Top 10 Social Media Channels to Use for Your Business

Top 10 Social Media Channels to Use for Your Business

Growth of Social Media
It is truly amazing how big social media is today and how it has become a truly powerful marketing tool in this country and around the world. The increased use of mobile phones has led to continued growth of social media across all age groups. We’ve recently read that 40% of all cell phone users do social networking on their phone, with 28% of them doing so on a daily basis. Social media is growing by the day and should be a part of your marketing plan.

Lesson To Be Learned
There is a precautionary tale to share with you in that it takes a considerable amount of time to run a social media platform. The more channels you choose, the more tasks and posts you will have to do. If you or your staff will not have enough time to commit to a large number of social media channels, do not choose more than you can handle.

Our Suggestion
Our suggestion to to pick the social media channels that best match your company’s brand, target audience, and overall marketing goals. Yes, it is possible to have too many social media channels for your business. Take time to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each of the available channels and choose only a few that you will make a true commitment to.

So Now What?
After you have decided the social media channels on which your business will focus, it’s time to create a social media plan. We suggest writing out your plan for the year and then reviewing and adjusting it on a quarterly basis. If you don’t write it down, time will go by so quickly that you will miss opportunities simply because you are busy running your company. Remember, your plan and activities need to focus on things that your target market will be interested in, rather than just another outlet for your company’s promotional efforts.

Here are our Top 10 Social Media channels for your business:

  1. Facebook
  2. Twitter
  3. Google+
  4. LinkedIn
  5. Instagram
  6. Pinterest
  7. YouTube
  8. Tumblr
  9. Flickr
  10. Foursquare

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Responsive Website

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Responsive Website

Today, people are accessing the Internet from their tablets and smartphones more than ever before. The use of mobile devices is expected to grow at an astounding rate for the foreseeable future.

The problem this presents to companies is that most websites on the Internet are not optimized to work on mobile devices. In fact, screen sizes on mobile devices continue to change. It is critical for your website to adapt to these ever changing screen sizes today and well into the future.

Mobile users do not have any patience in navigating through websites that is not mobile friendly. What a shame it would be if your new potential customers that went to your site first are lost to a lessor competitor simply because their website was mobile friendly and yours was not.

The solution to your dilemma is to have a responsive website designed for your business. The key element to this kind of site is that its layout automatically changes to a device’s screen size.

Before you jump into a decision, know that an attractive and versatile responsive website takes great planning from the very beginning. That means placing your central focus on user experience, which includes testing and refining that experience on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet and smartphone. In some ways, the responsive site is designed in 4 ways.

A responsive website can provide your business with a number of coding and layout options that can become mind boggling and overwhelming at times. Just remember that all of your decisions will have an impact on the end user. It’s important to keep that in mind at all times.

Here are the Top 5 reasons why your business should have a responsive website:

  1. Mobile usage continues to increase – responsive websites are geared towards smartphone users.
  2. If you don’t have a responsive site, there is a 61% chance a visitor will leave your site if they find it frustrating in any way.
  3. A user-friendly responsive website can increase your conversion rates while lowering your bounce rates.
  4. Responsive design is the preferred web design format for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with search engines like Google.
  5. Responsive websites adjust their formatting automatically for different screen sizes today… and into the future.

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) All About?

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) All About?

SEO is about strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase a website’s ranking in search engines, which in turn increases the number of visitors to that website. These search engines include Google, Yahoo, Bing and others. The ultimate business goal of good SEO is to increase your overall brand awareness, customer base, and of course profits — all by improving your website’s ranking.

It’s About Organic Searches
SEO is centered around “organic” search results. These are the results that appear in the main part of the page when a user types a group of terms in the box and clicks “Search”. This does not include the paid results that show up at the top and right side of the search page, such as Google Ads. To rank well for search terms relevant to your business, knowledge of how search engines work is essential. You also need to know which words or phrases people use to search for your products or services. Researching these search terms or keywords determine which ones will become part of your site’s content and coding.

The Importance of Quality Content
Another key aspect of SEO is having high-quality, keyword-rich content on every page of your website. Because many websites today are doing all of the right things for good SEO, what will separate one company from another in the same industry is quality content.

Content Marketing Defined
According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is a “strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

They add that the “essence of content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.” Some examples of content marketing including having a Blog Series, offering E-Books, Micro-sites, Educational Video Series, Special Apps, Podcasts, Free Guides, Email Campaigns, eNewsletters, Articles, Webcasts and more.

Hiring a SEO Company
Based on our experience, the ideal time to hire a SEO company is when you’re about to launch a brand new site for a new business, or you are planning a website redesign for an existing one. This way, you can be assured that your site is search engine friendly and fully coordinated from the bottom up. However, if you want the best return for your marketing dollar, there really is no bad time to a talented SEO professional.


Top 15 Benefits of Social Media for Your Business

Top 15 Benefits of Social Media for Your Business

The question as to whether Social Media is here to stay is no longer a question. It has proven to be an important part of modern day marketing and it will only increase its foothold over time.

Effective use of social media can be a difficult concept to grasp. This is true no matter the size of your business. The goal of this blog article is to help provide you with some insight into social media as well as to provide you with the most comprehensive list of social media benefits for your business that you will find. So are you ready to get started?

According to MediaPost, over 70% of American adults with internet access use social networking websites. Digging a little deeper, eMarketer stated that 37% of consumers report that they rely on social networks to research companies before making a purchase.

But there are so many social media channels to choose from. How do I know which ones are best for my business? This is truly the million dollar question. Each social media channel is different, as will be your goals for each. Some social media channels will be more beneficial to your business than others. For example, if your customer base is primarily other businesses, LinkedIn may be more useful for attracting customers than Facebook. If you’re a local diner, the reverse may be true. We suggest continuing your research and working with an industry professional who can help you choose the best social media channels for your business.

Here are our TOP 15 benefits of social media and why it should be a part of your overall marketing mix:

 

  1. Improves your website’s search engine rankings
  2. Enables you to quickly share messages and promotions with your fans and subscribers
  3. Increases traffic to your website
  4. Deepens relationships with your customers and fan base for your brand
  5. Provides marketplace intelligence
  6. Receive feedback quickly from customers as to how well you’re doing
  7. Increases lead generation
  8. Increases overall exposure for your company and brand
  9. Highly cost-effective form of marketing
  10. Opportunity to receive and promote customer reviews
  11. Great way to appeal to younger customers
  12. Can reduce your overall marketing expenditures
  13. Provides your business the opportunity to quickly establish or reinforce your brand
  14. Can provide your company with a distinctive competitive advantage
  15. Can provide your business with new opportunities to develop synergies and relationships with other companies

Corporate Identity By Design

Corporate Identity By Design

We are big believers in the importance of great graphic design in creating visuals for a powerful corporate identity.

From a big picture perspective, the visual identity of a company has an impact with employees, its fundamental corporate mission and its relationship with customers. Companies that have stronger corporate identities outperform their competitors. They’re able to attract and hire better employees. They’re able to make deeper connections with customers. Having a strong corporate identity is a true competitive advantage.

The essential goal of corporate identity is to distinguish your business and have it stand out in the marketplace. That’s easier said than done. A great logo is the key to a powerful corporate identity, followed by a great typeface and high impact colors. In order to stand out from the crowd, think big and bold. The brand you are creating should capture the personality of your business, whether it’s fun, dynamic, safe, creative, or ultra professional. Don’t rush this all important decision, since you’re going to live with this new corporate identity for a number of years.

Another goal of corporate identity is for it be consistent and unified; one that is coherent throughout the entire organization and through all of your marketing efforts. Great graphic design and imagery help make that happen. Great companies understand the importance of leveraging their corporate identity throughout everything they have, from their office colors to all of their marketing efforts such as business cards and letterhead to brochures and vehicle graphics. Your brand identity should be everywhere you are.

If you just started a new business and are in the process of creating your initial corporate identity, or perhaps you’re re-branding your existing business, here is a comprehensive corporate identity checklist to work from:

20 Essentials that Make a Visual Corporate Identity

 

  1. Logo
  2. Tagline/Slogan
  3. Business Cards
  4. Letterhead
  5. Envelopes
  6. Website
  7. Presentation Folders
  8. Brochure
  9. Company Apparel
  10. Vehicle Graphics
  11. Exterior Signage
  12. Trade Show Booth
  13. Direct Mail
  14. Email Marketing
  15. Social Media Channels
  16. Newsletters
  17. Billboards
  18. Print Ads
  19. Newspaper/Magazine Ads
  20. Banners