 In part two of this blog, we are going to be discussing the best ways to go about successfully and painlessly rebranding your company.
Hello Summerville, and welcome back to the Creative Consulting blog! We are excited that you've returned to continue learning more about the importance and sometimes necessary steps of rebranding your company. In the first part of this blog, we discussed some of the many reasons why your company might need to rebrand. While the idea of rebranding does come with a negative connotation, we hope that our last blog has helped normalize the idea that more often than not rebranding is very refreshing and can be incredibly successful and exciting! We know it can be scary to even consider this idea, but we are here to help. We can speak from experience and say that as we've helped many of our client's rebrand, that it is a very successful and positive step for your business when it's needed. It is an opportunity to learn even more about who you are as a business owner, express what makes your company unique in a whole new way, and reconnect with why you started your business in the first place. Rebranding is not starting from square one, it's reinventing the square itself. If you don't think your company has a brand or a very strong one, think again! Your brand holds much more power than you think, and it does deserve the time and appreciation to reflect your business. Let's get started on rebranding with some of the most successful and pain-free ways possible! In our last blog, we talked about how one of the very first steps in rebranding is usually the need for a new logo. Remember, rebranding is much more than just changing your logo and crossing your fingers and hoping everything is going to be alright. This is going to be a multiple-step process, and you need to invest the same amount of time and energy into each of these steps for rebranding to be successful. Somewhere along the way, your branding that worked in the past has stopped working, and this needs to change! [WHO YOU'RE SPEAKING TO] As we mentioned in part one of this blog, one of the many reasons why a company should go through with a rebrand is because their audience is or has changed. Remember how we've mentioned those incredibly important, easy to find, and free analytics that all social media platforms give you? Please pay attention to them! Make note of who is responding to your social media posts, who is buying your products, and who spends the most time seeking you out online. If it's not the audience you expected or intended, that's okay! Don't be afraid to embrace a whole new group and demographic of customers. They are here to buy your product. With the free research that so many platforms give you, allow that to power other forms of research. Research what is attractive and what attracts your new group of customers. What appeals to them in marketing and what is the best way to reach them? Have you been operating mostly off your website, but this new audience loves Instagram and Facebook? Then it might be time to start a new overhaul of what your brand looks like and how you're reaching this new audience. It's important to know and understand who this new audience is so you know exactly how to speak to them and sell for them. This can also be a situation where competitors have popped up with new products that are directly getting in the way of your company, and they are creating new competition that you never expected. Embracing and focusing on this new audience can help you build up a strong relationship with them and put you ahead of these new competitors. What is the most difficult part of this step? Time. You have to pay attention to these changes, learn about your new audience, and adapt to what this audience needs. In the long run, this will be time well spent. [IS THE NAME IN THE GAME] We might be throwing around the idea that changing your company's name has to be apart of the rebranding process and that it is very simple to do. Please by no means walk away from this blog series thinking that is the case. To rebrand, you do not have to change your name if you don't want to. If the name is still working and has become a staple to who and what your company does, don't throw it away. Changing your companies name can be one of the most dangerous choices in rebranding. This decision needs to be thought through with extreme care. If a new name is something that you and your company are working towards, then you should also consider a plan for introducing the world to this new name. Plan out how to successfully explain that the company that used to be known as "A" is now "X". Heading to the drawing board and brainstorming is one of the best ways you can go about coming up with a new name. According to Hubspot, some of the greatest ways to do so are:
When you're considering changing your name, a lot of the time that also comes with changing your slogan. Please consider why you are changing your slogan before actually doing so. If the slogan no longer matches your services and what your company represents then, by all means, changing it is appropriate. If you are sick of the slogan because you've seen it and said it for so long, consider hitting the brakes before changing it out of annoyance. If the slogan is still working, still catchy, and your customers still love it, there is no reason to get rid of it. Instead, put some new life into it and rediscover why the slogan is so important. If you decide to change your company's name, make sure it fits the current or new slog you've created too. [WATCHING YOUR Ps & Qs] Rebranding might go much deeper than what your customers see. This can be the most difficult part of the rebranding process, as this can touch on some very real and personal aspects at the core of why you started your company. Over time, as most companies do, you will evolve and change. Your products and what you're working towards can completely change from what they were when you started. This is a change in your vision. Your vision is the map as to why your company does what it does and the reason behind every decision you make. If this changes, your branding needs to reflect this. If your vision changes, many other aspects will change including your mission, your values, and the overall voice of your brand.
