Additional Resources

May 8th, 2013

SocialMedia_May07_BMarketing is an integral element of any business strategy, and social media is largely seen to now be a large part of any company's marketing initiative. If leveraged correctly, various social media platforms could give your company a marketing boost that few other campaign types could. But, did you know that social media could also help other business functions or departments?

Below are four non-marketing oriented uses of social media that businesses could benefit from.

Hiring LinkedIn is a social network dedicated to helping professionals and organizations connect and find jobs and new talent. Most social savvy companies will have a presence on this network and may even hire exclusively from here.

If you are looking for new employees, it wouldn't hurt to have a LinkedIn profile. To find the best talent, you need to forge and maintain connections (usually starting with people you know), and be somewhat active in groups and on message boards.

It's also important to not forget the other major networks when it comes to hiring. Tweeting a job opening on Twitter, or posting ads on Facebook could also help you find your next employee. Facebook can be particularly useful because you can pay to target ads (in this case, job openings) at specific demographics.

Internal communications Communication is an important part of business, and most people choose to communicate using email. You have probably seen emails with jokes, invitations to after work events, lunch orders, etc. sent to the whole company and also received the many replies that go with it. This can get very annoying, and also confusing.

Why not utilize social media for non-essential (aka. not related to work) communication. Set up a Facebook group where your employees can share content, invitations to lunch or after work gatherings, interesting stories, etc. That way you can limit email to more important, business-related aspects.

Using social media for internal communication is also beneficial for companies with younger workers. Most already see Facebook, Twitter, etc. as their main form of communication, some even feel more comfortable communicating over this medium as opposed to speaking out in meetings. Having a group portal or Facebook page could give less-empowered employees a way to voice their ideas, and maybe even improve on them with feedback from others.

Learning A common complaint of many business owners is that they have a tough time staying on top of ever-changing trends and what currently interests their customers. Using social media to connect with your customers can be a great way to learn not only hot trends but also about new ideas.

Customer service When it comes to social media, users will often complain publicly on their wall or through their tweets. This is bad for you, as the reach of this complaint can go a long way and make you look bad. Some companies have decided to confront this head on by having specific customer service accounts. If a customer complains, has an issue, or even compliments you, be active and respond using that account.

If done properly, over time, you will see more and more people reaching out to your customer service account through social media. This also gives you another way to please clients or turn around negative customer experiences.

Social media and the various platforms are not only great for marketing, but can be incredibly useful for other business functions. Do you have any other ways you use social media? Let us know. Or, if you would like to learn more about how it can help your company, then contact us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic Social Media
May 2nd, 2013

VoIP_May02_BWhile email has definitely become the most popular form of communication for businesses, there's still something about a good old fashioned phone call that email just can't convey. One of the most popular phone systems in use these days is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which uses an Internet connection to convey phone calls. Are you looking for a new phone system? VoIP may be what you need, especially since there are some great features your business could benefit from.

Here are five VoIP features offered by many providers that small to medium businesses will benefit from.

1. Voicemail/call forwarding Many smaller businesses simply can't be open 24 hours. This means that there will be time where you or your employees are unable to answer the phone. Most industry leading VoIP providers offer the ability to convert phone messages into emails, which could be a great help to your business.

A good VoIP solution will also provide you with a voicemail system and a feature called Find me/Follow me. This is a call forwarding feature that allows users to receive calls regardless of their location or phone number. This makes it easier for you and your managers to be reachable when they are outside of the office, especially if calls can be forwarded to their mobile phone.

2. DND DND, or Do Not Disturb is an important feature for those who work with clients on a regular basis. When you are talking to a client, the last thing you want is to be interrupted by a phone call as it can make you look unprofessional.

Many VoIP systems actually offer advanced DND features like the ability to send calls to voicemail, or transfer to another colleague who may be able to answer the call at the press of a button.

3. Conferencing You can pretty much guarantee that you will need to eventually make a conference call. Some managers and owners may even make this type of calls on a regular basis. The best VoIP systems go further than just supporting conference calls, they also enable users to send files, chat messages, collaborate on calendars, share presentations and even desktops. This is often called Unified Communications by many vendors.

4. Auto Attendant This feature gives your business a bigger footprint by allowing you to setup multiple numbers in local areas, and have a menu system like many large companies. This means you can setup a system where a caller can easily get into contact with different departments, or even a live operator.

