It’s been interesting seeing everyone’s point of view on it. In particularly experts like Joel Comm, Brian Fanzo, Amy Schmittauer, who have pretty much ruled Blab as the champion over Google Hangouts. While many other experts are still testing Blab out, many have begun to sing its praises and stating it could be the next big thing in social video. Other early users (it is still in beta mode) are addicted to the point of admitting to spending hours “blabbing” with strangers for fun or other experts for networking.

Then there are the others who are skeptical about spending time on the latest shiny social media object. They have decided to keep using Google Hangouts until they determine a reason to shift to Blab.

So. Which are you? If you’re the latter, I would go out on a limb to say you would be foolish to not at least try it out. It is always good to check out the latest platforms. If you’re wondering if it is better than Google Hangouts, well it is important for you to evaluate whether to jump ship or test, use and keep an eye out.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to use Google Hangout or Blab:

• Will all of your viewers have a Twitter account to log into Blab to watch the conversation? Google Hangout doesn’t require a Google Hangout account to watch a live event. You can stream the event from Google Hangout on your own website with the embedded code.
• If you’re looking for a private discussion between you and colleagues or friends, then you want to still use Google Hangout. Blab is meant for public chats.
• If you are looking for a 60 second or less process to start chatting and foregoing numerous steps to begin, then Blab may be your best option.
• Save time with Google Hangouts because the video gets uploaded to YouTube. Get a link from Blab where you can upload your video file to wherever you want.
• If you need the convenience of on the fly editing by stopping and starting the video on Blab.

These points may not have helped you to decide whether or not to leave Blab, but it will at least give you an outlook of not ruling Google out just yet.

Have you tried out Blab.im yet? If so, leave your comments below. Perhaps we will them to a future post.

Part 1 can be found at http://www.abovepromotions.com/blog.

*******************
Above Promotions is a digital marketing and public relations agency with B2C clients that promote brands in the food, fashion and family entertainment industries. We build and protect brands by creating and executing digital resources to sell products or build positive public sentiment. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visithttp://www.abovepromotions.com today.

********************
Ebony T. Grimsley-Vaz is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

Each week, people are glued to the set. Some watch it for the relatable family drama or great soundtrack, other the business tenacity and some just for the all-star cast and guests that appear each week.

As an entrepreneur and marketer, it is easy to focus on how the Empire business and some of the challenges it faces can compare to real life. There is always an employee like, Becky, Gabourey Sidibe, who is outspoken, but knows her stuff; or like Anika, Grace Gealey, who will do anything to get ahead. And if you’re around long enough, you’ll find yourself running into a Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) or Lucious (Terrence Howard) if you are not them yourself.

With every broadcast of Empire, viewers are left talking about at least one big scene in the show. Well this week’s episode did not disappoint. Cookie stepping in for Lucious at the investor party was one of the most talked about scenes. The writing of her “impromptu” speech was spot on. Who wouldn’t want to invest in the company at that point? The speech she gave was composed extremely well. It had the five things in it we consider are vital to pitching your brand to potential clients or investors.

If you are wondering how to sell like Cookie, here are 5 things to keep in mind when pitching or selling like Cookie.

1. Be authentic. When people buy your brand, they are buying you. You must remain true to the overall experience, work and outcome the stakeholders can expect to receive. If you are not a major corporation of 50 years, do not attempt to present your brand as such. Starting off with a false persona will always show during your pitch or during the evaluation of your brand.
2. Tell a story the audience can relate to. Stories can cause the mind to be stimulated and makes it much easier for people to remember information being provided. Give them a good story that they can relate to and they will always remember it. Or at least during their evaluation phase.
3. Skip the jargon. The new buzz words are great to mix in with the old ones, but if your presentation is based around how many of them you can use to sound professional, you will just end up sounding like a long, boring white paper or case study. If you are in front of your demographic, they more than likely already know you are an expert. It is your job to be sure they understand what you will do for them and not how good you can recite terminology.
4. Show irresistible value. What makes your brand stand out from all the others? What skill set do you bring? What problem can you solve more efficiently than any competitor? Value is not just about a price point, it is about worth. What is it worth to your potential customers or investors to give you money?
5. Close with suggestive next steps. By tying in the points above and letting them know how you can move forward in success with your brand, you can excite them about purchasing your brand or investing in it. Let them know what is needed to begin and suggest a timeline in getting started.

While every deal cannot be closed quickly, with a large sum or even at all, it helps to have a reference point before beginning your pitch or marketing efforts.

Be sure to practice these areas before a presentation. Organize your thoughts and deliver with confidence. One thing I always advise our clients during training sessions for the media or marketing is no one knows your brand better than you. This alone should give you the faith in your ability to nail what you are presenting.

What do you think? Are there any other areas we missed from Cookie’s speech? Even if you do not watch the show, Empire, what other things would you consider for pitching your brand?

Let us know your thoughts. They may be used in a future article.

******************* Above Promotions is a digital marketing and public relations agency with B2C clients that promote brands in the food, fashion and family entertainment industries. We build and protect brands by creating and executing digital resources to sell products or build positive public sentiment. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today.

******************** Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

No matter if you use your Facebook fan page for sharing publicity (media) posts or as a part of your digital marketing campaign, you will find there are at least three reasons to like investing a portion of your online advertising budget with the social media giant.

1. Lookalike Ads

Lookalike Audiences on Facebook. Digital marketing. Above Promotions Company Tampa FL.

Being able to select a Facebook Page, Custom Audience, conversion pixel or Website Custom Audience is a very detailed method of targeting people who could be your customers. By selecting another brand close to yours or even utilizing data from your own website to locate your website’s visitors on Facebook in order to present ads is a great way to utilize retargeting and more. In fact a lower cost-per-acquisition has been noted with these methods.

So what does Lookalike do? You can utilize the existing data your website collects (pixels, customer information, etc.) and utilize it to find people who could be an active audience to your ad. Basically, if John Smith visits ABC Acme’s site, people in John Smith’s online world may like ABC’s Acme’s offerings too. They also could be targeted for ads. This feature is all about finding and locating people with similar likes. The thought is if you like, ice cream, your friends may too. So Facebook looks for people like you.

This can be effective in finding like minds and advertising to them.

This topic in itself could use a full 2 or 3 part article on just understanding and ensuring your website is equipped to handle running such ads. However please note for now, in exploring this option, it is important to ensure your site’s privacy policy is up-to-date. In fact Facebook recommends informing visitors of possibly using their data to market directly to visitors at a later date.

2. Local Awareness Ads

Local Awareness Facebook – Digital marketing Above Promotions Company Tampa FL

Local awareness ads give local businesses a chance to display their ads once a Facebook user is located in a designated area with their mobile device. This feature is only enabled if the user has selected to share location information with the social media platform. This may prove to be a more cost-effective way to advertise instead of traditional print newspapers or magazines. Retail Me Not, Foursquare and Yelp have made the savvy shopper more open to sharing their location in order to be updated to deals or new items while they are on the go. With that said, this makes for a great opportunity to connect with impulse shoppers or those looking for deals.

Still not convinced? The Montana Bureau of Tourism used $25,000 to earn $6.9 million in revenue according to an AdWeek article by turning looking at the data of where potential visitors have been rather than where they are now. There is no geo-fencing limit, within the country, on Facebook you can choose to advertise to in order to gain new customers.

3. Ad Targeting Options

Ad targeting on Facebook. Digital marketing Above Promotions Company Tampa FL

Knowing your demographic is key to running any advertising or marketing campaigns. Simply identifying your brand may target families of 3 or more with a household income of $80,000 or more in Tampa, FL is one thing. Being able to specifically target families with pets is a whole other. Ad targeting does just this for marketers. It gives the ability to run specific ads to a specific group of people.

The example All Facebook gives of being able to target friends of newly engaged people sounds like a very specific way to go directly to a population of friends. Now a business with a selection of potential wedding or engagement gifts is able to target a unique and specified group of individuals.

You really cannot expect a better way to match up brands to their select group of potential customers.

These three ways of utilizing Facebook to advertise are really beneficial to the business looking to obtain the best ROI for their dollars.

Now of course you can still promote a post and it has some effectiveness in reaching your existing audience as well as their connected friends. Although Facebook Exchange is an option to Google, who managed to stay in the forefront, these three advertising features should not be ignored. In terms of competing with other online platforms, Facebook still is a viable option for increasing your brands web page views and/or product purchases.

With the relaunch of Atlas, if you have canceled Facebook out of your digital advertising before, you may want to re-think the decision.

How do you feel about Facebook advertising? Did you jump the Facebook advertising ship? Would you consider going back?

Comment below. Your feedback may be used for a future article.

******************* Above Promotions is a digital marketing and public relations agency with B2C clients that promote brands in the food, fashion and family entertainment industries. We build and protect brands by creating and executing digital resources to sell products or build positive public sentiment. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today. ******************** Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

Recently three different companies I patronize had a shift in key customer facing employees. These companies did the right things. They hired quality people, gave those people a chance to make an impact in their jobs and reaped the benefits of their great employees. And just like any great employee, they eventually need to spread their wings once they have reached a plateau or desire more responsibilities (money).

Out of these three companies, only one of them managed to survive with little to no impact after one of their key customer facing employees left. One of the companies is a media company who hosted popular online social media discussions. Another is a hotel in an unpopular area of town and the final a busy smoothie business. By the end of the story, you may be surprised as to which company has not missed a beat since their employee left.

But before I share which one business is still doing “ok” without their recently departed employee, we need to discuss a key thing many employers seem to miss. Employees not only impact the brand, but they are the brand. What your employees do or fail to do is a direct reflection of your company. So when an employee leaves, it is a big deal if you do not take the following three things into consideration as a process of hiring new employees.

1.) Hire only for the type that fits your brand. We love two-week notices, but let’s face it, sometimes it takes much longer to find a quality replacement. So what do you do if the end of the two weeks is near and the resumes and interviews are not living up to your hopes? You keep looking. Never get desperate and settle for just anyone as a replacement.

Here is the other key thing, if you have this principle from the beginning, if you have to rely on other employees to help share some of the work while you continue your search, your brand should not miss a beat. Where relying on other existing employees can go wrong (besides them being stretched thin) is if you did not hire the other employees for your brand’s characteristics.

2.) Ensure all employees match the culture of the brand. It is funny how people joke that Disney brainwashes their employees. On 99.99% of your visits to a Disney park, store, hotel or restaurant, you will find that each employee matches Disney’s magical image. This uniformity in delivering a great experience to customers comes from training, training and training. Once you have hired the right type, you will find the training will positively affect your new employees and their performance on the job will match the culture of the brand.

3.) Talk up the old employee and the new one at the same time. This tip is very helpful for businesses with long-term or repeat customers. Whenever an existing client asks where a former employee is at, answering “they left to go to another company” is not a satisfactory response. This leaves the customer wondering, “why?”, “wonder what is going on here?” In their mind, they loved the valuable employee and could end up thinking your business just will not be the same without them. Instead take the approach of saying, “Oh we miss Jane too, but we are so happy to have John in her place. He is so knowledgeable and efficient. He already feels a part of our happy family.” Note the difference in the responses. The latter builds excitement for the new employee and sheds little light on the former one.

Hopefully, you will never have to lose your star employee to another company, but if you take these marketing approaches with hiring and introducing new hires, your star will not be missed, at least by your customers. This is really what you are trying to accomplish. If you do not handle this difficult part of business properly, you will end up seeing customers exit with the former employees.

Don’t get me wrong. Turnover of some customers can be good in some instances. However, you really want to minimize losing good ones.

Oh and to answer inquiring minds as to which company successfully survived losing a star employee, it was the smoothie business. They hire employees who match their brand. I was there as she said her goodbyes and left her management duties behind. Immediately after wishing her the best, I ordered a smoothie and several others since that day. Her team members confirmed all of the people who loved to chat with her on their visits still chat with the other employees on theirs.

So, what do you think? Are these things you currently consider when hiring employees?

Comment below. Your feedback may be used for a future article.

******************* Above Promotions is a digital marketing and public relations agency with B2C clients that promote brands in the food, fashion and family entertainment industries. We build and protect brands by creating and executing digital resources to sell products or build positive public sentiment. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today. ******************** Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

Of course, over time as with any other event, the majority of what he stated will be forgotten. The exact thank you lines will be lost in the memory of our brains. In fact, we may only remember, he cried and thanked everyone including his mom. Sometimes if this is the only thing remembered, the effect of the speech was still impacting.

Here’s why.

His speech was so well received immediately, it received a global boost. People who were fans, were sharing it with others who are not familiar with the player or his background. Word-of-mouth kicked in and kept his spotlight shining days afterwards.

There may be times in business and in your personal life when you will be asked to address a crowd.

Here are six things to keep in mind, besides content (ensuring your topic is appropriate for your audience) to help you make your speech memorable.

1. Be humble. No one likes a speaker who needs to spend an enormous amount of time talking about their background and how they are qualified to be standing at the podium. Durant did not spend a lot of time explaining his record or background. In fact, you only know of his relevance to the team through stories he shared about his interactions with the various players.
2. Be a good storyteller. If you are going to share a story, keep it brief and keep it relevant. Durant told numerous stories, but they all supported the fact he wanted everyone to know he did not reach that moment alone. Each of those stories could have easily gone on too long, but he kept to the point of them.
3. Be honest. Do not try to make up a past or some false moment. Obviously, not everyone could be “like a brother” to him. He did not attempt to come off as having that type of relationship with all of them, but focused on the uniqueness and authentic parts of each player he liked.
4. Share passion. Often times as a speaker you want to only show the winning moments, however, to be a winner you had to be passionate enough to push through the times when you were defeated. By sharing those times with the audience, you provide them with a way to connect to you and see how those moments of loss do not define nor prevent you from winning in the end.
5. Share laughter. Certainly life is not about all of the serious times in our lives. It is always good to share a few laughs with the audience. Just think, they have to sit (possibly in uncomfortable seats or attire) through not only your presentation, but others as well. Breathe some life into them every now and then during your speech.
6. Share gratitude. No one person can succeed alone. No matter how great Michael Jordan was as a player, he could not have made it to the top alone. If you do not have anyone personal to you in attendance during your speech, thank the staff or those who invited you and the audience. “Thanks” goes a long way in the minds of others.

Of course having a noted past of success always help you to get to the podium, but to keep receiving other invitations, you need to be prepared. Organize your speech and use these six points to help you give a memorable speech like Kevin Durant.

What did you think about his speech?

Leave your comments below. They may be used for future posts.

*******************

Above Promotions is a full service publicity, digital marketing and promotions company, founded with the purpose to serve an array of clients that are looking to expand their presence in the marketplace. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today.

********************

Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

It is funny how everyone wants to be on top in internet searches, but rarely anyone wants to put in the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) work to get there. It makes sense why you may dread keywords, links and overall guidelines for listings. Perhaps you need to see the physical return of investing in SEO or just truly feel clueless to how it all ties in to sales. Some of you may even be tired of receiving those mass emails from “reputable” strangers telling you your site is failing horribly. Either way, carrying disdain for SEO and ignoring it will not benefit your business. Here is the more obvious bad news, the one who gets seen first often wins the opportunity to gain the business. If you are not being seen, you are more than likely not getting the greatest possible chance to win customers.

Let’s face it. After consulting peers for referrals or places previously purchased from, the internet is the go-to place for your potential customers in need of your goods and services. They will visit Google, Yahoo or Bing with the hopes of seeing what the numerous algorithms will recommend. Sure ads have their place online, but since “79% of search engine users say they always/frequently click on the natural search results.” Plus, ”80% of search engine users say they occasionally/rarely/never click on the sponsored search results”, per the Search Engine Journal (SEJ), it seems as though you can’t even escape SEO by just purchasing ads.

As if those numbers were not enough SEJ also shares, “SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate.” Now, this should speak to the sales side of anyone.

Here’s the thing. If you have great content and have invested in a killer website within the last 1-2 years ago, why not ensure it is still giving you a chance to make money in your sleep? Even if you built your site yourself from a WordPress theme, take a day or two and make sure you are giving your potential leads a chance to find you “on their own”. Just think of SEO as your word-of-mouth pal. The search engines cannot talk about you to others if you do not tell them anything about you.

Now, are you caring about your SEO?

So now you are wondering how you can you at least address your SEO issues before or while seeking additional professional assistance. Here are just a few tools to consider using:
1.Google Authorship
2.Yoast WordPress SEO Plugin
3.Moz Get Listed
4.Ubersuggest
5.Google Analytics
6.Bing Webmaster Tools

(This list simply addresses some resources to assist in measuring and making improvements. Load time, text, images, etc are also vital in SEO.)

I am sure many SEO professionals are probably wondering why I would even share such a basic list of extensive tools. The DIY business owner reading this article will inevitably attempt to tackle this list on their own at some point. If that’s you, the DIY business owner, more power to you. You are more than capable of doing your SEO. However, if you do not have the time to keep up with the constant changes search engines are making, you will find a professional will help you out greatly. However, always remember one small change can get your site dropped due to algorithms classifying your changes as an attempt to manipulate the system. Some changes can even get you higher on certain keywords and lower traffic. SEO can be the prickly porcupine if not handled correctly.

Wondering if your small local business needs to worry about SEO? The answer of course is a resounding, “YES!” Your potential local customers are undoubtedly searching for businesses specifically in their area to shop with or go in and visit. If you cannot be found during the mobile or desktop search online, you can forget being seen. If you’re simply happy with being on page 10 behind several of your competitors multiple page search results, then you may need to carefully evaluate your business in this digital age. However, if you are looking to grow your small business, at least with the rate of the economy, local SEO will be crucial to sustaining yourself in a digital marketing world.

With all of this SEO talk you may be still wondering if it will benefit you to climb the ranks online. You may have been focusing on creating your own mobile application for Android and Apple devices instead. Well here are some additional statistics thanks to Google and Nielsen.
◾3 of 4 mobile searches trigger follow-up actions, whether it be further research, a store visit, a phone call, a purchase or word-of-mouth sharing.
◾On average, each mobile search triggers nearly 2 follow-up actions.
◾Mobile search is always on, happening on the go, at home and at work.
◾Mobile searches are strongly tied to specific contexts.
◾Mobile search triggered follow-up actions also happen very quickly of mobile searches occur at home or at work; 17% on the go.
◾81%
of Mobile searches are driven by speed and convenience.

Do you really think someone will scroll to page 10 to find you while they are on the go? This sales and marketing game is and always has been about the easier to be found, the better chance to increase the profit margins. SEO, especially local SEO, is how you can help your brand be one of the first to be seen.

Still not convinced? Chitika, an online advertising network, shared data in 2013 about being on top when it comes to Google searches. The top listing on Google’s first page in organic search results can expect to receive around 33% traffic. While the second listing receives 18% and the third listing gets 11%. Of course the percentage falls to less than 1% by being the tenth listing. (The results of your SEO would be based on your keywords, intent of search and competition online.) These numbers are not one-size-fit-all and simply only reflect how the lower your listing appears, the less you will be seen.

So are you ready to be seen now? Probably. But the real questions are how soon you will be willing to tackle it and are you ready to dedicate resources to it? Monitoring and updating is a constant work and sometimes can be done quickly and other times it simply takes time. More importantly after you are seen, are you ready to impress them? Well, that’s another article for another day.

What do you think? Is grabbing the most leads online really about being seen first or at least on the first page or two?

Leave your comments below. They may be used for future posts.

*******************

Above Promotions is a full service publicity, digital marketing and promotions company, founded with the purpose to serve an array of clients that are looking to expand their presence in the marketplace. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today.

********************

Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

Twitter is one of those social media platforms where some are still contemplating if it is worth engaging in due to its quick-paced environment. With over 1 billion tweets sent every 48 hours, no one wants to be lost in the shuffle. Twitter could appear to be overwhelming if one focused on the amount of information shared every second. Couple that overwhelming feeling with celebrity Twitter wars, fake deaths, weird hashtags, spam bots and a survey suggesting almost 60% of users follow a brand for customer support, it can be difficult to make some fall in love with Twitter.

With those negative aspects, I could see why someone would be leery to using it to create a customer base. However, here are the four tweetable reasons I use most often to convince brands to tweet for their business.
1.Twitter provides a chance for direct connections online with experts in your industry and fewer hurdles to jump. Via @abovepromotions
2.Twitter offers the opportunity to get to the point of shared content. 144 characters is a nice time-saving summary. Via @abovepromotions
3.Twitter is a source to find news and educational topics for internal use or to share your relevant news with fans. Via @abovepromotions
4.Twitter is another avenue to generate leads through advanced searching of tweets on topics related to your brand. Via @abovepromotions

Try to connecting with a manufacturer or capturing the attention of potential customers or simply share content with your brand’s audience and you too will find Twitter to be an effective social media platform.

So what do you think? Are there other reasons businesses can justify using Twitter?

Leave your comments below. They may be used for future posts.

*******************

Above Promotions is a full service publicity, digital marketing and promotions company, founded with the purpose to serve an array of clients that are looking to expand their presence in the marketplace. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today.

******************** Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

We have all heard it over and over again, it is costs more to gain a client than it is to keep an existing one spending with you. For this reason alone, a thorough look at what you’re currently doing for your customers is healthy to keep up your relationship with them. Below you will find three of our tips to help you keep your customers in love with you.

Tip #1:

Fulfill all of your initial promises made through advertising and in your proposals. If your advertisements indicated attentiveness to the client, then you must be open to all of their calls, catering to their desires and never missing an opportunity to fulfill a need before they realize there is one. If you promised cutting edge technology during your pitch or in your proposal, you must always provide them with the opportunity for the latest and greatest before your or their competitors can access it. Simple example, if you claim you make the best Cuban sandwich, you better be able to back it up with awards or recognition and perfection each time it’s made.

Tip #2

Always give something above and beyond what they were expecting to receive. People will rarely remember the normal things, but will more likely remember those pleasant unexpected ones. If you are a retailer, you can simply do this by packaging your items unlike your competitors during check out. You can offer to enter them into a surprise raffle for repeat shoppers. If you offer a service, pick one aspect of your service which may cost you little to nothing to offer. This shows you care above your bottom line and are willing to make sure theirs stays healthy.

Tip #3

Personalize your relationship. Collect your customers birthday month and send them well wishes. Ask questions about their work life or accomplishments. One of the easy ways to do so in the business-to-business industry is to request to connect with your clients on LinkedIn. This allows you to see any professional updates and gives you a chance to offer your congratulations to them. Depending on your business you can determine if it benefits you to know information about their spouse or child so you can celebrate in their personal joys too. However, be careful to not get too personal you end up in an emotional trap.

There are many ways to help your business stand out and to keep your customers in love with your brand. And just as they say you should show love on more days besides just Valentine’s Day, you should review these three tips throughout the year. This will help keep the relationship strong and it very difficult to break.

What are your thoughts? Have any other tips to keep customers in love with businesses?

Leave your comment below. You may be featured in a future post.

*******************

Above Promotions is a full service publicity, digital marketing and promotions company, founded with the purpose to serve an array of clients that are looking to expand their presence in the marketplace. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today.

********************

Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

What’s cooler than a good Super Bowl game? Mobile applications to play with during the game!

No doubt many will take to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, but as an event organizer, why not take each platform to the next level?

Here are four apps to keep your guests social. Consider integrating one of them into your digital marketing strategy if your business is hosting a Super Bowl party or any event where savvy mobile users will be present.

Woobox: Here is a chance for you to run a contest to see which attendee can guess the right ending game score or a biggest fan photo contest. Woobox gives you a chance to run both of these types of contests. So many ways to get people involved on Facebook via their mobile phone leading up to kick-off or even during the big game.

Eventsagr.am: One of the newer toys on the market, Eventstagr.am makes Instagram a highlight by providing slide shows created by participants. So grab a few tvs or a projector and large screen and be prepared to show pictures on the screens taken by attendees with an Instagram account that use your designated hashtags. Said to be great for festivals, weddings, concerts and conferences, imagine how cool this would be as an addition to your Super Bowl party.

TweetWallPro.com: Broadcast your designated Twitter hashtag on a screen for attendees to use to tweet about your event. It is a chance to enhance their experience by getting involved with one another in conversation while at the event. Besides it helps to market to those not in attendance and following their Twitter feed. As I mentioned in a recent article in BizBash, this is one of the most underrated tools for event marketers. There are free versions of this type of software, but you want to be able to moderate which tweets are acceptable for display.

Trumpia: Trumpia has an extremely robust social media and mobile marketing application. This app is a good one to choose if you want to use text-to-screen options for guests. Get attendees involved in the event by simply offering them a way to do what they do daily, text. Trumpia’s other features for keeping your digital campaign organized makes it a great choice for text-to-screen.

Bonus Mention: I would be remiss not tell you to keep an eye out for a new start-up called Event Peeks. They are still in testing phase, but they have great potential for being a viable solution for marketing at events.

There are many other applications you can consider using, but this list was created just to get you started with a few affordable options. Do you know of others? Please feel free to comment below with other applications to consider. Your comments may be used for future articles.

Also, still not convinced on using these types of tools for your digital marketing campaign? Be sure to check out this free white paper download 3 Ways to Incorporate Strategic Public Relations and Digital Marketing Practices into the Trends and Predictions for 2014.

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Above Promotions is a full service publicity, digital marketing and promotions company, founded with the purpose to serve an array of clients that are looking to expand their presence in the marketplace. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today.

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Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation” which is sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores and a contributor to various media outlets.

Ask yourself the following questions.

• Will you be incorporating digital marketing practices from 2013 in 2014?
• Have you planned for changes in your publicity and marketing materials?
• Are your tracking tools covering all marketing channels?
• Do you have strategic partnerships in place?

If you answered “yes” to all of the questions above, congratulations as you’re probably on the right track. If you answered any questions with a no, you should take the next couple of weeks and make sure you can turn any no’s into yes’. Gather with your team or connect with a professional agency. Either way you will need to make sure you have these areas covered in order to see growth this year.

Here are a few reasons why you need to pursue incorporating these topics into your public relations and marketing campaigns.

1. Consumers are on-the-go. The majority of their research takes place online and often when they are actively about to make a purchase.

2. The message and even the products and services from last year are some times no longer sufficient to grab the interest of your demographic. Stay fresh.

3. In order for you to know what works and your actual ROI on a factual basis instead of intuitive, you must be able to measure results of your efforts. This will provide the opportunity to make changes and decrease the amount of time it takes for a consumer to purchase from you.

4. Your brand can reach more consumers when partnering strategically with other industries. The right partnership can ensure increased sales and exposure.

It may be difficult, but you must honestly review your business and make sure you set your goals, strategy and analysis plan.

Again, it may be easier to help get you on the right path with an experienced agency by your side. Being non-biased is an art form for agencies. Plus, their knowledge can help reduce the length of time it takes to increase your bottom line over you tripping and attempting to learn what may work.

If you are unsure about the success of your business for 2014. It’s not too late to set your business up for success this new year.

What do you think? Do you feel ready? Are there any points above you still have questions on? Be sure to comment below. Your response may be used in future posts.