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Why Engagement Matters More Than Follower Count

Why Engagement Matters More Than Follower Count

“10,000 followers. Zero sales.”

It’s a familiar story. And if you’ve ever looked at a competitor’s massive following and wondered, “How are they getting clients?” you’re not alone.

Many small business owners work hard to grow their social media followers, thinking it’s the key to success. But here’s the truth: follower count is just a number. It may look impressive, but if no one’s liking, commenting, clicking, or buying? That big number isn’t doing much for your business.

What moves the needle? Engagement.

In this article, we’ll discuss why engagement matters more than your follower count and how you can start focusing on what truly grows your business online.

Follower Count vs. Engagement: What’s the Real Difference?

Let’s start with a quick breakdown:

  • Follower Count is the number of people who have hit the “Follow” button on your account.
  • Engagement includes likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks, direct messages (DMs), and replies to your content.

Here’s the key thing to remember: 

  • Follower count measures reach. 
  • Engagement measures relationships.

One is a vanity metric. The other is a value metric.

You can have 5,000 followers and barely get a like on your posts. Or you can have 500 followers who consistently interact, comment, ask questions, and click your links. 

Why Engagement Matters More

1. The Algorithm Rewards Interaction

Social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn use engagement to decide what content gets seen.

If people like, comment, or share your post, the algorithm says, “This is valuable. Let’s show it to more people.”

That means higher engagement = more visibility without spending a dime on ads.

2. Engagement Builds Trust

Trust isn’t built with a single post. It’s built over time through repeated, meaningful interactions.

When people see you show up regularly, answer questions, reply to comments, and genuinely offer value, they begin to trust your brand. And trust is what leads to action.

  1. Engagement Drives Sales

People don’t buy because you have a big following. They buy because you’ve built a relationship with them.

A thoughtful comment or a helpful post can turn into a DM. That DM can turn into a consultation, a booking, or a sale. Engagement is what opens the door.

  1. Engagement Gives You Insights

Engagement is like real-time market research.

It helps you understand:

  • Which posts spark conversation
  • Which ones get ignored
  • Which topics lead to website clicks or replies

Your audience is telling you what they care about if you’re paying attention.

How a Small, Engaged Audience Can Outperform a Massive One

You don’t need to go viral to get results.

Let’s say you have 1,000 followers. If 10% regularly engage with your content, that’s 100 people who are listening, learning, and potentially buying. That’s powerful.

Now, compare that to an account with 10,000 followers, but only 0.5% engagement. That’s just 50 people interacting. It’s half the engagement with ten times the audience.

It’s not about how many people follow you. It’s about who’s actually paying attention and cares about what you do. 

How to Improve Engagement (Without Being Online 24/7)

Worried you don’t have the time to “engage all day”? Good news: you don’t need to.

Here are five expert-backed tips to improve your engagement strategically:

1. Create Content Your Audience Cares About

Skip the generic quotes. Focus on your audience’s questions, challenges, and goals. Helpful tips, how-to guides, and behind-the-scenes content work well. Build your content around that.

Quick Tip: Use the “you” test. If your post focuses more on your audience than your business, you’re on the right track.

2. Post Consistently (Not Constantly)

You don’t need to post every day. Even 2–3 well-crafted posts per week can keep your brand top of mind. Set a schedule you can stick to. 

3. Ask Questions and Start Conversations

People love sharing their opinions. So instead of just posting about your business or sharing tips, ask them to join the conversation. Use polls, “this or that” posts, or simply ask your audience to weigh in.

4. Be Human, Not Just a Brand

Show your face. Share a behind-the-scenes look. Tell your story.

People connect with people, not perfect brands. And when your content feels more personal, your engagement will naturally increase.

5. Track What’s Working

Look at your analytics. Which posts got the most likes, comments, saves, or clicks?

Keep a list of top-performing posts, and use that data to guide future content.

Don’t Chase Numbers, Build Relationships

A huge follower count might look good on paper, but they don’t pay the bills.

Engagement is what turns followers into fans, and fans into paying customers. So the next time you feel discouraged by slow follower growth, shift your focus. 

Remember, you don’t need tens of thousands of followers to grow your business. You need a loyal, engaged audience that trusts you and wants what you offer.

At Social Speak Network, we help small business owners create meaningful content that drives engagement, builds community, and supports their bottom line.

Book a free consultation and let’s build a smarter strategy that works for your business. Let’s turn those likes into leads and those followers into fans.

Why Engagement Matters More Than Follower Count

Why Engagement Matters More Than Follower CountWhy Engagement Matters More Than Follower Count

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Building a Solid Digital Strategy for Home Health Care Agencies

Building a Solid Digital Strategy for Home Health Care Agencies

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is no longer optional for home healthcare agencies. It’s essential. A solid digital strategy can help you stand out from the competition, attract more clients, and grow your business. 

In this article, we’ll walk you through the key steps to build a successful digital strategy tailored to your agency’s needs.

Understanding the Importance of a Digital Strategy

What is a Digital Strategy?

A digital strategy is your plan for reaching and engaging with your audience online. It helps you connect with more clients, build trust, and ultimately drive growth. 

Home healthcare agencies leverage social media, websites, email marketing, and online advertising to achieve their goals. 

By implementing a well-thought-out digital strategy, you can ensure that your agency stands out and meets the needs of your clients.

Why is it Important?

  • Enhanced Client Acquisition: Reach more potential clients through targeted online campaigns.
  • Improved Online Presence: Establish your agency as a trusted and reliable source of care.
  • Sustainable Growth: Implement strategies that ensure long-term success.

Defining Your Digital Audience

Identifying your ideal clients and their needs is the first and most important step in building a successful digital strategy. 

Identifying Demographics

Start by defining the specific demographics of your ideal online clients. Are they seniors looking for home care? Families looking for home care for elderly parents? Or individuals recovering from surgery?

Also, factors such as age, location, and health needs should be considered. This information will help you tailor your message and create marketing campaigns that resonate with your audience.

Understanding Client Needs

Once you’ve identified your audience, focus on understanding their needs. What challenges do they face, and how can your services help them? Customizing your digital marketing efforts to address these needs will make your agency more appealing to potential clients.

Creating a Unique Digital Value Proposition

Your value proposition is what makes your home healthcare agency stand out. It is a clear statement that explains what makes your agency unique, how your services solve clients’ problems, the benefits they can expect, and why they should choose you over competitors. 

For example, if your agency offers specialized care for chronic conditions, highlight this expertise.

Competitor Analysis

Research what other home health care agencies are offering. Take note of their strengths and weaknesses. Then, identify areas where you can stand out. Use this information to craft a value proposition that highlights your strengths.

Articulating Uniqueness

Highlight the features and benefits that set your agency apart. Whether it’s specialized care programs, exceptional client service, or innovative technologies, ensure your online message highlights what makes your agency unique. Understanding and leveraging your competitive edge will help attract and retain clients.

Designing an Online Client Engagement and Revenue Model

You need a well-thought-out engagement and revenue model to attract and retain profitable clients online.

Engagement Strategies

Develop a plan to engage with potential clients online. Publishing blog posts, social media updates, informative videos, and email newsletters are some of the best ways to do this. The goal is to keep your audience interested and build a relationship with them.

Revenue Growth

Think about how you can generate revenue through your digital channels. You can offer virtual consultations, online booking for home visits, or even educational webinars that showcase your expertise.

Refining Your Digital Service Offerings and Delivery

Continuously assess and enhance your online services to meet the changing needs of your clients.

Continuous Assessment

Regularly evaluate your digital strategy to ensure it remains effective. Use feedback from clients and performance metrics to make necessary adjustments.

Adapting to Industry Standards

Stay updated with industry trends to keep your services relevant and your agency ahead of the curve. This includes integrating new technologies, updating your website to improve user experience, improving your online booking system, or offering new online services.

Final Thoughts

Building a solid digital strategy is key to thriving in the home healthcare industry. By following the steps above, you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful digital strategy that attracts and retains clients, ensuring the growth and success of your home healthcare agency.

Need help with your digital marketing strategy? Book a free consultation with us, and we’ll help you create a solid digital strategy to help you stand out, attract more clients, and grow your home healthcare agency.

Building a Solid Digital Strategy for Home Health Care Agencies

Building a Solid Digital Strategy for Home Health Care AgenciesBuilding a Solid Digital Strategy for Home Health Care Agencies

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5 Strategies to Transform Seasonal Buyers into Loyal Year-Round Buyers

5 Strategies to Transform Seasonal Buyers into Loyal Year-Round Buyers

For many businesses, the majority of their sales come during certain seasons. For instance, a company that sells swimsuits may see a significant increase in sales during the summer months, while a retailer that sells holiday decorations may experience a surge in business during the holiday season.

While it’s normal for businesses to experience fluctuations in sales throughout the year, it’s essential to consider how to turn those seasonal buyers into loyal customers who will continue to shop with you year-round. 

Having a loyal customer base can provide numerous benefits for your business. They are more likely to make repeat purchases, refer your products to their family and friends, and even provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your products or services.

In this blog post, we’ll explore strategies businesses can use to turn seasonal buyers into loyal year-round customers.

Analyze Your Customer Data to Understand Purchasing Habits

The first step is to understand your customers’ purchasing habits. Gathering information on when and how customers make purchases can help you identify trends and patterns in their behavior. This can be gathered through customer surveys, sales data, and interactions with your customer service team.

Once you’ve gathered this data, analyze it to understand what drives your customers to make purchases. Do they shop with you more often during certain times of the year? Which products are they most likely to purchase? Understanding these patterns can help you tailor your marketing efforts to meet your customers’ needs and preferences.

Develop Targeted Marketing Campaigns

Now that you already have a better understanding of your customer’s purchasing habits, you can use this information to develop targeted marketing campaigns. 

By customizing your marketing efforts to different customer segments, you can more effectively reach out to seasonal buyers and encourage them to continue shopping with you year-round.

You can use email marketing, social media, and other channels to send personalized messages to your customers, offering them special discounts or promotions to encourage them to continue shopping with you. You can also use this opportunity to keep your customers informed about new products or services or to showcase the unique benefits of shopping with your business.

Offer Incentives to Encourage Repeat Purchases

Loyalty programs are an excellent way to incentivize your most loyal customers. It can also be structured in a variety of ways. For example, you could offer points for each purchase that can be redeemed for discounts or special offers. You could also provide tiered rewards, where customers receive more benefits as they reach higher spending levels.

In addition to loyalty programs, you can offer personalized discounts or promotions to encourage repeat purchases. For example, you could email a customer who has purchased during a specific season, offering them a discount on their next purchase. You can also consider offering bundle deals or special package deals to encourage customers to purchase multiple items at once.

Focus on Providing an Excellent Customer Experience

Providing excellent customer service and support is crucial for building customer trust and loyalty. This includes responding to customer inquiries and concerns on time and being available to assist them when they need it.

There are various ways to improve your customer service and support, including:

– Offering multiple channels for customers to reach out to you (email, phone, or social media)

– Training your customer service team to be knowledgeable and helpful

– Providing resources on your website, such as FAQs or product guides, to help customers find the information they need

– Seeking out customer feedback and using it to improve your products or services

Solving Problems and Handling Complaints Effectively

Problems and complaints will inevitably arise from time to time, but how you handle these issues can make all the difference. By solving problems and handling complaints effectively, you can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one and turn a seasonal customer into a loyal year-round one.

Some strategies for solving problems and handling complaints effectively include:

– Listening carefully to the customer’s concerns and taking their feedback seriously

– Apologizing for any inconvenience and offering a solution to the problem

– Following up with the customer to ensure that the issue has been resolved to their satisfaction

– Using customer complaints as an opportunity to improve your products or services

Final thoughts

Turning seasonal buyers into loyal year-round customers is essential for businesses that want to maximize revenue and build a solid customer base.

However, it’s important to remember that building customer loyalty takes time and effort. It requires consistent, ongoing effort. But once you do, you’ll be on your way to maximizing revenue and achieving long-term success.

5 Strategies to Transform Seasonal Buyers into Loyal Year-Round Buyers

5 Strategies to Transform Seasonal Buyers into Loyal Year-Round Buyers5 Strategies to Transform Seasonal Buyers into Loyal Year-Round Buyers

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Email Marketing Tips for Your Healthcare Practice

Email Marketing Tips for Your Healthcare Practice

You’ve probably heard more than a few times that email marketing is dead. But statistics say not a chance. In fact, studies suggest that email marketing beats Facebook and Twitter in customer acquisition by 40 times. And for every $1 spent on email marketing, it generates $44 in ROI.

Email is one of the most efficient channels for delivering advertising messages to people who have shown interest in your services. It allows you to connect with them on a personal level, which helps you build a relationship with your audience and drives your practice forward.

So how do you ensure that your email efforts drive in the most bang for your buck? Here are some tips.

Create attention-grabbing subject lines

How many unopened emails do you have in your inbox? 500? 850? If you’re like me, then you probably have thousands.

You have great content to share, but it won’t matter if the emails aren’t’ getting opened and read. To boost your email open rates, you need to craft subject lines that subscribers simply can’t resist.

Keep in mind that people only scan their inbox very quickly, so make sure to keep your subject lines are short. Also, do tell them what’s inside. If a person signed up to your list and you promised to send them an in ebook in return, then you can use subject lines like “Your guide awaits!” or “Your ebook inside!”. This is better than just saying “Thank you”. It’s short, direct to the point, and lets them know that something is waiting inside the email.

Hit the right frequency

Think of the last time you unsubscribed from an email. If you’re like most people, I bet you did because you’ve been receiving too many of them from a single sender. That said, you need to consider this when sending emails to your subscribers.

The last thing you want is to bombard people on your email list with offer after offer. You don’t want to do it so infrequently either that they’ll end up forgetting about you.

So how often should you send emails to your subscribers? Honestly, there is no chiseled-in-stone answer.

But you can start by keeping an eye on what industry leaders are doing. They have done their homework and have built schedules that perform well.

Segment emails

Many of you probably receive dozens of emails every single day. Now, let me ask you. How many of these emails do you read? How many of them really resonate with you? I bet many of them don’t, right?

If you want to increase your open rates as well as your conversion rates, then you need to make sure that you’re sending the right messages to the right people. How? By segmenting your emails.

Segmentation means breaking your email list into smaller segments. This allows you to personalize your emails and ensure that the messages are completely relevant for each recipient. By doing so you’re likely to get 15% more opens and 60% more clicks than if you don’t segment your campaigns.

Make recipients feel special

Growing your email list is vital. But you also need to think of your existing subscribers. These people are the ones who avail of your services and helped you grow your practice. In addition to health tips and advice, you also need to give them something extra. It can be in the form a discount, free visit, or an exclusive offer.

Studies suggest that people tend to desire and give more value to things that are scarce. You can leverage on the principle of scarcity to make your readers feel special.

