Brands across the globe, large and small, utilize social media to attract and engage their customers while generating a dialog surrounding their products and services. But if companies aren’t employing social media intelligence to decipher those interactions, what benefit are they receiving?

Social media intelligence takes a deeper dive into the conversations that exist online, going beyond ‘likes’ for a real glimpse into how consumers perceive a company or brand. So, how exactly can marketers utilize social intelligence to accelerate their marketing strategy and ultimately drive success?

Audience Segmentation
Part of social intelligence means that text can be scanned and interpreted by emotion, sentiment and levels of passion, whether positive or negative. This allows social users to be broken down by more than just surface value demographics like age or gender, into focus groups for the ability to tap into exactly the right audience. For marketers, this can help to create highly targeted marketing, advertising and social media campaigns, pushing them out to the right people.

Competitive Intelligence
Sure, there are ways of keeping tabs on competitors. Marketing pros can run a simple Google news search every morning, see what they’re up to on Twitter, etc. Or they could employ a social intelligence platform that provides real-time comparisons of things like consumer awareness, perception and overall sentiment across multiple organizations, brands and even product lines, making it easier than ever to know how they stack up against the competition.

Trend Analysis
Keeping an eye out for developing trends in the industry is key to creating products that people will be interested in, and marketing those products to drive sales. Social intelligence enables users to stay up-to-date on what’s happening today to develop a better understanding of changing perceptions and how trends come and go – and more importantly, why.

Customer Retention
One of the downsides associated with social marketing, is the consistently changing nature of most common and popular social media platforms. Just because a brand composes and posts a great tweet, doesn’t always ensure that their followers are able to retain the information they’ve made an effort to put out there. That’s where social intelligence can help, by providing insight into customer pain-points surrounding specific brands and products, in order to create effective retention strategies.

Identifying Influencers
The beauty of social media is that it brings users into direct contact with whomever they’re trying to impact, and offers a unique marketing opportunity for brands to reach out to and interact with their most influential followers. But how do businesses go about finding these individuals? Social intelligence platforms can help brands to determine who the loudest and most influential voices are in the online conversations surrounding their industry in order to reach out directly to those social advocates.

Brand Analysis
Marketing teams are always doing what they can to understand their place in the industry, develop new strategies for standing out in the crowd, and discern where they stand among current and potential customers alike. Brand analysis through social intelligence offers marketing teams real-time information and their brand health, while monitoring the share-of-voice within the global sphere of conversation. Social intelligence has the ability to bring marketing to the next level. Through in-depth analytics, a true understanding of emotions conveyed online, and the ability to monitor trends, both past and present, marketing professionals are able to tailor messages and understand results like never before.​
Justin Graves

Every website should be easy to use and update, should be built with SEO in mind, and should be able to grow as your business and online strategy grow.

There are numerous technology platforms that may fit the bill, so which one should you choose?

Well that will depend on what your online needs are.

This article should help you understand the choices and is designed for small and medium business.

Those with budgets in the tens of thousands typically have a few additional choices, so this is aimed typically at those in the $2000 to $10,000 price range.

Broadly, the platforms can be categorized into two groups:
Open Source and Proprietary.

Open Source Systems:
Are built and maintained by groups of interested people all over the world.
While there is typically one controlling body, they belong to no one.

Make the source code available to all.
Anyone with the skills and time can extend and modify the code and create new functionality as required.

Can be hosted anywhere.
You can host an open source web site with just about any ISP or hosting company on their servers or your own.

Are typically free – or at least the software itself is.
Customization, design, and hosting are not.

Proprietary Systems:
Are built and maintained by a single company.
Typically do not allow access to the source code, although the best of them provide an open framework (or API) that means they can be extended by others.

Are typically hosted by the company that created them, although some can be hosted elsewhere.

Typically require a license fee of some sort, although it is often built into the hosting charges.

There are pros and cons for each, and which is best for you will depend on your requirements.

Open Source:
There are a number of popular open source platforms, including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, DotNetNuke, Mambo and many more.

Which one is best will typically depend on who you ask; every web developer has a favorite and all will tell you theirs is the most complete, easiest to use and most cost effective!

The only thing for sure at the moment is that WordPress is by far the most popular and is rapidly becoming the default standard.

