Just when you think you have the current social media scene figured out, a new platform, updated feature and enhanced algorithm makes you feel like you are in the dark again. Instead of searching around the social world with two hands and a flashlight, try using five W’s and an H. Find out the Who, What, Why, When and Where of each of the six significant social channels’ key audiences and How you can create content to make an impact with them. Search no more. Here’s the current social media scene.
Who: Two billion users are active on the platform each month, with Generation X and Millennials leading the way according to the Spredfast Social Media Audience Guide.
What: According to the same research, Facebook is the best platform to grow a small business and is most useful to retail, media, financial services, and healthcare industries.
Why: The audiences on Facebook go there to discover new products. In fact, 30% of retail shoppers who recently made a purchase discovered a new product on Facebook.
When: On average, the Spredfast guide says that users hang out on Facebook 35 minutes per day and Sprout Social shared that by far Wednesday is the best day to post on the platform. Specifically, businesses should make their move at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on hump day.
Where: More Facebook users view content on mobile devices than they do a desktop.
How: Based on Spredfast and Sprout Social research on the 5 W’s covered above, businesses can reach Facebook’s key audience base by launching new products on the site through images, videos, concise descriptions and links to buy within the same post.
Who: Of the 800 million monthly active users on the platform, ladies and teens comprise the majority of the Instagram crowd according to Spredfast’s research. Females between the ages of 18 to 29 make up the largest demographic and 53 percent of teens use the platform to learn about new products.
What: Retail, sports and automotive businesses can find their niche with Instagram.
When: According to Sprout Social, the best times to post on Instagram are Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday between 10 and 11 a.m.
Where: Most users view Instagram on mobile devices.
Why: This highly visual platform is the place audiences look to learn about new products, follow brands, and check in with influencers to see what they are saying, learning, doing, wearing and buying.
How: Announce new products, show influential people in your industry and community using and talking about those products. Better yet, become an influencer in your industry by sharing how your products and services make their lives better.
Who: There are 317 million active users tweeting, and the majority of them are men.
What: Best platform for sports, media, financial services and healthcare industries, but not the place for retail.
When: Businesses will have the best results by tweeting on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m. according to Sprout Social.
Where: Contrasting with its social cousins Facebook and Instagram, Twitter faithful tend to check the site on desktop devices more than they do on mobile screens.
Why: Audiences head to the platform to get scores, news, reviews, deals and ideas.
How: Post coupons and news about your business and link to your website. When they have more time, they may switch to your Instagram and Facebook feeds to buy your products
Who: LinkedIn is the place to reach other businesses, business owners and professionals. The largest demographic on the platform is between the ages of 25 to 34.
What: A key industry served well by this professional platform is financial services. It’s also the place for business to business marketing and not so much for retail traffic.
When: According to Sprout Social, the best times to post are Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to10 a.m. and at 12 p.m.
Where: Given its professional niche, more users check the platform at home or work, which means their use is on desktop rather than a mobile device.
Why: The audience links in to make job searches, research companies and network.
How: Connect with this platform’s users by posting open positions and sharing research on your product or service. While you are at it, link up with like-minded businesses or research your competition.
Who: This is the space to connect with the guys. Males between the ages of 35 to 44 are the largest user group. Another fun fact Spredfast found is that YouTube’s channels reach more 18-49 year olds than any cable network in the United States. YouTube is second only to Facebook in monthly active users boasting a healthy 1 billion each month.
What: Industries related to media, sports and automotive sectors are served well by this platform.
When: YouTube’s myriad channels draw in users an average of 40 minutes a day.
Where: People are tuning into watch on mobile devices more than desktop computers.
Why: Tubers hang out on the site to interact with brands and follow content creators.
How: Businesses can publish video content showing the benefits and uses of products and services to directly engage with audiences and push them to a website to convert into sales.
Who: The ladies love Snapchat.
What: Retail, media, and sports sectors should snap away with this platform’s audiences.
When: The ladies (and others) open the app 25 times each day.
Where: Snapchat only lives on mobile devices.
Why: Snappers use the platform for its privacy - they control how long and who sees their posts - and of course for the pretty filters and lenses.
How: Use filters for your business and create quick and fun content that is lighthearted and hip. If you want more tips, follow Snoop Dog and Spencer Pratt, they seem to have it all figured out and have the largest following.
Need more help with the current social media scene? Need a strategy or ideas for posts? Give Poole Communications a call. We can help. 800-900-3635.
Sources:
https://assets.khoros.com/content/tipsheets/2018-Social-Media-Demographics-Spredfast.pdf
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/#times-fb
When you're done go to our Insights and pick up some quick tips for your business. Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent regular tools and tips.
© 2019 Poole Communications
Lots of social media buzz but still no business? Everyone’s talking about your latest ad campaign. They’d better, you spent a lot of time, money, and energy creating it. You agonized over every word. Sorted through dozens of visuals. Finally, it all came together perfectly and now your biz has the buzz of your dreams.
But now the buzz is fizzling out and all the hype didn’t translate into actual biz.
Instead of asking WTF (Why the Fizzle?), you should be thinking CTA (Call-To-Action).
Unless you are content with the warm and fizzles, insert a specific call-to-action on every ad within a campaign regardless of marketing channel.
CTAs compel the customer to do something that indicates their interest or need. Ask them to click, download, subscribe, like, take the quiz, share, learn more, get started, and then provide meaningful content when they answer the call to take action.
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And, most importantly CTAs are EXPECTED. Consumers are barraged by hundreds of ads a day. Everyone loves a good cat video, but at the end of the day people have less time and more choices.
Educate them on how to make the best choice by offering ideas, tips, discounts, solutions, and ways to make life easier.
The CTA game takes thought, trial and error, and a healthy dose of patience. It is not enough to add an arrow and “click here” to visit your website. (P.S. They need to know what to do when they get there!)
Think about the buyer’s journey and create links to content for each stage of the process – from awareness and research to prioritizing and purchasing.
Finally, businesses who develop CTAs that connect and communicate value will convert customers and confirm that all the buzz will translate into real biz.
Lots of social media buzz but still no business? Need some help, give us a call at 800-900-3635 and we'll turn your fizz into biz.
When you're done go to our Insights and pick up some quick tips for your business. Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent regular tools and tips.
© 2019 Poole Communications
When fishermen find a honey hole, their smiles are big and their mouths are shut. But when they catch the big one, it’s all about the show and tell. Social media is the new word-of-mouth honey hole; so let's use it to your best advantage.
In business, everyone has access to the honey hole of social media, and the fish swimming in it are free for the taking if you have the right bait. Reel in your own word-of-mouth marketers ready to show and tell tales from your business with the following lures:
Show Others With Their Trophy Fish
Everyone has happy customers, but if you don’t show them off, you might lose the next big one. How can you catch more fish if they can’t see what they are missing?
Lure: Post a smiling customer holding one of the last products on the shelf along with a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out ) message like, “Sam got one of the last She-Shed lock openers! Stop by today to get yours and find out what the wife has inside that place.”
Give Them a Secret to Share
Your social channels should be chock full of exclusive visuals and crave-able content. Everyone is searching for a new honey hole, so make your channel the next secret to share.
Lure: Post behind-the-scenes pictures of new product being delivered, share a new trend from one of the “coasts,” or snap a shot of your team prepping a new service to save customers’ time and money.
Find Your Big Mouths
Pay attention to your followers. It’s likely you have loyalists who like your posts, comment, and share information. They can influence hundreds more, so lure them in with your best bait.
Lure: Give them a free sample or service and ask them to take a picture or share the experience on social media. Follow up by inviting them to a VIP referral club that offers a big discount if they bring fresh fish to your pond.
Open Your Mouth
If you don’t open your own mouth to engage with your following, they might get away. Worse yet, if your fish flip and spew bad information, you need to dive in to rescue your reputation.
Lure: Comment on a recent customer’s post and include a specific detail about your encounter with them. Follow up offline to see how the product is working. Also, be sure to engage immediately with bad reviews and negative comments. Thank customers for bringing the issue to your attention and ask if you can connect privately to find a solution.
Release the power of your customers’ word-of-mouth on social media and watch the flow of free marketing and new fish swim your way.
Need help with your social media posts or planning, give us a call at 800-900-3635 or email us at: info@poolecommunications.com
When you're done go to our Insights and pick up some quick tips for your business. Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent regular tools and tips.
© 2019 Poole Communications
Tuning up your marketing should be like maintenance on your vehicle. Marketing is the fuel that keeps the customer engine running. The good news is that unlike vehicles, marketing inspections don’t have to come with a hefty price tag. Here are 5 tips to tune up your marketing:
When was the last time you viewed your messaging, processes, discounts, service and overall company experience from a customer’s point of view? Click on your ads, sign up for offers, send a family member into your business, email a staff member and review the results. You may find some small tweaks to help you pick up more miles per gallon.
