Hootsuite

If you are a busy social media professional or you manage the social media accounts at your company, you must use Hootsuite. With this program, you can manage campaigns, collaborate internally and engage with your customers. You can do this from a secure web and mobile dashboard. Since you can try it for free and choose from three plans, check out Hootsuite as you are sure to find the ideal solution that fits your needs. Simply put, if you want to track conversions, measure campaign results and stay on top of everything, you should check out Hootsuite as it’s well worth the small $8.95 monthly payment.

Spredfast

When you run your social media campaign, you will have to go out of your way to measure the results. With some social media tools, you only get a basic look at what is happening. But, with Spredfast, you can look at data from Facebook, YouTube, Flicker and Twitter. With this, you can see how many visitors checked out your pages. The data is presented in graphs, and you can even check out the calendar to see when the optimal time is to release tweets. Spredfast is great, and you can do a lot with it.

Buffer

If you want to use social media tools to message your clients, you should use Buffer.  With one click, you can share your content and schedule posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook. Using Buffer, you can post your content throughout the day, so you are constantly providing fresh and interesting content to your readers. Since you can do this ahead of time, it is one of the best social media tools as it will save you time and money. While it costs $10 a month, you will save enough money to justify the cost as it is truly a powerful tool.

Everypost

Social media tools often do the same thing, but that is okay in some cases. With Everypost, you can easily post all your updates to the major social media networks. But, what Everypost offers that others don’t is a Twitter text shortener. Simply put, with Everypost, you can shorten your tweet and clean it up to make sure it’s under 140 characters.

Crowdbooster

Finally, when looking at social media tools, you should focus on your Facebook and Twitter feeds since they are the most popular. With Crowdbooster, you can gather important data from your Twitter and Facebook feeds. In addion, you will see when people are most likely to check out your video uploads or images. Furthermore, you can analyze impressions so you can make changes and improve upon your campaign. Remember, with social media tools, you can watch as they pay for themselves as the $9 a month investment is minor when considering what you get.

If you use the right social media tools, you can save a lot of time and money as well as increase your conversion rates quickly without much effort. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but one of these social media tools, or more than one, will help you immensely. To learn more about successful internet marketing tactics and how to reach out to new clients, check out our blog!

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Retweet for coupons or discount codes

When looking to get your followers to do your work, you should ask them to retweet your original tweet. If you aren’t paying them or providing them anything, this isn’t very easy. On the other hand, if you offer free products, discount codes or coupons, you can get your social media followers to retweet your original posting. Ideally, this works if you already have a lot of followers as this social media campaign will not do well if you only have a few dozen followers.

Get them to upload and share photos on Facebook

Depending on the product you offer, you can coax your followers to upload photos or videos enjoying your product. By offering prizes, you can get people to upload pictures and advertise the product for you.  In the end, this is an easy social media campaign to run if you have a product that people love to use and show off to their friends.

For the cause

When looking at a social media campaign, you can see that if you work for the cause, you can help your business, and you can do your part to make the world a better place. In fact, when looking at Newton Running shoes, you can see how successful the No-Shave November Instagram was for their business and for the No-Shave November cause. By donating money to charity for every share or like, you can build brand awareness, all while giving money to a good cause, and that is a great social media campaign.

YouTube and Facebook together

Often, people will use social media as a way to make money and gain followers. But, you need to realize that a well-run social media campaign should provide more. If you link your YouTube tutorials on your Facebook page, not only can you please your clients, but you can ensure that visitors are happy to check out your pages and videos. Remember, if you have a wise social media campaign, you should combine them.

Reward decent comments and discussions

Finally, when looking at a social media campaign, you can see that many companies only provide information. If you talk to your followers and enjoy your time with them, you can attract more clients. However, you should reward people who speak highly of your product or provide help to other clients. Luckily, with a simple gesture such as a free product sample or coupon code, your social media campaign can bring in plenty of new and happy clients.

When running a social media campaign, it’s important to think of your wants and needs. Since every company is different, not every social media campaign will get the same results, but if you need more ideas, check out our blog!

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Entenmann, the well-known international purveyor of various bread and pastry goodies, had what looked like an excellent idea on paper – well, hastag paper, that is. They put a post up on their Twitter page asking readers to share how they felt about indulging in snacks. The hashtag was #NotGuilty. Unfortunately, the timing was off – way off. The day the new #NotGuilty hashtag dropped was the same day that the verdict in the Casey Anthony murder case – Not Guilty – was revealed. Social media users being what they are, they quickly connected the hashtag with the judge’s verdicts, and Entenmann wound up having to apologize.

4. The “Ask Stevie G” Blunder

Twitter scored another famous blunder in 2011 when Adidas footwear representatives posted #AskStevieG as the hashtag of the day. The idea was for fans to write in and ask famous Liverpool football icon Stevie G anything that they wanted to know. Considering the target audience was Liverpudlian football fanatics, the response was one that should certainly have been anticipated. In the end, it proved to be a massive public relations and hastag disaster for Adidas, Stevie G, and presumably a great portion of the residents of Liverpool itself.

3. The Habitat Hashtag Appropriation Steal-A-Thon

Furniture retailer Habitat made a horrendous hashtag blunder in 2009 when its Twitter account handlers made the dubious decision to spam up the social network by appropriating hashtags related to various events that were trending at the time. One of the most controversial hashtag choices was #Mousavi, a direct reference to the events of the failed Iranian revolution that was still unfolding at the time. The wholesale hashtag hijacking initiative cost the company a great deal of credibility with Twitter users, and very likely resulted in a sizable impact on its bottom line for the year.

2. The #QuantasLuxury “Don’t Look There, Look Here” Maneuver

Quantas Airlines’ Twitter handlers came up with the idea to tweet the hashtag #QuantasLuxury. So far, so good…except that at the very time that the hashtag went live, thousands of passengers were stranded during an epic grounding of nearly all of the airline’s fleet. The resultant flap over the unfortunate timing of the tweet resulted in Quantas being awarded the very dubious honor of topping the list of Australia’s Biggest PR Disasters of the Year. Although the airline has recovered from the disaster, it’s safe to say they’ll be checking to see if their planes are actually in the air before they tweet or use a certain hashtag.

1. Susan Boyle’s “Susanalbumparty” Fracas

Susan Boyle’s Twitter handlers tweeted #SusanAlbumParty to promote the release of her new album. Unfortunately, the mirth began immediately once someone rearranged the letters to read “Sus’ Anal Bum Party.” Although the tweet was quickly deleted and replaced by #SusanBoylesAlbumParty, the damage had already been done. Thousands of mock invites and RSVP’s flooded the Internet overnight. Better luck next time, Susan!
Check out our other blog posts if you want to learn how to run your Internet marketing campaigns in a wise and well thought out manner! We promise to carefully research any hashtag we choose to use.

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Spend Money on Targeted Advertisements

While not cheap, if you want to bring in quality visitors, you should go out of your way to spend some cash on ads. Think about it: if someone searches Google or another major search engine, they are likely to check out the advertisements on the right side. Since the advertisements are targeted, you will land visitors who are excited about using your product or service. Remember, if you want to increase your online sales, you will have to spend some cash.

Have a Social Media Marketing Plan

Without Facebook and Twitter, you will have to spend a lot of money and time bringing in new clients. At the same time, you can’t just sign up for both services and rest on your laurels. Instead, when you want to reach out to people and increase your online sales, you will have to engage with your visitors. By posting often, yet not trying to sell your product all the time, you can bring in plenty of new clients, and your online sales will skyrocket.

Clean Up the Site

Often, when trying to bring a site online, a lot of entrepreneurs will spend a few hours putting up a simple site. While it’s good to have something in place, you will want to redo your site once you have it up and online. Not only should you improve the checkout process, but you should have great content, and you should make sure that you are always pushing your visitors to spend money, all while not bothering them. Since online sales are complicated, a solid site will help you succeed.

Seamless Checkout and Free Shipping

If you can afford it, you should offer free shipping. Otherwise, if you don’t, a lot of people will be afraid to check out as they may think they are going to get hit with a higher bill. Since online sales often fall through at the last minute, you will help your cause even more if you offer a seamless checkout process. Remember, people are often bored if it takes forever to check out, and they may head to your competitors.

