Category: Social Media

Social Media Sharing is Caring

social-media-sharing-is-caringI apologize for my lack of post on Monday.  It’s the first time I’ve missed a regular posting date in six months, and it felt bad.  However, the end of the year is always hectic, and trying to finish up a ton of projects has left me with little time or energy to write posts for my own site.

I’m also in the process of trying to get a portfolio of some of my past work added to my site.  Now that I’ve completed a lot of projects that I’m really proud of, it’s time to start showing off.

So please excuse the absence of post Monday, and basically today as well, while I focus on getting my clients the quality work they deserve, and work to update my own site.…

The Secrets of Inbound Marketing

the-secret-to-inbound-marketingDid you know that social media is basically just inbound marketing?  Social media gives companies the tools they need to get interested potential customers to come to them, rather than spending their money on trying to reach them with traditional marketing.

I’m not going to say that traditional marketing is dead, because it’s obviously not, and probably never will be, but nowadays, inbound marketing is the way to go.

The idea of inbound marketing is to “get found” by those who are looking for exactly what you do. The way it works is to set up your website and social media sites in such a way that it naturally appeals to those who would want to hire you.…

A Week of Opinions: Ghostblogging is Smart

a-week-of-opinions-ghostblogging-is-smartGhostblogging is the process of paying someone else to write blog posts for you. There has been talk in the blogosphere about whether or not this is ethical. I say blergh to those people who think it is not.

When businesses blog as a part of their company’s marketing campaign, hiring someone to write the posts for them is not unethical. In fact, it’s smart.

Understanding the importance a blog has on a company today is essential. This ties into to Monday’s post so I won’t go on a big long soapbox again, you can just scroll down to read it.…

A Week of Opinions: Why Your Thoughts Matter

A-Week-of-Opinions-Why-Your-Thoughts-MatterI was talking with a friend the other day about how I come up with my blog posts. Any blogger knows that it’s not an easy feat to put out many posts a week. My friend is thinking of starting a blog and her biggest concern is whether or not she would be able to come up with enough topics to sustain a 3-5 posts a week schedule.

I understood her apprehension and didn’t sugar coat things. It’s difficult. At times it’s a task that seems impossible, but I gave her a piece of advice that I am sharing with you now.…

The Follow Up

the-follow-upThe reason so many of us blog and are on social media is to make contacts for our business. Yet so many of us have trouble following up after an initial contact. A colleague may tell us to connect with a person, and so we friend them or connect on LinkedIn, but then forget about the important part — following up with this person.

There are many reasons people don’t follow up:

Don’t have time

Don’t recognize the opportunity

Simply forgot

Don’t think it’s worth the time

Here are some ways follow-up can really help:

It keeps you in the forefront of your customer and potential customers’ minds.…

Social Media Blitz = Full of Delicious Chili

social-media-blitz-=-full-of-delicious-chiliMoonshine is a restaurant a block away from my apartment in Chicago. Sunday, November 14th they hosted a chili cook-off. However, if it weren’t for social media, I would have had no idea they were holding such a remarkable event, and as I write this, I wouldn’t be chocked full of 15 different types of delicious chili. That would be a crime against humanity.

I am going to take you through the steps that got me to the chili cook-off and my blessed out state of fullness.

Step One: My husband, Ryan, was reading The Chicago Tribune food blog, The Stew, and saw a mention of a chili cook-off.…

Use Social Media to Become a Thought Leader in Your Industry

using-social-media-to-position-yourself-as-a-thought-leader-in-your-industryI strongly believe that all small businesses should be using social media to position themselves as thought leaders within their industry.

In fact, as I get deeper and deeper into social media writing and social media consulting, this is the conversation I am having the most.

There are so many ways to effectively use social media to communicate with customers and increase brand recognition and sales. And most small businesses can do it without spending a penny. All you need nowadays is sweat equity.

However, the really smart businesses are not only using social media to communicate and connect, but to position themselves as an expert, as the “guru” of what they do.…