Don’t Be Annoyed...I’m In Marketing

The Power of a “Like” or “Follow”

By: “Digital Di” February 21, 2016

We’re friends on Facebook or Instagram. You thought you wanted to keep in touch with my life or maybe follow because you that I was cute. After a few days you realized, damn this girl asks me to “like” or “follow” something every day. Annoying? To some, sure, but I’m in marketing people!

I own four businesses. I have dozens of clients and I have tons of friends who own businesses, too. Of course, I’m going to ask you to “like” them! If I’m annoying then delete me. I promise I won’t be offended but let’s look deeper at what I’m really doing and why.

SEEING MY NAME IS POWERFUL

Every time I ask you to “like” a page or attend an event you see my name. Top of mind awareness (TOMA) is huge. It’s the idea that the first person/company you think about when hearing of an industry or topic is yours. That’s what I want for my clients and it’s what I want for me. When people think of social marketing I know they think of “Diane Michael” or sometimes even “Digital Di”. This is very powerful and I am proud to be noticed even if sometimes it’s considered annoying. 

LIKING DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL SEE POSTS

Because of the amount of friends and businesses on social sites you probably won’t see many posts in your Facebook feed. I “like” 477 pages. I rarely see any business’ posts. This actually pisses me off because if I hit “like” I want to see what’s going on but because of sponsored posts and algorithms it’s not typical. 

I LOVE Instagram because if you go back far enough you will see every single post. According to Forbes.com Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in cash and Facebook shares so who knows how long the feed will be this way. I only follow 74 people on this platform. 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Marketing pays my mortgage. Asking you to follow one of my client’s pages allows me to travel the world. When I deliver monthly stats to my clients I love seeing the numbers increase and I know I am part of their growth. It’s a powerful thing so please don’t get annoyed just remember I’m “getting shit done”!

If you think Instagram is for "young people" you may be a ‪#‎DigitalDinosaur‬

If you think Instagram is for "young people" you may be a ‪#‎DigitalDinosaur‬! We started this account Sunday night after picking up a new client at a Civil War Show in Charleston and they already have over 400 like-minded REAL followers and people are "tagging" their friends letting them know to check out the merchandise. We are experienced and educated on how to get the RIGHT type of followers...we aren't just going and tapping on people's accounts or buying followers. Strategic marketing creates the clients you want! Let ‪#‎DigitalDi‬ and team get them for your business!

Callan Group Communications (CGC) is a boutique firm specializing in cause marketing, digital media strategies (notice we don't say "social media") and business/non-profit marketing management.
By "connecting the dots" CGC helps "tell your story" to the masses through thoughtful creative campaigns. Keeping your your business/non-profit relevant and sustainable is our number one focus!

Work / Life Balance

Work / Life Balance

It's so important to balance our hectic work schedule with some fun in life sometimes... don't you agree?!

Just like we, as adults need a break once in awhile - so do our kids. We wanted to share the #VolusiaCountySchoolSchedule so you're aware of the dates and time off for teachers and kids! Our teachers and parents mold our future generation and need a break every once in awhile, as well as students. Time off to be with their families and make memories since, life is so short.

#CallanGroup #timeoff #lifeworkbalance 

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.

Changes to Google +

So #Google + has had a major face lift this past week. At first glance you can tell the obvious alterations to the dashboard, and simpler use from desktop to mobile. Google wanted users to have a consistent experience whether they were on a small screen or a large one, for both Android and iOS devices. The company met with thousands of G+ users and narrowed it down to the two most important qualities of the social network, based on what people said. 
#Collections and #Communities.

Collections let you immerse yourself in content about topics like surfing, or tiny tilt-shift photography scenes. Communities enable groups of people with the same interest to join up and geek out on anything from game of thrones to painting.

One key difference between now and then G+, is you can follow a person’s posts about a particular topic – and avoid all their posts about topics unrelated.

Some say that Google has really “slimmed down G+” and hangouts are on the way out, along with tagging your friends in photos you upload.

