Three Reasons Marketers Should Be Happy Facebook Bought Instagram

The social media, startup and tech communities were united in a single topic of conversation (and in some cases, frustration) a couple of weeks ago, following the announcement that social networking juggernaut Facebook had purchased the photo-sharing mobile app Instagram . . . for the mind-boggling sum of $1 billion.

While some observers saw this as good news for both platforms, many responses to the sale were critical, hinging either on the sheer heft of the price tag or on concerns expressed by the passionate Instagram community. What would happen to the site’s functionality and data ownership going forward? (Remember: The Instagram community had only recently experienced other growing pains. Android users had just been welcomed into the fold with the release of a new Instagram app, creating a major uptick in their numbers.)

But if you’re a marketer using social channels to build your brand and business, this acquisition is actually very good news, and the benefits shouldn’t be overlooked in the midst of all the debate. As I see it, now that Facebook owns Instagram

Social media marketers just expanded their reach, with no extra effort.

Only Ten Percent of Fortune 250/Global 250 CIOs Are Social

You might think IT execs would be trailblazers when it comes to social media platforms and the business potential of online social networks.  But, that’s just not the case, according to a new study of Chief Information Officers conducted by harmon.ie, a company that specializes in cross-platform solutions for businesses.

Overall, the Fortune 250 and Global 250 CIOs in this survey scored surprisingly low when asked about their own social media use.  Although in positions charged with shaping and driving the technological goals of their corporations –including decisions on social media use for employee and customer communication, education and collaboration –nine out of 10 failed to demonstrate personal familiarity with existing social media platforms and their potential.

For example, two-thirds of the CIOs in this study either don’t have a LinkedIn account, or have one with fewer than a hundred connections.  If their IT leaders aren’t familiar with the territory, it is any wonder so many companies lag behind in developing social media strategies  for their marketing and business communications, or social media policies for their customers, vendors and employees?

Not every CIOs fared poorly, however.

The study also acknowledged the 25 most social CIOs –those who demonstrated the greatest hands-on experience with various social media tools and their strategic business use.  Ranking them with a formula that combined data from Alexa, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and SocialMention.com, CIOs from the following companies (some of which will come as no surprise) topped the list of social media stand outs:

How Marketers Can Take Advantage of LinkedIn’s New Targeted Updates and Follower Insights

Earlier this year, LinkedIn rolled out a “follow” button that allowed users to connect with a company with just one click. Now, LinkedIn is broadening its appeal to marketers, rolling out two new tools to help make the connections between businesses and followers more personalized and meaningful.

Targeted Updates

With LinkedIn’s new Targeted Updates, companies will be able to interact with their followers in a more effective and relevant way. In a nutshell, the new tool allows company page administrators to fine-tune how they share content.

Using Targeted Updates, content can be delivered to either “all followers” or to a specific “targeted audience,” and company page administrators can select those specific targeted audiences based on company size, industry, function, seniority or geography.

Adding even another level of refinement, LinkedIn also will provide impression and engagement metrics for the targeted post. This data will appear 24 hours after the content was shared, and from these results, marketers will be able to determine which content resonates . . . and which needs revision.

The goal of Targeted Updates is to increase engagement and brand loyalty –and it appears to work. According to LinkedIn, examples have shown a 66 percent increase in audience engagement as the result of targeted updates.

 Follower Statistics

Savvy marketers realize there’s tremendous value in tracking engagement metrics for social media fans and followers, and LinkedIn’s new Follower Statistics is designed to provide exactly that kind of detailed data.

The new Follower Insights dashboard provides follower demographics, as well as information about likes, shares, comments, total followers, number of new followers month-to-month, etc.

Seven Tips to Use LinkedIn for B2B Lead Generation

LinkedIn bills itself as the world’s largest professional network with more than 150 million members, including executives from every Fortune 500 company. With that kind of reach, LinkedIn is a B2B marketers dream. But what’s the best way to take advantage of all this social media platform has to offer? How can you use LinkedIn to put qualified leads into your pipeline?

Here are a few fundamental steps to make LinkedIn work for your B2B company:

Make sure your profile page/company page is up-to-date. This may sound like a no-brainer, but I’m always surprised to see how many marketers make the mistake of using the “fix it and forget it” approach. When customers and prospects visit your company’s LinkedIn page, they should learn what is happening at your organization now –not what was happening months ago.  Start with cleaning-up personnel mentions; obviously, your company page should only list current employees.  Next, you’ll also want to update descriptions of the services you offer, recent awards, recognitions, etc. The same goes for recommendations; keep those as current as possible, too. All the links included in your profile are clickable, so use this page to drive traffic to the company website, key articles, etc. Once you’ve finished this basic housekeeping, set a calendar reminder to repeat the process in a few months. By scheduling periodic revisions, you’ll maintain a profile that’s accurate and fresh.

Stimulate engagement with the content you publish.  Your company’s profile page is only the first level of engagement on LinkedIn. In order to start building meaningful relationships with prospects, you’ll have to start participating in LinkedIn Groups. Use LinkedIn’s new Group Search to help you find the topics you care most about. Join a few groups and start visiting them regularly. Once you’re comfortable with the format and a few of the contributors, begin adding to the conversations. Post compelling content. Respond to threads initiated by others. Start establishing a reputation as your company’s helpful specialist, the “go-to” person in your particular field. Just remember: You’re there to build relationships –not to sell. Don’t just talk about what your company has to offer. Be engaging and help solve problems.

Establish yourself as an expert. One of the easiest ways to develop credibility is to start answering LinkedIn questions.

Blogging for Lead Gen: Five Best Practices

Savvy business owners have been using blogging to generate new leads for their products and services for years now, and they’re reporting impressive results.

If your marketing goals include increasing qualified traffic to your website and gaining greater visibility with your target market, the benefits of blogging are clear—but maximizing this strategy takes more than typing up a few posts and hoping for the best!

Smart business blogging requires smart business blogging habits… and here are five tested-and-true tips to get you on the right track: