Tag: social media marketing

Top 16 Social Media Marketing Blog 2019

Top 15 Social Media Marketing Blogs You Should Follow In 2019

Finding for the best social media blogs?

Carry on reading below to discover the top 15 social media marketing bloggers and blogs you should be following in 2019.

1. Social Media Explorer

Social Media Explorer, founded by Jason Falls, is constantly pumping out great posts on social media’s impact on marketing and public relations.

Personally, I find the magazine style blog layout is very suitable as there are so many social media news in a day!

Takeaway: Magazine style and easy reading for the win!

2. Duct Tape Marketing

If you’re a small business owner, Duct Tape Marketing is a must-read for strategic and tactical advice about leveraging online marketing and social media to grow your business.

Duct Tape Marketing blog is more than just a social media blog. It is a blog talking about online marketing for business owners.

Takeaway: Social media blog for small business owners who want to learn about social media marketing.

3. Social Media Today

Social Media Today offers a diverse mix of news on social networks’ latest developments and cutting-edge tips to perfect your use of each platform. The blog also hosts live Twitter chats from its Twitter hashtag, #SMTLive, on various social media topics twice a month.

This blog is definitely one of the top social media blogs for 2019.

Takeaway: Easy to digest and constantly updated with social media news.

4. Social Media Examiner

Social Media Examiner blog is one of my top favorite social media blogs.

With tons of great guest authors and consistent how-to content, Social Media Examiner offers a ton of free advice for marketers across industries.

Not only the articles are long-form, they are very actionable and detailed!

Takeaway: Super detailed social media blog posts and highly actionable tips are two powerful reasons why this is a great social media blog.

5. Small Business Trends

You can find a lot of information on Small Business Trends and its social media section is not exception.

The Social Media section of Small Business Trends, a large news property for entrepreneurs, is filled with expert social media advice and multimedia content for the small business.

Takeaway: Business-style writing and professional. Social media strategies shared are heavily focus for businesses.

6. Rebekah Radice

Rebekah Radice is an award-winning social media influencer, and her blog is evidence of her expertise in this industry. Her blog packages common social media topics into solution-based content that tells marketers what they need to know. She also hosts a podcast called Brand Authority, further expanding on the challenges she examines on her blog.

Takeaway: Rebekah covers a wide range of social media related news. More importantly, she constantly shares information via blog posts, email newsletter and videos (which is a huge plus).

7. Mari Smith

Mari Smith has been called the “Queen of Facebook,” and her Facebook-specific blog is a testament to this generous title. Smith uses the latest Facebook trends to create up-to-date insights for the modern social media marketer — with ample video marketing advice to boot.

Takeaway: If you are looking for a blog related to Facebook marketing, this is (hands down) the best social media blog.

8. Social Media Hat

From social media to email marketing, this simple-looking property is an all-in-one resource for content marketers. The Social Media Hat also includes a recommended list of marketing tools, giving you opportunities to apply what you learn from the blog to your marketing operations.

Social Media Hat consists of several permanent writers/contributors who provide daily and weekly social media news and blog posts.

Takeaway: Powerful and easy to digest social media news. Social Media Hat oftens publish very timely social media news (even the ones which are fresh as hell).

9. Jon Loomer

If Mari Smith is the “Queen of Facebook,” Jon Loomer is definitely the “King of Facebook.”

He constantly shares many social media news and tips mainly about Facebook marketing.

According to Hubspot, Jon Loomer is a blogger and podcaster whose website offers both articles and video tutorials on all things Facebook marketing.

10. TopRank Blog

The TopRank marketing blog has a long history of delivering a great blend of search engine and social media marketing information in easily digestible lists and posts.

If you are looking for serious social media news and tips, this is definitely one of the best place to start in 2019.

Takeaway: This blog covers a lot (more than just social media). Definitely worth reading!

11. MarketingProfs

MarketingProfs is an online marketing blog that focuses in providing education, training courses and free resources related to marketing.

And yes, you are right,

They share some of the best tips related to social media marketing too!

Takeaway: Just like MarketingProfs, this blog covers a wide range of online marketing news including social media.