How are you feeling after reading this, readers? We know that rebranding can come off as a mid-life crisis or a personality swap. While that's how it might look on the surface, that is what you want and need to avoid. When rebranding, think of it as captaining a strong ship. The rebranding process is deciding to turn the wheel and create a new map to avoid oncoming storms and to finally find that treasure you've been searching for. It's a process that cannot be done alone or on a whim. We urge you to take both parts of this blog very seriously when thinking about rebranding. If it is still something you want to do, but it's just too daunting to do alone, we are here to help you take these important steps! Please feel free to reach out! Until next time, stay safe and caffeinated Summerville!
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 Get to know the hilarious, hard-working, and creative individuals that make up the Creative Consulting family one blog at a time.
Hello Summerville, and welcome back to the blog writer's desk! We are taking a break from your normally scheduled program of learning more about the social media and marketing world, and welcoming you back into the personal offices of Creative Consulting! I'm not sure about you, but the fact that there are only a few weeks left of 2020 seems pretty crazy, right? This year has sped by, and in many ways, that is really alright! Before I get too ahead of myself and dive into the Holidays (hold me back, I am ready for some tensile and fake snow!) I am trying to soak up the last bit of fall right here in the heart of Summerville. Have you recently taken a walk around our adorable little square? It is still emerald green, the fountain is bubbling, and all the shops have their doors open and ready to welcome each of us. I just took a walk with a cool cup of joy from Cuppa Manna and enjoyed a little slice of Summerville. If you haven't done that recently, I would recommend it for your next break during the workday. I am also very excited to get back to one of my favorite series of blogs I have written for CC, our spotlight on each of our team members! I know that I say this in every blog, but it so refreshing to learn and read more about my coworkers, especially if they are newer to the company. Creative has come to a very exciting threshold that many young businesses work towards. We are growing and planning for something big, and every time I'm in the office or talk to my teammates, it feels like we are standing on a precipice of something very exciting. One of these exciting things came in with our newest team member, Michael Andrew Hatchell. Andrew, who is our Customer Relations Manager and Marketing Specialist, has given so much to Creative in the very short time he has been with us. Hiring Andrew meant that our relationships with our clients could become more hands-on, more time could be delegated to new ventures, and more things could get done on a day to day basis. Andrews's expertise and fresh new ideas have been an exciting part of the Creative work week, and I have enjoyed working with him. Being a blog writer is a very unique hat to wear, while my background is in the arts, I spend a lot of my time learning and researching about a whole slew of topics that I personally had never spent time on until this job appeared. Just like any artist or writer, writer's block is very common. I spend more time brainstorming and staring at my blinking cursor than I care to admit. My Creative team has always been so supportive when it comes to helping me brainstorm and come up with the next new and exciting topic for my set of blogs every month. It has also been fun to sit one on one with Andrew almost every week brainstorming about our clients in a whole new way. If you are a new client with Creative or a perspective one, and you haven't met Andrew yet, you will truly enjoy working with him. He supports and loves the business, he is always excited to learn, and always excited to talk about food and his beautiful family. I am so excited that he's joined our Creative family, and I look forward to seeing what wonderful things he has in store! Dear readers, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Michael Andrew Hatchell! Name: Michael Andrew Hatchell How long have you been working at CC: Almost two months! How did you hear about the positions: I reached out to Stephen organically. I didn’t see a job posting, just walked in, and handed him a resume. Then I just waited semi-patiently for a call. What do you do for CC: Marketing strategy and customer relations. I analyze all the statistics for the client’s website and social media so I can come up with a formula to increase the business’s outreach. What is your favorite part about working for CC: The people are already some of the best I have ever worked with. Everyone is so nice, very helpful, and extremely talented. I feel fortunate to be a part of Creative Consulting. What have you learned since you worked at CC: I studied marketing in college but what you learn in the books is very different from real-world application. I have learned a lot about how to take the information I got from college and really apply it to helping businesses grow in the greater Charleston area. What is your favorite part of your workday at CC: Meeting with existing and prospective clients. I love meeting new people and learning about them. Everyone has such an interesting story and nobody is the same, so it keeps you on your toes. Favorite memory at CC so far: We are in the midst of conducting a case study around videography. We had a film crew in the office and was able to finally meet everyone face to face. Favorite Summerville Small Business (besides CC): It’s not fair in my opinion to have a favorite here in Summerville. There are so many great businesses and they all have different specialties. The most recent discovery though would have to be Patrick the Groomsmith. Highly professional and one of the best master barbers I have had the pleasure to get a haircut from. What is your educational background: Graduated from Limestone University with a BS in Business Administration where I majored in marketing. Currently, I attend Webster University and should graduate with my MBA in the summer of 2021. What are your hobbies: Other than being with my 4-year-old, I love to cook and play instruments. Really anything music-related. I also enjoy the outdoors, so hunting, fishing, and golf are up there on the list. What is your favorite book, color, song, movie: Being that I spent a good bit of time in school recently, I don’t have much pleasure reading going on. I most recently read “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins and absolutely loved it. Interesting Facts: I was in the Navy for nine years. There, I traveled a lot and got to experience a plethora of different cultures and food which is some of my favorite things! Favorite Food: I’m not a picky eater by any means, but I do prefer home-cooked meals. On Saturdays, you may find me in the back yard running my smoker. I love making and eating barbecue. Favorite Restaurant in Charleston/Summerville: Another tough one. It depends on my mood but I love Poogan’s Porch and 843 BBQ. 843 BBQ is a Korean restaurant and sushi bar. Great for date nights. Poogan’s Porch is great food and is awesome for a late breakfast on Sunday mornings. Favorite things to do in Charleston/Summerville: My wife and I love to just go walking around Charleston and seeing the sites. After five years of living here, my wife still can’t believe we only live 30 to 45 minutes from downtown Charleston (depending on traffic). I don't know about you, but after I went back and re-read Andrew's interview while preparing this blog, I was craving BBQ and a nice walk around some of my favorite places in Charleston, how about you? This blog, while it does give you an insight into Andrew's passion and humor, you'll have to meet him in person to really see and enjoy it. Summerville, keep your eyes open for this gentleman. If you don't know him yet, he will become a staple in the area. He is here to support your business, help you grow, and help Summerville grow and prosper in some very new and exciting ways! Again, many thanks to Andrew for spending the time working with me on this blog, and helping me be better at my job every day! I hope you all enjoyed another visit with me and another of my teammates! Until next time Summerville, find the fun in the puzzles you come across in your life and stay caffeinated!  Get to know the hilarious, hard-working, and creative individuals that make up the Creative Consulting family one blog at a time.
Hello again Summerville, and welcome back to the blog writer's desk! I am here to bring you yet another wonderful blog introducing you to another team member and family member of the Creative Consulting family! As October draws to a close, we are trying to enjoy every moment of fall that we can. Have you taken a walk up and down the main square of town? It's covered head to toe in some of the best and most creative Halloween decorations we've ever seen! Every shop has its own flair of All Hallows Eve, luring us in with the promise of delicious treats, candy, or just some spooky fun. While Halloween and all of our frightful fun might be a little different this year, there is still something magical about this time of year that nothing can get in the way of. One of the most magical things we love to see every day is how vibrant and alive Summerville seems to grow every day. More shops are bustling, restaurants are getting back to their normal business, and even a few new potential budding businesses might even begin popping up. It feels like fall has brought in a cool breeze of fresh air, and it's something we've all needed. I continue to sit happily from my writer's desk watching the town of Summerville bustle around me, taking everything in. While I continue to research and dive deep into a myriad of topics for each of our clients to make each of my blogs better than the next, I love to look up and watch the town float by for a few minutes. It's refreshing, thank you, Summerville. One of my most favorite projects of this year has been these spotlight blogs. I say it every time I sit down to write one, that I love continuing to learn more about my teammates. Each interview and blog is more surprising than the next, and it opens my eyes to these incredible individuals sitting around me helping Creative Consulting grow one day at a time. Each of them truly put the heart and soul of creativity into our name, that's for sure! For this blog's feature, we are spending time and interviewing one of the very first company members, Mr. Capers Lever. Capers was on the welcome wagon when I joined the team and has been an incredible support to me personally since day one. If you didn't know, my blogging work is closely connected to his work with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Every important keyword and piece of information that is trending or relevant right now that lives within each of my blogs is key for the work he does every day. For the last year and a half, it has been a joy to work with him. I have also never met someone who loves Dunkin Donuts as much as him. If you're reading this Dunkin, I wanted to let you know that I work with one of your biggest fan's and he deserves at least one or two free treats this week. He is the definition of a professional, but he always knows when to make you laugh at the most perfectly timed moments. He also tends to keep you on your toes and surprise you with every little fact he shares about himself or what he's up to during our Monday meetings. Going through this interview was no exception to that - Capers continues to surprise me and make me laugh out loud. I hope you enjoy reading this blog and Capers' interview as much as I enjoyed writing it! It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Capers Lever! How long have you been working at CC: 5 years How did you hear about the positions: From Stephen as he was starting the company. What do you do for CC: I do pay per click advertising and search engine optimization. What is your favorite part about working for CC: Being able to work from anywhere at any time. The internet connects us all and allows us to be in separate places while still having the ability to communicate and work effectively. What have you learned since you worked at CC: I've learned the importance of having a very good team and diversity of thought. What is your favorite part of your workday at CC: I've always liked puzzles and most of my job is finding logical solutions to real-world puzzles. So I get to sit down with a coffee every morning and solve problems. Favorite memory at CC so far: My favorite memory is being here to see Creative Consulting grow from where we started to where we are now. Favorite Summerville Small Business (besides CC): Cuppa Manna, within walking distance of the office and great coffee. What is your education background: My degree from CSU is in Computer Science. Many of the skills help to understand SEO on a deeper level. What are your hobbies: I collect hobbies. I pick up and put down hobbies regularly. I have played sports for almost my whole life. Beyond that, I've done everything from mixed martial arts to golf, and everything in-between. What is your favorite book, color, song, movie: The Eragon series of books were my favorite. Favorite color is blue. I love music way too much to pick one song, my favorite band is probably Pink Floyd. Favorite movie is Book of Eli, Denzel is the GOAT. Interesting Facts: I was a classical pianist for 4 years. Favorite Food: Bulgogi, I love Korean BBQ Favorite Restaurant in Charleston/Summerville: 843 a Korean BBQ Place, imagine that. Favorite things to do in Charleston/Summerville: The most fun thing to do in Charleston is to go have some food and drinks somewhere that fits your fancy. The atmosphere here is one of the best in the world. What an incredible guy, am I right? I think one of the most surprising things to me that I will have to ask a few more follow up questions about, is about his time as a classical pianist. With my background in performance and music, that will be a very fun rabbit hole to go down. Also, I have never heard Charleston better described than how he answered his last question. The atmosphere here really is one of the best in the world, isn't it? What a great reminder of all the beauty that is right here around us and all within such a short distance! Again, many thanks to Capers for spending the time working with me on this blog, and helping me be better at my job every day! I hope you all enjoyed another visit with me and another of my teammates! Until next time Summerville, find the fun in the puzzles you come across in your life and stay caffeinated!  Curious about lead generation and exposure for your business? Not sure what the difference is between the two or what they can do for your online marketing? We are here to answer all those questions and more!
Hello, Summerville! We hope this blog finds you happy and well. This has been a very exciting few weeks for us, and if you've been following our social media pages (which if you're not - catch up!) you'll understand why! We've started a new local business feature, we've started a brand new video series answering all your business questions, and more! Stephen was also a recent guest on Invest Local!, a fantastic local podcast. Visit their website to hear Stephen give the insider scoop on what it's like to run a top-tier, full-service agency that handles client's brands from a hands-on and personal approach! We have so many exciting things coming our way, and we are so thankful for the amazing community of Summerville for helping us make it all possible! One of our most recent posts on social media was dedicated to Lead Generation vs. Exposure. Did you know that there are two main types of digital marketing? That's right! Lead Generation and Exposure are those two main types. Lead generation seeks out new leads or sales and exposure grows your audience and brings awareness to your business. We wanted to dig a little deeper into these ideas and talk a little more about how both can help your company grow and why they're so important. If you want to know which focus is best for your business needs, reach out to us! We can help you understand the strategies used in each type of marketing, and help you create your custom system. Lead Generation One of the most important things for businesses to gain through their marketing is to convert followers into clients. You don't want to waste time or money into an advertisement plan that doesn't get attention or any conversion. That goes against the whole purpose of why you have an advertising plan in the first place. With the way that the market is right now, and with so much up in the air, you want to make the most of your advertisement right now. Your goal, as always, is to attract the highest quality followers and leads that are going to turn into consistent and supportive customers.
Exposure Marketing According to Forbes, most new small businesses fail because they didn't have enough exposure in the beginning, to get the clientele needed to get them off the ground. Early exposure can help you get ahead of the game, ahead of your competitors, and help keep your head above water. The main focus is to grow your audience at a steady and productive rate. You need to understand and know your product and what demographic will be most likely drawn to your goods and services to make this a successful campaign. Once you understand that, you can begin to expose them to what goods and services your company offers, and why you're the experts in the world of your industry. It's an important process that needs to be seen in the early stages of your company and throughout its entire lifetime.
What is very important to remember is that both types of marketing are not only important to your business, but also to one another. Someone might be introduced to your company due to your exposure, and thanks to the efforts of successful lead generation, could become official clients. It can be difficult to pick and put either practice of marketing into successful action. We are here to help you make those decisions and to make that marketing dream become a successful reality. Have any questions? Please feel free to reach out, we'd love to hear from you! If you would like more in-depth training and someone to help you walk through your issues, we can help you with that. We offer individual social media training to walk you through on how to use each platform. If you or your company wants to take another step up in your online business world, we are here to make that happen. Don't hesitate to reach out. We are here and excited to help your company grow. Thank you for continuing to follow us, learn with us, and support us. We are here for you Summerville, no matter what!  We promised more information on the importance and joys of adding Facebook Stories to your workflow, and so we are going to deliver!