Always Measure Results

Finally, when you are looking to have success with your online sales, you will want to measure your results and make changes. With analytical tools, you can see what works and what does not work. You should check out things like the bounce rate and time spent on site. Then, after a few weeks, you can analyze your online sales and make the necessary changes. Of course, when looking at your online sales, you don’t want to make changes the next day as you need enough data to make the best decision.

When looking to increase your online sales, you must know that it takes time. By spending some cash on advertising and sprucing up your marketing campaigns, you will see your online sales take off. In the end, by doing this and measuring your results, your online sales will reach previously unseen levels. If you want to learn more about Internet marketing and how to increase your online presence, check out some of our blog posts.

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Taobao

Without a doubt, when looking at one of the top sites in the world, you will have to look to China. In fact, when looking at traffic rankings, Taobao ranks as the number one ecommerce site in the world. A lot of people in the West probably have never even heard of this company, but it’s owned by the Alibaba group, and it provides pretty much anything a person would want to buy while online. While the company has no plans to expand west, the CEO’s of other major ecommerce sites should watch out if it does.

Amazon

Now, if you are in the United States, you probably think Amazon is king. It’s true that this company sells everything from baseball bats to rice. Of course, they also sell a lot of books. To make so much money and bring in so many clients, Amazon has gone out of its way to provide the best customer service. With easy return policies and plenty of help with other issues, it’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular and well-liked ecommerce sites on the planet.

EBay

While eBay has changed since its inception, it certainly has changed for the better. In the past, a lot of people used eBay to unload their junk from the garage. While people still dot that, plenty of others use eBay to run their companies. In fact, thousands of companies, large and small, sell everything from computer hard drives to heaters. Yes, if you want to buy something on eBay, you can easily find it. Since they now own PayPal, this company has become a formidable one-two punch, and it has competed with other ecommerce sites with ease.

Walmart.com

If you are looking at ecommerce sites, you have to look at Walmart.com. This is the best way to shop for items if you hate going to your local Walmart. When Walmart.com became more popular, other ecommerce sites were trembling in fear. It’s not easy to compete with this well-funded and well-known company, and other ecommerce sites changed their tactics once Walmart came onto the scene. With that being said, there is plenty of competition, and Walmart.com doesn’t have every customer.

Buy.com

When looking at ecommerce sites, you have to think about companies that sell it all, and buy.com is one of those ecommerce sites. Whether you want video games, electronics, toys or any other item, this site probably sells it. And, with a great name like buy.com, it has been easy for the company to pull in plenty of new customers.

When looking at ecommerce sites, you can see that there are a lot of the same ideas being used. Most companies try to offer it all, and they try to offer great customer service and solid deals. When doing so, these ecommerce sites have enjoyed a lot of success. If you want to learn how to market your company or run it better, read some of our blog posts.

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Facebook Messenger

With the standalone Facebook application, you can message your friends, check out Facebook and enjoy yourself. But, the messenger is not that good as it has a lot of problems, and people generally don’t like using it all the time. The Facebook Messenger app is one of the most popular phone apps as people can use it to keep in contact wherever they are and when they please.

Instagram

A lot of people love phone apps, and Instagram is a great one as you can easily share photos with the click of a button. Without a doubt, teens and adults alike love this program, and, for this reason, it’s one of the best phone apps on the market. Since it’s free and easy to use, it’s not hard to see why people love using it so much. As people get better cameras and nicer phones, this should only grow in popularity as people love phone apps that they can share photos with.

WhatsApp

While not as popular in the United States, WhatsApp is one of the most important applications all over the world. People from France to Argentina love using this app to send and receive free text messages. When looking at phone apps that save money, this is one of the top as people can easily send hundreds of text messages, and all they need is a phone, the application and an Internet connection.

Pandora

When looking at phone apps, you must think about music. People love streaming it, and a lot of phone owners aren’t carrying around a lot of music on their phones. Instead, they can use Pandora to stream music to their phones. Then, one can listen with their headphones or in the car. Some restaurant owners even use Pandora to provide good tunes. There are two versions you can get. One is a free version, and the other is a paid version. Either way, when looking at phone apps, you should check out Pandora as it’s one of the best to have on your phone.

