// BLOG
Say Hello to Top Chef Meals!
April 16, 2015
We are incredibly lucky at Social Marketing Solutions to be able to work with some of the best companies and people out there. From clients we've been working with for years to the ones who are brand new, we work with a vast array of talent all around the tri-state area and we thought it would be great if you had a chance to meet some of them. So today we'd like to take a moment to introduce to one of our newest clients, Top Chef Meals.
Founded by Paul Ghiron, Top Chef Meals is a division of the Crystal Spoon, a leading provider of co-packing and private label services for business' throughout the greater New York area. Their talented passionate chefs are known for their exceptional quality artistic presentations of American and International cuisine. Founded first in 2005, The Crystal Spoon Corp began as a corporate cafeteria company managing cafeterias throughout the tri-state area. Then in 2006, the company refocused on providing corporate catering as its primary business area. Steady growth lead to the Crystal Spoon being the largest corporate caterer in Westchester County from 2007 – 2011. During 2010 the Crystal Spoon started Top Chef Meals, which focused on bringing affordable restaurant quality meals throughout New York state. Now with over 50 cooks and chefs, the Crystal Spoon prepares over a thousand meals a day for several very well known highly rated diet programs that sell to upscale clients throughout the greater metropolitan area.
Top Chef Meals is located in Elmsford, NY less than 30 minutes from New York City, where they individually prepare, hand-plate and seal their customers' unique meals with artistic packaging for delivery. From gourmet five star entrees to organic vegan meal delivery programs, they bring brand products to both a regional and national market. Each of their gourmet meals is prepared by their team of professional chefs with years of experience and unparalleled taste for premium quality, exceptional flavor and originality. Top Chef Meals provides equivalent superb restaurant quality food with their healthy and delicious meals, providing a perfect nutritional balance, and perfectly suited for those on a budget.
Top Chef Meal's philosophy is that every prepared dinner is an opportunity for a uniquely pleasurable and healthy culinary experience.
Visit Top Chef Meal online via their website, Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram! And keep checking back as we keep introducing you to more of our fabulous clients and sharing more wonderful social media tips and news!
Interview with Owner Kelly Jones
March 18, 2015
We've got a special blog for you guys today – an interview with the founder and owner of Social Marketing Solutions, Kelly Jones! Here you'll learn about Kelly's history in social marketing, find out what makes her tick and so much more. Let's get started!
1. What led you into social marketing? One of my previous employers had the idea to manage business's social media for those who didn't have the time and expertise to do so. He was looking for a college aged student with social media knowledge who had interest in working and growing with a variety of companies. At the time it was a great opportunity for me to learn how to work with various businesses, understand their needs and expectations, and then deliver while doing something I loved. After working with the company, Working Your Network, for almost two years I decided to venture off and go on my own.
2. Why did you decide to start your own company? I started my own company after realizing how much I grew Working York Network on my own. I wanted to expand and grow, and I felt like owning my own company gave me the ability to do so. I was still young and in school, but I had the knowledge and background of the industry and I knew with hard work and dedication the business would thrive.
3. Since you were so young when you started Social Marketing Solutions (SMS), how do you think being younger worked to your advantage in this field? Being young was an advantage in this field as I grew up on social media. I personally have used, purchased, researched, and reviewed a company based on their social media pages. I know what others are searching for and this knowledge has helped me understand how businesses target audiences in order to achieve success through social media. It is important to know what the consumer is looking for and growing up in the generation of social networking definitely gave me a better understanding of what works and what doesn't.
4. And on the flip side, what have you learned through the years and from people who are older and wiser? Throughout the years I have learned A TON from working with over 100 different clients and 10+ different employees. I have learned that every company is different – including their target audience, goals and expectations. I have learned it's important to be in constant communication with your clients, in addition to addressing client concerns on what works and what doesn't. I have gained an appreciation for every business with which I have worked. As we are all trying to grow and develop and every company is dealing with different scenarios, I also have learned to listen and value my clients and employees because they're the reason why we are successful. As the owner I have become more humble and grateful for my staff as I couldn't do what I do without them.
5. What's your favorite aspect of social media marketing? My favorite aspect of social media marketing is seeing and hearing about the success stories. Hearing that clients are getting attention or that their pages are getting noticed is the most rewarding part of our job. It's so tough to judge ROI in our industry, so hearing positive feedback from my clients is the most rewarding.
6. How have you seen trends change and grow? There have been so many changes in the trends of social media worlds. I learned quickly social media marketing is ever changing, and it is up to us to stay ahead of the curb. I learned that some sites are better than others for our clients, and not everything works for everyone. It is important to learn about the company we are working with and find what is going to be best for that specific organization.
7. If companies are going to have only ONE thing they do online, what should it be? If a company is going to do one thing online, it should be to have a powerful and well maintained website that you can direct people to through your other marketing channels.
