One thing that I can say is that after trauma and putting in all the hard work, pays off. After the smoke settled and I was wrapping up all the loose ends of school- the graduation ceremony, the logistics of opening a business… a HUGE fire breaks out in St Albert and I knew my passion is still in the fire service.
It’s in the blood, I swear! My hubs and I, September 11, 2011
But, how?
The flames and smoke of The Citadel Fire in St Albert was such a turning point in my self-healing journey. It was the one moment that I felt the need, in my 3 years of healing from job-related PTSD, that emergency services run thick in my blood. An overwhelming need to be assisting the emergency operations of that incident had me refreshing my Twitter and Facebook feeds. Ensuring everyone’s safety. Especially the firefighters, because even after leaving my dispatch chair, they will always be my brothers & sisters.
My first dispatch job, Parkland Emergency Communications Center (2007)
I played this evening of the St Albert Fire over and over in my head, the guilt of leaving. The guilt of putting myself first and taking time to heal. The guilt of letting my family down… I can tell you the guilt that comes with a PTDS diagnosis can be debilitating. But, I am a warrior.
But how can I think this?
I just completed 2 of the hardest years of post-secondary schooling. I worked my ass off completing my diploma in Business Management with a focus on marketing at NAIT. Being an adult student is tough, I was successful through my healing, my eldest son’s traumatic head injury, then through the biggest pandemic seen in years. How could I possibly throw my education to the curb to return to the very industry that broke me?
Easy.
It is holding onto the fact that the universe is directing me where I need to be. Knowing who I am and where I am supposed to be, makes this decision even easier. Through all of this, I can now say proudly that I am a helper, a healer and my soul feeds off of making the community around me a better place.I have a lot of education in my pocket, the very tools that will get me through whatever this world has in store for me.
When it comes to social media and the management behind it there are many, many terms that one must be aware of. When I walked into the social media management world, I thought I was well rehearsed in the terms. Man… was I wrong!
Webster’s Dictionary
There are some terms even some dictionaries don’t have! Even though, I don’t know how many people even know how to use the book of language anymore. I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you a great website tool that I found.
Hootsuite, my go to for social media management. The app is great for creating and sharing content, while being able to schedule postings. One day when I was poking around the website, I discovered “The Ultimate List of Social Media Definitions You Need to Know” Blog. Written by 2 amazing women Paige Worthy & Christina Newberry.
Now I could reinvent the wheel, type out every single definition but I decided against it. This blog Shares comprehensive terms, in alphabetical order. Giving links to some pretty fantastic resources! Resources that once you click will expand your knowledge with that particular term.
Included are step by step guides on some terms, easy to follow templates and even some how-to’s. Content is updated, as terms related to social media management are evolving.
Check out The Ultimate List of Social Media Definitions You Need to Know” today! As a mentor of mine drilled into my head “you don’t need to know where everything is, you need to know where to find it! Click on the picture below to discover the blog!
The three principles of Google Ads- Relevance. Control. Results . By utilizing these principles your company will be sure to be noticed by the right people, at the right time driving up your sales, website traffic, influencer consideration, lead generation, brand awareness and potential app installs and interactions. (Google Skillshop) Ensuring that your company is maximizing these principles is the catch, you must be monitoring and Google Ads gives you the tools to measure!
Supporting Your Business Goals with Google Ads
Google Ads
Knowing where your customers (or potential customers) can be found gives your company the opportunity to share in your brand no matter where they are online. Knowing your business objectives will give you an idea of the brand awareness that you want to portray. Be seen through 4 of the many Different Ads Google Offers:
Display Ads– Targeted at the “browsers”, get noticed as they surf the web.
Shopping Ads – Promote your brand through your shop or website.
Search Ads– Pop up when they are looking for your product/service in particular.
Video Ads – Bring your brand to life, through story.
Specialized campaigns can also be created through Google Ads, the opportunities are endless and their “Smart Campaigns” may just be the right tool for your small business. A good campaign is the key to online recognition and making the sale.
Strong Foundation, Successful Campaign
Answering these 4 questions that Google will help with traffic flow and achieving the goals of a campaign:
Where do you want your ads to be seen? Think of these as the Networks and pages that it will be shared on. What devices will potential customers or clients be searching on as well as where in the world they’re from and their demographics.
How much do you want to invest? Set a dollar amount or go with a bid strategy where paying is based on customer actions.
What do you want to share in your ads? Know the products or services that you are looking to create interest in. Then break it down further into text ads, where more details are combined to generate interest in specific target markets.
What keywords will match your customer’s search terms? Know the words that customers are going to be searching.
The leads, web traffic and sales are the main reason for running these ads, ask yourself how you can achieve these actions. The options don’t just end here for campaigns, Ad extensions, start and end dates and Ad scheduling can also be utilized.
Feeding the Algorithm Using Keywords
What are the words that your customers likely are searching to find your product? Broad match, modified broad match, phrase match, exact match and negative are all Google Match type options for keywords (Google).
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA’s)
We’re talking keywords and attention to keywords will be the difference between driving traffic to your site, or the competitors. A detailed list of keywords that potential customers will use to search for products similar to yours is crucial. Lets face it, this is difficult and Googles DSA technology assists with easing the pain!
Share what you want to spend, what you have on your webpages and the template you wish to utilize. Customers search through Google’s search engine and if you have information that pertains to your business, your URL and a landing zone on your page is shared. Google shares the benefits of Dynamic Search Ads (Google Skillshops):
-Reach and coverage: be seen when searches are conducted
-Efficiency and time savings: Utilize your time reducing lists, ad creation- they do this for you!
-Transparency & Control: You’re witness to all of this through reports
Every company has their own goals that they wish to achieve through any campaign and with proper use of Google’s DSA the door is open for relevancy, long-tail automation, or to experience quick growth. Creating and achieving algorithms has never been so easy.
Google Ads Auction
What is Google Ads Auction?
The time to go live is now, you want to see the results but here is to hoping that you bid .01 more than the last guy! Don’t sweat it if you didn’t, luckily it’s not all about the dollar, its about positioning too. If your ad is clicked on when it is shown this if consumer feedback that this is relevant info, that CTR (Click-through Rates) s basically a voting system. If your page is relevant to what consumers are wanting you get more points- this is achievable through interactions, business type, and easiness of your page.
Making that Ad Rank Better
The quality of your ad is what you are scored on including utilized keywords, landing pages, these will lead to your quality score. The higher the quality of your ad, the lower the price and greater positioning. CTR, Relevance and the landing page are going to the scorecard. This scorecard is Google’s Interface, it ranks the Landing Page Experience, Ad Relevance and eCTR (Expected Click-through Rate) and the Quality Score.
Texts Ads
Composed of 3 items- URL, Description and a 90 character Headline the text ad is a simple way to promote your brand. Some of Google’s recommendations for best practices are
Google Text Ads
3-5 ads per group, increase your options
Ad rotation optimization creates ads that can be used in any circumstance.
Minimum of 3 extensions to increase utilization of your ads
It has been proven “high quality ads may receive up to 15% more clicks or conversations….”. Get creative with your Ads and compile the content so that when it comes time to create these ads, you have the information and writing the content in different ways will be easier. This will then open the opportunity to take advantage of Google’s Responsive Search Ads where flexibility, relevance, reach and performance are easily modified by Google and decreasing repetition. Nobody wants to be the annoying advertiser!
Being Seen in the Search
Customers want what is convenient and what is quick, and making sure that your ads are that, Google gives some key objectives that you need,because consumers are looking for them
-Relevant info: customers know what they want, you need to share that you have it.
– Right information now: they are searching now, because they want it now.
– Experience: give them the feels and they will take action.
The Right Extensions
The extensions on Google ads sell your brand a little bit more. Giving customers an experience in which they will act on. Now that you have gathered the information, we are going to discuss extensions and there are manyof them:
Universal – with using sitelinks, callout extensions and structured snippets are what marketers should be using. Each of these have unique benefits for their use, click on the links to discover them, just be sure not to confuse them! Structured is for the products/services and callout are for the business!
Location – You must share where you can be found! Here is where you will share the information about your physical location – address, phone number and a map for visual reference. If you want people to come visit they need to know where you are located. In sharing this up to date, relevant information you will not only increase awareness and you will increase awareness not only storefront but also online.
Affiliate Location – This is a great extension to utilize in the event that you don’t manufacture your own products, customers who are not in the vicinity of your place of business can still purchase in their area.
Call – Use this if your goal is to have your phone ring! This extension is all about convenience and connection. Be sure that if you are utilizing call extensions that you are on top of customer satisfaction!!
App – The new wave! Customers can install your app and gather all the information that they need right at their fingertips.
Price – Give them what they are looking for, the clear and concise way.
Promotion – Share the specials that you have on without having to change every ad!
Messages – Customers can contact you at their own leisure
Eight extensions are shared, Google suggests that you use four. Keep them updated, and be sure that you are always overseeing that you are getting the response and utilizing what is most beneficial for your company. But dont sweat it, Google has the tools to help if miss something they have tools that can assist you, but these fully automated extensions don’t preform as well as the extensions that you create yourself.
Seeing Stars
2Bk Vegetable Farm 4.8 Stars out of 5
Something that you want to see, Stars. This is the Customer feedback extension that will allow customers to rate your business. The stars can be generated from StellaService, Google Customer Surveys, Third Party Review Sites, as well as Google Customer Reviews (GCR).
