Modern e-commerce has capitalized on consumer behavior through digital marketing, but social media is a veritable beast, and one that not all brands have learned how to tame. It’s not enough to only understand how each platform works – within social media demographics, the generational divide is significant, and disregarding it can be a huge mistake.

Understanding Social Media Demographics Can Bring a Big Payoff

The impact of social media is enormous. By the year 2020, there will be an estimated 2.95 billion social media users, 78% of which are in the United States, making the U.S. the largest social media advertising market in the world. This accurately reflects the United States economy with respect to those of other countries, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that brands located outside of the States are doomed to fail. It does, however, put pressure on them to access the U.S. market and make sure their social media presence is strong.

Advertising earnings from social networks have nearly doubled in just two years, so clearly something’s working. Facebook is the clear frontrunner in net worth at $200 billion, with Instagram and Twitter also occupying significant shares of the market.

The Platforms

There are over 60 million business Facebook pages, making the original social network a marketplace for anything. With 1.79 billion users, 76% of which are female, it’s a place where brands can gain some serious attention if done well. The sheer size of the Facebook population does pose potential difficulty in standing out, so brands must find an effective way to be heard amid all the noise.

Twitter, the site that became famous for limiting your stream of consciousness to 140 characters, now has 317 million monthly users. Interestingly, 79% of its users are outside of the United States, which gives brands serious potential for tapping into international markets. However, Twitter has seen a noticeable decline in tweets posted per minute since 2014, which may indicate it is no longer as effective a platform for brands as it is for individuals.

There are 500 million monthly active users on Instagram, with 95 million photos and videos posted daily. For brands, this highly visual platform can be a goldmine. Sixty-five percent of the world’s leading brands, like Nike and National Geographic, are active on the platform. Instagram caters to everyone, but it has a notable demographic preference, as 55% of people 18–29 years old in the United States use it. This is an indication of the kind of content young people are looking for, and it’s an effective medium through which brands can gain their attention.

Pinterest boasts 100 million active users, and a whopping 81% of them are women. Two-thirds of all pins represent branded products, and there are over 1.7 billion recipe pins floating around the site. Most users spend about 14 minutes on the platform during each visit, which is relatively long by advertising standards. Brands that can visually interest their users and garner attention around specific products, recipes, or ideas will find success here, as will female-founded companies or brands with products and services related specifically to women.

YouTube is popular, but for brands, it’s a bit of an anomaly. Sixty hours of video content are uploaded every minute, but as of April 2015, just 9% of United States small businesses were using the platform. Additionally, over 69% of marketers have intentions of utilizing YouTube more, which begs the question, what makes it so difficult to use currently?How do marketers transform this platform into a viable sales push for their consumers? Good video content is not only hard to come by, but it’s expensive to make and process, and it doesn’t make sense for every brand.

The Generational Divide: Social Media Demographics of Gen Z through BB

Let’s consider the other issue surrounding social media use for brands: there’s no age limit. Sure, you have to be 13 to have an account and 18 to make purchases, but after that, you could be posting pictures on your Instagram until you’re 95. There are multiple generations of consumers out there, and millions of brands are all vying to get their attention at once – when they should be considering how their messaging reads across each age group separately.

Generation Z (Ages 13–19)

This generation comprises 22% of the United States population, and because they’re teenagers, it’s not surprising that their average attention span is eight seconds. Half of them use Instagram as their preferred platform, followed by Facebook and Snapchat. They’re not all that motivated by American conceptions of power and influence; the majority of them prefer to see real people in their ads rather than celebrities. If a brand wants to find reverence with Gen Z, they should make something resonate right off the bat and try to hold that attention for maybe even a full 10 seconds.

Millennials (Ages 20–35)

For whatever reason, this generation catches a lot of flack, particularly within the consumer space, but their buying power is extraordinary and their social media skills are unmatched. An overwhelming 70% of them use Facebook as their primary platform, which makes sense, considering many of them were college-age when the platform debuted and were therefore its first users. They also use YouTube heavily, which reflects the fact that this generation spends about eight hours of its day online. Research shows that Millennials are more concerned with their financial future than other generations, no doubt due to outrageous college loans and the recessions they’ve had to endure. Is it any wonder these folks turn to social media to forget about the stress of real life? This is an opportunity for marketers everywhere to make use of the time Millennials devote to social media, because brands already have an audience with them.

Generation X (Ages 36–49)

Gen X makes up 58% of internet users in the United States, and they have $200 billion in spending power. While 80% of them are on Facebook and Twitter, only half of them actually use their accounts regularly. It’s possible the social media craze just hasn’t caught on with them because they didn’t grow up with it as Millennials did. Instead, they live in the world of online reviews, and this is their biggest influencer when it comes to making a purchase. But don’t count them out yet: they may not understand social media, but they are accessing it, and it’s important not to overlook their enormous spending power, or that they are willing to try something new.

Baby Boomers (Ages 50–65)

Unlike their Millennial counterparts who spend eight hours a dayonline, Baby Boomers spend about 27 hours online per week, with Facebook as their preferred platform. About half of them rely on credit cards to make purchases, which creates an interesting dichotomy for brands to keep in mind: consumers who use their credit cards often may be easier to influence to make an online purchase, but it may also indicate that they are not financially stable, which can also impact purchasing decisions.

Here’s the Social Media Demographics Infographic to Dissect

Image Courtesy of PersonalMoneyService.com

Marketing on social media is a painstaking science, and there’s a lot to be learned from studying each platform and how various generations interact with it. Facebook has been around the longest, and as such, it’s heavily saturated but still big for business. Instagram is highly influential among younger generations. Pinterest holds attention well, and women dominate this platform. YouTube is a bit of a free-for-all for brands, but it can have impact among populations who spend a lot of time online, like Millennials.

Generation Z doesn’t have a huge attention span, but they’re smart and they value real representations of how life actually is. They prefer Instagram and Facebook over other platforms. Millennials are social media pros and often use it to make decisions about their lives. They live on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, and spend a full third of their days online. Generation X doesn’t really “get” social media, but they want to, and they may be open to entertaining brands they haven’t heard of before. They like websites where they can read product reviews before purchasing. Baby Boomers don’t use social media as much, but they do rely on credit cards, which can be both a blessing and a curse for brands. They prefer Facebook over other media sites.

Social Media Demographics Can Help You Find and Engage Your Audience

As we’ve illustrated, each generation has its preferences and abilities – just like certain species won’t be found at the same watering hole! So wherever your audience (or audiences) can be found online, ensure that you study and understand the factors that make these platforms attractive and usable for them. Many companies and brands have some work to do in making social media work for them – and if this is you, start with this analysis of “who goes where” and take it from here!

What’s Age Got to Do with It? #SocialMedia Stats by Generation by @LuceMedia #Infographic #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

Do social media demographics get enough attention in your marketing efforts? Let’s hear your “generational” thoughts in the comments!

The post What’s Age Got to Do with It? Social Media Demographics by Generational Preference #Infographic appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Social media is rapidly becoming the major commercial influencer. With the ability to directly connect potential customers to products and services, social media ads can be the quickest and most direct channel for companies to increase sales.

Algorithms Help Social Media Ads Reach the Right Customer

The days when people waited for someone to come to the door and sell them knives, or when they waited for a monthly catalog, are long gone. The continued disappearance of large brick-and-mortar stores has long indicated a changing marketplace.

Now, consumers are increasingly getting most of their information, including news, from social media. So too for their purchases. Intuitive algorithms make it so users no longer need to search for a product on a company’s site. Instead, specific products or services can be advertised directly to them.

Social Media Ads Can Pay Off – Here’s Why and How

By reviewing a few key statistics, we can see how clearly and effectively social media works in the marketplace.

Users Are Spending

Though 47% of social media users admit purchasing something they have seen on social media once a month, the key word here is admit. Typically, people tend to admit to less than they actually do, and the sales figures speak to this fact. And with nearly half of users reporting monthly spending, the existing market for social media purchases continues to be huge.

With social media users spending 1.6 billion dollars per year, it’s clear that the advertising is not only working, but is incredibly effective. With new users joining each day, the customer base – and accompanying sales – will only continue to grow.

Smart Sales

Because the bulk of social media advertising is so well-targeted to a specific user, sales are getting smarter. Though 24% of users report “succumbing” to impulse buying, and though 83% of those people report “regretting” that impulse, other factors should be considered.

The world of social media moves quickly. It is, by nature, impulsive. But the rhythms of impulse drive people to use social media in the first place. Only 1 in 7 people report buying something more expensive than planned because of social media. That means people think they are spending wisely. As algorithms improve to target ads to users more accurately, the market will become even smarter.

On social media sites, companies have the ability to advertise sales or special deals. When we walk into a store, we tend to buy just as impulsively. Social media advertisements can steer users to deals that they would most likely search for anyway, making the reality of a sale, impulse or not, higher. It’s up to the company to channel customer impulses to make more effective sales.

A Major Opportunity

For companies that aren’t fully convinced by the power of social media advertising, the numbers should speak for themselves. Regardless of how consumers feel about their purchases, the fact that they are buying what they see on social media is no longer a trend. It’s a reality.

44% of users say that social media does not influence them. However, social media platforms have long been woven into the fabric of daily life. Checking their phones, scrolling through posts and advertisements is habitual now. Simply, social media is increasingly where life happens. Tapping into this potential can mean the difference in a company’s longevity.

For a consumer, clicking on a product is as simple as clicking “like” on social media. But consumers are less likely to search out the products and services they want. Instead, they expect the offers to come directly to them.

Adapt, Evolve and Grow Sales with Social Media Ads

Companies looking to allocate resources for social media ads should understand the benefits of this. The numbers show that the money exists, and people are spending it. If a business does not take advantage of this major market, they risk failing to adapt, and that means a diminished ability to grow their sales.

As we all know, failure to adapt usually results in extinction, so keep your business evolving by leveraging social media ads!

#SocialMedia Ads Can Increase Sales: These Stats Prove It by @LuceMedia #RocksDigital #Marketing
Click To Tweet

As a consumer yourself, have you analyzed your own buying behavior? Get social and share your thoughts and questions in the comments!

The post Social Media Ads Can Increase Sales: These Stats Prove It appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Our mobile devices are uniquely personal because we check them hundreds of times a day, and in 2018, it seems natural to be well-connected to everything online. Just why a business would need a mobile marketing strategy might be obvious! But in case you wonder, it’s because the world has been trained to “be smart.” Businesses joining this sweeping way of life need to use an effective mobile marketing strategy to stay profitable.

We believe in helping clients incorporate a mobile marketing strategy that keeps their referrals and their business going strong. If you don’t yet know how immersed in mobile marketing the world is, let’s look at a few facts. It will be a real eye-opener for your business.

Billions of Mobile Devices Demand a Mobile Marketing Strategy

According to Singularity Hub, in 2014 there were 7.2 billion mobile devices in the hands of people on earth. That’s a mind-boggling figure. Today, the vast majority of Americans – 95% – now own a cellphone of some kind. The share of Americans owning smartphones is now 77%. Need more confirmation that your business needs an effective mobile strategy? Cisco reports that in 2016, global mobile data traffic grew 63%. This statistic simply confirms that people love to stay connected around the world, and today, those numbers are even higher.

9 Must-Know Stats to Springboard Your Mobile Marketing Strategy

In late 2015, Google confirmed that for the first time more mobile searches were conducted than desktop searches. That’s why we’ve been emphasizing the importance of mobile responsiveness to our clients for years. Now, with more than half of all internet traffic coming from mobile devices, it is extremely important to make sure your website is primed and optimized for mobile viewing.

