Media Archives - GUJRAT INDIA

Advertising In Magazines – The Advantages Of Using This Print Media

It is estimated that there are around 160,000 magazines published around the world in as many as 29 languages. Even though a large proportion of these magazines are not exactly setting the world on fire in generating revenue terms, I think it is fair to say that there is still a substantial market for this traditional form of media advertising.

For the advertiser, one of the great advantages of having such a huge selection of magazines to choose from is the fact that they are able to target a specific audience, who may have a particular interest in their product or service. Although magazines have a comparatively small coverage compared to national newspapers, it is the positive advantage of reaching a specific audience that turns a lot of people on to magazines.

One of the other advantages to Magazine Advertising is the fact that you can request that your advert is placed in a certain position or even within a feature article. This will enhance the overall corporate and commercial effectiveness of your offerings, as well as adding a positive and highly relevant message to potential buyers. Of course, if you don’t mind where your advertisement appears, it will probably be placed in a general run of paper position. This means that your ad could be placed anywhere, but will probably cost less than if it was placed in a prime position. However, always try to get a ROP price for a special position whenever you can, as most publishers will be happy to negotiate.

The decision to pursue Magazine Advertising should certainly not be made without doing some in-depth Media Planning and comparing the associated costs with the benefits. However, when you find the right vehicle and your objective is to signify quality or elegance for your product, Magazine Advertising is the perfect format.

As with other media types, it is always very wise to build a friendly and consistent level of communication with magazines. Always send in well-written PR and product news and make a point of going to see your favourite feature and news editors at an exhibition or product launch. It may also pay to take them to lunch every now and then to show your appreciation. The reason for mentioning this is that writers always remember the nice people when they have a space or another company has let them down. If a magazine decides to feature your product or write about it, this translates into free advertising, although it is in the form of legitimate editorial content.

Remember that advertising in magazines has always been about getting a message to a specific target audience in a controlled way and ideally over a long period of time. Magazines do this so well, as they mainly reach a very loyal and relevant readership. However, as new media advertising formats seem to have much better tracking and monitoring technology in place, it does deter people from using magazines as a lead-generation tool.

There is no doubt that the introduction of online pay per click advertising has brought on a new wave of advertisers – most of which don’t have to spend a fortune to get people to their websites. Compared to print media, there is probably no better way to get clicks and potential enquiries. It is this ‘cost against enquiry’ element that has moved a lot of people away from the historic ‘brand awareness’ qualities of magazine advertising and into the more controlled and justifiable environment of Internet Advertising.

One thing is for sure though – magazines create a very credible environment and they help to build a high quality message for your products and services. This could explain why magazines are such a great promotional vehicle when they work alongside online media. On one hand you have a message that turns into clicks and on the other you have quality branding that adds value to your products.

It is also difficult to match the creative appeal and design opportunities that Magazine Advertising can bring. Outdoor advertising also does this job well, but this media tends to be displayed in a much busier environment of the high street or roadside location – certainly not on a comfy armchair in your sun lounge.

It is this ‘media without an obvious motive’ selling point that cements the appeal of magazines to a whole host of advertisers.

If you can find a magazine, which reaches your target audience perfectly, then you’ll do a lot worse than to use this media to shout about your brand and the quality aspect of what it can do for your potential customers. After all, a picture does paint a thousand words.

Trusted Social Media Agency Services For Your Business

In our current modern era, social media agency services play a very important role on the stage of digital marketing. Why? Because billions of people use the worldwide web and specifically social media, every single day. It doesn’t matter what you sell, it only matters how you market what you sell. And if over half of the world’s population is on SM, what better way to broadcast you product and brand than in front of such a large audience?

We know how stressful it can be to trust another person to manage your social media. Especially because with Facebook, Twitter, etc, both good and bad news spread very, very quickly. That’s why at SociallyIn, we strive to be a social media agency services you can trust to deliver only the best for your business, which includes brand management, social consultancy, the monitoring of social media channels, pay-per-click social ad campaigns, cross channel promotion, affordable social media agency services pricing, and more. Why be out of the social media groove when you can be SociallyIn?

One of the most important things to remember about social media is that it’s the perfect way to engage your customers. If they have a complaint and you’re quick about responding and making things right on SM, chances are you can avoid a lot of bad publicity that can bring bad results to your business. One of the downsides to SM is how quickly news can spread. So what can you do to use this effect to your advantage? The answer is how you deal with customers and if you are giving them a listening ear or not. What’s the secret? Always be willing to listen to negative feedback as well as positive feedback.

SM posts can drive traffic to your Site.

