UPDATE (6/11/10): We have paused the blogging as we’ve been pouring our hearts and souls into preparing the classes to be held at the Small Business Development Center starting July 8th. We will be posting more details here soon but for now the class lineup for the “Action to Acquire Class Series” is:
- The Backwards Blueprint - ID and Go Seek (customers)
- Build a Professional Website that sells - Wordpress Basics and Advanced Squeeze Page
- Facebook - Shake more hands online than would ever be possible in person
- Twitter - Establish yourself as a leader in your industry
- LinkedIn - Take your professional networking to the next level 24/7
- Engagement Plan - Learn how to pull it all together in 30 minutes a day
Stay tuned, and we look forward to sharing more soon!
Hi readers! Everyone at ASM is working on a lot of different projects, but we are looking forward to being back on board and engaging with all of you.
Just to share some internal business, Jake Berton recently held a Relationship-Based Marketing with Facebook Seminar at the Small Business Development Center. The turn out was great, and the attendees had a lot of good questions. We are so happy to be a resource for so many Athens Local Businesses.
We also have been working with YourPie on their social media. Our hard work definitely showed during the Pi Day event. Your Pie’s Facebook Fans grew to over 2,500 there were hour long lines at all the locations from open to close! We look forward to working with Your Pie a lot more in the future.
We would love to hear from the ASM followers what kind of posts that you would be interested in. Feel free to comment with suggestions and and questions, and we’ll use the blog to address whatever you all have to say!
Thanks everyone and have a great day!
Category : Uncategorized
Yes, these are really faces I make when suffering from blogger's block.
Spring officially arrives on Saturday, and memories of Spring Break and expectations of summer plans seem to slow your brain down. The spring forward time change isn’t doing much for you either. Still, you know you have to crank out at least ONE blog post this week but you just can’t get past even the first sentence without wanting to slam your laptop shut and go outside to breathe some fresh air…here are some tips for days like these!!!
- Actually slam your laptop shut and go outside. Okay, you don’t need to slam it, but it would probably help to get disconnected for a while and just let your mind wander.
- Read other blogs. Don’t steal ideas, but it may be easier for you to come up with some content after you’ve sifted through other things.
- Have a go-to list. This is just a list of blog ideas that you haven’t delved in to. On one of those days where ideas seem to be flowing through your mind non-stop but you don’t have time to sit down and write, jot it down on your go-to list and come back to it on a day where ideas are dammed up!
- Surf. Look at YouTube videos, pictures, even use a social bookmarking site like StumbleUpon (see our tutorial here) or Digg just to get your creative juices flowing!
- Read your old posts. Sometimes there’s something you can expound upon that you may have left out in a previous post. Maybe there’s been an update or news related to the topic that you can add in as a Part Two.
Hopefully these tips helped you out! If anyone has any other tips, feel free to comment. Good luck getting over your blogger’s block!
Category : Uncategorized
1. Videos: Using video is a great way to grab attention. Short videos with a lot of impact have the best effect because Surfers can watch these in their free time. Engagers also are more likely to share a short video to their friends because long videos require a long time commitment that the Engager won’t want to impose. Visitors will be impressed with a memorable video, and will also keep your video personality in mind when making comparisons. Customers can watch these videos to reaffirm their decisions. Overall, videos are beneficial to each type of user and you. There are different kinds of videos that are tried and true:
The How-To Video: A quick how-to can go a long way. If there’s something you’ve mastered and feel that it can be of value to others, make a how-to and tag, tag, tag so other people can find it if they need it!
The Call to Action: Sometimes it’s easier to persuade orally. If you’re personable and feel more comfortable speaking, the a short call to action can be the best way for you to influence your audience. See Jake Berton and Kristen Rachel’s fun call to action for the Athens Census campaign
The Funny Video: This video should show your our your brand’s personality. People readily connect with things and people that make them laugh. Perfect example: Doritos’ Superbowl Commercial:
*Note how the video promotes Doritos’ other social networks like Facebook and Twitter!*
The Interview: Interviews are a great way to give your audience a backstage pass. Putting a face to a brand establishes a sense of community
2. Blog Posts: By having a blog, you are inviting people to talk with you. If you have an interesting post, Surfers are likely to come back for more. By using different kinds of blog posts, you can attract Surfers and please your other types of visitors:
Internal Business Information: You can use a blog post to let visitors know what’s been going on in your business lately. Blogging about parties, charity events, business news, and awards can give your site a personal touch that Surfers will remember. The Coca-Cola blog does a great job of gathering all of it’s interesting business news for visitors.
Tips and How-To’s: How-To’s don’t have to be in video format, although you can imbed a video in your blog. However, if you feel you can convey your message better in the written word, write out your advice — kind of like this blog post!
Related Interests: A great way for your blog to become successful is to bring in related information to your business and talk about it from your business’ standpoint. For example, if you run a gym or personal training blog, maybe write something about the latest tennis shoe, rank your favorite work-out routines, or discuss a personal gym experience that might be entertaining to readers. This will really come in handy when it comes to search engines because if you tag your post right, Surfers or Visitors who weren’t particularly searching for you could find your information and may remember you when they need you.
3. Social Networks: Social media networks are another easy way to shift Surfers to a higher-level user. Surfers are likely to use social networks and most likely surf through these, as well! If you have a Facebook page or a Twitter account and you’re engaging friends of Surfers, they’re very likely to see that in their Feeds and become interested in what you have to say.
Tips:
- Keep your networks updated. The more you post, the more often you’ll show up in news feeds, which means the more likely you are to be Retweeted or shared.
- Engage with other people on your social networks. Surfers will see when you like another post on Facebook or when you are Retweeting at @Replying with another Tweeter and they will be curious to see what you’re all about.