Hello again, sweet Summerville! Welcome back. We hope you and yours are staying safe and healthy. Keep washing those hands and practicing social distancing! If you have the chance, we also encourage you to support local businesses as much as you can right now. So many of the staples we love that are Summerville through and through need your love and support. Get carry out, pick up some coffee, and visit your favorite local artist's websites or Etsy pages! Every little bit helps right now, and we encourage you to pay it forward. If you'd like some recommendations about some of our favorite local businesses, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! We have been enjoying our fair share of our favorite Summerville things thanks to delivery and pickup! Now, let's jump back into some work. Our last blog kicked off our blog series discussing the importance of Facebook Stories. We just had so much to share - we couldn't limit it to just one post! Even though we are all smartly practicing social distancing, one of the many ways we can all stay connected is social media. We can stay close and remain in contact with as many people as our hearts desire thanks to social media. This is why it is so important. You can remind your audience that you're still here, you still care about how they're doing and that you and your company will still be here when all of this is finally over YOUR CUSTOMERS; THEIR NEEDS We've touched on the topic of customer experience and service multiple times throughout our blogs in the last few months. The importance placed upon it needs to become one of your top priorities. Good customer service is one of the top digital trends for 2020. How to listen and connect with your clients needs to evolve and grow over time. We love being heard, and we all love when our opinion is valued and listened to. Stories, videos, and going live on Facebook gives your client an in-person opportunity to give and voice their opinions. It opens up the floor to more of your followers to join in on the conversation and to agree and disagree with their peer's needs or opinions in a safe and productive environment. Take what your followers say to heart. If they aren't opinions or needs that you feel are in your companies best interest, that's ok. But acknowledging them means a lot to your customers. You can create images and stories to hype up announcements, new products, sales, and exciting events they can all attend - either online or hopefully soon, in person. When you go live on Facebook, you can see the comments your follows are making in real-time and you can physically respond to them. What an instant connection! You can answer questions, solve issues, express gratitude, and connect with your audience in real-time. This frees up time that you would be spending answering these questions and concerns via email or phone call, allowing you to get back to work. ANOTHER CHANNEL Being consistent is an excellent tool in branding and leading a successful company. Being consistent creates a subconscious connection between you and your clients and a sense of safety and trust that they can depend on. But, that doesn't mean that everything you post has to be the same. This can draw more of your follows to check out other platforms that you run your social media on, and is another tool you can use to get your customers excited. For example, you might only make announcements about new products, deals, and giveaways on your Facebook stories. But, you hint on all of your social media platforms that to view and learn about these announcements you have to view it on Facebook stories. This can then bring your Instagram or other platform's audience to your Facebook page and vice versa. This is a great way to cross-promote your social media platforms and to keep up traffic to all of your pages. Also, different audiences prefer different types of social media platforms. When creating any story, tailor them to the platform and the audience that prefers it. Not only are you speaking to your audience through your Facebook videos, but you are also speaking to a very specific group and demographic. IT'S ALL IN THE TIMING Just like Instagram, Facebook Stories live right at the top of your followers' Facebook feeds. They are the first thing that pops up once the app is loaded on their phone or computers. Staying at the top of their page and in their minds' eyes is very important and effective for your business. This is very similar to putting in the much needed time for SEO and getting your company in the top few results in Google searches. This is why you need real and in the moment, not perfect, videos. The more honest they are and the more you draw in your audience, your stories will remain in a consistent spot in their feeds. Are you getting excited about the potential Facebook stories can bring to you and your company? We hope so. Even if you're still a bit skeptical, now is a great time to try out the many features Facebook stories can give you. Have fun, be bold, and be honest. Your audience, customers, and fans love and support you for a reason. Let that reason shine through your posts! Don't let your audience forget about you, and don't forget about them. We hope you're doing well, Summerville. We miss seeing you and look forward to enjoying our town together very soon. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay home!  Social media can be overwhelming. Each platform is starting to offer more to each of their applications. Sometimes those bells and whistles they keep adding on can add to your frustration. Thankfully, if you just take a moment to understand why these little additives are so important to you and your company, you can stay ahead of the times and right in front of your followers with no difficulty.
2020 has been an interesting year, to say the least. To keep you distracted from the news and the hours of scrolling we have all been doing this past week, we wanted to keep on chugging with business as (mostly) normal. We want to give you something to think about while you're working remotely from home or while you're focusing on the next step of what to do. So let's get right into it, and talk about one of our favorite social media platforms; Instagram! Instagram can be a place of joy, frustration, confusion, and an amazing advertising tool. We've talked about the importance of staying on top of digital marketing trends and how they can truly benefit you and your company if you stay on top of them. One of the biggest trends happening on Instagram right now is the use of the story option. You can add pictures or videos to your story, and it's an interesting and unique tool that more and more companies are starting to take advantage of. Companies are posting pictures and videos of things at the moment and connecting to their followers in ways they never have before. What's exciting about them is that they give your audience and your followers a real behind the scenes look into the heart of your company. Stories give your followers a sense of humanity because they can see the people at the heartbeat of the company and product they care about so much. It's comforting and endearing. In a world drowned out by social media and that is taking away our human connection from one another, this incredible tool and trend are turning us into beings that crave this insight and are pushing us to be apart of it all. In this two-part blog post, we are going to be discussing why using Instagram stories can be very helpful to your online business, and why you should be using them in your Instagram account. Ready, Set, Engage! Are you still skeptical about using stories on Instagram? Does it make you a little uncomfortable to think about as an option for your social media, or you see no point in it? Well, the first huge benefit of this particular tool, is that it will give you page top-notch engagement, and allow that engagement to be consistent. Stories aren't something that lasts forever on your profile, they only stick around for 24 hours and then disappear. You can decide to keep them on your Instagram page as a Permanent Highlights if you so choose to (which, if it's great content - then we encourage you to place it into your permanent highlights. The key is to reuse content!) they'll be around as long as you want them to. You can use Instagram Stories to get your followers excited about your product and to stay in contact with you. It's a great storytelling tool, and a great way to add excitement to what's happening right now. You can build up the excitement for every story by mentioning in your Instagram profile that if you watch these videos or look at pictures, your followers might receive special deals, get exclusive looks at new products, and be the first customers to hear new information. Automatically, your followers get excited about being a part of this "in crowd" and will keep them coming back for more. They will check in on your actual profile more often to see when the next video will appear, and while they're visiting they will get to know you and your brand better. Even though not everyone will get a chance to see these Instagram stories, everyone who will see them will get excited. No Point in Perfect The great thing about going posting in your stories is that every video or picture you post to it never has to be perfect. They still need to follow proper business etiquette, but if the video quality isn't the best, if the lighting isn't perfect, or the weather didn't turn out that day to do an outside shoot, that's ok! These imperfect moments shows real humanity to the whole situation and in your company. You are just like your followers, posting videos and content that comes from the heart and is going with the flow of life. Do you know how refreshing that is in comparison to perfectly cut little videos that took hours and cost tons of money to make? You can find those everywhere! But where is the heart in those? These videos and pictures can also be seen and will be seen as real-time moments and action shots. Plus, if this is fun or important information and it doesn't look quality perfect, that's also ok. It's the heart of the content that matters and what your customers, followers, and viewers will remember. The message will still be delivered without messing up the flow of your profile, too. Your Instagram profile can be kept picture perfect and on-brand with the consistent and professional flow you've built, all while still using the stories to show off your brand in a more personal style. Algorithms of My Heart Instagram has been seeing a lot of big changes in the last year or so. Now that Facebook owns Instagram, we are very confident that there will still be many more changes to come. One of the biggest changes we've seen is how posts are displayed and what determines the order that they are displayed in. They used to be shown in the order of when they were posted. Now, they are shown in order based on what the built-in algorithm believes you will enjoy the most. This is based on your interests, what you look at regularly on your Instagram page, and what you have created as your personal demographic. If your company doesn't fit into this algorithm, then your posts and account could go unseen for some time, or maybe not even at all. The great thing about using stories or going live in this situation is that they are posted in real-time and are posted in the order that the users post them in. Your followers will have a better opportunity to see you pop up on their feed without getting lost in the shuffle if you use Instagram stories. The more you post in your stories, and the more they're clicked on, the more often your posts will be seen in your follower's feed. This will help click you into their algorithms, and help to become a permanent part of what they see every time they open the app. That's all for now! What do you think about Instagram stories so far? Are you already using them and this blog post made you appreciate them a little more? Are you getting excited to try out an Instagram story for the very first time? Or are you still a little confused about what it all means? Keep all of this in mind until our next blog, and please feel free to reach out and ask any questions you might about this topic. We are here to start that conversation with you. Until then, stay safe, healthy, and smart. We love you, Summerville!  Marketing trends feel like they're changing constantly. Sometimes faster than most companies and individuals feel like they can keep up with. Believe us when we say that we can relate to that. But don't get discouraged! This is a new year, and with that comes new and exciting marketing trends that will last the whole year, and help you grow stronger and better than ever before!
