In 2014, the top social networks were, in terms of number of month actual users, in order:
Not surprisingly, each platform has a specific target demographic, which is basically divided into two major sectors: professional use and personal use.
When it comes to profession and/or business purposes, the main contenders are Facebook and LinkedIn. The question about which platform serves a business best remains unanswered. [Read more…]
Another year’s nearly in the books and a slew of new social networks are working to catch our attention in their respective app stores. Whether you’re looking to make new friends or find another avenue to share an opinion or tell a great story, 2014 had something for everybody. Here are a few of the budding social networks you may want to give more than a passing swipe.
The latest brainchild of Twitter co-creator Biz Stone, SUPER is a funky social networking app that brings its own style to sharing life’s moments. The function of the app is actually very simple–just snap a picture, choose the appropriate ALL-CAPPED caption, write some text, add a filter, and send. The app itself is praised for its superior, yet simple design, and it carries with it a certain self-awareness to the social space. [Read more…]
A little while ago I read this great post by Ken Mueller which got me thinking, “Where have I never been with my posts before?”
I was quite surprised to find that the answer was “The customer’s mind-set.” I have written posts in the past about providing great customer service and nurturing post-purchase, but never actually about how a business could be seen through the eyes of a customer. Most importantly though, how customers view the “little mistakes” that you decided to let slide or deal with later.
Here are ten little mistakes that I see quite often when browsing the web, and how they could be making your customers view your business in the wrong light!
Little mistake #1 – Not blogging or updating your social networks
It’s very easy to neglect things like your blog and social networks. What with more urgent work tasks, familial and social commitments and unexpected requests dominating many of our lives, the simplest solution is to try and alleviate the pressure by “just blogging tomorrow.” That tomorrow then becomes the day after, and the day after that and the day after that, as you can see from the lonely looking lambs in the example above (almost as lonely looking as the stagnant blog itself)!
It’s a vicious circle, and one that can leave both existing and potential customers seeing you as just as neglectful in other areas of your business as in your content. It can also come across as you simply not having anything interesting to say, so how could you have anything interesting to offer your customer too? [Read more…]
Who isn’t on Facebook these days? We’re all connected and joined together with pictures, status updates and a whole lot more – and most of us do it without an inkling of the perils that we face on the social media network, day in and day out. Facebook gets a lot of flak for being unsafe for kids, adding to an employer’s woes, and even messing up a relationship or two – and not without reason.
The social media giant has boomed in the last half decade or so, with more than a billion users to its name. The magnitude of the impact it can have on people has not gone unnoticed. The harmful stats are sure to throw anyone for a loop. From Facebook depression to stalkers, from a loss of productivity to slander – the problems that are part and parcel of the social media network are aplenty. [Read more…]
If you are an online marketer and you are not using email, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful tools for reaching customers and increasing engagement. Email is a means to reach the people most interested in your products or services in a deeply personal way. It’s a way to stay in constant contact with your most loyal customers, fans and supporters. However, email marketing can be very tricky. If it’s done well, it can attract new people to your business and make current customers even better. If done poorly, it can turn away people who were, previously, excited about you and your brand.
So who can you turn to for help in mastering email marketing? Social networks are among the largest email senders in terms of volume and have spent an incredible amount of time and resources honing their email marketing. However, this is effort and energy you can tap as you can learn a great deal from these networks without having to duplicate their investment. You just have to be willing to step back and study what they are doing and why. [Read more…]
