Tune In to Your Customers Using Google Trends

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The Google search engine is a wonderful tool for customers as well as for businesses. We know that search engines help potential customers find your business online but I’m going to introduce a tool that helps business uncover their customers’ interests.  It’s called Google Trends and here’s a quick tutorial on how to use it for discovering Continue reading

The Basic of Social Media Commenting

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It can be exciting when fans comment on your post or leave kinds words on your timeline. The whole idea behind social media is to engage and interact with your fans. However, it’s important to remember, you can’t always control what they are saying. Negative comments are going to happen, fans are going to rave about your products and people are going to ask the same questions over and over again.

No matter what the comments happen to say, it’s all about how you deal with them that is going to set the tone for your social media presence. Here are a few basic rules to help you manage the comments on your social network, no matter how few or how many fans you have.

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Three Simple Tips for Designing Your Brand on Social Media

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When I think back to my teenage years, I remember that I thought there would never be status updates from Coca Cola sandwiched inbetween posts from internet babes and my favorite bands on my social networks. However, that is exactly what my feed is like today. Social media has solidified itself as a necessary and useful tool for brands.

In fact, many brands tend to handle social media much better than most users. I know I would much rather see a thoughtful or clever post from a brand than a friend’s photo of their cat or what they ate that day. Of course, with the good comes the bad, and brands can be as big offenders as anyone else. The following are some general practices for keeping your brand’s content both engaging and interesting.

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How to Attract Great Intern Candidates

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As with any relationship, the one between employers and interns is a two-way street. While hiring an intern is one thing, attracting one is a variable often overlooked. Focus on what you want out of an intern, present those qualities in your search and you’ll be able to find the right applicant in no time. Continue reading

Transform Your Schedule With The Latest Smart Calendar Apps

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In order to maximize your already busy schedule, planning accordingly with a calendar is the only way to be efficient and timely. Obviously, with the advent of the smartphone and other mobile devices, physical datebooks are no longer a necessary tool for any budding impresario. Check out this breakdown of the current trends in smart calendar apps and clear your schedule for a bright future. Continue reading

Five Web Design Trends Happening Right Now

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The world is full of trends. Whether it’s fashionistas wearing the latest from this season, the cool kids listening to the hippest bands or… Web designers utilizing the coolest styles and most user-friendly functionality? Yes! Even web design is full of trends these days. In fact, there are many that you probably haven’t even noticed. Read on to discover the top five trends that I see happening right now, and keep an eye out yourself as style is always evolving. Continue reading

Managing a Brand on Instagram in Five Easy Steps

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As you scroll through countless photos on Instagram, the search for posts to double tap from your brand’s account can be tedious. Not to mention, there is the posting itself. What kind of pictures do you post? How often do you post? How do you get people to pay attention to your company? Stop. Stop it. STOP!

Take a breath. It’s all very simple.

Understanding how to control your brand’s Instagram presence is the first step to answering these questions. Let’s break down five crucial things to remember when managing your company’s account. Continue reading

How to Create a Blog Content Plan for “Boring” Businesses

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Ever had to write engaging content about a new type of diaper? Probably. Sports car? Not so much. It’s probable that you aren’t creating a blog content plan for a new sports car day in and day out. So, how can you create an interesting editorial plan for the most boring of businesses? It’s simple. Get creative and make the unsexy… well, sexy.
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Which Font Is Your Type?

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The right (or wrong) typeface can say a lot about you or your company. Choosing the wrong one can leave people confused, annoyed, or worst of all, won’t leave any impact at all. However, if you make the right choice and own it, your brand will be both cohesive and memorable. There are plenty of different typeface classifications, but we’ll only be sticking to the big four: serif, sans serif, script, and display.
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Creating A Unique Look For Your Pinterest Account

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Once you push past the hundreds of recipes, cat pictures and craft ideas that litter the Pinterest landscape, you’ll find at its base a tool that is perfect for creating an imaginative depiction of what your business does. Through vibrant photography, links to articles about your business and collaborative boards for fans, a well-run Pinterest profile can be a great complement to your other social channels.
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Quick Steps For Local Search Success

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In the past, I’ve had people ask me questions like, “So, I heard you can make me rank higher in Google,” or “Somebody told me you can manipulate Google?” Any person who has worked in the SEO arena over the past few years will tell you that there is slightly more to it than that. In an ideal situation, small business owners would have a basic awareness of the trends in local search, however this is usually not the case. The easiest way to help them understand is by explaining the process of establishing a successful local search presence.
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Avoiding Duplicate Content In WordPress Blogs

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Duplicate content has long been the enemy of SEO, especially after the Panda and Penguin updates. Google is rewarding sites that use original, unique content. Unfortunately your WordPress blog may be creating duplicate content that can negatively impact your search results without you even knowing about it.
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E-Commerce Success Stories: Popfunk.com

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The digital age is funny. The majority of people I hear from who are not in the internet/digital business always make statements like, “Doing business on the internet must be an easy way to make a quick million,” or “I need to get into the digital business. Everyone is doing it and you can make so much money.” Don’t forget my friends, there’s more to the internet than e-commerce success stories and the “quick million” everyone’s chasing. You can lose a lot of money too.
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Virtually Attending Search & Social Conferences Via Twitter

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For most of us, the Twittersphere has become a regular part of our daily lives. We use it for entertainment purposes like morning reading, sharing with friends and colleagues, but Twitter also has great professional uses as well. Today, we’ll look at attending Search & Social conferences via Twitter – the next best thing to being there in person.
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Things To Consider When Designing A New Website

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These days, having an effective website is instrumental for every company. A good – or bad – website can leave a lasting impression on customers and potential customers alike. That’s why getting a new site (or redesigning an old one) can be an exciting process. However, it is a process nonetheless. It doesn’t happen in a day, but getting a few things in order will help speed things up.
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Secret Pinterest Boards Reveal New Marketing Opportunities

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Since the explosion of Pinterest, there hasn’t been much expansion on the photo sharing site’s easy to use “pin and like” format. While there’s nothing wrong with if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it, any major developments that could hint at the future of Pinterest have been virtually non-existent. That is, until the introduction of secret Pinterest boards earlier this week. Continue reading

How To Secure Social Media Usernames & Vanity URLs

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When you are starting a company or marketing for one that is jumping into social, it is very important to get the root usernames that match the brand name. For instance if you are Coca Cola, you would not want to be @drinkcocacola on Twitter or Instagram. That would be a silly social media sin. But what if someone else has your username? Well, man up and let’s get to it. Continue reading

Instagram Scams & How To Avoid Them

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Congratulations, Instagram junkies! Your faithful iPhone photography and unprecedented user engagement has led to a wealth of new and exciting opportunities for you to take advantage of… ahem… I mean, for you to be taken advantage of. Continue reading

Social Network App Focuses On Creative Text

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A well-shot product picture or fancy graphic shared on Facebook or Instagram can easily translate to sales. The makers of Whims, a new social network app, want to flip the script and make it all about words again. Not just any words though, well-designed, stylish graphics of any saying, quote or lyrics that fits your brand’s fancy.
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Social Media and Politics in the 2012 Election

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If you’ve caught any of the presidential debates thus far, you’ve noticed the integration of social media into the greater media’s coverage of the 2012 election. Whether it’s a Twitter scrawl across the bottom of a television screen or online polling that requires a Facebook login, social media and politics appear to be attached at the hip more than ever before. Continue reading

Why a Social Media Profile is the Ideal Destination for Your Consumers

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I heard a radio ad on the way to work the other day and it nearly made me drive off the road. A national company was advertising it’s product, and at the end of the spot the company encouraged listeners to visit its website. Later, we started talking about why social media is more powerful than a website, and how critical a social presence is to any type of marketing campaign. There is a reason major consumer brands like Coca Cola have increased its social media spend by 48% while decreasing its traditional media buys: it’s effective.
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Should You Create a Google+ For Business?

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Google+ now has over 40 million users, but 83 percent of these global users have inactive accounts. While this startling statistic has left some to think that running a Google+ for business is pointless, there is a new infographic that breaks down the demographics of the social sites members. If you know the demographics of your own business, it’s possible to compare your target audience with the Google+ data and decide whether a Google+ for a business you own is a worthy endeavor. Continue reading

The iPhone 5 Didn’t Change Much… On Purpose?

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Turning a new invention from just a hazy dream to a physical product is one of the most arduous tasks that one could ever undertake. For Apple, this process seems just as simple as opening the mail, taking a shower or eating a snack is for you or me. So while there has been criticism of iPhone 5 for not as being groundbreaking as some expected, I believe that Apple has created a near perfect device. Continue reading

Emoticon Explosion: The New iOS 6 Emoji Class

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Since the emoticon’s formal birth in 1982 at the Carnegie Mellon University, and its further expansion by the Japanesse, the ever-popular smiley face has been popping up in emails and text messages across the world. With its brand new operating system, the Apple iPhone features a large number of new emoticons within the iOS 6 emoji keyboard. Prepare to look at the emoticon differently than ever before. Continue reading

InstaEngagement: Using Instagram for Business

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Even before Facebook purchased Instagram, the highly successful photo-sharing app changed the way that many businesses shared photos and information. After all, using Instagram for business is a simple way to creatively and effectively share images of your products or services in action. With help from unique tools like Olapic, Statigram and Ink361, it’s becoming even easier to propel your business forward using this extremely popular app.
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ROI: Return On Influence

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Traditionally, when someone thinks of ROI, a monetary return on investment is what comes to mind. When marketing a company and looking at costs, the return on investment is an incredibly important factor. However, in the ever-growing world of digital, ROI has taken on a new meaning: Return on Influence. Unlike traditional ROI, this is a way for a company to gauge social efforts and effectiveness of its online marketing strategies based on the way users engage with the brand. Continue reading