It’s true. Posts on social media can drive some good, quality traffic to your site that has the potential of turning into returning customers. Yes, you want the world to enjoy your wonderful site and draw attention to how awesome it is, but you don’t want it to appear as if you want to draw attention to it, right? That’s why a timely, well-written and attractive post on social media plays such a big role in bringing in new traffic. You can send people directly to your homepage or a certain landing page on your site without using a sales pitch that nobody wanted to hear anyway. Now let me ask you this: who wouldn’t want a piece of that goodness?

Your ultimate goal should be to prove to your customers and even the world at large that you’re not just another corporation who sticks their content online and couldn’t care less how you feel about it. Nope. You want to prove to the world at large that you care about their opinions. That how they feel about your site does really matter. That in the end, if they’re not happy, you’re not happy.

Did you know thatsocial media agency services can actually actively boost your site’s SEO? That’s right! But how? Search engine crawlers are constantly doing their research to find out which sites are earning the most traffic and which sites are being left forgotten and abandoned out in the vast world of internet space. If you have a good content SEO strategy, using social media posts to promote your content can be a wonderful tool. Interested in finding out how to make that happen? You’re in the right place.

Business is all about outdoing the competitors. You want a better ad strategy, a better search engine optimization strategy, a better content strategy and a better social media strategy. Most of the time, the bigger businesses have the upper ground because their budget is a little higher. But this doesn’t have to decide whether or not you’re going to kill your competition or not. Nope! We offer this agency services for small businesses, too. It all comes down to whether or not you’re willing to sacrifice the time and effort to be a little more creative, spend more time writing, dive into learning more about your industry and truly engaging your audience through educational and conversational posts and images. If you can commit to doing that, we can guarantee you’ll end up with fantastic results and a crowd of customers that are not only committed to your brand, but are going to share it with the world.

In the end, we have to face facts. Social media marketing is stressful. More and more so with each passing day as new rules, updates, strategies and tricks stroll onto the scene. It can be difficult to keep up with, most especially because we realize you’re probably buried in work as it is, because we can relate. Running a business is hard work. But that’s where we want to help you. If you have goals for your social media marketing and management, we’re going to help you reach those. We believe in helping small businesses get established as well as helping larger businesses and corporations. Are you nervous about whether or not your SM strategy is working for you? Look no further, because we want to help you make your social media dreams a complete reality. We have different social media marketing packages made exclusively from a well-established social media agency that will fit for anyone in any industry. We want to create a perfect strategy just for you. Without excuses, without hidden expenses and right out of the gate. But that’s what we’re here for: This agency Services you can trust. So what do you say? Get our consultancy today!

This post is originally appeared at https://www.sociallyin.com/social-media-agency-services/

4 Key Considerations For Every Social Media Marketing Campaign

Throughout my career, I have developed and outlined numerous internal company process, policy and strategy documents. With experience and practice, it became evident that a process will not withstand time and change if it’s not scalable and replicable. The same principles hold true for a Social Media Marketing Strategy; it must be a process that can adapt to growth over time and change.

New social media channels are popping up left and right, especially for niche social networking communities and geo-targeted business networks. In order to reach new prospects, you’ll need to continuously expand your reach across the appropriate new networks. With each expansion, whether you are launching your initial social media marketing campaign or launching into a new social network or space, there are four key considerations. This article does not address the details for your social media game plan to include your business strategy, goals and actions required to make it happen, but rather offers a repeatable approach that can be applied throughout the life cycle of your campaign.

1. Start Small

If you are just venturing into the social media world for your business or deciding it’s time to get serious with your social media involvement to truly take advantage of this incredible marketing opportunity, take a step back, focus and start small. It is easy to get caught up in the possibilities of social media marketing and quickly jump into too many areas at once. This will not only be overwhelming, but will water down your campaign. Do a little research or hire a specialist who can advise you to pick two or three social networks that are most applicable to your business. Setup your profiles, identify your target audience, and start to build your presence in those select networks ensuring you stay aligned with your business strategy.

2. Get Comfortable

Developing comfort and familiarity with social media forums and technologies is very important, especially if you are new to the social media space. You need to be comfortable with not only how to use the technology, but in engaging with your target audience. Your interactions should be natural and personable. A key benefit of social networks is the ability to talk “with” your audience and not “at” your audience. You are sharing ideas and providing value to your prospects and to leaders in your industry. There are countless ways to connect with your audience based on your business and area of expertise. A little trial and error is fine. Test the water, try different approaches and be sure to track and measure the outcomes so you can determine what works best.

3. Establish A Routine

This can be a difficult area for many businesses. Yes, it takes some discipline but once you establish a routine that works for you, you will have consistency which is essential to social networking. If you only post an update on Twitter once a week, an article on your Facebook page now and then and respond to a discussion on your niche social network once a month, you’re not gaining visibility. The more you contribute, the more visible you are. Staying active and providing value will lead to return on influence or brand recognition which in turn will lead to return on investment. What routine works best will be different for each business and will depend on whether you are running the campaign alone or with help from colleagues or a social media specialist.

For some, it’s best to group social networking activities together at one time during the day in order to focus on other tasks through the remainder of the day. For others, building in small amounts of time throughout the day to focus on a specific social network is easier. There are some great tools to schedule your posts in advance across multiple networks such as Hootsuite (my personal favorite) and Tweetdeck. This can save you time and help you maintain that consistent level of interaction. Not all updates and post should be pre-scheduled but incorporating some that are scheduled is a good practice and also a great way to utilize the services of a specialist. By delegating some social media marketing activities you will have more time to personally interact with your target audience replying to comments and responding to discussions on a routine basis.

4. Expand

Once you have fine-tuned this process for two or three social networks, you can expand into new networks but first, do your research. You need to determine the best social networks or social media space where your business should have a presence. Maybe this time you want to reach out to niche communities. Perhaps it’s time to venture into video marketing, a truly exciting space in internet marketing with such possibility for going viral if you do it right. You may be ready to start your own social network. There are readily available tools to make this happen. Decide what social networks should be next on your list and begin the process to build upon your existing strategy starting back at number one.

Whatever direction you take your campaign, by remaining within the framework of these four considerations while you build out your strategy, you will maintain control and consistency which are key to the success of every social media marketing strategy.

Rev Up Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

In less than five years, social media has revolutionized not only our communication culture but how we conduct business. The dizzying effect of unlimited-and sometimes unfettered-24-hour access to people and information has transformed the various tools into a game changer.

There is a broad and increasing list of sites, including BlinkList, YouTube, Delicious, Flickr, Tumblr, BlogMarks.net, and the triumvirate of major sites: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. These social destinations have become to business professionals and entrepreneurs what golf is to C-suite powerbrokers-an opportunity to strategically network and close deals based on shared interests and personal engagement. But these sites do more, by offering users valuable real estate to advertise products or services, create and expand brand recognition, solicit feedback, build relationships, and create community forums. Users also have unprecedented access to consumers, hiring managers, prospective clients, industry experts, and opportunities.

Moreover, social media levels the playing field by allowing anyone access without restrictions on time, location, or social status.

The most diligent and creative players are reaping huge benefits. According to a report from Forrester Research, 55.6 million U.S. adults-just shy of one-third of the population-visited social networks at least monthly in 2009, an increase from 18% in 2008. Recent Nielsen research says Americans spend nearly 25% of their time online on social networks and blogs, up from nearly 16% a year ago.

The initial foray into social media can be daunting and bewildering. Newcomers to the space might wonder: Who’s reading? Will I be heard or noticed? Isn’t it all just fun and games? Isn’t it invasive? Making the effort worthwhile requires time, patience, and a work-smart-not-hard strategy. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a corporate professional, the success of marketing your products, businesses, or your personal brand will be determined by how well you engage interest on the varying platforms. In part one of a series on social media strategies, Black Enterprise offers some tips to get you connected.

What Business Owners Should Know

Finding out who your customers are and how they like to be served is essential for the success of any business. Questions and surveys offered on social media platforms can help business owners quickly access that information. Jason Burton, social media strategist and marketing director of Lab 5702, a boutique marketing solutions firm in Kansas City, Missouri, says such data can help you position your product to broader groups outside your initial base of contacts. “Put your product in front of the trendsetters or the next level of users,” he suggests. “Targeted searches let you drill down beneath the surface to find followers and potential influencers that can use or promote your product or service.”

Location-based social mapping services such as Foursquare, Google Latitude, Loopt, Facebook Places, and MyTown allow consumers to benefit from their influence. For example, if you visit your favorite flower shop in Tucson and tweet it to your followers, you get $2 off your purchase. The greater the network and influence, the bigger the discount. These services also enable users to find friends and events; share locations, updates, tips, photos, and comments; and share across online social networks and blogs. Loopt has more than 4 million registered users and partnerships with every major U.S. mobile phone carrier and is available on more than 100 smartphones, including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. Google Latitude and Foursquare boast more than 3 million users each. Greater social media interactivity has been facilitated by mobile apps such as ÜberTwitter, MobileLinked IM, and Nimbuzz. According to a Juniper Research report, the number of downloads from mobile application stores is expected to rise from fewer than 2.6 billion per year in 2009 to more than 25 billion in 2015.

