Interlace Communications

Category: Social Media Marketing

  • Small Business Saturday — Ideas #21 to #25 — Marketing Secrets

    Small Business Saturday

    Ideas #21 to #25 — Marketing Secrets

    This week’s theme includes some marketing secrets and tips for Small Business Saturday as well as marketing your business everyday. Some I don’t agree with using and others I actually promote and provide.

    #21 – Ladders  

    Let’s start with Ladders. Yes, Linking Ladders, to be precise. If all you want to do on Facebook is have a huge amount of likes but don’t care about the return of involvement. Join a Liking Ladder group.
    Won’t find me there or ever recommend it to any of our clients. No sir. For our clients, we want quality not quantity, even if it is only 100 or 200 fans. Since I know about it, I feel the need to make you aware that something like it exists.  wanted to share this with you, if interested.

    #22 – A Twitter Shortcut

    The number 1 rule with Twitter is to follow first and then be followed. But who do you follow? Take a short cut by finding an active company or organization and look who they are following or have as followers. Then begin to follow who is on their twitter following. It’s a great way to build who you’re following quickly.

    Make sure to be involved in at least three different social medias

    #23 – Every Door Direct Mail or EDDM

    16¢ a piece for postage? Yes, you can. Get the word out through a mass mailing of your area with the Post Office by using the Every Door Direct Mail. There’s no mailing list. Just a few rules on printing. Try out the Post Office tool to create a campaign and give Jackie a call to create your flyer and assist you with the paperwork for the Post Office.But wait, there’s a way to distribute for only 6¢* a piece. 

    #24 – Inserts. Yes, Inserts.

    You thought inserts were only for big box stores? Think again. With a minimum of 5,000* households at an average rate of $60 per thousand households, your distribution cost is only 6¢ per household. Check out MACnet for a list of publications in the Mid-Atlantic Region. They are a great choice for marketing your business.

    *Check on the minimum. Your cost may vary based on the minimum rate.

    #25 – Remnant Space

    Do you know that from time to time publications will offer remnant space? This happens only at the 11th hour of deadline when sales are light. To take advantage of these deals you need to be ready with your ad copy and money. Savings on remnant space can be 50% or more. All you need to do is ask.We hope you enjoyed the 25 Ideas to prepare your business for Small Business Saturday.
    Need help with any of these ideas? Contact Jackie at jackie@gomaava.com

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

  • Getting a Jump Start for Marketing Your Business in 2018

    It’s that time again. Time to take a look at your marketing program from 2017 and create a plan for 2018. One of the things we do with our Pick Your Own Marketing Plan clients is meet with them in November or December to look at any change they may want to do for 2018. We discussed their goals and plans for growth? We review what is currently working and tweak what may not be working or needs improvement.

    One of the tasks I do to prepare for these meetings is get a feel for what others may be saying about marketing trends for the new year. Here is a preview of what’s trending for 2018:

    Expiring Content

    One that I hope becomes a trend on all social media channels is the option to expire content. For those on Snapchat, it already happens. There is so much noise out there and old content. Imagine being able to choose what you want to save. I know, for me, past event notifications would be perfect to expire with the exception of the photos from the events. How about you? What would you like to see removed from those things you post?

    Live Streaming Videos

    Video was the major trend in 2016. 2017 saw more social media channels specialized in live streaming videos. In 2018 live streaming videos will continue to become more fine tuned. Last year at this time I really liked Periscope. Then I began to experience Facebook Live. Besides some of the glitches with Facebook Live, I have to admit it is lots of fun to not only use, but also to experience.

    You have to Pay to Play

    Way back when the internet was a baby, it was free to market your business on social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Now, with all the algorithms in place to determine when your posts will be seen, it’s now more difficult for your posts to be seen without investing in boosts and ads. Yes, social media is and will become part of your paid marketing expenses. Plan on it!!!! What I find clients frustrated about is how to manage this new marketing investment, when to continue and when to pause. To explain what I mean by this, recently, we had an experience with a Facebook Boost for a local fundraising event. We wanted to sell tickets for the event on Facebook. We decided to spend $50 to boost the event. Our boost was set to sell tickets for 12 days to fans and friends of fans within a 50 mile radius of where the event was being held. The boost began. Day one it reached 1,000 people and not one ticket purchased. Day two it reached another 1,000 people and again no tickets purchased and day three was the same scenario. Most people set their boosts and just leave things ride. Not me, the goal is to sell tickets. By the third day there should have been ticket sales. So, what did we do? Paused the current boost and researched the organic reach of our posts to see which ones were doing well on their own. I choose one, took the remaining amount of money and applied it to this new boost. What happened is what we wanted to have happen with the initial boost. Ticket sales kicked in the very first day and continued. The rule is never put your Facebook marketing on autopilot.