If starting fresh with an open source solution you would need to have a very good reason not to choose WordPress.

So when is an open source solution best for you:

– You want a solution that is quick and cheap up front and don’t mind using a basic template design to get started. Recommended only for the smallest of businesses that just need a brochure to get started.
– You have the time and expertise to create your own website from one of the template sites (technically not quite open source – while they are typically based on WordPress they lock you in to a proprietary host).
– You have a unique idea and need to build custom functionality into your website.
– Your online presence is your business and you will be investing all of your time enhancing, tweaking and improving your website.
– Your blog is your business, in which case you really should use WordPress.
– You are comfortable making choices about technology including add-ons and enhancements and hosting. The great thing about open source is there are hundreds of companies making add-ons, the bad thing is at some point you will need to evaluate and choose.
– You (or your technology partner) have a plan to keep the software updated for bugs, security issues and enhancements.

Key issues with Open Source:
You get what you pay for.

Building a website on an open source solutions is not free, but basic template sites are very cheap. They also look cheap. Expect to pay well for a good, unique design.

Support for, and upgrades to the software are typically not included.

While there are thousands of developers in the open source community enhancing the software, none of them are working on your website.

Unless you have a support agreement with your developer, your website will remain on the version it was installed on, complete with any bugs and security issues.

If you want access to the latest enhancements you will typically have to pay your developer to install them.

While you have access to the source code, the design may not be yours.

Template websites in particular have this problem, and you often cannot move the design to another host and definitely not to another platform.

You also typically cannot use the design on printed material or elsewhere.

If you are getting custom design make sure you own it and not the designer/developer (applies equally to Proprietary).

The majority of web developers using open source solutions are not actually software developers.

While they may be experts at customizing the design and working with various modules, they will not be able to develop truly custom software or fix bugs and other shortcomings. They will be reliant on the community for that.

In theory you can move your website to another developer if unhappy.

In reality this can be difficult due to design ownership, customizations and modules, and because each developer has their own preference for and knowledge of the various systems and add-ons. Moves that do not involve a redesign and/or rebuild are rare.

Pick the wrong software and in 2-3 years time you might find the community have moved on and development has stalled (hence the recommendation above to choose WordPress which is unlikely to lose favor any time soon).

Proprietary Systems:
Like open source, proprietary systems come in many, many flavors.

A decade ago just about every software developer that did web design created their own CMS (Content Management System). Most of these have disappeared over the years as the open source solutions have improved.

The key issue with proprietary systems is that you must be comfortable with the company behind them.

They must have the size and expertise to not only keep your website running, but be able to invest in the continual development of the product.

You also need to understand that you probably can’t move your website elsewhere, so at least make sure you have ownership over the design and content (a tip that applies equally to open source solutions).

A Proprietary solution will be best for you if:
– Your online presence is important to you, but not necessarily your whole business.
– Your online presence is your business, but you just need to focus on the content not the technology and your functional needs are met by the software.
– You do not require custom development other than a great design.
– You have no interest in the technology behind it and just want to take care of the content (and the rest of your business).
– You don’t want to deal with updates, bugs and security issues and want a full service hosting plan.
– You don’t want to deal with decisions on which modules may be best, or deal with issues like upgrading the platform and finding that 3 of the 16 add-ons you use also require an upgrade to continue to function.
– You want to just pick a solution and a partner and have it tick away in the background for the next several years, but also have the technology stay up to date.

Key issues with Proprietary solutions include:
Companies and software solutions come and go.

You must have confidence in the company offering the solution and that they will both be around and able to continually invest in the product.

You need to ensure you have ownership and access to the content and design should you decide to move on for any reason (applies equally to open source solutions). Many companies will not provide this by default.

You may have little option for software enhancements or customizations or they may be very expensive.

You are likely to be limited to the standard modules and functionality available, so make sure the solution is comprehensive and developing (even if you don’t need all of it now a comprehensive product suite is a good sign for the future.).

Many of the proprietary platforms have simply not kept up with changes like social networking and Google’s many updates to search algorithms.

Many of them are simply woefully inadequate and/or difficult to use – solutions aimed at vertical markets (like real estate or plant and machinery) are often in this bucket as they made a grab for market share early on and then simply stopped developing.

