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About Us, B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Consumer), Social Media for Business

Tips for the top social media platforms

Social Media IconsWe are often asked to speak at groups and events about social media.  Everyone wants to know how to use social media effectively. 

In some ways, the answer is simple – set up correctly, know and use your keywords and then engage with your audience by posting on your chosen social media platform(s) regularly.

However, the plethora of social media networks can be overwhelming.  If you don’t use them personally it can be very daunting to use an online system that you are not familiar with.  And even if you are a regular personal user of social media, crossing the boundaries into business social communication can be difficult.  Add to this that the news media keep telling us about the negatives of social media and protecting our privacy, it’s no wonder some people struggle.

For a small-medium business owner, there are 3 choices:

… Read More

Blog, Case Studies, Social Media for Business

To Market, To Market – an online communications success story

IncreaseProductSalesTo Market, To Market…

What do you do when you’ve got a strong business, fantastic products, great stories but no idea how to take them out to customers and prospects?  That’s the situation Nigel Russell, founder of Holistic Hair, found himself in before he met SocialMediaMgr. 

Expert hairdresser and trichologist Nigel has always been very good at using his networks to gain media coverage for his hair salon and natural product range in a variety of high profile magazines.  He had set up a Facebook platform, website and blog but knew he wasn’t using them to full potential.  In short, he was stuck with a lot of great marketing ideas and no clear way of pulling them all together.

SocialMediaMgr was originally contracted to manage Holistic Hair’s Facebook page but it soon became apparent that the business needed more than just social media support.  Kerry Ensor quickly started to co-ordinate Holistic Hair’s overall marketing approach.

WebsiteDevelopmentStepping back to objectively examine the strengths of any business is hard to achieve for most owner managers.  So, after building a new e-commerce website for Holistic Hair to improve direct sales and revamping Nigel’s existing Facebook and LinkedIn platforms, Kerry started to work on developing a clear marketing focus for the business.

Holistic Hair’s website, blog, social media platforms (including Pinterest) and video marketing were integrated and used to communicate clear messages into specific segments of the market.  The SMMgr team was soon writing targeted e-newsletters and developing consumer promotions across multiple platforms to reach customers…. Read More

B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Consumer), Blog, Social Media for Business

10 Steps to an Integrated Social Media Strategy

Social media conceptMost businesses know they should be using social media and online marketing as part of their business communications strategy.  Some aren’t sure what approach to take and jump right in without much planning.  A sense of frustration and boredom quickly sets in as these businesses struggle to understand why their efforts are not turning into better customer relations and increased sales.  Does that sound familiar?  It does to us…

SocialMediaMgr started out focusing purely on social media platforms at a time when SM marketing first hit New Zealand businesses.  We quickly realised that social media marketing couldn’t deliver to its potential in isolation.

Integrated on- and offline marketing is now our mantra.  We deliver strategies and campaigns that include social media – indeed, they are sometimes led by social media – but we don’t rely on any one tool to deliver the entire solution.  Time and again we see that best results are achieved with regular and consistent activity across all relevant marketing platforms.

We’ve developed a ten-step process to help businesses understand how to set up their social media platforms as an integrated part of their sales and marketing strategy:… Read More

B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Consumer), Blog, Social Media for Business

Social Media – The Magic Wand of Marketing?

Magic WandSocialMediaMgr was established as an on- and off-line marketing company to provide social media set up and management services for business.  That was only two years ago in 2010 when New Zealand business owners barely knew what social media was, let alone understood how they could benefit from it or how to incorporate it into the sales and marketing mix.

It was the latest and greatest marketing trend in the US, set to sweep the world and change the way we communicate.  Many thought it was a fad but we saw that this new way of marketing would soon become the norm.

A lot of time was spent explaining social media to business owners.  Now, well into 2013, companies see social media as a must-have.  Some use it with ease while others still struggle to keep up with the communication and engagement.

One thing all businesses have in common is that managers want to see their efforts and investment rewarded.  They want large, engaged audiences, increased awareness of their products and a raft of new sales leads.  Some expect social media to deliver instant results and massive numbers of fans with little effort – the magic-wand of marketing…. Read More

B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Consumer), Social Media for Business

Social Media Marketing– multiple platforms, one voice

 

Social Media has been most talked about ‘must have’ tool for business marketing in years.  Everyone is doing it and –with a target audience of more than 1 billion people interacting via social media globally – you can understand why.  Social media users represent 70% of the total internet-using population on the planet.

But before we get too carried away, it’s worth remembering that social media is just another marketing tool.  It sits alongside a whole raft of other channels that businesses use to communicate with their audiences.

And as with the other more ‘traditional’ marketing techniques, the key isn’t just doing them – it’s doing them right.  Many businesses make the mistake of using social media platforms to communicate in an ad-hoc way without integrating them into the business’ overall marketing strategy…. Read More