Interlace Communications

Category: Marketing Tips

  • SCommerce – Is your online store on board?

    We’ve all visited eCommerce sites. But what are scommerce sites? Believe it or not, some of the largest scommerce sites are Amazon and Groupon. Now, all sizes of companies can sell through these means but if you’ve ever worked with them you know there is a very small margin of profitability.What if a business wants to take their own ecommerce site and control their own scommerce on the Internet and not loss a piece of their profit margin to the goliaths like Amazon and Groupon? Is there a solution and how can they compete?If an ecommerce business has a strong social network presence, they can now have their foot in the door with an scommerce site at work for their business.So what does a scommerce look like?First and foremost a business needs to have a strong ecommerce site built to support and work lateral with the scommerce. All the ecommerce sites we build have this marketing strategy built into them.On Facebook we build a Facebook store branded to mimic their ecommerce site. Then on their website we make sure to have a Facebook module in place to connect visitors directly to Facebook which allows them to easily like, share, and comment directly from the website.

    Let’s show you an actual ecommerce site with all these bells and whistles. Recently, we built a website called, smart-candy-shopper.com. We have the usual social share buttons on the site to help encourage those visiting the site to share their favorite candies on their own social pages. All the products have the pin button to encourage pinners to pin their favorite candy to their board. In the sidebar of the site, you’ll see the Facebook timeline where you can interact with Facebook from the website.

    Now, let’s go to Facebook. You’ll find them at: smartcandyshopper. While I’m explaining it, check it out for yourself. On their business page, there’s a menu item called shop. When you click on shop, it opens the Facebook store. You can scroll through the multitude of candy and click to buy now. Where does it take you? Find out for yourself!

    Pinterest is gearing up to begin their own SCommerce environment that will make a pinner’s experience feel like they’re on Amazon. They are currently beta testing. No longer will avid pinners need to leave the comfort of Pinterest to shop to their heart’s content! I can’t wait to be able to provide this option to our ecommerce clients!

    The term Scommerce has been in existence since 2005, which helped to define the online collaborative shopping tools such as shared pick lists, user ratings and other user-generated content-sharing of online product information. But the recent emergence of actual shopping experiences outside the ecommerce environment takes it to a whole new level for those businesses who want additional exposure for their business!

    Wake up LinkedIn! You’re missing a huge share of the scommerce market.

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  • A Day in the Life of a Social Media Master

    Most people would think a person who teaches Social Media Mastery and provides businesses with daily posting to their business page would be on social networks all day. That is not the case at all. If all my clients were located in other states, yes, then you would find me online for hours at a time but that, too, is not the case. My clients are business owners in Berks, Chester, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery counties for the most part. So, when communicating with them it’s a combination of social media, phone calls, emails, text messages, and personal visits. Since my clients are business owners, I tend to favor LinkedIn as my social network of choice. I have discovered several apps for my phone which have made my discipline for connecting with those on LinkedIn much easier. First thing in the morning, I use an app called Connected with LinkedIn. The app provides me with information like who is having a birthday, work anniversary, job change, and suggestions for new connections. It takes only minutes to take care of this daily task. I have also synced my calendar to this app and if there happens to be a person on LinkedIn, who I am going to see on a certain day, it will tell me so and provide their profile information. This is a feature I really find useful with LinkedIn Connected.Another LinkedIn app I find useful is Pulse. I check the news I want to read with a quick scan and I bookmark what’s interesting to read later.I’m on a mission right now with my morning routine. No time to stop and read.

    Now, to Facebook. I have notifications come directly to my phone so it’s no wonder when I wake in the morning, Facebook is blowing up my phone with notifications. A quick scan of these and I can choose those that need a comment or a like. I’m not much of a game player on Facebook so Candy Crush requests pretty much get avoided, sorry friends.

    Facebook Pages Manager is next on the list. With managing over 50 business pages on Facebook this app is essential for keeping up with their fan’s activities. We can check who has commented and, if it is a comment we can handle, will answer it right from Pages Manager. If it needs the owner’s attention, we just send an email and they either tell us how to reply or take care of it themselves.

    Like Connected with LinkedIn, Facebook Page Manager provides me with the ability to check in on client’s pages in minutes.

    It’s time to move on from the social networks to email. So, what’s the latest news or new features happening on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and social media? There’s a Google Alert for that.

    In my inbox each morning are Google Alerts to provide me with information about what’s happening with each of these social networks and much more. This and Pulse helps me to watch for changes, improvements, new products and much more.

    My morning discipline is over and it’s time to get ready for a full day of work. How long did all this take? On an average day only 15 minutes. I’m finished with all the heavy lifting so to speak.

    During the day there might be a need to check in. How do I know? Well, those apps I have installed on my phone alert me and of course there are those occasional notifications.

    The evening is when I find myself off the business grid and checking my personal Facebook page to catch up on my friends and family.

    My question to you is, do you have 15 minutes to connect with your clients, prospects, acquaintances or your friends? The key is to be disciplined and have a routine.

    What I share in my classes is to spend 15 minutes a day on social media with business related communication, and then if you want to play Candy Crush, have fun.

    I hope what I do each day provided you with ideas on how you can better manage your time to include social networks as a part of your business marketing. If you need help to create a routine, give us a call at 484.705.6564 or email me at alyse@gomaava.com.

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  • A Business Event Without Twitter is Like a Day Without Sunshine

    by Alyse Mitten

    Twitter is such an under used and unappreciated “social network” for business use. In fact, in a survey conducted by Pew Research, only 19 percent of online adults use Twitter verses 71 percent using Facebook. With that said, those businesses not incorporating Twitter with running a major event are missing the mark on attendee involvement before, during and long after the event.

    Why Twitter and not Facebook? Twitter’s ease-of-use format lends itself as a better choice for engagement. With the use of a hashtag, attendees can share their experiences in real time, quickly. Those engaging with the comments can read them, quickly. With the use of the # (hashtag) it is much easier to find just what is being mentioned about the event and to follow those at the event without any negative feedback.

    Recently, I attended an international event for a major corporation. Their use of Twitter throughout the event became viral and viral is what you want. Long before we arrived at the Conference, we were able to download an event app to share with us who was there through Twitter, the sponsors for the event, the schedule of the event, speaker’s bios, and much more. Top of the list was the word “Timeline.”

    Once part of the conference, I began to receive alerts, that I was getting tweets from some of the first to arrive. Photos of luggage in the airports and signs and photos of the venue created an excitement for those attending as well as those, regrettably, not attending. The attendee engagement began long before the first keynote speaker.

    During the event, a large screen in the exhibit hall displayed a Twitter feed of the comments and photos being shared by those in attendance through Tweet Chat. People who seldom used their Twitter account where joining the conversation and getting involved. Did this take away from the conference activities? Absolutely not. If anything, it enhanced the camaraderie of those attending and continued the conversation about the conference long after arriving home.

    I know personally, my Twitter followers increased exponentially because of the event, as did a change in my tweets. So, what did the conference organizers do right?

    • Provided an app for the event through a third-party company like: cvent, attendify, crowdcompass.
    • Had key people attending the conference in place who were well versed in using Twitter to begin the excitement. They began by using the # [hashtag] to create an easy way to find out what’s being said about everything on Twitter about the event, and used @ [call outs] so those on Twitter would know what was said.
    • Displayed  the feed of tweets being shared at the event to encourage the conversation to go viral.
    • Mentioned the # [hashtag]  in all of their sessions.
    • Continued the conversation long after the conference had ended.

    By implementing Twitter at your event, it can become an excellent source of feedback about what people liked about your conference from speakers, topics, exhibitors, sponsors, and even the venue. The Twitter feed can actually be used as a source to help plan future events.

    Other ways Twitter becomes invaluable to you, imagine real time ways to communicate with those in attendance. Do you have a change in the schedule? Tweet it. Do you have access to speaker slides? Tweet it. Do you have a question or two to ask those attending? Tweet it.  And, after the event, do you want feedback about the attendee’s conference experience? Tweet it.

    Your takeaway from this? Make Twitter a part of your next conference or event to make it a way for those attending to engage with others attending and provide your organization with vital information for future events.

    Follow us on Twitter @gomaava.

