The Vital Importance of Social Media for Small Wineries

Social media has been a standard part of our culture since the mid 2000s. At that time, many industries first started to recognize the possibilities of using the internet for marketing. And while some consumer product producers found great opportunities in social media, the wine industry and many wine businesses were really slow to incorporate online social networks into their marketing programs. This was likely a result of them being both skeptical of the platforms, as well as uncertain of the potential return on investment (ROI).

But over the last few years more and more wineries have found great success with social media. Such successes include better brand awareness as well as greater conversion of fans and followers into customers resulting from the type of relationship building that only social media can provide.
There are, of course, many different types of social media, including social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+; blogs and web 2.0 social sites; video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo; review sites like Citysearch & Yelp; as well as mobile "check-in" platforms like Foursquare and Foodspotting. And that's just for starters.



Why is Social Media a Good Pairing for Wine?
Wine is often talked about as an "experience" product, meaning that consumers usually need to interact with it before knowing if they actually like it. With well over 10,000 producers represented in the US market alone, wine can be especially confusing. That's why so many consumers rely on wine-savvy friends or professionals to help them with their wine purchasing. In decades past it might have been books or magazine articles or newsletter that helped them learn and make decisions about wine, but in the age of the internet, consumers are increasingly turning to the web for education and advice on just about everything, including wine. In fact, wine is one of the most searched terms on Google when it comes to consumer products.

Wine Social Media Has Grown
Consumer consumption of social content related to wine has increased significantly over the last several years. In a study conducted back in 2010, approximately 700,000 people searched for and viewed wine related videos on a monthly basis. There are over 8,000 wine related tweets per day and nearly 500 iPhone apps related to wine. According to their own internal data, 90% of wine drinkers engage with Facebook between 6 and 8 hours every week. And, according to a Google Analytics report in 2012, wineries are the third most popular subject on Pinterest. There are between 1500 and 2000 active blogs on the subject of wine at any given time, and even more bloggers who include wine among other subjects they cover. Wine is clearly on the radar of a huge portion of the internet's population.

Tips for Launching a Wine Social Media Strategy
While many major wine industry players have now embraced social media as part of their strategy, small wineries have remained slow at fully implementing social media into their overall marketing strategy. Without a dedicated staff member, it can often seem like an overwhelming task. But the fact is that by dedicating a short amount of time on a consistent basis, any small business (including small wineries) can develop a strong social media presence. Here's how:
1) Pick one or two platforms and become an expert at connecting with fans on them. Don't get distracted by thinking you need to be everywhere online.
2) Create interesting, engaging, and valuable content that will get people to interact with you. One sided content, like a photo with a caption saying "we're out in the vineyard today dropping fruit" just won't get people involved. Instead, try caption contests or ask provocative questions.
3) Include a call to action with every few posts. The idea of social platform marketing is to relate, but also to feed your business with new purchases or new clients. Make sure you don't miss opportunities to get them to buy from you.

Putting it into Action:
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Brought to by David Baer - Demystifying Internet Marketing for wineries, wine retailers and other small business owners.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D._Baer

If you would like to master social media for your business, please collect my 4 free ebooks at:  www.methodsocialmedia.com 

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How Facebook Could Be Influencing Election Day

Political Apptivism 

It was the mid-term elections in the United States this week, and America's many Facebook users logged in to discover the 'Megaphone' voting announcement. Appearing on top of user's news feeds, it pushed them to go and vote. This is not the first time that Facebook has used its influence to tempt its users into voting. Another version of the Megaphone appeared in 2008, but this year they have tweaked the algorithm so that the feature reaches out to all users old enough to vote.

The exciting feature lets you see which of your friends have voted or are planning to vote. For those unsure about where to go, especially first time voters, Facebook will point you in the direction of your nearest polling station. Once you have voted, you can post on Facebook: "I'm A Voter" or "I'm Voting."

