One Dashboard to Rule Them All? The Apps That Bring Your Social Media Notifications Together

If your working day currently involves bouncing between Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, YouTube and somewhere in the middle forgetting why you opened your phone in the first place, welcome to modern business life.

For many small businesses, bloggers, retailers, cafés, restaurants and independent brands, social media is no longer “optional marketing.” 

It is customer service, advertising, networking, reputation management and occasionally unpaid therapy.

The problem?

Keeping up with notifications across multiple platforms can become a full-time occupation.

Fortunately, a growing number of apps are now designed to pull everything together into one manageable dashboard.

Why Businesses Are Moving Towards Unified Social Media Dashboards

Instead of checking six different apps every few minutes, unified social media platforms can allow businesses to:

View messages from multiple platforms in one inbox

Respond to comments and mentions faster

Schedule posts across several networks

Track engagement and analytics

Reduce the risk of missing customer enquiries

Save an enormous amount of time

For busy SMEs, that can make a genuine difference.

Some of the Most Popular Platforms

Hootsuite

One of the best-known names in social media management, Hootsuite offers a powerful all-in-one dashboard covering notifications, scheduling and analytics.

It is particularly useful for businesses managing multiple brands or high volumes of activity, although some smaller firms may find the pricing a little steep.

https://www.hootsuite.com

Agorapulse

Agorapulse has built a strong reputation around its unified inbox system.

For businesses that receive large numbers of comments, messages and mentions, it offers a cleaner and more organised way to keep conversations under control.

It is especially popular with agencies, creators and growing independent brands.

https://www.agorapulse.com

Buffer

Buffer takes a more streamlined approach.

It is simpler than some of the larger enterprise-focused systems, making it attractive for bloggers, freelancers and smaller businesses that mainly want scheduling and light inbox management without unnecessary complexity.

https://buffer.com

Zoho Social

For businesses already using Zoho products, Zoho Social can fit neatly into an existing workflow.

It combines social management with reporting and customer relationship tools, often at a more budget-friendly price point than some competitors.

https://www.zoho.com/social

The Important Catch

While these platforms can dramatically reduce social media chaos, there is one unavoidable limitation:

Not every social media company allows full notification access through its API.

In plain English, that means some notifications may still only appear properly inside the original platform’s own app.

So while unified dashboards can reduce the madness, they may not completely eliminate it.

The Bottom Line

For businesses trying to stay visible online without spending half the day trapped inside notification overload, unified social media platforms can be a genuine productivity upgrade.

Because frankly, if your phone pings one more time from six different apps at once, there is every chance somebody may eventually attempt to throw it into the nearest canal.

Using Social Media to Grow Your Customer Base

A strong social media presence can transform your online shop from a side hustle into a thriving business. But it’s not just about followers: It’s about connection.

Choose the Right Platforms

Instagram: Great for product photos, Reels, and Stories.

Pinterest: Ideal for evergreen traffic to your shop or blog.

TikTok: Brilliant for viral content, behind-the-scenes, and trends.

Facebook: Still useful for community groups and targeted ads.

YouTube: Able to show long videos plus shorts, able to run livestreams

X: Good for reaching a big audience

What to Post

Product Shots: Showcase your items in use.

Behind-the-Scenes: People love to see how things are made.

Tips & Tutorials: Offer value beyond the sale.

Customer Testimonials: Social proof builds credibility.

Be Consistent, Not Constant

Aim to post regularly—but don’t burn out. Tools like Buffer or Later help you schedule posts in advance.

Engage With Your Audience

Reply to comments, answer DMs, and show personality in your captions. Algorithms reward interaction.

Bonus Tip: Use Hashtags and Geo-tags

Make it easier for new customers to discover you by tagging relevant keywords and locations.

Mastering Social Media Marketing: Top Tips for Small Businesses

In today's digital age, social media has become a powerful tool for small businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and drive sales. 

The ability to reach a global audience with minimal costs has revolutionised the way small businesses market themselves. However, success in social media marketing requires a well-thought-out strategy. In this blog post, we'll discuss some essential tips for small businesses to excel in social media marketing.

Understand Your Audience

One of the fundamental principles of social media marketing is to understand your target audience. Who are your potential customers? What are their needs and preferences? By knowing your audience, you can create content that resonates with them and tailors your strategies accordingly.

Choose the Right Platforms

There are numerous social media platforms available, but not all are suitable for every business. Select platforms that align with your audience and industry. For instance, if you're a visual-based business, Instagram and Pinterest might be more suitable, while B2B companies often find success on LinkedIn.

Consistency is Key

Consistency is vital in social media marketing. Regular posting helps maintain engagement and build a loyal following. Create a content calendar to plan your posts in advance, ensuring a steady stream of content. Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer can help you schedule and manage your social media posts efficiently.

Quality Over Quantity

While consistency is crucial, it should not compromise the quality of your content. High-quality, engaging content will generate better results than frequent but subpar posts. Invest time in crafting compelling visuals, writing engaging captions, and using relevant hashtags.

Leverage Visual Content

Visual content, such as images and videos, is more likely to be shared and engaged with on social media. Consider using infographics, product photos, behind-the-scenes videos, and customer testimonials to capture your audience's attention. 

Engage with Your Audience

Social media is a two-way street. Engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and mentions. Encourage discussions and build a sense of community around your brand. This not only increases trust but also strengthens your online presence.

Use Hashtags Effectively

Hashtags are a powerful tool to increase the discoverability of your content. Research and choose relevant hashtags for your posts, but avoid overloading your captions with them. A few well-chosen hashtags can significantly boost your content's visibility.

Analyse and Adapt

Social media marketing isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Regularly monitor the performance of your posts using built-in analytics tools or third-party apps. Analyse which posts are most effective, what times your audience is most active, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Collaborate and Partner

Building relationships with influencers or other businesses in your industry can expand your reach. Collaborations and partnerships can introduce your brand to a new and engaged audience, increasing your brand's credibility and visibility.

