Social media marketing can be tricky at times. If you can even find the time throughout your busy day to post, you have to carefully consider a number of factors to get the most out of your social media posts. Posting too little or too much, or at the wrong time of day, can make the difference between successful posts and ones that goes unnoticed. Ideal posting schedules and frequencies vary from platform to platform and can change at any time. Without a little guidance, it can seem like a puzzle that you are forever trying to solve.

Activity and engagement on social media sites will peak at certain times throughout the day and week. These peak hours are when you want to be making your own posts to maximize the chance they are seen by your target audience. Posting during off-peak hours will likely result in your post being missed. By the time most of your audience is back on social media sites, the post will be buried in the never-ending wave of content from other businesses and users. 

So when is the ideal time to post on social media sites? SproutSocial has analyzed the content engagement of over 20,000 companies to provide us with the times of day when clients are most active and engaging on popular social media sites. Based on their findings, these are our recommendations on when you should be posting to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

When to Post on Facebook 

Facebook tends to have the most engagement throughout the middle of the week and falls off on the weekends. Wednesday has the most overall engagement and would be the best day to post if you were only able to make one per week. Tuesday through Thursday is a fairly forgiving safe zone with strong activity as well. Outside of these optimal periods, you should simply do your best to avoid early morning and late evening hours if possible. We recommend posting at least once every day so while engagement may be less than ideal on the weekends, posting on these off-peak days is still better than not posting. 

Recommended Posting Times: Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. 

Worst Posting Times: Evenings after 6 p.m., early mornings before 7 a.m. and weekends. 

When to Post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a unique social media network given its focus on a professional audience. Engagement on the platform is very high on the weekdays during typical work hours. Wednesday and Thursday are the two days with the most interaction while days at the beginning and end of the week show less engagement. Weekends tend to have limited interaction as users spend more time on the more personal social media sites. It is recommended to post once a day on the platform. Try to get weekend posts done but if you can’t, make sure you at least post once per day during the work week within normal work hours.

Recommended Posting Times:  Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. 

Worst Posting Times: Hours outside of the typical work week. 

When to Post on Instagram 

Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites and is only growing in popularity. The simplistic visual-based platform makes it easy for users to quickly view and interact with posts. This may be why Instagram is one of the few platforms with better than average weekend and evening interaction. Wednesday and Friday around 10 and 11 a.m. are the times with strongest engagement. As with most other social media sites, engagement still tends to be strongest mid-week while tapering off as the work week starts to come to an end. 

Recommended Posting Times:  Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Worst Posting Times: Early mornings before 8 a.m., late evenings after 8 p.m. and Sunday. 

Fine Tuning Your Posting Schedule 

Even if you follow recommended posting schedules, you may find that engagement is low at peak times or that it spikes for you at times that may not be considered ideal. Your social media posting habits will constantly be changing based on your own discoveries. Do not feel forced into a specific schedule if it does not work for you. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to social media marketing. Experiment within the recommended posting windows and find out exactly when your particular clients are most active. From there you can pinpoint exactly when to post to get the most interaction. These windows may constantly be evolving, and you must do the same. If you can do that, your social media marketing will be far more successful. 

The post The Best Times to Post on Popular Social Media Sites appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

As a loan officer, it is important to have a sound marketing strategy in place if you want to be successful. Mortgages are a complex product with many options and consumers need guidance when shopping for one. The person they choose to work with when buying a home is often just as important as the mortgage itself. Whether you are just starting out, or are a seasoned mortgage professional, these 5 marketing ideas will help you become a more successful loan officer.

Improve your Networking

Direct networking with industry professionals is one of the easiest ways to bring in regular clients. First, take a look at who your current networking partners are. Are they sending you consistent referral business or are they sporadic and inconsistent? If it is the latter, it may be time to replace them or to look into additional professionals to work with. Maybe there is a Realtor in your local area that you know is successful and you feel there is a partnership opportunity there. Reach out! It is never too late to foster a successful relationship with a partner you have always wanted to work with.