Automated Bidding
This isn’t the part where you sit there and raise your hand, while the cowboy yells at the guy on the mic. Close but not quite. Bidding is how much you get seen in any given moment, and automated bidding can watch this for you. Machine learning works with the algorithm, so you don’t have to and increases your time saved. Let’s face it that time saved saves you money!
Its All About the Strategy
You have goals when it comes to marketing your business, knowing what area you are looking to gain in is the focus. Google sets forth some strategies that you may be looking for:
Awareness-based Bidding- Get your brand up front and center for everyone to see.
Consideration Focus Based – This is all about gaining Clicks. Drive traffic to your site, your promotion or your brand.
Conversation-focused Bidding – Be the Buzzz. Conversations start with utilizing this strategy. This strategy needs you to be all ears and you must be tracking the convos!
Revenue-Focused Bidding – This is the money maker, where you’re wanting to see revenues meet your targets.
The strategy needs to be thought out for the goal that you are trying to achieve, understanding what purpose each serves will increase the likelihood of successful advertising.
The Audience
Creating the Customer List
Google has what is called Search Audience Solutions and this is a tool that helps create customer lists that can be incorporated to the ads you have created. These customer lists will set the audience and the information that they are going to be given, when they want it making the following goals attainable:
Awareness
Consideration
Increased sales and customer loyalty
Each of these can be achieved when attention is made to the role you want them to make in the purchase. The more detailed demographics on each ad the better the chances your target audience is reached.
Many customers are continuously browsing for related topics, this is where Affinity Audiences come into play, as they appear to be interested much of the time. Demographics is another, in which a person’s life status can influence the searches being made. In Market Audiences are the people who are wanting to make a purchase of the item sold. These solutions are measured through a few means- Google’s Algorithms, scales and surveys.
There is no reason to invent the wheel, Google has the ability to work with your CRM from the past, enter it and see what Customer Matches can be made.
Let’s Talk Performance and Optimization
Google takes the headache of gathering information from compiling information and measuring it yourself through its Optimization score. It’s like a report card where you are graded 0-100%. This score is calculated through algorithms on industry trends and such. If Google recognises an opportunity to increase the score, they will set forth a recommendation and that recommendation is up to you to incorporate to your strategy.
Instant reports give you the minute performance where customizable breaks down where you can be modifying your campaigns in order to reach full potential. For taking the information to the next level and acting on it from a managers perspective scalable gives you even more tools.
Topic of Conversation
Google Ad Preformance- Performance Planner is a new forecasting tool that uses machine learning to reveal the possibilities for your Google Ads campaigns. (Google). It can be measured monthly, quarterly, or annually to ensure that you are ensuring your budget is on track.
Best Practices
Separate plans for each marketing objective
Set bids and budgets
Check your plan
When checking in on the plan and revisiting it on a monthly basis opportunity arises to make changes where needed. By planning content, market share probable growth you are ensuring that your company is set up for success.
In Conclusion
As I wrap up this blog, I can’t help to think of a world without Google! I’m not sure how we did it before the internet, nevermind before computers. Guess that would have the times of encyclopedias, newspaper advertising and word-of-mouth?!
Google has opened so many doors for everyone, whether you’re on the search for information or products. I am constantly using that search bar and now that I have an understanding of Google its amazing to watch it in motion. For instance, I am a huge diy girl. I love making old new again and Im constantly investigating new trends. That would explain the random posting on my feeds about paint, power tools and magazine subscriptions.
As a business owner, understanding the many options Google has to share my brand and the services I offer is quite interesting and I truly developed a huge understanding of the methods of advertising online. I will be putting many of the techniques to use today to get noticed, especially since everyone is online right now with the pandemic.
So excuse me while I gather those so important keywords, do a little copy and sip on this coffee. Stay safe and if you want something to do Get your Google Ad Search Certification and start making your company stand out!
Social Media ROI is not just for posting fantastic pictures on social media platforms, writing some words and then you’re finished. Carlos Gil, on LinkedIn Learnings Social Media Marketing:ROI, shares information on how to make the most on your social platforms. In this blog, I am going to share with you the takeaways that I learnt from this 47minute Linked In Learning video.
Without searching and finding out where your customers are online, a Social Media ROI is not going to benefit your company. Finding these customers and knowing the platforms they frequent are key. Getting your business on there is the easy part, but ensure that you have a strategy. Social Media platforms have different forms of marketing (B2B or B2C) that these platforms offer and encourage. LinkedIn is all business, while Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram are customer driven. What is your goal for being on Social Media?
The Strategy
Building any strategy must be thought out. Ensuring you are going to make the most out of your time, getting your company to a social media platform for the world to see is intense. It is important to understand a social media strategy must be in line with your company’s business strategy. You must gain an understanding of what your competition is doing well, what they are not doing so well and how your company can fill that gap!
4 Pillars of the Social Media Strategy
Gil shares that there are 4 main pillars a company should be paying attention to- Content, Community, Consistency and Conversion.
