Learn six ways to promote your brand and drive online traffic through providing great Customer Service? In this article, we will show you just how to do that! Have you ever noticed that people are more likely to participate in things if they are given an incentive?  Well, if you haven’t, just know it is true.  People like rewards, it is that simple.   

What Does This Mean to You?

Because social media is such a huge deal nowadays, everyone wants to be a part of it, and they all want the same thing out of it: more business!  So how on earth are you supposed to stand out when everyone, including your competition, is doing the exact same thing for the exact same reason?

In this endless frenzy of businesses jumping on the social media bandwagon, it is very easy to lose sight of certain things.  One thing no one should lose sight of though is customer service.  You may be thinking, “Customer service on Facebook?”  Well, yes!  Anytime you are representing your brand, customers and customer service must be what we never lose focus on.

So, how do you drive business, get people onto your website, and have more loyal followers/customers than your competition?  Offer great customer service, and offer rewards.  Rewards are an amazing way to inspire people to visit your pages. 

Let’s check out a few examples so you can see what I mean… 

Available ONLINE ONLY!

Everyone loves a good discount.  But clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper is quickly falling out of fashion.  What is the fad now? Online coupons!  Discount websites, such as Groupon, are exploding in popularity.  People just cannot get enough, and have come to not only love, but expect a certain percent off.

Now What?

Well, if you are looking to drive traffic onto your website, this is a wonderful way to do that.  Offer things that are only available online, and people will not be able to resist.

There are many different ways to go about this, so use your creativity.  You could print codes out on receipts, send out a newsletter with discounts or reach out through social media; sign up with Groupon or other sites that offer similar services.

There are many ways to reach your customer base when offering discounts online.  Just be sure to remember, as with everything online, you must be able to reach your audience the way that they want to be reached, so do not just use one avenue. 

Make it Into a Game.

We all play games, every last one of us-- especially games we can win. So give your fans and followers something to go for!

Sites such as Gowalla, GetGlue and Foursquare, they entice users by making “checking-in” a game.  They will reward you every time you “check-in” by giving you a badge or medal of sorts.  Foursquare has a leader board which shows how many points you have collected compared to your friends and other connections.  So every time you log on, you will see where you rank, and will probably do what you can to make sure you rank at least in the top three.

Now What?

Easy!  Start your own competition! 

How you design the game is up to you, depending on your particular business and customer base.  But give the people who visit your page or site a reason to come back—offer stickers or stamps (preferably branded) to reward your loyal visitors.  Put some creative thought into this so you can make it as interesting as possible.

This method works very well for businesses that survive on their customers making frequent purchases.  I am sure you have all experienced going to a place of business, typically restaurants and the like, and they hand you a card and say that if you get a certain amount of stamps your next burger is free.  It is a similar concept, and it works very well.

For smaller companies, it may be easier to associate with a large brand with an established reputation for this type of reward system, like Foursquare.

Always keep in mind that the end goal is to creative a positive experience for customers, or potential customers.  Be creative and engaging to stand out in their mind as the website that is the most fun, and rewarding, to visit.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

This is a really fun way to promote your brand: include your customers in your advertising!

I know, the idea sounds a little wacky, but it really does work.  Doritos did it by creating a campaign called Make an Ad, Make a Fortune, where customers made commercials for Doritos.  The most popular commercial was broadcast on prime-time television! 

Now What?

Regardless of what form of advertising you use, offering people their moment in the limelight is always going to work.

Give clear instructions so everyone knows what is expected, and encourage everyone to get involved!  That way you are not only promoting the brand, but building a customer base.  Also, if you are still looking for ways to build your online traffic, have the vote take place on your website or social media site.

And the Grand Prize Goes To…

Contests, specifically content-creation contests, are an incredible way of promoting your brand. It’s a method that digitally involves customers, or potential customers, and gets businesses free publicity.  Nothing bad about that!

A recent demonstration of this came in the form of Microsoft’s Cannes 2011 competition, which asked students to create a film showing the usefulness of a Windows 7 PC in a student’s life. 

Now What?

