Online Marketing News Recap: Week of January 12, 2014

Okay, so it’s the middle of winter, and in many parts of the world, the most pleasant place to spend your free time is somewhere indoors. When it’s too rainy or snowy to go out, what’s the best way to spend your lunch hour or free evening? For many people, the answer is ordering some delivery, getting comfortable, and browsing their social media newsfeeds and other favorite sites. It’s a good way to chat with friends and read some updates on what’s going on in the world, and it keeps us all out of that dreaded “wintry mix.” Make sure your business and its social media pages are on your customers’ radar with the good advice in these three posts.

8 Ways to Keep Your Social Media Updates Fresh (Salman Aslam, Social Media Today)

You know that person on your Facebook list whose posts are completely, embarrassingly tone-deaf? News items and memes are a week old, and status updates are more “me, me, me” than a pre-Oscars red-carpet interview. That person really needs to read this great article, stat—and reviewing these smart ideas can’t hurt you any, either. It’s never a bad idea to review some ideas about what makes for an effective post. Social media is an incredibly powerful marketing tool, but it’s unwise to post indiscriminately, as it can go ignored or even hurt your cause. Salman Aslam has some great advice for you, and it applies to both your personal accounts and the ones you maintain for your business or professional life. Want to keep your followers liking, sharing, retweeting, and encouraging other users to like your page? Check out these excellent tips, which center on the kind of content you should be posting (hint: it shouldn’t be all about you.)

6 Facebook Marketing Tips for Managing Your Facebook Page (Jim Belosic, Social Media Examiner)

While we’re on the subject of social media marketing strategy, we’d like to suggest you take a look at Jim Belosic’s smart Facebook marketing guidance. This article is less about what you post and more about how you post. You’ll learn some of the ways you can use Facebook to make sure you’re interacting with your customers on your terms, and you’ll also get a primer on how you and your team can share the responsibility of managing your page. Facebook has a reputation for changing its settings without much warning, so it’s always a good idea to stay on top of how it’s currently functioning. Don’t want to leave yourself open to the possibility that someone will post spam or a random rant on your wall? You don’t have to!

Social Media Guide for 2014 (James Caan, LinkedIn)

Finally, British entrepreneur James Caan has penned an article on how to develop an effective social media campaign for your business this year … and what your takeaway from your pages should be. One excellent point he makes is that many companies treat their social media profiles as marketing tools—which they absolutely are—but forget to use them to solicit customer feedback. And he’s right: posts on your Facebook page and tweets to your account on Twitter can tell you a great deal about what people are saying. He also emphasizes the importance of branding on social media, as it tells users more about you and drives traffic to your web site. We like what he has to say about user engagement and measuring customer satisfaction—they’re definitely important considerations for any business, and social media platforms make them easier than ever before.

So, what are you waiting for? Get posting! Your customers are ready.