In the fast-paced, technology-driven world, the vast part of our day is spent online. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population utilizes the internet, while the average person spends 144 minutes a day browsing through their social media.
While once the medium for friends to connect, social media now forms an essential part of a company’s digital marketing strategy. Nowadays, not having a presence on social media can hold your business back, preventing you from achieving your best.
Why social media is important to your brand
Social media is no longer an optional benefit for businesses but an essential method of reaching customers. There are many benefits to having a presence on social media, including:
1. Boost your brand awareness
One of the biggest benefits of managing a social media presence is that it can significantly boost your brand awareness. With billions of users utilizing social media, you will be able to place your company into the palms of more potential customers. People do not just follow brands that they know; a recent survey of Instagram users found that 60% of people had discovered a new company while browsing their timeline.
An effective digital marketing campaign across social platforms can help you to develop genuine leads with new customers, enabling you to nurture stronger relationships.
2. Become a thought leader
Alongside helping you reach more potential customers, social media can also help you establish your company as a thought leader for your industry. Regular insightful posts can showcase your company as the go-to brand for information on your industry, and 58% of businesses said they were more likely to choose a company perceived as a thought leader.
3. Reputation management
No matter whether you are using social media or not, your customers will be. Ensuring you are actively utilizing your social channels will help you to respond to your customers, allowing you to maximize your customer service offering.
By using social media, you will be able to control your reputation far more effectively. It will allow you to highlight positive messages and quickly address any negative comments before they become a major issue.
4. 24/7 marketing
Unlike other forms of marketing, your online presence will be able to work to promote your brand 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Potential customers will be scrolling through their timelines at all hours of the day, so regular and high-quality posting maximizes your productivity, ensuring you are always reaching potential customers.
Need help with your social media?
There can be no denying the importance of incorporating social media into your digital marketing. However, many entrepreneurs find they do not have the time or energy to create a successful social media strategy.
Here at Ace Concierge, we know how time-consuming creating a compelling social media presence can be. That is why our executive virtual assistant services have been specifically designed to boost your productivity and time management by providing you with full social media management services.
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Hiring our proven executive virtual assistant will give you the confidence your digital presence is in the best hands possible, ensuring your focus can be on expanding your business. We have helped dozens of entrepreneurs transform their brands, so if you want to find out how we can help you, get in touch today.
There are so many different social networks to be on today, it is no wonder small business owners feel their heads spinning when they think about it.
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
TikTok
Snapchat
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Reddit
Parler
Mixx
Flipboard
Me-We
YouTube
Rumble
These are just the most recently popular social networking websites where people gather today.
So, what is a small business owner to do? Let us look at some options here:
Ask Where Your Clients Are on Social Media
Yes, you can ask your clients which social network sites they participate the most on. When they visit your business online or in-person be ready to ask them. Online, you can send out a quiz via email or even on a landing page of your website. If you are an eCommerce merchant, you can easily check your Google analytics to see where people are coming from to your website.
Do Some Research
Many of the networks have a completely different audience. Many young people on TikTok may not even use Facebook or LinkedIn for example. Stay tuned with the latest trends of where people are going online. Recently many conservative-minded people fled over to Parler. Some even quit being on Facebook and Twitter.
It is not always about which social channel has the most users, but about which channel has more of YOUR user base.
The Big Three Social Networks
The big 3 are Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter in the United States. These are the social media sites with the most users. They do not necessarily spend the most time on these but that is where they have an account and login at least once per month. Interestingly, the site with the most time spent is over on Instagram. So, if you have a younger female clientele, Instagram would be your #1 choice for where to market your business.
But remember if you need a large broad audience, these big 3 networks are where you will need to be.
Best Social Sites for B2B
Now on the other hand, if you are doing business just with other businesses you may want to consider LinkedIn. LinkedIn is known as the professional social media network. Most people talk business only on this professional network. Keep that in mind!
Younger Audience Networks
If the teenagers and young people in their 20’s and 30ths are your target audience then maybe TokTok or SnapChat would be where you want to market to. But do remember, it’s not where the highest earners go to be social.
Reaching Higher Income Demographic
As I researched this one recently it took me by surprise! YouTube far outranks all the others in a higher income user. Yes, YouTube! 83% of users on YouTube earn over $75+K per year. The next one that even comes close is Facebook with 74% of its user base earning $75+K.
The least was SnapChat audience at 22% of its audience earning the $75+ per year. Twitter came in at 32%, Pinterest at 41%, TikTok at 40%, and LinkedIn at 49%.
Best Social Media Networks for Customer Service
So, another thing to consider when choosing your social media sites to be on or advertise on is customer service. I love the speed of customer service over on Twitter. So, if your business handles a lot of customer service questions or complaints, Twitter is the place to be on.
Customer service works when someone tweets a business and then the business takes it as a private direct message. That way the whole thing does not air out in public. Many companies will either call or email you to help you resolve a problem or issue.
Up and Coming Parler and Rumble
Recently 2 other social media sites have exploded in the United States due to censorship claims. Millions have signed up on both and many left Facebook and Twitter as they signed up for Parler. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out in the coming months. Will they continue to stay on Parler? Will they stay off of Facebook and Twitter?
I believe Twitter may be in more danger as Parler has a familiar Twitter feel to it. I will say Parler seems to be handling their growing pains better than Twitter did a decade ago with their fail whale. Twitter used to be out for hours upon hours. I have not seen that with Parler though some users had trouble signing up on the busy weekend.
Parler is a more conservative network in many ways and they do not allow terrorists, spam, unsolicited ads, pornography, threats to harm, porn, blackmail, and content that glorifies violence against animals. If you see anything that looks suspicious you can report them just like on Twitter and Facebook
Rumble came about as YouTube videos were being taken down as fast as they were being put up. Rumble was formed to provide video creators a way to host, manage, distribute, create OTT [over the top] feeds, and monetize their content. Political commentator Dan Bongino co-owns the platform. “We need somewhere to go where conservative views won’t be discriminated against,” Rumble is similar to use as YouTube.
Your Turn
So where will you spend your time and effort marketing in the coming year? Which social media platform (s) will you spend marketing dollars on? Let’s discuss in the comments below.
Guest Author
Lisa Sicard
Lisa loves helping others to thrive online through Social Media, Blogging, and SEO. What good is knowledge if you cannot share it with others? She has 30+ years of experience in marketing/advertising with 9 years of experience in content marketing, social media, blogging, and SEO. Check out her latest eBook “How to Tweet and Thrive on Twitter” now on Amazon.
As a brand, it may seem prudent to step back and stop posting or creating ads on social media. We are in a crisis mode – on overdrive, fighting a global pandemic. COVID19 has infiltrated every aspect of our lives.
BUT! Perhaps you may want to reconsider.
Consumers are longing for answers, distractions, entertainment, messages of support, things they can do at home and a way to process this new sense of [crazy] ‘normal.’
HELP them.
Remain active. Challenge your own status quo. Get in front of people (6’). Don’t be afraid to do something different. Creativity in business goes a long way. Every effort you make is not only a deposit for your audience but also for your business.
Maintain sensitivity and respect with your content. Table the hard-selling, remembering many people are out of work and unsure of their future. They don’t want to buy what you are pushing. They are in survival mode struggling to pay bills and make ends meet. Be thought FULL by showing how you add value and compassion. These are hard times for all. Your customer needs you to think about them.
Shift priorities from the sale to customer relationships. That’s where retention lives. Your goal is to show support using the talents you bring to the table. Being relevant to today; it is your survival tool.
Social distancing is the buzz word but it is actually physical distancing. People have become MORE social, finding ways to remain connected, reach out and still engage in a new world. Kids are having virtual playdates, adults share drinks and stories via video, companies hold virtual happy hours. People holler to their neighbors across the street. This is your new audience. For now. Meet them where they need you.
Make the time to:
Check-in with customers via text, phone, email or video
Create handbooks and white papers
Make offline events into webinars
Support other small businesses
Create fun social media contests
Share some of your daily business activities
Invite people into your day with video
Make ‘how to’ videos
Organize a virtual lunch meeting
Brainstorm unique and resourceful tools, packages, or products to fill the social distancing void
Review your website
Write blog posts
Build or enhance your digital footprint
If you’re unsure of a direction, please feel free to PM me to chat.
I want to share a local example of an AMAZING young couple, who are on top of social media, they have their finger on the pulse of their city, understand their customer needs, all the while, supporting other local businesses. I love this couple. I can’t say enough about them.
