Social Media

Convert a Facebook Profile to a Business Page without Losing Friends

Why Should I Convert my Profile to a Business Page From Facebook's Help Pages Since profiles are for meant individual people, they aren't suited to meet your business needs. Pages offer more robust features for organizations, businesses, brands, and public figures, which you can learn more about here. Further, maintaining a profile for anything other than an individual person is a violation of Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Pinterest FAQ: Should I Pin an Image to More Than One Board?

It is an amazing image with keyword-rich description and linked to an out-of this-world blog post. The whole world needs to see it. But, which board should you pin it to The one with the most followers The group board The one with the right subject matter Is it considered spammy to pin it to many boards Pin it to Your Blog BoardIf you have a blog (and you do, right ) you need to have a board that houses all your great content. Only your great content.

How do You Measure Up? Peer Pressure & Social Media

You put great effort in to marketing your business. You design logos, websites and establish social media platforms. You spend time blogging and tweeting, in the hope of developing a loyal fan following. Blood, sweat and sometimes even tears, are shed getting your business off the ground. And then it happens. Browsing through your feed a business page catches your eye. You click on it, maybe to check out the competition or gain some inspiration. Immediately your good mood disappears.

How to Upload an Audio File to You Tube

Combine audio and image files simply, for a format you can upload to YouTube. OK, maybe the title is a little misleading. You can't actually upload an .MP3 or .WAV file to YouTube. It is very easy, however, to combine an audio file with some images and convert to an .MOV or .WMV file that is perfectly acceptable to YouTube. Here's How Windows Users Download and install Windows Live Movie Maker. Open it and create a new project.

LinkedIn for Lead Generation and Relationship Building

LinkedIn can be a tremendous driver of website traffic and leads, especially for companies who sell products and services to other businesses. In fact, a 2012 study by HubSpot showed that LinkedIn generates 277 more leads than Twitter or Facebook As with all social networking for business, the key is to subtly promote your business without using LinkedIn as an advertising platform. This post focuses on using your personal profile to build connections.

Show Me the Money - Google AdWords and Facebook Advertising

Pay-per-click advertising can be a cost-effective way of boosting traffic and leads Social Media, when used consistently and properly can improve your brand recognition, customer satisfaction, referrals and ultimately, increase sales. Creating great, useful content can bring more visitors to your site and your store. When combined, these methods have proven to be the most sustainable and longest-lasting ways to improve your internet presence*.

How to set up your Google Plus Business Page

Just like with Facebook, Google+ allows for personal and business accounts profiles and pages Assuming you already know why it is so important for your business to be on Google+, you're ready to get your business on Google Plus and start taking advantage of the SEO benefits so let's get started. Setting up your Google Plus Business PageLog in to your Google account, go to Google Plus, and create a new page.

Link to a Facebook Page Status Update - How?

There's a particular Facebook status update you want to share with a friend, colleague or customers. Maybe you want to email a link to a really well-performing update to show your manager or co-workers what kinds of updates are getting a great response. Maybe you want to send an email campaign to customers, directing them to a video you posted on your Facebook Page.

Can Pinterest Work For Local Businesses?

Faster than a speeding bullet for lead generation, able to leap traffic generation records in a single bound Yes, Pinterest, when done right, can be the Superman of inbound marketing. But, is it a good investment for a local business It just might be The Challenge of Pinterest for Local Businesses The beauty of Pinterest is that it allows us to dream.

How to Set Up a You Tube Channel That Gets Noticed

With over 1 billion unique users each month, YouTube is a powerhouse social network that many smart companies are leveraging for success. The second largest search engine on the planet, YouTube is perfectly positioned to send qualified visitors to your website and blog, armed with more information and closer to making a sales decision than visitors from other search engines or direct traffic.

Five Reasons Social Media Won't Replace Your Website

Here's a question I see over and over in one form or another Do I really need a website Can't I reach just as many people if not more, with social media After all, websites can be expensive and difficult to maintain for the average business owner. I blame social media professionals for this misunderstanding (yes, I see the irony). In our enthusiasm to encourage people to embrace social media, we may have given the impression that social media is ALL you need. Truth is, it's not.

How to Protect Your Images from Misuse on Social Media Platforms and Websites

If you make your living in photography or graphic design, likely you have wondered how to protect your images especially if you share them on social media platforms. The truth is, there is no foolproof method of complete protection. If you simply cannot afford to have an image copied, don't put it out there. You're CopyrightedIf you are in the US, UK, EU and Canada, your work is copyrighted as soon as you create it. No further action is required on your part.

Tweet Chat Host

Tweetchat Hosting in Ten Easy Steps Now that you know how to participate in a Tweet Chat, perhaps you are ready to host one yourself. It is a great way to share your expertise, learn from others and make connections. It's also pretty simple to do Choose Your Tweet Chat SubjectAre you getting the same questions from your customers and prospects over and over Is there a new platform everyone wants to know how to use Participate in some Tweetchats to get a feel for what kinds of subjects do well...

Get Twitter Followers Fast! Should I try it?

Getting thousands of followers on Twitter in a matter of weeks feels really good. You feel popular. If this is your business account, maybe your boss is really happy and thinks you are doing a great job. But don't do it. No, really. Don't. Get Twitter Followers Fast is a Losing Proposition, Why Sure, we all want our message to get out to as many people and as fast as possible.

How to Write the Perfect Blog Post

Nothing is perfect, you say Well, maybe not, but your blog posts can be awfully close Before you write anything, make sure you have a good topic. We've written extensively on how to find great blog topics. Ready to write Let's go Do Your Research Not with a view to using other people's content, but to gather facts and ideas. You'll cite those in your article or as related articles at the end of your post, so keep track of them. Make sure that any statistics you use are recent.

How to Upload and Optimize a You Tube Video

When your video is ready for YouTube, your work is only half done. Now it's time to get that image on YouTube and make sure you have the best possible chance of it being viewed by many people. Uploading a video is simple. Just log in to YouTube and click on Upload . Navigate to the video and upload it Now comes the fun part. Because YouTube doesn't know how to read your video to use it in search results, you'll need to tell it what your video is about.

Too Boring for Social Media? Four Tips to Make Your “Dull” Business Shine.

Behind every successful company lies a good marketing strategy. But what if your company is about as interesting as listening to Ben Stein sell Visine Boring businesses are a reality, but they don't need to be a marketer's nightmare. In fact, plenty of companies are marketing boring businesses successfully.

Building Your Email Strategy - Five Email Messages You Should Be Sending

Wondering how to be more effective with your email marketing Now that you've learned how to analyze the results of your email campaigns, increase your open and click-through rates, and increase social shares, it's time to get down to email campaign strategy with five basic types of emails that you should be sending. Email NewsletterYour email newsletter works in much the same way as your old printed newletter used to, but it gets a much wider circulation, and allows for better tracking.

How Canva Creates Brand Advocates and Raving Fans

Everybody wants them. They give you referrals, they advertise for you for free. They stand up for you when you're under fire. How does a company attain and retain brand advocates Sometimes the best way to figure it out is to follow the example of a successful company. We've been on Canva since the days when you needed an invitation. We've written about them extensively online and even in print.

Your Content Marketing Could Use Some Cheese Sauce

It is the rare child who begins their solid food adventures craving broccoli, despite the fact that it's full of fiber, vitamins and even a good amount of protein all things our bodies SHOULD be crying out to consume. Truth is, we seek out what tastes good, no matter the impact on our health and waistlines. PS Stock image providers I am suspicious of all your images of children looking overjoyed about broccoli. I believe these may have been staged.

Ten Elements of Effective Landing Pages

Great landing pages are key to generating leads which you can then nurture to the point of becoming new customers. Check out the ten elements that went in to creating a landing page on our site with a 70 conversion rate We break it all down below What Makes a Landing Page Convert Brand your landing page to match your website. Keep people focused on the page at hand do NOT include navigation. Add an interesting title here.

Google AdWords - Creating Effective Ads and Landing Pages

If you haven't learned about keywords and keyword match types, as well as bidding and other factors that determine your ad placement, please read our Google AdWords Getting Started article. Make sure you are also familiar with campaigns, ad groups and bidding before you proceed. Creating Effective AdsYou are given four fields Title 25 characters. In blue and underlined. Display URL 37 characters. In green, beneath the title. Not necessarily the destination URL. Description 1 35 characters.

10 Reasons You're Missing the Boat on Pinterest

On Pinterest, but not feeling the magic You may have missed the boat, but you can catch up no doubt about it It's worth the effort, too. According to an industry report from Wayfair, Pinterest referrals spend 70 more than visitors referred from non-social channels, including search. We find that Pinterest quickly becomes a top traffic-referrer for our clients. With over 80 of pins being repins, it doesn't get more innately viral than Pinterest.

Social Media - Outsource or In-house?

Yesterday, I tuned in to the Social Media today webinar Social Marketing & The Resourcing Challenge. I was interested in hearing from business owners who are trying to make the decision of whether to outsource their company's social media or do it themselves. Alas, though it was very interesting, it seemed most of the discussion was between social media professionals.

Ten Simple Ways to Get More People to Your Blog

Need to get more visitors to your blog One visitor recently shared with us that his biggest marketing challenge is writing blog posts and understanding what I need to do for proper SEO SMO . He downloaded our Perfect Blog Post Checklist, so we know he's now well on his way, but we felt we could address the idea of SEO for blogging more directly. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SMO (Social Media Optimization) both have as their aim driving more traffic to a website or blog.

Email Marketing- The ‘Old-Fashioned' Method That Blows The Rest Away!

Since when is email old-fashioned Well, it's been around over forty years now, and how things have changed in that time With all the talk of email overload and Gmail's new tab layout, you would think that email is rapidly going the way of the dinosaur. Not so and good thing, since email has the highest ROI of marketing channels, producing 57 for every dollar spent.

Fifteen Free Online Marketing Tools

Who doesn't Sometimes even free is still too much, but with these fifteen free marketing tools, you'll get so much, you'll wonder why you're not paying for it. Aside from the two image editor suggestions from fellow marketing buffs, I use all these tools and wouldn't give em up, even if I had to pay for them.

Facebook Admits “Pay to Play” - Should You?

Last week, an article in Adage confirmed what Facebook marketers had suspected all along Facebook is throttling the reach your Facebook Page updates get, in order to encourage page admins to pay for Facebook ads. In fact, documents received by Adage imply that the reason to maintain a Facebook page is to make for more effective paid advertising. This is a huge shift. Should You Pay for More Facebook Exposure Or Move On It depends.

How to Track Telephone Sales from Social Media and Online Sources

Feeling like social media and your website are not giving you the results you need It could be. It could also be that you just aren't tracking it well. Google Analytics Goals can help to some extent and software like HubSpot can pinpoint leads and customers by online platform. But what about when someone picks up the phone to place an order or hire you to perform a service Should you assume they saw your television ad or found you in the Yellow Pages Probably not.

How to Use Social Media to Restore your Business' Reputation after a Crisis

It happens to everyone, even gigantic, well-run corporations. While it may be tempting to pull the covers up over your head and stay in bed when a crisis hits, you have a business to save, so get out there and restore your reputation Yes, social media can magnify your mistakes, but it can also help the world to see what you're going to do to fix it.

Pinterest for Veterinarians - Tips for Getting Started

Use Pinterest to capture the Aww factor and you're on your way to more website traffic and a thriving veterinary practice. If you're just getting started, you might wonder how you'll ever get beyond your first few followers to the point where people are finding your website and office because of the photos you share. We can help read on Getting People to Follow Your Pinterest BoardsShare adorable, pinnable images.

3 Ways to Use Social Media for Lead Generation

If generating leads is vital to increasing sales at your company, don't ignore social media. It can help you get the word out about your services, allow you to engage with customers and potential customers, and even figure out what kind of content to add to your website. There are social media networks for every niche, using every medium including content, imagery, and video.

Tweetchats - What are they? Why try them?

Tweetchats are a simple way to have a group discussion on Twitter. They don't require video, audio or any special equipment. You don't need a password, and anyone with a Twitter account and a hashtag can join. Why Tweetchat Twitter chats are fabulous for networking. Find like-minded people in your industry as well as those who will challenge you (nicely) for a lively discussion Have a burning question The right Tweetchat can help you find answers.

