B2B (Business to 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:

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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

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

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

No Secrets – The Success of Social Media in Small Business

.There really are no secrets when it comes to the success of social media as a business tool.  The sheer convenience of being able to communicate and interact with customers is enticing a growing number of businesses to jump on the social media bandwagon.


According to the 2011 Domainz eBiz Review, 50% of businesses with an online presence were using social media, compared with just 29% in 2010.  In the next 12 months, the majority of the 725 businesses polled plan to increase their investment in website and internet tools.

But it’s not enough that your business is using social media – you need to be using it in the right way.  That’s where marketing specialist Kerry Ensor, founder of Social Media Mgr, comes in.  The impact of specialist advice on business social media strategy can be the difference between success and failure.

Some local businesses have shared their experiences on how social media has helped them.

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Is anybody out there?


For social media to be effective you need to be where your customers are, … Read More