Invest in Ads

Social media advertising can be an excellent way to reach a broader audience, especially when your organic reach starts to plateau. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer targeted advertising options that can provide a solid return on investment.

Social media marketing is an ever-evolving landscape, and small businesses must be adaptable and willing to learn. By understanding your audience, maintaining consistency, and creating high-quality content, you can harness the full potential of social media to grow your brand and connect with your customers. Remember, success in social media marketing is not about the size of your budget but the effectiveness of your strategy and the authenticity of your brand's voice.

As an important caveat, make sure that the values of whomever operates your company's social media channels match with the values of your business, and that they don't (for example) mistake your corporate Twitter account for their own private Twitter account. It's somewhat jarring for the Twitter account of a small, bespoke knitwear maker to suddenly start sending out tweets of a political nature that have nothing to do with the brand they are supposed to be representing. 

(Image courtesy Photo Mix from Pixabay)

RFID technology enables brands to link users’ real-life experiences with Facebook

Social Media World Forum Europe uses RFID solution that bridges real-life experiences with social media

Next week’s Social Media World Forum Europe will be integrating LifeSynk, a revolutionary social media platform that uses enablers such as RFID, into the event to demonstrate how brands can harness a whole new level of engagement from their customers over social media.

The two-day conference, taking place on 27-28th March 2012 at London’s Olympia, will showcase how brands can use RFID technology to get people sharing physical and point-of-sale experiences on Facebook which will drive foot traffic and generate measurable ROI from social media marketing.

Delegates at the event will be able to win a three-month supply of their morning coffee if they retrieve a business card of somebody at the event who they are paired with. A photo will be uploaded to their Facebook wall containing their profile picture as well as that of the delegate they are matched with, and they will be challenged to find the person and retrieve their business card to enter.

The bridge between social media and the physical world
LifeSynk works by linking the user’s Facebook - or other social network - account to an RFID card. Physical venues such as stadiums, theatres, shops or cinemas can run promotions that award discounts or loyalty points every time a customer swipes their LifeSynk card at either a terminal (which can be branded), or an existing card reading system.

What are the implications for brands? At present a user can check in to a venue, post a status update or Tweet about their experience, but the brand has to sit powerless without insight or influence over these conversations. Brands can now use LifeSynk to engineer online conversations, focussing them on driving foot-traffic and word-of-mouth referrals.

For example, John’s Facebook friends can see that he has just swiped his RFID card at a particular cinema outlet to obtain a 20% discount on his ticket, therefore immediately being made aware of the promotion (and hopefully wanting a slice of the action).

The user is able to visit their own admin console to control permissions such as allowing wall posts, but more importantly they can view all promotions that are available, thus allowing brands an effective platform to promote their campaigns.

How does it work? The LifeSynk system includes an Wi-Fi enabled RFID reader and on-board software that talks to a cloud-based platform.

The brand has access to rich analytics showing locations, who swiped what, how many times, demographics and more. It even calculates how many people were shared to and the click rate, ultimately allowing businesses to track the number of customers drawn to the venue via the sharing and word-of-mouth of their friends.

Digital services such as Spotify are currently benefiting from integrating with Facebook because activity that’s broadcast is immediate and relevant, driving traffic through Facebook shares.

In terms of security, LifeSynk is built on the back of Facebook. It stores no user accounts or personal information - all of this is via a Facebook app, so it is optimally secure using Facebook’s own platform. There is no way to access a user’s account without access to their Facebook account.

#LifeSynk at SMWF
LifeSynk will occupy Stand #20 at the event. Delegates will be able to pick up their own RFID card which can be registered via their smartphone. ‘Like Terminals’ will be placed at either side of the auditorium where registered users can swipe to show that they enjoyed the talk and share this, and the fact that they are at SMWF, on Facebook or Twitter.

If registering at the LifeSynk stand, delegates will be randomly assigned to another delegate at the event whose business card they have to seek out and bring back to be entered into a draw to win all your morning coffee paid for for three months.
www.lifesynk.com

@LifeSynk|www.facebook.com/LifeSynk. LifeSynk will be exhibiting at Stand 20.

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSllbmn0fgY

Follow Social Media World Forum on Twitter: @SocialMediaWF|#SMWF

Swipe Me! RFID technology allows retailers to harness social media like never!

New social networking solution uses RFID technology to connect businesses at physical locations with social media - to be exclusively previewed at next week’s Retail Business Technology Expo.

Businesses can now gain control over the level of engagement they have with customers with the use of branded RFID cards which customers can swipe at their physical location to share their activity on Facebook (or other social channels).

Previously, the only way for brands operating in the physical domain to engage with their customers via social media was to create Facebook apps or Pages on which money is spent to drive traffic. Once users are engaged here, they share information with their friends about the app, not about their specific activities at the venue. LifeSynk effectively offers "a social media-based loyalty scheme allowing businesses to harness the power of word-of-mouth" by allowing customers to swipe their card at the physical location to unlock offers and share experiences with real-life examples.

How does it work for your customers? He or she will obtain an RFID card which they link to their Facebook account in a single step on a brand’s Facebook Page. They can then swipe this card at all outlets that have a LifeSynk terminal (which can be branded).

When they swipe, the user can take advantage of offers, discounts or promotions as engineered by the brand through the LifeSynk system. Branded and contextual information is broadcast to the user’s friends via Facebook (or other social channels), such as “I just received 20% off menswear at Gap”.

In the same way the Tesco Clubcard scheme works by monitoring customer activity to tailor offers, LifeSynk allows businesses to do this but across a social forum, so that all the customer’s friends can see the benefits they are gaining from the brand.

The user is able to visit their own admin console to control permissions such as allowing wall posts, but more importantly they can view all the branded promotions that are available, thus allowing brands an effective platform to promote their campaigns.

How does the business or brand use it? The LifeSynk system is comprised of an RFID reader, small CPU computer, sound board, Wi-Fi connectivity and LED lights. Its only requirements are Wi-Fi connection and a power point.