5 Deadly Mistakes that Businesses Make on Pinterest

In the ever changing world of small business, it's challenging to keep up with all the different digital marketing channels that are out there. It seems that as soon as you start to master one, like inbound marketing or blogging, you then have to worry about Facebook. Now with the visual social media revolution taking place, Pinterest is becoming a powerhouse.

Dazzle Diva Reaches Celebrity Status Thanks to Social Media

Dazzle Diva has quickly escalated to a household name in the state of Maine. That's easy to do when Snooki's baby Lorenzo sports your product on the cover of People magazine. So how did this single mom, working from home, find herself in demand with hot celebrities Social media. How Social Media Propelled The Dazzle Diva Howie Mandel tweeted about his love for The Dazzle Diva's products. When Laurie Hale started out back in 2002 she was a woman with a passion a passion for bling.

How to Use Pinterest Group Boards To Get More Brand Exposure

Remember how hard your mom worked to teach you to share Well, consider this your Pinterest sharing lecture of the day It's for your own good. We manage the Pinterest account of a wonderful independent pharmacist. He likes to be somewhat involved, so recently he asked why shared group boards are showing up on his account and what he should so with them. What is a Group Board on Pinterest The Pinterest blog states Group boards are a fun way to organize ideas with others.

Pinterest FAQ: Why Join a Group Board?

Wouldn't it be better to put images on your own Pinterest boards After all, when you don't own the Pinterest board, you have no control over who else pins, what they pin, and even whether that board will still exist tomorrow. That's right entire group boards disappear when a frustrated owner deletes the entire thing. Not to mention the fact that when people follow that board, it doesn't add to your own follower count. So, why would you add pins to a shared board It's about exposure.

Uncover Hidden Leads Using Social Media Prospecting

Why are you using social media For customer service, engagement, awareness How about lead generation Is that part of your social game plan It should be With more than one billion monthly active users on Facebook, and over 230 million monthly active users on Twitter, you likely already recognize the enormous potential social media offers for getting your name out there, spreading your content and drawing more people to your site.

Fan Page Friday - What is it and How you can Benefit

What is Facebook Fan Page Friday Put simply, it's a way for people to share a link to their business page (or another page that they recommend) with many people who may be interested in liking their page. It also helps people find other businesses they might want to follow. How does Facebook Fan Page Friday Work A business page with a good fan base posts on Friday morning, inviting others to share a link to their business Facebook Page as themselves (not from their business account).

Social Media for Alcoholic Beverage Producers and Distributors - Legal Concerns

Note This article explores some of the legal concerns facing those who use social media for alcohol-related businesses. It is not intended as legal advice. Please consult your attorney. Are legal concerns keeping your alcohol-related business away from social media Are you an alcoholic beverage supplier or producer Would you like to take advantage of social media to promote your brand and build a loyal following of advocates Many of the high-volume producers AND the small-batch distilleries and...

Pinterest Messaging - Can it be Used for Marketing?

So, yesterday, I published a blog post on sending pins as a messaging tactic because it seemed an under-utilized feature. Hours later, Pinterest released Pinterest Messaging, and the whole (Pinterest-obsessed) world was abuzz. Check out the video to see what it's about Basically, now you can send a pin and start a conversation Previously, you could send a message with a pin, but it just went to the recipient's email, and there was really no way for them to respond.

Never Run out of Blogging Ideas Again - Ten Tips

Other days, nothing. Print this one and put it on the wall and you'll never run out of blogging ideas again Learn from Your Own HistoryLook at your website analytics and see which articles get the most attention with the lowest bounce rate. Google analytics now blocks access to more than half of the keywords that lead people to our site, so we find it more helpful to look at our most popular pages.

Inbound Marketing and Social Media Outsourcing - Six Signs That You're Not Ready

You're Not Ready for Prime Time If you're not proud of your product, service or customer service stop Inbound marketing (and social media in particular) will magnify your shortcomings. Need a case in point Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona had a very public meltdown starting on the reality show Kitchen Nightmares and continued in train wreck fashion on Facebook. As one clever Facebook user advised, I think you guys need to recognize that Facebook isn't really a good channel for you.

Pinterest Guided Search - What Marketers Should Do Now

Last night, social media sweetheart Pinterest announced a new feature guided search. It's only on mobile, and only for US English-speaking users right now, but if that is you try it I only got half way through the video before I had to go try it myself. What this means is that next time you search for smoothies you can add recipes for weight loss or detox (among others) to your search, narrowing results to exactly what you want.

Handling Negative Comments on Facebook and Google Plus Pages

One of the concerns keeping businesses from social media is the fear of bad publicity. In this world of mass communication, There's no such thing as bad publicity is no longer a truism. However, if you are a business dedicated to excellent customer service and superior products, you have nothing to fear. You must also have a concrete plan in place for dealing with negative comments and reviews.

Dear Pinterest - You Know I Love You, But - LISTS, PLEASE!

Why Because it works to bring in traffic and leads AND it is fun. Sometimes too fun. Hours melt away like soft serve on a summer's day. But I digress (much like I do on Pinterest). Pinterest has one glaring flaw, and we'd like it addressed. When I say we, I mean me, Pinstagram Guy, Adam Hutchins, and countless others (we hope you will add your names in the comments). Pinterest is all grown up it works great and soon everyone will be able to use promoted pins.

3 Ways to Save Money on Inbound Marketing

Money is no object said no small business owner, ever. Maybe one day I'll hear from one of those rarities and get to use all the wonderful inbound marketing magic at my disposal. Until then, budget will always be an issue. Some say that limitations actually foster greater creativity, and I agree. When you can't spend unlimited time and money on everything, you're forced to make ever second and every penny really count.

Six Things to do Before You Start Marketing Your Business Online

Nearly all business owners understand that online marketing is of vital importance to your online success. And while you don't want to get so bogged down in planning that you never start, there are some things you simply need to do before you jump in feet first. These principles also apply if you are considering revamping your online marketing. Step One Take an Honest Look at Your Business OverallBelieve me, I get it. Your business is your baby.

Content Marketing, Popstars, Pinterest, and Music Videos

If you follow Scalable on Instagram, or me anywhere, you know I've developed a slight addiction to running. It's not the running so much as the feeling of accomplishment. And I need a good dose of distraction to keep me on the treadmill for three or four miles. I tried tv, music, music plus scenery and only ended up with motion sickness. Next stop YouTube and music videos. I started with a Mumford & Sons mix, which turned out to be a good choice.

Facebook is now requiring business page owners to pay to have their status updates read by every subscriber?

We've been seeing this update on the business pages of social media companies Facebook is now requiring business page owners to pay to have their status updates read by every subscriber. If we don't, status updates only show up in less than 10 of newsfeeds, even though you have liked the page indicating you want to see posts from this page.

For Increased Social Media Sharing, Try These “Magic” Words

Give your content its best chance at success by working these terms into your updates whenever it makes sense to do so. Thanks to QuickSprout for the awesome infographic. It goes without saying that you can easily overdo it. Gaming the system never works for long, so keep it real Facebook Words to Try for Comments Likes and Shares post would submit when warns should discount inspires where should take tell us comment* amuses deals Discount, deals , warns, inspires, and amuses shouldn't...

The One Tip You Need to Generate Massive Leads with Pinterest

Last month, 14 of our website visitors AND new contacts came from Pinterest. Pretty good, right Well, for one of our clients, 48 percent of his traffic 57 of new contacts came from Pinterest. Insane How do we do it, you ask Well, it has a little to do with the industry. This particular client is a pharmacist and nutritional counselor, so it's not too hard to find a topic that will really do well on Pinterest. Every month, we create a new piece of downloadable content for his website.

The Next Big Thing in Online Marketing - Being More Human?

In January, Mark Schaefer coined the phrase Content Shock to refer to the marketing challenge stemming from the fact that we are creating more and more content online, yet consumers have a finite number of hours to absorb it. At some point, and we may have already hit that point, it will become more and more expensive (in terms of time and money) to make content marketing work for your business.

How Social Media ROI is Making the World a Better Place

I wanted to write something about Social Media ROI, but didn't know what, exactly. So, I plugged social media ROI in to this content idea generator and that is the title that came out. So, I challenged myself to make it work. Here goes Isn't that a tall order, asking social media to make the world a better place I don't think so. Social Media ROI keeps businesses committed to social media. Because they are committed to social media, we all benefit.

