It’s official. I am a true Pinterest fan! I have spent the past three months setting up boards and posting interesting content to my Pinterest profile, sharing them on my networks, and following other Pinners.

So what does Pinterest mean for you and your business? It gives you an opportunity to share relevant information about your business. It allows you a different platform to showcase your products and services. It is a whole new network of individuals communicating in a visual and unique way.

Pinterest has given me an opportunity to broaden my footprint within my social media network. With such growth and success I have created some simple Pinning tips to share with my clients on how to effectively use Pinterest for your business. I know you will find them beneficial. Use them as a guide as you begin pinning.

Following are the five P’s for Pinterest Pins:

1. Post... to your other social media networks.
Post your pins to your other social media networks. Let others know that you have pinboards and offer. This means including your interesting content that you may have on your personal blog.

2. Pin… Often
Post something to one of your boards everyday.  Not only does it ensure you are staying engaged, but you will be surprised what other pinners find interesting, giving you a good feel for what is relevant to others within the online marketplace.

3. Participate… Follow other Pinners
I cannot begin to tell you some of the interesting things others post.  Not only do I follow their boards, but I find myself looking for their recent posts to find out what great new info they have to share.  In turn, they follow me back, giving me an opportunity to share and increase my social media relevancy and acumen.

4. Products… Share your favorite products, apps and more on your boards.
This includes books, services, videos, even tickets to an event.  Whatever you have to offer, share it on one of your boards.  If your focus is events, create an event board and share your upcoming events there with links to purchase tickets.  Just make sure you include a brief description and a link to the site.

5. Publicize… Let people know you have a Pinterest account
Add the icon to your website, your email signature line.  Post it to your Facebook and LinkedIn pages and include it in your email newsletters. A great way to share your Pinterest boards would be to highlight one of them in your monthly or weekly email blasts. Whatever way you choose, make sure you have great images and links for people to click.

So what boards will you create today? Don’t just stick with the ones given to you. Make them relevant to your industry. Use your keywords for your boards, and explore others' profiles, especially those within your fields of interest and expertise. And, above all else, keep it fun, light and engaging.

Happy Pinning!

Find me on Pinterest: pinterest.com/tiamarshae

Find me on Twitter: @TiaMarshae

Find me on Facebook: EGO Trip Media

www.egotripmedia.com

Our Top 5 resources to help you build, manage and grow your business in the New Year.

This past month we took some time to evaluate what online tools we have been using here at EGO Trip Media.  Our goal was to examine what systems we use and how effectively we use them to manage our clients, along with our day to day operations.  Really–  we wanted to see what was working for us and what was just taking up space, and not really benefiting or helping our growth.  We narrowed our list down to 5 major online resources that we just cant live without in 2012. These are systems we use internally and for client projects.

To make things simple we have placed these online resources in 5 categories:

1. Email Management
2. Project Management
3. Financial Management
4. Social Media Management
5. New Social Media Tools

EMAIL MANAGEMENT

Constant Contact
We have tried them all Vertical Response, MailChimp, Aweber and more.  We always come back to our favorite Constant Contact (CC).  There is just something about them that makes it easy to do business.  As a Business Partner of CC we have found that they keep everything very simple, but are always upgrading and developing new features with easy tutorials and webinars made available for your entire team to view and upgrade their skills without a huge learning curve.  Not to mention their customer service is phenomenal.  Their integrated social media features are very easy to manipulate within the program and also easy to network with other social media platforms like Facebook and WordPress.  They have also elevated their services by including event and survey services for organizations looking to have that component all in one. Constant Contact is our first choice when it comes to email campaigns. For those of you still looking for an email management system, we encourage you to take the FREE30 Day trial and see how it works for you.

EVENT MANAGEMENT

Eventbrite
Now there are some higher level event management systems out there like, Cvent and Meetmax.  But for those of us looking for simplicity, and not in need of a high level of customization Eventbrite is our number one pick. They also have the ability to publicize the events to a larger audience outside of your database if your event is open to the public.  You can send custom emails to your event attendess, have the ability to add in discount codes and design custom registration forms. Eventbrite is a simple online solution for business hosting small and mid-size events.  They also offer wonderful integration with all of your social media networks and simple code that can be added into your current websites, so that visitors can complete registration without leaving your website.

Ok… we cheated a little and have two picks for our Project Management and Financial Management categories 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Mavenlink and Harvest
We were a bit torn with this one.  We love Mavenlink they integrate with Google Docs and Calendar system easily, and their the file storage capability is impeccable.  This is great for organizations looking for an easy project management system where you can assign task and communicate.  This also eliminates the issue of searching threw emails and attachments.  We love this system for our client projects.  We also discovered Harvest this year, this program allows us to not only track  projects internally, but we can prepare and send estimates, sort client contact information by project, track time spent on each project and more.  For now we have decide to use both as a way to manage our projects.  Mavenlink will be used to interact with our clients. and we will use Harvest as our internal system to track projects, quotes and a portion of our billing.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Square and PayPal 
We love Square and we love that it integrates with PayPal.  This little gadget is great for small business that have booths at festivals, host special events that require payments on sites and any other small business that has retail at its core, and wants to keep merchant fees at a minimum.

We have tried Freshbooks and Google Checkout (which we may take a look at again in the new year) but we are still PayPal fans tried and true and their introduction of invoice templates has made billing monthly clients very useful and simple.  As most of us know by now PayPal can be integrated with just about any system that is accepting payments. The key to effective use is making sure you integrate your PayPal.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Hootsuite
There are tons of social media management systems popping up everywhere, but we have found Hootsuite to be a reliable and innovative system to use.  Now– we must give our fair disclaimer that we are not a huge fan of their customer service system but… with that caveat we must say that they stay on the cutting edge of what’s new, and how it effectively integrates into all of our social media networks.  It has recently launched improved analytics along with a great blog and tutorials for learning how to use the system effectively. Like most systems you can use the system for Free before upgrading, which we strongly recommend if you are managing multiple social media sites and campaigns.  It’s dashboard allows you to schedule, follow, comment, and manage all of your networks in one place.  This should not replace you visiting the pages themselves but it is a useful resource when you have standard events and announcements that need to be made on a consistent basis.

NEW SOCIAL MEDIA TREND

Google+
We are in the process of finding out all the wonderful things Google+ will have in store for us in 2012.

We are looking at Google+ to determine what it can and will it do for your business growth and marketing…. I think the answer is up to us.  We have already had an opportunity to explore some of the wonderful feature it has to offer now how de we leverage this new free online marketing to something that our clients and customers find interesting and useful.

Last year we had QR Codes and Foursquare this year brought us Google+.

The future when it comes to online resources and social media is always evolving and at the end of the day it is what we make it.

How creative can we be. What innovative ways can you help your business grow using these invaluable tools. 

Please feel free to share with us some of the wonderful online platforms you use for your business growth, and with your clients.

Follow the Social Media Marketing Maven on Twitter: @TiaMarshae

Out with the old in with the new.  2011 is coming to an end in a few months and we are all looking at what we did and did not accomplish in 2012.  It's time to pull out that Marketing Plan that you have been using all year (we hope) and see what you implemented and what you didn’t.  What did your clients respond to and what was their feedback.  Basically it's evaluation time in preparation for a new year. 

Maybe you have already started crafting new ideas for 2012, and have a firm idea of what your marketing (social media marketing is going to look like) but we wanted to offer you a few more suggestions for your consideration.

End of the Year Client Survey

Not sure what your clients responded to? Ask them!  A quick 5 to 10 question survey could lend great insight on how you will engage with them in the new year. Some clients prefer email, others love the insights you share on Facebook, while some live for your Tweets.  Whichever it is take the time to ask them.  This will help you tweak your strategy and strengthen your relationships with your clients moving into the new year.  There are quite a few free and paid resources that you can use to make it easy to get feedback from your clients: Survey Monkey, Constant Contact, Zommerang and more.

The Analytics - Numbers, graphs, and Click-thrus

Look at them. talk about them. understand them.  They can be a bit overwhelming but take a week to download your Google analytics from your website and social media pages.  Have your web professional break them down to you and research how you can take that growth to the next level. These numbers are essential for you to review to see where your growth is coming from, and where your communication is being shared and responded to.

Website Updates... Make Them

You’ve been thinking about it, but trust me it's time to update.  I will be the first to admit that we don’t get to update our website as much as we like here at EGO Trip Media. We spend most of our time updating our clients. But this is no excuse.  The Resolution: Create a website updating schedule.  We have created a schedule to update our site the last week of every month beginning in November.  Think about it.  There's  nothing worse than going to a website and seeing outdated information and events that have past. Many people already have such a thing but don’t always adhere to it.  But not having an updated website lacks credibility and can be harmful to your brand.

Side note: The best thing to do for pages that are still under construction is to hide the page.  Don’t publish it and put under construction.  It is clear you are not ready to share this information with the world so don’t post the page unless you can come up with some very creative copy and insight to share until the real copy is ready.

Scrub Your Email Database

Delete the bounces and unsubscribes from your email database. These people clearly don’t value what you have to say so don’t waster your bandwidth on them.  Create a system and a schedule to add new contacts to the list and update the look of your email communication.  Also be sure to include and update all of you social networking buttons are built into your email campaigns. 

Register Your Business Location

If you have a brick and mortar make sure you have your company listed on  FourSquare, LocationLabs and other related sites that give your business a social media location presence.  These tools help build customer loyalty and give consumers an opportunity to share their experience online with friends, giving your business a larger footprint within the market. 

Stroke Your Businesses EGO

Are you certified in any areas, include this information on your LinkedIN profiles and website.  Let people know where your business strength lies.  Update your recent awards and recognitions that make you standout from others in your industry. 

These are just a few of the tactics we are implementing with our own social media plan and with many of our clients.

As always if you need help let EGO Trip Media help you tweak your social media plan.

WWW.EGOTRIPMEDIA.COM
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @TIAMARSHAE
FACEBOOK:  www.facebook.com/egotripmedia

The beautiful colors of the Fall are slowly fading and being replaced with crisp air, warm fires and the thoughts of giving and sharing with friends, family and clients. With the seasons change comes preparation for the Holiday’s and some innovative ways for you to connect with your clients, colleagues and brand ambassadors via your social networks.

Take a look at some innovative ways to engage your clients through social media networks and begin gearing up for the holiday season in some different and innovative ways.  We here at EGO Trip Media have decided to begin this season of giving by sharing some ideas for your Social Media Holiday Cheer Campaign.

Client Video Holiday Messages

Instead of a card, send a personalized video to your top 10 clients.  A handwritten card in today’s technology age does go a long way, but imagine your client receiving a personal video made by you. It conveys an even more dynamic and intimate message.   This is an investment in some of your time, but it also shows your client that you are invested in them and appreciate their business, and allows you to create a personal connection with them. This is a wonderful idea for those within the non-profit sector wishing to add a social media layer to your top tier donors.  Whether the video is produced and sent via email or you send a special thank you DVD it allows the recipient to know that they are valued.  Be sure to also post an overall video message on your website thanking all of your valued clients for their business and send an email inviting them to view a special holiday message from you and your team.

Facebook Custom Holiday Landing Page

Create a simple but unique Holiday Welcome page.  On it post an  fall and winter specials you may have coming up. Set this page up so when followers visit your page this is the first thing they see when they visit your page. 

Holiday Email Marketing

Sending a generic email from your company saying Seasons Greetings fromThe Best Business in the World is the standard and overused online way to say Thank You to your clients.  Why not create a custom Holiday message for your top 10 clients thanking them for their specific business and share with them a holiday infographic of their business growth between you and your client.

The Ultimate Holiday Gift… A Discount

We use the end of the year as a time to see where our profits and losses are.  Where our successes are, and where we can be more efficient.  Take this time to look at who your clients are, what work you are doing for them and how you can offer them an incentive and thank them for their business.  This can be better than any holiday greeting card.  Start the year off with a 20% discount of a service or product that your client uses on a regular basis.