A dashboard of rich features enables brands to set up campaigns and actions that occur when cards are swiped. They can customise the specific news feeds that appear on their customer’s profile pages, and customers’ activities can be tracked.

A number of functions can be assigned to each terminal allowing the brand to control what occurs when a user swipes. The LifeSynk terminals are virtually effortless for businesses: they are shipped with the Wi-Fi key programmed into the board, and start operating as soon as they are switched on. The server is automatically updated if newer versions of the software are found.

The brand has access to rich analytics showing locations, who swiped what, how many times, demographics and more. It even calculates how many people were shared to and the click rate, ultimately allowing businesses to track the number of customers drawn to the venue via the sharing and word-of-mouth of their friends.

Digital services such as Spotify are currently benefiting from integrating with Facebook because activity that’s broadcast is immediate and relevant, driving traffic through shares.

How useful is this to brands? At present a user can check in to a venue, post a status update or Tweet about their experience, but the brand has to sit powerless without insight or influence over these conversations. With LifeSynk, brands can take control of conversations about themselves on social media.

In terms of security, LifeSynk is built on the back of Facebook. It stores no user accounts or personal information - all of this is via a Facebook app, so it is optimally secure using Facebook’s own platform. There is no way to access a user’s account without access to their Facebook account.

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSllbmn0fgY

You can visit the LifeSynk stand at the Retail Business Technology Expo, taking place on 13-14th March 2012 at Earl’s Court, London on stand 837.

No Likey….No Lighty!

A firm of printers based in Telford, Shropshire, have announced a special “No Likey….no Lighty” 20% discount offer on the next purchase made by their existing or new customers.

Managing Director, Martin Kells explains: I don’t know about other Telford printers but at Graphics and Print we like to have a bit of fun. Watching the hit ITV programme “Take me Out” inspired us to make our “No likey……. no lighty” offer. Put simply, if you like us, tell us by clicking ‘like’ on our facebook page and we will ‘lighten’ your expenditure by offering you a 20% discount on your next purchase at Graphics and Print.

"Whether that’s on print or just design work from our in-house studio, the choice is yours and all for simply clicking on a button! Not many Printers in Telford will offer a deal like this. So if your ‘turned on’ by the thought of a 20% discount, ‘turn on’ your laptops and ‘like’ us on facebook. It couldn’t be easier!”

The offer is subject to a maximum discount available of up to £250 – an amount which most individuals or businesses looking for printers in Telford or printers in Shropshire could use during these tough economic times.

Graphics and Print have been providing businesses ranging from multi-national companies to sole traders, with printing services for over 30 years and can help you at every step of your print journey. They have a team of client relationship managers who can visit customers at their convenience to help identify exactly what’s required. They also have an in-house design team to help you prepare your print ready documents. And then there’s the print team who have already demonstrated the quality of their work through winning awards for brochure print. Whatever your requirements, Graphics and Print have the experience and expertise to support you.

Brands Adopting a Dual Approach of On-site & Social Media Marketing Will Develop The Strongest Customer Relationships, Says Punch Communications

Brand marketers that are evolving their approach to develop a strategy that encompasses engaging content on both their own-brand website and social media, stand to develop the strongest possible relationship with their customers, according to integrated social media, PR and SEO agency, Punch Communications. (EDITOR: And Punch Communications know what they are talking about, having received many relevant, useful and well-written press releases from them, over the years.)

Whilst customer relationships clearly work differently in the two environments, the strategy of adopting both as complementary presences allow a brand to engage in two distinct models – firstly reacting to customer interest via the brand site and secondly to thoughtfully participate in a customer's experience when they are already engaging with social media. By engaging through social media, the brand benefits from the provision of relevant customer information and illustrates increased transparency, flexibility and the desire to understand their customers.

In the UK for example, Facebook is the most popular social network as it has twice as many users as YouTube, 17 times more than Twitter and is the second most visited website in the country, behind Google. Therefore, it is the marketing channel that provides businesses with the greatest opportunity to reach out directly to consumers in what has rapidly become somewhat of a natural habitat for thousands.

Whilst many brands are now strengthening their customer relationships through social media, many have yet to take advantage of the opportunity, through focussing on broadcasting content to users, rather than engaging them in dialogue.

Marketing strategies can no longer rely on audiences returning to a brand time and again and Clinton Cards is one such B2C business that is rapidly developing its social media strategy alongside its website communications. The UK’s leading high street greeting card retailer recognises that the more choice of touch points offered to a consumer and the varied communication techniques that each one brings, the greater the chance for a sustained relationship.

Pete Goold, managing director of Punch Communications, said: “When Facebook users are visiting the site many millions of times each day,  B2C brands should be asking themselves if they are participating with those consumers as effectively as possible, in order to engage their interests and further their relationship. Sadly, so many are not fulfilling their potential to reach out, start on-going dialogues and create highly engaged social networking communities in order to further brand awareness and loyalty.”

By using the top 100 retail websites as a sample group, Hitwise found that each brand’s Facebook fan equated to an additional 20 website visits (over a 12 month period). This illustrates that if brands successfully participate in the space in which their audience already convenes, as well as through their brand website, there are plenty of rewards to be reaped; in the UK alone, 500 million hours are spent on Facebook each month.

Pete added: “There is little doubt that one-size fits all approach is no longer a sufficiently sophisticated strategy for digital marketing. Where brands are able to meaningfully participate in social media experiences, rather than simply push messages out, social communities tend to respond extremely favourably, resulting in disproportionately high positivity and loyalty. In short, it’s simply about going back to the old marketing truism of tailoring the message to the individual, which remains universally beneficial and is now more possible than ever before.”

For more information on Punch Communications’ integrated approach to social network activity and to see what it can offer your business compared to other social media agencies, visit www.punchcomms.com. Also, if you’re looking for social media, SEO or PR jobs, visit the Punch website to review the positions that are currently available.

To join in the conversation with Punch on Facebook, Twitter or Google plus, visit facebook.com/PunchCommunications, twitter.com/punchcomms and gplusnick/punchcomms.