Some remain skeptic thinking the G+ name is already damaged and no one will jump on board due to these changes – however, Google will be monitoring data usage and user reviews to remove components low in popularity.

#GooglePlus #CallanGroup #OrmondMarketing

Trip Tips and Tricks to become #1

As a #MarketingDirector you need to be versed on many different social mediums to give your clients the best service. Over the next couple of weeks we will discuss how to excel at different platforms out there, this week we will start with #Tripadvisor!

Have a restaurant, spa, yoga studio or hotel as a client? These are only a couple businesses that flourish on Trip. It’s important to build up your clients presence here to gain customers that aren’t from the area, or are doing research on these types of businesses in the city you reside. Did you know Trip has over 200 million unique monthly visitors? What a large network with #targeted audiences! Below are a few tips on how to #mazimize your Trip presence.

#1: Have your past #customers help you. The amount and quality of reviews your profile has is crucial on Trip.  Getting those reviews is also a tricky part because of the #1 DON’T RULE: Do not ask co-workers or you yourself to review your business – They must be real customers! Instead.. you know that monthly newsletter you send out to your past customers (you better be doing that!) include a link to review your business so customers can easily go there.

#2 Encourage #Pictures & #Videos. This trick is technically involved with the above tip, however it’s so important we wanted to make it it’s own! Ask your past customers to upload #PICTURES from their trip or experience with you. Ever heard the saying, “A picture says 1,000 words” – so you get the picture ;)

            “According to TripAdvisor, properties with 30 or more photos have 41% more engagement than those with 10 or fewer. When it comes to video, the same is true. North American properties with at least one video have about 34% more engagement than properties without a video.

#3: Holla Back. Have you ever written a review and received a response “from the owner”? Well, not only do you feel even more connected to the business but it made you want to go back, no? Funny thing is….You most likely were messaged from their marketing director. A lot of business owners do not have the time to manage their review sites, so responding to EVERY review is very important! Positive or negative, you need to respond, and if it’s negative… that leads us to tip #4!

#4: When responding, never admit fault. Say a customer was mad about the wait or simply the food wasn’t cooked to their expectation. Apologize that they had a bad experience and invite them back. Do not include “Sorry our Chef messed up your order” because that has a negative view to your business. Apologize that their experience was not the 5-star experience that your restaurant is expected to give, and you’d like to invite them back to change their perspective!

#5: Include Trip icon on all social sites and website. Make it EASY! #EASY EASY EASY for your customers to click and review. The longer it takes to do something, the higher % chance you will lose their interest.

#6: Keep it fresh. Update new images monthly if not weekly, make sure hours and business info is up to date… with minor changes from month to month to keep it fresh.

Do you have other #TipsandTricks for Tripadvisor? Comment below and thanks for reading!

CGC

The Art of the Hash

Ever wonder why everyone uses hashtags and what they even do? How to use them properly?

Well for starters, it's important to know what social mediums the "hashtag" works on.

Twitter, #Facebook, #Pinterest, #Googleplus, and possibly in the future (but not right now) LinkedIn.

So, what exactly is a #hashtag? It's "#"

Alone, it does nothing.. but attach a word behind it with #NOpunctuation what-so-ever and you have a link to another community. A community that also used that exact word or phrase, and all of a sudden you're thrust into a news feed of similar posts. The hashtag is used to draw attention, organize and promote your post. Whether you're uploading a picture of your puppy and including #frenchbulldog or your beverage of choice and putting #cocacola - the hashtag has a use for every person. Whether marketing your brand, or trying to find other french bulldog lovers ;)

The hashtag was created by #Twitter, but it's use didn't stop there. You cannot use punctuation, spacing or special characters in your words or phrases. For example, #you'regreat would translate to #you since the 'regreat portion will be cut off. Instead you have to go against ALL grammatical rules and change to #youregreat (makes me cringe) or find another way to say it! 

So why use them? First off... they help you find your target audience. Using the above two examples again, if you wanted to find more profiles on instagram that also are about french bulldogs, click on your #frenchbulldog link and you will see a feed of other profiles. And it works the other way around, you're more discoverable! 

Hashtags also improve your clickthrough rate. According to research from #BuddyMedia, tweets that hashtags receive double the engagement as posts that don't! Another great way to use a hashtag is for market research, ask a question to high school professors and #highschoolprof and see who is out there! 

There is so much more into the hash tag and it's uses... we'll dive even deeper next week! And we will discuss how LinkedIn doesn't have #'s but uses a variation... 

Thanks for reading!

#CGC

#theartofthehashtag #ormondbeach #marketing 

If you're not using Google Drive & Drop Box... you're missing out!

Sending and receiving photos, videos or large files can sometimes be a huge pain due to email size restrictions. When working for a communications firm like us, you constantly find yourself being blocked because that graphic is double the size of allowable files in outlook or gmail. What is the best solution though?

We have used Google Drive and Dropbox for awhile now and I'm still amazed at their ease of use. Whether I am uploading 150 pictures from a #photoshoot with one of our clients, or sending a large PDF to a newspaper, Google Drive is on everyone's list of go-to's when sending. Want to collaborate with a couple different people? No worries... avoid sending an email with a lot of attachments to everyone who then needs to download each file separately, invite them all to your file on google drive and boom - instant access!

Dropbox is another great system when sending a lot of photographs to another person. You upload everything you need and send a link to their email, once clicked they can see everything you've sent and don't have to download each component separately.

Save time, frustration and future headache with #GoogleDrive and #Dropbox. Want to learn more about them? Call us today and we can chat!
#CallanGroupCommunications

EatBreadToday

I don't know what tomorrow holds, so today I'll eat bread!
By Digital Di, Callan Group Communications

What a wonderful #Thanksgiving2014 I had. Two days of spending precious time with friends I consider family. #MarkPullin, executive chef for #31SupperClub cooked for a crew Wednesday and my old Buy Me Love Benefits partner had me spend Turkey Day with his amazingly loud, beautiful family in Tampa. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It was the only holiday our family celebrated other than birthdays which I don't consider a holiday so of course it's my favorite. It's the holiday of thanks, gratitude and good food. I love that!

Today we were discussing the delicious dinner and how eating fresh food with no can openers and made with love made such a difference. Speaking of fresh...the rolls...um, yeah! No Pillsbury rolls up in here..nope! Straight fresh bread made by #therealchefmark. Yummy! He didn't make enough! He mentioned when he caters he usually has a ton of left overs. I can't believe people have bought into this whole "bread is bad for you" thing. Have your bread and eat it, too, I say! Who knows what tomorrow brings, eat bread today! 

Ask and ye shall receive

Ask and ye shall receive
Welcome, Brittny Machel Lowe

It hit me one night while I was talking with Chef. You know, Mark Pullin, the executive Chef of 31 Supper Club. We were talking about our aspirations and it was like a slap in the face. I had to find a way to free up time to start writing my book, The Legacy. I decided right there and then that I was going to find the perfect marketing associate who was motivated, a self-starter and a natural born entrepreneur…no big deal, right? Yeah, not so easy but I put pen to paper, created a job description and let it go into the social universe. No responses. Not one. Although one of the people I was considering “liked” my post. She didn’t PM me but she liked the post. Making progress? Not quite.

A few weeks later, I’m dining at Grind Gastropub with one of my favorite mentors, Debbie Allen, who flat out said I have to offer an internship option before opening up an opportunity for full employment. She said that would show a truly determined candidate who would see true benefit in Callan Group Communications. I agreed although felt frustrated as I couldn’t even get a candidate who I was going to pay let alone one who would donate their time. Then our server, Brittny Machel Lowe came up to take another drink order. She was the one who I had my eye on. We chatted her up and before I knew it Debbie was encouraging her to intern for me. Brittny seemed interested and explained her aspirations of starting a non-profit to help families of incarcerated men and women. She was already an entrepreneur with her own apparel company, Twin Flame. She was perfect. I explained to her what the job would look like and asked that if she was serious that she should reach out to me the following morning. The voicemail is still saved on my phone. Her enthusiasm resonated through the message. She began interning and was promoted to marketing associate as of today, November 10.

With her support, I can not only grow the company helping businesses to grow theirs through marketing initiatives but I can follow my dream of writing a novel. It’s an amazing thing, this universe. It’s a crazy feeling when you realize that if you simply ask for what you want you receive it. I’ve practiced this “secret” for most of my life but more lately. It works. It really works. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to invite Brittny into our family. As we teach her, she’ll teach us and together we can create amazing work in our community.

Cheers to those who believe in themselves.
Cheers to those who take risks.
Cheers to the ones that see opportunity.
Cheers to the ones that have gratitude.
Cheers to Brittny Machel Lowe.

With gratitude,

Diane Michael

Political Season in Volusia County has Arrived!

Are you helping a friend with their political campaign?

Are you running for office?

This package provides a multi-media strategy that directly targets your constituents providing you with "all bases covered".

We haven't seen a program quite like this before...contact Diane directly by clicking here or call me at 386-538-1083.

You're beginning to get sleepy, very very sleepy!
By Diane Michael, Communications Director at The Callan Group

So I haven't been sleeping lately. I go to bed and lay there uncomfortable with thousands of thoughts going through my brain. Tossing and turning for the third night in a row I decided to write about it.

My Reiki Massage Therapist said that if you can't sleep it's because you're in someone's dream. Even though that's a nice thought - not buying it!

So I Googled "what does it mean to not sleep" and choose the fifth selection from the top which greeted me with a ton of...don't drink coffee, don't watch TV, don't drink alcoholic beverages, don't smoke, don't do anything that sounds fun to me! Not buying this one either.

Sixth selection down are common sleep myths. Ok, graphic of a pretty girl sleeping at top - I'm intrigued!

I'm on myth two and I see "don't text in bed"...well how am I suppose to finish this article without typing away on my phone? As I continue I realize there's a bunch of blabber on the internet! Geez!

As far back as I can remember I didn't want to go to bed early and I would lay there daydreaming about the following day. Some things never change, they say, but do they?

Can we reprogram our minds?

Of course we can. Just because we've always done something one way doesn't mean we can't adapt and improvise to change based on our needs!

So why can't I change my awful sleeping pattern and why have I been restless for the past three nights straight and still not tired?

I can change the way I look at sleep. That may help! Yeah, I'll get right on that!

I can stop writing articles in bed. Yeah, probably won't be doing that!

I can write down all the things I want to accomplish tomorrow before I go to bed. Check!

I can get up earlier to help my body shut off earlier. Doesn't sound fun but we're making progress!

I can focus more on my breathing.

I'm starting to feel sleepy...very, very sleepy!

Good night, cuties!

My Two Cents
It’s Okay to Give 1% and Remember to Breathe!
Diane Michael, Communications Director for The Callan Group

I recently got back from Costa Rica where I earned my yoga teacher certification. After being out of the country for a month it only took 24 hours for me to come down with a nasty virus. I wasn't able to practice until this past week. While I was in multiple poses, my talented strong teacher, Robin, said two statements that stuck with me that I want to share.

1.) Sometimes you give 1% and sometimes you give 100%
What a concept! I loved hearing this while in downward dog because during my training in Costa I decided I wanted to start writing more about how I believe the practices in yoga go hand in hand with practices in business. So this statement was a perfect way to kick off my new focus.

As a business owner, you only report to yourself and your clients.
You set your own goals, schedule, budgets, etc. You have the ability to negotiate, to reschedule, to show up and to not show up. It can be a very dangerous position to hold but most entrepreneurs love it. What Robin said rang so true to me in business and on the mat because there are times where you simply don't give 100%. You don't even give 50%. You give 1% - but you showed up! You decided to do something. Every little bit counts!

