Social Media Marketing Tips – Part 2

On November 9, 2017November 7, 2017 By The A • DotIn Megan2 Comments

A few weeks ago I created a blog post outlining a few tips to help businesses market themselves on Facebook. The key pieces of advice I listed were to help businesses not only learn the basics, but to cover some of the more “advanced” areas in regards to Facebook marketing. If you missed it, you can check out that post here: https://theadotblog.com/2017/10/26/social-media-marketing-tips-part-1/

Today, I am back with some more tips and tricks to help you excel at marketing your business on Twitter.

Let’s jump in…

Choose a Twitter handle that makes sense. Ensure it resembles your business’ name as closely as possible so that your audience can easily find you.
Pay attention to the details. Fill out your profile and keep it concise. Add information that is relevant. Add a website URL (link) if you have one. And remember, don’t remain an egg; add a picture to your profile ASAP! Twitter accounts with profile pictures have 10 x as many followers than those that don’t.
Familiarize yourself with what hashtags are and how to use them. There’s no need to use them for #every #single #word, be sure to #CapitalizeEachWord & #KeepThemShort. For more tips on how to use #hashtags, check out my post here: https://theadotblog.com/2016/02/25/how-to-use-hashtags/
Understand what “@” means. The @ symbol is always displayed next to each and every username, but it is also how you will communicate on Twitter. If you compose a Tweet and begin it with someone’s @username, not everyone will see the Tweet. For example, “@StaffStatSuds I love filling shifts in seconds!” will be seen only by users who follow you and the user you are mentioning. Adding the username anywhere else in the Tweet is called a mention and the Tweet is visible and public to all. For example, “Wow! I love using @StaffStatSuds to fill shifts in seconds!” will ensure the account mentioned and all others will see your Tweet.
Tweet your own content. Do this once daily at the very least; share a photo from an event, a blog post, information surrounding enhancements to your product/service offering, etc. Doing so will not only help build your brand, but it will help keep your feed current and fresh.
Re-tweet at least 1-3 times daily. This step is easy and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to complete. Use hashtags that are relevant to your industry, product, service or brand. If you’re in software, search something like #TechNews, #SaaS, #Software, etc. You should be able to find reputable content that aligns with what your business is doing. Once you find something you like, click the re-tweet button, and add your own personal opinion as a comment (A.K.A a quote Tweet); this will ensure when others search for your content (or content related to what you re-tweet) they will see your thoughts which can help position you as an expert for that specific subject matter.
Reply to others. If someone re-tweets your unique content, thank them for doing so and spark up a conversation by tweeting back to them. Hint: reference point 4 in this post to understand how to best converse with individuals on Twitter.
Be engaging. Some businesses are guilty of constantly promoting their products/services. While it’s okay to Tweet about a sale or promotion or a new product launch, be sure to share content that your audience wants to see, such as a blog about the latest features of your product, an explainer video highlighting the benefits of your services, or a series of teaser videos to build excitement for your holiday collection. Putting a spin on the “generic” content you share will help increase the quality of conversation that surrounds your brand.
Tweet links to your blog — and do so often. If you have a company blog Twitter is a great space to share your posts! Don’t be afraid of tweeting the same blog link more than once a day to ensure you reach people in different timezones, or anyone who didn’t get the chance to see your tweet the first time it went out. Try not to spam your audience, however. Three of the same blog tweets per day is more than enough!
Use Twitter as a customer service tool. If a customer has a concern or complaint, they may choose to Tweet you about it. Don’t be afraid of responding directly to them via Twitter to help resolve their issue. For tips on providing social customer service, click here: https://theadotblog.com/2015/11/05/6-tips-for-providing-exceptional-social-customer-service/
Create lists. Ever feel like your newsfeed has A LOT going on and the tweets you’re seeing throughout the day aren’t necessarily filled with content that matters to your brand? Get into the practice of creating lists. From the desktop site, simply click on your profile photo in the upper right hand corner of the screen and select “Lists”. The page will then show you any lists that you have subscribed to (when viewing others’ accounts you can check out their lists and subscribe to any that interest you) and lists that you are a member of (those that others have added you to). You also have the option of creating your own list, naming it, and adding accounts you exclusively would like to group together. For example, you can use keywords such as “entrepreneurship” or “quotes” and group similar accounts under their respective lists. To view lists, go to your personal Twitter timeline and select “lists” from the bar that portrays all your other Twitter-related stats, such as Tweets, Following, Followers etc.
Use images. Tweets containing only text tend to get lost in the shuffle. Stand out in the crowd by using images that contain faces and evoke some sort of emotion — these types of images are what people are naturally drawn to.
Don’t be afraid to recycle. Do you have a certain tweet that has a lot of likes, retweets & replies? Either tweet it again, pay to promote it, or pin it to the top of your page so anyone new visiting your feed can see it — no matter how much time has passed since it was first created!
If you’re tweeting a link, shorten it using a URL shortener such as bit.ly. This will ensure you have enough space to add additional wording to the tweet, and will allow others to retweet your content and add their own thoughts about it.