12. Ask Aaron Lee

As an entrepreneur and digital marketer myself, it is really hard to find someone in Malaysia who is known to the world.

And there is Aaron Lee.

Aaron Lee is a social media manager from Malaysia, who uses his experience as an entrepreneur to educate half a million readers worldwide on using social media to grow a business.

Takeaway: Unique voice and approach to social media marketing.

13. Convince and Convert

Convince and Covert is founded by top marketing influencer, Jay Baer.

Jay Baer provides actionable information about the best ways to use social media to improve reach and convert new customers.

What I love about Convince and Convert is that you will discover many tips and tricks to not only acquire new customers, but to convert them into paying customers!

Takeaway: Not updated as much as the rest of the social media blogs, but certainly shares many important tips related to social media.

14. Peg Fitzpatrick

Wait, who is Peg?

Peg Fitzpatrick is the author of the best-selling book, “The Art of Social Media,” and her blog is an equally creative take on social media marketing for today’s content producers.

Takeaway: Peg is a social media blogger that shares a lot of proven social media strategies to help bloggers and business owners leverage social media.

15. Razor Social

RazorSocial’s social media blog is one of nine content categories that shows you different ways of thinking about content strategy, as well as how to perfect your use of certain marketing tools.

Takeaway: Ian and his team publishes some of the world’s best social media tips and tricks. Highly recommended to read and follow.

16. Socially Sorted

Right from the Down Under, this award-winning marketing blog comes from Donna Moritz, an Australian content strategist who writes about using social media to become a better storyteller.

Takeaway: Fun and unique voice, Donna makes social media blogs look bad with her powerful and engaging social media posts.

What’s your favorite social media blogs for 2019?

Tell me all about it and leave a comment below!

July 18, 2024
How To Be More Productive In Social Media Marketing

May 19, 2024
5 Social Media Challenges Faced By Business Owners (And How To Solve Them)

Erik Qualman once said, “We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it”.

Can you believe that, folks? Social media is a key generator for your business; let it be either an online or a brick and mortar business, you need social media to literally survive in this world.

The challenges small businesses face is inevitable. Yes you — small business owners will face tons of obstacles which will either demotivate you or burn a hole in your pocket. As a social media consultant, I dare to say that there will be challenges in social media especially in two phrases; entry level and sustaining a marketing strategy to compete with the rest.

As Erik said above, social media is no longer a luxury; it is a needs that will determine success in business.

So, what are the challenges small businesses will face in social media? How do you overcome them?

Let’s break them down in this article, shall we? (more…)

March 5, 2024
How Different Social Media Platforms Generate Leads
Mike Bird is a co-founder of digital marketing agency, Social Garden. Social Garden specializes in data-driven lead generation & marketing automation to grow companies revenue in the finance, property and education verticals in Australia. Mike is an influencer in the social media marketing & Facebook advertising space and contributes to Social Media Examiner, Social Media Today, Yahoo! Business Advisor and most importantly, the Social Garden blog.

You have your social media accounts all set up and ready to go, but do you know how to use them to generate leads?

Read on and learn how to use each social media platform to generate solid leads and make your social media marketing an overall success.

Facebook

Facebook is like the hub of social media. Everyone can post content from other sites to it, and nearly everyone has a Facebook account. This makes the social media platform instrumental in your lead generation plan.

Above all other social media platforms, Facebook’s advertising services target exactly who you want and can put your content right into the hands of those most likely to use it. After all, you spend so much time creating great, quality content on your blogs so you might as well share it with new potential clients.

The Promoted Post feature puts your best content on the Facebook feeds of those most likely to be intrigued and click. You might promote a link to a free ebook or upcoming webinar you are hosting, or you might promote your most popular blog article. The only think you cannot post is a direct link to any sort of landing or product page. This is not the time to sell.

Whatever promotional angle you decide to use, make sure you have a sign-up form or some way of getting visitors to give you their email addresses. This is the best way to collect the leads that click on your posts.

Twitter

Sending out well-crafted tweets with defining hashtags is a great start, but you might have more success generating leads if you are participating in or hosting Twitter chats. Any Twitter account can host a discussion and anyone interested is allowed to participate. The host will decide on a relevant hashtag so everyone participating can find the most recent posts by searching for the hashtag.