Some users don't like this feature because they see it as an impediment to immediate customer service - think of the last time you had to navigate a menu system over your phone? It really comes down to the preference of your company.

5. Call Recording If your company operates in an industry that is regulated, you may need to record calls. Or, you may want to record calls to track customer satisfaction and questions. Regardless of your need, a good VoIP system will allow the user to easily record calls, often at the click of a mouse, and store them in an audio format that can be easily replayed later.

These are just five of many features offered by many VoIP providers. If you are looking for a new telecommunications solution, contact us today to see how we can help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic VoIP General
April 10th, 2013

SocialMedia_March12_ATwitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, are the foundations of social media. Together, these sites have made it possible for social networking to really take hold and take off. As with any popular platform, you start to see trends that are evident across all networks. One of the most popular trends is the use of the hashtag (#). But what exactly is it, and can your company use it?

The hashtag (#), commonly referred to on telephone systems as the pound key, is a character first used by users of the popular social network Twitter. According to the help forum on Twitter, "It is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages."

Look at nearly any Twitter message and there will usually be hashtags attached. If you were to search for the term e.g., #Cloudbackup on Twitter, you would get a list of all tweets that have mentioned the above example. When Twitter talks about a 'trending topic' it means a subject that has become popular.

This way of categorization has become so popular amongst Twitter users that it's starting to spill over onto the other networks. Instagram for instance has given members the ability to add hashtags to pictures, so that they can be added to groups which can subsequently be searched for. Even Google has gotten in on the act, with Google+ and YouTube both supporting this system.

With Facebook, the hashtag has come to give context to a status. You've probably seen some status updates such as: I love Mondays #sarcasm #bored. This should be read with a sarcastic and slightly bored tone.

Because of the usefulness of the hashtag, some users have become overzealous in their use. Reading a Tweet that says '#Friday is #awesome, here comes a #fun #weekend.' just looks unprofessional and could put off followers.

While effective, there are some basic rules you should follow to help get the most out of your hashtags. Here's four.

  1. No long hashtags. Hashtags are meant to be short and associated with one word. Don't make the mistake of adding more than about two words together, as the likelihood of users finding the tag will decrease. e.g., #Cloudservicesareawesome should be avoided, use #cloudservices instead.
  2. Minimize their use. It can be tempting to hashtag every keyword in messages, however makes them look weird, while decreasing their readability. It is a good idea to limit use to one or two per message.
  3. The hashtag is special. Don't use it for everyday words. Instead use it for product names, or a special part of the announcement. Remember that you don't have to use hashtags in every message. Check out Samsung Mobile's Twitter feed to see a good example of proper use.
  4. Use a unique hashtag. If you can, try to use a unique hashtag, something that followers will be able to associate and relate to you. The key here is that when it's used, the user is referred to you, and only you. Do a quick search on Twitter for the hashtag you would like to use, to ensure it's not taken. Many companies will shorten their tag to initials or a shorter term, which is perfectly acceptable.
Hashtags, when used correctly, can be a great way to build brand identity and increase social media presence. If you are looking for a social media plan, please contact us today to see how we can #expandbrands.
Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic Social Media
April 5th, 2013

2013May21_StrengthTraining_BIf you want to tone-up and slim down the benefits of strength training might not necessarily spring to mind. While some men might like the idea of looking 'pumped' there are many men and women who want to look in shape without the physique of an action hero. However, building muscular strength can not only make you look and feel trimmer but can be achieved without the bulging biceps to match.

Strength building is viewed by fitness professionals as a really valuable form of training if you want to build stamina and endurance, as well as improve bone density. If you mainly focus on cardio exercises then it's important to balance out your workouts with some quality strength exercises too, which match what you want to achieve.

So how do you build strength without the size? Here's a few tips to follow:

  1. Heavy weights - Surely this is wrong? Well, actually, no. It is a misconception that lighter weights mean that your muscles won't expand the same. For a start heavier weights mean your muscles will fatigue quicker and this intensity is what you need to get your muscles fibres working and your motor neurons firing, to tone quickly before muscles build up.

  2. Less reps/sets - To make your strength exercises less about mass and more about toned muscle, make sure that you're lifting heavy weights less. Lighter weights might make you lift for longer and get you into the muscle building zone.

  3. Rest for longer - Heavier weights mean you might need a few minutes rest between sets. This can not only help you regain strength so that you can carry on with more sets but it also has an impact on phosphagen recovery. If these high energy compounds recover then you are really gaining the best possible power and strength gain from the exercise.

  4. Calorie control - You might really be putting some oomph into strength training but that doesn't give you carte blanche to stack up on calories. In fact, unless you want to add mass and are strength training in a way that promotes this, you really don't need to add that many more calories to your diet. Of course, this is presuming you are consuming the right amount of calories in the first place. Don't cut down too much either or else you'll lose muscle mass.

  5. Increase strength in non-major muscles - If you just concentrate on your primary muscles then you're more likely to be building up mass here. What you want are the supporting muscles to also strengthen so that you can achieve balance and a great combination of core strength throughout your body.

  6. Don't do static stretches - Contrary to what was always believed to be an ideal warm-up before strength training, there is a growing body of research suggesting that static stretches don't help. Not only that but they could be counter-productive. Dynamic exercises before you train don't diminish muscle power or reduce strength in the stretched muscle.

What is also important before embarking on any type of training program is to make sure you know what you are doing, not what you think could be right. There is so much mis-information that the truth or what works and how can be baffling. Seeing how your body reacts, monitoring your exercise and getting the right expert guidance is the strongest way forward.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Topic VoIP General
March 13th, 2013

SocialMedia_March12_BWhen it comes to social media, each user has their network of preference. Many chose to use more than one, and because of this, trends from one tend to transfer over to others. One such popular idea, first launched on Twitter is now being used on almost every network. Yes, we are talking about the hashtag (#). Love it or hate it, it could help your networking.

The hashtag (#), commonly referred to on telephone systems as the pound key, is a character first used by users of the popular social network Twitter. According to the help forum on Twitter, "It is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages."

Look at nearly any Twitter message and there will usually be hashtags attached. If you were to search for the term e.g., #Cloudbackup on Twitter, you would get a list of all tweets that have mentioned the above example. When Twitter talks about a 'trending topic' it means a subject that has become popular.

This way of categorization has become so popular amongst Twitter users that it's starting to spill over onto the other networks. Instagram for instance has given members the ability to add hashtags to pictures, so that they can be added to groups which can subsequently be searched for. Even Google has gotten in on the act, with Google+ and YouTube both supporting this system.

With Facebook, the hashtag has come to give context to a status. You've probably seen some status updates such as: I love Mondays #sarcasm #bored. This should be read with a sarcastic and slightly bored tone.

Because of the usefulness of the hashtag, some users have become overzealous in their use. Reading a Tweet that says '#Friday is #awesome, here comes a #fun #weekend.' just looks unprofessional and could put off followers.

While effective, there are some basic rules you should follow to help get the most out of your hashtags. Here's four.

  1. No long hashtags. Hashtags are meant to be short and associated with one word. Don't make the mistake of adding more than about two words together, as the likelihood of users finding the tag will decrease. e.g., #Cloudservicesareawesome should be avoided, use #cloudservices instead.
  2. Minimize their use. It can be tempting to hashtag every keyword in messages, however makes them look weird, while decreasing their readability. It is a good idea to limit use to one or two per message.
  3. The hashtag is special. Don't use it for everyday words. Instead use it for product names, or a special part of the announcement. Remember that you don't have to use hashtags in every message. Check out Samsung Mobile's Twitter feed to see a good example of proper use.
  4. Use a unique hashtag. If you can, try to use a unique hashtag, something that followers will be able to associate and relate to you. The key here is that when it's used, the user is referred to you, and only you. Do a quick search on Twitter for the hashtag you would like to use, to ensure it's not taken. Many companies will shorten their tag to initials or a shorter term, which is perfectly acceptable.
Hashtags, when used correctly, can be a great way to build brand identity and increase social media presence. If you are looking for a social media plan, please contact us today to see how we can #expandbrands.
Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic Social Media
February 13th, 2013

When the iPhone was released in the summer of 2007 it revolutionized the smartphone market. Each of the following models have added something new to the game. Despite a new version coming out more or less every year, many users still have older versions. These versions, while still being able to run many of the apps, can be a bit slow.

Here are five tips on how to speed up your older iPhone:

1. Clear multitasking tray The multi-task tray can be one of the most useful features of the iPhone, but it can also take up a lot of processing power. About once a week be sure to double click on the Home button, press and hold an app and select the minus (-) sign on all apps.

