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Showing posts with label social media tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media tips. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
10 Tips On How To Make Facebook Work For Your Business
There are over 400 Million active users on Facebook, in which 50% log on each day, as given in the 2010 Facebook Statistics. From the 400 Million, 160 Million users are actively involved in pages, groups, and events during their daily activities. Knowing these facts, helps in recognizing the importance of using Facebook for your business. Some companies may already have a "fan/business page" on Facebook, but are not using it to its full potential. While others may be contemplating using it, but just don't know where to start.Here are 10 ways to use Facebook for your business:
1. Take advantage of filling out your page's profile (also known as "Info" tab). Let users have the ability to get to know your business better through your Facebook page. Within the write up about your business and within the products section, be sure to include keywords relative to your company, which will make your page easier to find when users are searching Facebook using those specific keywords. Also, be sure to add not only your website link in the section provided on the profile page, but other links (like Twitter, Blog, etc) where fans/likers can find you.
2. Make a Facebook "Vanity" URL so that users can find your business' page easier. Usually, Facebook pages are made up of long url's that are very difficult to remember. Once your page reaches 10 or more fans/likers, you can create a Vanity URL which shortens your pages link and makes it easier to remember and share.
3. Share company activities on your business' Facebook Wall. Using your status updates as a way to connect with those on your page helps in building relationships between your fans/likers and your business. Ex: ABC Business is helping in creating a logo for 123 Business, etc. Also, post what your business is doing. Ex: ABC Business is doing a Webinar on 03/05/2005 and invite people to join in. Update your status on a regular basis, 2-3 posts a day at the most is best.
4. Use Facebook with other social networking sites, like Twitter. Ex: A Follower Tweets a question regarding your business. Write up an answer within a blog post then post it on your Facebook page, and tweet out that the answer can be found here with a link to your Facebook Page. This helps in connecting those on Twitter (or other social networking sites) to Facebook and to explore other places your business can be found online and follow you there too.
5. Search for and join other business pages and groups that are related to your business. If you run a T-shirt store, join other T-shirt/merchandise business pages to connect with those who may have fans/likers that could also be interested in what you're selling.
6. If just starting out on Facebook for your business, be careful in what you name your Business Page. Once you've chosen the name for your page, it cannot be changed. Make sure the name you want to use, is the name you are willing to keep. Otherwise, you would have to delete that page and start from the beginning which can make things a lot more difficult for your fans/likers and in establishing your business on Facebook.
7. Post discounts, promotions, and sales to your Business Facebook wall. This will allow your fans/likers to be aware of the deals happening within your business and it keeps them in the loop. This will also help in creating possible sales through marketing your products on Facebook. Your business may also want to post sales that have happened to let fans/likers also be included in your successes.
8. Post relevant photos that are business related to your Facebook Page. Showing customers photos of "Employee of the Month", "Casual Fridays" or other types of company photos, helps in building relationships and allowing customers to get to know the people behind the business better.
9. Integrate and use applications that are useful to your business on your Facebook Page. Add a Twitter feed or blog feed, etc. to let users see what's happening on other sites your business uses. (Be careful not to add too much content for it can become overwhelming to your fans/likers if there is too much to look at on your Facebook Page.)
10. If you have a personal Facebook Page, it may be important for you to keep your personal information private by using the Facebook Privacy Settings. If there is something you don't want your fans/likers or other companies to see or get a hold of, correct/change the settings to reflect this.
Using Facebook as a place where customers can connect with you, learn more about your business and about the products it offers; strengthens your relationships with customers as well as build new ones. Use these 10 tips as a way to make Facebook work for your business!
Let us, Tees In A Pod know how you use Facebook for your business! Will or have you used any of these tips listed here? Leave us a comment on our blog or visit our Facebook Page and let us know.
Written By: Amanda Ryan, Creature Creations, Personalized Photo Gifts
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Posted by Creature Creations 2 comments Labels: 10 tips, business, companies, facebook tips, Online Stores, social media tips, social networking sites
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Can a Solo Artist Overcome Their Weaknesses?
In case you didn't know, all of us here at Tees In A Pod love getting your questions!
We dedicate time to Q&A's at the end of each weekly podcast. However, when discussing some questions, we realise there are those that warrant a little more time. A question by Peter Grigoriadis regarding MySpace spawned the blog post by Tim "Is MySpace Dead?", and the following is in response to another great question by From Diane Trujillo (@PandorazBox80 on twitter).
THE QUESTION:"Tim spoke about focusing on your strengths when deciding how to divy up the workload. What would you suggest for a solo designer who needs to find someone who has the strengths which are your weaknesses in order to have a well-balanced business? Is it even necessary to have a partner to help? Specifically, how do you deal with your weaknesses, especially those that affect necessary aspects of a successful business. For someone who is just starting out with nothing but a vast imagination and a few concrete ideas but no business background or experience, how do you turn that into a successful venture?"
Going it alone is a choice everyone needs to make for themselves. The decision doesn't mean that you can't be successful, however it may mean there will be areas of the industry you'll need to learn about, as well as the need to make some tough choices. It is important to identify behaviour that may weaken your business and identify how you can turn weaknesses into strengths.