If you are unsure about hosting one, try participating in a few chats to see how it is done. You will meet both other industry leaders as well as consumers, and you will be free to voice your own opinions on certain subjects. This is a great way to gain exposure for your brand and introduce it to a new group of consumers.

Whether you are participating or hosting, there are a few things to keep in mind when posting. These will help you make better use of your time and hopefully generate more leads:
- Stick to the designated hashtag.
- Add insightful comments that show your understanding of the industry and the topic at hand.
- Stay on topic and do not pitch any of your services or products.
- Research the people who are active participants by checking out their profile. If you think they might be a good fit for you, follow them. More than likely, they will follow you back.
Be active in Twitter chats and your brand will reach new consumers.

Cendrine Marrouat of Social Media Slant hosts a monthly Twitter chat using #smslantchat where users discuss various aspects of digital marketing.

Instagram

Want to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your company? Instagram, the photograph platform, is perhaps best used for showing off the personal side of your business. It gives you the chance to showcase your staff’s antics and offer a glimpse at what it is really like to be a part of your company.

By introducing your staff members to the world, you’re giving a face to your brand and humanising it. Your brand inspires these people at work every day so show your consumers why it is so great to work for you and be a part of your company.

You can also send live updates from promotional events you attend and show readers what you are up to. This is a great way to attract people to a local event or trade show that you are participating in, and you can offer small discounts to followers who attend the event or trade show and stop by your booth.

Pinterest

Want to show off your company’s creativity and style? With Pinterest, you can create a board that represents your brand, and you can create multiple boards to meet the needs and wants of certain sectors of your audience.

To generate the best leads from Pinterest, optimise your pins for maximum pin-ability:
- Craft the perfect board to match your audience’s tastes
- Select visually stunning images – create your own or use others you love (Hint: tall images tend to get more pins)
- Use your URL or UTM parameters to lead visitors back to your website
- Create a short and sweet copy description – less than 200 words is best
- Include a relevant hashtag if necessary
Promote your boards on multiple sites and encourage your followers to pin their favourite posts.

LinkedIn

One of the best lead generation features about LinkedIn is LinkedIn Groups. The site hosts hundreds of individual niche groups that participate in monthly, weekly and some even daily discussions together. The groups bring all sorts of industry professionals with similar interests together in one place where they can talk about the issue that matter most to their business.

There is no limit to the amount of groups that you can belong to, and you can always start your own group. You might start a small business support group for your area and invite other local small businesses in your area to participate. You can share marketing ideas and connect with other businesses who might be interested in doing some cross promotion with you.

Regardless of whether you start a LinkedIn group or participate in existing ones, you should be regularly posting questions, commenting on other’s opinions (politely) and answering any questions that people post. Like Twitter chat, active participation is key, and you should avoid doing any sales pitching. Doing so will only make people think that you are there to sell it them.

Research the participants in the group and take note of anyone who continually asks questions. You may answer them directly on the group chat and then follow up with a more in-depth direct message. This will help you build a good relationship with your fellow group members and portray your expert knowledge.
February 19, 2024
Thinking About Social Network Marketing? 3 Tips To Get Started!
Social network marketing is a gold mine when it comes to building traffic, revenue and sales.

It is not undeniable that if you are not doing social media, you are losing out; big time. And like it or not, we are already halfway through 2014.

Some says that 2015 will be a huge year for digital marketing trend which is wonderfully compiled by Lee Odden of Top Rank Blog (read more about it here).

The social media pace is getting fast and the ‘slow and steady’ don’t win the race anymore.

If you have yet to start any social media campaign, you need to start right now. Yes, drop whatever you are doing and start creating a social media account on Facebook, Twitter or a zillion other accounts.

But wait! You have already done that.

Good job, you have just started your first step in any social media campaign.

The moral of the story is not many of us realized we had already started some sort of social media marketing, regardless we are aware or not.

While creating an account is easy, you need more than that.

For starters, you need followers. Tons of them.