Facebook is working under the assumption that if you see that your friends have been voting then you are more likely to vote. But what are Facebook's real intentions? Could they be influencing the end result? A Facebook spokesperson has stated that: "Our effort is neutral, while we encourage any and all candidates, groups and voters to use our platform to engage on the elections, we as a company have not used our products in a way that attempts to influence how people vote."

In this case, it seems that Facebook's intentions are pretty clear: to ensure that people do their civic duty and go vote. However, in the future, Facebook could become an important political tool. Over the summer, Facebook had, controversially, influenced what users saw on their news feed to see if a load of negative posts would make people feel sad and vice versa. Facebook could potentially influence who people want to vote for by making one political party more visible on News Feeds than others.

However, Facebook is promoting social engagement and should be applauded for their efforts. More often that not, young people won't cast their vote, meaning a large chunk of the population remains unrepresented. Facebook is a large part of young people's lives and so it makes sense that it should be used to push people into casting their vote. Social media should play a large part in promoting social engagement and political activism because it is the space where most people spend a large amount of time. 

How to get  young people to go vote? Maybe social media is the answer.

by Laura Veit

Laura is a recent graduate from University of East Anglia in Film and Television Studies, currently interning as a content writer but hoping to one day live off her writing. Follow her @LauraAtSMF.

Source: http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2014/11/how-facebook-could-be-influencing.html 

If you wish to master social media for your business,  please collect my 4 free ebooks at  

http://www.methodsocialmedia.com/

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Facebook Introduces Profile Completion Bar

In a move to further increase the site’s marketability, Facebook now has a profile completion bar. The bar, which can be found in the top right corner of the About tab on the user’s Timeline, displays the percentage completion of the user’s profile page.

The information displayed on a profile page informs Facebook marketers of potential targeting options. For example, last year Facebook users were asked “which city do you live in?”, the answer allowing businesses operating in the same area to target them specifically.

Both LinkedIn and Google+ already have percentage completion bars on their profile pages. Facebook’s introduction of their own completion bar comes days after they began trialling a new Collections feature, which displays many similarities to Pinterest.

Both the percentage bar and the Collections feature are believed to be moves by Facebook to increase their online marketing revenue.

Do you think Facebook Collections and the new percentage bar are good ideas?

Contact us on Twitter and Facebook, or leave your comments below.


Will Sigsworth, Content Writer

Source: http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2012/10/facebook-introduces-profile-completion.html#.VCqMWhY0-So

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Facebook Popularity Amongst Teens Is Back on Track

It seemed like Facebook was losing a little bit of popularity for a while with teenagers and this was starting to be noticeable in the trends that occurred in this particular social media platform. The truth is that there is a never ending fluctuation of traffic that can change in a second and this is something all social media platforms have to deal with. The crucial thing is that the latest numbers show that there is an increase in the popularity of Facebook amongst teenagers now.

The reasons why this kind of number fluctuation occurs is that you can't really control how the public responds to certain updates that are made in the numerous platforms available. One day they move to X place because they introduced a certain feature and the next they go back to the place they left behind because they also incorporated that feature plus a little something extra.

It just seems like the social media wars are always going to be in high gear and not even the colossal Facebook will be safe from being ranked down in popularity if they get careless with their updates. The social media phenomenon forces developers to be in constant red alert and looking for the best ways to develop new ideas and also incorporate anything that is relevant in other places while adding their own twist to it. That is the key to a successful business and social media sites are exactly that.


There are literally dozens of social media platforms trying to compete to reach a higher place in the rankings and some of them are grabbing a lot of attention from the public. This means that Facebook is not only having to worry about the closest contenders like Twitter and Google Pus, but also about smaller new comers that are coming out of nowhere with great ideas and excellent features. Many teenagers seem to be attracted to the latest tends even if they come from smaller sites. The younger audiences are the most unpredictable but they play a key factor in how a social media site evolves.

It's obvious that 99% of teenagers that visit social networks are there to waste time with games, gossip and general fun, but this turns them into the perfect target for publicity and for those who are on the networks looking for clients. There is no way to deny the power of consumption that comes from teenagers this days, especially now that so many of them have credit cards and access to PayPal accounts amongst other payment methods available. The most important things to remember about the interaction with social media and teenagers is that those are the people who will eventually be using the networks for business purposes, so it's always good practice for the sites to keep them happy.

