|
Facebook 101 - What You Need To Know As A Small Business In this webinar we discussed the differences between a personal Facebook Profile, Page, and Group, and how to use them following best practices. We also discussed the different ways to interact with posts, such as Liking, Comments, Sharing, etc. Social Media 101 - What You Need To Know As A Small Business What exactly is social media, what are the major platforms, and why does a small business need to be on social media? We answered these questions and more during this educational webinar. Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned Media - What You Need To Know Websites and Social Media and Email... Oh My! What are paid, earned, and owned media and where do websites, social media, and email come in to play? We answered these questions and more during this educational webinar. You'll learn the importance of having digital marketing channels that cover all three areas.  Canva is by far my favorite tool for creating content, including social media images, mini videos, GIFs, presentations, PDFs... the list goes on and on.
Launched in 2013, Canva is an online design and publishing tool with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. (Canva) If you've never used Canva, it could feel intimidating and a bit overwhelming, but once you jump in and play around with it, you realize the potential for creating is endless. I chose Canva years ago when creating content because I wanted to have control over the content I created, but I didn't want to learn the intricacies other platforms, such as Photoshop and Illustrator. Canva makes it easy for the everyday person to create brilliant content. Visit Canva at https://www.canva.com/ and see what you can come up with. There is a free version so you can dip your toe into the water to see what it's all about. If you decide to use it on a regular basis and need access to more images and features, the paid version is worth it.  There are more to emojis that meets the eye. Sure, they are cute and add a little pizazz to your social media posts, text messages, emails, etc, but several of them also convey meanings that you may not know about.
For example, a peach emoji may seem tame, a piece of fruit, but it has a double meaning... a booty, buttocks, your rump. An eggplant is not just an eggplant, but has a double meaning for a male body part. Now don't be scared of emojis. You can use the website Emojipedia to help you navigate emoijs, their meanings, and double meanings. Emojipedia is the world's #1 emoji reference site providing up to date and well researched information you can trust. It was founded in 2013 by Australian Jeremy Burge.  The only constant in social media is change.
Well... that's not entirely true. One thing that hasn't changed is trolls that like to post negative comments and that you have to have ideas to post and you have to post consistently and... oh... I digress... Change is a good thing most of the time. Things that "change for the better" as they say serve us well. Social media and the social media platforms are constantly changing, and they argue, for the better. They are constantly rolling out updates to the platform. One day you login to respond to direct messages and you realize the place you normally go to do that has moved and you can't find it. You go to upload an image to be met with an alert saying the image size is no longer correct. It can be maddening. The downside to this is that it takes time away from your business and life to try to keep up. You can Google solutions and watch YouTube videos, but if the change has just been implemented, you may not find the answers you are looking for right away. What you need to remember is that EVERYONE experiences this. Even I as a "professional digital marketer" wake up to major changes that take me time to learn and get used to. The good news is that if you have questions, McArdle Media is here to help. We offer a range of solutions including our 1 on 1 Tech Tutoring Service online. Have a quick question? Send us an email and we'll help the best we can. We'll ride this wave of change together.  As a kid I was OBSESSED with learning about rare holidays. Things like National Chocolate Day and World Children's Day. I remember checking out books from the school library about holidays all over the world and a book that claimed everyday was a holiday. Fast forward to my adulthood and the world of social media and now many more people are interested in these fun holidays. My favorite resource for learning about these holidays is Days of the Year, a website that gathers "all the special holidays, moments and occasions from around the world that bring people together, and help everyone celebrate them with special events, helpful tips and heaps of fun." So how can you use these fun holidays in your business? Let's say you are a local business and you want to promote your community, not just your business. Holidays like National Hot Dog Day, National Burger Day, and National Ice Cream Day are great ways to highlight local business. For example, here's an idea for a post on social media: Today is National Ice Cream Day. What's your favorite place in town to get a cold, sweet treat? This is also a good way to get your online community to engage with you, by asking questions.
Or perhaps you are a business that sells pet supplies. There are several pet related holidays including National Pet Day, Dog Day, and Cat Dog. Check out Days of the Year and see if there is a holiday you can share.  Memes are everywhere online. They have become so much a part of our current culture that they have even spilled offline onto shirts, posters, stickers, etc.
First, let's take a step back and answer the question, "What is a meme?" A meme is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. (Wikipedia) A meme is an image or video that represents the thoughts and feelings of a specific audience. Most memes are captioned photos intended to elicit humor. However, there are many viral video memes too. Memes are a worldwide social phenomenon, and an increasingly important aspect of viral marketing and social engagement. (Sprout Social) Now, the other question people have about memes... how do you create a meme? I use a tool from imgflip call Meme Generator. They have the latest, trending meme templates as well as the old classics. https://imgflip.com/memegenerator Check it out and see what you come up with.  Do you often struggle networking for your business? Read this article to become a super-skilled networker and take your business to new heights.
Apparently, everyone's talking about networking these days. Connections, contacts, links - you know all that… Well, no doubt, networking is one of the BEST ways to promote your business. Just a recent survey showed that 78% of startups believe that networking is vital to their entrepreneurial success. And, who can question that? Since what networking really does is spread the word about your product, which ultimately leads to more clients, more business and more sales for you. But, the problem is: Not everyone is good at networking. And, if that includes you then this article is a must-read for you. Read the SIX golden tips on networking below and learn how to network like a pro… 1) Have A Definite Goal First, make up your plan! You know, most entrepreneurs who fail at networking do so because of a lack of a definite goal. They don't know who to talk to and what to look for when networking. And, people sense this lack of purpose in a sec. They know whether a person is talking real business or just hot air… So, frame a DEFINITE plan and be focused on that when you go for networking. 2) Attend Business Seminars Business meetings and seminars are the best platform to strike up important connections with big parties. For example, your city's chamber of commerce might hold annual business meet-ups for entrepreneurs and it's really worth turning up at such events. You never know who you might bump into… So, all you need to do is attend such networking events regularly and look for the right people there. 3) Focus on Giving Rather than Taking Don't be selfish while networking… Put your own agenda on the back burner and look for ways to be of help to OTHERS. Because if there's one thing that gives a blow to your networking efforts, it's your being selfish and thinking 'what's in it for me?' Such an attitude really puts everybody off. Real networking is based on trust and value-offering. Forget about yourself and focus on giving others some value. That's a sure-shot way to secure long-term paying relationships at networking. 4) Work on Your Communication Skills Your success in networking depends a lot on how well you communicate. But, don't worry. Communication is not some genie that you've got to trap in a bottle… It's actually easier than you think. The key to mastering communication is being open, natural and warm right from the start of your conversations. Drop all pretense and be yourself. To hone up your communication you could take some course or using a few good books on communication skills can also do you wonders… To get you started, here's a recommendation: 'How to win friends and influence people' by Dale Carnegie. 5) Be Active on Social Media Social media is now a throbbing reality and the sooner you accept it the better... Possibly no entrepreneur can today survive (or thrive at least) without having any social media presence. So, make up some attractive SM pages for your business and be interactive with your fans and clients there. Or even better, get an SM expert to act as your VA and do the internet marketing for you. 6) Always Follow Up! Last but not the least, always follow up on your networking engagements. Everyone gets annoyed with people who never follow up on their agreements and disappear without a trace as if nothing ever happened. Keep in touch, because useless contacts today might turn out to be most useful tomorrow!  Have you ever seen an advertisement and felt like it was meant for someone else and not for you? You must have felt alienated like you were unimportant. Sadly, societal bias and stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, and religion are all too common and this reflects in the marketing.
For instance, males are shown more in adverts than women are. On the other end of the spectrum, women appear more in revealing adverts than men. Very often brands fail to include all members of the society yet expect everyone to purchase their products or services the same. How to make the best use of inclusive marketing Inclusive marketing is more than just including faces of minorities in adverts or changing the colors of your products. This is not all that is needed to get people to purchase products. So where do you begin? Culture! That’s where. Dedicate your resources and research on understanding the political, social, and economic views of your target market. Understand their challenges. This will mean immersing yourself in their world and putting yourself into their shoes. This in turn will equip you with the information necessary to create adverts that appeal to customers and that will offend them. Get the right team And the right team represents the different cultures and ethnicities in the greater society. Look at it this way, can a man sell beauty products? Sure he can! But would it be better if there was a woman on the team? Similarly, can women sell shaving products? Of course! But would it be better if there was a man in the team who shaves on a regular? This same concept should be considered with different ethnicities. A Mexican knows more about his people and understands their perceptions more than a black man. Similarly, a black man knows more about the black community and its challenges more than a white man. You get it! Understanding the role of women Women for instance make up the female economy. Last year alone, women spent over 24 trillion dollars. What’s more, it is expected that as more and more women enter the workforce, this number will continue to grow. Savvy marketers are aware of this and are now representing women more in their marketing campaigns. This can be an excellent way to ensure your marketing budget goes even further. Many businesses are now realizing the potential and are changing their marketing tactics to appeal to more women. Inclusive marketing and its effects on consumer behavior Consumers are much more likely to buy products from brands that make them feel recognized and appreciated as a valuable part of the community. For instance, black consumers are more likely to buy products from a brand that shows black people in their adverts. With inclusive marketing, your campaigns can have more impact and persuade more people to choose your products. A great example of inclusive marketing is Rhianna’s Fenty Beauty. It markets to different races and ethnicities in over 137 countries. One of her adverts even showed a Muslim girl with a hijab. Ultimately inclusion is for all When it is all said and done, inclusion is not about creating ads that target a certain ethnicity or group of people. It is about creating a successful campaign that takes into consideration the feelings, emotions, and views of everyone in society. The goal is to make everyone feel appreciate without alienating some. Inclusion marketing is an ongoing process of evaluating and re-evaluating societal concepts. |
AuthorJennifer McArdle is the owner and founder of McArdle Media. Archives
December 2022
Categories |
RSS Feed