What Corporate Professionals Should Know

Carmen Hudson, CEO of Tweetajob in Seattle, oversaw employer branding campaigns when she was senior manager of talent acquisition for Yahoo and has witnessed the shift in recruitment practices. “Companies are cultivating and marketing a brand that attracts and is attractive to certain types of candidates,” she explains. For companies such as Yahoo, Starbucks, Apple, and Microsoft, social media is increasingly at the forefront of that strategy. Recruiters will, for instance, use LinkedIn to create a search stream of attributes to find precisely the type of candidates hiring managers are looking for with minimal time and fuss. Moreover, Hudson adds, “They’re also looking at how many followers you have. Do you have a strong network? If you’re an expert, friends and/or follower numbers are strong indicators of that.”

A Jump Start Social Media survey of hiring managers indicates that 66% go to LinkedIn to find candidates for openings, 23% go to Facebook, and 16% to Twitter. “Job seekers who frequently post and update profiles are nimble and often get to job opportunities first,” Hudson says. “Recruitment officers can execute a well-rounded and more diverse search, through a search stream of attributes because they now can meet candidates where they play,” says Hudson. At the same time, companies can promote the brand and the company message, which gives the job seeker a more informed perspective on the companies as potential employers.

How to Maximize Social Media Marketing to Promote Your Brand or Business

• A blogging platform such as WordPress or Blogspot, is essential, advises Warren Laidler, webmaster and creative director of DeLite Multimedia] in New York City. Blogs have greater potential for organic leads because their content-rich nature makes them more search engine friendly. Search engines love content-driven platforms and rank them higher than static websites. “Think of your blog as a launch pad or hub for your enterprise. Your social media efforts should lead back to your blog or website, which should be dynamic and informative, providing content and information that encourages visitors not only to return, but to distribute your content to their network.”

• Blogs or websites should contain SEO, or search engine optimized, keywords and phrases that help visitors find the business when they search via Google, Yahoo, Bing], and others. Laidler also suggests pulling in RSS feeds and useful links into your blog. “RSS feeds allow you to import content from outside sources and are a great way to share information that visitors find interesting.”

• Work on engagement and consistency. For example, your Twitter timeline should be a combination of original updates, retweets, or shares from other sources, replies from connections, inspirational quotes, and trending topics. A standard formula is two to four tweets per day. Positive activity can also blossom quickly and create buzz that reaches well beyond a business’ core audience. In the virtual world, consumers and job seekers can become influencers and trendsetters by persuading their network to take action or buy a product or service. Laidler suggests using tools like Klout or Twittergrader.com to measure your social media influence and find out the reach of your Twitter posts.

• Choose a picture for your social media avatar, rather than a logo, advises Joel Comm, social media expert and New York Times best-selling author of Twitter Power. “People like faces associated with companies. Customize your Twitter background. Use photos, links, contact information, RSS feeds, etc. to individualize and promote your brand.”

• Choose a third-party application or service, such as TweetDeck or Hoote Suite, SocialOomph and Twaitter, which allows quick, easy distribution of posts and other content among multiple social media sites. “You can incorporate plug-ins or apps on the sidebar of your blog page that allows visitors to easily access all your social media,” says Laidler. “All social media sites have plug-ins or widgets that allow fast, easy updates with one click.”

• Don’t follow everyone who follows you on Twitter. Conduct targeted keyword searches for individuals, companies, and other industry players who are important to you or who you want to have as a client.

• Show off your expertise. If you’re in business, you’re already an expert with valuable information people want to know, Comm says. Use your talents, passion, ability, and personality to your advantage.

Uses of Social Media Management (SMM) Tools

Social media and modern day commerce

The social media epoch has formed a whole new way of networking, connecting dots between commerce and lifestyle, speeding up globalization and taming space for businesses to penetrate the market.

From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and Snapchat, people are spoiled for choices when it comes to getting in touch with the world. A single WhatsApp group could contain the real estate contacts and data of an entire area code. A YouTube channel can be a knowledgeable source of information related to fixing up your car. One Facebook post could go viral and demand support for controversial matters that require change. Thus, social media serves as the perfect pitch for commercial enterprises, whether starting out or already in the game, to exponentially expand their reach and simultaneously understand the market better.

Social media has grown to strengthen client relations with businesses and amplify brand loyalty. With numerous modes of social media, a brand can take several formulas to reach a wide range of audiences, thereby dominating markets with its presence. Social media relies on the ability to relate. The market works on the same principle for any business to take off. Arguably one of the best qualities of social media is that its persuasive publicity urges industries to bring quality products and services to a competitive market. As the forefront of many innovative steps in the entrepreneurial world today, social media is the digital compass that any business must crack to manoeuvre through changing trends and growing markets. This is where social media management (SMM) plays a key role and sets itself apart as a governing force in the field of brand promotion, advertising and gaining market approval. Excellent social media management techniques dictate the success of a business in the digital world. This is confidently translated to durable results in the market.

Social Media Management (SMM)

With the rise of technological prominence in every industry, social media management (SMM) is backed by a set of digital tools that lay off the burdens that come with the hefty task of reaching out to millions in an instant. Managing content and delivering the right material takes time, effort and loads of creativity. The goal is to appeal to prospects in the most innovative manner possible. As the web is already saturated with creativity, getting your point across becomes that much tougher. This is why certain tools and techniques are required in efficient social media marketing for businesses across the world. These carefully structured, user-friendly SMM tools help manage content on multiple social media platforms in a timely manner while bringing the best out of communication with viewers.

Social media marketing tools available online have redefined the way we can use social media to develop a brand. Immediate results and constant monitoring can be done while the right measures can be taken to approach varying types of markets worldwide. SMM tools make it easier for business to see their progress in real-time and captivate a potential marketplace. Although there are several tools used in order of preference, some tools stand out for their exceptional design and functions. The techniques and managing style differs from person to person and the internet is home to various kinds of SMM tools that suit diverse managerial standards. Based on use reviews and popularity, there are few SMM tools that appeal to a wider range of users across industries.

Popular Social Media Marketing (SMM) tools

As of 2018, here is a list of the top trending Social Media Management (SMM) tools that have revolutionized marketing online:

HootSuite

HootSuite allows you to manage all your social accounts on one platform at affordable rates, engage viewers on multiple networks and share insights across teams. Facebook business features can be optimized with the help of tools like HootSuite. This tool allows you to quickly resolve customer inquiries, collaborate with a team and expand reach with employee activism. By keeping tabs on the social return on investment, the SMM tool allows users to make informed marketing decisions at crucial times.

Buffer

Buffer is SMM software that eanbles users to schedule and send posts at various intervals called as timeslots. The tool also provides real time post statistics to keep updated with interactions on social media. Buffer is equipped with many productive marketing techniques and gives you the provision to unlock additional paid features. To make the most out of Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms, Buffer is a pervasive SMM tool available today.

Sprout Social

When it comes to viewer association Sprout Social is a good choice for marketers. Primarily focusing on social care creates strong relations between businesses and audience. With many updated features, the most recent Sprout Social features also include enhancements in social care efforts. Although some social media websites such as Instagram don’t allow third parties to post visual media, Sprout Social’s ‘Smart Box’ records activity on Instagram posts as well. Facebook and Twitter feeds can be managed easily with this SMM tool.

Hubspot

Also a paid SMM tool, Hubspot has proven to be a favourite among marketers online as a social publishing. With countless features, HubSpot specializes in SEO techniques, advertisements and audience involvement to bring the best out of marketing stratagems. With several integrated techniques like email listings and automated marketing, users can attract, convert, close and amuse audiences with HubSpot.

MeetEdgar

MeetEdgar is probably most known for its unique re-sharing option that allows automated content circulation. By recording social statistics the sky is the limit to growing your business online with MeetEdgar. Affordable, easy to use and effective SMM techniques make it one among the many stand out software used for social marketing purposes.

Agora Pulse

Agora Pulse has grown on SMM enthusiasts over the past few years as a dynamic social media marketer’s tool. With many useful features, Agora Pulse records viewer data and aids in crisp marketing policies, a prodigious social media publishing tool as well. Agora Pulse also utilizes a spam filter technique that resolves data traffic issues and regulates content on your social media posts.

With the growing demand for efficient SMM tools equipped with easy to use interfaces and exceptional functions, trending software such as these have revolutionized businesses with social marketing.

Role of SMM tools in marketing?

The applications of SMM software cannot be stressed in one go due to their manifold functions.

Time being the major concern; most users opt for SMM tools because they make use of time in the best way possible. With easy to use interface and time-effective management techniques, these tools help marketing professionals understand the market quicker and better as they delve deeper. From discovering new trends to conversation with prospects, these tools help control all your brand’s social media accounts on a single platform without having to individually log into multiple accounts. You can air information online within a set time frame and dictate the flow of customer interactions. Businesses witness drastic growth as the market presence is elaborated across diverse populaces. With SMM tools you can analyse and articulate continuous growth by building the unparalleled company profile.By segmenting a marketplace, businesses have authority over what information should reach which region and how much resource should be allocated for specific advertising endeavours. As a game changer, the commercial returns in terms of advertising and public relations is enhanced by maintaining a watchful eye over every step a business takes since inception and leap towards brand promotion.