2. Delete pictures, music and apps As the majority of iPhone users use their phone for pretty much everything, they can run out of storage space astonishingly fast. To see how much space you’ve used, press Settings, General followed by Usage. You’ll see two numbers at the top of the screen. On the left is how much space you have left, and on the right is total space used. In general, the more space used, the slower your phone will run. It’s recommended to leave 10-15% of total storage space free for operations.

To free up some space, it’s a good idea to delete old pictures, music and apps you don’t use. To delete all your music at once, go to Settings, General followed by Usage and select Music. Tap Edit followed by the red circle with white line. This will delete all associated files. Alternatively, you can open your music player and delete individual songs by pressing and holding your selection, and then selecting Delete.

To get rid of pictures, you need to open the Photos app and select the album you’d like to delete. Press the icon on the top left of the album, and select which photos you want to get rid of. When you’re finished, press the red circle with the white line. Be sure to either upload your pictures to iCloud, or your computer before you delete them.

To get rid of apps, go to your phone’s home screen, press and hold the app you’d like to get rid of and select the black “X”. A window will pop up asking if you want to delete it, confirm it and the app will be deleted.

3. Clear Safari’s cache The cache is where your browser stores temporary files to decrease bandwidth usage and increase the loading speed of a page. To clear it, press Settings and select Safari. In the window that opens select Clear History and Clear Cookies and data. This will clear all browser related data including passwords. You’ll need to log in to services like Google again.

4. Factory reset If your phone is still sluggish, you could try a factory reset. This will wipe the phone and reset it to the way it came out of the factory. To do this: plug your phone into your computer and open iTunes. Select your phone, click Summary followed by Restore. Follow the instructions from there. Before you do this, it’s recommended that you backup your device.

5. Bite the bullet If a factory reset doesn’t work, it may be time to bite the bullet and upgrade. Talk to your mobile carrier to see if there are any deals or trade-in programs. Be aware that a new version of the iPhone is rumored to be released in October of this year, so if you can hold off until it’s released you’ll be better off.

A smooth running phone is important to all of us, and these tips can help extend the life your device. For more iPhone tips, please contact us.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic Social Media
February 8th, 2013

Social media has taken as one of the major change agents to modern society. Its popularity has found over a billion people on one service, Facebook. Here people can connect with one another in ways previously unheard of, and it's Messenger app allows users to chat with with one another through its Messenger app. It's not surprising this platform is so popular and a recent update leverages VoIP to add even more functionality to Facebook.

In early January Facebook announced that they had started testing free calling to contacts over Facebook Messenger. This feature was tested in Canada for all users with an iPhone, and turned out to work well. So, in late January Facebook rolled this out to iPhone users in the US as well.

This new service uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, commonly found in many business's phone systems, to offer users in Canada and the US the ability to call other Facebookers using the Messenger app for free.

Calls can be made via your data connection or over Wi-Fi on your iPhone. No love for Android as of yet, but we are sure it's coming soon. If you use the Facebook Messenger app, you should be able to use it now. You can call other users by:

  1. Opening the app (or download, install and open it from here) and find the person you would like to call.
  2. Tapping on their name to start a conversation.
  3. Pressing the "i" button in the top right of the conversation windows and selecting Free Call.
The user you are calling will see a notification on their phone similar to the one when you get a phone call over your cell network.

Will businesses benefit? It's hard to say whether businesses will find this feature useful at this time. If your employees use iPhones, and are often in an area with poor cell service but a decent data connection, this is a free way to stay in touch.

This could also prove a good way to deal with public complaints on your Facebook page. You could encourage the person to take the complaint offline and talk to them, as long as you both have an iPhone.

In reality however, most businesses will likely not use this feature at this time. However, there is a good chance that Facebook will release more business oriented calling features in the future which could give you another way to contact clients.

What do you think? Will you or your employees use this feature? Let us know, and if you have any questions about VoIP, please contact us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic VoIP General
January 16th, 2013

New Year is always exciting. It's an opportunity to look back on the past year and reflect on what you did right and wrong. It's also perfect timing to look forward at what the year ahead brings. One thing businesses should look into is what 2013 will bring in terms of social media. One of the easier ways to do this is to think about which social media trends will be popular.

Social goes mobile The way people view information is changing thanks to increasing adoption of tablets and mobile devices. The adoption rate is forecasted to rise in 2013, with the number of users who view your content on mobile devices soon overtaking those using a more traditional browser.

Because of this, the use of web technology that resizes text, images and other content to any screen size, will become even more popular. What this means for social media managers is that you will need to keep mobile users in mind when developing content and ensure it can be easily viewed on tablets and smartphones.

Visual marketing Visual marketing is the use of video, images, infographics, etc. to get your message across to your target audience. The key to this type of marketing is that it enhances brand memory, recall and identity.

Social media sites like Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook, are perfect platforms that, with effective use, can create an awareness that resonates with target groups, creating increased engagement.

While this marketing concept isn't new, you can expect to see more companies focusing on developing more content that's visual in nature throughout the next year and beyond.

Content marketing (B2B) When it comes to B2B marketing on social platforms, companies have been using content as the main brand driver. This takes many forms, including: Papers, ebooks, infographics, webinars, etc. For example, infographics have proven to be valuable tools in increasing brand awareness. Most companies are well aware of this and it's hard to find a business that doesn't have some kind of content on their website.

In 2013, you can expect to see many enterprises turning to social media platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, etc. to develop and share content. Couple this with an increase in visual content and there will be an increased trend for smart marketers to develop engaging posts that are also visually appealing.

Google+ is a Google must Google is playing the long game with it's social media platform, Google+. While it currently isn't anywhere near as popular as Facebook, Google is making changes to the platform and turning the service into a central hub for managing your online presence - when it comes to Google that is.

Last year, Google rolled out a number of services, such as Local, into Google+. This forced businesses with a Google presence to use this service to manage it. This trend will likely continue over the next few years, with the slow release of valuable services that are exclusively for Google+ users and force users to switch to them.

In other words, for companies using Google's services: Google+ is a Google must.

Facebook remains king. For now! Despite a disappointing IPO last year, Facebook is still #1 when it comes to social media. This likely won't change in the near future. Facebook is well aware of this and will continue to take steps to keep users.

We can expect Facebook to introduce a premium version of Pages, along with increasingly powerful analytics tools. Alongside this, their mobile advertising service will likely mature into a viable business option. What this means for businesses is that they will need to keep on top of these offerings and figure out how to best leverage their content.

These are just five social media trends for the coming year. Have you identified any more? What do you think will be the biggest change to social media in 2013? We're interested to hear your thoughts.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic Social Media
December 19th, 2012

There are always articles extolling the virtues and advantages of social media, and many of them have good ideas that can really help businesses. One thing many of the articles don't focus on is how employees feel about using social media in the office. A survey and report published earlier this summer did just that and came back with some interesting findings.

The report, published this past summer by Kelly Services reported on social media in the workplace, and highlighted findings and opinions from three major regions: The APAC (Asia Pacific), The Americas and the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Below are some interesting results on the use of social media in the business environment.

Social media at work by region Social media and it's use in the organization is a hot-button topic. Many argue that by allowing employees to access it at the office, they will spend all day surfing their personal accounts and not doing any work. The study found that an average of 30% of employees across all regions feel that it's ok to access their personal accounts while at work. Interestingly enough, the APAC has the highest percentage (48%) of users who think social media access at the office is acceptable, while The Americas had the lowest (16%).

Social media use at work by generation Going a little deeper into the use of personal social media accounts at the office, the survey breaks down the numbers by generation. Not surprisingly, Gen-Y (36%) are the most inclined to think it's acceptable to access social media while at the office. What is interesting about this is that 30% of Gen-X also think it's fine to access these services while at work.

These statistics go to show what most people already know: Younger generations are more embracing of social media. This does run counter however to prevailing thought that all Gen-Y and X want to do, and think it's okay to do, is access social media in the workplace.

Impact of social media on productivity Experts are always saying that social media can help improve productivity in the office. While this may be true, the study found that over 40% of respondents find that social media hampers productivity in the office.

You might predict that Gen-Y, with their higher levels of embracing social media, would think drastically different from other generations. However, the findings say otherwise: 49% of Baby Boomers, 44% of Gen-X and 40% of Gen-Y believe social media hinders productivity.

Impact of social media on work/personal relationships Look a little deeper at the downsides of social media in the report and you find that slightly lower than half of all respondents, regardless of age or location, feel that mixing work and pleasure connections can cause problems in the workplace.

What do the numbers mean? By themselves, the numbers really confirm what we already know - social media is important but the way it's used and viewed differs enormously. Put the findings from the survey together and an interesting picture emerges. The acceptance of social media is growing, and will continue to do so younger more social media savvy generations join the workforce. Social media may be a main form of communication outside of the office, but when it comes to personal use in the office, the majority are not as comfortable with it.

While use and acceptance is growing, this report's findings highlight that many employees still feel that social media is more of a hindrance than an improvement to the working day. This is interesting, because a decent percentage think it's acceptable to log onto such sites in the office, while arguable knowing it causes a decrease in productivity. This is a conundrum all businesses are facing: Do we allow social media to blur the lines between work and life, or resist it? Look around, it's plain to see it's creeping into work and being met with mixed results.

The question this report raises, and doesn't answer, is whether social media and its use by employees at work for personal reasons is a good idea. The truth of the matter is social media isn't going away and reports and findings like these emphasize a need to understand how people embrace and use these platforms. From this understanding it's essential to develop policies that everyone feels comfortable with. Above all, it shows large differences of opinion which indicates a real need for flexibility.

We'd like to know what your thoughts are on social media and how it's currently used in your office. Do you embrace or resist? Let us know.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic Social Media
November 21st, 2012

The world has changed. Thanks to companies like Amazon, many people no longer go to brick and mortar stores, they now shop online - commonly referred to as 'e-commerce'. While this has led to somewhat of a downfall for physical commerce - the main street is looking a little vacant these days isn't it? E-commerce has given mom-and-pop operations a chance to compete with big business. One way they can get noticed is through the use of social media services like Pinterest.

Pinterest is different from the other main social networking services because don't usually share written content, rather you pin photos to an online pinboard that other users can view and share. If a user shares, or 'pins' one of your pictures all their friends can then see it and can repin it on their boards, and so on. The potential result of this is that one picture can be seen by hundreds of thousands of users - commonly referred to as 'going viral'.

What this means for you is that there is potential for your business name/brand to gain massive exposure and an expansion of your existing customer base. Here's how to get your Pinterest marketing started.

  1. Take pictures. As Pinterest is all about images, you should take pictures of the products you sell, or interesting aspects that define your company.
  2. Create an account with your company's name. You should do this soon, as Pinterest is the quickest growing social network; many of the more popular usernames are being snapped up.
  3. Create a relevant description. If users have never heard of you but like the content you pin, they will usually check your description for more information. This means your description needs to pop. The most effective descriptions give a brief overview of what you do, specialities, interests and links, so users can find more information. Don't make the text too long, users won't read it (that's what your website is for).
  4. Identify and create boards. Based on the pictures you have taken, and your main business offerings, set up boards based on these images. Many companies take the product categories from their website and create a board for each, then add related pictures.
  5. Invite people to view your boards. Using other social networking services, email, newsletters or day-to-day conversation, invite your friends, employees, colleagues and customers to view your boards.
  6. Promote yourself. To get existing friends, customers or otherwise to view your boards, place a banner on your website and a Pinterest sharing button near content you already have on your boards. If people are browsing your website and find a picture or some content they like, and have a Pinterest account, they will be more inclined to share.
  7. Branch out. As this is a social network, you need to be social. Follow other users, companies and friends. Along with that, create boards that allow you to pin and share other content.
The seven tips above help you understand how to go about starting a Pinterest marketing campaign, but many businesses are still asking the question, "Should we be on Pinterest?" If you run a product based website e.g., restaurant, jewelry store, clothing store, etc. then it's an amazing site. Take a look at the infographic published last month by FastCompany: 12 of the top 15 categories are associated with commerce. If you run a shop that sells products that cater to a female audience, Pinterest is almost a must as nearly 80% of the users are female.

For other websites, Pinterest can help bring out the human side of marketing. By sharing your interests in products that are somewhat related to yours, or the values of your company, people can get a better glimpse of who you are, what you're about and what you do. For example, if you run a small restaurant that focuses on locally grown or sourced food, pictures and sharing interests in the local area can help emphasize this.

As with any social network, you do need to be active on a regular basis. Aside from that, don't use Pinterest to sell, instead look at it as a tool that helps users get a glimpse of what makes your company special. This then encourages them to visit your website, where the selling happens. If you're new to Pinterest or would like help with your social marketing, please contact us, we can help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Topic Social Media