First you have to come up with a great incentive—a prize.  Many people are very creative, but it takes a lot to bring that creativity out.  So what you offer must be very tempting.  For example, the Microsoft Cannes competition offered $8,000, a trip to Cannes for two, parties, and the works.  Needless to say it got people off their couches and behind their cameras.

Granted, very few companies can compete with Microsoft as far as cash prizes go, but giving away free products or services will work well also.  Get your team together and brainstorm!  What do you want to ask people to create, what is the content, and what is their reward?

Areas for Improvement

What is the first brand that comes to mind when it comes to listening to customer feedback?  Starbucks.

Starbucks designed a campaign to make the voices of the customers heard, called “My Starbucks Idea”.  They do this by collecting ideas from their existing customers and allow others to vote on which they would most like to see implemented, and the most popular suggestions are.

Dell also has a similar campaign going called Dell’s Idea Storm, where, like Starbucks, they encourage customer input and actually use their ideas.

It’s So Simple

Have you ever noticed that sometimes we get going so fast, that every once and a while we forget about the niceties?  Well, that should simply no longer be overlooked!  One of the best customer rewards systems is to simply say, “Thank you!”

This reward system is meant to go, not only on its own, but with every other method of rewarding your customers we have discussed here today.  The person who films the winning commercial should get a thank-you, as should the one who had the winning idea that brought more business into your establishment, and so on.  A thank-you can even be as modest as sending a thank-you note.  You want to leave the customer feeling as if they are appreciated—and they most certainly are.

Now what?

After using one, or all, of these methods to drive your online customer base, what is next?

Get feedback.  Feedback forms work very well.  A great way to get the feedback and gathering more online followers at the same time is to put those feedback forms on your website or social media sites.  But, whatever you do, do not forget to listen to these comments—they are no use to anyone as just air.

Your customers will know when you have listened, and feel more valued as a result.  And that is what it is all about after all, is it not?  Customer service! 

DJ Heckes, CEO & Author
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts
www.exhib-it.com
Full BRAIN Marketing
www.fullbrainmarketing.com

Does it ever seem as if every time you blink, social media is completely different?  Social media changes so fast and so often, it can be easy to get left in the dust!  So just in case you have been out of the loop, here are some recently new things that are good to know.  Be sure to keep reading as each week we post new social media tips to help you learn more for your own business.

What’s New?

Twitter has a new way to make it easy to follow and be followed!  This wonderful little button not only makes it so you can follow all of your “favorites” just by clicking on the bird, but you can add it to your own website, too! How handy is that?

*Follow Twitter accounts direct from their website or blog in just one click!

Google has a new button!  Google +1 is similar in concept the “Like” button on Facebook.  When you click on it, it shares your recommendation with all your Google contacts!  Now this is so new that Google considers it an experiment, so you must opt in to be able to use it.  To learn a little bit more about the button and get it on your site, you can do so here.     

See example of using Google +1 below.

The Google +1 Button is initially rolling out through a selected number of publishers.

‘Google Offers’:  Oh, yes.  Google is starting their coupon program!  Starting in Portland, OR, Google is working with local businesses to help promote by offering discounts to those who opted in to use it.  Google Offers is also looking for businesses who want to sign up with it so they can team up with you, providing you more business and getting your name out there, while you in turn help spread the word!  They eventually intend on teaming with Google Wallet, a crazy new app that offers a new way to pay.

*See example video below:

See embedded code here:  <object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CjDA_mbkZjE&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CjDA_mbkZjE&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>

Twitter Search offers more: As Twitter puts it, “Twitter brings the most meaningful information in the world right to your pocket. And, we're constantly working on ways to make that even better.”  Starting soon, when you search on Twitter or click on a topic, you will be provided with not only more relevant results, but you will also be shown photos and videos related to your search topic.  “It's never been easier to get a sense of what's happening right now, wherever your curiosity takes you.” Click on the picture below to learn details about what is new in the Twitter world.

