Author: Buyer Advertising

Crowdsourcing: Part 1

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

It’s not your fault: as a business, you’re stuck a in a service mindset. You build social media networks to offer industry insight to your customers and provide them with an exceptional selection of products and services. It’s what staying in business is all about: serving your customer. But by ignoring the larger potential of social media—a vehicle to help you out in the process, you could be missing out on a source of potential marketing and, yes, revenue.

The power of many is the opportunity crowdsourcing provides. Simple stated, crowdsourcing is tapping into a large group of people at once, through the power of the Internet, to help with a question or challenge you’re facing. Companies like Mountain Dew have, in the past, used their social media network to let fans vote on the new look of their brand. Meanwhile, businesses like Kickstarter tap their audiences to raise funds for good causes. Companies have also been known to call on their fans directly for creative talent or to find leads.

At the same time, you want to be smart when it comes to tapping your audiences. Don’t give away more information than you’d like about your current strategy, and don’t reveal clients that would prefer to stay anonymous. And remember—this goes for double if you’re a publically-traded company—never admit you’re in dire need of help. Keep it positive, remain excited for new opportunities that your own personal crowd can bring you, and await (and hopefully receive!) some powerful results.

Signing off for now,

Buyer Advertising
www.buyerads.com

Leveraging Social Media to Reach a Diverse Applicant Pool

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

This week’s blog is written by Jody Robie, Executive Director Business Development at Buyer Advertising.

2011 offers many new and innovative tools to not only source candidates but to make a social connection with them. Using social media can give your organization another platform to have the important conversation, promote the benefits of your company and build brand awareness as an employer of choice. Here are a few key places to start which don’t require a large financial investment.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers the ability to source candidates with both their free and recruiter license model. Additionally, there are more than 100 million members representing more than 200 countries. There are more than 1200 groups with a diversity reference, but you also can start your own group as a way to connect with your target audience. Joining a group allows you to connect with the members, make comments, start conversations and promote job openings. www.linkedin.com

YouTube

YouTube has more than 1200 videos tagged under “Diversity and Inclusion”. It includes the opportunity for your own employees to share their first-hand experience working for your organization. Video is replacing the formal brochure as the most effective and efficient tool to give a candidate or an employee the chance to connect with your culture. Having a video on your own website greatly increases the optimization of your career site. Giving your employees a flip cam can also give them an opportunity to share their personal experiences, promote core values or just show the personality of your company. www.youtube.com

MeetUp

There are more than 250,000 monthly MeetUp groups worldwide. MeetUps are groups which extend beyond virtual connections into real life meetings. You can join a group for a particular discipline such as Bioengineers in Atlanta or Black Professionals in Boston. You can also create your own group with special features which have costs associated with each option. www.Meetup.com

For more information or to view our website and portfolio, please visit our website, blog and social media sites listed below.

Signing off,

Buyer Advertising

www.buyerads.com

Looking Back

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As a professional invested in the marketing of your business, you like to stay informed. Chances are, you check at least a few articles, magazines, or blogs (after all, you’re here, aren’t you?) per month to generate an electric brainstorm of ideas that could propel your advertising strategy forward. Future-minded though you might be, if your nose is pointed directly at what’s to come, you could miss an important source of inspiration: your past.

Your company has enjoyed success. As a matter of fact, to stay in business, that’s a requisite. And it’s exactly those successes that you can turn to in order to drive you forward. Take a trip down memory lane and pull up pieces you’ve done in the past. By actually examining individual projects, they’ll stir up memories—what’s worked, what hasn’t, what goals you had set originally—that can provide the push you need to market your organization more effectively.

Every company is different. Take great notes about what’s worked for your organization—numbers, if you can wrangle them up—and track what strategies or campaigns have been most effective for your business, that what’s pooped out on you. Information often turns into inspiration, positioning you perfectly for the next big idea.

