Useful Tools and Apps For Social Media

Managing several social media accounts is a difficult task for anyone, let alone a small business that has many other tasks to tend to. Your best option is to outsource your social media strategy with a competent media agency like inMark Media.

Of course, if you are a person who’d rather do it themselves, then we can still help you out! Here is a list of some great tools to help stay on top of your social media strategy and make your life a bit easier! 

• Fontjoy.com

Having trouble figuring out a font that stands out and tells your story the way you want it to? Choosing the right font is critical to how your pages are portrayed. And sometimes, you may need more than one font in a post.

Fontjoy makes it simple to generate font pairings for you if you are not too familiar with font styles, and how they mix and match. With font pairing made simple, all you need to is go to the website and slide the bar left to right (left for more contrast, right for more similar), and hit generate for Fontjoy to work its magic.

• Grammarly

How many times have you posted something, to later find out you made a grammatical error! A grammatical error, big or small, discredits your page, making it look less professional and/or careless. Well lucky for you, as well as many other professionals, Grammarly, mixes effortlessly with your web browser as a free plugin.

Grammarly constantly scans through your writing for any errors, change of words, or phrases it can find. With color-coded corrections, you will always know what exactly it is referring to. You can also download the app on IOS and Android to write and save your work. As a writer, this app is my best friend, and should be yours too!

• Adobe Scan

With the use of optical character recognition (OCR), Adobe Scan allows you to copy and paste the text you scan through your phone’s camera. Scanning images and text into a PDF becomes a trouble of the past with this app.

For example, there is an image with some text you may want to share throughout your many social media platforms. Instead of going through the trouble to type it each time you need to use it, scan the image, and easily copy and paste the text into those posts and posts to come.

This all-in-one app is a free way to convert print content into digital, all with a snap of a picture!

• Magisto

Creating entertaining video content can be time-consuming and difficult to wrap your head around. Magisto makes curating video content a quick 3-step process.

1. Select your images or videos
2. Select an editing style to fit your story
3. Select music

By uploading your content, music, and choosing your editing style, you’ll have a magical video created just for you within minutes.

The Magisto app is free to use, but with some services offered at different tier services on an annual basis, the premium is $2.49/month, the professional is $9.99/month, and business is $39.99/month. Find out what suits your needs and choose wisely!

• HootSuite

Handling many social media accounts is tedious when trying to keep up with a schedule of posts. Let’s face it unless you have the time to switch through profiles and upload a post or tweet on every platform, it is extremely difficult to manage everything at the same time. This is where the social media management tool comes into play.

With an easy to use interface, you can add accounts from different platforms and schedule content for each! Users can implement and analyze marketing campaigns throughout all social media platforms. The free version is alright, but with many advanced features idle until you upgrade your account, it is worth paying for if you are a business looking for better analytic tools.

Review these apps and tools and benefit yourself and your business. Using these tools will help you utilize your time in a better fashion for other tasks to get done. You’re a busy person, learn how to budget your time, and if these tools still don’t help, contact your local agency company!

source https://inmarkmg.com/social-media/useful-tools-and-apps-for-social-media/

Do What Makes You Happy

You’ve probably heard the saying “Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life” countless of times. It is the golden rule of happiness right? Why would you do anything that doesn’t make you happy.

At the end of the day, YOU have the power to change YOUR life. Your life is in your control, and if you are not content with where you are, then you have to do whatever it takes to get your life right. It is all in the mindset.

Seize The Day

The first step to changing your life is doing what is in your power. Each day, make it yours. Whether it is reading some of your favorite books, writing down your goals, or even taking a nice stroll through the park. Do something you love, even if it isn’t your job.

Make A Plan

If you are unhappy with your current life, make a plan to change it! Change doesn’t come easy, and won’t come quick. Make a plan that you can follow, and work towards everyday that you wake up. If you work towards it, change will come, and having a goal written down, step by step, makes it that much more achievable. There is something about having it written on paper, and not in your head that places your focuses on reaching your goal.

Instant Gratification Is A No-No

The problem with people nowadays is that we get everything at the tip of our fingers. Want that new book? Get it sent to your house. Want the answer to a question? Google it.

The thing is, life doesn’t work like that. We are programed to get everything NOW. Change doesn’t come like that, constantly looking for instant gratification leads to an unhappy life, and quitting. If you want to lose weight and that makes you happy, going to the gym for a week just won’t cut it. Constantly working towards your goals, trusting the process is what works.

Find Yourself

The hardest part about living a “boring” life, is not knowing what you want out of it. Finding your so called “calling” can be easy for some, but a life long adventure for others.

source https://inmarkmg.com/culture/do-what-makes-you-happy/

How To Balance Your Life

As we create several goals for ourselves, it can be difficult to work on completing them in addition to daily tasks that need to be completed. Goals are important to reach because they give us a needed sense of fulfillment, but at the same time, we need to be able to carry out daily tasks that others depend on. Basically, we also need to live normal lives. The answer to completing goals and also leading a normal, healthy life is to simply balance your life in all aspects, whether professional or personal. But balance is often easier said than done. It is because balancing can often be difficult for many that we decided to break down ways to be in control over your life and your achievements.

Separation

You’ve heard of the phrase, “work hard, play hard”, and it couldn’t be more applicable for balancing. While yes, you should consider work ethic when rewarding yourself, you should also consider the idea of separating more than anything. In an age where everything, including work or school, can be done online, it’s very easy to take a seat on your couch and complete all of your tasks there.

However, the negative thing about this is that you make it difficult for yourself to back away when work is always in reach. Additionally, without a clear separation between work and personal life, you also risk confusing those in your personal life as to when you are available to them and when you need to work.

If you have no other choice than to work from home, there are several ways to create work distinctive zones. One way is to create a space in your home that is the only place where you do work and also a space that serves solely to complete work. Another way is to go to a coffee shop or library if your work does not require speaking over the phone or verbally collaborating with others.

Working in a traditional office is a bit different. Make sure you take the time to do things that make your transition from work to personal life, or personal life to work easier. Creating a playlist or listening to an audiobook on your commute home is a great way to do this.

Priorities

In order to balance your work and personal life, you need to be able to prioritize what is most important to you in that moment. By taking the time to create lists of your priorities (which can change day-by-day) and to rank those priorities, you can appropriately budget your time and get a clearer vision of how much you need to complete in order to cross a priority off the list.

Additionally, when you plan your priorities, you are less likely to feel conflicted as to what’s important to you when faced with an urgent circumstance. After you have created a list of priorities, it’s time to create another list. This list is more so a log of all of the tasks you complete on a day-to-day basis.

Once you have created these two lists, you can start to insert your priorities and goals into your everyday activities. The idea is that the more you plan, the better your chances are at meeting your priorities and working on your goals.

Learn to say no

You are not being rude by saying no to others. When approached with attentiveness and tact, saying no can actually be quite freeing. The reality is, in order for you to balance things in your life, you need to be able to pick and choose. Just because someone has an opportunity or a project for you, it does not mean you have to take it.

It’s okay to be more selective on what you wish to take on. If you take on too many things, it will likely decrease the amount of time and effort you can put into each of your projects. If your name is attached to it, you want to make sure you are proud of what your produce.

It can be daunting to say no, especially with people you have a good relationship with. When you say no, be sure to acknowledge that the person is entrusting you with something and express your gratitude in their trust, explain why you can’t complete their request, and then follow up with an alternative solution for them.

By practicing these ideas, you’ll be on the path to balancing your professional and personal life, and also feel satisfied with how you are doing in both.

source https://inmarkmg.com/culture/how-to-balance-your-life/

5 Reasons Why You Haven’t Invested in SA

If you still haven’t hopped on the inMark bandwagon, then it might be time. There are many reasons why a business owner like you has yet to set sail on advertising in a supermarket.

Here are 5 of our guesses as to why you are taking so long.

1: You “Don’t have a budget for advertising”

For any business to not have a budget for advertising is out of the ordinary. Unless your business relies solely on word of mouth, you have to get your brand out to the public somehow. Why wouldn’t you choose the best option to advertise in? With supermarket advertising what you are paying for is the value we bring to the table.

How many other forms of advertising can guarantee that your ad will TOUCH the hands of your audience? Maybe a newspaper, but people nowadays stay away from newspapers. Your best bet is long term branding with supermarket advertising that gives you the best value for your dollar for 6 months to a year!

2: You are simply not interested

You may be against new forms of advertising, or heard of other forms of supermarket advertising that don’t produce as well as ours. But our Brand Bar is extremely effective and different from anything you’ve ever tried. Affording your business, exclusivity, repetition, and a precise target audience, there is no way you can go wrong with inMark.

