Tag: Website

For the last two centuries media publishing houses have controlled the flow of information to and from people. Media giants such as News Corporation and Liberty Media control large media distribution networks across the globe which distributed news and informational content. While the effectiveness of these media giants will only grow if they effectively use the internet, social media has opened up the door for anyone to distribute their content, ideas and information on a global scale.

This is one of the reasons social media and social media marketing are such a big deal for many people and businesses. The social web is also great for people and their freedom of speech and information. Social media sites like Digg, Twitter and Google+ give you the ability to quickly share or syndicate content from your blog or website and broadcast it the rest of the world. Unlike traditional media the users of the social web choose which articles are the most interesting by submitting their feedback and effectively voting for the content. The more users vote for a piece, the more traffic that article will get under typical circumstances.

What is great about this system is that the best content typically goes to the top of the pile. The web is so large that it is very hard for social media marketers to manipulate the amount of votes they need to get their sites to the top of social media syndication before they are caught and banned. Of course as you would expect when the stakes are high many people try to game the system on sites like Digg. It’s fair game too with a first page listing on Digg bringing anywhere up to 200,000 unique visitors a day. Sites such as Slashdot have had a similar effect leading to the spotlight overnight for some websites and e-businesses.

Even though very few good products have been created for social media marketing to help companies wanting to promote their websites and content there have been some good free tools like Social Bookmarker and AddUrl. Most webmasters and internet marketers have had to use spammy software or consume time submitting their content to all the relevant sites. In 2008 a product called Traffic Android was released that automates the time consuming sign up and submission process to social websites. Is was meant to be the first of many such helpful tools that entered the market however, other such tools have been few and far between and the good ones incredibly expensive.

The ability for webmasters to rapidly distribute their content and information is an extremely powerful benefit of web 2.0 and the integration of social media with social networking is another step to marking powerful web content syndication a reality. There are tools than integrate Twitter feeds with Facebook news feeds which is extremely powerful and perhaps the most intelligent tool ever invented. This means not only can you almost instantly distribute your content through social website networks, you can also post a link and short snippet about your content on Twitter and have it syndicate through your friend network on Facebook or vice versa.

While social media marketing is still a very new phenomenon, I hope this illustrates the impact it can have on your website. As the medium evolves and better search and syndication technologies and rich media grow it’s power can only increase. My tip is it’s better to get involved sooner rather than later to go through the social media marketing learning curve before hundreds of thousands of other webmasters get involved and big media companies come in and start trying to buy up all the major social websites.

Don’t you agree that the way Google’s chairman recently announced changes in their top management structure is creative and innovative? Some CEOs and Investor Relations managers might think that this does not suit them. Instead of the widely known and traditional approach of announcing the changes in a press release distributed by paid PR wire services, Eric Schmidt made the announcement on Google’s official corporate blog and with a message on his personal Twitter account, which has more than 230,000 followers.

New ways of disseminating financial disclosure information

This approach is not only innovative and creative. As IR Web Report researched, it’s also in compliance with local regulations, as it should be. In the USA, companies like Google and Microsoft are changing the way they disseminate their financial disclosure information. They are using their own websites instead of PR wire services, or they are using the wire services merely to distribute short advisory releases that link back to the full-text information on their corporate websites.

If replacing paid PR wires for corporate websites as primary channels for price-sensitive information in combination with social media is a growing trend in the USA, will companies elsewhere in the world follow this trend?

Online + social media strategy for financial communication

If research would show that investors, analysts and the media rely on companies’ own website or distribution lists for information, why would companies want to continue to pay for press release wire distribution services? If they would discontinue to pay for the wire services, it would save companies a lot of hassle and money. It would also give companies the push they might need to further develop their online strategies for financial communication, including social media, whereas at the same time still being compliant. You could even argue that it may not even be prudent for companies to continue relying on paid PR wires to meet their obligations.

Local compliance rules are leading

It goes without saying that companies need to comply with local regulations for fair disclosure. In the Netherlands for instance, companies need to issue a press release, using media that can disclose the information instantly and efficiently. As far as I know, in The Netherlands, the Google example would trigger a call from the AFM (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) to request the company to issue a press release instantly (providing the company is listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange). Would it help if companies talk to the authorities about the changes we see in the way our financial stakeholders are getting their information? Because if the only reason for companies to use paid wire services would be to comply with the rules, then maybe this year it will be time to challenge the authorities to change the rules.

What’s required to narrow the gap with Google?

In order to be able to follow Google’s example, firstly companies would need to have websites or blogs that are compliant and they would need to meet certain standards. I know from experience that this might still be a challenge in certain public companies and in these cases companies still will want to rely on paid wire services. Companies should also need to be able to demonstrate that investors, analysts and the media are using their companies’ own website or distribution lists to get information.

Do you know of any public companies outside the USA that are following Google’s online and social media strategy for informing the financial markets and what’s your view on this?

Lyfeloop

Selling online has never been easier, and using social media marketing correctly can make it even simpler and more effective.

1. Create Valuable Content to Share

So that you have something to share on social media, create content that adds value to your audience. For example, create infographics, case studies, blog posts, and more, all designed to showcase your products to your audience.

2. Start Strategic Groups for People Who May Want Your Products

On Facebook, you can start a niche group for subgroups that might want to buy your products. For example, if you sell makeup, you can start a group for people who love makeup. On the group, you can do live events showcasing the makeup, showing how to wear it and even having a shopping network such as sales.

3. Work With Influencers on Various Platforms

A really great way to use social media is to contract with influencers on platforms that your audience loves. An influencer is someone who has a following that includes your target audience. They may unbox your item, use it in their videos often, or do a review.

4. Brand Your Social Media Platforms Properly

It’s very important that you find your brand voice. Some companies that have done a really good job of developing a brand voice for their products include Penzey’s Spices, Dove, and Dominoes. You can check them out for yourself to get ideas.

5. Engage Your Audience Often

Social media is supposed to be first and foremost a social interaction. That’s why it’s called “social media“. So many businesses make the mistake of making it a one-way thing. But, you should seek a conversation with your audience so that they feel as if they know you and you feel as if you know them.

6. Follow Your Customers Too

Don’t make it all one way. Be sure to like, follow, and reciprocate with your audience depending upon the platform. If you make it only one way, it’s not very friendly and isn’t a good way to use social media platforms. On Facebook, make sure you create a business page and possibly a public persona account so that you can freely follow your customers as your public personal profile has limits.

7. Integrate Social Sharing on Your Website

Let others do some of the work for you. Make it easy for them to share products by adding social sharing to multiple platforms on your site. Ask them to share and give them incentives to share, and they will.

It’s important to select the right social media platforms where you know that your audience exists and wants to see your information. That way they’re interested, will engage with you, and will respond to the things that you post.

Lyfeloop