Tools of the Trade: Let’s Get Creative!

6Jun

Business, Content Creation, Facebook, Graphic Design, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media

There are plenty of professional tools like Adobe Creative Cloud that can help you create amazing custom graphics and visuals for your social media profiles. However, if you don’t have a graphic designer on your team, those programs might seem a little bit intimidating. People who are new to social media marketing and veteran digital marketers who aren’t quite tech-savvy still have options! There are several tools that are quick to master and easy to use. Here are some of our personal favorites.

Canva
Primary Function: Design tool with a myriad of uses.
Pros: One of the most user-friendly tools available today. Enables users to collaborate with team members. Users can also create videos.
Cons: Users don’t have much creative freedom, as they are limited to Canva’s fonts and graphics. There are skills and programs that can help you circumvent this (e.g., creating a .png file with Adobe Illustrator and uploading it to Canva), but people who can do so would likely not need Canva in the first place.

Skitch
Primary Function: An application from Evernote that allows users to capture, share, and annotate screenshots.
Pros: Free. Intuitive. Easy to use. Quick.
Cons: Work cannot be saved to a local drive.

Pexels
Primary Function: Online source of free stock photos.
Pros: Massive amount of photos. Every photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero license–meaning that each picture is totally free and available for any legal purpose, whether personal or commercial.
Cons: Paid applications have even more photos.

Easel.ly
Primary Function: Create professional infographics from thousands of templates.
Pros: Easy to use. Intuitive. Lots of existing templates. Premium accounts are quite reasonably priced. Account options include one for companies who deal with sensitive data.
Cons: Free version has far fewer themes, images, and fonts.

Info.Gram
Primary Function: Data visualization tool that enables users to create interactive charts, infographics, maps, and more.
Pros: Designs can be interactive. Great for dealing with complex data.
Cons: Free designs require inclusion of its logo. The basic package does not allow rich text editing (no fiddling with fonts).

Prezi
Primary Function: Presentation software.
Pros: Cloud-based. Teachers and college students are eligible for free non-Public accounts. Mobile version is available.
Cons: Better suited to creative presentations (not great for, say, presenting the third quarter budget projections). The Public option is free, but public–anyone can view your work.

Piktochart
Primary Function: A tool that lets people with no design experience create professional-looking presentations, reports, posters, and infographics.
Pros: Cloud-based. Very intuitive. Suited for all experience levels. Over 200 templates are available. Lots of different options for accounts, including free basic plan.
Cons: The paid plans are a little pricey. Similar versions of some of the premium templates are available for free on other platforms.

Slideshare
Primary Function: A community for storing and sharing presentations, but also hosts documents, videos, and webinars. Owned by LinkedIn.
Pros: Claims to be the largest online community for sharing presentations. Cloud-based.
Cons: Freemium, meaning that you must purchase premium content and features.

There are hundreds of programs, applications, and tools available–these are just a few of our favorites. Each proves that you do not need an MFA in Graphic Design to create basic visuals for your social media branding materials.

We have a team of marketing and design experts who can take your branding materials to the next level!
Contact us today for a free consultation!

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The 5 Best Types of Tools for Managing Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

4Jun

Social Media

As we mentioned in a recent blog, social media marketing requires analysis just like any other marketing campaign. The solution for many businesses and brands is using a social media management tool. But what should you look for when choosing such a program? Here are a few crucial elements to consider.

1. Scheduling

Problem: Dana lives in Albuquerque, but her brand of portable speakers is most popular among affluent twenty-somethings in Japan. She’s noticed that her flash sales events have gotten a lot of traction with her domestic customers, but her overseas customers are not informed of the sale until it is almost expired. She can’t really afford to extend the sales, so just posting everything earlier wouldn’t help. Dana needs a way to schedule her posts so that they reach all of her potential customers in time.

Solution: A good social media management platform will enable you to schedule your posts for specific times. With such a tool, Dana can easily arrange for certain time zones to get the message before others. HootSuite and SproutSocial are two of the most popular scheduling apps available.

