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August 10, 2017 0 Comments

3 Top Tips to Use Pinterest for Business

According to SocialMediaToday.com, “87% of Pinners bought something because of content on Pinterest” – which means that Pinterest is still clearly a very powerful social network. You can truly make sales from this network, and it’s important that you’re using it to your advantage in business.

Not only is Pinterest a great place to find recipes and home ideas, it’s a useful place to share your business knowledge. From images of your work to blog post graphics, it’s crucial to utilize Pinterest’s visual medium to produce content for your clients and prospects.

Work on your images

Pinterest is a visual platform, so your images are crucial! Pinterest images should be a certain size to be optimal, and that size is 735 px x 1102 px. You can use a program such as Canva.com to create graphics in this size.

In addition to the correct sizing, your images should be eye-catching and optimized. You can optimize images by naming them something relevant, versus simply leaving them as is. If you’re writing and then pinning a blog post featuring homework tips, you can name it something like: “top-homework-tips-for-kids.” It’s also important to look into keywords here, as that will make your images even more likely to be found. This allows your images to be optimized and more SEO-friendly. In addition to your image file names, you’ll want to include a detailed description of the Pin.

According to CoalMarch.com, you can use keywords to create image file names by using this formula: Industry + Service Provided + Location or Feature (not both). Use Google Trends or another keyword search to find trending topics, as well as keywords that those in your industry are seeking.

Lastly, you can use free graphics programs to create a custom image. Find a stock image of your blog theme, add some text, and make it look nice! Attractive images are more likely to be pinned.

Get social

Pinterest is place where you can share, but it’s also a place to be interactive. Follow relevant Pinners, Pin others’ content your boards, and generally stay active.

The more you add content, pin others’ content, and continue to follow new users, the more your page will be viewed, and the more your Pins will be saved. Try following other Pinners every day, and see how many you get in return. If you’re putting in the effort to follow others, it will likely come back to you.

Be consistent

Consistency is very important in using Pinterest for business! Whenever you write a blog post, piece of content, or produce a product/service with quality photos – Pin them. Get into the habit of sharing your content on this platform, as it’s very visual, and visual networks are encouraging for buyers.

By spending some time optimizing your images, creating stunning graphics, naming your files, being social, and posting consistently, you can see the outstanding sales and business results of Pinterest.

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May 15, 2017 0 Comments

4 Types of Content to Post on Social Media

We all know how important it is to have an online presence – especially on social media.  It’s a place where we can share information, tell others about our businesses, and hopefully make some sales.

Unfortunately, a lot of business owners utilize their pages incorrectly, and don’t post content that intrigues the reader to build a relationship.  Today, we’re sharing tips to build your page, keep consistently posting content, and eventually – make that sale!

Value

When readers come to your page, they’re likely somewhat interested in you and/or your product or service.  They want to know that you’re an expert, and that you know what you’re talking about.  Make this easy for them!

Use your page to post thought-provoking, valuable content that answers their most burning questions.  You can post your own blogs, syndicate articles and blogs from outside sources, and do tips, advice, and Q&A posts that will share your knowledge with your readers.  While it may seem counterintuitive to give away your knowledge for free, it gives your readers some trust in you, making it easier to hire you someday.

About You

Whether it’s a behind the scenes post, news about your business, or information on your latest hire, readers like to get an inside glimpse into your business.  Social media can be fairly casual, so it’s the perfect place to go live with tips, share something personal (but relevant), and communicate with customers.

Share some personal things about yourself and your business – it doesn’t always have to be so formal!

Inspirational

We’ve all seen the inspirational quotes and graphics going around social media.  They might seem simplistic, but they’re easily shareable and provide your readers with a “feel good” message.  As we mentioned before, not all content has to be so heavy and information-filled.  It’s fun to mix in positive messages, tips on a graphic, or other fun content that will be easily shared.

When your graphics are shared, it’s more likely that more people will like your page, growing your following.  Be sure to include your website and business name on each graphic, and work to create your own content versus taking from others.  It’s fine to share directly from another page (with proper attribution, of course!), but creating your own graphics is much more powerful.

Sales

Last but not least, we come to sales.  This is because very little about your social media profiles should include sales information!  Once you’ve given lots of good content, it’s fine to ask for the sale.  You can run an interesting promo, offer a discount code to social media followers only, or something else that involves a direct ask to your products or services.

Again, this should be a small, small part of your strategy! Don’t drive away sales by constantly asking for them.  It’s important to strike a balance between value, solid information, fun information about your company, and finally – the sale.

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January 9, 2017 0 Comments

4 Top Tips for Using Facebook for Business

Facebook is an important and useful tool for promoting and sharing as your business.  Whether you’re a business owner, post content for other companies, or simply promote your services via social media, using Facebook effectively is key.

Read along for some top tips to ensure that you’re utilizing Facebook in the most effective ways.

Stay consistent

Consistency is key, and it’s the way to keep your readers engaged with your brand and its content.  If you’re posting very sporadically, no one gets to know you.  Try to avoid posting five times per week, followed by once per month, followed by 3 times per day.  Get into a routine that suits your content and schedule, and make sure that it’s realistic.

To start, figure out how much time you have to create content.  If it’s one hour per week, determine how long it takes to create each post.  You’ll also want to factor in consistency here and determine if this will be feasible as an ongoing schedule. From here, create a content schedule that includes the content that will be posted with the date and time.  If you’re able to do this weeks or months in advance – even better! Do what you need to do to establish a routine that is consistent and doable for your schedule.

Visual appeal

Your posts can’t simply be informative, they must also look nice. Articles can simply use the attached photo or a stock image, but your quotes, tips, and customized posts need to look their best and match your branding.  Facebook is a very visual platform, and posts containing graphics often per

You can utilize programs such as InDesign or Illustrator to create graphic posts, or simply use free online tools like Canva, Pablo, or PicMonkey.  These sites allow you to upload images, add text and/or shapes, and so on.  You’re able to create stunning posts in a matter of minutes, and it’s much better than constantly borrowing graphics from others.

Avoid selling

If you have a business, your first reaction in using Facebook for business is likely for sales.  Unfortunately, this isn’t the best course of action for social media.  It’s tempting, especially with a large, engaged audience, but it’s not ideal.  This doesn’t mean you can never feature your products and services, but they should always include the benefits to your prospects.  Additionally, you’ll still want to keep these posts to a minimum.

Your goal, in using Facebook for business, is establishing a presence, as well as establishing yourself as an expert in your line of work.  Provide a generous amount of valuable information to your readers, and they will realize that you have a lot of knowledge in your area.  You can also provide tips, advice, product usage information, benefits of using your type of services, inspirational quotes and information, and much more.  Keep your information varied and interesting, but ensure that 75-80% is valuable versus salesy.

When you do post something that could lead to a sale, your audience will be more likely to receive this favorably, since you are the expert and they’ve valued your free information so much so far.

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November 14, 2016 0 Comments

6 Tips to Successful LinkedIn Publisher Posts

The LinkedIn Publisher feature is a great way to bring blog-type articles to your LinkedIn presence. Before, only brief status-type updates were available, but Publisher posts are long-form and read much more like blog posts.

Although similar to blog posts, there are some tips to ensure that you Publisher posts are being seen and well-received on LinkedIn.

Consistency

Just like you practice consistency in your blog and social media posting, consistency in LinkedIn Publisher posts is just as important.  You can syndicate your content across various channels, but it’s also helpful to create specific content for LinkedIn.

If you blog on a weekly basis, do your best to post to LinkedIn Publisher once per week as well.  It’s helpful to get into a groove that is doable for you and your schedule.  Another tip to maintain consistency is to vary your content by a tiny bit.  If you posted about one topic several months ago, maybe do a Part 2 or more in-depth look at that topic on the Publisher platform.

Short and Sweet

LinkedIn, like other social media sites, is a browsing platform, so it’s not a place for lengthy posts.  However, according to LinkedIn.com, “posts that are best received are more than 3 paragraphs.”

Do your best to find a happy medium of short and sweet mixed with informative and complex enough to hook your reader and bring them along.

Write for the audience

As we all know, LinkedIn is a professional platform with a demographic of professional business people.   With this in mind, save the more personal and irrelevant posts for your own blog.  This is a great place to establish yourself as the expert in your field, which is incredibly helpful for prospects, clients, and future employers to see.

Offer value

When you’re in the professional space, be sure you’re offering value.  Is your post informative?  Does your reader learn something new?  If you’re adhering to posts that establish you as an expert, they should do all of the above.  Once your posts become more and more popular, your audience will know that they can count on you to provide content that is always worth their time.

