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Social Media Alert: Your Insurance Agent is Watching

July 29 2011  |   jonathan@sms  |  Blog  |  Comment

We all know that you must be careful with what you post on social networking websites. Don’t tweet about being at the beach when you’re supposed to be at work; don’t post a picture of a keg stand when you’re supposed to be at home sick. Now, social media users will need to exercise a little more caution before tweeting, updating, and posting. Why? Your insurance agent could be watching.

Insurance agents are now utilizing social media to detect policyholders’ risky behavior. Bennita Wade is one insurance agent that admits she uses Facebook and Twitter to monitor users’ posts. Wade says that this type of monitoring will save money for customers who don’t exhibit questionable behavior, while those who are deemed risky will have higher premiums.

Kentucky resident, Nathalie Blanchard, knows this all too well. Blanchard was put on long term disability insurance through her employer’s insurance, after claiming her anxiety and depression made working impossible. Her disability insurance was quickly terminated after the agent discovered posts about Blanchard climbing a mountain and pictures of the woman partying at a bar’s Chippendale’s event.

Social media brings many benefits—both personal and professional; however, it’s crucial to remember that once it’s posted, anyone can see it. Often, Facebook updates will change privacy settings, so it’s wise to check periodically to make sure you know who has access to your profile.

Source: Wave3 News

 

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4 Social Media Mistakes Made By Small & Medium-sized Businesses

July 27 2011  |   jonathan@sms  |  Blog  |  Comment

It is not uncommon for small or medium-sized business owners to become frustrated with their social media marketing campaigns. The important fact to keep in mind is social media is best suited for SMBs. Social media is about engaging with consumers and building relationships; small business owners can relate to their customers, which allows them to earn trust. The frustration SMB owners experience is often due to common mistakes that hurt the online presence; however, if understood, these mistakes can be avoided. Here are the 4 big social media mistakes SMBs make and tips on how to avoid them:

Lack of a unified presence

Have you ever been on a company’s Twitter page and became unsure if it was a legitimate profile? Did it lack branding? Consumers won’t follow a profile if they question its authenticity. They want to know the profile is a reliable source to obtain information. A unified presence builds trust; it makes a brand credible. A company’s Facebook should relate to it’s Twitter, which should relate to it’s YouTube—which relates to it’s main website.

No connection with customers

Social media platforms provide businesses with a number of ways to reach out to their consumers. For example, Twitter has an “advanced search” feature that allows users to search posted tweets for keywords, then filters the results based on zip code. A restaurant owner could search his general area for people talking about being hungry and reach out to them—inviting them to visit. The features are all there—it’s a matter of taking the time to utilize them.

Not using the tools

There are many social media tools out there that can help you manage your online profiles and even save time when composing updates. For example, an application like HootSuite allows users to update multiple accounts at the same time and even has the ability to schedule future updates. The use of these tools will allow SMB owners to do more in less time.

Not empowering employees

In many cases, employees are forbidden from using social media in the workplace; however, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Consumers want to hear from employees; they want to engage with them. In doing so, trust is developed and the company will benefit. Instead of blocking the websites, business owners should teach employees how to use social media and provide them with proper guidelines.

Source: Small Business Trends

 

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3 Myths About Social Media Marketing

July 25 2011  |   jonathan@sms  |  Blog  |  1 Comment

A growing number of businesses have turned to social media marketing to promote their brand; however, there are some companies not taking advantage of this promotion channel—the cause of this maybe the misconceptions that continue to linger in the corners of branding meetings. The following are three of the top social media marketing myths explained:

Social Media is Easy

Although it is true that Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have relatively easy interfaces, social media marketing requires an understanding of business, the brand, and the target market. To be successful with a social media campaign, customer engagement is key—and engagement involves more than the occasional tweet. That said, social media has proven to be a highly effective tool for facilitating brand awareness and developing a fan following.

Social Media Gives Immediate Results

With the immediate attention videos like Rebecca Black’s “Friday” and “David Goes to the Dentist” received, its easy to think that social media will always deliver immediate results; however, this is rarely the case. Though social media may result in a brand promotion going viral, that should not be the main objective. The social media campaign should be about acquiring a following—and that doesn’t happen overnight. Bottom-line, if you’re not hitting your goal after the first month, don’t terminate the campaign; however, you might want to consider optimizing your efforts.

The ROI Can’t Be Measured

The inability to measure a social media campaign’s return on investment is a myth that could certainly detour companies from investing time or funds into the cause; however, it’s false. The company must first establish the goals and objectives, and then the ROI can be measured in terms of comments, fans, revenue, leads, page visits, etc.

Source: Technorati

 

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The Benefits of Contests in a Marketing Campaign

July 22 2011  |   jonathan@sms  |  Blog  |  Comment

Everybody gets a little excited when presented with the opportunity to win something. With social media marketing, contests and sweepstakes are the perfect opportunity for companies to develop brand awareness and increase followers/likes on the brand’s social media profiles. Before promoting a new contest on your social media accounts, it is important to understand why this tactic can be beneficial. Here are the top four reasons:

1. Increasing Number of Fans

Contests have proved to be a great way to increase a brand’s number of Facebook likes and Twitter followers. It is not unheard of for a company to go from 50 to 1,000 likes or, in an extreme case, 15,000 to 30,000 likes. A contest that is relatively simple to enter is the best option for a brand without many followers or just starting off with social media contests.

2. Contests are Engaging

Social media platforms allow for companies to engage with consumers; however, marketing strategies like launching a contest deepens the connection. Contests that require user-generated content (photos or videos) tend to result in consumers becoming more emotionally invested in the brand.

3. Opportunity to Collect Data

With a prize on the mind, consumers will be more willing to share information with your company. The process of enrolling in the contest should remain simple; however, a few questions to better familiarize your brand with its fan base are always beneficial.

4. The Consumers Become the Promoters

If your company holds a contest that appeals to enough people, those people will be the ones spreading the word about the campaign. You will find an increased amount of traffic to your website if the contest involves voting—which will have the consumer urging friends and family to cast a vote on your brand’s website.

Source: Mashable

 

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Apple Releases OS X Lion

July 20 2011  |   jonathan@sms  |  Blog  |  Comment

Since the beginning of the summer, Apple users around the world have been waiting for today. This morning, Apple’s newest operating system, OS X Lion, became available on the Mac App Store.

The operating system has over 250 new features—including the ability to control on-screen content with your fingers and run applications in full screen mode.

This new addition to the Mac App Store comes just after Apple released information on their powerful fiscal third quarter—their revenue reached $28.57 billion, with a profit of $7.31 billion.

OS X Lion is available now as a $29.99, 3.49GB download for existing Mac users. If you don’t wish to download the software through the Mac App Store, Apple will make it available on a USB thumb drive next month for $69.

Source: CNET News

 

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