Archive for the ‘Social Marketing’ Category

What is Social Media Marketing? – About.com Tech

Social media marketing is the process of marketing through social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. By utilizing the social aspect of the web, social media marketing is able to connect and interact on a much more personalized and dynamic level than through traditional marketing.

A social media marketing strategy can be as simple as having a company blog, a Twitter account, or attaching "Digg This" and "Tweet This" tags to the end of articles.

It can also be as complicated as having a full campaign that encompasses blogs, Twitter, social networking and viral videos through YouTube.

The simplest form of social media marketing is to tag articles and blog entries for easy submission and voting on social news sites like Digg.

If you've ever come across a Digg vote counter or a Share This widget at the end of an article, you've seen this form of social media marketing in action.

This type of marketing can often be automated, so it is simple to implement. It can also be very effective for media companies, and can be a great way to promote a company blog.

In many respects, blogs can serve as an extension of traditional media. Much as review copies might be sent to traditional media outlets like newspapers and magazines, they can also be sent to popular blogs on the subject.

Blogs also offer the opportunity to put together 'virtual tours'. For example, many authors have gravitated towards having virtual book tours, which allows them to reach their fans without the travel expenses.

These virtual book tours can include author interviews and Q&A sessions as well as book reviews and book giveaways.

It has become increasingly important to have a presence on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. In addition to these popular social networks, there are also many specialized social networks that might be the perfect place to set up camp for specific products.

For example, a musician might set up a profile on Last.FM as well as MySpace, while a movie might be best promoted through Flixster in addition to Facebook.

Social networks not only give the marketer a place to get the word out, they also provide a place to interact with customers and allow customers to interact with each other. This can be a great starting point for the marketing to go viral and pick up a grassroots effort.

Twitter has picked up a lot of steam in the last year for being a great place for social media marketing. While Twitter has grown far beyond its microblogging roots, it is important to think of Twitter similar to a company blog. While the primary purpose is to get the word out, it is just as important to add a personal touch rather than relying on RSS feeds to deliver stale press releases or simply repeat the company blog.

In addition growing the amount of followers, Twitter can be particularly effective when interacting with customers and fans.

Some of the most effective social media marketing strategies center around YouTube and the viral video. While often more time-consuming and expensive, YouTube can easily become the centerpiece of a larger social media campaign.

Because of its social nature, YouTube can be a great way to interact with customers and get them involved with the marketing as well as the product. An excellent example of social media marketing on YouTube done well was Microsoft's response to the "I'm a Mac" commercials.

Rather than face Apple head on through commercials, Microsoft engaged in a viral "I'm a PC" marketing campaign that centered around customers uploading their own "I'm a PC" video responses. This type of customer interaction is at the core of what social media marketng is all about and is the cornerstone for building an effective strategy.

The more you interact with the customer, the more brand loyalty you build.

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What is Social Media Marketing? - About.com Tech

The Best Social Media Marketing Services of 2016

The internet is one of your most powerful tools when it comes to building name recognition and driving consumers to your business. Whether your company has a brick and mortar location, exclusively online or a combination of both, online marketing is essential to your success. One critical component of using the internet for advertising is effectively using social media to your advantage. Research shows that over 80% of internet users spend the majority of their time on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google Plus. While each social platform has basic tools to help you create an ad and promote your services, social media marketing services are specially designed to help you quickly pinpoint your audience, which social media they are accessing, critical SEO terms and the best placement of your marketing materials so you don't have to waste money through trial and error.

We reviewed several social media marketing services and narrowed it down to the top ten. We chose WebiMax, Ignite Social Media and Customer Magnetism as the top services in social media advertising. We've also included articles on social media to further help you promote your business using the internet.

Most social media marketing companies we reviewed list their clients and the success each has seen using that particular company. Most have some pretty big names from a variety of industries so you can gauge how successful your particular campaign may be, based on other industry leaders' success. Here are some additional points we made note of while reviewing the best social media marketing companies.

Profile Creation & Management Social media marketing services vary by the depth of the tools offered. Most take over your social media profiles and manage them for you. A few, including the top social media marketing company, help you create a business social medial profile from the beginning, then either hand the reins over to you or continue to manage it for you.

Most social media marketing services help you develop a marketing strategy, taking into account important demographics to define your target audience, best SEO and keywords to help snag high volumes of searches. The best services use geo-specific targeting so local customers that have the best likelihood of using your services are reached. In addition to creating an advertising strategy, look for a service that assists you in creating the content whether that is educational articles, infographics or video. It is also helpful if the service has experience in link building, connecting each of your social media profiles and company website together, which in turns help rank you high on search engine searches.

Performance Monitoring & Reports Creating a strategy and managing your campaign is an important part of a social media marketing company, but it is also important to monitor the success of the campaign and make adjustments as necessary. The best social media marketing services monitor your online reputation, making sure your brand is being viewed favorably and quickly jumping on any negative comments or reports. Additionally, these services should be able to provide you with plenty of data about the increased viewers and followers of each of your social media profiles.

Help & Support It is important with any business service to have access to the account manager or team that is assigned to your social media campaign. You want to be able to communicate your wishes but also have someone proactive in contacting you on a regular basis about the success of your social media promotions. Telephone and email support is available with all of the social media companies we reviewed. Some have the option of connecting with live chat or even Skype, ensuring you always have a way to contact your media team.

Most companies have blogs and articles that touch on some of the trends on social media. However, the best social media services offer training to you or your social media team so that you can eventually bring the management of your business profiles in house. Training materials include in-depth training articles, webinars and one-on-one training sessions.

Social media marketing is an important tool for growing your online image. It takes time and the right marketing company to make it work. Finding the best social media management service is becoming more and more essential, but choosing the right one can take your business to the next help and help you reach a new audience while retaining your current clientele.

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The Best Social Media Marketing Services of 2016

Social Marketing and Social Change | USF Graduate Certificate

Description

The Graduate Certificate in Social Marketing and Public Health is offered to graduate students and professionals who wish to develop the skills needed to develop, implement and evaluate social marketing programs. The certificate program emphasizes the translation of theory and knowledge into evidence-based practice.The University of South Florida, College of Public Health, has been a leader in social marketing in public health for over 10 years.

Each year, USF holds a Social Marketing and Public Health Field School and hosts an international conference in social marketing and health, which has drawn over 3,500 participants during the past 11 years.The University of South Florida also houses a CDC funded Prevention Research Center which is developing a community-based approach to social marketing.

The certificate program was developed to meet the training needs of graduate students and professionals with master's level training (minimally) in multiple disciplines, such as, public health, environmental protection, anthropology, social work, humanitarian engineering, and marketing.

This certificate is offered fully online.

1. Current enrollment, or 15 hours in a graduate program, OR 2. Bachelor's degree with a minimum of three years professional experience

Students who do not meet these requirements will be considered on a case-by-case basis per recommendation of the certificate advisor.

To learn about the application process, and to access the application, please review our application process.

None are required.

A total of 12 credit hours are required for completion of the Certificate.

PHC 6411 - Introduction to Social Marketing for Public Health (3 credits) PHC 6705- Formative Research Methods in Social Marketing (3 credits) PHC 6460 - Social Marketing Program Management (3 credits) PHC 6461 - Advanced Social Marketing Program (3 credits)

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Twelve (12) credit hours are required for completion of the Certificate. These courses may be applied to the Master's program at the discretion of the Certificate Director.

International students must submit a TOEFL score when English is not the native language. A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 79 on the web-based test is required.

Carol Bryant (813) 974-6686 send email

Jim Lindenberger 813-974-3603 send email

Michelle Hodge 813-974-6665 or 1-888-USF-COPH send email

Graduate Certificates 813-974-4926 send email

Department Website

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Social Marketing and Social Change | USF Graduate Certificate

Social Marketing Evidence Base : PSI

The Evidence That Social Marketing Works What is Social Marketing?

A strategy that uses marketing concepts product design, appropriate pricing, sales and distribution, and communications to influence behaviors that benefit individuals and communities for the greater good. Social marketing programs sell subsidized products through commercial sector outlets like pharmacies, distribute products for free, deliver health services through social franchises, and promote behaviors not dependent upon a product or service, like hand washing.