3: You want to know how much it is

The price is what makes us so unique. With many packages and options to choose from, we always look to get the best value for each of our clients. We want our product to fit comfortably within your budget.

You probably already spend most of your advertising budget on different publications and ads that don’t do much for your business. Spending tons of money for ONE ad or for ads once a week for a month. That doesn’t do much for a business looking to make a name. Again, the brand bar comes with VALUE.

4: You have been in business for many years

You’ve been around for many years and people know who and what your business is, why would you need to invest in more advertising? Well that’s easy. Would you allow another business like yours take your clients? It may not happen right away, but effective advertising will keep it from happening. Don’t get complacent, evolve with the times and stay at the top!

5: You need more convincing

If this is why you have yet to jump on the bandwagon. Then reread this blog post or look on our website, or contact us at inMarkmg.com/contact and we can speak one on one!

source https://inmarkmg.com/supermarkets/5-reasons-why-you-havent-invested-in-sa/

Choosing The Right Social Media Platform

For many people nowadays, waking up in the morning involves brushing your teeth, making your bed, and checking what your feeds are looking like. Social Media has become the norm, millennials grew up with it, and the older generation is adapting to it. So, of course, the amount of people that use it combined with the ability to connect people to original content makes it invaluable to businesses. 

Despite their high value, the use of the most popular platforms are free! If harnessed strategically, businesses can gain major brand exposure, increase client base, and expand upon customer service.

With many platforms to choose from, how does a business owner like you choose the right one? Which platform will coincide with your mission the best?

Ultimately, in order to pick the best platform for your business, you need to understand your target market. Who are you trying to sell your product or services to? Each platform has a specific age group that follows it the most.  Understanding your target market will expedite the social media strategy process.

Facebook:

If your target market is between the ages of 18-24, you may want to consider a different platform. The truth is, Facebook has shifted to an older crowd, specifically, ages 25-54. It is often used for networking and keeping in touch with long-distance friends or family. Because of how viral Facebook became, older crowds began to utilize it. Soon, millennials demanded a platform that was strictly visual and quick to look through as Facebook had expanded its activities and functions. So once these ‘strictly visual’ platforms emerged, the younger demographic shifted to using those and used Facebook less frequently. However, that is not to say that the platform is not used for exposure. In fact, 44% of the 25-54 year old demographic will check their Facebook more than once a day.

Instagram:

Instagram is the best platform to use if you want to reach a target market of ages 35 and under. It is mainly used for visual storytelling and short video creation, as well as sharing with a network of followers. However, considering that the platform currently has 600 million users, having a strong understanding of what makes good visual content is important. In other words, if your business doesn’t have the appeal that can be portrayed visually, Instagram may not be your best choice.

Pinterest:

Female-focused companies will do very well on Pinterest. With a staggering 42% of online women being Pinterest users, a wide demographic of women can be reached through this platform. If your company specializes in events, good, home decor, beauty, or anything that can depict beautiful images, you should highly consider creating an account. What is great about Pinterest is that clients can easily purchase products through a purchase button.

Twitter:

Twitter is arguably the most useful of the bunch. Combining the use of a 280-word count post, with images, videos, polls, and almost anything you’d want to put up, you can. This is how a lot of people get their news in today’s day and age, for better or for worse. Another important tool of Twitter is the use of a retweet.

Allowing users to share content instantly by another user, a tweet or page can go viral within a matter of seconds. This is crucial for a business aiming to grow its branding. The right post can do just that. A Twitter-savvy business can do a lot with the features and grow its business exponentially.

When used for the correct target market, each of these platforms can provide large benefits for your business! If you still have questions as to which platform is best for you, or have a comment, drop it below! For inquiries contact inMark Media and we can help you out!

 

source https://inmarkmg.com/social-media/choosing-the-right-social-media-platform/

F’ed Up, Fired Up!

When setting goals for yourself, you need some accountability for your progress. Having an accountability partner to check in with weekly can help you stay on track.

Working with someone to complete your goals will make you feel inclined to do them. A quick way to check in with your partner is “F’ed up, fired up”.

F’ed Up

When speaking about your goals, acknowledge your failures! Don’t hide from them. It would be great to reach every single goal you set, but it’s not always about hitting each and every one of them. A step forward is good enough.

Point out where you f’ed up and recourse your week to fulfill it the next week. This will put you on the right track to complete those goals you are constantly putting aside.

Fired Up

The same way you acknowledge your failures, you should praise your success. After you’ve gone over what you f’ed up, talk about what you are fired up about! Which goal did you hit, and how did it make you feel.

Give credit where credit is due.

This quick 2 step “fact” check will only help if you are honest with yourself. This won’t actually do anything towards completing your goals, if you truly don’t work towards them. It is easy to talk about your goals, it is more fulfilling actually getting them done.

If you are having trouble accumulating a list of attainable goals, remember to plan them the SMART way.

Specific

Measurable

Agreed Upon

Realistic

Time-based

So, the next time you make a list of goals, find your accountability parter, plan them SMARTly, and get fired up about completing them!

 

source https://inmarkmg.com/culture/fed-up-fired-up/

How To Write Successful SEO Writing

Just as inMark is a business, so are search engines. That means they want to make money.  But, that won’t happen by promoting unprofessional sites to the top of consumer searches. Search engine web crawlers track what users want to read. That means conversational, clear and concise articles will ultimately win the race. Content that is difficult to understand will create nothing but failed views.

Here are some tips to get your content to the top of the search engine!

1. Focus on the “goings-on” of your article- One of the most important components of your SEO article is your material. Whether you’re trying to get to the top of the search or not, content should be your number one

• Repeat: Keywords should be repeated 4-8 times, but don’t over-stuff your story with them. Some web crawlers will mark you negatively for overusing keywords.
• Introduce: Introductions and conclusions are essential to the success of your SEO article. Introductions should include a brief summary to the story and conclusions should repeat the key aspects of your article.
• Check: Misspellings and bad sentences will severely decrease your views. Web crawlers can’t read poorly worded sentences and grammatical errors. Even if they could, they wouldn’t promote poorly written content to the top of searches.
• Graphics: Photos, sidebars, graphs and charts are all added bonuses that will increase the views on your page.

2. Use authoritative sites- cautiously but consistently.

• Hyperlinking: Hyperlinks are your friends, especially if you are linking to highly respected and valued sites and articles. Authoritative outside sources are imperative to getting your article to the top of a search.
• Three: Link to at least three relevant pages in each of your stories.

3. Format your content- The longer people stay on your page, the more likely they are to search around. Lists keep people focused on the keys of your article. They’re easier to understand and cause less stress for the reader.

• Subheadings: With SEO writing, lists are your best friend. Lists should include subheadings and bolded headings. They tell the reader what each section is going to explain.
• Bold: Make the subheadings stand out. It’s easier on the reader to figure out what sections to read.
• Numbers: Lists with numbers get clicks. When using numbered lists, use odd numbers. Odd numbered lists get more views.

4. Headlines that get to the point- A failed headline is a failed article. If it doesn’t get to the point, no one will click on it. Make it clear and keep it simple.

• Character rule: Headlines are the most important words in your article. But, that doesn’t mean there should be a lot of words. Keep headlines under 65 characters, because search engine web crawlers won’t index anything more.
• Active: Stay in the active voice and use concrete keywords that people would actually search. Think about how you would use search engines. Most people use fragments to enter a search. That’s why keywords are so important.
• Front Load: Most relevant words should always come first.
• Clear: Cleverness doesn’t win here. Clarity and accuracy are the most important components of a successful SEO headline.

SEO content is important to the online success of businesses big and small. However, many fall short when they attempt it. Keep your headlines clear and concise, format your article into lists, employ subheadings (especially bolded ones) and link to authoritative sites. Follow these key tips and your business may be a successful SEO-content business.

If you are still having trouble with your SEO marketing then contact us at inMark Media, we will help!

source https://inmarkmg.com/social-media/how-to-write-successful-seo-writing/

Benefits of Supermarket Advertising

As a business owner you may be thinking of new ways to advertise and brand yourself. Depending on who your target audience is, your form of advertising should reflect your audience. If you are looking more for a large reach, maybe TV ads or broadcasting will do. But, how many people actually pay attention to those nowadays.

What if you are looking to reach your local market? I would say a newspaper ad of some sort will do you justice, but then again, who actually reads those anyways. On top of people not reading it, you are paying tons of money for your ad to get cycled once a week for a month.

