Tag : social media for business

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Twitter

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11Jan
Twitter is like a sports car – no excess baggage, lightning fast, and has the ability to turn heads. It’s become one of the central hubs for social media professionals to promote a consistent and contemporary brand to their target demographic. But does your business need Twitter? You better believe it.
Think of Twitter as Facebook’s hyperactive, social butterfly of a cousin. News flies quickly on this platform. When I say quick, I mean like, lightning fast. With over 320 million people logging in, you can see that it’s quite a busy site. Still, many companies think that Twitter isn’t for them. Here’s why your business needs to start flying on this fantastic platform today:
  1. A large, talkative community – As I’ve said, there are hundreds of millions of people that use this site to follow their favorite businesses, celebrities, and those who they know in real life. It’s a powerful tool thanks to its large numbers, but also thanks to these people’s receptiveness. It’s not uncommon for a tweet to receive hundreds of likes and any number of retweets.
  2. Shareability – Retweeting and quote tweeting are two of the most useful social media tools available today. Your content has the ability to go far and wide thanks to Twitter’s chatting community and their tools. If someone likes your stuff, they can share it with all the people that follow them. You can see the potential here, right?
  3. Resources – When our team crafts and curates content for our clients as a whole, Twitter is the first place we look for exciting and engaging content. It’s a gateway to so much knowledge, information, and content that can be used in a plethora of different ways. There’s no question the amount of content shared by reputable sources is one of THE reasons many people go on Twitter.
  4. A fair playing field – Facebook is essential. We all know that. However, their algorithms tend to be a challenge for marketers as we have to work around certain restraints. For Twitter, social media goes back to an even playing field. Your business’s content comes up in the same fashion that everyone else’s does. This isn’t to say that Twitter doesn’t have an algorithm of its own that supposedly helps people see what “they want to see,” but it’s a much easier hurdle to tackle.
  5. Convenience and speed – Twitter allows 140 characters of text and one piece of imagery per tweet. If you’re about to say “I can’t work under these conditions!” you need to change your perspective. This is actually a HUGE benefit for marketers because the message can be delivered quickly before the reader’s attention wanes off.
Twitter has become a central element in social media marketing efforts. It opens up new avenues that other platforms cannot. Marketers need to realize, however, that Twitter marketing is an entirely different animal than Facebook. It requires a quick and powerful message, hashtags, shortened links, and more. Contact us today to let the pros handle your Twitter!

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The 5 Essential Pieces Of A Perfect Social Media Post

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10Jan

Have you ever assembled a piece of furniture? You know when there’s something missing, don’t you? Whether it’s a leg or knob or slab of wood, it’s pretty obvious when things aren’t as they should be. Social media updates are the same. You need certain aspects integrated into the anatomy of the post to make things right. Without them, you will most definitely notice something wrong, even if you can’t pinpoint it. Here are the essential pieces of a perfect social media post:

1. Copy – Obviously, the main skeleton of a social media update is the text-based message. Make sure your writing is professional, snappy, unique, and as “to the point” as possible.

2. Links – Your update should prompt the reader to go deeper, learn more, and ultimately engage with the content. Links should guide your readers to the next natural step and bring them more information and details about your brand’s message.

3. Hashtags – Depending on the platform you’re using, a hashtag is an essential cog in the “social media machine.” Add “#” to a keyword or phrase to help improve search results. #Automotive is ideal for auto repair shops, or #NewYork for those based in the Big Apple. Additionally, you will notice that certain trends pop up via the hashtag tool such as #ManicMondays, #ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) or #QOTD (Quote Of The Day). It’s important to note that Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are the best sites to use this tool on. Others either rarely use them or are not compatible.

4. Tagging- Tagging people or pages is an excellent way to grab their attention. For example, you could add @thegoagency to your tweet, and we would get notified that you’re either talking to us or about us.

5. Imagery – Last but certainly not least, visuals are needed as the final “cherry on top” for social media. Pictures, videos, and GIFs will make the ADD-stricken masses pay closer attention to your updates.

You might not need an instruction manual to make a social media marketing post, but you certainly need to pay attention and focus on the message that you’re trying to convey. If one of these pieces are missing, it will most definitely be noticeable not necessarily in the way the update looks, but rather how it performs.

Contact us today to learn how our social media writers can make amazing posts for your business!

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Social Media: New First Impressions For Businesses

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9Jan

Ah, the pre-social media days…when someone’s first interaction with a business was either asking a friend about their experience or simply using their services or products for themselves. Remember when online reviews were not immediately accessible and you didn’t know what a place of business looked like until you pulled up to it? You even might have had to try out a company on faith alone! Well, social media has changed all that.

It’s a lot harder to pull the wool over consumers’ eyes these days, and that’s great for both customers and honest businesses. A company’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other profiles are representations of its work, customer relations, and good standing within the community.

Customers can share real and honest reviews and add pictures or videos of them using products and services that the business offers. For marketing professionals, this user-generated content is gold. It shows that a free-thinking and unsolicited individual took the time to share their experience with the public. While the thought of people talking about your business online can be daunting, realize that online engagement is that pathway to new eyes, new fans, and more sales.

Beyond customer relations and reviews, social media is the perfect avenue for logistics. The “where, when, why, how, etc.” should all be answered by visiting someone’s Facebook page. A complete and properly executed account has open hours, address, phone number, mission statement, website link, and so much more.

Your posts should also showcase the best of your business. Amongst other posts like news stories, inspirational quotes, and more, you should show off what customers should expect when they use your business. Whether you run a bakery or an investment firm, there’s a place to brag on social media. Most importantly, show the real deal! When clients stop by our office for consulting, training, or classes, they say “wow, it’s just like the pictures on social media!” That’s because we’re proud of our work, and show it in the most accurate light possible. Leave the customer unsurprised (in a good way) when they finally decide to do business with you. 

So, what happens if you choose to forget the whole thing and say social media isn’t for you? First of all, it isn’t going to stop anyone from talking about your brand. You’ll never know what people are saying (even though everyone else will), but most importantly, you won’t be able to respond and offer the professional convenience that comes with online visibility. Additionally, it will be your business seem amateurish and “out of the loop.” It’s a bit of a “head in the sand approach,” right? Just because you refuse to participate in the fastest growing trend in business today doesn’t mean others are. People will be annoyed when they see you’re not anywhere to be found on social media. Trust me, we’ve seen the lack of an online presence become a deal breaker for some companies.

When today’s billions of social media users are in need of a product or service, they use the same sites they use to communicate with their friends and family to discover the best-rated and most prominent companies. Don’t miss out on your chance to stand tall online!

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The 5 Unspoken Rules of Social Media Marketing

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8Jan

It seems like this social media marketing thing just clicks for some people. Their content is perfect, they connect with the best people, there are “likes” aplenty- you get the idea. For others, however, it takes more time and effort. Some people just can’t seem to grasp some of the most elementary concepts when it comes to Facebook, Twitter, and the other platforms. And that’s OK. If anybody – even those who are social media masters – say they’ve learned it all in a single day, they’re lying.

The sad truth is that there isn’t an official “Social Media Marketing How-To Manual.” We’ve all figured out what works and what doesn’t through trial, error, and a TON of hands-on experience.

Luckily, my team and I have been there and done that. I can say that there are many unspoken rules of social media and how things work, but these are without a doubt the most essential. So let’s get started on everything you need to know.

1. Don’t like your own content.
It’s nice to pat yourself on the back every once in a while, but don’t do it on social media. If your only engagement is from yourself, well, that will look a tad pathetic, won’t it?

2. Respond to customers ASAP.
Don’t forget, it’s SOCIAL media. That means these are channels of communications between you and your customers. Keep things positive, informative, and professional.

3. Be involved in the community. Apart from having good customer service, you need to be social in other ways such as sharing other business’s content (as long as they aren’t competitors). You should also be hosting engagement-heavy content like contests, polls, and Q&A sessions.

4. Abide by platform rules. Each social media platform connects people in different ways. LinkedIn is all about professional networking. Instagram is heavily focused on images. Twitter does best with news and current events. Make sure you “do as the Romans do” and shape your content to match what people flock to.

5. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use an image. It’s been proven time and time again that social media updates do significantly better with some form of visual. Whether you want to use a picture, video, GIF, 360-video, live broadcast, or whatever is next in the world of marketing, you need something to compliment your copy.

So, while there isn’t any go-to manual, these rules are a great starting point for marketers who are trying to hit the ground running with social media. As you abide by these unspoken laws, take the time to plan, write, create, strategize, and revise your methods. Trust me, your efforts will go a long way.

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5 Strategies For Sharing Facts On Social Media Marketing

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7Jan

When my team and I work on our clients’ social media marketing campaigns, we know that balance is a big factor in our success. Whether you’re talking about balancing text V.S. images, promos V.S. news, or curated V.S. original content, everything has to be just right. It’s all part of the job. But one aspect that many companies fail to execute correctly is educational V.S. entertaining posts. Things end up leaning much heavier towards the “fun” side of content because of two reasons. 1- They think it will gather more engagement. 2 – Well, they don’t know how to do it right. But we do!

So, here’s a secret from the pros. Educational and fact-based content have proven to be some of the most engaging material on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In 2016, the most popular posts were from fact-based industries such as science, medical, or political landscapes. And here you thought it was going to be those silly cat videos! People are taking social media much more seriously these days, which is great news for professionals. Here are the most popular strategies for spreading the wealth of knowledge with your followers:

1. Infographics – There’s nothing quite like a ton of pictures to make a complicated concept more understandable. The truth is, visuals always help us learn. That’s why infographics are so effective. You can transform large concepts into digestible chunks that are accompanied by interesting graphics.

2. Videos – Video is dominating social media right now. Sure, when we think of internet videos, we think of funny cats running around or how-to recipe guides. But you could actually utilize the video medium to explain a complicated educational subject. Captions are your friend in this instance, as you can add important notes to the visuals. Now with live videos, you can offer your followers tutorials and lessons “in the moment.” Live is also a fantastic way to answer customer questions as if you were face-to-face.

3. Blogs – Blogging continues to reign supreme as one of the most effective ways to inform your followers about important concepts and topics. A blog is a fantastic companion to your social media marketing efforts as it will establish your brand in a professional light and give you a whole slew of original content to share on your various accounts.

4. Trivia and “Did You Know?” – Break down a complicated fact into a simple form in the form of a trivia or “did you know?” post. These are a great way to implement a bit of fun into the facts and draw your audience’s attention. They won’t have to spend much time with this content, but they can still learn something big. In other words, a big pay off with not a lot of effort on the follower’s part. Perfect for the average internet user.

5. Content curation – As always, it’s important to share other’s work from your online community. But it doesn’t have to begin and end with what they’ve said. You can share your own thoughts about the subject in the form of Quote Tweeting or comment on the post when you share on Facebook.

As you can see, it’s time to face facts – you need to create and share educational content! Social media isn’t just about fun material or even promotional marketing. Serious content like blogs, videos, and infographics will attract a significant amount of engagement and in the long run, conversions.

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6 Steps To Catching Your Viewer’s Gaze On Social Media

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5Jan

We’ve all done it. Scrolling through social media, ignoring some of the more “blah” looking posts is only human nature. But it’s a social media manager’s job to create compelling enough material that followers will stomp on the brakes to take a closer look. Once we get them to pay attention, engagement is the next natural step.

This is exactly why visuals are so important on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. You need that figurative (or literal) red flag to get eyes to lock onto something entertaining, stunning, stimulating, or heart-pumping. We’re not saying you should post an explosion GIF, but something to make the ADD-stricken masses pay attention.