Farewell for now,
Buyer Advertising
www.buyerads.com

4 HR Trends to Watch in 2011

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

As we wade into 2011, HR is bracing for the inevitable undercurrent of change. If there’s one thing in the Human Resource industry that’s constant, it’s constant evolution. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the top trends to watch in the months ahead, and how they can change how you hire and how you manage your employees.

1. “Humanizing” companies with perks such as daycare, flex time, work-at-home opportunities, and a looser attendance policy.

2. Cutting the fat—as budgets continue to tighten, HR personnel are called upon to be the gatekeepers of effective programs, and to help eliminate what doesn’t work.

3. Succession planning: more than cross-training, there’s a growing demand for battle-preparedness in the likelihood of staff turnover.

4. Greenifying: HR staff are being called to take an active role in reducing the company carbon footprint—that means finding new ways to eliminate paper in favor of electronic storage, initiating recycling drives, and sponsoring employee riding-sharing programs.

Signing off for now,

Buyer Advertising
www.buyerads.com

Taking Down Trolls

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It’s amazing how quickly simple concepts can transform into large headaches. Take social media, for example. You can sit down and create a plan of action that includes periodic updates and fan-gathering tactics, but once you become established, you’ll notice a bump in the road: trolls. Defined as those who attempt to disrupt communities with attention-grabbing antics, trolls pollute your social media space with distracting, vulgar, or otherwise unwanted messages. Here’s how to identify two types of trolls that are appearing on your company blog or Facebook page, and react appropriately.

The Spammer: You’ll find this troll both on blogs and Facebook alike, advertising (usually) completely unrelated product or services, often in broken English. They’re particularly rampant on blogs, where a single spammer can generate up to a 100 spam “comments” a day, clogging up your message approval process or turning customer correspondence into a nightmare. One solution: ban by IP. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, you can block all messages from an IP, effectively silencing that troll forever.

The Malcontent: Whether it be through cursing or a personal attack against regulars to your site, there are trolls who are just out to ruin another person’s day. Instead of negotiating or refuting their claims, try this hair-saving technique: just delete their comments. Once malcontents realize you’re not a soft target and their comments are going missing, they’ll move on to more fertile grounds.

No matter your troll troubles, stay alert and realize that content management is an inextricable part of social media. But the results of a solid strategy are worth it: SEO, qualifiers of professionalism, and a tool to engage prospective clients. Don’t give up!

Signing off for now,
Buyer Advertising
www.buyeads.com

MAINTAINING MORALE AFTER LAYOFFS

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In once-in-a-lifetime economic downturns like this one, lay-offs are an unpleasant reality many businesses must face. As budgets dwindle, saying goodbye to valuable employees is often a double blow: on the one hand, you’re losing a valuable source of labor, and on the other, your remaining workforce will react negatively to seeing their co-workers let go—translating into a loss of morale and work. If you’re faced with the necessity of lay-offs, here are few tips to mitigate damage and keep employee morale up.

Go in with a strategy. Plan out communications in advance—before you effect layoffs—that reaches your employee base. Your messaging should explain not only why these layoffs were necessary, but also illustrates a plan of action that your company will take to grow and prosper. Present these changes as an important part of growth, not a sign that your business is failing.

Conduct one-on-one listening. Even in the wake of personalized meetings, ensure that middle managers are available and prepared to answer the inevitable questions your employees will have.

Give it time. If yours is a smaller organization, avoid increasing workload or taking on large projects right away. One fear employees may have is that their daily responsibilities will compound multi-fold—address these concerns right away and start building a stronger, more successful company.

Signing off for now,

Buyer Advertising
www.buyerads.com

Troubleshooting Your Hiring Strategy

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In tough economic times, becoming complacent doesn’t pay. With a larger applicant pools, it’s possible for HR departments to tap into greater wells of talent: a double-edged sword. On the one hand, finding the best of the best becomes more of a reality. On the other, the sheer mass of applications to wade through to get into that position takes time—and as you know, that means money.

Of course, the strategy that maximizes your time is recruitment advertising. The tactics you use should aim not for the quantity of applicants, but the quality. Tailor your media—articles and web postings—with language that challenges an applicant as much as invite their resume. If you’re looking for extremely qualified applicants, don’t be afraid to ask for that up front.