New features are launched every day and new apps or designs are modified and created too. With social media being almost a decade old, it still seems like we are very early in the game as far as what will happen and who will be on the top of the ranks a few years from now. So far things are still looking great for Facebook, but you never know when a network could come up with a truly amazing and innovative idea that will shake even the most solid foundations in the business. Only time will tell, but the best thing is to keep an eye opener as a marketer to see which ones are the most useful for your particular purposes.

By Sharon C Callix   Award Winning Social Media Consultant, UK
www.makingmoneyusingsocialmedia.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_C_Callix

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Your Google Searches May Help Decide Your Facebook Ads

Marketers can now use search engine queries to better target their Facebook ads.

Image: Mashable, Karissa Bell

The ads you see on Facebook may soon look a lot like the ads you see on Google.

Marketers are now able to take keywords from your search query on Google (or Yahoo or Bing) and use that information to offer you more targeted ads in your Facebook feed.

That's thanks to ad technology created by Facebook ad partner Kenshoo Social. Kenshoo's technology is still in beta, but won't be for long. The company says that many of its clients should have access to the service in the coming weeks.

If you click on an ad that results from a search query, marketers can use Kenshoo to pick out keywords from your searches to better target you on the social network.

For example, if you search for "red running shoes" on Bing and click on a Nike ad that surfaces, Nike will recognize the keyword that surfaced that ad (probably "shoes") and then send you shoe-related ads on Facebook, too.

Previously, companies could target Facebook users that visited their sites with ads based on their interests on the social network. But the new technology offers up the search keyword that resulted in the site visit, something that was previously unavailable to marketers.

In other words, companies don't just know you visited their website, they know what you searched for that led you there. And now they can follow up with you on Facebook.

"For the first time, there's a gateway, there's a bridge between [search data and social data]," says Doug Chavez, global head of marketing research and content at Kenshoo. "Search, whether it's Google or Bing or Yahoo, is a massive data base of consumer intent that has largely gone untapped" by social media.

Facebook and Kenshoo worked together on the technology, but their partnership is not exclusive, according to a Facebook spokesperson. That means other marketing companies (and Kenshoo competitors) could build similar tools, a move that would still benefit Facebook.

Kenshoo's tool works by matching up anonymous Internet cookies from Facebook and the search engine, but user queries are not scanned in full. Nike, for example, would not be able to read every word you typed into your search query; the company only gets to see the specific keyword that triggered the ad.

"If you're providing a better experience for me, or helping me get a better product at a better price or get better information, consumers are generally pretty fine with that," says Chavez. "I don't see this as big brother at all."

Kenshoo is also a Twitter Ads API Partner, but wouldn't say whether similar technology is in the works for Twitter marketers.

http://mashable.com/2014/06/04/google-facebook-ads-search/

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LinkedIn's New Profile Design Takes a Hint From Facebook and Twitter

Image: Mashable composite, Linkedin

LinkedIn is taking some design inspiration from Facebook and Twitter.

The professional network is rolling out a new profile design for its premium members Wednesday, a new look that includes a larger profile photo and a customizable header image that spans the width of the screen. Users can either upload their own image, or select from a gallery of header images provided by LinkedIn.

The new look is similar in style to other major social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which are becoming more visual in their designs. Twitter began rolling out its new design in April, and just recently completed the transition for all users last week.

LinkedIn's new profiles are only available for premium members right now. The rest of LinkedIn's members — those using the service for free — are expected to get the new look in "a few months," according to a company blog post.

LinkedIn's new profile design (top) is more visual and looks more like similar profiles on Facebook and Twitter.

