Category: Uncategorized

Written by Allison Herrera

Email marketing is not dead. I know you’ve heard us say that from time to time; but with the Holiday season just days away, email is your best friend. We want to set you up for success during this busy time of the year with three email list growth tactics.

1. Create incentives, free downloads or useful tools so people have a reason in giving you their email address.

This could be any form of premium content, such as free webinars, templates, discounts, etc., which many people find valuable enough to give out their email address.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Run creative email marketing campaigns.

Did you know emails save as a lead- and/or contact-generating channel? Every time someone forwards or shares your emails, your database is expanded…which is why running creative marketing campaigns are crucial!

Already have a large database? I’m sure some of your contacts are now stale 🙁 BUT, that’s okay! I highly recommend running a re-engagement campaign.

3. Include sharing buttons inside your emails.

Adding a “share” button on your email is perfect for recipients who want to share your content with others who would also resonate with it! A sharing button makes forwarding emails to friends & colleagues easy.

If you’re thinking about buying email lists, here’s a pro-tip: DO NOT DO IT. When focusing on your audience, organically growing your email list keeps you on top as a credible company with genuine relationships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are seven reasons for not buying email lists. 

1. You’ll violate the rules of consent under GDPR.
2. Reputable email marketing services don’t let you send emails to lists you’ve bought.
3. Good email address lists aren’t for sale.
4. People on a purchased or rented list don’t actually know you.
5. You’ll harm your email deliverability and IP reputation.
6. You can come across as annoying.
7. Your email service provider can penalize you.

Need help boosting your email marketing game? Contact us today! We’re ready to support you just in time for the holidays.

Written by Allison Herrera

If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you’ve most likely noticed a new “Add Yours” sticker feature! This new sticker feature is unlike any other on the app.

The “Add Yours” sticker promotes the core existence of social media – community engagement. This feature also boosts brand exposure. This sticker is exactly as it sounds: you add your own content in accordance to the prompt shared by a user. The “Add Yours” sticker is essentially a fun way which users can create viral chains of content within Instagram through responding to other users’ stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 
For example, a users with access to this feature can post a story with a “Add Yours” sticker highlighting a custom prompt for their community, such as “outfit of the day”. This then guides followers in adding their own outfit of the day picture via the feature by simply pressing on the sticker & sharing it on their own stories – swiping up to add media from their camera roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
As for brand exposure, a chain reaction begins every time a user shares an “Add Yours” sticker on stories. When an account shares an “Add Yours” sticker, the original creator’s name shows up on every single participant’s shared sticker. This is a big deal in terms of brand exposure; because if you’re the original creator, your name is circulated on every account interacting with your “Add Yours” sticker. This means hundreds of thousands of accounts could potentially see your “Ask Yours” sticker & discover your profile. This is also a gateway for conversation starters, as you can see which of your followers are joining in on the chain.

 

 

 

 

 

 
The “Add Yours” sticker primarily focuses on building community; so even if the Instagram gods haven’t graced your profile with this feature yet, you can still participate in the “Add Yours” sticker chain as you see them develop on stories! While Instagram rolls out this feature on more & more accounts, now is your opportunity to flourish in creativity & implement this sticker into your social media strategy. So, jump on this chain reaction!

Not sure how you can take advantage of social media or this new feature? Hopping on board with new Instagram trends are easy & painless with our assistance. Contact us today, & we will develop a customized game plan for you!

Written by Allison Herrera

Emily in Paris is taking Netflix by storm. The 10-episode rom-com series starring Lily Collins features an American digital marketing/social media coordinator whose job transfers her abroad from Chicago to Paris to bring an “American point of view” to a French marketing agency. Emily in Paris was an easy, breezy watch for some viewers; whereas, for others, it was like forcing a cheap bottle of Bordeaux down one’s throat. Why? Because as Emily continues to live her best life on social media through bad selfies and generic hashtags, this show reveals how many people have zero concept in what strategizing social media entails, especially when utilizing it for business gains.