And if that wasn’t enough, here are some awesome new tools:

Shoutomatic:  I must admit, this one really blew me away.  Have you ever noticed that when you type in status updates on Facebook and Twitter, conveying your emotions is very difficult in text.  Well, Shoutomatic has solved that problem for us all.  It is an app you can sign up for through Twitter or Facebook that allows you to record your voice and post status updates that way.  What will they come up with next?  Keep reading…

BO.LT:  BO.LT is an interesting new site that allows you to completely alter (or customize) and web page you choose to share with your fans or followers. To try, just go to the site, type in your email address and it will let you experiment a little.  It is fascinating, to say the least, and I recommend you try it. 

Crowdbooster:  This new dashboard allows you to keep track of your followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook.  You can see just about everything that has to do with your admiring public on both sites in one place.

Were there any new social media releases that caught your eye?  Please share, because like I said, it can be really hard to keep up!

DJ Heckes, CEO & Author
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts
www.exhib-it.com
Full BRAIN Marketing
www.fullbrainmarketing.com

Nowadays, as I am sure you have noticed, the internet is full of news sources, e-sources and so much information at the tips of your fingers that allow you to stay up to date with current events. You can visit the big news sites such as CNN.com, BBC, NBC, and all the other big ones.  Even web browsers will give you news as soon as you log in.  Places like AllTop.com and Mashable.com allow you to search for news that is specific to your industry.  But if you really want to get specific, and not have to search for articles that are relevant to you and your industry. Also check out LinkedIn Today as this is the place to go.  For those in the business community, LinkedIn Today is the new kid on the block.  LinkedIn Today allows news that you choose to come straight to you.  No more searching the web for news that is out of date and likely irrelevant. LinkedIn Today lets you choose the genre you are interested in and sends the most current events straight to your page.  It also allows you to look at the most shared news stories, peoples’ comments and much more.  LinkedIn describes it as a way to “discover what the world’s professionals are reading, sharing AND tweeting.”  Basically, LinkedIn Today is a news source for a professional that, if used correctly, allows one to expand their influence in the social media world.

Industry Specific News

What makes LinkedIn Today different from other e-sources is the fact that the entire platform is powered by people, specifically LinkedIn members.  What does that mean?  It means all the articles that show up at the top of the list are the ones that have been most shared by professionals in a multitude of industries.  LinkedIn Today truly gives power of the press to the people. 

But that is not all!  LinkedIn Today also allows people to comment on articles.  So not only can one view, at a glance, the top stories in specific industries fueled by people who are actually interested and know what they are talking about, one can also read comments left by other readers!  What possible value could that have?  Not all articles are most read because they are good.  Some news goes viral because it is controversial, inaccurate, or because it was terribly written.  Comments are helpful because they show how people react to stories—their true, gut reaction.  Listening to what people have to say can save a poster from becoming very unpopular due to posting articles that will make people angry the rest of the day.  Also, never forget to include your comments on all articles that you share to add more value to your post.

On every headline, LinkedIn Today shows how many times the article has been shared, and when clicked on, it shows who has shared.  It is even possible to view sharers by company, industry and location if one is interested in seeing specific shares and/or comments.  Is this not a great tool?

Which Articles Come Out on Top?

As mentioned before, the power behind LinkedIn Today is that is displays headlines based on the amount of times they have been shared or commented on by LinkedIn members.  The articles are organized by industry and original source and the industry of those people who have shared them so you know exactly what topics and articles are valuable to people and their industries.  LinkedIn Today really knows how to get specific!

The most important part is that LinkedIn Today will show recent articles that have been shared by members from a variety of disciplines—articles that are not only relevant to those interested in social media or design, for example, but relevant to anyone and everyone.  It also shows articles that your own connections on LinkedIn have shared, as well as industry articles from places like StumbleUpon.

Tips for Using LinkedIn Today to Build Social Media Clout

LinkedIn makes it easy to build relationships with your connections, and offers many ways to do it.  One great way to do that, and grow your influence, is to share relevant, current content on a regular basis.  Consistently keeping up with your current events means that your connections will come to you first for all their need-to-know information. 

Because the web floods people with tsunamis of “news worthy” content, everyone seems to know a little about a lot of things, but have no real knowledge, so to speak.  For example, it might be fun to read about an orangutan who befriended a dog, but does that actually teach or inform?  No. It may be fun to know, but is completely irrelevant…unless you are a primatologist, in which case I apologize.

