social media strategy Tag

27 Jun Tools to improve your Twitter engagement

Posted at 07:07h in Small Business, Social Media by Bonnie Harris

Simply sending out regular, interesting tweets that your target market might find useful or informative is a good first step, but in order to get the best out of Twitter it's worth actively searching for relevant users and content rather than sitting back and waiting for it to come to you. Increasingly, sites like Twitter and Facebook are used for finding services. Sure, you could trust Google to find a mechanic nearby, but most of us would prefer a recommendation from a real person. Either we ask friends, family members, and colleagues if they know a good one or we turn to social media. Tweeting 'Anyone know a good cheap mechanic in San Diego?' is the work of a moment or two. Monitoring Twitter traffic for queries relevant to your field and location is very easy. Tools like Monitter.com and TweetBeep can be set up to watch for them. A smart San Diego mechanic would get an email alerting them to an opportunity and if they're quick, they could pick up a valuable new customer with a simple, helpful reply. Industry-specific monitoring is also a great way to find sources of useful information and news that's relevant to your company. Other Twitter monitoring tools can help a small business figure out the effectiveness of their engagement.

23 Jun I just got burned by my Hooters past

Posted at 15:28h in Small Business, Social Media by Bonnie Harris

It happened. My digital footprint just kicked me in the badunkadunk. First of all, let's clear this up - I was never a WAITRESS at Hooters but I did write for the magazine for a few years. It was a fun gig - I had rodeo clowns flying over my head at the national PBR championships, I interviewed the WWF tag team champions and I even got to see the finals of the UFC. But a client just turned me down for an engagement because I didn't have an "appropriate" list of clients for them. For most people my fun freelancing days with Hooters Magazine are an interesting anecdote. For these guys apparently not. So this is where we ask the question...how much should we try to control our digital footprint?

20 Jun Don’t look like an old fuddy duddy online

Posted at 07:03h in Small Business by Bonnie Harris

Today we tap into the brilliant (if somewhat twisted) brain of Ayushman Jain, 20-something IBM engineer and writer from Bangalore. In the age of cosmetics, botox and anti-aging creams are we paying enough attention to our online "appearances?" Is your website design just putting off traffic on a daily basis because it too is out of date? Simply put, do you come across like an old fuddy duddy on the Internet? These are just a few hard facts that need a reality check every now and then as one spends more time creating content. Internet standards have changed a lot in the past few years. So has the of audience and the kind of content they're looking for. The most important thing for a dope site has become the content quality and variety of your online presence. Your website will lag in rankings and traffic if it doles out advice that makes you sound like a crabby old aunt. Here are a few tips for keeping up that youthful attitude in your content:

14 Jun Cuddling up to Google Panda

Posted at 12:27h in Uncategorized by Bonnie Harris

Last week we took a look at some of the pros and cons of the Google Panda changes. This week, let’s consider some of the things that you’ve got to do differently on your blog to help your website thrive under the new regime:

13 Jun Guest posting made easy

Posted at 05:59h in Small Business by Bonnie Harris

In April I wrote about guest posting as a way to improve your online reputation and I think we all know why it's great for your traffic numbers. (If you're not sure, here's a great post from sideincomeblogging.com that explains it in detail.) You may not be sure HOW or WHERE to guest post. And you may also be banging your head against the wall at yet another social media task that has no immediate ROI. Just trust me, guest posting is an important part of your online marketing tasks. And it doesn't have to be a time drain. Here are some easy ways to find good blogs to write for, and tips on writing them:

09 Jun 5 easy steps to finding content for social media

Posted at 07:11h in Integrated Marketing, Social Media by Bonnie Harris

On Monday I wrote about services firms that were missing a huge opportunity by ignoring social media. But I truly do get it...it's hard to find time to sit down and post good stuff on a regular basis. And if you provide consulting or other services where your expertise must be proven at all times - you can't just have the admin do it. But face it - social media is here to stay and you need to jump in, even if it's only in a small way. Most people start out by thinking that they have to provide all the content themselves and this is simply not true. Here are some easy ways to find good content for your social media networks - and how to make it easier.

07 Jun Google Panda – pros and cons for your blog

Posted at 07:00h in Uncategorized by Bonnie Harris

by Beth Graddon-Hodgson [caption id="attachment_3217" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Most people could refrain from a cute panda picture when writing about this topic. I could not. B. "]

[/caption] The changes implemented earlier this year by Google Panda have caused widespread panic online with many businesses seeing a drop in their rankings. Now that the dust has settled, over the next couple of weeks we are going to be exploring some of the things that you can do to make your blog content a bit more in line with the new guidelines that Google has set out. But first, to give you a better understanding of what these changes mean, let’s look at the pros and cons as they pertain to your blog content:

06 Jun Consulting firms missing the boat with social media

Posted at 07:45h in Sales, Small Business, Social Media by Bonnie Harris

If you ask me, consulting firms and services companies are missing the boat with social media. I worked in that industry for 16 years - the story of the "shoemaker's son" is never more relevant than in this one. Most consulting firms simply don't put as much effort into things that don't have an instant ROI. I get it - margin is king in that business. I'm not talking about freelancers and solopreneurs here - I'm talking about firms with staff that are out there fighting the good fight every day - and missing a major weapon in their arsenal. Let me tell you what that weapon is: