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10/21/2019 0 Comments

How to Handle a Negative Social Media Comment

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Negative comments happen on social media. It truly makes having the power to share our business or our thoughts online so easily a blessing and a curse.

Let me walk you through a situation that might feel familiar to you.

You take hours thinking up the perfect social media post, blog post, or new article for your website. You pour your heart into it and feel like it could really help someone. So, you post it and share it to your social media pages. Then, suddenly you are met with a rude or insensitive comment and you instantly feel defeated. Has this happened to you?

At this point, you probably review your post to see what you said that was so wrong. What could be so bad that this person feels the need to respond this way? 

You want the truth? Nothing you said was wrong.
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Now you're probably thinking, "Then why would this person feel the need to be so mean?" Honestly, I'm not sure. I think sometimes people feel a sense of entitlement when they sit behind a computer screen. I'll be the first person to admit that when I get a comment like this, it breaks my heart. I completely understand where you are coming from! But, as much as you might be tempted to delete the comment entirely or fire back at them, let me ask you to please consider doing one of the following things first.

*This is where I insert my little disclaimer... I want to add that if multiple people are commenting and seem to be misunderstanding what you said, you may want to consider rewording your post a little so your thoughts come across clearly and concisely."


1. Take a breath.
As soon as you read the comment, your gut instinct might be to fire back and defend yourself. Instead, take a few minutes or a little longer to cool down and gather your thoughts. You want to maintain your professionalism and be sure you do not say something you might regret.

2. Acknowledge and respond.
If you are going to respond, make sure to do so without emotion so you are not defensive. This person probably said what they said because they were upset by what they thought you meant. Try to respond in a way that will diffuse the situation.  I might recommend saying something like, "Oh no! I think you may have misread or misunderstood what I said! What I was trying to say..."

No matter what you respond, make sure you are to the point and not acting defensive or rude. After all, you are a business owner and need to maintain your professionalism at all times.


3. You could do nothing.
This may be the best course of action if someone is attacking you personally. If this happens, often others will come to your defense to defend you.

4. Hide it.
Facebook allows you to hide a comment. If someone says something so awful you do not want others to see it, you can use this feature. Simply click the "X" that comes up when hovering your cursor to the right hand side of their comment and click "Hide." This will still allow the person who commented on your post to see it but no one else will.

I do not recommend hiding comments often, but there are times when this is the best course of action.


5. Delete it.
I would say this goes right along with hiding a post. This isn't something you will do often, but if someone is saying something extremely rude, offensive, or containing profanities, this is something you can do.

6. The non-apology apology.
If someone is upset with what you said, it is important to acknowledge that you understand they are upset. But, it's also important to stick to your guns. You wrote what you wrote because that is what you think and believe and I trust you wrote it while being educated about the topic and without intent to hurt anyone. If this is the case, you may want to say something like, "I am so sorry that this post hurt you. That was not my intent at all."

7. Remove or block this person.
I  hope you never experience this, but it is an option. If someone continues to post negative, abusive, or rude comments, you may need to remove them from your page entirely. Please use this as a last alternative and only if the above suggestions have not worked.  Remember, you are a business owner trying your best and you do not deserve to be disrespected.

It is my hope that your negative social media encounters are minimal but it is important that you have these tools in your back pocket in case you need them.

​What have you found works best for you when it comes to negative social media comments?


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9/30/2019 0 Comments

The Beginner's Guide to Facebook Analytics

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Facebook is a wonderful way to market your business - but, how do you know if it's working or who is seeing your posts?

Facebook's Insights Tab is a great place to start, but it can be a little overwhelming to look at. I'll guide you through some Insight basics to help get you started and on your way to seeing results!

What is the Insight Tab?
This tab will allow you to gain more information about your followers and people who are interacting with or seeing your page/posts. For example, you can see the number of people who like your page, page views, post reach, etc. You can click into each one of these for more information. Keep in mind that you can edit the dates in the top right corner if you’d like to see a different date range.

Once you are in the Insights Tab you will see an overview of your page's performance for the last week. You will also see several options along the left side or you can click on any of the sections in the overview to learn more. Some of the most common stats you'll want to keep an eye on are Page Views, Page Likes, Post Reach, Post Engagement, and your Responsiveness. If you are a product based business who sells through Facebook, you can also see the number of orders received and your earnings for that time frame. 

Should we dive a little deeper? Below we'll take a look into some of the tabs on the left hand side of your screen.

Likes: Click the "Likes" tab in the left column and then set your date range at the top of the page. I usually like to look at this on a monthly basis, but do what works for you! You will then see your number of total page likes followed by net likes. The Net Likes graph will show you your number of unlikes, organic likes, and paid likes. Paid likes are counted as paid when they occur within 1 day of viewing an ad of yours or within 28 days after clicking your ad.
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Reach: This tab will show you the amount of people your post is reaching and on what date. You can see organic reach as well as paid reach. Paid reach would include anyone reached as a result of an ad or boosted post.

​Posts: This tab gives you a lot of information about what day and time your fans are online. This is should teach you when you should be posting so more of your fans see it! It will also give you a full list of your posts along with reach and engagement information. 

People: Maybe I'm just creepy, but I love looking at this tab! It gives you insight to the demographics of your audience. You can see the percentage of male vs female, age ranges, and even city and country information! I bet you didn't know you had fans in Australia?!

If you found this post helpful please drop a comment below or let us know on Facebook! If there's something more I can help you with, please go to my About page and fill out the form on the bottom! 
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7/18/2019 0 Comments

Working with the Instagram Algorithm

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I Algorithms have been the hot topic for quite a while now because they affect everyone. But, there are a lot of rumors that have gone around with just how it works and exactly how to beat it. So, I thought I would give you the down and dirty details behind just how this beast works so you can work with it instead of against it!

How the Algorithm Works - 2019
Way back when, Instagram was in reverse-chronological order so you'd see the newest posts first. Instagram is no longer like this, but they do take "timeliness" into account.

The most important thing to know is: Instagram's main goal is to maximize the time users spend on the platform. The longer they are there, the more ads they see, and the more money Instagram makes.

Instagram's Top Ranking Signals

1. Relationship

The algorithm prioritizes content from accounts that users interact with a lot. So, if a person leaves comments on your posts, if they have notifications enabled for your account, you Direct Message each other through the app, or you tag photos of each other, the algorithm will recognize that the two of you are "close."

2. Interest
The algorithm also uses your past behavior to predict what is important or interesting to you. This might include images that are similar or hashtags that you've liked.

3. Timeliness
According to Instagram, the algorithm shows users newer posts first. This is important for businesses to know when their target audience is online and posting at those times. 

Other Algorithm Factors

Frequency of Use
Instagram always aims to show users the best and most relevant/popular post since they last looked at their feed, so your posts and content will update based on how often you open the app.

Following Count
Without being too obvious, the amount of accounts you follow makes a difference in what you see. If you only follow a few accounts, you are going to see a lot of posts from those same accounts. If you follow more accounts, you will likely see a smaller number of posts from one account but a wider variety of posts from multiple accounts.

Session Time
A user who spends more time in Instagram will go further back and be able to see more posts than a user who is on for a shorter amount of time. The user who is on for less time will likely only catch the best performing or most popular posts.

How to Make it Work in Your Favor

1. Post Often

It's important to post regularly but do not sacrifice quality for quantity. Be sure your posts are still on brand and speaking to your audience. I would recommend starting with once per day. If you feel like you can do more, try for twice a day. But, again, do not sacrifice quality for quantity. Once or day might feel like a lot for some people! If it does, try posting about 3-4 times per week to get started.

2. Mix in Videos
While Instagram doesn't prioritize videos over photos, many people like to watch and stop scrolling to watch videos. The people that do like to watch videos will have more videos show up in their feed. You can post videos by going live, as a story, or on IGTV. 

Videos also increase the time your audience spends with each post - which can in turn lead to increased engagement.

3. Post When Your Audience Is Active
​The algorithm favors recent posts so be sure to pay attention to when your target audience is online. You can see the amount of people who are seeing your posts by clicking on the insights for each post if you have a business profile. 

4. Be Personable
Building relationships authentically is important because the algorithm will promote your posts to people who already have a relationship with you. To do this, write captions that will drive engagement, respond to comments, ask questions, like and comment on other people's posts, etc.

5. Use Hastags
I often get asked, "What is the purpose of a hashtag?" The purpose of a hashtag is to make your post accessible to people who may not follow you, but have an interest in the area or topic you are posting about. Many people click on or even follow hashtags they are interested in. Do you love when cute puppies show up on your feed? You may want to follow a hashtag like #DogsOfInstagram! Make sense?

I hope this information and these quick tips help you up your Instagram game! If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Sources: https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-algorithm/, https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/topics/social-media-strategy/21-tips-increase-instagram-engagement/
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4/3/2019 0 Comments

Free Social Media Tools That Will Change Your Life

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"Work smarter, not harder." We've all heard it before. As entrepreneurs we know that all too well. In the spirit of working smarter, I've got some fantastic, FREE tools that will totally transform your social media game! They will help you if you are running your business full time, chasing your dreams with a side hustle, or anything in between - so let's get started!

Images
Finding free, quality images has never been easier. My go-to site for royalty free images is Pexels.com. Once on the site you can search for images just like you would in Google. Download or save the high quality images directly to your computer without having to worry about copy rights or anything like that! This site can do what it does because photographers submit their images in hopes for exposure (or out of the kindness of their heart.) It is in best-taste to give the photographer credit though and definitely do not claim the images as your own.

Photo Editing
Adobe Lightroom can be downloaded for free on your mobile phone. This photo editing application will allow you to adjust brightness, tone, sharpness, and much more for your photos. Ever wonder how photographers get those perfect, bright white images? Well, along with their fancy cameras, this is their secret and it's seriously a game changer!

If you want to get serious, there is a paid version you can purchase for use on your computer that will allow you to do even more.

Making Graphics
Canva is perfect for creating the correct size images for Facebook, Instagram, stories, etc. This drag-and-drop editor allows you to lay text over your images, make simple photo collages, and create custom graphics for a perfectly put-together look!

Shortening Links
Bitly.com is great for when you want to shorten a website URL. For example, say you are a realtor and would like to post an image of a new home listing that you created on Canva, but you also want to provide a link to your website so potential buyers can look at the listing for more details. This would be the perfect time to shorten your website link so you can put it directly in your post without taking up two or three lines of text. 

If you create a login, you can also customize the last half of your link and can even track link clicks. If you want to get really fancy, you can choose to pay for the version that allows you to customize your entire link so it doesn't say bit.ly at the beginning of it.

Tell Me More
Now tell me if I missed any of your favorites in the comments below! What are some free tools you use to up your social media game? I'd truly love to know!
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2/27/2019 0 Comments

Facebook Ads vs. Boosts

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What’s the difference?
Simply put, boosted posts differ from ads because they are not created in Ads Manager and don’t have all of the same customization features.

Too simple? Okay, let's dive a little deeper.


Boosts
A boosted post is a post to your Page’s timeline that you can apply money to in order to boost it to an audience of your choosing. This is the simplest way to advertise on Facebook. When you boost a post, it will show up in your audience’s news feed as an ad. You can also select Instagram as an ad placement for your boosted post. You can choose a post that’s already present on your Page’s timeline and boost it. When you boost a post, you’ll tell Facebook 3 things:
  1. Who you want to reach: you’ll pick a target audience of the type of people you want to connect with.
  2. Your max budget: you’ll tell Facebook exactly how much you want to spend over the course of your entire campaign. Facebook will give you an estimate on the number of people you will reach based on cost and length.
  3. How long you want to run your ad: once you click “Boost” and your ad is approved, people in your target audience will see your ad in their news feed for the duration you’ve set.
Note: boosted posts are still considered ads because they require a budget to be shared with a wider audience. This is the core similarity it shares with ads.

Facebook Ads 
While boosting a post is still considered an ad, Facebook ads are created through Ads Manager and offer more advanced customization solutions. There are many advertising objectives to help you reach your specific business goals and the audiences you care about most. For example, you may have a goal of simply reaching more people and building brand awareness or maybe you'd rather drive traffic to your website. You can choose your marketing objective for the ad.


A boosted post may initially optimize for Page likes, comments, and shares or overall brand awareness, Facebook ads can optimize for app installs, website conversions, video views, shop orders and more.

When to use Facebook ads vs Boosted posts
If you want audience engagement on your Page or to develop your brand awareness, boosting a post is a great way to maximize visibility and grow your audience. To create more advanced ad types and campaigns with a more targeted or specific audience, use Ads Manager.

Still confused? Let's chat! Drop a comment below or send me a message through Facebook or email!

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