How to use Hashtags on Twitter

hastags

Twitter, one of the most widely-used social networking platforms today is the mastermind behind the hashtag system. The term “hashtag” has become well-known in the online community and has been adopted by other websites such as Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest. Hashtags have quickly become a part of popular culture. Knowing when and how to use hashtags are important to get the most out of your social media marketing. But first things first, what exactly is a hashtag?

What is a hashtag?

A hashtag (#) marks a keyword or topic in a user’s tweet. Hashtags are formed by using the number (#) symbol followed by the keyword with no spaces or punctuation. The purpose of hashtags is to enable users to quickly find content on a topic that is of interest to them. A user can use a hashtag in their own messages or they can simply search for a hashtag to find more content on a particular topic.

When to use a hashtag?

Knowing when to use hashtags are a must if you’d like to get your message out there. Hashtags can be used to start a conversation or join a conversation that is already happening on Twitter. Users often hold Twitter chats, where a hashtag is associated with a discussion theme. Twitter chats are scheduled at a specific time, where users can log on and join the discussion in real-time by including the hashtag in their messages.

Hashtags are also used for holding contests, networking, and discussing major events, to name a few. For example, you can hold a contest and use a unique hashtag to get people to enter your contest, with the hopes of attracting more followers to your account. Hashtags, such as #FollowFriday is a great way to network with other Twitter users. Every Friday, you mention users whose tweets you find helpful by including their Twitter handle in your message. In addition, hashtags are commonly used to discuss events. They allow users to learn more about the event and enable users to express their feelings towards a particular topic.

How to create a hashtag

A hashtag can be a single word, an abbreviation, or a phrase. To create your own hashtag, always begin with the number (#) sign followed by letters, numbers, or a combination of the two. The first step is thinking of a catchy keyword or phrase that is not already in use. It is important to ensure that your hashtag is not the same as an existing username on Twitter because it will only lead to confusion. A tip for creating an effective hashtag is to keep it short, simple, and easy to remember. Since the hashtag will use up some of the 140 character limit it is best to keep the hashtag short. Hashtags that are understandable as opposed to a jumbled combination of letter and/or numbers are the easiest for users to remember and use.  Once you have thought of your own hashtag you can begin including it in your Tweets. Most people put hashtags at the end of their message but they can also be found at the beginning of a Tweet or within the Tweet itself.

The importance of hashtags

Frequenting including hashtags in your messages is an effective way to promote your personal profile or company page. You are advertising your message not just to your followers, but to the entire Twitter community. If you’re a business, for example, you can promote your services by including a hashtag within your content. This hashtag could be a general keyword that is related to your service offerings or a newly created hashtag that is unique to your business. The use of hashtags is a great way to network with users. Often times, users will create a hashtag that prompts users to fill in the blank. These hashtags, called mad-lib hashtags are effective at generating traffic and maximizing user engagement.

Hashtags were created with a purpose in mind so I recommend that all users take full advantage of them. Knowing the function of hashtags, when to use them, and how to use them are key steps to becoming a Twitter expert.

10 Facebook Tips to Increase Sales and Traffic During the Holiday Season

facebook-holidays

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time to rethink your social media marketing strategy. It’s not too early to start planning your online holiday promotions.

We recommend:

–  Incorporating festive graphics in posts and your cover photo

–  Creating timely holiday-themed posts, and

–  Investing in paid advertisements to highlight promotions or discount offers. This will help you stand out this season.

There’s lots to plan in the next couple of months, so it’s time to get started!

Check out these 10 tips to increase sales and traffic during the holiday season.

https://www.facebook.com/facebookforbusiness/a/online-sales/holiday-best-practices?campaign_id=579705038731764&placement=AdsEmailHldy

Need help?

Going Social can help you create custom holiday graphics, plan a content calendar, manage your social community, and create engaging Facebook advertisements.

Don’t forget we also offer social media consulting and coaching. Even if you have the resources to manage your own social communities, we can still dedicate our time to help you reach your social media goals.

Contact Lowell Brown at [email protected] or call 416-398-6669 for more information on how to get started!

Happy Holidays from the Going Social Team!

