2 posts categorized "Social Media Marketing"

"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey is a force in mixed martial arts. She won Bronze in Judo at the 2008 Olympic Games, and went on to win all 7 of her professional fights with first-round submissions using the same move every time. All the while, she's used a smart media strategy to build her personal brand to the point that she headlined the first women's fight in the UFC. Your business could do worse than to take a few pages out of her media playbook.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, The Web & Instragram!

1. Have an Opinion
   Ronda started early with a willingness to speak her mind in interviews, and recent years have seen her Twitter presence grow into its own force. Though her comments are often respectful of those she admires, she has no problem "trash talking" people or ideas that get on her nerves. The controversial comments generate nothing but extra publicity, bringing those who already like her more fervently into her fan base.
2. Bare it All
   Rousey literally bared all in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, leaving only the parts covered by her strategically positioned gloves to the imagination. Businesses should strive for the same kind of tactical transparency. Rousey knew her mostly male fan base would respond to that kind of revealing coverage. What parts of your business will build trust and loyalty if you show your customers what's going on?
3. Be Unusual
   In a sport full of ultra-aggressive, high-testosterone fighters and their even more macho fans, Rousey is an attractive woman who frequently observes a vegan or vegetarian diet. This gets her more attention than others at her level by giving journalists extra information and fans something to talk about. Identify the things that make your business stand out, and find ways to celebrate them.
4. Stick With What You Know
   A judo champion and daughter of a judo champion, Rousey wins her matches with grappling skills -- in fact, the same grappling skill over and over. She sticks with what she knows and wins by being better at it than everybody else. Though it's good to branch out and be flexible, focus on becoming the absolute best in the places where you excel.

You don't have to rise to the top of your industry by threatening to break people's arms, but that doesn't mean you can't learn a thing or two from this fight sport champion. Readers, which of these strategies work best for you -- or which ones do you see your competition using well to your disadvantage?

Despite its rapid growth, Pinterest isn't as well understood as many of the other social media networks that can support your text message marketing. It's not for everybody, but certain industries and projects go well with Pinterest's highly visual format. If you're thinking about adding the site to your SMS marketing campaigns, it's best to keep a few things in mind. 

Who It's For
Pinterest works best for businesses that communicate well with pictures. Interior designers, architects, artists, tourism bureaus and wedding venues are some examples of companies that often do well on the platform. 
Businesses that don't have visually compelling products, and almost all service companies, are usually better off focusing elsewhere. It's hard to put up a compelling photo of your legal or accounting services.

The Basics
Users browse Pinterest to look at photos arranged in categorized "boards" (think photos pinned to a bulletin board). If an image catches the eye, that user can click on it to link to the site where it's hosted. That's how Pinterest marketing works. 

With SMS, you can send a single image from a board to your subscribers, with a link to that board as part of the message. Your mobile users can then navigate to view an entire board of compelling images of your products, then follow those images to a website where they can make a purchase. Bonus points for combining the opportunity with some kind of limited-time discount, poll, contest or other key SMS strategy.

The Five Rules of Pinterest Marketing

1. Don't Post Proprietary Images
   Pinterest's EULA says any image you post becomes their intellectual property. Only post images you own, and only those images of yours you won't mind seeing used elsewhere. 
2. Use the "Recent Activity" Feature
   This lets yo u track social sharing of your images over the past hours or days. Use it after Pinterest-related broadcasts to gauge the effectiveness of any given batch.
3. Double-Check Your Landing Page
   Remember that your SMS subscribers will most likely view your landing page from a mobile device. If you don't have a mobile-optimized version of your website, check your landing page from a variety of devices to make sure it's attractive and easy to navigate.
4. Get Social
   Share images from other uses, mixed in with your promotional content. As with other social media platforms, users who only ever post advertising are quickly ignored by the crowd.
5. Use Only Your Best Images
   You'll be competing for attention with high-quality, compelling images from all over the world. Put only your best stuff up there.

Don’t miss the other entries in this series: Supporting SMS Marketing With LinkedIn, Supporting SMS Marketing with Twitter and Supporting SMS Marketing with Facebook