Content– is the flashiness, those eye catching photos, videos and music.
Community- Customers, advocates, super fans and those who you engage are the people/customers who share your brand.
Consistency- Posts, Check-ins and engagements with followers and those who follow.
Conversion- Metrics, Impressions and Key Performance indicators. These measure your content performance and engagements, including views and clicks.
Social Media KPIs and Tools for Measurement
Now when these pillars in place, focus needs to be on measurements. This can be done through analytical tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout and Agorapulse. These are a few that can help small to medium sized businesses track with minimal cost. NetBase and Brand24 are excellent tools to have in the toolbox that track what others are saying about a company and brand across the www.
TubeBuddy and Rival IQ help SEO of your social media platforms, including YouTube. Each Social Media Platform offers some form of analytics, each unique in its own way. I’ll touch these in the next few paragraphs. Utilization of applications and websites give a company the upper hand, knowing the impact being make. Using this information to improve is the real focus now.
Driving Measurable ROI on Each Channel
There are many networking sites. Knowing what they can offer and clients frequenting them should be understood. Knowing how to measure these interactions is key. Lets touch on some of these platforms and the analytics that they offer, starting with Twitter
The short and sweet platform that is the business to customers site. Twitter utilizes microblogging with limiting to 280 characters. Twitter is known to be one of the most popular spaces to connect! Ask questions, run polls, share tips and motivation, Twitter offers the following for 90 days:
Impressions
Engagements
Clicks
Retweets
Likes
Replies
Retweet tweets that widely engaged people
Twitter Cards – Eye Catching visuals with call to actions linked to your pages.
Bonus Strategies for Maximizing Twitter ROI
By resharing information once shared, content can be brought to the forefront. Making it relevant again, many times tweets get lost in the feed . By resharing them you are reigniting the conversations.
The professional Business to Business site,. Clients, recruiters can find you and your brand, by utilize the following:
Impressions
Number of times your profile has been viewed
Page Growth
Location
New Contacts
New Leads
Bonus Strategies for Maximizing LinkedIn ROI
Understanding keywords will optimize your chances of being discovered on LinkedIn. For a more in depth look at LinkedIn, view my blog on LinkedIn here.
Everyone is on Facebook! And I mean EVERYONE! I have also done a blog on Facebook, mostly focus on business ads, but go take a peek here and check it out! Facebook Insights are intense, so much to track but there is a community to explore!
Videos videos and more videos! Create content that gets views and build a following that can have the ability to pay royalties.
I’ll be honest, I watch videos but don’t upload them. I know, shame! I am going to take the time soon to explore the marketing opportunities on YouTube. Stay tuned and I may do a blog on on this platform. I do know, through LinkedIn Learning you can
Go back and check last 28 day history
Utilize Keywords
Video Optimization
Create How To videos to educate on your company/employees
Bonus Strategies for Maximizing YouTube ROI
Think outside the box by creating “meet the staff episode”, allow employees or celebrities to take over a video, podcast creations- spotlighting other companies. Ask customers to take 1 minute videos, you them can produce videos for your sites.
If you like visuals, this is the place to be! Ask questions, share pictures and stories on this platform while monitoring the following:
Follows
Likes
Comments – be sure to reciprocate those!
Bookmarks
Shares
Locations (where they’ve been and where they’re going)
Ages
Build a community and join a group!
Insta Stories – drive those sales through conveying short messages with a call to action. Like any good story, make sure it has a beginning, middle and an end!
Bonus Strategies for Maximizing Instagram ROI
Instagram tells stories through short stories and short captions. The ability to embed information into the content is an asset and the use of #Hashtags makes this site a busy one! This is one of my favorites sites to frequent, life through someone else’s eyes!
In Conclusion: There’s Always Something New
Social media hotspots are always evolving. New ones are always being introduced, leaving new platforms to explore. Being aware of the places your past and present customers are visiting is the key to your company’s success. No matter the platform you use, be sure that you are monitoring it daily, weekly and monthly. I know first hand that contributing to the discussions and acknowledging those who are engaging, you, increases visibility. Adding to the value of your company.
As a Social Media Manager, I know Social media is about being social. One piece of advice I have for you is know the product/s that you are promoting- know them well. If you don’t have a strong understanding of the brand, and business strategy, you will struggle in customer engagement and brand promotion.
Be sure to stay active. Post often and consistently. Create appealing content and humanize every interaction, people love that. Ensure positive interactions, understand the analytics and ensure consistency in corresponding will make a company stand out amongst the crowd! If you feel uncomfortable with Social Media Management, there are many professionals who would be willing to assist in sharing your brand online!
I’m always free to chat, email me at amandalynn@sassymedia.ca
Social Customer Relationship Management, (CRM), is where every business owner needs to have their finger on, the pulse of customer relations. Social CRM focuses on both customers that walk in the door, as well as those on all social media platforms. In this blog, we are going to focus on the online aspect of CRM. How your business can engage customers while ensuring top-notch customer service.