The amount of work, attention and engagement unpaid and aspiring influencers work for their social media strategy and content is millions and millions of times more than what Emily puts in. We understand that this is just a Netflix series, but it glamorizes our job and makes it seem simple to those who lack an understanding of what really goes on behind all of our hard work. Without proper planning, strategy or unique and captivating content, social media success is certainly not overnight. These are the areas where Emily continuously has us waving red flags…

Followers

Emily begins the show with her Instagram handle as her own name and only has forty-eight (48) followers, which is a hard pill to swallow. No 20-something-year-old who has Emily’s personality, background in marketing and is a social media whiz possesses such a pathetically small following. But, then again, we don’t know this chick’s life.

When she steps foot in Paris, she changes her handle to @emilyinparis, which is where she begins growing her account. In less than 24 hours, she grows her social media account to 200 followers after taking touristy photos of cheese, croissants, children playing, etc. And after a few short weeks, Emily is deemed as an “influencer”. Influencers might scoff at this, because it takes more work and time than Emily displays in attaining this status. This alludes that grabbing the attention of over 25,000 strangers and several notorious brands in merely a few short weeks based on basic (or ringarde, as a snobby French designer refers to Emily at one point) content is nearly impossible.

Posts

Remember the word ringarde mentioned above? Yep, Emily’s posts are ringarde AF. Her account resembles what was once popular on Instagram when the app first came out – basic, unedited photos of objects, food and strangers just living their lives taken on an iPhone camera. Let’s be real…this kind of content wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) attract thousands of people to her account. Honestly, how does someone get over 1,000 followers in ONE MORNING after posting THIS?

Or perhaps this photo of CHEESE. In LESS THAN ONE HOUR, Emily gained over 3,000 followers from a PICTURE OF CHEESE.

I read a quote the other day that states that in Emily in Paris, “The portrayal of what performs on social media, and Emily’s ‘knack’ for the platform, is honestly disrespectful to anyone who has ever been tasked with creating content.” Although we would have watered that down just a tad, we couldn’t agree more. Are we upset about the show? Nah…just maybe her trash captions.

Captions

This criticism goes past Emily’s “content”. Her clichéd captions are garbage. I’m sorry, but someone had to say it. For example, how am I supposed to get on board with a caption like THIS?

Should we even bring back that horrid “chiseled abs” caption we already blessed you with?! Yep…I think so.

If you didn’t already know, snapping photos, typing out captions on the spot and posting on a whim makes every social media marketer CRINGE. She just fires off content and captions right on the spot, which is nothing short of chaos in a social media connoisseur’s world. Emily is obviously unaware (or unconcerned) regarding…

• Optimal times of day to post for your audience
• Strategies behind adding tags and locations
• HASHTAGS!

This now brings us to the subject of hashtags. For the love of God, Emily, hashtags increase engagement. If this chick knows anything about social media, she should know the strategy and intention behind hashtags, yet she uses ones that not a single soul would engage with.

These captions and hashtag choices feel like Emily took a crash course on “how to be cool through social media” from an out of touch boomer who is trying to re-live her high school glory days while learning TikTok dances in her spare time. Instead, Emily is painted as a young millennial with a career in digital marketing and social media galivanting Paris. LOLZ. Of course, if this was a show reflecting real life, her ringarde posts would piss off Parisians one by one, as I assume Parisians are already annoyed with American posts glamorizing the Eiffel Tower and macarons.

Social Media Presence

Emily’s engagement is so inauthentic that it feels almost as if it is run by bots. Proposing that Emily’s audience growth is organic and that she practices what she preaches when it comes to engagement is as possible as Gumbeaux becoming the next quarterback for the New Orleans Saints – 110% unlikely. As I mentioned, her posts would have been the peak of existence when Instagram first developed; but when viewed in 2020, her engagement seems offsetting, as if she is a socialization experiment.

In Conclusion

Emily may perhaps appeal to an American audience, as she plays off of French clichés. But if you’re starting a new Instagram account in 2020, you have to distinct yourself from the millions of other women dying to become influencers. Personally, I don’t see her excelling through this account. When it comes to her career, though, Emily’s ideas aren’t half bad…but, they are certainly half baked. And, in the real world, she would need to show some KPIs before executing any plans.

