Specifically, I researched and studied the Two-step Flow Theory, which is the idea that the media’s influence on people’s behavior is limited by opinion leaders, who are people who initially consume media content, interpret it in light of their own values and beliefs, and then pass it on to opinion followers who have less frequent contact with media.

The two-step flow theory was first introduced by Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet in The People’s Choice, a 1944 study focused on the process of decision-making during a Presidential election campaign. These researchers expected to find support for the direct influence of media messages on voting intentions.  They were surprised to discover that informal, personal contacts were mentioned far more frequently than exposure to radio or newspaper as sources of influence on voting behavior. Armed with this data, Katz and Lazarsfeld developed the two-step flow theory of mass communication.

This theory asserts that information from the media moves in two distinct stages. First, individuals (opinion leaders) pays close attention to the mass media and its messages amd he then passes on his own interpretations, plays on words and his views in addition to the actual media content.  Opinion leaders are very influential in getting people to change their attitudes and behaviors and are quite similar to those they influence.

Here’s the question: With the relevance of social media, is this theory still relevant?  Are opinion leaders still influencing individuals or is it more one-step where everyone is communicating with each other online?

Here’s the answer:  Yes, the two-step theory, without a doubt, is still relevant and here’s why…

A study from Yahoo! Research “Who Says What to Whom on Twitter | Yahoo! Research” analyzed 5 billion tweets and examined the relationship between them and reported that there are about 20,000 “elite” users that are the source of 50% of Tweets ~ but they rely on a large number of intermediaries, about 500K.

“Interestingly, these results are all broadly consistent with the original conception of the two-step flow, advanced over 50 years ago, which emphasized that opinion leaders were “distributed in all occupational groups, and on every social and economic level”…

… given, in fact, that a service like Twitter was likely unimaginable at the time it is remarkable how well the theory agrees with our observations.

Reference:

Study Shows How Social Media Amplifies Mass Media accessed September 18, 2011 from http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2011/03/study_shows_how_1.php

Katz, E., & Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1955). Personal influence: The part played by people in the flow of mass communication. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.

Here are 5 simple steps you can implement that will make it easier for people to find your brand on Facebook so that you can provide valuable and engaging content so more people will “like it” signing themselves up to see your updates on their wall, which encourages interaction and, if you do it right, helps you gain credibility as an expert in your field.

1.  Choose Your Business Name Wisely.  Make sure that you use your exact business name when setting up your page.  First, it will help you keep your brand strong and second, it will help people find you easier if they aren’t confused as to what your name is because you’ve used a few variations of your business name.

2.  Include Your Address.  Make sure to include your address so people can use Facebook Places to ‘check in’ via their mobile device, which tells their friends where they’re at.

3.  About, Description & General Information.  The About field is short – great for a tagline or one or two sentences.  Make sure to complete the Description and General Information fields using keywords that your target market will be searching for when they need you.  By filling out as many of the fields under the ‘Information’ tab as you can – this will help people find your brand in searches.

4.  Get Your Vanity URL.  Once you have 25 ‘likes’ or fans of your business page, you can claim a Vanity URL or custom username that makes advertising and word of mouth marketing much easier as your page will be accessed at www.facebook.com/companyname instead of a bunch of letters and numbers that don’t make sense.  Again, you’ll want to choose a Vanity URL that represents your business name or brand as this plays a significant role in SEO.

5.  Links!  Google’s PageRank algorithm (this is what determines the search rank of everything) gives a lot of weight to links, so it’s a good idea to have links to your Facebook page on your website and blog.  If you link to your website in a post on Facebook, it won’t help your SEO as they contain a “nofollow” attribute, however, using links in your posts is a great way to drive traffic to your website and blog.

By implementing these steps, you will be well on your way to having your Facebook page come up near the top of the search results!

Do you have Internet Marketing questions?  I’m here for you!  Just shoot me an email at: Angie@focusAdmin.com and I’ll get back to you.

Mobile marketing is a rapidly developing new media marketing channel that will, according to some projections, take over desktop usage before the year 2015.  The Mobile Marketing Association defines mobile marketing as “a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.”