The perks of SMM tools are infinite. You can manage conversations and set up polls or improve ratings at the click of a button. With a Birdseye view over every event you can prepare, reconstruct and refurbish new marketing strategies. By recycling posts at intervals, a technique available in many SMM tools, you can create a repetitive sense of urgency among people who come in contact with your brand. The customer should see that your brand value is above opposition. Among the many features that make SMM tools worthy, whether open source or paid, is the fact that the results are guaranteed provided that the content is appealing. Even if you have to pay extra bucks to reach out to the right people, SMM guarantees this output. The brand appeal will definitely attract more customers when the creative aspect meets with the perfect management strategy. The right social media management tool can be a substitute for an employee in regulating information and keeping tabs on business statistics

Social Media 101 for Entrepreneurs

There is no denying that social media outlets are valuable tools to use in your marketing activities. However, the key to success for business owners is to sensibly plan the time they spend on social media.

You will need to consider the kinds of social media you will be using, what could be announced and how often to post. Pacing out social media activities avoids over-saturation of the market.

Keeping the content fresh can also be a challenge. Ask yourself: Is there a way to run a fundraising campaign for a worthy cause? Is your office willing to collect items for the food bank? Perhaps you have decided to set up recycling bins for items like batteries and light bulbs and returnable beverage containers that your clients can also use. Or perhaps your office can set up a contest. Maybe your work place has had some improvements or a new mural was painted on the building. Perhaps you can get a project happening with your contacts. Maybe you can put out an announcement for sales or discounts coming up.

Social media offers a great opportunity for your business to celebrate causes, fundraisers and community events that you are a part of. It is a great way to support those you network with, as you can celebrate their successes and contributions to the world as well. And of course you can use it to invite networking opportunities to keep conversations going with your contacts. Besides this, being supportive of community and charitable events tells your staff, suppliers and clients that you care about making a difference.

Quite often an idea for a social media campaign or a topic you’d like to cover will come to mind, but you don’t have time to follow-up on it just yet. Jot that idea down so that you can come back to it later. This way no opportunity is missed.

Before rushing out with random posts it is important to decide just how you plan to create excitement about each event and what you are expecting as a result.

Here’s another tip: Have a couple of documents on your desktop with social media blurbs you and your staff have created during brainstorm sessions. It will make your social media effort well-organized and it will be easy to post items during peak times of day.

So what are the best times of day to post? That really depends on who you are targeting – their age, their interests, etc. For business the best days to post on Facebook are Thursdays and Fridays between 11 AM and 1 PM (Pacific). 11 AM will bring in more shares, while closer to 1 PM will get more likes and link clicks. For Twitter, posting between 11 AM and 1 PM – during the lunch hours – is the best time. However, weekends shows 30% more activity on Twitter. Due to typical business activities during the week, the best days to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays and Thursdays. The best time frames for scheduling LinkedIn posts are between 5-6:30 AM and 3-5 PM (Pacific). If you are using Google+, posts scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, between 7-9 AM are the most effective.

Regardless of what time frame you have decided to work with, and no matter how many social media outlets you wish to give a try, being on social media is rewarding. If you are on many different outlets and find the idea of managing them within a time frame overwhelming there are a couple of options for you. Assign a staff member (or pay your child) to perform this duty for you. Alternatively, schedule alarms on your cell phone to remind you to post on specific days. When you get very busy, there are numerous online services that allow you to schedule posts for automatic publication well in advance.

The way you use social media will vary depending on the medium (Instagram, etc.) and the kind of product, service or campaign you are currently working on, and the type of person you are trying to reach. Consider what time your target audience is online, how old they are, what they are doing when they are online, how long they are online and when they have the most interest or curiosity happening. Perhaps a customer survey can help you determine this.

By doing these suggested activities you’ll notice less time is spent on social media, and your activities are much more effective. For more business advice check out the Brummets’ book: Purple Snowflake Marketing, which provides valuable business advice for any service, product or book you write.

How the Internet Affects Traditional Media

Traditional Publishing, REST IN PEACE

This is the headline that greets you when you land on a web page erected as a memorial to commemorate the decline of Traditional Media. A photograph of a man who seems to be in distress and who’s possibly just lost his job accompanies this headline. If this does not paint a bleak picture, go on to read the 548 headlines that all sing to the same tune as the following:

Bad Times: NYT Says Revenue Fell 13.9% Last Month
– Forbes.com
Men’s monthly magazine Arena to cease printing after 22 years
– Guardian.co.uk
Cosmopolitan UK publisher to cut 100 jobs
– Guardian.co.uk

There’s even a website entitled Newspaper Death Watch that chronicles all the publishing and newspaper houses that close down. All rather morbid wouldn’t you say?

The Deadly Spell

Let’s take a quick look at Traditional Media and how the Internet cast it’s deadly spell.

Back in the old days, we’re talking 500 years ago; Gutenberg revolutionized the printing industry by inventing the printing press. This meant bibles could be produced at a fraction the time it used to. This also meant more copies in a shorter time and the Word of God got further reach in a shorter time. Newspaper houses and Magazine publishers still use a printing press today (well thank you captain obvious).

