Can Facebook help my business?
Everyone you know has a Facebook page. Some have personal and business pages. Whether you are a Facebook believer, addict or self-proclaimed Facebook avoider, there is no question that social media is here to stay. Sharing on Facebook can be a positive way to connect with others…oversharing is almost always a recipe for disaster. So, regardless of how you might use Facebook for personal entertainment, there are some general guidelines for getting the most out of a business page. Here are a few DOs and DON’Ts: Do set up a professional looking page that reflects your business, company, or organization. This means use a logo that is properly sized, create a cover image that represents your company and fill out the About Us section as thoroughly as possible. Be sure to include your company address, contact info, phone, email, etc. Do create a strategy for your social media efforts. Decide what you want the page to do for your business. You might want to create weekly themes and regular postings so readers can look forward to your daily feed. Do post content that is relevant to the audience you want. If you want engagement (which you do), you need to provide information that people will find useful and interesting. Don’t focus on how many LIKES you have. It’s about connecting with people that you can convert to customers rather than having a million “likes.” Don’t bash your competition on your page. Be positive. Showcase your work occasionally not daily. Don’t “sell” constantly. Actually, if you have an engaged audience, you shouldn’t have to “sell” at all. People want to do business with those whom they feel a connection. This is about building relationships. Don’t worry if all your posts don’t get a lot of likes, views or comments. Facebook has a great insights section. Review the insights on a weekly and monthly basis. You can adjust content based on history. If videos get lots of engagement then use more of that type of content (for example). Remember, success using social media and especially Facebook is a series of trial and error. Repeat what works, eliminate what doesn’t. Have fun. Be positive. Share your knowledge. Make new friends. Posted in Business Facebook Posts, Facebook for Business, Social Media Benefits, Social Media Consulting Michigan | Tagged business facebook consulting in michigan, business facebook posts, facebook benefits for business, facebook for business, how to post on facebook for business, set up facebook page for...
read moreResponsive Websites Increase Engagement, Usability
If your company website was built more than a couple of years ago, chances are it’s not a responsive design. Unfortunately, if you do not have a mobile friendly or responsive website, you are missing key opportunities to connect with potential customers, clients, or patient. A responsive web design (RWD) is one that adjusts to the screen size that one is using to view; so your site can go from desktop to laptop to tablet to smartphone. Google’s mobile path to purchase report surveyed 950 US consumers across 9 different verticals (Restaurants, Food & Cooking, Finance, Travel, Home & Garden, Apparel & Beauty, Automotive, Electronics, Health & Nutrition) to assess how they researched purchases via mobile. A key finding is the starting point for mobile research. Google search engines love RWD (responsive web design). A RWD vs a separate mobile website has one url and one set of pages and files which makes it infinitely easier for the robots to crawl. Furthermore, if you have a responsive website, you can build social shares for just one URL, and when the site does get shared, wherever the link is viewed – whether on a mobile, tablet, or on desktop – all of the content will be clear and easy to navigate. (SearchEngineJournal.com) MindSeedCreative is now building responsive websites (almost exclusively). It eliminates the need for a separate mobile build resulting in significant cost savings. We build WordPress sites that are beautiful, search friendly (SEO), easy to navigate and adaptable to change. WordPress sites are CMS (content management systems) making it easy to edit copy and images and make regular content updates. Feel free to contact us for a complimentary consultation. Contact Roz to set up a conversation. For more info, read...
read moreBrand Identity is where it all Begins
Brand Identity Development How do you quickly differentiate from your competitors in the prospect’s mind? Your brand’s message is everything—it’s woven into every aspect of your business. We’ll work with you to identify your brand’s essence, develop creative messaging, and design a remarkable brand identity. We don’t stop until we hear you exclaim, “That’s IT! We love it!” Logo and Brand Design When your market sees your organization through your branding assets, do they relate and connect, or are they walking away with someone else? A weak brand identity is a sales obstacle in a highly competitive environment. Does your logo grab attention in the split–second marketplace, or does your prospect click off and go to your competitor? Your logo is the face of your company: weak logo is an expensive mistake. We partner with people who know it needs to be fixed, and want to work with experts they can trust. Re-branding Launch A new logo is not big news, but it can be! Does your new brand identity tell your story? If it doesn’t, you’re losing an opportunity to expand connections with your market and increase loyalty within your company’s culture. Introducing your new brand identity to the world requires strategic planning and careful execution. We have over 20 years of experience in re-branding launches that excite the world and make you look...
read moreWhat Is Creativity’s Value – In Marketing, In Business?
By John Dragoon – Recently, there has been discussion around the exodus of senior creative talent from ad agencies and other companies due to perceived lack of “fun.” My view? Grow up. Business is not about creative self-actualization for its own sake. And marketing, in particular, is not about “fonts and colors.” Don’t get me wrong, creativity is perhaps the key attribute most needed and desired to address our 21st century business challenges. Indeed, it’s what drives my job function and motivates me daily as CMO at a technology company. It’s my job to take our company’s IT innovation and transform it into visible business value. But this attitude of: “it” (advertising and marketing) is just not fun anymore or it’s not worth my creative genius is short-sighted. In my opinion, this attitude is why a lot of people in marketing don’t get the respect they need or deserve. Yet while creative ad and marketing types are running for the agency door, CEOs are looking for more creative minds, begging the question: Is creativity depreciated or simply misunderstood? In a recent IBM research study, CEOs from around the world cited “the rapid escalation of complexity” as the biggest challenge confronting them and their organizations. These same CEOs identified creativity as “the single most important leadership competency for enterprises seeking a path through this complexity.” Marketing and creative types who bemoan their roles and their perceived value are missing a unique opportunity and invitation to lead. Creativity, after all, is not valued as an end itself but a critical means to that end. Further, creativity is needed at all levels within an organization. Like many others, Novell has a company-wide “Incubator” program where we encourage and reward employees who submit business proposals for new solutions they feel deserve development funding. In the last year, two completely original ideas have been taken to market. This scenario demonstrates how product development initiatives can be driven by many individuals across an organization and how a creative approach embraced by everyone within a company can ultimately play a significant role in driving market leadership. True business and marketing leaders embrace uncertainty and complexity as creative catalysts that invite and, in fact, demand innovation. Creative leaders should view constraints at every level as exciting challenges that release–not restrict–creative responses. Additionally, creative leadership recognizes the risk in trying new things and doesn’t fear failure. The goal is to cultivate creativity, embrace experimentation and “fail fast.” Google is a good example of a company fully committed to this approach. For example, they took this creative risk with Google Wave, a new online collaboration tool. In August of this year Google announced it was pulling the plug on this project. While some viewed this as a failure, I believe it speaks volumes about Google’s creative leadership philosophy. I particularly admire the courage it takes to say “this isn’t turning out the way we envisioned and we are going to invest our energies elsewhere.” Google’s success rate far surpasses its failure rate–as a result of its willingness to place a premium on inventiveness while establishing guidelines for its success. The very boundaries that some creatives are running from should be embraced as a way to guide and prioritize creativity, not stifle it. There’s no doubt that originality and imagination are...
read more
Recent Comments