The Buzz 101 by Maria Duron (Maria Elena Duron)

Youtoo Can Benefit You Too

2012-05-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Youtoo helps your personal branding

Want to be on TV? Well, today, you no longer have to be an actor to appear on TV. With Youtoo Social TV, you can have your 15 seconds of spotlight. You can even be featured in your favorite TV shows.

What exactly is Youtoo Social TV? It is currently the only Social TV platform available in the market that allows viewers to become participants in a television program from practically any location. So even if you’re on the other side of the world, as long as you have Internet, you can record using Youtoo’s app and create a high-definition video file that’s ready to upload.

Youtoo already has mobile apps for iOS and Android where you can record 15 seconds of video, which you can then upload and share with the network. Not only this, but Youtoo recently launched something even better – a Facebook to TV app.

This is the first ever Facebook to TV app that allows Facebook users to create videos of themselves and upload them so they can air on national television. The app is called “Be on TV” and it basically lets any Facebook user to have the chance to interact with their favorite TV show.

All you have to do it search for “Youtoo” on Facebook. When you find it just download the “Be on TV” app. After you record a video using the app, it will be posted on your Facebook wall so you can share it with your friends, and then it will be subject to approval by Youtoo.

Once the video is approved for airing, you will receive a Facebook notification to let you know the date and time your video will air so you can inform your friends and audience about it.

As a small business owner, getting some exposure on national television can definitely be significant for your brand. You want to promote brand awareness, you want people to know that your business exists, and you want customers and clients to know what you can offer to them. If you can get some air time, this can definitely boost brand awareness and is a great way to spread the word about your products.

Another feature that Youtoo offers is the Social Stream and Social Shout. It’s like text messaging but done a million-fold, since you’re broadcasting your text message to the entire TV audience. This is yet another feature that you can utilize for word of mouth marketing, as you aim to spread brand awareness and promote your products and services.

As Youtoo continues to grow, they continue to push out features that can benefit both people and brands. For example, during January of this year, Youtoo gave away 30-second PeopleMercials. Anyone could submit a 30-second video recording that, once approved, was aired on national television. People could talk about themselves and their business, show off their skills, and so much more. As a small business owner, you could create a short video telling how you started your business and what it’s all about. If your video is chosen to be aired, then you’ll definitely have some huge exposure for your small business.

As Youtoo continues to roll out some exciting events and features, as a small business owner, it would be to your advantage to monitor what’s coming, in order to benefit the most from the site.

Since it launched, Youtoo has broadcasted more than 90,000 videos recorded by viewers on national TV, and it has really revolutionized the concept of social TV. With its launch of “Be on TV” for Facebook users, it has truly bridged the gap between network TV and social media, enabling people to use these two platforms in one sitting.

Though social media may currently be the most popular platform for brands in today’s market, national television continues to hold a significant number of the population in thrall. Many people continue to enjoy spending their time in front of the television, whiling the hours away watching TV series, movies, game shows, and so on.

With Youtoo, you can now get exposure for your small business brand for free! Yes, Youtoo is a completely free service, but it’s important that the videos you submit for approval meet the criteria and don’t violate any of the site’s policies.

Are you wondering if you can promote your brand on national television? Yes, you can, with Youtoo’s Social TV platform. The best part is, you even have the ability to combine your social media campaigns with your exposure on TV, using Youtoo’s “Be on TV” Facebook app. So don’t ignore this site, since it may very well help you market your small business brand and increase your revenue.

Companies' Personal Connection as Influential as Friends'

2012-05-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

For most brands of today, social media is “THE” place to be. It’s where most people are devoting their time nowadays, which is why small business brands are adding social media to their marketing mix in order to promote brand awareness and increase consumer engagement.

The main point in using social media in your marketing mix is to engage and connect with your audience. People don’t want to be bombarded with advertisements in Facebook or Twitter – they want to keep in touch with their friends, read interesting posts and updates, watch relevant videos, and get information about sales, specials and giveaways with regards to the brands they love.

As a small business owner, you’re definitely interested in how much you’re influencing consumers through social media. You want to know if you’re really increasing brand awareness, if your website is getting traffic from these platforms, and if it’s resulting in an increase of revenue for your business.

In a survey conducted by Market Force Information, they discovered that social content posted by brands are practically as influential as social content that are posted by friends. Social content is influencing consumers’ buying decisions, whether they’re posted by friends or brands.

The recent Market Force survey interviewed adults who are into social networking, and asked if they read comments, updates, tweets, and other social media content that were posted in the past 90 days by friends and brands they follow. The results showed that 81% of these people were influenced by their friends’ posts to purchase, while a comparatively high 78% were influenced by brands. This is very significant for businesses, both small and large.

Since companies and brands who are active in social media also wield a significant influence in consumers’ purchases, then there’s really no better time than today to ensure that you’re utilizing your social media platforms properly. As a small business owner, this is data that you can’t ignore – consumers want to connect with you on social media; they want you to influence their buying decisions.

The survey also shows that consumers are now seeking recommendations and checking reviews in social networking sites. This is where they try to obtain information about restaurants they want to try, retailers they want to buy from, and other products and services that they’re curious about. About 60% of those surveyed from the US say that they rely on brand feedback they read on friends’ social media posts, while in the UK, about half do this as well.

Some other revealing data: around 76% of US respondents regularly “like” the Facebook page of a business, with the most popular ones “liked” being those involved in food, travel, entertainment, finance and retail. This is comparable to 65% of UK respondents. Nearly half of these also follow the same businesses on Twitter. The main reason given by the respondents for following the brand on social media is to be updated on giveaways, specials, discounts and other incentives given by the business.

Perhaps the best part about brands in social media is the fact that it offers a two-way interaction between the business and its audience. Communication isn’t a one-way street anymore, and even the people in the audience can interact with each other within the platform. Your audience can reply to other people’s questions and comments, and this really helps in building a community around your brand.

Though having a social media account can also open you to criticisms and negative feedback, most brands find that having a social media presence really helps spread the word about their brand in a positive way. It offers an excellent way for the consumers of your small business brand to engage with you as well as with other clients and customers.

Rather than have people talk about your brand behind your back, it’s far better that they talk about you within a platform that you can monitor. This is what a social media presence helps you do. With the site, people can post both positive and negative feedback, and it really helps you discover what you can do to improve your brand and be able to answer any criticisms that come your way.

So don’t be afraid of social media. They’re currently the most popular platforms online that can help you promote your brand and increase revenue for your business. By ensuring that you have a social media presence, you can effectively connect and engage with your audience, and convince them to buy your products and services.

Are Pinners Purchasing?

2012-05-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

The popularity of Pinterest has led many brands to utilize it for promoting their products and services. Though Pinterest hasn’t been on the scene for very long, it has quickly signed up millions of users, and is now the third most popular social networking site, just behind Facebook and Google. Though many people are devoting their time to the virtual pinboard, the question that most marketers want answered is: “Are pinners purchasing?”

Many websites and brands are seeing an increase in traffic from their Pinterest account, but the main question remains, does this traffic result in sales? In a study conducted by Vision Critical and Emily Carr University that involved 500 Pinterest users from the US, Canada, Australia and UK, they discovered a pretty high correlation between pinning and purchasing. It seems one out of five Pinterest users has pinned an item or product that they purchased eventually.

This is definitely a big discovery for brands. As a small business owner, you can’t ignore the reach of Pinterest, since it can potentially drive revenue. If you want to have a successful social marketing campaign, you need to utilize most of the tools at your disposal.

In another study by Shopify, they discovered that Pinterest users even spend more on average compared to their Facebook counterparts. Pinterest has become the third largest referral source to Shopify’s partner sites, with Facebook and Twitter continuing to lead. And Pinterest users also tend to shop more – they spend an average of $80 per order, which is double that of what they spend on Facebook.

Though Facebook continues to be the giant among social networking sites mainly due to the fact that it has the most number of users, Pinterest’s unique image-based site definitely offers a lot of potential for social marketing. Rakuten, an e-commerce giant based in Japan, recently made a $100 million investment on Pinterest. It plans to use the site together with the Rakuten ID, which is already being used by 75 percent of Japan’s population online, or roughly around 80 million people. This puts the value of Pinterest at $1.5 billion.

Though purchases may not be frequent and constant, still, brands can’t ignore the power that Pinterest holds nowadays. A significant number of people are raving about the site, using it to showcase the things they love, and sharing these things with their followers. Since this can translate to sales, it would be disadvantages for your small business to ignore Pinterest.

Even though pinners are purchasing, however, it’s important that you use Pinterest properly in order to increase the traffic to your site as well as increase sales. You can create pinboards of all the products you’re selling, but too much self-promotion can end up backfiring on you. So it’s important that you strike a balance between promoting your products and services, and sharing what you love on the site.

Mix and match what you post. Showcase your products with other things that complement them. Find unique ways to showcase the services you’re offering. If you sell make up for example, don’t just post pin pictures of your products – you can add make up tutorials, pictures of made up people that you like, and comparisons of what make up is best for day and for night.

Even if you’re someone who offers services, not products, you can make Pinterest work for you. As a lawyer, for example, you can showcase your advocacies through pictures. You can even show a bit of humor, since this lets people see you in a more personal way.

But of course, the real challenge is getting people to buy from you. Sure, it’s easy for people to follow your Pinterest account, join your contests, comment on your pinboards, like and share them on other social networking sites, and so on. But these things don’t always translate into sales.

Also, there remains the question: Are pinners purchasing what they pin, or are they pinning what they already decided to purchase? What comes first… the pin, or the plan to purchase? This is an interesting question to answer since it gives you an insight on what the users are doing. Does the pin come before the plan to purchase? Or the plan to purchase comes first before the pin?

If the pin comes first, then this can be really advantageous to brands. This means that people are pinning what they love, then they can’t resist purchasing. On the other hand, if the plan to purchase comes first, then it means that Pinterest may not exactly have anything to do with why the user is buying the product or service.

Truly, there is still a lot of uncharted territories with regards to Pinterest. As brands begin to learn what works on Pinterest or not, they can really come to engage their followers and increase their sales in the end.

Does Your Business Need Moms?

2012-05-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

There’s one group of people who are one of the most active in social networking sites and other social media platforms, it’s moms. In a social media study sponsored by Performics with nearly 3,000 participants, it was discovered that moms are more active, more present, and more engaged when it comes to using social networking sites, as compared with other women.

Here are some other statistics that came from the study with regards to usage of Facebook:

• 85% of moms visit Facebook daily, as compared with 73% of other women

• 82% of moms have had a Facebook account for more than a year, as compared with 76% of other women

• 68% of moms consider their Facebook account extremely important, as compared with only 54% of other women

Also, with regards to purchasing as a result of social media, moms are also more likely to purchase because of a recommendation on a social networking site, and they are also more likely to purchase from brands and companies they “like” on Facebook and other social networks. This offers a world of opportunity for brands and businesses, and if there’s one question they should be asking themselves, it is this one: “Does my business need moms?”

The study also found that:

• Moms are approximately 61% more likely to own a Smartphone compared to other women

• Moms are 75% more likely to trust information from businesses in social networking sites compared to other women

• Moms also actively champion and talk about the brands they like – 34% of them recommend brands on social networking sites, 24% of them talk about the brands they follow on Facebook, and 50% of them post interesting or relevant content about a brand

With the little spare time they have, moms are taking advantage of all the tools at their disposal. They are using their Smartphones, updating on Twitter, interacting on Facebook and Google+, creating fabulous pinboards on Pinterest, and even maintaining their own blogs. Because they devote a lot of time to these different social networking platforms, they really become excellent brand advocates and influencers, as they promote and talk about the brands and companies that they like and don’t like.

It was also discovered that one out of three bloggers are moms, according to a study by Nielsen. Bloggers are truly influential people, since many of them are posting, talking, and reviewing different brands honestly and straightforwardly. A negative review by an influential blogger can end up ruining your brand, unless you address the issue immediately.

As a small business brand, you can benefit a lot from including moms in your target audience. This is especially true if you’re in the apparel, automobile, and travel industry, since according to the Performics study, these are the main types of items that moms are ipurchasing.

