Thursday, October 23, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Social Media for the Startup
Social Media for the Startup
You know how it is, you’re a startup ie. You have no money. As a startup putting together a budget to pay salaries is hard enough. Putting aside a budget to do social media is virtually impossible.
How much should you spend
It’s hard to arrive at an exact amount, because the nature of your startup may be different. If you’re a startup that doesn’t require too much of marketing (most startups do require “too much” of marketing) then you should be able to get by with around 500 USD a month on digital marketing. If on the other hand, you’re a SAAS/online-based company, then you’re digital budget should be at around 2000 USD a month.
What should you spend on
You should spend on Facebook. The big blue social network will be one of the largest contributors to your traffic. You should spend on Google Adwords, and you should spend on Google SEO. Adwords should get you some immediate conversions to keep the cash rolling. SEO will help you out in the long run. Additionally, you should also consider investing in Email Marketing, and Linkedin Ads.
What can you expect
The Cost of Conversion varies from industry to industry. If I’m selling cars, then I can be expected to be paying higher amounts for each conversion, as opposed to a person who’s selling software that bills at 4 USD a month. Convesions will happen from Google, conversions usually do not (directly) happen from Facebook. Facebook has specific conversion based ads that you can try if you’re so inclined.
It’s a chicken and egg argument when it comes to startups and marketing. You need money to market, but you will get money only after you market.
source: social media agency : http://www.thesocialmediaexpert.in/
You know how it is, you’re a startup ie. You have no money. As a startup putting together a budget to pay salaries is hard enough. Putting aside a budget to do social media is virtually impossible.
How much should you spend
It’s hard to arrive at an exact amount, because the nature of your startup may be different. If you’re a startup that doesn’t require too much of marketing (most startups do require “too much” of marketing) then you should be able to get by with around 500 USD a month on digital marketing. If on the other hand, you’re a SAAS/online-based company, then you’re digital budget should be at around 2000 USD a month.
What should you spend on
You should spend on Facebook. The big blue social network will be one of the largest contributors to your traffic. You should spend on Google Adwords, and you should spend on Google SEO. Adwords should get you some immediate conversions to keep the cash rolling. SEO will help you out in the long run. Additionally, you should also consider investing in Email Marketing, and Linkedin Ads.
What can you expect
The Cost of Conversion varies from industry to industry. If I’m selling cars, then I can be expected to be paying higher amounts for each conversion, as opposed to a person who’s selling software that bills at 4 USD a month. Convesions will happen from Google, conversions usually do not (directly) happen from Facebook. Facebook has specific conversion based ads that you can try if you’re so inclined.
It’s a chicken and egg argument when it comes to startups and marketing. You need money to market, but you will get money only after you market.
source: social media agency : http://www.thesocialmediaexpert.in/
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Don’t waste your time with social media
The title can be a bit misleading. Here are 3 pitfalls/disadvantages of social media that you should be aware of before you get down to it:
Spending Too Less
There’s no point getting on to social media and spending less than you would to wash your car every month. You can indefinitely spend on Facebook, and give expensive retainers to your social media agency – but unless you’re spending the right amount, there’s no value to be gained. The problem, is that with social media, there is no minimum amount, and therefore, people assume that they can spend what they want.
Too Many Networks
Don’t be on every social network under the sun. Be active on a few, and choose those carefully. Being active on Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and Vimeo may make for additional logos on your website, but will not really add value to your business unless you really spend on them. If you can choose three social networks that you think will add value to your business – then that would be really ideal.
Fear of Exposure
You shouldn’t waste your time with social media if you are scared that people will “run away with your designs”. If you’re really that concerned, then watermark your images. There is no way to make images un-downloadable off Facebook. If people are really that interested, then they can find a way to steal your images. We’ve had innumerable occasions when our designs have been stolen by rival social media agencies. There’s nothing for it. You just have to grin and keep innovating.
Social media can be a dangerous game if done wrong. You need to play your cards right, and #plan.
by
source :
social media speaker
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Outsource Your Social Media
Leave the social media marketing to the experts – focus on your core business. Social Process Outsourcing is cheaper, more effective, and the only logical solution to a business’ social media needs. Here are three reasons why outsourcing your social media is a great idea –
Design and Content
Most businesses owners are great “doers”. They’re not so great when it comes to the words and the design of things. They could probably build you a transverse transmorgifier or whip you up a deluxe upside-down cake in five minutes flat – but often lose steam when faced with a Facebook Page. They either don’t have the time, or don’t know what to say, or don’t know how to say it – and so they call a social media agency and say – “Keep my Page alive.”
Development
Apps and code are for coders. Applications and software are great ways to boost engagement levels and get insight into your Pages. Can you add a Tab to your Facebook Page with a lead-capture form on it? Do you know your way around a social media management tool? No? Then it makes sense to outsource your social media to an agency.
Advertisement
Yes, there are nifty Promote buttons all over Facebook these days. Twitter and Linkedin aren’t far behind when it comes to self-service “social media advertisement for all”. You shouldn’t Promote your Page – you should run a targeted-ad and monitor it closely to ensure that you get the best possible CPC and the maximum possible ROI. Or you should get a social media agency to do it for you. Here’s a quick bit of fancy math. Most social media agencies (including the one I work for) charge 10 % on your ad spend as agency fee. Let’s assume you’re spending a 100 USD on your ads. Agency fee works out to 10 USD. If you were to sit – yourself and run that ad, you’d be spending around an hour a week trying to get it right (and there is no guarantee that you will). Valuing your time at 20 USD an hour (You will pardon me if it’s more) – you would spend 80 USD in four weeks (which is how long these ads normally last for) in managing your ad. Compare 80 USD in managing your ads as opposed to 10 USD in agency fee and I think we have a winner.