Pinterest Business Profile Setup Checklist

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Is today the day you’ve finally made the decision to set up a Pinterest Business Account? Congratulations, you have taken a step in the right direction. You’ve just opened the door to the fastest growing content sharing social media website. To help you get started, we have created a step by step guide to setting up your Pinterest Business Account from scratch.

To download your FREE copy of the Pinterest Business Profile Setup Checklist go to: http://www.goingsocial.ca/download-our-free-pinterest-marketing-setup-checklist/

Step 1: Sign Up For An Account

1. Are you creating a personal account?

YES __ NO __

If so, go to www.pinterest.com to create a new account.

2. Are you a business?

YES __ NO __

If so, go to www.http://business.pinterest.com/ and join as a business.

*Note: you can convert your personal page to a business page if you already have a large following. However, you cannot change your Pinterest URL when converting to a business account.

3. Have you specified your “Business Type?”

YES __ NO __

4. Have you filled in your “Contact Name?”

YES __ NO __

5.  Does your username include your full company name?

YES __ NO __

6. Is your profile picture a direct representation of your business (company logo)?

YES __ NO __

7. Have you included a detailed profile description?

YES __ NO __

To increase your online visibility, it is recommended that you include some keywords that are related to your business in your profile. For example, a catering business could use the words “caterer”, “food”, “event”, and “catering” to describe their business.

8. Have you included your company website URL?

YES __ NO __

9. Have you taken the time to “Add Your Interests?”

YES __ NO __

(Selecting a few pins that are related to your business and your customer’s interests will allow Pinterest to make suggestions on who to follow based on these selections).

CreateBusinessAccount

Step 2: Verify Your Account

1. Have you verified your account?

YES __ NO __

If not, go to the “Settings” page and click on “Verify Website” button. Download the HTML verification file and upload to web server.

*When your website is verified, people will see a checkmark next to your domain in search results. They will also see the full website URL and checkmark on your profile.

Step 3: Getting Started (Creating Pinboards & Adding Pins)

1. Have you created any boards?

YES __ NO __

2. Do you have a variety of board categories?

YES __ NO __

2. Have you uploaded any pins?

YES __ NO __

3. Are your uploaded photos of professional quality?

YES __ NO __

4. Do you have photos of your products/services?

YES __ NO __

5. Have you included any promotions/contests in your boards?

YES __ NO __

6. Do you have Pinmarklet? (a bookmark for users to save things on the web that they’d like to pin).

YES __ NO __

“Add a pin” allows you to share content from a website.

“Upload a pin” allows you to add your own content from your computer.

“Create a board” groups your pins into general categories.

CreateaBoard

AddaPin

Step 4: Follow Pinners

1. Are you following any pinners?

YES __ NO __

* To follower a board, click the Follow button anytime you’re viewing a pin OR click the Follow All button on a pinner’s profile page.

2. Are you following any pinboards?

YES __ NO __

* While viewing a pin, locate the Pinned onto the board section at the bottom of the pin, which notes where the pin is saved. Click the Follow button to start following pins from this pinboard.

3. Have you re-pinned related content?

YES __ NO __

3. Have you “liked” any pins?

YES __ NO __

4. Are you “Commenting” on and “Mentioning” pins?

YES __ NO __

*To browse related categories click the square button next to the search box on the top left corner of the homepage.

FollowAll

Step 5: Email Notifications

Are you receiving email notifications whenever someone interacts with your pins and pinboards?

YES __ NO __

If not, go to the profile icon in the top right corner, select Settings from drop-down menu, click on edit profile, then email settings.

Notifications

 *Bonus Options

Embed Buttons and Widgets

1. Have you included “Pin It” and “Follow” buttons directly on your site?

YES __ NO __

(Allows users to either pin a photo or piece of content to one of their boards, or follow your account directly).

*To install the “Pin It” button, go to http://business.pinterest.com/widget-builder/#do_pin_it_button and fill in your Pinterest User URL and add the URL location for the image you want visitors to pin. Next, write a short, keyword-optimized description of the image. Clicking “Build It” will allow Pinterest to generate a preview of the button. You will be provided with a code that you can copy and paste into your site HTML.

BonusOptions

* To add the “Follow Button” to a website, go to http://business.pinterest.com/widget-builder/#do_follow_me_button and fill in your Pinterest User URL followed by your username. Click “Build It” to generate your follow button code. To add the “Follow Me” button to WordPress, go to your widgets > Appearance > Widgets and select a text widget. Next, paste the code into the text widget, click “Save”, then “Close” the widget and place it in your sidebar. 

FollowButton

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Pinterest Video Series: How to Use Pinterest For Business

Want to learn how to drive leads and web site traffic using Pinterest?

Do you want to learn the most strategic way to build followers on Pinterest and expand your marketing reach?

Social Influence Academy brings you a 6 part video series that will provide you with how-to demos for Pinterest business marketing success. These online video training programs will walk you through setting up your own company Pinterest page and you’ll learn techniques for profile success strategies along the way. After completing the training programs, you will understand exactly how Pinterest works and why having a Pinterest business page will benefit your company. Register today to learn how to become a Pinterest marketing expert!

PinterestBusiness

For more information and to sign up today visit:

http://socialinfluenceacademy.com/online-video-training-programs/

Frame to Finish Expo – Monday, November 4th

We are excited to announce that our CEO, Lowell Brown, will be speaking at the Frame to Finish Expo Sponsored by Canon Canada on Monday, November 4th. Lowell will be leading a session called “Social Media Marketing: How to Stand Out From The Crowd”.

If you are a photographer or videographer and shoot for the wedding industry this is an event not to miss.

Here are some details about the event:

Take your wedding photography and videography business to the next level by registering for the Frame to Finish Expo. This yearly expo includes a wide variety of presenters who will be speaking about topics including: the fundamentals of success in the wedding industry, effective social media marketing, solid contracts for wedding professionals, film-making tips for weddings, creating stand-out portraits, wedding videography tips, and insider tricks on photo finishing & video editing.

The event takes place at the Grand Victorian Convention Centre from 9:00AM to 6:00PM When you register for the event you will receive a free Tamrac gear bag (while supplies last), 6 months of free Pro services from 4ormat, door prizes, and a coupon for pro camera bodies and lenses.

Use the code “SHOWSPECIAL” for $60 off your ticket price!

For more information about the event visit http://frametofinishexpo.ca/toronto/.

To register for the event go to http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7667536809/eorg.

We hope to see you there!

How to Create a Pinterest Account for Your Business

Pinterest is a photo-sharing platform that allows users to create and manage photos on virtual bulletin boards. It provides a place where users can search for, discover, and store other people’s content. Unlike other photo sharing websites, Pinterest functions solely by the use of visuals. A user cannot share something on Pinterest unless an image or a video is involved. When something is shared on Pinterest, each bookmark is called a pin. When a user shares someone else’s pin on Pinterest, this is called a repin. Multiple boards are created to organize a user’s pins by topic.

According to Social Media Today, Pinterest is the top converting social media site for “Top of the Funnel” advertising. Pinterest buyers spend more money, more often, on more items than any of the top five social media websites. It is also worth noting that 80% of Pinterest pins are repins, which means the chances of your images being repinned are high.

Pinterest has been named as one of the fastest growing websites in history. It is now one of the hottest new social media websites for small businesses and non-profits. If you’re a business owner who has yet to venture into the Pinterest world, you should highly consider creating a business account to showcase your products and/or services. To set up your Pinterest company page, follow these simple steps below:

Step 1: Go to https://pinterest.com/business/create/

You will be directed to the homescreen, which is a form that you will need to fill out.

profileinfo

profilecontinued

 

Step 2: Read the “Terms & Conditions” and check off “Accept Terms” and press “Create Account”

Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 11.25.59 AM

 

Step 3: To get started, you need to follow a minimum of five people. On the left, choose what you are interested in and then look for people you are interested in following.

Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 11.26.14 AM

Step 4: Once that is complete, you will need to verify your website.

Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 11.27.18 AM

 

You will be redirected to this page. Click “Download the HTML verification file.” Once downloaded, you will need to login in the back-end of your website and ensure that this file has been uploaded. Once you have uploaded it, press “Click here” under the third steps of instructions.

verification

startpinning

If your website was successfully verified, the above message will appear and your Pinterest is officially set up!

finishedprofileStep 5: Start following people, setting up boards, pinning and liking pictures!

———————————————————————————————————-

Check out Social Influence Academy’s 6 part video series for Pinterest business marketing success:

Do you want to learn how to drive leads and web site traffic using Pinterest?

Do you want to learn the most strategic way to build followers on Pinterest and expand your marketing reach?

Social Influence Academy brings you a 6 part video series that will provide you with how-to demos for Pinterest business marketing success. These online video training programs will walk you through setting up your own company Pinterest page and you’ll learn techniques for profile success strategies along the way. After completing the training programs, you will understand exactly how Pinterest works and why having a Pinterest business page will benefit your company. Register today to learn how to become a Pinterest marketing expert!

pinterestvideo

For more information and to sign up today visit:

http://socialinfluenceacademy.com/online-video-training-programs/

How to Create a Company Page on LinkedIn

With over 225 million users, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking website. LinkedIn connects students and business professionals to a world with endless opportunities. Members can network with professionals, find jobs, and search for potential clients.

LinkedIn members have the option to create a personal profile and a company page. In order to create a company page, users must first have a personal profile. Personal profiles showcase a member’s work experience and professional skills, which can be viewed by individuals within their network. Company pages serve the purpose of building a business’s professional identity online. As LinkedIn is primarily a business-centered platform, it is the ideal place for individuals to go to seek out company pages, to get industry updates, research product and services, and search for job opportunities.

So how do you create a company page on LinkedIn? Follow the steps below and you’ll find the process rather simple.

If you do not already have a personal LinkedIn page, you will need to create one. (Skip to step 5 if you already have a personal account).

Step 1: Sign up at http://www.linkedin.com/

Fill out the initial contact form.

linkedinlogin

Step 2: Once you’ve joined LinkedIn, you will need to fill out your personal information. Click on “Create my profile” and you will have the option to grow your network in LinkedIn by authorizing access to your email contacts. You next have the option to share your LinkedIn profile on Facebook and Twitter, however I recommend doing this after your profile is fully setup.

linkedincreateprofile

Step 3: Select account type. I recommend starting with a basic account and upgrading to a premium account once you have grown your LinkedIn network.

accttype

Step 4: Take the time to make your personal page as detailed as
possible. LinkedIn will walk you through the profile completion process.

step4

Creating Your Company Page

As a business, it’s important to be where your customers are. LinkedIn is the ideal platform for scouting prospective clients and building your business contacts.

Step 5: To create a company page, move your cursor over the “Interests” tab at the top of your homepage and select “Companies.” Click the “Add a Company” link in the upper right area of the page.

step5

Step 6: Enter your official company name and work e-mail address. Click “Continue” to enter your company information.

step6

*Make yourself a “Designated Admin”

admin

Step 7: Optimize company name and description.

step7

Step 8: Add photos & specialties. It’s important to upload your company logo. For a “standard logo”, the dimensions should be 100 pixels wide by 60 pixels tall. If you have a square logo, the dimensions should be 50 px by 50 px. Try to include as much detail as possible. You can also include a cover photo for your company page (646 pixels wide by 220 pixels tall).

The “Company Specialties” section enables your business to appear in searches within the site. Fill out this section by including a few keywords that are relevant to your business.

step8

Step 9: Complete “Overview”. To attract visitors to your website, direct them to a landing page, rather than your homepage.

step9

Step 10: Once your company overview is complete, you will need
to fill out your product/service information which is located under the
“Products” or “Services” tab. This page will allow you to
highlight all that your company has to offer. You can do this by adding images,
descriptions and videos.

step10

Step 11: After you have filled in your company information, you will want to ask for product and/or service reviews.

Step 12: Once your page is completely optimized, you will want to start posting updates at least once per day.

Your completed profile should look a little something like this: logo, company name, cover photo, updates, about, etc.

step11

step12

Now that you’ve created a company page for your business it’s time to start networking! You should start making connections, requesting recommendations from previous clients, joining and creating groups, and uploading content 2-3 times a week. If you remain fairly active on LinkedIn I am confident that overtime you can build a dedicated following of LinkedIn users.

Good luck!

8 Reasons To Use Email Marketing

Is email an active part of your marketing strategy?
Are you looking to increase web site traffic and convert more sales, faster.
This email outlines our top 8 reasons to use email marketing for business.

People want your emails

If you are using email marketing right, you have a list of people who have given you permission to stay in contact. They have literally asked you to send them your best content, share your knowledge and show them how good you are in your profession.

You can keep in contact with clients and send personalized messages

If you keep in contact with your clients regularly they will stay top of mind and are more likely to purchase from you again and again. In addition, email marketing allows you to personalize each message you send, a tactic that helps clients remember and recommend you.

It’s inexpensive

Compared to other forms of marketing, email marketing is not only fast but less expensive and delivered direct to customers who have already requested you contact them.

Visibility

Email marketing campaigns give you more visibility than most other channels. In fact, it’s the only marketing channel that has the ability to reach 100% of its target audience.

Targeting

With email marketing you can target your email message to specific segments of your list. This targeting of messages can ensure the right people get notified of the specific products or services that apply best to them.

Real-time metrics

Email campaigns give you the ability to see performance metrics starting right when you send the campaign. It typically takes about 3 days total to give you the final metrics for opens, clicks, visits, and any unsubscribes.

Drive traffic to your website and social media accounts

Sending a message to your contacts and including links to your website, product/service pages, blog and social accounts will direct traffic exactly where you want it. This targeted traffic will allow you a better opportunity to close a sale or convert a lead to a prospect.

Its really easy!

Setting up an email marketing campaign doesn’t take years or twenty-seven board meetings. It is simple to do, especially if you have a little bit of expert advice and direction from a professional marketing company.

We recommend Constant Contact to our clients. It’s a simple platform to use. very affordable, includes amazing customer support and has a proven track record with over half a million customers.

If you have never tried email marketing before
this is your opportunity to give it a shot.
What have you go to lose?
And we’ve got two great offers for you.

1. Try it for 30 Days – FREE. Yup, that’s right. Free! Constant Contact offers you 30 days to try their email platform. No Risk, No Credit Card. Get Started now. Click here to get started.

2. For first time Constant Contact customers, sign up before September 30th and get a 30% discount for 3 months on Constant Contact online marketing tools. To get this promotion enter promotion code SEPT30SPM at checkout.

How To Create A Yelp Account For Your Business

Yelp.ca is a social networking, user review and local search web site. “Yelp is an online urban city guide that helps people find cool places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play, based on the informed opinions of a vibrant and active community of locals in the know. Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what’s great — and not so great — in your world” (Yelp.ca).

The best part- it’s completely free! Setup your account today and take advantage of the free marketing space allowing customers to find and engage with you!

Step 1: Go to: https://biz.yelp.ca
Click the “Create your free account now” button
Search for your Business.

If your business, is not listed, no problem- simply add it!

Step 2: Fill out all the required areas and click “Add”

Once you’ve completed the form, Yelp will send you an email before they publish your company.

Step 3: Click on the link provided in the e-mail sent from Yelp.

It will direct you to a page that tells you your business has been added to yelp. You can now view your page on Yelp.ca and make further edits. However, before it goes live, it has to be reviewed by the Yelp Customer Support Team. This can take a little bit of time.

24- 48 hours later, you will receive an email from the YELP team indicating whether your business has been approved or declined.

Step 4: Click on the link provided in the e-mail, which will direct you to some additional steps to help you complete your company listing and business details.

Follow the steps provided.

Step 5: Verify you business. Press “Call Me Now.” Yelp will call you. You simply enter the code given to you and once the call has ended your computer will direct you to the next step.

By clicking on “Go to your Yelp for Business Owners Dashboard,” you can begin to further edit your business page. You can choose to make the updates at the present moment or work on them later. You can enhance your listing by including details about your business products and services, adding a company logo or photos, add some history details about your business and a bio of the business owner.