Here are our suggestions on how to get those stunning visuals rocking:

1. Colors – Keep them bright, catchy, and complimentary. If noir photography is your type of thing, then I hope you have an audience for it since the flashier, the better is usually the correct line of thinking. Color is a BIG deal when it comes to marketing and design. Our minds automatically lock onto a vibrant shade or swatch. This is why it’s also important to choose your brand’s colors and stick to them. Consistency is a big deal. For years, Coca-Cola has used the same exact red for everything – and for good reason. People remember it and mentally link it to the famous product. Now go on Coke’s Facebook. Everything’s red, isn’t it?

2. Videos – Whether it’s live or recorded, video is huge in the world of social media right now. Even if they are simply a collection of pictures in the form of an animated slide show, you need some form of video in your content strategy. Videos show up very prominently on social media timelines and feeds, so take advantage of this medium!

3. Original photographs – Take snapshots of your business, employees, products, and more. While repurposing and curating content is an essential cog in the social media machine, you need to have an array of original content as well!

4. LIVE – We briefly mentioned live video above, but it most definitely deserved its own category. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram all offer live services so you can broadcast to your followers in real time. This is a real game-changer, and we’re going to see much more live video integration in 2017.

5. Motion (even if it’s still) – Use action shots in photographs, offer demonstrations in live video broadcasts, add quick-moving animations, etc. Keep things moving and exciting!

6. People- Here’s a secret – people like people. If there’s a way to integrate a real person into your imagery, do it. Even if it’s just someone using your product, it’s worth the extra effort.

7. Text – While you have a whole separate area for text in the “anatomy” of your social media post, compelling copy is a fundamental element of imagery. Keep it simple, concise, and clean.

8. Clarity- Speaking of keeping things simple, people should not have to try to decipher what you’re posting. Do the hard part for them and make things unique, albeit recognizable.

You don’t need to be Dali or Picasso to make people stop in awe of your social media images. But you DO need to put in effort and creativity. Trust me, it’s worth investing your time into creating outstanding images. Your brand’s recognition will increase with each post in which you integrate dazzling visuals.

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7 Essential Social Media Marketing Life Savers

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4Jan

HELLO?! Is anyone out there? Millions upon millions of people are online, why don’t they see my page? Social media marketers might be asking themselves this if they do not see the desired engagement on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media marketing platforms. It doesn’t mean you’re terrible at marketing. You just need a little help.

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 into an address bar without our browsers compulsively prompting us to go to Facebook! However, to be truly effective and engaging, you need more than just the basic sites. Here are the top social media marketing life-saving websites, tools, 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 if tons of 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 Chrome 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 grammatically 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.

So, next time you shout “HELLO?! Is anybody out there?” You can rest assured, there are tons of people out there, and these tools well help them notice your brand. Your company’s visibility has the potential skyrocket and your following to increase exponentially. Try a few today and get back to us and tell us what you think!

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How To Tackle Facebook Video’s Mute Trend

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3Jan

It’s time to crank up the volume – or is it? Over 85% of Facebook video viewers watch their favorite video content on mute. Why is this? Well, to be honest, it’s because people are watching where they shouldn’t be, like in the office, in line at a store or in class. The ethics of WHERE to watch is a different subject entirely. Instead, marketers need to focus on how to accommodate people’s desire to keep things quiet.

There are two main elements that the most popular and engagement-heavy videos possess.

Strong visuals – Okay, so people don’t want to use their smartphone or computer’s speakers. That doesn’t mean your content has to be any less compelling. You can give them quite the spectacle if you know how. If you’re telling a story, make it so dialogue or sounds aren’t needed to successfully relay the message. The best way to do this is a strong focus on action, bright colors, and an obvious focal point.

Captions – If people aren’t listening, you might have to make the message more obvious. Captions are an extremely popular way of executing social media videos. This is especially important for those who are trying to express more complex ideas such as a news story, recipes, or professional tips. This essentially takes away the need for an audio element.

All that being said, no video should be without sound completely. The follower should have the option of enjoying music, narration, or more. Just because many people aren’t watching with the sound pumping, doesn’t mean that everyone likes a silent experience. When picking sound, you should have something people will remember as much as the visual!

Did you know our team of marketers make eye-catching videos for our clients every day? And yes, we have mastered both audio AND visual elements of a video for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Contact us today to see how you can have amazing visuals for your business.

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Is Your Business Using FUN Social Media Marketing Content?

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2Jan

Yes, it’s true – you can have fun at work. For social media marketers, it’s one of the core elements of our efforts. Not that we play board games and go bowling in the middle of the day, but the concept of fun, positivity, and inspiration need to be incorporated into content. It’s all about a friendly back-and-forth conversation between brands and customers. Companies need to send out a healthy dose of light-hearted content onto their platforms to achieve the friendly and potentially sales-boosting engagement we all hope for.

While there is a ton of ideas out there, there are particular posts that are reserved for when your audience is really rocking. After you spend time growing your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram community, then you can drum up some real conversations, engagement, and – dare I say it- FUN with the following ideas.

1. Contests. Obviously, contests will only work if you have participants. That’s why it’s important to hold off on hosting one until you have an active audience. But when you have enough people watching you, these fun contests get everyone talking. Neither the prize nor conditions need to be elaborate. Usually, entrants just Like the post and page, but there can always be fun and simple twists.

2. Polls. Looking for some honest feedback? Ask for it! Polls are helpful tools that aid your company in a variety of ways. On Facebook, you can take advantage of the reaction system. For instance, you can say “React with a heart for option A. React with an angry emoji for option B!” For Twitter, many marketers use the “Quote Tweet for option A, Retweet for Option B” method. There are also more sophisticated polling methods such as customizable widgets. A quick Google search will land you today’s most popular software.

3. Word games. Add some fun to your content by adding a caption contest or fill-in-the-blank post. Everyone will smile when someone enters a funny response, but they will roll their eyes if there are no responses. This is why you need an active audience for these kinds of posts.

4. Pro tips. If you are a professional, you should share your wealth of information. Choose a specific day of the week and share a tip for customers and fellow colleagues in your industry.

5. User-generated content. Ask your fans to share pictures of them using your product or service. This instills humanity into your feed. You can even create your own, unique hashtag and request people to use it when sharing. For example, the fine folks at Prisma, an image filter app, share and like most posts that have #Prisma.

These five content ideas are sure to get people talking about your brand online. They will enjoy your content and look our for your next post. After all, social media marketing isn’t a “stick in the mud” method. People should smile when they see you’ve posted something new!

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5 Mistakes Business Are Making on Instagram Stories And Snapchat

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31Dec

When Snapchat first came out, the whole point was to send a pic, and it would be gone in an instant. Just think of the possibilities! But the platform grew up and took itself seriously as a potential platform for social media marketing and communication. In fact, the folks at Snapchat made such an innovative app that Instagram began to take some notes. As they say, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

One of the most attractive features of Snapchat and Instagram is “Stories.” Users can upload pictures or videos and they can be viewable as much as possible – but only for 24 hours. It’s being used by a huge number of businesses now, but many of them aren’t using this tool right. Here are the biggest “Stories” pitfalls to avoid:

1. Using the same content that you see on your main account.
The point of the “Stories” feature is to have content on there that’s exclusively available for only that day. There’s no sense in it if you’re just posting the same content on your regular Instagram or Snapchat stream. Make your Story worth that extra step!

2. Rarely posting. Post at least one thing a day to your Story. It’s supposed to be a chronicle of your brand, and no blank spaces will do!

3. Not promoting on other platforms. Use Facebook and Twitter to promote your Story. This is an excellent way to spread the engagement of a popular profile.

4. Making boring posts.
One thing about your Story is that they tend to be original content. They both solely rely on a smartphone’s camera, so many companies tend to take pics from the office such as behind-the-scene shots and snapshots from events.

5. Not using it at all. If you already have Instagram and/or Snapchat, there’s no excuse for ignoring this feature. In fact, both versions of Stories is gaining a ton of momentum and are quickly on their way to becoming the “go to” spot for users. Make sure you adapt and roll with the trends!

Stories is a brand new way to get your customers coming back for more exciting content every day. Because the content expires in a day, people need to keep in constant contact with your brand in a new and exciting way. Don’t pass this up!

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