There are several fundamentals when it comes to building more followers such as:
- Luck
- Timing
- Funnel
Luck is rather challenging as we have no control over them. Lucky for you, it is much opposite when it comes to ‘timing’ and ‘funnel’.

Tip #1: Timing matters for any social network marketing

Timing is everything. According to the Fast Company, you only need:
- Around 5 tweets a day
- 5 to 10 Facebook updates in a week
- Approx. 20 times on LinkedIn in a month
Take a moment to think about this. What’s your first thought?

Mine is simple; “Are you freaking joking me?! I post around 15 times on Twitter and Facebook plus 5 times on LinkedIn daily!”

Let’s talk about ROI myth and it is broken down into two parts:
- Higher number of shares will contribute to higher traffic but higher bounce rate
- Lower number of shares will contribute to lower traffic but a lower bounce rate
This can be concluded that while there is absolutely no wrong-doing choosing either one of them, the method of reaching out to the prospective readers is important.

What’s work for me is around 10 tweets, 5 Facebook shares and 3 LinkedIn updates close to a daily basis. How about yours?

There is no ‘absolute timing’ when it comes to social media scheduling. Yes, there are guides to help you with it but at the end of the day, it is totally dependable to your visitors (time of action).

Tip #2: Creating a funnel that drives traffic from social network marketing

Are you using social media for marketing? If you are, you need good funnels to drive traffic and sales.

Social network marketing basically means reaching thousands and thousands of readers with just a few clicks of the button.

In social media, the easiest way to create funnel is by creating quality posts with the proper Call To Action (CTA).

And when it comes to social media marketing techniques, there is no one else better than Rebekah Radice. Check out her latest article on 5 Ways To Create A Social Media Call To Action That Converts.

In short, a funnel can be done using:
1. Knowing your (company) value
2. Be exactly clear what you want your readers to do (read, click, buy etc)
3. Understanding the market
4. Speak your audience language
5. Simply by asking for a kind retweet, reshare or a +1
My social network marketing method is rather simple. I would share the same post using various CTA’s in a period of one week (or a couple of days). Judging from the response, it would provide us with a huge understanding on what readers love and what is driving those clicks.

Tip #3: Social network marketing done right

The right social network marketing strategy will drive traffic to blogs and websites

I’m a huge fan of social media automation. Running a hectic life with various projects from my start-up agency and as well as my lucrative day job is a no joke.

After all, it’s our job to ensure that we put food on the plate right?

Social media is business for me. Believe it or not, most of my business traffic comes from social media.

If you want to rank well on Google, you need search engine optimization. In social media, you need social media optimization.

To kick start social media, all you need is the right technique. Allow me to share mine (you can share yours using the comment form below):
1. Identify the right social media platforms
2. Understand what your goals are and focus on them
3. Building some social media metrics
There are more than a dozen social media platforms out there and you need to choose the most lucrative one for your social media campaign.

Using Google Analytics, determine which platform provides you the best traffic and clicks.

If you are starting up a social media marketing and time is a huge factor for you, you can simply choose the top 3 most productive platform to work with.

Social media is always a two way traffic. This means that you need to be active and as well as utilizing the power of automation.

And my go-to tool would be HootSuite Pro. Honestly speaking, having the ability to sync 50 social accounts at the same time is godly.

Bonus tip: Setting up HootSuite Pro for maximum social network power

HootSuite Pro offers up to 50 social accounts (free one offer 5 accounts) and this means that you need tons of planning.

There are two things you have to decide:
1. What you want to view on the timeline?
2. Which account you want to sync with HootSuite?
The below is an example my timeline. I separate them into platform based and even client’s tab (not visible for obvious purpose).

Each tab can holds up to 10 timelines and this includes mentions, private messages, scheduling etc.

Segmenting the timeline is important to ensure that you have enough visibility and contribution to avoid being labelled as spam or self promotion. This is where the segmentation in the image come into play.

HootSuite offers scheduled posts and you can schedule up to 5 accounts at one time.

The trick here is simple. Schedule posts which are highly attractive and relevant to the group or audience. Do that and you’ll get a winner!

HootSuite starts from $8.99 per month and you can it for 30-days free using this link: Free 30-days HootSuite Pro

Tell me your thought on social network marketing and if you are feeling generous, let’s discuss on social media strategies to increase traffic and sales revenue.
February 19, 2024
Opps! I Accidentally Increased Google+ Traffic By Over 700% … But How?
If you think the title was a mistake, no it is not and I am not joking either. I managed to increase Google Plus traffic multiple times in just a very short period of time. To be exact, close to 1000% increase in Google+ referral traffic in just 3 days.

Yes, no black hat SEO and no rocket science needed! All you need is patience and lots of hardwork.

For starters, I was generating all-time-low referral traffic from Google+ and I am well aware that there are many bloggers who are doing so well. Yes, it is no secret now. I was getting around 2 traffic a day from Google+.

That’s truth!

So, how do I actually turn the table around and basically, increased my website traffic? I will be explaining to you in a short moment.

Before that, let’s go into why you need Google+ traffic to your blog or website.

Why should you focus (at least a little) on Google+?

For those who missed out what Rand posted last week on Moz, you can find it here, Using Google+ to Appear in the Top Results Every Time – Whiteboard Friday.

I read that article not once, not twice but three times and it really made me think, “What will I be missing out if I am not spending time on Google Plus?”

Obviously, traffic and influence to name a few!

With Google+ being the ‘backbone’ of Google Inc. and a direct competitor to both Facebook and Twitter, I see no reason for me to NOT join the fun. Moreover, some of my closest blogging buddies are already there such as Adrienne Smith, Barry Wells, Harleena Singh and Randy Hilarski.

And so, the journey begins with a video …

What I did to increase Google Plus traffic by 700%?

Before this, I was partially active on Google+. This means that sharing about 1 – 5 posts on my profile and leaving another 5 more posts on my page. And those posts look like this:

Looks like I didn’t do the job well right? Look at the number of +1’s and reshare. Just two and they are from my loyal readers!

Epic fail!

Now, this is my improved version of my Google+ share:

Now, take your time and compare both. Which looks better and more ‘tempting’ to click?

Obviously the second one is better right? For me, getting 7 +1’s and 1 reshare after just a day posting is definitely a good ROI.

As for the record, I didn’t published many posts on Google Plus. Just 1-3 optimized posts a day in general and here’s the result comparing several weeks before this.

From an average of 15 Google Plus traffic a week, my traffic shoot up to 154 and counting. That’s way over 700% and to be honest, it’s 1000% more effective … and in just 3 days (Nov 3 to Nov 5)!

Wait! Guess what? The week isn’t over yet and this means that the stats might just continue to rise (fingers crossed).

With my Facebook account filled with tons of spams on my wall (plus I am lazy to get it ‘cleaned’), this move was suppose to be my strategy to ‘get back’ to Google+. Of course, this simple move of mine turned out to be an explosive traffic generator for me! An honest and unexpected incident you call it?

You bet!

How to start growing your Google Plus traffic?

By now, you should be wondering how you can achieve that. Trust me, this is yet to be the grand prize for me. Much more to come … if you get what I mean.

I never consider Google+ as my normal social media platform. If you want to generate referral traffic from Google+, you need to be active and most importantly, smart.

If you think that you can just be active posting post on your wall just like Facebook, then you are absolutely going the wrong way.

Here are 4 easy ways to build referral traffic using Google+.

1. Google+ Communities

Participate in relevant Google+ communities to increase web traffic

This is my first confession. From the first day of joining Google+ until recently, I have NOT joined any community. Yes, I thought that Google+ was just like other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Sadly, I am wrong.

If you want to boost traffic to your blog or website, you need to join Google+ communities. Yes!

Google+ is home to hundreds or many thousands of active communities and with so many communities lying around, I know it is crazily hard to choose the right one. Seriously, there’s no way out for this.

Grab your favorite coffee (beer for me) and spend at least 60 minutes to stream down a list of Google Plus communities that fits your interest.

Your ultimate goal here is to join the right community for the right purpose; Increase referral traffic and improve your social media presence.

