Cathy Yerges, PEAK PROFITS, LLC; Rena Ripp, Hummingbird Social Media LLC, & Barbara Samuel, ALL WRITE, LLC

1)  If you are going to be on social networks, be consistent on them at least once a week with a message.

2)  Have a goal in mind before you start your social media presence. Identify your target audience and what you want to share with them. It will help you choose the best social media platform to use and allow you to strategically craft your message.

3)  Be a giver. Be present and helpful to your network. Think about what you can do for them. This will avoid you being thought of as pushy, spammy, or only in it for yourself. Through the laws of the universe, business will come to you naturally if you keep the focus on helping others.

4)  Participate in the online discussions. It’s a great way to build the “know, like and trust” factor with your audience.

5)  The power of social media is in the 2nd degree. It’s not in who you know, but who your connections know. Social media helps spread your influence and knowledge to the 2nd degree.

6) If you don’t have the time to learn how to build your brand online or maintain your social media presence, seek help from someone in the industry. He/she will be able to get you up and running in no time so you can concentrate on your core business.

7)  Watch your competitors…learn what they do well and what they do poorly.

 Why is good writing important to you and your business?  You only have one chance to make a first impression, and that could be in writing

9)  Whether you are preparing and email, a blog post, a Web page, or a brochure, if your material is not clearly and cleanly communicated, the opportunity to capture your potential clients will be lost.

10)  Before you hit “send” or “publish”, review and edit your work.  Read it aloud, or ask a trusted friend to review it for you.  Better yet, write on one day and review the next.

Google Search Tips

While most people feel that they can confidently find the information they’re looking for on Google, they’re often doing it in a haphazard way that can waste valuable time. This is why we’ve come up with five tips on how to more efficiently search on Google.

1. Exact phrase. Let’s say you are looking for a hair product you got at your salon. You can type hair salon into Google, but your results include hair care, hair products and nail salons along with your hair salon results. By putting the exact phrase you want, “hair products”, in quotes you insure that you get results for that exact phrase.
2. Minus that. Let’s say you still want to find a hair salon but you don’t want to go to one that offers massage. In this situation you enter your search term, hair salon and then you subtract what you don’t want. Hair Salon –massage. By adding the minus sign before the word massage you will eliminate hair salons that also advertise massage.
3. OR option. Let’s say that you’re looking to treat yourself and you’re not sure whether you want to get your hair done or if you want a massage. In this situation you can use the OR tool. Enter Hair Salon OR Massage into Google and they will give you both options in your results. Note that this only works if the OR is capitalized.
4. Phonebook. The phonebook option on Google is a great tool. Let’s say you get a phone call from a number you don’t recognize. Simply Google Phonebook: and the number; i.e. Phonebook: 555-5555. You’ll get the result for that number as long as it appears in the search engines somewhere. And look, it’s your hair salon calling to remind you of your appointment.
5. Define this. Let’s say you run across a word that you’re unsure of, something like glyceryl monothioglycolate. If you enter Define: glyceryl monothioglycolate into Google you’ll discover that this is a chemical used in hair waving lotions.

These useful Google tools help you quickly and easily find exactly what you’re looking for, making your search time more productive.

Sign up to the Tingalls blog for new information on social media, SEO, graphic design and small business tips.

Social Media Marketing

It seems we’re constantly barraged with social media today, from friends to corporate marketing strategies and everything in between. Because of the wide use and acceptance of social media it has become a very valuable marketing tool; so how do you take advantage of it to help your business?

To create, develop and carry out an effective social media marketing plan there are three steps that you need to follow.

The first step is to listen to what people are saying. Follow your company news, customers, clients etc on social media outlets to see what people are saying about you. Listen to both the positive and negative comments and try to uncover the motivation behind their comments. This is not just your first step, but should become the bedrock of your social media marketing platform. Keep listening.

A lot of social media data is great, but if you don’t analyze it it’s pretty much meaningless. Creating a company process for compiling and analyzing your social media information is integral to your success. This may take some work because every company is different and has different marketing needs. Be sure to not only identify what information is important to you, but how you’re going to capture it also. Regular reviews of this process are important as social media changes very frequently.

The final step to creating a successful social media campaign is act on it. Too many companies capture information and review it and come up with great action plans that they never follow through on.

While some social media campaigns may get much more involved and complex than this, the successful ones all have these three elements in common; listen to the audience, analyze data, and acting on their social media marketing plan.

Subscribe to the Tingalls Dzyn blog for more tips on marketing and social media.

Tingalls Blog - Social Media Mistakes

Social media is becoming a huge part of company strategy and marketing, but it’s still a fairly novel invention, which means there are social media mistakes abound. So, just for fun, let’s take a look at some of the biggest social media mistakes companies have made.

