Category Archives: Social media

I run social media campaigns for the media. A few of my clients include:

www.northernvatimes.com
www.loudountimes.com
www.fauquier.com
www.gainesville-times.com
www.culpepertimes.com

The Top 15 Metrics for 2015

September 15, 2014 hannahhager Leave a comment

Are you a digital marketer? Best practice marketers align their objectives with business outcomes to improve the organization; they use data-driven decisions to predict outcomes and can envision the impact of their work. They think strategically to maximize revenue and create contextual engagement with the customers they serve. To do this, they use solutions that aggregate the right metrics and tools that help them derive accurate insights.

The definitive guide to the top 15 Digital Marketing Metrics for 2015

Here’s a peek at the first three to get you started:

1. Social interactions – Your firm’s social interaction ratio is determined by the total number of interactions all of your accounts received within the last week, month or quarter. You’ll first need to decide how frequently you’d like to measure your social media interactions, which is necessary to increase the number of interactions and build rapport with your customers and client base.

Next, you’ll want to determine your share of the social voice. Share of Voice is defined as the proportion of the total audience commanded by your brand across its full range of media activities.
Share of Voice is an accurate indicator as to where you rank compared to your competitors when people talk about your industry.

2. Amplification Rate – The amplification rate is the frequency at which your followers take your content and share it through their own network. It goes without saying that the higher the amplification rate, the further your content will reach.

This will also increase your social media page views, which is the number of times a web page is viewed as a result of being directed from a social media channel.

3. Quality Score – The quality score is a score assigned by search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing that influences both the rank and cost per click of ads. The purpose of the quality score is to enable the major search engines the ability to maintain and improve the quality of advertisements listed on their sites. The primary reason for this is to improve the experience of users who click on sponsored links. The more relevant the advertisements, the greater the likelihood a user will click on them more frequently, which increases revenue for everyone.

Those who achieve higher quality scores are rewarded with top placement and lower bid cost.

Download the complete list of The Top 15 Digital Marketing Metrics for 2015 to see what are the must-have metrics are for next year.

News articles, Social media

The 5 Most Popular Types of B2B Content Marketing

October 25, 2012 hannahhager Leave a comment

Content marketing has elevated beyond a cottage industry and into a necessary marketing tool. As content marketing gains momentum, it’s now more important than ever to get back to the basics of developing a successful content strategy surrounding remarkable content.

Business-to-business marketers are perhaps the most fluent content marketers and content strategists. “On average, B2B marketers employ eight different content marketing tactics to achieve their marketing goals,” according to Eloqua and the Content Marketing Institute.

What are the most popular? We’ve detailed five of them below.

1.Blogs

Thinking like a publisher is huge in content marketing and blogs are the basis to this theory. “It’s where new content gets distributed, conversations are hosted, context for news is provided and personal brands are born,” according to Eloqua.

2.eNewsletters

eNewsletters are still a popular mode of distributing content and should be a part of your strategy as a whole. At the top of the list of tips for running successful eNewsletter distribution is: Do not spam. eNewsletters are “a permission-based means of recurring communication with current and prospective customers.” Always ask for permission to email participants and always offer opt-out links.

3.Whitepapers

Whitepapers have been around since the dawn of content. They are topical, lengthy reports that address technical issues or subjects that require intensive explanations. Even though they are the “grandfather” of content, they are still essential to establishing yourself as a thought leader. Just remember to send whitepapers in PDF format and consider including a lead capture form.

4.Videos

Smartphones and cheap video cameras coupled with YouTube and Vimeo help content marketers create, publish and share videos more easily than ever. Just remember to not film “talking heads.” Consider a long-term video series and not just a one-shot approach. When you do post your video, always consider posting an accompanying transcription or report, CMI suggests.

5.Infographics

CMI says infographics are a “visual storytelling told through data” and that they “rise above the noise to deliver data in a visually appealing way.” A good tip is: good data=good infographic. Once you’ve completed your infographic, develop a marketing plan around distributing it.

Backstory blog, News articles, Social media

The Top 5 Reasons Big Data Is Valuable to Your Business

October 15, 2012 hannahhager Leave a comment

Have you started thinking about how your company will value and leverage your big data assets? If not, it’s time to play some catch up.

Cross industry businesses have welcomed big data analytics with open arms after seeing its benefits first hand. As proof, the McKinsey Global Institute delves deep into the benefits of big data in their report, “Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity.” What they found were five, actionable reasons businesses need to jump into the practice with both feet. Here is what they determined:

1. Big Data Brings Improved Business Models, Products and Services

What’s with the flurry of excitement that accompanies each new generation of the iPad? The folks at Apple are pros at understanding what their customer needs – sometimes even before they do. Manufacturers now use data captured when consumers use their products to improve upon their existing offerings, thereby creating new and improved models that benefit the consumer and push them to buy.

2. Putting A Smile On the Face of Your Stakeholders

Improving transparency leads to improved quality of product and service. Big data can be made readily available to relevant stakeholders, which creates value by reducing search and processing time between departments, according to McKinsey. Big data keeps everyone in your department moving in the same direction.

3. Peek Into Personnel Performance

Upper management will be empowered by the collection of more accurate and detailed personnel performance data that can be reported in real or near real time. Find out instantly your company’s turnover rate or its total number of personnel sick days, according to the report, to try to understand the root causes of certain performance-based issues.

4. Customize Your Customer Experience

You’ve been segmenting your customers for years, but now it’s time to microsegment them. Big data empowers organizations to tailor their products and services to meet the very specific needs of each customer. An example the report gives is tailoring applications on a smartphone based on the owner’s personality.

5. Find the Algorithm Groove

According to McKinsey Global Institute, “Sophisticated analytics can substantially improve decision making, minimize risks, and unearth valuable insights that would otherwise remain hidden.” They site the following examples; tax agencies can flag candidates for further examination or retailers can use algorithms to fine-tune inventories or pricing structures.

Now is the time to jump on the big data bandwagon.

News articles, Social media

Finding news on Facebook

September 20, 2012 hannahhager Leave a comment

Not to toot my own horn, but the number of likes on one of my client’s Facebook page rose 30 percent this summer after I took over branding the news organization.

It got me thinking; how important is Facebook to sending people to news sites? We’ve all seen the newsreaders via The Washington Post and the Huffington Post. It seems to work well for them, if not just to break down their readership by demographic. For my client, the percentage of referral traffic jumped from 9 to 13 percent of total traffic during that time. Sidenote: Google Analytics does not fully report total social referral traffic numbers, so that percentage only represents about 8 percent of the total readership during that time.

I did a bit of research and found that 70 percent of referral traffic from Facebook was precipitated through friends and family shares, ie., if your FB friends are reading it then chances are you will, too. Conversely, only 13 percent of Facebook users receive their news from journalists or the actual news organizations themselves. The goal then would be to encourage your website’s users to publish your articles on their Facebook pages directly instead of solely relying on “shares” and “likes.”

Furthermore, the number of people receiving their news using a mobile device, including smart phones and tablets, has increased 400 percent with my client. Toot, toot. According to a Pew Research report, the number of people receiving their news on a desktop or laptop via Facebook is at 6 percent, a smartphone is 7 percent and a tablet is 8 percent. Remember to always think like your reader.

Direct traffic still results in the largest amount of readership at 36 percent, followed by keyword searches at 32 percent, a news organization’s app at 29 percent and Facebook and Twitter at 9 percent, according to Pew.

Read the full report here.

Backstory blog, News articles, Social media

Why advertise on a newspaper’s website?

August 13, 2012 hannahhager 1 Comment

“I have my own website, why do I need to advertise on your newspaper’s website?”

In this day and technological age, this is still a common inquiry. I’ve been asked by advertising executives to create a fact sheet for potential advertisers that will include the basic reasons why simply having your own website isn’t enough.

Just as in days past proprietors believed they would attract business by placing signage on their storefront, some still believe hosting their own URL is the appropriate amount of advertising. It’s not. Why hope a potential client will find you via a search engine when you can spread the word to our hundreds of thousands of readers instead?

While the logistics of the fact sheet are worked out, I would like to attach the following press release from JK Moving and Storage, the no. 3 moving company in the country, who just launched a multimedia advertising campaign. In their own words:

JK Moving Services, a full-service moving company founded in 1981 and specializing in residential, commercial, and international moving and storage will launch its first integrated advertising campaign on August 13th in the Washington, D.C. region.

Specifically, the campaign will consist of radio, print, online, mobile, and social media elements.

“Even as the third largest independent mover in North America, we are still ‘a best kept secret’ among some key audiences located right in our backyard,” said Charles Kuhn, Founder, President, and CEO, JK Moving Services.

“Our goal is to reach women in this region who typically are the ones selecting the moving company for their families, introduce them to JK Moving, and let them know how we can make this process ‘worry-free.’”

A campaign was developed consisting of four :30 second radio spots and unique banner ads, a mobile-specific ad, a social media campaign, and a print execution.

As part of the program, customers will be directed to JK Moving’s web site to request a free estimate and be entered for a chance to win a free move.

The campaign’s theme is centered on JK Moving Services’ ability to reduce the stress of moving for the homeowner, offering a “worry-free” move. It’s designed to speak to female heads of household who tend to be the decision-maker in selecting a moving company.

They are the ones most involved in the logistics of moving — ensuring a smooth transition.

Each 30 second spot will demonstrate what makes JK Moving different and how the company can alleviate the stress of moving.

The radio ads will be coupled with an online and print campaign that will target the Metro D.C. market.

If an $85 million company feels the need to advertise across that many channels, chances are you may, too.

Backstory blog, News articles, Social media

What to write about in your blog

August 1, 2012 hannahhager 1 Comment

It’s not uncommon for inspiration to drain from regular bloggers. Creativity is a beast that takes you on a ride from the summit of enlightenment to the abyss of nothingness. Sometimes it will feel as if you have no advice or encouragement to impart upon your readers.

It’s important to know that we’ve all been there, and it is OK if you can’t post new content because nothing is coming. The cure is in the calendar. Avid bloggers and successful authors with millions of followers will tell you that mapping out an editorial calendar has saved them during their own creativity droughts.

In my personal and professional life, I ardently map out my duties, goals and tasks. When I was the Editor of an executive-level business magazine I had my editorial calendar planned out a year in advance. Not so when it comes to my creative writing. I’m not a “creative planner” and I suffer from dry spells. My blog was the creative stepchild that was tended to when I found the time.

So, I started carrying a pen and pad with me wherever I go (yes, I have an iPhone, and no it’s not the same) so that I can jot down blog ideas throughout the day. On the back of a wedding invitation sitting on my desk I have written “On Pinterest” to remind myself that eventually I want to write about best practices for businesses using Pinterest. The idea hasn’t matured yet and I want to let it ferment further.

If you have no clue where to start in planning out your editorial calendar, look at your monthly calendar. No matter what your industry, you will find an event each month that will relate to your business. For instance, October is not only Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is also Women in Small Business Month. If that can’t provide me with inspiration, nothing will.

Here’s a list of themed months to chew on:

January – National Poverty in America Awareness Month

February – Black History Month

March – National Umbrella Month

April – National Autism Awareness Month

May – Meditation Month

June – Great Outdoors Month

July – Roots and Branches Month

August – National Inventors Month (also Beach Month!)

September – Baby Safety Month

October – Mental Illness Awareness Month

November – American Diabetes Month

December – Universal Human Rights Month (Read A New Book Month)

Backstory blog, Social media

How to write a “How to” article

July 30, 2012 hannahhager Leave a comment

During a presentation on “How to Market Yourself to the Media,” an elderly architect and his wife were stupefied when I suggested they start a blog.

“Well, we don’t have anything to say …” and yada, yada, yada the conversation turned into how small business owners — and media companies alike — believe that potential clients outside their industry share their expertise.