When it comes to choosing the right community, you need to ensure that you are joining:
- The right community
- Communities which are really focused in the related topic (you can see the engagement level)
- Avoid communities that are sharing links only
- Has a half a page of terms and conditions (the more, the merrier)
- Running multiple categories on the related topic
Through my experience, avoid joining general communities such as ‘blogging’ or ‘SEO’. Usually, most members are just for sharing links. Instead, focus on Google+ communities that are more precised such as ‘content writing’ or ‘social media SEO’.

You need to avoid communities which are:
- Having lots of spam or link sharing (out of 10 posts, 8 are all links with no descriptions)
- Inactive members (scroll down the first 10 and see if the poster is always the same person)
Yes, these are very tedious job but you may be getting more returns than you can ever image!

2. Sharing quality feedback and serve the community

What’s the trick to make people click, +1 and the endless reshare which ultimately become a viral?

Okay let’s be honest here. Unless you are that famous, having a strong list of followers or a social media influencer, you won’t be getting hundreds/thousands of reshares. However, a goal is still a goal right?

The first step of making your links and post a hit is to always offer quality content. When it comes to generating referral traffic, visibility is always important. You need be a ‘servant to the community’ before they even notice your presence … so to say.

This is how I do it on a daily basis:
- Check on my communities notification (any new posts etc)
- Comment and share information if needed
- Refrain from sharing links on every feedback or comment (just relevant ones)
- Share one link per day at the right time
- Never ever copy paste the CTA sentences from one community to another
Important tip: When you are sharing and commenting, make sure that you are tagging the person as well. This improves visibility and encourages the person to engage back. Excellent way to get more reshares.

And this brings me to the next point of mine below.

Related read: The importance of social engagement in SEO

3. Proper way to engage on Google Plus especially on ‘hot times’

Now, being a huge Followerwonk user, I don’t think that there’s an analytics tool out there that could tell you when your readers are most active on Google Plus. If there is one, please tell me!

The only way to understand the ‘hot zones’ are by watching closely on the engagements. Finding the right time to publish a post (especially with links) could easily multiply your referral traffic without you knowing.

And if you think that sharing an article at the right time is enough, you are terribly wrong my friend.

You need to be specific and use the right CTA. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, you could easily share a related link with just 1 or 2 sentences. However, this is not the case when it comes to Google+.

A highly optimized Google+ post will attracts more readers than you can ever image. Here’s what I call a better and more optimized Google+ post:

Provide a longer description, relevant hashtags and quality links on your posts

Pro tip: On desktop and mobile view, those Google+ posts and updates will be minimized and thus, you need to think wisely on using the right call to action or CTA. For example, you will be able to see around 4 lines of sentences before it goes ‘show more’. Therefore, using the right CTA will play a huge role in determine if your post is ‘clickable’.

4. Increase traffic following the current trends

If you want to multiple your Google+ traffic, one of the simplest method is to follow the current trend. For example, I am very active in the social media marketing communities and one of the hottest topic currently is about enabling Google+ vanity URL.

Simply by posting one of my highly related write up on the matter tripled my traffic overnight. And that’s what I am trying to say!

Here are some very important tips to double, triple or nuke your Google+ traffic:
- Follow the trend (and skip any that is not related)
- Analyze if the topic is going to be a killer or else you might just be wasting your time
- If you want to share a topic or link, make sure it is just that damn good
- At times, engaging with the community on hot topics could even boost your traffic instead of just sharing links
Among the 4 tips above, this is probably the hardest among all because we have no idea what will actually ‘tick’ the readers. I like consider that … a pandora’s box.

Nonetheless, you should always put on your thinking cap to analyze the best bet for your job done.

When it comes to finding the best trend, there are two very simple ways which are:
- Using Google Trend
- Manual checking on related niche communities
For me, I usually skip using Google Trend and head straight over to my communities. That is much faster and less time consuming for me.

Read more: 8 Essential Website Optimization Tips That Makes Google Happy

Is Google+ doing any good to you?

The reality remains the same; Different traffic generation techniques, work for different people and that’s the truth.

When it comes to Google+, it is all about engagement level and how active you are. If you are thinking of using social media automation techniques, the results might not be as good as the one that you do it manually.

How about you? Do you experienced significant traffic growth when you use Google+? Tell me what you think using the comment form below.
January 20, 2024