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  • Four Rules for a Successful, Professional LinkedIn Network

    by Alyse Mitten

    There are a few rules to remember when building and maintaining a LinkedIn profile. It’s also important to note, if your clients are businesses and not consumers, you want to concentrate on LinkedIn as your social network of choice. With that said, these are four rules to build and manage a successful LinkedIn network.

    Create goals for what you want to achieve on LinkedIn. LinkedIn, unlike many of the other social networks, is all about business. You are expected to talk about your career. Talk about your business, if you own a business. You can do business on LinkedIn and will not be chastised for doing so.

    Suggestions for goals might be: Stay connected with current contacts; Find a new job or career; Promote your business; or Find businesses who have services or products you need.

    Create a profile to align with your goals. Recently, I helped a client rewrite his profile to reflect a totally different focus of work. We eliminated certain details from his summary and work history. We then hide any of the skills that didn’t reflect his new job and kept those that made sense for people to endorse.

    It is not necessary to include “everything” you have done in the past. My expertise is to help  businesses market their businesses in print and online. My profile does not include that fact that for over 10 years I owned a successful gift and craft shop. It is not in alignment with my current goals to reach out to decision-makers of  businesses. Know your goals.

    Connect with at least 12 people each week on LinkedIn. Those people may be in your 2nd or 3rd level of influence and you might not know them. That’s OK, you are allowed to reach out to them. They know someone you know in your 1st level. Again, if they are in alignment with your goals, reach out to them.

    By establishing this habit, I have been successful at building a network of over 1,000 1st level contacts with close to 10,000,000 contacts of influence.

    Spend an hour each day on LinkedIn. I know that seems like a lot of time for one social network but, if you are doing business with businesses, this is where you need to be. By looking at it in 15-minute segments, you are able to manage your time and touch on everything that will make your hour productive.

    First 15 minutes, review profiles of any new connections you have added. Look for reasons to endorse them, send a message to do business together, or write a recommendation about their services.

    Second 15 minutes, become a part of conversations on groups you have joined. Organizers appreciate participation. Being proactive and providing information beneficial to the group shows you as a subject matter expert. If there isn’t a group in your wheelhouse, create one.

    Third 15 minutes, read through articles found on Pulse. These articles are relative to your interests and provide the latest information for you to stay informed. Plus, it’s another way to comment and be discovered.

    Last 15 minutes, congratulate your contacts for their business anniversary and wish them a happy birthday. It’s amazing how just this little gesture can revitalize connections and generate business. I actually use an app on my iPhone called Connected® available through LinkedIn. It makes this task a breeze and I never forget these special days.

    I assure you by making these four rules a part of your social media mastery for LinkedIn, it can make a positive change for your business! If you are interested in discussing LinkedIn further, contact us today.

     

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  • What Does 2015 Have in Store for Social Networks? Visual! Content! Money!

    by Alyse MittenAs I was preparing for this month’s column, I thought it would be a great idea to share what is being said by other Social Media Experts throughout the cybersphere.It’s no surprise that social networks continue to find more ways to monetize their networks and make it more difficult for businesses to organically reach their audience through quality posting. A part of me laments over the whole dynamics of Facebook boosts. Think about it. They insist that you need to boost your Facebook posts to increase your fan base and then, once you build a fan base, if you do, Facebook makes it difficult to have your organic posts be seen. What is wrong with that picture? Does every post need to be a boosted? And, what really is a fan? Is it a sale? That’s why I find it amazing how business owners have no problem spending the average of $20 for the potential of reaching 2,000 to 3,000 possible fans that maybe will become a fan. Yet, disregard the same amount of money to be spent in print for 30,000 people to see their advertisement, which has a more direct sales experience. It’s just my reality check! I know it is a necessary evil with Facebook. My word of caution on budgeting to market on social networks is to know what you are buying, and create a goal on results. I know for us as a social media management company, it certainly will change the way we work with our clients to market their businesses through social networks in 2015. Now, with all that said, What’s in beta right now with Facebook is the ability to add a “Buy” button to your posts. Now, that makes more sense to me. I’m looking forward to testing the Buy button myself, and write a future column about the results.

    Next, get busy with those video cameras and smartphones! With more and more of the social networks providing an environment where videos are accepted, we’re going to see digital network marketing take off. Facebook and, believe it or not, Twitter are making a major impact with video marketing to the point that YouTube is beginning to see a decline. Continuing with this theme, it’s time to include SlideShare and Reddit as social networks of choice for your business. I never thought about these two as social networks but, hey, why not. If there is a social network out there that benefits you to get involved so you can be found through SMO (Social Media Optimization) I say, “Why not? It is all about repurposing.” I find it interesting that Reddit actually has a website just for those subscribers who want to see videos. It’s Reddit tv. That’s how important it is for video to be seen.

    Content is still King… wait, that’s not how I say this. Relevant, timely content is king. We will continue to see this building to the point that by 2020 there will be a 600 percent increase in content online. And, frankly, I think, like others, that this number is very conservative. As more eBooks continue to emerge from self-published authors, the internet will continue to build with content.

    How are you planning to use social media marketing as part of your marketing plan for 2015? I know for our clients, we will be educating them on how to incorporate videos into their messages as well as monetize those posts to sell products as well as build their fan base. We know this is so important that we have created a class just to focus on social networks like Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram that focus on sharing videos and photos. Make it a point to include them in your social media marketing.
    – See more at: http://www.422business.com/groups/mastering-social-media/what-does-2015-have-store-social-networks-visual-content-money#sthash.IYPut8PH.dpuf

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  • 12 Easy Ways to Wrap Up a Great Holiday Season

    12 Easy Ways to Wrap Up a Great Holiday Season

    Thanksgiving is behind us as well as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, three of the major shopping days of the year. I hope these events were successful for your business. Now is no time to rest and coast through the last month of the year when it comes to finishing out your holiday season marketing. By making email and online marketing as part of your marketing campaign, you can easily create new and easy ways to market your business.Here are 12 ideas to make these last weeks a success.1. Last minute gift guide. Help your customers find that perfect gift with a last minute gift guide. Make it easy by suggesting gifts for mom, for dad, for your kids. You get the idea.2. Reward cards. Reward clients to draw business after the Holidays. Reward people for shopping in your store by adding a bonus like a gift card or gift certificate. Offering a gift card as a bonus can increase sales during the holiday season, and can also help introduce you to new customers in the process.3. Have a sample sale. Showcase some of the different products you offer with a holiday sample sale. For a business like a bakery shop, a sample sale lets customers experience their different recipes and share with holiday guests. Think of ways you can let people sample your products and services this holiday season.

    4. End-of-year update. One of the best ways to celebrate the holidays is to reflect on all that you’ve accomplished in the previous year. Share a special connection with your customers and they’ll be happy to hear about all of your success.

    5. Send a Happy New Year card. Use the holidays to say thanks to your loyal customers and give them something to look forward to in the New Year.

    6. Naughty or Nice. With so many businesses vying for your customers’ attention throughout the holidays, you’ll need to come up with creative ideas to get your marketing campaign noticed.  Consider using humor to make a lasting impression, while also promoting your holiday special like a Naughty or Nice List. Naughty might be that the 15 percent off one item they keep for themselves. The nice list might be that they pass along the 15 percent off one item to a friend and in return you give them a surprise of 15 percent off one item after the sale.

    7. Countdown to the New Year. Create your own countdown to the New Year. Maybe it could be a countdown of your clients, featuring their businesses in your email newsletter or on your social networks. They will love you promoting their business and you’ll be thought of as one of the businesses who creates connections.

    8. Holiday video. Add some personality to your holiday marketing with a special holiday video. You can showcase your employees or just use the video to say thanks for a great year.

    9. Tie in social media. Offer people multiple ways to connect with you this holiday season. Use social networks like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to showcase your different gift ideas. Even now, consider creating a special board of gift ideas on Pinterest and promoting it to your email list.

    10. Look ahead to the New Year. If you don’t have a lot going on during the holidays but have big plans for 2015, you can use the holidays to promote your upcoming activities. Use online registration to make it easy for people to sign up in advance.

    11. Holiday event. Hosting a holiday party is the perfect way to thank employees and customers for their continued support all year long. After all, they are the backbone of your business and you want them to know just how much you care.

    12. Photo contest. Everyone is into selfies, create a fun photo contest like the  “12 Days of Ugly Sweater” contest or the “Best fruit cake Ever” contest. Make them fun and engaging.