Kenneth Cole

Using current events in your social media posts can be a great and clever way to promote your business or get people talking. But, as Kenneth Cole learned last year, good taste and common sense must come into play as well. During great unrest (and much violence) in Egypt, Cole decided to promote his clothing line with the following tweet.

“Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online.”

His taste level with clothing may be spot on, but when it comes to marketing, it’s more than a shade off.

HabitatUK

Hashtags (#) have become an important element of Twitter as they let people subscribe to a topic they’re interested in, such as iPhone, and get related tweets. HabitatUK realized that some topics are extremely popular, like iPhone. So, they decided to hashtag their posts with #iPhone and other popular tags and then proceeded to tweet about completely unrelated topics. This does nothing but alienate that subscribed audience and give your company a bad reputation.

Burger King

All we can say about this particular gaff is – WHAT?!? Burger King decided to drum up some business by launching a Facebook Contest. This is typically a great idea and can create some buzz, bring in new customers and boost your social media presence. But when your contest rewards people for “de-friending” their Facebook friends, you have to wonder what they were thinking. BUT it gets worse!!! When you defriend someone on Facebook, it’s sort of a secret and that person never knows unless they notice it or check their friend list. Burger King notified people that they were defriended so someone could win a free burger, creating hurt feelings and anger everywhere and prompting Facebook to shut them down.

Charlie Sheen

Celebrities often commit social media sins; complaining about having to perform in a certain city, personally attacking their romantic partners, and letting intimate videos and pictures go viral. We could bring up a bunch of names but let’s focus on Charlie Sheen since he’s such an easy target. Apparently, Sheen forgot that Twitter isn’t private and sent a tweet to Justin Bieber that included his personal phone number. The result – 5 million people got Sheen’s private phone number (now disconnected).  #Winning!

The lesson to take away from all of these social media blunders is that you’re dealing with a VERY public medium and every movement must be carefully considered, especially when a company name, brand or image is at stake.

Sign up to the Tingalls blog for new information on social media, SEO, graphic design and small business tips.

Tradeshow Tips from Tingalls Dzyn

Too many companies sign up for a tradeshow and then forget about it until a month before the show when they realize they’re going to need some material. Some companies don’t even put that much planning into it. To get the most out of a tradeshow and have the best attendee response you need to plan for the event.

The first thing to remember is that a tradeshow is a marketing event and this means it needs to be treated like every other marketing event. You need to define your goals and then identify the metrics you will use to see if you’re meeting them.

Then, it’s time to create your game plan and figure out what technique you’re going to use to achieve your goals. This can be as simple as handing out a brochure or as involved as creating an entire interactive presentation with a supporting social media campaign. Your approach to tackling your company goals is unique to your business and your philosophy.

Your tradeshow booth presence should be a primary concern when planning for the event as it becomes your first impression in many cases. You can have an incredible building, but if you have a dumpy, unoriginal tradeshow booth that may be the impression you give many attendees, or worse yet, they may not remember you at all. Get creative and come up with a way to stand out from the other booths.

Take your tradeshow off grounds. Consider a custom landing page that takes your visitors out of the tradeshow and really shows them what you have to offer. A custom landing page for the tradeshow event is also a great way to monitor if people are connecting with your tradeshow message. You can encourage them to click on a web link, enter a web address or, better yet, simply scan in a QR code and they’re at your tradeshow page. This simple page can be customized to either promote your entire company or speak specifically about your presence at the tradeshow. The landing page is a great way to track who was interested enough to enter the page and then who proceeded to the main website for more information. This can be an incredibly valuable tool for salespeople.

Remember to have a handout. While technology is great and should be incorporated, people still like to get something at a tradeshow. In fact, your old-fashioned, paper handout may create a greater impression than a technological one. Hedge your bets and have both.

Look within your own company. Make sure the entire company is aware of the upcoming tradeshow and what your goals are. Ask for input from your employees as they typically will have some insights into the company that your marketing department may not have. They may also be involved in the target goal at some point in the process, so it’s best to get them involved at the outset.

A successful tradeshow requires a marketing plan and time to execute it efficiently. Make the most of your tradeshow presence and begin planning as soon as possible. Contact Tingalls Dzyn to help you prepare for your next tradeshow.

Use Social Media at Tradeshows

Remember the good old days of tradeshows; people approached your booth, you shook hands and met and exchanged business cards. Maybe you gave them a pen as a parting gift. Now, with social media  you can virtually meet the person months before the tradeshow, become Facebook friends, create a business circle on Google+, share business contacts and tips on LinkedIn, give them a virtual video tour of your company, and tweet them your every move; all before  you meet in person. By the time the tradeshow rolls around you can have a customized business plan and contract waiting for them at the tradeshow.

So how do you go from one extreme to the other? Social media is a very important part of business communication today, but that doesn’t mean you have to be an expert in all arenas. Start small and learn how to use one or two different components efficiently and effectively before you try to flood your potential customers with vlogs and blogs and tweets and likes.