Photos

Although LinkedIn is for business, visual elements still hook the eye and draw people in.  Make sure to use a visually appealing header and photo in your post.  This also helps to break up text and bring attention to your post in a crowded marketplace.

Share your post

Don’t keep your words to yourself! Share the post among your other social networks and drive traffic back to your LinkedIn Publisher post.  Don’t be afraid to mention these posts elsewhere, especially if you’re doing varied content.  The more content you have out there, the more visible you are.  This is incredibly helpful for SEO rankings, expert status, and helping employees, employers, clients, or prospects to find you more easily.

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September 12, 2016 0 Comments

5 Best Practices for LinkedIn Success

As most of us know, LinkedIn is the social media site for professionals.  If you’ve been shying away from the site, now is the time to join! While the world is becoming more and more social media savvy, it’s important to have a place on the site made for employees, employers, and professionals in general.

LinkedIn does far more than allow you to add connections and show off your work experience; it can be a place to search for new jobs and applicants, as well as offer value to your followers and potential connections.  Read along for some simple best practices to start using LinkedIn to its fullest.

Solid Summary

Do you have a Professional Summary that really stands out? While it can be tempting to just put a sentence or two about what you do or what you’re looking for in a career, truly take some time to make it special.

In addition to writing a few key paragraphs that may include information such as: how you can assist those who work with you or hire you, what measurable results you’ve produced, and how to get in contact with you, you can also add media such as video, photos, presentations and audio.  By taking the time to add a solid, well-written summary (and bonus points for media additions!), you will be well on your way to standing out on LinkedIn.

Adding Value

How can you help those who come to your profile?  If you’re searching for a job, how can you show that you’re the best fit?  You can add value by posting daily or weekly posts, publishing longer blogs or articles in the Publishing section, or simply by posting helpful items of interest for your followers.

If someone is following you, what kind of information would they like to know?  What is your expertise and how can you give some of that away?

Value also comes in the form of showing potential employers, investors, and so on what you can do for them, if applicable.  Measurable results always sell, so be sure to include data, Recommendations, and other information as solid proof of your skills.

Contact Information

Don’t forget your contact information! It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget this.  Yes, you can contact someone through Linkedin direct mail, but someone may want to place an inquiry via email or by phone. Contact information also includes any and all websites that you’re a part of – make it easy for those clients, customers, and potential employers to find you and get in touch!

Professional Photo

While you don’t need to go so far as to hire a professional photographer just for a LinkedIn photo, it isn’t a bad idea.  If a professional photo isn’t in the budget, have a friend stage a nice area, put on a nice, professional outfit, and take a few photos.  LinkedIn photos should be headshots that are done in nice lighting, appropriate for the professional world, and include a smile.

Use it

LinkedIn won’t be much help to you if it’s never used.  Utilize the capabilities included on the site, add connections, and use it as your professional face to the world. Business people – whether that’s a potential client, employer, or employee – will look at your profile, so it’s important to put your best face and experience forward.

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January 25, 2016 0 Comments

How to Create Visually Appealing Social Media Posts

Social media is a great place to share information, establish your status as an expert in your field, and interact with fans and customers.  According to Hubspot, content with visual images receives 94% more views than content without visual images!  In addition to this, visual content is 40x more likely to be shared than text content.

These stats are very important, and show the importance of visual content in your marketing campaigns.  From your blogs to your social media posts, be sure you’re including visually appealing images as much as possible!

Use a program

You don’t have to use fancy programs to create catchy graphics! Try easy-to-use graphic design programs such as Canva.com or PicMonkey.com to edit photos and create images.  Simply select the image or type of post you’d like to create and follow the steps.  Canva includes numerous images and layouts that are ready-to-use, and you can also upload your own images.

These programs offer extensive font libraries, the ability to add text, photos, layers, and colors, which add depth and dimension to your graphics.  It can be a bit of a learning curve at first, but after your first few images, you’ll begin to learn what works!

Space it out

Make sure your images are well spaced and have a good balance of color.  When we create images, it can be tough to replicate the depth and scope that we see in more professional graphics.

Between using varying colors to your benefit to limiting the fonts per graphic, this article is a helpful glance into the most important errors to avoid (and tips to include!) in your next image.