Here are the main ways to use mobile marketing for business:

1. Text Messaging/SMS or MMS marketing: You can send text (SMS) or picture (MMS) messages directly to customers who opt in and they can respond immediately (i.e., come to your store to redeem a coupon). Research has shown text messages inspire a positive and immediate response from recipients.  You can create VIP Lists to send targeted messages, offer rewards, send appointment reminders and even hold raffles!  Customers love instant gratification!  Want to try it out?  Text the word ‘angelawycoff’ to the number 90210 and you will receive my mobile business card (mCard).
2. Mobile local search: Having your business information pop up when someone is looking for a local business is invaluable for both you and your customer.  I’ll say it again – claim your local listings!
3. Quick Response Codes: QR Codes are 2d bar codes that can be found in print magazines or in store ads that you scan with your camera.  You’ll need to first install the app that runs it (there are a few different ones out there) and then take a picture of the QR code which will bring you to your mobile browser and direct you to the information you were looking for.
4. Mobile apps: Many companies have created their own mobile applications to promote their businesses. Take a look at the many apps out there and see if you can come up with one for your business.
5. Mobile paid search and banner advertising: This is similar to regular paid search, but since space on mobile devices is limited, only the top four paid results will show up on a mobile screen.  Banner advertising involves buying banner space on a site that is mobile device ready.

Whether you are a business professional or a business owner, it’s important to stay connected and communicate with your customers.  Using a mobile marketing strategy allows you to communicate in real-time with your customers and will drive traffic right to your door (or website!).

Focus Admin, Marketing & Design now offers Mobile Marketing solutions ~ Call today for more information 715-977-0119!

If you have a website, it’s all in the Search Engine optimization or SEO.  SEO is making your website and content friendly to search engines so that it achieves a higher rank in the search results. Typically, the higher your site ranks, the more visitors you’ll have to your site (which = more sales and profits).

Here are a few suggestions that you and your webmaster can implement to improve your SEO:

1. Research Your Keywords – Research and use appropriate keywords or keyword phrases in your content. For example, an estate planning attorney in Baldwin, Wisconsin wouldn’t gain benefit from ranking highly for the single word “attorney” (which would be a challenge anyway). Specific keyword phrases based on location and specialty will get highly targeted traffic (“Baldwin estate planning lawyer”) and don’t forget synonyms (“Baldwin estate planning attorney”).
2. Optimize Your Page Titles – <Title> tags appear at the top of the browser and are used by search engines to determine the content of your page. Search engines want to offer relevant results and a descriptive and optimized title lets the search engine and visitors know what the page is about before they visit it. Limit your title to 60 characters in length, including spaces.
   
3. Write Compelling Content – Your content has to convey your message clearly and should speak to your target market. Make sure there is unique content on each page so you don’t run the risk of being penalized by the search engines for duplicate content. You may want to consider hiring a professional copywriter to assist you in writing for the web and incorporating your keywords into your content.
   
4. Use Meta Descriptions – <Meta> description tags are what appear in the search engine results page under the title and give the web surfer an overview of what your site is about. Make sure to describe each page differently so you don’t have any duplicate content issues. Limit your description to 160 characters, including spaces.

By incorporating these suggestions, you will have a better chance of generating sales and profits from your search engine ranking.

Don’t know where to begin?  Schedule a complimentary 30 minute strategy session with Angie today to discuss your goals and a strategy to achieve them!

If you partner with Independent Contractors (virtual assistants, web or graphic designers, copywriters, etc.) to design and develop materials for you, you may be surprised to learn that most likely you do not own that work and more importantly, you may not have permission to change it!  This is because copyrights are owned by the author or person who created the work.

This is why it is VERY important to have an Agreement in place that covers these copyright issues, otherwise your work will be owned by your Independent Contractor rather than you.

In order to make sure that you are the owner of work you’ve paid someone to create for you, a written work made for hire agreement should be signed by the all parties.  You can also request to add ownership provisions to the Independent Contractor’s Agreement, as most consultants typically have their own Agreements outlining their policies, etc.  Remember: if it’s not covered in a written agreement – a court of law will most likely determine that the contractor owns your work.

Here at Focus Admin, Marketing & Design, our Virtual Assistance, Web Design and Project Agreements cover these important issues and clearly state that all work created by Focus Admin, Marketing & Design is owned by the client.

1.   Schedule time to work on your business.  Set aside time every week to focus on your business – make plans and set specific and measurable goals.

