Five tactics to put oomph into your social media strategy

Large corporations have social media strategies with dedicated executives in place pumping out daily emails, tweets, Facebook status updates and the like in order to keep their company name in front of the public. With smaller businesses, owner/operators busily function in many roles during the day and although they may consider the need for an internet strategy, struggle with how to start and, once begun, how to continue their marketing and social media efforts.

In this digital age, every business should have an online presence. Although many companies say “hey, I have a website”, without a plan of action to increase visibility for that website, the chance of your site being seen by potential clients, let alone anyone on the internet, is like trying to be found in the middle of the desert.

With the approach of a new season at 1:14am EST tomorrow morning, now is a good time to spring into action. Where it is easy to get caught up in the throes of spring fever, delegating your responibilites for the day to enjoy a round of golf, it is also essential and equally easy to ramp up your social media efforts and increase engagement. Taking only a few minutes daily to set up and establish yourself and your business in the social sphere should yield solid returns. The key is to maintain DAILY engagement: no matter how little time you actually spend...like exercise, even a little bit on a frequent schedule yields results. Take "small steps" as mentioned in the movie "Contact".

As a social media and SEO consultant, I receive many phone calls, emails and daily tweets to help companies with their marketing efforts. I would like to share five ideas which will assist even the smallest firm to get more people talk about your brand and to communicate with you on a social level.

1.      If you do not have a blog, create one…now. Add fresh content at least once per week and don’t be afraid to quote sources that you find help relay your ideas. Show that you are an authority and have an opinion. This is the most important part of your strategy to increase engagement. This blog should also tie into your social networks; Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

2.      Speaking of social networks, make sure your company has a presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and even Google Plus. Not everyone wants to engage on Facebook so you have to make sure that, once your blog is posted, it is read on all the social networks.

3.      ENGAGE! Not necessarily like Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise but his term, Engage, means just that; get out onto those social networks and make sure that you communicate with others. Add yourself to Facebook groups that shre your business and even personal passions and share your thoughts about what you know. If you make golf equipment, talk about it and how it relates to the game.

4.      Ask for feedback. Ask QUESTIONS! Although this is all part of engagement, it serves a very different purpose. Asking questions gives people pause for thought and a way to interact with you. People also love to help you with your problems. A back-and-forth discussion of your market, your brand and even just questions that are interesting to the group attracts engagement.

5.     Use photos and videos to engage your audience. Did you ever notice on the bottom of your Facebook mobile app that pictures run long the bottom of the screen? Why? Because the old saying that a picture says a thousand words is true! Pinterest, one of the newest websites, is all about sharing pictures. If you have a golf product to sell and you happen to be on the golf course, show pictures of its usefulness, how it works and how great it looks. People also tend to share good photos and that increases the possibility of your picture or video going viral.

Businesses taking even the smallest steps will benefit from social media interaction and the increased visibility they will receive on the internet. Make sure to link back to your website and have your blog comments turned on for even more interaction within your site.

Voice your opinions on Twitter @Golf4Beginners, friend on Facebook and contact me directly for internet marketing consultation.

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Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

A sponsored post about being Honest with your baby

What do you think of when you hold a baby in your arms?

The first thing that may come to mind is how innocent and dependent little ones are on others to feed and take care of them. I love to look into a baby’s eyes and wonder what he or she is thinking and how I can make a positive impact on the future...both in their lives and for the planet which we share.  

That being said, although I am personally not a mom, I am surrounded by friends and family who have children. Whether I am asked to change diapers or to feed and clothe one of the little ones, I wonder whether or not the products being used are truly safe, non-toxic and eco-friendly which will most surely have an impact on the baby’s long-term future.

Being a golf-fashionista, I also like baby products that I purchase to be both colorful and stylish…even diapers! It is conjectured that newborns can distinguish bright colors and shapes and, by eight months, color vision is mostly developed!

 

The Honest Company has found a solution to all of the above concerns for both mom and baby. Golden-Globe nominated actress Jessica Alba founded the company with her own two children in mind, “I created The Honest Company to help moms and to give all children a better, safer start."