1. More than 40% of the World’s Population Accesses the Internet Using Mobile Devices Every Day

If you’re a marketer who still thinks of mobile as a novel or unique way to stay connected, you need to realize that train has already left the station. Our world today is very MOBILE and very SOCIAL. Just how pervasively have mobile devices found their way into our lives? Today at least 75% of Americans head to the bathroom with their mobile phone in hand. Is mobile an obsession or what? 

2. 4 Out of 5 Consumers Shop Using a Smartphone

4 years ago, comScore revealed that over the course of a year, 4 out of every 5 consumers used a smartphone to access retail content on their device, which at that time represented 85.9 million U.S. users. Today, 125 million U.S. consumers have smartphones, and 62% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months.

3. Within 60 Minutes of a Mobile Search, 70% of Searches Lead to Online Action

Mobile searchers are looking for immediate gratification. If your business gives it to them, you will be in the mix of sellers satisfying a mobile searcher’s desires within 60 minutes of being discovered online. Are you ready for that type of success?

4. 75% of Americans Use a Mobile Device Doing Online Research while Physically Browsing in the Store Itself

A new study from In Reality reveals that 75% of shoppers admit to using their mobile device while shopping in the aisles of a store.

5. 80% of Internet Users Do Online Searches Using a Smartphone

6. An Eye-Popping 93% of People Who Do Mobile Research Make a Purchase

We are certainly into buying goods and services. With phonebooks going the way of the dinosaur, is there any reason your commercial enterprise shouldn’t be mobile reachable?

7. Twitter Enjoys about 86% Ad Revenue from Mobile Use

Though LinkedIn is ahead of Twitter in non-U.S. revenues, Twitter’s ad revenue from mobile is about 86%. With statistics like these, it’s logical to make sure your ads can be seen on mobile devices.

8. Want to catch that consumer first thing in the morning? Today over 50% of Smartphone Users grab their phone as soon as they wake up.

And the younger you are, the more likely you’ll be to make your first move a grab for the cellphone. 80% of those aged 18–44 check their smartphone! With so many millennials living the mobile life, doesn’t it make sense for you to be part of their day by using mobile outreach?

9. 40% of YouTube Views Are via a Mobile Device

Google shares this very interesting statistic: 40% of people viewing YouTube videos are doing it using a mobile device. People love to be educated, informed, and entertained using video. Key takeaway: There’s no need to wonder about the benefits of video marketing for business. It’s definitely worth it.

Here’s the Amazing Mobile Marketing Statistics Infographic

Infographic Courtesy of Social Media Marketo

10 Mobile Marketing Strategy Tips for Every Business

If you’re a small-to-medium-to-any-size business, here’s some tips on how to effectively target your marketing campaigns to mobile device users:

1. Make your site mobile-responsive. If it’s not mobile-responsive, users are 5 TIMES more likely to leave your site for one that is mobile-responsive, so make sure that site loads fast!
2. Get listed on Google maps. 86% of mobile users look up a businesses location on Google maps. Location data accuracy is improving, and you should reap the benefits.
3. If you can afford to create a useful, valuable app for your company – make the investment.
4. Make sure the user experience is not just optimized – make it a priority. Today we are seeing that as a distinct advantage.
5. If you’re a retailer, invest in Beacons and RFID tags to track and understand consumer buying patterns.
6. While it’s important to create mobile specials with a clear call to action, also understand that as many as 85% of online shoppers start a purchase on one device and finish on another, according to Google.
7. Integrating loyalty and rewards into your mobile strategy with mobile payments works like magic.
8. Capitalize on the use of social media on mobile devices.
9. Don’t forget Text Message Marketing. Mobile engagement platforms can offer text message marketing, CRM services, and analytics tools. Also offer SMS discounts and deals.
10. Mobile professionals will actively employ a balance of quantitative and qualitative data to keep pace with user expectations.

A Mobile Marketing Strategy is a Necessity in 2018 and Beyond

As revealed by the powerful statistics above, mobile is on top and continues to gain momentum, and it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. A mobile marketing strategy is not a luxury, but a necessity. In 2018, mobile marketing can introduce your services and products to a wider, untapped audience. Look at mobile marketing solutions as a great way to engage with customers on a more personal level. Use the 10 tips we presented to get started, and optimize your mobile strategy today!

Springboard Your #Mobile #Marketing Strategy with 9 Must-Know Stats by @LuceMedia #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

Still think your biz can bypass a mobile marketing strategy, or are you all-in for mobile? Share your mobile strategy experiences in the comments!

The post Springboard Your Mobile Marketing Strategy from 9 Must-Know Stats and 10 Campaign-Boosting To-Do’s appeared first on Rocks Digital.

How is your marketing strategy working so far this year? Have you been staying up on marketing trends, and putting strategies in place that even allow you to measure your success? If not, you are not alone. Many, many small-to-medium-sized businesses don’t know if their marketing strategies are even working.

Marketing Trends Can Help You Measure What’s Working – And What’s Not

At Luce Media, we have always said: You can’t manage what you can’t measure. So, let’s look at some elements that will help you accomplish this in 2018.

Today we will examine 5 top small business marketing trends revealed in the Infusionsoft 2018 Small Business Marketing Trends Report. Use them and see how well your business can succeed by incorporating what this research has revealed.

5 Marketing Trends to Improve Your Digital Efforts in 2018

1. Tracking and Measuring

Successfully marketing your small business digitally remains a mystery for too many businesses today.

A very large percentage of small business owners – an astonishing 46% – don’t have a clue whether their marketing strategies work or not.

With today’s technology, you are able to track marketing expenses and returns down to the penny. However, a vast majority of companies using modern marketing tools, and even some companies being hired for their expertise in online marketing do not take advantage of the detailed information available from all of these services.

For instance, how much does it cost your business to acquire a new customer? Look at all the dollars you spend in the areas of marketing: website, social media, blog writing, direct mail, trade shows, paid social, etc. Factor in what you spend each month on these elements and divide that into the number of new customers you get each month. Second, what marketing channel are those inquiries and new customers coming through on? Tracking ROI is imperative.

2. Improve Marketing Strategy

Another unhappy 17% of small business owners know their marketing strategies are definitely not working.

There’s a variety of reasons this may happen. You have no strategy. You are just throwing up posts and hoping something sticks.

Companies that are successful in digital marketing spend a large portion of their marketing budgets on content marketing. Content on social, blog posts, emails, etc.

You create good content – but then don’t promote it. It’s the proverbial tree falling in the forest. It’s critical to use the various digital platforms available to you to promote your great content.

3. Create a Plan

Perhaps your content is irrelevant or uninteresting, or you have not narrowed the niche audience you are targeting.

Incredibly, only 37% of small business owners say they have effective marketing strategies and efforts. These are the business owners who are tracking what they do with the leads and sales they generate. They have a process that works and they regularly use it.

4. Social Media Marketing is Hot

A recent study shows that 2018 is the year of social media marketing. Of all small business owners investing in digital marketing, a whopping 71% intend to acquire new customers using social media marketing. Of all small business marketing trends, this needs to be viewed seriously. So how does that break down?

Facebook is overwhelmingly the social media platform of choice for small businesses. An incredible 75% definitely will use Facebook in their marketing strategies. How will YOUR business benefit by joining the masses in this 2018 trend?

Mari Smith, the Facebook guru and author of many successful social media “how to” books says it is all about mobile, mobile, mobile. To take advantage of what Facebook is rolling out in the next 12–18 months, make sure everything you produce and deliver is mobile-friendly.

5. Work the Plan

Where are small business owners most likely to spend their 2018 marketing dollars? The vast majority say in social media.

Stats for 2018 include –

• 38% consider social media marketing to be one of the top 3 digital marketing tools for 2018
• 30% consider SEO and digital ads as a top digital marketing tool for 2018
• 24% consider website analytics to be one of the top 3 digital marketing tools for 2018

Many small businesses say they are already putting money into social media marketing, and their efforts are going to center around maximizing the effectiveness of their social media marketing.

