google offerings have been. Google+ may have more than 20 million users, but they haven’t yet found their way to the business pages. It’s still an empty box that they are working on while companies try to play with the few grains of sand in there right now.

Here’s some interesting data about the major brands with Google+ business pages. It seems that it is much easier to attract likes on Facebook than followers on Google+. If you can believe, Coca Cola can measure their Google “plusers” by the dozens instead of the millions as they do on Facebook.

A blog post on Techcrunch.com said SEO firm BrightEdge is reporting that 61 percent of the world’s top 100 brands have already created Google+ business pages. But, they are failing to attract the number of followers as they have on Facebook. The numbers really are startling.

Other consumer brand stalwarts like Coke, McDonalds and Verizon had only dozens of fans (but have millions of Facebook fans). In fact, a review of Facebook and Google+ properties for all 100 [top] brands showed a collective total of almost 300 million Facebook fans for these top brands, compared to approximately 148,000 Google+ followers for these same brands.

So what does this mean for Google+? Nothing right now because it’s still too new. No one has yet to find the magic bullet to attract followers. Perhaps that’s actually a good thing because it’s making companies work hard for their brand fans. It’s a tough economy and when a consumer parts with hard-earned dollars to buy a product or service that consumer should be treated well. The obvious course for businesses then is to offer coupons and discounts to their fans. Guess what? It can’t be done yet on Google+. The operative word though is “yet” since Google rarely lets us down. So we will check back in another month or two to give you an update. But in the meantime get your company’s Google+ business page up since we know how much the search engine loves them!

Integrated Marketing – Email and Social Media

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:22:17 +0000

We often talk about ways that small businesses can leverage their marketing dollars, and integrated marketing is key to a successful marketing plan. Social media marketing helps to define a company’s online presence and engage both customers and prospects in a meaningful conversation. Email marketing is a highly targeted message delivery tool that helps a small business mine their current customer base for up-sell opportunities. When you combine the two tactics – social media and email marketing – you create an integrated marketing strategy that keeps your business in the forefront of your customers’ minds when they are making purchasing decisions.

Constant Contact examined results data from small businesses and nonprofits that have combined their email marketing with social media marketing and compared those results to organizations that use only email marketing. Key findings include:

Faster list growth: From June 2010 through August 2011, those using both social media and email marketing saw 14.43 percent list growth, while those using only email marketing saw 8.96 percent list growth.

Larger average list size: Those using both tactics have email lists that are 53 percent larger on average than their email-only counterparts.

Higher click-through rates: The average click-through rate for those using both email and social media marketing was 59.3 basis points higher than for those using email only.

Integrated marketing offers big benefits to small businesses that implement it in their overall marketing strategies. Your customers will benefit from the engagement as will your company’s bottom line. Give us a call and we will help you get started!

Social Media and Adults Online

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:27:21 +0000

Remember those good folks at Nielsen that used to give us television data by households? They are now in the Internet statistics game and check out their report on Social Media Q3 2011. Here are some highlights that are especially important for small businesses that are still on the fence as to whether to join the social media marketing game:

Four out of five active internet users (aka everyday people) visit social networks.
Looking beyond the U.S., in 10 major global markets, social networks and blogs reach over 75% of active Internet users.
60% of people who use three or more digital means of research for product purchases learned about a specific brand or retailer from a social networking site. And, 48% of these consumers responded to a retailer’s offer posted on Facebook or Twitter.
70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online.
53 percent of active adult social networkers follow a brand.

So what did you do today to get your customers and prospects engaged via social media? If you don’t know, then you had better give us a call!

The Benefits of Outsourcing your Company’s Social Media

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:10:10 +0000

The term outsourcing has taken on a rather negative connotation in recent years due to the devastating loss of so many American jobs when company’s have “outsourced” production to India, China, and other countries. However, outsourcing doesn’t necessarily mean “out of country”. In many cases it merely means “out of company”.

For many small businesses, it just isn’t possible to have the resources in-house to achieve all goals and perform all activities. Sometimes it makes sense to outsource to another company the work that you do not have the expertise to complete in-house. That’s why social media marketing outsourcing makes sense to many small businesses that cannot afford to hire social media managers or teams of social media staff.

The benefits of outsourcing are many and we will list a few here that you can think about when you decide how your business should join the social media conversation. (And join it you must because your customers are engaged on social networks and expect their favorite brands to have a presence as well.) Outsourcing allows you to:

Put your focus back on your company’s primary mission – business owners need to focus on their core competencies
Reduce overhead costs – hiring employees can be cost-prohibitive in this economic environment
Achieve a competitive advantage – you can’t be an expert at everything so use experts for targeted purposes
Improve economies and maximize profits – get high quality output at reduced costs by outsourcing instead of reinventing in-house

If you have struggled with social media marketing, then it’s time to consider outsourcing. Your customers and prospects will likely never know you’ve outsourced if you do it the right way. And remember, you can outsource to a company in your home country thus supporting your nation’s economy while helping your business achieve more at a lower cost.

Remembering Steve Jobs

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:22:20 +0000

We, like millions of people around the world, are mourning the passing of Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs. Mr. Jobs spent his life inventing and creating computer products that have permanently changed the way we live and do business. And, he started it all in his parent’s garage when he was a teenager. What an extraordinary man and what a legacy he leaves behind.

Our first exposure to Steve Jobs and his genius came when we were in our early teens. Apple stock was the first one we ever tracked on the stock market. We had a piece of paper tacked up in our kitchen where we chartered the stock’s price each day. We remember that it was priced somewhere in the $14 range. Those were the days before Excel spreadsheets and it was a primitive yet important exercise for young women just learning about both money and technology. We only tracked it on paper – we should have bought some of that stock!

We were lucky that our father was in the computer business. We were one of the first families in town to have a personal computer, and that computer was a Macintosh. We remember working away on it attempting to create fake i.d. cards. It worked and we partied through college using those little laminated cards. If we still had them today, we would probably laugh at the primitive graphics but back then we were early adopters!

And then came the ipods, and iphones, and ipads. Can you really imagine life now without these gadgets? Can you imagine what you would do with yourself the next time you’re waiting for an airplane, or to see a doctor, or in the car line picking up your kids from school if you couldn’t “surf the net” with an igadget? We know two little boys who have grown up with an ipad in their hands and the word app as part of their childhood lexicon. Lucky kids!

We can only imagine what else Mr. Jobs would have invented if he had lived to his 70s or 80s. He was a true visionary and even more importantly he had the strength to make those visions into reality. Thank you Steve Jobs. You have touched all our lives in ways even you probably couldn’t imagine. Then again, knowing you, you probably could.

RIP Steve Jobs

Business Pages are Coming to Google+

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:24:00 +0000

We still don’t know when but we are starting to get a better idea of how and why “Business Pages” are coming to Google+. Up to this point, Google+ has really been the forum for early adopters. Since late June/early July, millions of users have been invited to try Google+. Then last week, Google opened the doors to + to anyone and everyone – no invitation required. Now today there’s news that the long-awaited Business Pages will soon be live – finally! So, what exactly are we all waiting for?

According to reports, Google+ Business Pages will be more closely monitored than those on other social networks because Google didn’t write code to stop multiple pages for the same brand. As a spokesman for the Dr. Pepper Snapple group said of the Google+ Snapple page that wasn’t created by Corporate, ”We’re always looking at new opportunities to engage our fans. We’ve been monitoring Google+ since it launched and will actively seek ways to incorporate our brands when the time is right.” They don’t seem to mind that an overzealous brand fan created a page first. Perhaps it’s true that all social media is good social media?

Google+ has already started to assign verification badges to celebrities on Google+ and in fact have given two major brands – Ford and GM – the first official test brand accounts for business pages. A Google spokesperson did tell companies to watch how Google+ treats celebrities to get an idea of how it will work with businesses in the near future.

A huge question mark is how will Google+ impact search engine results? That’s one answer that we are all patiently waiting to find out. Some social media experts are speculating that without a Google+ following even major brands will be harmed in the Google search rankings. We don’t know if this is true, but we do imagine that very few companies will ignore Google+ so get ready to add another network to your social media activities!

Hello Google+

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:37:09 +0000

Yesterday was the day that Google decided to open their social network to the world. Of course, since late June/early July, Google+ invites have been speeding around the Internet so it’s unknown how special those invites really were or how many people had to wait patiently for Google’s opening yesterday. The bottom line is that Google+ is here and tonight they are hosting a special with Black Eyed Peas’ member Will.I.Am. I wonder what the headlines will be tomorrow morning? Google+ hits 100 million users in 48 hours? Maybe, but I don’t think so.

What’s the real value of Google+ in a very crowded social network world? We don’t yet know but the basic belief in the industry is that Google is capitalizing on the successes and failures of the social networks that came before it. By blending some of the best and most loved features of Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, Google+ is hoping to create THE social network of the future. The one place users can visit to catch up with friends and family, prospect for new business, and find out what people are taking about at any given moment.

