I am still baffled that Google has not gotten its act together and fixed this ongoing issue with Google alerts not working! I wrote a post about it on 2/22/2013. Over a month later, and the issue has not been resolved. I just learned about this alternative, and I’ve read that it is a formidable option to Google’s ever failing alerts system. Try Talkwalker alerts system. Please share by commenting below if you like this option. Thus far, I feel it’s a mirror system to Google’s now defunct system. As a social media marketing agency based out of Miami, Florida, following trends on a daily basis is an integral part of our work. I am quite excited about Talkwalker.
Wishing you a great day,
Aanbelle Taub
I am actually really excited about this app. VisualCV affords you the forum to create your own digital CV/resume. It’s interactive. VisualCV lets you create an Internet-based, media-rich resume and share it with potential employers. Using the tool, you can build a resume that uses visuals to make it more appealing to look at. For the last few years there’s been a trend to stand out from the crowd, so many people seeking jobs opted to have a website designed on their behalf and sent out the link to their site when applying for jobs. Although I am a web designer (our agency is based out of Miami, Florida), I am happy that there is a free or less expensive alternative for people who are unemployed. Have a look at some wonderful examples.
Please do share this post with anyone you know that is looking for a job. It’s a good deed, and you may just help them change their current difficult situation.
I’d love to hear from you if this app/site helped you find and land a job.
Wishing you much luck in all of your future endeavors,
I recently got a call from a small business owner in Hallandale, Florida, who happens to be quite proficient in social media marketing. He was seeking the services of my agency because he had reached what he referred to as “social media burnout.” Actually, this is quite common. I can relate– I eat, breathe and sleep social media! Both in my personal and professional life. Luckily, I have found the antidote to social media fatigue. I’d like to share some tips with you on how to avoid social media burnout:
- Don’t try to be on every social media network! Leverage the social media channels that best fit your business’ needs. Let’s go over some examples: If you own a bakery, Pinterest and/or Flickr are the perfect social media forums for you. Why? Because both focus on blogging through pictures. An image says a thousand words. Your cake creation will be enough to convert a visitor to the site to a client. If you’re a jewelry designer, same scenario. However, if you’re a veterinarian, blog posts back linked to Facebook are far more suitable than the latter! Why? Because writing about the importance of annual canine teeth cleaning is far more informative than a picture. It offers the consumer an avenue to make an informative decision about his/her pet’s care.
- Plan ahead. The common mistake many business owners make is that they try to be on every social media channel. A complete waste of time and energy. For instance, Twitter is not an effective tool for the average business owner! I mean that sincerely. I often use it as a seo tool for my clients. What I mean is that unless you’re JLo, chances are that your followers are not interested in what you had for breakfast, or what services you have to sell. The biggest mistake business owners make is trying to sell their services on Twitter. They get no response (obviously!… this method is the modern-day unsolicited telemarketing calls we all used to get years ago), and get discouraged. I’ve written some helpful twitter tips in past blog posts. Decide which channels include your target audience and engage them with useful information. DO NOT SELL your services! Engage your audience and the business will come! For example: Sydney! Faye-Davis, a prominent Williams Island realtor, does an impeccable job with her social media efforts. Sure her website contains listings, but she also writes about up-to-date finance trends which affect lending. She writes posts advising landlords on how they can attract potential renters.
- Use your time efficiently! Allot one day for writing your blog posts. If you need 2 hours, schedule it in. Then, allot the next day for linking these posts on 2 to 3 social media channel max. I suggest Facebook and Google Plus. Maybe LinkedIn as well. However, on this network, please don’t share what you’ve had for breakfast. Keep it strictly professional.
I suggest selecting at least one or two of these tips and putting a plan in place for effectively utilizing your time on social media.
If you have any tips you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you. Use the comment section below.
Wishing you a great day,
Anabelle Taub
In social media news this week: if you’ve set your name or any other search term as a google alert and have not received the usual alerts in the last several weeks, it’s not you– it’s Google. Seems there is some kind of an issue on their part. Hopefully in the next several weeks they’ll have it figured out.
Wishing you a great week,
P.S. As of today, March 27th, 2013 (more than a month after above post was written), I just learned about an alternative you can read about to Google’s failing alerts.
Thanks for visiting my social media blog. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Anabelle Taub. I own Eco Press- a Miami based digital social media marketing and web design agency. I am so passionate about social media, that I often blog about it.
I am in the business of keeping small businesses in business! [Please forgive the redundancy, but there's no other way to convey that in writing]. I know what an amazing tool social media can be, and WILL BE, for every small business owner (realtors– pay attention too), if you hope to be in business in the next couple of years. Unfortunately, the majority of business owners, realtors, or any person working as an independent contractor, is just how out of touch or naïve many can be.
One of the most common questions my new clients ask me is “What’s the return on investment?”, “When will my business grow?” If you expect to have more than your expenses covered in the first year, it is a naïve notion. Traditional marketing no longer works! PR as we all knew it, well, that’s changing as well! Social media and online engagement is the new way to market, and is the new PR! Unless you’re willing to make the transition, and wrap your head around this FACT, your business will lose out to your competitors that do get it.
This is why I am taking the time to write out this blog article. If you read it (I suggest a few times over), take it to heart, and take out parts you think you can carry out, your business will be sure to thrive, instead of lag behind your competitors. Thus, let’s go over these points:
- Should you Twitter or Facebook? The clear answer is this……. how many leads are you currently getting from your Twitter and Facebook accounts? If you are honest with yourself, and your answer is 0, maybe 1, your best choices are (1) focus on another way to market your business, or (2) hire an experienced social media marketing specialist to run your social media campaign for you. It’s not that you are failing in any way, it’s just that running a Twitter or Facebook business account takes a lot of work, and the right kind of work. You’re in the business of providing whatever specialty you offer, don’t expect to be a social media maven, too.
- BE PATIENT!!!!!! Notice the extra exclamation marks? They’re there for a good reason. So many people I speak with, interact with through my blog or social media profiles (some of my new clients as well) expect clients to be knocking down their door, or maxing out their voicemail capacity. This naïve, but certainly legitimate notion will cause your business to fail, before it has the chance to flourish into a steady money-making machine. Social media marketing is an ongoing, long relationship building tool. You’ve heard the cliché statement, Rome wasn’t built-in a day…… Well, same applies to your business. So please be patient! If you’re starting out as a new business owner, you should plan for expenses as part of your budget. Please, please, I urge you– if you’ve hired a social media marketing specialist, don’t expect him/her to work miracles for you in the first year, even two! If they promise you miracles, run the other way. If he/she tells you it will take a good year before you see any kind of ROI (return-on-investment), hire this individual, without thinking twice. For he/she has spoken the truth!
- Understand the rule of engagement! If you’re reading this, and not sure what I mean by this, your best bet is to hire a social media marketer, who knows the importance of engagement in social communities; as well as how a particular program will serve the needs of the community audience your business is targeting. Here are two great examples of how to engage your target audience/clients:
- Sydney! Faye-Davis, an accomplished luxury realtor, specializing in Williams Island real estate– rather than having a boring website, Sydney! opted for a website which engages the residents of WI. She accomplishes this, by writing about all the financial matters which affect the pockets of this exclusive island’s residents. She also engages residents by writing about social events and a bit of gossip at the island. Take a look for yourself: williamsislandrealestate.com).
- The Acne Solution– a product line offering chemical free, yet effective skin care products to treat acne– well, we run a brilliant type of engagement for them. They actually offer a free online service, whereby people can write in any type of skin care question they have, without any type of obligation to buy anything. In less than six months, they amassed 40,000 subscribers. That’s 40,000 people who know about their product line, and can (and d0) spread the word around to others. Please have a look for yourself: skincaretreatments.tv. There is no way, that you can get that much exposure if you tried to sell yourself and your services, the sales will follow, but first, you must captivate your audience’s attention!