So, perhaps Emily Cooper doesn’t understand social media management, but the verdict still stands…we love Emily in Paris. Everything about this show has a hint of laughable, unrealistic elements, which adds to her lack of her social media knowledge. Think about it, who in her position can afford a different designer piece every day or has a fling from a smoking hot Parisian neighbor in her same apartment building? The list goes on…but, one thing is for sure – we’re already anticipating Season 2!

**If you have any questions regarding what social media management and strategy actually entail, feel free to shoot us an email at contact@uptowngirl.media – we would love to chat with you.

Written by Allison Herrera

Winter is coming. But, really. We’ll trade out pumpkin everything for the scent of pine needles & sugar cookies in just a few, short weeks. & with winter comes the holidays.

This year in the United States, we can expect a quite different holiday season…especially in South Louisiana (thanks, Covid 19 AND Hurricane Ida). There’s many moving factors in terms of consumer behavior & the holiday shopping season. Lucky for us, Google and Boston Consulting Group conducted a series of surveys in regards to just that!

Their studies reveal that over 80% of consumers are seeking out in-person shopping experiences. When the pandemic initially hit, we observed a dramatic shift toward e-commerce. Retailers were practically forced to move to e-commerce or face the consequences of dying as a business. But, don’t put all your eggs in a basket when it comes to only selling online. As people yearn for more in-person experiences again, studies reveal that only 14% of U.S. shoppers say they will not shop in-stores this holiday season.

What does this mean? Well, it certainly doesn’t mean pull out of marketing – especially digital marketing. Instead, these numbers simply imply that a stronger look at your ad campaigns call to action (CTA) & social media strategy as a whole. Right now, companies should strongly focus on marketing the consumer experience & customer service – especially in terms of replying to direct messages on social media.

Studies from Sprout Social reveal that growth is expected across all social media platforms – Instagram in particular. They are predicting that Instagram messages received this year will increase on an average of 44% this holiday season. So, if you’re not replying back to messages, you will potentially lose a sale.

Three (3) tips for your marketing strategy during the “most wonderful time of the year” are…

• Have FAQs front & center. This eliminates answering the same question over & over again.
• Designate social media managers to certain field requests or concerns from clients. Make sure everyone is on the same page!
• ENGAGEMENT IS KEY! Whether it’s customized notes or company swag, show those who support you how much you appreciate them. It’s the little touches that make all the difference.

Not sure where to start or want to expand past just these three (3) tips above? Contact us today! We can help you with the mentioned above & develop a more streamlined, customized customized strategy for your desired holiday season goals.

Written by Becca Miller & Brittany Prats

Edited by Allison Herrera⁣

It’s finally November, so you know what that means…Happy Holidays, y’all! But as much as we seriously wish it was automatically Christmas after Halloween, we’re grateful for those extra weeks of holiday shopping we can get in. With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s sometimes difficult to think of the perfect gift for that someone special – so where do you turn to? SOCIAL MEDIA, BABY!

Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or all of the above, businesses are benefiting from the constant influence that social media has on consumer’s buying decisions. With the holidays quickly approaching (Christmas is 54 days away, but who’s really counting?!), this is your perfect opportunity to set up your Instagram Shopping, amp up your TikTok page, then let the purchases roll in!  Let’s break it down.

It’s time to be a little honest with ourselves – how many times have you bought something impulsively because you saw it on social media? I know I have at least a dozen times…but, hey, maybe I just don’t have much self control when it comes to online shopping (surprise, I actually do not have a single ounce of self control in me when it concerns shopping). But, I’m not alone!

TikTok is a main source of the boost in fashion sales in the past few years. In fact, on TikTok, the hashtag #TikTokFashion has well over 20 billion views. What does that mean exactly? Well, when someone posts a video of a new product they found or their latest haul from Zara, they use this hashtag to not only bring more viewers in, but potentially to increase revenue for the brand itself. Businesses like Shein are thriving through TikTok because of the sheer amount of reach they’re able to receive without even posting a video themselves through their own account.

In general, both small businesses and corporations have put TikTok at the forefront of their social media strategy because of how direct and accessible it is. Sure, when you post a shirt on Instagram people may think it’s cute – but consumers are more likely to buy it if they see someone (a human element) show it in a haul on TikTok? The answer is quite clearly yes.

