Category: Social Media Marketing

How to Turn Customer Reviews into Solid Marketing Content

If you have raving fans, it’s great to let potential leads know it! Customers take online reviews seriously, and the role it plays in consumer decisions continues to increase. Research from BrightLocal shows just how seriously potential customers take online reviews. 84% percent of buyers give online reviews the same weight in decision making as personal referrals.

Online reviews are now starting to eclipse referral-based business. as Northwestern University finds that consumers are 270% more likely to buy a product or service with 5 positive reviews than a product or service with no reviews. That’s hugely significant! In order to harness the power of these reviews, use them in your marketing efforts to increase consumer trust and boost sales.

Use Customer Reviews To Enhance Your Website SEO

There are a few ways to do this. The first is simply to embed the code for Google Reviews in your website so that Google Reviews. This is a good option if the majority of your reviews are positive. Google’s search engine algorithm will recognize the embedded rating system and is likely to rank your site more highly as a result.

The second way to utilize customer reviews is to include them on your website, either by using parts of the review text directly or by including graphics of the positive reviews on your site. (Don’t forget to change the alt text on these images so that they’re search-engine friendly) Google and Yelp hold a high trust cache with consumers, and citing positive reviews can help your brand leverage that trust.

Use Customer Reviews on Social Media

You may also have the advantage of. Keep an eye on videos or posts that tag your brand. If you have a social media manager, have them proactively research any posts where your product or service is tagged. They can use tools like BuzzSumo or Mention to help with this. If they come across a positive review, have your team DM the content creator to ask if the review can be used in marketing materials.

Some reviewers are happy to offer their thoughts gratis, while others work as part or full-time product influencers. Both types of social media reviews can be helpful to weave into your marketing strategy. Screenshots and re-posts of positive reviews can build brand awareness on multiple platforms.

Let Negative Reviews Spur Institutional Changes

Online reviews through Yelp and Google provide business owners with what they say they want most: anonymous feedback close to the point of sale. But business owners are also human, and harsh or negative reviews can leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth. After you take some time to feel frustrated, see if you can find the kernel of truth in their words. The frustration may be about an inefficient process, an unhelpful team member, or a product flaw.

Rather than stew in frustration, take specific actions to address the issue. However, don’t revamp your entire process over one negative review. Reflect and ask your employees if they’ve also seen evidence of what the review mentions. If it comes up several times, it may be time to analyze and address a potential pain point.

Be Proactive about Interacting With Reviews

If you don’t have a Google My Business account or haven’t updated the account you have, you could be missing out on major opportunities to shape how your brand is perceived. One of these ways is by interacting with online reviews. Brands that interact with customers on Google cultivate a reputation for being proactive and conscientious. Plus, interacting with reviews often can allow you to pinpoint and identify possible customer needs or frustrations before they go viral.

In the world of online reviews, negative feedback begets negative feedback. It shouldn’t go unaddressed, or you may see more of it. Instead, if you see a review that’s unfair or lacking context, you can provide that in your response to an online review. You can also offer to make it right, which goes a long way in securing customer loyalty. It says to potential buyers, “Even if we make a mistake, we will correct our error.”

Need Help Utilizing Your Positive Reviews?

Our strategic, full-service marketing team can help you plan and deploy an innovative marketing approach to court customers and build brand loyalty. Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation. Our team is happy to sit down with you to discuss your marketing goals and how we can help you achieve each and every one of them.

B2B Companies: How to Get the Most Out of Your LinkedIn Presence

Are you struggling to get engagement or reach on LinkedIn?

Social media strategies aren’t what they once were. The formula for success is no longer simply “post more often,” or “interact with your content,” which we’re sure you’ve heard countless times. Especially for B2B companies, social media is a different animal—it doesn’t play by the same rules as its B2C counterparts. Not to worry, though. With a well-planned LinkedIn strategy, you can increase your following, engagement, brand awareness, and even encourage teamwork among your employees.

Here’s what you’ll need to get the most out of your LinkedIn presence:

A current and engaging business page
Digestible content that speaks to your audience’s pain points
Diligent and proactive engagement with your audience
An employee-centric content and engagement strategy
A budget for strategic paid ads

How to Get the Most Out of Your LinkedIn Presence

1. A Current and Engaging Business Page

When was the last time you revisited your LinkedIn business page? Chances are, a lot has happened in your business since you first created the page. On top of that, standards for what makes a good business page have changed. Review your page to ensure that all your information is up to date.

You may also consider switching up your “About” content to speak directly to your audience. Rather than a simple description of what your business does, capture your audience’s attention by telling them how you can solve their problem specifically. Tell them who you help, what you do, and what your differentiators are. This allows your audience to quickly identify that you’re the right fit.

Tip: LinkedIn only shows the first two lines of your description without the user having to click to read more. Make those two sentences count!

2. Digestible Content that Speaks to Your Audience’s Pain Points

This is always the tricky one, right? Engaging your audience through eye-catching content. You must find a way to speak to your audience’s needs, while also giving them content that they can quickly digest. That may include graphics, original blog content, thoughtful insights, or shared content from other reputable sources. Try to create (or find and share) content that your audience can learn something from very quickly as they scroll through their feed.

Tip: Always tag any relevant people or businesses in your posts. Also, make good use of your hashtags to help users find your content.

3. Diligent and Proactive Engagement with Your Audience

We know you’re busy and have very little time to watch over your social accounts. But, engagement is one of the most important elements of your LinkedIn strategy. Ensure that you always answer comments or proactively engage your audience in conversation by asking a question in the first comment on your post. To further encourage engagement, you may also consider tagging someone in the comment who you feel may have particularly good insight on the subject.

Tip: Set a calendar reminder to help you remember to check your LinkedIn and engage at least twice per day.

4. An Employee-Centric Content and Engagement Strategy

Involving your employees is a great way to build teamwork, making your team feel more connected to your audience and to each other. Here are a few of the ways you can encourage your team’s help with your LinkedIn strategy:

Request that each team member spends ten minutes per day engaging on LinkedIn
Tag team members in content they helped create or contributed to
Create branded cover photos for your team’s profiles
Share content congratulating team members on their accomplishments
Tag team members to ask insightful questions

Tip: Ask team members to create content of their own that they would be proud to share with their LinkedIn connections.

5. A Budget for Strategic Paid Ads

Organic reach is always the goal, but in today’s social media environment, you often have to pay to play. Consider your business’s primary goals, and set a budget for each that you can use for paid LinkedIn ads. If that’s hiring, for example, you may boost a job advertisement. If it’s brand awareness, you may put your money behind case studies. Whatever you choose, make sure that your ad spend correlates with your team’s goals.

Tip: To get the most out of your ad spend, you may prefer to hire someone to help you with this area of your strategy.

Ready to Build a Lead-Generating LinkedIn Strategy?

Your LinkedIn content has the power to paint a picture for your clients, prospective employees, and anyone coming in contact with your brand. Let’s make it count. Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation. Our team is happy to sit down with you to discuss your goals and how we can help you achieve each and every one of them.

Should Your Business Be on Every Social Media Platform?

Quality over quantity. It’s a phrase that’s said so often that it sometimes loses its meaning. However, the reason that it’s said so often is that it’s overwhelmingly true. As it does in every area of marketing, quality over quantity applies to social media, too. So, in short, no. Your business should not be on every social media platform. This is always good news to businesses trying to juggle upwards of three platforms at once, seeing lackluster results across the board. The key is to focus on the platforms that give you the most return so that you aren’t wasting precious resources. So, how do you decide which platforms to put your effort towards? We have a few tips to guide you.

How to Identify Which Social Media Platforms to Use

1. Identify where your customers are spending their time.

Depending on your product or service, it’s likely that your customers are using one platform more than another. Many marketers find that this could largely depend on the customer’s age. For example, for brands marketing to the younger generations, it’s reported that 73% of Gen Z prefers that brands reach them through Instagram. On the other hand, 78% of Baby Boomers reportedly prefer interacting with the brands they like on Facebook. You may also consider your customers’ interests and professions when identifying which platforms they frequent. Identifying the social platform that will provide you with the most exposure to your audience is the most important part of this tactic and will be a great foundation for building your social strategy. Here are a few simple ways to help point you in the right direction:

Poll your customers in a review survey to see how they found you.
Ask customers as you interact with them.
Review your metrics across the platforms that you’re using.

2. Determine what kind of content you have to share.

The types of content that you create may heavily influence the platform that you choose. Each site has its niche, and if you go against that niche, you may not see the engagement you’d like. Take Instagram, for example. To be successful on that platform, you must have eye-catching photography or video content with thoughtful captions. On the other hand, LinkedIn relies more on informational content, such as videos, slides, and articles. So, before you begin sharing, consider where the content you already have would make the most impact.

3. Consider which platform you have the most experience with.

Your level of comfort factors into this decision as well. If you use a particular platform most often, you know what the trends and expectations are for that site already. If you find that your audience isn’t on this site, enlist the help of a social media marketer or a marketing agency to curate and post your content.

4. Analyze your metrics across your current platforms.

The numbers don’t lie. Take a look at your metrics on each platform to see which is performing the best. This is a great way to identify where your return on investment is the highest. Once you’ve chosen the best performing site for your brand, begin building a social media strategy that addresses the types of content you will share and the goals you want to reach. Don’t forget to include paid advertising as part of your strategy! This can help you ensure that your audience sees your most important content.

Do You Need a Strategic Social Media Plan?

If you feel like you aren’t getting the return you’d hoped for on social media, consider partnering with a marketing agency to create a strategic plan. We can help! Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation.

B2B Marketers: Is Facebook Worth Your Time?

Are you ever disappointed by your Facebook reach?

You’re not alone. Brand pages often see dips in engagement for a variety of reasons, but one in particular: Facebook wants you to pay to play. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. 98% of Facebook’s revenue is generated by ads. And, unsurprisingly, the average reach of an organic post (without paying for an ad) is a sad 5.2%. It’s quite simple: the more you see the need for a Facebook ad—because you’re not getting satisfactory reach—the more money Facebook makes.

So, should you quit Facebook? Not necessarily. But, you do want to be sure that you’re using your marketing dollars effectively. Here are a few ways to make sure that Facebook is worth your time.

Consider Whether Your Decision Makers are On Facebook

First and foremost, you want your Facebook presence to be noticed by not only your target audience, but the decision makers in that audience. Often, for B2B marketers, their audiences are more present on LinkedIn than they are on Facebook; however, this will be specific to you. After all, no one knows your business and your customers better than you.

Strategically Think About the Content Your Facebook Audience Wants

Here’s a thought: perhaps Facebook isn’t where you make the sale. Rather, this could be a place where you plant the seed, promoting brand awareness and developing other parts of your business. What we mean, is that instead of a post about your services, you might instead promote your business’s podcast, newsletter, or other helpful tools. If you choose to use Facebook as a marketing tool, it’s vital that you use it strategically.

Make Sure that You Have Time to Engage

Facebook, like any social media, is a “get what you give” kind of platform. The more (well-planned) content you place on your newsfeed, and the more you interact with your audience and promote your Facebook page, the more likely it is that your reach will grow. A set-it-and-forget-it approach will likely leave you feeling like you’re creating content for no one to see.

If It Isn’t Working, Try Something New

Did anyone ever tell you to not be a “quitter”? We won’t be those people. If a tactic isn’t working for you, there is a very good chance that the platform may not be for you. The last thing you want is a drain that sucks your energy and time without giving you the return on investment you need. Try connecting with a marketing partner to discuss your social media strategy. There is a chance that other platforms will better serve you. Or, you might have new options for the direction of your Facebook page.

It’s Not Just You

Facebook is difficult for other B2B companies, too. We can help. Are you looking to boost your online presence? Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation.

Should You Use LinkedIn as a Marketing Tool?

LinkedIn, like any social media platform, can be a fantastic marketing tool. The success of your tactics on this platform is, however, dependent on two things: the audience you’re trying to reach and the approach that you take in connecting with that audience. In this article, we’ll explain why LinkedIn can be a robust marketing tool and how to know if it’s right for your company.

You should use LinkedIn as a marketing tool if…

1. Your target audience uses LinkedIn.

Before you build out your LinkedIn strategy, consider if your audience is active on this platform. The last thing you want to do is spend your precious time on something that the right people will never see. So, ask yourself if your audience is on LinkedIn daily, or at least a few times a week. If the answer is yes, then begin building. If the answer is no, identify which social media platform may be a better fit for your business and a better use of your energy. You might be wondering what the typical LinkedIn audience looks like. LinkedIn users are usually professionals of all ages, from newly-graduated college students to c-suite executives. This audience is looking to build their personal or business success in some way by building their LinkedIn network and making a name for themselves. Knowing this, here are a few audiences you might reach on LinkedIn:

Executives who are looking for resources, advice, and tools to help their businesses scale or become stronger
Companies like yours that are using LinkedIn to build a strong online presence
Job seekers who are looking for the right position to begin or advance their career
Individuals who want to make professional connections and learn more about their industry

2. You want to build relationships with individual members of your audience.

LinkedIn is more focused on individuals than it is on companies. As such, it’s a wonderful tool to help you build meaningful connections with others in your industry, as well as prospective customers or job candidates. Those LinkedIn members often have something to teach us, and we can learn about them in the process. By building these connections, you can identify who might be a good fit to join your company’s team or who might find great success using your product or service. This approach can help you identify specific targets and give your recruiting or sales team a head start.

3. You want to be viewed as a thought leader in your industry.

When you maintain an active LinkedIn profile, you build your position as a thought leader within your industry. Over time, your followers will see you as the go-to person when they want to learn more about your area of expertise. This approach elevates your personal and company brand while educating those around you. You likely will not notice an immediate return from this part of the tactic, but it’s well worth the long-term return on investment.

4. You are growing your team and are searching for a new hire.

Over the years, LinkedIn has grown to be a robust hiring platform. Companies have an advantage when hiring via LinkedIn because, once the applications begin rolling in, they can view the applicants’ profiles. At a glance, you can see their personal description, work history, endorsements, and more. You can then reach out to the candidates who align with your position criteria and start discussing the specifics and next steps. This platform makes it easy to keep track of applications and where they are in the process.

5. You’re prepared to engage with others’ content, not just your own.

When using LinkedIn to accomplish your business goals, it’s important that you’re prepared to engage with others’ content, too, and not just your own. Remember that you’re opening yourself and your company up to relationship building. When you’re sending out content and taking a hands-off or auto-pilot approach, you may not see the results you were hoping for. Pro tip: To engage on a deeper level with your audience, search LinkedIn for industry groups to join that align with your company and audience interests.

Best Practices for LinkedIn

Your LinkedIn presence can achieve several of your business goals if you approach it in a strategic way. To get the most out of your efforts, it’s crucial that you keep your profile up to date and be active in posting and sharing industry-relevant content. The more active you are—with meaningful, relevant content—the faster you can build your presence and reach your target audience. Be careful not to share content for no reason or to give generic responses to others’ content. Your audience can sense your authenticity, and they will appreciate you for putting in the time to interact. Ready to build and strengthen your online presence? Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation.