There are two kinds of methods to selling most anything—Hard-selling and Soft-selling. Typically sales people are thrust into a mode of thinking that the Hard-sell technique works and that the Soft-sell method is too flimsy to close a deal. The fact is that Hard-selling does not work because it has no finesse. When a sales person goes straight to the point to sell their product, they are simply telling their prospective buyer that they should buy their product. This type of approach will usually turn a buyer off and negate a sale.

By taking a close look at how the Hard-sell doesn’t work and how well Soft-selling works, a copy writer can take this information and apply it to how they write sales copy, work on ad campaigns and involve their clients in the learning curve of effective copy verses ineffective copy.

Here are a few great points to remember when working on creative materials that involve sales copy:

1. People do not appreciate being sold to.

The Hard-sell approach usually brings the worst out in people. Human nature dictates that when aggressive behavior is displayed, it provokes the receiver to be aggressive in defense of themselves. This is what brings a negative result to both the sales person and the potential buyer.

To apply this to ad copy that works, don’t be tempted to use aggressive sales copy that pushes the hot buttons of your potential buyers. Instead offer sales copy that promotes a positive response.

2. Hard-sales techniques intimidates people.

Buyers that feel intimidated have less interest in making a purchase. Prospective buyers begin to realize that they have negative feelings about the sale, and will transfer that negativity onto the company who is trying to sell to them. If buyers do not like the sales person a company hires, they will not be able to feel good about the company.

Apply this to writing great sales copy by offering tips, advice. Explain how the product/service you’re selling will ease the stresses on their business or how it can improve their life/goals.

3. Hard-selling sounds desperate to others.

This will put off a potential buyer. Buyers begin to wonder why a company/person is desperate and this creates suspicion. This feeling of suspicion turns into mis-trust. Buyers who don’t trust a sales pitch are not likely to buy a product/service.

To write sales copy that will reach out and help buyers trust your product or service, offer key testimonials that assure your buyers that your product/company is a trusted resource, reliable and honest.

4. Hard-selling uses hype and other dishonest tactics.

Prospective buyers can see through hype. They are savvy and know that hype is not fact. Buyers don’t buy from sales tactics that push products/services without factual information.

Copywriters can add statistics and facts to their sales copy. By showing the bibliographical resource behind stats in ad copy, buyers will know that the information they are reading comes from honest trusted facts and not hype. This also builds trust between the buyer and seller.

5. Buyers need to find a reason to make a purchase.

Hard-selling does not allow any time to explain the benefits of the product or service. A sales person that is Hard-selling is using features to sell their product or service and not the benefits of the product/service. Benefits are what tells a customer that they should buy. There is only one question in the mind of any buyer — “What’s in it for me?” Hard-selling doesn’t answer this question for the buyer and as a result sales are usually lost.

Creative marketing copy should always include both features and benefits. Features will explain the product or service and by listing the benefits, buyers will know why they need the product/service.

6. Build a positive rapport with prospective buyers.

By building a relationship with a buyer a company or salesperson builds confidence in a buyer. When buyers have confidence they are likely to make a purchase on the first product or service and will also be encouraged to continue to buy more products and services. Hard-selling doesn’t build this rapport. If there is not a positive relationship initial sales and future sales are lost.

Creative staff can build rapport into their sales copy by helping potential buyers feel confident about the product or service they are promoting. Copy that builds confidence can be, proving how long a company has been in business and/or offering customer testimonials that promote the same products or services being sold. Story-telling or giving the background of how the company was founded or how a product or service was created is a great way to build a relationship with a potential buyer.

7. Soft-selling allows buyers to make their own decision.

When buyers feel empowered by the ability to make their own decision, they are more likely to make a purchase. Hard-selling strategies often dictate or tell a buyer they should make a purchase.

Advertising copy that promotes empowerment, offers ideas, creates a feeling of success for the buyer and promotes the qualities that a buyer is looking for in a product or service. Copywriters who focus on the most positive aspects of their product or service help buyers make the choice to purchase.

8. Soft-selling always outsells Hard-selling.

Persuasion works. Forcing a business or person into something they are unsure of does not. Hard-selling pushes a product or service at a buyer and doesn’t offer them the chance to decline the sale. Soft-selling offers a buyer a product or service by allowing them to choose to make the purchase.

Copywriters that apply a Soft-selling technique to their advertising copy use the power of positive persuasion in their writing. They can craft their ad copy to encourage a buyer to make a purchase instead of telling the horrors of what can happen if they decline the purchase. Encouraging copy can simply be letting a buyer know what they can look forward to after their purchase.

9. Soft-selling methods are more enjoyable to both the seller and buyer.

Soft-selling forces a salesperson to use more strategies. Building up a product can be done in a multitude of ways including talking to potential buyers. Getting to know a buyer builds relationships that equate to building sales.

Writers who want to incorporate Soft-selling methods into their marketing materials can create copy that speaks directly to their potential buyers. Asking questions and solving problems are some of the ways that words on paper speak to buyers.

10. Soft-selling Pre-sells a product or service.

Warming a buyer up for a sale builds a rapport and relationship with a person or business. In general people like to be introduced to something before they make a purchase.

Advertising copy that pre-sells a product or service before selling is in the hands of a copywriter or designer from the start. Pre-selling to a buyer is a basic introduction of the product or service and usually found in an opening statement or opening page of advertising material.

It’s clear to see the difference between the Hard-sell and Soft-sell techniques used in business. There is a general stereotype of what a pushy sales person using Hard-sell tactics looks like. Once this negative image is in the place of a buyers mind, it will prevent them from accepting a sale. Increase your sales and close more deals by using Soft-selling strategies and incorporating those same methodologies into your marketing materials. Remember your company’s first impression is a lasting one!

Good luck to all the copywriters who are working on marketing materials for clients. Choosing to use Soft-sell copy instead of Hard-selling copy that alienates buyers is one way to promote your clients products and services and a great way to earn more business on their next marketing project!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

• Engage your reader with a thoughtful beginning.
• Craft a unique point of view that adds depth that your reader can relate to.
• Include examples, explanations and evidence that helps your reader believe you.
• Give a reason why your reader should care about your subject.
• Offer your readers an action plan on what they can do.
• Reference a news story or event that ties into your copy.
• Present yourself as an authority on your subject by being confident and respectful as you write.
• Craft your pieces to be socially, culturally and community appropriate by using a friendly tone and easy to comprehend vocabulary.
• Avoid using jargon or slang for general audiences.
• Include key terms and jargon if your audience is industry-specific.
• Choose simple short sentence structures.
• Avoid snarky comments.
• If time and space allows include and acknowledge other perspectives.
• Finish your piece off with a call to action or thought to contemplate.
• Always strive to open the door and educate your readers.

By working with this basic set of rules you can match your style to your intended outlet’s submission guidelines. Creating a successful article or crafting fantastic ad copy that can withstand the test of an audience will take time and thought. Utilize your skills and extend your efforts whenever possible. We have a few great ideas on how to get your creative juicing flowing:

• Choose two or three focal points on your subject.
• Write to inspire your readers to think.
• Avoid extraneous details that will dilute your message.
• Inspire your readers to consider your thoughts so they see and feel your subject  on a deeper level.
• Consider who you are writing to, identify your target readers and then write to them in a conversational easy-to-read tone.
• Use words and terms that will resonate with your audience.
• Include answers to questions that your readers might have about your subject.
• Focus your writing on relevant points that will attract your audience.

Once your base copy is complete:

• Work diligently on editing, adding previously forgotten points and primping your copy so its appealing and easy-to-read from start to finish.

It’s common to lose yourself in a creative work with overstated opinions or hyperbolized persuasive thoughts. Following the basic rules of creative writing can help re-focus and re-connect your passion so your thoughts are reader-friendly. If you’re writing during a hurried crunch, limited deadline or if you get hit with a mental block, revisiting these basics can be inspirational to finishing a fabulous piece of work that provokes deep, intelligent and educated thought. Set your goals, follow the rules and good luck with your next opinionated article or persuasive advertising copy job!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Finding the right place to offer freelance services is just as hard as finding the perfect best friend. Various online subscription websites charge a fee to join. These sites have a countless number of jobs up for grabs. However, at times these website’s job boards post work that often pays below minimum wage. Most freelancers wonder how they will earn any money at all, when most of their time is spent searching for work, losing bids on contract jobs and then winning a job only to find out the pay is so low, they can’t even earn enough to offset their subscription fees.

The good news is that there are ways to earn money freelance writing. What’s the secret? The key to success is to join a community of writers that are all offered regular copywriting jobs through a community pipeline.

This is where the joy of community comes in. These groups are a cross-breed between a business/company and a freelance job placement service.  An example of one such online group is Oozil.com.

Here at Oozil.com, freelance writers join a community to earn the chance to work on an equal opportunity basis. These lucky freelancers look forward to not having to send a constant stream of resumes out. They don’t have to cold-call strange business managers and they also do not have to update their profile so it’s a custom match for a single day’s job queries.

How Oozil.com works:

1. Freelance writers join Oozil.com and become members of a pool of freelancers and writers.
2. Prospective freelance work and writing jobs are gained through Oozil.com’s sister companies.
3. Work is then sent out to the Oozil.com network and its members.
4. Current members are alerted that there is work available via an email, a text message or other mobile contact of their choice.
5. The Oozil.com freelance community, and pool of writers, has the chance to take work as soon as they receive their work-available alert.
6. Members make their connection with their project manager and the work is first taken, first assigned. Meaning that, it’s the freelancer/writer that chooses if they want to pick up work for that day.

Because the Oozil.com network is so large, members count on each other in case they need a day off. Freelancers know someone else will pick up any open jobs that are sent out for that day. So all in all, Oozil.com gets the work and the Oozil.com freelance community does the work.

This model has been so successful that Oozil.com continues to grow and so does its membership.  Sometimes the work trickles in and at other times, there is so much to do, everyone is bouncing jobs back and forth for days until it all gets done.

Too good to be true? Sounds like it could be, but the reality is that freelancers spend way too much time applying for jobs and not enough time working and earning money. Employers on the other hand spend a lot of time looking for the right employees and not enough time working themselves . Here at Oozil.com, it’s a group team effort. All of our clients have jobs that need to be done and all of our freelancers and writers need jobs to work on. It’s a win win situation for everyone!

Join the Oozil.com community and become a part of our network today. Learn what it’s like to be in the fast lane of freelancing!

By Sara Hassler

• It uses primarily web-based technologies that turn into interactive dialogues. Off the web, social media can include various forms of social communication – that encourages or uses social interaction to communicate.
• Web 2.0 used to be the go-to term that described social media as a type of web-based application allowed the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Some businesses use the term Consumer-Generated Media.

Social Media has been classified as a “Sign of our current times” known as the “Attention Age”.

• Social Media is often thought of, as a way for people to blend technology and social interaction in order to co-create something of value.
• This value for some individuals is friendship as found on the website Facebook.
• For many working professionals the value of Social Media has come to mean work-related career opportunity and advancement as found on the website Linked In.
• Businesses all over the world are finding value added reasons to use Social Media platforms to reach out to their consumers.
• Social Media on the World Wide Web allows people to gain information, education, news, and also provides valuable research tools when needed by the means of electronic media.
• Off the internet, Social Media is a way to physically and verbally interact with others through other offline interactions such as events, conferences and educational institutions.
• Social Media has become a mainstay for many people, businesses and organizations to communicate their message because it’s an inexpensive way to publish content or connect with others. There are not any planes to catch, cabs to call or hotels to book when you can chat with an old friend on Facebook or meet a potential employer on Linked In.

Social Media Marketing is often considered the building of what’s known as “Social Authority”.

• Social Authority is when an individual, business or organization works to establish themselves as an expert in their field . By being considered an expert, that person, company or establishment is thought to have the ability to have an influence in that field of expertise.

