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What’s In Your Marketing Toolbox?

April 10, 2023

by edmiston Blog Communications Edmiston Group

A great marketing toolbox can make your business stand out from the competition! The key is using tools and materials that uniquely identify both your company’s brand, product or service and differentiates you from every other business providing the same or similar product or service as you do.

But where do you start? The first step is to conduct a thorough inventory of what’s in your current marketing toolbox to see if all the tools you have in place are working efficiently and resonating with your target audience. If you do not have a marketing toolbox, here are a few tools to help you get started:

Branding

Branding usually consists of logos, letterhead, signage and promo materials. These marketing materials need to be accessible both online and in print and connect with your audience. It is important to consistently brand your marketing materials to show the public, clients and even employees a level of stability and a standardization in your company’s representation. The more times people see your brand on promo materials, the more likely they will remember your company … and when it’s time to buy, then your business will be top of mind.

Website Maintenance/Appeal

Website maintenance requires that you keep your website up-to-date, running smoothly and performing optimally. Your website needs to offer prospects the easiest way of learning about your company and your offerings. Routinely check your website for speed, broken links, domain and hosting certificates, as well as your SSL certificate.

You may be asking yourself how? One way is to incorporate an Analytics and performance tool such as Semrush. This tool allows you to identify errors, warnings, and issues with your website, and then provides recommendations to fix them promptly, thereby improving your website’s overall SEO health.

Another valuable tool to add to your marketing toolbox is a metric monitoring tool. This type of tool lets you see where you’re getting traffic on your website, where you’re missing opportunities, and where you can focus your marketing spending to see the biggest ROI.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of optimizing websites so that they rank well on search engines through organic (non-paid) searches. This is one of the most crucial marketing strategies for any business and it entails many pieces, such as:

Keyword research: The process of finding the most relevant words to use on your web pages. Keyword research helps you understand the phrases that are most searched for and relevant to your business. This in turn, helps you create pages that can be optimized for those particular searches.
Metadata: Metadata is the information that you provide to describe what your webpage contains. Metadata gives you control over the text that searchers see when they first encounter your website or a webpage. By making text that clearly answers the searcher’s query, it may lead to more clicks to your website.
Alt text: Alt text, or alternative text, is the small description that you give to the images on your site. It is also important to include alt text so that people who cannot see the images will be able to understand what the images contain.
Links: Including links is an important factor for SEO. When one page links to another it helps Google navigate your site and build a network of connections between pages and their content. This can be either internal or external links.

Including the above four aspects into your SEO activities will help ensure your site is optimized for web searches.

Data Management:

Data Management tools help organize, process, and analyze an organization’s data. These tools are designed to arrange data, and should provide a high degree of efficiency and effectiveness. Data management tools may include online payment portals, auto-schedulers or calendars. They may also include tools that support privacy, security, and the elimination of data redundancy such as a Contact Relationship Management (CRM) System. CRM software can provide several benefits to any business, from organizing contacts to automating key tasks. It can also be a centralized hub that enables consistent communication between you and the customer or within the organization. This is especially important as more organizations shift to remote work.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective forms of digital marketing today. For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $40. Email marketing allows you to develop relations with current customers, reach out to potential customers through digital channels, and build relationships. You can control the customer’s experience without having to worry about competing messages disrupting the email space like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Email marketing allows you to keep your customers informed, and to customize your marketing messages accordingly.

Social Media

One of the best reasons for your small business to be marketing on social media is that your customers are spending time on social media channels. By being active and establishing a presence on social media, consumers may be more receptive to your brand. This allows your company to be more conversational and show a different side of your brand and allows you to make authentic connections rather than just delivering direct marketing messages. Consumers are generally more responsive to social media and this can increase traffic to your website, leading to more sales.

In summary, by taking inventory of what’s in your marketing toolbox, you are well on your way to building a successful foundation for marketing efficiency. When built right, all your marketing tools work together, strengthening your company’s reputation as a leader and reinforcing the brand recognition of your products and services. If you need help building your marketing toolbox, I would love to help. You can call me at (724) 612-0755.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh-based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Refresh Your LinkedIn Profile In 2023

January 5, 2023

by edmiston Blog Communications Edmiston Group

LinkedIn is one of the largest platforms that challenges professionals to build strong networks, hire new employees, find new job opportunities and stay current with industry news and trends. It can also be used to network with peers, prospects and others, to help set yourself apart as a thought leader, and to build strong connections which can take your career and business to the next level. The question is: Is your LinkedIn profile strong enough and up-to-date to handle this challenge?

