Let’s face it -we’re not all best buddies here in the business world. We may work alongside each other, we may share similar passions, we may have the same goals, etc. We are also competitors. Instead of distancing yourself as much as possible from the competition, why not try to learn a thing or two about what you can do differently than them? Perhaps even better than them. 

Azar’s Sports Bar and Grill of Newbury Park, California is constantly entertaining its visitors with one event after the next. They wanted their website to showcase these daily events, bands, and performances so that their customers can easily see what’s coming up. The Azar’s Sports Bar and Grill website makes it simple for visitors to view upcoming events, learn a little more about the bands and specials going on, view their menu, and check out photos from past bands and scenes.

Businesses are continually encouraged to keep up with the beast that is social media marketing. More accounts to manage, more users to target, more followers to gain, more engagement, and more content to push. For companies with multiple social media accounts (ex: a Facebook page, Twitter page, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, etc.) managing all those pages by single handedly logging into and updating each one is daunting. Add to the mix businesses like ours that help other companies manage their social media accounts and you’ve got one huge project (and one huge time suck) on your hands. Enter social media management tools. 

Nobody wants to be pitched to, sold to, advertised at, etc. We’ve been there. We’ve seen and done that. We are in the age of fast forwarding through every commercial –to the point where watching live TV can be downright painful. We skip computer ads. We hang up on telemarketers. We don’t have time for that. We know what we want and, if we’re looking for a certain product or service, we’ll go find it for it ourselves thank you very much. Enter content marketing.

Infographics have been huge for awhile now. It’s not difficult to tell why –they are great visuals that usually pack a lot of easy to read statistics or facts. Infographics are a great visual cue for the content that you’re providing to your readers. Many times, the infographics themselves are substantial enough to work as relevant content of their own. 

The past few weeks I’ve been dipping my toes into the paid advertising arena on social media, trying out a few different methods and testing the waters.  I’m no expert by any means –extreme beginner alert.  However, with a few weeks under my belt, I can tell you what I have found so far.  Results.

We’ve talked about networking before folks.  We’ve pushed you in both the conventional and unconventional networking directions.  Now how about a few “new” ideas for you?  We are social beings; networking (whether we’re good at it or not) has always been and will continue to be extremely important to the success of your business, brand, and growth.  If you’re uncomfortable –get comfortable.  Or at least fake it till you make it.  For those still shaking in your boots, checking for pit stains, and wiping off sweaty palms here are a few new, slightly less pressure, ways to network.

This article has been updated on 10/2/2019 with the article entitled "A Simple Action Plan Now Is Better Than Reacting Badly Later"

I don’t have to drone on and on about how important it is that your business is on social media.  Chances are, if you’re reading this article, you’re already set up with at least a few different outlets. But, now that you’ve stuck your neck out there and made yourself available to your customers and the world, you’ve also opened yourself up to the scrutiny.