To #Hoot or not To Hoot...

I get the question "Do you use hootsuite?" pretty often from business professionals and friends when asking about my work. I quickly respond after a reaction that some can compare to a look of disgust with, "not one bit!" 

No offense to #hootsuite... for some people this software may be a life saver, but I have NOT had the same experience. I also don't like to judge before experiencing, so I tested out hostile for a couple months and tried to use it... however, it was more difficult than following through on my New Year's Resolution to not drink soda. ;)

There are pros and cons to any software, below I have outlined the ones I think Hootsuite holds and you can develop your own opinion on whether you'd like to use it or not!

#PROS

First off... do not mistake quantity over quality  in the below numbers

1. Access to MANY social media networks

 With a click of a button you can access Facebook, twitter, instagram all from one web page and monitor them closely

2. All in one interface

 Goes hand in hand with the above point, you can see all of those social networks in one interface. No opening other tabs or logging into various accounts... it's all there

3. Advanced Posting Options

 Does anyone even post daily anymore? Ha! No way.. it's all scheduled. I build my client's Facebook posts a full month in advance to tell you the truth, instagram is the only day to day upload I actively do. 

4. Unique app directory

A feature unique to Hootsuite is a directory or library that supplies access to more than 100 apps, such as apps for YouTube, Salesforce, Google Drive, and SoundCloud.

#CONS

1. #Confusing 

After an entire month of poking around this site, and I like to boast on my tech "saviness" if that is a word... and this site still has me scratching my head. 

2. Longer Learning Curve

 IF you end up figuring out their website, and that is a strong... IF you have the patient for it. The learning curve is a long time. Platforms like Wordpress can be mastered in a meager minute, while hootsuite left me clicking the big X because I was tired of working this hard to make my life potentially easier...

3. Costs can add up

Although it's only $9.99 per month.. that can quickly add up, especially for a small business owner!

So! I leave it to you, to decide whether you will hoot or not... but I personally can wait until a new platform comes out with a much easier and less "pull your hair out" interface :)

#callangroupcommunications #hootsuiteprosandcons

The Power of Google

The Power of Google

We wanted to share a recent success story, since so many people/businesses etc dismiss digital presence and the importance of building yourself up on it. 

Our client, the Little Black Photo Booth in #DaytonaBeach has the FULL digitally evolved package with #CGC and we cover every area of their marketing for them online. Are you currently on Facebook for your business? Twitter? Instagram? Google +? If you answered NO to any of the previous questions, we should sit down :)

Online marketing is an interesting journey to climb, and seeing results for our clients grow and grow each month only invests us more in it's power. Think about how often we are on our phones, on facebook, googling answers to question we don't know, liking instagram photos... now turn all of that free-time people are spending, into $$ for your business. 

The above photo draws special attention to the power of Google + and building up your presence organically with Google. Did you know Google owns YouTube? Having a profile (and connecting it to your G+ profile) not only helps people find you quicker, but it helps increase your ranking on google. But how?
Well first off... Google LOVES Google, so they want to reward people for using their services! Easy enough...

So do yourself a favor, log into your gmail and create a G+ profile for your business. Upload your logo, interior photos, exterior and more. Next, publish WEEKLY articles on various topics pertaining to your business. Then watch as your exposure #BUILDS BUILDS BUILDS!

Social Trends in 2016

Marketing Trends 2016

I can't believe it's almost 2016, this year really flew by! With the new year comes new advances and areas of interest when it comes to social media. We wanted to outline what WE think will be hot in 2016.

1. #Content Remains Queen 

Quality over quantity everyone! #Content #Marketing Institute released survey figures that 86% of B2B organizations have a strategic content marketing strategy in place. 

Time for the remaining 14% to get on board - am I right?

Whether you're an insurance agency, yoga studio or chiropractic office; providing your consumers with informative information does two things. Builds trust and brand identity. Also from the CMI, 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles rather than advertisements. So time to fine tune that blogger, connect it directly to your website and share your articles via all social media outlets. Continue publishing weekly articles to Google +, where according to Google, articles get the most traction when they're 60 characters OR LESS. So you can always be short and sweet on this platform while elaborating in your blog. But don't forget to ##### !

2. The #Buy Button

Have you noticed the ease it is to BUY things lately?!

this is NOT helping my online shopping addiction...

Now with Facebook you can click the "buy now" feature through sponsored posts and be directed to that product to purchase without blinking an eye. Think it can't get any better? Well, how about Facebook makes it easier to click buy and stay within their app to purchase the product instead of being taken to another website. Instagram is moving in the direction of making it easier to purchase through their sponsored posts, it will be very interesting to see how other apps (including instagram) adopt this feature.

3. #LIVE Social & Video

Ever heard of periscope? A live stream you can record and share through social media, and described by the company as "the closest thing to teleportation". From a rioter in Ukraine, to a cliff diver in Australia, you can go wherever the videos are streaming in from. Experience the world, all via live streaming.

Makes it especially easy for couch potatoes to NEVER move in my opinion ;)

Some things to know about video from a business standpoint before you wonder the importance of it...

Videos average 62% more engagement than photos

Video shares increased by 43% at the start of 2015

58% of consumers consider companies that produce video content to be more trustworthy

71% of consumers say that videos leave a positive impression of a company and help them BUY 

We think in 2016 there will be an increase not only in video usage by companies, but live videos through social. Nothing is more trustworthy than a video taken in the moment. Think of this example... You view pictures of a hotel on yelp or tripadvisor and get to the hotel to find it's nothing like the pictures. SHOCKER... Well now the Hilton would be able to take live feeds, or even customers staying there can share how their room was via video. 

4. #Inbound #Messaging for Social

Messaging a company is going to continue to increase, and companies are going to have to invest more time and man-power into replying. Sprout Social reports that across industries, brands have received 32% more inbound messages this year than last, and 82% of those messages that brands receive, go without a response. 

REALLY?! I would be so irritated if I was ignored and therefore look differently at that brand.

Making things more personal and more interactive with the brand and the consumer are steadily rising. Consumers are craving this, and brands are responding.