    Artificial Intelligence

    Recently, I was introduced to artificial intelligence when discussing online advertising through banner ads with some of our publisher’s websites. Imagine having a computer provide the current stats for your favorite major league teams. No, maybe you don’t even need to imagine that because it is always happening. Yes, artificial intelligence is around us. We just take it for granted. Here’s a great example: You post a photo of your friends on Facebook and go to tag the photo. Well look at that, their faces on the photo are already tagged because of facial recognition. You didn’t tag them, artificial intelligence did it. Pretty scary!!! There are more examples I’m sure you can come up with on your own which are delivered to your inbox from LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest. They learn about you and your interests to deliver exactly what you want to receive.

    Text Messaging Increases

    The use of text messages will continue to grow as more and more people opt in to accepting them. How many of you already accept reminders to doctor’s appointments? Text messaging will begin to expand beyond the obvious to include payment reminders, alerts, and offers. Does your business or organization entertain the masses? You have a great opportunity to send text messages to your fans to announce competitions, sell tickets for concerts and events, and announce surveys. Like email marketing, text messaging can only be sent with permission from the individual receiving your messages.

    Email Marketing Continues To Be Effective

    Keep your emails simple. The evolution of emails has gone from multiple columns with a heavy slant on graphics to one thought, one graphic, one call to action, one column emails with everything above the crease. Why? You compete with the multitude of emails in the inbox. Your subject line may be the only key to your email being read. Create a reason for your email to be opened. Segmenting your email lists is key. With less is more, you need to make sure the audience wants to receive the email.

    With these trends in mind for 2018, we’ll be discussing how to implement these marketing changes and ideas into our client’s monthly marketing plans. We hope you do the same for your business.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • How’s Your Website Ranking on Google Searches?

    Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short is one of those mystifying marketing pieces for business owners. In fact, one of the interesting emails I receive from clients is when they forward me an email that says, “We have noticed that your website needs help in being found when searched on Google.” They wonder if they need to do anything about their website ranking. I always ask them this question, “With the millions of websites online, how did they find your website?” There is usually dead silence on the other end while that question computes.

    Another question I ask them is, “Exactly what is it that they are claiming to get you to the top of Google?” Most claim that they can move up your website’s name to the top. My recant to that is, “Why would anyone need to search your company’s name?” If they know your company’s name wouldn’t they be able to find you without searching? And, frankly, if you don’t own the first page of Google for your website when doing a search of your domain name, there IS a big problem with your website ranking.

    So, before you read on, stop and search your domain name to see if YOU DO own the first page of Google. If you don’t, read on and learn more about how to improve your website ranking. If you do, read the article anyway to fine-tune the searches that really matter, your keyword phrases.

    You’re back. How did you do? Let’s look at a few parts of your website that YOU can learn about SEO and help your website developer.

    There are several parts of your website which are very important to optimizing it for all the search engines. Some of the optimization is no longer necessary for website ranking on Google but still used by other search engines, so we always include everything when building a site.

    The Title of Your Website

    Take advantage of the title of your website, also known as your tagline. This should not be the name of your website but instead be loaded with your keywords to describe your business. It should include:

    1. Keywords phrases
    2. Those areas you service – towns and counties. Keep in mind you don’t want to list all of them. We suggest to our customers to focus on up to five locations.

    The Description of Your Website

    This is called the meta description. This description is what is shown when someone searches and finds your website. The description should also include the keywords for your website but be in paragraph form as it will appear right below your website’s name when found in a search.

    H1 Heading

    Every page needs to have ONE and only ONE H1 heading. The H1 heading should also contain your keyword phrase for that specific page. What is an H1 heading? Say you are a realtor. The H1 heading for a property that you are selling would be the main description of the house. The H2 heading would be the rooms within the house, the H3 heading would be more detailed description of the rooms; and the paragraph is even more details about the description. H2 and H3 as well as paragraph can be used more than once. You are probably thinking, what the heck is an H1 Heading? These are the standard settings for the titles, subtitles, and body of your pages. H1 might be the font Arial in size 24pt for H1 on every page. H1 provides a way to create a consistent look on your website.

     

    Backlinks

    What are backlinks? They are links to your website from page to page as well as from website to website. There are two types of backlinks, internal and external. By creating hyperlinks from one page to another you create internal backlinks. External links include links to your social media platforms and links from websites that are relative to your business. How to obtain good links are by inviting guest bloggers to your site, link vendors and service providers to your website, and write blogs that attract people to find your site.

    What about images & videos?

    Visually, we as humans, see the photos and can describe what is in a photo. Unfortunately, search engines have no clue what is in a photo. They need your help. When uploading a photo to your website, naming it IMG-255.jpg means nothing. Take advantage of using keywords and locations not only for the name of the image but also the “alt-tag” of the image. If you are a realtor and have a photo of a brand new property, change the name of the image to something like – single-home-3-bedrooms-2-baths-pottstown.jpg. For the alt tag, change the “-“ to spaces – Single Home with 3 bedrooms & 2 baths in Pottstown, PA . Use the same theme when uploading videos. You know you have an alt tag for your photo when you take your mouse and hover over a photo and this yellow popup of text describes the photo.

    There is much more that needs to be done behind the scenes to help your website move the needle on Google. I included information for those areas of the website where you can help your website developer to tweak, adjust, and improve the keyword phrases, information for your photos and videos, and links to your site.

    Just an FYI, the better your website ranking is and the more you are on Google, the more of those emails you will receive that your website needs help to be found. My suggestion is to smile knowing everything is just fine.

    If you are looking for help in working on the SEO for your website, contact us today!

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • Using Email Marketing to effectively achieve your Social Media Goals

    Using Email Marketing to effectively achieve your Social Media Goals

    As an authorized local expert for Constant Contact, I often share information about the benefits of email marketing as a lead generating tool. Combining email marketing with your favorite social media channel can become even more powerful through a campaign. Here at Interlace Communications, we work with businesses and organizations to have a powerful email marketing campaign.

    campaign, small business marketing company, small business marketing company hamburg pa, small business marketing company wyomissing pa, small business marketing company allentown pa, small business marketing company schuylkill pa, website design , website design hamburg pa, website design allentown pa, website design wyomissing pa, website design schuylkill pa, marketing hamburg pa, marketing wyomissing pa, marketing allentown pa, marketing schuylkill pa, virtual assistance , virtual assistance hamburg pa, virtual assistance wyomissing pa, virtual assistance allentown pa, virtual assistance schuylkill pa, graphic design, graphic design hamburg pa, graphic design wyomissing pa, graphic design allentown pa, graphic design schuylkill pa, print marketing hamburg pa, print marketing wyomissing pa, print marketing allentown pa, print marketing schuylkill pa, brochure printing hamburg pa, brochure printing wyomissing pa, brochure printing allentown pa, brochure printing schuylkill pa, advertisements hamburg pa, advertisements wyomissing pa, advertisements allentown pa, advertisements schuylkill pa, website maintenance, website maintenance hamburg pa, website maintenance wyomissing pa, website maintenance allentown pa, website maintenance schuylkill pa, social media marketing small business, social media marketing small business hamburg pa, social media marketing small business wyomissing pa, social media marketing small business allentown pa, social media marketing small business schuylkill pa, constant contact marketing, constant contact marketing hamburg pa, constant contact marketing wyomissing pa, constant contact marketing allentown pa, constant contact marketing schuylkill pa, email marketing, email marketing hamburg pa, email marketing wyomissing pa, email marketing allentown pa, email marketing schuylkill pa, marketing assistance, marketing assistance hamburg pa, marketing assistance wyomissing pa, marketing assistance allentown pa, marketing assistance schuylkill pa, When we work with clients to market their business, their email list is a very important key to reaching out to their “warm market.” These are people who they have met, do business with or may be interested in doing business. They can also be businesses and organizations who support their business such as vendors, business associates, and support associations.