Click here for Graphic Design Tips for Non-Designers.

Choose a color

Choosing a color that evokes a certain emotion, if that’s important to your product and/or service.  Colors have meanings, which can be used to your benefit in logo and graphic creation.

When you’re trying to portray the enthusiasm in your brand, you might choose yellow.  If you prefer to give a calm vibe around your inspirational quote graphic, green is your best choice.   Click here for an infographic of color choices of some of the world’s most popular brands.

Brand it

At the top or bottom of all of your graphics, be sure to include your website URL written out (for example, www.hiremymom.com) or your actual logo.

This shows that your graphic was created exclusively for your use, and it also allows people to learn more about you if the image if shared.  Since sharing images makes them seen by a much greater audience (think hundreds or thousands more!), it’s important that you’re giving yourself credit.

When creating graphics, consider the traditional design elements while creating something original.  Your images should reflect your brand, image you’d like to portray, as well as visually appealing design.  The more your image speaks to your audience, the more likely it is to be shared – helping your organization be seen across a much wider scope!

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June 25, 2015 0 Comments

3 Tips to Use LinkedIn for Success

LinkedIn is a remarkable tool for connecting with other professionals, job searching, and featuring your past and present work.  It’s also a great tool for career success, and with a few key steps, you will find that you’re reaping more and more benefits from the site.

LinkedIn is known for being more “professional” than Facebook and Twitter, and it has stayed that way for some time.  Since it’s more for business, finding success on the site will look different than on others. Utilize the tips below for increased visibility and greater opportunities.

Use the Features

LinkedIn is a site full of excellent features! The Get Introduced feature is excellent, in that it allows you to contact those you do not know very well via someone you do know.  It’s a great way to contact someone while having a friend or colleague in common, which always makes leads and interactions much more intimate, likely to get a response, and trustworthy.

You can also utilize the Publisher feature, which is LinkedIn’s answer to the blog post.  We know that we can create short status updates, but you can post full-length blog posts with photos include via the Publisher feature. Not only does this spread your message across another channel, it establishes you as a thought leader on the site that is known for leadership, professionalism, and careers.

Be Interactive

Don’t simply create a profile and not use it! As mentioned above, LinkedIn has top notch features, but some of the true benefits lie in the day-to-day basics.

It’s important that you’re interacting – posting status updates daily or multiple times per week, liking and commenting on others’ posts, and seeking out informative articles and blog posts.  You can learn a lot on LinkedIn, as well as support your fellow friends and colleagues in their workplace endeavors and accomplishments.

Work on Your Profile

Getting to 500+ connections is important, but you want to be sure that you’re only accepting people you know, or at least be discerning in acceptance.  You want to keep your network as useful as possible, and the tools such as the Get Introduced feature work much better when you’re dealing with a group of connections that you actually know.

Another way to work on your profile is to be sure you have an excellent personal summary that explains who you are and what you can offer.  In addition to this, list your jobs and what you were able to contribute to them.  Focus on measurable results, as that’s much more helpful for potential employers to go on.

Lastly, be sure that you’re giving and receiving quality recommendations.  Request recommendations from valued clients or colleagues, and be sure to give them out for a job well done.  It’s important for your future employers, as well as giving you credibility in your given field. Quality, current, and accurate recommendations can truly help you in achieving a job position or being seen as an expert.

(Image courtest of talentegg.ca)

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January 19, 2015 0 Comments

4 Tips for Social Media Success

There’s a lot of talk about social media these days. Not only is it popular for personal use, but businesses are realizing the power and impact behind digital marketing. Despite the abundance of social media advertising information available, it can be hard to determine what you can do to leverage it for personal success.

In general, keeping social media current and frequently updated is key, especially if you hope to land a job in the digital marketing world. If not, it’s still important to keep your resume and work information current and your profiles professional.