Will this mean that people will abandon their current social network favorites? Highly doubtful. But, it did take Facebook 800+ days go get to 10 million followers and Google did it in less than 30. And, Google has what Facebook didn’t have when they started and that’s a huge inventory of products and features to integrate with Google+ and a built-in client base in the tens of millions worldwide. Another new announcement from Google yesterday is that Google Wallet is now live (on the Sprint Nexus S 4G that is), and the Google+ Business pages are coming soon. Is it only a matter of time before Google+ becomes the industry standard in social networks the way Gmail did for web email?

Your Customers are on Facebook – Are You?

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:42:15 +0000

We are always on the lookout for new statistics about social media. Especially stats about how customers engage with small businesses via social media. Of course, that’s because we are a social media company that helps small businesses join the conversation with their customers across the various social media platforms. But, also because we are consumers too and we want to know how our favorite brands are changing and reacting to social media.

Well, we got the opportunity to analyze some new information from Constant Contact and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB). They polled nearly 1500 social media users ages 18 and up and asked them about their interactions with brands on Facebook. Let me tell you that we were not surprised by the data they collected or the conclusions they drew from it. We already knew that an individual’s social media activity is heavily weighted on Facebook. Check out these stats:

The average Facebook user spends more than 11 hours per month on Facebook. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2010 & Facebook Press Room, 2011)

One out of every eight minutes online is spent on Facebook. (ComScore, February 2011)

So we know consumers are online and many are spending their time on Facebook. In fact, 34% of people surveyed by Constant Contact and CMB said they interact with their favorite brands on Facebook and 56% of those 35 and under claim they do. The respondents said the top reason they “like” a brand on Facebook is to receive promotions and discounts. That’s a pretty powerful piece of information for any business – consumers will like your Facebook page if you ask them to buy something from you and offer them a discount or other incentive to make the purchase. Should we repeat that news or did you get it the first time around?

Consumers want deals and special treatment from their favorite brands, and they are looking on Facebook for them.

So now the next obvious question is doesn’t it make sense that businesses build their social media strategy around the brand’s Facebook page? Too many small businesses think that social media is too difficult to manage, too time-consuming, only for the big companies, and a dozen other reasons for why they don’t engage in it. We understand the stresses on small businesses and that’s why we got in the business of social media outsourcing. At JP William we believe that every small business should have the same opportunity to engage in social media as the big boys do. Your customers are looking for you on social media and your competitors will be happy to serve them if you are missing from the conversation.

The Art of Social Media

JP William Social Media Marketing and Optimization for Small Businesses — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:02:22 +0000

There are some professions where it isn’t about science but about art. The art of medicine, the art of law, and now the art of social media. The reason I’m writing about this today is because some people – and we are talking very smart, very accomplished people – still don’t understand what social media is and what role it plays in a small business. Let’s try to clear up some of the misconceptions.

“But I don’t have 10,000 Twitter followers yet!”

This is one comment by a very smart prospect I spoke with recently. Sure, everyone wants a lot of Twitter followers – it can be akin to a popularity contest – but it’s quality of those followers and not quantity! I don’t know how many times I must repeat that one concept and yet still people don’t understand it. I think it’s because the media made such a big deal about Charlie Sheen reaching 1 million followers in 48 hours, Kim Kardashian’s 4 million followers, etc. One more time – it’s Quality and not Quantity!

“No one comments on my blog”

I’ve addressed this one before right here on this blog (and with no comments)! If you pour yourself into your blogging and people are not responding despite getting 50 viewers of it within 10 minutes of publication, you’re still ok. A lot of people do not feel comfortable commenting on any blogs – remember, the Internet is searchable and that includes blog comments! If it’s the middle of a work day, your readers may be sneaking a peek at your blog from their desk and using a work computer to blog comment is a huge NO NO in many companies. Don’t feel bad about no comments – just feel bad if there are no readers!

“My Facebook page doesn’t get new ‘likes’ every day”

This is a bit tougher to understand even for the very smart people with whom I chat regularly. Facebook ‘likes’ can be tricky because your Facebook friends will see the pages you like and you may not always want that to happen. For example, a JP William client is a law firm that specializes in divorce. When I ‘liked’ them from my personal Facebook page, I made sure to tell my husband so his mother (who is my Facebook friend) wouldn’t call him and freak out that I ‘liked’ a divorce lawyer. My hubby laughed it off, but he did mention it to his mother. A very good friend of mine ‘liked’ a plastic surgeon (who she went to school with) and then worried that her Facebook friends would think she’s planning a face lift! Again, just because someone didn’t officially ‘like’ your Facebook page doesn’t mean she doesn’t LIKE your Facebook page.

So, is everyone catching on about the art of social media? It isn’t just about numbers and comments and followers and likes. It is about the content you’re producing for your audience and the engagement you have with them. Stop counting and start chatting – social media is about relationships!