8. What else should people know about you? What do you like to do? Where did you go to school? Anything else like that you'd like to share? I graduated from High Point University with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Communications with a specific focus in social media. I also work full time for College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving, one of our first clients when the business started in 2011. I enjoy staying busy through work and traveling, and in my "free time" I enjoy heading to the Jersey Shore where I have a summer beach house in Long Beach Island.
Check out the video below to find out who inspires Kelly and more!
Interview by Misty Layne
Instagram – It’s a Snap!
February 14, 2015
It's a whole new world out there in social media, and believe it or not Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn aren't the only main players anymore. From Snapchat to Google+, there are a host of social media platforms that your company should be taking advantage of this year. Recently, we've been discussing Instagram on social media, so we decided to delve in a little further.
What exactly is Instagram? Instagram is a mobile photo-sharing and video-sharing social network. It enables its users to take pictures and videos and share them, not just on Instagram itself, but also on a variety of other platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. One distinctive feature is that it confines photos to a square shape, similar to a Polaroid image. Users can also apply digital filters to their images. As for videos, the main feature is that the maximum duration is only 15 seconds. Similar to other social networks, users on Instagram can follow other users as well as leave comments on photos and videos.
How can Instagram be used for marketing? Audiences today prefer to be reached via visuals and short messages. They also want personal experiences with brands – experiences that are both engaging and accessible. Instagram allows brands to do this in real time while giving users a different experience than customers using other platforms. Also consider that much like Twitter, Instagram relies upon hashtags as a way for users to find the things they love. Tagging your brand's photos with the right categories will have you reaching a wider audience than you could just via Facebook and your website. And if you're interested in the numbers behind Instagram, take a look at this:
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Do You Pinterest?
January 22, 2015
It's a whole new world out there in social media, and believe it or not Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn aren't the only main players anymore. From Snapchat to Google+, there are a host of social media platforms that your company should be taking advantage of this year. This week, we're going to highlight the image pinning social network, Pinterest.
What exactly is Pinterest? If you're not already familiar with it, Pinterest is a social network where users "pin" images they find all over the web to boards they've created that are categorized (i.e. "Food", "Wedding Venues", "Places I Want to Travel"). How does it work? Users visually share their "pins", which they either upload from their computer or find on the web. Using a visual orientation, Pinterest's goal is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting." The social network is highly focused on lifestyles, wanting you to share your tastes and interests with others and discovering the tastes and interests of likeminded people. And as with other social networks, users can follow friends, like and comment on other users' pins, re-pin content to their own boards and share others' pins on Facebook and Twitter or via email.
So how can Pinterest be used for marketing? Consider this – in 2013 alone, Pinterest surpassed email and Facebook as an online content sharing medium. And it's only grown from there. Adding the Pinterest's "Pin It" button to your website enables people to add your stuff to Pinterest – and every pin leads back to the site it came from. Since Pinterest is highly visual, it also gives your business the opportunity to engage customers with compelling images – for example, you can promote deals and new products or create boards that show how to use your products. Or how about creating an employee board where you pin pictures of your employees so people can put faces to your name? Pinterest is an easy and great way to make your business more personable and easily accessible!
Social media reaches far and wide and comes in all different shapes and sizes. Make sure your online marketing plan isn't stagnant with just the use of the "Top 3" – branch out to target different demographics, and if you need help maintaining your online presence, we're just a call away! We're skilled in using a variety of social media sites and can help make your company's presence pop. Till next time!
Welcome to Snapchat
January 10, 2015
It's a whole new world out there in social media, and believe it or not Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn aren't the only main players anymore. From Pinterest to Google+, there are a host of social media platforms that your company should be taking advantage of this year. This week, we're going to highlight the mobile app, Snapchat.
What exactly is Snapchat? If you're not already familiar with it, Snapchat is a photo messaging app. How does it work? With the application, users can take photos, record videos, add text and drawings, and send them to a controlled list of recipients. These sent photographs and videos are known as "Snaps". Users set a time limit for how long recipients can view their Snaps, up to 10 seconds, and after they will be hidden from the recipient's device and deleted from Snapchat's servers forever. Doesn't exactly sound mobile marketing friendly though, does it?
Surprisingly, however, it is marketing friendly. As long as you can be creative you can send Snaps directly to the group of people you want. Plus, Snapchat now has new features such as, chat and advertisements, and considering it's estimated 10 billion dollar value, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, it has quickly become one of the most popular social media apps among young adults, even beating out Facebook!
Social media reaches far and wide and comes in all different shapes and sizes. Make sure your online marketing plan isn't stagnant with just the use of the "Top 3" – branch out to target different demographics, and if you need help maintaining your online presence, we're just a call away! We're skilled in using a variety of social media sites and can help make your company's presence pop. Till next time!
