In my recent Podcast you'll learn about the upcoming event "Nate's Selfie Scavenger Hunt​" and how business owners can be involved with events or companies that sponsor events to get more exposure.  You can listen by clicking here.

We are proud to be a sponsor of this event and to learn more about how you can join in the scavenger hunt or decide to be a sponsor visit
www.instagram.com/nathanflotheevents

A recent article I read from smallbiztrends.com shared that there are more ways than ever to market to your audience, but businesses are overlooking some of the strategies available to them. According to an infographic from Zipsprout, sponsoring an event is one of the channels most businesses have yet to try.

The infographic is titled, “Going Hyper-Local: How Sponsoring an Event (Like Goat Yoga or a Garlic Festival) Can Grow Your Business.” And it makes the case for why more businesses should look into events as a marketing tool to reach local audiences.

If you are a local small business owner, sponsoring an event is a great way to introduce yourself to your neighbors. Not only does it build brand awareness, but it shows potential customers you are doing your part to help the community you work or may even live in.

The Impact of Digital Marketing
The introduction of digital technology and marketing soon thereafter has changed the way businesses engage with their audience.

Unlike the cost and expertise needed for launching campaigns on TV, radio or print, all it takes is an internet connection and readily available free tools for digital marketing.

The infographic by Zipsprout says social media is the most used marketing channel by businesses, which accounts for 70%. This is followed by email at 44%, digital ads at 42%, SEO at 39%, and content marketing at 27%. Print ads and direct mail are used by 28% of businesses.

The Benefits of Sponsoring an Event
The infographic points out 71% of local businesses are satisfied with the results of community sponsorship. And participation doesn’t mean you have to spend money.

Donating your branded products as well as volunteering your time and free services can have the same impact. If these actions speak the values of your company, it is an important factor for many customers.
​
This is because Americans support or reject a company based on the positions they advocate, with 87% saying they will make a purchase based on values and 76% doing the opposite or boycotting if they don’t agree.
  ​
​All the best,
Nicole Flothe
www.jenstarmedia.com

Keep your Vision/Mission Statement in mind in all the marketing you do for your company.


Facebook

1.  Like 5 or more people/fan pages a week by posting comments on their fan pages and linking back to your fan page.  If you find relevant content share it on your fan page.

2.  Join once a week a Fan Page promote session...This is where people are sharing their fan pages and liking others.

3.  Referrals - Educate, nurture ask, reward.  Educate the fans once a week or more on news related to your company.  Examples...Youtube videos, Quotes, Pictures, Blogs offering educational information.  Nurture Like their comments or acknowledge them for liking your post.  Ask...Make a request for fans to share your content or like your post.  Reward...Create a reward for loyal fans and let them know about it.  Example...Do a once a month drawing an award a small item from store.

4. Do a once a week promotion or update on your company news.  This would be a great way to incorporate Blogging and post links onto Facebook.

Twitter

1. Have all your Facebook posts go directly to your Twitter account.

2. Create a specific Hashtag # that you use for your company and start adding it to your tweets.

3. Spend 5 to 10 minutes on Twitter and connect with people in your niche.

4.  Retweet those quotes, tips, pictures, and blogs that bring value to your company.

5.  Share valuable information and updates.  You can use an auto schedule program like bufferapp.com or hootsuite.com to schedule tweets and share information at set times.    


Instagram

1.  Post at least 3 -4 times a week, pictures with hashtags # that save the picture into categories on Instagram.  

2.  Like a few pictures in the hashtag category that you have posted your picture in.

3.  Follow other related companies or people in your industry, and make a comment on their photos.

4.  Connect the account to your social media sites.


Pinterest 

1.  Create an account and set up a pin board for your company.

2.  Pin items that are related to your company at least 3-4 times a week.

3.  Try to gather at least 10 items on your board that you found in the search section related to your topic of interest.


Blogging

1.  Share your story on a weekly basis in an article or doing Wordless Wednesdays to generate traffic to your site.

2.  Share with your social media sites and link to your products.

Good Luck!
Nicole Flothe

1.  Facebook is a great way to list your business by creating a Fan Page.  When businesses create their fan page, they begin connecting with their customers.  A great place to find other connections for businesses is facebook.com/smbusinessroom. 

2.  Twitter is a quick newsfeed that connects 140 characters or less of information about your company or yourself.  #HASHTAGs are important and many companies use them to tag their topic of interest.  I just recently created a new tag for the our affiliated magazine #heartbeatmag.  There are some really great hashtags out there and you can search for them at the top of twitter to find relevant customers.  One example is a company called #foodiechats and they use their hashtag every Monday for live tweet meetups. 

3.  Pinterest is becoming a very important tool to business owners using social media.  It's a place you can pin the pictures of interest to your virtual board.  We have a board for Businesses we Love and companies websites get pinned to that board.

4.  LinkedIn is a favorite for business owners that want to provide a professional appearance.  It also provides a perfect resource for connecting with other business owners.

5.  Instagram is a useful tool for those who want to join a world of photographers, some are professional but most are amateur.  Instagram is a way for businesses to share visually what their company is all about.  You can use #hashtags to categorize your picture, like #pottery, #art, #heartbeatmag, #media, etc.

6.  Youtube sets the bar for sharing a message virtually.  Once your company is live on camera, it allows your customer to begin to trust in you.  Quick videos can be made with animoto or other apps on iPhones and edited during the upload process to Youtube.

7.  Google+ is a resource for newsfeeds and connecting all areas of Google together with their circle of friends.  They offer Google hangouts where you can have an online video chat session with clients or business owners on a topic of interest.

8.  Etsy, I believe is a great resource for business owners that have handmade items.  You can create circles of people that you want to follow and add favorites to connect further with new clients.  

All in all, Social Media is here to stay and a big part of the life of your business.  

by Nicole Flothe