Enter inMark’s supermarket advertising!

Here are a few benefits of investing in supermarket advertising.

Precise Targeting:

Sometimes with ads you don’t really know who you are advertising to. You may have a great ad, but you are reaching the wrong people. What is an ad without the right audience anyways. For a business working locally, your audience is local persona. There is no better way to reach them, than their local supermarket!

Exclusivity:

Unlike other forms of advertising in which you will be competing for ad space with other businesses of all kinds, some different, some the same as yours. Supermarket advertising with inMark is exclusive to your local audience and with limited space, your business will be the only one of your kind.

Repetition:

Now you are the exclusive business in your local supermarket, so what? Well let me explain. The average grocery shopper goes to their local market 2 to 3 times a week. That is 8 to 12 times a month! Depending on how long your ad is up, the consumer will be seeing your add multiple times over the course of 6 months to a year!

Branding:

Everything you do is done with the thought of your branding in mind. That is why consumers repeatedly looking at your ad will significantly raise the chance of them calling you in their time of need. You will be a familiar face in their consciousness.

They may not need your service or product the first time they see your ad, but they will constantly see your ad. Next time they do need your service or product, you will be on their mind.

Contact us at inMark Media and we can set up a quick phone call or appointment to get you started!

 

source https://inmarkmg.com/supermarkets/benefits-of-supermarket-advertising/

What Good Branding On Social Media Looks Like

Social Media is a powerful tool for businesses because it allows businesses to reach current and prospective clients directly. Businesses can also receive invaluable feedback that can help improve the way that they communicate with their audience. Not only can it use used to benefit businesses, but it can also hurt your business if you are not on social.

One of the biggest issues that businesses have is not setting up social accounts, but knowing what to do with them to get people engaged. If you feel like your business’ brand is not being represented the way you want it to on social, follow these strategies to get the results you want.

Picking The Right Platform

When you understand who your audience is, you can understand which platform is the best for you. For example, a law firm should not be investing time with Pinterest since that platform benefits businesses that are female-focused and offer products rather than services. By researching successful profiles on each platform, you will be able to see what works well for certain companies. Then, you can use their strategies and apply them to your business. Additionally, you want to start off by focusing on one account. That way, you can post frequently from one account and generate maximum content. Don’t have the time to research? inMark comes in clutch. We can help evaluate which platform would be best for your business!

Be Selective

As you develop your brand on social media, you will realize just how much content you will be competing with. For example, Instagram users will spend less than 10 seconds on a profile before they scroll to the next profile on their feed. Because of this, you need to make sure that every post you make is not only in line with the brand you want your business to exude, but also aesthetically appealing to your audience. When you produce consistent and appealing content, users are more likely to follow you and keep up with your organization when they see you on their feed. Every post counts!

Consistency is Key

It’s not enough to have interesting and relevant content. If you don’t post consistently and at the appropriate times, followers will forget about your organization. Branding relies heavily on repetition so you can get the recognition you seek. The best way to ensure you are posting enough is by making a content calendar. Schedule how many posts you make, when you make them, and what you’re going to post. By creating a content calendar, you create an goal to hit within your Social Media plan. Just like you have sales goals or records you want to hit, the same goes for Social Media.

Engage, Engage, Engage

Once you have gotten into the habit of being selective about what you post, how frequent you post, and being consistent, you reach another tier you have to tackle in order to uphold the branding you have created. It is extremely important to engage with your audience, as it make your followers feel like you truly care about about them. Engaging is as easy as liking their comments, following them, reposting something they shared, or even Direct Messaging them. If you have a particularly strong following, reward your users by letting them contribute User-Generated Content (UGC).

Pay Attention to the Competition

Ignore everything you’ve heard about ignoring the competition. When it comes to social media, you need to know who your biggest competitors are and what they’re posting. Understand the type of content they post, what gets the most likes, and how they are engaging with their audience. Being aware of who could potentially be taking your prospective clients can help you decide what to post and when. The ‘social’ in social media applies to all of its users… even the ones you don’t want to interact with.

By following these steps, you can get your brand displayed on social media on your terms. Contact us at inMark Media to handle your social media strategy.

source https://inmarkmg.com/social-media/what-good-branding-on-social-media-looks-like/

Greater Hudson Bank features inMark Media

Tune In Thursdays For Our Story Takeover!

