One Awesome Way to Lock-in Client Engagement

We love our clients. We really do. And, despite fierce competition, we want them to come back again and again and again. Are you selling coffee along with three other shops pretty much on the same block? Are you competing with four local dance clubs? Are you a dress-maker? Restaurant? Personal trainer? Real estate agent? How can you become your clients' and potenial clients' first go-to? How do you stay just a touch of a button away? The answer is simple:  Publish your own mobile app.

Now, don't run away because it sounds scary-techy. It's actually easy to develop an app. And, if you think that mobile ain't gonna be that important, have a look at this.

Once you have an app ready and are advertising it as part of a healthy marketing plan, clients will download and install your app. That app is on your client's phone. That app will encourage your client to come into your store for specials, help new clients find you, help clients contact you for customer service, keep clients informed about special events. The more engaged and immeresed your clients are in your solutions, products, and services, the more they will buy.

What can help keep clients looking at your app for information, or using your app? Loyalty Cards will definitely encourage them to drink that tenth cup of coffee. Are you a local club? Keep your clients informed with Event Listings or links to bands' playlists. Keep your clients always up to date about specials or promotions with direct access to your Twitter and/or facebook feeds. Offer Coupons incentives only available through your app! And you can actually sell your wares right off of your app with E-Commerce. Seriously.

If you are a little tech-savvy (enough to build your own drag and drop mass email for example), you can develop your own app fairly easily through drag and drop menus on free sites like my.como.com/. If you are daunted by the technology but savvy enough to understand just how important mobile apps can be to your business, hire someone like me to help you develop a small app ($500-750) or you can go big and spend around $3,000-5.000. It's up to you.

But if you get an app and market it well as part of your overall stategy, that app will pay for itself many times over. You will see an increase in repeat customers -- and you might get a few brand advocates out of it, too! People love convenience and connection.

Good luck out there!

God Turns On His Side - Another Google Update

Google may -- or may not -- have updated last night. And, now, us social media types are hopping about like bunnies on a hotplate trying to figure out what that means to you, our clients and, also, to us.

What? But wait. (I can hear you saying.) Aren't you guys experts? Isn't that why I pay for you in the first place?

Well, yes. But everytime google updates the nature of the game changes and with that, we all have to make changes, too.

What most folks don't realize about social media is these companies don't really care about making sure that everyone sees the latest picture of you,r adorable new kitten. These companies are in it for the money. How do they make money? Well, we've all seen those, sometimes innappropriate, ads in our Facebook feeds or sponsored messages on Twitter, or featured posts at the top of our search engine inquiries. The money in social media comes from businesses trying to connect with users.

But now, again, a little known fact (that's well known in social media circles): The second most trusted way to choose a prospective service or product is by testimonials from strangers on the internet. From strangers. (The first, of course, is recommendations from family and friends.) Consequently, all major social media platforms are moving toward the referral system services (a paradigm that is already very profitable in China). All social media platforms would like to be the Number 1 referral engine in the west. So, expect to see lots of changes both on Facebook, Google+, and google results pages with that in mind.

What's so important about Google? Two out of every three online searches originate at google. Google cannot be ignored because what they are doing affects the bulk of customer inquiry on the internet and will influence how the rest of the market will operate.

This current update (if, in fact there was one) looks like it is changing the nature of search engine results and will reboot the debate about whether SEO (search engine optimization) is dead . I, for one, will be watching the situation closely; so I can bring you the best advice to help your online success.

So, my point? Your online presence is in need of constant monitoring and tweaking to maximize your online success because the game is changing constantly and without warning. Never trick yourself into thinking that you're done or god might roll right on top of you.

The One Big Mistake That's Killing Your Content

In my other life, I am a theatre artist: a freelance director. I direct between three and seven shows a year. Every show that gets out there is subject to criticism and, let me tell you, everybody's got an opinion. I've had people completely trash what was, arguably, my best work to date. And I have had that other imposter as well: unearned adoration.

So, I guess have grown quite a thick skin in the last twenty years and I have the ability to soldier on despite the possibility of heavy criticism on the other side. But most of us aren't lucky enough to have that background and we make the big mistake of worrying what other people will think of what we write or otherwise publish. Worrying about what others think will kill your content faster than the internet forgets a tweet storm.

But, you say, it's human nature to worry about what other people think of you. Doesn't it have to be good, I mean, really good? Doesn't it have to be perfect? I can't make one mistake! The white paper has got to be twenty pages long and meticulously edited; or the movie has to be done with a professional flare or it's no good; or the infographic needs to be chock-a-block with facts and figures....! Wait a second? How long is all this going to take?

While you are carefully putting together your amazing project, other people may have posted dozens of times with short, punchy movies, blogs, and graphics that catch the eye, make a point, and inform. Which is better, right now? I hate to say for all of you striving for perfection: short, clear messaged media is what is getting seen, read, reblogged-posted-tweeted.

Right, then. We need to learn how not to second guess ourselves. We need to learn how to press 'send' or 'publish' or 'post'. Read it once forward, once backward, do a spell check. Leave it a couple of hours and read it again or get your favourite proof-reader to take a look. Read it once forward, once backward, do a spell check. Accept that it will never be perfect. Press 'send'.

That idea is worth repeating: Accept that it will never be perfect. Press 'send'.

The way the interwebs are evolving, it's better to get that content out there consistently and reliably than to worry about any one of your posts being a magnum opus.

Good luck out there!

Jacqui Burke is a freelance social media marketer committed to helping small business build their profits through social media. Take a look at her website at www.jaybirdsocialmedia.com

Interest Lists: See What You Want To See On Facebook

Facebook has recently changed its algorithms to 'incentivize' companies to use Facebook ads by reducing the number of subscribed followers who see any given post. Companies can increase the number by graphically enriching their posts or by choosing to pay to boost any given post. Fine.

But it kind of leaves the individual out of the equation. What does a real fan do to ensure that she/he/they sees more of what her/his/their favourite company pages have to offer?

The answer is Interest Lists. Interest Lists are a great way of organizing your feed but now the bonus: add your page to an Interest List and Facebook says you will see their 'best' posts. What the word 'best' means I am uncertain, but you will see them. Great.

How do Interests Lists work? A LOT like Twitter lists. You name a list, say IndieRock, and add pages you are interested in to that list. Any time you want to see the feed on that interest, you click on the list. You can create public or private lists or follow other people's lists. For a full description of how to make and use lists, click here, or throw caution to the wind and scroll down to the bottom of your Facebook left side nav bar, click on Interests, and give it a go! Alternatively, you can nav to your favourite pages and add them one by one through the cog menu.

By the way, if you are following me on Facebook, I'd appreciate it if you added me to your Social Media list. I surely would.