When done right, your LinkedIn profile tells everyone who you are and represents your personal brand in a way that differentiates you from others. Does your LinkedIn profile reflect where you are on both a personal and business level? If not, it’s time to give it a fresh, new update!

Though the following sections by no means reflect all the opportunities available to you for your profile, these 5 areas reflect the key areas to focus on first when refreshing your profile for 2023.

Profile Picture

LinkedIn is a person-to-person networking platform, so it makes sense that people want to see what you look like. If you haven’t updated your profile picture in a while (or in years!), now is a good time to update your profile picture. Be sure your profile picture conveys professionalism appropriate to your profession, but that still reflects what makes you uniquely you.

Background Image

When designing your background image, use fonts and colors that match your brand guidelines. Remember that a plain background can immediately attract attention simply because it’s not distracting. It’s often best to avoid busy backgrounds unless you are in the business of creating pictures or illustrations that depict your own creative work.

Headline

Your headline needs to say who you are, what you do, and in a language your target audience understands and resonates with. It’s important to spend time on this one-liner! Choose keywords and descriptive words that show your exact skill set, your current or most recent job title and/or how you’re a good match for new opportunities. For extra credence, run your headline by peers, existing clients and others in your audience to ensure it resonates.

Skills

It’s likely that your skills have shifted and that you’ve perhaps expanded some while focusing less on others. Update your skills to accurately reflect where you are now. Be sure to validate that this section also represents those relevant skills that you have acquired throughout your career. Your skills section helps to demonstrate your commitment to growing and evolving as a business owner.

Experience

Link your job to the company you work for. If it’s your own company, and you don’t yet have a business page, consider creating a branded business page to not only link in your experience section, but to also share your company updates, blogs and experiences. Doing so gives credibility to both you as a business owner and to your business. When you share your company updates, your logo will show on your profile and you will show up as the owner or as an employee who works, giving your work experience more credibility. Be sure to also link to past positions with prior organizations.

In summary, you want your LinkedIn profile to be up-to-date, professional and unique to you. By implementing the above tips, you will be able to Refresh Your LinkedIn Profile For 2023 and boost your presence for professional growth!

Repurposing Your Blog Content For Greater Impact

July 5, 2022

by edmiston Blog Edmiston Group

In last month’s newsletter, I wrote about “The Value of Blogging for Your Small Business.” In that blog, I showcased 3 ways blogging can add value to your business. Let’s face it, by publishing more content, you can increase your brand awareness and also your SEO results. This month I would like to take the next step in the blog writing process and explain how to repurpose your blog content.

What Does it Mean to Repurpose a Blog?

Repurposing a blog when you take the content you have assembled into the blog and disassembling it into smaller parts. In this manner, you’re able to elaborate and expand on or to redistribute the content through different social channels.

Why is Repurposing a Blog Important?

Repurposing a blog can help you be more efficient, spend less time and money. It also increases the effectiveness of your content strategy.

Have you ever sat down to write a blog and experienced writer’s block? Instead of spending time coming up with a new content idea each time you write, you can save the time by focusing on the content you already have. Content repurposing lets you freshen up your blogs and present it to your customers in a new way. It is also a way to reinforce your brand and make you stand out as an industry expert.

Three Ways to Repurpose a Blog.

There are many different ways to repurpose a blog. Here are a few suggestions:

Deconstruct your blog. Take individual points from your existing blog and expand those points to create a brand new blog for each one. Once you start writing, you will be amazed at how deep you can expand each point.
Update your blog with new information. Your audience and market is constantly changing. Why not reflect those changes in an updated blog, adingd any new content that is still relative to the piece, and present it in a new format?
Take pieces of your blog and post them on your social channels. If you are using Facebook or LinkedIn, think about using other social media channels like LinkedIn or Twitter. This will help you attract different audiences in different market segments and help promote your brand awareness.

You have worked hard to create your content to reflect the personality of your brand, establish yourself as an industry leader, and create a loyal audience. Why not use this existing content to your advantage by repurposing it, so you obtain the most value from it?

Brand Awareness: How to Know If You’re Being Seen by Your Audience?

May 10, 2022

by edmiston Blog Edmiston Group

How do you know if your brand is actually being seen? Brand awareness represents how well an audience base recognizes a brand or a product. Once a consumer is aware of a brand, they start to recognize it without assistance, set out to make a purchase, begin to prefer it over other similar brands, and establish a loyalty that spurs other purchases and also inspires recommendations to family and friends. This awareness is instrumental in your business success!

So how do you know if your brand is being seen by your audience? There are a variety of ways in which to measure if your brand is being seen. Here are a few:

1. Social Media Metrics

Your social media following gives you a sense of how broad your reach is and how many people are familiar with your brand. Your metrics also keep you aware of your general social profile and brand health. Every social media platform has its own native analytics for you to dive into.

Engagement is a measure of how people are resonating and interacting with your social media content. It is important to know whether people are actively reading your content or rather watching it slip by in their feeds. Keep in mind that without engagement, social media is just media!

Social Media Metrics can tell you whether a product or service is meeting your customer’s requirements or whether it needs to be improved. The story is the numbers, but you have to know how to analyze them. If you’re new to measuring your social media metrics, learn more in this article 11 Top Social Media Metrics to Track in 2022 by Rock Content Writer.

2. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool offered by Google to help you analyze your website traffic. It provides you with important information, numbers, and statistics to maximize your site’s performance and obtain important information about your audience, visitor behavior, what potential customers are looking for and more.

Simply put, Google Analytics puts several lines of tracking code into the code of your website. The code records various activities of your users when they visit your website, along with the attributes (such as age, gender, and interests) of those users. This information can be incorporated into reports within Google Analytics to accomplish things such as evaluating the performance of your marketing campaigns.

You’ll also know which pages are performing the best and whether or not readers are returning, staying on your site or leaving after a quick glance. Want to learn more? Here’s a Getting Started Video by Google.

3. Trade Shows/Conferences

Exhibiting at industry events is a great way to generate brand awareness. Taking a stand at an event gives you a way to interact with industry contacts on a personal level. There are usually advertising and sponsorship opportunities to help build a stronger awareness for your brand and solidify your products or services.

A good example of knowing that your brand is being seen could be how many people approached you and introduced themselves to you at your booth and say, “Hey, I’m so and so and I follow your company on Social Media” or “Hey, I would love to connect for a chat”. This is a great indicator that your brand is being seen. Take these opportunities to highlight your brand further and create even more excitement so that they would purchase your product or service.

Brand awareness is a powerful concept that can have a major impact on your marketing efforts, audience perception, and revenue. If you take the time to use the right tools, you’ll find yourself with a loyal audience that recognizes your brand, chooses your products time and time again, and recommends your business to their friends and family.

4 Business Spring Cleaning Tips for Renewed Success

April 4, 2022

by edmiston Blog Edmiston Group

Spring is filled with ideas of rebirth, renewal, and regrowth. It is the perfect time to review your marketing strategy and business achievements against your goals. It’s also a great time to refresh your branding to ensure your company remains relevant and fresh.

Follow these 4 Spring cleaning tips to grow your business:

1. Refresh Your Website.

Are your website pictures and content showing their age? Incorporate updated images to your site that show visitors who you are, what you do, and what you offer. Updating core pages, rewriting with more colorful descriptions, and fresh images or videos can help make a bigger, more lasting impression with your readers about the products and services you offer and the solutions you provide.

2. Spice Up Your Social Media Posts.

Test your social media to see if it reflects your brand. Does it align with your intended messaging? Does it portray the voice of your products and services? Review your metrics and analytics to see how well social media is working for you. What’s working well? What isn’t receiving the engagement you had hoped for? Then spice your posts up with new images, gifs, videos, stories… use a variety of content that will engage your viewers. You want your posts to grab their attention.

3. Review Your Client Base.

Spring is a great time to touch base with your clients – past, present, and potential. The simple gesture of a phone call or sincere, personal email to check in and say hi can make a world of difference for your business’s success and client retention. This simple action allows your clients to feel comfortable calling you for help, and it is a great motivator for you to ask your clients for referrals, especially if they are impressed with your products and services.

4. Renew Your Business Goals.

Take a look at your original goals and vision to see if your business is still on track to meet them. What did you ultimately want to accomplish? What kind of projects did you want to take on? If you are off track, it’s time to update your goals to reflect your current business operations and pace of growth.

This Spring could be the push that drives your business to success for the remainder of the year. By refreshing your website, spicing up your social media, re-engaging with your customer base, and renewing your goals, you’ll be refreshed, more energized, and ready to take your business to a whole new level.

