The beginning of a new year is a prime time for year-end reviews. For many businesses, it’s the time to review annual budgets, expenditures, goals and traffic, and for good reason. There’s nothing like looking back to look forward, since it helps business owners reflect on strengths and weaknesses and figure out where to lean in or pivot for the year ahead.
Where some businesses go wrong, however, is making the start of a new year the only time they do a check-in. When it comes to their digital presence in particular, business owners would do well to make dedicated time for review sessions not once a year, but every single quarter (at a minimum). The digital space is changing ...
Continue Reading
In case you haven’t heard the buzz online, the Google core update that rolled out in August 2024 has had a major impact on page views and user traffic for more than a few websites. As per Google, the update aims to improve search results so they’re geared toward reader service and are “genuinely useful.”
Sounds vague, right? It all ties back to Google’s focus on E-E-A-T, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. In other words, page rankings on search aren’t just about SEO, but a whole slew of factors. Now, instead of working on optimizing a page with the likes of keywords and meta text, creators need to also strongly consider things like brand reputation, site longevity ...
Continue Reading
The professional social media platform can be a major asset for your business if you use it right.
Ever since LinkedIn became “cool” again, there’s been more of a focus on the social networking platform — and not just for individual use. The career-centric site has long been a place for people to post job updates and company moves, but that’s far from all it does. For businesses with an eye on expanding their presence and fostering community connections, LinkedIn is the place to be.
That being said, it’s far from a free-for-all when it comes to brand presence on the platform. Here’s what you can do right now to leverage LinkedIn for your business.
1 | Set Up a LinkedIn Page
Let’s ...
Continue Reading
As any business owner today likely knows, social media is a powerful tool. Whether that means setting up a strong Google Business Profile or managing a Facebook page, business professionals need to have a pulse on what their online presence looks like. Unsurprisingly, few platforms garner as much attention as Instagram. For business owners, the photo- and video-based platform can serve as a major asset to help promote products and services or get the word out about new offerings.
Here are a few tips to make the most of the platform:
1 | Craft strong captions with a consistent voice
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the caption. Instead, use the caption space ...
Continue Reading
You’ve heard the term “SEO” tossed around, but chances are you’re not 100% sure what it means. It stands for search engine optimization, and it’s a critical technique to ensure you’re taking steps to help your content perform as well as it possibly can online. Here are a few best practices to get you started on optimizing your content for websites, social media or membership directories.
1 | Consider length and structure.
Sure, you want the quality of what you’re putting onto the internet to be top-notch. What’s just as important, however, is making sure it’s optimally structured. Start by making sure your content is the right length for the platform on which it will be hosted. If it’s a social ...
Continue Reading
Curious about AI, otherwise known as artificial intelligence? There are many ways this oft-discussed technology can benefit businesses of all sizes… if you know how to leverage the tools properly. Here are a handful of AI platforms that might be useful.
ChatGPT
Arguably the most discussed of all AI platforms, ChatGPT is an OpenAI chatbot that can do many things for businesses. Sales professionals can use it to help draft pitch letters, while marketers can use it to brainstorm copy for everything from email blasts to posters to social media posts. For writers and editors, ChatGPT can serve as a proofreading tool to help catch spelling errors and make text more concise. To use it, simply create an account, enter a ...
Continue Reading
Consumers spend hours each week on social media. And so do brands — which means it’s increasingly challenging to rise to the top amid the constant onslaught of information we all experience on our favorite platforms.
What you need is a strategy to help you cut away the noise and make your social media presence work for you. Here are a few simple tips to help you make that happen:
1 | Tailor your approach to your audience.
What age group do you want to reach? What are their values and interests? What do they need from you? The answers to those questions will determine on which platforms you’re going to concentrate your branding efforts.
If you’re a visitor bureau and want ...
Continue Reading
