With hundreds of millions of people using social media in the United States and billions more across the rest of the world, it’s not surprising that businesses across all industries have taken notice of sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. While businesses of all sizes understand that social media is a powerful way for them to connect with potential and current customers, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. Since so many businesses have personally experienced the challenges that go along with building a meaningful presence on social media platforms, there’s a lot of demand for solutions. One solution that many businesses pursue is hiring a social media manager. Because engagement is such an important driver of social media activity, businesses want someone who can build a thriving community through real interactions. Read the rest of this entry →
Although online video is nothing new, the amount of video being watched has absolutely exploded over the last year. According to Google, the amount of time spent watching YouTube videos has increased 60% in the last twelve months. And with both Facebook and Snapchat aggressively rolling out new initiatives related to video, it’s safe to say this is a trend that will only continue to grow.
Read the rest of this entry →
If you’re looking for a proven way to grow your business, social media marketing is an excellent option. By learning the ins and outs of social media marketing, you’ll be able to harness the power of some of the fastest-growing platforms on the Internet to connect with potential customers. This learning path is also great for anyone who wants to change or advance their career. The one drawback to this type of marketing is social media continues to evolve at a very rapid pace. As a result, many people try to use social media platforms for marketing, only to give up in frustration when they don’t see the results they’re expecting. Read the rest of this entry →
With over 225 million users, LinkedIn has become a central hub for anyone who's serious about their career. While most professionals are aware that this site is a great tool for building their personal brand, many businesses don't realize just how useful it can be for increasing leads and ultimately sales. Read the rest of this entry →
The Internet has fundamentally changed the definition of effective marketing. Companies can no longer rely on blasting out mass messages and hoping customers respond. Because the Internet provides people with so many options, effective marketing has to earn potential customers' attention instead of trying to hijack it through brute force. This significant shift in strategy is known as inbound marketing. Read the rest of this entry →
Now that businesses of all sizes have realized that social media is here to stay, a significant percentage want to learn the best way to utilize these networks for promotional purposes. For many businesses, one of the biggest challenges is balancing employee sharing with ensuring that no one does anything that could damage the company's brand. Read the rest of this entry →
It generally doesn’t take a whole lot of time for new Pinterest users It generally doesn't take a whole lot of time for new Pinterest users to be invited to participate in a group board. One reason those invitations are so common is because it's quite easy to start this type of board. All it requires is for at least two people to pin on the same board. Because group boards are fairly popular among users, many businesses want to know if it's a good fit for their Pinterest strategy. Read the rest of this entry →
When Facebook paid $1 billion in cash and stock for Instagram in April of 2012, a lot of people thought Zuckerberg and his team were crazy. While Instagram's app for Android was downloaded over a million times on the first day it was released that year, those metrics still paled in comparison to the over one billion active users Facebook had by the third quarter of 2012. However, if we fast-forward to the present, it actually looks like Facebook got a great deal. With over 700 million users, Instagram has grown to over twice the size of Twitter. Not only has Instagram rolled out highly targeted advertising options throughout their platform, but they've expanded well beyond photos and filters. Read the rest of this entry →
After you get used to how Pinterest works, one of the goals you'll likely have is to increase your total number of followers. While pursuing quantity simply for the sake of vanity metrics isn't the most effective strategy, there are definite benefits to increasing the number of targeted followers your profile has. As more people who are interested in what your business is sharing start following it, you'll be able to increase repins, likes, comments, impressions, and clicks. That, in turn, can help you with branding, driving traffic, attracting more leads and ultimately increasing sales. Read the rest of this entry →
There are a number of ways to drive traffic to a blog. One that has been around for over a decade but continues to be very valuable is blog SEO. By optimizing your blog for search engines, you won't just attract traffic to your blog. Instead, you'll attract visitors that have already expressed an interest in the kind of topics you write about on your blog. So whether you're using your blog to promote your business or are monetizing your blog through different methods like advertising, the right approach to search engine optimization can create a lot of value for your blog. Here's how to get started with getting your blog ranked for the right terms: Read the rest of this entry →