Statistics courtesy of Experian Hitwise, 2 February - http://weblogs.hitwise.com/james-murray/2012/02/10_things_yo...

Brands Invest in Facebook Advertising with New Budgets and Focus on Fan Acquisition; Mobile Search Spend up Significantly

Data Based on Efficient Frontier’s Q4 2011 Digital Marketing Report

Brands are continuing to invest in Facebook advertising and focusing on fan acquisition. Spend in social media advertising is now additive to existing budgets rather than subtracting from other digital media channels, demonstrating the growing investment in the medium. Brands continued to acquire Facebook fans at 9% per month. Facebook spend share reached 2.7% of total online advertising spend in Q4 2011 and is expected to increase fan base by 2x by the end of 2012.

Search spend increased significantly in Q4 of 2011, bolstered by aggressive spending by retailers. Overall, search spend grew 14% Year over Year (YoY) in the United States, while retail specifically grew by 18% YoY and 40% Quarter over Quarter (QoQ), indicating that search is still the primary driver of digital marketing spend. While Q4 search spend increased significantly, Cost Per Clicks (CPCs) decreased 5% due to a rise in mobile advertising, where clicks are less expensive. Meanwhile, improvements in more efficient ad delivery by search engines resulted in higher click-through rates, and mobile spend became 7-8% of search spend compared to 2% a year ago.

This is according to Efficient Frontier, a leading performance marketing company managing more than $1.5 billion in marketing spend annually on behalf of advertisers worldwide, and its subsidiary Context Optional, one of the leading providers of social marketing management for global brands and agencies. In November 2011, Adobe Systems Incorporated announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Efficient Frontier, in a transaction expected to close in the first quarter of Adobe’s 2012 fiscal year.

“Facebook continues to be where marketers are placing new bets by adding advertising spend with a focus on fan acquisition,” said David Karnstedt, President and CEO, Efficient Frontier. “Mobile search advertising is also an area of significant investment, growing to 7-8% from 2% a year ago. We should expect both channels to grow significantly in 2012.”

Additional Report Highlights

GOOGLE MAINTAINS 80% SPEND SHARE in Q4. Yahoo/Bing clicks yielded 14% more revenue per click (RPC) than Google while also having 9% more Return on Investment (ROI) than Google. Yet Google increased click share by 2.5% YoY indicating the necessity for volume and reach from advertisers, primarily retailers, in Q4.

MOBILE SPEND specifically tablets, is becoming increasingly important for marketers as tablets account for 50% of mobile search spend and 50% of click share.

DISPLAY SPEND remains flat QoQ. However, Google’s Doubleclick increases exchange display market share by 19% YoY. Due to both inventory constraints and shifting strategies by Yahoo for their Right Media Exchange, Google extended significant share gains in biddable display.

EUROPEAN MARKETS showed strong growth in search spend YoY. France increased search spend 70% YoY and Germany 47% YoY indicating heavier investments into online advertising in 2011. The UK has been leading the online marketing industry in Europe and continues to increase search spend 19% YoY.

Outlook for Q1 2012
FACEBOOK SPEND will reach 5% of all online advertising spend by the end of 2012. As marketers improve their ability to acquire and engage Facebook fans, brands will continue to pump incremental spend into Facebook.

MOBILE SEARCH SPEND will make up 16-22% of all paid clicks by the end of 2012. As more mobile devices with full Internet browsing capabilities enter the market, mobile experiences become more robust. This is driving a shift of consumer usage from desktops to mobile devices, ultimately causing mobile advertising to become a key focus for marketers in 2012.

SEARCH SPEND will increase 15-20% in 2012 in the United States. Similar growth is expected internationally, however, the macro economic conditions in Europe may significantly affect this growth.

SEARCH CPCS will further decrease by 4%. The increase of mobile advertising and mobile search spend will contribute to this reduction. Search engine innovations by Google to provide more effective ad delivery will also continue to decrease CPCs.

YAHOO/BING will continue to pursue more ad inventory. Although Yahoo/Bing clicks continue to have better RPC (Return-Per-Click) and ROI, the search engine still needs to increase reach to improve market share. Advertisers are eager to take full advantage of the higher performance Yahoo/Bing provides, but are still looking to do so at scale.

DEVELOPMENTS IN OTHER SOCIAL PLATFORMS such as Google+ and LinkedIn will have a positive impact on social spend and the growth of this competitive space. However, Facebook will still remain the dominant social network and social publishers for advertisers in 2012.

Research Methodology
This analysis was completed based on data from Efficient Frontier search engine marketing customers and the resulting Efficient Frontier Customer Index. The Efficient Frontier Customer Index represents a subset of Efficient Frontier clients who have spend data for six consecutive quarters or more whose resulting SEM metrics are then normalized to average industry category contributions established by multiple third party data providers.

The Efficient Frontier Customer Index consists of a fixed sample of large scale U.S. search engine advertisers across multiple sectors, including finance, travel, retail and automotive. The Efficient Frontier Customer Index sheds light on trends in search engine spending and performance on a year-over-year (YoY) and quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) basis.

Our analysis of Facebook performance was based on data from both the Efficient Frontier and Context Optional platforms. A client index representing over 15 advertisers and 20 million fans from a multitude of verticals including retail, entertainment, CPG and Finance was built from a subset of advertisers, brands and fans managed through the platforms. Advertiser and user behavior was then analyzed for three quarters beginning Q4 2010.

To download the full report, visit: http://news.efrontier.com/DigitalPerformanceMarketingReportQ...

FACTFILE:
Efficient Frontier is a leader in online digital marketing, managing search marketing, display and social media campaigns for advertisers and agencies around the world. Efficient Frontier currently manages over $1.5 billion in annual digital marketing spend on behalf of its clients globally.

In May 2011, Efficient Frontier acquired Context Optional, the leading provider of social marketing management solutions for global brands on the leading social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.

Context Optional’s Social Marketing Suite enables global enterprises to build, manage and measure their brand presence, and engage their fans to increase mindshare, word of mouth, customer loyalty and website traffic. Together, Efficient Frontier and Context Optional offer a complete solution for brands to acquire, activate and drive value from fans on Facebook and Twitter.

Efficient Frontier is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in New York, Chicago the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and India, and technology licensing partnerships in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. Context Optional is headquartered in San Francisco. Efficient Frontier is a privately held company with funding from Redpoint Ventures and Cambrian Ventures. For more information on Efficient Frontier, visit http://www.efrontier.com and for Context Optional visit http://www.contextoptional.com.

Customise Facebook for your visitors

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Like It Pages have developed an application which allows businesses to fully customise their Facebook pages.

Like It Pages is an online tool through which you can create and edit different tabs within your Facebook fan page in a similar way to a website. This application allows companies to add their services, products, case studies or offers in minutes and edit all the content as you please.

More than 90% of the small businesses who have a Facebook business page make 1 fundamental mistake - they direct their fans straight to their wall.

By doing so they fail to convert a big percentage of their visitors into fans and they also fail to tell their fans exactly what they do and therefore lose out on sales and enquiries.
By driving visitors to a dedicated landing page, giving them a clear reason or incentive to join their fan page,they can double their fan conversions.

Furthermore, by offering exclusive content to fans only and promoting services or products clearly on the page in addition to the wall, they will significantly increase enquiries or sales.

I know that coded professional page costs can run into hundreds if not thousands of pounds, well at LikeIt they have designed a portal which will allow engagement with customers and show the company in the best possible way at a fraction of that cost. With a starting rate of only £11.99 per month they can have a professional Facebook page which is every bit as good if not better than the competition (and in this current economic climate this is paramount).

It takes under 5 minutes to install a landing page but it will have a massive impact on the Facebook fan conversion rate.

LikeIt provides the perfect platform to not only promote products/services online through your Facebook page to new clients and it will also ensure returning “friends” will find your latest products/services and promotions.

Every major company and brand is now directing people to their Facebook page as they now realise that Facebook has provided the perfect way to interact with their customer base. LikeIt can offer the platform to do this easily and professionally.

Like It Pages is available FREE for a 14 DAY TRIAL. This allows businesses to see how easy the program is to use and how great Facebook pages can become.

LikeIt! is a product of Art Division, a team of highly professional and experienced programmers and marketers based in London. Starting life as a web design company 10 years ago they have honed this skill down to a fine art and can boast over 50,000 web pages, designed, developed and published for a long list of satisfied customers.

However, as a forward thinking business they recognise a website needs more than to just look good, and this is where the rest of their services, such as online marketing and SEO, have excelled further especially during the past 3 years.

For further information please contact Brian Huff at Like It Pages on 0845 0177525
or visit our  www.likeitpages.com
or Facebook page www.facebook.com/likeitpages

Boost for shopping on Facebook?

Shopcade is a new social shopping experience on Facebook and it is helping worldwide brands and retailers expand their social media strategy, reach and sales, while empowering consumers to create a relevant shopping experience for themselves and their friends.

With its recent launch, Shopcade offers brands and retailers a new avenue to increase their visibility within social media, in a relevant and controlled way, convert Facebook fans into active advocates and develop unique social offers to drive sales. Consumers can now shop what is trending among their friends and people they trust by visiting each other’s Shopcades - dynamic lists of great products they discovered.

Through its integration and close partnership with leading affiliate solution providers, Shopcade offers consumers personalised access to millions of products from more than 20,000 brands across all key shopping categories including; fashion & accessories, electronics, apps & downloads, hobbies & toys, cultural goods and more. Currently, brands offered on Shopcade include big names such as Clarins, Hamleys, Mulberry and Ray-Ban*.

Prompted by the draw of higher conversion rates on social media and the fact that most of the social traffic this Christmas will come from Facebook (it accounted for 90% of social traffic to retailers in October, according to IBM’s Online Benchmark Study published on November 15th, http://www-03.ibm.com/press/uk/en/pressrelease/36057.wss), it’s clear brands and retailers need a social strategy to ensure engagement with Facebook fans. By integrating with Shopcade via their existing affiliate programs, they can easily engage with Facebook shoppers this holiday season.

Through Shopcade, they can increase their exposure effectively, improve the engagement of their fan community and monetise their social media strategy. With Shopcade, retailers can continue the Black Friday and Cyber Monday momentum within Facebook by creating a social shopping buzz around their brand throughout the holiday season:

• The “Wish & Win” holiday shopping campaign is the first of many promotional opportunities where brands can directly engage with shoppers on Shopcade by offering prizes and cash rewards. Every week until December 27th, Shopcade users can enter to win items on their holiday wish list from more than £1,600 in prizes, sponsored by Shopcade and partner retailers, including The Body Shop, Reiss, Uniqlo, Stylebop.com, Totally Funky and Homebase. Each partner will give away gifts and vouchers of £100 or more each week.

• To increase their products’ exposure within Shopcade, brands and retailers can also choose from a wide spectrum of partnership opportunities, including Shopcade exclusive promotions, vouchers, coupons, and branded weekly contests. Shopcade offers brands and retailers the possibility to reward their most active ambassadors in social media with a range of incentives, ranging from real to virtual rewards or special recognition.

Nathalie Gaveau, founder and CEO of Shopcade.com: “Shopcade makes it easier for brands and retailers to reach and engage with the social shopper. Our unique app within Facebook increases a brand’s chance of being relevant and ensures the best product is placed in front of the potential buyer by people he/she trust. The viral nature of Facebook combined with the personalised power of Shopcade creates a perfect environment for their social shopping marketing and sales efforts.”

Why Shopcade is the perfect partner for brands and retailers:

For brands and retailers, adding their products to the Shopcade catalogue is free and only requires acceptance of Shopcade as an affiliate and providing a reliable product feed. Shopcade does the rest and makes sure that the product information is always up to date and includes any ongoing promotions. To get in touch with Shopcade about our brand and retailer program, please visit www.shopcade.com/partner-with-us.