Let’s say you just published a book. Let your subscribers know that you’re giving them a chance to buy the book before you release it in public. Or you can also give them some discount vouchers for the trust and loyalty they have shown you.

Create a powerful CTA

The goal of email marketing is to get the reader to take action. A clever copy with a powerful call-to-action can make all the difference in your campaign.

A call-to-action is an important step towards actively directing the readers to your goal or objective. Simple call-to-actions such as “call now”, “schedule an appointment now”, and “buy now” usually works, but don’t limit yourself to the common ones. Try to think outside the box and create a powerful CTA that would grab a reader’s attention.

Email Marketing Tips for Your Healthcare Practice

 

Email Marketing Tips for Your Nutrition PracticeEmail Marketing Tips for Your Health and Wellness Practice

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5 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Online Marketing at This Time

5 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Online Marketing at This Time T

Today, I want to talk about five different things you can be doing right now with all this extra time we have on our hands.

Most of us are working from our home offices and trying to move our businesses from an offline to an online service, and that could be a little difficult. We’ve talked a little bit about different things that you can do to help make that transition a little bit easier. And today I just want to give you five more things that you, guys, can be doing at this time to stay top of mind with your patients and keep your marketing going.

Blogs

So, the first thing is the blogs. Usually, blogging is something that gets put on the back burner because we’re so busy. We don’t have the time to sit down and write blogs. Maybe we’re not natural writers, it’s not something we really enjoy doing. And I understand that I am not a natural writer. It’s hard for me to sit down and write a 3000-word blog post. One really cool tool that we have discovered, and we use all the time, is called Scribie. And I’ll put the link below.

This is great because it allows you to do a video recording, just like this, and you can send in the audio file or the video file to Scribie, and they do a transcription of that file. This is a great way because now that video that you did acts as two benefits. You have the video for YouTube, but then you have the content for your blog that’s going to help with your SEOs, so it’s serving dual purposes.

Now, the other thing, if you have an audio file or an audio recording on your phone or different device, then you are able to upload that MP4 file to Scribie as well.

We use Zoom to record the videos, and then we upload the audio file because, with Zoom, it provides you both the video and audio, so that’s perfect. And so I think MP4 is video and MP3 is the audio. So, if you’re just doing an audio recording on your phone, just then upload that MP3 file into Scribie, and it will transcribe your blog. And for fairly reasonable.

Most blog posts are under that $10 mark to transcribe, and then you need to edit them, make sure your grammar is correct, and then you can put them into your blog post and format them with your header tags and your images. This saves a lot of time. This is something that we’ve really been able to focus on, is doing one to two video blogs per week and really making sure that we’re working on that content strategy. That’s number one.

Telehealth

Number two is really considering implementing telehealth. We have recently done a blog on telehealth, and what it is, and how to implement it, but now this is becoming a little bit more of a normal thing. Y

Now that your patients can’t see you face-to-face in your office, telehealth is a great way for them to see you face-to-face via video, whether that is through Zoom or a different tool used for the health care industries. So, really thinking of how can you implement telehealth into your practice to be able to see your patients, continue the business, and make sure that you’re giving them that peace of mind.

Videos

I know you probably are so tired of us saying “videos, videos, videos,” but really right now, your audience, your patients, they’re turning to social media more now than ever, and it’s important that they see your face.

As their health care practitioner in whatever field that is, it’s important that they see you, that they hear you. That gives them peace of mind that things are going to be okay. And I’m not saying that every video you do needs to be around the topics of COVID-19 or whatever is going on, but I would just educate them. Maybe if you’re working with kids, you can do some different cooking, some different recipes that they can try. Since the kids are home, you can give some study tips, maybe some art tips, nutrition tips, things that your audience can find valuable. And that you get creative with your videos.

If your staff is working from home, maybe do a weekly behind the scenes, like “Hey, this is Nurse Becky and this is her dog, Sam,” or whatever it may be. Get creative with your videos, and really allow this time of vulnerability to be there for your patients. You can ask for videos from them, too. Have a contest of the most creative art project or recipe concoction, whatever that may be.

If you’re working with elders, maybe you’re putting out crossword puzzles or word searches, things to keep them active. And that’s where I feel videos are great. They’re building that relationship on a much deeper level.

Ads

People may be wanting to cut costs right now because of that uncertainty, which we understand. One thing that you do not want to cut right now is your marketing.

It’s so important to make sure that you have your Facebook ads running, you have your Google ads running. And maybe you cut back that budget a little bit, but you still are doing business as normal. And especially if you are starting to implement telehealth, that maybe something that you really want to put a little bit of ad spend behind to promote because now you’re able to reach more people and help even more people, rather than just the people in your demographic area or geographical area.

Facebook ad campaigns, you want to make sure you leave them on, that you’re re-marketing people. And that’s something that we can help you with. If you’re confused about how to get that setup or how that works for your practice, we’re more than happy to help you with that, but make sure you have your ads running.

Patient check-ins

Lastly, take this time and do some patient check-ins. Go through your charts. If you haven’t seen anyone in a while, or you have a client that may be a higher risk or you are worried about, just do a simple check-in. Maybe even handwritten notes. I know that sometimes it takes a little bit of extra time even if you put together a newsletter, and you had your patients the newsletter just updating them.

I think it’s really important to build relationships and community right now, and make sure that you are again staying top of mind because that’s what your patients need right now. And so just doing that patient check-in, whether it’s individual… And you may have thousands of patients, so checking in with each of them won’t work. But if you can do a newsletter, where it is individualized to them, and you could say “Go do a video,” but just letting them know that you’re thinking of them and that you’re here for them, and maybe giving them some tips that you can help them, you again maybe introducing the telehealth series and letting them know that that’s an option.

Final thoughts

So, think of your target market and how you can utilize this time in a different way to focus on your marketing and being able to reach more people.  We may have extra time on our hands and most of us are, like I said, working from home.

So If you need help with any of these things, we would love to schedule a consultation with you, head on over to socialspeaknetwork.com, click on FREE consultation, and we will talk to you soon.

 

 

5 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Online Marketing at This Time

5 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Online Marketing at This Time5 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Online Marketing at This Time

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Digital Marketing and Search Engine Optimization in 2018

As technology continues to evolve, it may come as no surprise that the marketplace has become increasingly digital. In an attempt to capture a growing and lucrative online marketplace, business owners are beefing up existing marketing efforts with digital marketing strategies. They are doing everything they can to keep up.

Here are 3 ways digital marketing can help grow your business.

Connects you with mobile consumers

Whether you’re managing an e-commerce business or a brick and mortar store, it is important now more than ever to have a solid online presence. According to studies, 72% of consumers are already connecting with brands through their various digital marketing channels.

Having a strong online presence makes it easier for potential customers to find you. Remember, your competitors are working hard to build an online presence. If people can’t find you online, then they are likely to come across your competition.

Generate more sales

Thanks to the internet, almost everything can be done on a smart phone. It allows you to communicate with your family and friends, keep up to date with current events, do research, and even go shopping.

In the age of digitalization, more and more people prefer to shop online than visit the local stores. After all, online shopping is more convenient. Plus, all the items your purchased will be delivered right at your doorstep. With the increasing popularity of online shopping, it is important harness the power of online marketing. Not only will it get your products and services in front of potential customers; it can also help you generate more sales.

Allows you to compete with large corporations

Not too long ago, big businesses would put up billboards and create TV commercials in the hopes of reaching their audience. While there is no denying that such methods are effective, they can be too expensive for small business owners.

With digital marketing, small business owners and marketers can get the word out about their business without having to spend a huge sum of money; thus, allowing them to compete with large corporations. Since majority of their target audience is already spending most of their time online, online marketing provides a quick and easy way to reach your target audience.

SEO Myths You Should Leave Behind in 2017

SEO is always changing and evolving. With this continuous change, a lot of marketers and business owners are left in a state of constant adaption.

Thanks to the internet and blogs, it is easier now more than ever to share information. A lot of people want to share their knowledge with others. Unfortunately, not everything you read on the internet is true. Often, false ideas and wrong information gets mixed up with facts. Because of this, a lot of myths and misconceptions remain no matter how many experts debunk them.

There are lots of misconceptions about SEO that you should know about. Here are some of the biggest SEO myths you should leave behind in 2017.

Keyword stuffing is the ultimate SEO hack

Back in the early years of search engine, people used to shove as many SEO keywords as possible onto a web page to improve SEO rankings. Using keyword in your content can get your website ranked high in search engines. But overly stuffing your content with your keyword isn’t a good thing either. If you do, your content will be perceived as spam, and your site will be penalized.

When using keywords, make sure you incorporate them as seamlessly as possible into your content. Also, make sure that the keyword density doesn’t go over 5%. Otherwise, it will be viewed as spam.

Social activity doesn’t affect SEO

Google doesn’t use social metrics such as the number of shares, likes, and followers for SEO. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that your social media efforts are useless.

Each post you make will be categorized as a page. With millions of social media posts, along with other contents published on the internet on a daily basis, not everything gets indexed by Google. But when a social media post goes viral, it triggers a signal in the Google algorithm. This puts your content in front of the right users; thus, increasing engagements and driving more traffic to your site.

Social media may not directly affect search engine rankings, but it can have significant secondary effects on your SEO.

Creating high quality content is enough to rank your website

It is true that content is king. In fact, Google rewards websites that generate valuable content regularly by giving it a higher ranking in the search engine results page.

While creating well-researched and relevant content is a great starting point, it’s not enough to get you to the first page of Google. It may be impossible for crawlers to find your content if your website isn’t optimized.

You may have a blog full of good quality content and you make it a habit to publish a new one every week, but there is no point in writing great content if no one is aware of your work.

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Optimize your Social Media Strategy in a Week

Social media is big and continues to grow and evolve. According to Fast Company, 93% of marketers use social media to promote their business and reach their business goals. Converting followers into paying customers is the ultimate goal of every business. To achieve that goal, you need to have a good social media strategy in place. If you manage your business’ social media marketing, read on.

