Social Media
Social Media Marketing Tips for Yacht Brokers and Captains
July 20, 2012 | 
Author Word of mouth advertising goes a long way towards boosting your reputation in the yachting community and sending business your way. If you want a continuous flow of customers, though, you need to reach out to potential clients on as many marketing channels as you can. This includes using social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to highlight your business and get customers saying “Ahoy there!”
Twitter Marketing Tips
At first glance, Twitter may not seem like a bucket of lobsters, but use it correctly and it can generate a steady stream of sales leads.
- Find an angle: Most people use Twitter to connect with friends and family, keep up with what’s going on with their favorite celebrities, or get the latest information about their hobbies. Where do you fit in? Are you offering tips on maintaining a yacht, posting sailing information, or helping followers find a good deal on yachts? Find an angle that appeal to your customers.
- Update regularly: You don’t have to tweet obsessively, but you should update on a regular basis. Even just a few tweets per day will keep you in your potential customers’ mind.
- Form partnerships: Connect with other people in the industry and cross promote each other. For example, yacht brokers can develop relationships with yacht captains and vice versa.
Facebook Marketing Tips
Despite some recent financial troubles and the rise of new challengers, Facebook still dominates the Internet. Take full advantage of the site’s new timeline to create an interactive place for current and future yacht clients to hang out.
- Use images: Use a great cover photo on your timeline that represents your brand, and use images to draw attention to your tabs.
- Pin important content: You now have the ability to pin posts at the top of your Facebook page. Use it to post important or useful information such as the latest yacht deals or weather advisories.
- Encourage participation: Encourage visitors to participate in the conversation by keeping comments open, posting open-ended questions, linking to interesting content, and calling for use-generated content (e.g. themed boating videos and pictures). This is an excellent way to get to know your Facebook fans and foster a sense of community.
Pinterest Marketing Tips
Launched in March 2010, Pinterest is the new kid on the block and has quickly dominated the schoolyard. Looking for female customers? Then Pinterest is the place to be. At last count, approximately 80% of Pinterest’s users were women.
- Images, images, everywhere: Pinterest is an image pin board. Be certain to post images in your blog articles so you can post links to them to your pin boards.
- Focus on lifestyle: Focus on lifestyle boards rather than products. For example, create boards dedicated to sailing around the Caribbean that include beautiful pictures of the sunset on the water.
- Categorize: Place your boards in the appropriate category and use keywords in your description to tap into the search traffic.
Like the Internet, social media is here to stay. Judicious use of these marketing channels can go a long way towards helping you build your customer base.
Posted in Facebook, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | 
Tags: Online Advertising, online marketing | 
1 Comment »
3 Ways to Boost Car Sales Using YouTube
With gas prices pushing the $4 ($5 in some areas) mark and unemployment still dogging the heels of Middle America, it’s safe to say that many people aren’t thinking about buying a car. In fact, some are trying to get rid of the cars they already own because they just can’t afford the expense. Needless to say, getting people to buy a car can be a tough sell.
If you are a car salesperson looking for away to move inventory, there is hope. First, not everyone is down on their luck. There are people out there that have money and are willing to spend it on a sweet ride. The challenge is finding these people and getting them into your showroom.
One tool that can help you achieve this goal is YouTube. As the number #2 social networking site (second to Facebook) and #2 search engine (behind Google) in the world, it can be the secret weapon you need to get ahead in a competitive industry. Here are three ways you can use YouTube to increase car sales.
Virtual Car Walkthrough
People are not shopping for cars like they used to. No longer are they coming into the showroom to see what’s available. Today, most people in the market for a new or used car do their research online before they go to a car lot to take a test drive. One way you can get people’s attention and set yourself apart from the competition is to do a virtual car walkthrough.
Grab the video camera and walk around the vehicle, kick the tires, and show the car’s special features. Get the buyer excited about seeing the car in person by telling an interesting story about it. Virtual walkthroughs have the double advantage of helping buyers feel more informed and getting them emotionally invested in the vehicle.
Video Testimonials
The less than ethical shenanigans of a few bad apples have tarnished the car industry quite a bit. You have to put some effort into convincing potential buyers that you are one of the good guys and a great way to do that is to get happy customers to do video testimonials. Written reviews are great, but video tutorials are even better because the fact that a person is willing to put his or her face on camera adds credibility to the testimonial.
You can record the testimonials at your dealership or have customers submit recordings them via an automated process. Be certain to have someone review the content to make sure nothing inappropriate or potentially offensive gets through.
Connect with Popular YouTubers
One way you can get your inventory in front of potential buyers is to partner with popular YouTube channels and have the owners highlight your business. You can invite the YouTuber to your showroom to test drive a new model car or have them cover a notable event at your dealership. This is a win-win situation because the person will obtain content for their channel and other perks and you will get your name in front of their viewership.
When contacting YouTubers about partnering up, make sure what you are offering will be of interest to their viewership. Don’t contact a beauty vlogger unless your event has something to do with hair or makeup. Always be professional and be certain to present an offer that is worth the person’s time and talent.
YouTube can be an excellent source of referrals to your dealership. Use this marketing tool right and you will be rewarded with a constant stream of customers and revenue.
Maximizing Your Linkedin Presence
Most professionals that I meet are getting the message about getting on Linkedin, but they have little understanding that they need to actually take some time to establish their Linkedin presence. There is a difference in having a Linkedin presence versus “being on Linkedin”!
A strong Linkedin presence will actually show up in search engine rankings and get you found by others from a Google search. For example, if someone Googles your name your Linkedin profile could show up in the search results. Or, if someone searches some key words on Linkedin, your profile could be the match that comes up. There are ways to make this happen. To help you create your Linkedin presence I will list some areas to focus on where the most benefit can be gained.
Complete your Linkedin Profile
I mean really complete your Profile! A strong profile reflects on how you are perceived online. So often all I see is people with their place of employment and little else.
Key Steps in your Linkedin Profile
1. Complete as many fields as possible. Linkedin actually guides you on the percentage that you need to complete. By completing as much as possible you are providing a good description of what you do and what you have accomplished to others viewing your Profile. This helps with the search engines, but more importantly, you allow a business contact or recruiter to get an accurate picture of who you are.
2. Do not put your privacy setting on private for Linkedin. The point is to actually find prospects that want to connect with you and do business.
3. Headlines are easily overlooked for completion, but this is a great area for search engines to pick up on Key Words for finding you. These headlines should show the value that you bring to others or why people would want to do business with you. An example for an insurance agent might be: Relationship focused independent insurance agent dedicated to protecting your family and your business.
4. Key words are how search engines index articles and people and your profile should include them. Focus on topics that are searched by others. In particular, the area under skills is a great place to use key words because people search for those skills. Companies search the web for suppliers or business partners through key words.
5. Your name is important so pick a consistent user name across all of your social profiles. Having a popular name sometimes makes this impossible and often when people start out they do not realize that the consistency is important. I fall into this category. My Linkedin profile was done way before I truly became involved in social media and does not match my blog or Twitter name. If I had it to do all over again I would pay more attention to this.
6. Set up a Personal URL in Linkedin, Facebook and your Blog. Many people do not realize that they should do this. Look at your Linkedin profile. You want it to read: www.linkedin.com/yourname. This same thing applies to Facebook. Plus, at the same time, you should purchase your own domain name even if you are not starting a blog – just so you own it and it does not go to someone else.
7. Your picture has to be on your Linkedin profile. If you do not do this no one will find you credible and it is important that you use a picture that looks like you. If you are not aware this picture really starts establishing your brand especially if you are like me and have a common name.
8. Recommend others on Linkedin once a month and this will also help with your search engine rankings.
9. Add all of your websites to your profile. These would include your business website, your blog, and your Facebook Fan Page. There is a maximum of three. You should also list your Twitter profile in the space provided.
After Your Linkedin Profile, what next?
This is just the starting point for maximizing your Linkedin presence. Additional reference articles that can help you further your prospecting are The Secret to Using Linkedin Groups and How to Improve Your Linkedin Networking,
Once you have gained an understanding of how Linkedin can be used to further your business connections and prospecting it may be time to start your own personal blog. There are many companies that offer this service or you can use Word Press and start one on your own.
Twitter Tip: Why Build Twitter Lists?
One of my favorite social media channels is Twitter. In a little over a year I have built a Twitter following of over 7,600 people and never used any special Twitter tool to gain followers. One of the most important tips that I can give anyone as they grow their Twitter following is to build Twitter lists.
When first starting out it seems reasonable that you can keep track of everyone and you are actually able to keep up with their Twitter streams, but as your followers grow, I highly recommend building Twitter Lists.
Why Build Twitter Lists?
The most important point of building Twitter Lists is that you can keep track of targeted people easily. If you have a prospect that you want to attract, you need to keep them on your radar. It is very easy for someone to get lost in your main Twitter stream. When you put them into organized Twitter Lists you can go right to their Twitter stream so that you can comment or retweet from their Twitter stream. When you do that you instantly get on their radar. Everyone notices when you Retweet their content.
Twitter Lists become your Groups
Many people group together like-minded Tweeps into Twitter Lists that are groups i.e. social people people. I also use insurance lists and people to watch. People to watch are active tweeters that have good and interesting content that I value and retweet. I also have a Twitter list of retweeters – people that frequently retweet me that I would like to return the favor.
Some interesting observations on Twitter Lists
If you sent out multiple messages to your email list every day, people would unsubscribe in droves. Yet on Twitter, you can communicate with your followers and their followers as many times a day as you want with social messages and with marketing messages.
Twitter Lists are an underutilized tool , especially when you have potentially thousands of people to keep track of – people that you follow and that follow you. Build Twitter lists around certain people who have proven to be good referral sources for you so you can easily retweet their best tweets and they can hopefully do the same for you. Those retweets from the group can help get some extra mileage out of your next tweet. There is a strategy around Twitter, if you have not noticed.
Tools for your Twitter Lists
You can use the basic Twitter website to build your Twitter Lists. There are other free tools out there that help your organize your Twitter account and manage it easily. Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are two tools that many avid Twitter users use regularly.
Personally, I use Pluggio – they have a free version. It includes managing Twitter lists and now it shows me when someone has added me to their Twitter List. I check this regularly and will go to their Twitter stream and retweet a recent tweet to acknowledge their support of me. Social Media and Twitter, in particular, is all about connecting and engaging. These Twitter Lists can help you achieve your goal because their timeline is never your timeline. I have key people that I enjoy tweeting everyday and my Twitter Lists help me locate their Twitter stream quickly.
Another key feature of Pluggio that I use is their RSS feed feature. I can list key blogs of my key people and targeted websites that have regular good content for me to share with my followers. I can locate those articles in a matter of minutes, review and read them and then share. Otherwise, I would have to go to each site and read their recent posts. The RSS feature keeps the articles all in one screen and that helps with my organization.
Social Media needs organization to be efficient and productive. Twitter Lists of your key people that you are following will allow you to review the most relevant information for your social media management. We are going to see Twitter become a growing marketing tool – organization can be the key to your success!
Please feel free to check around my site for additional tips and tools for your social media marketing plan.
I hope that you have found this Twitter Tip useful. How have you been using Twitter lists?
What to Expect in Social Media: The Road Ahead
The last few years have seen social media evolve in more ways than one can imagine. The rapid growth of major social media players (in size, shape, and reach) and their increasing use by marketers and businesses makes us wonder “where is this heading and what will it look like in the years ahead?”.
What to Expect – Future Trends
Customers will no longer spend precious minutes searching for information. The vast amount of data collected by marketers will ensure the at the right time.
- According to Gartner, by 2016, 40% of all new Fortune 500 contacts will be sourced from social media.
- The Forrester Research Interactive Marketing Forecast (2009-2014) estimates social media marketing spend to grow up to 3.1 billion in 2014. Brian Solis (Altimeter Group) says that social networks will eclipse corporate websites and CRM systems.
- eMarketer’s studies show that, by 2014, approximately 2/3rd of all internet users (or 164.9 million people) will be regular users of social networks. A study conducted by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) and Frank N. Magid Associates expects that 54 million Americans will own or use tablets every day by 2012. This means more people will be accessing social media via iPad like devices. With more and more users preferring smartphones to PCs, this is an area that is likely to see exponential growth.
- Freddie Laker, the director of digital strategy at Sapient, foresees a cultural shift in privacy expectations, whereby people will be more open to the idea of sharing their personal details, likes, etc, online.
Keeping up with current trends and knowing what to expect in the future will open up endless opportunities for marketers and brands. As a marketer, having an awareness of how social media will evolve will not just help tweak your marketing strategies accordingly, but will also keep you informed of your target markets’ needs and expectations.
What to Expect with Facebook:
With nearly 750 million active users, Facebook currently occupies the position of the most popular network in 119 out of 134 countries. Statistics such as these indicate that Facebook has a promising future ahead and is not likely to give up its title of ‘social networking king’ anytime soon. Among the top predictions for Facebook is that the networking giant is .
Here are some more:
- eMarketer expects 62% of web users and almost half (47.6%) of the overall US population to be on Facebook by 2013. However, after 2013, the dramatic growth will slow down and the networking giant’s growth rate is likely to be in single-digits, says the study.
- Research by eMarketer also estimates significant increase in Facebook’s US display revenues (by another 80.9% to .19 billion) by the end of 2011; so much that it will oust Yahoo! to take on the position of No. 1 display ad-selling company in the country.
- Predictions for 2012 indicate that Facebook’s display ad market will rise to 19.4%. Read the rest of this entry »
The Secret to Using Linkedin Groups
Linkedin is a powerful networking tool for business connections and the key to success lies in the Linkedin Groups. A lot has been written about creating an interesting and informative profile, but to really get noticed and achieve success you need to join the Linkedin Groups. Otherwise, you will be a forever outsider.
Which Linkedin Groups Should I Join?
Typically, someone that is new to Linkedin and new to joining the Linkedin Groups will join the groups in their profession or industry. That is also true of when they seek connections. But, those people and those groups will not necessarily get you in front of the right prospects. Some of these people are your competitors and your competitors are not going to want to link you to their customers or prospects so you need to strategically expand your network into the networks of your prospects.
There are numerous Linkedin Groups to choose from, but there are some key suggestions that you should follow:
- Focus on determining Target Markets and Linkedin groups for prospects and customers
- Join a Linkedin group with a large network so there is a larger pool of people to get in front of.
- Join the same Linkedin Groups your specific prospect have joined.
How to Find the Right Linkedin Groups?
It is easy to find target Linkedin groups by a simple Keyword search. Use the dropdown box at the top and change it to search for Groups. Because your main purpose is to connect with People it is important to identify people that are associated with that group.
A specific example is say you want to target technology companies. You can use the Group search, but you may find that the term is too broad or you are not getting the right results. I noticed that some of the first groups that came up had less than 10 people participating. Try clicking down on Skills and the results are PEOPLE with technology companies. BINGO – you can now go to a specific prospect, review their profile and actually see the groups that they participate in.
At this point you simply find the specific group and join it. You do not immediately connect with this person. In social media the “courting” period is much slower than an immediate introduction. You want to find a way to get on the radar screen of the prospect now. Read the rest of this entry »
Which Do I Use – Facebook Marketing or Twitter Marketing?
Facebook Marketing vs. Twitter Marketing
Social media marketing is not a one size fits all approach and businesses need to recognize that they need to create a strategy for Facebook Marketing and a different one for Twitter Marketing. Even businesses and people that have been using social media for a time have failed to pick up on the nuances between the two and, therefore, have seen limited success.
I always advise people that are starting out to just pick two social media channels to begin with and get them down for several months. I am a strong advocate of starting with a blog because it becomes your “home base” where people learn more about you and your services. For more, information you can read my article on “Get in My Business! Using a Blog to Attract Customers. The blog provides a place to generate content for either your Facebook Marketing or your Twitter Marketing.
Facebook Marketing = Business to Consumer
One of the big distinctions that I see is that Facebook Marketing works best Business to Consumer. Facebook is much more personalized and therefore, the way you approach your Facebook Marketing should be more personal, too. If you are a consultant, real estate agent, insurance agent, then creating a Facebook Fan Page with your blog would certainly be the way that would generate more leads for your business.
The key is that you must connect and engage with them and generate new “fans” all of the time. Posting interesting articles in your area of expertise that relates to their problems will encourage interaction.
Posting photos, communicating events in your community, asking for opinions are all good ideas to keep your fans interested. If you partner with other businesses you can also offer special promotions for your fans and encourage them to do the same.
Facebook marketing is all about getting shared and recommended by your friends to their friends. Posting can be done several times during the day, but 1 – 3 times a day is a normal amount. Anymore and your fans and friends will become annoyed. Posting should always be from the perspective of not selling, but sharing information.
Twitter Marketing = Business to Business
Twitter is so much different than Facebook and beginners often fail to understand that the Twitter community is much savvier than the Facebook community. You almost need to “earn your right to be noticed and retweeted”. It is all about giving first and engaging with others on Twitter. It is not about advertising your business because it will be rejected immediately.
Personally, I prefer Twitter, but it does take more of my time because people are online at all different times. They have a Twitter feed that is usually only read when it is current. Meaning, your tweet from 9:00 a.m. will not be seen by most people when they login at 3:00 p.m. Beginners feel a need to go back and re-read twitter streams, but it is impossible to catch up. An average amount of tweets per day might be 5-15. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Facebook, Twitter | Tags: Facebook Marketing, My Branding System, Twitter marketing | 1 Comment »
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