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Monday, January 25, 2016

New Year, New Habits – If You Like It Then You Better Put a Tag On It



In order to really get a handle on using Twitter, social media users have to understand the platform’s special features and lingo. One of the most important aspects of using Twitter is understanding and incorporating hashtags. A hashtag is a word or phrase with the # symbol placed directly in front of it. The idea of the hashtag is similar to that of a keyword on Google. These symbols can be used to quickly and efficiently search this social media platform for tweets and conversations pertaining to that particular topic. Otherwise the site is a consistent flow of disorganized and unconnected posts.

This way of categorizing topics enables users to find information on a specific area of interest but also allows users to label their tweets within a specific category so that they are easier to locate. Since Twitter is a stream of live information – being able to tag tweets to a specific topic or event allows for a better stream of viewing posts from a variety of users all talking about the same moment or idea.

Want to Create a Hashtag?

The good news is that hashtag creation is available to everyone. If a search of Twitter doesn’t come up with a tag that you’d like to use, it’s simple to create your own. It’s as easy as typing it into Twitter. No other steps are needed. Of course, there are not many hashtags available that haven’t been used yet. Also, an obscure hashtag is not likely to be found unless the creator does some significant promotion to establish presence.

Also, the Twitter Support page clearly states that not all hashtags or tweets are indexed. This may mean using it more frequently to ensure it makes an impact on the platform. The more recent the tweet, the more likely it will be indexed but even that is no guarantee.

Hashtag Ownership

On the surface, hashtags are not really owned by any particular business or organization. They can’t be purchased and users are welcome to use any hashtag on their account, as long as it doesn’t conflict with the Twitter Trademark Policy.
What is a Trademark Policy Violation on Twitter?
Using a company or business name, logo, or other trademark-protected materials in a manner that may mislead or confuse others with regard to its brand or business affiliation may be considered a trademark policy violation.

However, Twitter users can register their hashtags with Twubs. It’s important to remark that registering a hashtag isn’t the same as registering a trademark. It isn’t a means to keep other people from using it. There is no way to own a tag in the same way that you own a logo or domain name.

Registering a tag means that your brand becomes attached to it and that the tag will get added to a hashtag directory. This directory allows businesses to go into some detail about the tag and why it exists.

Once you have created a unique hashtag and registered it, then it is time to market the tag as much and as often as possible. This is the way to motivate the audience to associate your registered tag with your brand. You’ll never be able to control everything that becomes tagged with your #, but the idea is to generate more presence for your business on social media.

Still have questions about how to effectively incorporate Twitter into your social media strategy? Give us a call and we can help you build an online brand that helps you #BeAwesome and develop a #NewHabit for this year!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 




Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a "#BeAwesome" Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn,FacebookTwitterBlogGoogle+ , YouTube,Pinterest, Instagram  and the tools to manage them. 

Click here for her 
Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Social Seven - Why Monitoring Online Reviews and Presence is Essential



Why Monitoring Online Reviews and Presence is Essential
Special Guest: Michelle Grant Hoglan of Top Hat Creative Marketing

Top Hat Creative Marketing is a company that focuses on online reputation management. They start with collecting feedback and turning that into reviews. Michelle spends time discovering client goals and what they want to achieve in order to help them become more successful.  Top Hat then coaches their clients on how to gather feedback and how to filter it and use those reviews to their advantage.

Google is super important in the fact that it is so visible. This strong online presence is essential to being found on the web. When people look up a company on Google they want to see recent reviews, current events and an online presence that inspires trust. They are looking for businesses they can Know, Like and Trust. Top Hat Creative Marketing strives to make companies more visible and trustworthy online.

Google, by far, is the #1 review site online. Yelp is quickly becoming #2 and seems to be more popular in California and the West Coast. However, it is rapidly gaining speed on Google and becoming more of a player in online reviews.

Companies don’t need to be an active player on Yelp right away. If you have your phone, you can instantly log reviews onto the site while out and about and running errands and interacting with other businesses. All you need to do is register for an account. There is a Yelp app that allows you to check in regardless of whether you haven’t posted in years or if it’s your first time. This app makes it easier to do quick reviews while on the go. This site is more regional at the moment, however, and Google is still the best place to go to monitor your online reputation.

Top Hat takes time to coach businesses on how to build a reputation on Google and, once established, then move onto Yelp, Facebook and other options.

If you are going to have a presence online, you want to have in the right places where people are using it. If the audience is there, and talking about you, then it’s important to build a presence there.

It is imperative that business owners get all types of feedback, not just positive. Reviews are important regardless of whether they are good or bad. It gives owners insight into aspects of their business that may need to change. Also, get feedback from employees as well. The audience may not come straight to a business owner with their complaints – but they will share it with their personal circles of influence. This means the company doesn’t always get the opportunity to adjust or correct whatever the issue might be. Take that negative feedback and make it into a positive change for your business!

Learn more about Michelle and her company by visiting: http://tophatcreativemarketing.com

Think this might help you with scheduling content and staying on top of your social media? Follow us on social media to find out when our Social Seven podcast is streaming live!




Monday, January 18, 2016

New Year, New Habits - The Value of Learning Social Media from a Social Media Manager



Is this the year that you’ve decided to truly invest in social media and make it an integral part of your company’s marketing plan? There were over 179 Million social media users in 2015. That is a huge audience and should not be overlooked when creating a marketing strategy. Incorporating social media make not sound like a difficult task, however there are a lot of variables to consider when dealing with social platforms. Here are some thought-provoking reasons to seek out a social media manager before building your social media strategy.

Social Media Marketing

When doing your own marketing, content is any bit of material created with the purpose to establish or grow online presence.  This includes articles, blog posts, videos, websites, publications, podcasts and curated social media posts. A social media manager’s role is to take the most relevant and interesting content and post it at just the right moment so that the targeted audience will see it and engage with it. This means understanding the various social media platforms – including their strengths and weaknesses – and what content works best for each. It also requires understanding peak times and the best time to post, related to individual platforms. A social media manager stays on top of platform trends and knows the processes behind scheduling just the right type of content at the right time.

Social Media Engagement

Posting consistent social media content is important. However, motivating the audience to engage and then capitalizing on that engagement is the real benchmark of success. Some platforms require more attention than others. Also, there are a variety of tools available to help streamline and promote certain types of engagement. A social media manager is experienced with creating online environments that motivate organic participation. They also understand that engagement is essential and missed opportunities to engage are bad form. In fact, having social media content and not making engagement a priority is a waste of strategy and resources.

Social Media Advertising

With so many people using social media, it is an easy thing to get lost in the shuffle. Newsfeed algorithms automatically filter out quite a bit of content. Sometimes the push to be found requires a boost of social advertising. Most of the social platforms have established their own advertising options. A social media manager is familiar with the details of each of the social advertising possibilities and can show users what ads and campaigns will be more successful. They will also have the expertise to analyze and track the results in order to adapt the best possible strategy moving forward.

There is so much more to social media marketing than drafting some tweets and posts and hoping for the best. Training with a social media manager will ensure that an effective social media strategy is implemented – saving time, money and resources.

Don’t go into social media blind! Give us a call and arrange a time to discuss how we can train you to #BeAwesome with your social media marketing.

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 



Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a "#BeAwesome" Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn,FacebookTwitterBlogGoogle+ , YouTube,Pinterest, Instagram  and the tools to manage them. 

Click here for her 
Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.