Month: March 2014

Staying Connected with HootSuite

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With so many social media sites available for our use it can be time consuming to constantly check every site that you have on a regular basis. In order to grow a small business though it is important to stay on top of your social media postings and to be aware of the latest news stories going on around the country and even world. Recently I found that HootSuite is a great website that can manage all of your social media accounts in one place. This website allows you to connect your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Myspace, and even WordPress so you do not have to go to each different website in order to view or post something.

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Each different section allows the user to view their news feeds from several different social media sites. It also allows you to monitor what people are saying about you or your company and makes it easy for you to respond immediately back to them. For example, on Twitter you can add a “stream” that only shows your direct mentions in someone else’s tweet. This can be good for business’s because it makes it easier for them to monitor what their customer’s are saying about their product or brand and allows them to stay constantly in the loop.

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HootSuite makes it easy to click on any type of steam, for example Twitter, and it immediately creates a new section on your dashboard showing you anything you wish to see.

Another cool feature in HootSuite is its feature that allows you to schedule when you want your Facebook post or tweet goes out to your followers. You can create a tweet and then click the specific date and time you want it to go out and HootSuite will automatically send it out for you no matter where you are at.

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This can be great for businesses such as Andrea Whaley’s Wardrobe Interventions because she can schedule a Facebook post days in advance to promote something and she wouldn’t have to worry about remembering to do it. It can be hard to be a small business owner and this scheduling feature can make social media posting so much easier.

Keeping up with social media can be hard for some people and I feel like this website is a great way to make people’s lives a lot easier. Using HootSuite allows you to focus your energy on other areas of your life or business without having to sacrifice your social media presence!

How to Incorporate Instagram Into Your Business

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A couple weeks ago in an earlier blog post I talked about Instagram and how important it can be for Wardrobe Interventions but today I am going to look at how Instagram can be beneficial for all types of businesses. Instagram is a relatively new form of social media and has really taken off in the past couple of years. I really feel like it has the potential to expand businesses and really allow consumers to connect and understand the company they are buying their products from.

Instagram provides users a fun and fast way to share images with friends, families, or even complete strangers. In order to really connect to their consumers, it is important for companies to post both business and fun pictures. People get bored when their newsfeed is constant branding or products so in order to really captivate the reader’s attention, businesses should focus on sharing images that are cute, funny, and interesting.

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Another way businesses can use Instagram is to post videos on their accounts. Almost a year ago Instagram started to allow users to upload 3-15 second videos and I feel like it is a great way to really take this photo sharing app to the next level. For her fashion business, I feel like Andrea Whaley could use Instagram video to post fashion advice, helpful hints, and maybe even do a complete make-over on someone. People do not always check blogs on a regular basis but if she starts posting Instagram videos or pictures, it gives her another way to connect to potential customers. Even though a 15 second video might not be that long, Andrea Whaley could use that to her advantage and show how dramatic and quick one of her transformations could be on someone.

Engaging on Instagram is a great way to network and use your account to your greatest advantage. If someone new follows you or likes/comments on a picture you posted, follow them back or respond! When people feel they are actually being acknowledged they are more willing to try your brand or product and even recommend it to other people. Hashtags are also a great way to connect your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram account. If you can get a hashtag trending people can click on it and link it back to your page.

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These are just a few suggestions on how Instagram can be beneficial to your business. With so many products and brands on the market today, it is important to sell to your customers on why your company is the best. Using Instagram allows you to personally share photos and videos while at the same time really connecting you to your customers.

Blogging for Small Businesses

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This week I am going to talk about the benefits of blogging! Millions of people every day blog in order to stay connected, teach others about a subject, and most importantly just to have fun. Blogging can serve different purposes for different people but in our situation I am going to look at how it can be beneficial to Andrea and her small business of Wardrobe Interventions.

Blogging can be a great way for a small business owner to really connect to potential customers. Being consistent and knowledgable with your updates will give your readers more of a reason to follow you and interact with you online. Since Andrea is into fashion I think it is important for her to attend fashion events and post pictures of what she sees and what she thinks is going to be “it” thing. Fashion is such a visual business and people want to be confident in your decisions before they go and hire you for a full makeover or closet facelift.

This website does a great job of informing readers that blogging doesn’t have to be stressful and can actually be really fun if you don’t overwhelm yourself. It also provides great tips on how small business owners can go about blogging if they are first time users.

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One of the most important things to remember is that it can take time to build a following. With millions of blogs out there you really have to be proactive in your approach to inform your customers that you have a blog and encourage them to follow it. Many people link their business’s website to their blog to allow even more people to be exposed to their brand or business. In today’s society just having a webpage for a business is not enough. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and blogging have all become important pieces to running a successful business.

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Since Andrea is considered an expert in her area of business her goal should be to educate and inform her readers of fashion trends and popular accessories. Blogging should be a fun way for her to form relationships with her readers and potential customers. When you have your own blog it gives you opportunities to be creative and really enjoy what you are writing and posting about. So far I have enjoyed my weekly blog posts and I have only just started!

I hope ya’ll have a great spring break and I will update soon!