Enter the “how to” article/blog post. One can literally write anything in “how to” form … from “how to tie your shoe” to “how to preserve vegetables” to “how to increase SEO by repeating ‘how to’ as many times as possible within a blog post.”

Don’t sell yourself short by assuming your clients share your knowledge. Instead, impart upon them, in the most conversational tone as possible, the wisdom you’ve incurred through the many years you’ve spent in your industry. Here’s a three-step guide on “‘how to write a ‘how to’ article:”

1. Name the problem.

Newspapers are printed on paper + kids these days haven’t seen a sheet of paper their whole lives = newspapers are dying.

2. Find the solution.

Teens are always on their phone + many professionals 35-60 years-old sit in front of a desk all day = capture an online audience and sell digital ads.

Provide tips:

1. Start by posting relevant content

2. Write to your target audience

3. Write posts frequently. Then more frequently. Then all the time.

4. Share photos.

5. Join Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest …

You get the picture.

The all-important “what NOT to do”

In any situation, there are definitely ways one should not behave. You’ve made mistakes along the way, so why not make sure others don’t do the same? Save them from common errors if you want to truly provide them with invaluable knowledge.

Social media

Small town social media

July 23, 2012 hannahhager Leave a comment

Technology has hampered our ability to communicate effectively with one another. One would think an infinitival amount of devices to support communication would lead to effective marketing strategies. This is not the case, especially when it comes to professional wordsmiths; newspapers.

Newspapers have an image problem — they’re viewed as the news source of yesteryear by younger generations. Local newspapers, on the other hand, are prime to make a turn around in today’s murky, print waters. Unlike their national news counterparts, such as The NY Times and The Washington Post, local newspapers aren’t losing ground with their middle-aged readership. Mothers and fathers want to know how the School Board budget will effect their kid’s classrooms. Commuters are opinionated on who and what is being decided on when it comes to their roads.

Yet local newspapers are still not monetizing on their base readership. Why is this? In our efforts to not fall behind, or fall apart, we’ve overreached and over extended our offerings. We’ve tried to be emulate craigslist. We’ve tried to mirror the popularity of Facebook and Tumblrs photo sharing in print society pages. It hasn’t worked. It’s time to get back to the basics. It’s time to be a small town, small business again.

Be honest.

It’s time to get real. With your limited staff, what can you do well? Look around you. If your online reader were standing in front of you, how would you sell your product to them? Your online business mission statement or philosophy should be no different than your “in person” philosophy. One of my clients, a local newspaper in one of the richest counties in the nation, has the philosophy that it is a family owned business covering news, sports and entertainment for the community. We are able to track our reader demographic so that we can tailor our reportage to our reader. For the client, this means writing blogs and topics that speak to men and women aged 35-44. Conversely, and down the road, we need to conduct market research on why we aren’t capturing the eyeballs of 25-34 year-olds or 45 to 60 year-olds.

Assess your competition.

If you’re a small town business or media organization, chances are your competition is not vast. That doesn’t mean your one competitor isn’t doing well. Stop beating yourselves up about how many sales they make or how much press coverage they receive. Start assessing what makes your business valuable. What product or service do you have that they don’t? Who has been around longer? Maybe you take longer to produce your work, but when you do finish up the quality of your product is bar none. When you start seeing your business for its uniqueness, there in lies its value. Slowly start posting photos of your product on social media sites. Remember to do so without being sales-y. Remind people of how you’ve been in business for 25 years and thank them for it. After all, without your customers you wouldn’t still be in business. It’s not all about you.

Make a long-term investment.

Everybody knows everybody in a small town. This means they will also know how you conduct your business. If you make a commitment to invest in your community, this will return to your bottom line 10 fold. I worked with an IT firm whose CEO spent at least one day a week volunteering for a non-profit or community-based organization. Every time he attended an event or meeting he posted about it on social media outlets and uploaded photos, even if it was just a mention of the other organization. He initially entered into these relationships because he wanted to understand the environment in which his employees lived and worked. After years of continued investments, he still picks up partnerships with other high-powered business owners simply by showing he cares.