BLOGITTY BLOG BLOG AND TWEETY TWEET TWEET, AH NOT THE BEST PRACTICE

Searching for the best advice for my personal business just happened to be my latest blog for my class also!!  Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!!

I try to keep my personal opinion out of my class blogs but heck sometimes my mouth (typing) overrules my mind…..and the need to write about the best practices in blogging and tweeting, the first one that comes to mind is I SHOULD NOT BE DOING IT!  But then again, here I am just pecking away on my keyboard.  So off we go!

A big BLOGGING no nos is being too long, or too short.  You should keep it around 1500 words so you don’t lose the interest, but not so short they don’t get the idea, according to a survey done by Snapagency .  Though through out his blog he states 2500 words captures attention, especially if you add infographics, images, videos, etc.  You get a higher engagement and a lower bounce rate that way which will get the message to Google that people are staying on your page longer. With this, you will get a higher rating in the search.

Always try to add images and videos when you can.  These both attract people to stay on your page longer, to share the blog and to keep interest waiting for your next blog.

You need to be creative. Use words that will grab attention, that let people know they need to read about your product or service.  You should be sure you make it fun though and people will be more likely to want to follow it.

Make sure you don’t forget to include the readers.  Ask questions, such as “Hey why are you reading my blog?” , well not really that because that would just be silly. I could just ask, “What attracts you, as a reader, to a blog, and why?”   Now that makes more sense, right?

My favorite advice from Groundswell is listed as number 8 in their book.  Develop a marketing plan so people can find the blog.  No matter what other advice you receive, this a biggie, “Develop a marketing plan so people can find the blog.”  Everything else is rather pointless if people can’t find it.

TWEETING, to me, is a bit easier.  At least on Twitter, a lot of times all you have to do is follow someone and they will follow you back.  The difficult part comes when you have to keep their attention and have them retweet or at least like your tweets.

I use Twitter daily.  We recently have disconnected all local television in lieu of an Amazon Firestick.  So, now I just awake and check my local new blurbs on Twitter.  I can check traffic, weather, and headlines in a matter of minutes and if anything catches my eye I move onto my laptop to get the whole story.  This saves me much more time in the mornings from not sitting in front of a television.

I have to agree with Mark Schaefer in Tao of Twitter, if you don’t use it, you don’t get it.  The more you are on Twitter, the more you will get it and understand what the big deal is.  At first, I wondered why these tiny statements were such a big deal, now a few months later, I get it.  I just have to get that whole hashtag thing down!!  #hashtagwhat  #practicingmakesperfecting #Gosnhu   (yeah threw that school shout out in there!)

Social media marketing is not something that can be taught—it has to be experienced and this is why schools have a hard time teaching classes about it. Students who take advantage of social media will have a leg up on those who do not. Formal education and books can show you the tools … but it is up to YOU to learn how to apply them for you and your business.  Mark Schaefer

 

References:

For Blog Posts in 2017, What’s the Best Length for SEO? (2016, December 08). Retrieved August 13, 2017, from https://www.snapagency.com/blog/blog-posts-2017-whats-best-length-seo

Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2011). Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.

Sarah Dawley. (2016, August 08). 5 Twitter Best Practices You Should Put into Action. Retrieved August 13, 2017, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-best-practices/

Schaefer, Mark. The Tao of Twitter, Revised and Expanded New Edition: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time, 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill Education, 20140801. VitalBook file.

AM I SOCIAL, OR WHAT??

People are always searching for approval and acceptance.  The more you post your products on social media, the more you will become accepted and your product approved.

I really believe most people feel this way.  If I just keep yelling that MY makeup-diet-clothing-jewelry (well you get the picture) is the best, the most natural (just look how gorgeous I am with it on, oh yeah the IPhone filters help with that but really…..) And at the risk of making people angry, I am pretty sure if you have magic pills that are going to make me skinny and improve my health tenfold, then people in this country would be fighting to get it and you would be fighting off the CASH!

