Displaying items by tag: socialmedia

We already talked about why businesses should open an Instagram account. Now we are going to give you some tips on how to capture the perfect picture. It’s not easy but it’s not complicated either.

You can either take pictures with a professional camera or your phone, it all depends on what you have in hand. Now lets get started.

1. There’s no such thing as taking one perfect picture

Instagram is right for any kind of business either large or small. Many business owners may be a little skeptical about it but let me explain why it is more than just visual content. Instagram has generated more than 300 million active users, has an average number of 70 million photos posted daily, and has caught the attention of both large and small businesses.

Let’s take a look at our 4 key benefits.

1. Connecting with audience/customers

Do you know if the time and money you’re investing into social media strategy and management is paying off?

Make sure you understand your return on investment (ROI), no matter whether you’re using social media to improve awareness of your product or increase your bottom line — or both!

Here are three ways for you to measure your social media ROI in Google Analytics.

Hashtags, are defined as a # sign followed by a word or phrase; when the two are combined, it becomes a link you can click on to see other posts that include the same hashtag.

Want to see public posts for a hashtag? Copy and paste these links into your browser and replace “Bloominari” with the hashtag of your choice:

• https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bloominari
• https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23bloominari
• https://instagram.com/explore/tags/bloominari/
• https://www.pinterest.com/search?q=%23bloominari

Why Should You Use Hashtags?

1. Your readers understand what your post is about. For example, “We’re excited to bring #DeepDishPizza to our #LaJolla location!” makes it clear that you’re talking about a specific product and a specific location.
2. You improve the chances that people outside of your immediate network (i.e., people who are not yet following your social media account) will find your post. Your post will appear with all the other posts that include that hashtag.

Use hashtags sparingly and only for the key topics or phrases — especially on Twitter! (Remember, those # signs still count as characters.) Instagram has a limit of 30 hashtags in a comment.

What Hashtags Should You Use?

When posting, think about including hashtags for:

• your brand (e.g., #bloominari)
• important services (e.g., #socialmediamarketing)
• relevant events or holidays (e.g., #thanksgiving or #SDCC)

Depending on your industry, there may be specific hashtags that you may want to include that are unique to that community.

You can use social media marketing to connect with your customers, help new customers find your business, and build relationships! Since many small business owners and employees are familiar with at least one social media network, it can be easy to get started. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn all offer free accounts and Pages for businesses, too, so there’s no up-front monetary expense.

Managing social media, though, especially if your company has Pages on multiple networks, can be time-intensive. And when you’re running a small business, your time might be better spent serving customers, keeping track of finances, and managing employees.

Should you make the jump?

Five reasons to use social media tools

1. You can see feeds from all of your social media channels in one place. Jumping back and forth from site to site can be a big part of the social media time suck. If this sounds like a typical day for you online, consider trying out a tool that has this feature.
2. You can post to any combination of your social media channels. Similarly, many social media tools make the updating process faster. You don’t have to post to every channel every time, too - pick and choose which ones get updated each time. You’ll save time and effort.
3. It makes it easier for someone else to step in. Once you’ve set up a social media tool with all of your accounts, it’s easy to share access with a co-worker. If you’re sick or away, share just one login with your co-worker instead of five!
4. You can learn more about your social media performance. Many tools offer analytics and reporting. You won’t need to go to yet another site to see which links get clicked on, what content gets shared, and how often people are talking to or about you. This gives you instant feedback on what’s working, enabling you to do more of that! You can even share the report with co-workers, too.
5. You can check and update your social media channels anywhere. Switching from social media site to site is a pain on your computer, but it can be twice as annoying on a smartphone! While all of the major social media networks now have their own apps, you can save time by checking your social media tool’s single app while you’re on the go. This makes it easy to check in if something’s getting a lot of activity.

Five reasons to not use social media tools

How many social media posts do you really read word for word? What makes you stop your scrolling and take notice?

Make sure you include compelling social media copy in all of your posts - even if you’re posting to share a video, photo, or link. Even though Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ will make your post look appealing by providing a video, photo, or link embed, you’ll miss an opportunity to engage your reader if you don’t include a relevant caption.

Keep It Simple

Think again about how you browse social media. You probably skim posts, right? Make sure your copy is easy to understand even at a glance. Unless your social media audience is primarily made up of professionals who are well-versed in and expect high-level content, you probably want to write simple, easy-to-read copy, using a tone of voice that’s consistent with your branding, that includes clear headlines and calls-to-action.

You don’t know who makes up the majority of your audience and what they expect? Read on…

It’s easy and free to get your company started on social media. After just a few minutes’ worth of set-up, you’ll have your accounts up and running! But how do you know if your social media activity is actually helping out your business?

You should spend the majority of your time running your business — not worrying whether social media is a waste of time! Put your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to work with our tips. And if you’re in the San Diego, CA area, make sure to join us for our upcoming workshop on content and social media on November 19!. 

Social media should be the first step on your customer’s journey — NOT their final destination!

It’s exceptionally gratifying to see your follower counts go up as you spend time online. Are those followers converting into paying customers, though?

Keep in mind that social media is at its most valuable when it refers prospective customers to your eCommerce website or your brick-and-mortar location.

Provide thoughtful opportunities for customers to visit your website, learn about your services, and take the next step towards converting. But make sure that these opportunities are written with your audience’s motivators and needs in mind! They’ll be more likely to click through to your site if they believe you’ll be able to provide personal value to them.

Kona's K9 Club offers dog walking and dog outdoor experiences for Northern San Diego residents. They reached out to Bloominari searching for a one-stop service for designing a new logo and website that would allow them to attract new customers, allow people to book online appointments, and to share images of their events with their community.

Bloominari took on the challenge and created a new logo, designed a new  sharp-looking website, integrated their Instagram account into their photo gallery and built an online reservations systems where customers could choose when to have their dog taken out for a stroll. Checkout their website using the link below  

Whether you’re preparing to launch your small business or have been open to customers for years, it’s never too late to get started with social media!

This post will focus on quick and cost-effective ways to use social media to help customers learn about you, monitor conversations about your company, track reviews and comments, and improve your business.

1. Control your digital footprint and help customers find you.

Make sure your business is easily found online and that all of your key information is up to date by setting up your business on Yelp, Facebook, and Foursquare. These networks allow customers to share information, tips, and reviews about businesses and to share where they are with their friends.

Even businesses without a brick-and-mortar location can benefit from claiming their brand names online. Make sure to add a well-written description that includes keywords people may use to describe your business, like ‘brunch,’ or ‘web development.’ Users who search for these keywords may find your business this way.