By collectively answering this question, our aim is to help anyone who chooses to go the solo path - discarding any and all outsourcing such as enlisting the help of a web developer/programmer or marketing expert.
1. You may spend countless hours creating a fast selection of designs, yet you've neglected to make some choices which can result in a curve in the quality of what is available on your store. It's not uncommon to become attached to your work, however you should always try to take a step back and be objective - that could possibly mean purging designs that don't meet the standard of your best seller. While it may be upsetting to think that this work will live out its days on a back-up disk, it's better to accept that and keep what you present to your fans at the highest quality possible. I personally have more design work that's never been seen than what is online and under the scrutiny of the public eye. My philosophy, however, is that nothing is ever wasted - new processes can be learned and better ideas born.
2. While it's important to put you into your work, you must always still acknowledge the demographic you will be marketing to. Just because your favourite colour is pink doesn't mean that colour is appropriate for the design or the customer. Same applies with the use of fonts. Try to always make your decisions based on the relevance to the idea and not just your personal preferences.
3. Without the input of peers/collaborators, you may only develop your concept/design to 80% of its potential. My entire experience in graphic design has involved a development process which has always included feedback from others. By enlisting fresh eyes and a different point of view, you can push your ideas further. If you are a solo artist, a good idea is to use the many social media sites that are out there and ask for feedback. Post a graphic to your Facebook wall or load it up to twitpic. When it comes to obtaining feedback, be specific in what you ask. Do you love or hate the blue used in this design? Do you think the font is right for this design? Etcetera...You get the idea.
*****
FROM A SEO PERSPECTIVE - By Rob
FROM A MARKETING/BRANDING PERSPECTIVE - By Tim
*****
FROM A POD SHOP CUSTOMIZATION PERSPECTIVE - By Amanda
When I saw that Zazzle was offering store owners the opportunity to customize their stores through "Advanced Store Customization BETA", I wanted to try it, but didn't know how to do it or where to start. After a long process of finding articles, watching YOUtube videos and listening to tutorials about this very topic, I then tried it. Bit by bit I found myself learning how to use CSS and Html. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by it, for it's like another language, but as I took it slowly and made sure to back up my work, I felt more at ease when using it. It was a weakness that I had, but my determination and in not restricting myself, allowed me to grow in this area. It might of taken me longer, than if I had a team to work with, but diving into something with an open mind and in trying something new, eventually become a strength I never knew you had. Weaknesses might just be, undiscovered strengths. If you have the time, explore and try it, for you never know what you might uncover!
FROM A POD SHOP CUSTOMIZATION PERSPECTIVE - By Amanda
When I saw that Zazzle was offering store owners the opportunity to customize their stores through "Advanced Store Customization BETA", I wanted to try it, but didn't know how to do it or where to start. After a long process of finding articles, watching YOUtube videos and listening to tutorials about this very topic, I then tried it. Bit by bit I found myself learning how to use CSS and Html. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by it, for it's like another language, but as I took it slowly and made sure to back up my work, I felt more at ease when using it. It was a weakness that I had, but my determination and in not restricting myself, allowed me to grow in this area. It might of taken me longer, than if I had a team to work with, but diving into something with an open mind and in trying something new, eventually become a strength I never knew you had. Weaknesses might just be, undiscovered strengths. If you have the time, explore and try it, for you never know what you might uncover!
*****
FROM A PRODUCT DESIGN PERSPECTIVE - By Manz
Without having a team to collaborate with, there are a few traps one could fall into:
FROM A PRODUCT DESIGN PERSPECTIVE - By Manz
Without having a team to collaborate with, there are a few traps one could fall into:
1. You may spend countless hours creating a fast selection of designs, yet you've neglected to make some choices which can result in a curve in the quality of what is available on your store. It's not uncommon to become attached to your work, however you should always try to take a step back and be objective - that could possibly mean purging designs that don't meet the standard of your best seller. While it may be upsetting to think that this work will live out its days on a back-up disk, it's better to accept that and keep what you present to your fans at the highest quality possible. I personally have more design work that's never been seen than what is online and under the scrutiny of the public eye. My philosophy, however, is that nothing is ever wasted - new processes can be learned and better ideas born.
2. While it's important to put you into your work, you must always still acknowledge the demographic you will be marketing to. Just because your favourite colour is pink doesn't mean that colour is appropriate for the design or the customer. Same applies with the use of fonts. Try to always make your decisions based on the relevance to the idea and not just your personal preferences.
3. Without the input of peers/collaborators, you may only develop your concept/design to 80% of its potential. My entire experience in graphic design has involved a development process which has always included feedback from others. By enlisting fresh eyes and a different point of view, you can push your ideas further. If you are a solo artist, a good idea is to use the many social media sites that are out there and ask for feedback. Post a graphic to your Facebook wall or load it up to twitpic. When it comes to obtaining feedback, be specific in what you ask. Do you love or hate the blue used in this design? Do you think the font is right for this design? Etcetera...You get the idea.
*****
FROM A SEO PERSPECTIVE - By Rob
SEO is important to everyone who is selling online. "If you build it, they won't come." or so we said in one of our podcasts. You need to do your best to optimise the traffic to your site. And you need about it from the get go.
When you start building your online presence factor in google into all that you do: - When putting up blog posts link using anchor text
- Make sure your on-site SEO game is in shape
- Actively seek back links to your site from reputable website
- Put out quality SEO friendly content. Content that if it spreads it will benefit your online presence
- Get your robots.txt file in order
- Use social networks to amplify your reach and gain more backlinks.
- Read up on google to try better understand how it "works" (not that anyone fully understands it)..by understanding it (or parts of it) your entire SEO effort will become more coordinated and make sense.
If this area is where you find you're weak, use the resources that are available online - tiap recently started a SEO corner where we hope to draw your attention to the small things that you can do to help your chances of success. If you find the language is still greek to you, directly ask the author for help/clarification. These authors are writing up these post to help those who are interested, so ask, they'll be happy to hear from you and help.
When you start building your online presence factor in google into all that you do: - When putting up blog posts link using anchor text
- Make sure your on-site SEO game is in shape
- Actively seek back links to your site from reputable website
- Put out quality SEO friendly content. Content that if it spreads it will benefit your online presence
- Get your robots.txt file in order
- Use social networks to amplify your reach and gain more backlinks.
- Read up on google to try better understand how it "works" (not that anyone fully understands it)..by understanding it (or parts of it) your entire SEO effort will become more coordinated and make sense.
If this area is where you find you're weak, use the resources that are available online - tiap recently started a SEO corner where we hope to draw your attention to the small things that you can do to help your chances of success. If you find the language is still greek to you, directly ask the author for help/clarification. These authors are writing up these post to help those who are interested, so ask, they'll be happy to hear from you and help.
As a solo artist/sole trader, you won't have the same luxury of time that competing businesses enjoy. It would be unwise however to think that you don't need to use any of the social media sites available to you for FREE. Having to micro-manage your time may mean that you need to once again make some hard decisions; perhaps choosing ONE social media site that you can pour all of your free time into. Try dating each social media site first and read the TIAP blog post by Amanda, Before You Divorce Social Media, You Need To Be "Engaged".
*****
FROM A MARKETING/BRANDING PERSPECTIVE - By Tim
When going it alone as a solo artist one important avenue that is overlooked is branding. To build your business from the ground up it is important to even start with a strong name that either defines your products or contains a powerful keyword relating to your products. Knowing which keywords to target and the buying phrases your customers are looking for can really jump start your business or have your business looking at no hits/sales if you choose poorly. An example of targeting buying phrases is instead of targeting the keyword artistic t shirts go after the phrase buy artistic t shirts as if you can get ranked for this you will be looking at a pool of those looking to buy and not browse artistic t shirts.
Another thing to keep in mind is to be as specific as possible. As a solo owner you should specialize in one style or type of shirt or merchandise. Being a jack of all trades and trying to vary your designs from cute to offensive is probably going to be too exhausting for one person to pull off. Instead find a niche that you have an interest in and that others have an interest in buying t shirts or merchandise in and own it. By dominating your niche you should be perceived as one of the only places to go in town for products in that niche and the sales will follow. To dominate in your niche you may want to join forums related to the products you are selling. Make sure to actually participate in the forums with good solid posts and not just push your products. Forum users can easily see through those who are just there to spam versus those that are giving back something to the community while promoting their products.
*****
Another thing to keep in mind is to be as specific as possible. As a solo owner you should specialize in one style or type of shirt or merchandise. Being a jack of all trades and trying to vary your designs from cute to offensive is probably going to be too exhausting for one person to pull off. Instead find a niche that you have an interest in and that others have an interest in buying t shirts or merchandise in and own it. By dominating your niche you should be perceived as one of the only places to go in town for products in that niche and the sales will follow. To dominate in your niche you may want to join forums related to the products you are selling. Make sure to actually participate in the forums with good solid posts and not just push your products. Forum users can easily see through those who are just there to spam versus those that are giving back something to the community while promoting their products.
*****
We hope that helps you Diane and anyone opting to go it alone.
Do you have a question for Tees In A Pod?
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Posted by Tee in a Pod Admin 0 comments Labels: branding tips, design tips, marketing tips, Online Stores, QandA, SEO tips, social media tips, solo artists
Thursday, June 10, 2010
June - Tips Of The Day!
Tees In A Pod strives to provide you with many resources in helping you reach your goals with all of your online ventures. Another way we provide such support, besides our weekly podcast, is by sharing with you a "Tip Of The Day" on our Facebook Fan Page. Below, we have created a list of all the Fan Page tips we sent out as status updates for the month of JUNE! Stay tuned... for every month a new list will be posted...Please leave a comment and share with us any tips you have! We'll use them as a "Tip Of The Day" to share with others on our Facebook Fan Page, as well as list it here, plus we will give you credit for your awesome tip! Enjoy!!