Did you know that mom bloggers control around two trillion dollars worth of purchase power. This discovery revealed by this study is very significant to brands, since mom bloggers influence other moms and other people as well with regards to purchases.

Here are two questions you should ask yourself to determine if your business needs moms:

1. Can your small business brand benefit from social marketing?

2. Are the products and services you offer relevant to moms and families?

Most brands are likely to answer yes to these two questions, since in today’s times, all brands, whether personal or business ones, can benefit a lot from social marketing. And most products and services are relevant to moms and families today as well. From clothing and gadgets to automobiles and travel tours, there is practically no industry that a mom hasn’t expressed interest in yet.

Truly, any brand can benefit from having moms interested in their business. Because moms are highly social creatures who enjoy connecting and interacting in social media and online communities, they are the best people to spread your brand by word of mouth.
Targeting this highly active group of women can definitely be advantageous to your small business brand. So make sure your company doesn’t ignore moms! This incredibly influential group with high purchasing power can become the best brand advocates and influencers you can possibly meet!

What's the Call to Action?

2012-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

When it comes to marketing your brand, there is always a goal. You want your audience to sign up for your newsletter, follow you in Twitter and Facebook, comment on your blog posts, buy your products, and obtain your services. You want them to complete an objective – to like your posts, join your contests, and share them with friends. You want them to retweet your content, repost it on their Facebook wall, repin your pins on Pinterest. Basically, you want them to take an action, which is why using a call to action in your social marketing campaign is essential.

You may think that it’s obvious what you want people to do, but sometimes, if you don’t clearly state it, your audience will nonetheless be oblivious to it. They’ll read your social media posts, but they won’t click to “like” it, nor will they leave a comment. They’ll read your blog post, but they won’t subscribe to your newsletter. This is why you need to give them a push – a direct call to action. You have to encourage people to go a step beyond just reading your entry to actually completing these specific actions that will be beneficial to your brand marketing.

So how do you effectively create calls to action that garners the attention of your audience and makes them complete your objective? Here are some tips:

1. State your objective clearly and prominently

If you want people to take an action, then you need to state it clearly and prominently. In a blog post, for example, you can easily end with, “What do you think? Leave a comment.” This is a direct call to action so that people can quickly realize that you want them to leave a comment about what they think. If you don’t place this action call at the end of your entry, then people are likely to simply read the blog post and then move on without doing anything.

Placing the call to action in a prominent position is also a good idea. You don’t have to put it in all caps, or use a bold font just to get attention. But make sure that it’s placed somewhere that people will definitely see it. If it’s a blog entry, ending your post with the call to action is a good idea since some people may just skim through the post, and they might miss it if it’s in the middle. This also applies to Facebook updates – you can place the call to action either in the first sentence or the last once.

If the call to action is on your website, you should place it in a position that gets attention, and also have it in a different color so that it pops out on the page. Ideally, you should put it high on the page and in a central place so that people can really see it. You don’t want it to just blend into the background where people won’t notice it.

2. Use active language and create urgency

Since you are encouraging people to take action, you should use active language and create a sense of urgency so that people will be compelled to do it now. Examples of some active words commonly used in calls to action include:

- Buy now
- Subscribe
- Register
- Sign up
- Download

And here are some examples on how to create a sense of urgency:

- Limited time offer
- Register now and save
- Today only special
- First ten to sign up will get a free gift

The more active the language and the more urgent the offer, the better. Just remember to always deliver what you promised.

3. Convince people to take the action

There needs to be some incentive for people to complete the call to action. Ask yourself, what will they get out of it? It can be as simple as getting them to think or laugh with you in your social media posts, or getting them to sign up for your newsletter so they can have access to exclusive discounts and offers. It’s essential that they get something out of completing the call to action. Otherwise, what’s the point, right?

When it comes to social and word of mouth marketing, calls to action are definitely essential. Sometimes people need an extra push before they do something, and a call to action done properly will be just the thing needed for them to do what you want them to do.

Make your call to action clear and prominent, use active language, create a sense of urgency, and convince people to take the step necessary to complete the desired action. These are just a few simple steps that will help you engage and connect better with your audience.