Digital advertising campaigns pinpoint the customers most likely to connect with you based on their online behavior. Combined with relevant offers, creative ads and corresponding landing pages, digital advertising is the best way to diagnose if your campaigns are running smoothly or need some tinkering. Check to see if you are getting the impressions, clicks, website visits and leads you deserve.
Marketing is now more science-based, and while it's still also still an art, you can count on the numbers for truth and finding the best path to success for your company.
Next, review your competition’s website or walk-in to see what gets their sales motors running. Compare price points, review their discount and take an inventory of where, when and what they are marketing. You are sure to find at least one idea to beat them to the finish line.
It's pretty simple to set up a search that flags you whenever your competitors name in mentioned in the news. Set one up today and start tracking.
Look at your business’s exterior touch points. Do your ads, website and displays have a cohesive shine or are their a few chips in the paint? Maybe a quick run through the branding car wash is all you need, or perhaps you can buff a few images to freshen up your look.
Chips or dings? Address them immediately. Don't cover them up. Fix the trouble and polish out the finish.
Finally, ask new and old customers some key questions.
Finally, listen and respond. Use their responses to inform new offers, events and products so they know you made all the right fixes.
Use this five-point inspection any time you need to tune up your marketing and keep your sales engines humming. Need 5 tips to tune up your marketing? Contact us today or call 800-900-3635.
When you're done go to our Insights and pick up some quick tips for your business. Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent regular tools and tips.
© 2019 Poole Communications
As a business owner, it seems like media love from any platform comes with a price tag. If only you could become the media’s valentine. Wouldn’t it be nice if they pursued you for something other than a monthly advertising invoice? Or maybe you have dreamed of a reporter showing up at your storefront with a bouquet of free air time to spotlight your business.
Be Prepared
That dream date can happen if you are prepared with the right content at the right time. Content is the heart of every story, blog, and social media post. Reporters need quick access to experts, facts, statistics, trends, and testimonials to tell stories that are meaningful to audiences.
Your expertise, industry knowledge and experience could be the perfect match for a reporter on any given day, but you have to get in the dating game to start building the relationship and really become the media's valentine. Here are a few ways to get your business noticed by the media:
For example:
Amy Smith, owner, Smith Heating and Air Conditioning (Phone, email, web, social contacts)
Ten year’s experience in residential and industrial HVAC systems
Expert in electrical safety, home energy efficiency and indoor air quality
Next, identify a few journalists in your area who report on topics related to your industry and send them your expert profile through multiple channels. (Social media, email, hand-written note, phone call)
Use facts and figures about your business and create brief, but meaningful tip sheets or infographics. Focus on ways to help the public save time or money, prepare for the future or avoid a crisis as it relates to your product or service. Periodically share your tips with media contacts. Use social hashtags and tag reporters. Example: 3 Ways to Save Money on Energy Costs #energysavings @nbcreporter
Find out what is trending on Twitter, look at what others are talking about in your own social media feeds and track stories in the national news. Connect your expertise with those topics and ask the media to consider you for an interview to share how the topic may impact your community, customers or industry.
Journalists have very tight timelines. If a reporter calls for an interview, that interview may need to take place on the spot, or scheduled in one to two hours. If you ask for time to prepare, you may miss your opportunity. By having topics and tips ready you can quickly accept the request. Reporters will remember your responsiveness and likely reach out to you again. This will help build your reputation as a thought-leader in the industry.
It Takes Time
Finally, it takes time and effort to become the media's valentine, but creating connections and content could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship with no price tags attached.
When your new company is created, there should be a strong emphasis on business cards. Make business cards work for you. Business cards are a tool to let others know what your company is about and what services it provides. A plain white business card does not portray the mission or creativity of a person or a business. Your cards should help make you stand out and be easily recognizable. Bright colors, a distinctive logo, and an easy to read font will make your card stand out from the rest.
Business cards do not have to be boring. They should not look like everyone else’s. Think about ordering square or round cards instead of rectangular cards.
Use the front and back of your card to share your mission. If you are an eco-friendly business, buy business cards made from recycled paper. There are so many ways to make that card work for you! Some people purposely leave a space on the back to write notes or provide other contact information.
Business card marketing is a real thing. It’s effective, and it does lead to new customers and new leads. Here are some suggestions for using your business cards to maximize your customer base:
Finally, make sure your business card is professionally printed on high quality heavy weight paper. You don't want to skimp here. Having trouble coming up with a design or getting your design ready to print? Need help with marketing? We can help. Make business cards work for you. Come by or call 573-221-3635 and we can help you with your business card and any other promotional material you need for your business.
© 2018 Poole Communications
Start with your own. From cleaning up your office to working on your own life, it’s so tempting (and easy) to focus on other people’s messes and problems. The other person’s problem and solutions are so clear and obvious to us. Their mess lures us into a false sense of a simple answer and quick solution. We are so tempted to say, “Why if you’ll only do this, everything will be fine.” Solutions aren’t always as simple as they appear — especially in other people’s lives.
What is difficult and far more bold is to start with your own mess. Start making changes in your own character. Start improving your own attitude. Start that habit at work that you want everyone else to emulate. Start cleaning your own desk and taking control of your own life.
I’ve been working on paring down and simplifying at the office and at home. It feels really good to be organized and uncluttered. In the process, I’ve noticed my tendency to want to “help” others with their difficulties, their messes, and their problems. That silly desire sidetracks me from what I really need to be doing. That distraction stops me from working on my own problems. It prevents me from thinking about and solving my bad habits.
Please don’t think I’m saying don’t care for others or help others. That is not what I mean at all. I’m specifically talking about focusing on others when we seriously need to focus on ourselves.
Often when someone else’s behavior or mess bothers me, I look to myself as quickly as possible to see if I’m guilty of the exact same behavior.
Leave other people’s messes for them. Allow others the joy of solving their own problems. Focus on your own. It may just start a chain reaction of change at the office, at home and in your own heart.
You've heard about "fake news" a lot lately. Well there are plenty of fake invoices out there too. This short article tells you how to spot them.
My clients call on a regular basis saying, "I thought we stopped all yellow page advertising? I just got another bill in the mail today!"
I ask them to send me a copy or if I'm there I ask to see it. It usually looks something like the graphic above. The amounts vary dramatically, but they are usually somewhere near what you have paid for yellow page advertising in the past. The customer name is filled out and it looks like a real invoice.
Imagine how many companies around the country are just paying these invoices. You might be thinking, "What could it hurt? You're getting yellow page advertising somewhere, aren't you?" The answer is; maybe. You may be getting in a national advertising book somewhere.
But consider the fact that AT&T sold off their yellow page division years ago. AT&T is a progressive company. Keep an eye on them to figure out what you should do with your company. They sold the yellow page division for a reason. They projected customers would find information in a new way and that division would no longer be profitable nor viable.
Now take a look at the size of your local yellow pages. You'll notice it's remarkably smaller - and you can't find local business numbers. Another thing you might notice is that hardly anyone is using it. Just ask around.
So if your local yellow pages are not working, how do you expect a national yellow book to work for your company?
Don't fall for fake invoices. Here's what to look for:
The return address is nowhere near your location. Normally your local yellow book will be located in a community near you, and have an address that is reasonably close to your location.
Somewhere on the invoice it will say, "This is not a bill." This is required by law and sometimes it take a few minutes to locate it. But it will be there.
When in doubt, do a quick internet search of the company or call a trusted marketing advisor.
A reputable marketing professional is there to help you build your business. Fake invoices don't benefit your company, they drain your profit. Be on guard.
© Sally Kintz, Poole Communications
By Sally Poole
In fourth grade we lived in Holly Park, which is part of the Seattle Housing Authority. We just called it “the projects.” Mom, a high school drop out, was recently divorced with four kids. We were really poor and didn’t mind at all - except we had to eat powdered milk on the commodity oatmeal we had for breakfast every morning. At Holly Park, we had tons of other kids to play with and learned all kinds of new things.
One of our neighbors and my best friend was Tonya. Tonya's mom would iron her hair in the morning to straighten it. My sister and I would beg her to iron our hair too. We liked it because it made our hair warm. She’d just laugh at us and iron our straight hair too.
Tonya’s brother, Mike was older than us and he was a complete mystery. He would bounce his basketball all the time and tell us frequently, “I’m gonna be a pro.” We had NO IDEA what on earth he was talking about. We tried to find out what a pro was. We even asked adults, but out of context, they had no idea what we were talking about either. You have to remember this was in the 1960’s. Professional sports had not yet become the big business it is today – well, not that we were aware of anyway.
Years later I realized Mike wanted to be a pro basketball player, make good money and have respect.
I started thinking that maybe we should encourage all of our young kids to become a pro. Professionals at something – anything! It would encourage them to work hard on their dream career, practice, maybe go to college or a trade school that they hadn’t considered before. To shoot a little higher (pardon the basketball pun) for a larger goal.
I had no idea what I would do with my life when I was in fourth grade, but I’m proud that I became a pro in my field. I hope Mike became a pro too. I wish all of our kids could grow up to be pros, earn the money they want and get the respect they’ve dreamed of.
