Social Media: 10 Myths That you Should be Aware Of

Who said the number of followers is the most important? Who thought that anyone could do this? Is Social Media only a trend? Please take a look at this following list over 10 social media myths:

1. The number of Users is the most important. The quality of interactions is in fact the most important.

2. The Social Media is a promotion channel. The Social Media are a communication channel,and it should serve as a complement to your Marketing Strategy.

3. It's something for teenagers. The age group with most activity is between 25 and 34 years old. This segment represents the consumers and decision makers.

4. Wastes your time. Considering the ROO, the time dedicated to the Social Media represents an inversion that reflects in the brand's positioning.

5. Nobody pays attention to Companies in Facebook. Around 56% of users follow a brand in Facebook.

6. I have to be informal in order to be successful in Social Media. Being represented in Social Media does not mean loss of moral values or Corporate Communication policies.

7. My Company has nothing to share in Social Media. Social Media users are looking for interesting content, and they appreciate that brands share experiences, tips, advices, etc.

8. You can't measure Social Media Results. There are ways of measuring the engagement and determine the return of all the interactions.

9. Anyone can Tweet and Post. One thing is to say "Hello!" and another thing is to start intelligent and interesting conversations.

10. It's only a trend. Social Media are here to stay. More than 50% of consumers make decisions based on opinions found on Social Media.

So, do you have a different idea of Social Media?

5 Steps to Create an Infographic

Click to see the original

In an age fairly saturated of information, we need to find different ways to make our business content stand out. The quality is certainly the biggest difference, but diversification in the format in which that content is presented can also help a lot.

The more your company can go further and deliver differently and in a more complete way, the more chances of getting relevant experiences you will be presented.

One of the content production that has gained growing attention in Digital Marketing formats are Infographics.

5 Steps to Create an Infographic:

Step 1. Find a relevant theme.
Evaluate your Google Analytics search, discover what subjects are most discussed in other pages, and define a Theme that is both relevant and interesting.

Step 2. Research for data and information.
Research data, numbers, examples and statistics. The more information you have, the richer will be the content you are about to create.

Step 3. Design
Before passing on the task to the designer, prepare a briefing and draw a wireframe of the infographic to get an idea of the position of the elements. Consider how the content can be presented visually. Define the color palette, picture style and graphics. There are many paid and free software that will help you in the creation of an infographic. Find the most suitable for your project.

Step 4. Review every step.
Review every step, every number and every decision that you made before publishing the infographic.

Step 5. Plan the Promotion
Prepare a Marketing Plan in order to find out how the promotion will be made, concerning media channels, people to reach out to, campaigns, audience, etc. Make sure it's a success!

6 tips to use Twitter in a strategic way

We are fans of lists. We are sure it's helpful and it's very informative, and we hope you can agree with us.
Since Twitter is on the verge of becoming the most used social media network, learn how to use it strategically with only six short  - like a tweet - tips:

1. Create lists. We told you this was important. This way you can aggregate competition, customers and opportunities.

2. Post tweets frequently. If you are not committed to post a few tweets per day, you won't get results.

3. Use your own #hastags. You can use general hashtags, but don't forget to use yours, and better promote your brand.

4. Personalize your content. Be sure that your content is right for your target audience.

5. Explore the RT's. Try to RT strategically during the day. RT is the short-term for "ReTweet" which means to replicate something that was written before by someone else. RT on Twitter means that the person copied, repeated the text, but showing the credits.

6. Personalize some URL's. But only those who take the visitor/customer to the company's website.

Online Marketing: What are the User Opt-Ins?

Nowadays we live in a global market. Having to define your goals as well as your target audience is always part of your Marketing Strategy, but there are certain steps in Online Marketing that you have to pay attention closely if you want to make your business grow.

The Internet has brought many unique benefits to Marketing. Some of the unique qualities of this channel are:

• The lower costs for the distribution of information to a global audience;
• The interactive nature of Internet Marketing, both in terms of providing instant response as well as to provide help.

The methodology of Online Marketing covers a wide range of strategies and the user Opt-in is a Marketing technique that allows to lower spam complaints. The Double Opt-in is the process in which the user must explicitly confirm that he wants to receive messages (newsletters and offers of services or products).

Prevent your business to be seen as Spam is one of the most important things to achieve in Online Marketing.

Thought Of The Day: Are You Brave Enough ?

Are you brave enough to transform your passions into a job? Are you willing to pursue what you love and turn it into a living?
It only takes courage and bravery!

The Importance of Visual Branding

 

In the direct sales business, visual branding is extremely important, as it will help you connect with your community, and express your brand's personality, making it memorable.

Here's a few tips on how to develop the Visual Branding:

• Set your color palette: a strong color palette is a key element of brand recognition; bright or pastel colors inspire creativity and dark blues and maroons inspire trust and insurance
• Determine your brand's fonts (and stick with them). This way, even before your clients read the message, they will recognize the font and associate it with the brand automatically;
• Be consistent with your design templates & structure.

Sales Techniques - That Actually work

 

Today we're showing an infography by the Professional Academy with some Sales Techniques. 

Sales can be competitive and demanding, but if you believe in yourself, if you're professional and trustworthy, and a great listener to your clients, your sales will definitely grow and most important: your clientele.

5 Rules To Get More Instagram Followers

1. #nofilter is the most popular hashtag on Instagram, and Mayfair is the most successful filter when it comes to user interactions;
2. Statistically, Sunday and Monday are the best two days to post on Instagram;
3. The more #hashtags you use, the more your follower engagement will increase;
4. Any time is good to post pictures, there is no better time of the day to post;
5. But if you're posting videos, the best hour to do so is after work hours, between 9p.m. and 8.a.m. to get the highest number of interactions.

Instagram VS Vine (Twitter)

Social Media is at war. Instagram has been growing more and more, while Twitter is still very popular. Instagram now allows 15 seconds of video, shareable to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, E-mail and so on. Vine, the Twitter video app, only allows 6 seconds of video, and only shareable to Facebook and Twitter, but it allows embedding to blog posts.
One thing we know for sure: short video usage in social media has become more and more popular when it comes to engaging with the community and clients.

Tips by Younique: Be Different Than Your Competition

Competition is tough, but if you keep copying the same techniques as the competition, if you don't stand out, if you don't think out of the box, you'll just be another small fish in the ocean.
This quote is an advice for those sellers who keep looking at the competition as role models. It's always good to have mentors when it comes to business, but copying every move will just tie your feet into the ground, when you are able to fly.

Social Media: Essential Tasks

1. Sign in, check messages, comments and replies;
2. Damage control if necessary;
3. Post fresh content;
4. Reach out to at least 3 of your followers;
5. Reach out to at least 3 new people;
6. Monitor the competitors and the industry reviews;
7. Brainstorm future posts based on your followers feedback;
8. Check out statistics

The Uses of Social Media (And How it Will Boost Your Business)

1. Know your audience;
2. Use multiple sites (don't just stick to Facebook and Twitter, explore the advantages of Pinterest, Instagram and Google+ as well);
3. Use a Social Media Manager (if you don't have the resources to hire someone, use sites like Ping.fm and HootSuite;
4. Post visual content (photos, videos...);
5. Interact and engage with your audience (followers);
6. Commit & be patient.

The Importance of Hashtags

In the world of Social Media, hashtags are everywhere! Once you hashtag a word on Twitter, Instagram, Google + and even Faceboo everyone can see it, all account users. The word goes directly into the hashtag world and this allows users who aren't following you to see it, and to see the message and/or content you post related to this word.
However, don't give in to temptation in creating a hashtag in every single word you use: Use them wisely, by subject, relevance and importance. The recommended ratio is 1-3 hashtag words per tweet/publication, or else you might be just missing the point and creating clutter in your social media profiles.

4 Social Media Tips

1. Be Yourself: I know, this might sound as a big cliche, but the thing is, if you share your own values and interest on your social media your audience will be authentic and will definitely grow faster, rather than if you play it safe.
2. Interact with your audience: liking pictures and commenting back isn't interacting. Asking people to buy your product isn't interacting either, but asking your audience to participate in giveaways or contests will definitely catch their attention.
3. Don't make direct advertising: people hate it on social media. Instead entertain them, give them a reason to visit your page.
4. Make your effort constant: Maintenance is key when managing your social media pages. If you don't care about your page, people will just assume you don't care about your business and products.
   

Promoting your business site / blog

Promoting on social media helps the clients getting to know your sales site or blog. They provide a contact with the audience and draw attention and interest to those who have no knowledge of the product / service / brand you are publishing about.

Social media tools, like Twitter ( RT ) and Facebook ( Share and Like ) help in spreading the idea and help to increase the popularity of the web site and/or blog. But for a successful promotion, it must be done in a creative and well - structured manner.

SEO , SMM and SMO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization), SMM (Social Media Marketing) and SMO (Social Media Optimization) are factors that can't be excluded when creating a social network for any product / service / brand. They aid in the achievement of increased online traffic, attracting the target audience, expanding content and generating a market recognition. In practice: this means that the more your site or blog is shaped and structured with an online marketing goal - attract the target audience - the more the ranking in the search engines (like Google and Bing) will increase, and more prospective clients will see your site or blog. 

The SEO analyzes the behavior of the target audience and helps the site's improvement. As for the SMM, it checks the performing marketing and creates quality content. SMO, increases the amount of visitors in social media.

If you are a Younique presenter, and you have your own blog, these are the three main areas of online marketing you should focus on: analyze your audience and its behavior when visiting your blog; create quality content to engage your audience and promote it through the social media channels.