Here’s the calculation once again:
Time required: 1 hour a week.
Total duration of the ad: 4 weeks.
Total time required: 4 hours.
Value of your time per hour: 20 USD.
Total cost – if you were to manage it: 80 USD
Total cost – if you were to outsource it: 10 USD.
In conclusion
You could hire a designer, a content writer, a developer and a social media professional and od your own social media “in-house”. Apart from paying these people salaries – you’d also have to allocate resources to them (space, computers, internet). Or you could go in for social process outsourcing and save your peace of mind.
Design and Content
Most businesses owners are great “doers”. They’re not so great when it comes to the words and the design of things. They could probably build you a transverse transmorgifier or whip you up a deluxe upside-down cake in five minutes flat – but often lose steam when faced with a Facebook Page. They either don’t have the time, or don’t know what to say, or don’t know how to say it – and so they call a social media agency and say – “Keep my Page alive.”
Development
Apps and code are for coders. Applications and software are great ways to boost engagement levels and get insight into your Pages. Can you add a Tab to your Facebook Page with a lead-capture form on it? Do you know your way around a social media management tool? No? Then it makes sense to outsource your social media to an agency.
Advertisement
Yes, there are nifty Promote buttons all over Facebook these days. Twitter and Linkedin aren’t far behind when it comes to self-service “social media advertisement for all”. You shouldn’t Promote your Page – you should run a targeted-ad and monitor it closely to ensure that you get the best possible CPC and the maximum possible ROI. Or you should get a social media agency to do it for you. Here’s a quick bit of fancy math. Most social media agencies (including the one I work for) charge 10 % on your ad spend as agency fee. Let’s assume you’re spending a 100 USD on your ads. Agency fee works out to 10 USD. If you were to sit – yourself and run that ad, you’d be spending around an hour a week trying to get it right (and there is no guarantee that you will). Valuing your time at 20 USD an hour (You will pardon me if it’s more) – you would spend 80 USD in four weeks (which is how long these ads normally last for) in managing your ad. Compare 80 USD in managing your ads as opposed to 10 USD in agency fee and I think we have a winner.
Here’s the calculation once again:
Time required: 1 hour a week.
Total duration of the ad: 4 weeks.
Total time required: 4 hours.
Value of your time per hour: 20 USD.
Total cost – if you were to manage it: 80 USD
Total cost – if you were to outsource it: 10 USD.
In conclusion
You could hire a designer, a content writer, a developer and a social media professional and od your own social media “in-house”. Apart from paying these people salaries – you’d also have to allocate resources to them (space, computers, internet). Or you could go in for social process outsourcing and save your peace of mind.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Why you should take advantage of New Media
Why you should take advantage of New Media
Life is about taking that
risk. If you’ve been an active internet user during the last ten years,
and you haven’t taken advantage of new media – then it’s time to start
now.
risk. If you’ve been an active internet user during the last ten years,
and you haven’t taken advantage of new media – then it’s time to start
now.
Why you should take advantage of New Media
Monday, July 21, 2014
The Sandbox effect: And what you can do about it
Have you ever had this feeling that everybody around you is in on a joke, and you somehow haven’t got it? Or, worse, have you ever felt that your parents/the people around you are treating you like a child – giving you a small sandbox to play in, while all the time smiling knowingly at each other, as they watch little you, “playing where you can’t hurt yourself (or the people around you)”.
What is the Sandbox effect
It’s actually just a theory. Google has never alluded to anything called the “Sandbox” in any of its disclosures. So, Google ranks websites based on the number of inbound links. Clearly, there’s a problem here; what if I employ people to sit at a computer the whole doy and build inbound links for my content? The Sandbox is a “bubble” that Google supposedly places new websites in, until it is sure that the website really has content that people want to find. When a website is in the sandbox, it doesn’t get as much search traffic from inbound links as it would normally.
The Reverse Sandbox
As if the Sandbox wasn’t enough, there’s also a theory running about the “Reverse Sandbox”. Google, apparently, gives (more) weightage to new, compelling content on a website, even though it may not have the requisite number of inbound links. The phenomenon is similar to Beginners’ luck.
How to get around the Sandbox effect?
The Sandbox effect: And what you can do about it
What is the Sandbox effect
It’s actually just a theory. Google has never alluded to anything called the “Sandbox” in any of its disclosures. So, Google ranks websites based on the number of inbound links. Clearly, there’s a problem here; what if I employ people to sit at a computer the whole doy and build inbound links for my content? The Sandbox is a “bubble” that Google supposedly places new websites in, until it is sure that the website really has content that people want to find. When a website is in the sandbox, it doesn’t get as much search traffic from inbound links as it would normally.
The Reverse Sandbox
As if the Sandbox wasn’t enough, there’s also a theory running about the “Reverse Sandbox”. Google, apparently, gives (more) weightage to new, compelling content on a website, even though it may not have the requisite number of inbound links. The phenomenon is similar to Beginners’ luck.
How to get around the Sandbox effect?
The Sandbox effect: And what you can do about it
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