Vertical Measures

How Should I Respond to a Negative Review in Social Media? [VIDEO]

Kaila Strong — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:30:41 +0000

Kaila Strong answers: “How should I respond to a negative review in social media?”

If you’ve got a question about link building, content, social media, SEO or other Internet marketing topics, just post it on the Vertical Measures Facebook page, or tweet it to us with the hashtag #VMQA.

Transcription

Alright, so today’s question is: “How should I respond to a negative review on social media?”

This definitely happens a lot, we see this publicized on national media very regularly. “I can’t get on my Jet Blue flight,” or “I was served something really nasty at a Pei Wei,” or something like that.

Users are starting to use social media to start talking about your brand whether your large or small. So being able to address negative reviews or negative responses is certainly an important thing.

I would suggest that you utilize a strategy to responding to every single negative review. Even positive ones you will want to respond too maybe half of the time. But negative reviews, trying to respond, and at any opportunity try to take it offline. So you’re not offering advice or specific account information for that end user, but instead, your taking it offline, calling them, e-mailing them, having direct conversation with them to try to remedy the issue.

There are going to be instances where flamers are out there, online, that just try to spam your site or just trying to be negative brand ambassadors. In instances of those, you want to try to address it, but if it gets out of hand, sometimes the best tactic is to try to ignore it and utilize your best judgment and try to respond. And then also, definitely try to make a negative into a positive situation by maybe offering a discount, or a coupon, or just providing your sincere apologizes for the situation. A lot of times that can go a long way.

Using Pinterest to Gain New Business Online [VIDEO]

Arnie Kuenn — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:30:29 +0000

How do you use Pinterest to gain new business online? Arnie Kuenn asks Mat Siltala with Dream Systems Media, Miranda Miller with Search Engine Watch, Janet Thaeler with PinnableBusiness.com and Kaila Strong with Vertical Measures. Each give their tips and insider info in this Google+ Hangout. This is a must watch for anyone interested in marketing their business on Pinterest!

Does Your Company Need a Blog?

Ben Holland — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:30:55 +0000

There comes a time when every company realizes, “We need to improve our presence online.” The solution for this many times can be simple, a blog. A blog will give your site a consistent stream of new content, creates pages for targeted keywords, contains more content to share over social networks, allows people to interact with your website through comments and positions yourself or company as an expert in the field.

Many companies debate on whether or not to spend money and time on creating a blog. The scope of the project can be larger than life. First you need to find a platform, then make the platform look and feel like your existing site, come up with content and maintain the blog as a whole.

Pros	Cons
Constant Stream of New Content	Creating Blog
Establish yourself as an expert	Blog Maintenance
More Pages to appear in SERP
Social engagement
Keeps People on Site Longer
Higher Rankings

Do not let these factors intimidate you, finding a platform is as easy as saying “WordPress.” This CMS is easy to implement, in fact many hosting providers give a 1 click install. Making your WordPress blog look like your current site is simple: find a template, reference your CSS file and make any changes necessary. Many WordPress templates are built on the 960 Grid system so customization is easy. Maintaining your blog is a breeze; WordPress’s content editor is a lot like Word or any other word processor. You can write your post and then copy and paste it into the editor, press update and you are done.

Now that your blog is installed and customized it is time to reap the rewards. Imagine all of those long tail or absentee keywords you have wanted to take advantage of — they now have a home. While coming up with post ideas look into your targeted keywords and match your titles to these terms. While creating new content for your site you can optimize these pages for a specific set of keywords helping your site move up in the SERPs, in places you never were before.

In turn these blog posts will also add much-needed fresh content to your website on a consistent basis. Many sites struggle with content; the blog gives you a great place to put any new content and a dedicated page for your users to find this content. Search engines love new content: they will crawl your site more frequently and are more likely to rank your pages higher if you continue to have content updates. These new pages will provided new places for people to link back to as well.

When you come up with new content it opens up opportunities for people to become involved with your site. Comments are a great way for people to voice their opinion on specific subject matter. By adding social sharing buttons your content can spread through the web, and perhaps go viral. If your site has a lot of social engagement it is sure to move up in the SERPs as search engines put more and more emphasis on social signals in their rankings. When people interact with your content through systems like commenting and social sharing they spend more time on your site and less time on your competitors’.