Agencies like us exist to maximize the dollars you spend in recruitment initiatives with results that improve the functioning of your organization. We welcome all questions!

Signing off for now,

Buyer Advertising
www.buyerads.com

Building a Community

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With recent changes to the way search engines like Google return results, and as a necessary step in the evolution of hiring strategies, social media is unmatched. Every day, we see companies like Progressive and Staples use their Facebook collective buying power of thousands to increase sales revenue—not to mention to exist as a powerful well of talent to draw upon. You recognize Facebook’s role in your own ability to stay competitive. But how do you get started? For those beginning from scratch, here are a few tips to steer you down the right path.

Don’t Market. Social media is a whole different species from traditional channels. When you’re deciding what to write in the omni-present “update” box, steer clear of anything that promotes your business. “Friends” are not customers, and they can smell a pitch a mile away. Stick to content that benefits them, not yourself.

Start Right. First rule of social media: empty fan lists tend to empty unless acted upon by an outside force. Ask friends and employees help “seed” your fan list to get you started. If your new fans like what they read, they just may invite friends of their own.

Lighten Up. All work and no play makes Jack… well, you know the saying. Facebook and its ilk are mediums of leisure—therefore, part of your posting strategy should be to entertain your fanbase. Try a few techniques and see what works best.

Happy hunting,

Buyer Advertising
www.buyerads.com

Liking LinkedIn

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

It’s a great resource for job seekers. It’s also an invaluable tool for job recruiters. Since its inception, LinkedIn has been the go-to hub for everything career related. And why not? Not only can this sensation site allow prospective candidates to share recruitment leads and help build their own career-boosting community, employers can view credentials of potential employees with only a few clicks of the mouse. But how can employers promote themselves the most effectively? Read on for some quick fixes and important tips.

Fill out EVERYTHING. Every piece of information you transcribe into LinkedIn—no matter how small—is fodder for helping your SEO rankings and providing critical data for employees-to-be. It may seem tedious, but list every piece of information you can as an employer as LinkedIn requests. Even if that includes size and location of your organization and hours of operation.

Lend a helping hand. Get proactive about your presence. Offer recommendations to former employees and send messages to like-minded companies. The more you grow your circle of contacts, the more attention you’ll gather.

Plug it in. Connect your LinkedIn site to your existing assets—think blog, Facebook, Twitter, and webpage. Not only will you provide a resource to those candidates casually learning more about you, you’ll also provide at-a-glance information that helps you disseminate critical information—information that helps a candidate base make better, more informed decisions.

Until next time,

Buyer Advertising

www.buyerads.com

What Heat Mapping Has to Teach Us

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It’s the 21st century, and with these modern times comes an array of technology and tools that make us more effective advertisers. Chief among these is heat mapping—the process of tracking a customer’s eye movements when seeing a webpage for the first time. The eyes don’t lie: there’s a lot to be learned in regards to how a casual consumer relates to your landing page or site itself. Here are some important lessons.

People don’t read. On the ‘net, our time is valuable. People are very finicky consumers when it comes to the written word. Heat Mapping has shown that the average users spends almost no time reading the content of a piece—instead, they elect to scan the first few copy points or initial sentence. Having viable copy establishes professionalism; however, don’t count on it to bring in the majority of customers by itself.
Headlines Sell. Everyone loves a good headline. When analyzed, nearly every heat map has shown that people almost always read the headline first and thoroughly. What this represents: an opportunity. If you can make your pitch brief, cohesive, and compelling, you’re on your way towards a conversion.

We Love Faces. More than any other element, people are drawn to faces. Put a fellow’s (or ladies’) face up on the screen, and sure enough, a heat map will glow bright red around that image. Humanity is drawn to itself. Faces are interesting: attractive, ugly, unique-looking, every face tells a story. Count on images of people to draw attention and help tell your story.

Until next time,

Buyer Advertising
www.buyerads.com