There are definitely days when you give 100%.
Those days can be equally rewarding and exhausting. In yoga, I find myself in the same situation. I feel so great that I simply showed up - even if I gave only 1%. And those days that I give 100% and can do a headstand into crow while sucking my tummy towards my back, I am truly a rock star.

The cool thing that really resonated with me when Robin made this statement was that it's all good!
You don't always have to operate at 100% in life, in business or in the yoga studio. Seriously! We don't have to book our schedules out on a daily basis. We don't have to run around from appointment to appointment. I find myself some days rushing to get to yoga - cutting people off only to run to the back to get my coveted spot to end up with one minute to spare in child's pose. Why? Why am I trying to do too much at one time? This is not healthy for me and I don't recommend it.

We've been told since we were kids to give it our 100% which I believe has really messed us up.
It's ok to give your 1%. You're showing up. And when you continue to show up day after day -small accomplishments turn into big ones just as practicing yoga regularly will change your body, soul and mind little by little.

Nothing has to happen overnight.

And if you were like me in my younger days, when you don't give 100% at least don't beat yourself up for it. Focus on what you did accomplish, what you are happy about, what you are thankful for and how you showed up.

The next thing Robin said...

2.) Remember to breathe - it will help you when you're in a tough pose which will teach you how to get through a tough time in your life

For anyone that has ever had to publically speak, you know that taking deep belly breaths can be the difference between a well composed speech and passing out.

Yoga is all about the breath.

Deep Dark Vader breaths through the nose and out the nose. We all have lifted a large conch shell to our ears and heard the sounds of the sea...that's what I want my breath to sound like. This goes a long way in business and in life, too. Breathing deeply slows down your heart rate which comes in really handy when you're in a stressful meeting, uncomfortable setting or pitching a prospective client.

When Robin reminds us to breathe in our poses it always reminds me how I have the opportunity to breathe through the difficult times in my business.

In my younger years, I was quick to react and didn't give myself time to breathe, relax, sit back and compose myself and my responses. Breathing obviously happens naturally but breathing deeply and intentionally takes focus and practice. As we learn how to breathe in our poses on our mats we also learn that taking that breath out of the studio will help us conquer more than we can imagine in weekly business settings and definitely in life in general.

Thank you, Robin, for your words...they carry outside the studio!

Diane Michael, Communications Director for The Callan Group is combining marketing strategies and life lessons learned on her mat. Diane is blending her yoga practice with her entrepreneurial skills to motivate and empower others. It's all about how balance can build a better life! 

GOOLGE+ & INSTAGRAM - Our New BFF's
By Diane Michael, Communications Director for The Callan Group located in the Daytona Beach area


The Callan Group is now offering a wide variety of communication services. Since our beginnings in 2008 our clients have requested that we take on more than just email newsletters.

For the first five years we wanted to dedicate our full attention into being the best email service provider possible.

Since our email newsletters create not only retention but new business, expanding into the social media market was a smooth transition.

Our ghost writers are already writing creative content for clients so expanding that message into other mediums makes perfect sense and we are already seeing a significant response from clients.

We can handle your presence on Facebook and Twitter which is necessary for every business.
It's also necessary to keep these fresh and updated!

What we do that we feel is a bit different in those sites...

We create info graphics that typically get more likes.

We change our client’s banners and profile pics monthly.

We create posts needed for the client - some industries like restaurants and retail need more posts than others. We identify what would be best for the client.

Remember, Entrepreneur Magazine announced that only 6% of posts are being read!

Think about that as a business who posts 3 times a week.

We come up with creative campaigns to encourage more likes, shares and comments.

But we are REALLY INTO GOOGLE+ and INSTAGRAM!

These are the social media sites we are promoting, promoting, promoting! (See our sketch and vLog below!)

Google+ may not have many of your peeps involved YET but it's helping your organic rankings on Google better than any other social site!

So what does that mean???

It means if you're not on Google+ and posting at the minimum of once a month and you are a business - YOU ARE WRONG!

I can list all the benefits of Google+ but if you don't take my word for it, Google "how does Google+ benefit my business" and get informed!

Loving me some Instagram!

So not only can you be super creative with a few click click clicks, you can also post videos and be found by people all over!

I'm seeing more and more national businesses focus on Instagram by posting their promotions on an almost daily basis! It’s fun, interactive and can lead to new business, conversations and a more unique creative presence online!

So where are you going to find the time to keep up with all this?

Things that make you go hmmmm!!!

The Callan Group is a team of creative ghost writers who will embrace your marketing plan, create new concepts to attract business AND keep you in front of your clients on a regular basis resulting in retention!

We become an extension of your marketing team with a passionate focus on your goals!Learn how we can help today! Contact Diane at 386-538-1083!

Publix – Where Shopping is a Pleasure

Publix – Where Shopping is a Pleasure
Written By: Julie O'Flaherty - Creative Writer for The Callan Group

The chances are, if you live in the South you probably do your grocery shopping at Publix. I do, along with 100,000’s of other Floridians, and the reasons why are plentiful.

There’s something to be said about a chain grocery store that you can walk into anytime, any location and know that you will be welcomed by a smiling face, a cheery greeting (in my own store they even remember my name!), gleaming, clean displays and what we all want when we go grocery shopping….the best, freshest produce, well stocked shelves and an ever increasing selection of new products. On that note, have you noticed all the new organic products available in your local Publix store? The Publix GreenWise Market Selection consists of foods and products that are either all natural or organic. Look out for the GreenWise displays in your local store; they showcase new food and household products regularly.

My first stop at Publix is flowers, a little indulgent maybe, but with such vibrant selections and so many seasonal choices they do make it difficult to resist spoiling yourself, or a loved one. For just a few dollars I can mix and match my favorite flowers into a simple, beautiful arrangement. During the holiday season this is where I get everything I need for my holiday table displays, all under one roof and at a great price too. If you haven’t taken the time to browse the plants and flowers at your local store, take a few minutes next time. You might be surprised at what you can create!

Note, the whole time I’m looking at the flowers my nose is following the bakery. On a good day I’m able to walk right past the glass case display of chocolate dipped strawberries and boston crème filled doughnuts. I do not walk past the freshly baked bread however, that’s impossible.

Of course, no trip to Publix is complete without a trip to the Deli. Showcasing Boars Head meats and cheeses it’s a veritable smorgasbord for the carnivore sandwich maker in you! And if sliced to perfection meats and cheese are not on your shopping list, maybe you are a chicken lover? Great news for you! There’s always a choice of mouthwatering rotisserie chickens available for that last minute dinner or for those of us abandoning our diets, there’s the double hand breaded fried chicken. It may just be the best fried chicken this side of the Mississippi.

I’m certain one of the common reasons we all love our local Publix, is the staff. It seems to me that they are all happy in their work, which quite honestly you just don’t see every day. Their smiles are not surprising either. As the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the United States, Publix is right up there when it comes to employee satisfaction, boasting  the serious accolade of being one of FORTUNE’s “100 best companies to work for” for the last 16 years, amongst many others. Not too shabby.  Also impressive, is the fact that in Florida alone Publix Supermarkets employ over 110,000 people in their 755 stores.

As for playing a part in the community, Publix have continued in the spirit of their founder, George Jenkins, whom founded Publix with the spirit of giving in mind. In addition to giving to 1000’s of  local projects Publix annually supports five organizations in company wide campaigns: Special Olympics, March of Dimes, Children's Miracle Network,United Way and Food for All.

Do you know what else I admire Publix for? They never gave in to the loyalty card program fad. I really dislike having to fumble to locate a dog eared piece of plastic on my keychain to get the same deal at a competitor’s supermarket that I would get at Publix without said dog eared piece of plastic. So, thank you dear Publix for keeping your prices such that we don’t need to carry a loyalty card. I for one don’t need a card to be loyal. I will however continue to enjoy the buy one, get one promotions , the weekly deals and the everyday value of Publix.

Thank you George Jenkins for your legacy, the ethic on which Publix Supermarkets was born lives on today.