JUNE - Tips Of The Day!!
- Take a look at your Facebook Insights, compare your pages (if you have more than one) and get insights for your Domain.... see more below... pretty cool stuff!! http://www.facebook.com/insights
- If you're stuck on what to write for a blog, Interview other people within your community (Ex: T-shirt community) For this can also help build credibility by association!
- Add your url to your Twitter Profile! Most people want to see who they are going to follow so that they can not only be added to the correct Twitter list, but more importantly get to know the person behind the tweet better!
- Did you know that you can only @ mention 6 people at one time in your Facebook status updates? Now you do! :D
- It is not necessarily what you know, but who you know... so go on and network with people! Network it up!! :D
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Posted by Creature Creations 0 comments Labels: facebook tips, helpful tips, June tips, resources, social media tips, teesinapod, tips and tricks, tips of the day
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
"The Waiting Game" Success!
Josh Charles is a singer, songwriter, and pianist, who is working diligently on promoting his album, "Love, Work, & Money," which was released in February of this year. Most of you, have more than likely heard the name, Josh Charles, long before Tees In A Pod featured his song, "The Waiting Game" in Podcast 8.Josh's music was first recognized by his charity efforts for the song, "Healing Time." In 2009, Josh Charles moved to New Orleans, four days before Hurricane Katrina hit. From his experience, and for the love of New Orleans and it's people, he dedicated the song, "Healing Time" to help rebuild New Orleans. All of it's proceeds goes to the "Preservation Resource Center Of New Orleans" and is still available for download at Amazon.com.
Today, Josh Charles was a spotlight speaker and musician for the Mashable Media Summit, presented by CNN. In his speech, Josh highlighted the importance of how he uses Music and Social Media, by sharing how he first started out using MySpace in 2004, and since then, incorporating other various social media sites to connect with his fans. Josh begins his speech with the fact that there once was a time, where fans could only read about their favorite musicians in magazines, but now, with the help of social media, fans can connect "almost instantly" with musicians.
Josh states, "When asked if I was on Twitter... I had no idea what they were talking about..." but in 2008, Josh joined Twitter. He began tweeting about songs and other various topics relating to what he was working on at the time. During his speech, Josh mentions one follower in particular, who began sharing his tweets with fans of the "Dave Matthews Band" on Twitter. As a result, Josh began connecting with followers who liked his music as well. He stated, "I was thrilled to be able to connect with people and start making friends..."
He also expressed that when he was on the Rebuild Tour "it was very easy to tweet..." He found blogging took time he didn't have while touring, but still "being able to connect with people and make that connection was very, very special..."
Josh also shared what he has learned using Music and Social Media, "it is definitely about the engagement with people, it's social. It's not about the self promotion..." Being able to share what he is doing at any given time regarding his music, Josh finds, Twitter and other Social Media sites to be the"Most Powerful tool..."
As you all know, Tees In A Pod are advocates in using Social Media as part of any business. It is always great to hear those who are successful at what they do, share how they use Social Media and in how helpful it has been with their career. Tees In A Pod wishes to extend a congratulations for being a spotlight speaker and musician during the Mashable Media Summit today and a job well done for the two songs preformed, "The Waiting Game" and "Healing Time."
Social Media can make a difference and Josh Charles is proof of this. Begin connecting with those "waiting" to connect with you and success is sure to follow.
Spotlight on Music and Social Media with Josh Charles at the Mashable Media Summit 2010
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Posted by Creature Creations 0 comments Labels: artists, connecting, connection, engaging with fans, engagment, followers, Josh Charles, Mashable Media Summit, music, musicians, social media tips, twitter
Monday, June 7, 2010
Podcast 8: I Is For Independence
In this podcast we get to the bottom of the the hidden costs of being independent and believe us, there are lots of them. We then tackle the art of the funny t-shirt and touch on trendy threads. Get set and enjoy the next 29 mins and 32 secs of your life.- The Hidden Costs of Being Indendent
- The Art of the Funny T-Shirt
- Music with Josh Charles
- Trendy Threads
- Q & A
If you're subscribing via email and can not see the above player, click to load the post in your browser.
BLOG POSTS REFERENCED IN THIS PODCAST:
The Hidden Costs of Being Independent
The art of the funny t shirt
Trending Topics = Trendy Threads
POLL: Which Items Do You Sell The Most On Zazzle?
MENTIONS:
04:41 - Kelly - Saucewear
Follow Saucewear on twitter * Join Saucewear on Facebook11:13 - Chris Reimer - Rizzo Tees - First mention... there's a few!
Follow Rizzo Tees on twitter * Join Rizzo Tees on Facebook
Follow Rizzo Tees on twitter * Join Rizzo Tees on Facebook
16:33 - Josh Charles - with his song The Waiting Game.
Visit the Josh Charles Music Website * Join Josh on Facebook
Visit the Josh Charles Music Website * Join Josh on Facebook
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Posted by Tee in a Pod Admin 0 comments Labels: hidden costs of being independent, Podcast 8 : I is for Independence, social media tips
Friday, June 4, 2010
Before You Divorce Social Media, You Need To Be "Engaged"
Some people flirt with social media sites while others are fully committed. Then there are those who wish to never hear the words "I'm tweeting" ever again. Before signing those divorce papers and doing away with social media forever, keep in mind, that it is YOUR potential customers who are using these sites on a daily basis.
Some businesses feel it is essential to use social media sites, such as, Twitter and Facebook, as a part of their marketing strategies, but why? In understanding Social Media and how to use it properly, will help in clarifying it's importance when trying to market your brand online, so lets put those divorce papers away and start from the beginning.
The Date: Getting To Kn
ow Social MediaSearching "Dating" several social media sites can be helpful in how successful your business will be online and off. Don't be afraid of trying out, researching, and/or learning more about each Social Media site, for it is extremely important that you find "the one" your business will stick with.
When the best site is found, it is like entering into a "relationship," which means, you need to get to know it better. Explore what the site offers and feel free to see how other businesses are using it.
For a long time, most people's "type" for finding out "late breaking news," has been television and radio, so it is understandable that in changing what you are use to, can be hard to do. However, customers want to become a part of those businesses that are up-to-date and "with the times". They also want to be involved in those businesses that want to be involved with them. It use to be that customers always came to where the businesses were, but now-a-days, customers want companies to come to where they are, which is most likely on a social media site.
Social media sites, are used to build communities and to connect with people who have similar interests and to share news either about the happenings in our daily lives or about what is happening in the world around us. To be a part of "what's happening," it is wise for your business to be a part of social media. Lets use this blog post as an example, If the decision was made to never have this article posted, then you wouldn't have been given the chance to think about it or the ability to respond to it. Each reader now is able to share their opinions, express their thoughts, ask questions and even expand on this topic. This allows for a discussion to begin, not only with who created the blog post, but with other readers. Think now of your business. If you don't give your customers the opportunity to talk with you, via social media sites, think about all of what you could be possibly missing out on.
It can be difficult to find where to start, since their are many social media sites to choose from. A couple to begin with would be Facebook, for their pages and YouTube, for their traffic. Every business will have their own likes and dislikes while trying to find the social media site they want to use, but should continue in trying to find the one that best suits them. Once you have found the site that works best, you can now start learning the most useful ways to use them; which begins the "Engagement" process.
The Engagement: How To Use Social Media
Every social media site has someone selling something, however, it's the ones who are paying attention and not sitting idly by, that get noticed. When talking to a person, rather then at them, they tend to respond more positively and feel like they are listened to. To break it down, the way in which you communicate will either drive people towards you or away. As a business, it is of high importance that you "engage" with customers by talking with them. This is also a huge change, but effective in getting people interested in your business.Before social media began, it was about coming up with commercials, banners, and/or ads where you had to talk "at" the customer, but times they are a changing. Although including some of these as part of your marketing strategies, is not necessarily a bad thing, it shouldn't be the only thing your business uses. Customers now expect businesses to talk with them, engage in conversations, to ask for their opinions, and so on. It's not just about listing off what you are selling anymore, it's about getting to know those who you are selling to. In asking questions that customers can relate to, will encourage a response and result in a higher "engagement." Some examples to use may be:
"Pie or Cake?"
"Scary or Funny Movies?"
"What is your favorite color?"
"Which season is your favorite?"
Although some of these may not be related to what you are selling, it will trigger a new way of communicating with your customers and will get your business noticed, which should always be the first goal.
Most people will build up a loyalty to those who want to spend time in getting to know them better. Finding what interests your customers have, can not only help you in deciding on what you need to promote within your business, but will also build a new kind of relationship with whom you are selling to.
Try not to get stuck in a box. Feel free to post fun quotes, thought provoking questions, and reach out to your customers to ask their opinion about what you are selling or other various topics. In having your customers feel like they are a part of your business will keep them coming back to your business. Through engaging with customers and finding more out about them, will make them want to find out more about you, "the company."
Now that you've got your customers attention, you can share with them promotional sales, top selling items, and company news, while still incorporating social interaction. Doing this, helps in reaching the main goal which is to create more sales for your business while keeping your customers happy. Engaging, sharing, and listening to what your customers are saying will make your business stand out more then if you were just pumping out sale pitch. after sale pitch, after sale pitch.
"Engaging" with those who are following, liking, and showing interest in your business is a must! Once you have taken this step, it is time to commit.
The Marriage
: Committing To Social MediaAs simple as it sounds, committing to using social media sites may not always be that easy. It is key that when you start talking, engaging, and conversing with your customers, that you continue doing so. In just setting up an account and leaving it, is the wrong way of thinking. When people like your page, follow you, etc. they now want you to take the time to engage with them on an on-going basis. This is where you should start thinking of ways to keep people interested in your business. Creativity, innovation, and hard work is key in keeping anybody happy, including your customers.
