JUMP START Blog and Online Community

Did you know businesses that blog receive 55% more traffic than businesses that don’t? And that social media has one of the highest ROIs around? 

We hear a lot of our clients saying that they know they need to create consistent content, but they just don't have time. Let our writers and SEO experts create content for you with our done-for-you weekly blog and social package.

We are experiencing an unprecedented time right now. Everything we've known to be true has been turned upside down. 

We're trying to navigate a space and span of time in business (and life in general) that none of us have ever witnessed before. And, it's something we'll likely never face again in our lifetimes.

It's a time that was unfathomable just a few months ago. A time of social distancing, stay-at-home orders, work-from-home mandates, marketing budget freezes, eLearning for our children, Zoom fatigue, market uncertainty and so much more that's shocking our lives and world right now.

YouTube has experienced explosive growth since it first launched in 2005.

With an estimated two billion monthly users, 73% of American adults now use YouTube. It is one of the most popular online platforms in the U.S., according to Pew Research, with projected revenues of $5.5 billion for 2020.

YouTube’s upcoming changes have thrust the platform into the center of widespread controversy. 

Not getting as much traffic as you need to meet your marketing goals or grow your business? Here are five ways that you can start to drive more traffic to your website without a ton of effort.

1) Blog more
Don't like blogging? I don't want to hear it! This is, hands down, THE best way to get more traffic quickly and easily — but the key is that you shouldn't write long, "salesy" blog posts that push your products or services. Instead, offer helpful tips, ideas, news or content that helps your prospects solve their problems and provides real value to them.

This quote by Germany Kent pretty much sums it up...

Don't spam or force information upon others via Twitter or other social media platforms, just as you wouldn't want to be spammed there either!

This seems so logical in everyday life...most people say and do things online that they would never dream of doing in a face-to-face conversation.

Cheers to three-day weekends and cheers to another weekly roundup. Read on for our top five picks in social media news for the week ending on 8/31/18. 

1. Time saving social media strategies (Forbes)
   The first two sentences sum this baby up...strong social presence plus regular content and engagement with your users can equal quite the reward. But going at it solo (meaning you chose NOT to hire a company to help you) can be a daunting feat. Worth the read, with some great tips on how to implement strategy that works, but that you don't need 27-hours in your day to use. (Plus, writer and CEO/Founder of Studio 15 Jia Wertz is ah--mazing...if you're not following her, you should be!)
   
   
2. It's time to make social media more responsible (Singularity Hub)
   A thoughtful piece on social responsibility. While not quite our typical marketing-focused piece, a good reminder that brands have a responsibility to use social wisely. 

Those who know me well will tell you...I can apply movie quotes to just about any scenario in life. Jerry Maguire, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Field of Dreams are a few in particular I tend to over-use.

"Show me the money," 

"It's not show friends..."

"YOU'RE Abe Froman...the sausage king of Chicago???" 

and, of course,

"If you build it, they will come..."

But the latter really isn't true when it comes to marketing, or at least when it comes to content marketing. Because it doesn't matter how awesome your content is...if you're not throwing the gasoline on it, it's probably going to die out. So how do you add that spark to your content marketing flame?

One way is the oh-so-powerful social media. Social is bringing brand awareness through influencer marketing, audience connection, inbound marketing and even the odd unboxing trend that seems to have weirdly taken off in the last couple years. 

Social media has single-handedly changed the face of marketing. In an industry that inherently grows and reinvents itself, the addition of social to marketing has added a whole new necessary level of thinking for marketers. We love the fast pace of social, so we're constantly reading to keep on top of our game, but we get it if you took a breather this week.

No worries...here are our favorite stories that came out in the last week. Our weekly top industry news post – this week, social's on deck. Happy reading and happy weekend!   

1. How to solve 3 major social media marketing pain-points that continue to exist (Business 2 Community)
   B2C bridges the gap between just using social media in your marketing, and using it effectively. Learn how to overcome the three biggest pain-points marketers encounter when trying to use social to their advantage – from how to find and utilize time and resources, to validating your ROI (oh, hey boss), to staying on track with your consistency. 
2. Looking for ways to improve your customer engagement on social media? Here are 8 (Entreprenuer)
   Eight rules for using social (and actually engaging, which is really the only point, no?) – from the no-brainers (post a lot, have a personality), to the less traveled path if you're just getting started
   (running promotions and campaigns to encourage engagement). 
   

There's no denying that in today's digital age, brand marketing and content go hand in hand. After all, content is king...

But remember, content can include all of the following:

• pages on your website
• blog posts
• social media posts
• premium downloadables
• apps
• games
• videos
• much, much more

Like everything else digital...the world of social media is always changing. With new platforms and tools being developed all the time, there's a lot to keep up with.

The fact is, your customers are already using social media. And we all know you want to be where your customers are. But where do you start?

To help you stay on top of your game, the team here at Flair Interactive has gathered the top 5 social media marketing news updates for this week.