Google Maps

If you want to get around and not get lost, you should have this app on your phone. One of the best and most practical phone apps, Google Maps allows you to navigate around with ease. Coupled with a GPS, and you should never get lost again. Since Google is a name that everyone has no problem trusting, you can download this application without fear or trepidation. Google is also great at updating apps, so you don’t have to worry about having an old or broken version. Simply put, if you want to get around, this is one of the best phone apps to use.

When looking at phone apps, we can see that they can change your life. However, there are a lot of boring ones out there, and you should take your time to research your wants and needs when it comes to phone apps. If you want to read more about this and other subjects, check out some more of our blog posts.

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Resume Writing Service

This is one of the easiest home based business ideas as you will only need a computer, a website and writing talent. To get started, you should learn how to write a resume, and you should help a few of your friends and family members. Then, when you feel up to it, you can create a website and develop an online presence. Without a doubt, you will see that this is a great job as you can hit the ground running, and you can easily start bringing in clients within a month or two.

Social Media Consultant

When looking at home based business ideas, you should think of the future. Think about it for a minute and you will realize that social media is only going to grow, and you can make a lot of money if you know what you are doing. To get started, you should build up your own social media presence, along with a website. Then, simply start pitching your ideas to local and national businesses that need help with their social media presence. Remember, when looking for home based business ideas, you need to think of entrepreneur’s wants and needs.

Sell on eBay

While it’s not as easy to get rich on eBay as it was in the past, you can still make some good money, and it’s one of the simplest home based business ideas to consider. You don’t need special talents, and good products will sell themselves. To get started, you can look around your area for bargains, which you can then unload on eBay. The idea of this is to think simply.

Cleaning Apartments

Now, with Airbnb and other short-term rental sites, you can easily make money cleaning out apartments, and it’s one of the most common sense home based business ideas to consider. To make money with this, you will want to buy supplies and get a reliable car. Once you build this business, you can hire people who can do all the hard work.

Dog Walking Business

If you are looking for one of the best home based business ideas and you have a lot of energy, you should consider a dog walking business. This is a perfect way to make money if you live in an area with a lot of people who have money but no time. Once you have a few clients and do a great job, this is an easy way to make cash as people like to trust someone who can consistently take their dogs out.

In short, you need to go out of your way to think of the trends, both short and long-term. By doing so and thinking of your own life, you can find the best home based business ideas for your lifestyle. Remember, these are just some of the most successful home based business ideas, but there are plenty of others. If you want to learn more about successful business ideas, check out our blog!

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National Small Business Week started on Monday, which is a time of the year to start as it’s not winter, and people are getting ready for summer. The week ends on Friday, May 8th. This is the 52nd year in a row that the United States president has declared this holiday-like event, which is dedicated to entrepreneurs and people who want to become ones in the future. Since there are no other major holidays or big events going on in the United States that week, Small Business Week is going to be a big hit as people from all walks of life will learn about it and participate.

One great thing about Small Business Week is that it will travel all over the United States with major events in Miami/Boca Raton, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C and San Antonio. At the regional events, you can sit down and hear interviews with people like Office Depot’s CEO Roland Smith, who will be present for the Boca Raton event.  Better yet, if you live in one of these cities, you can check out these events in person as you can find tickets with ease. If you want to join from afar, you can watch a live stream that will be available on as special Small Business Week section of the SBA website.

When thinking about Small Business Week, some people will want to know what they will gain from it. Luckily, if you are an entrepreneur or want to get started, you will have a lot of luck now this week gives people the tools they need to succeed. For example, during Small Business Week, one can learn how to best use social media to improve upon their marketing plans.  Other people can get  more basic help such as how to write a business plan. Simply put, if you are an entrepreneur and you want to get started or you want to build upon your plan, there are plenty of seminars all over the country where you can learn what you need to know to grow your business and watch it take off. Remember, whether you want to learn social media marketing, write a business plan or understand basic business finance, you should check out at least one of these events.

When looking at this weeklong event, it’s obvious that it’s a great event for every entrepreneur. When going to a Small Business Week event, one can learn a lot, all while doing it online or at a local event. If you want more information on how to run your small business, not just during small business events, you should check out some of our posts.

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If you are starting a company, you will have to write up a solid and easy to understand business plan. If you don’t, you are going to struggle when you are looking to the future. Luckily, you can easily write one if you understand your long-term wants and needs. With this in mind, here is a short guide on how to write a great business pla n.

Simplicity is Key

First and foremost, if you want to write the best business plan, you should keep it short, sweet and to the point. Yes, if you have lawyers, bankers and potential investors reading over your plan, you don’t want to confuse them or go on and on. Instead, with a well-written plan, you should simply mention what you offer, talk about your finances and then come up with a basic plan to bring money now and in the future. Otherwise, if you your business plan is too convoluted and long, you are going to bore your readers and confuse them.

Don’t Forget about Marketing

When writing a business plan, you must include a lot of information about your marketing plan. Think about it: if you have a great idea, lots of money and a lot of hardworking employees and owners, you are still going to fail if you can’t bring in clients. But, with a well-written business plan, you will have something to reference and build on. This should include Internet marketing, in-person marketing and any other style that fits your business. Simply put, marketing is an important part of your business, and you must include it in your write-up.

Rely on Numbers

If you want to get people interested in your business plan, you must provide concrete numbers and proof. While you don’t have to be exact, you will want to give people an idea of your finances and plans, and you should be as precise as you can be. This doesn’t mean that you should fret over every detail and get worried. Instead, if you are realistic and come up with a short and long-term financial and marketing plan, your business plan is going to be more realistic, and people will take your idea more seriously and invest their money or take a second look at your ideas.

Provide Some Background

When you are selling people on your company, you must remember that you are selling yourself. For this reason, when you write a business plan, you must talk about the owners and founders. Then, you can show the human side of your business, and you are likely to gain more interest as investors and people reading it are likely to get excited when they learn a little more about the people behind the idea.

Edit, Edit and Edit

Finally, when you want to have a great business plan, you will want to make changes. If not, you are likely to overlook something or write something that isn’t perfect. Ideally, you should talk to a few friends who can take a look at the plan and offer their insight. Then, once you have everything in perfect order, you are going to have an easier time getting people to take your business plan seriously. Simply put, when you have people look at your business plan and you make changes, you can improve on it and make sure it’s perfect.

When you want to write a great business plan, you must go out of your way to think of it all. Watch the interviews on our site for more on how to propel your business to success!

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Don’t Try to Budget Every Last Penny

When you are looking to keep things in line, you must not count every penny you spend. Think about it: if you are busy and you want to bring in clients, you should know that a business budget is never perfect. Otherwise, if you worry about every little bill or expense, you are going to have a hard time keeping a business budget that works for your long-term wants and needs.

Be Realistic

Sadly, when coming up with a business budget, a lot of people are not realistic, and they omit expenses or underestimate them. However, when you don’t have a business budget that actually works for your real expenses, you will struggle when it comes time to take your business to the next step. So, remember, while you will not want to overspend, you must be realistic with your business budget if you want it to serve you well.

Keep it Simple

All-too-often, people will make a business budget that is overly complicated. While there are great software programs out there that enable you to budget every item and expense and come up with a new plan, you may want to start out simply. With an Excel sheet or Google Doc, you can probably get your business budget on track, and then, in the future, when you build up your company, you will have an easier time getting things in order and building upon your idea.

Review Every Month

If you have a business budget that works for you, it’s wise to keep going with it. However, in the future, you should check it out and make sure it still serves your needs. By looking at it periodically, you can ensure that you are not leaving any money on the table or making any big mistakes with your cash. Remember, a business budget can change, and if you don’t make the necessary changes, you may end up with issues in the long run.

Have Multiple People Review it

No matter the size of your company, you need to have multiple people check out your business budget. By having three or four people, at minimum, go over the budget, you can spot any potential issues, and you can make sure that you and your team are on top of issues that others may have missed. Simply put, if you want to have the perfect business budget, you need to have multiple people take a look at it.

It’s not easy to get the perfect business budget that meets your wants and needs. But, over  time, if you develop it and take your time to build it, you will have the ideal business budget that helps you develop your short and long-term plans. To learn more, browse our site and learn how you can develop the right way to think like an entrepreneur.

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