The Value of Positive Social Media Messaging

May 31, 2021

by edmiston Blog Edmiston Group

Does your social media reflect positive and uplifting messaging? How many times do you get on social media and see positive messaging? Social media has become such an integral part of people’s daily lives. The effects of the pandemic have driven people to social media channels to search of news, see that their friends are up to, and connect with others. The platforms have provided a vehicle for people to say what they want without repercussions and we’ve seen backlash from that as well.

How are you positioning your company’s message? Are you trying to sell something with every post or are you incorporating the 80/20 rule? By engaging, entertaining, or presenting thought provoking messages, it helps to establish you as a credible business.

According to Oberlo, an increasing number of consumers view authenticity as an important factor in determining which brands they like and support. Statistics show that 90 percent of consumers today prioritize authenticity in brands, up from 86 percent in 2017 (Stackla, 2019).

However, there appears to be a gap between the type of content consumers enjoy and what brands publish. Though more than 90 percent of marketers believe that they are creating authentic content that consumers can relate to, 51 percent of all consumers think that fewer than half of all brands are creating truly authentic content.

We recently began working with Swift Audiology. Since I am a customer and wear hearing aids myself, I speak from personal experience. As part of our social media marketing strategy, we are positioning the practice around positivity in the use of hearing aids or hearing protection products.

By incorporating what is gained by using a hearing aid product vs the stigma of wearing a hearing aid – we can show how customers can benefit and experience things that over time they don’t know they’ve been missing. Too many people, including myself, have to reach a tipping point to take the step toward a better quality of life. For me, it was my niece speaking to me from behind and I didn’t answer her because I didn’t hear her. She asked her mom if I was mad at her that I didn’t respond.

So often we drive family away because we don’t want to take steps to hear. Once you experience the ability to improve your hearing, to me, it’s just like putting on a pair of glasses you need to drive your car. The independence and improved quality of life leads to better family interaction and connection.

Here are two examples of positive messaging on their social media page:

HEARING PROTECTION

The Pens are heading to the playoffs and it’s going to be a full house with lots of noise! Michelle is taking glitz and glamor to a new level while protecting her hearing! Did you know that Swift Audiology can provide custom earplugs? Let’s bring home a WIN! Go Pittsburgh Penguins and Swift Audiology! #swiftaudiology #hearingprotection

HEARING DEVICES

There is nothing like mornings on the river! The water is moving, birds are chirping, and wind chimes are playing. This Swift Audiology patient is HEARING it all with the Medical Class Hearing Devices he received at Swift Audiology. Don’t miss out on some of the best things in life! #swiftaudiology #hearingaidsinpittsburgh #HearingAwareness #hearingloss

Positive customer reviews validate third-party validation. How often do you see, “Do you know a good…”? It’s important to thank people for their reviews and address concerns. Remember the better the customer service experience, the more likely people may sing praises.

How is your social media strategy shaping up? Let’s chat… email or call 724-612-0755 to learn more.

Utilizing Editorial Calendars to Help Guide Your Marketing Strategy

January 13, 2020

by edmiston Blog Communications

It’s a new year and often business owners take this time to reflect and set new marketing strategy goals for the upcoming year. An often overlooked tool in business growth is an editorial calendar. Not only can it set the path for blogging, but it can also be the guide for social media as well as other marketing activities.

Editorial calendars mean a couple of things to a business owner. But first, you must identify exactly who your ideal customer is. Why is this important? Because it also determines where to put advertising dollars.

The owner of a construction company I work with asked about advertising in a high-end community magazine. The magazine went into an upscale neighborhood, but this client doesn’t build high-end homes, rather they build manufacturing facilities, strip malls and office complexes. Although someone in the neighborhood might hold a decision making position, we determined it wasn’t the best use of his advertising dollars. However, advertising in a different publication that targets property managers, land developers and commercial real estate professionals was a good fit.

Another client is a B to C. We advertise in a digital publication that also allows us to publish monthly articles along with our advertising. This publication is sent to thousands of potential customers that are his target market. By utilizing an editorial calendar, we know when certain things happen during the year and target ads, as well as articles to that topic.

Monthly magazines and business publications have an editorial focus such as Real Estate, Summer Camps, Women in Business, Weddings, etc. Knowing what is being published helps to plan your advertising budget and/or pitch a story to the editor. It’s important to note that these publications work 4-8 weeks ahead, particularly for feature stores. For example, as of this writing, all ads for February have already been submitted.

