4 Reasons To Use Instagram and 4 Instagram Strategies
By Camille Rodriquez If you have been following Polka Dot Impressions for any length of time, then you will recognize one of our fundamental social media best practices: You don’t have to be on every social network. It’s better to operate a few social networks well, than a lot of them poorly.[1] To that end, it is only very recently that we have begun to experiment with Instagram. It’s been around since 2010, and was acquired by Facebook in 2012, but proportionately, very few businesses have jumped on Instagram for their social media marketing. Why is that? Or, perhaps the better...
read morePassword Security
In case you missed it today, the official Burger King Twitter account (@burgerking) was hijacked by someone who renamed the account McDonalds. Pretty funny, right? Well, not if you’re Burger King and you’ve worked hard to get those 86K+ Followers! (That number fluctuated wildly during this time, too!) Details are still coming out, and the account was suspended in less than two hours, but what can the rest of us learn from this about password security? Whether the hack is from a password breach or not is still to be discovered, but let’s take a moment to review some basics. Social media...
read moreReevaluating Social Media
One of the most common things I hear when meeting with business owners about their past social media efforts is, “It just didn’t work for me.” That always leads to a familiar conversation about goals. “What were the goals of your social media?” “How did you set out to reach those goals?” The wording may be different from person to person, but usually the answer they give reveals to me why “it” didn’t work for them. The “it” often falls into one of two categories: Either their goals were unrealistic, or Their methods went against the way social media works Every...
read more8 Tips for Creating A Personal Google+ Profile for the Professional
So perhaps you’ve been avoiding that leap to Google+. Why do you need another personal social media profile you ask? The problem with that question is that you are comparing Google+ (G+) to your experiences with Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. That would be a mistake. G+ is not like these other networks. Each social network has its own nuance and “flavor,” and G+ is no different. The strongest advantage to G+ is in the fact that it’s owned by Google. Duh, you say. But think about the implications of that for anyone who works in a field or business where the internet is involved in...
read moreA Numbers Game, a Game of Numbers, or Something Else?
There is a temptation in social media to focus strictly on numbers. Numbers of Fans, numbers of Followers, numbers of Repins, Connections, etc. Pick your social media platform, and you’re likely to have a measurement benchmark related to numbers. Numbers aren’t the “be all, end all” that everyone might think they are, but they also aren’t evil. They’re just a piece in the social media marketing puzzle. Used in conjunction with an overall marketing strategy and feedback from customers, numbers can point to trends, topics of interest, and other patterns that drive better engagement...
read moreTop 3 Things I Love About LinkedIn
Recent reports have indicated that LinkedIn is not the most widely used social media network, but it spite of that, it has consistently been a part of the professional branding experience. Let me explain what I mean. In a recent study, it was found that the average time spent on LinkedIn per month is 21 minutes. That’s not a lot of time over the course of the month, but when you consider some of the loveable things about LinkedIn, it’s easy to see why less time doesn’t mean less quality, and it’s widely touted as the most “elite” of the social media platforms… (If you’re...
read moreFriday Flick-LinkedIn Answers
Today’s Friday Flick is about using an element of LinkedIn that many folks don’t know about. LinkedIn is perceived to be “just an online resume,” but it is much more than that. Having a robust profile, including a summary that uses key words, skills, previous job histories and recommendations is just the first step. Once your profile is complete, it’s time to use LinkedIn. Yes you can, and should, post to this social media platform fairly regularly, but you should also participate in some of LinkedIn’s unique features. Today’s tip focuses on one of...
read moreSocial Media Day Wrap Up
We had a great event in Fort Bend County, TX this weekend! We celebrated Social Media Day along with hundreds of other cities across the globe. The event, sponsored originally by Mashable, Inc. was in its third year, and it proves to be bigger every year! Our event was attended by about 30 folks from a variety of businesses, some who use social media for business, and some who were just curious. The group reflected a good broad-spectrum of interests and knowledge, and we had a fun time together. In addition to some good networking opportunities, our Fort Bend County group broke into smaller...
read moreThe Core of Social Media
How well can you recite or explain your own core values in business? Do your staff members know them from a plaque on the wall or by experientially “doing” of business? These are important questions when it comes to social media for one simple reason. Social media is the most obvious and “loud” place to demonstrate your core values for your customers, clients, and prospects, and it’s the test of your own staff’s understanding of your mission. Through social media, businesses have the opportunity to “practice what they preach” around the clock. Through social media, customers...
read moreCreating a Comment Tree for Better Social Media
Have you thought about the tone or voice you create when you interact with social media? As a business leader, using social media can be ineffective if you aren’t also guarding your reputation and brand closely. Part of that brand is your voice, the things you stand for and the way in which you interact with others. If you happen to be a solopreneur, creating a brand voice isn’t as difficult, but how do you remove emotion or frustration from your online interactions? Consistency is critical to your business’s brand and identity! One solution is to create a comment tree. A comment tree...
read moreWhat is Pinterest? Why You Want To Know!
Pinterest is a social bookmarking site, and it’s all the rage right now. If you haven’t heard of it, you will. If you’ve heard of it and use it, you likely either “get it” or you don’t. But there’s a chance that you’ve heard about it and disregarded it as “trivial,” not worth your time. That could be a marketing mistake if you are a business owner or leader. Pinterest is a giant bulletin board for “pinning” things that you want to come back to, websites that you want to remember for products you like, etc. But rather than focusing on what Pinterest is in...
read more5 Social Media Lessons from Justin Bieber
You may or may not know who Justin Bieber is, but I can assure you, many, many people do. At 17, he is one of the most popular singers in the world. His rise to fame is among the most explosive ever, and while no one can promise you the same results, there are some social media lessons anyone can learn from him. 1. Start Small Justin Bieber began by putting up some homemade videos on YouTube at the age of 12. All he wanted to do, according to his own bio on Facebook, was to share some of the competition clips with friends and family who weren’t able to attend the competitions he was...
read more3 Essential Profile Facts
No matter which social media platforms you choose to use – Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, etc. – there are three things that need to be clearly marked on each one. How and where you “mark” them is slightly different for each platform, but consider these the “tripod” of branding for social media use. The number of times these are overlooked or left off is amazing, and while these may seem obvious, it never hurts to look at your pages again – just to be sure… Logo/Brand – This “image” sets the tone for your brand. It should be everywhere, and it...
read moreFacebook Favors Photos
Have you noticed a very subtle difference on Facebook lately? Most likely, whether using it for business or personal use, you’ve seen more photos on Facebook. That’s intentional on the part of the News Feed algorithms that quietly serve you – even when you don’t know you’re being served. Facebook, the giant persona that it is, wants to please us. That means it wants to give us information that we want. Or at least that’s what we’re told. And somehow, mysteriously, it does. I say mysteriously, because I have yet to meet anyone who can actually explain all of the algorithms used...
read moreLeave a Tip?
Did you hear the one about the Seattle waitress who was left a “tip” on the credit card receipt by her customer? Turns out, the paying customer didn’t leave her a cash tip with his payment, he only suggested that she lose some weight. What a tip, right? Her response was to go to social media to post this man’s name and the receipt; however, she targeted a different man who happened to have the same name and lived in another state. Apologies followed, yet the correct gentleman has yet to come forward; a third gentleman with the same name has sent her a 100% tip to “redeem” his...
read moreManaging & Marketing Your Reputation in 15 Minutes per Day
(This blog is a “101″ article. Inspired by conversations at a luncheon, this is for the social media newcomer. If you have questions about any of these steps, please email us!) If you’re in business, you have a reputation. Good, bad, invisible, or indifferent, your reputation arrives at your meetings before you do. Remember the “Polka Dot Mantra” – “Everything you do, ping, post, tweet or share speaks to who you are and your credibility in business.” So, if you’re engaged in any business activities, you’ll want to constantly monitor your reputation, both...
read moreThe 3 R’s of Growing a Robust Business
There are thousands of books written on this subject. Some are good and worth the read and some are not. I’ve read many of them – of both types. I’ve sat at the feet of excellent and wise business coaches. I’ve been a part of life-changing work and a part of jobs that just paid the bills. In every case, whether for good or for bad, there were patterns of behavior that made one business or one company grow into something to be proud of over one business that well, just wasn’t quite “all that.” Those patterns boil down to three consistent elements that everyone intuitively knows,...
read moreThe Jekyll and Hyde of Marketing Strategy
Sometimes, random facts inspire a great analogy. Seeing something like that this morning, this one is too good not to share. Do you know the first names of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Most likely, you don’t. Now, before you run away from this article to Google those names, hang on and hear me out. I’ll give you their names at the end. In social media marketing, we like to make a big splash. We want to get noticed right away and make it big. Unfortunately it doesn’t always work that way, and often, the businesses that make it big right away can just as quickly fade out. In some...
read moreSocial Media Influencers
There are a lot of social media gurus, experts, trendsetters, and influencers out there. So many of them, in fact, that it’s sometimes hard to sort out what makes them different from one another. Compound that with the fact that many of them are saying the same thing, literally, that it can be tough to identify who to listen to when jumping into social media marketing. For the small business owner, that presents both good and bad realities to address. The likelihood is good that you’ll be able to find a consistent “theme” on how to get started and what to do if you are reading over...
read moreFree Resources!
Behind the Scenes via Instagram
