Now that you’ve created followers on your social media platforms, you may start facing serious questions from upper management – how do these numbers improve the bottom line?  What was the ROI on this marketing platform?  Understanding social media market trends and reports will help you answer these types of questions.

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Be cautious when accepting friend requests on social media networks.  If you take a good look at your friends list, you’ll find that you don’t personally know everyone on that list.  Accepting friend requests from criminals is fairly easy to do.  In addition, it only takes one friend’s carelessness with who is added as a..

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Seven findings from Nielson and McKinsey’s Social Media Report (where consumers were surveyed to learn how they use social networks) are:  more time is invested on mobile devices, Pinterest use continues to increase, social networking produces positive sentiments, Twitter impels social television, social care is the new customer care, social ads get mixed feelings, and..

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You have a brand and message that you’re distributing through social media. In previous blogs, I’ve discussed how to use Pinterest and Instagram to successfully promote your brand image.  Promoting your story or brand image needs to be consistent with other social media platforms when marketing with video on YouTube. In accordance with my previous..

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Social Media marketing strategy is crucial to a company’s brand recognition.  Businesses need to understand social media marketing and which social media platforms to utilize.  Based on recent studies, a business’ brand needs social media marketing. The study conducted in 2012 by Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Ipsos ASI, and Bloomberg determined there is a..

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Using Instagram the correct way can lead to brand recognition for businesses.  As previously stated in my blog, Marketing Strategy for Social Media, Instagram isn’t a platform for every business.  However, if you use it wisely, you can include it in your social media marketing program. The key to post pictures; don’t post text or..

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Whether your goal is to own your own business, become a consultant, a speaker or an author, you’ll need to start with a business plan. Even if you launched your business years ago, it’s important to revisit and refresh your plan. In recent years, the economy, technology and consumer habits have changed rapidly and dramatically,..

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While smartphones can perform a plethora of functions, according to a recent Harris Poll survey, very few smartphone owners are actually taking advantage of the time- and paper-saving potential of their devices. Today’s smartphones can store information to make our lives more efficient – information that can be scanned to make a purchase, or displayed..

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Consider for a moment the annoying, interruptive, often obnoxious nature of traditional marketing. Dinnertime phone calls from strangers in noisy call centers. Glossy pictures of the latest fashions worn by models who barely look human. Crowded store shelves with head-spinning arrays of options arranged in no discernible order (“I just need some toothpaste!”). Company websites..

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Nearly everyone thinks that saving money is a good idea. But hunting down deals and finding the best stuff to buy can sometimes feel like a hassle. However, now that mobile technology is here to stay, these days, shoppers can easily find what they are looking for at a great price. The November 2012 issue..

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Replacing bricks and mortar with virtual space is no longer a new concept. It’s a tactic born during the recent downturn because it simply made economic sense. But it’s a strategy today that is gaining favor for a variety of reasons – for instance, in the world of real estate; agents are at their desks..

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Mobile malware is becoming a bigger problem every day. Especially now, considering some Americans use their phones more than their computers. Putting a stop to mobile malware isn’t that easy. What is malware? It’s essentially viruses or programs that can wreak havoc on your phone. Malware can cause lags and system errors, and can introduce..

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It happens all the time: The hard-working crew at a small business loses customers thanks to the sour grapes of one person. It could be a disgruntled employee, an angry customer or even a competitor, says V. Michael Santoro, coauthor with John S. Rizzo of Niche Dominance: Creating Order out of Your Digital Marketing Chaos…

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Employers looking to increase productivity should consider breaking up water-cooler talk or upgrading their software before banning Facebook. In a nationwide survey, 14 percent of knowledge workers cited chatting with co-workers as their biggest waste of time, followed by dealing with computer or software problems (11 percent). Five percent (5%) of respondents cited Facebook, Twitter..

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Why are we talking about social media? Apart from the fact that today’s youth are being referred to as the ‘Facebook generation’ and that 65% of adult Internet users claim to use social media platforms? Social media has altered our interactions within our community and our perceptions of our relationships. It is in our homes,..

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According to a new study, “SocialShop,” released by Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide, 42 percent of Americans are using social media to shop – this equates to nearly 95 million social shoppers in the U.S. – and that number continues to rise. In fact, when asked how often social media is used to shop today versus a..

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