Thursdays are one of the best days of the week. It is the Friday Jr. of the week. And if you are like us here at inMark, we love looking forward to our weekends.

Except the best part about Thursdays for us is our Instagram story takeover! 

Tell me already, what is the story takeover?!

If you have an Instagram account already, then you know what a story is. Our social media team is always posting useful tips and content on our story.

Our story takeover is just that, one of our employees each week, takes control of our instagram account and gives you an inside look at inMark through their eyes. Each job position gets their own day. Our accountants, creative department, business developers, sales reps and managers, all get a chance to show off their day.

So check in every Thursday and get familiar with our team! Go ahead and follow us now, we’re excited to bring you a few laughs before the weekend!

source https://inmarkmg.com/culture/tune-in-thursdays-for-our-story-takeover/

Brand Bar: Guaranteed to Touch Hands

The Brand Bar is InMark Media’s newly designed and innovative grocery store divider. Its guaranteed to touch the hands of your audience.  Want to target locally? There’s no better place to advertise than in your local supermarket.

You can’t ignore it!

If a customer is buying something, they’ll have to check out. While they’re waiting on the (usually long) check-out line, our brand bars will serve as advertisement for our clients. InMark’s Brand Bars put a spin on the original dividers that separate one costumer’s groceries from another’s.

Repetition

On an average day, 32 million Americans go to supermarkets nationwide. During an average week, Americans shop at their local supermarkets 2-3 times per week. The constant traffic in most supermarkets nationwide allows for constant advertisement engagement.

Exclusive

Our supermarket advertising is exclusive. Whichever local supermarket your company’s advertisement is in, your competition’s will not be! Unlike other forms of media advertising, we care about our customers and care about their successes.

Specs.

Dividers are one of the most utilized tools in supermarkets. Unlike other dividers, our Brand Bars feature a billboard-like double-sided advertisement that is three inches in height. It is attached to the typical divider and draws extra attention to advertisements.

Build your brand and your business with the Brand Bar. This nifty product is exactly what you are looking for. Contact us to get started now!

source https://inmarkmg.com/supermarkets/brand-bar-guaranteed-to-touch-hands/

7 Tips to Get Your Tweets Noticed

Twitter is a viable option when looking into social media. It is where your tweets can be the trending topic of thousands of people in an instant. Now, that can be because of a good or bad tweet, but all publicity is good publicity. Question is, how do you get noticed on twitter? Below are seven tips to get your tweets noticed!

1. Personalize your retweets

Adding retweets to your twitter arsenal is one of the easiest ways to stay on your followers’ timelines. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be looking at you. They may just be looking at the person you retweeted. Instead of retweeting, quote tweet relevant tweets and add a personal touch. This will increase engagement with your page.

2. Trending topics

When something is trending, especially in your area, that means a lot of people care about the topic enough to be tweeting consistently about it. Those who aren’t tweeting may also click on the trending topics to see what the conversation is all about. So, if you see a trending topic that you can relate to the brand and goals of your company, tweet about it! You’ll most likely increase your page’s exposure.

3. Visuals

Most people are using twitter on their mobile devices. That means a tweet filled with 140 characters may not be as visually attractive as a tweet with visuals or links. People want to interact. You just have to give them the tools to do so.

4. Replies

Engagement with your audience is a two-way street. You can’t expect your followers to reach out to you if you aren’t giving them the time of day yourself. Even if they never mentioned your twitter handle, reply to relevant tweets with a clever, useful, even witty response that will leave them yearning for more.

5. Questions

The easiest way to get responses is to ask questions. But, don’t make them nonsense questions that your target audience wouldn’t answer. Make them insightful and meaningful. Not “What’s your favorite color?” but “What is your biggest struggle for marketing your small business?” Real questions that give you real answers.

6. Polls

But, let’s be honest. Not everyone is comfortable replying to questions publically, especially if they are too personal. But, a good way to maintain engagement with your twitter audience is posting polls. They’re extremely easy to make and are available for 24 hours to respond to. The only downside is you can’t see exactly who responded. But, on twitter, engagement is engagement. The more, the better.

7. Advice

If you’re positioning yourself as a credible source, then you need to start sharing some credible, useful information. Retweeting is great, but if it isn’t coming from you, all you are doing is giving that source the accreditation you were longing for. Instead, use your own voice and share some insightful tweets.

