Monthly Archives: February 2012

Relevancy Rules in Social Media Advertising

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In recent years, social media has become more than just an arena for reconnecting or engaging with friends—it has become a platform for strategic and targeted advertising. In order to reap the most benefits of social media advertising, relevancy is essential. Facebook has a great system for online advertising that allows you to seek out the demographic of people that will be most likely to be interested in your advertised product.

A case study by famous blogger, Jason Falls in his new book, No Bullshit Social Media illustrates the power of Facebook advertising, and how it translates into dollars earned. In 2010, Jim Olenbush, owner of Cantera Real Estate in Austin, TX, utilized multiple relevancy factors in order to target a very specific group of people who may be interested in buying homes.

At the time that Olenbush first decided to use Facebook advertising, there had been so many drug-related murders and shootings in Mexico that many affluent Mexican families were looking to move to the United States. He realized that, due to Texas’ close proximity to Mexico, it could be extremely profitable to target these affluent areas (Mexico City and Monterrey) using Facebook’s advanced filtering tools.

Olenbush said that not many people were targeting this demographic so when he spent only about $400.00 over a period of 3-4 months, he received a good amount of impressions. Although Olenbush admitted that the click-through rates were on the lower side, one person did end up using his services, and buying a $1.1 million dollar house. For an investment of $400.00, this was an extremely high return.

As I mentioned before, people don’t care about things that don’t pertain to them (as bad as that may sound). In order to catch the attention of the consumer, you need to target the right products to the right people. With Facebook’s filtered advertisements you can choose exactly who will see your advertisement, all the way down to interests located in the info area of their profiles.

How have you used Facebook filtering to target a very specific demographic for an ad campaign? Let us know!

If you need assistance implementing your Facebook campaign, or simply need help to maintain or create content on your social platforms, contact Viral Technologies and we will provide you with a FREE social media consultation. 1-855-718-4725 or email info@viraltechnologies.com

Foursquare Isn’t Just A School Yard Game Anymore

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For those of you who have yet to get into the Foursquare game—it’s a bit different than our grammar school recess memories of Foursquare—it’s actually yet another way to let everyone and their mothers know where you are, who you’re with, and what you’re doing. At first I was weary of the social media application that allows the user to “check-in” to pretty much anywhere in the world, but after closer investigation, it actually can be a really great business tool.

According to realtimemarketer.com, the average American web user spends nearly 85% of their online time on social networking platforms. With that being said, why not get your business involved in the Foursquare application that can be easily downloaded onto your smartphone devices? Those who usually get the most out of this program are businesses that have a tangible product for sale where the customer can go in, and make a physical purchase, though any business can have great success and gain awareness for their brand using the app.

Companies are using Foursquare to attract more business by setting incentives for those who check-in to their business. For example, if someone becomes the mayor of your company, meaning they have the most check-ins, they can be sent an exclusive coupon, or given a free product. Word of mouth travels fast, and if you give your customers have something buzz-worthy to talk about, more people are sure to visit. Also, be sure to maximize your exposure by linking your Foursquare to other social media platforms such as Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter.

One of Foursquare’s greatest features is its ease of use. Consumers can now be automatically checked into any location. Another great feature is the built in GPS which helps you to locate gas stations, restaurants or other businesses of interest if you are traveling and unfamiliar with your surroundings.

For more information, or to download the app, visit foursquare.com!

How Your Facebook Page Affects Your Chances of Landing a Job

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How many times have one of your friends on Facebook gone rogue on your deleting their entire account in the hopes of improving their chances of getting hired? Maybe you’ve sat at your computer for hours and hours deleting pictures that you think may get the eye of disapproval from potential job opportunities? This is a process that so many young professionals have gone through, thinking it will increase their chances of landing that awesome new job.

A recent study conducted by the Northern Illinois University, the University of Evansville, and Auburn University confirmed that Facebook can be a great predictor of 5 essential traits that employers hope to see in a potential new hire. These traits include openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The study concluded, not surprisingly, that those who had many friends in their pictures scored higher in extroversion, those who were photographed traveling were more likely to be open to new experiences and more adventurous.

Although Facebook can predict general personality characteristics, Don Kluemper, who co-authored the study, said that job seekers shouldn’t necessarily worry about cleaning up their Facebook profile to be considered for a position. Contrary to popular belief, a profile picture that features you donning a beer bottle doesn’t eliminate you from the running—it may not even have an effect at all. Kluemper said of ‘I don’t think a picture of someone holding a beer adversely affected them…but [a picture of you] being drunk in a ditch somewhere might be negative.”

Basically, use your head in what you allow to be posted onto your Facebook page. Think of how you wish to be perceived not just by future employers, but by your peers and family. Whether you like it or not, you will be judged by the content of your Facebook page, so it is important to be aware of that and to take the necessary actions to improve your online presence.

Information was collected from this article on Mashable.

Conquering Writer’s Block With Yoga Principles

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So there I was. Setting up camp in down dog, arms quivering and hamstrings burning, when I realized…I didn’t have a blog—or even an idea for a blog–prepared for the next day. Panic started to set in somewhere between my third eye and my actual eyes, and I started sweating profusely—okay it probably had something to do with the 100+ degree room I was in—not to mention my chakra had gotten all out of line.

Okay I thought, gathering my stomach from off the floor as we finally were instructed to rest in child’s pose. How would my yogi master solve this dilemma?
Have you ever tried doing the writing exercise where you are instructed to write without lifting your pen, keeping your hand moving for a designated amount of time? Vinyasa yoga is kind of like this. Stay with me now.

Vinyasa yoga is the combining of breath and movement, and the creation of a universal flow of energy and power. It keeps your mind off the things that may hinder you from meeting your intention or goal by encouraging the perpetual movement of your body and syncing it with your breath.

Many deep postures create resistance or discomfort—much like not having a blog topic, or suffering from the dreaded writer’s block. Don’t force it…that’s when we injure ourselves or create a piece that—for lack of a better word—bites. Creating peace of mind through continued rhythmical breath is a great way to better arrive at the solution to a problem. Once these deep, rejuvenating breaths become second nature, your movements start becoming fluid and organic—not forced.

Whether you’re creating a flow in yoga class, or creating a flow of words on a screen, remember to take a second and enjoy these moments where your mind is blank—even if that may seem daunting when trying to write on a deadline. Use these moments to take a few deep luxurious breaths, and enjoy them. Let them energize you, so that they can lead you into your next task.

Just keep breathing, keep your thoughts rhythmic and relaxed like your movements, and you will always find your flow.

And that my friends, is how yoga class helped me to write this blog.

Facebook vs. Twitter Etiquette

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So recently I posted something on my personal Facebook account saying something “witty” about the Grammys like, “Wow, is that Katy Perry or Gonzo?” This of course pertained to her hideously blue ensemble complete with matching blue hair. I mean I thought it was pretty funny, but my friend immediately commented on the post, “Why did you just post that to Facebook? That’s such a Twitter comment.” Oh no, I thought to myself. Did I just commit a Facebook faux paus? I immediately regretted the post until I actually stopped to think, “Wait. Are the Facebook and Twitter languages so vastly different that such an error should be pointed out so inherently?”

The answer apparently, is yes. So here are a few things that I’ve learned since my monumental Facebook blunder.

-Twitter is great for live “reporting” during large events such as the Grammys or a presidential speech. Because you can add # hashtags to your tweets, you can join the world-wide conversation of topics that are trending.

-You can tweet as many times a day as you want—within reason. If you were to post as many times on Facebook that you do on Twitter—that would be another no-no.

-Do NOT put hashtags in Facebook—people get confused and they begin to think that a parasite is living in your computer.

-People tend to be more professional of sorts when on Twitter. This may be because people feel more comfortable posting lewd comments on Facebook because of its high privacy nature. (Twitter open source / facebook closed network)

-People expect you to post something witty or earth shattering because if you have to spend 20 minutes deleting and refining your message to get it to 140 characters or less, it better move mountains. This is why I tend to use Facebook more—less pressure.

