Tag: Social

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Glance Links – August 2014

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I like to fill this post with links that will help your marketing efforts. But since I’m on vacation and in a pretty good mood, I thought I would share some examples of “social media done right” with these favorite Facebook pages. The only criteria is that each are funny or interesting (or both), and engaging to their communities. Enjoy!

Upper Darby Police Department – The boys in blue in this Philadelphia suburb (pictured above) stay connected to their community with this hilarious page, with great stories about just how funny peeps and perps can be. It’s also full of news and crime reports… serious when it needs to be. Kudos to this genius content creator.

George-TakeiGeorge Takei – Actor, artist, activist… renaissance man. He’s done it all and he posts some hysterical stuff. Oh Myyyy….

The Order of the Good Death – Caitlin is a Los Angeles-based mortician who sees death everyday, and shares her interesting, albeit unusual insights into dying. Not very funny, but certainly insightful. And definitely worth a look.

10462459_928795490469983_2205502833807129176_nRandom Hearts with Roxy and Friends – This is a charming page that my cousin put up a few months ago, and it never ceases to make me smile. Roxy challenges us all to find and post images of hearts, and her friends have responded with photos… everything from clouds to water stains to bruised toenails. I’ve yet to be so inspired, but I’m still looking. Shouldn’t we all be? Follow her for that extra little nudge…

We Are Ultras – Allow me just one soccer page to promote… dedicated to the Women Soccer Supporters of the world – The Ultras. The women who hold nothing back. The women who know Ultra is a way of life! May the soccer gods bless them all!

10590473_692454767476177_3217539378266761369_nDangerous Minds – Celebrating weirdness of all kinds, with specific favorites like 60’s and 70’s advertising, obscure punk rock and various counter-culture oddities. You may not find it funny or interesting, and you may just shake your head a little… if it is still attached! I guarantee you will share something on this site with your warped friends!!

The Onion – Yeah, yeah… who doesn’t know about the Onion? But they make me laugh multiple times a day, and any list would be incomplete without them. The standard bearer for online, irreverent satire since 1765.

This is my weird, fun stuff… where is yours? Share your favorite pages…

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Flippin’ Facebook

cs9NN“I’ve had it with Facebook.” ~ John Q. Public

How many times have you heard this complaint? The constantly changing layout, hard to follow rules, more ads in your news feed, and the dwindling reach for company pages… flippin’ Facebook is a nightmare! Users can’t comprehend how Facebook has the nerve to make changes to the FREE site they love so much, and company page owners are mad that they now actually have to PAY for Facebook advertising. It’s exasperating!

Users need to relax. Breathe… Embrace the changes, because they are almost always designed to give you a more positive experience. The ads are the price you pay for using Facebook for free. And be honest, you get enough out of the Facebook experience to justify putting up with a few ads in your News Feed. The reality is that everyone has the right to make money – including the gods of Facebook. To think otherwise is Un-American! Truthfully, I can’t believe they took this long to end the free ride for company pages.

I’ve been speaking with a lot of small business owners about the decreasing reach of Facebook company posts. While we have been lamenting the decline, it should cause us to embrace and understand exactly what Facebook advertising can do. That “free” ride has been over for a while now, but Facebook is still the best way to target specific customers.

20130812-full1If you have been doing it correctly, you have built a Facebook following of the right people – people who want to do business with you. And you have been providing them with good content that helps grow your business. “Boosting” those great posts to your loyal “listeners” must now be a part of your budget. Low cost Promoted Posts not only reach your followers but can be expanded further to reach potential customers, by using specific demographic targeting and keywords – at very affordable prices.  I’m not saying that every post deserves boosting, because your core customers will probably visit your page frequently. Pick your spots and, most importantly, track your results.

Boosting works. Ads are similar, and certainly hit a wider audience. Think about spending $50 to reach 10,000 very specific people… Can that be accomplished with any other traditional B2C advertising method?

Whether you do a Facebook Ad or a Promoted Post, dedicate a portion of your marketing budget to make a big impact. If you are a small business it is a no-brainer. You’ll wonder why you weren’t doing this all along.

And quit yer whining…

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Glance Links – April 2014

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Just some stuff that caught my eye recently, and might help you in your marketing efforts! If you have any that you would like to pass on to me… hit me up!

