Interview: Social Media With Females With A Mission

Social Media
Have you heard? I was featured as a guest on Females With A Mission Blog Talk Radio program, where we discussed the do's and don'ts of social media. Here's a snippet of the social media items and tips we discussed: Figure out your reason for joining a social media platform before you join. Next, take the time to learn a social media platform before you jump in. Each social media platform has its own bells and whistles that make it unique. Understand the features and decide how best to use them, then you can participate in a meaningful way. Hear a couple of tips to figure out where to start. Google plus profiles and business pages are relevant for SEO. It's Google, you need to learn how Google+ works! Cross-posting content…
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Social Media Tips To Promote Your Live Event

Social Media Tips To Promote Your Live Event

Social Media, Strategy
You’re having an event and you want to use social media exclusively to promote the heck out of it? You have plenty of local friends and fans you engage with daily, so surely they will come to support you in person at your event right? Not so fast... Here’s what I urge you to remember when you’re promoting a live event in the social media space: getting people to leave the house is harder than you think. What will compel your online friends to leave their house, spend their time and money and come support you? Remember, it's easy to like or tweet with someone you’ve never met. Why? Social media has its own set of social etiquette rules at work. Think about it this way: you can befriend people on social media with ease and…
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Success on Social Media In 60 Minutes A Day

Success on Social Media In 60 Minutes A Day

Social Media, Strategy
Think 60 minutes a day on social media is impossible? Hear me out. There was a time when I thought all the tips on successfully engaging on social media in 1-2 hours a day were impossible. That's because I was reading all those articles when I first started using Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, so of course my learning curve killed the whole 60 minutes notion. I would use social media for hours at a time trying to figure it all out. Sound familiar? Let’s go beyond the initial process of learning how to use each platform. Once your profiles are complete, and you become experienced with engaging, posting, and sharing content, you can do social media in 60 minutes a day! Success on Social Media in 60 Minutes a Day If…
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Stagnant Social Media Profiles: No Icons Required

Stagnant Social Media Profiles: No Icons Required

Social Media
I know you’ve seen those companies that have a bunch of social media icons and links on their website asking you to connect with them. But have you noticed for some companies, when you click on the icons, they have outdated profiles, or profiles they don’t really use much? These companies don’t post frequent updates, and they look like they really just put the icons/profiles up for show. Why do some companies do this? Are you one of them? Here’s a tip to remember when including social media buttons on your website and promo materials: stagnant profiles stink! Nobody said you have to list every single platform you’re registered on. So why list them all? Instead, list the sites you use regularly, and your brand will be stronger for it. Why? Your level…
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Too Many Social Media Choices, I Can’t Decide!

Too Many Social Media Choices, I Can’t Decide!

Social Media, Strategy
I can’t count how many times I discuss social media with business owners and they feel like they can’t get the hang of a particular platform. Or they feel like they should be using them all, and they get completely overwhelmed at all the options popping up pretty regularly. Here’s my advice: don’t feel coerced into stretching yourself across all the social media platforms out there. You won’t have time to run your business! Here’s the one thing these business owners (and maybe you) don’t understand: Not all social media platforms are created equal. They each have a purpose, user group, frequency of use, their own language, etc.  Start with the most commonly used platforms and learn the ropes. Read some articles/how-to’s on each platform. Review the FAQs, user guides, and…
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Branding Tip: Create Your Gravatar!

Branding Tip: Create Your Gravatar!

Blogging, Branding, Social Media
What in the world is a gravatar?! A gravatar is an image that appears beside your name when you comment on blog posts, web forums, etc.  It’s a custom avatar that follows you all around the web. Why should you care? Because those generic animated pics do not look professional! Your company and personal brand will appear far more polished when your pic appears with your username next to your post. Why is a gravatar important, as it relates to your brand? Your gravatar is a part of your brand identity. Just like your social media username, it will follow you all over the web. When you comment on articles/blog posts that have this feature enabled, your pic, or gravatar, will show up next to your comment. I don’t know about you, but…
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Social Media Usernames Count!

Social Media Usernames Count!

Branding, Strategy
One of the fantastic consequences of our socially connected world is that we can connect to people, clients and prospects around the world 24/7. But how does this relate to your brand, from a first impression perspective? Think about it: when you meet someone face-to-face, your first impression includes their clothes, neatness, appearance, handshake, etc. However, when meeting online, the dynamics of the first impression change. We meet people online by communicating across different platforms, and what’s one of the first, if not the first, things you become aware of when you meet a new person online? Their username, not their legal given name, but their profile username. Hence the reason why your social media username is critical as you define your brand! When choosing your social media username for each…
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Why Use Social Media As A Marketing Tool?

Why Use Social Media As A Marketing Tool?

Strategy
I read an article this week that made my jaw drop! It talked about how 64% of small businesses don’t think social media is important. What?! If this is the case, this means these business aren’t incorporating social media into their marketing strategy. My only caveat: there was a small sampling of business owners, and stats can always be misconstrued. However, these stats are alarming, sample size and industry aside, so I was compelled to discuss. I could write a thesis on the value of social media but neither of us has time for that. I will give you some answers to help bridge the social media divide, from the perspective of a person who started a marketing career before the age of the internet and social media, back when we…
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