What do the retailers say?

Hildy Fine, www.Stylebop.com
“Shopcade is a great new way to leverage affiliate marketing to engage with our Facebook fans and monetise our social media strategy.”

Daryl Bowers, Director, Totally Funky

“We think that Shopcade is a groundbreaking way to combine affiliate marketing and social media, to drive additional online sales, and leverage our fan base into active promoters of our products.”

Emmanuel Ogidan, Publisher Director at Commission Junction

“As an affiliate network, we always look for innovative new publishers to work with our brand partners and Shopcade is an exciting and fun way to buy and sell products by utilising social media. The fusion of affiliate & social means the user effectively becomes the ‘brand’s ambassador’ on social channels.”

Tasnia Wahid, Network Development Manager at LinkShare

“Shopcade is an innovative way to combine affiliate marketing and social media to drive sales and activate the retailers' fan base on social networks to become active promoters of their products."

Additional Resources:

o Join the Shopcade community on Facebook
o View this video to see how easy and fun it is to shop and share on Shopcade
o Read this blog post from founder Nathalie Gaveau explaining why the thrill of the hunt is more fun together
o Learn more about the Shopcade team
o Like Shopcade on Facebook and follow @MyShopcade on Twitter

FACTFILE:

Shopcade is a new social shopping experience on Facebook, where you can discover and shop what is trending among your friends and people you follow. Users create their own Shopcade - a dynamic list of favourite products, and by doing so, share their latest discoveries with their friends and followers. And when this discovery is genuinely helpful and leads to a purchase- Shopcade rewards both sides with real cash.

Brands can enjoy high consumer engagement with their products and increased sales and promotion opportunities. Shopcade offers more than 40 million products from 20,000 brands in one socially-connected shopping app on Facebook.

For more information, visit www.shopcade.com.

Brands Need to Prepare For the Upcoming Boom in Commerce Through Facebook, says Punch Communications

With social networking giant Facebook announcing a number of changes to its open graph platform at the recent f8 conference, brands should be ready for a change in the way e-commerce will be implemented on the site, says integrated PR, SEO and social media agency Punch Communications.

Due to this development and the ability to now not only ‘Like’ something on Facebook you will soon be able to ‘Want’, ‘Love’ or ‘Recommend’ things. This development has caught the eye of e-commerce heavyweight eBay and its developer arm X.commerce, as they announce an upcoming partnership that will make Facebook the market place of the future.

A recent study into social commerce by the e-tailing group found that 59% of users rated customer reviews as the most important impacting factor on their buying behaviour. Social shopping aims to capitalise on this by creating visibility and feedback for products and services from the people you trust the most, your friends and family.

Brands using Facebook to promote their products will soon be more in control of the message they push to potential buyers and fans. Using the open graph platform, developing more descriptive and appropriate interactions such as a ‘Want’ button will become easy to implement and promote. This type of functionality coupled with the real time news feed of friend activity provided by the Facebook Ticker will propel the social shopping experience.

Pete Goold, Managing Director at tech PR agency, Punch Communications said, “Facebook provides an important platform for brands and companies to reach and interact with their fans and customers. Social commerce will appeal to an audience who are already familiar with the functions and features of the platform to recommend and create visibility for promoting products and services to their friends and connections.

“Social recommendation carries much weight when acting as a basis for a purchase decision and with the new developments in the f-commerce area users will be instantly notified of their friends purchases; this will encourage them to look at the product and it may influence decision to buy”

Social commerce will become a fully integrated service within social media and e-commerce platforms now that the tools are available to developers. With predictions that more business will be carried out through Facebook than Amazon, brands would be wise to begin developing their strategies and apps now to get a head start and take full advantage of the opportunities that social commerce will afford them.

If you are currently talking to PR and SEO agencies then contact Punch Communications to find out how an integrated campaign would benefit your business. For more information regarding Punch's services, please visit www.punchcomms.com, or call 01858 411 600.

(EDITOR: I have worked with Punch to help promote some of their clients for some trade magazines. A nicer, more professional set of people you could not hope to meet. I can recommend them thoroughly. If you need a PR firm, then Punch should be on your list.)

Facebook ad spend up 25 percent and cost-per-click up 54 percent in Q3 2011

Facebook ad spend has increased by an impressive 25 percent during the third quarter of 2011, according to research by performance marketing company, Efficient Frontier. The cost of advertising on Facebook has also increased, with cost-per-clicks up by 54 percent in Q3 over Q2. Search spend has increased by 16 percent year-on-year in the UK (20 percent in the US).

Efficient Frontier’s quarterly Global Digital Marketing Performance Report, out today, includes the following findings:

• Facebook ad cost-per-clicks (CPCs) increased 54 percent in Q3 over Q2, and are predicted to continue rising. This indicates that advertiser competition in Facebook marketplaces is rising. Facebook has become an essential marketing channel for many brands. Increased cost per clicks reflect both a higher volume of advertisers and more price competition on the platform. Prices are predicted to continue to rise between 30-40 percent quarter on quarter.

• Facebook ad spend increased 25 percent in Q3 over Q2. Advertisers see the value in significantly increasing investments in social. Strategies that are contributing to spend growth include maximising fan reach with Sponsored Stories and acquiring new fans with Facebook ads. 84 percent of Facebook engagement can be attributed to Likes which are credited to Facebook advertising. Today brands increase their fan count by, on average, nine percent per month, doubling their fan base year on year. Facebook is emerging as a significant part of the marketing mix.

• Facebook fan engagement increased in Q3, with engagement (Likes, comments and shares) per post increasing by 31 percent on average, and impressions per post increasing 24 percent on average, over Q2.

• Search spend increased 16 percent year on year in the UK and 20 percent year on year in the US. ROI from search spend in the UK rose by 18 percent in Q3, having been fairly level in the earlier part of the year. This increase is likely to be the result of a rise in ad spend and late bookings from the travel sector. In the US, however, the opposite was true, with advertisers increasing budgets but seeing a decrease in ROI.

• The UK travel industry showed a 15 percent increase in search spend and a five percent increase in ROI year on year, the result of a late booking market. Impressions on Google have risen by 22 percent for travel advertisers, and clicks have increased by 130 percent. This is likely to be the result of a combination of changes in user behaviour, more targeted and relevant ad copy, and Google’s continued efforts to make paid search look more like natural search.

The net result is an increased click-through rate (CTR) of 6.5 percent, year on year. This improved CTR has resulted in an 11 percent decrease in cost-per-click year on year, which contributes to improved ROI.

• Google continues to dominate search spend in the UK, as it demonstrates higher ROI for advertisers over Yahoo. Google’s higher spend share (which increased by 2.5 percent year on year), combined with efforts to improve CTRs and ad formats, results in greater ROI for advertisers over Yahoo. UK advertisers will move search spend towards Google; Bing and Yahoo need to implement the Search Alliance to reverse this trend, though the European zone financial crisis could dampen overall growth. Both Yahoo and Bing exhibit a higher click share than spend share, signifying less expensive CPCs.

This may also imply lower ROIs on Yahoo and Bing, meaning a greater share of clicks are being driven by brand terms with lower CPCs as the ROI from building out extensive generic campaigns is minimal.

• Google regained market share in the US for the first time since the Yahoo/Bing Alliance was implemented. As search spends increase and advertisers look to scale in volume, Google wins back market share because of its ability to offer more inventory, despite Yahoo/Bing’s power to produce higher ROI. In contrast to the US and UK, Google is losing market share to Yahoo in France, Germany, and Australia because of a disparity in relative CPCs between search engines and between different countries.

Jonathan Beeston, Global marketing director for Efficient Frontier, says: “Facebook is the real success story. Ad spend is growing and as a result, costs are increasing, but despite that, Facebook still offers great value to brand}. Used well, Facebook advertising integrates to search and social engagement to give a combined result that is better than the sum of its parts.”

The report is free to download from www.efrontier.com.

Facebook advertising cost-per-clicks increased by 22 percent in Q2 2011

Facebook advertising cost-per-click (CPC) rose by 22% in the second quarter of 2011, according to a Global Digital Marketing Performance Report from performance marketing company, Efficient Frontier and its subsidiary, Context Optional, a social marketing management company. Facebook CPCs are expected to reach 80% growth in a year, by the end of 2011.

Findings of the Global Digital Marketing Performance Report include:

• Facebook CPCs up by 22% in Q2 of 2011 over Q1, and this is expected to rise through 2011. If they continue to increase at 20% each quarter, this will result in 80% growth in one year.

• Facebook spend is around five percent that of search spend overall. However, for some advertisers this can peak at 25% during specific promotions, or at key buying times.

• Facebook spend currently is mostly incremental and not cannibalising search. Budget for Facebook is mostly coming from offline media such as TV and print. Efficient Frontier believes that Facebook will show the strongest growth in the months ahead.

• Brands are aggressively acquiring Facebook fans and those brands who are active on Facebook will, on average, double their fan base by October 2011.

• Analysis of 20 million fans managed by the Context Optional platform shows that for every brands post, there were an average of 100 comments per post in response. Brands will greater numbers of fans receive greater number of interaction; on average, each 17,000 fans generates one additional comment per post.

• Search spend growth in Q2 slowed globally, but still showed an eight percent increase year on year (year on year increase in 2010 was 17 percent globally). Search growth in the UK was seven percent year on year. Efficient Frontier believes this slower growth is, in part, the result of:

o advertisers focusing more on ROI than volume
o uncertainty in the Eurozone and the recovery of Japan from the March earthquake. Search is a strong indicator of macro-economic conditions.

• In the UK, Google continues to dominate with a share of 92.5%. (Note: as the Search Alliance is yet to be implemented outside of the US, Efficient Frontier reports Yahoo! and Bing separately.) Yahoo! was the only search engine that had a higher percentage of clicks than spend, reflecting cheaper clicks.

• The travel sector in the UK remains strong, with an 18 percent increase in ROI compared to the same period last year. Spend has increased by two percent. Despite the small spend increase, the sector has seen a 30 percent rise in clicks year on year (the result of a 15-30 percent fall in CPC over the same period), and a nine percent increase in click-through rate from Q1 to Q2 this year, as consumers become more specific in their searching.

Efficient Frontier’s global marketing director, Jonathan Beeston, says: “The biggest increase in spend this year is on Facebook advertising. Over the year, we expect it to have grown by 80% from last year. Budget for Facebook advertising is mostly coming from offline media such as TV and print rather than search.

“If the Yahoo!/Bing Search Alliance renews integration outside of the US next year, then the UK will see the same effect as the US: advertisers will move money towards Yahoo!/Bing to take advantage of ROI improvements.”

Methodology

The analysis was completed based on data from Efficient Frontier search engine marketing customers and the resulting Efficient Frontier Customer Index. The Efficient Frontier Customer Index represents a subset of clients who have spend data for six consecutive quarters or more, whose resulting metrics are then normalised to average industry category contributions established by multiple third party data providers.

For the first time, the report also uses data from Context Optional (which Efficient Frontier acquired in May 2011).

FACTFILE:

Efficient Frontier is a leader in online digital marketing, managing search marketing, display and social media campaigns for advertisers and agencies around the world. Efficient Frontier currently manages well over a $1 billion in annual digital marketing spend on behalf of its clients globally. The largest and most sophisticated advertisers and agencies partner with Efficient Frontier to achieve and sustain optimal digital advertising campaign performance.

In May 2011, Efficient Frontier acquired Context Optional, the leading provider of social marketing management for global brands and agencies. Context Optional’s Social Marketing Suite enables brands to create highly customized social media interactions that generate real value from their fans – through increased mindshare, word of mouth, website traffic and customer service recovery.

The Efficient Frontier/Context Optional combination offers marketers the opportunity to unite customer acquisition and engagement, creating an exponentially greater number of brand advocates across social media properties. Together, Efficient Frontier and Context Optional offer a complete solution for brands to acquire, activate and drive value from fans on Facebook and Twitter. The united Efficient Frontier and Context Optional platforms and aligned service teams ensure flawless execution of social marketing campaigns including strategy, creative, execution and optimisation.

Efficient Frontier is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in New York, Chicago the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and India, and technology licensing partnerships in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. Context Optional is headquartered in San Francisco. Efficient Frontier is a privately held company with funding from Redpoint Ventures and Cambrian Ventures. For more information on Efficient Frontier, visit www.efrontier.com and for Context Optional visit www.contextoptional.com.

This Purple prose could really boost your business!

Companies looking to exploit new social media networks must think very carefully about how they develop their Facebook presence according to a new report by integrated marketing specialists, The Purple Agency (part of Adare).

According to Purple too many companies fail to harness the potential of social media to express their brands and engage consumers positively. In so doing they run the risk of damaging the brands they represent as a result of ill thought through social media strategies.

Says Andrew Woodger, data and planning director, The Purple Agency: “While social media sites are a potentially powerful tool for good, they can just as easily be a powerful turn off for many consumers. Unless brands set out to engage consumers in a managed interactive environment, there is a huge risk that their social media presence will back fire. This is especially true of organisations and brands which rely on high levels of consumer goodwill or where there are potentially controversial issues which may need a high degree of ‘management’ to avoid them getting out of hand.”

The Purple Agency has created a list of factors which should ideally be considered and addressed before a company sets itself up on Facebook or any other social networking media. These include the following:

Do:

1 Do have a clear strategy. Consider both the gains and the risks. How will you measure the benefits?
2. Do decide how you want people to interact. Is your Facebook site a bill board or somewhere people can genuinely ‘interact’. Either might be valid, but will depend on what you want to achieve.
3. Do choose who will be responsible for managing and maintaining your presence.
4. Do agree in advance your policies and approach to managing negative or controversial postings. People often use sites to ‘sound off’ about issues they feel are unresolved. Make sure you are ready and able to respond quickly.
5. Do make sure your customers know about your social media presence, and are invited to participate

Don’t:

1. Don’t create a social presence which exposes you to critical comment – unless the upsides and rewards are greater than the potential damage.
2. Don’t use standardised responses or those written in ‘corporate speak’. Treat people as individuals. The wrong tone of voice can send the wrong messages.
3. Don’t duck issues. A little humility works better than corporate arrogance.
4. Don’t scrimp on resourcing your presence. Make sure you have the back up to support your ‘social networkers’, such as customer service personnel and PR people who can deal with any prickly issues quickly and professionally.
5. Don’t let wounds fester. If an uncomfortable issue gets raised deal with it one-to-one before it propagates and gets out of hand.

Says Woodger, “This is a media area which offers huge rewards in terms of building dialogue with customers and expressing your brand personality. If you get it right it can drive service improvements, new product developments, extend your brand and gain valuable ‘earned reputation’. But the downsides have to be considered carefully. You have to plan and have contingency arrangements in place to deal with issues as they emerge. Failure to do so can quickly undo all the potential benefits social media offers.”

A copy of the Purple report The 20 Second Guide to Social Media Management can be downloaded from the Purple website at www.purple-agency.com

“Who moved my talent?” Lumesse offers free copies of a new e-Book by Peter Gold of HireStrategies

“…armed with his new smartphone, an updated LinkedIn profile, a Facebook page and a Twitter account, 46 year old Henry ventured forth into the cloud to find his new social world. He had absolutely no idea where he was going or what he was going to do.”

Lumesse, formerly StepStone Solutions, is making available for a limited period of time a free electronic copy of a short new book by renowned HR guru Peter Gold.

“Who moved my talent?” is a lighthearted but pointed look at the why, what and how of finding, connecting and engaging the people that will transform your business. For a limited time the book is free to download in PDF and e-book formats, in English, French, German and Chinese, to anyone who visits the Lumesse website at the following URL: www.lumesse.com/whomovedmytalent

“For over 20 years I have been in the recruitment and talent management business, so I’ve seen many different ways of companies trying to attract and develop people,” said author Peter Gold.

“As we enter another period of growth, business leaders are evangelising the need for great people to help their businesses grow and prosper. I wrote ‘Who Moved My Talent?’ to remind people they need to continually review and improve how they hire, train and motivate people. If they don’t they might find – just like the famous cheese – that someone has moved their talent when they weren’t looking.”

Lumesse is one of the world’s leading talent acquisition and management companies, helping over 1,700 businesses worldwide find and manage the people they need in a changing world. Lumesse rebranded from its former identity, StepStone Solutions, in early May 2011 following a management buyout of the business in mid 2010.

Matthew Parker, CEO, Lumesse comments: “At Lumesse we’re delighted to sponsor this free download of Who Moved My Talent? Every day we work with ambitious companies that realise that talented people are the core of their success, and the book does a great job of highlighting what can happen, both personally and corporately, when you forget that.”

FACTFILE:

Peter Gold has successfully helped a number of enlightened organisations use technology to help people perform better and can often be found sharing his latest thoughts at conferences and workshops. His direct and uncompromising approach to technology has led to his established reputation as one of Europe’s leading Talent Technology bloggers:

http://blog.hirestrategies.co.uk

Lumesse is the only global company making talent management solutions work locally. We help customers around the world to implement successful local talent management initiatives that identify, nurture and develop the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Their multi-cultural background and presence means they understand how to deliver talent solutions that work the way our customers work, as individuals and as teams, because no two people, organisations or cultures are the same. They regard differences as strengths, not as obstacles.

They work with 1,700 customers in over 70 countries because they recognise commitment, innovation and value only come from people. They help customers to unlock and inspire that human potential in their businesses. Their integrated talent management solutions are comprehensive, intuitive, secure and in over 50 languages.

www.lumesse.com