Social Media Marketing - Persuasion, Exposure, Engagement and so much more!

It's the biggest talk in marketing since mobile. A 2 year test run resulting in extraordinary results. Talk about return on investment at a fraction of the cost.

Never has there been such a dominant medium in the marketing world that can create Authentic, Sincere, Transparent TRUST so abruptly.

What was once a community where individuals can communicate with, be with and share thoughts, ideas, and feelings about there daily lives has now turned into the new age of creative innovation for savvy business owners who are able to virally communicate there message across to a specifically targeted demographic at a fraction of the cost in comparison to traditional marketing mediums such as radio, television, ads. print, direct mail and billboards just to name a few.

*** LISTEN - SHARE - ENGAGE - CONVERSE - BUILD TRUST - BE SINCERE & AUTHENTIC ***

You have to be able to Communicate, Collaborate, Educate, & Entertain.
Social Media: * Increases Awareness (Develops The Brand) * Builds a Community (Engage & Interact With Prospects) * Generates FREE Publicity ( Free Ink)
So now that you have a better understanding of the social media realm we suggest that YOU...

* ANALYZE your existing media - (Get a better understanding of what is working for you and your company and what is giving you no return on investment (R.O.I) )
* Integrate a Strategy based on time commitment, education of trends, collaboration with your current media outlets and determine a way to capitalize from BOTH
* Identity your resources
* Implement and Measure your SUCCESS! 

Branding - Brand Identity - Corporate Branding - Brand Development - Brand Awareness

Branding: Make IT! Own IT! Brand IT!

BRANDING - It Isn't Just For Animals!!!

I was once told the story of the brand on the livestock and ever since then, when I need to paint the picture to define branding, I tell this example.

To put an image into perspective I will use the example of livestock branding. Livestock branding is a technique used for marking livestock, typically cattle, in order to identify its owner.

Branding livestock dates back in origin as far back as the ancient Egyptians and ancient Romans, it was a technique used back then as symbols of protection towards any and all harm towards animals.

If you haven't seen a branding iron before, it is simply an iron rod with a symbol or mark at the end. The symbol is used by cowboys to identify there livestock from all other ranches so when it comes time to sell, they know who the livestock belongs to.

Corporate branding is no different. You the owner made the brand. You must now take charge, take control, own it and brand it as yours so when it comes time to get payed you can say $Cha-Ching!$

So how exactly do you develop a brand?

Brand Identity: What Makes U YOU!

You are an entity. Whatever you choose to be perceived as is completely up to you. Identifying your brand is like identifying your spouse, best friend and or relative, you just know who they are. Corporate branding is based on the same principles of great morals and ethical values.

Those who we love, care, trust and believe in, we associate ourselves with.

We as consumers buy based on preference. We buy from brands we know, love, trust and believe in.

As a corporate identity we must look at our brand from the outside looking in. Think from the consumers stand point. What can you do for them? How are you going to solve there problems, needs, wants, demands and or desires? What is in it for them?

Does your brand posses a personality? Is it driven and motivated build on a solid foundation of goals and aspirations? Does it have a long term committed vision?

Corporate Branding: Add Some Flavor To The Mix

What is your corporate identity? Is it boring, repetitive and non engaging? Or is it memorable, different, inspirational and entertaining?

Have you ever asked your customers and or clients how they perceive your company? What do they honestly think of your company? Remember, your brand isn't what you think it is, rather it is what your prospects, customers and or clients think it is.

- Learn to LISTEN!

- You must then Formulate a strategy based on your research to determine the best way to tactically
positioned yourself in front of your prospects. This can be accomplished by means of surveying, focus
groups, polls, social media communities and telemarketing.

- Finally, Understand the prospect, customer and or client.

Inspire! Educate! Entertain! Connect!

Make the impossible, possible! Don't just THINK...THINK DIFFERENT!

Chris Lara Marketing Consultant DesignLingo in affiliation with The Creative Legacy Agency

For the latest on branding, brand identity, corporate identity and tips on ways to grow your business, make sure to follow and subscribe to our blog.

Blogging: Create - Communicate - Capture - Convert

Whether you're writing as a way to express your thoughts and activities or giving away free tips and ideas - journaling as some might call it, aka Blogging, has been known to improve sleep, memory, and as of recently, made popular by savvy marketers, as a way to increase your bottom line.

As long as humans have been around we have always had an impulsive need to be with, communicate with, and share thoughts, feelings, and ideas about our every day lives.


By definition, a blog is: a "website" that is maintained by an individual with regular entries or posts which include commentary, thoughts, ideas, and may contain photos, graphics, audio, or video.


Communication has always and still is a 2 way process but as of recently, the way to communicate with prospects and customers has changed over the years.

Think of this simple fact alone when it comes to blogs - BLOGS create COMMUNICATION. COMMUNICATION creates TRUST! TRUST converts prospects into customers, clients, and/or fans.

Regardless of the media outlet, one thing is always certain when it comes to marketing - EXPOSURE! EXPOSURE! EXPOSURE!


So whether you are using a blog as a journal for healthier living or creating trust with potential prospects, existing customers, eager followers, restless clients or enthusiastic fans...

• Post Often
• Be Catchy With Post Titles
• Ask open ended questions (GREAT for Feedback & Comments)
• Engage in the Blog WORLD! (Comment on other Blogs. Subscribe to them, share & bookmark)
• Leverage Social Media as an outlet for your audience to hear your message (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin, Digg, etc.)
• Use Images in your Post (Help paint the PICTURE)
• Optimize KEYWORDS and HEADINGS
• Structure your blog for easy reading. (Short paragraphs and sentences, bullets, numerical breakdowns, etc - Try not to make it dull, plain, long and boring. )
• Keep it SIMPLE. (What I mean is don't try to put fancy graphics and crazy illustrations in the background which take away from the main point of the blog which is the post itself. Make it easy for the eye to read) 
• Build your LIST early. (Your list will be the eventual money maker. Here is where you create TRUST with free e-books, monthly newsletters, company updates, special incentives and exclusive deals to give subscribers) 
• Have a MARKETABLE topic and show a great amount of interest on the topic itself. 
• Learn how to become a great influence, communicator and authoritative figure. 
• Think Different & Unique
• Use Video whenever possible (It is by far the most effective marketing tool to get your message across) 
• Link to your social media accounts on your blog and vise versa.
• Be yourself.
• Most importantly - Have FUN!

Blogging, without a doubt, is the easiest and most effective way to communicate with you prospects, customers, clients and/or fans.


Blogging keeps you in the loop, relevant and positioned, as the go to leader by providing the latest information in your field


Blogging makes it possible for your company to be found online and at the same time helps with online ranking.

So why not give it a try! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. No more excuses. Just go out there and do it. The best part about it all is that it's Free!


To help you in the process, below are a few tools, applications and websites we use to help make the entire Blogging process that much easier. Enjoy our fellow "DesignLingo fans".


P.S. To receive the latest updates on DesignLingo, make sure to subscribe to both our RSS Feed and Newsletter when you get a chance


Here are a few quick tools which help you capitalize on readership instantly:

1. Social Marker: A tool which allows you to automate your account creation to over 100+ social bookmarking sites. It will take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to complete. The return when utilized properly is instant traffic and top ranked web placement.

http://www.socialmarker.com/.

  
   2. Feed Burner: RSS Feeds and management tool. An easy way to alert followers when there is an update to your blog without even being subscribed to the blog itself.

www.feedburner.google.com/

  3. Mail Chimp: Auto responder and email marketing integration tool. Great for newsletters, email list management and email blast Best part about it is that it is FREE!

www.MailChimp.com

 
     4. Share This Button: Easy way to share information throughout the web with the click of a button.

www.ShareThis.com

         5. Google Analytics: Track conversions, leads, click-through and time lapse. Know how long your  audience is staying on your blog, what post their reading, how they got to your blog and so much more.  FREE Tool - Powered by Google.

http://www.Google.com/Analytics/

    6. Tube Mogul: Tracking tool for online video viewership, statistics and trends.

http://www.TubeMogul.com/

7. AddThis: Make it easier for users to share your content. Boost your traffic and let others engage others users for you - All through the power of viral marketing.

http://www.AddThis.com/

Hope all this information was helpful and until the next blog ……

P.S Make sure to "Like" the fanpage and subscribe to the blog. Thanks!

On The Tweleve Day Of Christmas My Twitter Sent To Me...

12 Twits For Christmas

On the first day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TwitPic for my eyes to see. 

http://Twitpic.com/

 On the second day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://Twiturm.com

On the third day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://www.Twellow.com/

 On the fourth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://www.TweetDeck.com/

 On the fifth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see. 

http://www.Twazzup.com/

 On the sixth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://TwitterFeed.com/

 

On the seventh day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://Tweetit.net/

On the eighth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://www.Twaitter.com/

On the ninth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://TwitterGrader.com/

 

On the tenth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TPing.fm keeping updates,

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

direction through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://Ping.fm/

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

ChripStats tracking follows,

TPing.fm keeping updates,

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

direction through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://ChirpStats.com/

 

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Twitter Keys enhance my follow ,

ChripStats tracking follows,

TPing.fm keeping updates,

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://TheNextWeb.com/2008/09/16/TwitterKeys-enhance-your-twitter-conversations/

SEO - Search Engine Optimization - SEO Tools - SEO Basics

8 Crucial Steps to Promoting your Brand Identity (For A Client)

Hello EVERYONE!!! I was re-reading one of the blogs I recently wrote fro a client of mine DesignLingo and thought why not share this knowledge with the Grass Root Marketing following. 