“All of your customers are partners in your mission”
-Shep Hyken
Getting Started
CRM, It’s all about the Customer
All companies are different, how they handle customers is unique to their business. A strong CRM strategy will benefit customer experiences, whether there is a need to mitigate issues or not. The question today is: How do you want to do this online?
Everyone is on the www, getting information out can be quick and easy. Sharing with customers what is new and upcoming with any business can be the money maker. Let’s face it, customers can share, retweet, blog, post photos of your brand for the world to see. Organic marketing, excellent but, it can also be a gut-wrenching impact. One bad post can have your company’s reputation drug through the mud, you’re left chasing your tail, trying to make everything right again.
Are You Really Listening?
There are many ways that companies can track their brand online, and I don’t mean hiring someone to be constantly googling it. Resources must be allocated within your company to ensure proper tracking, or a CRM team constructed (ensuring those chosen are strong in customer relations!) ensuring strong CRM. With new technology, companies can follow customers and hear what they are saying online. But the first thing you need to do is LISTEN!!
Develop Your Strategy
There are three areas of social CRM that can be utilized; the first is Sales- are you looking to increase sales? Second is Marketing- are you looking to engage customers and create a buzz? Then third is Customer Support & Service- responding to any issues that may arise. There is no need to choose just one, take them all or chose a couple. You know your company best and the areas in which you need to focus.
Now that you understand the areas that need attention, you can narrow down the best platform. What are you in need of?
Business size
Easy to Use
Features
Easy to integrate
Software costs
Security
Customer Service for the users
Support Social Media Platforms your company uses
Brand monitoring
Analytics
Manage Social CRM
Gaining an understanding of what the customers are in need of, what they want. Many times it comes down to the customer knowing that you are paying attention to them. Be sure to engage them in conversations and make it feel like they are indeed talking to a real person. Personalize the conversations with customers and ensure that there is consistency.
Here are a few tips that can assist in the best CRM experiences with your customers:
Use the right tone and make sure that you are portraying such
Set responses to certain situations
Respond in a timely matter
Share contact information, make it clear
Share hours to which your accounts are being monitored
Sign off on correspondence with names or initials
Ask for feedback
Mitigate the negative feedback at every chance
Now that you have an understanding of CRM, there are many ways to promote your brand. Taking your company to the next level! These are some of the popular ways today like everything else online it can change tomorrow- BE AWARE!
The Influencer
Influencers, get to know them!
Influencers are the ones with all the followers. They can promote your business to the masses and in turn, you can reap some serious rewards. By teaming up with an influencer and sharing your brand with them, they can drive their following directly to you. Finding them can be tricky but you should be able to track some down. Websites like klout.com, use of hashtags, Google alerts special keywords or locating niche blogs can be helpful.
Don’t be afraid to collaborate with influencers, offering products to them and some to give away to their followers. It may feel weird to ask the question and engage with them, the risk is worth the reward when they say yes!!
In Conclusion
I have learned no matter the avenues you chose with your online marketing, Customer Relationship Management is the number one. Building strong connections with customers is key to keeping them loyal. Understanding their wants gives your company the upper hand on staying current in the market.
Even though much of my career has been in Emergency Communications, I have come to realize that communications are vital to any business. Much will be positive but the negative will always speak louder. By easing negativity it portrays that they truly are appreciated. Most will come back with a positive attitude knowing that you care. After all, they just want to be heard.
“1 out of 3 professionals on the planet is on LinkedIn”
-Jason Miller, Content Marketer
Want to shine on LinkedIn? Looking to update your space on the largest professional social media platform in the world?
Creating a LinkedIn Profile
“LinkedIn for Students” offers the best, step-by-step tutorial I have watched! The 2+ hour video is beneficial in assisting, creating and maintaining professional profiles. Don’t stress it, I’ll share the ins and outs, saving you the time!
I’ve had my LinkedIn account for some years now, I thought I had a grasp on this networking forum, wow, was I misguided! The basics were set up. A professional picture, education, job history and a detailed summary of who I was, and where I was hoping to go. I didn’t stand out, I looked like every profile of those who had a LinkedIn Profile, to have one. As I watched the video, I worked on enhancing my profile set by step.
Shutterstock
When I hit play on the LinkedIn learning video by Oliver Schinkten, wow, was I in for a lesson! Start with the basics, the “wizard”, the step by step of how to start follow the prompts. Granted you must know your basic information: name, email, country, postal code and such. This is the easy peasy stuff! Then, add contacts, don’t worry they have many options with importing and giving you 100% control of who to add, connect with or reject… bye mother-in-law!
Now, save that work by clicking that save button.
The setup process is quite simple. Creating a profile that grabs attention is where the real commitment comes in. Choosing the right profile picture, background photo is the time-consuming part!
