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Social networking giant Facebook starts rolling out new ‘Questions’ feature
Mar 27th
The massive social network Facebook have started to roll out their new Questions product to their users. The feature allows users and pages of businesses, brands and public figures to pose questions to friends or fans. You can give your two cents by selecting an previously offered answer or by adding a new one of your own. The question will then become visible to your friends, widening the net of people who can answer the original person’s question.
For businesses, this offers a great opportunity to improve engagement with Facebook users. For example, an ice cream parlour could ask the question ‘Which flavour should be Flavour of the Week?’. This would serve as an incentive for users to get involved with the decision making process, and also act as an incentive for the user to visit the business themselves. If one of your fans answers the question, they are also effectively widening the audience to all of their friends, which is fantastic free advertising for your company.
10% of traffic to Mail Online comes from Facebook
Nov 15th
Martin Clarke, the Daily Mail executive allocated the role of running the newspaper’s website, Mail Online, has revealed at the Society of Editors conference in Glasgow that 10% of traffic to the website originates from the social network Facebook, and referred to it as a ‘gigantic free marketing engine’. The 10% figure is beaten only by Google, as one would expect.
The journalism industry is currently split on the best model for online news – News International has recently erected a paywall around their Times Online and News of the World websites, and is intending to do the same for The Sun. The issue with forcing users to pay to view content is, of course, that the ‘shareability’ factor decreases dramatically – your friends are unlikely to sign up to a newspaper subscription just to read an article you posted on their Wall.
Regardless of the tough decisions that the newspaper industry faces, it is becoming increasingly apparent that social media has a massive role in online promotion. A well organised social media strategy could increase traffic to your site dramatically. Analytics data also takes an important role in discerning the sources of traffic to More >
Earn Some Inexpensive Online Exposure for Your Small Business
Oct 16th
So you’ve started a business. You’ve incorporated, you’ve set up a great website and/or blog, and your social media strategy is in place.
Now, if only you could get the word out. Sometimes you need to do more than rub two tweets together to generate a little buzz. If you’ve exhausted your personal social networks, the next step is to reach out to the online media world and get some exposure.
If you’re just starting out, you may not have the capital for a water cooler, let alone a full-time PR agency. But there are a few ways to get your biz covered in the right online circles if you’re willing to put in some time and effort. We spoke to some PR pros to find out how to tap into the online media and get your biz a little exposure without breaking the bank.
Answer Public Media Queries
Bloggers and reporters are always hunting for interesting stories, products and companies to cover and discuss with their audiences. For news outlets and blogs that foster very niche coverage, it’s not always easy to find sources.
That’s where media query services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out) come in. It’s a place where media pitches are sought More >
Entrepreneurial X-Factor
Sep 23rd