    As you can see, these 12 easy ways will wrap up a great holiday season. They aren’t too difficult to implement and may have been something you did in the past. I hope they help you to finish out a successful 2014.

    From the staff of Interlace Communications, we wish you a joyous holiday season.

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  • Embrace Your Raving Fans!!!

    by Alyse Mitten

    I am going to go a bit off course this month and not focus on just social networks. Why you ask? Well, I wanted to talk about a book written by David Meerman Scott called The New Rules of Marketing & PR.

    I love the one section of his book that talks about creating a “World Wide Rave,” which is how to take something you have created and let people run with it. The “Rules of Rave” are what really hit home with me and are in line with what I teach.

    1st rule: Nobody cares about your products (except you). That is so true. That seems a bit harsh but if you think about it, you will come to the same conclusion. We care about what WE want. Can your product make me rich? … healthy or beautiful? … or make my life easy or fun? It’s the Three Me’s. I’m sure there are more me’s, but those are the three that stand out the most in marketing and advertising for me.

    2nd rule: Stay away from coercion. The Internet has made the word FREE a very dirty word. How many times have you clicked on a free button on the Internet only to find there are conditions and it sends you off to buy something? Trust what you have. If it is great, the crowd will love it.

    3rd rule: (I love this one.) Lose control. You have to lose control of your message to allow the raving fans to make it viral. You have to let go and trust the crowd.

    4th rule: (This is social networking 101.) Put down roots. If you want your idea to spread like wildfire, you need a presence where your clients gather. I always tell my clients never market or advertise your business if you don’t see your competitors there. Why? Because that’s where you’ll find your clients and future clients. Think about why fast food restaurants are all next door to each other.

    5th rule: Create triggers that encourage people to share. What makes you unique? Make it simple and easy for your fans to share what you have.

    6th rule: Point the world to your virtual doorstep. Make sure you have a lot of virtual doors for people to find you, but have the same message as not to confuse them. Make sure search engines can find you through many different means.

    Make it easy for your raving fans to make you a “World Wide Rave” through these six rules. Find that idea you would like to promote, create a plan of how to have your raving fans spread your idea and share your stories.

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  • How’s Your SMO?

    How’s Your SMO?

    by Alyse Mitten

    There’s more than one way for your business to be found through search engines. Businesses who are active on social networks are finding that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or LinkedIn are showing up as part of their search and sometimes before their website. When social networks are optimized, it is called Social Media Optimization (SMO).

    Recently we completed a new website for a local dry cleaning business. We optimized the site and when testing the site for SEO, we noticed their Facebook page came ahead of their site and also ahead of other major sites that normally take top position in ranking.

    What created this ranking was the correct usage of keyword phrases. Keyword phrases are a combination of three to four words used to find them in a search. Let’s look at our dry cleaning business to give you an example of this. Her business provides as one of their services wedding gown preservation (and the town she is trying to target). That’s a four-word keyword phrase. By using this combination of words in posts and on the about section of her Facebook page, she insures her Facebook page of helping to be found through search engines.

    Social Media Optimization (SMO) is just as important as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

    Below are three ways to maximize your SMO:

    1. Know your keyword phrases and make sure they are optimized on your site. Word of advice: What you think they are might be a totally different story to what your website is delivering as keyword phrases. I have seen, so called, search engine optimized websites with keyword phrases totally off the mark and not showing any of the keyword phrases a person would search to find the site.

    2. Complete all areas on your Social Network pages that will include your keyword phrases.

    3. Post often to keep the information fresh.

    Interested in learning more about social network marketing or email engagement? We have a vast variety of blogs on our website. If you’re ready to start marketing your business vial social media, give us a call and let’s chat.

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  • Six Rules for the Mastery of Social Media for Businesses

    by Alyse Mitten

    When teaching a class about Social Media Mastery, I find it interesting to see the level of knowledge and involvement when it comes to using social networks as a marketing and sales tool for business. It goes the gammit, from total lack of involvement, to over the top, in your face. To find a balance for social network involvement, is to understand the rules of Social Media Mastery.

    Rule 1 – Understand the Big 5 [Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube]. There are similarities among all the networks, from having an account and communication among the community. Each network has its niche, and that is where you need to decide what network to choose. Facebook is involvement of business to consumer. LinkedIn on the other hand is business to business. Pinterest is a reverse of the business to consumer model where the consumer drives the interest. Do you know your audience? If so, choose the right network to master.

    Rule 2 – Research. Diving into a social network without knowing all the dynamics is like diving into a pool of quick sand. You’ll quickly be spending countless hours of unproductive postings to an audience who may or may not produce results.

    Rule 3 – Complete your profile. A typical profile on any given network takes approximately one to two hours to complete. Plan for it. Social Media Optimization is beginning to have an impact with the search engines. Take advantage of your social networks to help be found in searches. It’s just not your domain that will help you get to the top. With that said, a partial completion of your profile will not help at all.

    Rule 4 – Engage. You’ve finished your profile. Who are you going to invite to your social network domain? Think this through. Your 85-year-old grandmother is not going to help you on LinkedIn where the environment is all about business. Her days of contacts to help your business may be over. On the other hand, grandmother might be very involved with her grandkids who are into video games and you just happen to be reaching out to the gamers who want to beta test your latest and greatest video game. Don’t miss the opportunity.

    Rule 5 – What’s the message you want to share and how often? You are striving to be top of mind for your clients not a pain in the neck. Make sure you mix up the messages to include helpful tips, business involvement, and every once in a while encouragement to buy. We’ll talk about the 3-2-1 Rule another time.

    Rule 6 – Measure your results. It’s important to know the results of your efforts. Make a point to check this on a regular basis and make adjustments as needed. There’s no reason for staying the course if the course is producing little to no results.

    Use these six rules as a way to discipline yourself in mastering social media for business.

    If you need help with your social media, don’t hesitate to reach out! We assist many businesses manage their social media accounts.

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  • Plant A Seed to Market Your Business

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    Anytime we experience those cold, harsh winters I always welcome spring with open arms and the opportunity to work in my garden and dig in the dirt. I find it amazing to think what you can yield from one, single seed. With the proper planning, planting, watering, and harvesting, one seedling from a green bean can provide a meal, maybe two, for a family of four. Plant a whole row of seeds and you’ll be canning and freezing beans to eat well into the winter!

    How does planting a seed have anything to do with social media marketing?

    Everything you do to harvest crops from your vegetable garden you can associate to what you should do to yield a harvest of relationships and business through social media marketing.

    So let’s think about how to approach planning for your business.

    First, all businesses have highs and lows during the year. When are the high seasons for your business?  If it’s the fourth quarter of the year and you are a retail store, begin planting seeds in June. Plant the seeds by picking the products you will be selling in the 4th Quarter. Learn everything you can about the products you will be selling. Collect all the information possible about the products you will be selling. Begin a Buzz about these products well before the 4th Quarter.

    What might this look like?

    The other day I met with a new client who has a variety of high seasons for his business in the first six months of the year. For one product it’s the Spring season. Another, it’s March, April, May. And, yet another it’s January, February, March.  Needless to say, all of our planning for these will be for the whole year.

    This is what we did:

    First We looked at last year’s marketing activities for each of the products and immediately recognized gaps in marketing and some missteps due to timing and the lack of using some of the newer marketing techniques available.
    Second We visualized what the marketing should look like for each of these for next year’s campaigns. Our calendars came out and we plotted out the activities, when they should be done and by whom. We’re already ready for the whole year!
    Third We determined what needed to be added and fine tuned. We included new marketing tools. This client has an email list he can use to reach out to current clients. We decided to add an email management product to send out timely emails. This client falls under the category of a Business to Customer (B2C). They are currently on Facebook and will work on creating cover photos for each of these product lines. We added Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
    Fourth Budgeting was next. What was the funding for the past events? Was the funding in balance with the results? Could have more been spent wisely for greater results? What is the projection for gross revenue? What should you spend on marketing? This is always one of those loaded questions. When starting a business or a new product your marketing budget is going to be much higher than an established business or product. The percentages for a new product could range from 8 to the extreme of 15% and established products could range from 3 to 5% or even less. This is a general rule of thumb we use as a guide.

    Are you ready to plant the seeds for marketing your business’s products or services? With proper planning, scheduling, and budgeting you will be able to harvest the results through increased business relationships and sales.

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    Alyse Mitten, owner of Interlace Communications and goMAaVA along with her team, provide  print and online marketing solutions. Interlace Communications is located in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania and services the areas of Chester, Berks, Schuylkill, Lehigh, and beyond. Contact us at 484-709-6564, www.gomaava.com, alyse@gomaava.com. Find us on Facebook at iciconnect, Twitter at GoMAaVA and LinkedIn.

  • When will your next client need you?

    “You never know when your next client needs you until they need you.”

    –by Alyse Mitten

     

    This is one of my favorite sayings. And, it’s true. How many of you with brick and mortar stores and businesses take down your signage when you’re closed. Answer, “You don’t.” You are advertising even when you’re not there. Then, why is it that online businesses or in-home businesses aren’t advertising or marketing online or in print on a regular basis? Your ads are your signage telling people you are in business.When an advertiser calls me to place an ad in MACnet* for a week to see how it works, I cringe and end up refusing to place an ad for a week. I’d rather they go into less circulation for more weeks than to run an ad for one week.

    Marketing/Advertising are events not happenings. Events have a beginning, middle and an end. Happenings are just that…happenings.
    Marketing needs planning for it to be successful. It also needs to be a marketing mix to include: print, online, radio, television, billboards, networking, face-to-face, and whatever your business warrants.

    141*The classified, display and insert network for the Mid-Atlantic Community Papers Association.

    Visit www.macnetonline.com

    for more information on our networks.

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  • What we can learn from Pedro & Wall Drug about eBillboards

    I’m sure all of us who have traveled to the Carolina’s on Rt. 95 have seen the cleaver signage advertising “South of the Border.” Yes, Pedro the donkey. We can learn that with a creative message which creates curiosity we can get people to notice. As we traveled in South Dakota a couple years ago, another such promoter, “Wall Drug” did the very same thing. It was interesting how many people who have gone to this area asked if we had gone to Wall Drug. They didn’t ask about Mount Rushmore or Yellowstone. They asked about Wall Drug. How can we use their method with our own businesses?Well, here’s a new word for you – eBillboard. Let’s create a campaign.Several years ago we owned a cute gifts and collectibles store called “Choice Collectibles.” Our Facebook could have had a series of eBillboards promoting the store and it’s products. Our store had Boyds Bears, Willow Tree, and John Shore products along with all sorts of other gift items.ebillboardsThis is what could have been our eBillboard Campaign for a week. We could have sent one of these out each day for a week and see which one received the best response.

    I think you have the drift. Send your own ebillboard campaign out with five different ideas for every day of the week. See which ones receive the best responses and use then over and over again. That’s what Wall Drug and Pedro do every day of the week. Need artwork created for your e-billboard campaign? Give Kasey a call.

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  • Using the Dropbox with Constant Contact

    This past week I was asked this question. “I am working on a newsletter and I am trying to link the pictures via Dropbox. Can I do that?”

    The answer is yes, by using the public folder in your Dropbox file.

    Here is how you do it.
    There are two ways to access your dropbox folder:
    • Launch Dropbox Website
    • Open Dropbox Folder

    When using dropbox on a normal basis you use ‘Open Dropbox Folder’. Today you will use ‘Launch Dropbox Website’.

    Our example is going to be the .mp3 created to promote the mixer held at Off the Avenue with Merra Lee Moffitt and Rick Herbert. This is a screen shot from the .mp3.

    (By the way, this is great to use for videos, audio files, and pictures.)

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    Step 1: Click on ‘Launch Dropbox Website’ what you will see is a file similar to the screen shot below.

     

    Step 2: Locate the Public folder.

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    Step 3: Upload the file to the public folder, the same way you would do for any other folder in your dropbox.

    There are several ways to do this so I won’t favor one over the other.

     

    Step 4: Once in the public folder, click anywhere between the items name and the document description.

    Do not click on the items name, it will open.

     

    Step 5: When highlighted, like you see in this illustration, click on copy public link.

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    Step 6: Copy the public link to your clipboard and begin to share in emails, enewsletter, on your website or anywhere you can share the link.

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    To see how to use video to promote an event, click the link below to go to Kasey’s public dropbox and view the video.

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