Recent Statistics reported back in December of 2009 showed that:

• 22% of all time spent on the internet is on social networking sites.
• About 234 million people between the ages of 13 and older in the United States have used a mobile device.
• Twitter was found to have processed over one billion tweets and continues to average nearly 40 million tweets per day.
• More than 25% of the United States internet page views online took place at one of the major social networking sites.
• In Australia, it was reported that they had over 9 million social media users who spent almost 9 hours per month on their social media websites.

Social Media can include popular electronic mediums like:

• Internet forums
• Weblogs
• Social Blogs
• Microblogging
• Wikis
• Podcasts
• Pictures
• Videos
• Rating/Reviewing
• Social Bookmarking

All in all what does Social Media mean for the average person? It has come to be a true benefit for everyone worldwide. Social platforms offer everyone a voice to communicate their thoughts, link with old friends and grow as a person, professionally and personally. More and more people are turning to their social networks to learn about whatever moves them for that day, week or year.

Social Media is up to date, it’s real-time and that’s what makes it exciting. It’s as simple as someone posting a comment on their Facebook page letting their friends know their coffee shop’s pumpkin syrup just arrived for the fall season or that an old friend is dying in the hospital so others know to go for a final visit.

No matter how you look at Social Media it is a fascinating tool that we have all found valuable to our lives in one way or another. Social Media works to improve our daily existence through interactive communication. That communication can be informational or even life-saving. Enjoy your time spent being social and listen, read and see — the voices, thoughts and pictures—of the masses!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Leverage Your Business

Find your target audience and potential prospects on Twitter and participate in industry conversation. People might be talking about a variety of issues including positive and negative experiences. Businesses can benefit by being a part of that conversation. Twitter can be your social happy hour where you can engage with your industry peers and audience in a positive and productive way.

Create Brand Awareness

Businesses can engage followers by keeping their brand in the forefront of their minds. Tweet about what’s new, your next big business plan and promote your business plan by generating buzz.

Get Informed

Twitter can help a business gain competitive intelligence. If your competition is on Twitter, you can count on being able to monitor their tweets to see what’s going on with them. Are they launching a new product, opening a new branch, or laying off folks?  By learning about your competition, your business gains an edge through the use of filtered information. Maybe your company should do an early launch to beat out your competitor, relocate an idea for a new office or consider an acquisition of a company who’s on its way out. Twitter is a key place to monitor what your competitor is doing. You can even pick up new marketing tips on how they’re using Twitter and either model your business Tweets the same way or choose a new technique that’s more beneficial to your specific business model.

Manage Your Online Reputation

The information on Twitter is real-time and the news or comments offered breaks fast. By monitoring what’s being said about your business, you can address issues and communicate a response immediately. Twitter is a social environment where transparency and honest are positive business attributes.

Promote Your Blog

Twitter allows businesses, organizations and individuals the ability to promote their blogs. Automatic feeds can be created that will post your blog comments directly to Twitter.

Use Twitter & Be Mobile

Twitter is simple and is limited to the use of 140 characters which makes it easy for Tweets to be mobile. A business can send and receive updates by using SMS. It’s a great communication tool for anyone on the go, making Twitter a powerful mobile marketing tool.

Use Twitter To Learn

Twitter can help a business learn what their target demographic is, what they are saying and looking for. You can learn what the latest interests are and what your target audience wants.

Let Twitter Feed You Back

Twitter allows businesses instant feedback on new products, websites, blogs and marketing efforts. This allows a business to make necessary changes before a formal launch. In this way, Twitter becomes an invaluable, time saving and cost saving tool.

Use Twitter For Promotions

By  using Twitter, a business can announce off or online events, deals and special offers and other consumer advantage programs.

Boost Your SEO

Great web content needs traffic and if your site has something to offer, you can use Twitter to drive traffic to your website. Tweet with a URL, and your website can become a landing pad that encourages conversation on and about your site.

Let Twitter Be Your Question & Answer Guide

If a business is looking for answers to questions, looking for industry statistics or hoping for general feedback, Tweet ‘n Listen. Posing an engaging question on Twitter can generate a response and point your business in the right direction.

Twitter & Human Resources = New Leads

Need or want some extra help for your business or organization? Tweet your job postings through Twitter and you might get some interesting and viable candidates!

Let Twitter Manage your News

Promote your newest press release and company news by Tweeting about it. This can help communicate what your business is doing faster than a traditional press release. It’s also a great way to engage conversation about your business news.

Twitter has become a popular communication tool. By listening and communicating, businesses can use the power of the internet and its lightening fast speed to share information real-time. Toss those postcards the next time you want to send a quick update or message. Instead, log onto Twitter and love being a part of the digital world!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Digg Is An Information & Gathering Place

• Digg is a user-friendly and user-driven website.
• All the content that’s found on Digg is submitted by Digg users
• Digg users moderated the content that is posted on Digg.
• Because Dig is a community website, it relies on its members to send submission. Many of those submissions are in the form of short articles that are centered around a specific subject. Once a Digg member submits their content, other Digg users read that submitted content.  If the information is interesting and worthy, members will, Digg the stories and content they like the most.  If a submission or story receives enough Diggs, it’s promoted to the front page of Digg where millions of Digg visitors will see it.
• The key to getting Digged, is to have interesting, informative and relevant content.

How To Submit Content To Dig:

1. Register with Digg – it’s free and fast.
2. Start Digging yourself to get a feel for what it’s like to review other people’s content.

Tip: To start Digging, click on your profile link and scroll to check out submitted content. You can also go to the general Digg index and use the Digg search box. The search box appears at the top of every page for ease in searching. There are also advance searches available too. Make sure to use good key search words to target the most specific related topic your interested in.

How To Find Stories & Content For Digg:

1. Find information you want to share with the Digg community.
2.  Navigate to the Submit A Story URL and follow the process.

Tip: If you want your content to be “Dugg” by others then make sure to write an attention grabbing title and informational description. This will encourage community members to click through.

How To Use Bookmarklets:

Another way to add content to Digg is to use a Bookmarklet.

Tip: Drag one of the Bookmarklet links to your browser toolbar. This is a handy way to add content to Digg while browsing the internet. The Bookmarklets work with both Firefox and Explorer.

Digg Is Popular – Check Out These Statistics:

We checked the Digg statistics at the time of this post and found:

The data for the United States showed estimates of:

• 3.5 million unique visitors for the country.
• 11 million unique visitors worldwide.
• 98 million page views in the country.
• 190 million page views worldwide.
• 25 million total visits recorded in the country.
• 45 million worldwide.

Digg is not gender specific and both male and females were found to be taking advantage of Digging:

• 68% were recorded as male
• 325 were found to be females

The educational background of the average Digg user was reported to be:

• 42% had some college level education
• 34% had a bachelor degree
• 9% had less than a high school diploma
• 8% had a graduate degree
• 7% had less than a high school diploma

The age of members showed to be an estimated:

• 31% were between the ages of 25-34
• 30% were 35-44 years old
• 45-54 year olds made up 16%
• 11% wer 18-24 year olds
• The senior generation of 55-64 year olds came in at 6%
• 2% accounted for 65 year old and over
• 5% of users were between the ages of 0-17

General data for the household income of Digg users were shown to be:

• 30% at $25,000-$49,000
• 23% at $50,000-$74 999
• 20% were between $75,000-$99,999
• 15% made $0-$24,999
• 7% were $100,000-149,999
• 4% earned 150,000 or more.

These impressive statistics show just how powerful Digg can be to reaching a specific target market. It’s easy to see why so many individuals, businesses and hobbyist have added Digg to their social media network. By joining an online community as large as this one, it’s easy to see the marketing benefits. Whether you’re sharing content to raise awareness of a product line or just want to introduce thoughtful ideas, Digg can unlock an incredible audience and another way for you to reach a mass market.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

The Hartford Business Review recently published an article on their website by Warren Berger entitled Four Phases of Design Thinking . Warren Berger is the author of GLIMMER: How design can transform, business, your life, and maybe even the world (Penguin Press). He edits the online magazine GlimmerSite.com too. His article was so informative, we thought it was well worth our time to review how designers work to create successful innovative ideas.

Throughout the world of design, there are some shared behaviors that top designers follow in order to achieve significant breakthroughs. Second nature habits that were found to be common among expert designers and to their ability to transform an original idea into a successful innovation included; asking questions, caring, connecting and committing. If you’re a designer you will recognize these shared behaviors and if you’re looking for design work to be done, these are the steps that a top notch designer will most likely follow.

Designers Ask LOTS Of Questions

• Seasoned designers ask lots of questions.
• They work to raise questions in order to begin their design project.
• Designers strive to challenge the current reality or assumption in an industry.
• The creative mind works to learn the mainstream obvious and then figures out a way twist or morph it into an original idea that will turn into a successful innovative idea.
• A creative individual will often ask basic “why” questions that might seem naive and sometimes puts people on the defense.

When a designer asks why, they are really encouraging people to step back and reconsider old problems or practices that might be out of date. This gives the designer the ability to re-frame and steer thinking in a new direction. By striving to stretch the question of why to all facets of a project, they are able to rethink the basic fundamentals of a business. In the current economy and ever so volatile marketplace, this breeds innovation that gives birth to success.

A Great Designer Cares

• Designers do their best work by stepping out of the corporate bubble.
• They immerse themselves in the lives of their target market or audience.
• By observing and paying close attention to the customer they are trying to reach, they are able to dig out the consumer’s deep unspoken needs.
• Designers work hard to be present in people’s lives.

Lots of companies can say they care about their customer’s needs. Focus groups and questionnaires don’t really scratch the surface as to what makes an individual choose to buy a product. In order to reach a consumer on an emotional level, you have to empathize with them. This is the leverage that a good designer brings to the creative table. They strive to learn how their customers feel, how they think and how they live. By doing so, a seasoned designer learns what pushes a person to buy a product, join a marketing campaign, or become a faithful follower and consumer.

Designers Are Able To Connect

• A designer works to synthesize ideas.
• The creative thought process can take existing elements or ideas and combine them together in new ways.

Hiring a designer doesn’t always mean that a business will be forced into a new set of marketing materials or professional identity. It’s the job of a designer to also consider their clients current business elements and think laterally. Sometimes new ideas are not born fresh or invented from scratch. New ideas can be found by searching for new ways to combine current or older ideas. Designers do this by connecting them in a new way. They generate a new idea that is often comprised of scattered or mismatched ideas that didn’t seem to go together. This can be a shortcut to innovation. By combining previous ideas, this can help a business retain their original identity and brand, and simply strive for a new look, new message or re-tool their branded look to be more attractive to the public.

Designers Achieve Success Through Commitment

Designers are able to commit early to an idea.

They take original ideas and move them beyond imagination by giving them Form.

This Form makes an idea Real.

Designers are comfortable with putting an idea out into the marketplace when it’s young and imperfect.

A designer knows how to accept short-term failure.

Creative professionals have the ability to “fail forward”.

Some of the greatest designers have gone back to the design board more than once to tweak an idea into success. With their focus on commitment, the creative mind is often very comfortable with risk, more so than the average person is. They know that small failures are useful tools that provide a process for learning what needs fixing. In times of fast dynamic change, many companies need a confident designer on their team that can operate in a “test and learn” environment. In this type of work situation a designer will be required to create multiple or rapid prototypes. In design, the name of the game is often—Change it—Revise it — Until it STICKS!

Businesses and designers can look forward to forging a profitable partnership when they work towards a common goal. One way to do that is for the designer to explain what they will be doing, how they work their process and why they follow certain steps to achieve success. Through the use of an open line of communication, businesses can learn how to apply their designers behavioral habits to their own creative process. Being able to generate innovative and fresh ideas that  are attractive to consumers can push a business from hum-drum to sensational and victorious!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Social Media Marketing Is On The Rise

“The State of Small Business Report”, by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, showed that the downed economy has contributed to the popularity of social media networks.  The study reported that:

• Small businesses increased their use of social media from 12% to 24% in the last year.
• An estimated 1 out of 5 small businesses are involved in using social media as a part of their marketing strategy.

