Why Use List.ly?

1.  List.ly helps curate lists of things people care about inside your blog post easily.  You simply copy and paste some code into your blog post or use the free List.ly plugin.

2.  Lists are a structured way to present your content on your blog and on the List.ly site.

3. Each of your articles can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, and Google+.

4. Your blog article will get more activity as people share your listed articles. Your blog content won’t stagnate.

5. There is a free version of List.ly which  works on WordPress, Blogger, Joomla, Tumblr, Expression Engine, Typepad and more. The premium version gives you more options.

6. People who view your lists can add articles related to your topic to your list. (crowdsourcing)  This keeps your content fresh.

7.You can develop relationships. List.ly helps you connect directly with others who share your same passion and add to your lists.

8.  Lists are informative, social,and fun.

9. List.ly improves SEO.  Embedding a list on your blog adds fresh content. Google loves fresh content.

10. List.ly can handle many smart media formats such as Video, Prezis, and Slideshare.

My List.ly review just touches the surface. I can’t stress enough how much fun and how easy it is to use. Also, when you are in a pinch for content, this does the trick. You can post a list of articles and write a brief introduction.  To join List.ly and learn all of the details, go here. 

Oh, and don’t forget to read my articles listed below.  Feel free to share them and this blog post. Leave a comment telling me your experience with List.ly.  I love finding new tools that make our busy lives easier.

The post List.ly Review appeared first on Encore Perception Marketing.

In today’s business world, it’s so important to define your niche clients and to use every available resource to reach them.  Building relationships both online and in-person is critical to your business success.  We are so fortunate to be able to use social media to reach our niche clients. It’s right at our fingertips and free most of the time.

Today’s post reveals some insightful demographic information about who is actually using the various social media sites. Before you look at this infographic, you should really pinpoint who your niche clients are. Identify your niche client’s age, sex, educational level, income level, race, and where he lives – city versus suburbs. Now take a look at the results of this recent study on social media usage by the Pew Research Center .

Were you surprised at the results? Clearly, the younger generations, X and Y, are spending the most time on social  media because they grew up with it.  Women tend to be on more than men probably because they do more of the shopping.  According to the study, minorities and those living in the city are more prone to use social media, too. Obviously, social media has become a favorite past time for many. For some, it’s probably even replaced TV. Have you developed a social media marketing campaign to reach your niche clients?  If not, I’d love to help.  Call me for your complimentary consultation and get my Marketing Across the Generations Report free.

The post Reaching Your Niche Clients Through Social Media Marketing appeared first on Encore Perception Marketing.

Do you become discouraged when no one responds to your social media post?  If you are going to use social media as a marketing tool, it’s important to understand who your social media audience might be and what type of behavior they might exhibit on your sites.

Types of Visitors to Your Social Media Sites

Prospects – have found your site by searching for your type of service or product; or were the recipient of a friend’s,family member’s, or colleague’s share.

Your information should increase their knowledge of your products, services, and industry.  You are scripting your brand – giving prospects an idea of what doing business with you would be like.  Make sure that you are showing the value and benefits of your services  through  your posts. Include testimonials from past customers.

Customers – these visitors have purchased from you and are interested in learning more about your area of expertise.  They are also looking to see if you are offering any special pricing on your services and products.

You can run contests, do giveaways; educate them about a service or product and then run a special on it.

Fans – past satisfied loyal  customers who love your brand and will tell others about your products and services by sharing your information.

Keep your content informative and make sure they know about your current specials.

Competitors – want to know what you are doing on social media to stategize their on-line efforts.

Make sure you are checking their sites out, too.

How Visitors Behave on Your Social Media Sites

Social media statistics show:

Lurking – 90% of your total visitors will just view your posting and not respond.  However, they tend to continually visit your sites.

Commenting – 9% will leave a short comment, a like, a share, a vote.

Creating – 1% actively  engage by leaving comments that are meaningful, giving reviews of your products and services, or writing guest posts.  Clearly these are the people most comfortable engaging in social media.

It’s important to realize that even though  most of your visitors may lurk, there is  still the possibility they may  become customers.  Remember to post relevant information consistently to keep them coming back for more. Avoid being overly “salesy” or those lurkers may turn into leavers!

You can locate current trends in your industry through the #Discover navigation tool on Twitter and in the News section of Linked-in. You can also use current news or timely events to give you ideas for posts.  Since today is the 15th of April – how about a post entitled  Don’t Make Selling Your Home  So Taxing.  Another option is to create a poll on Linked-in and download it to Facebook or Twitter especially if you are looking for topics that your audience is  interested in reading. If most of your customers are on Facebook, what about repeating the first letter of each day of the week to name that status update. As a small business marketer, I could use “Monday’s Motivating Message”,” Tuesday’s Treasured Tip”, etc.  What wording could you use to engage your social media audience?

The post Who Is Your Social Media Audience? appeared first on Encore Perception Marketing.