Shopping on social media has become a huge part of every social platform. Instagram recently changed their entire interface by adding in a shopping tab, which is right next to a user’s profile. Users can search by categories, sales, shops, and more. They can also search for products using their search bar. The shopping tab allows businesses to list their products and notify users if they have updated listings. Instagram has now allowed ALL businesses to use this feature. This is great news because now “mom & pop” shops can utilize another feature that can propel their business forward. You don’t have to meet certain criteria in order to use this feature – it’s readily available for easy shopping as you post on your social media. You can even tag your products in your posts to make it simple for a user to shop directly from your post.

Another great feature that Instagram recently offered is that now, every business can use their link feature! You no longer have to hit 10,000 followers in order to access the link feature. Now, any business is able to post links to their stories. This is great news for businesses, because you can now constantly promote your product and give users an opportunity to purchase your products that you’re sharing. Use it to your advantage when creating story highlights, this way your link & story can be shared with users longer than 24 hours.

While a lot of the information remains unknown regarding TikTok’s algorithm and why videos go viral – here’s what we do know, along with Instagram and Facebook videos…

• With TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, users don’t have to follow your brand to see your content.
  • That’s really the beauty and uniqueness of why social media is a critical sales tool this Holiday Season. Billions of users scroll through their TikTok “for you page” seeing mostly videos from brands or people they don’t actually know. What’s even crazier is that for whatever reason, viewers seriously trust these strangers’ opinions.
• When it comes down to gift giving, there are hundreds of accounts dedicated solely to what gifts you should be giving your mom, dad, boyfriend, girlfriend, brother, sister, cousin, dog, hamster, lizard, and quite literally anyone else you could EVER think of.
• While social media is a great place to even just get your product out there and get people to start viewing it, it’s mainly a top tier decision maker for a lot of people.
  • When viewers watch a video of something that peaks their interest, the viewer may not even give it a second thought if the video has millions of views. Be cleaver, be creative, be trendy, and you’re sure to get someone buying your product this holiday season.

Whatever the reason is for why social media is such a big influence on the consumer’s purchase decision process, all you need to know is that if your brand isn’t utilizing TikTok, Instagram or Facebook, you should start sooner than later. Big Businesses take advantage of these platforms and the potential of going viral – so why shouldn’t your small business reap the same benefits?

Aerie Crossover Leggings were sold out for months, because of a few, short videos that went viral. Lululemon Hotty Hots were also sold out for months also because of a few, short videos that went viral. So, don’t think the same thing can’t happen for your product – because it can!

However, we know swimming in unknown waters can be a little scary, especially if you have no idea where to start. Let us help! Uptown Girl Media specializes in all things social media, & we know we can help your product be the gift of the season! Give us a call, so we can make this the merriest Holiday Season your business has had yet.

Written by Allison Herrera

I would argue that a brand’s social media might just be the most important aspect of their marketing strategy. I know, that’s a bold statement, but think about it….

How do you find most of the brands you use? Social media. Where do you go to see real people experiencing a product? Social media. Where do you go when you have a concern about the brand or their product? Social media.

Social Media is where brands can be their most authentic selves and can interact with their customers on a more personal level – all while promoting their product in a subtle, but effective way.

Prioritizing social media can flip your whole brand upside down. You’ll start seeing better results, higher levels of engagement, and (hopefully) an increase in revenue. Understanding the importance of not only implementing social media marketing, but prioritizing it as well can be extremely beneficial for strengthening your brand and the connection to your audience.

Show Your Customers Your Personality

This is your chance to show everyone the best aspects of your business or brand. Consider what your audience may want to know or will be the most helpful information. Your social media profiles are a hub of information for your customers – from opening hours to products to menus.

You want to make sure that you are highlighting how trustworthy your business is, that means sharing everything about your business. We use social media as a tool for our clients in sharing your staff bios, product photos/videos, behind the scenes content, etc. Don’t forget to always incorporate your company’s core values, brand voice, and uniqueness in every post you create.

You can also use your social media as a hub in highlighting what makes your business unique and sets you apart from your competition. Keep your branding consistent, yet still trendy – you want to keep attracting customers for as long as you can.

Remember that social media is not the place to be inauthentic! You want to invest your time in your social media to keep the connection to your customers as authentic and as real as possible.

Target and Attract Your Audience

Social media serves multiple purposes, so narrowing down how you want to use it and who you are trying to reach through messaging is crucial. With the advancements in social media, reaching and interacting with your audience through social media provides value, while remaining more of a low-cost way of marketing your business. If you concentrate on the characteristics of your target audience, you can effectively personalize messages that appropriately resonate with your target audience. For example, the mediums and language you would use to connect with a Gen-Z female varies from how you would attract an audience of male baby boomers.

To help you determine your target audience, ask yourself these questions:

• Who is the audience you’re trying to reach?
• What platforms does this audience typically use?
• What trends are popular among this audience?

 

Diversify Your Content

Not all social media platforms are created equal. Consider what your business is and how it can grow on certain social media platforms. For example, an interior designer might do better on Pinterest than someone who is in plumbing. Also, every platform has their own content that may perform better than on another. Consider Reels – they were initially only made for Instagram, but now you are able to watch them on Facebook.

Being able to diversify your content is a great way to connect with your audience while maintaining a consistent presence on social media. But remember, not all content is meant for all platforms. Below is a breakdown of each popular platform and their purpose.

• Facebook: You’re allowed to post a range of content like pictures, videos, articles, and galleries. With Facebook you can reach a large audience because everything is so public.
• Twitter: Remember you are limited with your characters, 280 characters to be exact. Messages are going to be more short, sweet and to the point, maybe even a little informal. But you’re able to post photos, videos and articles to accompany your text.
• Instagram: This is your hub for sharing photos and videos! There’s many different ways to reach your audience: hashtags, locations and tagging users.
• LinkedIn: Consider this or professional network. You can share posts or articles related to your business or your industry. This will be a great hub to collect new employees and share your current company culture.
• Pinterest: Remember her? This platform lets users discover new content like pictures and articles that are based on their favorite interests. Users are able to browse by topic and categorize everything they find into boards for future use.
• TikTok: He’s the new kid on the block that works off of short form video clips. The audience on TikTok is a much younger audience and you need to stay relevant. But because they are a newer app, it’s a little easier to go viral and reach a wider audience

Don’t limit yourself to one platform – consider having a range of social profiles. But, keep in mind to diversify your content. Some content may not be relevant to certain platforms. It can take a lot of time and energy to create different content for different profiles. Consider hiring a marketing agency, a.k.a us, to help you plan your content!

Create An Attainable Plan

After assessing your clients’ needs, it’s time to put together their goals with an attainable and specific plan. Whenever we welcome a new account to the Uptown Girl Media family, we explain that marketing is not a “one size fits all”, so each client’s plan differs based on what we refer to as “SMART Goals” – an acronym we use for goal setting. Click here and read our blog post all about SMART Goals.

Track EVERYTHING

It’s incredibly important to track how well your social media content is working or if you need to adjust your strategy. But there are many numbers to process, which can become overwhelming. Start off by focusing on your followers, then process engagement you’re receiving. This can help you determine what your followers love or hate, and is also a great start to tracking your overall goal.

Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t seeing results right away! Social media is a process and results can take as long as 12-18 months. Rome wasn’t built in one day 😉

Wondering what else you can track on social media? We can help break down your data to give you a full report of how your social media is performing.

Getting your brand out there can be hard, especially when there are millions of social media users competing against. Understanding why you should prioritize social and the benefits that can come from that is a great start!

Overall, social media is a serious game changer in pushing your brand to where you aspire it to be. Does this all still seem a little confusing to you? It’s okay – that’s why we’re here to help. Social is our speciality, and we would love nothing more than to assist you in transforming your business. Ready to strengthen your brand and get social? Give us a call!

Written by Allison Herrera

I would argue that a brand’s social media might just be the most important aspect of their marketing strategy. I know, that’s a bold statement, but think about it….

How do you find most of the brands you use? Social media. Where do you go to see real people experiencing a product? Social media. Where do you go when you have a concern about the brand or their product? Social media.

Social Media is where brands can be their most authentic selves and can interact with their customers on a more personal level – all while promoting their product in a subtle, but effective way.

