72% of People Who Complain on Twitter Expect a Response Within an Hour

by Pamela Vaughan
July 23, 2014 at 12:00 PM

Turns out people have some pretty high standards when  it comes to Twitter response time. Especially when  they've got a bone to pick with your brand.

We recently came across some survey data from Lithium  Technologies that shows just how critical response time  is in social media if you're a brand.

According to charts published on Search Engine Watch, 70% of surveyed Twitter users expect a  response from brands they reach out to on Twitter and of those users, 53% want that  response in under an hour. Impatient little bunch, eh?

It's worth noting that this is self-reported data -- not observational data -- so what people say they  want might be inflated. Still, this is fascinating data. Let's take a look at how it breaks down ...

The Majority of People Want a  Response in Under 2 Hours

In Particular, People Who Complain  Want Quick Responses

People get even antsier when they have beef with the brand: The percentage of people who  expect a response within the hour increases to 72% when they're issuing a complaint.

Consequences of Poor Response Times

So what happens if your brand doesn't respond to those tweets in a timely manner? Nothing  particularly positive, for the most part. In fact, 60% of respondents cited negative consequences  to the brand if they didn't receive timely Twitter responses. More specifically ...

• 29% of respondents would tell their friends and family about the experience. 
• 26% would escalate their concern through other sources of communication.
• 24% would consider buying less from that company in the future.
• 21% wouldn't recommend the company's products/services.
• 15% would complain about (or shame) the company/brand in social media.

So how does poor response time impact people's perceptions of the brand? For the majority -- 49% -- their perception doesn't change at all. That said, 38% hold a grudge, saying they feel  more negativity toward the brand as a result .

And ... would you look at that ... strangely, 14% actually end up feeling more positive about the  brand


How Timely Twitter Responses Are Rewarded

Now I'm not exactly sure what to make of that 14%, but the vast majority of this research clearly  indicates that devoting resources to customer service on Twitter (and likely other social networks  where applicable to your brand) is critical for companies.

Luckily, the payback is good.

Specifically, when a brand responds in a timely manner on Twitter ...

• 47% of people recommend the brand in social media. 
• 43% of people encourage friends and family to buy from that brand. 
• 42% of people praise the company in social media.
• 38% of people are receptive to advertisements.
• 34% of people buy more of the company's products.

In fact, the majority of interactions between people and brands on Twitter is positive to begin with.

• 69% interact with brands to give positive feedback
• 58% interact with brands to recommend them. 
• 61% interact with brands to show their enthusiasm.

No sense in ruining all that positive engagement with poor Twitter management, now is there?  Learn how to tackle real-life social media customer service obstacles in this post, and consider a  tool like Social Inbox to make social media management more, well, manageable. 

Image credits: Search Engine Watch

www.sdsar.com

72% of People Who Complain on Twitter Expect a Response Within an Hour

Thinking Big? We Can Help! | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Thinking Big? We Can Help!

Large format digital printing is one of our specialties. That means when you need a big-big sign, you can count on us to provide the same focus on quality that we do for smaller projects.

The bigger the sign, the bigger the impact, so attention to detail is critical. Professional design will ensure a clean look and top-of-the-line large format digital printers will ensure the colors are crisp and provide that “pop” you seek.

Take a look at a couple large format signs you may have seen around San Diego that came from our shop:

Large format digital printing can also be used to create window coverings that double as signs:

(Yes, you can see out!)

The moral of this story: size is no issue for us at Signarama—Kearny Mesa. We’re happy to help with all your sign needs, big and small!


www.sdsar.com

Thinking Big? We Can Help! | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Signs Help the U.S. Economy | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

We’re certainly proud to work in a professional that does so much good for customers. It’s even more exciting to learn of our industry’s broader reach, after reading the recently released International Sign Association (ISA) Economic Impact of the Sign & Visual Communications Industry by Ernst & Young, which shows the effect the sign industry has on the U.S. economy.

The study estimates that in 2012, the latest year for which there are statistics, the industry generated at least $37.5 billion in direct and indirect economic output and provided jobs for more than 200,000 employees. Only those firms that self-identified as sign companies were included in the direct output tally. Included in the indirect output were firms that contribute to the total sign output but do not consider themselves sign companies, providing a more complete picture of the industry.

This research helps us more fully understand the sign industry’s impact on the economy and its influence across the country, and it can be used to affect issues at the local, state, and federal levels.

Think of it this way: when you work with Signarama—Kearny Mesa, you’re supporting not only our shop and employees, but the U.S. economy as well!

www.sdsar.com

Signs Help the U.S. Economy | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

11 Lesser-Known LinkedIn Features You Should Be Using

by Andrea Brinkman
September 13, 2014 at 8:00 AM

This post originally appeared on the Insiders section of Inbound Hub.

We often hear marketing and sales reps expressing their love/hate relationship with LinkedIn. Are you one who views the site as social stalking for business professionals?

If you’re a user that only checks the site to look up a prospect’s credentials or check a connection request email, you are missing valuable opportunities to grow professionally, to grow your sales leads, and -- ultimately -- to grow your business.

The benefits of using LinkedIn go beyond prospecting and recruiting. The site can also be an incredible inbound marketing tool. I tapped into the knowledge of LinkedIn expert Wayne Breitbarth, who shared a few tips on the following features that you should be utilizing.

Making Yourself Irresistible

Like most social platforms, LinkedIn is constantly evolving and adding features to help you get the most out of connecting with others, typically for professional reasons. Consider using these features to your advantage by giving your profile a professional makeover. Features that will help position you as an expert in your respective area include:

1) Keywords 
Incorporating keywords will boost your SEO and help you become found on LinkedIn and your LinkedIn profile found by search engines. Consider the ideal person your profile would speak to, consider your buyer personas, and -- if your profile were side by side with another -- which words would make you stand out. Have these words thought-out and ready when you create or edit your profile.

Areas to incorporate great keywords include your headline, summary, interests, job titles, job descriptions, and skills. A keyword-centric headline will boost your profile traffic and makes you more appealing to prospective employers.

Your summary should include keywords that are relevant with your goals and objectives in your area of business. Your interest’s area is under the additional info area on your profile and another place to incorporate even more keywords related to your business or career goals.

2) Recommendations & Endorsements
Recommendations can be a critical part of your LinkedIn profile, while endorsements seem to just confuse people. That said, both play a role in how you are found during advanced people searches. Endorsements make it easy for a connection to quickly say that you are experienced in a certain area without a full recommendation.

The fact that it's so easy for a connection to endorse someone makes some LinkedIn users, especially recruiters, dismiss the authenticity of the expertise. Endorsements do add to your presence on LinkedIn, though, and can be thought of as a kind of "pantry" full of your best keywords. There may be some cases where endorsements for specific skills should actually be hidden so no one can see it if it is an expertise that you do not feel is a good reflection on your personal positioning.

To hide an endorsement, go to the pull-down menu at the top of the screen and under “profile,” click “edit profile.” When you scroll to the “skills” section, you will see a pencil icon. Click the pencil and you will see your "skills and endorsements settings." Simply hit the “X” next to the skill you would like to delete. You can also reorder these skills simply by dragging them into a different order.

Recommendations are important to your profile because the number of recommendations you receive is highlighted at the top of your page when your name appears in a listing of group members. The number of recommendations you have is also a criteria factor for search rankings.

Oftentimes, recommendations can only be acquired if you ask someone to provide one. Be sure the writer include specifics such as the results of your work together, sales increases or how your expertise was put to use. Always thank a connection that provides a recommendation.

3) Professional Gallery (with work examples, photos, videos & Slideshares)
If you’d like to really stand out on LinkedIn and attract more business opportunities, a great way to get noticed is through visual content and creating a portfolio of work examples. There are a few ways you can create a portfolio by adding project examples, images, embedded video and slideshare presentations to your profile page. (If you need help creating your LinkedIn professional portfolio, this SlideShare that will walk you through the process.)

4) Use Your Profile Link
One way to customize your LinkedIn profile is by acquiring your unique URL. Each LinkedIn user is automatically given a default address when you setup your profile, but having a unique URL improves your ability to be found on search engines and when users are doing targeted people searches. Plus, a customized address is much easier to remember and use when directing people to your LinkedIn profile.

To customize your LinkedIn URL, click here and click "customize your public profile URL" on the bottom right-hand side. Building a Bigger Following For yourself:

5) Use the "How You’re Connected" Tool (a.k.a. The "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" Tool)
The “How You’re Connected” tool helps introduces you to other LinkedIn users who may be connected to you or other connections you have. When you visit someone’s profile, the tool (which lives in the right hand column of the screen) allows you to see who in your network knows that person, and how. Clicking "Get Introduced" opens up a new message where you can ask the person to make an introduction. Using this tool is a great way to view people you want to be connected with and who might be the best person to ask for an intro.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkceWXNL4_Y&list=UUV4SLu-hDMFyjJBiHea3yGQ

6) Perform Targeted Searches with the "Advanced People Search" Tool
LinkedIn is more and more becoming a database for finding people, connecting with prospective business associates and individuals with very specific competencies and keywords included in their profile. Searches can be performed by typing a person’s name, keywords, or titles into the search box at the top of the page. Advanced searches can be performed by using specific criteria such as location, school, industry, etc.

To open the "Advanced People Search" tool, click the “advanced” link at the right of the search box or the top of the search results page. This video will show you how to use it:

For your business:

7) Create a company page, Use the Showcase Pages & Review Your Analytics
Creating a company page not only allows a business to provide the latest company and industry news, event information, and job opportunities, but it also helps position your business and its employees as experts within your industry. Registering and maintaining a company page is an incredible opportunity for businesses that not only to recruit the best, but also establish a thought leadership position in their industry.

Here's an easy, step-by-step guide for what to include on your LinkedIn company page. Another great feature of the company page is the ability to collect insightful analytics regarding the level of engagement for individual posts, trends across key metrics and follower demographics.

LinkedIn recently introduced a new feature for companies called showcase pages. These pages allow companies to target different buyer personas by providing single pages that focus on specific products, product categories and services. For example, a hair salon may have different showcase pages for product lines, service offerings, seasonal trends, and so on.

8) Use the "Alumni Search" Function
The Alumni search function is a great tool to find people associated with a particular school, industry or location. Visit www.linkedin.com/alumni, and your college or university will already be selected. This will then allow you to break down connections by “where they work,” “what they do,” and “where they live.” Additional categories include “where they studied,” “what they are skilled at,” and “how you are connected.”

9) Don’t Be a Stalker – Create Personal Relationships
 Use the "who’s viewed your profile" feature to increase visibility, discover new opportunities and check out analytics to see specifics about the people who have viewed your profile.

 With this tool, there are basic and premium features. The basic version (free) allows you to see where your five most recent viewers work and live, how they found you, their industry and job titles and keywords that led to you. The premium version (paid) allows you to see your list of viewers from the past 90 days, as well as trends and insights. By using the "who’s viewed your profile" feature, you are better able to customize content shared on your profile, identify valuable connection prospects, and reach out to people in a more personal way.

 Gaining and Imparting Knowledge

 10) Join Groups to Gain Visibility 
One of the easiest ways to boost your profile and personal brand on LinkedIn is to connect with other professionals in similar industries, with similar interests, and with the competencies or connections you are looking to target. A great way to connect and exchange ideas is with LinkedIn groups. LinkedIn allows a user to join up to 50 groups – and it is highly recommended from a SEO, personal branding and search-ability standpoint that you join the 50 groups that are best for you.

 By joining groups, you strengthen the opportunity to position yourself and your business as an expert in your respective field or industry. To get the most out of a group, post relevant information and contribute by commenting on other’s input. Be conscientious of posting information that could be considered overly sales-y or spam – it is against group rules and a horrible way to try to get members’ attention.

 11) Write Appropriate and Thoughtful Posts
 Sharing content on LinkedIn is a great way to showcase your knowledge as well as provide your expertise that can help other connections. When you share a post, provide information on the relevance to your audience or group. If you’d like to share a post with a group, be sure to check the “post to groups” checkbox and include a question or comment that will encourage member engagement.

 Social networking sites are changing every day and LinkedIn is at the forefront of channels adding new features and engagement tools to improve content sharing, relationship development, recruitment and lead generation.

 How are you using LinkedIn as an inbound marketing strategy and what new features do you find most useful?

 Image Credit: LinkedIn

11 Lesser-Known LinkedIn Features You Should Be Using

Broaden Your View on Signs | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Broaden Your View on Signs

When we tell people we’re in the sign business, we know what that usually conjures up: a rectangular (or maybe square) sign that’s hung on a wall. Sure, we create those—but that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how we can help clients get their messages out there.

Consider this menu of services:

• Outdoor signage—We produce lawn signs, sidewalk signs, real estate signs, neon signs, directional and way finding signs, monument signs, wood signs, illuminated signs, political and campaign signs, and even traffic signs.
• Indoor signage—We produce safety signs, ADA compliant signs, tactile and braille signs, directional signs and directories, engraved signs, and even menu boards.
• Banners—We produce poly banners, vinyl banners, nylon banners, and flex face banners, and also have a large selection of banner stands.
• Letters and graphics—We produce ready-to-apply vinyl lettering, labels and decals, dimension letters and channel letters.
• Vehicle graphics and lettering—We produce vehicle magnets, vehicle wraps, vehicle graphics and lettering, and special service vehicle graphics.
• Displays and point of purchase—We produce panel displays, point of purchase displays, fabric display graphics, LCD displays, pop-up displays and tabletop displays.

We probably do more than you thought we did! What does that mean? We can be your one-stop-shop for any of your signage needs. We look forward to putting our expertise to work for you.

www.sdsar.com

Broaden Your View on Signs | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Color Your (Sign) World | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

What things should you take into account when you’re choosing a color or colors for your signage? According to www.colorcombos.com (and seconded by us), here are five tips:

1. If your business already has an established brand color, you’ll want to work with that unless you’re ready for a complete advertising overhaul.
2. Consider whether you want to psychologically impact potential customers by gaining their attention, stimulating their senses or inspiring a certain positive response—and if so, determine what is most apt to motivate them. Orange, yellow and red are considered to be high arousal colors, while blue, green and violet tend to be less provocative—although a range of reactions can be created by intensifying or lessening shades.
3. Don’t let an intense background color or graphic overpower the most important message on your signage.
4. Work with contrasting complementary color pairs for powerful impact, i.e., blue and orange or purple and yellow.
5. Remember that a black-white combination is clearly legible and less expensive than using color(s).

We enjoy hearing your ideas for your signage and then using our expertise in the area of color to make suggestions that ensure your message really “pops” with your audience—and is a strong reflection of your brand. Let us know ay Signarama Kearny Mesa how we can be of service.

Color Your (Sign) World | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Are You Ready for Football? | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Here in San Diego, the weather doesn’t vary much from summer to fall, but one important change does happen: we start counting the days until every Sunday (or Monday or Thursday night on occasion) to watch football. To pay homage to America’s most popular sport while not forgetting that we’re a sign company, we’ve come up with the following copy:

• A compelling sign will make sure potential customers don’t PASS by your business. 
• You’ll KICK yourself if you don’t occasionally update your signage and/or produce new signs for special events, sales, etc. 
• If your signage is really persuasive, you could have customers almost TACKLING each other to be the first in the door. 
• Where’s the best place to hang a sign? Sometimes, it might be OFF to the SIDE! 
• The best DEFENSE against losing market share to nearby competitors is to make your signage more attractive than theirs. 
• What’s the best way to KICK OFF a promotion? Make sure people know about it through signage. 
• When good signage does its job well—attracting customers on an ongoing basis—you’ll feel like you’ve scored a TOUCHDOWN.

Happy football season, everyone. You’ll always win when you work with Signarama—Kearny Mesa on your signage

www.sdsar.com

Are You Ready for Football? | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA