For Quick Social Media Tips, Take a Look at #InspireHappyHour

As a social media marketer I know all of the fabulous facts about how YouTube can be used to help your business. Just as in your business, you know the many things you need to do to grow your business, but taking the time to implement them is another story......well today I am practicing what I preach and am going to be making quick short videos filled with social media tips to give you insight and to help you grow your business. To get back to be benefits of using "video" in your marketing, I constantly am implementing video in my clients marketing strategies and teaching them the benefits of video. Topersuade you a bit more...here are a few stats from QuickSprout, InSivia, and DigitalSherpa.

• Videos Increase People’s Understanding Of Your Product Or Service by 74%.
• YouTube Is The Number Two Search Engine In The World.
• 50% Of Users Watch Business Related Videos On YouTube Once A Week.
• 75% Of Users Visit The Marketer’s Website After Viewing A Video.
• Website Visitors Are 64% More Likely To Buy A Product On An Online Retail Site After Watching A Video.
• 80% Of Your Online Visitors Will Watch A Video, While Only 20 Percent Will Actually Read Content In Its Entirety.
• Your Website Is 50 Times More Likely To Appear On The First Page Of A Search Engine Results Page If It Includes Video.

Now for what you have been waiting for....what are these videos that I will be posting? Take a look at this quick introductory video.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Speakeasy Market Strategies YouTube channel and send me your questions and comments via the #InspireHappyHour hashtag on Twitter or send a message to @SpeakeasyStrat.

5 Tips to Help You Rock Your Next Trade Show

Over the last few years I have participated as a vendor in trade shows, running the social media for trade shows, as well as a slew of event marketing events, such as the Center of the Universe Festival and the Social Media Tulsa Conference. From these years of experience I have come up with a handful of tips to help you rock your next trade show and bring in business. 1. Review/Update Your Social Media Accounts

If you haven't updated your social media accounts in a while, now is the time to do so. Take a few minutes to review your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and make sure all of your information is up to date. Prospects interested in potentially hiring you will likely search for you online, which is why it is essential to make sure your information is up to date. Make a great first online impression.

2. Direct Potential Customers to Your Social Media

You are going to be interacting with numerous prospects at your event (both in-person and following up with them post-event), which is why it is important to direct them to your marketing. Your Facebook page, Twitter account, etc. is the perfect place to direct prospects to find out more about you, your talent, and how to hire you. It is because of this that I encourage you to remind them to connect with you online. Post about your booth before, during, and after the event to create buzz on your page about your brand.

3. Display your Social Media at your Booth

Having your social media on your marketing material will remind prospects that want to connect with you to do so, but you can also remind them to when you are speaking with them in-person. They key is to get them more connected with you and social media accomplishes that goal.

4. Utilize the Event Hashtag

What is a hashtag? A hashtag is used on social media to identify messages on a specific topic. Most trade shows and events create a hashtag that you can use to follow live during the event. One local example of this recently was the #CoUFest hashtag that was promoted on signage and marketing materials. Leading up to, during, and after the event, bands, attendees, and businesses all utilized this hashtag in their social media to tag their posts about the event.

You can take advantage of your event hashtag by using it in your posts on social media and encouraging attendees as well. When you include a hashtag on any post on social media, it becomes something people can use to search for all social media updates on that topic. This allows you and attendees to be able to join in the conversation about the event and gives them the opportunity to share with their social connections the experience they are having at the event and your booth.

5. Have Fun!

Trade shows and events are places to make connections with prospects and build your business. That can at times feel a bit stressful which is why I want to remind you to HAVE FUN! If you have moments when you are feeling overwhelmed, just take a few deep breaths and remember why you do what you do with your business and the rewards you receive through its success.

Trade shows and live marketing events can be overwhelming, which is why it is essential to make sure you are prepared ahead of time. These tips will get you started. If you need help with your upcoming trade show or live event, feel free to send me an e-mail or call me for a complimentary consult.

The Marketing Dame.

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Don't forget to tag Speakeasy Market Strategies!

5 Tips to help you rock your next trade show cheat sheet

Implementing New Years Resolutions

We are in our third week of the New Year, which means everyone is in full throttle when it comes to their resolutions. Having New Years resolutions for yourself are a great way to start the year by focusing your energy on change for the upcoming year. The same concept should apply to your business as well. Here are some tips for setting resolutions in your business: 1. Write Them Down

So many times we say we have resolutions, but writing them down will solidify them and keep you more committed. If you have a business with employees, print them out and place them in a communal area to remind people of the positive changes you are wanting to make in the business this year.

2. Measure Your Progress

Just like any business plan you make, you must have a measure of success. Plan small goals to reach your resolution and set the dates for checking your progress to keep you and your company accountable. Creating an action plan will ensure your business makes the necessary steps towards success.

3. Make Adjustments

After your first evaluation of your progress towards your resolution you may need to see the reality of reaching your resolution. This will take you truly taking a look at the progress you have made and make necessary changes to carry out the business goal.

4. Set New Resolutions

At the end of the year, access your progress you made towards your goals for the previous year. Then create new resolutions for your business for the new year, taking into account the growth you saw in the previous year.

As an example, here are the resolutions I have made for myself and business for 2014:

1. Blog at least once a week.

To do this I am actually doing a kick-start program by committing to blog once a day for the next 100 days. This goal was inspired by the video below and the GiveIt100.com movement. The blogging resolution will help me grow as a writing to reach my goal of writing an eBook and will help with my SEO for my company website (gotta love hitting two birds with one stone).

[youtube id="I5FkshLcNLQ" width="550" height="300" align="center"]

2. Grow my knowledge through continued learning.

This goal has been on my mind for months and as I was driving back home from Texas I began implementing this goal by subscribing for Audible. If any of you are like me, I have piles of business books that I never seem to be able to read, which is why I want to make refining my skills through learning a priority. Each month I get 1 free audiobook for $14.99 that comes directly to my iPhone and I can listen to it in my car, gym, wherever and this will help me reach my goal. P.S. If you do sign up the code FREEBOOK may help get you 2 free audio books when you sign up.

3. Make accounting a priority.

As a consultant and small agency, accounting is an essential part of running a business. In all honesty it is my LEAST favorite part about running a business, but it is a necessary evil. Therefore this year I am going to set aside more time to take care of my books and to start I am purchasing a Neat Receipt to help me manage my receipts and stay more organized. My action plan for this is to work on my books at least twice a month.

Now that you have seen my goals and ways to help you stick to yours, comment below with a few of your own for your business and how you plan to stick to them.

Beginning Tips on How to Use Pinterest for Business

So you have created your business Pinterest page, now what?

Below are some great tips from ClickLabs to get you started.

Pinterest Infographic infographic

Additional Pinterest Tips to Kick-start your Page

Import your contacts

• Currently Pinterest no longer allows you to invite people to your page via e-mail, but you can find friends instantly by connecting your Twitter account.

• In the meantime, you can send out an e-mail to your customers and contacts letting them know that you now have a Pinterest page. This will help stimulate some following. If you do this, it is IMPORTANT that you have spent some time building your page so when they come to see your new page, you have content for them to see. Otherwise, they will likely not follow you.

Do Your Research

• Here is a guerrilla marketing tactic for you to seek out what your competition is doing. Take a look and see if they have a Pinterest page and if they do, take a look at who is following their page. It is likely that if those people are following that company, that they will follow your page as well, as long as you are producing relevant content.

• Look at companies that have complimentary products/services to yours and begin following some of their followers.

• A good example would be, you are a local gym and a complementary product would be workout clothes. Therefore if I were the gym, I would begin following local workout clothing stores, for those that wear workout clothes from a local store, likely workout within the area.

Using these tactics your business Pinterest page will be up and running in no time. If you would like some advice on growing your page more, send me an e-mail at Kersten at Speakeasy Market Strategies dot com.

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I may not be able to take you out for that drink, but I am here to help get your marketing on the right track. If you are business owner that feels like they are struggling in today’s digital marketing, then look no further. We are here to help you be able to get back to what you do best and we can handle the rest.

Click the “Contact Us Now” button to get started. If you would like a sample of the ideas we could generate for you, click here for a free digital marketing report, custom-made for your company. Even if you are not in Tulsa, I also do have consulting available for you to purchase to get one-on-one help from me to kick-start your next project, company, idea…the skies the limit. Click here for more info on those services.