2. Measurement

Problem: Josie is a Baby Boomer who runs an online record store specializing in vintage blues albums and opera recordings. Thanks to some tech-savvy friends, she understands the basics of social media marketing. However, she still needs to know how her marketing campaign is affecting her sales. Josie needs a clear way to track and measure engagement, conversions, and other data.

Solution: Josie should look for an analytical tool that gathers all of the relevant data in one dashboard. These tracking tools are great for both social media marketing experts and novices! Google Analytics is a free app that covers multiple metrics.

3. Trends

Problem: Carlos runs a website that aggregates the latest in science news. He focuses mostly on climatology and environmental issues, but the eruption of Kilauea has sparked an interest in geology among his subscribers. His husband’s recent cancer scare prompted him to post more articles regarding epidemiology and cancer research. Carlos is worried that he just won’t be able keep up with the news he wants to cover.

Solution: A news or trends aggregator application would help Carlos immensely. Not only would he be able keep track of multiple subjects, he would also be able to see trending topics. That would help him better tailor his material for each day. Carlos should look into Google Alerts (free) or Feedly (not free).

4. Management

Problem: Tamika’s bookstore is flourishing, but her social media profiles have been somewhat neglected. She has accounts on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter–and she’s lucky if she can get around to even one of them every week! She needs a way to post to multiple social media networks simultaneously.

Solution: Tamika is in luck: most social media management tools feature the ability to post to multiple networks at one time! While she would have to keep track of differences between platforms (e.g., not using Twitter handles on Facebook), this feature would allow her to optimize her limited time working on her digital marketing strategy. Buffer is a good possibility, as is HootSuite. (Note: HootSuite works with most platforms, but will not post to personal LinkedIn or Google+ pages.)

5. Engagement

Problem: Cecil’s podcast and blog on local politics exploded in popularity after he uncovered a major scandal involving the now-former mayor. He wants to engage with his audience, but he doesn’t know how he can now that it has grown so large. Cecil still works full-time, so he can’t just continuously monitor the site. And while he hasn’t had much trouble with trolls, he still deals with some negative feedback.

Solution: Until artificial intelligence becomes a bit more refined, Cecil’s best option is hiring a social media manager, or a social media firm. A social media professional will be able to monitor his accounts and respond to his audience. A good social media manager is skilled in public relations, too: he or she will be able to handle any online audience. If, however, all you need is an away message, you can set those up on most sites.

As long as you keep these elements in mind, you should have everything covered! From rookies to veterans, marketing professionals swear by these applications. Remember: when in doubt, ask an expert.

Do you want to take your social media marketing to the next level? We can help! Contact us today for a free consultation!

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How to Perform a Social Media Audit

By Christopher Tompkins

23May

Social Media

Our previous blog explained the importance of performing regular social media audits. Today we’re sharing the auditing process.

It’s just five simple steps. They won’t require any advanced software or programs (though certain types of tools can be helpful). You just need Google and a spreadsheet.

Take it step by step and discover for yourself how valuable the information you gain from a social media audit can be.

Phase 1: Create a Spreadsheet

You can do this with any spreadsheet program so let’s start by creating one using the program of your choice (Google Docs, Excel, Numbers, etc.).

Use one column for each social media platform, the next column for the URL to that account, and a column for the owner of each account.

Here, “owner” refers to the person in your organization who runs your social media, or at least that specific account. He or she is also the person who has access to the login information. If you have a department for social media, use either the head of that division or the individual employee who is responsible for each social media account. Likewise, if you use an outside social media marketing company, the “owner” would be your contact person or account manager.

Phase 2: Research

Search for your social presence on Google, using the name of your brand/company. If your company has any nicknames or shorthand versions (e.g., Chevrolet and Chevy, The Walt Disney Company and Disney), search for those as well.

Check each social media profile in the results. The objective of this phase is to gather data and discover any accounts you may have forgotten about or any accounts that someone else created (rogue accounts). Contact site administrators if you believe that someone set up a fake account in the name of your business.

Track the results with your spreadsheet, but only focus on the platform and URL for now. After you have listed every account, you will be ready to move on to the evaluation.

Phase 3: Evaluate the Platforms

Add a column labeled “Goals.” Knowing your goals for each platform will help you ascertain if your presence on that social media platform is beneficial to your brand.

