Archive for June, 2012

Why You’re Struggling to Measure the Value of Social Media

In a recent report, Adobe examined the oft-discussed issue of how exactly to quantify the value of social media. What they found was that when it comes to measuring the ROI of social media, most marketers are using all the wrong tools.In fact, the vast majority of marketers included in their study of 225 companies relied exclusively on last-click attribution to measure the success of their social efforts.

Last-click (aka last-touch) attribution is the form of tracking that most analytics tools like Google Analytics employ. It’s called last-click attribution because conversions are measured based on the most recent channel that brought a visitor in before they converted. Think of it like giving your most recent date credit for leading to your engagement rather than your first date.

The problem with measuring social media through last-click attribution is that social channels tend to engage people at the top of the sales funnel rather than right before they buy. Think about it … when was the last time you bought something immediately after clicking through a Twitter or Facebook link? That’s not how it typically works, right? Most customers discover companies through social media, then take some time to get to know their products or services — subscribing to emails or returning again through another channel.

So what should you be measuring to get a better understanding of the role social media plays in your business, and how do you measure it? Start by asking yourself these questions, and using these measurements, to stop the struggle around social media ROI measurement.

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Create Traffic to Your Site with Content Distribution

Content distribution can be a very effective way to reach out to your readers without sitting back and waiting for them to discover your article or your website on their own.

Free, interesting, applicable and cup-to-date web content is what most people online are searching for. So you must offer it to your targeted readers, to let them know that you’ve created something that can help address their needs and challenges.

You have to take proactive steps if you want to enhance and maximize the online popularity and visibility of your web content writing. What you publish online might contain great insight and valuable information – created by you at a cost, whether financial or in opportunity costs -, but if you do nothing to expose them, it will be buried in the sea of information. And it won’t be able to deliver what you truly want, more web traffic.

Here are some of the ways to generate traffic through content distribution:

1. Know what your target audience wants.

Knowing what your potential clients want is an effective way of doing what can serve them best. It can help you to formulate the best topics to discuss about.

You will know what your readers want to know by asking them. The best venues for asking include niche forums and your blog. Read current postings in forums about your subject; this will give you an idea what your prospects want to know. You should also encourage your readers to comment on your blog posts. It can help you to give them what they want.

2. Deliver what your readers want.

Once you have an idea of a topic that your readers want, it is time to research and assemble the content. Give them what they want. If it involves procedures, pros and cons, benefits, or whatever, do your best to deliver it to them. Your readers will surely come back to you for more – and that’s captured traffic, isn’t it?

3. Write quality articles and submit them to article directories.

Article marketing is one of the most effective ways to get traffic and quality backlinks to your site. You can do this by writing quality articles and submitting them to article sites such as EzineArticles, Article Base and GoArticles. Article directories allow you to include a resource box that contains your bio and links to your website or landing page. These links serve as leads that will bring traffic from article sites to your own website.

This is where a freelance writer or team can be of the most help. They can help you conduct the research and craft the message mentioned above of course, but if cannot or don’t want to take the time to write quality web articles, press releases or social media messages, get a professional to help! I’ve seen plenty of companies out there (you probably have too) who certainly did NOT put their best foot forward when reading their material. Make sure your content represents your company in the way you would truly like it to, and publish high-quality content.

4. Stay in touch with your prospects.

The best way to know the needs of your prospects is to get in touch with them through blogs and niche forums. Do a quick research in Google to identify the most popular forums and blogs about your subject matter. Visit these daily to get an idea what topics are “in.” Participate in the discussions and show your knowledge about the topic. This can help to build your reputation in that community. It also helps to give you plenty of writing ideas for your articles.

5. Post your article in social networking sites.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are fast gaining popularity as a great place to get traffic from. By posting useful information about your niche on these sites, you will be able to include links that will lead people to your articles. This will help to promote your content. Other members who find it useful will also share it with their friends and other members of the community.

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