Much later, shortly after the advent of electricity, the world was blessed with another few media breakthroughs, namely radio then a few years later, television. Marketers and Advertising agencies had it all figured out as they devised Integrated Marketing Campaigns with astronomical budgets. Ah, the good old days. Well, much to the dismay of many of these agencies, this media landscape started to change.

Behold! Enter The WWW

At first a website was seen as a cute way to put your company brochure online and on top of that the disastrous dot bomb era created skepticism that labeled the Internet as a bad media and business channel.

Fortunately, since then the Internet has matured. Now, in countries where broadband has achieved high levels of household penetration, the web has become the consumer medium of choice.

Why? Because people can do research, shop online, watch videos and connect with friends all in the comfort of their own homes. People can choose what media they want to consume, where and when they choose too, especially with mobile connectivity. Marketers can no longer dictate what advertising messages people get subjected too.

Social Media, The New Black

Then there is the phenomenon of Social Media. It changed the media landscape forever. Social Media websites have allowed consumers to connect with friends, family, colleagues and peers in ways that were never imaginable a few decades ago.

Technology has empowered the consumer to become the Prosumer. Prosumers are consumers who produce content such as videos, photos and blogs that can be instantly distributed and shared amongst millions of people via social media platforms. This is also known as user-generated content or UCG.

Here is an interesting bit of trivia about the reach of Traditional Media vs. the Internet and Social Media.

Years it took to reach a market audience of 50 Million:

Radio – 38 Years
TV – 13 Years
The Internet – 4 Years
The iPod – 3 Years
Facebook – 2 Years

So How Does The Internet Affect Traditional Media?

The Internet has decreased the need for Traditional Media because it enabled consumers to join social societies within their neighborhoods, across their countries and internationally. It has empowered them to converse at their leisure, 24/7, with friends.

Considering all that’s been said, the demise of Traditional Media can largely be attributed to the following factors:

Decline in readership: The distribution of free news and information on the web has led to the decline in readership for traditional publications.
Decline in revenues: The decline in readership means advertisers will spend their money elsewhere and this leads to a decline in ad revenue.
Real-time updates: Traditional Media can’t compete with instantly updated user-generated content that’s immediately available for the world to see.
The rise of UGC websites: People have the freedom of unlimited real time commentary on content while Traditional Media is static and is a one-way communication tool.
Online Audio/Video channels: People can choose what they want to watch and listen, when they want to and where without any advertising interrupting their experience.

Simply put. The Internet has revolutionized the way things get done today. It has revolutionized the way we do business, the way we communicate and has broken down the walls of Traditional Media.

A recent example is the decision by Unilever UK to fire Lowe, their Ad agency of 15 years, in favor of crowdsourcing – which means it has thrown the brand creative pitch open to agencies and basically any person who can think of an idea, worldwide. This is done on the Internet of course.

Traditional Media will still be around for a while, but the Internet is getting more and more integrated into our daily lives.

Think about this. You could do without the Mail & Guardian or the MensHealth Mag for quite some time, perhaps live quite happily without it? But you just dare cut that ADSL connection…

Benefits of Mass Media For a Business

Over the past 15 years, mass media has changed dramatically. Improvements in applications, technologies, changes in consumer needs and an explosion of new media platforms have all played a part in this unprecedented evolution.

Now one can flip back and forth between several websites on the World Wide Web, 24-hour cable channels and even radio programs to stay connected to business news. Access to products and services on the Internet is no more a complicated issue in today’s “informed” times. These changes in the business end of media marketing are just some of many factors that have altered the way media is now managed, reported and used.

Today, business communications are not immune from the appeal of mass media. Many businesses have already benefited from this kind of marketing. If you want your business to create a niche on the web map, it is advisable to go for thoughtfully planned media endeavors. It is always good to remember that communications work is not merely a way to advertise products or services for a business in the media or before the general public – it can also help a business to reach its programmatic goals without any hiccups. Such an awareness campaign can help attain good results when it comes to engaging the public. Giving importance to appealing web designs templates and web development sites can prove to be an excellent option for a business in the long run.

In addition to such awareness campaigns, social networking sites and Weblogs (blogs for short) can prove to be excellent options for a business interested in creating awareness about itself, its products and services. This is mainly because modern day customers spend a lot of their time on these web mediums.

To stay close to optimum marketing benefits, a business must always offer itself as a resource, ready and full of clear, precise and unambiguous information when going for small business website development. Moreover, this information must be relevant to the goals and vision of the business.

It is important to note that dedicated commitment and strategic thinking are required to make the most of mass media campaigns. If you really want your business to move ahead of competition then patience and thoughtful planning are the best virtues before expecting any long-term results.

The Changing Role of Media Planners and Media Buyers

Media planners and media buyers don’t just focus on radio, television, magazines, billboards or newspapers anymore. In fact, with a few exceptions, magazines and newspapers are becoming obsolete. There’s a host of new options available to advertisers, and professional media planners and buyers must stay on the cutting edge of an ever-changing media landscape. Expertise and business connections can be leveraged to not only stay abreast of technology, but to also get prime placement and the best rates.

Over the past several years, newer forms of media have emerged on the scene, including satellite television, cable television, satellite radio and digital (or online) media. Digital/online media may include social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, email blasts, search engine marketing, referral linking campaigns, web portals, YouTube video ads, banner ads, interactive games and more.

As technology moves at the speed of light, when it comes to media planning and buying, the saying “You snooze, you lose” has never been more relevant. However, with so many choices, there’s never been a better time for a media planner or buyer to be able to truly target the right audience with the right advertising medium(s). If the budget allows, most media planners and media buyers will strive for a balanced “media mix” in which all forms of advertising work harmoniously to achieve optimal results.

Where traditional media is concerned, television still remains among the top choices for most advertisers, depending on their target audience and needs. Why? Because it works. When a media buyer is looking for “reach,” (targeting as many people as possible at one time), television can’t be beat for certain audiences. That’s especially true when you want to reach your target market with particular dayparts (certain multiple hours of day) and/or specific programming. People will always watch television, although it is becoming more and more difficult to hold the attention of a younger audience who is texting, tweeting and viewing their favorite show at the same time.

Radio can also be a highly effective traditional form of media, depending on how it’s utilized and what clients are selling. Radio is considered a “frequency” medium (targeting a specific demographic as many times as possible). Often radio will be used as a supplement to television, but not always. What can really enhance radio’s effectiveness is endorsements by on-air personalities, which holds especially true for sports and talk show personalities, who tend to have much more of a loyal following than the average DJ.

Savvy media planners and buyers must thoroughly understand each client’s target demographic, and determine the best media mix to achieve both maximum brand awareness and increased sales. They will then develop a strategic media buying plan based on several factors to ensure the client receives a maximum ROI. Most importantly, they will negotiate the actual media buy based on the particular medium’s standard measurement of audience. For example, with television, that measurement can be determined by CMP (cost per thousand), CPP (cost per point), etc. The ultimate goal is not to just reach the masses, but to reach the as many people who comprise the client’s target market as possible, as many times as possible, for as the best price possible.

While the media landscape is changing and evolving, some of the traditional methods of advertising are still bringing in fantastic results. Media planners and media buyers must not only keep the traditional methods in mind, they also have to stay on the cutting-edge and keep their client’s goals in the forefront of their minds to succeed.

Digital Media Vs Traditional Media – A Comparative Analysis

It is beyond doubt that social and digital media are significantly impacting consumer behavior. With the growth of the Internet, companies have realized the need to strengthen their online presence and, therefore, are spending ample amount of resources in digital marketing.

While earlier, advertising was primarily limited to newspapers, radio and television, today it has gone beyond them. Both the traditional and digital media have their own unique aspects. This article will offer a comparative analysis of both these media.

Reach

No doubt, advertising campaigns through traditional media reach a large chunk of the population. However, the message reaches an even larger number of people through online media. The Internet helps to reach a range of people within a short span of time. While traditional marketing is limited only to a particular geography, online media knows no barrier.

Cost

Digital media cuts costs significantly. Television, radio and newspaper ads are expensive. The price depends on the slot and space chosen. Using the digital platform is helpful for small firms who are tight on budget.

Media monitoring

Media monitoring is simpler in online media than traditional media. Companies can see and measure in real-time the effectiveness of their campaign and plan further activities. However, in case of traditional media real-time media monitoring is a tough task.

Dialogues and Monologues

Marketing through digital media allow dialogues between companies and clients. Through social media, clients can discuss their products and services online in real-time. Communication flows just one way in traditional media and this can lead to confusions and problems. However, in digital media communication flows both ways.

Engagement

Engagement is much higher in the digital platform.Through digital marketing, companies can encourage customers to visit their websites and test their products and services. Customers can also interact with company representatives and know more about the product. Call to action is easier through digital media as compared to traditional media.

However, it will be wrong to say that traditional marketing is dead. There are still many parts of the world, where the Internet is yet to reach and people are yet to be computer-friendly. In such cases, traditional media play a very important role in conveying the message.

Nevertheless, with time digital marketing is giving a stiff competition to traditional marketing. Digital marketing trends have changed the rules of the game and more and more companies are consolidating their online presence to stay competitive in the market.