Share who you are and Click Save- don’t forget. Don’t worry if you don’t have it all, as you grow as an individual your LinkedIn profile should too. Face its professional growth is something we should be excited to share!
Much like the newspaper, (who even reads that anyways?!) you want to ensure that your headline is catching the eyes you wish it to. Mere seconds, that’s all that you have to get eyes to lock on your profile. Give the browser what they want right here and be sure to convey who exactly you are and what you have to offer. With a little creativity and standout keywords, you will be sure to have traffic frequenting your profile! and creating a professional network that is sure to have you rising to the top of your industry.
Save it.
Now that you have caught the attention of those who are poking around, reel them in with your Summary. There are so many options and opportunities that can be taken advantage of here and I want to share with you, some of the ones that I believe will set you apart from the rest:
Interests – share your hobbies!
Experiences – never know, someone shares the same ones!
Aspirations – striving for more show’s determination, shoot for the stars.
Describe who you are – share your character, let them know who the real you are.
Areas of expertise- never know, this is where their company is lacking
Passions – enthusiasm is contagious!
Whatever you share, show it off. You have worked hard to be where you are today, you should be proud of your accomplishments. Remember algorithm… bring them in! Then… hit save. Ugh, what a nightmare this would be to have to rewrite your soapbox speech!
The research area of any LinkedIn profile is going to be the “Work Experience” section, be sure to post all experience (paid or volunteer)- showcases the work ethic that you have. Br proud. Include a description of what you did/do, dates and any skills that you developed. Experiences speak to the dedication and ability to learn, share them and be sure to update them often!
Did you save?
Another important section to any profile is the “Education” area where you share majors, degrees, clubs, honours and accomplishments. Let’s face it, you have invested time and energy into your education and this is something that needs to be showcased.
Once you have all the pertinent information added call on co-workers, fellow classmates, past employers or even instructors to share recommendations. These recommendations allow readers to understand you, through the eyes of people who know you first hand. If you are unsure about this section you can turn off this option. Again, you have full control over your profile.
The hours will add up, ensuring that your profile is current and reflects who you are. This adds value to your profile. There are more options that you can add to add even more value:
Publications
Certifications
Patents
Honours \ Awards
Languages
Projects
Courses
Test Scores
Organizations
Once all the information is added, it’s time to configure your public profile. This is going to be where you show up in Google searches- what do you want to showcase? Customizing security settings is crucial, preventing those who you wish not to see your LinkedIn profile? Or do you choose to be hidden? The option is yours-
SAVE it!
Build Your Network
Finally, the time has come to create your network and LinkedIn doesn’t disappoint! From suggestion lists, search names, keywords, location and more builds that network easier! Opportunities to engage with prospective employers, industry leaders and past coworkers… LinkedIn offers it all.
Job Search and Company Research
Researching companies, you have interests in is easy, create collaborations, become familiar with services offered, or watch for job postings- it truly is endless. There are search engines that allow you to set filters to search and connect with anyone and any business. Connecting with potential employers is easy, learning what these companies are all about is at the touch of a mouse. Dig deep into what companies are all about, learn the individuals connected to those companies and connect with them.
Like every other aspect of a LinkedIn Profile, who you connect with is in your control. Making it a beneficial and safe platform to network.
Should the time come that an account needs to be disabled, there is the ability to delete your profile. Just like not saving your work, deleting your account will cause loss of all of your information. If you take the steps to back up your profile, there is a limited chance that you will lose everything should you decide to reactivate again.
Now go now, back yours up!!
In Conclusion
I have had my LinkedIn account for many years now, the information that this learning session touched on gave me multiple ideas I could add, to set myself above the crowd- small details that pack a punch!
Before this lesson began, I had an “intermediate” profile strength, as measured by the LinkedIn Analytic tool (as you can see below). My headline “Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services at NAIT…” was super lame, not catchy at all, very much a misrepresentation of who I am.
I kept the same photos, to show me who I truly am. My “About” section is where I took the time to write up who I am, from my own perspective, this was no easy task. It was a couple days of writing, deleting and questioning ‘is this what I want to portray?” -damn right it is! The rest was easy; add my education and some of the volunteer positions that I have held over the years… but not all positions were represented.
Fast forward to completing this learning lesson. I have made my LinkedIn “sexy” as my Social Media Management Instructor, Ray Bilodeau suggested. So here we go… I made sure to keep my photos, face it, I like them and I believe that they are LinkedIn worthy and professional. I know you probably are wondering why Daisies? My favourite flower, they’re wild {much like my wild-child soul} and my favourite furry companion of 13 1\2 years, who I just lost last week, DaisyMae. *cue waterworks*
I have since updated my headline, let’s face it there is no room for lame when we’re talking career goals. It’s punchy, it’s a little sassy and super creative… screams who I am, it’s how I speak- it’s totally me.