Prioritizing social media can flip your whole brand upside down. You’ll start seeing better results, higher levels of engagement, and (hopefully) an increase in revenue. Understanding the importance of not only implementing social media marketing, but prioritizing it as well can be extremely beneficial for strengthening your brand and the connection to your audience.

Show Your Customers Your Personality

This is your chance to show everyone the best aspects of your business or brand. Consider what your audience may want to know or will be the most helpful information. Your social media profiles are a hub of information for your customers – from opening hours to products to menus.

You want to make sure that you are highlighting how trustworthy your business is, that means sharing everything about your business. We use social media as a tool for our clients in sharing your staff bios, product photos/videos, behind the scenes content, etc. Don’t forget to always incorporate your company’s core values, brand voice, and uniqueness in every post you create.

You can also use your social media as a hub in highlighting what makes your business unique and sets you apart from your competition. Keep your branding consistent, yet still trendy – you want to keep attracting customers for as long as you can.

Remember that social media is not the place to be inauthentic! You want to invest your time in your social media to keep the connection to your customers as authentic and as real as possible.

Target and Attract Your Audience

Social media serves multiple purposes, so narrowing down how you want to use it and who you are trying to reach through messaging is crucial. With the advancements in social media, reaching and interacting with your audience through social media provides value, while remaining more of a low-cost way of marketing your business. If you concentrate on the characteristics of your target audience, you can effectively personalize messages that appropriately resonate with your target audience. For example, the mediums and language you would use to connect with a Gen-Z female varies from how you would attract an audience of male baby boomers.

To help you determine your target audience, ask yourself these questions:

• Who is the audience you’re trying to reach?
• What platforms does this audience typically use?
• What trends are popular among this audience?

 

Diversify Your Content

Not all social media platforms are created equal. Consider what your business is and how it can grow on certain social media platforms. For example, an interior designer might do better on Pinterest than someone who is in plumbing. Also, every platform has their own content that may perform better than on another. Consider Reels – they were initially only made for Instagram, but now you are able to watch them on Facebook.

Being able to diversify your content is a great way to connect with your audience while maintaining a consistent presence on social media. But remember, not all content is meant for all platforms. Below is a breakdown of each popular platform and their purpose.

• Facebook: You’re allowed to post a range of content like pictures, videos, articles, and galleries. With Facebook you can reach a large audience because everything is so public.
• Twitter: Remember you are limited with your characters, 280 characters to be exact. Messages are going to be more short, sweet and to the point, maybe even a little informal. But you’re able to post photos, videos and articles to accompany your text.
• Instagram: This is your hub for sharing photos and videos! There’s many different ways to reach your audience: hashtags, locations and tagging users.
• LinkedIn: Consider this or professional network. You can share posts or articles related to your business or your industry. This will be a great hub to collect new employees and share your current company culture.
• Pinterest: Remember her? This platform lets users discover new content like pictures and articles that are based on their favorite interests. Users are able to browse by topic and categorize everything they find into boards for future use.
• TikTok: He’s the new kid on the block that works off of short form video clips. The audience on TikTok is a much younger audience and you need to stay relevant. But because they are a newer app, it’s a little easier to go viral and reach a wider audience

Don’t limit yourself to one platform – consider having a range of social profiles. But, keep in mind to diversify your content. Some content may not be relevant to certain platforms. It can take a lot of time and energy to create different content for different profiles. Consider hiring a marketing agency, a.k.a us, to help you plan your content!

Create An Attainable Plan

After assessing your clients’ needs, it’s time to put together their goals with an attainable and specific plan. Whenever we welcome a new account to the Uptown Girl Media family, we explain that marketing is not a “one size fits all”, so each client’s plan differs based on what we refer to as “SMART Goals” – an acronym we use for goal setting. Click here and read our blog post all about SMART Goals.

Track EVERYTHING

It’s incredibly important to track how well your social media content is working or if you need to adjust your strategy. But there are many numbers to process, which can become overwhelming. Start off by focusing on your followers, then process engagement you’re receiving. This can help you determine what your followers love or hate, and is also a great start to tracking your overall goal.

Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t seeing results right away! Social media is a process and results can take as long as 12-18 months. Rome wasn’t built in one day 😉

Wondering what else you can track on social media? We can help break down your data to give you a full report of how your social media is performing.

Getting your brand out there can be hard, especially when there are millions of social media users competing against. Understanding why you should prioritize social and the benefits that can come from that is a great start!

Overall, social media is a serious game changer in pushing your brand to where you aspire it to be. Does this all still seem a little confusing to you? It’s okay – that’s why we’re here to help. Social is our speciality, and we would love nothing more than to assist you in transforming your business. Ready to strengthen your brand and get social? Give us a call!

Written by Becca Miller

Edited by Allison Herrera⁣

 

The most wonderful time of the year is almost here…the Holiday Season!

 

 

While this year has flown by, the holidays are also quickly approaching, which means it’s time to batten down the hatches and make sure that your company is prepared with a solid marketing strategy.
Did you know that 49% of consumers say they use Google to discover or find a new item or product. That means that your website and your products are more likely to be found on Google – a crucial tool that customers use on a daily basis.
Google has many features helping you increase your sales, leads, or brand awareness. Each one of their tools is designed to help businesses grow. The best part is most of their tools are free!

Let’s start with your Google My Business page. It’s free to set up or claim, if it is already set up by Google themselves. Take a look below – with these listings you are able to give your customers all the information they may need about your business. This can be everything from reviews to contact information to photos – all helping customers have immediate access to your business.

 

 

Once you’ve made your website and have a Google listing, make sure you connect your Google Analytics to your website to start tracking traffic. This will reveal everything from where people are clicking to where their locations are and more. If you need help trying to decode the information, we can help!

Part of having a website on Google is that they take a look at the back end of your website and learn everything about your business. Google is generous in the sense that it wants to understand your keywords, products, location, images, links, etc. Having specific keywords and best practices are crucial because this is how Google will rank your website. It takes time to build your Google ranking, which means it won’t happen overnight. But, you can trust the experts, aka us, to help you.

Let’s dive into some of the paid tools Google has to offer. The main tool is Google Ads, which is where you can pay Google to run ads all across their networks. There are many different types of ads like:

• Search: This is a normal search where we can type in a brand name or keyword. If there’s a company that is paying for an ad relevant to our search, then they will appear at the top of the results page. This is a helpful way to make it to the top of the page if your website is still new and hasn’t fully been optimized.

• Shopping: Shopping ads are extremely useful if your website is shoppable. Customers are able to search what they are looking for, and your brand can showcase the product if it fits the customer’s needs.

 

These Google Ads mentioned above are just a couple of options and extremely useful tools that businesses can utilize in helping increase sales. Google Ads are also a great tool in helping you market your business during this busy holiday time. After all, the holidays are the busiest shopping time of the year, so why not market your business even more than before.

 

Think of Google as a tool that assists in boosting your business and website, and consider us a partner who is expertly trained to use the tool. If you’re ready to take your business to Google, give us a call. We’re more than happy to partner with you on this journey!

Written by Allison Herrera⁣

Whenever we welcome a new account to the Uptown Girl Media family, we explain that marketing is not a “one size fits all”, so each client’s plan differs based on their goals. When it comes to social media strategies, we walk our friends through what we refer to as “SMART Goals” – an acronym we use for goal setting taken from Professor Robert S. Rubin (Saint Louis University), who wrote about SMART in an article for The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

SMART Goals

Specific
Keep it simple. This is the 5 W’s we’ve mentioned before – who, what, where, why, which
Who is involved? What do I want to accomplish? Where is it located? Why is this goal important? Which resources or limits are involved?
These questions significantly determine what your purpose for using social media is

Measurable
Unlike other agencies, we use data and statistics in tracking your progress and adjusting your strategy all in order to remain on top
Measurable goals address means of quantity – how much, how many, and how will I know when “x” is accomplished
This is the step that is meaningful and motivating in how we determine and plan on tracking the progress of your initial goals

Achievable (Attainable)
We always explain that your goals should fall as realistically attainable in order to gain success. A simple plan on platforms are also always easy in navigating
This shouldn’t discourage dreaming big, but we don’t own a magic wand and want to ensure all goals are possible, which means identifying missed opportunities and overlooked resources
This is an opportunity in answering questions such as how you can accomplish goals and how realistic are your goals (based on constraints)

