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Build Social Media Engagement With Video

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It’s safe to say that video has solidified itself as one of the dominant mediums on social media in recent years. In fact, nearly 5 billion videos are viewed daily on YouTube while 100 million hours of video are viewed on Facebook alone each day. This rise in popularity has left many marketers, and the businesses they serve, wondering how they can get their share of the viewership to build their social media engagement and increase conversions. Video is a much more digestible medium than text because it can be absorbed with little effort while complex ideas can be displayed in detail. This makes it perfect for a wide range of uses including entertainment videos, promotional videos, informational videos, how-to videos and much more. However, there are some considerations that should be taken into account when filming your video.

What is a Good Video Length for Social Media?

The length of the vide you share may have a direct impact on how well it is perceived by your audiences. In most cases, the best way to build social media engagement with video is to keep your video no longer than 1 minute and 30 seconds. This provides a quick experience that can stir conversation and detract from the continuing, infinite wall provided by Facebook that will encourage users to keep scrolling.

Videos Should Provide Value or Entertainment.

There are many different strategies that can be used to make your video successful on social media. However, it is recommended that you make your videos “episodic” to keep bringing your audience back for more. For even greater exposure, your video should be shared across multiple social media platforms and video platforms that link back to your website for added conversion support.

You Don’t Need Expensive Equipment for Video!

Some of the most shared videos on the internet were filmed with a smartphone. While you could invest tons of money into getting professional equipment, most businesses and individuals have found success using nothing more than their cell phone camera. If it’s not a spur of the moment video or live video, editing will often provide a higher-quality video.

Still Need Help Building Social Media Engagement?

If you are struggling with your social media content and outreach strategies, Skynet Solutions can help you succeed in this growing medium. Take control of your social media engagement to easily solidify your place in the social media realm! You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

The Benefits of Blogging for Small Business

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You would be hard-pressed to find a website topping the search results that doesn’t have a blog incorporated into their website design. Adding a blog portion to your website, and regularly updating it with relevant content, is one of the easiest ways to help build your company reputation and enhance your user experience. Here are some of the benefits of blogging for small businesses:

Increased Traffic

If your website consists of only a few pages that contain static information, it is likely that visitors won’t have much of a reason to keep returning. For this reason alone, having a blog incorporated into your website is an absolute necessity. Blogging also provides great content to utilize in social media posts to redirect traffic to your website.

Build Credibility

Blogging also provides small businesses the opportunity to build credibility in both their industry and with their potential customers. Regularly providing industry specific information and entertaining and groundbreaking blogs will ensure that you are a company others can trust. Establishing and nurturing this aspect of your marketing strategy can provide long-term success for your small business.

SEO Boost

Each blog you create becomes an indexed post on your website. By focusing on utilizing targeted keywords and phrases in each blog, you are nurturing your website SEO and improving your search engine ranking. Regularly providing fresh content that falls under these guidelines is one of the easiest ways to consistently boost your SEO.

Lead Conversion

Depending on what your desired goals are, blogging provides a way for businesses to provide a viable call to action. If you want to add more people to your mailer lists, make a call to action for that. Need more sales? Encourage sales at the end of your posts. Blogging provides information that potential customers are searching for with the opportunity to encourage the conversion.

Still Need Help With Blogging?

At Skynet Solutions, we understand the power incorporating a blog into your marketing strategy has. We write and post SEO ready content and blogs for our clients so they can focus on providing the best products and services possible. If you are interested in our affordable content writing services, you can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Basic Marketing Strategies Small Businesses Can Implement Today

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As a small business owner, diving into your own marketing strategies can seem a bit daunting. Knowing the proper ways to start promoting your business without breaking the bank is crucial in building your sales and encouraging new customers to choose your products or services over a competitor. Here are some of the ways small business owners can start marketing today:

Content Optimization and SEO

Updating your website content to target your key markets is crucial in attracting new clients. Take the time to review your web content to ensure it contains the proper keywords and is properly placed on your website for maximum impact. Research the proper keywords and implement them into your strategies.

Improve Social Media Strategies

Social media is now the easiest way to connect directly with your target audiences. As more and more individuals start social media profiles, it is important that your business is there to grow with them. Following industry standard practices will help ensure your social media strategies are the most effective. It can also be important to perform a social media audit to ensure you are utilizing the best platforms for your business.

Start a Newsletter

It’s likely that you have been collecting email addresses from your customers since the formation of your business and if you haven’t now is the perfect time to start. Creating a newsletter is an easy way to start engaging with your audiences and keeping them informed about your products, services or company news. Email marketing remains one of the best returns on investment for businesses across many different industries.

Still Need Assistance with Marketing?

You can always get in touch with the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your online business listing, website development, social media marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Creating a Digital Marketing Plan for Beginners.

