Recently, LinkedIn changed the way their site works, in doing so they've opened up many different possible ways for your brand to garner new business. If you haven’t enriched your profile yet with pertinent and updated information, rich with keywords, do so now, then check out these important updates to help your brand reach its full potential. Company Pages: Company pages have become more vibrant with a new banner photo across the top, adding attractiveness and branding possibilities. Consumers can now go beyond one-on-one connections and follow company pages as well. (If you wish to create a banner, be sure your photo is 646x 200 pixels in size).Targeted Updates: This new update allows you to target the audience you want to reach. For example, when you post an update you can specify an industry or location, or only share with all of your followers. LinkedIn provides statistics on the results of these updates as well.Company Follow Widget: To this point, many businesses have included the link to their company...

It’s easy to assume everyone has a Facebook account. It’s also easy to assume everyone has a Twitter and a Linkedin account. But I can’t tell you how many conversations I have with people who don’t even know what a Twitter is much less be a part of it. I gather there’s as many people actively using social media as there are not, which makes me wonder: how effective is social media when you’re only being heard by half the room?

 

I know what this sounds like, and no, I’m not bashing social media here; I understand the validity and effectiveness of marketing via social sites, but what do you do when your clientele isn’t plugged in? Well, this is when good ol’ fashion writing comes in handy!

 

Email marketing has long been proven effective-long before social media was even a flicker in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye. But many of us have dropped the notion of direct contact and have started mini conversations and virtual connections with our clients, potential clients, fans, followers, and the like....

 

 

I hope you’ve managed to survive Thanksgiving Black Friday and Cyber Monday with nary a scratch! Now that we are in full Holiday swing, it’s time to ramp up the marketing of your brand, and tackle one of the most difficult situations to be in: negative SEO results.

 

Negative comments can be debilitating to a company striving to be the most excellent in their field. But when those negative comments come up over and over in search engines, it can be business crushing.  How do you turn that train around once it gets going? Here are some tips:

 

Respond to a negative comment and do your best to placate the disgruntled client. Make sure you stay on top of any comments made about your brand; the sooner you respond, the better light you will be in.

 

If the negativity is coming from a news article (or you are used as an example in a story of negative behavior), ask the writer for an opportunity to rectify your image.

 

If the negativity is coming...

Halloween is a spooky time of the year, and is generally left to be the focus of only party stores, costume stores, and candy stores. But, really, it’s a great opportunity to market your brand, regardless of what services or product you offer. This opportunity is lost on so many companies, who generally focus on the ad-full marketing behemoth, Christmas. Don’t let this holiday get away from you! Yes, Christmas is a great time to sell your brand, but Halloween is too. It’s the second most profitable holiday next to Christmas. Use it to your advantage to market your brand; here’s how: Engage-This is a great opportunity to get your audience in on the action. Images are a proven method of marketing, and Halloween is an image focused holiday. Regardless of your brand, have fun with your audience, and ask them to post pictures of their costumes on your timeline. This will earn you more likes, and comments and increase traffic. Hashtag It-Hashtags are seen by a wider audience. Once you create one (which can be created...

All companies as of late have gotten on the Social Media Bandwagon. Some find a lot of value in marketing via the social sites, and some fall to the wayside. But if your person (marketing firm, marketing person, etc.) is not paying attention, you could end up paying for advertising that doesn’t make it to your audience. Corporate Branding-If your marketing professional doesn’t understand your brand, then how can he or she market you? Use your logo colors, vision statement, and tagline across all the social media channels to cement your brand in the minds of your audience. Work together with your marketing team to come up with themes that relate well to your corporate image. Social Media Platforms-There is no one size fits all solution to social media. Not all of them are made for you, which means you shouldn’t use all of them if they don’t pertain to your business. In saying that, you have to know what to say that will reach all platforms in the same manner as well. Consistency-How many social sites have you...

We all like to think of ourselves as efficient. We work when we’re not at work, we respond to emails, even if they’re on a night or a weekend. We try to be the best kind of business owner we can be: available. But, have you noticed, you don’t get a whole lot of sleep? Do you find when you do sleep you are restless and wake up even more tired than you were the night before. The culprit may just be the very thing you consider ‘efficiency’: your computer.Your high tech devices generally have a touchscreen or a back light, that comes in very handy when you need to use them on a daily basis. But, when you use these devices (like your smartphone, tablet, and even your laptop), before you go to sleep, the emitting light releases melatonin in your brain keeping you awake (or at the least, restless). There are a few ways to get a better night’s rest:1. Download an app that adjusts the screen according to the time of day. My favorite is www.stereopsis.com, but of course, use the one that suits your needs best.2....

Many say, your brand should speak for itself. But what if your brand is you? What if what you have to offer is a service, not a tangible thing,a nd the only way to sell it is to market yourself? You must learn how to treat yourself as a product, and to self brand your way to success. But where do you start, how do you plan it, and where do you find inspiration to take that first step? You are your brand. Not too many products can actually speak for themselves, so you have to do the actual selling, and be the actual sold item at the same time. In order to do this, you have to understand the four P’s of traditional marketing and implement them in your marketing strategy. Product: There’s the unmistakable blue-green bag; the red and white Coca-Cola logo, and on and on. People should know what to expect as soon as they see you. They should associate your person as the logo of your brand. Giving them a visual isn’t enough though. When marketing you have to drop in key words that your audience can walk away with to...

So much emphasis is put on social media, sometimes it’s difficult to figure out what is the best way to build your brand online. Many marketing firms (and companies doing their own e-advertising) tend to cultivate on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. What many don’t understand, and therefore ignore, is Google+ has so much to offer. Adding the right people to your Google+ circle will help beef up your presence with relevant information that will keep people coming back for more. What’s the point of this you say? Think of yourself in a room full of people. Some of them are neighbors, some of them are family, and some of them are businesses, then even some more are potential clients. Which circle are you going to align yourself with? Chances are, you’re going to join a circle of businesses, and let those circles of potential clients find you, right? Now, take those circles, and apply them to the web, and you have Google+: circles of people conversing with one another. In saying...

 Think Social Media is just for reaching out to those outside of your local area? Here are five ways you can use social media to reach your neighbors and increase business!

There was a time when the words ‘Tweeting’ and ‘Trending’ and ‘Friending’ didn’t exist in our vocabulary. Now we need to use them to reach our audience, but how?