Again, make sure your technology partner continues to invest.

Hopefully that helps.

They key with open source solutions is to pick both the right technology, and the right partner to assist you with it.

At the moment the technology favorite is WordPress, and there is no shortage of companies working with it (some very good, and many that struggle). For those on a very tight budget or who need highly customized software we recommend WordPress.

…according to a couple handfuls of business experts!

A clear, comprehensive business plan is one of the most critical components of any business. But without an equally well-crafted elevator pitch, an entrepreneur may never get around to showing his or her business plan at all.
Whether you’re looking for investors or just trying to get people interested in your business, your ability to explain what makes your business unique and hook your listener in less than a minute could make or break your success. Entrepreneurs and business professionals shared their best tips for writing and delivering a great elevator pitch.

1. Start off strong
“Eighty percent of your success will depend on your opening line. It must snag your listener’s interest and make them want to know more. Do this right, and your prospects will follow you, wanting more.” – Bert Martinez, founder and president of Bert Martinez Communications

2. Be interesting, but authentic
“While creating interest and value is key, remember to be authentic and realistic. Making outlandish claims about your company will eventually be discovered, and your integrity will be diminished.” –
Ed Cederquist, CEO and co-founder of bistroMD

3. Prioritize your pitch
“Be specific, but use plain language when describing the problem your product or service solves. If it solves several problems, prioritize and stick with the most important one. Stick with what problem you are solving, who will benefit the most from your solution and why people should believe that you can do it.” – Andrey Mihailenko, vice president of marketing and sales at Targetprocess

4. Know your audience
“When crafting your elevator pitch, you first need to think about who you’ll be in the elevator with. A good pitch will shift depending on the audience you’re trying to reach. Lead with the information that the recipient will care most about, and the rest will follow.” – Andrew Cross, account director at Walker Sands Communications

5. Focus on what matters
“Avoid telling your listener that you have a ‘revolutionary idea.’ Whatever you’re pitching is not revolutionary. Words like that can automatically put investors off. Instead, explain why you are the person to do this and why you’re solving this problem [based on] your experiences.” – Ebong Eka, CPA and author of “Start Me Up!: The No-Business Plan Business Plan” (Career Press, 2014)

6. Keep it conversational
“You want to stand out and generate excitement. Don’t regurgitate a memorized pitch that sounds like a pharmaceutical ad. When I hear a pitch, I don’t necessarily want to feel like I am being pitched. I would rather have it be more conversational. Start with the problem you are trying to solve, the way the current alternatives are lacking; then, briefly describe your solution.” – John Torrens, assistant professor of entrepreneurial practice at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management

7. Think about your end goal
“You should build your exit strategy along with your business plan. Investors [hearing your pitch] want to know that you’ve evaluated the risk and have thought your plan through from soup to nuts.” – Summer Kramer, founder of SummerSkin

8. Make a connection
“An elevator speech is an important networking tool. It should serve as a verbal business card that provides a brief, compelling introduction to one’s company and intrigues new acquaintances to seek more information. At your earliest opportunity [after giving your pitch], express an interest in your new acquaintance and learn as much as you can about him or her. The information you gain will provide insight as you proceed with efforts to build a genuine, mutually beneficial relationship.” – Juana Hart, founder of J-Hart Communications

Bonus point: “Finish your pitch by asking the other person what they do. It starts an actual conversation and allows you to actually connect, even after the elevator ride is over.” – Stacey Hawley, founder of Credo

9. Tell, don’t sell
“A big part of your job is to motivate people to act, whether you’re trying to close funding, attract talent or acquire new customers. [To do this], you have to be prepared to tell a compelling and unforgettable story that draws your audience in. When it comes to pitching your startup, my advice is to tell, not sell your story.” – Sue McGill, co-founder and executive director of JOLT

10. Open the door to continue the conversation
“Your elevator pitch is simply an introduction to your company, not a sale you have to close. End by summarizing your top talking points and offering a way for the prospect to get in touch with you. Be sure to have your business card on hand.” — Alex Membrillo, founder and CEO of Cardinal Web Solutions

Which is the better way to reach your customer/s and get them to buy from you?
Here are the merits of both.