What you need to do is figure out your niche, subscribe to news sources in that niche, and then become the person who is always “in the know”, and a go to source for valuable content. 

1. Make LinkedIn Today Your Own

Step one is simple: tell LinkedIn Today what your industry is, and organize your news pages to show you the most popular articles within your niche.  You do not have to limit yourself, either.  You can choose to get articles relevant to all your interests, not just one.

Obviously you should follow your industry.  Anyone who is connected to you on LinkedIn is most likely there as a business connection, so do not go overboard with personal interests.  However, as was mentioned before, you can have interests in more than one area.  For example, my business is trade show marketing.  But I also dabble quite a bit in social media, SEO and internet marketing, so, naturally, I subscribe to sources in those areas as well. The bottom line is to create a gumbo of content that is relevant to your industry and to your connections.

*Follow relevant industries, sources and interests to see applicable articles.

You can also subscribe to particular news sources that you may really like.  Everyone has their favorite source that they want to keep up with, and LinkedIn Today lets you subscribe to those as well.  Now, not only are you getting news relevant to your industry and other areas of expertise, but you get to view your favorite sources and pass them on to others. 

2. Scan Headlines at a Glance

LinkedIn Today allows you the option of getting daily email updates—take it!  The last thing you want is to be lagging behind in the news world.  If you get news updates once a week, you are likely to be a little behind the times considering how quickly news travels online.  If you want to be influential in your LinkedIn circle, get those daily updates.  They allow you to quickly scan all the new headlines so you can see which articles are interesting and relevant, share what is, and just ignore the rest or go back to them later. 

So, remember to update the email setting so you are receiving daily emails from LinkedIn Today, and at the same time, keep checking LinkedIn Today throughout the day just to make sure you do not miss anything important.  Never forget how quickly news moves through the internet, so to be that influencer, you must stay current.

3. Sharing is Caring!

Just as in all aspects of social media, LinkedIn Today is not something you can just repost, leave alone, and still expect to get something out of it.  You must engage!  Share, comment, comment back—utilize all of your other social media engagement tools. 

In the bottom right hand corner of every article on LinkedIn Today, there in a small symbol with a little person and a number next to it (below).  This tells you how many people have shared this article.  Click on it and it will show you the most recent shares and comments.

Even if the article has 50 shares, if it is relevant to you and your audience, share it again anyway!  And remember to always include your own comments, this is part of engaging and can be a great way to start a discussion.

*Share the article with your followers and filter the most recent shares.

Although there is currently no way to retweet or reply to a comment straight from the most recent post, you can still go to members’ profiles if you are connected to them and reply or comment on what they shared recently.  Not only that, but you can look at articles shared in your industry and go visit the profiles of those who shared them.  That way you are able to see if you have common interests or connections, and maybe make a few new ones yourself.

As long as you comment on and share articles from LinkedIn Today with your connections on LinkedIn and Twitter, you will remain consistently visible, and as long as the articles you share are relevant and informative, you will remain valuable, especially if you add your own comments and insights.  That is what it is all about, after all.  When building clout in the social media world, being CONSISTENTLYvisible and valuable is what counts. 

Let us do a quick review and recap what lessons have been learned as far as using LinkedIn Today to gain social influence:

First, you customize LinkedIn Today page to give you articles that are relevant to you industry and areas of expertise.  Just as a side note, do your best not to share articles about religion, politics, or any of those other sensitive topics—you never know how people will react so you want to stay as neutral as possible. 

Secondly, pick articles that are valuable to you and your connections, then share!  Share on Twitter and LinkedIn often enough to remain visible and not get lost in the jumbled world of social media postings.

Thirdly, and maybe most importantly, comment.  Commenting is what takes your post to the next level.  Anyone can sit around and press the share button and regurgitate information, but a lot of the value of your post comes from sharing your insights.  Let your connections know what you think, ask them what they think…engage, start discussions!  This will also help add to your visibility, which, coupled with value, grows influence.

The tools that LinkedIn provides as shown below help you connect to professionals in your industry and maybe farther.  If these tools are used properly, your social influence will grow.  If you maintain consistent value and visibility, you may even show up on the LinkedIn Today front page!  But do not just take my word, go in and do a little research about what all LinkedIn Today can offer.  

