Social
Categories
Recent Blog Posts, page 2
-
The (Social) Times are A-Changing
Megan Cadigan | January 3rd, 2013
Like the great Bob Dylan once said, the times they are a-changing. Times certainly are changing in the social media world, for better or worse we’ll have to see. There’s big news in Pinterest’s corner for small businesses, Twitter’s making news with some updates, and even MySpace (blast from the past, right?) is making a comeback with a serious facelift. Take a look at these three happenings in the social media world right now...
-
Happy New Year from Propel!
Propel Marketing | January 1st, 2013
It's officially 2013!
Today we kiss 2012 goodbye and welcome in this new year. Whether last year treated you well or even if it was a little rough going, it's time to start fresh on this January 1st.
So get ready for a wild ride, and lots of scratched-out dates as you get used to writing in a 3 instead of a 2. We look forward to all the exciting things 2013 might bring us!
Happy New Year...
-
12 Social Media Headlines of ‘12
Michelle Mastrobattista | December 28th, 2012
As 2012 draws to a close, it’s nice to take a step back and reflect on the last year. Much has changed in the digital world in the last 12 months, most notably the shift in marketing focus to social media. We asked our illustrious Social Media Manager to take us back through the top Social stories from this year...
-
Merry Christmas from Propel!
Propel Marketing | December 25th, 2012
'Tis the season to be merry and celebrate the good things in life - good friends, good family, and good food! We hope you sit back and relax this holiday season and enjoy the little things that make life wonderful.
From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!
-- The team at Propel
-
5 Digital New Year’s Resolutions for Your Small Business
Lindsay O'Neil | December 20th, 2012
As the holidays come and go and we kick off the New Year, it’s time to start evaluating your marketing efforts. Consider it a clean slate. You may have worked with digital marketing in the past with little or great success, or this digital world might be completely new to you, but it doesn’t matter. Start off the year on the right foot with some digital resolutions, and you can look forward to a very successful 2013....
-
Is Your Website Costing You Customers?
Jonathan Biddle | December 12th, 2012
Most businesses know that their customers remember bad experiences much more than good experiences, and this truth also applies to customers visiting a business’ website. You can test this yourself by answering the following questions:
1. When was the last time a website left a lasting positive impression on you?
2. And when was the last time you were frustrated by a website?
Most people struggle to think of a positive experience, but can easily recall a negative experience from...
-
What Smartphones Can Do For Your Business
Tessa Leahy | December 4th, 2012
As you walk around today, you constantly see people on their phones. They are on the go, talking, texting, posting pictures, etc. What you may not realize is that they are running their whole business through their phone. It can be difficult for small business owners to keep up with rapidly changing technology, but one thing that all business owners “must have” is a smart phone. These days, owning a business and owning a smartphone go hand in hand...
-
Keeping Brand Consistency
Rachel Smith | November 28th, 2012
With so many different avenues to display your small business, it can be easy for your messaging to become inconsistent across things like print, online and TV advertisements. In order to help potential customers recognize your business, it is important to maintain your branding. Consistency is an important aspect in marketing your company because it helps others remember who you are and recognize you later. If potential clients and customers can distinguish your name and logo...
-
Happy Thanksgiving from Propel
Propel Marketing | November 22nd, 2012
This evening, after the turkey is eaten and you’re eyeing another slice of pie, you might sit back and think about the things you’re thankful for in your life.
Here at Propel, we’re thankful for a lot this year. We’re thankful for the internet, and all of the amazing opportunities it provides for small businesses. We’re thankful for the awesome local businesses that we’ve been fortunate enough to work with. And we’re thankful for all of...
-
Be thankful for social media
Tyrel Souza | November 19th, 2012
When you’re sitting down with your family at the table this Thanksgiving, you may be talking about your small business. It might be a barber shop, a restaurant, or even a specialized store selling cute little vases. No matter what your niche, without social media, your business could still be in the dark ages. You could be spending thousands of dollars on advertising that few people might even see. Tell your family how thankful you are for social media...
-
Tablets and what they mean for your small business
Frank Kwok | November 14th, 2012
As I write this blog with my new 7 inch tablet, I’m thinking about how these small, lightweight devices will drastically affect how people browse the web. In the past couple of years, it seems people have been swarming to get their hands on the newest and greatest tablets on the market, from iPads and iPad Minis to Nexus 7 Android tablets and more. According to TechCrunch, the number of tablet users in the US...
-
Local Business Listings: Don’t Lose Your Business to a Competitor
Sue Dao | November 8th, 2012
As a small business owner, how would you expect potential customers to find you? An easy way to gain online presence is through local listings. Online listings can help boost your business visibility in the local area. When a user searches for a business, the search engine will list the local business profile, which provides the user with key information...
-
Online Reputation: The New Public Relations Frontier
Kaijsa Kurstin | October 31st, 2012
Public relations efforts are normally put in place to enhance a business’ reputation. With the rise of social media and customer review sites, public relations efforts have shifted gears to focus on businesses’ Online Reputation Management. It was actually a public relations firm called Shandwick who claims to have coined the term reputation management back in 1997. The concept was initially intended to broaden public relations outside of traditional media such as TV,...
-
Display Ads: Giving local businesses the ability to run with the big dogs!
Jackie Olson | October 17th, 2012
How great would it be to see your business name in bright, shining lights online? Have you ever seen a banner ad from national advertisers like Home Depot, Stanley Steemer and Terminix online? Would you like to see your business in the same spot? Most consumers love to help support local businesses with their purchases. When they look online, however, the first thing they see is major retailers' ads. How do small businesses get online...
-
How influential is your business online?
Tara Calnan | October 11th, 2012
How do you know that your company’s social media pages are working? Is it by the number of Likes, connections, and followers you have? Do you look at the number of posts, comments, retweets, and shares you get? These are important metrics and can tell you a great deal about how well your company is using social media. It can be a lot to look at and take in, so what if there was a way to take all those numbers and boil them down to one score? The good news is, there is. It’s called Klout.
-
What will you discover with digital?
Propel Marketing | October 8th, 2012
It’s Columbus Day. A day to celebrate a great explorer’s discovery of this fine land we call home. Columbus may not have set out to discover America, but he stumbled upon it in a happy accident. When customers search online for things to do, places to go, and people to see, they’re not setting out to discover your business. They find you by happy accident or, thanks to search engines, by good online marketing. In today’s market, it’s no longer advisable to go out in search of customers. The internet has changed the dynamics so that nowadays, customers go out in search of you. Cast a wide net to catch those explorers by taking advantage of great online marketing tools.
-
Pay-Per-Click: What’s in it for you?
Matt Riccardi | October 4th, 2012
If you’re the owner of a growing business, it’s likely that you’ve heard of search engine advertising, also known as Search Engine Marketing (SEM), or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. PPC ads are those that appear at the top, and down the right side of Google search results pages. These ads cost the advertiser a defined cost each time someone clicks on a paid search result. Paid ads can range from 50 cents per click, up to several dollars per pick (the cost is variable, determined by complex formulas created by the search engine)...
-
SEO bad practices: Rome wasn't built in a day. Good SEO isn’t either
Lindsay Ford | September 26th, 2012
Many small business owners are aware that their online presence needs work but don’t have either the time or technical knowledge to know what to do next. This is especially true when it comes to building good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which is a crucial component of any business' online presence. If your business does not appear on page one of a potential customer’s search results, you are likely to be overlooked by consumers who...
-
Fall back to basics for your small business
Melissa Pilicy | September 19th, 2012
Saturday is the first official day of Fall, and that's got us thinking; how do businesses transition from summer to fall in their marketing? Fall means many things to people. For some it's Back to School, for others it's the notion that Oktoberfest is right around the corner... Most importantly, it's Back to Basics for your Business. Follow these simple steps to increase branding and profitability for your business!
-
Top 5 Features of The New iPhone 5
Propel Marketing | September 13th, 2012
As you might have heard, yesterday Apple unveiled the newest incarnation of their smartphone in a much talked-about press conference. This was big news across the internet, cable news, and Apple fan-boys alike. People love their technology, and our team here at Propel is no exception. Here are our top five favorite features of the new iPhone 5...