- Use real-time search: you can search for people talking about your business or things related to your business in Twitter, Facebook, and most other social networks. Search for a problem that your business can solve and reach out! For example, if you run a dog grooming business, search for people saying things like “my dog needs a bath”, then reply and let them know what you’re all about in such a way that resonates as more friendly than sales-pitchy.
Big Tip:
It’s important to not overflow your content with leads. If you want Surfers to return, you need to connect with them on a deeper level than their wallet. You should make leads accessible after the interesting content has been established.
Category : Concepts
We’ve all spent hours surfing the Internet without making any purchases or giving out any lead information. Perhaps you’ve done some window shopping online or were just StumblingUpon different sites. Although you can’t see that surfers are doing anything on your site, it’s important to have content that is memorable to keep these kinds of people intrigued.
Four Types of Visitors
1. The Surfer: This user is just going through websites — probably in their free time — not particularly looking for anything. The Surfer may even be using a social bookmarking tool like StumbleUpon or Digg. He or she may have seen your site from a Facebook friend or Twitter user who posted a link in their update. Similar to a window shopper, The Surfer isn’t really looking for you, but he or she has found you somehow.
2. The Visitor: This user is LOOKING for something. The Visitor probably used a search engine to find you, or may have seen an advertisement somewhere and wanted to look up your website. The visitor needs something and is looking to make a decision. Your website is the tool The Visitor uses to research and make that decision.
3. The Engager: The Engager likes you. The Engager checks your sites for updates, comments on your posts, and shares your links with his or her friends and followers. This user isn’t exactly a customer yet, but when the time comes for a need, The Engager will probably come to you. Because The Engager shares your information with others, he or she is important to keep interested because of the influence he or she has on other people to become customers.
4. The Customer: This user is ready to buy! He or she may have been any of the previous types of users before, but right now he or she is your favorite one. The Customer will readily give lead information and makes a purchase.
The journey from Surfer to Customer may not happen as a step-by-step process from each type. The Customer may not even have started out as a Surfer. However, you want to appeal to The Surfer because he or she MAY return as a Visitor, which could then transition to Engager, and finally Customer.
So, how can you appeal to random Surfers while maintaining and attracting the other types of users?
How would you try to appeal to Surfers? Feel free to comment!
Wait for Part Two to hear our take on it!
Category : Concepts
Hey Everyone!
Hootsuite released some updates last week, and Athens Social Media wanted to keep you updated, too! Check out the new video.
Again, I recommend viewing in FULL SCREEN to see all the details of the page!
Good luck using the new updates! Let us know if this video was helpful or if you have any questions.
Category : Uncategorized
Hey everyone! Hopefully most of you have been enjoying the winter wonderland outside. If you’re taking a break, though, check out my new video about StumbleUpon, the social bookmarking site.
Category : Uncategorized
Category : Research
Hey everyone,
Wanted to share some original content. If you guys aren’t familiar with HootSuite, definitely check this out! Make sure to watch all three videos in the playlist. It’s going to help you keep track of all of your social networks and really save you a lot of time! Feel free to comment or shoot us a Tweet if you have any questions! We’re always here to help!
I recommend viewing these in Full Screen so you can see all the details of the page.
Category : Tools
Social Media: the buzz word of the year. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogging…these social networking sites aren’t just for teenagers anymore. These sites are the perfect platform for your local business to reach out to your target audience. Here’s some reasons why the Classic City needs to jump on the social media bandwagon:
1. Athens is a college town…
Which means it’s full of college students! These kids grew up updating their Facebook statuses and watching YouTube videos. They don’t read the newspaper, but they’ll Google it. One of the most influential population groups in Athens lives and breathes social media without thinking about it. If you reach out to them on their platforms of choice, they will respond!
2. Athens embraces the community…
People in Athens love being Athenians. They claim their favorite coffee shop, their favorite restaurants, and their favorite venues and hold them dear to their heart. We all saw this over the summer with the destruction of The Georgia Theater. And where did the community gather together to help? On Facebook, on Twitter, and on blogs.
3. Athens is full of unique places…
Maybe too full! What makes your store or restaurant stand out from the others? With so many unique places to choose from, Athenians need help making decisions! By using social media to connect to Athenians and portraying a personality with your business, you’re moving the decision from “which do I like better” to “who likes me better”
4. Athenians love being on the inside…
People in Athens always want to claim that they personally know somebody who knows somebody, who owns such-and-such business, or who gave them a good deal they’ll never forget. You can make your customers and clients feel part of the inside by sending them a personal Tweet or Facebook message, promoting contests, and sharing videos of daily goings-on.
5. Athenians are busy…
Most people in Athens are going to school, working, partying, or any combination of the three. They prefer updates and promos to come to them via their phone, e-mail, Facebook, or whatever they use. Athenians just don’t have the time to look for you anymore!
6. Athenians love to be cool…
The want to go where their friends go. Too many people to stay in touch with everyone but seeing a friend follow a business on Twitter or joining a Facebook event is sometimes a great reminder.
We’ll soon be featuring local businesses that are doing a great job using these tools… if you’re one of them – let us know!
Category : Concepts
In a town where there are too many places to go, too many decisions to make, and too many people to see, a new social networking site could change the way you see Athens. Foursquare – a site that combines geotagging and networking – has recently opened up its parameters to Athens and the rest of the world, as opposed to a handful of major cities. The main idea is for people to check in to Foursquare from their phones wherever they are, whether it’s a restaurant, store, park, or anything with an address! Foursquare has apps for the iPhone and Android (they’re working on one for Blackberry), but (more…)
Category : Tools