Image: LinkedIn

New profiles weren't the only update premium members received on Wednesday. The new design was part of a larger suite of tools added to the premium service, including enhancements to how premium users appear in search results.
Premium users can now pick from a set of personalized keywords to add to their account in hopes of showing up more frequently in search, and when they do, their profiles will be twice as large as members who are using LinkedIn's free service. LinkedIn has 300 million registered users, and "a little competitive edge can go a long way," the company wrote on its blog.

Premium users can now add keywords to their profile in hopes of appearing in more search results.

Image: linkedin

Premium users can also set their profile to "open," a setting that will allow them to receive messages and make their profile visible to anyone on the platform. Premium members could previously opt-in to this feature, but now it will come standard with premium subscriptions (users can always opt out). Unlike the profile redesign, these other features are exclusively for premium members.

Wednesday's announcement places a greater emphasis on paid memberships. LinkedIn also announced a new premium service called Premium Spotlight, a much cheaper version of the premium membership with fewer perks. The company is calling it a "starter package."

Paying members have always received superior service on the platform, but membership fees are the smallest of LinkedIn's three revenue streams, making up just 20% of total revenue in Q1. LinkedIn makes the bulk of its revenue from an area of its business known as Talent Solutions, the recruiting side of the service for businesses posting jobs and seeking qualified candidates. Talent Solutions makes up close to 60% of LinkedIn's revenue.

As LinkedIn continues to grow — and competition for jobs and visibility on the platform increases — it's likely the paid membership portion of LinkedIn's business will grow as well. Adding new features to distinguish paid memberships from free ones will be important for the company moving forward.
LinkedIn's new profiles will be available to premium members beginning Wednesday. Others interested in receiving the profile early can request one here.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

http://mashable.com/2014/06/04/linkedin-new-profile-deisgn/

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Iran Launch War Against Social Media

 What's the real story?

It seems that not everyone is in favour of a world heavily influenced by social media, and Iran in particular have taken actions to make sure that social media does not take a hold in their country. The Iranian leadership have now banned Instagram, and this was after they banned Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Social: foreignpolicyblogs.com

Not surprisingly, Iran are very active on these and other social media platforms, and this is to spread their message across the globe, and let everyone know what their agenda is. A fine example of this was the famous phone call between US President Obama and Iranian President Rouhani. The call took place as Rouhani departed the United Nations following his appearance at the General Assembly. Following the conversation, which turned out to be the watershed for the US/Iranian dialogue, the entire content of the conversation was tweeted by none other than the Iranian President.

This type of behaviour online is pure politics and indoctrination. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, is very active online, particularly when he is in negotiations with the P5+1 on the nuclear issue when a deadline approaches. He manipulates the media and world opinion through his Twitter account, and this is the way that politics is heading. Of course, the words posted are under Zarif’s name, but it is his team who are typing the messages. Further to this, these messages are not meant for the citizens of Iran, but the rest of the world, as they are not legally allowed to view the content.

Despite the vigorous efforts by the Iranian government, they have not been able to effectively stop all citizens from using social media. Together with international hackers, they have been able to find ways around the ban.

Source: ieet.org

Just a few years ago, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, determined that the cyber world was so out of control in Iran that he created a special agency to combat cyber invasion. The agency’s job was to protect Iran from cyber attacks, and to halt the culture attacks that were infecting the Iranian youth. The agency recruited some of the most talented young people in Iran and now, two years down the line, Iran is a serious player in the hacking world.

Recently, the Iranian News Agency, IRNA, quoted the President saying “We should see the cyber world as an opportunity.”  He then said, “Why are we so shaky? Why don’t we trust our youth?” In the country, he is viewed as weak, and even viewed as a liberal Westerner by some. The statements were seen as a symbol of his failure.

Iran has a fascinating relationship with social media, and one that seems to be filled with both love and hate. It is a worrying prospect for many people that politicians are willing to use social media in order to indoctrinate and promote themselves, but not allow the general public to use it. This proves just how useful a tool social media is, as they want to utilise the positives but are scared of the consequences if the citizens get their hands on it.

http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2014/05/iran-launch-war-against-social-media.html#.U44W2ihZj8Q

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