Thursday, January 17, 2013

Are Your Social Media Posts Timed for Impact?

In today's fast-paced social media space, timing can really count, yet we're betting most marketers are getting it wrong. A recent "BtoB" magazine article by Paul Gillin summarized research on social media content timing and came up with these surprise factoids: The best days to generate Facebook interaction for advertising, automotive, financial and telecommunications are Saturdays and Sundays, when many businesses are resting. Wednesday is the best day of the week for a single Facebook post, but most businesses post on Friday, one of the least responsive days. Facebook posts published at night between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. get 14% higher interaction, but the majority of brands post content during the workday. Time to change your social media strategy? For more research on effective social media content, see the full article at http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130109/SOCIAL/301099998/why-you-should-post-on-saturdays-and-other-fun-facts

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Blogs Can Boost Lead Gen With the Right CTAs

Looking to improve the lead generating potential of your business blog? Then you'll want to put some thought into the "call to action" (CTA) of each blog post. Maybe you touch a pain point that spurs contact with you as an expert, or maybe you have a relevant physical offer (such as a free download). A recent post on HubSpot's Inbound Internet Marketing Blog had some good tips on the thought process involved in picking the right CTA for each blog post. Of course, you start with a marketing basic: the target audience. Take into consideration your actual blog traffic metrics and your desired lead profile. Where are they likely to be in the sales funnel -- new visitor or loyal buyer? What is the target market segment (nonprofit fundraising or insurance sales, for example)? What is the knowledge level or position of your target lead? For more on crafting effective blog CTAs, see http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34005/How-to-Pick-the-Perfect-CTA-for-Every-Blog-Post.aspx