Goals can include more reach, more engagement, etc. These goals can be as specific or as general as you prefer. Once you’ve established the goal for that platform, you can determine if a profile is working.

For example: The goal for your Instagram account is to increase brand awareness among retirees age 85 and over. Instagram, which skews towards a younger audience, is simply not the best platform for your brand.

After this phase, you should know which – if any – of your social media profiles you will delete.

Phase 4: Polish the Profiles

Make sure that each profile looks amazing. Check that all logos, icons, and other branding materials are current, and that the color scheme is also in-line with the brand. Update every bio and description. Ensure that all web addresses and contact information are correct.

After the cosmetic overhaul, you should take the audit further and look at each profile and answer the following questions:

Is the content aligned with the brand’s current marketing strategy?
Is the content consistent and on-message?
When was the last update?

This is also a good time to gather the login information for all of your social media profiles in one place so that you and your team can access any profile as needed.

Phase 5: Analyze Performance

Now, for the final step: analyzing the performance of each social media profile.

You need to determine how well each platform is working for you. What is the rate of engagement? How many clicks or comments did a given post receive?

You’ll also need to delve into your content: what type drives the most engagement? What is the quality of your engagement? We’ll discuss this step (and some of the tools you might use to simplify this process) in our next blog.

Getting the Most Value from Your Social Media Audit

You don’t have to rely on guess work or “gut feelings” when you make decisions about your social media marketing campaigns. If you follow these simple steps to do an effective audit of your social media activities, you can gain some important insights and make informed decisions about how you build your brand online.

Of course, there’s always more to learn, and at The Go! Agency we can provide a social media audit that gathers all the relevant data so we can provide actionable recommendations for optimizing your campaign.

Do you want to get more from your social media presence? Contact us today to get started.

Level Up Your Marketing Strategy With a Social Media Audit

By Christopher Tompkins

21May

Social Media

What is a social media audit?

Don’t let the word “audit” intimidate you. A social media audit is simply an analysis of your social media profiles undertaken to determine what parts of your social media marketing strategy are and are not working. You look at all of your social media accounts and profiles to figure out what strategies you should keep, what you should stop, and what you can improve. It’s not so much an audit as it is a check-in, really.

Why do I need one?

Here’s a better question: Does your company want to waste time, energy, and money on an ineffective marketing strategy? The answer is probably no. You need to periodically check your brand’s social media profiles to make sure each is still doing what you want it to do. This will also be a good time to find and delete any profiles you no longer use. Here a just a few of the many reasons you should audit your social media presence.

1. It’s an opportunity to clean up your online presence.

Think of your audit like cleaning out your garage: when you’re trying to reorganize and optimize the space you have, you find a lot of things you’d forgotten existed. Are you using all of your social media accounts? You might be surprised to discover that you have profiles on social media platforms you have not visited in years. Are you still paying for advertising on any platforms? You can delete profiles that are no longer beneficial to your social media marketing strategy.

2. You can check out your profiles.

A social media audit will allow you to look at the whole of your social media presence. You can see which profiles are up to date and which ones need to more current information. Use the audit to check out all of your social media profiles at once, so that you can edit and augment each as needed. Compare this to the piecemeal approach, where you vow to update your profiles when you remember, only to postpone the updates for when you actually have the time. With a scheduled social media audit, you can make the time.

3. You can revise your strategy.

This is where the more technical aspects of auditing come into play. After you’ve weeded out the unnecessary profiles, you can make adjustments to the necessary profiles. Use each platform’s built in analytics tool to determine what content gets the most traction. You can also see data like busy times for your sites, customer demographics, and more. You can get as broad or as specific as you like.

4. This is a chance to gauge your competition.

You should take a look at your competitors’ social media pages as you audit your own. What are they doing that you are not? Does one competitor have more customer engagement than your brand? What type of posts are most popular for them? Are they following any industry-wide trends that you’ve ignored? Ignoring trends you’ve followed? Comparing your strategy to your competitions’ is yet another good way to learn what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong.

5. It’s a way for you to learn more about your customers.

As you gain insights into your competition (and thus your industry overall), you can also peek into the minds of your audience. Do they respond to one form of content more consistently than another? You could be wasting your time posting videos when your customers flock to blogs or vice versa. This is yet another benefit of looking at the big picture: you can see your marketing from a holistic point of view.

If you have even one social media profile (of course you do–you have no excuse not to be on social media), then you stand to benefit from a social media audit. Now that you understand why audits are so important, you should be eager to get started. We’ll discuss how to perform a social media audit for your company or brand in our next blog post.

Would you like to learn more about optimizing your social media marketing? We can help!

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Develop a Social Media Strategy in 7 Simple Steps

By Christopher Tompkins

16May

Social Media

You’ve finally convinced your company (or yourself) to establish a social media presence, so now what do you do? Here are a few steps you should take to develop a successful social media marketing strategy.

1. Research your audience.

When you first devised your marketing strategy, you probably created your ideal customer. By creating this image of your average consumer, you were then able to generalize the concept into your target audience. You’ll be doing the same here. Social media is all about connection. With whom are you trying to connect? Who is your target audience: working parents, college students, active retirees? Once you determine who you’re trying to reach, you will be be able to choose your platforms.

2. Research potential platforms.

Determine which platform(s) best suit your needs. Some social media platforms are geared for socializing (Facebook, LinkedIn), some for information (Twitter, Pinterest), and still others are designed for sharing your personal interests with the world (Tumblr, Instagram). Whatever your industry, there is a social media platform that will work for you. There are several questions you must answer to ensure that you choose the best platform. Which social media platform is your audience most likely to use? Why do most people use that specific social media site? What is the platform’s overall tone?

3. Research your competition.

Investigate your competitors’ social media accounts. What are they doing that seems to work? Are certain posts garnering more engagement than others? Look at what their customers are sharing. Your goal in this endeavor is to learn, not duplicate. Let’s say that your business rival has an irreverent Twitter profile with thousands of followers. You should not attempt to cash in on their success by using a quirky voice for your own Twitter: it would look cliche at best, plagiaristic at worst. Consider instead appealing to the consumers who might be alienated by the humorous tweets by focusing on other aspects of your brand.

4. Establish your goal for each platform.

Each platform is different, so it stands to reason that your goals for each platform should be different as well. Some companies use Twitter as a way to attract new customers, and reserve their Facebook accounts for connecting with their existing clientele. Professional networking platform LinkedIn is great for companies with business to business sales, but maybe not as advantageous for a company that markets to retirees.

5. Determine your metrics.

You won’t know if you’ve succeeded unless you have a way to measure your progress. For social media, most marketing professionals use customer engagement as a starting point. How many likes are your posts getting? Are your customers sharing your stories or quotes? Whatever metrics you decide to use, you should choose them before you begin to produce content.

6. Develop your content.

As mentioned above, you should focus on content development and production after you have established your metrics for success. This will prevent you and your staff from wasting time and energy working on the wrong types of content. What is your brand’s voice or tone: casual and fun, or earnest and professional? Deciding how you will say something will help you decide what you’ll be saying.

You should also formulate your company’s social media usage guidelines during this phase. These rules should function both as a style guide and code of conduct. Most companies simply abide by their in-house writing guidelines on their social media accounts. The other aspect addresses your company’s behavior on social media. Some good basic rules include steering clear of divisive issues and following basic netiquette.

7. Engage with your audience.

The purpose of social media is to connect. When a customer reaches out to you, respond in a timely manner! Social media gives companies ample opportunities for stellar customer service. Don’t limit this engagement to problem solving, though: encourage audience engagement with contests, polls, and other fun methods.

As you can see, establishing your social media presence does not have to be a complicated process. The great thing about marketing is that you can shift your strategy as needed. The only irreparable mistake in social media marketing is avoiding social media altogether.

Do you still need help creating or refining your social media marketing strategy, why not seek out the experts? The Go! Agency team will devise or revise the perfect social media strategy for your brand! Click here to learn more today!

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5 Marketing Habits That Kill SMM Campaigns

By Christopher Tompkins

14Feb

Content Creation, Social Media

We recently talked about what to do if your social media marketing strategy is failing to produce results. We offered plenty of positive, proactive tips to incorporate into your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and blogging techniques. Today we’re going to talk about the mistakes you could be making that may be putting a damper on both your online reach and reputation.

Every day we use the internet. Searching for content, talking with clients, checking advertisement performance—you name it. Many brands we encounter have decent strategies and online content. Every now and again, however, we’ll see a truly glaring error. Sure, the company will quickly delete it, but anything you put on the internet can live forever. Just like us, their audience most likely saw it. Screen shots were taken, comments were posted…sure enough, an article will be written about it before the hour is up. Major blunders that end up profiled on BuzzFeed and immortalized in memes are what most of our clients think of when we discuss social media mistakes. However, the less extreme and more common errors can impact your brand just as badly.

Perhaps you’ve suffered from one of these mistakes already and want to be sure it doesn’t happen again. Or perhaps your marketing is relatively unscathed and you would like to keep it that way. Either way, the following social media marketing mistakes will surely put a damper on your current strategy.

1. Hashtag hijinks. When used appropriately, hashtags are extremely helpful for social media users who are seeking specific content. They are also valuable for marketers who are trying to target those niche readers. However, there are so many marketers out there who either over-utilize or under-utilize this tool and it ruins their content entirely. Depending on your platform, it’s essential to incorporate relevant hashtags. But remember that you can have too much of a good thing: don’t cloud your content with hashtags. Generally, use 2-3 hashtags for Facebook and Twitter, 7-10 for Instagram.

2. Keeping quiet. Are social media users making comments, leaving ratings, sending private messages to your company? Then you better respond. If not, your brand will look like it does not care about or is too busy for its customers. People hate to be ignored. Don’t forget: if you don’t treat your customers right, you may as well hand deliver them to your competition. While content, visuals, and data are all essential to a successful SMM strategy, never forget the “social” part of social media. Engage with your followers! Customers wouldn’t be on social media if they didn’t want to communicate with their favorite people and brands in a unique way.

3. Controversial commentary. Are you a political pundit? If your answer is no, then there’s no reason to have a political agenda with your content– trust us, this happens more often than you could imagine. It is crucially important to remember that your company’s social media account is NOT the same as your own personal account: corporate accounts should only be used for marketing purposes. While it’s true that a few companies have taken political stands (Patagonia commenting on national parks, as a recent example), it might land you in some hot water. If you want to be all-inclusive and avoid alienating (or infuriating) customers, then avoid hot topics like politics, religion, and scandals. Finally, keep it classy; don’t use social media to badmouth your competition. Stay positive, respectful, and considerate. All that being said, we have seen a large increase in brands infusing political stances into their messages. If you feel compelled to make a point, just be ready to defend it.

4. Go public. Your account is thoroughly optimized, your content is eye-catching and you have used your hashtags wisely. Yet, you are not seeing the results you want. So why isn’t this social media thing working? Before you scrap your entire SMM strategy, take a look at your account settings – are they set to “private”? This could be the case for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and other platforms; it’s the social media equivalent of leaving the lens cap on your camera during a photo shoot. Luckily, this mistake is an easy and quick fix.

Social media marketing is a great tool that you can use to build lasting and rewarding relationships with your customers. Don’t ruin your SMM strategy by making any of the above blunders—and don’t get discouraged if you have already.

At The Go! Agency, our team is trained to avoid these mistakes (and many, many others). Our goal is to make our clients shine! Contact us today to make 2018 the year your master social media marketing!

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7 Innovative Tools That Social Media Marketers Love

By Christopher Tompkins

24Jan

Content Creation, Copywriting, SEO, Snapchat, Social Media

When you are trying to market your brand on social media and raise awareness, there are good times and bad. Sometimes, it seems like no one is out there, despite there being literally billions of people on these sites. The truth is, the audience is right there. You just need to have the right tools to amplify your voice.

As a professional in the social media marketing world, we spend a lot of time on official social media sites. We can’t type in the letter F without our browsers compulsively prompting us to go to Facebook or T for Twitter. However, to truly be effective and engaging, you need more than just the basics. Here are the top social media marketing life-saving websites and apps that will ramp up your marketing game.

1. Hashtagify – Let’s face facts. A hashtag is only good if it’s popular. This is where Hashtagify comes in to save the day. Type in a hashtag to see how many people are talking about it or if it’s dead. As you’ll quickly learn, a hashtag is a very time-sensitive tool, and I’m not just talking about calender-centric ones like #ManicMonday or #MerryChristmas. They focus on trends and hot cultural topics and should be used accordingly.

2. BuzzSumo –While Hashtagify helps you see what hashtags are popular, you will still need a tool to help you find the best content. You should note that BuzzSumo Pro is not cheap, but the free version will help you discover the best shareable and popular content on the web.

3. BundlePost –Bundle Post’s tagline is “Stop managing your posts. Spend more time engaging.” This tool can help you with the quantity side of social media marketing. Sharing and curating others content is essential, albeit time-consuming. Bundle Post can automate a personalized bundle of content for your social media accounts. It even works alongside Hootsuite.

4. Hootsuite –Speaking of Hootsuite, it’s rare to find a marketer who isn’t in love with this tool. You can find content, schedule your posts, and study analytics inside one lovely tool.

5. StayFocused –Here’s a secret. Our brains do not automatically block all distracting content. We work on the sites many go on to play, so we must ignore a whole lot of enticing content while we’re trying to execute marketing strategies. StayFocused will help you stay on task by limiting the amount of time you spend on distracting websites. This is great so you can keep moving and complete your task. A Google Chome extension is available for free.

6. Grammarly –Ah, the typo- destroyer of worlds. Luckily, Grammarly has the power to fight back. This handy tool will help your copy become sharper, more engaging, and correct. Remember your English teacher in high school? It’s like her, only nicer.

7. OneTab –Social media marketers need to research and do A LOT of web browsing. On average, most managers visit 200 web pages a day. That sounds like a nightmare for those who only like one or two tabs open at a time. Well, OneTab is here to help. It’s a fantastic tool that will combine all our pre-existing tabs into one, shareable web page that adds a bit of convenience to a chaotic day.

HELLO?! Is anybody out there? Trust me, there are tons of people out there. The above tools will help your brand’s online visibility to skyrocket and your following to increase exponentially. Try a few today and get back to us and tell us what you think!

The 10 Traits Of The Ultimate Social Media Marketer

By Christopher Tompkins

3Jan

Social Media

What does it take to be a truly effective social media marketer? One that can push a brand like no other and establish an amazing online presence? The truth is, some marketers are able to tackle the world of social media a little better than others. Why is this? They’ve taken the time to perfect their strategy. The good news? So can you.

Here are the top traits that the ultimate social media marketing campaigns have:

1. Focus. Your content should be specifically relevant to your industry and type of work. This doesn’t mean every post should be about your business. Instead, post articles and interesting posts that your followers will enjoy.

2. Passion. How are people supposed to be interested in your company if you’re bored with it? Trust me, your lackluster effort will show in your content. Get pumped up! You should be proud and passionate about your brand.

3. Professionalism. Social media is about casual communication, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a professional. Keep it classy, fellow marketers.

4.Authenticity. People can spot a scam a mile away. The internet is already full of cheesy marketing tactics and empty promises. Make sure you stay honest and true to your brand.

5. Consistency. You never want an excessive amount of time to go by without sending out a post. A day is understandable. Two, you’re going to start to suffer. A week, and you will need to wipe away the digital dust. Keep your publishing schedule consistent and reliable.

6. Communication. When a customer, client, follower, or fan contacts your company, you have to abide by three things. Friendliness, timely responses, and a satisfactory answer to their inquiry. Make sure you stick to the basics of customer service and communicate with a cyber smile.

7. Positivity. There’s enough bad news in the world, in particular on the internet. Make someone’s day by spreading some joy through a post. Whether it’s a quote, tasty recipe, or a fun image, your social media content should have a fun factor.

8. Integrity. Don’t take advantage of bad news for marketing gains. Don’t post inappropriate or controversial content. Don’t curse. Don’t fight with dissatisfied customers. Once again, keep it classy.

9. Entertainment. One of the defining factors of social media is that people use these platforms for FUN. Make sure people actually enjoy seeing your tweets, posts, and pins by studying what is trending and most engaging.

