Well, for the first time since 2010 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has updated its FAQ page for endorsement requirements. For those who are unfamiliar, the FTC is the agency that enforces U.S. truth-in-advertising laws. 90% of you still probably don’t know what I’m talking about since it seems like social media marketers aren’t exactly away that there are certain regulations on posting. Whether you know or not though, there is an agency that enforces these laws and they are becoming more specific when it comes to posting and running contest or promotions on social media. Essentially the FTC’s point stays that any material relationships between brand and endorser on social media must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed and they are diving in further by providing a detailed guideline on social media issues that have come to light in the last few years.

Regardless of whether you’re running a company or a not-for-profit, doing business “like we always do” is a sure recipe for stagnation or outright failure.  It may seem easier to fall back on old habits, but here are five ways you are derailing your own success.

Surprise, surprise. There’s been another shift in the marketing and social media marketing world. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve already seen it pretty heavily in action other the past year or so. You’ve probably already purchased products based on it. What is it? Influencer Marketing. What does that mean? Well, influencer marketing is basically where brands take their products and team up with an “influencer” to demonstrate/sample/review their product. For instance, a monthly subscription box of makeup samples might team up with a YouTuber. That YouTuber would receive a free box, make a video where they use and try the products, and all of their followers would see the video. Very simple and extremely effective.

If you don’t have a twelve-year-old handy, who do you go to with technical questions? With so many of our devices and services connected today, it can be tricky to figure out who’s in charge of what. Here are some common problems, the probable causes and who to ask for help.

With the amount of time and effort we pour into marketing our businesses, you would think that we'd be more interested in keeping and reaching the people that are interested in our services/products vs those that aren't.  However, it seems like a lot of businesses are looking for big numbers.  More followers, more likes, and more sign ups.  Sure, there's power in numbers, but what if you're wasting valuable marketing dollars on people who don't care what you're selling?