Relevant
Relevancy is a conversation we have on a day-to-day basis with all clients. Your social media should bring value to your audience, and relevancy is key in doing so
Your plan should focus on content that…
Feels worthwhile
Understands timing
Addresses needs
Matches your demographic
Resounds messaging
Is applicable in the current environment
Relevant content also focuses on realistic means based on resources and should always focus on producing results
This goal is how your social media will enhance your brand image and business

Timely
This goal is all about time – time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive
Every project needs a deadline or a target date, which gives priority to long-term goals
Time-bound goals answer not only “when”, but what can I do in “x” months from now, along with what can I do today
This goal also ensures carving out time in planning/producing content for progressing your platform(s)

On social media, building a brand’s identity requires much time and patience. But, you must constantly and consistently remain well informed on all of your options, which sometimes adjust over time based on outside factors. That means your goals may shift over time as you/we begin interacting with your followers and learn what content bests resonate with them.

At the end of the day, you know your company and audience better than us. That is why we work hand-in-hand when it comes to your social media strategy, which all depend on your specific goals. Not sure where to start? Give us a call today – we would love helping you out!

Written by Allison Herrera, Becca Miller, & Brittany Prats

When preparing a new product or opening up a new business, marketing awareness sometimes falls short on entrepreneurs’ minds. Of course, entrepreneurs know that marketing is of the utmost importance, but their focus is on the matters at hand, resulting many a times in missed marketing opportunities. Think about it – upcoming movies hype people up by movie trailers, commercials, press releases, pre-launches with the actors/actresses, cross collaborations with other brands, etc…all leading up to the reveal of the movie itself!

Your product, business, or brand should not be any different. As movies prepare for their launch, your upcoming reveal should also generate buzz and get people excited for more information! Here’s three reasons why…

1. A pre-launch marketing strategy jumpstarts conversation and generates buzz.

The number one objective in marketing a product, company, brand or service is STARTING A CONVERSATION. When launching your product and setting it up for success, it’s important to build a plan that creates intrigue and anticipation. When you do this, your customers will gain curiosity and interest within your brand and your product. Just by teasing your product or information about it, you are already generating interest with your customers. Start planning your marketing about six to eight weeks before the launch date – this will help get your product to market faster and to a more receptive audience.

2. A pre-launch marketing strategy creates a receptive and engaged audience to sell to.

After we start a conversation, we create an opportunity not only for your message to be delivered, but to deliver your message to an audience that is interested and engaged. It’s all about establishing that relationship of trust and loyalty within your audience. A big part of establishing those crucial relationships is nurturing during the pre-launch period, throughout the launch, and even post launch.

You really have to keep your audience engaged in a way that makes them want to come back and get excited about your brand. If you present your business, ideas, and overall brand in a way that helps your audience to get to know you on a deeper level, then they will be more likely to support you in the future. Engagement can be increased through something as simple as giving teasers and hyping up your launch to make your audience more excited about this product that they know nothing about.

Consistently nurturing your audience helps build upon that already existing relationship. You have to keep that constant contact throughout the entire pre-launch and launch period in order for them to stay interested. Just because they supported you in this launch doesn’t mean that they will next time, so be sure to always engage with your consumers. This will not only help to build up your brand loyalty, but it will also make your audience feel that they can really trust your brand and therefore give you a more successful launch in return.

3. It guarantees your product or brand will already have somewhat of a following or audience.

When you take the time to create your product, you should put the same amount of time and energy into marketing it. When you don’t advertise early on, you’ll run out of people to talk to and to launch to. This is because there’s no anticipation or marketing of your product which doesn’t peak anyone’s interest.

When launching a product, think of it as the climatic scene in a movie. There are scenes that are building and building up to the most important part of the movie, and without those scenes your audience wouldn’t know what to expect or what’s happening. During the early advertising stages your audience will have an understanding of what you’re offering and why they should keep an eye out for your big launch.

When your customers have a reason to care about your launch, then they’ll be ready to watch for your release. Not partaking in early advertising is basically launching your product to a bunch of empty seats. After all, you did all the work for your new product, why not put the same amount of effort into marketing it?

In sum, you want to be on the ball before it starts rolling. But don’t worry…this is where we come in! Give us a call & we will help get you started.