Once you have established a reliable network of partners, be sure you are promoting them. By promoting your partners, you are not only sending business their way, you are also showing that you are committed to the partnership. One of the best ways to promote a partner is through social media posts. Social media posts are easily shareable to massive audiences. A good post can reach thousands and thousands of viewers and potential clients. Email marketing is another tool for shareable promotions. Highlight your partners in monthly newsletters, or unique email campaigns. Be sure to create a page for your partners and promote them as recommended professionals on your website. All of these options provide something tangible that you can show to your partners, helping them see the value in working with you.

Stay in Front of Your Past Clients

It is always important to keep your name in front of past clients. Even if a past client isn’t in the market for a refinance or a new home, there’s a good chance they might know someone who is and can pass your information along as a referral. Some great ways to stay in front of past clients are through social media platforms, email marketing such as monthly newsletters, and even direct mail.

Social media can be one of the best ways to stay in front of clients. With a proven social media strategy in place, you can engage with past clients through both entertaining and informational posts. Be sure to have variety in your strategy. Too many mortgage-specific posts, or too many attempts at making humorous posts could cost you followers. Balance is key!

These same principles apply to email marketing. An automated newsletter is a great way to reach your past clients 12 times per year while providing them with some industry-related information as well as share-worthy content. Content such as recipes, funny stories, or infographics can be shared with anyone which can put your name in front of an even larger group than just your past-client database.

Personalized messages can be a great touch as well. Once a year, write a hand-written note to past clients on the anniversary of their close. Be specific if you can. A personalized message will have a greater impact than one that sounds generic.

Easy Email Marketing

Every loan officer should have an email marketing system at their fingertips. Ideally, one that is simple to use, yet flexible enough to provide the customization you need for effective email marketing. Before you begin writing email campaigns, it is important to be able to automatically add website visitor information to your database. This can be easily achieved through lead capture tools.

Sort your database into various groups. This allows you to target specific message to specific types of clients. For example, you can target your past clients with messages related to refinancing options, or you can send messages to prospective clients about new loan programs that might meet their needs. The better you do at sorting and grouping clients, the more customized you can make your emails. When sending emails, but sure to include snippets in the email, with links back to the primary content on your website. This is valuable for driving traffic to the website which can improve your website ranking.

Promote Your Social Media

As we touched on earlier, social media is an outstanding way to stay in front of your clients. It is important to stay active on all your social media accounts. You should attempt to post at least once per day on these platforms. Be sure that your content is engaging and include variety within your posts. Remember, the content is for your followers, not for you. Your followers are most likely interested in mortgage related information, but social media is also a platform for entertainment. Use these social media platforms to keep in touch with current and past clients, and business professionals you are working with. Commenting on and sharing their posts is a great way to stay active.

LinkedIn is a great platform that you should be using as well. However, it should be treated a little differently than Facebook or Instagram. Use LinkedIn for staying in touch with business professionals and for networking purposes. Don’t attempt to sell your products or services here. Show your industry expertise and the business will follow.

Improve Your Online Reputation

When making a significant purchase, how often do you read reviews for products or services you are considering? If you are like most, it is quote often. Your online reputation means everything these days. If you have a poor reputation, consumers will just skip right over you when researching loan officers to work with.

Always be actively working on generating reviews. Ask both current and past clients if the had a good experience working with you and if so, ask them to leave you a quick review on Yelp, Facebook, or Google. The more quality reviews you can generate, the more success you will have.

Ensure your business information is accurate across all of these sites as well. A consistent business name, address, and telephone number will make it easy for your clients to locate you on any of these sites. Accurate information also helps search engines gather information about you as well. The more accurate your information is, the better your search placement will be. If your information is scattered and inaccurate, search engines may be able to associate a potential client’s search with your business.

Don’t wait. Start implementing some of these strategies into your marketing efforts today. The sooner you get into the habit of doing these things regularly, the sooner you will see results!