10. Patience. This trait combines a bit of everything. You need to be consistent, have a focus, stay positive, and use your exceptional communication skills. All the while, it may take time, but don’t let the quality dwindle. Don’t forget that social media takes time. Do not give up!

There are plenty of businesses who have all ten of these traits. There are also MANY who have none of them. Make sure you keep these in mind when you pursue your marketing ventures. If you do this, online credibility and brand awareness will be yours!

Contact us today to learn more about the best strategies for social media for your business and how you can implement them!

The 5 Social Media Marketing Strategies That Boost Transparency

By Christopher Tompkins

27Dec

Content Creation, Copywriting, Social Media

How has social media marketing changed business? In more ways than you can count. The most significant though, for better or for worse, is that it increased transparency enormously.

If you run a restaurant that offers bland plates and rude service, social media may be a nuisance for you. If you manage an A/C Heating service and you overcharge your customers, it will most certainly pop up around the web. However, if you run an honest business and do your best to produce quality service and products, the internet is an amazing place that you can really shine and reach new people….. if you let it.

The truth is, as long as your business is run right, you should want your brand to be as transparent as possible — and social media marketing has the ability to do this if you keep in mind the following 5 elements. Not only will they allow your business to have a better transparency, but your customer relationships will become so much better.

1. Communication. You don’t want to be a “mute brand.” Yes, you’re sending out content multiple times a day, but if a customer responds to you, it’s vital that you respond quickly. Remember the 3 “P’s” when you are talking with your customers – positive, prompt, and productive.

2. Influence. Take time to find online influencers in your market with quality audiences who would be interested in your products or services. Connect and build relationships with those individuals. By doing so, you are branding yourself as an authority in your respective market.

3. Quality connections. Quality or quantity? It’s better to have quality, focused content versus thousands of online connections, reading your content just once, then disappearing. On the other side of this, you need to be a quality connection yourself by sending out worthwhile content.

4. Consistency. Don’t create a few batches of amazing content and then disappear. This means constantly publishing content and participating in online conversations. Your followers need reasons to stay by your side. Give them what they want.

5. Branding. Show off your marketing skills with consistent branding, color, tone, messages, and mission. This is absolutely necessary as you expand your voice across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and much more.

Are you less than confident in your approach to social media marketing? You don’t have to be, contact us today! We’re here to help you make your mark and hit your targets.

5 Secrets To Writing Engaging Social Media Posts

By Christopher Tompkins

21Nov

Content Creation, Copywriting, Social Media

Ever since the early days of the newspaper, people have studied the power of the headline. Writers carefully selected each word so their paper would pull in readers. Social media marketing has evolved this concept. Thankfully, we don’t need people shouting “Extra!” on street corners. Instead, we have to make sure our updates are noticeable on the web.

Internet communications changed the way we write and promote our brands. What strategies work the best for social media users? The following five types of updates are sure to pull in readers!

1. Lists. Whether your post is “Top 10 Restaurants in Nashville” or “The 5 Most Important Documents For Estate Planning”, people love lists. They are easy to read and get right to the point.

2. Definitions and industry terms. Does your industry have specific terminology? Teach them to the audience! For example, “The Legal Terms You Need To Know!” is an excellent way to spread a wealth of knowledge.

3. Casual tone. Today’s consumer likes a casual and conversational tone for marketing. “Check out these…”, “Come see our…” further strengthen your brand’s approachable feel.

4. Questions. “Could These Foods Help With Alzheimer’s?” Crafting a social media post in the form of a question is always a good way for readers to click and search for the answer.

5. Powerful vocabulary. Finally, no matter what way you craft your message, your words need to pack a punch. Don’t waste room on weak words. Instill a sense of urgency and importance.

Does your marketing team have writer’s block? Contact us! Our copywriting department will be able to craft your brand’s message into a professional and effective piece of marketing.

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Phase 1: Create a Spreadsheet

Phase 2: Research

Phase 3: Evaluate the Platforms

Phase 4: Polish the Profiles

Phase 5: Analyze Performance

Getting the Most Value from Your Social Media Audit