There you have it — 14 tips to help you out with your Twitter marketing efforts. Be sure to check back next week as I share more social media marketing advice for your business!

The ABC’s of Business – Part 1/3

On November 3, 2017November 2, 2017 By The A • DotIn MelLeave a comment

abc (1).jpg Disclaimer: I was quoted for the first time on Twitter last month. It was kind of cool to see something I said get posted by the organizers of the event and to see some retweets on the quote itself. It went a little something like this: “Running a startup is the best education you can’t buy”. The following is a glimpse into what I’ve learned over the course of the last 3 years.

A- Accountability – It’s inevitable. You’re going to mess up. Whether you work for a company or you run the company, you need to be able to learn to be accountable. Running a business means that you’ll be dealing with vendors and customers on a daily basis. Think back to the last time you know someone messed up and how insulting it was when instead of taking the high road and apologizing, they had their back up and insisted it was everyone else’s fault. It’s frustrating when you’re on the receiving end. Never be the person who feels they have to prove they were right, you’ll save yourself a lot of energy and the other party a lot of frustration.
B- Bravery – Doubt, fear, anxiety… it all comes to the forefront when you’re responsible for bringing something from concept to success. There will be days where you feel confident in your product, your service, your team, your direction and your vision. There will be days when you can’t find your footing and you’re uncertain about everything. I’m not saying it’s easy in those moments to spring back to ‘optimistic you’ but ultimately, you need to find it within yourself to continue. Remind yourself of why you started this venture in the first place.
C- Celebrate – …everything! Milestones — small and large — deserve to be talked about, applauded and acknowledged! We have a bell at StaffStat and whenever it rings, everyone gets excited. It could mean something small (ie. a new sales person got their first contract signed) or something big (we were awarded a huge contract). One thing’s for sure: EVERY milestone gets a ring because every step in the right direction is a step toward our goal of bringing our solution to the masses!
D- Delegation – Everyone has a weakness and this just happens to be mine (although I am working on it). It’s easy to get attached to every task or find it more convenient to do everything yourself. If you ever want to get to the place where you’re able to focus on the higher-level conversations, meetings and decisions, you need to delegate some of those tasks you’re possessive about and move them downstream. Everyone wins! You are freed from feeling like you have one more thing to do and the person you assigned the task to feels trusted. Not to mention, if you assign the task to someone whose strengths are aligned with it, odds are good that it’ll be done right.
E- Energy – Self-care is a huge component to your business. If you run a company and/or a team, you need to be at your best. Learn to ‘turn it off’ every now and again. You would be amazed at the impact when you hit the power button back on after a reset!
F- Fail – While there are many quotes on failure, my favourite is by Colin Powell: “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty and persistence”. Failure presents with it an opportunity: we can either learn from it or we can dwell on it. Your character decides which road you want to travel. My guess is a successful business would be led by the individual who takes the opportunity to learn from the situation.
G- Growth – It’s always risky to add to your team. It’s a hit or miss and the bull’s-eye is a very small, finite mark. When hiring, you’ll stumble upon amazing and questionable people alike. In my opinion, each person you bring on is there for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Growth is inevitable, it’s up to you to make the best decisions you can along the way and learn from all hiring experiences for future additions.
H- Humility – Business is NEVER a ‘me’ effort. Even if you don’t have a team in-house, where would be without your customers? Every business that survives and thrives is of the ‘we’ mindset! Always remember to be thankful and grateful and everything should line up nicely.

That wraps up part 1 of this series! Stay tuned as I tackle the rest of the alphabet in parts 2 & 3… coming soon!

melblog

Social Media Marketing Tips – Part 1

On October 26, 2017October 11, 2017 By The A • DotIn Megan1 Comment

Whether you’re in start-up mode or you’re celebrating your 5^th year of business, social media is a great way to increase your brand’s awareness, interact with your customers, reach more markets, and cultivate relationships that can lead to your brand’s growth.

Over the next few weeks, I will provide tips to assist you with marketing on 3 of the major social platforms—Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Let’s start this week off with Facebook…

Complete your company’s “About Me” section to help your visitors find useful information at a glance.
Claim your URL. When you first sign up to Facebook, a random URL will be linked to your account. Choose one that better reflects your brand, such as your company’s name.
Recycle your content. If you use something once and it gains traction, it’s okay to use it again! It’s a great way for new members in your audience to see past content—as long as it is still relevant.
Pin posts. If you have something incredibly important that you want your followers to see, pin it by: 1) viewing the post in your timeline, 2) hovering over the drop down menu on that post, and 3) clicking “pin to top of page”. This will anchor the post to the top of your page until you decide to unpin it.
Promote, promote, promote. Share your Facebook link/like button in your email signature, on your LinkedIn profile, on your company’s website, blog, etc.
Use Facebook ads. To get your posts in front of your specific target market(s), spend some dollars utilizing Facebook ads. Doing so will ensure that your posts are reaching exactly who you are trying to reach at a much quicker pace.
Create a Facebook contest. Running a contest on your page is a great way to increase interaction with your audience, gain more followers, have your content seen by the masses and really drive people to your page.
Use hashtags. Hashtags aren’t just for Twitter! Check out trending topics, and if it makes sense for your brand, join the conversation.
Create eye-catching content. People scroll tirelessly through many social media platforms day in and day out. Make sure your audience stops on your posts. For tips on how to make your content pop, click here.
Use infographics. If your company is data heavy and regularly relies on such data to sell your product/service, try using an infographic as an alternative to display your research. Infographics are fun, visually-pleasing, and are shared regularly.
Use GIFs. These moving images are a fun way to convey a thought, message or mood. For more information on their many uses, check out this post here.
Encourage reviews. Let your customers know that you appreciate their feedback. Be sure to respond to all reviews—both positive and negative—and publicly respond to any issues or concerns and offer a mutually beneficial resolution.
Highlight testimonials. Once you receive glowing feedback, turn it into shareable content! This will allow your audience to see how happy others are with your product or service.
Use a variety of content such as blogs, polls, live video, photos, quotes, testimonials, infographics, and more to constantly keep your page vibrant and refreshing.
Always include a call-to-action. What do you want your audience to do? Learn more by visiting your website, provide a testimonial, share your content, tag a friend? Let them know in your caption!

That’s it for now! Check back next week for more social media marketing tips to help grow your business. Do you have any recommendations for others? Feel free to leave a comment below!

10 (More) Tips for Building a Better Blog

On October 19, 2017October 11, 2017 By The A • DotIn MeganLeave a comment

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A few weeks ago I published a blog outlining 15 tips to assist you in building an incredible blog. If you missed it, you can read it by clicking here. Today, I am back with even more tips to turn you into an expert blogger!

Choose a narrow layout. For readability purposes, a narrow layout is ideal. It’s difficult to read extremely long lines of text without losing your place. Shorter, more narrow lines of text are much more pleasing to the eye.
Consider what your theme will look like across devices. What looks great on your desktop may not be compatible on a mobile device. Be sure to optimize your layout for various devices – desktop, mobile & tablet.
Give your readers the ability to share your posts. Ensure your social media sharing icons are turned on and visible for every.single.post to help boost your readership. You can also utilize your call-to-action to request your readers to share your posts with their network.
Find inspiration. Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult to think up ideas to blog about…especially if you’ve been at it for awhile. Listen to music or podcasts, read what others are writing about, or even research relevant trending topics. When I’m not too sure what to write about, I search for images on Google using general keywords such as ‘social media marketing’. Looking at the images and captions helps me draw inspiration from sources that are relevant to my theme.
Create a blogging schedule. When you’ve finished brainstorming plenty of blog ideas, consider creating a schedule to determine when each idea should go live. Doing so will hold you accountable to consistent blogging and can help you when developing content. If 3 out of 5 ideas you’ve dreamt up are related to Facebook, you may consider creating a series for these posts, or you may choose to space these posts out—it’s entirely up to you.
Ask for feedback. You may be nervous or hesitant to hit the publish button when you’re just starting out. Ask your friends, family, or colleagues for their honest feedback on your posts. However, you should remember to stay true to you; your voice may become lost if you focus entirely too much on the opinions of others.
You’re your own worst critic. Have you heard of the saying “less is more?” Apply this idea to your blog posts. Many of us are perfectionists. If you’ve spent about an hour or so on one post and you feel that you’re finished but are in an editing frenzy, constantly deleting and reworking lines, it’s probably time to hit publish. The extra few hours you may spend editing your post could be better spent creating new ones.
Write when you feel like it. If you’re forcing yourself to write, you’ll become tired of it and see it as a chore. Blogging should be fun. It should challenge you. If you aren’t inspired, take a break. I’m a firm believer in quality over quantity.
Get your blog out there. Congrats! You’ve posted your blog…now what? Your work doesn’t end here. You must now share your blog wherever possible! Post it to your social media accounts, integrate your blog into your company website, blast off an email with the link to your customers, etc. Get creative! Your views count on it.
Don’t be discouraged by the stats. When we first started The A Dot we were averaging less than 10 views per day in the first month of going live. Now we’re receiving 3 to 4 thousand views each day. Don’t sweat it. Keep pushing forward. Remember, you can always recycle your content at a later date to increase your views.