What’s the Best Way for Me to Interact with Fans Who Like My Facebook Business Page? [VIDEO]

Kaila Strong — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:30:03 +0000

Kaila Strong answers: “What’s the best way for me to interact with fans who Like my Facebook business page?”

Transcription

All right, so today’s question is from i-Brag who posted on our Facebook page. They ask: “What’s the best way for me to interact with fans who Like my Facebook business page?”

One of the things you can definitely do is figure out what interests users. What kind of information is going to be most informational for that end user who is a fan on your Facebook page? Are you in an industry that might really be able to utilize content to help sell that end user? Are their blog posts and really great information you can share with your users? Each of those content pieces are things that you can use to add as a status message and share with your fans and help engage with them and help them realize that you’re a sought after expert in your industry.

Additionally you can look at the data and see how engagement happens with each of those status message updates, those photos you might change or update. Each of the actions that your taking on your Facebook page, examine Facebook Insights to see what the users are doing with those images and what’s going to be more successful.

Next you’ll want to research and see if you can glean some information from other Facebook pages. Maybe your competitors have a really successful strategy. Try to see what types of messages and information their sharing and engaging with their users and see if you can integrate that with your campaign.

Pinterest Marketing Ideas for 24 Industries and Professions

Kaila Strong — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:30:46 +0000

Drawing the attention of millions, virtual pinboard-styled social photo sharing website Pinterest is all the rage these days. From the comfort of your own home you’re able to pin awesome internet finds and share them with your friends. The site receives a whopping 11-16 million unique visitors a month, who are primarily women (80%) and users are between the ages of 25 and 54 (80%) according to Google Ad Planner.

As internet marketers we seize the moment when new trends and sites emerge. We flock to where people are and in this case it’s a site that caters to the purse strings of American households. A recent Infographic by GPlus.com shows on average 83 to 87 percent of consumer purchases are decided on by women and women generate 58 percent of e-commerce dollars.

So how can you seize the moment with Pinterest? Find inspiration with the below Pinterest marketing ideas for 24 industries and professions! (Still want more ideas? Sign up for our FREE webinar “Marketing Your Brand on Pinterest” Thursday May 10th (11AM PST/2PM EST)).

Wedding Venue

What are brides looking to establish when planning a wedding? What their wedding style will be and how their special day will look. The details are extremely important when it comes to planning a wedding. If you are in the event planning business and are trying to market your wedding venue try putting together wedding board “themes”. Help that bride envision her special day at your location by showing her examples in the form of photos on Pinterest. That newly engaged bride is sure to do her research prior to the big day. Give her photos and information on Pinterest to aid in making the right decision. The 4th Floor Blues Club has the right idea with their wedding venue pin here, although the resolution and lighting leave a bit to be desired – you get the basic premise here.

Book Promotion

Creating an inspiration board to help you in your quest to write a book is something many authors do. Now with Pinterest you can create a board around the inspirations that led you to write your book – the people, places, things that were your muses. Thanks to Crystal for this idea. She even suggests using your board in the pitching process, “see what inspired XX author to write her breakthrough novel”. As a marketer in the publishing field you can create an entirely new experience by paring the book with social media.

Personal Shopper or Fashion Blogger

Figuring out your personal style and finding ways to develop your style overtime can be a full time job, and actually is for some lucky gals. Being a personal shopper or full time fashion blogger, when it pays the bills, can be incredibly rewarding. Use Pinterest to highlight your style or as a personal shopper put together inspiration boards for that boho-chic client and another board for the soccer mom next door. Showing your creativity and diversity in looks can help you land a wide array of clients. Have prospective clients check out your inspiration boards to see your eclectic abilities, or put your logo or web address on photo looks you put together yourself (and that you own the photo rights to of course).

Hairstylist or Salon

Staying on the cutting edge of styles and trends is at the top of the job requirements for a hair stylist or salon owner. Marketing for a business in the beauty industry seems like a great fit for Pinterest. Create boards of similar hair styles. When your customer sits down in your chair and can’t figure out what style they want – hand them an iPad and let them peruse your boards and pins. Or a hairstylist or salon might put together before and after photos or how-to photos. These seem to resonate well with the Pinterest crowd, as seen here with My Yellow Sandbox. The site’s tutorial photos of hairstyles and beauty are perfect for a board on Pinterest – this blog has over 2600 followers on Pinterest already so something must be working.

Interior Designer

Another great idea for Pinterest is if you’re in the interior design world. From boards about design inspirations to boards of before and after photos you’ve done yourself, there are many design related ideas you can share. Blanca Feldman, an interior designer in Nashville, has quite a successful Pinterest account with over 1600 followers. Check out her design inspiration board, boards for each room of the house, motivation boards and more for some inspiration of your own.

Health Expert or Blogger

I’m a huge fan of Dr. Oz and his no-nonsense way of being able to tell you in layman’s terms what the heck is going on with your body or give you advice that actually makes sense. Dr. Oz’s official Pinterest account is a great example of how to use Pinterest as a health expert or blogger. His team pins healthy recipes, Dr. Oz approved deserts, fitness information and more. As a health blogger or expert, develop pins that are consistent with a healthy lifestyle. Pin your own photos and pin others too.

TV Channel

In recent years, news stations and radio stations have had to join the digital world as their listening audience has migrated to the online space. It’s not uncommon to see references to Facebook and Twitter during the 5 o’clock news. Pinterest very well could be the next social media site to enter mainstream newscasts. TV Channels or radio stations can start putting breaking news photos up on Pinterest and encourage citizen journalists to take their own photos which can be repined. Thanks to Elana at Media Bistro, who suggested giving viewers a sneak peak of an upcoming interview or tomorrow’s front page news by adding pins to your news boards.

Magazine

Looking to increase subscribers to your magazine or promote an online publication? Showcase graphics and editorials on dedicated Pinterest boards for the beats or items you cover in your publication. Check out Martha Stewart Living’s Pinterest profile with boards like “Baking and Desserts”, “Easter”, “Appetizers and Hors d’Oeuvres”, “Drinks” and “Sewing”. Holiday themed boards are perfect if you’re looking to highlight the holiday issue of your magazine. Two to three months ahead of time start putting together your boards and keep up the pinning momentum throughout the holiday.

Funeral Homes

Am I morbid in thinking there is a Pinterest use for funeral homes? Let me explain before you get all judgey on me… Creating a memory board of the people we love is something that can now be done digitally through the use of Pinterest. Funeral Homes can organize boards for the recently deceased, allowing their tech savvy relatives to view pinned photos of them for an uncluttered digital memory board preserving them in time. The deceased’s Facebook page can be cluttered, but with Pinterest photos and memories are displayed easily. A funeral home could take this concept to the next level by having a tablet or computer screen at the viewing for mourners to enjoy the pinned photos.

Chef, Baker or Catering Company

Feature your culinary delights on Pinterest to bring traffic and new business your way. Thematically tie pins together on a board by sticking with a holiday or event theme – Valentine’s Day treats, 4th of July dishes, one-pot buffet dishes, etc. Get started today promoting a board on summer parties or 4th of July barbecues to pique a prospective clients interest, and you may just hook a client for this summer.

eCommerce Website

Women be shoppin, women be shoppin! If you’re an eCommerce website why not put together a gift board. You can create a board of gift ideas for men, gift ideas for women or even get super specific – gift ideas for eye rolling preteen girls or gift ideas for the Midwest mom. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t be completely self serving on your board, pin items from other stores that fit into your overall theme too.

Professional on a Job Search

Landing a job today takes a lot of creativity. Make yourself stand out by creating a visual CV of all the projects you’ve worked on. This is especially true for graphic or web designers looking to move up in their careers, or freelancers looking for additional jobs. Check out these 7 cool resumes found on Pinterest, from BusinessInsider.com to get some inspiration.

Dog Shelter or Non-Profit

Raising awareness about your non-profit can be hard. Not only are funds tight it can also be difficult shining the spotlight when so many other good causes exist too. Using Pinterest to start boards about your cause can be a good start. Animal shelters such as the Humane Society of New York use Pinterest to share photos of cats and dogs up for adoption as well as the animals that have gone to a good home and a wish list of the supplies they are in need of. Think about the opportunities here when natural disasters hit, a new animal goes on the endangered species list or checking in a few years after a devastating accident to see how the area is rebuilding (or what still needs to be done).

National Center for Missing Persons or America’s Most Wanted

Help spread the word about a missing person or a wanted person by creating boards. I’ve seen these movements go over well on Twitter, of crowd sourced find the missing person projects. Just this past January several UK celebrities retweeted pleas from one family trying to find their missing son, who was found a mere few hours later in safe condition.

Craft Supply or Wedding Supply Website

If you sell products that are part of a large project, such as an online retailer of craft supplies – why not start a board that shows the “after” result of a project. What does a craft project look like after they’ve purchased your items? Create your own instruction graphics to inspire prospective customers. Get customers to send in their photos so you can share on Pinterest and inspire others to purchase products.

Home Improvement Stores

Everyone loves a great photo of a demolition job for a home improvement project. Before and after pictures too! For any home improvement store such as Home Depot, Lowes or even Ace Hardware, Pinterest seems like an easy enough fit for marketing. Put up photos of renovations and home projects. Sponsor a contest, asking fans to submit their home improvement photos. This user generated content can be then repurposed throughout your social media profiles, including Pinterest. Take a look at Home Depot’s Pinterest account for some more inspiration.

Before and After Photos

The theme of using before and after photos can transcend many industries. From contractors, home builders and architects to even a plastic surgeon. If your industry heavily relies on images, then use before and after to showcase the staunch differences before and after your services. A clean and professional looking before and after cosmetic surgery photo, a before/during/after construction job photo or a time lapse photo of a building being erected, all can be used effectively to illustrate before and after.

Travel Agent or Concierge

Are you a travel agent or travel concierge service? Create boards for travel inspiration. Try a bucket list travel themed board with photos of the Seven Wonders of the World and other places someone might have on their bucket list. Create an entire experience for a trip to Africa or even Disneyland. Cater your boards to the experiences your customers want to have on vacation and let Pinterest users know you’re available to help them plan their next vacation too.

School

Take Duke University for example, they’ve built out boards revolving around their sportsmanship, student life, traditions and even around their Arts & Humanities department. If you’re in the education space try out degree program boards full of photos and information that would interest a student in that field of study. Someone who is a fashion student would be interested in a fashion related board, develop boards that highlight a specific degree program and appeal to a specific type of student. Create your own images that cater to that fashion student and promote them on Pinterest. Start thinking about ways to integrate Pinterest style into all your image assets!

Hotel

Creating boards centered on your hotel or lodging facility is a great use of Pinterest. Things to do in the city where your hotel is or places to see in the city your hotel is located are two boards you can (and should!) put up right this minute. Local eateries, transportation, travel resources or even area emergency clinics or facilities could all have their own board. Additionally, you can create boards dedicated to your event facilities showing past weddings or events held at your hotel. While not many hotels are currently utilizing Pinterest, there are a few you can look to for examples: Crowne Plaza NYC, Hotel Berlin and Forest House Lodge.

Extermination or Mold Remediation

This Pinterest marketing strategy is enough to make you batty – well maybe not literally but you get the idea. Pin photos of the types of the insects and bugs found around your area. Share before and after photos of infestation or mold remediation projects. Create boards focused around poisonous insects to help educate. There are many ways an extermination company or mold remediation company can use Pinterest.

Gift Registry

Who wants to get all their gifts from one store? With links to each of the images in the board, guests can see a bride’s Pinterest account and choose the gifts they want to give from all across the web – not just one store! The same can be done for a baby registry too. Pin photos onto your own gift registry from Etsy too, what other time would you be able to add those types of items to a wedding registry?

Blogger

Market your blog posts on Pinterest. One example of a great Top “10″ type post doing well on Pinterest is “17 Tips to Make Your Life Easier”. They’ve simply pinned one of the images in the top 10 style post and added a brief description about the post. This is a relatively simple concept, but one that could be done by any blogger out there. Try giving some new life to an old blog post by pinning one of the images and adding to Pinterest.

Early Childhood Education

One brand I’ve started following on Pinterest is PediaStaff, a pediatric/school based therapy staffing and placement firm. They have a mission to serve the special needs community through great resources, so they’ve started using Pinterest to help share. Anyone who first visits their page is guided along their mission, with the first board dedicated to introducing their brand. They’ve built out many of their boards to encompass topics important to parents of special needs children: sensory activities, fine motor crafts, rhyming games, social skills and pragmatics, visual supports, and more! They have over 17,000 followers and a very engaged community.

Well there you have it, Pinterest marketing ideas for 24 varied and interesting industries and professions. From the obscure the obvious, we’ve covered quite a few. Feel free to add to the list in the comments below!