Does this sound familiar to your business? The biggest challenge for 1 in 5 small businesses is reported to be finding the correct amount of time and/or resources to properly do marketing. Time is something we all have to invest in for our business to succeed.

If you don’t have the time to learn how to make social media work for you, or the time to effectively market in the social media space, give serious thought to hiring a small agency with the expertise and experience to make your efforts and marketing dollars pay off.

A truth that captures the situation overall is this: There is more to social media marketing than just posting a picture on Instagram or Facebook.

Small Business Trends 2018 Infographic

Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s Infusionsoft’s Small Business Marketing Trends 2018 infographic.

Infographic Courtesy of Infusionsoft

Put these Marketing Trends to Work for Your Business

Measuring results may be not as “fun” as content creation, but to succeed, add that task to your must-do list. And again, when your calendar is already filled but more effort is needed, don’t be afraid to look for help with this important task. Understand each of these 5 trends and put them to work for your business. Now, go Plan your work and then work your plan.

Must-Know Small #Business #Marketing #Trends for 2018 by @LuceMedia #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

What’s the next step for you to leverage these trends? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Must-Know Small Business Marketing Trends for 2018 [#Infographic] appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Virtually everybody nowadays is on LinkedIn. If you are not, you are essentially leave yourself out in the cold when it comes to connecting with people in your industry and prospective clients.

Owns the Space that Can Help Achieve Your Business Goals

Here’s a bit of interesting HR (human resources) trivia for those seeking new jobs. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), of the 77% of employers using social media as an employment recruiting tool, a whopping 94% use LinkedIn.

With so many people looking on LinkedIn for new employees, customers and service providers, it’s an obvious place you need to be. Luckily, LinkedIn profiles are free to create. So, there is no reason not to take advantage of this helpful resource.

Create a Compelling Profile with these 11 LinkedIn Tips

Your LinkedIn profile can be a valuable tool that helps you ultimately achieve your business goals. To get you started, here are some important LinkedIn tips to for becoming a powerful LinkedIn user.

Create a Standout LinkedIn Profile URL by Customizing It

People need to see you in a light that instantly interests them in wanting to know you. Customize your LinkedIn URL to make it a stellar advertisement of your personal skills and talents. The basics of customizing your LinkedIn profile can be found here.

Maybe you already customized your LinkedIn URL but want advanced tips about how to really brand yourself? If so, check out this link to understand how to go from generic to generally spectacular!

Publish an Appropriate Photo of Yourself

Each career field reveals a certain nature to it. By publishing a career-field-appropriate photo of yourself, you show your professionalism. For example, if you are a construction manager, an appropriate picture might be of you wearing a hard hat.

Or, you might have a different picture in mind. Whatever that photo might be, let it convey your career field expertise. Invest in some pictures taken by a professional photographer rather than using an informal selfie from your cell phone camera. Remember, you only get one chance to impress someone. Make your first impression a professional one.

Tell Prospects Where You’re Located

Potential prospects want to know exactly where you are. Yes, there are virtual location jobs. However, for local work, it’s smart to supply your geographical location. If you need help figuring out how to do this, read this LinkedIn Help reference.

Publish an Attention-Grabbing, Creative Headline about Yourself

You want your name, skills and abilities to stand out from your competition. Do that by writing a creative profile headline.

Here’s a tip you can use when you write the headline. Think like the other person. This person has in mind certain goals he or she needs to achieve for the company. Write relevant keywords in your headline as if you are writing it specifically for the person looking at your profile. You can use this brief exercise to figure out what to put in your headline.

Imagine being in a meeting sitting across from the person viewing your profile. Pretend you can hear this person describe typical company problems that need solving by you. Write down what these challenges are. Use your imagination and see yourself saying what the person needs to hear to be wowed by you. Use these words in your headline. (And make sure they are the truth!)

Examples:

Professionally trained SEO web content copywriter with 30 years’ experience. Have been praised for high conversion rates of Fortune 100 company’s loss prevention app.

Harvard educated MBA. Uses 20 years’ experience and productivity techniques in #1 best-selling Amazon book to boost your company’s bottom line.

Plum brilliant plumbing supply parts manager. I keep things flowing for all your wholesale plumbing parts needs.

Write a Distinctive LinkedIn Profile Summary

Spice up your profile summary by adding specific projects, personal details or awards you’ve received. Write specifically how your contributions continue to help all companies with whom you work.

Be aware of time constraints for your reader. Format your summary in chunks of scannable text. Begin with 3 or 4 sentences in one paragraph that showcase your unique talents, skills, abilities, etc. After the beginning paragraph, provide some bulleted statements that will grab the reader’s attention. These bulleted statements highlight your unique qualifications, skills, and experience.

Join Industry Specific Discussion Groups

Actively network through LinkedIn discussion groups. This is a great way to reach out to people and make contacts with those businesses most likely to need your skills and expertise.

Connect with Others

LinkedIn members want to connect and get to know you. To do this, accept connection requests. This is a useful way to develop important business relationships. Then, introduce yourself to these connections. Let them know how you might be able to contribute to improving things for their company.

Add Relevant Skills

When it comes to SEO strategies, a website needs to be focused on using relevant keywords. Google is all about relevance. It’s a key to ranking a website on Google’s page one. Similarly, when you connect with people on LinkedIn, they look to connect with people who have skills relevant to their needs. So, add skills in your profile that show how you are a relevant candidate for a particular job or project. Doing this you increase your chances of getting messaged by people who share similar business interests to yours.

To Get Recommendations, Give Them

LinkedIn is THE business place to connect. When you recommend others as credible business resources, remember to ask them to recommend you. Make sure they say something credible about you because they personally know that you deliver what you promise to deliver. The more people see your many recommendations, the more they trust they can do business with you.

Use Relevant Keywords in Your LinkedIn Profile

You can save prospects time and frustration by using relevant keywords that describe your role in your profile. Do your research and use low competing, relevant keywords. This helps you stand out to Google AND the humans looking at your profile.

Contribute to the LinkedIn Community

You are an expert. Share your expertise by writing articles that help people get information they need to make informed decisions about hiring you for a job. It helps show you can do what you say you can do! Articles on LinkedIn can be more valuable than simple posts, so use this opportunity post your highest quality content.

Still not sure where to start? Here’s an infographic to help you.

Infographic courtesy of: OnStride Financial

Ready to Take the Plunge? These LinkedIn Tips are Just the Tip of the Iceberg

The reach of the LinkedIn platform makes it a necessary component of your self-marketing strategy. Creating your LinkedIn profile is step one, while each tip above reveals the thoroughness that you must maintain. Put these LinkedIn tips on your list and get started today.

Become a Power User w/ these #LinkedIn Tips and #Infographic by @LuceMedia #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

Did you realize how important LinkedIn was before now? What’s number 1 on your to-do list to implement? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Become a LinkedIn Power User – Get Started with these Helpful LinkedIn Tips and #Infographic appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Wonder why you should podcast? Let me ask this: Do you enjoy listening to an interesting story? Like learning new things? Enjoy hearing other people’s perspectives on things? If you do, THEY do – so tune in to the why about digital podcasts starting now!

According to Convince and Convert president Jay Baer, 112 million Americans listened to podcasts as of March 2017. That means 40% of Americans age 12 or older tuned in to podcast shows. Separated into smaller numbers, 68 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly, and 42 million Americans listen weekly. Are you getting in on the boom for your business? It’s so easy to do. Essentially, you just need to get started.

People Love to Listen, and that’s Just One Reason Why You Should Podcast!

Julia Roy on Workhacks describes podcasts as “magazine subscriptions for your ears.” Why? Once you subscribe to a podcast channel or show, you automatically receive the show’s next episode. Only unlike paper magazine subscriptions, podcast shows are FREE!

When Compared with Reading Text to Get Information, People Naturally Enjoy Audio More

Biologically, people love to listen to what other people are saying. In short, it’s a natural part of the brain’s communication design, as revealed by a study done in the 1970s by Dr. Albert Mehrabian.

Briefly, Professor Mehrabian’s research revealed the 7-38-55 communication model findings. During his research on non-verbal communication, many discoveries surfaced about communication in general. Here are some interesting findings:

• Only 7% of human communication consists of the message’s literal content.
• The larger percentage of communication, up to 38%, uses a person’s voice, voice tone, intonation, and volume.
• Body language makes up about 55% of communication.

What does all this mean regarding podcasting? Human nature drives us to prefer processing communication verbally (listening) and looking, then reading, when compared with just reading. Therefore, it just makes sense that people naturally want to listen to podcasts!

Listening to Podcasts Engages the Listener

People love listening to digital podcasts because the broadcast intimately engages the listener. Listeners develop relationships with the broadcaster. How? The podcast show host becomes a familiar voice. The things that feel familiar to the brain encourage a secure feeling. We create a habit by repetitively doing the same thing. This also applies to listening to the same podcast personality on a regular basis. So, the more that people habitually listen to a podcast, the more they want to continue tuning in.

Even More Reasons Why You Should Podcast…

The following list highlights various reasons people like listening to podcasts:

• Listeners develop an emotional bond to the show host if that broadcaster shares personal experiences to which the listener can deeply relate
• By making a personal connection with the podcast show’s host, listeners become loyal and open to listening to future show episodes
• Listeners can relate to the show host’s beliefs/interests because those topics are the same or similar to those of the listener
• Podcasts run by 1 or 2 hosts familiar to the listener become like personal communications from a trusted friend
• Regular listeners become emotionally connected and invested in the friendship between listener and host(s) if listeners can share relevant podcast topic comments and feedback, or perhaps be part of the interview. In other words, give your listeners a way to connect with you and they will!
• When the host speaks about the kind of problems he/she experiences during work, such as talking about the salesman who wears a Pigpen-cloud of irritating cologne, and how the host handles/deals with it, or why the host feels excited about an upcoming event, the listeners will relate. Because listeners relate emotionally to what’s being broadcast, they feel passionately driven to keep listening to their favorite shows
• People learn something new by listening to podcasts they find personally relevant to their relationships, situations, and experiences
• When listeners hear something they find interesting, they want to share what they discovered with friends, family, and business colleagues
• People LOVE to be entertained. Serials work very well to entertain people. It’s up to the podcast host to regularly talk about ideas that engage others, and this converts listeners into long-term fans
• Listeners like to hear other people’s perspective about things

The Simple 1-2-3 of Why You Should Podcast

People are regularly tuning in to podcasts. Businesspeople now use podcasts to stay engaged with their target market for these reasons:

1. Listeners become subscribers.

Often, a podcast audience subscribes and downloads business podcasts without even visiting the company website. This means if they already like what you are saying in your podcast, you don’t have to force your presence in front of them on FB, Twitter, etc., using remarketing ads. Subscribed fans automatically receive your latest content on their favorite digital device. It makes economic sense to produce podcasts.

2. Podcasting is easy to do for virtually anyone.

Are you intimidated by technology? Doing podcasts is easy for just about anyone. Podcasting software is affordable. Afraid to perform publicly? You can actually hire coaches to help you overcome your fear of speaking and public performance. Basically, just write out some questions to ask your guest interviewee and then be yourself. Listeners prefer conversational, natural, easy-going podcasts.

3. Podcast advertising sells well.

According to a recent survey of 300,000 podcast listeners, 63% of listeners bought a product promoted by the show’s host.

And if You Still Need Convinced… Here’s a Podcasting Infographic

Infographic courtesy of Concordia University – Saint Paul

Now that YOU See Why YOU Should Podcast – Hop Off the Fence and Get Started!

If you’ve been on the fence about producing your own podcast show, there’s no time like the present! Just imagine all the client possibilities you can realize by becoming a podcaster, and get started.

Still debating about why you should podcast? Or have a podcast tip to share? Put the comments to use!

The post Wondering Why You Should Podcast? Podcasting Pays Off, and Here’s Why! appeared first on Rocks Digital.