Using opt-in eMail can be a great way to generate leads and sales. But so can regular “snail” mail.

Here’s a quick guide to the pros and cons of Drect Mail and eMail to help you choose the right way to contact prospects and build your business.

eMAIL PROS

Email is cheap.
Which is why spammers love it.
They don’t care whether response rates are low because their costs are negligible. If you want to reach a large number of people and if you have access to a solid, opt-in list, go for it.

eMail is fast.
In two senses. First, your production time is minimal. As soon as you get an idea to test, you can write a motivating eMail, and hit the send button. Second, your prospect gets your eMail instantly so responses can start pouring in within minutes. Speed, from start to finish, means you can be a super-agile marketer.

eMail is a fabulous testing medium.
As a result of the speed mentioned above, you can get virtually instant answers to your marketing questions. Is a cross-sell offer going to be a winner? Send a group of prospects an eMail and you’ll have an answer. Have you written two great headlines but can’t decide which one to go with? Do some eMail testing and get your answer fast!

Downloadable fulfillment pieces are instantly accessible.
For example, if you’re offering prospects a White Paper filled with valuable information, they can click through to your landing page, fill in a little qualifying information, and download your White Paper in under two minutes. The fact that they don’t have to wait long to get their free fulfillment piece boosts response rates.

eMAIL CONS

The eMail “environment” is poor.
Thanks to the spam avalanche, sorting through email messages is a real drag. That means your prospects are looking for messages from colleagues, family, and friends, and everything else is out. And fast.

eMail messages have to be (relatively) short.
When prospects are going through their email, they want information quickly. So long copy is out. Complex offers are out. Supporting facts and arguments are out.

eMails can limit your creativity.
An all-text email is obviously visually quite boring. The message is the whole ball game.

Great eMail lists are hard to find.
List brokers promise you a high-quality “opt-in” list but you’re often playing with fire. The simple fact is that the direct mail list business is a lot more mature and you can find both ethical and helpful list brokers if you shop around.

DIRECT MAIL PROS

The Direct Mail environment is a good one.

Sure, people call Direct Mail “junk mail.” But they use the term with a lot less anger than they do when they speak of “spam.” When you read through your eMail, you’re sitting at a desk staring at a monitor and you’re busy. When you sort through your Postal/Direct Mail, you’re probably much more relaxed and feel less put upon. This difference in receptivity is incalculably important.

Direct Mail gives you the space you need to tell the whole story.
If you write a compelling letter, readers will stay with you. They will not stick with you in a lengthy eMail.

In Direct Mail, you can use emotion.
In your letter or collateral piece you can inspire, frighten, cajole, convince, make cogent arguments, and motivate. Readers just don’t want all of that in an eMail. They want you to tell them the facts and get out.

In Direct Mail you can include different pieces you can hold in your hand.
A colorful flyer, a testimonial sheet filled with raves, objective product reviews, you name it. You never know what’s going to capture a reader’s interest or attention. With an eMail you get pixels on the screen and nothing more.

DIRECT MAIL CONS
Direct Mail can be expensive.
Postage is high and heading higher. Printing often can be costly and there are list rental and direct mailhouse costs to consider as well as creative development.

The bottom line?
Direct Mail can be very cost effective but there’s no question that your front-end costs are going to be higher. That’s the only big “con” I think you have to worry about.

Final thoughts…
From the pros and cons listed above, eMail and Postal/DirectMail both have their advantages.

Lately, direct mail has been in a bit of a decline, partly because of the economy and partly because eMail marketing has made inroads.

Direct Mail will be making a huge comeback as spammers continue to destroy a legitimate marketing channel.

My advice?
Keep on testing eMail but don’t neglect the proven, money-making power of a letter package or Direct Mailer!

It Pays to Advertise
No matter how wonderful your company’s product or service is, if you don’t advertise, nobody will know about it. The goal of any advertising program should be to cost-effectively reach the largest audience possible and attract new customers. If done correctly, advertising can be a wonderful investment for your small business; if done poorly, advertising can become a huge money sink.

Despite what you see on “Mad Men,” advertising can be a tricky game. We present 10 important tips to help you plan, execute, and monitor your advertising program.

1. Go After Your Target Audience
An advertising campaign should be geared toward your niche market. It is a common mistake to create generic advertising that does not speak the language or grab the attention of your potential customers.

Ask yourself what kind of customers you want to attract, and make sure your advertising speaks to them on a personal level.

2. Highlight Your Competitive Advantage
One of the keys to all advertising is to accentuate the pros of your company — those factors that give you your competitive edge. Too many ads are clever but fail to sell the specific benefits of the featured product or service. Unless you highlight these benefits, your advertising delivers no value to potential customers.

3. Establish an Image
You can recognize the McDonald’s arches while whizzing by on the highway. Likewise, there are plenty of products that you recognize by their packaging or logo.

Image counts when it comes to advertising and promoting your business. Too many advertisers do not work to build a consistent image, and they’re missing the chance to make an impression on prospective customers.

4. You Have to Spend Money to Make Money
There are ways to save money, but advertising is typically not the place to cut corners. Doing so will affect sales, and that affects the bottom line. Successful advertising may cost some money, but that is because it works.

5. Advertise in the Right Places
Your favorite magazine, radio station, or even television program might not be a favorite of your audience. Do some research about your target market to understand who they are and determine what they read, watch, and listen to. Then advertise in the appropriate media to ensure that you reach your target market.

6. Don’t Allow Your Budget to Run Your Advertising Campaign
Whether your budget is $5,000 or $25,000 per month for advertising, you’ve made it very easy from a bookkeeping perspective. However, if like most businesses you have seasonal highs and lows, you are spending too much money advertising during down times and not enough when you want to attract customers. Too many entrepreneurs do not budget according to their seasonal advertising needs.

7. Diversify
It is all too common for business owners to choose the best place to advertise based on price and potential rate of returns, and then stop. As is the case with investing, you do not want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Spread your advertising dollars around by choosing a variety of suitable media for your audience and budget.

8. Don’t Try to Be Everything to Everyone
No product or service will appeal to everyone. Many business owners, including corporate executives, try to come up with ways to reach every market. Typically, this does not work. It can spell disaster for small businesses, who cannot afford to spread themselves too thin. Therefore, find your market and be everything you can be to that audience.

9. Test Your Advertising in Advance
If you have the time or money to invest in focus groups, you should test your ads on other people. Do they understand and accept the message you are trying to convey? If not, get insight into how you could more effectively communicate your message.

10. Monitor Your Advertising
It is very easy to ask new customers or clients where they heard about you. As simple as this is, many entrepreneurs do not bother to do so. It is advantageous to understand which elements of your ads are most effective and which media offer the most profitable advertising opportunities for your company

Let’s take a detailed look at the topic of communicating with clients.
Many of the tips that are mentioned can apply to communication in general, but this post comes specifically from the perspective of a designer/client relationship.

1. Start with a Solid Foundation
Communication is of critical importance during the early stages of the client process. At this time you will need to get to know the client’s business as well as possible. You’ll want to understand the products and services that they offer, their corporate culture, and what makes them unique to their customers. Additionally, you should get a solid understanding of their customers and what they will be looking for when they do business with your client. It’s also important to understand the client’s specific goals.
By taking the time up front to communicate with the client and to build this solid foundation for the project/campaign you can save time and avoid miscommunication later.
Some clients may be hesitant to dedicate much time before the project begins for this type of communication. When that is the case it can be helpful to explain that all of this is important in order for you to provide marketing recommendations that will truly work for their business and for their customers. Emphasize that taking this time up front can help to make the process smoother and quicker, and will avoid costly mistakes later.

2. Have a Method or a System
It is a good idea to have a standard process for client intake. In addition, it’s also helpful to have a method or system for client communication beyond this point. If you are just responding to emails or phone calls as they come in with no records or organization, chances are you could benefit from putting a system in place.

3. Do More Listening Than Talking
It is important to emphasize the need to listen and let the client provide you with the information that will help you to do the best job possible. Of course there will be plenty of times where the clients should be doing the listening, but especially during the initial stages when you are just getting to know about their business, be sure to place the most value in listening to what they have to say.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Misunderstandings will always lead to wasted time, so don’t be afraid to ask the client questions that will help you to get on the same page. Your clients are busy – so they may be in a hurry when you are talking to them, but don’t let that discourage you from getting the information that will help you to do your job for them.
Many clients won’t give a lot of information to you about their business or their customers unless you ask because they may not see the need for you to fully understand their business. So you may have to be proactive and ask a number of questions.