If you need help getting started on any social media platform, contact us for a free consultation! Follow us on twitter.

source https://inmarkmg.com/social-media/7-tips-to-get-your-tweets-noticed/

Growing With Your Business

Small businesses will eventually grow into an expanding organization if that is in it’s plans. How do you deal with the emergence of growth within your business? One mustn’t stay stagnant. If you do, your growth won’t be sustainable. Let’s take a look at some ways you can instill a long lasting development of growth in your business.

Change is a sign of growth, embrace it:

Change is inevitable and is a large factor of life. Most people fear change and the unexpected, but the key is to embrace it! If you are not undergoing change, you are not growing.

When a company becomes comfortable, they operate in means of what they are used to, rather than implementing new strategies that ultimately lead to greater success. Innovation can cause a business to prosper and prevent it from becoming obsolete.

Whether it’s finally using social media to market your company, or introducing a new sales approach, do not fear the unknown! Take action towards growth because it is exactly what your company needs to survive.

Keep an open mind:

 As a leader, employer or even an employee, sooner or later you must recognize that you are not the only person with a source of ideas. Establish an environment where people will be heard and feel comfortable openly communicating their ideas.

It is important to realize “newcomers” may have fresh, new thoughts to contribute, as opposed to veterans who have been in the business for a longer period of time. An idea that sounded crazy 3 years ago, might be exactly what your company needs now. Your co-workers can help generate innovation and potentially bring what you need to the table. 

Take action! Don’t be hesitant:

Many of us get caught up on waiting for the perfect moment to implement a new idea. You are wasting your time by doing so. You cannot wait for the perfect moment because it will never come, you must create the perfect moment by taking action.

If you have a great idea the best thing you can do is just get started. You’re better off getting into the market, undergoing trial and error, learning, growing, and upgrading as you go, than to wait for the “perfect moment”. 

The more you learn, the more you earn:

As a marketer or any business person for that matter, you must have a learning mindset. The more you learn, the more you will be able to adapt to change and continue to grow as a person and a business. Being able to adapt to the environment around can determine whether your business will sink or float. Keep learning and keep earning!

Stay positive:

It is always important to pursue growth with a positive mindset. Remaining positive even when progress is not immediately noticeable, is important not only to you, but to those you work with as well. Positivity is contagious and can affect the moral of those you surround yourself with. If you want a healthy and efficient work environment, it is your job to stay positive.

source https://inmarkmg.com/culture/growing-with-your-business/

Websites Are Important To Your Business

There are many reasons why a business owner like yourself should invest in a website. As a business owner you may want to reach the people who don’t pass by your location. Or maybe you want to inform people of what your business is and does. But what if you want to sell through the internet? Having a functional website can be the answer to your many problems. Lets see how it can help your business grow.

Credibility:

More people are using the internet than ever before. An average of over 3 billion searches are processed on google everyday.  Of those searches, over 50 percent are shoppers. That means your market is searching for products and services online, and if you’re business doesn’t have a website, they won’t know about your business. A professionally designed website is as important as having one in the first place. It helps brand your company and create an improved reputation.

Affordability:

Companies will waste thousands of dollars marketing their business in out-of-date brochures and newspaper advertisements instead of investing their time in a professional website. Not a website guru? No problem. There are extremely affordable companies that will create one for you.

One of your first impressions:

Even if your first connection with a client is in person, that person will most likely look up your website as soon as you leave—whether you know it or not. If you don’t have a website, you have a high chance of losing that customer.

Accessibility:

Websites are open 24 hours a day. There’s no closing the store or locking doors. When you have a website, your costumers have access to your business from any location at any time. You’re giving your current and potential customers the ability to review your products, services and business at their own convenience.

You can boast:

When you’re relying on word of mouth to sell your company, you’re trusting that those words are positive. That isn’t always the truth. When you have a website, you’re your own advocate. That means boasting is a given, and it’s even recommended. Show yourself off and take pride in your work.

Keep customers up to date:

Websites are the perfect platform to keep your customers in the loop. You can use it as a blog, or to update your future and current customers about new products, offers, events or other content.