Download an infographic of The Social Marketing Evidence Base (PDF) | Spanish Version | French Version

Social marketing can make people healthier

Successful social marketing programs seek insight into their consumers and the market and target segments of the population most likely to change

Effective approaches, like condom social marketing and social franchising of health services, should be replicated and scaled up

More social marketing evaluations are needed to fill gaps in the evidence

In response to questions about the effectiveness of social marketing in global health, we systematically reviewed all literature published between 1995 and 2013 on social marketing for HIV, reproductive health, malaria, child survival, and tuberculosis in developing countries. After reviewing more than 6500 studies, we found 109 studies looking at whether social marketing makes people healthier. Here's what these studies tell us about what social marketing programs can achieve.

20 Studies: Increases in risk perception, knowledge, and self-efficacy about HIV/AIDS

10 Studies: Positive changes in social norms and attitudes about modern contraception and family planning

20 Studies: 18-40% increases in insecticide-treated bednet ownership. Free distribution may outperform social marketing in increasing coverage

21 Studies: Improvements in knowledge and attitudes about water treatment, zinc treatment, vitamin supplements, and food fortifications

18 Studies: Up to 100% increase in HIV condom use, 49% reduction in needle sharing, and increase in HIV testing. No effects for partner reduction

13 Studies: Up to 55% increase RH in modern contraceptive use. Improvements in service utilization and quality of care

21 Studies: 15-40% increases for infant use of bednets. 20-40% increases for other populations. Three studies on malaria treatment

28 Studies: Up to 25% increase in LD latrine use, 43% increase in chemically IVAL treating water. Increases in consumption of nutrient-rich and fortifed foods

1 Study: 64% increase in sputum smear testing

8 Studies: Reductions of up to 53% in HIV prevalence and 77% in STI prevalence, and 79% increase in STI cure rate

1 Study: No difference in unplanned pregnancy found between treatment and control

10 Studies: Reductions in parasitemia, anemia, and child mortality

11 Studies: 5% reduction in anemia, increases in serum retinol in women and children, statistically significant reduction in diarrhea

2 Studies: 50% increase in TB case notification rate and 52% increase in new cases of smear positive pulmonary TB

The Social Marketing Evidence Base is a resource that compiles evaluations of social marketing interventions by PSI, other NGOs, and academic institutions in the health areas where we work. To develop this resource, we completed these steps:

Read more about PSIs methodology for the Social Marketing Evidence Base (PDF)

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Social Marketing Evidence Base : PSI

Social Media Marketing Training for Startups – Udemy

Dan Martell skydives and snowboards and believes running is among the secrets to a fruitful life. But the 31-year-old Moncton, N.B., native insists business is his sport.

With a background in computer programming but no formal business training, Dans passion for technology and business has meant he has had a hand in launching several companies to date.

Dan has been described as not having a knowing-doing gap. At 25, and just 10 months into his 2004 start-up, Spheric Technologies Inc., the Canadian firm was landing so many deals south of the border that instead of seeking visa sponsorships for his traveling employees, he moved quickly to set up a U.S. office. Growing by an average of 152% per year, Spheric raked in three business awards before he sold the company in mid-2008.

An award winning Entrepreneur, Dan recently co-founded Flowtown, a social marketing platform focused on helping small businessesachievereal results in the world of social media. Now living in San Francisco, Martell spends the majority of his time looking at ways to build a bridge between Silicon Valley and New Brunswick. As an informal angel investor, he is active in advising entrepreneurs usingtheLean Startup approachto gain market adoption.

An avid reader who dreams of remaining a lifelong student, Dan invests in startups whose opportunities and ideas he can get excited about. His philosophy is to build companies that solve the business problems he faces. He takes risks in work and life and focuses on the journey over the reward. Martell is relentless in his work ethic if a job has to get done, hell do it right away.

Martell is a board member of Propel ICT and StartupWeekend, a startup advisor to YearOneLabs and500Startups. He is passionately involved in facilitating micro-lending to entrepreneurs in developing countries through the non-profit, Kiva.org.

Twitter:http://twitter.com/danmartell

Email: dan.martell [ at ] gmail [dot] com

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Social Media Marketing Training for Startups - Udemy