After LinkedIn Learning- My profile
I have kept the ‘About” section very much the same, I am an open book and I believe to get a true understanding of who I am, I needed to keep it real. I Kept the bulk of my original, making some minor adjustments as needed. Adding keywords {let’s face it, it was a list of grade 6 vocabulary that my grandma would appreciate, not a future employer or client}.
My education has blossomed, my career has changed, I needed to update that information. The duties and details that pertained to them as well. I still am stuck on whether to add all my volunteer positions, or not, who cares about volunteering at my kids preschool anyways?! Maybe someone does…. Here lies my battle?!
I am very happy with the way my profile is shaping up, as time passes by the more it will evolve. The more I will evolve. After all, everything on that page is who Amanda-Lynn is. All the hard work, tears and dedication- giving it my 100% and I am damn proud of it.
I hope that you take this opportunity to create, or update, your LinkedIn profile. You should be proud of the accomplishments that you have made thus far in your life. This is an opportunity to share with the professional world what you have to offer and how you have shaped your world through hard work. Face it, you deserve it!
If you have any questions, comments or concerns on your profile- or want some ideas on how to make your profile stand out above the crowd email me amandalynn@sassymedia.ca. I would love to take a peek and provide some insight!
“Every year think about who you are now, and who you want to be remembered as later. This is your legacy. Start building it.’
-Nubelease
Check out my LinkedIn profile Here and be sure to connect!
Who would have thought the analytics of advertising on Facebook (FB) would be so in-depth?! My mind is completely blown by how far technology has come. From the black and white print on paper, to now, the use of computer apps to communicate to the entire world. I am excited to share the insights that I learned in the 1 hour, 37 minutes LinkedIn Lessons video “Advertising on Facebook”, Let’s dive in… In a world that is online, all the time, it at our fingertips. Sharing what your company has to offer has never been so convenient. Slow down… I said “convenient”, not easy!
Seems that everyone on FB, if you don’t have a FB profile, are you even real?
A Facebook Advertising Overview.
We all share our updates and favourite pictures but , who would have known that promoting businesses could be so easy? FB has an app designed to promote a service or product that you have to offer and wow, does it ever deliver!
This in-depth tool assists companies goals; establishes target markets while working any budget. Well developed plans are available to assist with achieving business marketing goals. This is one app that does not disappoint.
What do you want to achieve during your marketing campaign?
How are you going to generate interest in your products or services? What do you want potential customers, or clients, to know about your business? What sets you apart from your competition? FB doesn’t only give you the tools to gather information, it gives you the tools to assess every step of the campaign. Test content, track it, measure customers\clients actions through “pixels”. I’ll explain this in a minute.
By measuring clicks on an ad or how often the ad has reached the target audience FB measures it all. The list of analytical data that FB Ad Manager collects, can be a massive asset to any company.
Excel Your Business or Flop.
How Facebook Ads Work.
Sure, if you want to post in record time without understanding this app, the chance is it will be a flop. Be sure to take the time, poke around and explore the many tips and tricks offered.
Set the location, age, gender or set the language. Sit back and watch your audience grow! By choosing specific or a broad demographic, or selecting who is where, who was there or the who is on their way there. The options are endless. Once the audience is determined, update it, ensure it works and save it so it. Making it easier for your next campaign, who doesn’t love a shortcut?
“Increase the likelihood that people will not only be interested with an ad, but they’ll also perform the intended objective”
– Meghan Adams, LinkedIn Learning
The collection of information provided by FB can work to your benefit. Tracking customer timelines, “likes” of related pages and “likes” of statuses means people are seeing exactly what is being offered. I have found that this is beneficial when working on ads for clients. Promotion towards current interests captures attention, it creates buzz, increasing the likeliness of business success- Driving those sales up!
FB’s intelligence tracks so much from demographics, interests, click history and behaviours, meaning targeting audiences has never been easier! The ability to test campaigns, tweak as needed and save simplifies the next campaign!
Let’s face it, budgets are difficult and sometimes frustrating to control. FB can offer budget suggestions, but you have the final say! Optimization should be the real focus of a campaign. FB gives both daily and lifetime options for the allocation of funds. Remember, You are in charge! No pushy salesman is trying to upsell you something that you don’t need and you chose the delivery type.
My fav perk to FB Ads is the scheduling feature, you choose when you want the ad to be seen and when you don’t. Let’s face it, why pay for something that won’t get seen!
The Facebook Advertising Perk, How Facebook Ads Work
When thinking “Facebook” many think of it as just one platform, WRONG! With FB purchasing Instagram in 2012, this opens another avenue for advertising and the ability to reach the non-Facebooker’s (Hard to believe that this is a thing!). Utilizing hashtags (#), insta feeds and stories take advertising to another level, #FacebookAds.