Here are some tactics you can implement to help you get started on improving your social media strategy.

Choose your Image Wisely

Visual is king in digital marketing. Thanks to the availability of camera phones and social networks emphasizing visual elements, the ease of taking and uploading photos has increased dramatically.

Marketers who use visual content get more followers, more leads and more customer engagement. But to get that attention, you need to connect with the person on the other side of the screen. Choose images that appeal to your target audience, but make sure that it also fits your brand’s voice, style and mood.

In today’s mobile-driven world, producing content on a regular basis is a must in order to maintain a strong online presence. But with so many creative minds joining the social media sphere and great blogs emerging on almost a daily basis, capturing the attention of your target audience has become extremely difficult.

How do you cut through the noise and stand out in the online world? Visual content can help. Don’t believe us? Studies show that content with relevant images get 94% more views, likes and comments as compared to those without.

digital marketing and your business

How to Create Awesome Visual Content for Social Media

Customize stock photos

Stock photos have been tremendously helpful for those who don’t have a sizeable design budget and those who need them fast. But in order to stay with your brand and visual identity guidelines, it is important that you customize these photos. Plus, you wouldn’t want your audience to see the exact same photo in other sites, right? Tweak and customize stock photos to make them your own.

Use online editing tools

Creating visual content can be challenging. The good news is that you don’t have to be an expert in photo editing to create great images. There are several online editing tools like Canva, Picmonkey and RelayThat that can help you create stunning visual content that looks like it came from a professional graphic designer.

Add a call-to-action

Ideally, great visual content should eye-catching and entice people to take action. Now that you have successfully captured people’s attention, let them know what you want them to do. Do you want them to share, like or comment on your post? Or do you want them to click through your content? You can either add a call-to-action on the image, in the description or both.

Be consistent

Colors can help make your visual content pop. It can help you capture the attention of your target audience and provide amazing results. But it is also important to stay consistent with the type of visual element you use like colors.

Choose 2 to 4 colors and stick to them when creating visual content. Use it in your logo, texts, images etc. Remember, having a consistent color palette is a must.

Focus on Platforms Where Your Customers Are

 

In order to build an online presence, you first need to define your business’ personality. Ask yourself how you want people to envision you. Also, define a consistent brand voice to drive consistency in your content creation efforts. Even if people view your content on different channels, you want to make sure that they could identify the content as coming from your brand.

When you are defining your brand, pay close attention to the types of people you hope to attract. Where are you going to find them?

Just like everyone else, most small business owners are pressured to have a presence on every social media platform. The problem is that a hot, new social media tool hits the scene almost every few months, making it extremely difficult to manage all those social accounts.

To make the most out of your social media marketing efforts, you need to focus on platforms where your customers are. Fish where the fishes are. Don’t waste your time, energy and resources fishing in an empty pond.

social media management focus on one network

It is okay to not have an account on every social media channel.

In fact, we recommend only focusing your attention on the one of two networks that your tribe is using. Master these and then, if you wish, you can begin using and focusing on additional networks. My strategy if you don’t have a team to back you up is to choose one social media network and stick to it. Really focus your efforts on growing engagement, your network, and traffic to your site.

A lot of business owners feel like they need to do EVERYTHING, but this can get overwhelming quickly. It can turn your best intentions into a quick hatred of all things social media.

By choosing one network and mastering that, you can always expand later.

So how do you choose which network to grow? Think about where your target market hangs out. B2B businesses often choose LinkedIn, but Pinterest could also be a great avenue for growing your online traffic.

Having huge networks is great, but you also want to make sure they are made of the right type of people who will potentially buy from you in the future. Focusing on one network can help you see these results more quickly.

Get the Attention of Influencers

An influencer is someone who carries influence over others. In the new world of digital relationships, people are receptive of recommendations from people they trust and respect. In fact, one study revealed that 40% of consumers had made a purchase because of an influencer’s recommendation; while 49% seek purchase guidance from an influencer.

One of the easiest ways to get an influencer’s attention is to share their content. Go ahead and share those contents without asking anything in return. Link out shamelessly and unceasingly. When you do, they are likely to take notice.

Another great way to capture the attention of influencers is through guest blogging.

Guest blogging is where you partner with another website and write an article specifically to publish on their blog. This tactic is an incredible way to increase your exposure to a new network of individuals. In order to leverage each guest blog post, however, you need to give readers a reason to head on back to your website. This is where the content upgrade comes in.

A content upgrade is a downloadable resource from your website that complements your guest post article. This could be a checklist, eBook, PDF, template, or whitepaper/case study. The important thing is to capture the individuals name and email address when you offer them their freebie.

Our strategy is to link your by-line or author bio in your guest blog post to a landing page on your website that discusses the content upgrade and includes a form to capture their name and email address.

social media marketing and your business

What Tools Can You Use to Manage Your Social Media

Aside from your website, social media provides an effective way to increase your web presence. It provides a way to generate PR for your company, build your brand and drive traffic to your website. You need to be active on social media if you are serious about achieving these goals. After all, you can’t expect any results if your page is inactive. The problem is that, social media marketing takes time.

If you are a business owner, you can’t afford to spend all day hopping from network to network, managing your social media accounts, planning future posts and checking analytics.

Are you looking for a better way to manage your social media posts?

Here are 4 social media tools to add to your arsenal.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is one of the most robust social media management tools around, and social media managers swear by it. The tool has a feature called Autoschedule. If you have multiple accounts, you can use this feature to manage your posts and make sure that they don’t appear on different channels all at the same time. It also shares your updates at the best possible time of the day to give them the greatest chance of being seen. Hootsuite also allows you to monitor and analyze your performance on your main social networks.

Buffer

Buffer allows you to easily distribute your content across multiple accounts. Just drop your updates to your Buffer queue and you don’t have to worry about when it will be posted. These posts will be posted for you well spaced out throughout the day.

Buffer also allows users to schedule up to 10 updates at once. The paid version, on the other hand, allows unlimited scheduling.

SocialOomph

Twitter has become one of the must-have marketing channels for any business. If you are interested in automating your Twitter marketing, SocialOomph is the best tool for you. It has a feature called Twitter unlimited, which allows you to manage your Twitter followers and direct messages box from within the app. The free level also allows you to work on up to 5 Twitter accounts. It helps you track keywords and schedule tweets.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social allows you to manage all your relationships, interactions and customer support from a single dashboard. This tool also analyzes your audience to determine the optimal times to deliver content. Because it’s not free, this is recommended for larger businesses that are looking for an all-in-one solution to manage their social media presence.

Social Media Strategy | Manage Social Media Accounts | See a Difference in Social Media Networks | How to Optimize Social Media

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10 Ways To Build Your Online Reputation

This post is updated from December, 2010.

Social media presents a unique opportunity for anyone to develop a personal or business reputation to build their careers, boost sales and increase relationships. The key is to leverage the tools of the Social Media to effectively build your online reputation. You need to understand what your goals and intentions are in order to be successful.

Here are 10 ways you can be successful in this journey, so you can achieve your short and long term goals rather than waste time:

1. Be aware.Continually listen to conversations happening across the Web related to your career or business and learn from the content you read, listen to, or view online. Social media success depends as much on listening as it does on publishing.

2. Be focused.Define your niche and focus the majority of your social media participation on conversations and content related to that area of focus. A focused brand is more powerful than a broad brand. Always lead with your strengths on the social media and be consistent in your content and conversations in order to successfully build your online reputation.

3. Be authentic.Your social media participation is useless if your content and conversations read like corporate rhetoric or a promotional brochure. Instead, be real and be human. Imagine you’re speaking with your audience in person rather than online and adjust your content and tone to match your target audience’s needs and expectations for you based on your brand promise. This is where videos can be a great tool for people to really know who you are.

4. Be trustworthy.Honesty is an essential part of building your online reputation using the tools of the social media. Transparency isn’t just a buzz word, it’s a strategic imperative, which should apply to your social media participation as well as all other aspects of your career or business.

5. Be meaningful.The content you publish on social media must be useful and meaningful to your target audience or there is no reason for them to read it or start a dialogue with you about it. Furthermore, if your content doesn’t add value to your audience’s lives, they won’t talk about it and share it with their own audiences.

6. Be “non-self-promotional.”No one will want to read your content or interact with you on the social media if your content and conversations read like a marketing pitch. Follow the 90-10 rule of marketing and spend 90% or more of your time in social media activities that are not self-promotional and only 10% or less on activities that are self-promotional. When you do want to directly try to get more exposure to build your online reputation, you can do so without annoying other people.

7. Be accessible and responsive.An important part of building your online reputation via social media participation is understanding that it’s not all about you. Instead, you need to spend a great deal of time acknowledging other people on the social media in order to build a relationship with them. In other words, they need to understand that you care about them, too. You need to respond to questions, comments on your blog, tweets, and so on.

8. Be reciprocating.You can’t expect people to reach out to you and share your content on the social media and not return the favor. If someone engages with you on your blog, Twitter, Facebook or another social media destination, then you can’t ignore that person — just as you wouldn’t ignore someone in a face-to-face situation. For example, you also need to leave comments on other people’s blogs, share their content on Twitter and Facebook, and more. You can’t operate in a silo on the social media and expect to be successful.

9. Be uncontrolling.The thought of giving up control and letting your content, conversations and name spread across the Web can be frightening. However, without the sharing of content and interactive dialogue that happens on social media, your online reputation cannot develop. You have to be willing to give up control and let people share and talk about you and your content in order for your online reputation to grow. Don’t worry about negative buzz about you, your brand, or your business. There is always a way to react to negativity on the social media.

10. Be involved.Don’t spend all of your time in one place. While quality is more important than quantity when it comes to building an authentic reputation online, you do need to spread your wings and be social. Focus on other avenues such as a blog, YouTube, Google Buzz, Backlinks, and much more. You need to use all aspects of Internet Marketing in order to see return.

10 ways to build your online reputation: 10 ways you can be successful in this journey, so you can achieve your short and long term goals rather than waste time.

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Putting Together a Social Media Schedule

This is updated from a post on Oct 26, 2010.

One of the most important parts of being active in the social media world is taking responsibility for your Facebook, Twitter, and any other internet marketing outlets you have. When we put our posts out and we like other peoples posts that is a good start to taking responsibility. When we send out Newsletters or email marketing campaigns we want other people to read them right?

Well it is a two sided road; I mean we all have to put in our efforts to read other peoples stuff as well. My tip for that is picking your inner circle of people and people you have made a power partner and start by reading their newsletters and/or emails. The same thing goes with our social media posts. We want people reading our post, tweets, events, questions etc. also emailing us wanting to work with us or learn more about what we do. We have to do that with others. The one thing I always say about social media is it brings people, communities, and companies together all over the world.

So how do we do that? It is easy . . . we put together a weekly schedule and then we implement it into our routine just like checking emails, and making calls.

Monday- Using www.Hootsuite.com schedule your posts to go out onto your Facebook personal page, Facebook business page, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and Ping.fm. Using my post before this one to help first create your strategy so you know what you need to post on your social media profiles and when. (Schedule an hour and a half to start)

Tuesday- Login to Facebook and add 10 people into your business list, research these people. Find people that have common interest or maybe looking for your services and put them into the business list you created. Then get onto Twitter or Twellow and search for your Keywords or location. You can search for people using keywords or type in keywords people would use to find YOU and add 50 people. (Schedule about 45 min to start, once you get the hang of it you can probably get it done in 30 min)

Wednesday– Spend some time on LinkedIn checking emails and finding people you may know and ask them to connect with you. (Schedule 45 min)

Thursday- Login to Facebook and add 10 people into your business list, research these people. Find people that have common interest or maybe looking for your services and put them into the business list you created. Then get onto Twitter or Twellow and search for your Keywords or location. You can search for people using keywords or type in keywords people would use to find YOU and add 50 people. (Schedule about 45 min to start, once you get the hang of it you can probably get it done in 30 min)

Friday – Repeat what you have done Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We are going to add another step into today, Once you are done adding people on Facebook and Twitter you want to go back to Facebook and go to your page, under your logo you will find a tab that says “Suggest to Friends” Click on that and then click the drop down tab to your list you made once that list pulls up on the top right hand side it will say “Select All” hit that and then send invitations. What this is doing is asking all the people you have been adding as friends to become a fan of your page!

Now this is what I do and share with people you are more than welcome to move it around however it works for you. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions of things that have helped you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Putting together a weekly social media schedule: ne of the most important parts of being active in the social media world is taking responsibility for your Facebook, Twitter, and any other internet marketing outlets you have. When we put our posts out and we like other peoples posts that is a good start to taking responsibility. When we send out Newsletters or email marketing campaigns we want other people to read them right?

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Internet Marketing: Power of the “Wall”

The other day I was speaking with a new client and she brought up an interesting point . . . have you ever thought of this? Years and years ago we used a “wall” to communicate with the world.

People would write on walls and rocks telling their stories, telling about their journey, what to expect and educating each other. Now millions of years later we have started to use a “wall” on Facebook and Twitter to communicate; sharing our stories now, what we have learned, how we can educate and help people across the world. Obviously our way now is a lot faster and e bit easier. Interesting how things come around.

What’s that saying, “don’t reinvent the wheel”?  Thinking of how a “Wall” has always been a way to communicate across the world to others, back then it took a lot longer and was much more artistic in a way.   Now we have the world at our finger tips and we are only a “wall” post away from communicating with people all over the world.

When I entered the Internet Marketing world it seemed so surreal to me, being able to send emails, instant messaging, pictures, documents, etc so fast and being able to do business with people all over the world.  They did not even have to be in the same city as me as the internet it allows us to do business everywhere! That is the beauty of Internet Marketing, we are able to now grow our businesses nationwide and build those relationships in order to do that.

Internet Marketing can work wonders for your business if you provide a service that you can do from anywhere or have an online store that people can order from anywhere. Have you ever read the book “The 4 hour work week” or “Beach Money”? These books talk about being able to have an online business where you can work from wherever you are and all you need is a computer and internet access.  They talk about setting your business up in such a way where you are earning residual income so you do not have to be sitting in front of the computer 24/7 working. If you set up your Internet Marketing plan correctly,  you can do this with your business as well!

I challenge you this week to take a look at your Internet Marketing strategy and see if it includes the following things:

  • Social Media Plan (Facebook, Facebook Page, Twitter, and LinkedIn)
  • Have a real blog (wordpress or blogger)
  • YouTube Channel
  • Posting Blogs and video blogs at least once a week
  • Using other online tools like; Google Maps, Yelp, Four Square, Plaxo etc.
  • Making sure you have your backlinks set up to your blog ( You can use Squidoo for this)
  • Educating people via your blog posts and social media posts

If you need help figuring out an Internet Marketing plan I would love to assist you. I look forward to seeing more of you online.

Power of the wall

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