I hear a lot of people compare the New Year to a blank piece of paper. On the one hand, that’s great! A fresh slate! On the other hand, there is nothing scarier than a blank piece of paper when you need to fill it with ideas. Just a few weeks ago, I sat down at my desk to create my 2021 editorial calendar. That’s where I put down all of the topics that I want to cover in my podcast, blog, webinars, and YouTube videos. Let me tell you, coming up with 52+ fresh ideas is NOT easy! And…
Read MoreHow much time every week do you spend on your social media? I’m not just talking about writing it. Creating compelling content is only one of the keys to social media marketing success. So much more needs to go into it if you genuinely want to build your audience and convert your followers into paying customers! Here’s an admission for you: I’ve been spending WAY too much time recently growing my Instagram! But I genuinely believe that it’s worth every second. Social media channels like Instagram and Facebook offer small businesses an invaluable (and remarkably cheap) advertising platform to reach…
Read MoreAre you on social media? Of course you are! Who isn’t! Do you remember your very first exposure to social media? Oh my gosh, for me it was Classmates.com! Haha. But for many of you, it may have been MySpace! Do you remember what it felt like to, for the very first time, have unlimited reach? You could make friends and connect with anyone in the entire world. Communication was the way of the future. That was the promise of social media in the late 90s. But no one could have predicted what it would become in the 2010s! Facebook,…
Read MoreSo let me ask, how many years have you been building your email list? Time and time again on consultation calls, I hear from potential clients who want to focus ALL of their marketing efforts on social media. But here’s the thing: you don’t “own” your social media followers. I’ve tragically seen clients’ accounts closed down by Facebook & Instagram (sometimes for no reason, just a simple mistake), meaning that they lose those followers forever or at least until they can get a hold of someone who can help! Plus, as you know, Facebook likes to choose who sees your…
Read MoreHow much time are you focusing on Instagram for your business? Small businesses are always looking to make the most of their marketing dollars. Generally, their budgets aren’t huge, so they need to make the biggest impact possible for the lowest investment. That’s why you should be on Instagram! It’s one of the most effective, budget-friendly, and hottest platforms right now! Instagram will reach 112.5 million U.S. users this year! That’s a 5.4% increase over 2019! It’s the fastest-growing social media platform, with 37% of American adults using it. And the gender mix is pretty fantastic, with 52% of women…
Read MoreDo you know what a hashtag is? Or how to use them? Do you remember the very first time you heard the term “Hashtag?” Nowadays, if you are even slightly aware of social media, then you know what a hashtag is. Not only have they become a key component for getting your marketing message out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms, but the word has even been added to the Oxford English Dictionary! You may know what hashtags are, but do you know how to use them? Well, here is a quick primer that will explain everything…
Read MoreWriting a Facebook Ad is easy, right? You throw together some text with an image and watch the clicks roll in! Uh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s a surefire way to end up with a Facebook Ad disaster! Social Media Ad creation is an art onto itself. Much like writing all kinds of social media, it’s a unique mixture of both marketing copy, target research and graphic design meant to attract the eye, intrigue the mind, and eventually, lead the user to your Website or Landing Page. There are a total of seven elements…
Read MoreHow much time do you spend on Facebook every day? I’m not just talking about your personal account, but also your professional one. If you’re a small business owner, then you should absolutely have a significant professional presence on Facebook (and other social media networks). Facebook is one of the most popular social media channels in the world, with over 2.4 billion users and over 1.56 billion daily users. There are 9.3 million in Florida alone! That’s a lot of horn honking Floridians! Those kinds of numbers can give you a massive reach to connect with both current and potential…
Read MoreDo you remember MySpace? How about Friendster? Or a more recent example, Google Plus? These were some major players in the social media scene but today? They’re gone, replaced with newer, better social networks. It’s incredible how even giants can be worn down by time and innovation. Perhaps even… Facebook? Facebook is still the king of social media and should be a key component of every small business’s social media strategy, but it isn’t the only one out there. Other social media networks are popping up every year, looking to dethrone the king. As a marketer, I need to be…
Read MoreCross-country marketing can be a fascinating thing. Companies can take the exact same product but market it entirely differently depending on the country they are in. For example, there might be completely different advertising campaigns for a product like Pepsi in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. This is despite the fact that they’re all located on the same continent, two of them primarily speak English, and it’s the same product. It all has to do with local conventions of the media, cultural differences, and values when it comes to marketing. Marketing on social media is a little bit like…
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