Enjoy EVERYONE!!!

1. Unify your Brand

The establishment of a cohesive brand is a key factor in any business's promotional activities. Create a Consistent theme for your company, and incorporate it into all your stationary, documents and website design. These techniques echo professionalism and class. If done well, a consistent brand can help you to build brand loyalty in your business.

Think of all marketing collateral as brand establishment.

• Business cards
• Brochures
• Flyer's
• Website
• Packaging
• Promotional Items, etc.

Brands are: Trusted, given repeated business, given a streamline of referrals, maintain customer loyalty, and most importantly, authorize a name for themselves. 

2. Fresh Content is King

Having  compiling content is key to effectively market your business. Your message should be clear and effectively tell your prospects why they should do business with you and only you. So make a compelling call to action about your business, product or service, and back it up!! Define your strengths and use them as leverage. Over-all keep it fresh!!!

• Tell a story...
• Be experimental...
• Constantly update...
• Track conversion...
• STAND OUT!...
• Stay simplistic...
• Leave no question unanswered...
• Have a strong Call To Action!...
• Lead the way...
• Build relationships FIRST before ANYTHING...

3. Start a Online Outrage

Start an online community surrounding your business. Social Media Networking platforms such as facebook, twitter,youtube, digg and an endless assortment of blogs are key areas to promote your business. Social Networking makes it easy for your customers to converse and comment about your business.

Always, Always, Always understand: People by from People. We are most likely to buy from a person we trust then a complete stranger, although at times we can find ourselves doing the complete opposite, it is only then after in which we figure out there was a tactical phycological strategy he/she used to influence us instantly.

This is why the social network has turned into the mecca for new age customer interaction and lead generation innovation. It allows you as a business, artist and or organizational supporter to get closer then ever before to your prospects, existing customers and or fans.

 

4. Culture and Personality

 

The culture of your company should be reflected in every part of your business. It should resonate in your print and website presence. Roar with a unique personality both offline in your PR efforts and online in your social media communities.

Welcome everyone into your company like grandma welcomes everyone into her house. We're all one big happy family and if you treat every customer, client, prospect and or fan that way, Your companies success will be with a "BIG happy family."

5. Become a Giver 

Give away your services (promotion) and your Knowledge. Know and understand the power of FREE! You must give to get. FREE is the most powerful word in marketing. We as humans magnetize ourselves to the word FREE.

If you strategize correctly FREE will instantly establish a great name for your brand as committed, loyal, trusting and caring.

As cheesy as it might sound think of it as this:

Giving is caring,

caring is loving,

loving is trusting,

trusting is Giving.

As long as you give, (by the law of reciprocity) eventually sooner then later one will give back to you. It's how this universe works and a business is no different.

6. Start a Tribe.

Make it easy for others to give you a shoot out.Lets go back to the law of reciprocity, as one performs an act of positive action, in return one will receive an act of positive intention.

Isn't that what a referral is? What about a discount or coupon? We can't forget the infamous word FREE.

Kill them ALL with kindness and give nothing but love as your main focal point of a service oriented business.

You're kindness will yield positivity in return. Be respectful, kind, caring, trusting, enthusiastic, energetic, genuine and courteous and watch them flood through the "doors".

7. Have a Loud Voice

Be seen. EVERYWHERE! And Yes I do mean literally EVERYWHERE!

Know where the eyeballs are and tactically position yourself in front of them. This means you better have placement on every single major search engine out there, expertise in the social media field, an Internet marketing budget, familiarity with web 2.0 and the power of video marketing, a crafty graphic designer and web developer in hand and a strategic marketing plan to execute the proper procedure.

8. Build A Team

A team is the foundation of your success. Unification, communication, trust and leverage creates a sturdy base. 

Start with baby steps but also take into consideration having the help of a team along the way won't hurt. 

Leverage the power of multiple brains and delegate task to those who are more suited for the task in hand. 

Communicate all success, uncertainty and or any other updates.

Trust in each other and build a strong bond, maintaining consistency of communication at all times.

Brand development and establishment is one of the main keys to positioning your company as the go to company when it comes to your product or service. Expectations are high in today's world and a unique experience will definitely separate YOU from the rest.

Stay consistent, fresh, relevant, and compelling. Provide an experience worth investing time into. 

Your BRAND is YOU! It is your Image. It is who your Represent.Without it you are NOTHING!

strategize a tactical plan for your brand, below is a diagram which will help you to strategize a plan for your brand.

Hope all this information was helpful and until the next blog ……

For more information contact us at  http://designlingo.com/

Google Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC) - PPC Strategies - PPC Tactics