Your Business page is officially active on Yelp. Now that you have a listing, users will be able to find your business, post reviews, photos and rate your business. You also have an opportunity to review and comment on activity by your customers/fans – this is key to growing your engagement and enlisting future brand ambassadors!

Account Management Details
On the side bar to the left of your screen, you can make adjustments to your company page, create offers, read the reviews written about your company, add photos and send messages.

For example, many YELP business users create special check-in offers. These are exclusive to those that visit your company page on YELP or using the YELP mobile app. They are very simple to create and YELP offers samples..

 

The process of setting up a listing should take approximately 15 – 20 minutes to completely setup your account and company details. Again, since this is FREE take advantage of this opportunity to ensure your business is found not only in search engines, but in the social space. We always recommend you stay positive when posting, even in response to a negative post about your business. It’s your opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive one – and try to enlist new customers at the same time.

 

 

 

Facebook Brings Page Admin Roles To Business Pages

One feature that was missing from Facebook Business Pages was a level of security for page owners – or the businesses themselves. I’ve personally dealt with this issue for clients having been contacted on more than one occasion by a business owner asking for desperate help on how to get control of their page back after a rouge employee, consultant or “social media consultant” removed them as admin and “stole control of the page that belongs to them. This was a huge security hole and Facebook has finally delivered control to businesses in the form of Page Admin Roles.

This new feature allows Facebook Business Page creators to set specific admin level rights to other people who may be helping them manage their Facebook Page(s).

Okay, okay. I’ll give this to you in plain English.

You can now set individual page administrators at one of 5 admin levels thereby control the access they have and certain functions they can perform to your page.

Let’s say you have an employee that you want to admin your page, but you don’t want to give them ultimate control of your page (meaning they could have the ability to delete you as the admin) you can now do this. You can set their permission level to one of the following levels:

Manager

The manager has complete and ultimate control of the page as the previous standard “Admin” user used to have. This role should be given to the “Master Admin” of the Page. For example the company CEO, Manager etc.

Content Creator

The content creator has all the rights of the Manager except for one: this user level does not have the ability to add additional page Admins or ban/remove existing Admins. In addition this admin user does not have the ability to delete the Page. This is the ideal role for a Community Manager who needs access to everything but should not be able to delete the Page or remove you from total, or any, control. If you have an employee or agency working for you – this is the level they should be set to.

Moderator

The Moderator has all the rights of the Manager except that this admin user cannot add applications to the Page (or delete them from the Page), modify the administrator options (such as the profile picture), access the entire Admin panel (including managing permissions or featuring Page owners), or post as the Page. The ideal task for this user level is someone whom you want to have the ability to respond to fan’s posts, comments or messages…that’s pretty much it. This is the perfect role for a person dealing only with content moderation and/or support.

Advertiser

This admin role will allow an individual to create ads for the Page and access the insights (Facebook’s statistics tracking interface). That’s it! This is the role you want to use for the agency that is in charge of managing your Facebook Ads campaigns.

Insights Analyst

If you want to give someone access to see the stats and performance of you page, this is the admin level to set them at. That’s the only additional power they have, to see overall performance and engagement statistics of the page. Period!

With this new feature now public for all Pages, we highly recommend you, as the page owner/manager, adjust the admin level of any additional admin users to your page. Protect yourself, your company and your page. Do it now!

What’s missing from these features? There is no ultimate admin moderation protection. In other words, let’s say you have a staff member that you have tasked to moderate comments, perform or schedule daily posts for your page, but you would like to have the opportunity to “approve” them before they are published live….this is one feature Facebook as not accounted for. We’ll have to just wait and see if they decide to add this to the mix.

10 Things Businesses Need to Know About the New Facebook Timeline

If you missed our webinar on Facebook’s Timeline for brand pages last week, fret not, friends! We’ve compiled everything we covered into this blog post so you can stay up-to-date with these exciting changes. Have further questions? Get in touch with @LowellBrown.

On February 29, 2012 Facebook announced a change for the Facebook Fan Page Platform. They have launched a new interface design and new marketing and communication features on a platform that looks much like regular Facebook Profiles. It’s called Timeline and it formally launched for all Facebook Business Pages on March 30, 2012.
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