Twitter

Twitter is not what it once was. In the beginning, Twitter was the place to cyber-stalk your favorite celebrities as they shared every little detail of their lives. Today, Twitter has more of a business focus and is perfect for getting the word out about your company. Start advertising your presence at a tradeshow months in advance to create buzz and excitement. Let people know you’re going to be there and it’s going to be amazing. Make your booth a must stop location on the circuit. And don’t stop with announcements, respond to people who ask you questions, be an engaged expert in your field.

Facebook

Facebook is a great way for your company to invite all of its “friends” to the tradeshow event. Schedule an event and invite everyone who has friended your company Facebook page to come. Follow up with the ones who say they’ll be there by making appointments to meet. Check with the ones who won’t make it to express your regrets and see if there’s any way you can help them.

Don’t stop there. Facebook is also a great way to create excitement about the event with status updates, introduce people to your staff with images, and share highlights of previous tradeshows.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is very similar to Facebook in that you can create an event and invite business connections. It also lets you post information in groups that are relevant to your tradeshow, so you can reach a target audience. You can also set your LinkedIn account to alert you when other people mention the tradeshow so you can try to convince them to come visit your booth.

FYI – HubSpot recently discovered that LinkedIn is 277% more effective with lead generation than Facebook and Twitter.

Foursquare

Foursquare is growing and it is extremely popular among its users. Create your own Foursquare business location at the tradeshow and encourage others to check in with you to receive a giveaway item or to register to be your grand prize winner. It’s a great way to track people and can help bring them to your booth.

Google+

Oh how Google+ wants everyone to adopt their social medial platform and abandon Facebook. While this may or may not occur in the future, you shouldn’t get left behind. Create a company profile and start adding business contacts and leads to your circles. It’s free, so earning just one solid customer is worth the effort.

YouTube

Share video of the products you will be highlighting at the tradeshow, give people a virtual tour of your facility, introduce key staff members, and share moments of the tradeshow. People tend to be very visual and they enjoy videos and pictures. Create buzz before the event, offer recaps as it’s occurring and then remind everyone once the tradeshow has ended.

Get creative and adventurous with your social media marketing and make your tradeshow appearance just a small part of the event.

Marketing with Pinterest

Pinterest is quite possibly the hottest thing to come along in social networking since Twitter, or perhaps even Facebook. As with any new social media venture, marketers are looking at it to see if it can help their company gain new customers.

Think of Pinterest as an old-fashioned bulletin board where you pin your ideas, recipes, notes and other information. Pinterest is a very visual medium, which makes it particularly useful to companies that are selling products that are visually appealing and even some services like landscaping or hair styling. But the visual element doesn’t mean that content driven “pins” aren’t successful, quite the contrary.

Currently, Pinterest is an invitation only website, but you can go to www.pinterest.com and request and invite and you should get one in a few days. Or, as a friend to invite you and you’ll almost immediately receive the invitation. Make sure you register your business account with a business email and Twitter account, this way you can instantly share information from Pinterest. At this point in time, Pinterest does not offer a direct connection with a Facebook business page, but it does for individual pages.

When you’ve signed up on Pinterest, take the time to complete your profile, using solid keywords that identify your business. Take particular note of the “Hide your Pinterest Profile” question and switch it to off. If you’re hidden you will not be listed on search engines, and you definitely want to be searchable.

Because Pinterest is a social media outlet it should be treated as such. Just like Facebook and Twitter, you want to encourage social interaction, not blatantly sell your products. Users of social media are turned off by salesmen and they’re savvy enough to see through thin smokescreens.

If you want an excellent example of a company using Pinterest correctly, check out Oreck. People absolutely love pet pictures and videos and Ha! Vacuums are a great way to clean up pet messes! But Oreck doesn’t have to make that connection for you, they let you do it yourself, they simply show you the cutest little critters around. Their pins are so cute that you feel compelled to follow them so you can see the next installment of their furry friends.

Another way Pinterest is similar to other social media is that you will get the most out of it by interacting with others. Follow other companies and people and repin their posts. Establish a company identity and find pins that would appeal to that type of person.

One way to take advantage of the social aspect is to let the personalities behind your company shine through. Take some fun pictures of the office in team building activities or working hard on a project. Invite them to share a favorite vacation photo or one of them pursuing an outside activity. This opens you up to an even wider group of potential followers.

The real key to developing a Pinterest following that may turn into leads is to think about your ideal consumer’s lifestyle and how your products fit into it. Highlight the lifestyle elements, not your products. The more social you are as a company, the greater success you’ll have with social media.

Contact Tingalls Dzyn to have a Pinterest button added to your webpage so your friends and customers can easily pin your products to their bulletin boards.

If you’re already ahead of the curve and have a company Facebook page, then it’s time to turn your attention to acquiring more fans so you can reach more people with your message and get that top of mind territory with your customers. We’ve come up with 5 ways to boost your Facebook fan base, feel free to add your suggestions to our list.

Make it Easy

Don’t sit back and wait for the fans to come to you, make it easy for them to find you. Add Facebook tabs to your website, your blog, your QR codes, emails and anywhere else you can to encourage people to become a fan and do so instantly without any more difficulty than a click of the mouse.

New Content

Even with your established fans you’ll quickly be forgotten if you’re not posting content regularly. By posting content that others respond to and want to share you’re reaching into their friend/fan base and touching people that you normally may not have access to.

Exclusive Deals

People aren’t likely to become Facebook fans of some businesses just because they do business with them unless they get something out of the deal. So why not offer them something. Exclusive deals advertised on Facebook are very common and it can dramatically boost a fan base.

Be Interactive

Remember the name of the game is social, and you’re looking to establish relationships. Respond to wall posts and comments. Ask your fans questions and then don’t ignore their answers. You want them to feel like they belong and that requires a give and take.

Tag Photos

If you have a company event, take loads of photos, post them to your Facebook page and tag a few select people, encourage them to tag others in the pictures, this posts on their wall so their friends see it in a newsfeed, which may encourage them to tag more people, view your pictures, and/or become a fan of your business.

Remember that Facebook users can only like up to 500 pages, so you have to give them something they want or like to be selected as one of their chosen 500.

Leave a comment if you have other suggestions for increasing a Facebook fan base.

Good Website Design

Having a website is almost a professional prerequisite in today’s computer driven world, but there’s a big difference between having a good website and just having a website. While some companies need a huge web presence, other companies don’t need a lot of bells and whistles; for them simple is better. No matter what category you fall into, or if you’re somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, there are three key components to every good website design.

Eye-Catching Design

Everyone has heard the clichés about first impressions, but let’s be honest, they’re very important and oftentimes your website is your first impression on a potential customer. You want that impression to be a good one, especially since you’re not personally on hand to tailor that initial introduction. This is why you really need to think about your audience and develop an eye-catching design that is appealing. Once you’ve caught a viewer’s eye, you need to have a site that is easy to understand and navigate while maintaining that original feel that appealed to them in the first place.

Good Keyword Rich Content

What you say matters and how you say it may matter even more. Websites are basically at the mercy of the three major search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo). If these search engines like your website they’re going to rank you higher than your competition and you’re going to be discovered by more potential customers. Quality, search engine optimized content that is legitimately stacked with well-researched keywords is one of the BEST ways to design an informative, useful and search engine friendly website.

Conversion Strategies

Now that you’ve caught the eye of your audience and you’ve garnered the approval of the search engines, you’ve got to give those visitors to your website the information they’re after and prevent them from racing off to another website. What information do your customers ask for? What information do you want to give them? What information would they find helpful if they knew it existed? These are key questions to ask yourself, and then, make it easy for website visitors to find this information. Incorporate navigation buttons that bring you to videos, testimonials, case studies, a price sheet, FAQ, links to your social media, etc. Be their tour guide, taking them directly to what they want to see without confusing them with a lot of extras.

Basically, the goal of every website is to attract customers through eye-catching designs and a high search engine ranking, keep customers on that website by making it easy for them to get the information they want, then make them want to return again and again to soak up expert advice and information or to initiate contact for their business needs.

If you need a website or want to freshen your existing site up a bit, contact the design professionals at Tingalls Dzyn to get the most out of your web presence.

How to Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media website that helps professionals connect with each other and it provides a forum for people to find answers from experts in the field. It does seem a bit overwhelming and daunting at first, but people are using this site to find employees, new companies to work with, information and to network. If you want to take advantage of every opportunity available to your business then LinkedIn is a must.

Join Groups

If you join groups that are interested in the same areas you are or are based in the same field as your company, you’ve instantly got a professional base from which to find out about the latest industry news and updates and to share your own information and news. By joining groups that you have a connection with outside of your current company; such as university groups, previous employers, or groups established by business friends, you’ve suddenly opened up your future client base.

Watch the Competition

By watching what your competition is doing on LinkedIn you can get a little insight on ways to “out market” them or beat them to the punch. It can also give you an idea of things they might be doing wrong and that you can take advantage of. Similarly, make sure not to give away any trade secrets on your LinkedIn profile.

Tailor to Fit

Once you become proficient in LinkedIn you can tailor your page and information to reach out to the people who you are connected to. There are even analytics that can help you see who is following you, which can be very important information when you’re looking to reach out to your customers. LinkedIn is a fairly flexible environment that will give you back what you put into it.

Need to add a LinkedIn button to your website – Contact Tingalls Dzyn.