Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

Moy Burn Ice Dog Many of our readers are already knee-deep in the use of technology and social media tools; they thirst for it, see it making their life and work easier and have a hard time understanding how they could do with it. Then, we have readers and even clients that are what we term “techno-phobic”; they know they need social media to keep up and remain relevant, but seem to be brought to it kicking and screaming. They have a love-hate relationship with it and often say, “It’s just not my thing, so I’m not going to use it.” This thinking reminds me of what it must have been like when computers first came on to the scene with small businesses.

It’s pretty natural to be a bit nervous when new things come our way. Many resist learning it, accepting and just coming to terms with it. Part of it is fear of the unknown, concern about the time it might take, and part of it is a desire to keep things in the past, where things seemed more simple. The fact is it wasn’t really wasn’t it more simple then, it just seemed so because it’s what you knew, it’s what you were taught and it served you just fine for quite awhile.

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If you’re just getting started with LinkedIn, or if you’re an avid user, this short tutorial will come in handy. (Trust us, we’ve seen plenty of accounts that still haven’t set this up!) When you set up a LinkedIn account, there’s no reason to put up with the long, ugly URL they assign up; customize it instead, so it’s more reflective of your name and is easier to share. Share this with those you love, and if you will, give us a thumbs up on Facebook once you get it set!

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RamsgateIf you’ve started a business blog or are just thinking about starting one,  you have probably sat around on more than one occasion and pondered “What should I write?” It makes sense that this is often the first thing people consider; after all, a blog is nothing without its content. But, there is actually one thing even more important than what or how you write: Your audience. So before you think about writing your blog post… stop! It’s time figure out who you’re writing it for.

As wonderful as it would be to sit and blog about whatever comes to mind, the reality is that in order to be a successful blogger you need to tailor your content to a specific group of people you want to reach. Writing a blog for young women will be very different than writing a blog for middle-aged men, for example. We see many bloggers put in a considerable amount of time to write a well-crafted post, only to have it completely overlooked because it is aimed at the wrong people. Not only is this going to lead you to extreme frustration, but we’re also 100% sure that you don’t have time for this.

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RU4 Real Recently we talked about why you should rethink automating your content on your Facebook fan page; the main reason being because it dramatically lowers fan engagement. Now we’re here to tell you about another icky trend we have noticed that hurts more than it helps: automated following. Auto follow apps have become increasingly popular on Twitter. For those of you who are lucky enough to never have run into this, here’s the break down: Auto follow apps are applications that follow every user on a specified list automatically, the users follow you back automatically, and viola! You have thousands of followers to call your own.

So what’s so bad about that? Everybody wants to have a large amount of followers, right? After all, isn’t that often times the first thing you look at when visiting new a Twitter page? It can be very discouraging when you’re working hard to tweet lots of great content and feel like no one is out there to read it. You might even feel embarrassed that your numbers aren’t quite what you were hoping for. We’re here to tell you that despite what you may have heard, automated apps like these are not the solution. Here are 4 reasons that auto follow apps suck (yes, we said it… they SUCK!):

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put your bot in timeoutWe know all too well that small business owners usually have a million things on their plate. You’re likely playing the role of manager, accountant, customer service rep, among other things– and now to top it off you have to add social media to that list. Depending on your company and what social platforms you’re using, you may or may not have quite a bit of content to generate and post everyday. Guess what? There is an easier way to do it that will save you a lot of time in your daily routine. What is the miraculous thing? Automation. But like with anything else, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

There are two types of automated content that we generally see being posted on Facebook. Both can save you time, but both can also work against it when it comes to building a community around your brand.

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When it comes to your company’s Facebook Fan Page, you have probably thought about your fan count, what to post, how much to post, and everything in between. But have you really thought about what your Facebook looks like? Sure, your page features your company’s logo and colors… but after that, what are you left with? Basically what everyone else has, and that’s where a landing pages come in.

What Is a Landing Page?

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A vanity URL is a quick and easy way to strengthen your brand image online. In the hubbub of profile pictures and wall posts, it is sometimes easy to forget about the the random combination of numbers that appears at the top of your browser. However, your URL is a key part to letting your customers find you…easily! Customers will be a lot more likely to remember your vanity URL, plus it’s much easier to use in advertising. If you have your first 25 followers and are ready to get started, this exercise takes about 30 seconds!

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