// BLOG
Celebrate National Try Something New Day!
February 27, 2019
Using social media for your
- Promotions – random holidays are the perfect time for promotions. For example, February 11
th is White T-Shirt Day , so if you have a clothing company where are whitet-shirts available, you could have a promotion for that day. Do a buy one, get one free coupon or give away a whitet-shirt with every $25 purchase. The possibilities are limitless! - Contests – Picking a holiday that’s related to your business and creating a contest around it creates a fun environment for your audience and enables you to get your product to them in some way. Take July 1
st – Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day; if you own an ice cream shop, you could have a contest for people to come up with their best creative ice cream flavor, vote on the best one, and then as the prizegive them some ice cream (or let them create their flavor to try it out). It’s pretty win-win for everyone involved. - Be Part of the Conversation – Celebrating quirky, random holidays on social media makes your business a part of the conversation. Take September 19
th which is International Talk Like a Pirate Day (you might be familiar). This one is a fairly popular random holiday – in fact, in the past Facebook created the ability to change the language of your account to “pirate” just for this day – which means it will be trending on social media the entire day. Simply acknowledging it by posting a quick “Arrgg,matey !” or putting up a picture of your favorite pirate (Jack Sparrow, of course) will get eyes on your business. - Celebrate The Good – It’s a big, bad world out there, so sometimes it’s wonderful to just do or say something nice. There are plenty of holidays that celebrate
joy and the good things, like November 20th which is Beautiful Day. Just posting something, well, beautiful to acknowledge this holiday (or others like it) is a great reminder to your audience to enjoy the good things and a great reminder that your business is run by people just like them. - Show Your Appreciation – There are plenty of random holidays on which to show your appreciation for your customers, such as September 15
th , National Thank You Day. Any day is a good day to say thank you to the many people who help you stay in business, of course, but acknowledging them on days made especially for that purpose will get more people to see your appreciation. Whether you simply post a graphic saying “thank you”, do a giveaway, or upload a quick video, your customers will be happy to know they’re appreciated.
Social media should be fun and it should be creative. There are plenty of ways to get yourself in front of the public, but the use of offbeat holidays will make you stand out. No matter how you use them you’ll be remembered for being part of the conversation and for doing something different from the rest of the crowd. A site we like to use to find these holidays
Happy Holidays from SMS!
December 19, 2018
The end of the year is upon us once again and so we reflect back on the year that has passed us by. Yet another year gone, can you believe it? 2018 has been a phenomenal year at SMS. We have enjoyed helping our clients grow their social media presences online and we are grateful for all the ways we've grown ourselves. Basically, we love what we do, and we thank you for your continued support and loyalty to SMS.
This year we celebrated our 7th anniversary of business and expanded our client list and services. We celebrated the release of our client, Denise K. Rago's, newest book “Eternal Hunger” , and we helped promote her first book signing in October. This event was a wonderful & fun experience for both of us. We ran a full social media campaign leading up to the book's release date, and we helped promote the signing with a Facebook event + photo collages that we created after the event. SMS also grew our blog & newsletter services by adding new clients such as Rutherford Cosmetic Preventative Dentistry in Rutherford, NJ and Top Chef Meals – a delicious meal delivery service based in Elmsford, NY. We also added more new clients to the roster such as Berlet Plastic Surgery in Hackensack and Cedar Grove, NJ and we added additional social media services to Suburban Furniture who has been a loyal customer for over 6 years now!
We are forever grateful to our many SMS clients who have trusted us with their social media presence and online marking for the past 7 years we have been in business. It's because of our clients that we're able to continue doing what we love – providing excellent social media marketing services at a reasonable price!
This year has been absolutely amazing, and we can't wait to see what 2019 brings. Thank you again for your support. We wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season and we hope that the new year brings prosperity, health and happiness to you all!
Many thanks –
Kelly Jones & the Social Marketing Solutions LLC team!
Client Spotlight
October 31, 2018
Congratulations to our client, author Denise K. Rago, on her recent book signing for her 3rd book, Eternal Hunger, which was hosted at Sterling Parc at Hanover!
Denise is a phenomenal paranormal author, who has also been a loyal SMS client & friend for over 4 years now! We were thrilled to be able to help Denise promote and celebrate this milestone with her 3rd book in the series. Denise's paranormal romance series, Enchanted Bloodlines, takes place against the backdrop of the world’s most unforgettable cities: a ravished, Revolution-era Paris and modern-day Manhattan, and features sensual yet solitary protagonist, Christian Du Mauré; mortal, Amanda Perretti; and Christian's best friend, vampire Michel Baptiste. (It’s an awesome read – trust us, we’ve read them =))
Denise’s first book signing for book #3, Eternal Hunger, was held on October 23rd and we had a fabulous time full of lots of fans, good food, fun giveaways, great decorations, and plenty of signing!! We were very excited to be able to help Denise prepare for her book signing by promoting it on her social networking accounts as well as via her website, blog and newsletter. We helped promote her Facebook event, and built up interest on her Facebook page leading up to the event.
We have genuinely enjoyed getting to know Denise and her love for vampires, history and art. She loves sharing her passion for reading and writing, and we have enjoyed watching her stories develop with the addition of the 3rd book in the series, Eternal Hunger. We have developed a close friendship working with Denise over the years, and we are proud to support her success as she continues to write and develop as a successful author.
You can check out photos from the event below and check out more info on Denise's paranormal novels HERE.
We can't wait to see how Denise's future progresses and what her vampires get up to next! Here's to our client!
It’s Time to Revamp Your Social Media Sites
July 19, 2018
It may be a bit late for spring cleaning but it's never too late to clean up your social media sites! Just as you should keep your website updated monthly, you need to be at the top of those Google search pages & you should periodically revive your social media presence to make sure you are hitting that mark!Let’s talk more about what we mean.
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Facebook: Start with your photos – revive, refresh & rejuvenate! Update those banner pics & change up those profile pics – KEEP IT FRESH!! Update your pages to correspond with current events, pop culture stores & stay CURRENT. For example, SMS created an Olympics style version of our banner during the Winter Olympics last year & the rings got people’s attention & helped start new conservations, as well as get new likes/interactions. Be creative! Next, check to make sure all the info under “About” is still relevant. Be sure your bio includes location, industry, links to relevant websites/portfolios and something that shows your business's personality. Make sure to double check your contact info one more time & update any necessary phone numbers & emails, plus validate the description info & update the taglines as needed.
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Twitter: Again, start with your photos. (Sensing a theme?) Update your profile & banner photos with something different than your Facebook page, but make sure your brand is consistent across each platform. Next, review your followers/following lists & clean up any fake, inappropriate or inaccurate followers.
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LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a little different than the rest as it's more of a professional network & should be treated as such. Your profile/resume should be frequently updated with small changes each time. Add your presentations & list what you have accomplished in your professional career – include trainings, certifications & other relevant industry info.
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Instagram: Start with your bio – update your info, add new hashtags & freshen up your short description ever so often. Double check website links, locations/addresses, contact info & last but not least, make sure the pages represent YOU! This is an online portfolio so utilize it!
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Google Business Profile: Yes, you should definitely revamp this every once in awhile as well. Make sure you are searchable & the pages are updated with the most current locations, contact info & services so people can easily understand what you do & how you can be reached. Make sure to add new photos/videos of you “in your element” doing things that represent you while also updating your followers on your journey.
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Google+: Also revamp your “about me” & contact info every so often on this one too! It’s important to continually update the pages in effort to maximize the social media ROI & do everything possible to keep your pages active with recent reviews & testimonials from your customers.
This covers some of the big ones for now, but let us know if you have any questions or would like us to elaborate on any of the topics/suggestions above. A social networking revamp is a great way to quickly revive, refresh & brighten up your online marketing presence.
Happy 6th Anniversary, SMS!
August 1, 2017
For Social Marketing Solutions 6th anniversary, Social Media Manager, Misty Layne, sat down with owner, Kelly Jones, to ask her a few questions about the history of SMS, the future of social media, and the amazing clients with whom SMS has been blessed to work. Check out the fantastic interview below, and celebrate with us as we wish Social Marketing Solutions a happy 6th anniversary!
MISTY: How has the social media landscape grown in the past 6 years and how has SMS kept up with the changes?
KELLY: There have been so many changes over the past 6 years! Changes such as: the growth of paid advertisements (especially on Facebook & Instagram), the ability to boost and sponsor posts, the merge of Facebook & Instagram (and the impact it had on Facebook advertising), new popularity of social networking such as Google+, the growth of Pinterest, and the advancement in how businesses connect and respond to their Facebook.
Over the years SMS has stuck to its roots and learned the social media world inside and out – while mastering what we do online best, social media management. We've closely monitored whats taken off – as well as the social media trends that have been a bust. Good and bad we’ve adapted to it all! For example – RIP Vine & hello SnapChat! As you can see there is ALWAYS something changing, but its important to pay attention to the feedback, and monitor whats attracting new attention – and what isn’t capturing their attention as well. 6 years ago we did not use Facebook and Instagram as much for paid advertisments as we do now. We have also expanded our social media management as the sites continue to change and update their capabilities over the years – which we expect to continue to change vastly over the next 5+ years!
M: How does SMS plan to continue keeping up with the everchanging social media world?
K: Our proven process over the past 6 years is what makes us the experts in the industry. We care about our customers and building a successful online social campaign and brand. Our strategies and experience allows us to know what areas to focus on, and to continue to adjust our strategies to attract our customers target audiences.
M: What do you feel is the most important thing for small businesses to be doing on social media right now?
K: The most important thing for small businesses to be doing is maintaining an active and genuinely SOCIAL online presence. Keeping up with your online brand is essential – consider everything you do online a billboard advertisement for millions to see! And don’t forget to practice what you preach – look at your pages from your customers perspective and get feedback from other co-workers on their thoughts and feedback on the postings and presence.
M: What are some common social media mistakes you see from social networking newbies?
K: Overposting and oversharing! People forget the SOCIAL aspect of SOCIAL media. Listen to your audience, respond to feedback – both positive and negative – and reflect on that feedback from your audience. Also, don’t underestimate the power of social media. Anything can go viral, at anytime – and viral isn't always a good thing. Make sure your brand is what you want it to be and think of yourself as a customer. Would you care about your postings? Think like your audience.
M: How have you helped your clients grow?
K: Oh, we've had so many client success stories and there is nothing better than hearing how we have helped! Some of our highlights include getting our client, Shawn Edgington, to the Top 10 on the Best Sellers List, which was a HUGE accomplishment. We assisted with her book launch which required a lot of non-stop communication, rapid growth, and constant management, but the book release was a tremendous success! Our social media efforts also helped Derek Moore win the 2017 primary republican chair for the Chester, NJ Township Council. Our social media services have helped grow Central NJ Dryer Vent Wizard's online presence – they've stated this summer that they are busier than ever before and our efforts have helped! Lastly we love hearing when our clients receive business directly from our Facebook posts, which recently happened to NY Metro/Northern NJ Dryer Vent Wizard. I could go on and on about what feedback our customers give, but I’m VERY happy with the success of our online efforts. I get pure joy and satisfaction knowing I’m helpng business grow simply because of our online strategies.
M: How have you kept your own company growing?
K: Six years ago we started with only Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and today we continue to offer management of these sites (and more). We've added additional services such as adding social media sites and writing/posting customized blog posts and newsletters, but through it all we’ve stuck to the basics. We know what we do best and we'll continue to network for our customers and recommend their services at every opportunity possible!
M: Tell us about some of your clients!
K: We've got a fabulous roster of clients! Some of them include: Land & Sea Journeys, LLC; Berlet Plastic Surgery; Rutherford Cosmetic Prevenative Dentistry; C&M Medical Billing; Top Chef Meals; LiceDoctors; Opthof Center for Psychotherapy; Tom Stretton – Weichert; NY Metro Dryer Vent Wizard; Northern NY Dryer Vent Wizard; Central NJ Dryer Vent Wizard; Denise K. Rago – author; Payroll Specialties; Millenium Home Mortgage; Cognitive Change; Suburban Furniture and many more!
M: What new & exciting things are ahead for SMS?
K: We'll continue to learn and expand our knowledge of online marketing and the effectiveness of online branding. We'll continue to adjust and expand our services by adding things similar to the addition of our blogs and e-newsletter distribution. Plus we'll continue to expand our social media consulting services, as well as setting up workshops and one-on-ones sessions surrounding social media management! We'll also continue to grow our team of amazing employees who help find information and content for postings. We will continue to network and expand our client base. We've grown every year since we've been in business, and we look forward to many more years of success!
M: Where do you see social media in 5 years?
K: Man that is tough to answer…Honestly, anything can happen and the possibilities are endless. Although I can't predict specifically how sites and pages will change and what we can expect to see on each individual site, I can say as an industry on the whole ANYTHING is possible – nothing would surprise me at this point. There will be new sites and apps over time, which will continue to explore the impact of video, voice recording and location sharing. I don’t know what site will be most popular next, but I will be keeping a close eye on what's hot and what's not and we will adjust our online marking strategies to meet the demands of the industry.
M: What should small businesses focus on for the rest of 2017?
K: Focus on maintaining and monitoring your online brand. Make sure your online and offline messaging is the same, and make sure to incorporate marketing strategies for both efforts. Continue to expand your business' online presence. Utilize the feedback from the audience and make adjustments as necessary. Finally, interact with social followers and spend time growing your presence with quality followers, not just focusing on the quanity of them.
A huge thanks to Kelly for sitting for this interview and answering so many questions about the social media world and Social Marketing Solutions. We're both excited to continue providing our clients with one-of-a-kind service that helps to grow their companies. Happy 6th anniversary, SMS!