There are certain appreciation days and awareness months throughout the year. Understanding when these times occur allows you to plan special events around those times. Did you know that May 4 – May 8, 2020, is Teacher Appreciation Week? If your business served teachers, what could you plan special for them? Perhaps if they come to your business they receive a free gift or a percent off their service. This works particularly well in the B to C market.

There are National Fun Days throughout the month. Having a calendar with those days noted will enable you to plan and preschedule some of your social media posts.

What if you are a B to B business? You still can partner with a cause. The Southwestern Pennsylvania United Way sponsors a Day of Caring on September 13, 2020. Can your businesses partner with that cause? Perhaps you can participate in a build with Habitat for Humanity. Consider a care box drive for the troops. There are over 4,000 nonprofit organizations in Pittsburgh. Be a business that gives back.

What does this all boil down to? PLANNING. If you’d like a copy of our 2020 planning calendar email Autumn Edmiston or call 724-612-0755. Don’t know where to start? The Edmiston Group can customize a yearly calendar specific to your business.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

THE MASTER PLAN

November 23, 2018

by edmiston Blog Communications

2018 is coming to a close. As a business owner or someone who works for a company, do you take the time and reflect back on the year to see if you hit the mark or where you fell short? If you don’t measure, you’re missing opportunities to either do more of what’s working or shift from actions that aren’t working. The one thing for certain is there will always be change.

Often, I’ll talk with business owners and ask how did that client come to you? They typically can tell me where the last client came from, but when we dive deeper into how many new leads have you had in the past 3 months and from those, what turned into business, they haven’t written the information down in some format – either a CRM, Excel sheet or whatever system works for them.

We are coming into the last month of the year. For many, that means a plethora of holiday parties and vacation days. Is your company preparing for a customer appreciation event? Add the stress of preparing for the holidays and often you will hear, “Let’s touch base after the first of the year”. So, how are you using some of the downtime toward the end of the year? Perhaps that is the time to lay out 2019’s plan of action.

Here are some things to consider:

Have you established strong referral partnerships? The Edmiston Group works closely with McKibbin Consulting. We look for opportunities for each other and as a result of this partnership, many of our clients are in the commercial construction field. We’ve made introductions for them and manage their marketing efforts. Some people have strong ties to BNI or are involved in other category specific networking groups. The point is, find what works for you to grow your business and nurture those relationships. Be certain that the giving of referrals and looking for business for each other is a two-way street.

Do you speak? There are often missed speaking opportunities for breakout sessions at trade show events, but you must plan ahead and submit the required outline that will position you as an expert. Are you trying to hit a niche market? Does that market have a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) requirement for licensing? Can you create a program to meet those requirements? Think about it, if you’re marketing to accountants, nursing, social workers or attorneys that have CEU requirements – you become a subject matter expert in front of a room full of potential customers. This takes some effort on your part, but it certainly is targeted advertising.

Email marketing is a great way to stay top of mind when the need arises. A client of ours, Wright Business Systems recently talked about branded apparel and corporate gift giving for the holiday season. They have over 400 people on their email list. We can see who opened the email and which contacts clicked on the links within the newsletter. They are now warm leads for the team to follow-up with. Undeliverable emails represent opportunities to touch base with companies to determine who the new purchasing agent is and set an appointment.

Social Media helps level the playing field for small business owners. In working with many smaller businesses, they don’t have the big bucks to compete with the large box stores, but through engagement with social media, they have grown their followers. Sometimes business owners we speak with say I don’t have the time or know what to post. At the beginning of the year, the Edmiston Group offers a free social media calendar to download. Look for that in our January issue. However, in 2018, we’ve developed some customized calendars for specific businesses. Branded sales and/or holiday wishes touch their social media audience. Business owners are given a plan and taught how to preschedule postings. For those that are too busy, they outsource this service to us or someone else, but there is a plan to follow.

Sample Customized Social Media Images

If you haven’t picked up on the theme of this by now, it’s having a plan and setting aside time to think about goals for next year. Write down monthly activities and execute the plan for 2019. This makes it easier for you and your staff to look ahead to first quarter and see things such as we’re attending a trade show, something for Valentine’s Day or a St. Patrick’s social media post that should happen.

The Edmiston Group helps you create a yearly marketing plan, customized social media calendars, and branded social media images specifically for your business. Customized programs can be designed to fit your budget. Take some time as the year comes to a close, reflect on your successes and plan for 2019. Want some help in putting together your 2019 plan? Download a sample of a Custom Marketing Calendar or give us a call at 724-612-0755 or email [email protected] for more information. Make 2019 your best year yet!

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Social-Media-from-Off-Hours-Activities-and-Your-Online-Reputation

Off Hours and Online Reputation

March 2, 2018

by edmiston Blog Communications

I’m a big proponent of Social Media. After all, that’s part of my business offerings. However, there’s a fine line between what I share personally, socially and from a business sense. Did you ever follow people on social media that had to share absolutely everything? I’m all for sharing, but sometimes sharing too much can be a detriment. Airing dirty laundry on social media for all to see is not the way to handle a situation.

You may think…well that’s what social media is all about – being social. As a business owner when a company contacts me, one of the first things I do is check out their web presence I look at their website and any social media channels the company may have. If they haven’t posted anything on their Facebook page for 8 months, and I can’t find a solid LinkedIn profile – they may be a good target for me.

But Social Media is also plays a role in finding the right employee. These two situations are true stories. One business was looking for multiple employees in the service industry and the other business was looking for someone in the professional field.

Let’s start with the service industry. The business owner posted an opening on the website and various social media channels. She had an individual reach out to her for a potential job. Upon a search in social media, the business owner found the applicant and reviewed her online profile and postings. Not everyone has their settings set that only allow their friends to see what they post. What happens if that friend shares something in their feed about you – or you’re tagged in someone else’s photo? What the owner found was that a potential candidate’s posts were filled with cuss words and inappropriate images. That candidate never made it to the interview phase due to everything she shared online.
The second candidate interviewed for a professional position with a prestigious company. The candidate had gone through multiple interviews and felt he would be selected for the position. He thought he had nailed his next job opportunity. However, another individual was selected. The candidate reached back to the person who interviewed him and asked if he could buy him a cup of coffee. Since the candidate was relatively young in his career, he wanted to know where he missed the mark on securing the position. The interviewer met with the young candidate and told him that he actually was the top candidate, however when they checked his social media presence he was always partying, had a drink in his hand and was living the life. That wasn’t the type of individual the company was looking for. The interviewer said to the candidate, that he should clean up his online image. It’s one thing to party, but another to always have photos out there validating what you’re doing on your own time. The majority of his images were that of his activities in party mode.

So…is there a balance? I believe so. For companies – social media is about engagement, sharing ideas, stories and educating their consumers on the latest trends and product developments. For individuals, show diversity – family, friends and thoughts. What you say and how you act online may pop up when you least expect it and could cost you that coveted job! Companies will check your online personality before hiring you so do yourself proud in what you post!

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Blogging Tips

February 6, 2018

by edmiston Blog Communications

Part of marketing success comes from the ability to stay abreast of upcoming trends while using the latest platform to stay in touch with your customers. For many small businesses, you know all too well that your time is limited, as is your budget.

Blogging and giving your social media marketing a personal touch are a great place to start. By keeping your social media up to date with fun posts, while still being informative, can keep your followers engaged.

Company blogs have become an ever increasing trend throughout the business market. While keeping a blog can seem like an overwhelming process, it will help to generate revenue as your audience begins to view you as an expert in the field.

While blogging is time consuming, it is a method to drive traffic to your website and social media page. Research shows that over 50% of companies that blog have gained customers due to the blogging. Many businesses feel that their blog is crucial to the success of the company. Blogging can help to boost search engine rankings, keep your company in the public’s eye and be an industry leader sharing important information.

Target your market with your best content and don’t be afraid to bring in guests for interviews and/or a guest blog. It will add variety to your content and expand external links when posting on your website. Write in-depth, tantalizing tutorials to give away your most valuable ideas — because that’s how you gain leads and win clients.

Social media has become a very popular platform for advertising and reaching your consumers. You cannot afford to become complacent in your efforts on social media. An easy place to start is with Facebook. They offer advertising that can target a specified demographic. This can help you to target your advertising to a specific audience, age range or area where you are most likely to see results. Facebook is always changing their algorithms, so it’s important to create engagement and not just a push of information on your channel.

Depending on the type of business you have, Pinterest and Instagram work well for image heavy products or services. Twitter will work for many different types of businesses and LinkedIn is more focused on business-to-business. Each channel you work with will require you to build your followers. If you’re just starting out, pick one or two channels to start and stay active.

Create a blog and social media schedule and follow the plan. Be different, be opinionated, but most importantly be yourself.

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