Facebook Contest Rules Changed - Why You Should Care

Though many page administrators seemed unaware of it, until yesterday it was against the rules to run a Facebook promotion wherein the entrants sent a message to the page or liked or commented on an update to enter a contest or giveaway. Then, Facebook surprised us all and gave permission for people to do what they were already doing run promotions without a third-party app. What is Still Against the RulesRequiring people to share an update on their own timelines is still against the rules.

Three Reasons You're Not Getting Leads from your Website & Simple Remedies

You create a great website, go live and then nothing No phone calls, no emails and no new customers. So, what happened Why Don't I Get Leads From my Website It could be that your website isn't well designed for lead generation. Maybe you're not giving people incentive to become a lead, or it could be as simple as you not telling them how to become leads. How Can I Get More Leads From My Website Inbound Marketing.

Pinterest for Veterinarians - A Natural Fit!

Looking for a way to drive more traffic, leads and customers to your veterinary practice website Have you considered Pinterest Pinterest has proven to be an incredible driver of traffic, and done properly, it can take online marketing for your vet practice to new heights Why Pinterest is Great for VeterinariansThink about your customers. Who are they Likely overwhelmingly female, well educated, middle-income moms, right This fits the Pinterest demographic perfectly.

Are You Marketing with Empathy or with Contempt?

Yesterday I got a new lead from my website. As is my habit, I checked out the What's your biggest marketing challenge field first. He'd answered, leads. Great We love it when a company puts a high value on leads generating and nurturing them is our strong suit. Then I looked at his website and read a couple of blog posts. It became immediately apparent why he was having a struggle with leads and why I don't think I can help.

Confessions of Internet Troll

I have a horrible confession to make. When I'm in a particularly foul mood, I can transform from a mild-mannered blogger into an internet troll. Even if you have never heard of the term, you have most likely encountered one of my kind before. I wish I could blame it all on my childhood but that would be a lie. I had a delightful childhood, full of Legos and Power Rangers.

Five Reasons Why You Need a Mobile Website Now!

Why Go Mobile It's About The Numbers Recent studies show that approximately 30 of the visitors coming to your website are using a mobile device. Indeed, our own small-scale study found similar rates. Since the majority of Americans now own a smartphone, we can only expect that to increase. In fact, mobile visits to our site have more than doubled in the last year. Your Website Doesn't Translate Well to Mobile And People Are LeavingTake a look at the image below.

Message in a Bottle? Not on Twitter, Please!

This morning, I was distracted from what I SHOULD have been doing by a story on NPR. It seems the oldest known message in a bottle has been found in the Baltic Sea after over 100 years bobbing aimlessly. It didn't go far, though it was found close to the spot where 20-year-old Richard Platz tossed it back in 1913. You can read the story here.

Use Email Signatures to Get more Facebook Page and Twitter Followers

Here's how to add an Email signature in one of many popular Email programs OutlookGo to Tools Options Mail Format and click the Signatures button. If you use Outlook for more than one mail account, select the one that will use your new signature. Enter your text. To add an image, click on the button and choose an image from your computer. To add a link, select the text or image to be linked, then click on the button. When finished, click OK .

How Images Get More Traffic to Your Blog

Four year old Natalie picks up a book, sits down on the couch with her teddy and her mom and snuggles in for a story. The second the book is opened, however, she's howling for an old favorite, instead. How come It looks like Mom dared to try to read her a story from a book without pictures Few of us would have such a public reaction. Yet, admit it you have judged a book by its cover AND by the images (or lack thereof) inside.

Why Pinterest Isn't a Social Network - And That's OK

Even though Pinterest gets lumped in with Facebook, Twitter, and especially Instagram as a social network, it's much like a search engine than a social media platform. Sure, it has some social components like tagging and messaging, but by design, it is a discovery platform . Guided search, interests, related (or picked for you ) pins, promoted pins they're all designed to help you discover something new.

Should Your Business Give Up on Facebook?

Since Facebook is not showing our updates to our fans, we have decided to move to Google+ (or Twitter, or whatever). Please join us there if you want to keep up with the latest. Sniffle, sniffle. Have you seen this on Facebook I know I have, and I think it's a little short-sighted. Rather than just giving up out of frustration, or because the experts say it's a waste of time, let's look at what's behind all this quitting.