And don’t forget the magic water and drinks that suddenly you feel healthier and better than ever before.  There are no magic makeup products, folks, and no magic diet drinks or pills and you basically get what you pay for when it comes to the other MLM products.  This has been going on for eons.

I sell Avon, because I want to just buy it and not have to talk to an Avon Lady.  I know, weird right, but Avon is one of the two original Multi Level Marketing companies. But this is what Multi Level Marketing is based on these days, good social media presence.  If you sell MLM, as I do, then you can reach a huge number of people via social media.

This beats years ago when you had to walk and knock on doors and be face to face with people to sell your wares.   Today it is easy, convenient and just out there! So I will walk you through what I believe is a good use of social media marketing from Avon.  Avon promotes some of its products on Pinterest, as seen below:

                       TWITTER        PINTEREST       FACEBOOK     INSTAGRAM

 
They can reach an amazing number of people with just these few social media outlets.  And there are many more social media sites that I did not include.  Like YouTube….here is an example of how social media can bite you in the butt

To be able to sell pretty much any product you have to use social media these days, just be very sure what you post cannot be researched and found to be misleading, because I assure you, folks don’t mind calling you out on Social Media also.  And it has been the downfall of many products, companies and people.

And to set the record straight, I have nothing at all against people getting into the MLM scene.  I have nothing against your jewelry, makeup, or whatever you want to sell.  And if you can make enough money to stay home with your kids, then more power to you.  Most of the people I know that sell these products do believe in them and most of these products are pretty good products. So don’t get angry and all upset, just remember if you believe, then go for it, heck what do you care what I think???

Multi Level Marketing is certainly not a bad thing and not a dishonest way of living.  It is a great way for many who actually can’t leave home, to make some money honestly.  It does involve hard work, keeping up with postings can be very time consuming.  Remember honesty is the best policy on social media.  You can use social media to boost your products endlessly and with excellent results, or you can have an epic fail.   If you try to mislead the public it will be bad, because social media is very unkind to dishonest people.

TO POST, OR NOT TO POST, THAT IS THE QUESTION…….

Whatever reputation you have is your type of currency. This lets your company be unpretentious in their connection with their patrons. This will also help you gain a higher-class exposure for your business. If you bring on social media strategy that uses this it can boost your company’s future, but it can also bring a lot of challenges and risks.

A prime example of why NOT to go social (YouTube)  was recently proven by the San Antonio company that sold “Miracle Mattress”, or rather didn’t sell them…..

Yeah, so what were they thinking…

In the soap and body products industry a poor post could kill a brand.  There are so many new brands coming on the market everyday.  Take Old Spice for instance.  They started an ad campaign in 2011 featuring a fetching young man named “Isaiah Mustafa”.  They produced this commercial, then they started conversations about it on Facebook and Twitter.  They did promos on YouTube but….

they forgot a major part of social media advertising, you must follow through.  With the 160,000 new twitter followers they could have contacted and added to sales marketing communications, instead they didn’t even bother tweeting a thank you to one.

The Old Spice debacle show both the challenges and risks experienced  with taking the brand social. Old Spice shortly after this major campaign started dropping in sales and lost the big lead they had with this path.

So should you find a your own “Isaiah Mustafa” remember always, always thank your followers, or they shall quickly dessert you.

I feel in this day and age there are a lot of small businesses that really should just post the basic on social media or get some advice.  I see a lot of our local business on Facebook and Twitter and some of the posts really alienate the locals, instead of drawing them in, especially if you are not “from here”.

I will probably just stick with the basics until I establish a stable following for my business.  Then maybe I will get more into healthful hints and advice.  But in the beginning, it will just be the products and advertising the natural ingredients.

 

Beaver Butts Unite!

Social media took the beauty product area to a whole new level. We had women that looked like this:

BEFORE

AFTER

After watching a makeup video from their favorite AVON lady!

(Disclaimer: If you read this to be about the above video and company then that is not our intention.   The video is used strictly to show how social media helps beauty companies to aid women in improving their look.)
But we all know that not everything on social media is the truth. If you see on Facebook it has to be real. I cannot tell you how many people actually believe this. There are a lot of products saying they are “natural” and I guess they are depending on your definition of “natural”.

A company can have a few products that are all natural and lay claims to “we carry all natural products” but the majority are not. As a female who is very sensitive to different products, this infuriates me. Shouldn’t we hold them accountable? Where is “truth in advertising”? Well, sweetpea, it is all on you.

The consumer is charged with the responsibility of finding out what is in the products and what all those BIG words actually mean. Like Musk is extracted from a gland near a deer’s penis (well that just made me throw up in my mouth a bit). We also have castoreum, which is from glands in the area of a beavers anus. Yeah, and it just gets better…AHHH just kidding… in the perfume industry is synthetically produced. But you might want to research any older perfumes you have because many prominent perfumery creations such as Shalimar by Guerlain, Emeraude by Coty, Magie Noire by Lancôme, Antaeus by Chanel, Givenchy III by Hubert de Givenchy, Colonia Russa by Santa Maria Novella, and many others did originally use the Beaver butt for their castoreum!

Well now that you will have nightmares about your perfume and beavers….let me remind you, the responsibility lies with you, the consumer, to find out about your PERSONAL preferences beauty products because there isn’t any health fairy out there to protect you from harmful chemicals.  You can find a lot on social media, because there is nothing people like to do as much as share what they don’t know.  Like the beaver story, that is going around Facebook a lot and……..not true anymore.

#Beaverbuttsunite  #watchyouringrediants  #yourperfumeormine

References:
Chan, M., Effect, B. I., Beauty, B. •, Chan, W. B., & Nolan., P. B. (n.d.). Is Social Media Changing The Way We Shop For Beauty Products? Retrieved July 23, 2017, from http://www.refinery29.com/2015/12/99728/beauty-industry-social-media-effect

Strugatz, R. (2016, August 10). Bloggers and digital influencers are reshaping the fashion and beauty landscape. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-bloggers-20160809-snap-story.html

Just another manic Monday

SNHU

As I sit here staring at my screen, wondering how many folks are waking up and checking Facebook, or Twitter, before their feet hit the floor, I ponder over the Social Media craze that is ruling our lives.  When I do watch television, I hear the people say, “follow me on blah, blah” and I cringe.  When did we become so none verbal.

But, if we are going to go that way then let’s use the least time consuming way possible.

First the basic social media platforms I use are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, Pinterest, Flickr, Tumblr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Vine, Classmate, Meetup, VK, Google+, Reddit (which I don’t really get) and this, my WordPress blog. In fact I am on all of the top 15 social media platforms and this was all by accident through different classes!  And  of all of these the most popular among the “social set” is, of course, Facebook, with 2 BILLION!!! people.  And I have trouble keeping up with 900 or so.

With all this activity I still don’t find Facebook as my favorite.  I like Twitter the best.  I feel Facebook pretends to care and doesn’t have great customer service.  Twitter will shut someone down that violates policy.

People do not use Twitter for a business marketing (without business profiles) as much as people do Facebook.  I get on Facebook to see what my friends are up to and half of them are pushing weight loss and makeup.  If they set up a business Facebook page I would follow but hawking your products on you personal page just gets on my nerves and I unfollow them.  Then they want to know why I don’t know about the party they are having for little Susie.  On Twitter, the post are limited to only certain amount of characters and you know right off if they are selling or just tweeting info.

As far as using Social Media Tools, HootSuite is most user friendly to me and cost less.  I have research a couple of others and they really want a larger amount and they don’t have the history HootSuite does.   Now I am not saying I won’t switch to Buffer as I try to grow an online business from my home but for your basic person HootSuite will work. It has  a few less bells and whistles as far as tracking for marketing use, but if you are not needing all that information, then stick with HootSuite.  And you really need to work with one of these tool because according to The Internet (how my husband says it)  30% of all time spent online is now allocated to social media interaction. And the majority of that time is on mobile – 60% of social media time spent is facilitated by a mobile device. (http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic)

And until next time…….be social…..you know it only takes up 90% of your life……