2.  Are you flying solo? Do you have a team in place to support you and your business?  Or, are you doing it all on your own?  Take action – put together your team so you can focus on the important stuff.  Your team may consist of a business coach, virtual assistant(s), web designer(s), etc.

3.  Is your website working? Does it speak to your target demographic?  Does it match your brand?  Your content, call to action and design are the 3 biggest factors in the success of your online sales conversions.  If this isn’t your thing, it’s time to hire an expert to advise you how to make sure your website is working for you.  This is also a good time to review and update your bio and About Us page of your website.  Be sure to add any new accomplishments, awards or areas of expertise that you want to showcase.

4.  Do you love your brand? Do your marketing assets (business cards, brochures, flyers, postcards, etc) all convey the same cohesive message and feeling about your brand?  If not, it might be time to re-brand your company with a new look and feel.

5.  Social media – are you there? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare are great free tools to connect and build relationships – if you’re not using these tools, you’ll want to make plans to include them in your marketing plan right away.  This is also a good time to review and update your profile information.  If you have a lot of friends in different categories (friends, family, colleagues), you might want to create lists so you can easily manage what you’re sharing with each group.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners have a lot of work to do to get ready for the new year.  Start right away and your company will come out stronger and more prepared to give you the results you want in the coming year.

Here’s to your success!

I was just introduced to Feedly (thanks Erin Blaskie!) and I don’t know what I did without it!  To sign in you connect with your Google account and choose what to follow – it’s easy to find what you like, the search feature is great and it also makes good suggestions.  I still have to do some adding to get all of my favorite news, techy, internet marketing and design blogs.  Then I can go to one place to get my news fix!  You can also connect to Twitter to access your time line and easily share articles.

I thought it was pretty cool and just had to share!  Have you tried Feedly?  How do you manage your RSS feeds?

I made this today while taking a short break from my homework  – I love what I do!

Create your own Wordle here.

There are many advantages to implementing an email marketing strategy to promote your business. Among them are the relatively low cost involved (Constant Contact starts at $15/month and offers a 60 day free trial), the speed at which you can get the message delivered to your customer’s hands, and the ability for your recipients to ‘go viral’ with your message, or in other words, forward the message to others who may also be interested in your offering and information. Moreover, email marketing software allows you to track the results of any communication you send out, and evaluate the success of your email marketing campaign as well as enhance your strategies through the insights you gain from your statistics.

While there are more than few advantages to email marketing, you should keep in mind that it is intended to be a supplemental form of marketing. It should be used as an enhancement to your website and other marketing activities. Your website should be designed to accommodate sales while your email marketing campaign should provide valuable information and highlight the benefits of your product or service, and encourage your subscribers to visit your site and make a purchase. Your website should also be the focus of other Internet marketing strategies such as the use of social media platforms, search engine optimization (SEO), and article marketing. Once you have an entire plan for the Internet marketing strategy of your online business, you then use your email marketing campaign to enhance all your efforts and encourage your customers to patronize your business and become loyal followers.

Another thing to remember when implementing an email marketing campaign is that you shouldn’t overdo it. While there aren’t really any inherent disadvantages to email marketing, its downsides come from abusing it. If you’re sending emails to all 10,000 people on your list every other day, they’re going to get tired of it and either delete every email you send or opt out of your mailing list. That will potentially cost you a lot of business. The last thing you want to do is irritate your subscribers by making them feel that you’ve tricked them into signing up for something they didn’t actually want.

Email marketing is a very valuable tool in every Internet marketer’s toolkit. Making it a part of your Internet marketing strategy gives you a powerful tool to supplement your other marketing initiatives. Even better, email marketing gives you an additional method to keep in touch with your customers and to build a loyal customer base.

Want to publish a monthly newsletter, but don’t have the time to design and implement it? We now offer an Email Marketing Package, starting at $300/month! We also offer training and template setup for those do-it-yourselfers!

Focus Administrative is ready to assist you with everything you’ll need to set up your blog, including:

• Hosting/domain decisions and setup
• WordPress installation & setup
• Theme customization
• Plug in integration
• Social Media integration

Since I’m so excited, we’re offering a 10% discount on blog setup now through July 17th!

What are you waiting for?  Call us now to get on our summer calendar – 715-977-0119 or shoot me an email at angie@focusadmin.com with your questions.
Want to learn it yourself?  I highly recommend Erin Blaskie’s top-notch training products – click here for more information on Erin’s current programs.