Kelley Farm Kitchen in Harper’s Ferry, WV is a phenomenal illustration of meeting customer wishes while instituting the highest level of safety measures. On March 20th, the owners posted a detailed video of their meticulous COVID-19 restaurant mandates from start to finish, including sanitization, the outdoor customer signage, menu placement, and disposal, down to the NO guest policy and pickup procedure. All of their Facebook posts profess their love and gratitude for the support and opportunity to serve the public. They consistently outline their policies and procedures, making sure everyone fully understands how, what and why they want to protect their clients. Always so genuine and from the heart.
Times are tough. The days are challenging. Couples must telework together [nightmare for many]. Finances are tight and some of the news is grim. We humans are tough and resilient. We will get through this.
Be resourceful and creative.
Find the compassion to be patient.
Support local businesses.
Innovate and inspire.
Step into each day with a positive mindset. It is a new opportunity to extend your hand for a better tomorrow.
If you know of a local business like Kelley Farm Kitchen or have read a story of innovative business practices, please share them here!
PS, remember that you still need to shower, brush your teeth and get dressed for work, no matter what your office consists of.
If you want to successfully promote your business, you need to know how to create effective landing pages. Distraction free landing pages can help you generate more leads and sales. If set up properly they can achieve conversion rates as high as 60% or more.
Therefore, today I am going to show you how to create landing pages that convert…
Find a landing page software:
The first thing you must do is get yourself a landing page software. Of course, you can always hire a designer to create the landing page for you. But using a tool will save you time and work out cheaper.
Most of the top ones provide access to several templates with which you can design your landing pages quickly. You also won’t need to hire a designer every time you need an edit. A couple of good landing page design tools you can try are Leadpages and Unbounce.
They have templates that will make it easy for you to design webinar landing pages, product landing pages and more.
Design the landing page:
After you choose your landing page software choose a template that will suit your project best. Then you can begin designing your landing page. Start by writing a headline. It should be both attention grabbing and enticing as it needs to convince people to read the rest of the landing page.
You should also optimize it for social media so that the headlines will drive more clicks and shares.
Next, write the body copy. The goal of the body copy should be to convince people that signing up for the content in exchange for their details or buying the product is worth it. The best way to do this is by discussing the benefits of the content or product.
Start with a short paragraph and then continue with bullet points that quickly state the benefits.
After that you can end with a call to action that asks people to ‘Sign Up’ or ‘Buy Now’ to gain access.
Here’s a good example of a landing page from Hubspot that promotes a free marketing assessment…
As you can see it starts with an attractive headline followed by a sub headline. After that you have a couple of short paragraphs which are followed by bullet points that state the benefits of the assessment.
Finally, it ends with a call to action that asks people to fill up the form.
Another important step they have taken here is adding their logo at the top. When people see this they will instantly know that this is a promotion from Hubspot. If you don’t have a logo, you should at least add your company name at the top.
Attach it to a domain:
The aforementioned landing page design tools can host your landing page. So, you can set them up there. But if you want them to have an extra layer of credibility you should host it on your own domain. When people see that the name on the logo matches with the one in your URL they will trust you more.
So, attach it to your website.
If you are a startup and haven’t got a website, you can purchase one using a domain name finding tool.
When you type in the name of your company in the search field it will find all the domain names available and you can buy the one you like most.
Once you have a domain you can attach the landing page to it and it will look very credible. Some landing page design tools have their own WordPress plugins. So, if your website runs on WordPress, adding the landing page to it should be much easier.
Send traffic and test results:
The next thing you must do is send traffic to this landing page. This should be done through both organic and paid methods.
While you do this watch out for the conversion rates to see if they meet the industry standards. If it is not converting well enough you should make some modifications to see if it improves.
Split test different versions:
Another thing you can try is to split test your landing pages right from the start. This is where you create different versions of your landing page and then simultaneously send the same amount of traffic to all of them to see which converts the best. To help with split testing you can use a free tool like Google Optimize.
Now create your landing pages…
This is how you create landing pages that convert. Start by getting a landing page design tool. Next, choose a template and add your copy to it. After that you can attach it to a domain and send traffic.
While you do this you should regularly monitor your page to make sure it is converting well enough.
How do you create your landing pages? Do you use any tools or do you design them from scratch? Please leave your comments below.
There are literally millions of businesses occupying social media space just vying for a customer’s attention.
They are pulling out all of the stops to promote their business, to get customers to buy their product. So it’s safe to say that there is stiff competition in the socialverse.
For a business to survive and thrive you must have a strategy that works. And in order to create an effective social media strategy you have to know what the latest marketing trends are.
Otherwise, you won’t get a return on the time and money you invest in your marketing plan.
In this post, I’m going to cover the latest social media marketing trends for 2018.
Social Media Marketing Trends For 2018
Social Media Examiner published their 10th annual social media marketing industry report. More than 5,700 marketers were surveyed and they shared how they will use social media to grow and promote their business.
The most commonly used social media platforms marketers are:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Pinterest
Snapchat
And in spite of Instagram’s ever-growing popularity, Facebook is still holding its own. A whopping 94% of marketers use Facebook followed by 66% who use Instagram. And…2 in 3 marketers claim Facebook as their most important platform.
The Most Commonly Used Types of Content
Social Media Examiner asked marketers to identify the types of content they use in their social media marketing. The chart below shows the percentage of marketers for each type of content.
Visual Images
I can’t tell you how important visual images are. It is what will drive a customer to take action, like clicking the link to your blog post.
When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later. Brainrules
80% of marketers said they will use visual images in their social media marketing plan.
Social media is busting at the seams with brands trying to get a customer’s attention so it’s important that your visual images stand out from the rest of the digital herd.
Studies demonstrate that images receive a high response rate, and are a very effective technique for generating leads.
So how can you use visual images in your social media marketing?
Infographics are not only a quick and easy way to share information with your audience, they are also highly engaging. It is a graphic visualization tool to capture attention and to tell a story while the reader consumes the content.
There are tools like Piktochart to create your own infographics but you can also find infographics created by other marketers in just about any industry on Visual.ly.
Video
The digital landscape is exploding with video content. As a matter of fact, 77% of marketers plan to increase the use of video.
According to Hubspot: 54% of consumers wanted to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
Adding video to your social media marketing plan is an effective way to draw more attention to your business. Remember a video should be interesting, engaging and helpful for viewers, reaching their pain points, their sweet spot to want and need your service or product.
Here are some of the ways to incorporate videos into your social media marketing plan:
Create short and simple instructional videos to show your audience how your product works
An audience loves original, out-of-the box videos. A good example is one Dollar Shave Club created to promote their blades:
You can also create thank you videos to show gratitude to your audience for using your product or service
Blooper videos are also popular so share those out-takes and goof-ups!
Blogging
Customers prefer live videos over reading a blog post but blogging is still an important, fundamental tool to drive your business success. You can incorporate videos into your blog, further boosting the readability interest with active content.
Blogging is means to keep your audience informed of the latest trends in your industry, develop your reputation as a thought leader, provide updates about, and to your product, and be a valuable resource hub of information. A blog also aids in building your community of loyal, interested followers. Followers can become customers because they know, like, trust you.
Quality content is essential. It truly is KING! Be the subject matter expert to drive social waves to you and your business. Rich and relevant is a must.
Here are some of the stats that caught my attention:
According to the infographic, 80% of customers would rather watch live videos from a brand than read a plain old humdrum blog post.
Live streaming can be used to make announcements and give updates on your products. You can do a live event to promote your business. And you can do a live behind the scenes video to show your audience the creative process for your brand.
Now, live streaming is popular on many social media platforms but Facebook is killing it! Statistics show Facebook live videos are watched 3x longer than regular videos.
So if you’re wondering whether you should use live video streaming, the answer is YES!
Podcasting
Podcasts are a low cost, high impact content platform to promote your business, reach your target audience, personalize your brand and share your voice. Typically, it’s unfiltered, an opportunity to humanize brand and provide a more authentic feel than other types of content marketing.
Podcasts expand your reach, touching the lives of many. In a report by Edison Research, they found that in 2018 (so far) 44% of Americans, 124 million people, have listened to a podcast. 73 million listen in on a monthly basis. Pretty impressive.
TIP: Pat Flynn wrote a great tutorial that has step-by-step instructions to start a podcast.
Messenger Bots
Messenger bots came into the scene back in 2016 and have become a leading tool in content marketing. This form of content marketing took off when Facebook figured out how to take payments in messenger so users wouldn’t have to go to an external website to make purchases.
And from there a new trend was born!
Bots uses Artificial Intelligence to understand a user’s question and provide the right response according to the conversation flow.
It’s designed to help your customers in a more “personal” way and can help businesses provide content and resources to help customers. It adds another layer of communication to help convert viewers into customers.
Here is a list of Messenger chatbots you can check out:
Investigate the available platforms and tools to further your audience engagement and customer journey. There are many to choose from and while it can be overwhelming, start small but think big impact. Be creative and innovative, not a copy of the competition.
Experiment. The key to a working social media marketing plan is to analyze your results and tweak your plan as needed.
Over to you: What’s working? What isn’t? What are your favorite platforms?
Whether your business is real estate in Michigan or SEO services in Chicago, virtual assistants (VAs) can be major game-changers — at least if you know how to use them properly. Designed to support you remotely, a virtual assistant handles the same kinds of tasks that traditional assistants do: clerical work, marketing assistance, web design help, etc. But, as an added benefit, they handle those tasks in their own locations, saving you the costs of office space or equipment. What’s more, 91 percent of them can handle those tasks more efficiently when remote, according to a study from TINYpulse.
So, what’s the key to make the most of these assistants? The answer is strategy. Rather than hiring a VA and waiting for benefits, what you need is to think intentionally about the partnership. With that in mind, here are some key tips for knowing how to get the most out of your virtual assistant!
Know what tasks to delegate. According to Natalie Sisson at The Suitcase Entrepreneur, one of the best ways to make use of a virtual assistant is by delegating several time-consuming tasks — and saving yourself at least two hours each day in the process. What tasks add up to big savings? Sisson suggests letting your VA manage your calendar, use social media, manage your emails, handle minor blogging tasks, take care of basic bookkeeping, manage your email marketing list, and take on customer support. Other resources suggest tasks such as researching data, updating membership sites, writing transcriptions, creating images for blog posts, moderating forums or creating quick redirects on your site.
Always give thorough instructions. No matter what tasks you give your VA, aim to overcommunicate about their instructions. This is especially true upfront when you’re beginning to train your assistant. According to an article at EOFire, “you should set aside specific time each day during those first few weeks to train them on [the tasks you’re delegating].” In other words, rather than sending minimal information and hoping your VA figures out what you mean, provide clear, detailed information that answers potential questions before they arise. Think about this: The better you communicate with your VA, the less likely you are to deal with repetitive follow-ups and back-and-forth emails that waste time and lower business efficiency.
Set deadlines when appropriate. If you give your VA tasks that need to be completed in a certain time frame, set deadlines. This helps set expectations for how quickly work needs to be done, keeping your assistant on track.
Follow up in the early stages of a project. After giving your VA a larger project, follow up about 10 to 20 percent into the job. Ask how things are going, see if there are any questions, and adjust as needed. This small step can save you big headaches down the road if some part of the project didn’t get communicated.
Share documents. Avoid miscommunications or lost work by using cloud storage for all documents. Whether you go with Google Drive, Dropbox or another solution, you’ll never have to worry that your VA’s latest work is hard to access.
Respect their schedules. VAs are not employees. They often have more than one client. As such, you can’t expect them to be available round the clock or to respond right away whenever you contact them. Find out what their typical work hours are, and respect their schedules. This can help you make the most of your relationship over time.
Consider time-keeping software. Just because someone works remotely doesn’t mean you shouldn’t monitor them the way you would any employee. Consider using time-keeping software to track hours and projects.
Empower your VA with more involvement. To truly maximize the potential of a VA partnership, encourage proactive behavior. How? Instead of thinking of your VA as a contractor, think of him or her as a partner. So, rather than only delegating minor tasks, you can let your VA grow in responsibilities and the accompanying sense of ownership that comes with them. Instead of just having your assistant update spreadsheets, for example, have him or her follow up with prospects.
Keep an open dialogue. Check in with your VA from time to time to see how things are going. Ask for questions, concerns, comments or other suggestions. You may be surprised what you learn through this kind of follow-up. Likewise, try to be available via email or Skype for quick questions that come up for your VA, especially in the beginning when he or she is still learning about your business.
As an entrepreneur or small business owner who wants to save money, scale your business, boost efficiency, and work smarter, you can’t afford to ignore the potential of virtual assistants. So, to make the most of your relationship with one, keep the nine tips above in mind! By thinking strategically about your VA, you can maximize the benefits of using one.
Author bio: Shanna Mallon is a contributing writer for Straight North, one of Chicago’s top Internet marketing agencies providing SEO, web development and other online marketing services. Shanna has been writing professionally online since 2007.
Mitt Ray is the founder of 
Author bio: Shanna Mallon is a contributing writer for