Host a Holiday Meetup Party

Whether it’s a discussion on Twitter or Facebook or if you want to have a holiday Meetup. Share your expertise and get insight from your network on what they want to see and hear from you in the coming year. Offer some sort of incentive for participating in person.  Do some simple giveaways, product sampling and special member discounts to those who show up for the event. This is a great way to launch a customer loyalty program for 2012 and get real feedback on how people enjoy your products and services. This is a great promotion for service based industries like hair and nail salons, restaurants, theaters, etc…  Promote it using all of your social networks and when the people show up make sure you get tons of pictures and video testimonials to share across your online platforms.

Holiday Linking

Don’t sleep on your connections on LinkedIN. Create a slideshare account and create a fun Holiday PowerPoint for your business. Share it on your personal profile, company page, your groups and with your network.  If you have not talked to your connections in awhile this would be a great time to do so, and to get them engaged with your brand.

Holiday Check In

Last but not least… List your business on Foursquare or Yelp.  Consider offering a gift card or special promotion for the 111th person to check in at your location everyday, or for the best Tips that they offer while visiting. Create a unique offer to those checking in and take pictures of their favorite dessert or outfit. You can get creative as you want with this one, and truly make it a unique experience for customers visiting your establishment. 

We hope these hints have inspired you to get your social media Holiday Cheer campaign going.

If you need assistance please feel free connect with EGO Trip Media to assist you in creating and managing your Holiday social media campaign.

www.egotripmedia.com
www.facebook.com/egotripmedia

Are you planting a garden this spring?  Filling it with all kinds of beautiful flowers, and healthy vegetables that will last you into the fall and winter?  You should be taking the same tender loving care you are using in your outdoor garden, and begin applying some of those principals to your social media garden this spring and summer.  Anyone who gardens will tell you that a well thought out plan and careful tending will yield a healthy and plentiful crop in the fall.

So… Hopefully you spent the 1^st quarter of this year honing your skills on at least 3 social media platforms.  You have created a great environment for your social network to grow and thrive.  You have updated your website, launched your own blog, and created a Facebook page for your business… where you are actively communicating with your followers and sharing information with them on who you are, and what you do.  Now what… How do you take yourself to the next level and ensure growth throughout the summer months?  We know that during the summer people don’t spend as much time in front of their computers and networking online, so how can you still effectively increase your online presence and continue to engage current and new clients.  I have four summertime social media gardening suggestions to keep your social media garden well watered during the long hot days of summer.

Summer Social Soiree
Do something interactive this summer with your fans and followers.  With the weather being fabulous this is a perfect opportunity to do something that takes your networking to another level.  Social media is “social” so host one.  You can do this at a local library, your favorite restaurant, or even outdoors at a park. ATweet Up is a great way to get your followers to meet you and network offline.  It’s a perfect marketing opportunity for people to learn more about your business that can’t be shared in 140 characters.  Host an event and share it across all of your social media platforms. If you do it right they will be talking about it online for weeks, and looking forward to the next one.

Give it to them for FREE
People don’t miss the FREE offer whether you have a book, product, consulting services they are looking.  So give it to them for frer.  Create a once a month summer campaign that allows your network to respond to your offer.

Social Media Harvest
Add another form of social media to your garden.  Take a look at your social media strategy that you created at the beginning of the year.  Then determine what makes sense to add and begin planning for in the fall.  Maybe it will be your first webinar, or building your LinkedIN Group.  Whatever you decide begin planning now, that way as Fall approaches all you have to focus on is the implementation of the plan.

Grow Your Knowledge
Between the beach, the pool, long car rides, air conditioned waiting rooms and those quiet cool mornings before the day begins.  Find something to read that expands your personal and business life.  Who is the industry expert (besides you)? Who motivates you to do more, accomplish more?  Take these quiet moments to learn more about your business and what you want to accomplish, then begin following them within your social media network.  You will be surprised what wonderful insight they will provide to you on a regular bases as you begin to look at your feeds in the fall.  Those small reminders will begin to play a part in the growth of your business.

Take care of your social media garden this summer and it will blossom and thrive and yield amazing things through the course of the year.

TiaMarshae Sanford
Social Media and Marketing Maven
EGO Trip Media
www.egotripmedia.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/egotripmedia
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TiaMarshae
LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/tiamarshaesanford