    There may be a chance your warm market is also involved with you on your social media channels and that is great. But what if they aren’t? Or, how could they help you achieve even more on your social media channels?

    In a past email campaign we conducted with a local organization, we reached out to those “raving fans” the organization had as a part of their email list and asked them to support the organization even more by going to their Facebook page and writing a review. To get their attention and give them even more of a reason, we offered an incentive by creating a contest to win a gift card.

    So how do you go about creating an email campaign?

    The first step is your goal.

    What is your goal for the campaign? We’ll start there first. Is it you want to build your Facebook likes? Is it you want to sell more products or services? Is it you want to get more attendance to an event? It’s important you identify the reason and make it a SMART goal.

    Next, create a sense of urgency.

    With any SMART* goal it needs to be timely. Offers and promotions need a deadline to create a sense of urgency. Create a small window of time for those receiving your email campaign to react and take action. A SMART goal is “S” Specific, “M” Measurable, “A” Attainable, “R” Relative, and “T” Timely.

    Make it easy to participate.

    Whatever you do, keep the rules easy and provide a direct link on the social media channel to exactly where you want them to go. If you want them to leave a review, take them to the review section. If you want them to see a link, put the link directly in the email.

    Create an incentive.

    Make sure that the incentive is something everyone on your email list would want or could use. It could be to a local restaurant if those on your email list happen to all be from the local area. It could be to a major company who provides a variety of products or services that anyone could use anywhere.

    Some final thoughts to share about the email campaign.

    How often should you email those you would like to target in the campaign? The answer, two times: once to introduce the promotion and a second time as an announcement for the final deadline.

    Where to announce the winner? Since the promotion we were doing was through their email list, we could announce the results and the winner through email. We knew exactly who had participated.

    What were the results of the campaign we conducted with the local organization? We doubled their Facebook likes and added 39 reviews to their Facebook page. Their goal for reviews was 25. The Facebook likes were a bonus for them.

    With these step by step instructions there should be no need to question on how to create a promotion utilizing your email marketing system. Author’s note: These instructions are ONLY to be used when creating your promotion through an email campaign. Promotions directly on Facebook must include certain information and can only be conducted through your business page.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

    The team of Interlace Communications is here to help you achieve your SMART goals with social media marketing, email marketing, and print marketing. Give us a call at 484-709-6564 or email kasey@gomaava.com to help you create your next campaign.

  • No Facebook Page for your business? Are you behind the curve?

    No Facebook Page for your business? Are you behind the curve?

    The answer is NO!!!

    As I was preparing for my Social Media Class at Reading Area Community College, I had the most interesting experience happen to me. A week before the class a friend asked me to help him learn how to use Facebook. Me, being the helpful person I am, said, “Yes.” We sat down for what I thought would be a mundane experience for me which turned into a great lesson to share with my class and also you.

    Because my friend only had a few likes and posts, I decided to use my own Facebook page for a better learning experience. While there I went to my notifications and noticed a friend of mine had shared an invitation to like his Facebook page. Now this is a very well-known person in the community so he had a multitude of friends. To show my friend how this works, I clicked on the new business page to find it looking like this: No profile photo & No cover photo, no post, no nothing. Oh, but somehow he had 5 likes. So, because I was curious as to what would happen with this page, I clicked and became the 6th like.

    The next day, curiosity got the best of me and I went back to find this page of nothing had 61 likes!!!! Yes, sixty-one! Oh, there was now a profile photo … not with his logo but instead his photo. Oh, did I tell you what type of business this was? No?

    He is a photographer. His profile photo was a photo of him???? Someone did comment, nice selfie.

    I forgot to tell you the best part of all of this, when I went to search his name the next day, I noticed that 1,000 people were talking about the page. What this means is that all the 61 people who liked the page had this mentioned in their news feed to their friends. He had been seen by over 1,000 people. Imagine if he really would have had this page ready for those visiting his Facebook page. If he would have had photos of his work, his logo on the profile photo area, a collage of photos of his work for the cover photo, when he is available, and where he is available.

    The following week I visited the page before my class and he had 72 people like his page with no additional information or posts added. Still the same photo for his profile and no shares, likes, or comments. Oh, but somehow he had two reviews with 5 Stars. Someone knows what to do to help promote this page.

    This experience was a good lesson learned on how NOT to promote your page on Facebook and missed a huge opportunity to do business on Facebook. His experience was an affirmation that businesses who are not on Facebook have not missed the opportunity but instead would be entering a social network which is not only ready but accepting of your business. Facebook has and continues to change the way people can choose what they do and don’t want to see and experience. It’s all a matter of knowing what your fans want you to share.

    Using the Analytics on Facebook are key to choosing the right time to post your messages on Facebook. Creating a mix of videos, photos, surveys, helpful tips, and audience participation are key to engaging with your audience. Weekly review of your analytics will tell you what is working. When a post seems to have an interest from your fans, reach out for more fans by investing in a Facebook ad which is sent to your friends of friends. Yes, if you are an avid reader of my articles you know I’m not big on spending money on Facebook ads because of the wasted money with Bots but, there are times when it makes sense. The chance of wasting money through a post within your circle is less likely to be wasted. Make the best use of your marketing budget by following this method for Facebook advertising.

    Is it too late to market your business with Facebook? Absolutely not. I do caution though that because your audience is ready, you need to be ready, too. Your Facebook page needs to be complete even with posts that have been backdated. Now a note to myself, reach out to my friend and help him with his business page before he says, “See, Facebook doesn’t work.”

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

    Alyse Mitten, Head Honcho of Interlace Communications, Inc. | GoMAaVA along with her staff, work with their clients to engage with their customers through websites built with SEO, social media marketing/social media engagement, and email engagement along with print marketing and advertising. We believe in a well rounded marketing strategy with current and traditional marketing.

  • Could You Wear It on a T-Shirt?

    business, business sense, designIn a conversation at a Youth Leadership event with the local chamber, we were discussing social media and one of the comments shared was when posting on the internet, we should ask ourselves the question, “would you wear what we have said on a t-shirt?” What a great way to look at each message you are sharing online with that lens, business or non-prophet or group alike.

    This month’s blog is focused on the content you are sharing on social media: how to monitor; what tools to use, and systems to follow in writing content.

    One of the biggest fears business owners have about social media is negative feedback. Since Facebook rolled out the Facebook Reactions, now, more than ever, business owners are more fearful of the repercussions from their fans. Wait though, they are fans, cheerleaders for your business! Why be fearful of their feedback? Frankly, I like this feature. For instance, someone shares a sad moment and “you give them a thumbs up?” I’d rather a person be able to imply they are sad, too, and now they can. This feature is much more of a true picture of the fan’s feelings.

    business, ideas for your business, facebook reactions

    Another feature on Facebook is Facebook Messenger for businesses. In the past, there was no way of having a private message with a customer on Facebook, but with Facebook Messenger that is available now. Keep in mind, it is limited to the fact that a customer must message you first before you can send them a direct message.

    Facebook provides you with all sorts of tools to monitor your social media from their insights section. One app you want to make sure you have on your phone is Facebook Page Manager. This app will help you be able to monitor your business page right from your phone!

    Another good tool to use to help curate content for your posts, blogs, or website is “Google Alerts”. These are very easy to set up and very easy to use. Go to https://www.google.com/alerts to set up an alert for your business name. See what people are saying on the internet.

    Now that we know ways to monitor our posts and tools to use, let’s actually tackle the content. We often share with our customers the following: 50% of the posts are engaging and fun; 30% are informative; and 20% are selling. So let’s plan this. You have ten posts. Of the ten posts, five are engaging, three are informative and two are sales. Let’s say you have a pet store.

    The five are posts like:

    1. What is your favorite breed of dog?
    2. How many times this week did you take a walk with your dog?
    3. Include a picture of your pet.
    4. Join us for an upcoming fundraiser.
    5. What is your favorite type of fish?

    The three posts are:

    1. Do you know that flowers in your house may be poisonous to your pet?
    2. How to care for your beta fish.
    3. Summertime fun with your dog.

    The two posts are:

    1. How to purchase the best bed for your dog.
    2. Sale on goldfish.

    Obviously, you will mix up the type of posts.

    With following a system for posting, utilizing tools for a better experience with social media and monitoring the results, you’ll soon be a social media expert.

    Alyse Mitten, owner of Interlace Communications, Inc. | GoMAaVA, along with her staff, provides their clients with the expertise of knowing what to say and how to say it for business success. Give them a call at 484-709-6564 or email kasey@gomaava.com.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • Bots or Nots…over $4.88 of $11 B is wasted in ad spending. Ouch!

    Bots or Nots…over $4.88 of $11 B is wasted in ad spending. Ouch!

    Ok. You haven’t seen much from me in the way of promoting Facebook boosts in my column. Maybe it’s because of my allegiance to print advertising where I know how many real, live people are receiving the papers. No bots there! I cringe when people say to me I spent only $20 for 1500 people on my boost to become fans. Really? Only 1,500 people when you could have taken the very same amount of money and advertised to 30,000 real, live people. Well, enough of comparing notes on print verses online. I don’t even have to defend that fact. You can safely figure that of the 1,500 “people” who have the opportunity to maybe click your ad, there are bots out there, about 50% of them that are clicking your ad, too. Well, that’s only 750 fake clickers. But what if you spent $200 for 30,000 people? That’s 15,000 bots wasting not only your money but also your time and … trust.

    These bots are called fake ad clicks also false user accounts and they are out there creating the façade that you’re getting interest to your business. Bots should really be called Brats. They are computer programs that automate tasks to create fake clicks, generate fake user accounts, inappropriate comments, and steal your content.

    Bots! How can you tell?

    The other day we met with a new client to discuss their Facebook activity. The business is fairly new and their Facebook page had over 2,000 fans in a region which wouldn’t have produced that type of fan base in such a short period of time. I could tell without asking whether he had invested money in boosting the page. What really gave it away was the insights. Of those 2,000 fans, there was only evidence of activity from 50% of the fans on Facebook. The others were nothing more than bots. You can bet his boosting days are over.

    So what do you do to combat this?

    Well, maybe you want quantity. When meeting with a client I explained what happens and that only 50% of the clicks to their page will be real, live people. He was fine with that. He just want the numbers to compete with others in his industry who are doing the same. Ok, so I can live with that. Then there is knowing how to set the demographic information so you are leaning towards more real, live people instead of bots. Demographics could be a whole other column of conversation.

    Good ‘Old Sweat Equity!!!

    I’m a firm believer in quality versus quantity and engagement with those who WANT to know about your business. It’s about the messages and engagements. It’s about quality, relevant content in the form of videos, photos, and words! It’s about having a goal and a plan for what you are going to share with those prospects. It’s about rolling up your sleeves and creating real engagement with real, live people.

    Is it bots or not bots? That’s your decision.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

    Alyse Mitten and the team of Interlace Communications offer advice and assistance with online and print advertising. Interested in sending the right message to your current and future clients, see Interlace Communications for all your needs.

    www.iciconnect.com | alyse@gomaava.com | 484-709-6564.

     

  • Are You Ready for Snapchat and Periscope? Predictions for Social Media 2016

    social media engagement, 2016 Social Media Trends

    Each year, I like to research what’s being projected to happen in social media marketing for the upcoming year. It’s a great way to make adjustments of what we are doing and find out what’s being planned for growth and changes. Last year it was all about Facebook and Twitter adding videos to their social media platforms. This year, my review includes projections from Huffington Post, SproutSocial, AllInOneSocial, to mention just a few and it seems we’re still looking at video as a focus, but with a twist.

    In every blog I noticed the same mention of live video and live stream. A mention of Snapchat was high on the list as well. In fact, if your target marketing are the Millennials, embrace Snapchat and keep your eye on Vine, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Kik. The big five will continue to develop their enhancements to keep their real estate.

    Huffington Post shared these as Social Media Trends for 2016:

    Small(er) data is here. What is meant by this is that it’s time to micro-target your audience. Think about what Snickers is doing with their candy bar by recognizing emotions and personalities — “princess,” “crabby.” Or how about Coca-Cola recognizing consumers by first-names?

    Live broadcasting is becoming the new real-time. Having created a social club site, I know this to be true and have to say, it is much easier than ever to set up live streams for your clients to engage with live broadcasting. Snapchat, Periscope and YouTube can help you make all this happen. Andre Young, from YouEvolvingNow.Com, makes it happen by providing members to be a part of their M.E.N. and W.O.M.E.N. Forums, while they are happening.

    The passionate consumer is the new influencer. Remember when the rule of thumb was it took seven touches to reach out to your consumers. Consumer engagement through social media with comments, shares, and likes not only convert to customers, but help to convert others. One mention that I found interesting was that posts with curated content links generate 33% more clicks than original content links. I guess that makes sense because of including information provided from another source and referencing that source. I’m sure this article, when posted on LinkedIn, may have the same result.

    GIFs and immersive video are driving forces of engagement. 2016 will be the age of videos and video social networks. Now wait, didn’t I say that last year? Well, I guess we can repeat ourselves. Messaging apps and emojis just keep growing. Facebook Messenger continues to make it more fun to connect. A few to check out include: Liketoknow.it, Like2buy. Then there’s Twitter and Facebook with it’s Buy Now buttons. Get ready for Facebook’s “M”, to help you to personalize your needs. “M” will join forces with Siri, Cortana and Mona.

    While visiting All In One Social, top influencers shared the same sentiments that video, live streaming, and visual content will be big in 2016. Animated GIF’s and auto-play video will be the normal for social medias and websites.

    Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram will begin to push their “Buy Buttons” even more. Ironically, Business Insider reported that active social media users really don’t care about the Buy Buttons. In fact only 9% of respondents on Facebook showed interest. Then again, there was a time when the internet was ALL FREE advertising and, guess what, it’s now all about “pay to play.” My take on this is, we are at the beginning of the Buy Button Era. Somehow Facebook will find a way to MAKE ecommerce businesses HAVE to use Buy Buttons to see any sort of ROI on Facebook. The question will be how will they increase the interest and up the social media engagement?

    Personally, I’m not at all surprised by what I see as trending for 2016 and look forward to continuing to work with our clients who are already using live streaming as part of their social media engagement and are ready to introduce to our other clients who are candidates for live streaming. I also look forward to sharing more about all of these social media engagement methods to engage with you in my future articles.

    Alyse Mitten, Head Honcho of Interlace Communications, Inc. | GoMAaVA along with her staff, work with their clients to engage with their customers through websites built with SEO, social media marketing/social media engagement, and email engagement along with print marketing and advertising. We believe in a well rounded marketing strategy with current and traditional marketing.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

    Alyse MittenInterlace Communications, Inc. | GoMAaVA

    P O Box 433 | Hamburg | PA | 19526 | 484-709-6564

    Iciconnect.com | alyse@gomaava.com

     

    Resources:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/layla-revis/social-media-trends-2016_b_8914190.html

    http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/

    http://www.allin1social.com/blog/social-media-marketing-trends-in-2016

    http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-users-dont-like-buy-buttons-2015-12

     

  • Build right! Drip and Post Often

    When Paul met with me the first time, he had an adequate website but it wasn’t producing the traffic he was looking to reach. He also had an email engagement in place but was lacking in the engagement part of it. His social media presences was nonexistent.

    Build Your Website Right for Marketing…

    As we built his site it was apparent he had a great product which could be turned into a fillable, downloadable document that people could complete online. We also identified several key topics that could be created into videos. While working on the videos, Paul discovered a way he wanted to introduce the fillable document. We went to work on all the pieces of the site. While working on creating a gateway system where people would come onto the site, view a whiteboard introducing the document, we began to build an email drip program to help engage with those downloading the document.

    Create An Email Drip Program …

    The email drip program began 24 hours after they signed up for the document; two weeks later another email to see how they were doing; one month later a stronger email to check on their progress and provide more details about Paul. Along with the specific emails there were also ways to drip relevant information to educate them about other products and topics.