LinkedIn Tools:

1.         Link your Banner Images through your Website.

2.         LinkedIn has support for Videos.

4. Display Recommendations on your Page.*Add a video to each service page for exposure.

5. There is a “Follow us” Button to add to your LinkedIn Page.

6. You can Feed Blog Posts and Tweets to Your Overview Page.

*Your blog posts and tweets feed into the “overview” of your company page.

*An example of some of your analytics information that you can access.

7. You can get Client Recommendations Without Visiting Linked In.

*Make sure you display your buttons on your website.

8.         Check out the New Group Functions.

9.         Check out the LinkedIn Share Button.

Now, in the spirit of applying what we have learned, please tell me what YOU think—about LinkedIn Today, this blog, maybe some helpful hints that were not mentioned.  I welcome any comments and feedback.

    

DJ Heckes, CEO & Author
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts
www.exhib-it.com
Full BRAIN Marketing
www.fullbrainmarketing.com

As a writer, as well as a dedicated user of social media, it is sometimes a challenge to keep coming up with topics that are interesting and engaging.  Yes, you heard right—even I struggle as a weekly blog writer from all the research and information I read.

Topics and content are what secure your social media following.  Without interesting content, no one wants to engage, and then all the time and effort you put into social media becomes futile and a waste of time.  At the same time, you cannot just write about some random topic that has no relation to your industry just because some people may find it interesting.  If you are using social media, you have to realize that you cannot reach everyone.  What you need to do is discuss things that are relevant to your industry, and valuable to your followers/fans. 

The power of social media is undeniable.  It assists in building rapport, can increase web traffic or even bring in walk-ins!  That is why content is so very important.  Social media can be the fuel behind your business, and content is the fuel for your social media.  What you need is a source for your content, your fuel, that will not only help you get over that crippling condition known as writers’ block, but make your social media postings a “must read.”

Everyone needs a little helping hand, so here are some tips that will help to make sure you never run out of fuel for your fire.

1. Get Everyone Involved!

The amazing thing about people being different from one another is that everyone has an opinion, a perspective and general way of looking at things that are fresh, new and exciting.  This is why it is a great idea to get all of your employees involved in your blogging and social media activities.  They may have ideas about content that never once occurred to you, or have a new way of approaching a topic that to you seemed boring and useless.  If you have a FAQ (frequently asked questions) area on your website, or a place for comments or concerns, have employees write blogs in response.  That way, not only are you answering customer questions and solving potential problems, but you are creating content that is relevant and valuable to your following from multiple points of view.  And just to make sure that all blogs and postings are formatted the same, you can create templates!  Go to www.contentrulesbook.com for some template ideas.    

 2. Use an RSS Reader to View Your Subject Specific Blogs at a Glance.

Every writer needs a source of inspiration.  One tried and true method is to study the subject you want to write about by reading what other experts have already written.  You can sign up for a free RSS Reader that will allow you to see all of the blogs you are subscribed to in one place instead of hunting the Internet for interesting topics to write about.  As always, Google is an amazing resource for just about everything.  Google offers a free RSS Reader (Google Reader), as well as a place for you to go and search for and subscribe to blogs that are relevant to your industry.  If you have a few different areas of interest, you can divide them into categories which will make it easier for you to scan and pick out what you want to talk about.  As with all writing, you must make it your own.  Combine the new ideas you have read about with your own creativity and ingenuity to create a blog that is new, exciting, and full of valuable and relevant content.

Also try using Google Blogs for their search option to search the blog directory sites such as Technorati  
as shown below or Blogcatalog to find blogs that are relevant to your product or service.  Be sure to organize your RSS Feeds into folders and sort by category for ease of scanning and you can combine the topics by industry classifications with your own commentary to create posts that stand on their own.

3. Use LinkedIn Groups.

The internet is a constant source for finding tools.  Some of the tools offered do not appear that way at first, so you must open your mind and look at everything as a potential resource.  One resource you may not have thought of is LinkedIn!  I know, it seems crazy to use social media as a social media content resource, but used the right way, LinkedIn can be an effective tool.

