Social Media: It’s Impact on the Job Market & Career Development

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Are you in the middle of an active job search? Well, you are not alone. In our digital-dominated world, social media has become a juggernaut influencing various facets of life, including the professional realm. It’s reshaping the job market and bolstering career development, effectively becoming a new cornerstone in the job search saga. Gone are the days when classified ads and firm handshakes were the alpha and omega of securing a role. Today, platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Instagram are not just social watering holes but pivotal arenas where job opportunities bloom and professional networks thrive. This article aims to dissect both the lush benefits and the prickly challenges of wielding social media for job pursuits and career growth, guiding you to harness its profound power effectively.

The Changing Landscape of Job Search

Gone are the days when job seekers scour newspaper classifieds to circle potential leads with a red pen. The digital era has ushered in an exciting new chapter where social media plays the starring role in the job search narrative. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Facebook have transformed job hunting into a dynamic and interactive experience, far removed from the static methods of yesteryear.
What makes this shift so thrilling? It’s not just that you have more job opportunities at your fingertips but also that you can connect directly with the movers and shakers of your industry. The walls that once separated eager applicants from employers have crumbled, replaced by the open network of social media.

  • Access to a global network – no longer confined by geography, job seekers can connect with employers worldwide.
  • Real-time updates – with social media, job postings can go viral instantly, offering fresh opportunities by the minute.
  • Insight into company culture – candidates can peek behind the curtain to see if a company’s values align with their own.

Indeed, the digital age has brought about a job search revolution, and riding the wave of this transformation is as exhilarating as it is essential.

Leveraging Social Media for Job Search

Imagine turning your digital footprint into a magnet for career opportunities. That’s the magic of social media in the job search sphere. Each platform is akin to a new stage, ready to showcase your professional persona. LinkedIn, the corporate Colosseum, stands as the undisputed champion for professional networking, while Twitter’s rapid-fire exchanges can connect you to industry leaders with just 280 characters. Not to be outdone, Facebook’s groups offer a goldmine for insider information and job postings.

  • Profile Optimization: Start by polishing your digital handshake – your profile. Tailor it to sing your skills and experiences with the harmony of SEO to catch the algorithms’ attention.
  • Engagement: Engage with content from potential employers to show your interest and expertise. Be an active participant, not a wallflower, in the digital dance of your industry.
  • Success Stories: Draw inspiration from success stories that illustrate the power of a tweet, a share, or a connection request in landing dream jobs
    By wielding social media wisely, you turn each post and update into a beacon, signaling your prowess to prospective employers.

Building Your Brand on Social Media

Imagine social media as a bustling marketplace where your profile is your storefront. To stand out in the noisy digital bazaar, personal branding becomes your beacon, guiding potential employers and collaborators through the sea of sameness. Your online persona should be as meticulously curated as a gallery owner would showcase art pieces with thought, purpose, and an audience understanding.

  • Showcase skills: Illustrate your professional repertoire through posts that reflect your expertise and accomplishments. Share articles, join conversations, and display your projects to paint a vibrant picture of your capabilities.
  • Experience narration: Let your career journey speak through a compelling narrative, connecting the dots of your experiences and milestones for onlookers to follow.
  • Authenticity: Your digital handshake should be as genuine as the real thing. Cultivate a profile that is true to your character, allowing your unique professional identity to blossom.

By sculpting a professional and authentic personal brand on social media, you lay the foundations for career opportunities to come knocking at your virtual door, inviting them into a world where your professional story is told with clarity and charisma.

Networking on Social Media

The advent of social media has transformed the art of networking into a digital dance, where connections are just a click away. Imagine social media as a bustling marketplace, ripe with potential partnerships and career opportunities waiting to be explored. One must dive into the interactive world of online groups and discussions to harness this power.

  • Join professional groups: Align yourself with individuals who share your professional interests and goals. It’s like joining a club, but your currency is your insights and expertise instead of a secret handshake.
  • Engage in discussions: Don’t be a wallflower! Participate actively in online forums. Chime in with your thoughts and strike up conversations. You never know when a simple comment could lead to a life-changing opportunity.
  • Build lasting relationships: Avoid treating connections like collectible cards. Nurture them with regular interaction and genuine interest. Remember, a strong network is like a tree—it grows deeper roots and broader branches with care and attention.

Adopting a strategy of thoughtful engagement and proactive networking on social media can be the wind beneath the wings of your career development. It’s not just about who you know but who knows you and what you bring.

Challenges of Using Social Media in Job Search

Navigating the social media maze comes with its own set of challenges and risks when job hunting. One stumble can lead to a privacy mishap or a tarnished online reputation. As much as social media opens doors, it can sometimes close them just as quickly.

  • Privacy Concerns: The line between professional and personal can often blur. It’s critical to set boundaries and control the visibility of your online activity to avoid potential employers or colleagues encountering less-than-professional content.
  • Online Reputation Management: Your digital footprint is like a tattoo; it’s pretty permanent and speaks volumes about you. A poorly managed online presence can become a job seeker’s Achilles’ heel.

Don’t let your digital shadow loom over your career prospects. Be strategic and reasonable in your social media use; ensuring a squeaky-clean and professional image is what pops up on a recruiter’s radar. With great power comes great responsibility, and the power of social media in a job search is no exception. Embrace it cautiously, and you’ll navigate the job market like a seasoned sailor steering through the digital sea of opportunities.

The Impact of Social Media on Career Development

The digital age has transformed the fabric of career progression, with social media emerging as a powerhouse for personal and professional evolution. It’s like a high-speed elevator in a skyscraper of opportunities; you can ascend to dizzying heights with the right buttons pushed. Through platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Instagram, individuals are no longer mere job seekers but architects of their career paths.

  • Networking becomes a breeze when you can connect with industry leaders and peers worldwide, exchanging ideas and showcasing your prowess.
  • Skill development is at your fingertips with endless resources, webinars, and online courses shared across social networks.
  • Job opportunities often come knocking at your digital door, as recruiters actively scout for talent on social media, making it crucial to have an impressive online presence.

By leveraging the mighty clout of social media, professionals today are not just climbing the career ladder; they’re taking a quantum leap forward. This phenomenon underscores the potential for career advancement that social media harbors, provided one navigates this digital realm with savvy and strategy.

Conclusion

As we’ve surfed the waves of hashtags and tweets, it’s clear that social media is not just a digital cocktail party but a robust arena for job search and career development. From LinkedIn headhunting to Twitter job leads the employment landscape is at our fingertips, illuminated by the glow of our screens. Social media has come down like a hammer on the old-school job bulletin boards, reshaping how we look for jobs and develop and present our brand.

Embrace the digital age; your next career leap might be hiding in your next online connection. Whether you’re an aspiring mogul or a savvy professional, harness the power of likes, shares, and comments to build a network that transcends traditional boundaries. Yet, remember to navigate this realm with eyes wide open to the challenges, from privacy pitfalls to the ever-watchful eye on your digital footprint. As we march into the future, social media stands as both the paint and canvas for the masterpiece of your career story—use it wisely, and the possibilities are boundless.

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Nine Important Digital Marketing Tips for Businesses in 2024

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Digital marketing is a term to describe marketing practices that use digital technologies. It is not just about online advertising but also includes online communities, social media, and search engine optimization.
Digital marketing has changed how businesses operate in the 21st century. With the help of digital marketing, companies can connect with their target market more efficiently.
As of my last update in January 2023, digital marketing strategies continually evolve due to technological advancements and changing consumer behaviors, such as AI technology.  While specific trends have shifted, fundamental principles remain relevant. Here are nine essential digital marketing tips that could still be applicable in 2024.

1. Effective Marketing Strategy
Ensure you have a marketing strategy before you begin your campaign. Whether you’re selling a product or service, knowing your goals and how to achieve them is essential. Identify your target audience.

2. Create a Mobile-Friendly Website
You should also make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. This is important. Mobile users are a large portion of the market these days. Your website must look good on mobile devices, desktop computers, and laptops.
Mobile users are a large portion of the market these days. Additionally, websites should focus on mobile-friendly designs. Users should be able to view your website easily and quickly on any device, especially their mobile phones. Enhance user experience across all digital touchpoints. Fast-loading websites, intuitive navigation, and personalized content are crucial for engaging and retaining your potential customers.

3. Leverage AI and Automation
Implement AI-powered tools for data analysis, personalization, chatbots, and marketing automation. AI can streamline processes, analyze vast datasets for insights, and personalize marketing strategies at scale.

4. Video Marketing Dominance
Video content continues to reign supreme. Utilize live videos, stories, short-form videos like TikTok and Instagram Reels, and interactive video formats to captivate and engage audiences across platforms.

5. Social Commerce & Influencer Marketing
Consider social media marketing as part of your overall strategy, especially if you’re targeting specific audiences or demographics online. Social media has exploded in popularity and is now used for all types of marketing, from local businesses to multinational corporations. Leverage social media platforms for direct sales (social commerce). Collaborate with relevant influencers to reach targeted audiences and build trust through authentic endorsements. The key to these platforms is understanding how users interact with them, how they influence trends, and how you can benefit from them.

6. Build a Website That Attracts Customers
In today’s market, businesses often need help finding customers and making sales. The internet has become flooded with similar products, making it difficult to stand out. Select a good web theme and design that captures the eye. And use social media platforms such as Foursquare.com. to target local followers. A presence on Foursquare is one of the most popular social media tools for local businesses in 2024. Just go to foursquare.com and get familiar with it.

7. Create an Online Store with Customized Products
Online stores are a popular marketplace for many businesses to sell their products. There are many benefits of launching an online store, and some of those benefits include high conversions, low overhead costs, and access to social media.

8. SEO & Content Marketing
Prioritize relevant content that addresses user queries and needs. Optimize content for search engines, focus on semantic search, voice search optimization, and featured snippets to improve visibility and ranking.

9. Data Privacy & Personalization
With increasing concerns about data privacy, ensure compliance with regulations (e.g., General Data Protection Regulation GDPR or California Consumer Privacy Act CCPA) and prioritize transparency in data usage. Balance this with personalized marketing efforts that respect customer privacy.

Conclusion
The benefits of digital marketing include increased visibility for your company and increased sales and brand awareness for your brand. And as competition may increase for you in 2024, businesses need to use different types of digital marketing available for their campaigns. Digital marketers can succeed by learning about the tips described above and using them effectively in their campaigns.

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The Rise of Social Media Influencers

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How To Become a Social Media Influencer?

There is no denying the fact social media has emerged as the top priority of the young generation.
There’s been an interesting debate recently about social media networks and their impact on the search process. According to a recent study, social media use is widespread and has been shown to play an essential role in the lives of both adolescents and young adults. Remarkably, the development of digital platforms leads young adults to interact closely with their favorite celebrities, brands, and other users in the virtual world via two-way communication tools, such as live chats and comment options.
What Is An Influencer?
Interestingly, as social media platforms have grown, the digital world has created a new phrase, “social media influencers,” who become famous through their digital content on social media, compared to traditional celebrities who become famous on TV shows and films.
According to Amandalovesblogging.com, “An influencer on social media is a user who has achieved a certain amount of reliability and authenticity in a specific area or industry, which makes other individuals trust them. As the name suggests, the influencer can influence other users to choose a specific product or brand like food, art, travel, and culture.”
University research released in February 2022 conceptually identified social media influencer attributes such as language similarity, interest similarity, interaction frequency, and self-disclosure. It examined the respective effects of each dimension on perceived friendship and psychological well-being, consequently resulting in loyalty toward social media influencers. The authors collected and analyzed data from 388 social media users in the United States. In other words, social media users feel connected with social media influencers by interacting with them in the virtual world and perceiving them as more authentic in their fields, which embrace fashion, health, or music, than celebrity endorsements in traditional advertisements.
Based on these findings, this study proposes theoretical and managerial implications for the social media influencer marketing context. So, it suggests an impact on marketing. We will discuss more in this article.

Social Media Influence on Its Users
Celebrity influencers gained their reputation from traditional media channels and started actively creating social media content. Since they are celebrities, they already have fame and the opportunity to reach people in their hands. A powerhouse is somebody in your specialty or industry who influences your leading interest group.

Social Media Platforms Popular For Having Influencers
Twitter and Facebook can help make a piece of content become popular web-based in moments. We’ve previously discovered that genuine ‘tweets’ from real, intrigued individuals have become very popular daily on Twitter around the globe.
But with more than a billion users, Instagram has become one of the leading influencer marketing platforms in social media. Amanda adds: “The Instagram influencer platform has given numerous people the chance to become popular and have collaborated with the Instagram influencer network to promote their work. The influencers on social media, and in this case Instagram, are getting popular with every passing day, and many brands collaborate with the best Instagram influencer agency to get in contact with the wider audience and prove their value among them.” You can purchase Instagram followers and other social media followers as well, at quickfower.com.

Who Are Example Influencers on Social Media?
For the most part, it includes entertainers, sports stars, and other celebrities on social media, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Dwayne Johnson, Taylor Quick, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and Khaby Lame to name a few.

Their Impact on Marketing?
Anything that framework is taken on for development and advancing capacity progression should be a brief worry considering the long development time for advantages in HR. The emerging example centers towards a shift from the enormous scope assembling of standard things, using scarcely gifted workers, towards extra specific things using a widely capable workforce and general, multi-reason machines.
Prior research in this field focused primarily on the visual and actual characteristics of social media influencers, like physical attractiveness or social attractiveness, to predict marketing outcomes, such as positive attitudes toward and favorable intention for a product advertised by the influencers. In particular, loyalty toward social media influencers leads followers to have a strong sense of product or brand association and thus perceive them and advertisements as persuasive and authentic. Accordingly, users are more likely to behave favorably toward the products social media influencers advertise to endorse the influencers and support their fame and social status.
For example, according to Kim and Kim, social media platforms provide users with virtual spaces to consume celebrities’ digital content and interact with social media influencers and other users in the social media community, leading users to form positive emotions in the digital world that transfer to happiness and pleasure in the real world. Interestingly, more recently, young people on social media have been compelled to become online influencers. Ironically, these celebrity influencers have influenced users on social media in more ways than one. So, the question arises: Can I become a social media influencer myself? Here are just a few tips.

How to Become an Influencer?
Tips to Becoming a Social Media Influencer.
1. Find your niche.
2. Choose your social media channel.
3. Develop your content strategy.
4. Distribute your content correctly.
5. Grow your community.
6. Engage and make friends with your followers.
For example, Instagram-Amanda Loves Blogging again reveals: “To become an Instagram influencer, you first must choose the area where your interest lies. Please do not choose a niche by watching others become famous through it. As an influencer marketing platform, Instagram gives you many chances to become famous. You can influence others with your talent, and with your creativity, you can also gain Instagram followers. You can be a food lover, for example, and with your amazing love for cuisines and understanding of taste, you can become a food blogger and, through that, an Instagram influencer. You can achieve it by getting the assistance of an Instagram influencer agency and by getting paid Instagram followers. Write an appealing bio & engage with your followers.”
Conclusion
The primary purpose of this study was to predict users’ loyalty toward their favorite social media influencers from the perspectives of perceived friendship and psychological well-being, which were initially determined by social media influencer attributes, including perceived language similarity, interest similarity, interaction frequency, and self-disclosure. The empirical findings of this study proposed a new insight into social media influencer marketing, particularly within the context of strategic partnerships between a brand/product and social media influencers.
But for more tips on how to become a social media influencer, visit amandalovesblogging.com, nealschaffer.com, and hubspot.com.

Contributed by Jihye Kim and Minseong Kim.

Jihye Kim University of Kentucky, Lexington
Min Seong Kim LSU at Shreveport, Louisiana

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How Will You Brand Yourself?

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When you think of branding or brand, often you think of a rancher who takes a hot iron in the shape of a logo or a name representing his ranch and stamps it on the side of his livestock so everyone will associate that cattle with this rancher. The same is valid with branding yourself or your business venture. If you are thinking of starting a small business and you’ve identified the market, and you’ve found a niche – or a position that you feel comfortable with, now you need to consider how you will brand yourself. Even without a business and you have something to stand for or something to promote, whether an idea or a cause, you can still brand yourself. What will others see as your brand?

What Is A Branding?
Branding is creating a distinct identity for your business or yourself in the mind of your target audience or people in general. The practice of branding – in the original literal sense of marking by burning – is thought to have begun with the ancient Egyptians, known to have engaged in livestock branding in ancient times. Branding was used to differentiate one person’s cattle from another’s using a distinctive symbol burned into the animal’s skin with a hot branding iron.
In the modern era, the concept of branding has expanded to include deployment by a manager of the marketing and communication techniques and tools that help to distinguish a company or products from competitors, aiming to create a lasting impression in the minds of customers. The key components that form a brand include a brand’s identity, personality, product, and design.

Misconceptions About Branding
Marty Neumeier, author of “The Brand Gap,”- defines a brand this way: “A brand is not a product. It is not a promise. It is not the sum of all the impressions it makes on an audience. A brand is a result. It’s a person’s gut feeling about you or a product, service, or company. A brand is a reputation, your business reputation.” In other words, what reputation will your brand create?
There are two types of brands, but they both accomplish the same thing: a personal and a business brand. Let us examine the difference between the two.

Personal Brand
In a personal brand, you are simply branding yourself. For example: If you are an expert at something or want to sell yourself as such, then you might want to think of going with a personal brand. In other words, you are selling yourself. You can set up a blog, website, or a column of some sort and build a following of “you” and promote your expertise from there.

Business Brand
Business Dictionary.com in regard to the word brand states: “The entire process involved in creating a unique name for a product, good, or service in the consumers’ mind.” In another word with a business brand, you are promoting the business itself, whatever that business may be. If you are selling a product or service or if you are building a “brick and mortar store,” on or offline, then you might want to think of a good business brand that will identify something unique about your business.

What Branding Accomplishes
Shayna Waltower a guest writer for “Business News Daily” or BND wrote the benefits this way:
1. It establishes your credibility. They see you as a trusted authority within your niche.
2. You are seen as an expert. A strong brand reflects your expertise in your field.
3. It sets you apart from the competition. Remember your brand is what makes you unique. It can show people how you stand out on a cause or how your business differs from other companies.
4. It demonstrates your value to others. Your brand highlights your personality, passions, and motivation so potential customers can see and relate to it. It gives them an experience instead of merely a product or completed service.
Branding is the process of creating a distinct identity for yourself or your business in the mind of your target audience or others in general. What will your brand accomplish for you? Your brand may seem like it consists only of elements such as logos and colors, but your brand is actually the entire identity of your business. According to Forbes: “Your brand gives you personality.” Branding can help build trust.

One advantage of a personal brand is if you feel that in time you might want to promote something else or branch off from your original niche in some way, then you can do so without having to re-brand so-to-speak because it can be accomplished with the same brand or reputation.

But if you are building a business and just want to stick with a certain name or brand, then you may want to go with a business brand. One advantage of this is in time the brand itself will take on value if you decide to sell down the road.

How Will You Brand Yourself With Social Media?
Using social media platforms and tools is relatively easy to get your brand “out there!” Just use your accounts with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others to promote your brand online. And it’s free! Digitalmarketinginstitute.com states: “regularly share content to different platforms and keep them positive & engaging. Also, identify your area of expertise. Everyone is an expert at something – whether it’s how to create and distribute great content or having a comprehensive knowledge of your favorite TV show.”
With Facebook, you can create a Business page and invite your followers to view it. Use Twitter to “tweet” your brand or message several times a week. You can use social media tools such as Sprout, Buffer, or Hootsuite to schedule your tweets and blog posts. Or plan it on the platform itself. If you have a business, use Pinterest to create a “Board” as your primary category and then “Pin” photos or information pertinent to your business. Linkedin is a popular site to promote your business and build a following to engage with and share content with others to promote your brand. Foursquare is another social media platform to target local customers by building up local followers and engaging with them as well.

Do Your Homework:
There is plenty of information out there that will provide you with tips and ideas as to how to brand yourself. There are several blogs on branding, what taglines you can use, and websites that will help you to create your logo. Just do a simple search. Give it a lot of thought. Because when it comes to starting a business, there is nothing more important than how you brand yourself.

Conclusion
If you decide to use a logo, an image, a tagline, or a catchy phrase to represent your brand and to promote it on social media then that’s good. No problem. But how you brand yourself will determine how you or your business is well perceived in the eyes of others, as an individual or an established entrepreneur.

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What Is Local SEO? How to Use Social Media To Target Local Customers?

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The internet is the most powerful tool in the world. It’s changed our lives and made connecting with people from all over the planet more accessible. But what about when you want to talk to people who live right in your backyard? Suppose you’re running a local business or trying to reach out to your local community. In that case, local SEO is an essential part of how your business can stand out from the crowd—and get discovered by potential customers.

What Is Local SEO?
Local Search Engine Optimization, or Local SEO, is finding your business online through people in your local area. It can accomplish through organic listings on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo and other online directories such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google Maps.
It’s about ensuring you’re showing up in the results of Google searches and other search engines – but it also means optimizing your website so that people find what they need locally. You should also ensure that you have accurate information about opening times on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter so that users can see whether or not they can pop into one of your stores before heading home after work.

How to Use Social Media to Target Local Customers?

Optimize your page for local visibility
You have now taken the first step in local SEO. Now it’s time to optimize your site for local visibility. To do this, you must ensure that your business information is accurate on Google and other search engines. Like adding a local phone number, your mailing address, and business hours of operation, to name a few.

Google My Business
Google My Business helps you gain more visibility in your local community by making it easy for customers to find and connect with your business on Google. How does it work?
After you’ve claimed your business, you can get found when people search on Google Maps and Google search, as well as through ads. In organic results, you’ll also see a snippet of basic information like your address and phone number. It’s important to note that only verified businesses are eligible for this feature.

