What About the Smaller Daily Deal Sites?

Many small business ownesr are asking not only if Groupon and LivingSocial able to remain afloat, but are they an option for smaller business such as theirs? Or will a smaller daily deal site be more likely to be the ticket to help with your hyperlocal marketing? There are a number of benefits to using a few of the smaller daily deal sites rather than the market beasts, Groupon, LivingSocial Facebook and Google. We’re going to take a look at why sites like Woot, Yelp, eLocal, Local Response, ZipLocal, Signpost, CityMaps, Yipit, and ShowMeLocal might be able to give you a far more agile and consumer-focused result.

So why is a smaller daily deal sites able to shine when the big dogs fail?

We’ve all heard and some lived the horror stories of small business owners who’ve signed up with a daily deal site and been unable to provide the number of deals they were talked into or compelled to purchase. Not so with the smaller companies, since they know that your satisfaction is the only way you’ll return as well as spread the word within your hyperlocal area. Also, even though they typically have smaller staffs, support from a smaller site is easier to get, as you’re usually not being passed over for businesses spending a lot more money than yours.

Some more advantages smaller daily deals have for hyperlocal marketing

Some of these niche sites have the flexibility to adapt and change to your hyperlocal marketing needs. If your campaign needs fine-tuning or adjustment on the fly, it’s much easier to accomplish compared to a larger company. They usually don’t have investors to answer to, and will often make adjustments and decisions that a Groupon couldn’t. They know that they need to come through for your small business, or your business will dry up. Also, in our social environment, and especially with a hyperlocal marketing campaign, word of mouth can offer both a positive and negative effect. Don’t make the mistake of discounting smaller daily deal sites when you are searching for offers. They may be just what you need!

Google Hangouts – The Best Free Webinar Tool Out There!

Google is fast becoming somewhat notorious for launching new programs and then casting them aside whenever the mood changes. Witness Google Wave, Google Buzz and now Google Reader. (I’m still ticked about that one!) Despite many predictions of a similar fate for Google , Google Hangouts, their latest wonder-app, might just save the collective Google bacon.

Google Hangouts – So what is it exactly?

A super easy tool for teleconferencing that could replace or augment your existing webinar or online seminar solutions. Connected to your Google account, a hangout is a snap to launch, and it has several attractive features for marketers. You and up to ten other participants, along with any number of other viewers can see your hangout live. It can be broadcast from your Google page, YouTube channel, or a page on your site. Google records the Hangout, and then a few minutes after you’re done, delivers a YouTube URL to you, which you could then use in many ways.

How to utilize Google Hangouts in your marketing

Here are 10 great ways to use Google Hangouts in your marketing.

• Webinars – Tired of expensive GoToWebinar fees? Now you have a free alternative!
• Conferences – Easy to setup teleconferencing makes a Hangout a no-brainer for sharing a conference experience.
• Meetings – Hold virtual meetings in an informal, yet immediate venue.
• Product Launches – Create a buzz to help your product launch gain attention.
• Interviews – Interviewing people made easy with Hangouts! Recorded, and transcribed.
• Product Demos – Show off your products in a Hangout.
• Virtual Press Conference – Share newsworthy items via Hangouts.
• Live Streaming Events – Many marketers are now using Google Hangouts as their own live TV station, broadcasting weekly shows.
• Q & A with Customers – Build relationships with your customers live and answer their questions and concerns.
• Podcast from your Hangout – Making a Podcast to share through iTunes is extremely easy to accomplish.

If you’re not using Google Hangouts as an element in your marketing mix, you’re definitely missing out on a great opportunity to engage with your audience in a more intimate, immediate way.

What are #Hashtags and How to Use Them

Know exactly what a #Hashtag is? If you’re not a social media expert, and particularly Twitter, you might not have a clue what a #hashtag is. No need for that being the case any longer. A hashtag is a # paired with a word or phrase to perform a number of functions. Twitter users add hashtags to tweets as search conventions, a method of categorizing, and marketing tactics. #Hashtags can also be used in other social media platforms.

#Hashtags guidelines

Be certain to do your basic research and see if the keyword you’d like to use is not being currently employed elsewhere. This is as simple as doing a little research (a search on Search.Twitter.com) to ascertain whether or not that #Hashtag would be a good idea. Also, don’t try to make hay with deceptive #hashtags, even when they may be seriously trending. This will almost assuredly blow up on you. One more thing: make sure you proofread prior to when you create that #hashtag!

4 Ways to win with #hashtags

1. Make your #hashtags short and direct – Making it brief and direct is the best approach to win with #hashtags. If you need to combine more than one, fine, but don’t string together a small army of them, as that will actually annoy your readers and label you an amateur.
2. Make them #hashtags to not forget – Remarkable #hashtags are far more likely to be shared widely. Give some thought to this and you just may get your wish and have it go viral.
3. Use them on multiple social media channels – A #hashtag isn’t much use if it’s not shared. Although started on Twitter, #hashtags have become employed across multiple social media channels including Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Pinterest. This assists to instill the #hashtag into the minds of their audience.
4. Make use of keywords – If at all possible, work in your brand or major keywords. It is not always feasible, so choose judiciously.

Creating and using memorable #hashtags can keep your brand and conversation before your social media audience, and help perpetuate your campaigns. Give it a go today!

Instagram – A Picture of the Social Photo Sharing Site

Marketers hunting for a way to engage and grow their reach would be well advised to consider the meteoric growth and popularity of Instagram, a free online photo sharing and social network platform acquired by Facebook in 2012. Instagram allows members users to upload, edit and share photos with other associates through the Instagram website, email, and social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Foursquare and Flickr. On Instagram, you can follow other users’ photo streams, be followed back by those users, and search for friends by name or find any friends that might have previously connected to you on other social networks.

Some just silly numbers!

Just so you get an idea how popular Instagram has grown to be in just a few short years (founded in 2010), listed below are 7 eye-popping stats:

1. Instagram has 100 million monthly active users. (Instagram)
2. 40 million photos are posted per day. (Instagram)
3. 28 percent of U.S. Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 use Instagram. (Pew)
4. 98 percent of Instagram photos posted by top brands are now shared to Facebook. (Simply Measured)
5. 59 percent of Interbrand’s top 100 brands are on Instagram. (SimplyMeasured)
6. There are 8,500 likes per second on Instagram. (Instagram)
7. 1,000 comments are made per second. (Instagram)

How can your company use Instagram?

Knowing that individuals respond to sites like Instagram on an emotional level, small businesses taking some time to share what is important to the brand and to the core target customer are just where they would like to be. Smart business use Instagram as a snapshot into their company, and put a personal face to their business and enrich relationships while doing so.

Private Picassos, a children’s art studio in New York City, uses Instagram to record their student’s work, which has resulted in parents commenting and sharing the photos, thus increasing their business. “I don’t do any paid advertising, so it’s a way to encourage your client to do the marketing for you,” director Valeen Parubchenko says.