A new currently being focused on is the FB Messenger App, another opportunity to get noticed. With FB Messenger App growing daily by 666,666 users (MobileMonkey.com), it isn’t a platform to ignore! Get your product or service noticed when potential clients open their inbox! FB provides many tools to spread your message but the real attention comes from the campaign ad. If it doesn’t catch the attention you’ve wasted your cash! Using your own photos, or looking for new ones, FB has partnered with Shutterstock. Giving you the ability to use eye-catching stock photos for free. If a video is your thing, add it! You like carousel ads, make it happen!
Implement Best Practices
Like any other online media campaign, there are many techniques that will make your company stand out. Here are a few I recommend:
Instruct traffic back to you. Attach your website URL, get that algorithm moving!
Keep slogans organic, “short punchy and to the point” as stated by Megan Adams- Capture the attention, quick!
Create a Call to Action button. Tell your audience exactly what you want them to do, and make it easy for them to do it.
Set up FB Pixel, this is a great conversation tracker, tells what was “clicked”. Where exactly, your clients have visited.
Compare yourself to others. You don’ t want to compare, you want to stand out.
Check back often to see how your Ad is working for you. The analytics are at your fingertips, use them, understand them and make them work for you.
There is so many analytics that can be run on FB Ads, the options are endless. Trial campaigns, run many tests, ensure that you are getting the best bang for your dollar. The ability to strengthen your brand through the FB Ad app while increasing sales has never been easier.
We know that there are millions of businesses on Facebook, I have had the ability to assist many small businesses get noticed on the platform. I have created Organic content and achieved great results, using the Facebook Ads have taken these businesses to the next level and increase sales and visibility to new customers and clients. This easy tool has made online marketing super easy and convenient to utilize!
If you are in the market to grow your business, but not quite ready to attempt Facebook Ads on your own, check out my website at www.sassymedia.ca. Reach out, I love assisting companies in getting noticed!
Marketing Copywriting is a collaboration of creativity, strategy and captivation of an audience to promote a product (goods or service) offered by any company and take the form of many mediums- online, print and radio. Products are strategically promoted to potential customers as to why they need what the company is offering and how the products can be beneficial to them.
As much as Marketing Copywriting is an art, there is much planning and strategizing to ensure that there is sufficient and accurate promotion of the products. Elements of exceptional copywriting grabs the attention of potential customers, shares exactly what is being offered while providing the benefits to a niche audience. Copywriting is not focused on direct sales but creating buzz about what the company is offering so that others will be attracted to their products.
Writing Copy
My late Grandfathers alarm clock that he had on his office desk for many years, Its my lifeline for time management.
While promotion of the product and captivating customers is the primary objective, there is much planning and dedication that goes into writing. Organizing tools and plan creation ensures that there is focus on the task at hand while limiting distractions. There are no rules on writing as every copywriter has different styles, the goal is to get the ideas down in the early stages. Parameters can be established with what is acceptable or not, what style the writer is trying to achieve all while compiling thoughts and information on the product.
After the information and ideas have been compiled it is time to enhance the draft followed by editing and proofreading. Once completed, requesting for help with editing and proofreading once again will limit the chance of errors. Through this process a headline is to be constructed, one that will grab the attention of customers and inform them clearly of the product being offered. If there is trouble coming up with a headline there are many formulas that writers can take advantage of as well as test out through many means (eg. Google consumer survey).
Attracting readers can be achieved through providing a clear picture of what the customer can expect from the company and their call of action.
Text layout for the different mediums is to be structured, each has its own guidelines for paragraphs, lines and spacing. It is very important for copywriters to write, edit, proofread and prepare layouts of all writing.
Rewriting Existing Copy
When it comes to rewriting existing copy because a request has been made to rewrite someone else’s work, one is to do so in an editorial fashion avoiding restructuring. If clarity is needed asking for the desired context will ensure that the style, collateral and structure is achieving the desired outcome. Grammar can be revitalized, ensuring that active voice is achieved while avoiding passive voice and proofreading for any errors.
Product descriptions can either make or break the sale, ensuring that there is clarity prevents confusion amongst customers.
My two Therapists, Nova & DaisyMae, who remind me its time to take a break
Conclusion
I have unfortunately dealt with writers block- not knowing where I am going with a project only because I was pushing too hard and ran out of steam. I have taken many ideas from the LinkedIn Learning video (see link below) and started setting my alarm for every 2 hours, whether to stretch my legs, grab another coffee or pet my fur babies who patiently await me.
There is much planning and work that goes into copywriting, from understanding the vision that a company has of their product and how it is to be portrayed through print, online or media. The sale is not the immediate goal of the copywriter, captivating an audience and creating attention is and this is achieved through organization and knowing the product that is to be promoted.
To learn more on the topic of Learning to write marketing copy, view this LinkedIn Learning video!
Reference Section (including the LinkedIn Learning).
Amanda-Lynn McIntyre 