The bottom line, start thinking about what I’ve written above. Let it marinade for a bit; but, not too long. You need to jump on the social media bandwagon sooner than later. Set realistic goals and expectations.
If you don’t know anything about social media marketing, please include this VITAL service in your business budget. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you may have about social media (you may write in at comments section below).
Wishing you much success!
Anabelle Taub
It seems that more and more people who are sick and tired of local status quo politics run by apathetic or self-serving politicians within their communities, consider, or do run for office themselves. Have you considered running yourself! If you think you can’t, allow me to give you some inspiration………..
I am extremely excited about the possibility of having Michele Lazarow win the seat of city commissioner, in the upcoming 2012 Hallandale Beach elections. There are two things I am really passionate about in life- animal welfare and social media. There are a few moral virtues I will not waver on– trust and integrity. Michele Lazarow is a true animal lover/activist, and is a woman who possesses great integrity. I’d love to see her win, and bring about some sensible, fresh municipal changes. Because Ms. Lazarow is so inspiring to me (she managed to do the impossible, and got an ordinance passed, which limits puppy store owners from corrupting the great city of Hallandale…. but that’s a whole other story), I wanted to write about tangible social media tools that can be used in political campaigns. I should note this- Ms. Lazarow did not pay me or ask me to mention her in this article.
As such, I really believe that a person who does not have a lot of money to run a political campaign, can do so efficiently, smartly, and even beat out their opponents with deep pockets. I am really convinced that PR as we knew it, is dead. Running campaigns without a dynamic social media plan– and sticking to paper run tactics (meaning, mail outs, newspaper ads and the like)– well, that is surely being phased out as well.
The common denominator you should consider– engagement! Don’t bore people by tweeting dozens of times that you’re running for office. Make your social media profiles about your constituents, not about you!
All your really need is a smart phone!
- Visit the local businesses within the town or city you’re running for office in, and tweet about the delicious sandwich you just had at Beau’s Sandwich Shop (just an example). Take a picture of yourself and the business owner, then Tweet and Facebook it via Instagram. Visit as many of the small businesses in the area, let the owners know you’re running for office, PAY for which ever service you’re getting, and try the above. You’ll win the owners over, and they will spread the word around town about you as well. Be sure to ask them what they think about how the municipality treats them as business owners. Do they see room for improvement? Communicate to them that you will take their concerns seriously, and try to do something about their grievances (if any) once you’re elected!
- Encourage your constituents to visit your Twitter and Facebook profiles (you’ll need a blog, too, please don’t overlook this powerful engagement tool) to write in comments about what type of changes they’d like to see take place. This is your ticket to win the election! However, do the right thing– once you’re elected, take these concerns into strong consideration, and tackle them head on. For if you do, you are almost guaranteed a second term!
- Create a YouTube channel. Send out a volunteer or two with a video camera (they can use their smartphones) and target locals by standing outside of the local grocery store/market and asking them to take part for a moment, by voicing what they’d like to see change within the city. Think demographics! Retirees would love to have a voice, so give them the opportunity. 30 seconds or less. Post these videos, organically, just as they are. You can then post your responses, or write a response out, and include the link to your response, within the video. This way, you’ve not only utilized YouTube, but you’ve created great content for your blog as well. Be sure to collect their email addresses as well, let them know you’ll be emailing a link to the video.
- Find out which journalists are covering the elections in your town/city, follow them on Twitter. Anytime they write about an issue affecting your town/city, chime in by writing your opinion, or what you would do to bring about a change. More than likely, you’ll get a mention by way of a RT (retweet) from this journalist, or even better– an article covering your platform.
As Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Thanks for stopping by Eco Press. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Anabelle Taub. I own and operate a social media marketing and web design agency based out of Aventura (Miami), Florida. I am passionate about social media, search engine marketing, and the latest trends in social media networks. As such, I love to share my thoughts, and some useful marketing tips.
Today’s topic- online coupons. My opinion– I hate them! I hate what they’ve done to many local small businesses. In fact, I don’t advise any of my clients (nor will I take on a marketing campaign) to join any of these online coupon/discount sites. Instead, I advise my clients to offer sound promotions (where both the merchant and consumers walk away happy), offer VIP programs, give away a product with the purchase of a service, or give some kind of educational material which leads towards sales.
Coupons in the form of online offers should be avoided like the plague that they are! Unless of course you’re giving away something that is free that you never hope to sell for more than nothing! Some of you may be thinking that this is a bold statement, I am well aware of that. Here’s why I think you should not take part of online discount/coupon services- because this type of “deal of the day offers,” encourages fickle, lower-end clients, who are looking for a CHEAP one time deal. The statistics show that a large majority of people who take part of these type of deals NEVER return as repeat clients. Need more convincing? The low cost services in high volume wear out your staff, their morale, can can damage the perceived value of your brand.
I know of several businesses that literally had to close down their doors, because they committed to selling hundreds of deals, had to fill them, made no profit, and still had to pay their staff. [ I will be including some case studies in the next few weeks. Be sure to subscribe to my blog].
Instead you should drive potential customers through proven marketing methods. In order to attract new clients, you will have to implement social media marketing techniques. If you can afford it, you should have a professional, reputable marketing agency do this for you.
Your Turn: Have you had a negative experience with any of the online websites offering discounted offers? Would love to get any feedback, good or bad.
Twitter: Quality over Quantity, or Quantity over Quality? Easy! Quality! If you’re a small business owner you’ve probably been solicited to buy a package of 5,000 followers for $99. You probably think having 5,000 followers will look impressive and add legitimacy to your business. Right? I beg to differ. As the owner of Eco Press and being a proud marketing whiz since 1996, I strongly disagree. My specialty is rescuing businesses who are literally going out of business, and turning them into a flourishing wheel of revenue. I do this not by quantity, but rather quality. I add quality to my clients’ online marketing campaigns; thus, I help set them apart from their competitors.
The biggest mistake I see people make with Twitter is that they think that having hundreds, if not thousands of followers will bring them business. However, if you’re not engaging your followers, chances are you’ve NEVER got one phone call, one conversion from follower to client! I know this to be true for so many. So, let’s get to how you can change this!
What should you say in 140 characters or less?
- Pose questions to stimulate follower engagement
- Don’t just post a link to a blog or event; ask for feedback
- Tag your followers and get them involved
- Use hashtags when posting to get in front of more users
Try my advice out. I hope you’ll find it useful! If you have any social media marketing or social networking questions, feel free to post them on the comments section below.
Wishing you a great day!
Anabelle Taub
Eco Press, Socializing Brands
Hi there:
Thanks for stopping by Eco Press- Miami’s première social media marketing and web design agency. My name is Anabelle Taub. I write about all things related to social media and social net working. Today’s short topic is about how you as a small business owner can get more out of your business blog.
Here are some useful tips:
- Read other blogs with similar topics/content related to your business
- Follow other blogs similar to the topics you cover
- Ask for feedback by your readers, and write about topics which interest them
- Ask for comments on your blog, and engage your readers by responding to each and every comment (great way to build a rapport with your readers)
- Ask questions and seek opinions
Another quick tip- when you’ve acquired enough blog topics, comments, feedback and the like- post the links on your facebook or twitter pages. This is a great and effective tool to engage your followers with. Don’t ever post your visitors’ private information and/or last names.
If you’d like a professional business blog built for you, Eco Press can help. Our blogs start at only $395. I hope you’ve found this short blog entry helpful. Please feel free to comment, ask questions, or request topics you’d like me to cover with respect to social media and social networking.