5. Be Patient with Your Explanations
The typical client does not have a great understanding of advertising/marketing, and that is why they are hiring you. As you are explaining things to them throughout the process, be patient and remember that this is probably not an aspect of their business that they are very comfortable with.

6. Explain Your Reasons and Thought Processes
As you give your opinions throughout the process it is important that you also explain to the client why you are giving that advice. Clients will often want you to do something that you don’t think is a good idea. When those situations arise, rather than just doing it the way they want or doing it your way with no explanation, take the time to demonstrate to them why you think it is important and what the potential impacts can be.
Clients will typically see things as they appear on the surface, but from your experience you may know that there is more to be considered in the situation. When this is the case you need to explain to the client the other factors that are involved and why you feel a certain way based on the research you have gathered on their business at this point.

7. Give Advice When Needed
Be a consultant to your client. Clients know that you have more expertise in this area than they do and they’ll trust that you are interested in doing what is best for them and their business.
Don’t be afraid to advise clients based on your professional experience.

8. Avoid Jargon
One of the biggest frustrations for clients is when you talk to them with terms and phrases that they don’t understand (at least explain what they mean).

9. Avoid Assumptions
Assuming that the client understands certain things or that they want something a particular way can lead to miscommunication. If you’re unsure about something, take a minute and ask the client rather than assuming and causing a lot of work that needs to be re-done later.
One thing that can help your communication, particularly when you are explaining things to clients or giving them choices, is to use real-world examples. Explaining options over the phone or through email can be challenging, and at times ineffective.

10. Make Your Communication Count
Because your clients are busy, most of them will not want to be constantly receiving emails or phone calls about the project/campaign. Try to put your questions together in one email rather than sending 4 different ones. Additionally, make an effort to be as clear as possible when you communicate so there is no need to go back and forth several times just to understand the issue at hand.

11. Put it in Writing
One of the reasons that email communication is effective is because it gives you and the client a record of what has been said. There may be times where it is necessary for customer service or for legal purposes to have a record of what was said, by whom, and when. Aside from email, other types of CRM tools can also help for record keeping.
For situations where you are talking to clients on the phone, it’s a good practice to type notes after you get off the phone to summarize what was discussed, and of course you will want to include the date and the names of the specific people that you spoke to.
Another option is to send a summary of the conversation to your clients by email. This may be overkill for short calls just to discuss one point, but it could be helpful with longer, more detailed calls.

12. Keep it Professional
While you are communicating with clients, whether it be face-to-face, telephone, or email, always stay professional. Clients are paying for your services and they will expect you to conduct your business in a professional manner, so avoid things that could cause them to see you differently. That’s not to say that you can’t get to know your clients on a more personal level, but remember that what you say and write can impact the client/agency relationship.

1) Paid Advertising:
If you’re willing to spend money on paid advertising, know the most effective ways to sell your brand management message. Cross over into different forms of media to find a new audience. Newspapers can advertise on television, radio stations can put their announcers’ faces in local magazines and all media can benefit from the Internet. Just make sure you choose the right form of advertising to get the most results.

2) Community Outreach
Building your media brand can be as simple as leaving your building to perform community outreach. Whether your team volunteers to help a charity, sponsors a half-marathon or just shows up for a reception for sales clients, this face-to-face contact can make much more impact than simply handing out bumper stickers featuring your logo. Know the best ways to devote your time so that it pays off for your brand.

3) Media Contest
Grab attention through a media contest that features a giveaway or competition. While this sounds like an easy brand management strategy, be aware that any contest takes a great deal of planning to be successful. Understand the attention to detail that’s needed so your investment pays off.

4) The Internet
No matter which form of media is your primary business, the Internet provides an unlimited resource to boost your brand. Offer something different than your competitors, but make sure you monitor the latest technology so that you’re not left behind when new tools become available.

5) Social Media
Successful brand management includes using social media resources like Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter. Instead of counting on people to take time to visit your website, you reach out to them where they’re already congregating with their friends. Make a personal connection that will win the hearts of your audience as well as their minds.