Co-founder of The Honest Company and former CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, Christopher Gavigan, was deeply concerned about the products that actually touched his baby’s skin.  

"Parents get a lot of advice about what to feed their children and how to baby-proof their home," Gavigan says, "but many are still completely unaware of the toxic risks posed by everyday basics, like diapers, home cleaners, body washes, and laundry soaps. There's growing consensus that some chemicals used in these products are linked to chronic diseases like asthma, ADHD, and even cancer."

The result of Gavigan and Alba's concerns is a company whose mission statement is an ideal: savvy style using the highest in health and sustainability standards. For your baby this means a reduction of toxins within the products by sourcing natural, organic, sustainably harvested, renewable, pure raw materials. For the environment, The Honest Company reduces toxics in all products and packaging, is committed to dramatically reducing petroleum-based plastic (virgin) in their packaging and uses 100% renewable and/or recycled materials in all products, packaging, shipping materials, and office materials.


While many companies rely on either one or the other facets, it is refreshing to see that The Honest Company is genuinely seeking a solution to potentially hazardous problems for both baby and the environment while also making the future brighter for the next generation of little ones!

For moms and for women like me who purchase products for babies, The Honest Company is guaranteeing that you won't find hazards like phthalates, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, PVC, parabens, benzene, chlorine, synthetic fragrances, triclosan, formaldehyde-based preserving agents, etc.,  in their products...if you can't pronounce these names, they can't be good to put near your baby's skin, can they?


The Honest Company partnership with non-profit Baby2Baby, supplying families in need with essential baby clothing and gear, is an awesome charity too, don't you think? Giving makes the world go 'round!

Here is Jessica Alba, honestly speaking about why she started the Honest Company:

Check out The Honest Company on Facebook and Twitter.



Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook.

Reputation management needed for Michelle Wie?

 In the span of a few days I received three press releases about LPGA golfers; two spoke about achievements in the sport and one, about Michelle Wie, offered insight into her “favorite things.”

 The achievements of the first two golfers, Lorena Ochoa and Paige MacKenzie, were self-explanatory. Ochoa is being honored with an EWGA Leadership award next month at the organization’s annual Golfpalooza gathering for her philanthropist efforts. MacKenzie is being appointed as sports ambassador for the National Association of Professional Women.

As for the press release regarding Michelle Wie, I concluded it to be a prime example of reputation management. Although Wie has shown herself to be a charitable sort thereby offering up a positive view of herself, some golf fans in a recent article referred to her as an overrated mishandled "has-been" with no clue how to win. (I didn’t say this folks. You can read comments here.)

The comments were in response to Michelle’s angry behavior demonstrated last week at the HSBC Women's Champions tournament in Singapore. Wie tossed her golf club and shouted an expletive (or two) after a mishit drive. Although she apologized after the round, her reaction did not go unnoticed by the media and by fans of the sport. The crowd was spurred on to criticize her most recent act while also reacting to her past seven years of unimpressive results and her flair for the dramatic.

A team from USGA, U.S. Women’s Open and Kohler immediately put together positive press to counter the growing resentment. Whether good or bad, isn't it important for women’s golf to get some publicity?

 Wie and Co. have created a money machine (Nike, Sony, McDonalds and Kia, to name a few of her sponsors) with her agents and parents very much in control of the purse strings.

The LPGA and women’s golf in general sorely need attention, good press rarely gets any visibility nowadays and Wie has always been a figure who is larger than life so why not utilize her to help get more eyes on the sport?

  

So, without further adieu, here are a few of Michelle Wie’s favorite things:

· Her dog, Lola

· Baking vegan cookies and muffins

· Painting and drawing

· Classic golf movies like “Caddyshack” and “Happy Gilmore”, as well as the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series

· Blogging and tweeting

· All kinds of music, from Justin Bieber to Lady Antebellum to The Jakes

And so, now Michelle Wie's positive side has been shown and we're all full of the "warm fuzzies". Which do you prefer to see and comment upon?

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook.

photo credit: outcomemag.com

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous