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How to Use Branding to Market Your Business Online

How to Use Branding and Color for Your Online Image

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

June 26, 2017

Branding in today’s digital age is way more than just having a nice logo, a catchy tag line and a pretty website. Whether you’re just starting out or your business needs a new look, this is the place to start.

In this video, I show all aspects of online branding covering:

websites
social media graphics – updated!
psychology of color
reputation management
online image

Click here to download a PDF of the slides with notes.

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Categories : Branding, Social Media Marketing

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, branding, Business, Giselle Aguiar, Internet Marketing, marketing, online image, online marketing, online repuation, social media, social media training, video

Video: How to Use Hashtags to Effectively Market Your Business

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

May 8, 2017

Hashtags are everywhere! Even on LinkedIn! Use them consistently to brand your social media posts. This video will show you how. I also cover them in the Twitter class.

How to Use Hashtags to Market Your Business in Social Media:

Class notes: https://azsocialmediawiz.com/wp-content/uploads/Hashtags.pdf

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Categories : Hashtags, Master Class, Social Media Training

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, branding, Facebook, Giselle Aguiar, hashtags, how to use hashtags, learning social media, LinkedIn, online marketing, social media, social media training, social networking, Twitter

The New 80/20 Rule of Marketing and How to Get it Right

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

April 17, 2017

The 80/20 rule of sales and marketing has been around forever.

80% of your business comes from 20% of your target market.

So what does that mean?

Basically, you need to get to know that crucial 20%!

Especially now when you’ve got so many marketing choices out there. Who’s your perfect customer? Who’s your most frequent customer?

Here’s how to apply the 80/20 rule to your business:

Clearly define your target market personas – that 20%. You can have more than one! Do some research. What are their buying habits? Likes and dislikes? What devices to they prefer? Which social networks do they frequent the most? What are they going to enter into the search box to find you?
Brand your business so that you speak directly to that 20%. This does not mean using your favorite color. There’s a whole psychology of color that you need to understand to be effective.
What’s your strategy to build the brand and get exposure? That’s where your website, blogging and social media come in.
Educate your target audience on why your product or service will make their lives better or solve their problems. That’s what content marketing is for.
Lastly, setup a buying process that makes sense to them. To do this, you have to step into their shoes and see EVERYTHING from their perspective. Knowing and understanding your target’s buying journey is critical.

This might sound complicated to you. Do you have to hire a business or marketing coach? No, not if you are willing to learn.

That’s the beauty of Your Social Savvy Solution Online Training Center! We’ve got it all here in one place. We have easy, online video classes that guide you through:

Defining and researching your target market – start with this free Workbook.
Branding and the psychology of color as well as how to setup, optimize and brand your social media profiles
Understanding the social media networks and where your target market is hanging out
Putting together a strategy on how to best reach your target, draw them to your website and reel them in.
How to educate them through effective blogging and content marketing
Tools, tips and tricks to get it all done in a reasonable amount of time!

You have a responsibility to your business to learn how today’s marketing works!

We’ve made it simple for you with easy-to-follow online classes. Click here to get started for only $20/m!

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Categories : Marketing

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, branding, Business, Giselle Aguiar, marketing, Marketing and Advertising, marketing strategy, Target market

How to Use Hashtags to Market Your Business on Social Media

It’s About Time! Hashtags Now Work on LinkedIn! Get More Reach!

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

March 9, 2017

I couldn’t believe it! I saw “#success” in someone’s post and I thought, “Why not? Click on it to see what happens.” And lo and behold, it created a search for “#success” and all the posts with that hashtag came up! It’s about time, LinkedIn, it took you long enough to incorporate hashtags!

Finally! Twitter was the first social network to use hashtags. Then Facebook picked them up. About that time, LinkedIn was trying to get them to work to no avail. Google+ added them and hashtags are the best way to brand your Instagram pictures and videos.

So, apparently with the new LinkedIn redesign, someone figured it out. They worked on LinkedIn’s mobile app and now also on desktop.

LinkedIn also added new features like being able to easily connect with someone who’s a 3rd level connection without having to upgrade to Premium (Yay!). They also moved everything around. The New LinkedIn Updated videos are up at the Online Training Center – sign up now!

Use hashtags consistently on all your social media posts.

When someone clicks on it, whether on your post or someone else’s, all the posts with that hashtag come up. Come up with hashtags from your keyword research. Use both common ones like #Success but also create one that is exclusive to your business or an event. Use them for branding.

There’s more on hashtags in the videos in the Online Training Center – get Social Savvy – start now!

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Categories : LinkedIn

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, branding, Giselle Aguiar, hashtags, Hashtags Now Work on LinkedIn, hashtags on LinkedIn, LinkedIn, social media, social media marketing, social networks

12 Branding Mistakes You Need to Stop Making Now!

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

January 23, 2017

One thing small business owners need to understand is that everything they do online: website, social media pages, Google listings, everything is how people see your business. I see so many business owners make the same Branding Mistakes over and over again. It’s like they don’t care.

It’s Your and Your Company’s Image that is at Stake!

Some may say, “I do get some sales from the site.” How many are some? 1 a month? Imagine how many you could have if you had a good looking, functioning website with quality images, were blogging regularly and using social media the right way! It could go up to 1 a day or more!

Sure you want to save money by doing it yourself, but invest in some classes and learn how to do it properly and effectively. If you don’t take social media and online digital marketing seriously in 2017, you might as well close up shop.

Here are some of the top Branding Mistakes I see small businesses make.

Attempting to do it yourself without properly learning how to use the tools. Sure, you can post on Facebook, but do you know how to market on Facebook? You can use Word, but do you know how to use WordPress? Creating a website might sound simple enough, but if you don’t do it the right way, it will all be wasted time and effort.
Not committing to social media long-term. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Not having a logo! It’s all about branding.
Inconsistent branding. People need to know who you are and what it is that you do at first glance no matter where they find you.
Ignoring your social media accounts. If you have a link on your website to your social media networks, you better be posting regularly! Nothing looks worse than after clicking on a link, I see the last post was months even years ago!
Hiring an intern or student to do your social media marketing. Just because someone knows how to tweet or post on Facebook doesn’t mean they know how to market on Facebook. Whoever you hire to do your marketing, should know marketing first, then be familiar with the social networks, blogging, websites, content marketing, branding and how your particular target market uses each of the networks. Moreover, they should be able to come up with comprehensive strategic and tactical plans.
Not using an email address with the company URL for business emails. It looks more professional to use “yourname@company.com” rather than “yourname@gmail.com”. And don’t use AOL! It really dates you!
Not posting quality graphics. There are enough free graphics tools out there so there is no excuse for having fuzzy, cut-off or crooked graphics.
Putting social media follow buttons on your website that either go nowhere, to the main network page or go to an account that hasn’t been active in years. Don’t put follow buttons on your website until you are active in social media. It makes you look foolish.
Making it all about you. It’s about them – your target market. Serve don’t sell. Don’t just post your stuff! It’s not about selling. It’s about sharing. Share other people’s content that is of interest to your target market. They are thinking, “What’s in it for me?”
Taking Shortcuts like buying Twitter followers or Facebook likes. These are fake accounts and definitely NOT your target market! Don’t do it!
Not realizing that it takes time and effort upfront to build a following. Plan on spending 90 minutes a day on social media and blogging 3 times a week for the first 30 days while you’re building a following. Then you go into management and maintenance mode and based on your analytics, you’ll focus on the networks that are driving traffic to your site and where you’re building relationships.

Your online materials — website, blog and social media — should encourage credibility and trust. Furthermore, they should entice and encourage your potential target to read more, click on a link to download an ebook or contact you.

Are you making some of these branding mistakes? If so, then you’re probably making more. Download this free ebook with all the mistakes I’ve seen out there!

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Categories : Branding

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, branding, Branding Mistakes, Giselle Aguiar, Google, online marketing, social media, social media marketing, social networks

Intentional Branding: 5 Ways to Gain Credibility and Trust

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

November 14, 2016

What’s Intentional Branding? It’s one of the main factors in all marketing – no matter how large or small your business is – your brand is your image.

(Amazon affiliate link)

In his best-selling book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Amazon affiliate link), Michael Hyatt gives 5 ways to positively brand your company. You might not think that an email address or social media profile page is important, but they are. They all encompass how you come across to the world — and potential customers. It’s your online reputation!

Here are 5 ways you can make your branding intentional and put your best foot forward:

Email Address: Sorry, but @aol.com, gmail.com, yahoo.com, etc., even though convenient for personal emails, for business emails, nothing beats “yourname@yourcompany.com”. An email address with your company’s URL (web address) looks more professional. Usually, email addresses are included with your website hosting plan. Use your name — it shows that there’s a real person behind the company. Use “info@” for general inquiries, however, use your name on your business card and for person-to-person communications.
Email Signature: Just about all of the email programs allow you to have an email signature automatically placed at the bottom of every email message that goes out — even replies. Always, put your name, title, company name (linked to your website), a tag line, and calls-to-action including links to your social media accounts. Add a link to a promo video or special offer. You’ve got people’s attention when you’re emailing them — take advantage of that with a strong email signature. There’s no need to put your email address there, it shows in message. Putting your phone number is optional. Here’s my new email signature. (Note: I changed it after reading this book!)
Business Cards: Yes, in this digital world, you still need business cards. Because, you never know when you will run into someone who may be interested in your product or service or could be a referral source. Always, keep some on you, in addition to, keeping the extra stash in your car.
Social Media Profiles. Don’t set these up until you have your logo and your website. Think of your social media business pages as extensions of your website. Additionally, your branding must be consistent throughout. Use good, quality graphics created in the right dimensions. (Yes, all the social cover graphics – the banners – are all different sizes.)
Your Company’s Website.

“This is undoubtedly the single most important branding tool you can have. It’s the first way in which most people will encounter you. It will shape their opinion of you.” ~Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Amazon affiliate link)

In conclusion, you are in total control of your marketing and online image. Make it the best it can be!

To make it easy for you, the Branding Class, “Branding Beyond the Logo” includes everything you need to consider when branding (or rebranding) your business.

It covers:

The psychology of color – you’d be surprised how much the colors you choose impact buying decisions.
The dimensions of all the social media graphics.
Reputation management.

It’s part of Your Social Savvy Solution Online Training Center where for just $20/m you can watch as many social media and content marketing videos you need. Get going on in the right direction!

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Categories : Branding, Marketing

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, brand, branding, Giselle Aguiar, inbound marketing, marketing, online marketing, social media, social media marketing

Your Facebook Business Page Gets a New Look! Best for Branding

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

August 4, 2016

If you’ve visited your Facebook Business Page lately you may have noticed they moved things around. I like it! What’s great is that they moved everything off the cover graphic! No more worrying about sticking text behind buttons or your logo! Yay!

The Call-To-Action (CTA) button is bigger and more prominent. (I wish they would have made it orange, though.)

The logo is on the top left as are all the links to what used to be tabs. Makes it easier for a visitor to get to other parts of your page. They moved the left column to the right. You can quickly see your post reach, website clicks, CTA analytics recent likes and visits. (Note that they put their paid advertising promotion prominently, too! They’ve added a search box! This is great! Visitors can search for past posts!

A visitor to your Facebook Business Page sees it like this:

Note that reviews are still on the top and your pinned post comes up first and in the middle.

I say “Bravo!” to Facebook for finally understanding the struggles businesses had with their pages. They probably were thinking of the end user, but they actually helped the businesses, too! It all could be because they’ve yet to publicly launch their Business Directory. I hope Google+ learns from this! They’re making it harder rather than easier (more on that later!)

I’ll be updating my Facebook Overview video with the new layout. That’s one thing that’s going to make Social Savvy Solution different. As soon as there’s a major update, within days, we’ll have updated videos. So it will be beneficial to join our membership service once we launch it. More on that later!

For right now, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of my new free ebook: 216 Mistakes Small Businesses Make on Social Media & Online Marketing

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Categories : Branding, Facebook, Social Media Marketing

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, branding, Call to action (marketing), Facebook, Facebook Business Page, Giselle Aguiar, marketing, social media, social media branding, social media marketing

You Need to Know How to Establish Your Brand in Social Media

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

April 29, 2016

You are Your Brand!

Whether you like it or not, you are part of your brand. Especially if you’re a consultant, service provider, designer or professional anything.

You join a group like the chamber of commerce or an association as your business to promote your business. However, you attend networking lunches and other events as yourself. At that point, you are your brand!

So, your personal profiles in the social networks play an important part.

I know some of you want to stay as incognito as possible – get over it.

Like joining a networking organization, you get out of it what you put into it. That’s how today’s marketing works.

You can automate a lot of the media, but you still have to be social!

Is your LinkedIn profile 100% complete? Are you an “All-Star” or at least an “Expert”? If someone Googles your name, your LinkedIn profile usually comes up in the top 3 search results. And remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression!

Having a LinkedIn profile without your picture is like going to a networking event with a paper bag over your head.

Just like you wouldn’t go to a networking event with a paper bag over your head – your online image is just as important. You don’t want fuzzy graphics or logos that are cut-off.

An incomplete social media profile is like having a sloppy lobby!

Branding should be consistent on all the social networks. They are like extensions of your website. People should know in seconds what you do and what you have to offer.

The average person has an attention span of 7 seconds.

Google indexes all the social media profiles – both personal and business.

Social Media is Here to Stay

It’s no joke. Yes, it could be fun and entertaining and annoying at times, but if you know how to work it properly, it can be a very effective marketing tool.

The key is to clearly identify your target market(s) and figure out which networks they use the most.

Though you should have a presence in the major ones: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn, not everyone has to be on Pinterest, Snapchat or Instagram. It all depends on who you want to reach.

If you’re more B2C (Business to Consumer), you should be mastering Facebook, Pinterest and maybe Instagram. If you’re trying to reach the younger generation (12-24), you should check out Snapchat. B2B (Business to Business) – focus on LinkedIn and Facebook. If you want to drive traffic to your website (and who doesn’t), then you can automate content to Twitter and Google+.

You have a choice to make. Either hire someone who knows what they’re doing to do it for you or learn how to do it yourself.

Either way a place to start is a free 30-minute phone consultation & analysis of your website and social media efforts. Click here to schedule.

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Categories : Branding, Social Media Marketing

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, brand, branding, Facebook, Giselle Aguiar, Google Plus, Internet Marketing, online marketing, social media marketing

Creating Your Online Persona or Brand with Social Media

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

January 26, 2016

What do you want to be known for?

When you step into an elevator with another person, wouldn’t it be nice if that person says, “Hey aren’t you the _____ lady/guy?”

That happened to me one day. “Aren’t you the social media lady?”

I don’t care that he didn’t remember my name. He related my face with what I’m an expert in. I answered, “Yes, I am! How do you know me?”

“I think we’re connected on LinkedIn. It’s so nice to meet you in person!”

Wow. That’s how you bring the online world into the real world.

What does it take to reach that kind of fame? How do you develop your online persona?

Persistence and Consistency

You decide what your online persona is going to be. That’s your personal brand. Basically, it’s what you talk about the most. What article topics do you share the most? Which industry influencers do you quote, follow & connect with?

You become like those with which you hang out!

Here are some things you can do to start getting noticed and known as an expert in your field.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete. Your head shot is there and you have a heading with your industry. (Remember, the guy in the elevator didn’t remember my name but he recognized me by my picture & title.)
Make sure your personal and business social media pages are complete and they all are connected and optimized with quality graphics and your industry keywords.
Share, share, and share some more! Find trusted sources of content in your industry or field who consistently put out good, quality content and share it regularly. Set up automatic feeds with TwitterFeed or HootSuite.
Find influencers in your field. Follow, connect, share, comment, build a relationship with them. Hopefully, they’ll follow you back and share some of your stuff with their followers. An influencer has a lot of followers.
Join Groups on LinkedIn and Communities on Google+. Participate and get known. When you share something in the groups, your picture, name & title appears with the post. That’s how you get known for what you do. Look for groups with:
1. your target market
2. influencers in your field
3. peers or industry news
4. local businesses

Need help getting known? Don’t know where to start? Need to clean up your online act? We can help!

Click here to schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation & social media analysis.

Click here to download the free “Define Your Target Market Workbook”.

Click here for our full class schedule.

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Categories : Social Media Marketing

Tags : AZ Social Media Wiz, Brand awareness, branding, expertise, Giselle Aguiar, HootSuite, LinkedIn, online communities, online marketing, Online Persona, social media, social media groups, social networking

Creating a Social Media Presence

Posted by Giselle Aguiar on

January 30, 2015

Creating a Social Media Presence

By Sharon Bohm

“If you build it they will come” doesn’t work in social media marketing

“If you build it, they will come.” Who has not quoted that line from Field of Dreams? Unfortunately, when it comes to social media, that mentality will not work. The world of social media is a crowded space. If you don’t use it strategically, your message will be lost. Before you launch your Social Media campaign, you need to know two things:

Who is your target market, and
Where does your target market hang out?

It’s important to become familiar with, and have a presence, on at least the main social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. Depending on your target market and your goals, you should look into Pinterest, Foursquare and YouTube.

So, what does having a social media presence mean?

First, this means having a completed profile making it easier for people to find you. Keep the branding consistent throughout all platforms.

Also, create valuable content but curate it as well. Be sure to give credit to curated content by tagging them in your post.

Also, keep in mind that social media is social – it’s a dialogue. If you get a new follower on Twitter, someone likes your Facebook page or +1 your post in Google+, take the time to thank these people.

Lastly, you need to create fresh content on a consistent basis. If you wait too much time in between posts, people will most likely stop following you or liking your pages.

So, you need to have a social media presence, does this mean that you need to spend an equal amount time on all of them? No. At some point, about once every month, you should check your analytics and insights. That is, from where are you getting the most traffic. Insights will tell you which posts were most popular and give you demographics about your target market to help hone your social media campaign. Each of the platforms have it for free.

If you are still baffled on where to start, we can help. Contact us for a free 30-minute phone consultation and analysis of your current social media efforts.

AZ Social Media Wiz
Social Media Marketing Strategizing, Planning, Set-ups & Training

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Categories : Social Media Marketing

Tags : branding, content marketing, online image, online reputation, social media, social media marketing

Giselle has helped my company, Scuba Professionals of Arizona, in optimizing our social media, content marketing and to build a WP based website. Giselle has consistently showed her knowledge and competence. She is quick but at the same time makes no mistakes. She has given us great results and good value. I can highly recommend Giselle!

Fia LindbergOwnerScuba Professionals of ArizonaPeoria, AZ

As someone new to the world of social media, Giselle really helped me get started in the right direction. Not only did she help set up all my accounts, she also taught me how to manage them. I was really impressed with all her knowledge of social media. The great thing is that she didn’t just do everything for me, she taught me how to do it. I would highly recommend her services to anyone looking to learn more about social media marketing. Thanks Giselle!

Chris BrewCEOFun with Data, LLC Creator MyMtnofDebtPhoenix, AZ

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Archive for branding

In this video, I show all aspects of online branding covering:

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How to Use Hashtags to Market Your Business in Social Media:

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So what does that mean?

Here’s how to apply the 80/20 rule to your business:

That’s the beauty of Your Social Savvy Solution Online Training Center! We’ve got it all here in one place. We have easy, online video classes that guide you through:

Related articles

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Use hashtags consistently on all your social media posts.

There’s more on hashtags in the videos in the Online Training Center – get Social Savvy – start now!

Related articles

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Like this:

Here are some of the top Branding Mistakes I see small businesses make.

Are you making some of these branding mistakes? If so, then you’re probably making more. Download this free ebook with all the mistakes I’ve seen out there!

Related articles

Follow us!

Share this:

Like this:

Here are 5 ways you can make your branding intentional and put your best foot forward:

In conclusion, you are in total control of your marketing and online image. Make it the best it can be!

To make it easy for you, the Branding Class, “Branding Beyond the Logo” includes everything you need to consider when branding (or rebranding) your business.

It’s part of Your Social Savvy Solution Online Training Center where for just $20/m you can watch as many social media and content marketing videos you need. Get going on in the right direction!

Follow us!

Share this:

Like this:

A visitor to your Facebook Business Page sees it like this:

For right now, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of my new free ebook: 216 Mistakes Small Businesses Make on Social Media & Online Marketing

Related articles

Follow us!

Share this:

Like this:

You are Your Brand!

Social Media is Here to Stay

You have a choice to make. Either hire someone who knows what they’re doing to do it for you or learn how to do it yourself.

Either way a place to start is a free 30-minute phone consultation & analysis of your website and social media efforts. Click here to schedule.

Related articles

Follow us!

Share this:

Like this:

What do you want to be known for?

What does it take to reach that kind of fame? How do you develop your online persona?

Persistence and Consistency

Need help getting known? Don’t know where to start? Need to clean up your online act? We can help!

Follow us!

Share this:

Like this:

Follow us!

Share this:

Like this:

Search this site

Free Social Media 101 Class!

I’m HubSpot Certified!

Top Posts & Pages

Free Workbook!

Free: Define Your Target Market Workbook!

Follow Us

Recent Posts

Categories

Testimonials

The Best Marketing Books on Amazon

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Chosen LinkedIn’s ProFinder’s Best of 2016

We’re on LinkedIn!

Share this on LinkedIn!

Follow us on Twitter!

In Case You Missed Something….

We are affiliates & recommend the following:

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