On average, 139,344 new websites go live each day. Don’t miss out on one of the easiest ways to market and brand your company.

source https://inmarkmg.com/web-development/websites-are-important-to-your-business/

Supermarket Advertising Versus Digital Ads

As an owner of a small to medium sized business, there are many options for advertising. But, how many of those options actually generate a positive return on investment?

Not many, and compared to digital advertising, advertising in a supermarket is more hands on. Advertising on a TV or the web can get you customers but you will usually spend more than you gain if not done properly. People may not even look at your ad because they are constantly bombarded with others, and even your competitors.

The truth is that as long as people need food, supermarket advertising is always a good choice. Why is that? Let’s break it down for you:

The Need For Supermarkets

The fact of the matter is that grocery shopping is always going to be a necessity. It doesn’t matter if the household of each shopper mostly cooks their own food or if they order takeout, there are just some things at the supermarket that you need to get. Basic human needs such as food, water, sanitary products, and even electronics are sold here. This combined with timely convenience is what makes the supermarket the preferred method of shopping, even with free two day shipping as an option. Food and sanitary products are the kind of products you purchase when your sources have been depleted, so it is unlikely for shoppers to get them through online shopping.

Less Distractions

When shoppers go to the supermarket, phone usage drastically decreases. The reason for this is because shoppers need to focus on the different products being offered. Sales, deals, and clearances capture their attention rather than an Instagram or Facebook notification. So even with technology present, shoppers will be highly attentive to their surroundings. This is the perfect opportunity to expose your business with limited digital technology distracting your audience.

Seal the Deals

No amount of online shopping will ever get rid of the illustrious grocery store sale. Shoppers will likely want to visit the store in person for deals on products that might not be doing well for that specific store. This combined with coupon usage and an overall need to see products in person when buying at a discounted price solidifies the idea that supermarkets aren’t going out of style for a long time.

Consequently, this means that Supermarket Advertising is here to stay and dominate. Technology is actually enhancing the supermarket advertising industry. Interactive products, user generated content, and social media can all be breakout factors of the newer, more customized form of advertisement that is always sought. Rest assured that the best way to reach your local target audience is still the supermarket. Want to reach your local audience? Check out our various supermarket advertising products to take your small to medium-sized business to the next level! Visit our page at inmarkmg.com or contact us now!

source https://inmarkmg.com/supermarkets/supermarket-advertising-is-the-digital-age-a-threat-2/

How Social Media Impacts Consumer Behavior

Why would a business owner look to social media for brand recognition? Isn’t it for you to post pictures for your friends and family to like or share? Well that is one aspect of social media. Just as easy as it is for you to gain followers and likes, it can be used for businesses to gain brand recognition.

Now, let’s assume you’ve gotten the brand recognition you were looking for, what happens next? Social media has now been directly tied with consumer behavior. Cool, right? Take a look at how it impacts your consumer’s behavior.

Charlotte’s Web

With Social media, communication between companies and consumers is no longer top down. In fact, communication is now being looked at more as a spiderweb. Everyone is connected. Not only are consumers and companies connected, but connections can also be company to company or even consumer to consumer.

So, when consumers are scouting out your product or service, they will likely go to other consumers to receive their opinion or experience they’ve had. While word of mouth has always been a factor in consumer behavior, social media has amplified it by connecting people from all areas. A good review can push a consumer to use your product or service, and a bad one can be detrimental.

Keep Your Consumers Posted

In addition to changing and improving the way companies and consumers communicate, social media also keeps consumers in the know about important information, new product releases or services, events, hours of operation, and more. If a consumer can get information through social media with one company versus another, they are more likely to use the first company because of convenience. Even if the first company offers products or services that have higher rates than their competitors, having consistent and strong online presence can persuade consumers.

Friendly Influence

Lastly, a big way social media can impact consumers is by turning their wants into their needs. According to numerous studies, around 75% of consumers who have seen a friend on social media share a product or link will visit the product’s page or website. Additionally, of those consumers, 53% of them will end up purchasing the product that they are visiting the page for.

What’s important to know about Social Media is that it can have several functions. Because of this, it is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the different things you can do with it. The best thing to do is set a goal in mind that focuses on one function. It is better to be committed to one thing rather than simply participating in multiple functions. If you want to impact sounder behavior the way we have described, consider stepping up your social media game. Don’t know where to start? Contact us at inMark Media and we can go from there!

source https://inmarkmg.com/uncategorized/social-media-and-consumer-behavior-2/