It's a new year, which means new things to keep up on! Business doesn't stop for anyone, and we understand that better than most. A new year is an exciting time, but you have to keep up with it or it'll leave you in the dust. With the dawning of 2020 comes the dawning of new social media trends, digital marketing trends, and business trends that are a step or five beyond what we saw in 2019. It might be overwhelming to think about it that way, but at the end of the day - you should be excited! It's time to take new tricks of the trade and see what works best for you and your unique company. Everything in the business world grows and changes, just like we do! It's important to keep up with these changes, just as it is to keep up a strong marketing campaign, a strong social media fingerprint, and not let your social media get pushed into the background. You and your company were made to stand out. You need to keep up with the trends and the times so you're not left behind, or spending time or money on things that just don't work anymore. There will always be new trends, it's the way of life. But what you do need to be doing is researching what trends are popular, what's working, and what is going to stick around longer than a fad might. A trend will be effective to many groups of people and will influence your business as a whole. A fad will only be popular and affect certain people, and that is something you want to avoid. To get you back on the right paths of trends and leaning away from second long fads, we are going to be sharing and discussing some of the digital marketing trends you're going to be seeing in 2020 and for some years to come!
We hope you are just as excited as we are about these trends. These are just three of the most popular that you will be seeing. Remember to continue your research and to keep learning. The more you can learn, connect to your audience, and understand who you're targeting, you'll be more ahead of the game than you'd expect. Time to hop on board, everyone! Thanks for joining us for another exciting blog. Until next time, stay caffeinated and loving Summerville!  Gaining online traffic to your website can be a little tricky, but the more you understand the different types of traffic and how to get them to your website, the more you can build your business online and off. Take the time to continue learning about the different types of traffic and how it can help you and your company!
February is here! We mentioned how much we love love, and we wanted to continue that with you. In our last blog we started the conversation about what online traffic to your website is and the different types there are out there. Remember, many different types of traffic can visit your website, but we are focusing on the four most popular. In our last blog, we talked about direct and referral traffic. In this blog, we are going to be finishing out with talking about organic and social traffic. These two are some of the most tangible and easiest forms of traffic you can implement into your company and very easy to add to your online advertisement goals. TRAFFIC TYPE THREE: Organic Traffic! This type of traffic comes from an online search. An online user isn't specifically typing in your companies name, because they don't know who you are yet. But they are searching for a specific product or service and want a recommendation for something. They type in something that relates to your business, and if you use this type of traffic properly, your company will pop up in the top three website options for them to choose from. The best way to increase this type of traffic is through SEO - (S)earch (E)ngine (O)ptimization. This will place your business at the top of a Google search, so, likely, your website will automatically be picked first by the online user. SEO labels you as being the authority and pro on the topic you're being searched under and helps increase your Google and Online ranking. It is very easy to track this kind of traffic, and the more work you put into it the higher the return you will receive. The big factor in putting work into this and making Google recognize you as an authority is having high-quality content. You need a beautiful and well-designed webpage and Social Media pages, a very safe hosting site, and written blogs posted to your website at least twice a month (AKA what we provide to our clients!). Being very present and active on your Social Media Pages will also help dramatically with this type of traffic too. TRAFFIC TYPE FOUR: Social Traffic! This kind of traffic is cultivated by people visiting your website by finding you on a social media platform. They are so interested and intrigued by your brand, that it causes them to visit your website through a link you've provided in a call to action or posted on your social media pages. The more followers you gain on your social media platforms, the more of this type of traffic you can gain. What helps is posting at least once a day on your platforms, being on-brand and consistent when you post, and staying connected with your followers. You need to interact, communicate, and respond to any posts and messages. It can't be a one way street of communication to be successful in this type of traffic. Don't be selfish in this form of traffic. Don't just post to gain followers and traffic. Your goal should be to create a vibrant community that you're proud to be apart of and that your brand is proud to be a part of. This is what social media was created for. If you see that a certain type of social media platform is working better than others for your company, adjust your time and budget accordingly. Post on all platforms, but be realistic in what is bringing traffic to your website and what is not. This reflects the demographics and age range of who is visiting your website, which is ok! Just be aware of these factors. You not only need to be aware of each of these forms of traffic and understand how they work, but you also need to know how they help and how to achieve them. You need to track the success of each form of traffic that is coming to your website as well. Google My Business does track these numbers for you and you can find them in your information account under the Acquisition Tab. After you open this tab, you can find it in the Overview section. This gathered data can help you see what types of traffic you're consistently doing well with and the ones you're not doing well with. If there is a type of traffic you want more than others, then it's time to switch up your plan on how you are marketing yourself to gain the traffic you want. Have better offline marketing for the direct traffic or perfect your social media platforms to gain Social Traffic There is a trick to each of these types of traffic, and depending on what works best for you and your company, is what you need to put your focus on! We hope these past two blogs have helped you understand a little bit more about online traffic and the importance it can bring to your website and company. Understand that each of these types of traffic is important and necessary to grow your businesses. You need to add goals of gaining traffic to your website to your goals of online marketing, and you need to understand your audience and the demographic you are wanting to target. Once you can harness these ideas and understand what type of traffic works best for you, then you'll be unstoppable. Keep working hard, driving forward with your goals, and staying caffeinated!  Small businesses, be warned! Two of the most important tools in your online marketing toolbox sound very similar but they are two VERY DIFFERENT tools. It's time to break down their differences and pick the right choice for you and your company.