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Now, more than ever, your company’s online reputation and ability to reach potential customers is important. Without a digital marketing plan in place, your company could be missing out on the many benefits available through online interaction and exposure. In order to achieve this goal, your company must first create a digital marketing plan.

Review Existing Digital Marketing Plan or Strategies

Chances are, unless you are just beginning to build your online reputation, you have invested in some form of free exposure or paid exposure in the past. Before creating a digital marketing plan, it is important to review past strategies to determine what worked and what didn’t. If is also important to take this time to determine what social media sites you should invest in as well as other online mediums that may be utilized.

Create a Digital Marketing Plan or Campaign

The digital marketing plan you create will likely be the determining factor in how successful your efforts are. Now that you know the platforms you hope to use, it is important to start determining how you will leverage these platforms. For instance, Facebook offers both organic reach opportunities as well as paid advertising options. Set your budget and determine your target markets, then prepare to implement your digital marketing plan.

Launch Your Digital Marketing Plan

Now that your digital marketing plan is finished, it is time to start implementing your strategies. Be prepared to experience some hiccups along the way but ensure you remain flexible and optimize your campaign for any possible adjustments that need to be made. There are plenty of online tools that can help make your campaign roll out more smoothly.

Examine and Optimize

When your digital marketing campaign is implemented, data will likely begin rolling in quickly. It is important to carefully examine this data to determine the effectiveness of your current efforts. If needed, this data can help determine if you should pivot or invest more heavily in strategies that are currently benefitting your company.

Still Need Help with YOUR Digital Marketing Plan?

The internet is a game changer for marketing. It’s never been easier to put your brand in front of people for little to no cost. At Skynet Solutions, we can help determine the best digital marketing strategies for your business, as well as implement them if you are uncomfortable doing it yourself. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Should Your Business Start a Podcast?

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Recent statistics show that nearly 21% of Americans have listened to at least one podcast every month. This number equates to a listenership increase of 75% since 2013. With the massive growth of podcasts, some businesses are beginning to ask themselves if starting a podcast would be beneficial for them. Podcasts allow businesses to connect with their audience on a personal level in their own voice.

Much like social media, this can help humanize a business as the listener can identify with the spokesman they hear through the podcast. This can convert to more brand awareness and customer connection in the long-term. Currently, few businesses are using the powerful medium of podcasting although set up and execution is easy. If you have decent audio equipment and topics to talk about you are ready to start podcasting.

While the market is growing now, it hasn’t reached capacity and this is a perfect time to start. Podcasts already exist for a wide variety of topics, so it can be incredibly easy to determine what major competitors are doing that is working for them. Once you have listened to a few of their podcasts you should be able to easily transform their strategy into something that works for you. However, it is important to remain original to ensure potential listeners see value in your recordings. In the world of online marketing, content is still king. Podcasts can function as just that, another piece of content that can be distributed across multiple marketing channels.

While podcasts can be placed directly on your blogs or website, other services like Stitcher, SoundCloud and iTunes can help bring your podcast to a broader audience. If you have thought about podcasting or the thought has never crossed your mind, now is the time to get into this burgeoning medium. If your content is original and insightful, listeners will continue to come back. Though initial growth may be slow, the long-term payoff will be worth the invested time.

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Building an Online Presence

The perfect website that exhibits the personality of your brand has been built and filled with content reflecting your mission statement. Products or services you offer have been listed and are ripe for customers to begin utilizing them. However, without building an online presence, even the best startup company or website will remain in obscurity. Building an online presence can take time and dedication. It is rare that a product or brand will become an overnight success and many take years forming relationships with customers and building their image before they achieve success. With a few simple steps and persistence, brand and website owners can ensure they are on the correct path to success. Provide Valuable Content If a website cycles the same content over and over (I.e. products or services) and never adds new content to the site or related outlets, what is enticing clients to return to the site or new clients to check it out? The addition of a blog, podcast or video updates can provide consistent, new content across several mediums. Utilize Social Media Social media has made it easier than ever to connect with a target audience. In the past, businesses were less accessible to the general public. With social media consumers have the ability to voice their concerns, good or bad, about products. Social media platforms allow a broad reach with minimal effort; however, choosing social media platforms that fit your business and marketing model is key. The biggest draw for businesses to adapt to and utilize social media is that companies have the ability to humanize themselves and meet with people on an individual level. Consistency on social media channels through regular posting and replying to individual and community concerns can be the most helpful component in establishing an online presence. Track Progress By tracking website stats and social media engagement, businesses have the ability to see what works for their specific needs. With most social media platforms, tracking is done painlessly for you. Following website analytics and determining what has created peaks of consumer activity is invaluable for growing and maintaining an online presence.

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