Tag Archive for: marketing

Are you taking EVERYTHING? Stop that.

Here’s what I know today.

Social Media has given everyone and their dog a platform to tell you what to do and how to do it. It can make your head spin and I’ve got caught up in it way too many times to count. “I should do that! I should try this. WHOA I can quadruple my income? SIGN ME UP!”

Every day there is an article on when to post, what to post, what to do, what not to do, and countless self proclaimed experts telling you you’re doing it wrong. Even shaming you so you throw in the towel because you don’t want to look like the idiot they are making you feel like.

SO many tweets bitching about people cross posting. (Posting/linking to Instagram or Facebook from twitter) While I 100% agree it’s a bit annoying, does it really affect me? Nope. Scroll on by. Unless you want to privately help that person understand why maybe it’s not the best idea for their followers, maybe just shut up. Scroll on by.

Is my blog advice? Sure, maybe to some. But I’d like to make it perfectly clear, all I have to offer is what worked for me, and what I’ve seen work for others. I’m a big believer in never taking ALL the advice you are given. Take what you need and leave the rest.

Accept that we’re all really just sharing what worked for us, what research has shown in a snapshot of time, what the stats are, or whatever the case may be. Who says you aren’t the one to blow those stats out of the water? RIGHT? You could totally be that person.

We’re all unique. And how we want to share our message is unique. Don’t be crammed into a rigid DO THIS NOT THAT plan, pay attention to what your audience is responding to, and let that guide you.

Take what you need and leave the rest. Click To Tweet

Always.

Unless it’s chocolate…take all of it.

 

 

Instagram & Small Business

I signed up for Instagram because a client of mine wanted it on their website so I figured I’d better check it out. My intention was to use it strictly for business.

ALL BUSINESS ALL THE TIME.

Here’s the thing.

I can’t do that.

Truly, I can’t. And I totally understand why as a small business owner you might be overwhelmed to think HOW am I going to come up with content for that every day without it being a total YAWN? How many images of my product can people take?

I’m with ya. 100%

No thanks.

So I stuggled with that. I locked up my account for a while because I was posting a lot of pictures of my son…which is so unprofessional…right?

Screw that definition of professional.

That may work for some, but not all. And certainly not me if that’s the box I have to be in.

I opened it back up, still feeling like “I wasn’t doing Instagram right”.

Then I started to really think about what I love seeing from other small business (and even big business!) people.  I like seeing their work, their space, their behind the scenes and I love, love, LOVE seeing what they are doing in the community! It makes me feel connected to them. And that’s how I do business.

If you’re struggling with Instagram as a small business owner, here’s what I like to see on there, for what it’s worth…

You…your people…enjoying this community, exploring this city, this province. It makes me interested in you and truthfully inspires me to get out and try different things, to visit businesses I haven’t, and to share with others so they can do the same.

Think of the repercussions of that...if we were all advertising for our city? Click To Tweet

Win win.

Now, go post what you ate today and tag me in it 😉

 

Follow Unlimited BS on Instagram

Awesome is Calling…ANSWER IT!

Needless to say, when Shelley Boston told me she was talking with Scott Stratten about coming to Red Deer, I was inappropriately giddy. This is not only huge for a nerd like me, this is huge for Red Deer. This national best-selling author of UnMarketing, this guy that is ranked one of the top twitter influencers in the WORLD, is coming here. HERE! And I get to meet him. Unbelievably AWESOME.

November 1st, for a half day seminar – UNAWESOME IS UNACCEPTABLE – where we get to pick his brain about all things social media and marketing. And this will not be a blow smoke up your butt or put you to sleep seminar – Scott tells it like it is – no bullshit, straight up solutions and advice to how to market your business on social media. Oh, AND we all get signed copies of his new book coming out later this year too – The Book of Business Awesome.

If you own any business – small local business, home-based, large corporation, charitable organization – anything, this guy can teach you how to market it the RIGHT way from how to address complaints, how to re-recruit your employees, how to re-court your customers, to how to avoid trainwrecks.

And if there are still some of you out there that are non-social media fans? Well firstly…WAKE UP, IT’S 2012!!!! Like it or not, it’s how to reach people. If you don’t adopt it now, you are missing out on a huge market. What better way to start then to learn from the best?  He gets 60,000,000 hits on his client videos. SIXTY MILLION PEOPLE!

Tickets went on sale Monday, this is his ONLY Alberta stop this fall and tickets are going quick. I don’t want you to miss it. Be Awesome. Be there.

My all time favourite words from Scott? There is no such thing as tweeting too much.

Amen brotha.

The Right Way to Market

I had an experience a week or so ago that I HAVE to share. Why? Because it’s IMPRESSIVE, and smart, and should be shared.

I saw a tweet from Dan Ouwehand…I can’t remember what it was now (sorry Dan!) but it had something about Laebon Homes in it. I didn’t hesitate to tweet that Laebon built my first home & the experience was great. I was a young single girl, no idea what the hell I was doing or what I wanted, just knew I wanted a home that looked good and wasn’t going to require maintenance that I couldn’t afford.

From the Sales Guy to my Project Manager, every one of them treated me with respect, like I was as equal as a family of 10 walking in the door. I think that’s huge, and over the past 11 years, I’ve shared that story a million times.

Point of my story…not even 10 minutes after I tweeted that? An email from Laebon’s marketing department, thanking me and asking me to come by and pick up an Earl’s GC they had for me in thanks for my ongoing support.

AWESOME.

There is nothing unawesome about that. THAT people is how it’s done. What review would you rather hear? Which review would you trust? One that was prompted or paid for, or a genuine unprompted one?

I know which one I’d choose. Lesson here? Reward those who promote you because they love your product. Those people are your billboards.

Thank you once again Laebon Homes for being awesome.