GetSocialMedia

In our world, a solid and well designed website is absolutely crucial for any business, big or small. Because of this, choosing the right designer and developer can be a nerve wracking responsibility. 

You want and need the right skill set and the best price point, but you may not even know the other things you’re looking for, not to mention all the right questions to ask. 

So how do you choose? Here are a 10 tips to help you along the journey.

1. Beware of designers that only use industry buzz words and fads, but that only focus on the feeling and vision of your brand without specific attention to measurable goals and specific calls to action.
2. Brand recognition is important, but for many small businesses it’s initially more about traffic, lead collection, and conversions.
3. Request a portfolio. Ask your designers for examples of work they’ve done for similar organizations or brands that may have the same objectives or goals. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals.
4. Ask if their pricing is firm or an estimate. Be sure you know financially what you’re getting yourself into.
5. Request some information on their team. Are they outsourcing part of your project?
6. Discover how they anticipate measuring your results, and ask for this information in plain English. Be sure you understand their approach to the expected success of your site.
7. Understand the process post-design. Maybe down the road you want a tweak or two made. Be sure to get up-front information about how this process works.
8. Understand their approach to usability. Your site isn’t going to be successful if it’s not tailored to the user. Design is important, but great design is intuitive and impacts your organization exponentially.
9. Request a written contract. Be sure your agreements are clear on both ends. This is a benefit to both you and the designer.
10. Follow your gut. If something in your quote or initial consultation doesn’t sit right with you, don’t forget that there are many resources out there. Seek another one.

When compared to a billion Facebook users, LinkedIn would appear a much less influential contender in the social-media lineup. Yet, executives and middle-management professionals often find this networking portal a valuable tool for growing a business. That’s still true, despite the company’s wide-scale security breech in June, which impacted millions of the social network’s users. 

A recent study that analyzed how professionals use LinkedIn revealed approximately one in five users are top-level executives seeking networking and promotional opportunities. CEOs are finding it fruitful to mine those LinkedIn connections, and maybe you should, too.

1. Flesh out your profile. LinkedIn has made it really easy for you. When you start a new profile, or add more information to an already existing one, a handy little tool lets you know your progress. Don’t stop until your profile is 100 percent complete.
2. Put in a good word for others. Those who programmed the recommendation feature for LinkedIn understood the power of applying human psychology to arouse others to action. When you’ve been notified that a social contact on LinkedIn has endorsed you, it’s hard not to feel an obligation to return the favor. Take the time to research the person’s profile, and their specific areas of expertise, before posting a recommendation.
3. Be consistent across social media portals. Ensure your professional title, name and other information is consistent across your online profiles, including LinkedIn. This step is easy to forget, when you’re knee-deep in launching a startup. Yet, remember that a new business is often profiled in the local press, and reporters may check that profile, when writing a news story about your venture.
4. Create or join an industry-specific group. Follow your competitors on LinkedIn. It’s hard to grow a business, when no one knows you’re there. These days many business professionals know they gain more by offering friendship to competitors, than by avoiding them.
5. Chime in on the conversation. Visit LinkedIn’s Questions and Answers section frequently. Doing so allows you opportunities to demonstrate your willingness to help others, as well as show off your business acumen. Both qualities are likely to attract investors to your startup.

A bigger audience is always better when it comes to social media, right? 

Turns out, that isn’t always the case! By narrowing the number of people who can see your posts, you may actually be able to increase your engagement. Facebook’s targeting feature allows you reach the audience most likely to engage with your posts. 

Here’s how it works: Facebook lets you pick certain subgroups within your followers and direct a post to those groups. Without targeting, a post can pop up in the newsfeed of any of your followers. But with targeting, you can direct your post based on a variety of factors. Here are a few: 

• Age
• Education
• Gender
• Interests
• Relationship status
• Language
• Workplace
• Location (country, state, city)

So for instance, if you are business with multiple locations— but only one has a special — you can target only the audience in that geographic area. 

Obviously there are pros and cons to targeting. If you do nothing but targeted posts, you are limiting the potential reach of your message. Only those in your targeted group will see the post in their newsfeed (though anyone can see your targeted posts by visiting your Facebook homepage). But even though the audience is smaller, they are receiving posts that are more relevant to them. 

If you use the shotgun approach, you’re limited to posting broad content that will appeal to your entire audience. And, if you don’t select a specific audience and choose to do posts directed at a specific audience anyway, you may end up alienating a large section of your audience. They may un-like your page if they are constantly seeing content that does not match their interests. 

Now of course Facebook is a business, and one of the ways they make money is by charging for targeting. But even a few dollars per week can make a huge difference when it comes to reaching those followers who are most likely to engage with your brand. The best marketers know how to combine targeted posts with broad-spectrum posts that appeal to a wider audience. Ask us how you can get started!

You may not realize that Twitter just recently celebrated it’s seventh birthday a couple of months ago and in that span of time, they’ve managed to gather about a billion users. If that number is mind boggling, consider that over 300 billion tweets have been shared since it’s inception. 

Statistics show that of the billion users that Twitter has on it’s platform, almost half of them are using the app at least one time a day, and almost one-third of them are checking Twitter multiple times a day. Without even running the numbers on that, it should be apparent how powerful this social platform can be. 

Statistics also indicate that almost half of all Twitter users that follow a brand on Twitter are more likely to visit that company’s website, and three-quarters of those users are more likely to purchase a product from that brand. Twitter allows consumers to feel directly more connected to a brand or organization when they engage with them on Twitter, which leads to more visibility and greater brand loyalty. 

What are you doing about it? 

Here are some simple best practices to wet or refreshen your Twitter whistle:

1. Keep It Up: You may have gone through all the trouble to set up your account and establish your footprint in the Twittersphere, but it takes a bit more than that to maximize on the space. In order to maintain a ‘healthy’ Twitter profile, you must be tweeting regularly. Don’t work toward gaining a followship and then allow them to forget about you by disappearing. 

2. Optimize Your Twitter Bio: You may not realize that your Twitter bio can be SEO optimized. Be sure that you clearly represent your brand and company, but do so in a way that utilizes keywords and a link to your brand’s website. 

 3. Engage With Your Peers (The Right Ones):  You should quickly find that every industry has a few key people and influencers on Twitter. Do some searches and locate those individuals and develop relationships with them. You’ll find that Twitter can often be an equalizer, and is a powerful tool to grow your community. Make friends with the experts in your field and keep a close eye on the industry. 

4. Followers Follow:  While you don’t want to use Twitter as a consistent way to shout out your promotions, you can occasionally and specifically ask your audience to do something specific for you. Have a message or post you’re trying to maximize? Ask your community for a retweet. Looking for more eyes on a Facebook post? Promote it on Twitter and ask for a ‘like’ or a share. Often times your community will step up to the plate when you’ve build a loyal following. 

5. Find your Favorites: To ‘favorite’ a tweet, you simply click the small gray star icon underneath it. ‘Favoriting’ a tweet gives a virtual nod to the person that sent the message and this appears in their notification feed. Spending time each day in your feed, and ‘favoriting’ the content that you find engaging is a great way to build your own brand awareness while also supporting the content of your peers.

When compared to a billion Facebook users, LinkedIn would appear a much less influential contender in the social-media lineup. Yet, executives and middle-management professionals often find this networking portal a valuable tool for growing a business. That’s still true, despite the company’s wide-scale security breech in June, which impacted millions of the social network’s users. 

A recent study that analyzed how professionals use LinkedIn revealed approximately one in five users are top-level executives seeking networking and promotional opportunities. CEOs are finding it fruitful to mine those LinkedIn connections, and maybe you should, too.

1. Flesh out your profile. LinkedIn has made it really easy for you. When you start a new profile, or add more information to an already existing one, a handy little tool lets you know your progress. Don’t stop until your profile is 100 percent complete.
2. Put in a good word for others. Those who programmed the recommendation feature for LinkedIn understood the power of applying human psychology to arouse others to action. When you’ve been notified that a social contact on LinkedIn has endorsed you, it’s hard not to feel an obligation to return the favor. Take the time to research the person’s profile, and their specific areas of expertise, before posting a recommendation.
3. Be consistent across social media portals. Ensure your professional title, name and other information is consistent across your online profiles, including LinkedIn. This step is easy to forget, when you’re knee-deep in launching a startup. Yet, remember that a new business is often profiled in the local press, and reporters may check that profile, when writing a news story about your venture.
4. Create or join an industry-specific group. Follow your competitors on LinkedIn.  It’s hard to grow a business, when no one knows you’re there. These days many business professionals know they gain more by offering friendship to competitors, than by avoiding them.
5. Chime in on the conversation. Visit LinkedIn’s Questions and Answers section frequently. Doing so allows you opportunities to demonstrate your willingness to help others, as well as show off your business acumen. Both qualities are likely to attract investors to your startup.