The post 5 Marketing Ideas for Loan Officers appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Step 1: Make sure you fill out your page completely

It’s important to make sure that your face is filled out as completely as possible before you start promoting it. Not only does this help them see that you know what you are doing (even if you don’t), it helps show them that it’s a valuable resource they can’t live without. Two very important sections to focus on are going to be the Profile and Cover Photo, as well as the About Section.

• Profile Picture and Cover Photo – This allows you to start branding your business right away. Want to sell yourself as a local company so they know you aren’t some fly by night company? Use some local landmarks as your cover photo. This is also a great place to put a picture of you or your staff so they know who they are working with.

• About Section – This will help people get to know your business and the services you offer. This section will include your website address, phone number, and physical address if you have a local office. The long description section is a great way to not only let potential customers know what you do, but also add keywords that may help Facebook users find you. This can include insurance policies you specialize in, for example.

Step 2: Invite Your Facebook Friends

The best source to start mining Facebook fans is through your current friend’s list. You can do this by clicking the three dots next to your “Message” button, and selecting “Invite Friends”. This will allow you to see your list of friends and click the grey Invite button next to their name. This sends a notification to them saying that you have suggested they like your page. It’s an easy way to ask and an easy way to get your page out there! If your page is filled out completely before you start inviting everyone, it will increase the likelihood that they will actually like your page to get your updates.

Step 3: Promote your Facebook on other networks and your email

• Tweeting your Facebook URL to your twitter followers is a great way to get some instant exposure. Be sure to include a catching call to action that will make them want to click on the link.
• Shoot a mass email to your contacts. Make sure you add some value as to why they should like your page; everyone wants to know what’s in it for them. You can also use the “Tell Your Fans” option under the Marketing section of your Facebook to upload a list of contacts or link up your Gmail to have Facebook send out a message for you.

• Add your Facebook link to your Instagram description. this will help funnel people from that account to your Facebook.

Step 4: Optimize your site with Facebook Like and Share buttons.

Be sure to incorporate the Facebook “Like Box” on your homepage to pull through your latest posts and give people easy access to like the page directly from your website. You can also put share buttons on your product pages to give visitors a seamless way to share your great content to their friends.

Step 5: Use Facebook ads to promote your page

Facebook has great targeting options that let you get in front of your target audience. This allows you to select everything from the geographic are to the age group you think would be the most responsive. You can run ads for as little as $5 per day, and run multiple ads with different target audiences to let you tailor your message accordingly. You can also use their re-target code to show your ads to people who have already visited your website.

Wow that was a lot of information! It may seem overwhelming at first, but you will soon get the hang of it and be a Facebook marketing pro. If you follow each step one by one, you will be on your way to success and generating a great audience to promote your services to. Once you have a good fanbase, you can use their loyalty to grow your email list and drive traffic to your website.

Still don’t know what to do next, or haven’t even started the process of setting up your Facebook page? 220 Marketing offers everything from marketing consultations to complete social media set up from top to bottom to get you going!

To get a free consultation, contact us today at 1-877-220-6584 or click here.

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The post How to Grow Your Facebook Fanbase appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Here are five easy ways to start using the power of Facebook to drive traffic to your website, blog, or lead generation landing pages.

1. Focus on Visual Content

At the risk of sounding like a broken record because we’ve gone through this so many times, status updates with videos or images generate much more interest and interaction than posts with just text.

Instead of putting a long post that people have to click “read more” to see the entire post, put the most important stats or key points from the story in an info graphic.  Putting a picture in each blog post you are linking to in your updates is also important, as the images will automatically be posted with your link without any extra work on your part.

2. Stay Natural to Facebook

Though you may be in charge of updating all of the social media pages for your company, it’s important to remember that each site has its’ own culture and language.

While short updates without images may be what people on Twitter are looking for, Facebook requires a little more care and attention. Take advantage of the tools you have on Facebook that aren’t available on Twitter by posting pictures of your staff or funny videos to get people talking about your page.

3. Include Links to Your Website in All Posts

This may seem like a no brainer of generating traffic is your goal, but so many people forget this important step. Just posted a great update about the new real estate listing you just snagged? Put a link to the listing page that is on your website!

If you have a great webinar or seminar for your clients to get more information on your services, provide a link to a form where they can sign up for that upcoming event!

4. Use the Views and Apps Features

For those who aren’t up to speed, apps are the little pictures that show up under your cover photo on the new timeline business page. These apps allow you to create innovative cover photos for each link that will grab the attention of visitors and prompt them to click on the button to find out more. You can use these apps to provide lead capture forms or provide a link to a special offer on your website.  If you want to get creative, you can include calls to action in the cover photo to prompt people to click on that link like we did for our company page.

5. Conversion is Important

It’s extremely important to measure the reaction certain posts get so you can replicate the ones that generate the most buzz. It’s also a good idea to measure the amount of referral traffic Facebook is providing to your website as well as the amount of leads that come as a result of your efforts. If you noticed that referral traffic isn’t getting the most bang for your buck, it may be a good idea to shift the posts to appeal to your super fans and super customers that will be more likely to convert.

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The post Boost Traffic to Your Site Via Facebook in 5 Easy Steps appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Facebook and WordPress Combine

This week it was announced that there will be a new Facebook for WordPress app that allows you to integrate the two sites together.

Some features include the ability to mention pages and friends that you interact with in your posts and widgets that help integrate your Facebook feed on your blog. There will also be customized like, share, and subscribe buttons available to integrate along with the ability to publish your new blogs to your Facebook feed automatically.

Twitter Introduces Tailored Trends

In an effort to filter out all of the trends on twitter that might not mean anything to you, Twitter announced it will tailor trends based on who the user follows and where they are located. This will allow more relevant news to come through and make the experience more personalized. There will be an option to keep everything the way it is now and turn off tailored trends if you don’t like change or are happy with the way things are now. This is big because it will allow companies to be seen by people who are actually interested in their products and news.

It will also benefit marketers because they will be able to pick up on big stories and push out their own content on that subject. They will also be able to keep up with all of the trends in their industry. Local businesses can benefit by offering specials to people attending trending events in the area for stopping by their shop.

Expanded Tweets

Along with tailored trends, Twitter is now also allowing Tweeters to view further expanded tweets. This will allow people to see a preview of content that will be seen when clicking on a link, as well as being able to watch a posted video after expanding the tweet.

Facebook Opens the App Center

The App center is a place to find applications that you can use while socially interacting with other Facebook users. It will let you choose apps by type and also see what apps are trending or recommended for you based on your interests.

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The post This Week’s Social Media Updates appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

If you are a devoted tweeter, you should be posting your most important content between 1 pm and 3pm Eastern (10 am to 1 pm Pacific). This will give you the best click rate, especially early on in the week. For best results, you should avoid posting after 8 pm throughout the week, and 3 pm on Fridays

Twitter will require a little more upkeep to be successful as the half life of a post is about 2.8 hours

To reach your fans on Facebook, you should post between 1 pm and 4 pm to get the most interaction to your post. The best time overall to post during the week is at 3 pm on Wednesday

According to bit.ly, although traffic on Facebook begins to increase around 9 am, it’s best to wait until 11 am to post your update. Similarly to twitter, traffic from Facebook begins to wane after 4 pm, and posting should be avoided altogether after 8 pm and before 8 am

If you are taking advantage of the benefits of  Tumblr, you will be on a completely different schedule. To get the best results here, you will need to wait until at least 4 pm Eastern, and posting after 7 pm will help get you the best return on your investment.

While it’s not the best idea to post on a Friday evening with Facebook and Twitter, this is the time that Tumblr will give you the best opportunity to post.

So what does all of this information mean? Mainly that each social networking site has it’s own culture, and each community has its own habits that you will have to adjust your strategies to. By analyzing the times your posts get the most attention, and maybe by doing some experimenting, you will be able to find the formula that works best for your network of people.

Because each site has different optimal posting times, it’s best to set up a schedule of when you will post on each social media site and stick to it. Setting up reminders will help you stay on track, and help you make the most out of your valuable time.

What is the time of day that you get the most results from your posts? We’d love to hear your feedback and see what has been working for you.

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The post The Best (and Worst) Times to Post Social Media Updates appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

If you haven’t had a chance to add a cover photo or just put a place holder in for now so your page wouldn’t look bare, we’ve come up with some examples for you to follow that can really help you make an impression on your fans. Whether it is a graphic that is completely unrelated to your brand that is just to get peoples attention, or one that lists the products offered by your company, having a personalized cover photo will really help your page look more professional.

1. Keller Williams

Keller Williams had really focused on what their company really stands for. They are a company that lets their employees feel like they are a partner in their business, not just another number. They have several tools available to help their agents be successful, but also give them the freedom to use those tools in the way that best suits them. The motto in this cover photo along with the photos of the agents really helps to push this motto.

2. Trusted Choice

Trusted choice is another company that lets it’s agents operate on a more independent basis. They provide access to a network of insurance agents who are expected to uphold to the highest level of customer service. The company decided to brand more for their customers in their cover photo by showcasing their services offered. There are images that hint towards the types of insurance available, as well as photos of women and children. This helps people see that they can trust their families to be protected and provide a feeling of comfort to consumers.

3. McDonald’s

McDonald’s chose to bring up a feeling of nostalgia for their cover photo, taking their fans back to a simpler time. The older cars showcases just how long the company has been providing excellent service to customers and let’s us travel back to our first experiences with the brand.

4. Go Daddy

Go Daddy didn’t go out of its way to put in any fancy graphics to impress consumers; they went will the tried and true approach of keeping it simple. They selected a bright color that matches their website as well as calls attention to the photo. They opted to have a simple list of what they have to offer and what makes them the best instead of using gimmicky images.

5. Chase Freedom

Chase decided to lay their services out in plain sight and let consumers know what they will get in exchange for using their Chase Freedom credit card—cash back! Showing viewers what’s in it for them if they use your product is a great way to promote your brand and get them to sign up for your services.

6. Geico

Geico used their most recognized branding image in their cover photo, the Gecko that is used in their commercials. If you already have a recognized branding signal established, tying it into your cover photo is an excellent way to tie in all of the marketing efforts you have in place without having to rack your brain for new ideas.

7. Old Spice

What do a tiger and volcano have to do with body spray? Absolutely nothing! This didn’t stop Old Spice from putting both in their cover photo. Using an image that really stands out and makes you think “what in the world?” will really help your page to catch on. I’m sure there are several Facebook users who have shared this page with their friends or told them to check it out.

8. Remax

Remax chose to use their slogan to really push what their company stands for. They also used pictures that helped back up this attitude. From newlywed couples to couples that are pregnant and need of a bigger house, Remax really reached out to these demographics in their cover photo. They also took advantage of their profile photo to let people know that they are rated #1 among real estate companies with a simple image.

9. Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut used the power of their product in their cover photo. A huge picture of a peperoni pizza lets consumers know what they offer at their stores, as well as make them crave the pizza. They also remind you that they provide excellent customer service by featuring one of their happy employees.

10. iStockphoto

If you provide stock photos for your clients, your Facebook cover photo better be up to par with the quality of the photos you offer on your website, and iStockphoto’s cover definitely is. They chose to feature one of their own photos that are available to their clients for purchase. To get around the not being able to put in a call to action, they included a link to purchase the photo in the caption section of the cover photo so visitors can access the site after clicking on the cover photo. Pure genius!

11. Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew did a great job in showcasing the type of person who uses their product. They are active, they are daring, and they have fun. Using this type of branding really helps push others to want to be a part of this lifestyle, and makes people want to make sure they are associated with it.

12. 220 Marketing

Of course we had to showcase the hard work that we have put into our cover photo; it would be shameful if we are not practicing what we preach. Our cover photo showcases all of the services we offer for our clients and shows that we do more than provide people with websites, we help them build their business.

Still stumped on how to incorporate your brand or mission statement into your cover photo? We have designers and marketers on hand to take your ideas and make them into a professional design. Ask us how we can help you take your Facebook Fanpage to the next level!

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