That wraps up a total of 25 tips to help you build a better blog! I hope these bits of knowledge bring you success in your own blog journey. Good luck!

MeganSignature

15 Tips for Building a Better Blog

On September 28, 2017September 27, 2017 By The A • DotIn MeganLeave a comment

The A Dot Blog celebrated its two year birthday last month! In just two years, our blog has hit a couple of milestones:

We’ve had 5 main bloggers (& 10 guest bloggers) contribute a combined total of over 370 posts
Our posts have received over 850,000 views!
We have readers from Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, France, Australia, Italy & 63 other countries!
More than 100 individuals are subscribed to receive our posts directly in their inbox daily (you should be, too!)

We’re thrilled to have found such success with a blog that no one had really ever imagined would have a global footprint. We’re proud that our little blog which started in Azilda, Ontario (a.k.a the original A Dot) is so well-received from our community and beyond.

Today on The A Dot, I decided to share with our readers a 15 tips for building a better blog.

Brainstorm ideas. When we first started The A Dot Blog, we sat down to discuss who would write what. Whatever you choose to write about, own it!
Think of a great blog title. This is sometimes difficult for many bloggers. Sometimes it is easier to write your piece first before dreaming up a catchy title. Make an effort to use a title that explains the post—“How to…”, “3 Tips”, “5 Ways”…etc. as these posts typically have more views. For tips to help you create hard-hitting headlines, click here.
Add photos. Insert a stock photo at the beginning of your blog that visually describes your article or place images throughout your blog to describe each concept. Choose attention-grabbing images to entice readers to check out your post.
Choose an appropriate length for your post. Typically, our blogs are 500 – 1500 words in length, depending on the topic. Many readers do not like to spend more than 3-5 minutes reading a post.
Find your voice. Don’t make your posts so formal that it bores readers. Add your own style to everything you publish. If you’re witty IRL (in real life), then be witty in your blogs! If you’re blunt IRL, be blunt. Readers want to feel like they know the real you!
Always have a call-to-action. Sometimes it is difficult to wrap up your blog. An easy way to do so is to add a call-to-action at the end of each post. Some examples include:

“What’s your favourite tip presented in my post? Comment below.”
“Do you have any additional advice for our readers? Add your thoughts below!”
“Know someone who may benefit from our services? Share this post with your network!”
“To learn more about our product, visit our website at:”

Add links and resources. Reference back to your past posts, or link to other blogs. If you’re lucky, the owner of the blog you just mentioned may reciprocate which could lead to more readership on your own blog.
Invite guest bloggers to write on your blog. If you know someone who is also a blogger, consider asking them to write a post to feature on your blog and vice versa.
Conduct research. If you’ve brainstormed a few blog topic ideas, consider conducting research to learn more about the topic as a whole to ensure you’re providing your readers with the most accurate/interesting information as possible…and remember: always put your own spin on it!
Add keywords to each post. Insert as many keywords/tags that you can think of that relate to your post. This will help your blog posts become discoverable.
Add widgets and menu bars. It helps to use a website that specializes in blogs, such as WordPress or Blogger. Choose a simple layout and add widgets and menu bars to make your content as easy to discover as possible. Things to consider: create an archive menu for your readers to quickly access past posts, and perhaps add an additional menu bar to divide your content into certain topics/categories. Also include a widget for your readers to subscribe to your blog as quickly as possible.
Align your blog with your brand. Consider the overall theme, logo, colours, etc. Your blog should be an extension of your business’ brand.
Get a great domain. Purchase a .com domain instead of a generic .wordpress.com, or .me, or .info, etc. It will make it easier for your readers to remember!
Develop your “About” section. People want to get to know you! Be personal. Let readers know your backstory. Keep it relevant and update it as necessary.
Be unique! Don’t focus on what everyone else is doing. Use your own voice, knowledge, expertise, and niche to draw readers to what you’re doing and writing about.

There you have it – 15 tips for building a better blog! Stay tuned for more tips in the near future. What is one piece of advice you have for new bloggers? Feel free to comment below!

10 Things You Should Do Every Day

On August 31, 2017August 16, 2017 By The A • DotIn MeganLeave a comment

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With September right around the corner, I thought it would be an ideal time to share a list of things that I feel everyone should do every day to better your life and improve your mindset as the end of the year approaches and things naturally get busier.

Get a good night’s rest. Lack of sleep will eventually take its toll on you. Personally, I used to get about six hours of sleep per night. This year, I made it a resolution to squeeze a few more hours in each night and it’s been absolutely game-changing; I’m more alert, more productive and happier overall.
Read, write or listen to music. Take a break from the screen for awhile. Get lost in something other than your day-to-day.
Learn something new. Expand your horizons and keep your mind sharp by studying a new language, picking up a hobby, learning a new skill, etc. Keep striving to be the best possible version of yourself.
Treat yourself. This doesn’t always need to involve spending money; read a book, have a bubble bath, watch a movie, etc. We generally spend the majority of our day being busy and serving others, so be sure to spoil yourself, too!
Create a positive environment. Your atmosphere can definitely impact your overall mood and wellbeing. Keep your workspace neat and tidy to help relieve stress and maintain a clear head. Create a living space that you actually look forward to going to after a long day of work. Lastly, don’t forget to surround yourself with people who are optimistic to keep you in a positive frame of mind.
Spend time alone…it’s good for you! There has been many times where I will drive to or from work without listening to music to really help clear my head. Take time for yourself and learn to enjoy it!
Create something. This one’s easy for me since a large portion of my day is usually spent doing something creative thanks to my job. Whether it’s a blog post, a meal, a document, snapping and editing a photo, etc., strive to do something creative each day; doing so allows you to think differently and step outside of your comfort zone!
Touch base with someone you care about. Let your loved ones know you’re thinking about them. Go out of your way to make them smile. Life is too short not to let people know how you feel about them.
Go outside. Enjoy nature! Go for a walk. Get some exercise. Spending time outdoors and getting a breath of fresh air can help with your mood, relieve stress and restore your energy!
Spend time on self-reflection. Take a few minutes at the end of each day reflecting on your day as a whole, making mental notes of what you need to do the next day, and see how your goals and resolutions are progressing. Doing so will help keep you on track for whatever you are trying to accomplish!

MeganSignature

There’s NEVER a Bad Time to Sell

On August 25, 2017August 21, 2017 By The A • DotIn Mel1 Comment

I hope you’re enjoying your summer so far!

The thing is, in sales… there’s never a bad time or an excuse not to sell. This has never been more obvious to me than with our product, StaffStat!

I’ve heard over and over that “end of day is a bad time to sell”, “start of day is a bad time to sell”, “Mondays are bad for decision-makers”, “Fridays are bad for decision-makers” and more often than not I’ve heard “summer is bad for business”.

I’m here to tell you that as a sales person, there is never a bad time to try to sell your product or your solution. Of course there are ups and downs in the sales cycle but if persistence is the key then obviously you need to push yourself during those down times with prospecting, making the most of your contacts, taking advantage of timelines and fostering your relationships. Here’s how:

Prospecting: You never know who might be sitting at their desk, needing exactly what it is that you’re selling. Sure, summer can be seen as a season where everyone is on vacation but on the flip-side, I prefer to think of it as a season where every company is trying to operate with a skeleton crew. This often highlights holes or problems within their systems, their procedures, and their overall inefficiencies. If the person who is struggling with a pain point for which you have a solution happens to open your email or answer your call during that time, the stars have aligned.
Making the most of your contacts: This is the time where you can connect with your current contacts and customers and ask them for testimonials on your service and your product. You can also use this time to market a referral program. While others are resting and taking their summer vacations, you’ll be making the most of the contacts you already have, leading to inevitable future sales.
Taking advantage of timelines: I’ve mentioned a few times throughout my blogging that September is often seen as the “Business New Year”. When you’re trying to do business in the summer always keep in mind that a lot of decision-makers want a fresh start effective September 1st. Let them know, early on in the summer, that you will work throughout the ‘quiet season’ to get them running and operating by that deadline. Encourage them to see that starting fresh in September is a wonderful opportunity that you would like to seize and they will definitely benefit from being ready to go, effective the Business New Year.
Fostering your relationships: We’ve managed to sign corporations during the summer and that’s because we have persisted throughout the year and built those relationships. Of course, some decisions are put off because some of the key people are on vacation! Your goal during this time is to build cheerleaders for your solution. You need to prove during this quiet time that you have what they need. When those decision-makers come back from vacation, all they’re going to hear about is how wonderful your product is and how much their organization needs it.

The lesson in this blog is that no time is a bad time to sell. You can lean on summer as an excuse or you can use summer as a great way to move forward with prospects, contacts, connections and relationships.

melblog