Online Marketing - Eight Ways to Spend Less and Get More

So, your online marketing is working, but times are tough, and you need to cut back. Or, maybe it's time for an audit and you know your budget is going to be questioned. And really, everyone loves to save money. When push comes to shove, can you really get more for less when it comes to online marketing Maybe.

Social Media Not Giving You the Return on Investment You Expected?

So, it's a couple of months in with your new online marketing agency, and you're not so sure about this social media thing. You're looking at a report with fancy graphs and numbers, and terms that mean absolutely nothing to you. What are you paying for, anyway Is it even POSSIBLE to determine the ROI of social media It sure is.

Content Marketing - Demystified

The internet may have made publishing content easy and affordable, but your prospects' expectations have made it a necessity Despite warnings about impending Content Shock, people's appetite for truly useful content has not diminished. If you are not giving them what they want, they will find someone who is. Then they'll buy from them.

To Hash or Not to Hash - The #Hashtag Predicament

Hashtags have become increasingly popular on social media sites. Maybe too popular. Stop The OverUse of Hashtags and I Hate Hashtags are two of the many Facebook pages created by annoyed fans. It feels as though Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest users alike need a reminder on the purpose of hashtags.

How to Write a Blog Post in an Hour or Less - Six Quick Tips

Impossible, you say It may feel that way, especially if you tend to freeze under pressure. But, I am here, as a compulsive over-writer, to tell you that it can and SHOULD be done at least on occasion. A few weeks back I told the world I was going to attempt it. I got overwhelming positive support, which then turned up the pressure to get it done. Well, it took me nearly an hour to choose a topic, so the whole thing ended up taking closer to two, but it went over great.

Facebook Cover Image Guide

Not sure if your Facebook business page cover photo follows the new rules As before, it must be at least 399px wide (851 x315 is ideal) and must not contain - Price or purchase information, such as 40 off, Download it at our website, or Free Sunglasses All Summer Long. - Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page's About Section. - References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share , or other Facebook site features.

Why Content Marketers Love Pinterest

If you're already using Pinterest to drive more traffic and leads to your business website, you're probably already a little in love with it. I know I am There are so many reasons, but here are a few I'm extra grateful for today. Pinterest Can Be Lead Generation MagicThe initial benefit we saw was an increase in website traffic lots of it. Last month, in fact, one of our customers got nearly as much traffic from Pinterest alone as from all other organic sources, including Google.

Why Those Memes Could Get You in Trouble

We wanted to use a meme of Grumpy Cat, but according to the Terms of Service on Cheezeburger, home of many memes You agree to not use, copy, reproduce, transmit, broadcast,sell, license, download, or otherwise exploit any of the Content otherthan as expressly permitted herein, including any use, copying, or distribution of User Submissions of third parties obtained through the Websites for any commercial purposes.

Email Campaigns - How to Increase Open Rate and Click-Throughs

Improve your Email Campaign Open RateEveryone wants a high open rate because that's how you know people are seeing your emails, right Well, if you are looking for a metric showing effectiveness, open rate is not ideal. If a subscriber has blocked images, they won't be counted, even if they open it How does your open rate(currently around 10 ) compare to the average, and how can you improve it Much of the effectiveness of your email campaign depends on the presentation.

Why We Will Not Turn Off Comments On Our Blog - A Response to Copyblogger

Yesterday, I was surprised to read that one of my favorite sites for online marketing tips and ideas, Copyblogger, is no longer going to allow comments on their blog. Their reasons were understandable, and maybe when my blog gets to the size of theirs, I'll consider doing the same, but I doubt it. Here's why I still welcome your comments on my blog. We Want to Comment Right Here, Right NowOne argument Copyblogger makes is that comments really belong on social media. I get that.

Managing Customer Service with Social Media

Remember the days when gathering customer feedback involved filling out a comment card In these social media-obsessed times, customer service is more likely to involve Tweets and updates than pen and paper This should come as no surprise to us in a world where people chose emailing and text messaging as a preferred means of communication. Consider this in 2010 filmmaker, Kevin Smith tweeted his complaint about a Southwest Airlines flight.