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 moreA Consumer’s Market
By Camille Rodriquez You’ve heard the real estate phrase, “It’s a seller’s market,” or “It’s a buyer’s market,” right? When it comes to social media, it’s a consumer’s market. Let’s take a look at what that means for your business, because the implications of this are going to be long-lasting and affect your bottom line for quite some time. Yes, some consumers still make impulse purchases. It happens. Emotions still play a part in sales. However, with the exception of a few industries, most business owners are finding it harder and harder to get the attention of...
read more7 Tips for Improving Your Social Media
No one is perfect. That’s true in every area of life, even social media marketing. The rapid-fire changes to social networks, and how we use them, make it very difficult to be a perfect user of all of the tools or to even know what all of them are. However, everyone has to begin using social media somewhere. We’ve watched the “big” names and the little unknown folks hit home runs at various times with strategies, tips, and helpful information for the social media marketer. But no one does it every time – not even the “big” guys. Largely, that’s because the first “rule”...
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 moreFacebook Networking
One of the lesser-used features of Facebook is the ability to do some business-to-business (B2B) networking with it. Most business owners feel fairly satisfied if they have their business Page up and running smoothly, but stopping there is limiting the power of Facebook. Just like you would find it helpful to attend networking events as a business leader in real life, Facebook networking can be a valuable type of mutually beneficial interaction for business users once you realize how easy it is to do. The first step in Facebook B2B networking is to determine the businesses that you would like...
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 moreMarketing Your Business Is Not About You
Whether we’re talking about social media marketing, print marketing, radio or television advertising, or a combination of all of them, marketers must remember that marketing is not about you or your business. At the most basic level, if all you do is talk about your product, you will bore the audience to tears. Not only that, but your business or brand’s reputation will suffer for it. This is why advertisers such as Budweiser or Dodge spend millions of dollars to create a compelling Super Bowl ad, one that you’ll remember, that may not have anything to do with their product. However,...
read moreFacebook Graph Search – 3 Things To Do Now
Facebook Graph Search has been dominating social media news this week. It may or may not continue to do so, but it’s important to understand how it affects you – whether you’re using Facebook for business OR personal use. This one is an across-the-board change, and every Facebook user needs to understand a few things about it. Graph Search, once it’s out of its Beta version, is the way folks will do a Search on Facebook. It will access Facebook information only, not information found on other sites or on the Internet at large. It will let you search across all of the actions and...
read moreSocial Media – Don’t Shoot Yourself In The Foot
At some point in every social media campaign, someone on the team suggests a shortcut to the goal. It can come from innocent motives but invariably someone will decide that it would be “easier” to do things a different way than was originally planned. Marketing is a very fluid process, and changes are customary, but do you know the difference between normal changes to a fluid plan and shooting yourself in the foot? In the same way that you would get bored if you ate the same thing for lunch every day of your life, social media thrives on “mixing it up” a bit. Trends ebb and flow...
read moreSocial Media – Patience Always Perseveres
Social media marketing is a fascinating endeavor. Social networks can change overnight, without warning, and new tools are constantly being touted as the “latest and greatest”. There is no end to the challenges that face business leaders trying to stay up-to-date on social media marketing trends and strategies. This can be both exhilarating and frustrating-depending on how many other things are put on hold while figuring out the latest “it” network or tool. Sustaining an interest in this process is difficult. Many business owners jump into social media with lots of...
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 moreLeveraging Twitter
My favorite social media network for business is probably Twitter. The “rules” change there less often and there’s a lot of power in Twitter. Sadly, it’s frequently under-utilized by business owners. It takes time to use Twitter thoroughly, and it takes a willingness to applaud others who are doing a good job, perhaps even in your own industry. Not everyone is comfortable with that, but if you are, Twitter is an amazing resource for the proactive business leader. But the very first step in leveraging Twitter for your business is to remember that it’s conversational – just like any...
read moreLinkedIn Endorsements
One of the newest features of LinkedIn is also one of the most interesting updates on that network that we’ve seen in a long time. The feature is the recent addition of Endorsements. At first, they can feel a little disingenuous for this network – a bit like a Facebook “Like” which is quick and easy to give. But digging a little deeper, we think you’ll find this new feature pretty meaningful. So let’s break it down a bit. (And if you’re new to LinkedIn, or not sure how to use it, you may want to first download our “LinkedIn Quickstart White Paper” – a FREE...
read moreConverting Goals Into Value
Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable, has said, “Attention is the new currency.” That is certainly true for marketers. When folks pay attention to what you’re saying – via any method of marketing – they are giving up time to listen to you. Time is a valuable commodity, and therefore if you’re using social media for marketing, make sure it’s worthwhile for others. Are you offering value? Are you “being” social or just “doing” social? There is a difference, and it will show in everything you’re doing online. It’s important to have specific goals with your marketing, and...
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 moreTop 3 Things I Love About Facebook
Facebook can be a very powerful social media platform for the business owner if used in conjunction with specific goals. It’s also the dominant social media platform, and there are lots of folks using it, but for marketing, some aspects of Facebook truly shine. As we’ve mentioned before, one consideration is that business owners may want to create a presence on Facebook in order to secure and protect their business name, but there are other reasons for using, and loving this network. Here are just a few, in reverse order: 1. Engaging – Let’s face it. When we go to a party or...
read moreTop 3 Things I Love About Blogging for Business
Make no mistake. Blog writing for business growth takes time, energy, and a commitment to push beyond the monotonous. It is not easy. That’s the bad news. The good news is that blog writing for your business is an excellent tool for growth, clarification of what makes you unique, and staying current, fresh, innovative, and relevant. Isn’t that what good business is? How you apply these thoughts will be unique to your industry, but I challenge you to consider what a “love of blogging” could do for your business. Here are my top 3 reasons for keeping up a business blog. 1. Creative...
read moreThe “One Thing” Rule About Social Media
There’s much to say about social media, whether you’re talking about using it, marketing with it, connecting with it, or all of the above. Recently, however, I was asked to sum up all that I would convey to others about social media into “one thing.” What would that one thing be – the one thing that I would want everyone to know about social media? Assuming that brevity is the point here, here’s how I would sum up “social media.” Pay Attention. Pay attention to what you post, what others are saying, or not saying by their robotic use of social...
read moreTop 3 Things I Love About Email Marketing
First, we must define the term “email marketing” as I’m using it. It is not a reference to sending out 10 different Outlook Distribution List emails because you’re afraid your message will bounce back if you send it to too many people at once. Many business owners create multiple lists and send out messages in exactly that way. When you do that, you are not using email for marketing. You are using email for sending a “personal message” in an impersonal way. Email marketing, by definition, is the process of using a third party program for sending out professional business-related...
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 moreShould I Create a Facebook Page for My Business?
Today, a question was posed in a networking group that put me on my soapbox again. Essentially, the question was, “Should I create a Facebook page for my business if I don’t want to have to promote “Likes,” and I may not even update the page that often?” I realize I may be a bit more passionate about this than many, but here are some thoughts on this question. Short answer? Yes. You should. Long answer? Keep reading… Business pages on Facebook are public, not private. All of the content is open for viewing, unless the owner has added a “gate” to one of the secondary apps. The...
read moreCustomer Service Testimonials
Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage – I’m going to tell you a little story. This is a story of two teenagers on summer break, but it could have been any two people, anywhere. This story takes place in the Richmond, TX area, where there are three separate pizza delivery companies in a close proximity to the characters in this story. Everyone loves pizza right? This is a story of pizza and teenagers and customer service…Hang in there. I will get to the point, but you need to hear the full story. When you’re hungry, you’re hungry, right? If that happens at 9:30 at night, or...
read more4 Ways to Get Better Fans
When you think over your life, you probably have some great memories of specific events and times. You may have lived a lot of days, but the great ones stand out, right? Social media has a similar principle in effect. You may desire a lot of fans or followers because that appears to make a statement about your worth as a business, but a few great fans are better than a thousand inactive ones. The great ones stand out, don’t they? So how do you get better fans? This isn’t a question of more fans, but better fans. With better fans, you’ll likely see a growth in your reputation, customer...
read more“Would You Rather?”
Have you ever played that game, “Would You Rather?” Two choices are presented to you, usually of a similarly difficult nature, and you are supposed to decide which you would prefer. For example, “Would you rather die in a tornado or a hurricane?” Social media presents this challenge to the business owner every day – two difficult choices. How you respond to them in action, not just in your published motto, can make or break your social media marketing. “Would you rather build a business on authenticity or gimmicks?” Through social media, the business leader has the opportunity...
read moreFree Resources!
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