We live in a digital world, one where your presence on social media is a major factor in finding and connecting with your customers. This is a point of pain for many business owners, especially those who haven’t grown up in the generation of Twitter and Instagram. It can be a challenge, trying to portray something meaningful about your products or services in 140 characters or less, so it’s not surprising when business owners miss the mark.

If you’re struggling to get a handle on social media marketing (SMM), the good news is you’re not alone. Here are some common mistakes that business owners make in attempting to curate a social media presence:

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In some ways, science fiction of the past expected too much of the future. By 2017, we were expected to have flying cars, a robot in every home, or a shopping center on Mars. But we’ve still come a long way in the past 50 years. Who then could have predicted devices for the masses small enough to fit in your pocket yet containing the function of a computer, camera, and phone all at once? Who could have known that by the early 21st century, we would be able to instantly communicate with friends and family across the globe? And, now once again, we’ve discovered something to help us move one step closer to the future: Amy.

[Read more…] about Artificial Intelligence is Taking Over…Your Scheduling Needs

 

Summer and fall in Louisville are a ripe with opportunities for your small business to get a booth at an outdoor festival or trade show. You may be wondering if this could be a worthwhile benefit to your small business.

Of course, if you ask this question to the expo center, festival, or trade show organizer, you’re going to hear a resounding “Yes!” with lots of impressive numbers to back up how many visitors there will be. That kind of exposure, they’ll argue, is very powerful.

[Read more…] about Should my business exhibit at a summer festival?

Congratulations! You’ve built a powerful business, developed a robust website to represent it, and have now decided to add a company blog to your digital marketing strategy.

…So now what?

You’ve learned why blogging matters to your audience, but starting one can be a daunting task. Rather than staring hopelessly at a blank page, try learning a few good blogging habits to boost your confidence. Here are some of the basics we rely on:

Choose topics wisely – The first step in writing a blog is coming up with a topic to write about. With blogs, you have much more freedom to discuss whatever is important to you or your industry than typical traditional marketing. Don’t get stuck thinking about it as a sales piece; this blog will represent you in a much broader sense than that. Would you like to be seen as a thought leader in your field, a friendly neighbor, a trustworthy professional, or maybe all of the above? Choose topics that help you achieve your goals while being useful to current or potential customers.

[Read more…] about Blogger Best Practices – How to Write Blogs That Rock

Mobile technology has revolutionized the way we work. As sales and marketing professionals, we constantly use email, social networks, and texting while on the go. But there might be other mobile features that you could be taking better advantage of during your weekly sales routine.

For example, Google Maps.

You already use Google Maps as your GPS to get you from A to B to C throughout the day. Diving a little deeper into the features of the app can make it a powerful and convenient tool for sales.

Start by opening Google Maps on your computer. Click on the menu icon at the upper left-hand corner:

[Read more…] about Marketing Pro Tip: Use Google Maps to Track Sales Stops

 

What’s in a name? When it comes to websites, a lot.

[Read more…] about URL Extensions: Thinking Outside the Box