social media marketing

Survey Shows Firms Plan to Spend More on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ Marketing

If you sell creative services to marketing and advertising firms, it can be useful to know which social-media channels they favor for their campaigns.

More than six of ten (62 percent) of the advertising and marketing executives interviewed in a new survey by The Creative Group said they expect companies to increase spending on Facebook marketing in the next 12 months. This is up from 53 percent who planned to boost their Facebook budget one year ago.

In addition, 51 percent of the executives anticipate companies to channel more marketing dollars toward LinkedIn over the next 12 months. This is up from 38 percent last year. The percentage of executives who anticipate boosting their budgets for Google+ rose from 41 percent last year to 50 percent this year.

The national survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm. Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “Do you anticipate companies will increase or decrease their advertising/marketing investment in the following social media sites in the next 12 months?”

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“Today, there is a social media component to nearly every marketing campaign,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “The challenge is determining which channels make the most sense for the brand and how to truly engage with customers via social media.”

Farrugia added, “As organizations increase their social media investment, they seek professionals with experience planning, executing and measuring the success of social media activities. In fact, social media positions ranked among the top roles advertising and marketing executives said they plan to hire during the second half of the year in a recent survey by The Creative Group.”

The national study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on more than 400 telephone interviews — approximately 300 with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 100 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in placing highly skilled interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals with a variety of firms on a project and full-time basis.

LINKS

The Creative Group

 

PhotoShelter Updates Social Media Handbook for Photographers

PHOTOGRAPHERS. Are you getting the type of results you want from social-media marketing?  If not, maybe it’s time to try new tactics or focus on a different platform. To give you some facts and inspiration, PhotoShelter recently released an updated, two-part version of their e-book on social media for photographers.

The 2012 edition of “The Photographer’s Social Media Handbook” covers best practices for using Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter to enhance your marketing efforts and get noticed by potential clients.  Part 1 (44 pages) covers Facebook and Google+. Part 2 (26 pages) covers LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media platforms that matter.

The first edition of this social media handbook was published in 2010. This updated version talks about major changes that have occurred and looks ahead to changes anticipated this year.  You will see why you need different strategies for each social-media site, and learn how to measure your results.

“The Photographer’s Social Media Handbook” includes interviews with photographers who attracted significant online followings. These photographers provide real-world tips on what works and what doesn’t. They agree that developing a strategy is particularly important, “There must be a method to the madness. Blindly posting and interacting with potential customers will get you nowhere. You first need to ask yourself: “What do I want to accomplish and can this platform help me get there?”

Here’s a brief overview of how photographers can benefit from using four of the most popular social-media platforms.

Part 1: Facebook and Google+

Facebook is a daily-destination website whereas your personal website is not.  It has also become an accepted vehicle for business marketing. Developing a Facebook Page dedicated to your photography business can help build your brand and makes it easier for potential customers to find you.  You can use your page to show your photos, ask for opinions, or offer discounts and promotions.

Google+ is a fast-growing social-media platform that could be considered as an extension of Google itself. Your success with Google+ could directly impact your search-engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Google+ is built for photo-sharing, and accommodates viewing, managing, and editing multimedia.

Part 2: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Other Platforms

LinkedIn can be great for marketing photography services to businesses because it includes more than 54,000 people who identify themselves as photo editors, 28,000+ art buyers, 580,000+ graphic designers, and 644,000+ art directors.  LinkedIn can also help you establish yourself as a reputable source and make connections with people who can vouch for your business ethic and photography.

Twitter connects businesses to customers in real-time. It can help you spread awareness to people who may not know about you, drive signups for your newsletter, get feedback for your images and services, and announce news, special promotions, achievements, and events.

The “Photographer’s Social Media Handbook” advises that “Social media is not something you should pay attention to once a week or only on the weekends. Create consistent times to post, share, and interact with users. This will help grow your following, and increase your chances for solid business opportunities.”

Photographer Bryan Formhals notes that, “You don’t have to be on every platform! Choose the few that you enjoy and commit to them.”

PhotoShelter is a leader in portfolio websites and business tools for serious photographers. It offers a host of social-sharing tools that can help you promote your work via multiple platforms.

LINKS

The 2012 Photographer’s Social Media Handbook

About PhotoShelter

 

Survey Shows Companies Plan to Spend More on Social Media

In a new survey by The Creative Group, more than half (53 percent) of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they expect companies to increase their investment in Facebook this year. Respondents also anticipate more marketing dollars will be channeled toward Twitter (43 percent), Google+ (41 percent), LinkedIn (38 percent) and YouTube (36 percent).

The national survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm. The survey results are based on more than 500 telephone interviews — approximately 375 with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 125 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

When advertising and marketing executives were asked, “Do you anticipate that companies will increase or decrease their advertising/marketing investment in the following social media sites in 2012?,” their responses were as follows:

“Companies recognize the powerful role social media can play in brand building, and they are willing to invest in initiatives that can help them increase customer engagement,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “As platforms like Facebook continue to evolve, it’s especially important for businesses to keep pace.”

Added Farrugia, “Although companies plan to spend more on social media, finding the talent needed to oversee these programs can pose a challenge. Bringing in freelancers who have worked on successful social media initiatives can be helpful, since these professionals can not only develop and implement strategies but also impart their expertise to core team members during the process.”

LINKS

 About The Creative Group