-Finally I will post a photo to Twitter only if it’s something that can be attached to a quick message, and usually is something I have come across in my daily life. If I want to upload pictures from a trip, or if I want more people to see it—Facebook is definitely my go-to social platform.
How does your Facebook and Twitter etiquette differ? Do you speak different languages when switching from one social medium to another? Comment below, I’d love to get your opinions!

Separating Business From Pleasure on the Facebook Platform

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Should you separate your business page from your personal Facebook page? The answer? Yes. Absolutely. The reason I say this is because, and I hate to sound cliché, “one should never mix business and pleasure.” There are so many things that could go wrong here—not the least of which is getting tagged in a compromising picture/post and having it seen by one of your clients, or potential clients. Anything that is posted onto your Facebook wall by you or by your friends, can be seen by your entire customer-base, and has the ability to reduce your integrity as a reliable and trustworthy company.

Even Facebook warns that personal pages should be just that—personal. It would be against Facebook’s terms of use if a business were to register their brand as a personal account. The danger in creating a personal page for your company is that if it does end up getting caught by Facebook, your friends list will get deleted along with your account. In order to add a business page to Facebook, it needs to be connected to a personal account. I know, that could get messy, but you can always choose the option of which user you would like to post a message from.

So putting aside all of the technical stuff, what are the advantages of creating a page for your business? One great benefit is the user analytics tool that is free with this service. You can see demographics, growth rates, and reach of your company all in an easy-to-read tab add-on within your page. With these statistics, you can see which of your posts received the most feedback, who is talking about your brand, and who is responding to which of your posts. This is extremely valuable for companies so that you can cater your posts to suit the group of people who are looking at your content the most.

Another great advantage of having a business page is that you can have an unlimited amount of “fans” where a personal page is capped at 5,000 friends. If you have 5,000 friends, Facebook will urge you to create a business page, and won’t allow you to add any more friend contacts.

Anyways, here are the facts and figures and hopefully this helped you in your dilemma in deciding whether or not to create a fan page for your brand!

Creating a Viral Video

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So we recently came across a great video made by Salesforce.com describing what it takes for a video to go viral. Because our very name implies our interest in this phenomenon, we thought it pertinent to share. Jamie Grenney, VP of Social Media for Salesforce.com put together a video describing how to make your videos/online content go viral.

Grenney said that following these seven steps will “dramatically increase your [content’s] odds of going viral.”

1. Your video/content should answer a question, or elicit an emotional response.
2. Your video/content should address a popular topic that people are searching/chirping about.
3. Include a catchy title, description, and thumbnail if possible, as they have been shown to generate more clicks.
4. Keep your video/content short and sweet.
5. Get your video/content off to a strong start, so as to catch the attention of your audience right off the bat.
6. Are people going to feel compelled to share your video/content?
7. Eliminate the things that would make people apprehensive to share your video/content

You can learn more about this process through Grenney’s blog here!

Remember, Viral isn’t our middle name it’s our first—which makes us that much better. So if your brand wants the best shot at achieving a viral campaign, contact Viral Technologies today for a FREE consultation with one of our expert social media gurus! 1-207-899-0346 or email us info@viraltechnologies.com

Our Services: Search Engine Optimization

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Are you taking full advantage of your website’s potential? Getting more people to land on your website should be your ultimate goal, and we can help to get you there. By using preferred SEO practices, you can organically grow your visibility across the web. Once you have increased your website’s traffic, your company will have a better chance of converting your website viewers to paying clients.

How do you do this you ask? Our SEO specialists can help with that! Here’s how we do it.

-Keyword Building Strategy
-Content Strategy
-Link Building Strategy
-Local Search Engine Submission
-Image Optimization
-Blog Creation/Submission
-Copywriting

Call us today for a free website/SEO audit! (207-899-0346) or e-mail us info@viraltechnologies.com