    Let’s Get Busy About Those Posts …

    email drip, social media plan, business planningWith the website and email drip program in place, we moved onto choosing the right social network to promote the business. Paul’s potential clients were identified to be between the age of 35 to 60; within 25 miles of his location; male and female; employed with retirement accounts. No need to concern ourselves with talking about business. We began to work on building our presence on Facebook by creating a business page. We built the interest to the page from inviting those he knew on Facebook, through his email engagement, as well as, having others within his circle invite friends as well.

    Then it was the message we wanted to send. With our arsenal of videos and content, it was easy to create a variety of engaging posts and boosts. Yes, boosts. Our goal is to reach out and build an initial following of 200 fans. With the right message, our videos, and interesting content we will create a buzz and get them into the sales funnel.

    With this online triad in place, it will become your online marketing arm to help drive new and current business to you. Once built it is important to continue to make changes on the regular basis to your website in the form of blogs and relevant information, send out email drips on a regular basis, and become involved with your social media audience on a daily basis.

     

    The team of Interlace Communications works with businesses through online and print marketing. Give them a call at 484-709-6564 or contact ICI to help your business grow.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

     

  • #Hashtags. #Somisunderstood. #Somisunderused.

    #Hashtags. #Somisunderstood. #Somisunderused.

    With out a doubt, every time I teach a class, there is always someone in the class who asks me, “What is a hashtag?” I then explain what it is and does to fine tune searches for your specific event, product, phrase, or business. Let’s look at how it works.

    First of all, let’s discuss the evolution of the #hashtag to have a better understanding of where it originated from, and why it was created. Believe it or not, hashtags were used long before Twitter. In 1970 the hashtag (a.k.a. Number sign) was used to in front of the word immediate in the assembly language of the PDP-11. It wasn’t until 2007 when the first # (hashtag) was seen in a microblog on Twitter by Chris Messina from IRC. Two years later is when the hashtag became a practice with Twitter microblogs. It was also in 2009 that Twitter hyperlinked all hashtags. At the same time, Twitter introduced “Trending Topics” and displayed those hashtags with the most interest (or trending, as it is dubbed).

    Why is it called hashtag and not pound sign as we know it in the United States? Well, it seems as though in other countries, the pound sign is known as a hashtag. The term “hash tag” was first used in a blog by Stowe Boyd in 2007 and the rest is history. *Enough about the history of how the hashtag came to be, why use it is the real question?

    For An Event
    When holding an event, a hashtag can be used to provide those attending with a way to find out what is being said about the event and even used if there are changes. A for instance, many events will create hashtags for their events. An example being an event we attended several years ago: #onecon2014. When you do a search of #onecon2014 you can still find what was shared from the event.

    For a Product
    By creating a hashtag about your product you create a way for people to find your business in other ways. You can also become a part of trending that might be happening for your business or service that you do. An example would be #insulatedcooler. We have a client that sells insulated coolers that can be used to keep things both hot and cold. When you search for this, you can find what insulated coolers are out there and what people are saying about them.

    For a Phrase
    By creating a hashtag for a phrase that represents your business, you are able to attract business to your business through that particular hashtag. A good example of this is #rockyourholidays which is one I used for a series of Constant Contact training sessions we held. You will see when searching this hashtag there are many other Constant Contact ALE’s that used the same hashtag.

    For Your Business
    Every business should have a hashtag relative to their business name. We use #gomaava for ours and when searched you will find everything happening with us. It’s easy to create a hashtag.

    Now, how many hashtags should you use in a post. One is the most appropriate; two is tolerable; and three or more are seen as too extreme. Too many hashtags makes it difficult for the reader to understand your message. In fact, the misuse of hashtags can lead to account suspension.

    For reference Twitter recommends that you only use two, however you can use as many as you want; while Instagram allows you to use up to 30. But be diligent with your hashtags and only uses ones that go with your post.

    By providing you with an explanation and examples of the way to use hashtags, I hope you will make a point of creating them for your events, products or services, tagline or phrase for your business, and your business name. Become part of the trending going on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and many more social networks. Need help to trend your business? Contact #gomaava.

    * Source for the origin of the hashtag – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashtag

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

     

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • Plant A Seed to Market Your Business

    154

    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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

    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.

  • 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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

     

  • 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.)

    130

     

    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.

    129

    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.

    127

     

    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.

    128

    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.

    Share this article:

    [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]