There are hundreds of groups discussing hundreds of topics, and believe me, people have no problem expressing their opinions.  Join groups that are relevant to your industry, and again, take advantage of experts in your field being willing to share their knowledge.  It is never a bad thing to look at things from another’s point of view.

4. Eavesdrop…

Don’t be shy, everyone does it.  And it is truly a great way of finding out what the average Joe is interested in.  Of course you do not have to listen to everyone’s conversations at all times, but keep an ear out for key words that are relevant to your niche in the world.  You can even go as far as carrying a little notepad and pen around with you so you can jot things down as you hear them or even better use Evernote to make it easier to remember things whether big or small, using your computer, the web or even your phone. You can do this while waiting in lines, sitting on the train, or an airplane, or eating out are all good opportunities to hear what interests the average consumer.

5. Audience Participation.

Here is a concept that seems obvious but is so often overlooked: ask your audience.  Post something on Facebook or Twitter asking what THEY would like to read about.  Many times your followers and fans know exactly what kind of advice they want from you, and they will not hesitate to tell you when given the chance.  You can also take polls, surveys and ask questions to find out what the general public is interested in learning from you.  Your client base is the backbone of your business, so do not forget about them.  You write blogs so they will read them, so who better to go to for subject matter?  

6. Audio Books.

What on Earth did we do before the Internet?  Oh yes - we read books!  We sat down and actually took time out of our day to study, research and learn.  Of course I understand that we do not always have a few hours to just drop everything and read a book, but that is why they invented audio books!  You can be driving down the highway and still reading, but in a much safer way.  The basic point here is not to get so wrapped up in the up and coming way of doing things that you forget about our old friend, the book—believe it or not, they are still around. Check out eMusic or Audible for a nice selection of titles to choose from.

7. Forums.

Call it old fashion, but you should never forget our old friend, the forum.  Do a simple web search about forums in your industry and see what is going on. This method is simple, fast and effective, so why not use it?  You do not even have to tell people where you found your information if you don’t want to.

8. News Sources.

Isn’t it terrible to be behind the times on current events?  Well, there is a way to avoid that…keep up with current events!  These days there are an infinite number of sources available for news no matter what topic.  You can use sites likewww.AllTop.com  or Google News that will allow you to search current events by area of interest.  You can find news about your industry from all over the world and instantly have a topic to blog about or share with your fans.  Just take a look; you will be surprised what you can find.

9. Go To Events.

I know this one kind of seems like a no-brainer, but just like getting feedback from your audience, this tip is often neglected.  Attend meetings, conferences, seminars, webinars, tradeshows, or any other kind of face to face event relevant to your industry.  It gives you a chance to learn the up and comings of your industry as well as gather interesting new content to share with your following. Try setting up your own Meetups, Tweetchats, Conferences orWebinars through a wealth of events hosted both on and offline and on a weekly basis with so much free exchange of wealth of knowledge and ideas.  You will be left inspired with new ideas and new-found energy to turn those ideas into remarkable content.

10. Merge Your Unfinished Ideas!

If you are anything like me, I am sure you have a plethora of half-finished blogs hanging around, just waiting for something to be done with them.  Today is your lucky day, because I am going to share with you how to turn them into a workable, post-able source of information.  Go through your blogs and see if you can find a few with related topics, then merge them together—simple as that!  Not only have you freed up space on your computer, but you have just created an amazingly informative blog out of ideas you never thought would go anywhere.

11.      Try Making a Tag Cloud.

You can use entire conversations based around your keywords that are relevant to you to build a tag cloud. Look for 15 tweets that mention your brand, industry or product and drop them into a tag cloud application such as Wordle.  This is a site that is a toy for generating “word clouds” from the text you provide.  These clouds give greater prominence to your words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can also tweak the clouds you create with different fonts, color schemes and layouts. The images you create with this tool are yours to use whenever you like. You can print them out or even save them to the Wordle gallery to share with all your friends. You may even find keywords you may not have thought of in addition to a few surprise topics of association. This is a great way to find emerging trends to blog about and stretch your content dollar!

DJ Heckes, CEO & Author
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts
www.exhib-it.com
Full BRAIN Marketing
www.fullbrainmarketing.com