Facebook Places
Facebook Places allows you to create a page similar to Google My Business.
Your information here will aid people in finding your product or services on Facebook but not on Google. It will help boost the organic reach of your Facebook posts, as they will appear in search results if someone searches for them specifically.
The description should match what you have on other platforms, and use the exact keywords when possible; also, include photos from your website or other social media profiles.

Foursquare
What is Foursquare? Foursquare is a location-based social networking site for mobile devices that gives your business a mobile footprint. With more people using portable devices to search for companies, a presence on Foursquare is a popular social media platform for local businesses. Create a Foursquare Page and connect it with your Twitter account. When you create your page, make sure you complete your Page Profile. Now you want to add your listing to Four square’s searchable database. Just click on “The List My Business” tab, and follow the instructions. If you don’t have a business listing, you can create it at https://foursquare.com/login?continue=%2Fadd_venue. The business listing will ask for your phone number, your website’s URL links to your Twitter and Facebook profiles, hours of operation, and a description of your business. Make sure you include all the information.
Once your business listing is there on Foursquare, claim it. When you claim your location, you are telling Foursquare you are the manager of that venue. You can claim multiple locations of Foursquare; all you need to do is to provide verifiable contact information. Once you have listed and claimed your site on Foursquare, you can begin adding specials, checking your analytics, and much more. But the most important way to use Foursquare is to take the time to build a network of just local followers and interact with them.

Business Information
Make sure your business info is correct in all places. You can use the same name and address on all your marketing materials, website, and social media accounts.
If you’re a new business, set these things up immediately so you can start local search engine optimization as soon as possible. If you already have a website, make sure of all changes across all pages.

Keywords and Hashtags
A helpful tip is to use geo-specific keywords and hashtags. Local SEO is more than just ranking highly in Google. It’s also about targeting customers searching for a specific product or service in their area, so they can easily find you when they’re ready to buy.
You must ensure that your website is suitable for local search and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for any videos and Instagram. Use geo-specific keywords and hashtags on these sites so that people looking for local businesses can find yours.

Conclusion
Local SEO is a great way to grow your business and reach more customers. It’s essential to take steps now so that when you open up your new branch or expand, you will be okay with Google and Facebook. The key takeaway is that local SEO can be compelling if done correctly.

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Content Marketing for Small Businesses. Expert Tips Just for You!

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For the past few years, content marketing has been a definite leader in the field of digital promotion. People are constantly looking for the right information on social networks, watching videos, and reading blog posts. They focus only on useful and high-quality content, so the only way to gain their trust and, eventually, close a sale, is to be the first and only one who’ll provide such content. And this is exactly what content marketing is for.

What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services. It focuses on creating and distributing content for a targeted audience online. Social media is an integral part of content marketing

Content marketing thus is promoted through content. In other words, you do not just create any text but write something that will increase sales growth, recognition, or attracts potential users.
Before we dive into some tips and specifics of content marketing for your business, let’s identify the technique itself. It’s all kinds of content that talk about what you do: texts, videos, pictures, animated images, information graphics, podcasts, etc. Basically, they are various types of materials that are used by Internet users visiting your site or reading about you on the web.
The Primary Benefits of Using Content Marketing for Your Business
Here you can see how content marketing can be useful for you:

1. You’ll get highly targeted organic traffic from search engines through the publication of helpful content on visited sites (media, thematic resources);
2. It’ll ensure comprehensive coverage of the audience of social networks and increased brand/product recognition through the targeted distribution of exciting content and its further “sharing” by users;
3. You’ll be able to influence the user’s decision to purchase at each stage of the sales funnel and get the corresponding increase in engagement;
4. Your SEO will boost as a result of an increased number of links to your business site from third-party resources, which will also improve behavioral factors.
As you can see, content marketing allows not only to convey information to the target audience, but also to establish an open dialogue with it, to find out the current opinion of customers, and to build brand loyalty.
According to a recent study, 90% of companies are actively using content marketing; 50% of published messages evoke a lively response and interest from the audience. And yet, only 5% of the posts lead to real actions: transitions to the site, registration, or other targeted efforts.
So let us provide you with some actionable expert tips that can help gradually improve your business.

Content Marketing Professional Tips
Focus on publishing relevant content. The first tip is easy to follow. When creating content, follow the rule of conformity with the professional field and subject. Post relevant content that is consistent and aligns with the overall goals of your site. Let’s say you sell coffee machines online. In addition to providing all the technical information about the product (photos, reviews, videos), you’d want to post articles related to coffee on the blog (preparation, use, recipes, etc.) d.), in other words, relevant content. Studies show that more than 50% of consumers are happy to read such materials on company websites.

Double-check your content formatting before you post it. Good content requires original, well-developed, and unbiased information on a specific topic. But even if it is just that – useful, unique, and expert – it can easily get lost on the Internet, among other publications if users struggle with reading it and following your train of thought. Proper presentation of any text implies improvement through breaking it into paragraphs, as well as through the use of bold and italic styles, headings, a suitable font size, etc.
Caring for content formatting is also good for SEO because it is a direct sign that you’re trying to create a high-quality website. If you decide to combine different types of content (text, images, video), this will improve the user’s impression of reading the material, which will undoubtedly lead to certain advantages.

Your title can be the key to success. What we’re talking about is the basics of SEO, which don’t get any less important. So, an extensive and bright title performs several functions at once:
● It helps search engines understand the content of your text;
● Gives social networks an understanding of the semantic direction of your materials;
● It attracts the attention of users and stimulates an increase in click-through rates to a specific page.
Do not underestimate the importance of the first impression of the text, so think a hundred times before clicking the “Publish” button.

