Walt Denny Inc. Blog

The Social Media Elevator: From Monitoring to Business-building Strategy

Important question: If you already know that social media is a marketing channel, how effective do you think yours is? Ultimately, to move up to the answer of "very effective," many factors have to be considered.

Beyond distributing content and commentary, social media involves monitoring - listening to understand why people are saying things or feeling emotions in connection with your brand. Social intelligence leaders are constantly doing this via their channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, many using dashboard monitoring tools. For 2011, nearly 38 percent of corporate social strategists said listening and learning about customers was a main social media goal, according to Altimeter Group. Another popular goal was fostering word of mouth at nearly the same percentage. To perform socially, you really can't have one without the other.

In the home products market, think about cases of positive and negative mentions that may happen on your social channels: someone likes a design or photo, notices you're in front with current trends, asks for help with installation or finding a dealer, lists something to improve for your next generation product, or asks a specific question. These and more possibilities can be in conversations directly with you or with peers and others.

Attract & Impress Customers with Brand-bolstering Social CRM

Customer issues move at light speed through today's web, putting comments and questions about your products and services out there for all to see, sometimes even going viral. While web users can speak to your brand in real time, you have an equal opportunity to shine through your social CRM, staying ahead of the curve and building a reputation as a customer care leader.

It all starts with taking the time to listen. Beyond monitoring - by understanding facts and emotions that are driving conversations about your brand, you can interact in a way that builds passionate brand admiration.

 

By using social media as a key driver of effective CRM, you can galvanize brand loyalty and enhance your brand's reputation.

Freshen up Your Blog for Effective Social Media Push-through

Energizing activity for home products manufacturers

What would a mechanic say about your home products blog? 'You might want to keep an eye on this...this definitely needs changing...this area is perfect, nothing to worry about.'

With the ever-changing utility of the Web, now is a great time to get under the hood of your blog and examine opportunities to freshen it up, whether you've been blogging for several months or several years.

Reenergize and recalibrate your blog for impactful social media traction.

Don't Strike Out When Your News Release is Up to Bat

6 tips for winning news releases

Powerful news releases are both a proven marketing tool and a staple that editors need to perform their duties. Too often though, companies' news releases underperform, failing to connect with editors and reach base. By avoiding six common mistakes, companies can more easily help meet editors' needs and deliver a winning PR marketing effort.

You may have seen news releases that seem 'too light.' These have fallen victim to not having enough information; perhaps offering just four or five sentences of real, solid news and a similar amount of "about" information. To get your message across, it's better to show - with several facts, figures, benefits and differentiators - than to simply and insufficiently tell. If you're only sharing a few facts, you severely limit the coverage possibilities since you're distilling information into shallow content that best serves as short round-up coverage.

Thousands of news releases are sent out every day, but a company can't make news, connect with prospects and pump up its brand unless it successfully meets editorial requirements.

 

Debunking the Myth that any Publicity is Good Publicity

With major missteps from large corporations like Groupon and The Gap, some marketers think the quickest and easiest way to garner media attention is through staging a crisis. Often referred to as mea culpa marketing, where an organization will stage a stunt - anything from insensitive commercials or a seemingly thoughtless rebranding - this risky tactic can cause more long-term damage than short-term benefits.

Mea culpa marketing has a simple equation. Pull a stunt to get attention, then immediately follow up with an apology. Of course, once the first news cycle is over, the company works to win back public favor. This is hardly a smart strategy to improve your reputation or even a short-term initiative.

It takes a strategic marketing and public relations plan to cement your company's credibility, thought leadership and capture mind share to reach your goals.

Lend a Hand to Your PR E-mail Strategy with Social Media

A good online strategy in public relations can be a powerful tool for building your brand and effectively spreading the word about your business. As the internet evolves, so does our use of online strategies. While the use of e-mail in public relations has become common practice, the rise of social networking has the potential to greatly expand the reach of your e-mail.

Incorporate social media into e-mail programs to enhance the impact of your message and help build your community online. The Walt Denny Inc. Net Results e-newsletter encourages readers to use social media by providing links to connect with Walt Denny Inc. in a myriad of ways.     

E-mail and social media strategies are more alike than you think. Both reach out to form relationships and share information across a wide audience. E-mail and social networks like Facebook can be extremely effective for reaching out to potential clients on their own. Social media in particular is growing as a reliable source for sharing information and multimedia on a professional level. Incorporating social media into your traditional e-mail strategy can have a positive effect on how far your message travels online.