How Businesses Use Social Media

Small businesses reported the following:

• 75% have a company page listed on a social networking site.
• 69% post updates or articles on social media sites .
• 57% build out a professional  network through a site like LinkedIn.
• 54% closely observe the feedback they receive about their business.
• 39% have set up and maintain a blog.
• 26% tweet about their area of expertise.
• 16% use Twitter as a service channel.

Social Media  Expectations

The report showed  businesses who have worked with social media as part of their marketing plan had mixed reviews on how it met their expectations.

• 58% felt that social media had met their expectations.
• 25% felt that social media had fallen short of what they had hoped for.
• 12% reported that social media network sites had exceeded their expectations.

For businesses that reported social media had fallen short of their expectations:

• 50% said that social media had used more time than they had expected.
• 19% thought social media had lost them money.
• 17% felt that social media networks allowed people/customers to criticize their business.

Messages Sent Through Social Media

eMarketer showed that social media marketing does not choke innovation out of existence. Instead some of the most successful small businesses are able to compete by offering superior services. The small business model has embraced social media as a means to keep themselves tied to their customers. Businesses felt that they could engage their audiences through social media. They also reported to use social media to tap into knowledgeable resources.  

How Social Media Budgets Will Rise

Over the last several months marketing professionals have been found to be leaning towards the importance of creating a budget for social media marketing. Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the American Marketing Association, “The CMO Survey” reported that social media marketing budgets are on the rise. The report showed that businesses currently budget 6% of their marketing dollars to social media. They expect this amount to increase 10% in the next year and 18% over the course of the next 5 years.

In August 2009 marketing professionals had also been found to have planned to incorporate a higher budget dedicated to social media marketing efforts. In February 2010, those marketers had reported that they would be budgeting one-fifth of their dollars to social media marketing over the next 5 years.  Current social media marketing budget trends are:

• August 2009: 3.5% budget allowance was spent on social media marketing.
• February 2010: Social media marketing budgets had risen to 5.6% .

Social Media The Big Buzz

According to the Marketing Executives Networking Group and Anderson Analytics, their report entitled “Marketing Trends 2010″ found that mastering social media was high on the priority list for marketing professionals. The number one  buzzword to keep on the tip of the tongue in 2010 was Marketing ROI —rate of return on marketing efforts.

• 58% of marketing executives thought social media was a trend to keep an eye on.
• 42% of marketing professionals chose social media as a top trend to watch which made social media marketing hit the list of the top 10 productive marketing initiatives.
• 72% of professionals in marketing reported that they work with companies that have planned a social media marketing program for 2010.  

Social Media - Who Is Using It & How

The study by Anderson Analytics also showed the differences on how social media marketing was being used. Individuals and professionals were found to use social media networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Companies were found to utilize the blog as their main social media tool.

The Anderson Analytics study also reported that social media marketing plans were handed to internal employees, social media consultants and interactive agencies. Marketing professionals that were in charge of carrying out social media initiatives were not found to be looking to PR or ad agencies to head their social media campaigns.

So if your business is working to plan a social media marketing program, feel confident that you are not diving into a trend that will disappear any time soon. Many studies have been performed to analyze the worth of social media marketing and have found that businesses all over are planning to incorporate social media into their marketing budgets. Reaching out to your customers, target marketed and creating an open line of communication through social media is here to stay.

The foundation of successful companies has always been to become a reliable source for their customers.  Long standing businesses look to become a resource in which customers can count on and communicate with. Social media networking allows a business the open line they need to communicate the message that their customers need to hear—you can count on us and you can rely on us. A message that can now be broadcast through social media networks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year— which is more than a stamped postcard can offer.

The world of traditional marketing is ever-changing and as it leans into the digital online world, we encourage you to dig your business heels in and enjoy planning your social media efforts!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

In general people are overwhelmed by how many ads they are exposed to. In order to stand out, focus on branding yourself and your business as someone who people would be interested in. Today it’s important for people to know who they are dealing with, they want to be able to trust and become friends with whoever they are buying their products or services from.