Try to keep tabs with your competitors. There’s a chance that the number of players on your market is massive. And if you want your content to work effectively for your business, it should be better than that of competitors.
Before you start creating any material, check out related publications on Google, Facebook, Twitter (or another social network that is more suitable for your audience) and find out what type of content they like in the first place. Pay attention to such things as volume, quality, and format, and try to create content that will surpass the others in all respects.
Content that doesn’t outperform competitors’ content can’t cause the hype you need in search engines or social networks, so it’s preferable to spend some more time and work on improving your texts.

Create a perfect schedule for your content. In addition to the desire for relevance and accuracy of content, you should remember the need for its regular publication. If possible, post materials not only on specific days but also at particular times of the day. Having such a “calendar” will help you organize your workflow and create a group of loyal users.

Your content should be helping with conversions. Remember that the primary goal of creating content is to increase conversions. In other words, a conversion can be considered anything from increasing the number of your email subscribers and clicks on banner advertising, to growth in sales of goods.

Good Content and Social Media
Content marketing for small businesses can be very powerful. You can even consider adding a blog to your business website, or post content on social media platforms like Twitter, Linkedin, Foursquare, or a short video to Youtube. Remember people want information. And good content can provide information that your prospective customer is looking for. brand

 

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7 Social Media Platforms Effective for Business

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Congratulations! You have successfully started your business or at least launched your business website online! How will you market it? Paid advertisement is essential but expensive! Using social media is what many businesses are doing now because of its reach online, and because that’s where the people are!
So the question is: What effective social media platform can be use for most businesses? Or let’s say my business? What an appropriate question!
Nowadays, there are tons of social media platforms at your disposal. These are all effective social media platforms where you can create an amazing following. However, you don’t have to sign up for all new and popular social media sites on the planet. Trust us when we say you would rather be excellent with one or two platforms rather than be mediocre with four five or six!
A number of accounts in different social media sites don’t matter. Instead, pick one or two channels and focus your target marketing there. If you need some guidance on what is the best social media site/s for you, tips and information are available for you to determine the most effective social media channels out there. But for now here are seven of the most effective social media platforms that you can use for your business.

1. Facebook
What can we say? Over 1.11 billion people are into this famous social media site. Besides catching up with loved ones from overseas, Facebook did a wonderful job for many aspiring entrepreneurs out there. If you’re a start-up entrepreneur, we suggest you try the waters of Facebook first before jumping on any other platforms.
Facebook has established itself quite well and you can use that to your advantage. You will be easier seen on this social media site with an option to send you a private message, browse your products and even share your goods to a wider network. We firmly believe your target marketing strategies will not be wasted on this site. Indeed Facebook is an effective social media platform for you business. On facebook, you will be able to launch a seperate business page or “Fan Page” to promte your business and to also leverage the use of group pages as well.

2. Twitter
Twitter is an astonishing social media platform that can promote your business in 140 characters or fewer. This is a site that garners over 215 million active users or potential customers. This great site is generally made for communication so you know that customers can reach you 24/7. What’s more special about Twitter is that you can incorporate your own hashtag brand so you’ll be easier searched or be on the most popular page.
Word of the wise, this effective social media platform can get you viral in no time! Proven and effective way to increase your business’ popularity.

3. Instagram
Instagram is a good platform if you like photos. Just open an account and build your audience to engage and post any pictures relevant to your business, add a cute or useful tagline and then link them to your website.
If used properly, your followers may skyrocket more than what you’re expecting.

4. LinkedIn
This effective social media platform is made for business people to interact with others. Sometimes it is used by job seekers to find potential employers but most of the time it is used to increase your audience. Business owners realized the value of this site and the opportunities to build relationships and sales leads. An estimated 2.7 million business pages are on LinkedIn, each interacting with each other for partnership, proposal, quotations etc.
Just a quick heads up LinkedIn has a humongous number of professionals so expect important business dealing. It is not similar to Facebook or Twitter where any start-ups can be casual. On LinkedIn, you need to look professional so people can take your business seriously. Nevertheless, don’t be intimidated though as the users on this social media channel are really friendly. You’ll never be out of place here.

5. YouTube
1 billion unique visitors every month – that’s how huge this video-oriented site is. Not to mention that it’s the second largest search engine after Google! How’s that for target marketing and popularity boost? YouTube can literally take you to places with increasing your customers every second someone clicks on your video.
You can even sponsor a commercial where they can stream over millions of videos. Oh, did we also mention that YouTube is owned by Google? You don’t have to worry about search engine rankings at all with this platform.

6. Pinterest
Pinterest is another effective social media platform made for business-especially if your business involves products to promote. All you need are good photos of your products and post or “PIN” them on a board representing a certain category and then build your following to interact. The people on Pinterest are friendly and sometimes helpful to promote even your own products. It is worth signing up just to get a little familiar and start getting your business or brand out there to be seen on the internet!

7. Foursquare
While most social media platforms will connect to people all accross the web, Foursquare is design to target local follower at the exact location of your business. Over 50 million people use Foursquare whether for online or offline businesses. So for storefront owners, you would want to learn how to leverage this effective social media tool. Just simply go to Foursquare, sign up, follow the guides, and engage as you would with other social media platforms, but keep in mind these will be local followers as potential customers to you business.

 

Social media is really simple to use and inexpensive! It’s all about one thing-engagement! Once you get a good feel at using social media-the more you will be effective in promoting your brand and they can become a powerful tool for your business. So whatever you choose from these effective social media channels, just remember to focus first on one or two at a time, so your marketing will be successful to a large degree.

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Using Social Media to Find Local Customers for Your Small Business

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Buy LocalHow would you like to target potential customers for your small business-but only in your local area? Targeting local traffic is an important website marketing strategy for small businesses. According to a variety of studies that have been done regarding website traffic, approximately 80% of people doing an online business search are searching for local businesses. But what if you want prospective customers to know that you are here locally? Here is where Social Media can help!
Promoting through social media sites is a new way that offers a lot to your business, mostly for free. Utilizing social networking sites is an effective way to draw local customers to your website. Here are a few social media tools to use:

FREE TOOLS

Twitter

In Twitter you can literally find tweets that mention your topic of expertise, from people who are geographically close to you. The way to do this is by using Twitter search. But instead of using the basic Twitter search box, you would want to use the Twitter Advanced Search page, which will allow you search locally.
To access the Twitter Advanced Search page type the keywords you want to search for in the usual Twitter search box and press Enter. You’ll see a results page that gives you a list of tweets that include those keywords. Click the down arrow next to the ‘cog’ in the corner of the page, then click Advanced Search. This reveals the Twitter Advanced Search page where you can really narrow your search. Type in your keywords then go to the Places box. Enter the geographical area you work in and then click Search. You’ll get a list of tweets that include your keywords, from people who are in the location you searched on. To save this search for future use click the drop down arrow on the search results page next to the ‘cog’ and click Save Search. The next time you want to look at this search click in the basic search box and a list of your saved searches will appear.
Using Twitter search in this way helps you find opportunities and people to add to your network.

Twellow

Twellow is a Twitter related tools that permit you to specifically target users who are among a certain area of interest and those who yield the most influence on the site. Once you’ve identified these people, you should follow them and hope that they return the favor.
You simply open up a Twellow account. At the top of the page you will see “Find Twellow users anywhere.” Just enter your city or location and start clicking on users you would like to target. Once they follow you back then start engaging with them.

Facebook

If you want to build brand awareness and connect with your customers, there is no beating Facebook. To claim and set up the Facebook Places page for your business. The first step is to create your Facebook Page by going to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. When you click on Local Business or Place, you will be taken to a page that will require you to fill in the required details of your business. After this you can use your admin panel to edit your page, build your audience, and fill your page with the requisite content. Once you have created your official local business page on Facebook, it’s time to claim your Facebook Places page.
Go to your Facebook Business Page and click on the arrow on the box next to “edit” and select ‘Is this your Business?’ When you click on it you will be taken through a series of steps that will ask for information about your business. You will now need to verify your connection to the business by either choosing an email verification process or by uploading the necessary documentation. Choose the email option only if you have an email address linked to your Facebook account and which also serves as your business email address. In terms of documentation, you will need to scan or click a picture of an official business document, like business license, tax file, phone bill, etc., and upload it.
Now you are done claiming and setting up a Facebook profile for your local business. All you need to do now is start managing it.

Foursquare

Foursquare is a location-based social networking site for mobile devices that gives your business a mobile footprint. With more people using mobile devices to search for businesses, a presence on Foursquare is one of the most popular social media tool for local businesses. Create a Foursquare Page and connect it with your Twitter account. When you create your page make sure you complete your Page Profile. Now you want to add your listing to Foursquare’s searchable database. If you don’t have a business listing, you can create it on https://foursquare.com/login?continue=%2Fadd_venue. The business listing will ask for your phone number, your website’s URL, links to your Twitter and Facebook profiles, hours of operation, and description of your business. Make sure you leave no information out.
Once your business listing has been added to Foursquare, claim it. When you claim your location, you are telling Foursquare you are the manager of that venue. You can claim multiple locations of Foursquare; all you need to do is to provide verifiable contact information. Once you are done listing and claiming your location on Foursquare, you can begin adding specials, checking your analytics, and a whole lot more. But the most important way to use Foursquare is to take the time to build up a network of just local followers and interact with them.

Google + Local

The local pages on Google+ Local closely resemble company Facebook Pages —they interact with Google Maps, Zagat reviews, and Google+. But the big thing is that your local pages will be indexed by search engines. Just click here to read my article on how to put your small business on the map!

PAID TOOLS

Yelp

This is another directory that is scaling the popularity charts, though for a small monthly fee. The 3-step process to be followed for claiming a Yelp listing for your business is similar to the processes on other sites. First go to https://biz.yelp.com/claiming. Type in the name of your business. If it shows up and is unlocked, somebody has already claimed it. If it turns up locked, click on the ‘Unlock’ button.
Another scenario is that your business listing doesn’t turn up in search. Don’t worry, just click on the ‘Add your business to Yelp’ link, which will take you to a page that will allow you to do just that. Once you click on ‘Add’, you are done. Now wait for the confirmation email from Yelp. You are done claiming your listing. Now you need to optimize the page by adding as much business information as you can. This could mean including more business information, photos, responding to reviews, and a whole lot more.

“The Bottom Line”

In using these social media tools, it’s very important that all your profiles contain complete and up to date information. Also, your contact addresses and phone numbers must be the same across all your profiles. Maintaining profile consistency across different online directories will boost your local SEO efforts and allow you to target market local customers for your business.

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6 Social Media Tools to Simplify Your Social Media Marketing

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Social Marketing Tools

How to simplify your social media marketing

 

6 Social Media Tools

 

We all know that having the right tools is essential to simplify or make any job easier-whether large, small, or just time consuming-would you not agree? The same is true with social media marketing! Are you using the right social media tools to simplify your marketing campaign?
It’s a demanding routine for a marketer or a business owner-not only that there is a lot of concerns to address such as the quality content to share with the prospect audience and right tool to use in sharing the content, but there is also the struggle against time. Nonetheless, the social media tools come into existence to shoulder the burden of these marketer just like you.

Presently, social media plays an important role for the effective online presence of businesses or websites. However, it cannot be denied that these social platforms are broad and powerful. On top of this, these networks are constantly expanding and becoming more complicated than usual. Thus, it consumes much time for a marketer or social media admin to manage the tasks on hand.
Although the social networks are upgrading with complexity, marketers can still get a hold of the advancement. In fact, there have been a number of social media tools that are created to cut down the time allotment and ease in the management of social activities. Here are just six!

1. Like Alyzer. Make sure you include in your marketing strategy a Facebook Fan page, then use Like Alyzer as a tool to provide assessment to your Facebook page. This tool will rate your page out of 100 for a free cost. Afterwards, recommendations are given for the improvement of your page.

2. Scoop.it. One of the popularly used social media tools to boost social media marketing is the Scoop it. When your social networks are connected with this app, you can publish wherever you are as you “scoop.” This only means that you are also posting on Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and tweeting on Twitter. On top of this, you can keep your audience inspired with a random of fresh interesting articles to use and post on your website, Facebook Fan page or both.

3. Post Planner. The Post Planner is one social media tool that you can install within your Facebook. It comes with a pack of features including automatic publishing of content per schedule, database of thousands update ideas, simple analytic s of people who have liked your post, add posts to your queue, and many more. With these features, Post Planner comes with a premium. However, there is a trial version available for you to determine its efficiency and usability.

4. Razor Social.  Get free juices on the social media innovations from Razor Social. It will provide you information relevant to social media tools available online to boost up your presence and reputation. Hence, cutting down the burden of managing social activity through knowledge application. Moreover, Razor Social is a community that continuously motivates its people to share significant and quality content.

5. Mention me. This is one excellent and efficient monitoring tool. The key to this application is the keyword at which will merit you to connect with other people or find potential businesses. Hence, the tool will alert you through your email or any other social media as it encounters particular keywords from various sites around the web. Nevertheless, Mention me comes in a free trial and paid versions.

6. Feedly. If you want to be updated on the news, Feedly serves the purpose. It will simply provide you with a myriad of posts at which you can subscribe to. Furthermore, Feedly can be integrated with Buffer that will allow you to share content with ease. This is because Buffer will be responsible for disseminating the posts. Furthermore, the articles that are featured in Feedly can be viewed with convenience using your very own computer or smart phone.

With the available social media tools online, workload is relatively lessened. Thus, it allows you and your website maintain credibility online. Furthermore, it maximizes your time for far more important tasks and duties.

I hope you can make use of these 6 social media tools to boost your social media marketing! Please leave a comment below.

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Tips on Marketing Local Businesses With Social Media

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Social Media for Business

 

social media for businessBusiness oftentimes is a local competition. Especially if it’s a brick and mortar storefront and you want to promote it locally online. To get into the game, you have to ride the craze in reaching out your prospect consumers. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of options to choose from— paid advertisement and social media.
In every marketing strategy, budget has always been the primary consideration. Paid advertising can be effective, but it can cost you an arm and a leg. Moreover, there is a loophole in this scheme. The impression that you will make on your prospect consumers will depend on how you formulate the plan and execute it. This goes the same with social media marketing, but on the contrary, it is not expensive as paid advertisement. Despite the difference in digits, it can also render you promising results.
Social Media in Action
No matter what your purpose is— brand awareness, online reputation management, website traffic, or communication with your audiences, social media always has a room to cater these needs. With your goal right before your eyes, your approach to social media will depend accordingly. Here are 6 tips to market local businesses with social media!
• Devise a social marketing plan. Given that you have analyzed your target audience and your competitors, it is about time to carefully think of a plan that will blow away your rivals. In this part, consider coming up with content ideas that will interest your audience such as tips on using your products and great deals.
• Go for quality instead of quantity. There is no use in posting many articles online if it is just fluffy. Always remember that people want to read something valuable and worth of their time. For example, if you are promoting food supplements, write articles that relate to your subject like its benefits to the user.
• Maintain an open communication. Technology paved way to what kind of communication the people have today. With this advancement, it is easier for businesses to get in touch with their audience. For instance, people can exchange or share thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. As this continuous, it creates a dynamic and lively environment for people to interact. Hence, it improves customer relationship.
• Social Media Platforms. Facebook and Twitter are just some of the popular social media platforms where people interact. Despite its orientation towards online interaction, you can also take advantage of advertising your products or company as its reach is multitude. Just make it a point that you will not solely use the platform for the sake of promotion, but also for interaction. Apart from these social media platforms, you can also use Foursquare for your business. According to Social Media Examiner, it is a location-based social network that has over 20 million users. In this platform, people use to check it for locations or shops that they have visited. As people checked where they have been, it can be shared with Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Eventually, your business is noticed.
• Offer promos and great deals. Customers love promos and great deals from a company. You can offer discounted products or services, buy one take one deal, and even a game of prizes. Doing these are a sure fire to delight your consumers.
• Dress your business professionally online. Reputation greatly matters for every business. It is one of the main ingredient for success. With this, keep your social business accounts in motion by sharing good content, promotions, and fabulous deals.
Mapping your business success with social media is indeed possible. You just have to cut out the appropriate moves to market your products and services locally. Hence, delve deeper on what every social media network can offer and gear it towards your goal.

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