We are only two months away from the busy holiday shopping season. And for your small business, this is the perfect time to take advantage of early marketing strategies and tips to promote your company and kill it during the holiday season! 1. Start Marketing Early We’ve all…
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Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn… When considering how to market our brands, we frequently consider these social media channels, but what about Pinterest?! Years ago, we used Pinterest to compile boards about our preferences and interests, whether they were about fashion, food, art, etc., but it has since…
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Have you ever wondered what social media is like in other parts of the world? Our Marketing Rep, Stacy, lives in Okinawa, Japan, a small island south of Tokyo. She dives into the social media realm as we learn about the culture and social media use! What…
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Hashtags have been a part of social media since almost the beginning. However, some people still don’t understand the value, know how to use of them, or how to choose the correct ones to add to your post. Using hashtags requires research and consideration to get optimal…
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Are you heading back into a busy work environment? Maybe you are still working from home but work is feeling overwhelming with the holiday season quickly approaching and you want to hit the reset button. Here are 3 simple yet effective tips to help you stay focused,…
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When working with our small business clients on marketing and social media we often ask for photography of customers, products, and more. And unless they have a background in photography or graphic design they panic. If you need some “high-quality” product photographs to promote your small business or…
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When we market our businesses we know social media is very powerful and achieving balance on those platforms is key. We are going to look at three ways to achieve balance in social media marketing. As social media marketers, we try to establish brand images to make…
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From email to “influencer,” there are many ways to leverage and target marketing efforts to promote your business. One of the most genuine and organic methods is focusing on your marketing content for your small business. Creating Effective Marketing Content Is Key In creating and distributing valuable,…
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First, let’s establish why headshots are important for your small business. Photos help put a name to the face, it helps individuals make a personal connection to the person behind the camera, computer, or business. Humans tend to remember the person behind the business when a face…
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When you think of marketing your brand, what do you think of first? Logos, mission statements, and design elements like fonts, colors, and themes most likely come to mind. All necessary and key elements when looking to create a cohesive and dynamic look for your website that…
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When we market our businesses we know social media is a very powerful platform for marketing. These platforms have become somewhat critical. The high exposure and return on investment definitely have something to do with it. There are more than 3 billion people browsing social media content…
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Creating new and fresh marketing content can be taxing especially with tools like Instagram’s algorithm constantly evolving. Finding new and creative ways to captivate your audience can be challenging. On today’s social media platforms content creators post anywhere from 5-10 times a week which evens out to…
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This past year, there have been a lot of changes that we small businesses have endured through COVID. We have had to bob and weave and market just a bit harder through a global pandemic. Some business growth plans were halted when Covid reared its head and…
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Have you seen the announcements? Facebook likes are leaving business pages. It’s always been a bit hazy having both likes and follows. However, now Facebook has decided to make that more clear by getting rid of likes. Before the switch, someone could like your page, but not…
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W I I F M ? This clever little initialism should be the first thought, and the first question answered when writing copy for your emails and product descriptions. We also call it “Starting with the Benefit” or “Selling the Sizzle, Not the Steak” but I think…
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The past year has brought so many unforeseen and sometimes insurmountable challenges to all of us. Small businesses especially have had to find new, innovative ways of doing business to stay relevant and focused on the needs of the customer and our world. Small business marketing efforts…
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Why Do Consumers Buy One Product Over Another? 95% of all purchase decisions are subconscious, emotional decisions. And that’s not just me saying that—this is something that’s backed by science. Neuroscience has proven we buy on emotion, then justify with logic. This is according to Harvard Business…
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Why is Marketing Success On Social Media Important? In today’s day in age, we rely on social media for many things. Learning how to’s, what the latest trends are, and so much more. It’s important to create a space that is uniquely targeting your business and brand…
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Take Your Best Photos Stuck At Home When you own/run/and are the product creator in your small business it helps to know a little bit about everything. You are the social media, photographer, product designer, marketing director, and the salesperson. Why? Because you want to save…
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You’re looking to get the word out about your small business. You have your website live and running. You have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business and every social media channel that exists. You’re reaching out to your customers and clients with a weekly newsletter.…
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Social Media Marketing = Traffic For Businesses Whatever the industry, a large portion of your customers are on social media, and marketing to them is essential to grow your business. There are so many people on social media in this day and age it’s like a second…
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We know these are some extremely rough and unprecedented times due to the Coronavirus shutdowns and shut-ins. Businesses are closed and people have lost their jobs. Over 40million have filed for unemployment. Who could’ve predicted a majority of businesses in the United States would have to temporarily…
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We marketers love a hook, a holiday marketing theme we can build a plan around and use all the tools we have available under one umbrella to make that plan stick. Make it cohesive, on brand, and add a dash of fun or humor and you have a…
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Whether you’re a beginner on social media or you’re a pro and have been using it for years, you probably use your cell phone for your images. It’s convenient and most of them take rather decent images now. However, most of the time if you’re doing any…
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Okay, bear with us and the bad grammar, but we had to! Social media marketing for business is about content but also flash – graphics, videos, images. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words and that even holds true more today in…
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Michele is our new Marketing Maven & Graphics Guru She is our newest team member and has a background in merchandising and design. Along with being an entrepreneur herself, Michele comes to us with retail and business management experience. As well as, a range of skills in…
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When we create our Facebook pages for our businesses, we want to broadcast ourselves in the best way possible. It’s vital to your business page’s success to have your page optimized. Let’s talk about a few tips to help you customize your page in the best way…
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Have you ever heard of Tailwind? If you have, you probably know all about what I’m about to tell you. If you haven’t, well, prepare to hear about another fantastic platform to help boost your Pinterest marketing reach. What Is Tailwind? I’ll make this easy. “Tailwind is…
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Did you know blogging has been around…TWENTY FIVE YEARS! A whole quarter of a century! And there are still many benefits to blogging today! History of the Blog That’s how long the concept of a blog, if not the name, has been a part of our digital…
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Social Media post writing can be hard. And coming up with fresh ideas can be harder. To play the marketing game, most small businesses know that being active in social media is a given. So you stake your business claim across all the platforms – Facebook, Instagram,…
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Ah, spring. The season is finally upon us! We’ve all heard of spring cleaning your home, but have you thought about spring cleaning your social media presence for your business? You should! Its a time of growth and renewal. Let’s dive in. Facebook Make sure your business’s…
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Once upon a time, a cookie was just a delicious cookie. But with the increased popularity and usage of the internet in the 1990s, came the addition of some great new words and new meanings to existing words in our shared vocabulary. We thought it would be…
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Why save cleaning until the spring? What better time to get your marketing house in order than the start of a new year! So hunker down and get ready to tidy things up, spark some joy and hopefully light a fire under your 2019 marketing efforts. Determining What…
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When I work with clients, one of the number one things I want to help them do is get reviews. Often, this is an overlooked marketing item. And many times, clients don’t like asking for reviews. However, reviews are super important. Especially, on sites like Google and…
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When you see a job description for a social media marketer, do you scoff at the fact someone could get paid to play around on social media for a job? I’m here to tell you it’s not what you think it is. By definition, social media marketing…
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We know, we know… you don’t always just watch Youtube videos or scroll through Facebook from the comfort of your own home. Overhearing your partner scrolling through their feed and stopping to watch the latest news bulletin or NSFW video just requires a simple “hey, put it…
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Starbucks Rewards. REI Co-Op. Movie theater reward programs. We’re all familiar with customer loyalty programs that reward us for staying true to a brand. Offering repeat customers exclusive discounts and perks such as product previews and invite-only status to events, these incentivized groups look to make casual…
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Ask any marketer about staying on top of the newest trends and tools, and they’ll tell you it’s essential to surviving in this business. Enter the Messenger Bot. Bots refer to an automated system of replies to your common questions. If you’ve heard of Artificial Intelligence, this is…
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By the year 2019, it is estimated there will be 2.9 billion email users worldwide. With email marketing a continuously strong method of customer communication, investing the right amount of resources, content, and even rewards in your newsletters and messaging is important. From your social media channels…
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Mass communications are just that – communication that speaks to the masses. With so many options for reaching your customer, consider getting personal and adding text messaging, or SMS Marketing (standard messaging service), to your collection of marketing tools. Up Close And Personal In our current environment…
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Online Ads Developer & Manager Job Requirements We Are Seeking: Part-time, self-driven, independent contractor to work from home with a dynamic team of marketers and clients on social media ads and online ads and analytics. Requirements: Great writing/editing skill set Attention to detail Driven by timelines, goals,…
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Search Engine Optimization is very important to each and every business website. It really is the key to being found on search engines. Understanding your keywords and phrases; makes optimizing your site easier. Here are a few SEO Tips and to get started. How To Choose Keywords…
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Customer interviews and vidos can revolutionize your business. So you think you’ve got your video marketing game down for your small business. You have a few Facebook pre-recorded and Live videos under your belt, you’ve gotten past the initial hiccups and deer-in-the-headlights dead air time, and you…
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Twitter marketing may be more important than ever since Facebook seems it may have taken a not-so-great turn for marketers. What is Twitter? Twitter is a social networking service and online news outlet in which users can post and interact with messages, known as tweets. It is…
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Have you ever posted one of those amazing Facebook updates that had that indescribable quality that results in a surge of likes, comments, clicks, and shares, actually goes viral and then immediately wondered how to replicate that level success with more of your content? Trying to come…
Read more →Working from home: you either love it or you hate the idea of it. For me, it’s been a blessing to my family. With my job, I’m more thankful than ever to be able to work from home and still be with my son every single day.…
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Old School Marketing 101 Remember the 4 Ps from your intro to marketing class? Price, product, promotion, and place have been used over the past century by marketers as an organizing framework for the core elements of a solid marketing plan. The Four Ps were created in…
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When it comes to marketing on Twitter, there’s some debate. Is Twitter just for people with a little too much time on their hands, or is it a valuable marketing tool similar to Instagram and Facebook? Twitter has had its fair share of bad press throughout the…
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How’s your email marketing game? Once you woo your customer and get their email address, do you wait to get in touch or reach out the next day? No need to play the waiting game – when it comes email marketing communications, it’s the sooner, the better.…
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What are emojois? e·mo·ji ēˈmōjē/ noun plural noun: emojis a small digital image or icon used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic communication. “emoji liven up your text messages with tiny smiley faces” How are Emojis used? Emojis or Emoticons have been used for a…
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Well, not exactly… although we do celebrate marketing every day around here! But really, who doesn’t love a reason to celebrate? Inject a bit of the unexpected into your business calendar by playing into the wealth of all the off-the-wall and crazily specific holidays out there. Whether…
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Advertising can be very expensive and many of our small business clients, just don’t have that kind of budget set aside for marketing. We help our clients reap a strong return on investment with planning and executing a sustained content marketing program. What is Content Marketing? Content…
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Your marketing efforts can greatly effect your business. It’s fairly obvious that not doing any marketing can hurt your small business but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just any old marketing will do, some things can do more harm than good. Be aware of…
Read more →When it comes to marketing, there are many essentials one must learn; writing being one of them. Of course, we all know how to write. It’s a skill we learn in our early days. We learn new skills along the way and we perfect the skill. And…
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What is Online Marketing? Online marketing is a set of digital platforms, internet tools, and methodologies used for promoting products and services through the web. Online marketing includes a wider range of marketing options than were present with traditional business marketing. Simply because there are more communication channels and marketing mechanisms available on the internet.…
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Meghan is our Writer & Social Media Maven. She loves to craft words about a variety of topics. She eagerly took up freelance writing and blogging after graduating from college, and her passion for the written word only grew from there. Meghan now uses her love of…
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It is a new year! And whether you set goals or make resolutions, for writers 2017 is literally a blank page waiting for your witty words. Unfortunately, the forward momentum tends to fizzle out by February. So how can writers stay motivated to write on a consistent…
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People want to do business with people. Not Brands! The first step I take with a client is to look at their brand from a human perspective. Help them craft their unique story! Parts of the story: What is the brands mission? What are the core values?…
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Before Still Alice was a movie that nabbed its star Julianne Moore a slew of awards, including an Oscar® for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, it was a book. In fact, it was a self-published book written by Lisa Genova and published through…
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Marketing messages are everywhere. On the television, radio, newspapers, our devices like cell phones, tablets and more! There are companies who are focusing on social media and killing it than ever before. These aren’t just the big companies like Oreo, Coca Cola etc., they are mom and…
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So, you’ve decided to take your business to the next level with a marketing mindset, but you’ve been bombarded by what seems like a veritable clown car of options. Take a deep breath, and let’s focus on step one: the logo. A high-quality logo is one that…
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It usually starts out with a simple question: “What do you do for a living?” Sounds innocent enough, but as a writer it is a question I am hesitant to answer because I normally get one of two responses: Response #1: “Can you make a living doing…
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People want to do business with other people, not just a name and not just a stock photo of a smiling face. People crave connections and emotional attachments. Your business and/or brand shouldn’t just be a logo…ever. And your feed shouldn’t be filled with pitches and sales.…
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We’ve all encountered really good design work. You know what I’m talking about: the kind that stops you in your tracks, causing you to linger for a moment, ruminating on the feeling it promotes. You may not even initially dwell on the product or service, but there’s…
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It is that time of year again: back-to-school. And even though school days are a distant memory for most of us, as professional writers—whether newbies or seasoned—having the right resources at our fingertips makes all the difference for advancing our careers. What’s Your Style? If you majored…
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Why is it so hard to write your first blog post? So many of our clients find they have writer’s block when writing their first blog post. They are overwhelmed with all the information they have stored in their brains. Where do you begin? Choose A Topic:…
Read more →Sarah is our word architect and head grammar geek! She is obsessed with words, Sarah uses her over 15 years of experience as an advertising and marketing copywriter/editor to craft communications for brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, online, and nonprofit clients. Her work has also appeared in HOUR Detroit and Metro Parent magazine. Sarah calls suburban Detroit…
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