Not many folks are going to pay attention to ads that are self-serving. Being boastful about how great your product is or how fabulous your services are pushes people away. It’s important to note that in order to gain public attention that converts into additional business, you have to literally connect with your customers. Attract large groups of people, market your services and promote your products by creating a Social Media Marketing Campaign.

Three online services, Twitter, Facebook and Linked In, can create a massive online marketing strategy when used together. If used creatively, appropriately and constructively, these services can send massive traffic to your website, increase sales and get people buzzing about you, your products and your services. Follow these steps when dealing with Social Media Networks.

Three keys to being successful online are to:                            

• Be credible
• Be trustworthy
• Be interested in the general welfare of others

Become a Friend on Facebook

Facebook is a place where you will communicate with your target audience. Add as much information about yourself as possible while still maintaining a keen business profile. Your likes, dislikes, pictures and videos should all be chosen with your audience in mind. If your interesting, you will gain a following. Link to your website and blog on your profile. When posting to Facebook keep your  posts friendly, professional, interesting and informative - remember be credible, be trustworthy and be interested in the general welfare of others.

Tweet on Twitter

Twitter is a tool that will feed traffic to your Facebook profile and blog. Add pictures, use keywords in your character bio and add your blog as your site. Create a background with a standard background or load a custom image from your personal files. It’s ideal to upload a background image that incorporates a link to your Facebook profile and has a bold bio about yourself.  Make your tweets interesting, short and informative - remember to be credible, be trustworthy and be interested in the general welfare of others.

Link in on Linked In

Your Linked In account will be your professional network tool. Here you will add your job history, pictures and information about what your interests are. Think of this network as your online resume and a way for current and potential business associates to contact you. Create a professional profile that is business orientated. When posting messages keep it friendly and maintain your professionalism - remember to be credible, be trustworthy and be interested in the general welfare of others.

Internet marketing is about helping other people. The days of blanket advertising, well designed print ads, and bragging about your new business is over. We have gone digital, we want more from our companies and when we spend a dollar we want to know we’re investing, not just splurging. Being friends no long means we share our deepest secrets, we want to be friends in order to have contacts, connections and we want a network of our own.

When people have a network to join they feel like they are a part of something. Be bold and create a world that welcomes new business and offers a place for your customers to connect. Above all, become a trusted resource that is credible and works to help others.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

This website roundup gets extra kudos for variety: Time has included nifty choices for cooking, crafting, silly video-watching, and time-watching in addition to top choices for networking, news, research and trend-spotting. You’ll find a few here you never heard of (California Coastline? Visuwords?), so be prepared to spend some time cruising the links.

Time’s 25 Best Blogs of 2009

Things get a tad more serious with Time’s blogroll, with news sites Talking Point Memo and Huffington Post topping the chart, but there are some fun gems to glean as well, like Said the Gramaphone and BoingBoing. Don’t miss Time’s picks for “Most Overrated Blogs of 2009.”

Roger Ebert’s Best Films of 2009

Every list of film bests inspired argument and controversy. Ebert nips some of it in the bud by separating picks for mainstream movies and independent films. See if you agree with his choices, and get ready to rent some of his under-the-radar choices.

Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2009

The book industry magazine has come up with a refreshing book list, choosing titles believed to be the actual best rather than merely the biggest-selling. You won’t find Twilight, but you will find plenty to convince you that good literature isn’t dying.

Gizmodo’s Best Gadgets

The smart folks behind Gizmodo know their gadgets better than anyone in the biz, and this list proves it, covering everything from phones, computers, audio and video, to more-overlooked items like vacuum cleaners and chairs.

Project Censored’s Top Censored News Stories of 2009

You already know what the biggest news headlines were –they were everywhere. But what about the stories you never got to read? Project Censored fills you in on the stories your paper wasn’t allowed to run.

Videogum’s Best Viral Videos of 2009

It’s getting harder and harder to know how we got through the stress of everyday life before YouTube. Videogum has compiled the best viral videos of the year into one, with handy links to the full versions of the ones you missed. Expect plenty of cats, lip-syncing babies and moronic newscasters. (As is typical of viral videos, there is some language.)

Oozil wishes you the very best of 2010.

By Elizabeth Kelly