  • For Facebook: Keep your info updated and professional. Did you know that you can add your past and current work experience to your profile? Beyond work, of course you can share personal information (that’s what Facebook is for!), but do your best to keep it as professional as possible and avoid photos and information that you wouldn’t want an employer to see.
  • For LinkedIn: This is your online resume, so take extra care to ensure it is current and written with quality. Use the personal Summary section to really shine, as it’s a great place to articulate what you bring to the table in paragraph format. LinkedIn is the ideal site to connect with influencers and decision-makers, so it’s crucial that your information is updated. For bonus points, update your LinkedIn profile with valuable, professional content daily or a few times per week.
  • For Twitter: If Twitter is applicable to a job you’re looking for, make sure you have a presence. If Twitter is of no interest to you, that’s still okay. It’s a great place to find out what is going on in the world through trending hashtags, and it’s another place to learn about companies and organizations. Most people only look to websites and Facebook for company information, but Twitter can give a truly unique insight. You can see how a company tweets and responds on Twitter, which is typically a good barometer of how they work offline.
  • For Google: Google and Google+ are rarely considered to be on the same level as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but they have their place. Google links your account to your Google+ profile and everything else you do on Google (Gmail, YouTube, etc.), so it’s important to have a presence. You can accumulate followers to share your posts and you can also follow other companies, people and organizations that interest you. Success with Google+ is an updated profile, using the +1 feature to show your appreciation for others’ content, and posting to your profile from time to time. Utilizing Google+ demonstrates a higher level of technological and social media knowledge that not everyone possesses.

Take the time to open these accounts and realize the power of social media advertising to gain that home-based job or more clients for your home-based business.

Check out these other great articles about marketing and social media as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of bplanet at freedigitalphotos.net)

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July 15, 2014 0 Comments

5 Social Media Lessons for At-Home Businesses

If you work from home, online marketing may be key to your success. Strategic use of social media can maximize your reach and resources including skills, successes, contacts and supporters (particularly those who can give you a professional reference). You don’t need to blanket social media. Your time is limited, so focus on key sites you are comfortable using and attract the type of customers you want. Here are five strategies to get you started.

Link In to Other Businesses

If you aren’t already on LinkedIn, you need to get on it. “LinkedIn is today’s Yellow Pages,” says Brad Friedman, a Denver-based social media consultant. “Business introductions are made, potential deals discovered and new employees or employment opportunities” happen on LinkedIn.

According to the latest stats from eBiz/MBA, LinkedIn is the third most popular social media site in the U.S. If you aren’t familiar with it, think of it as a business-minded version of Facebook. It’s free, easy to use and offers great online networking resources.

Even the Smallest Business Needs a Website

Get a website. It will help people find and contact you because even the Yellow Pages is online!

While today’s DIY technology makes it relatively easy to build a basic website, consider outsourcing this to a local firm that specializes in small business marketing. This way, you will (1) make a contact in the community, (2) support another local business and (3) get it done right by someone you can physically meet with if necessary.

A competent Web service will provide or refer you to a skilled writer who will ensure your site content is appropriate, relevant to your business, and optimized for search engines with keywords and metadata to boost visibility in Web searches. Request a WordPress-based site, which provides a back-end content management system that you can easily maintain on your own.

Use your site to blog about your product or service. Ask customers for permission to feature them and how they use it. Write about issues that customers need to know about, and provide links for more information. Invite them to comment or guest blog.

Make a Separate Facebook Business Page

If your business is a B2C (Business to Customer), you will likely benefit from a Facebook page. Be sure to create a separate business page for it: don’t combine business with your personal profile. Use Facebook’s tools and suggestions to create a page that works.

Why Facebook? Because it’s nearly impossible to be entirely free of it. According to the Pew Research Center, 57 percent of all American adults and roughly 73 percent of teenagers use Facebook. Even half of all Internet users who aren’t on Facebook live with someone who is.

A Facebook page extends your business reach and acts as a kind of super magnet for your product or service. Keep your page tightly focused. Take for example a company like LifeLock. People who visit their Facebook page get the information they expect and judging from the numbers who Like it, find value in it.

Make Real-World Connections Through a Business Meetup

Meetup.com helps organize social and business groups in a given geographic area. Use it to find a business group that matches your interests. Many Meetups are free while others charge a small fee to help cover meeting room costs and other expenses.

Also attend Meetups that attract the kind of customer you are looking for. It’s not unusual, for example, for a writer to attend a Web developers’ Meetup and vice versa. In addition to finding potential customers, it’s an opportunity to learn about the issues customers face and gain insight into their interests and concerns.

These social sites will allow you to get “out” even if you work from home. Online marketing provides a great way to market yourself while being able to stay home with your family.

Check out these other great articles about marketing and social media as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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