Four Options to Track the ROI of Social Media Campaigns

Using social media to increase your business or website’s exposure is increasingly becoming both a mainstay and an affordable solution in the online world. While there are many experts who take opposing views on whether or not social media can actually generate a return on investment, many agree that targeted exposure is never bad for business – assuming your marketing is well-developed and adequately presented. For those wishing to monitor the number of clicks, conversions, likes, retweets and any other metrics by which many experts measure social media profitability, this article will help point you in the right direction.

Actionly

Offering a premium yet affordable solution for monitoring return on investment, Actionly is pinging a websiteor social media’s metrics to display them in a very customizable, yet easy-to-digest fashion. Through this, you can view what others are saying about your business or website across all of your social media hubs, while also keeping track of search buzz for your selected products, services or search queries. Clicks, likes, retweets and visits are all also easily displayed in spreadsheet form and can be downloaded at will. Actionly’s services cost $20 per month for an individual plan and $50 per month for a business plan.

KISSmetrics

This company is a very popular solution and was at the forefront of providing a solid option for monitoring ROI via social media. Offering a 14-day free trial, KISSmetrics allows you to monitor every single interaction a user has with your brand – whether it be on your website or via social media. The code can be injected into various languages for monitoring, including SQL, PHP, Ruby, Python, Java and many more. Revenue is displayed in clear form in the user interface, along with all key metrics needed to determine your success rate. KISSmetrics is probably out of reach of budding entrepreneurs, with the most affordable plan costing $99 per month.

Adobe Marketing Cloud

For the high-end option, we have Adobe Marketing Cloud (more specifically, Adobe Social), which is the end-all, be-all monitoring for return on investment via social media. You will have to contact Adobe personally to obtain a quote, but the general consensus is that social media monitoring by Adobe will cost around $3000 per month – a staggering sum for virtually anyone who is running a small business or series of websites. Still, many highly satisfied customers have bragged about the effectiveness of this platform and the added benefits the price tag brings.

Do It Yourself

If all of these options seem either too pricey or you are just starting out and do not have much revenue to spare, then there is no reason why all of this information cannot be gathered manually and compiled into a bigger picture. By using individual metrics easily obtained from each social network, analytics installed to always be pinging your website statistics and manually keeping tabs on trending searches, you can create a similar picture that will help you monitor your progress until you are able to afford a better, more automatic solution for monitoring ROI.

Three Things You Must Do When Marketing Content

Many of us dread having to constantly come up with new content for our blogs, websites and other forms of online content venues. The thought of having to churn out page after page of material can seem very overwhelming if you are not used to the premise – and even if you are, it can still be an arduous task. For those who are not seeing benefits in their content marketing, it may be due to the type of content or simply the way in which it is being marketed and distributed. Whatever the reason, many wish to put in the bare minimum when it comes to creating content. We will discuss the three main tenets any content creator needs to adhere to in order to meet the essential elements of successful content marketing.

Adopt A Schedule

Regardless of whether you are pinging your blog, website or social media hourly, daily or weekly, consistency and a reliable schedule is important for both yourself and your readers. If visitors know when you usually post new content, then they will be more likely to return to your blog around that time in order to see if there is anything new. When you publish content at random intervals, it makes it difficult for readers to follow your content – especially if you go days or even weeks between updates. Search engines also like consistent updates, preferably as often as possible.

Use Conversion Tactics

There may be many people already reading your content but not engaging with your site and social networks. How can this be rectified? Some sites use algorithms that determine whether or not someone is engaged with the blog or website based on cookies and other observations that indicate they frequent the area in question. By displaying pop-ups or overlays to these visitors when they are reading an article, asking them to either like your social networks or provide an email address for updates, these content hubs can connect to their readers in ways that may be overlooked by some content marketers.

Collect Information

Your readers may or may not be willing to provide you their personal information such as email address, but you should always be asking for it. Many successful content marketers will tell you that while the percentage of traffic derived via email campaigns is not very high, the percentage of people who directly engage with content (sharing, commenting) is much, much higher. In some cases, a plurality of people pinging your blog with comments and shares will be through emails they received about various content you have published.

Conclusion

For those looking to do the bare minimum in regards to content creation, it needs to be understood that dedication is still a prerequisite. Those who successfully create consistent, high-quality content and develop their sites to be receptive and engaging with its readers will have a much easier time luring in new readers, subscribers and conversions. By collecting as much information as possible while providing an equivalent value in exchange, content marketers will realize their dreams of having a fruitful, productive endeavour.

Is Instagram a Good Marketing Platform for Businesses?

Just a little over two years ago, Instagram first launched its platform for sharing and customising any photos by its users. In a relatively short period of time, Instagram has grown into a phenomenal enterprise, boasting over 100 million users worldwide. As its growth continues, Instagram implemented the ability for individuals and businesses alike to have personal profiles, allowing them to showcase their photos and inject new life into their online sharing and marketing. For those small businesses considering the use of Instagram, the following article will provide some tips and information to help you make a better decision as to how to use the platform.
Setting Up Your Profile
The first thing you will want to do in order to gain more exposure and marketing potential is to create an Instagram web profile. These have not been around too long as of yet, so chances are you will be able to grab your very own unique URL (instagram.com/yourname) without having to continue pinging list after list of ideas in order to get the best address. There is also currently a limited array of customisation options for your profile, so feel free to tinker around and come up with the best layout situation for your business’ Instagram hub.

Share Across Platforms
Using Instagram’s badge system, you can easily share your Instagram profile on your website or through any other social media outlet without any hassle. This simple action can dramatically increase the amount of exposure you will gain for your Instagram profile, as many people are naturally drawn to Instagram profiles due to the aesthetic appeal that often comes with them. It is your duty, however, to turn this normally aesthetic element of the web into something more substantial. By taking pictures of your products and services and sharing with others, you can incorporate your brand directly into the artistic vibe of this platform.

Create Purposeful Posts
With any social networking platform, it often matters more in regards to what you post than how often you post. Sure, proactive updates can keep a steady stream of followers coming to your page, but without substance or promotion, your marketing efforts will not be realised. As mentioned prior, be sure to use Instagram’s visual prowess to showcase your business’ abilities and offerings. If each of your posts offers both an aesthetic element and valuable information, tips or discounts, then your readers will be more likely to return to your profile in search of said content in the future.

Build External Campaigns Around Instagram
You do not have to abandon traditional marketing efforts when using Instagram; instead, try incorporating your Instagram profile into various marketing attempts. Whether you are using a Call To Action or simply pinging lists of subscribers with an email about your new Instagram project, you can find plenty of ways in which Instagram can be marketed directly or indirectly to your readers and followers. There really is no limit as to what you can use to promote your Instagram hub, so be creative and use it as a tool to build stronger relationships with potential customers in the future.