Wishing you a great day,
Anabelle Taub
Hi There,
Thanks for stopping by Eco Press- a digital social media marketing and web design boutique, based out of Miami, Florida. My name is Anabelle Taub. I am the owner and founder of Eco Press. I write about all things related to search engine marketing, search engine positioning, social media marketing, and of course, web design. Today’s short blog entry is about how social media is used.
So, let’s get started…………… Social media as it relates to branding/marketing businesses online is used in the following ways:
- Providing direct customer service, in most cases, available 24 hours a day
- Used for promotions/competitions
- Company updates
- Feedback on product/services
- Most importantly, social media is used to build a solid relationship with your clients
If you’re lucky and you know what you’re doing, you will generate leads which may result in client conversions, thus increasing your bottom line monthly revenue/income. If you’re unsure how to run an effective social media marketing campaign for your business, or simply want to focus on what you do best (whatever service it is you offer your clients), please consider Eco Press for your social media marketing needs.
Please feel free to drop me a line at ecopressmiami@gmail.com.
Have a great day,
Anabelle Taub
Thanks for stopping by Eco Press. My name is Anabelle Taub. I am the owner of Eco Press, a Miami based social media marketing and web design boutique. After speaking with a new client earlier today, I realized that many business owners don’t really know what social media marketing is, what it consists of, and how beneficial it is for their businesses.
In short, here’s an explanation. Social media marketing consists of:
- Blogging (Please read Eco Press’ blog)
- Microblogging (i.e. Twitter)
- Social networking (i.e. Facebook and the like)
- Multimedia
- Submissions of reviews, opinions and wikis
If you own a business which is not getting enough exposure on search engines, or are looking to increase your revenue/income, consider Eco Press’ social media marketing, search engine marketing and dynamic search engine optimized web design services. Even though we are based out of Miami, we have clients throughout the United States.
Please feel free to send us an email with any questions you may have. Send inquiries to: ecopressmiami@gmail.com.
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great day,
Anabelle Taub
Copyright 2012. Eco Press: A Miami Social Media Marketing Agency. All rights reserved.
Dear reader,
Thanks for stopping by ecopressinc.com. My name is Anabelle Taub. If you haven’t read my marketing and social media tips, it will be worth your while to stop by more often. Today I’d like to cover how to accumulate a slew of Twitter followers. In the very near future I will write an article about why interacting with one follower is more important than having thousands of followers who don’t interact with is of importance. However, today, let’s go over what steps you should follow to garner quality Twitter followers.
So, let’s get started……………..
- If you’re not on Twitter, join right away, using a unique username. If you haven’t done so already, lock in your name. Decide on a unique username. Use your first name and last name. You won’t have enough space for your middle name.
- When you first join Twitter, put a picture up immediately-before following anyone. If you’d like other Twitter users to think you’re credible, your picture will speak a million words. Your picture will be the first thing other users will look at before deciding whether or not to follow you.
- Before following other users, tweet at least five meaningful tweets. This way, other Twitter followers will have a better idea of whether or not they should follow you. AVOID, tweeting sales, or trying to sell followers your services. This is a sure way to lose followers and rarely garner quality Twitter followers. Here are some examples: One of Eco Press’ clients offers a home sitting service out of Bradenton, Florida (you may learn about them at http://flhomeconcierge.com). Their tweets are about why it’s important to have toilets flushed, or why it’s important to have the property aired out to avoid mold/mildew growth and so forth. Rarely, are any sales pitches tweeted. Our other client, a traffic lawyer based out of Hollywood, Florida (you can learn more about Attorney Robert Shapiro at http://ticketlawyersbroward.com), tweets about red light cameras that are popping up around South Florida cities. Our other client, a skin care tips and advice eCommerce website, tweets about free skin care tips, as well as free skin care recipes. You may learn more about skincaretreatments.tv at: http://skincaretreatments.tv. Do you get the idea?
- Try to tweet something meaningful at least once a day.
- Sign up for 12seconds.tv. This is a unique way for you to stand out from the rest! 12seconds.tv lets you record 12 seconds videos and upload them to Twitter. This gives you a meaningful way to communicate with other Twitter followers.
If you’re new to twitter, if you’re hoping to socialize your business start with the above. I promise, it’s a fool-proof formula. If you run a small business and simply don’t have the time, or the know-how, on marketing your business, socializing your brand, or would like to boost your business’ ranking on Google, please feel free to contact me. I’ll be happy to discuss my services, fees, and give you tangible solutions to garnering more clients, and most importantly, an increase in revenue.
Eco Press, is a digital social media marketing and web design agency based out of Aventura, Florida. We specialize in search engine optimization, and offer affordable online marketing services. I look forward to hearing from you.
Wishing you a nice day,
Anabelle Taub
Thanks for stopping by Eco Press- a Miami based digital social media marketing and web design studio. My name is Anabelle Taub. I am the proud owner of Eco Press, and have a passion for social media marketing, search engine marketing, and search engine optimization. As part of my services to my clients, I create and handle social media campaigns for small and large businesses alike.
I’d like to share some tips with you. Here’s what you need to know about creating a great facebook profile page:
- Use your avatar as your picture. If you don’t have an image on your profile, chances are visitors will not stop and look at your profile. Plus, your avatar is your social media brand. You should use it everywhere you go. I have a fun avatar attached to any content I put out on the internet. [The same avatar you see on the top left hand corner of this blog entry, is the one I use for Eco Press' page on facebook].
- Keep your profile up to date. Use automatic updates from Twitter if you need to, but keep it up to date. If you hardly ever update your profile, your page will go unnoticed.
- Update your status! I try to have fun with my status updates. Play around with it, you have nothing to lose.
- Post something new on your wall every now and then. Your wall posts show in your Facebook friends’ news feeds, remind them you’re around. Make an effort to keep in touch with contacts which may end up being potential clients.
- Fill in as much details as you can. The more you include about yourself (note, I don’t include pertinent information such as date of birth or any details that may result in me becoming a victim of fraud).
The above five tips are easy steps in engaging your friends and their friends on facebook. I recently went to have a pedicure in a new nail spa in Hollywood, Florida. I won’t mention where, I wasn’t happy with the service, but I don’t want to shed any bad light on them. In any event, I went there, because one of my friends on facebook commente on her friend’s facebook status which mentioned this new nail spa. I was in the area, and saw the sign as I drove by, so I stopped in. All because of facebook. Do you see the connection now?
Hope you found this article helpful. If you did, please share it with others.
Till next time,
Anabelle Taub
Thanks for stopping by Eco Press’ blog. My name is Anabelle Taub. I am the owner of Eco Press, a Miami based digital social media marketing and web design boutique. I specialize in search engine optimization, social media marketing, optimized web design and much more. For more on my services, please click HERE.
Today I’d like to cover social media, and why it’s so important for small businesses. Social media is critical to your business/brand because it allows visitors to share your videos, articles, tweets, content and much more with their circle of friends. It allows for your visitors to leave a comment, post a bookmark, check an I’m a Fan check box and so forth. In turn, your visitors have created what I refer to as the buzz effect. Their circle of friends will often check out their likes or shares, which may result in more exposure to your web site, tweets or other social media links. In a matter of hours your one visitor may expose your content, tweets, etc., to their friends, and so on. Potentially, one like, or one share, may result in 50 page views. That’s just from one share or like. Now imagine you have 10 shares or likes.
Ideally, if you can afford it, you should have a professional social marketing firm handle your social media marketing needs. If you’d like to speak with me about marketing your business online, or running and handling a social media campaign for your business, please call me at: 305-924-7471.
