4 Ways to Market on Pinterest

Not surprisingly, Pinterest is all the rage these days! Who wouldn't want to plan their dream home, vacation, or wedding, all through beautiful pictures? Pinterest is also becoming the perfect medium to market your business as well! Check out four ways in which you can successfully leverage this hot social media:

1. Set up your profile. You want people to know what your business is about so you need to create a profile that is clear and easy to understand. Use your business name as the title to your account, and your logo or a feature of your business [shoes that you sell if you are a shoe company], as your profile picture. Include your website URL in your "about me" feature.
2. Engage with others. Follow other users. Pin or "favorite" their pins or comment on your favorites. Engaging with others will help you build your brand while demonstrating that you care to engage with other businesses as well. Re-sharing pins will get your username out there each time you pin a new post.
3. Don't over post. This cannot be stressed enough: DO NOT OVER POST. When we say over post, we mean over share material from your own business. Only pin materials that promote your business 20% of the time. Followers, especially on Pinterest, will quickly click that "unfollow" button if your business constantly promotes itself and never shares inspirational or interesting photos. After all, no one wants to see a constant stream of advertisements in their spare time.
4. Describe your images. When pinning your own material, don't forget to write a unique and optimized description with each and every pin. Use your business name in the description so that other users are able to trace the post back to your company.

Need help with marketing? You can always contact us at eMarketing247! 

Content Marketing is Crucial

Translate all of this information to a successful content marketing strategy! 

The saying "content is king" is SO important when it comes to online business marketing. In order to have a successful online presence, your business must have content that is beneficial to your customer's experience, while still having relevant keywords that help your business to be found by internet search engines.

While many businesses try to find a good content marketing balance, few have actually succeeded. Here at eMarketing 247, we want YOU to be one of the successful companies! That is why we created Content Content Content, a podcast about, you guessed it, CONTENT!

During our podcast, we address pressing questions such as:

• Does content marketing even matter?
• How long do customers stay on a webpage?
• Is content just for aesthetic purposes?
• How can you have content outside your website?
• How can you update your website often to have new and exciting content?
• Do you have any success stories to share?

Beat your competitors by updating your content NOW! Not sure? We will show you how!

LISTEN TO OUR CONTENT MARKETING PODCAST HERE!

Why Your Business Needs Video Marketing!!

She's enjoying watching a video. Your customers can too!

Video marketing is SO important for your business because videos involve visual recognition, credibility, and trust. The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words, but videos combine thousands of pictures to form movement. What could be better? In addition, people love watching videos because they are fast and easy.

Why not improve your business by adding video? Don't trust us? Give our podcast on video marketing a listen and see if you agree. We bet we can change your mind in under 7 minutes!!


LISTEN HERE

Questions and Answers about Social Media Marketing

Do you feel like everyone is talking about how social media is important for businesses? Have you always wondered why? Is it even worth the effort for smaller companies? eMarketing247 is going to answer all of your questions! So, let's get started:

•  Why is social media marketing important?Well, first off, social media is FREEE and it offers businesses increased exposure! Sure, having great SEO and content on a business website helps, but creating a social media page on Facebook, twitter, Google+, Instagram etc., helps get the word out even more! Who knows when a customer might stumble along and find the company!Social media is also extremely helpful as an avenue of communication. Instead of having to call or email a company when customers have a problem, they can simply comment directly on a social media page, such as Facebook. These comments may even spark conversations with other customers as well, who may have had a similar experience, or who are interested in the product!
• So if customers post a negative complaint about the service/product, what should the company do? The first thing is to RESPOND! We cannot begin to stress this enough! If there is no response on the social media site, then it just proves that the company doesn’t care about their customers. The customer who posted the negative comment looks “informed” and the company looks like it isn't on top of things. Even if the company DOES care about customers, actions speak louder than words! If a company catches a comment in time it is best to respond immediately. Normally there is a 24 hour “grace” period, but after that it looks like the company does not care at all.
• Well, can’t the company just respond privately to the unhappy customer?NO! If the company responds to the customer privately, they still have to put something on the social media site acknowledging that. If other customers/potential customers see that a company did not respond promptly, they will take notice! Responding quickly and effectively to customers is key!
• Hopefully, not everyone who posts is going to be unhappy though! Right? Exactly! Social media is perfect for building a loyal fan base for businesses. Potential and returning customers are able to follow the business on social media and interact with the company on a daily or weekly business. By simply having a social media presence, a company becomes more “real” to a customer who will see it almost every day. Once a company has loyal fans, it is going to want to reward them!
• Reward them how? Like with free stuff? Sure! A company can use social media as an avenue to present special offers to loyal followers and fans. Maybe this special offer is a discount or a buy one get one free coupon. The options are endless! 
• Okay, but is it really worth the time for small businesses to do social media? Yes! It is totally worth it, especially since creating social media profiles is totally free! As I explained above, customers will be able to interact with a company on a daily basis, be first in line for “secret” rewards, and have the option to contact the company right from their Facbeook!
• What type of content should small businesses post on social media? eMarketing247 likes to post links, videos, blogs, and articles related to the businesses that we manage. For example, when we manage social media that is related to cruising, some days we will share our own blog posts or videos, and some days we will share, for example, “Time Magazine’s 10 tips for better cruising.” Businesses should share whatever they think is applicable to their business audience.
• Okay so only business related stuff! Got it.Well, not exactly. Business related stuff is great most of the time, but companies don’t want to bore customers with posts ONLY related to one thing. Throw in some “thank goodness its Friday” pictures and interesting links for a change!   
• What are some ways that businesses can gain more followers on social media? Well, simply posting consistently will help drive exposure! If people like what a business is posting, they will share it with their friends or retweet it to their followers. In addition, People love free/discounted things. Businesses can make special offers only on social media or do drawings or competitions on social media. Current followers may share or retweet to their followers, who may love the content and BAM you just gained another follower. There are so many possibilities! The company just has to be creative!

We hope that we were able to answer some of your frequently asked questions, and hope that we provided you with some insight about social media marketing! Please visit our website for more information about our social media marketing services! 

3 Crucial Marketing Trends for 2015

Mobile is bigger than ever before!

2015 is upon us, and, if you haven't already, it is time to start researching and implementing the top marketing trends for this next year. Luckily for you, we have got everything you need at your fingertips! Check out some of the this years biggest trends:

• Content Marketing will be bigger this year than ever before! If you don't have stellar content on your website, your online presence, and, in turn, your business, will suffer. Content must be relevant to search engines and potential customers who are Googling your product or service, and it must be constantly updated. Don't have this kind of time? Let eMarketing24/7's team of trained professionals do all the work! 
• Mobile-friendly technology will be crucial. In 2015, having a mobile-friendly website is a must. Although people still search using computers, many surf the web on the go, and are tired of navigating websites that aren't mobile friendly. Chances are, if your website isn't customized to fit the mobile environment, potential customers will continue their search somewhere that is more convenient. Luckily for you, eMarketing has created and maintained tons of mobile friendly websites, so we are well-equipped to help your business succeed.
• SEO and Social must work together. Here at eMarketing, we have been saying and doing this for years, and we are excited that the rest of the world is finally catching on! Social media, such as Facebook and blogs, can be tied to websites and products in order to increase Search Engine Optimization. The amount of "likes" and "views" that a post gains will help search engines determine how relevant it is to people looking for similar products. Want to learn more about how to tie your SEO and social media together? Contact us and we will get you started! 

Holiday Marketing Tips

Looking to successfully market your small business this holiday season? eMarketing247 wants to help you maximize your profits by sharing some insider tips and tricks! Here are five holiday marketing tips to get your sales on the role:

1. Create Limited Time Offers. Limited time offers encourage customers to buy now since the deal won't be around forever. Creating limited time offers during the holiday season is a perfect way to entice consumers to make a purchase for that special someone on their Christmas list. 
2. Highlight your Specialty. In business, you always want to highlight what makes your business special. This concept becomes even more important during the holiday season, when shoppers are simply looking for the fastest, cheapest deal. Use marketing to tell your customers why your product is better/cheaper/higher quality than a similar product found at Walmart or a department store. 
3. Hire Santa to come to your Business. Own a brick-and-mortar store? Hire a Santa to come to your store and offer free holiday pictures. This strategy works even better if your business is located in a shopping district, such as Tampa Bay, Florida's "Hyde Park Village" or "Ybor City" areas. Potential customers will come for Santa but may stay for your business.
4. Host a "12 Days of Christmas" sale. Offer a different discount, deal, coupon, giveaway etc. for twelve consecutive days prior to Christmas. This is a great way to spotlight different products and generate a buzz about your business. 
5. Take Clients out to Lunch. Run a business-to-business company? Instead of hosting a corporate holiday party for all of your business clients, take each client out to lunch individually. This way, you will get one-on-one time with each client while saving some money at the save time. 

Don't have time to do a lot of extra marketing for 2015? Let eMarketing247 take the reigns and promote your business to further success. Please visit our website or contact us here! 

Instagram Marketing Tips

You’ve got an Instagram account … now what? There are over 130 million users currently on Instagram! Instagram is a great way to give potential customers a visual overview of your business. Insagram allows you to enhance images and even videos to make them more desirable to consumers. 

Check out a few Instagram marketing tips from eMarketing247's CFO Mike Harley:

Be fresh: When posting content to Instagram, be sure it is fresh, meaningful and unique. Avoid reposting images or videos that you've already shared or that can be found elsewhere. Rather, opt for original content that’s both new and relevant.

Post consistently: Posts should be shared consistently and in real-time. Avoid scheduling canned content. Although Forbes® magazine tells us there is really no known downside to high-frequency posting, the average brand posts 1.5 times per day. Also, focus on sharing spontaneous moments riddled with emotion such as real laughter, kindness, care … you get the picture.

Use hashtags: The use of hashtags (words or phrases with the “#” symbol in front of them) is very popular among Instagram users. You can hashtag your content by subject matter, geolocation or event to help users find your business and its content. Some of the top hashtags used on Instagram include “#love,” “#me” and “#follow.” A word to the wise: there can be too much of a good thing—limit hashtags to no more than five. Any more than that and you risk annoying your audience.

Be engaging: Posting content that’s engaging helps your business keep and attract more followers. Accomplish this by following complementary accounts, liking content, commenting on pictures and responding to comments posted about your content. You can further engage followers with photo contests. For instance, post a picture and ask followers to caption it for a chance to win a prize, such as a digital photo frame or digi-frame key tag. Or crowd source pictures of your followers engaged with your product or service.

Wow! That was a lot of information to digest. Still have more questions on how to use Instagram for marketing? Contact us!