Internet-Addiction-Social-MediaSocial Media For Increased Mental Health – Many thanks to Chuck Hall from SoMeBizLife for sharing this article that examines the positive and negative effects of social media, specifically Facebook. Chuck used this article as a discussion point in a recent seminar, and I’m sure it really got the conversation off and running. What are your thoughts?

Some Thoughts on the Imminent Demise of Google+ – Three words… “It ain’t happening!” I’ve recently been beating the streets about the wonders of this platform, which I think is extremely worthwhile for the search boost alone. The recent resignation announcement of Google+ champion Vic Gundotra has set the interwebs abuzz with panic. Two of my purple haired friends (not saying I have many), Lynette Young and Cecily Kellogg, recently shared how fantastic articles on the subject. The common theme is DON’T PANIC. Here are the two articles they shared:

The Power of Failing – What do the world’s greatest entrepreneurs have in common? The courage to fail. Checkout this article and discover why failure is the ultimate driving force behind genius.

failingThe Experts Speak – The most common question I hear from small businesses interested in social media is, “Where do I start?” Here is some great information from the email marketing site, Constant Contact… 50 Expert Tips for Getting Started in Social Media. It’s cool that I know some of these people, including one of the aforementioned purple haired friends…

Spring has sprung. May it bring to you many exciting ideas… JL

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Glance Links – February 2014

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Just some stuff that caught my eye recently, and might help you in your marketing efforts! If you have any that you would like to pass on to me… hit me up!

pro_laptopemail_275x185Six Social Media Tips That Will Improve Your Marketing – You’ll slap yourself on the head when you read some of these completely random, unique social media tips.

5 Steps to Writing an Amazing LinkedIn Recommendation – I’ll be honest… LinkedIn endorsements annoy me. For the last two years, many click-happy people have been gleefully endorsing me for skills that I do not possess. I don’t like to shop, so my endorsements for Retail and Merchandising were quite a surprise. I put much more stock into a LinkedIn “recommendation”. Because of the quid pro quo aspect of social media, I know I better write some to get some. Check out this link for some great info.

Real World Education for Modern Marketers – Like some of my favorite sites (AWeber, Marketo), MarketingProfs provides tons of outstanding free content on a wide variety of marketing subjects. Peruse the site, you’ll be glad you did.

Navigating the Social Media Jungle – If you look past the cartoonish appearance, Social Media Examiner helps businesses discover how to best use social media, blogs and podcasts to connect with customers. Simple… Best thing to do is subscribe to the newsletter to get it all in your inbox, but dig into the site for some nuggets.

ffb11958Too Much Fun With Fonts – Lastly, have some fun today. Here are some very familiar, free fonts from famous brands like Coca-Cola, Walt Disney, The Godfather movies, Calvin and Hobbes, etc. So jazz up that condo community newsletter you’ve been working on!

My life has been ice and snow lately, and lots of it! GIMME MORE!!! Stay warm, my friends… JL

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Glance Links – September 2013

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Just some stuff that caught my eye recently, and might help you in your marketing efforts!  If you have any that you would like to pass on to me… hit me up!

social-media-managementAre Your Employees Socially Illiterate? –  I hope not. Social Media policies are a must, both as part of your marketing plan and to set employee expectations. As this article suggests, there is an ignored “potential of socially literate employees who use these tools and services to increase their own competence and thus the competence of the business.” Trust in them, and allow your employees to truly be part of your brand.

Public Speaking: The Chili Con Queso Test –  Need a speaker? Sure… I’m your huckleberry! I’ll say anything to anyone about anything. Sign me up!! But some of the most seasoned pros have some angst about public speaking. While these six tips from Gini Dietrich may be obvious, she packages them nicely in a great, mouth-watering article. This is one worth referring back to, again and again.

Six Week LinkedIn Lesson –  You’re checking people out, so you better assume that people are checking on you… get your personal brand together. I love this article and so will you.  Follow these steps and get your LinkedIn ship together.

All The Guides In One Place –  I may have a bit of a man crush on AWeber. Periodically, they will publish guides on various aspects of email marketing. They are excellent, containing great tips and tricks for many businesses. Here they are archived in one place… for free. If you do email marketing, this site is for you.

Keep learning, my friends… and now it’s back-to-school time. Summer, I barely got to know you…  JL