Social Media has the word "social" in it for a reason, so try to always continue socializing with those that have connected with you. Update the social media site your business has chosen, on a regular basis. It is very easy to set up an account, engage with those on that site for a couple months and then drop off. Customers will forget about you if you don't "commit" to remembering them.
One great part of this "commitment" is that it is usually FREE, so be sure to incorporate using these sites into your marketing strategies every month. Most of us think, "to make money, you have to spend money", which holds some truth, but sometimes just taking the time to show you care about your customers will incur an even bigger reward.
As with any relationship, expressing patience, determination, passion, and in using communication, keeps it healthy and strong, in committing to giving these to your customers, will have them commit to your business.
As time goes on, even newer social media sites will rear their heads and so it seems, social media is here to stay. Using social media sites properly can help in understanding why they should be used and in how beneficial they truly can be to your business. So, before divorcing social media, allow your business to look into using it as a part of your marketing strategies. Become a part of a "new age" by engaging with customers before signing on that dotted line. In time, your views may change, the relationships with your customers will change, and so will the profits for your business!
It's time now we engage with you! Do you use social media sites to market your business? If no, do you think you will start? Let Teesinapod know by leaving a comment on this post or by visiting us at our Facebook Page. We'd love to know how social media works for you!
Written By: Amanda Ryan, Creature Creations, Personalized Photo Gifts
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Posted by Creature Creations 0 comments Labels: advice, branding tips, business, companies, consumers, customers, engage, engagement, marketing strategies, online, Online Stores, social media tips, socializing
Saturday, May 8, 2010
May - Tips Of The Day
Tees In A Pod strives to provide you with many resources in helping you reach your goals with all of your online ventures. Another way we provide such support, besides our weekly podcast, is by sharing with you a "Tip Of The Day" on our Facebook Fan Page. Below, we have created a list of all the Fan Page tips we sent out as status updates for the month of MAY! Stay tuned... for every month a new list will be posted...Please leave a comment and share with us any tips you have! We'll use them as a "Tip Of The Day" to share with others on our Facebook Fan Page, as well as list it here, plus we will give you credit for your awesome tip! Enjoy!!
MAY: Tips Of The Day!
Tip Of The Day For Zazzlers: Did you know if you use the asterisk (*) after your store's URL, it is known as a referral and you can earn extra cash in doing it ? ex: http://www.zazzle.com/creaturecreations* Try it with yours!
Did you know that your Facebook Fan Page Insights has a new addition called "Interactions Per Post"... Check out the drop down in the first graph where you will discover this most recent "Insight" :)
When creating tabs with apps on your Facebook Fan Page be sure and try many different and FREE sites that offer easy and professional ones, such as "Involver" so add a tab for Twitter, YouTube, etc. and "Maximize Your Facebook Pages!" :)
Did you know you could change the name of a link you share on Facebook? You sure can... just type in a URL like this: http://www.teesinapod.blogspot.com (Use your own Url too) and when the drop down appears click on the "Title" and change it to what you want others to see!! Change it up!
Shared Tip Alert! Comes to you from one of our Awesome Fans! If you add a link to your status update on Facebook, you can change the description from the drop down too!! Great to know and thank you so much Amy for your wonderful tip!
Use hashtags on Twitter and Facebook too! hashtags are: when you use a word related to your post/tweet beginning with the symbol "#" this spreads the news faster, categorizes it, and can build your company's sense of community! #hashtag it up!
Be sure to include the "@" symbol when wanting to mention someone on Facebook. Ex: Tees In A Pod (put "@" symbol, start typing choose from drop down.) This way, what you are saying will show up on their FB page too! The only way you can do this, is if you are friends or likers of ones page. Let them know you are talkin' about them :)
Ever wish you could download your FB photo albums to your computer? Now you can with this Firefox Add On: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox
/addon/8442/
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Posted by Creature Creations 0 comments Labels: business, helpful tips, marketing tips, Online Stores, shopping, shops, social media tips, store keepers, strategies
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How To Set Up A Facebook Fan Page
Coming up with ways to market your brand online is a constant effort. It can sometimes be difficult for potential customers to find your business, in amongst the large mass of online businesses they can choose from. An important factor to take note of, is the social aspect of allowing customers to get to know you, the business owner first, then your products. Nowadays, engaging with customers is of high importance and is almost expected of you. Customers no longer want to be given a sales pitch, nor do they want to be spammed with the latest advertisements of a particular product. Customers want to share their thoughts and opinions not only of the products you sell, but of the business you run as well.Engaging with your customers by asking questions, responding, and by listening to their wants and needs, is a very effective way in growing your overall business presence and in broadening how successful it can become. Getting to know your customers online, allows them to develop a new or different way in how they perceive your business and creates a relationship with them that may not have existed otherwise. One of the many ways to make your business stand out amongst the crowd and gives you the ability to engage with your customers, is by joining and properly using social media sites. One example, is of a well known site called, Facebook. This social media site allows businesses to set-up a Fan Page as a way to have potential and existing customers find you, like you, and get to know you. In not knowing how to create a Fan Page (also known as "Official Page") correctly, might be what is holding you back from using Facebook, reaching online customers, and in incorporating it into your online marketing strategies. Tees In A Pod has you covered! By creating a Tutorial on this very topic, "How To Create A Facebook Fan Page" we want your business to get noticed. So, come and jump on the Facebook Train to allow your customers and supporters get to know your business from the inside out.
Watch our latest Tutorials and Subscribe to upcoming videos at Tees In A Pod's YouTube account and take a moment to watch our very first Tutorial: "How To Set Up A Facebook Fan Page" below!
Join us as we continue growing and adding to our YouTube Channel. Let us know - Is there a Tutorial you want to see? Looking for a step by step process on a particular topic and can't find one? Leave us a comment below or on OUR Facebook Fan Page and we'll set it up!
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Posted by Creature Creations 0 comments Labels: business, How To Set Up A Facebook Fan Page, how tos, Marketing, online, presence, setting up, social media advice, social media tips, socializing, step by step, tutorials
Thursday, April 29, 2010
A Rock Stars Social Media Strategy - Whiskey Optional!
Hello all and welcome to a rock fueled insight into ways one can apply social media principles and strategies to music, brands, shops or anything your mind can conjure up. I believe it is now time for everyone from plumbers to pizza men and percussionists to postmen (well maybe not them) to join the social media revolution. Why? Well, that is where the much talked about Gary Vaynerchuk "eyeballs" are. This blog post will talk about the basic things one should do to establish an online presence backed up with real life rocking facts from a sensational up and coming Irish band - Seven Days (who this Tees in a Podder highly recommends and check out the video at the end of this blog).
The Dynamic Duo
When you hear social media there are two landmark social media sites that instantly spring to mind - Facebook and Twitter, the dynamic duo of the social media world. The crux of their popularity and effectiveness lies in the explicitly viral nature of how people interact with each other on twitter or on fanpages. This very public interaction gives rise to a sort of mob rule (the good kind though)..When people see other people are interacting with you on these social media sites their curiosity peeks and they will be inclined to check it out. It is akin to passing by a packed restaurant, peering in the window and feeling a pang of hunger - you have seen the social proof of people and so want to check it out yourself. Seven Days have a presence on both of these sites and the interview with the band which follows will show how social media can be applicable to all types of efforts - and the whiskey is optional.Roll Out the Blogs
Forget the red carpet, the glitz and glam and the rock star poses but in my humble opinion a blog (and hard work to maintain it) is a must have in this day and age. Everyone, from budding rock stars to rattlesnake experts should regularly catalog their recent events, successes and news in a blog. Why? - well, I'll bullet point it for you:
- Expands your web presence
- Builds trust between you and potential customers/groupies ;)
- Gives loyal fans and customers all the information about you they could possibly crave
- Can be an SEO goldmine
- Each new blog post is new content and something fresh to "talk" about
- Keeps search engines happy
And, on a personal note, it gives you a place to put your thoughts, an online diary if you will for how your business, brand or band progresses. Surely you would like to be able to look back in a year or 5 years and see how you have progressed and reminisce? Writing a blog is easy IF you are 100% passionate and committed to what you are doing and IF you are not 100% passionate and committed just stop, right now. Really...if you don't view what you are doing now as the foundation of your legacy (what you write will persist pretty much forever now..."Hi grand kids that I don't have yet") then maybe you should look for something that you want to become your legacy. Seven Days are making writing their future autobiography a lot easier as they're blogging it up - and it helps them!
Social BookmarksDigg? Reddit? Stumbleupon? - do these names ring any bells with you at all? They are all social bookmarking sites or content aggregators where millions of people consume content on a daily basis and "vote" for it so that the cream of the content rises to the top and ultimately hits the motherload for web traffic. People submit blog posts (oh, wait a minute, could you submit your own blog post to these sites?? - yes, start a blog now), entertaining videos and pictures and then the finger flexing frenzy continues as the votes pour in. The traffic from these sites can range from tsunami to gentle trickle but the flow of the traffic is determined by only 2 factors (again, in my humble opinion)
1. The quality of content you submit
2. The amount of effort you put into building up a network on any of these sites
and thats it..
With some thought and time it should be possible to create great content (wait until you hear the Seven Days single on our podcast) but if you are unable to do so Poppa Google and Uncle Youtube can help you out. Future blogs will explain in depth some ideas for social bookmarking sites but for now apply a little bit of Factor 1 + 2 from above and you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll learn and how much it'll benefit you.
And now, to back this strategy up with a real life rocking case study I would like to first thank Seven Days for taking the time to answer some of my questions. They hail from a town called Kildare in Ireland and are on the precipice of insanely big things. Despite their hectic gigging schedule when I contacted the band via facebook and twitter I instantly knew that they would do the interview. Why? Because they get "it"..they engage their online fans, work hard and are now reaping the rewards..Please, enjoy the following interview from Seven Days, an Irish band you'll hear a lot more about very soon...------- Interview Starts -------
Rob - Please state your name, your bands name, your instrument and are you Internet savvy?
Seven Days - Nicky Brennan Guitar , Ricky Byrne Drums, Ian White Vox Keys Acoustic, Darren Sweeney Bass, Seven Days and were all Internet savvy
Rob - What social media sites are Seven Days on? Any one in particular that is your favourite?
Seven Days - MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Bebo. Our favourite is probably facebook for the amount of interaction you have with people and fans, being able to send event invites and keep people updated on the band makes it a fantastic promotional tool.
Rob - Any gigs or opportunities arise as a result of using social media sites?
Seven Days Yes most definitely. we had a lot of people who contacted us through facebook and myspace to book the band for gigs. It provides such an easy access to us and has been a real vital part in our attempts to make the band bigger.
Rob - Any web awards are mentions on big websites that have helped you out? I found an article about you in galwaynews.ie about a sweet gig deal in The Dail Bar - any other gems like that?
Seven Days - We're delighted about the Dail bar and the gigs there have been fantastic. We got a
lot of gigs along the way that have led us on to bigger gigs in that area. The Edenderry Harbour festival has just put us onto our own headlining gigs there. The Meteor awards also proved to give us excellent exposure simply for all our attempts e-mailing and messaging through facebook and twitter. Our myspace hits sky rocketed from this event.
Rob - Get any groupies? Seriously like;)
Seven Days - Ha ha :) we've got some fans
that have been absolutely amazing. Between coming to all of our gigs and leaving us comments it really keeps you motivated. Theres a girl in England who went around a shopping centre promoting us with her own made poster and drawing. That's really cool! as she has never seen us play live and only found us through myspace and twitter.Rob - When a friend joins your fanpage that is cool but also kind of expected if they are a supportive friend but when a randomer joins it's a different kind of special. Do you give people incentives to join? or is all a very natural, rocking and organic growth?
Seven Days - Of course at our gigs we always plug the myspace and facebook pages and encourage people to join. Its great after a good weekend of gigging to sit down and reply to some nice comments you got from people who saw you. Wether it be a new fan or an existing one! so in that sense I would say the online growth is very organic. We are a band that gigs quite frantically (up to four gigs in a three day weekend) which is a regular occurance. This week actually comes to five to hopefully we can expect some more comments!
Rob - Any final thoughts on how you think social media can help you in the long run? You've heard of Justin Bieber on Twitter ye? - could you be the next trending topic?Seven Days - In todays age social media for the likes of ourselves and other band etc is an absolute necessity. When someone hears of a new band the want to check out they instantly turn to their computer. In which your sites have to be in good shape and up to date. Otherwise that person isn't going to think a lot of you! In the long run once you maintain and built your sites you should have a very solid block of impression, perception and support. This makes for quite a stable foundation for an artist.
I don't know much at all about Justin Bieber. Mostly that he is a young artist brought to the front by his you tube videos and social networking. I may be wrong due to my lack of knowledge on him but I think we try to use social networking in a different way.To encourage people to come and see us and support us as opposed to putting your performances online and solely using that as your marketing. That was his focal point where as ours is to use online networking to encourage people to see our focal point (our live shows) As I said though I could be wrong! I don't think were trying to set a trend. Were just trying to make music we love to play and try our hardest to get you all to listen!
------- Interview Ends -------
And so, there you have it, an from a band who are putting social media to use to get themselves into the back of a tour bus for a global adventure. Check out the video they made as a digital thank you those who have helped them below! Whatever your goal or target is social media can help you get there quicker. You just have to plan a bit of a strategy and stick with it...and whiskey is optional!
This post was written by Rob from LadyUmbrella ladies t-shirts.
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Posted by LadyUmbrella 0 comments Labels: blogging tips, dynamic duo, facebook, irish band, rock stars social media strategy whiskey optional, seven days, social bookmarking, social media tips, Tees in a Pod, twitter
Monday, April 19, 2010
Podcast 1 Has Landed
Tees In A Pod blasted off with four brave "shoptronauts" wanting to share their tips, tricks, experience, and knowledge with all those new and experience store owners, business enthusiasts, and t shirt fanatics.The four Tees In A Podders include, Amanda Ryan - Creature Creations, Manz - GritFX T-shirts, Tim Fox - Soge Shirts, and last but not least, Rob Ryan - LadyUmbrellaltd. Each member has a story to tell about their road to success in creating an online store, so what better way to start off the podcast journey then by a Question and Answer round table. Each member is asked questions and each gives their answers to what we are all dying to know... who makes up "Tees In A Pod"?
Monday April 19th 2010, has finally arrived which means, Podcast number one has finally landed! Be sure to tune in each Monday as a new podcast will be posted. Want to receive updates for every new podcast? Then subscribe by using one of our services right here ------->
So charge your iPods, grab your headphones, and/or pull up a chair for we invite you to discover the crew of "Tees In A Pod." We would love to hear your feedback so let us know..
Feel free to also visit us at http://teesinapod.podbean.com/ where our podcast is also available.
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Posted by Creature Creations 5 comments Labels: Online Stores, Podcast, Podcast 1: The Big Event, social media advice, social media tips
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