Accidental Marketing?

By Amanda Bala

So, if you have read any of my blog posts, you know that I am a big fan of Emily Giffin.  I love her books and I also I think that she is a genius when it comes to marketing and promoting her work. So, it should not come as a big surprise that I also am a “fan” of a lot of her Facebook pages or ones that pertain to her.  Recently, I “liked” a page that I thought was about her book and possible upcoming movie, Something Blue.  A few weeks later, I ended up getting an unexpected yet pleasant surprise…

About a week ago, I logged onto Facebook and got a message from the Something Blue fan page I had subscribed to.  The first post read, “WOW!  I just noticed that Something Blue has 43,281 fans… last time I looked it was hovering around 2000.  WELCOME!  Stay tuned for great deals and interesting facts” Now, looking at this post I realized it was for a jewelry page.  I had not subscribed to a jewelry page… what was going on?  The next post explained it all, “It looks like many of you are here by accident.  Not sure how it happened, it was suggested that Facebook merged similar groups/pages?  This page is for Something Blue handcrafted jewelry, not Something Blue the book by Emily Giffin. But, if you like the jewelry too, I invite you to stay for a special Sale event!  Visit my shop and receive 25% off your ENTIRE purchase…” 

Though I was slightly disappointed that I would not be receiving updates on how the “Something Blue” movie was going, I did look through some of the jewelry on the site.  What I found was some absolutely stunning pieces of jewelery!  I, like so many others, decided to not only stay a fan to the page but to also purchase some jewelry.

It got me to thinking about how fortunate a mistake this was for the owner of Something Blue Jewelry, or as she refers to it, “A Match Made on Facebook…”  She went from having around 2000 fans to having almost 45,000 fans.  As of August 18, 2011 she was anticipating her 2000th sale.  With the amount of new fans that have been introduced to her work, I would guess that she has doubled, if not tripled her business in the past 3 weeks.  Plus the fact that she so graciously offered a discount to those of us that had been put onto her site by accident.  Great marketing!  With her wonderful products and good customer service, I would not be surprised to see Something Blue Jewelry take off!  I will definitely recommend the site to friends and I am sure I am not the only one. 

So, in this case of accidental marketing, I would have to say that we are all winners.  Something Blue Jewelry gets more customers and we get some fabulous jewelry.  I can only hope that the owner sends a beautiful thank you and maybe a gorgeous necklace to Emily!

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5 Reasons that Social Media is Good for YOU!

By Amanda Bala

Are you still not convinced that social media will work for you and your business?  Do you think that it is just a trend that is going to end soon?  Well here are 5 reasons that should convince you to jump on the bandwagon… NOW!

Social media is here to stay.  Not a fair weathered friend, social media has solidified its place in the business world.  Blogs and social media sites are key components of most successful marketing strategies. 

Social media is easy to start.  It does not take much effort to get the ball rolling on a social media campaign.  Twitter, Linked In, Facebook and blogs all take very short amounts of time to set up. 

Social media has low cost.  Besides the time it takes to maintain your sites (and we all know that time is money), social media is very cost efficient.  Facebook, Twitter and Linked In cost nothing.  Depending on the blog platform you choose, your blog can cost you nothing to very little. 

Social media helps with SEO.  In the end, it is all about being found by your potential customers.  Nothing works better than good SEO.  Social media exposure and good blog content are essential when increasing your SEO.

Social media allows you constant contact.  You can use your blog and social media sites to keep in front of your target audience.  You can get feedback through blog comments and interaction through the different social sites.

So, in the end the question remains… are you in or are you out?  If you still refuse to get with the times, you will be left behind by the competition.

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The Top 5 Reasons Why Video Content Is King



By Amanda Bala

 

In our last post, Taking the Worry Out of Vlogging, we explored the reasons why some business owners might be hesitant to use video.  Now that we have set your mind at ease about how easy it is to use video, let’s explore why it is important!

 

1.  Video sets you apart from the crowd.  Since the use of video and vlogging is relatively new, now is a great time to start using it.  You will be ahead of the pack and quickly be set up as a leader in this new trend!

 

2.  Video helps to build relationships.  Because people will be able to see you, they will be able to relate to you.  They can see your facial expressions and they can look at all of you cues, both verbal and nonverbal.  This helps them to get to know who you are and build trust with you.

 

3.  Video helps with SEO.  Ever since Google bought You Tube, video content has greatly increased search engine optimization.  Now, putting videos on You Tube and on your blog land you higher in the rankings then ever before.

 

4.  Video allows you to entertain, inspire and become an authority in your field.  People like to watch video.  Just look at how many hits You Tube gets in a day.  Take a moment to Google “You Tube Success Stories” and you will be amazed at what some people have done to leverage the power of video.  People want to be entertained and they want to listen to those individuals who have great content in their area of expertise.

 

5.  Video is fun!  It is often easy to get caught up in the daily grind that is your business.  But that is not how it should be.  Love your work.  Enjoy your work.  Have fun with your work.  Video allows you to do that.  It is a time away from the normal day to day happenings.  It is something new.  Use it and enjoy it!

 

People are using video now more than ever.  Don’t miss getting in on the action!  Now is the time.  Lights, camera, action!

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