Happy New Year Everyone! We hope you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, and you're just as excited as we are to jump into 2020! One of the biggest things we were focusing on before the holidays set in was the challenges, changes, and inconsistencies of online marketing across many social media platforms. If you spend as much time as we do studying and working with advertising on places like Facebook and Instagram, you are very familiar with the fact that it changes constantly. It's hard to keep up with each change and how it affects your advertisements daily. These advertisement tools can determine your business growth and popularity online, so if you don't understand the changes in trends or are unfamiliar with the tools available to you, you could be in serious trouble. One of the biggest things we have been digging into is Geofencing and Geotargeting. This behind the scenes marketing tool can make or break an advertisement campaign without even trying. The names look so familiar, they much basically be the same thing right? Wrong! Although they are connected, you need to understand their main differences. When you understand the differences, you will be able to choose which option is best for your company. The best choice will help you gain more customers, followers, and supporters. First off, let's get down to the definitions. GEOFENCING: Geofencing is when you draw an actual virtual fence with a predetermined chosen radius. This is used to target and connect specific people in a certain area to your advertisement. It is known to be more accurate than geotargeting. It uses GPS to make sure the audience you have targeted is being tracked and followed based on the coordinates of where they are in that exact moment they're online. When this chosen group of people is online, geofencing collects data and studies how long this chosen group of customers stays within the virtual fence and if and when they come back. This tool helps improve the engagement of local customers for your company and it can help attract customers away from your competition. The disadvantage of geofencing is that it can only target audiences based on physical location. Hand-picking demographics and certain groups of people based on anything besides location have nothing to do with who sees your geofencing advertisement. Who is the best for? If you are interested in advertising to populations of all interests and ages in your local area, then it is a perfect tool for your company. GEOTARGETING: This tool is very similar to Geofencing at its base. It does draw the same invisible fence, BUT demographics are included in its makeup. You create your virtual fence, and then you pick who exactly (based on age, interest, gender, etc.) will see your ad. One of the main disadvantages is that you have to open up your advertisement geographic to a much larger area. You are being very specific about the type of people you want to see this add within a particular area So, to get as much of a result as you would with geofencing, the location needs to be larger to attract the same number of people in a geofencing situation. Who is this best for? If you are interested in advertising to a very specific group of people inside a certain demographic or niche, then this is a perfect option for your company. Spend time studying both options. I have just given you the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to using these tools, and there is a lot to dig into when choosing which to use. Understand how each could affect your company for the better or worse. Spend time understanding the consumers you have and those you're trying to attract. This might be the perfect opportunity to step back and define your company and who you want to serve. If you have the time and the means, experiment with both and see which outcome is best. But make sure to decide on one in the end, stick with it, and plan your advertising campaign accordingly. The work put into this decision could lead to a more dedicated consumer base and a fast conversion rate. All of us social media people love to see those numbers jump high and jump quick! Here is to an exciting 2020, we can't wait to build a better business world with you one day at a time!  We know it might seem a little early to already be prepping for the holidays, but it's always best to get a head start on planning. From prepping your decorations to your ad campaign, take the time to make this year the best year yet!
Hello everyone! We hope you had a wonderful September, and that you are so excited for October and the fall season to take over. For everyone in the small business world, stepping closer into fall also means starting to prepare for all of your holiday sales, offers, decorations, ads, images, and products. It's A LOT to plan for. Believe me we can relate. We have already started to plan for our fourth quarter, which also happens to be the busiest part of the year. If there is one thing we can recommend right away, it's to start early. That is a huge headache saved, believe me! No matter the size of your small business, you deserve a strong plan and marketing agenda for the holidays. Smart planning for the holidays isn't just for the big box stores or giant corporations. If you employ 1 or 1000, it's time to get started. We are so excited to share these few tips of the trade with you. Each of these tips can be used for any holiday, but with everything from Halloween to the New Year approaching, we will be focusing on those holidays and each in between. These tips span everything from social media to your digital footprint on Google. You won't want to miss out on these!
Like we mentioned - there is A LOT to think about when it comes to successfully running a business during the holiday season. But we hope these tips help ease some of your stress and kick off the best quarter of the year for you and your small business! We will see you next time! |
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