For most of us, the image above is simply the pound symbol. It's what we dial on the phone after making an entry or shorthand when writing down weights. But in the world of Twitter it is better known as the hashtag symbol.

So how do you use it? When writing a post or tweet you can use the hashtag to mark relevant words which makes your tweet more easily found in searches. To use the hashtag simply type it and then immediately follow it with the keyword (NO spaces!!!). For example, if you wanted to tweet something about marketing, you could #marketing and someone who searches it can find your tweet instead of it getting lost in the millions of tweets. If you want to use a string of words they need to be all connected. For example #lovemyboss pulls up all sorts of tweets. Hashtags are also useful for building conversations about something. For instance, a lot of events and shows are making hashtags so that viewers can talk about the event/show as it's happening. The NFL team the New York Giants is utilizing fans' Twitter posts during actual games. Learn more about that here.

It’s important to not go overboard with the hashtags, though. Twitter recommends using no more than three per tweet.

There are many different hashtags used on Twitter. You can visit hashtags.org to see a list of all popular ones used.

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

It can be hard to gain a following of supporters that are loyal and engaged on social networks. It’s can also be hard to be seen on a social network that hosts millions of people. So we’ve put together some tips to help you gain a better community on Facebook and Twitter. Here they are!

• Post content that gives your audience something; don’t try to sell something to them.
• Use the quality over quantity rule. Count your posts by worthiness not by how many there are.
• Reward followers with something. Holding a contest or raffle for a prize often gets people engaged.
• Post on people's walls and RT others. Make sure you engage outside of your own page.
• Stay true to your businesses goals and ethics. Don't compromise them on social networks. 

We hope this advice helps you build your community on Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

Traditional Media and New Media... Did you know that these two marketing strategies are very different from each other? Or even what they are? Traditional media is what everyone is used to seeing on mediums such as television, radio, magazines, newspaper, billboards, etc. New media is digital and interactive. Some places where new media can be found are on the Internet, websites, social media networks, games on all consoles, mobile devices, etc. The great thing about these two different strategies is that they can play off each other. For instance, it's good to have traditional media pieces running at the same time as new media pieces as they allow you to reach a broader audience and reinforce your brand/message from a variety of touchpoints.

Here are examples of brands that do a nice job integrating traditional and new media:

Red Bull: Red Bull created a "Red Bull Stash" campaign that went around all over the United States and hid Red Bulls in neighborhoods, behind fences, in gardens, etc. People who liked Red Bull's Facebook page were able to type in their zip code and receive clues to where the cans were hidden. Red Bull created a successful social media scavenger hunt.

Starbucks: If any business or brand can learn from someone else, they could definitely learn from Starbucks. Starbucks does an amazing job of communicating with its followers, engaging them and responding to feedback. Take a look at Starbuck's Facebook page here.

We hope these examples give you some help when you are trying to integrate new and traditional media.

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

There is a difference between a personal Facebook page and a Facebook business page. It is important not to mix the two. The main difference is “business accounts are designed for individuals who only want to be the administrator for pages and their ad campaigns. For this reason, business accounts have limited access to information on the site.” -- Facebook.com.

First steps for creating the business account:

In order to create a business account you must already have a personal page on Facebook. Once you have logged into your personal account, you can create a Facebook page. Once you complete all of the required information, they will ask you to re-login to your Facebook.

After getting the business page created, you can customize it however you want. You can add information, pictures, links to your website, etc. After you have set-up everything completely, you can start building your fan base. TIP: Before you begin to build your business page, look at other business pages so you can have an idea for what your content should look like, have it spell checked, and ready to load. These easy planning steps will save you some time and embarrassment.

Remember, keeping up with a Facebook business page is not easy. It takes planning and dedication, but when handled well, it can lead to increased exposure for your brand and build customer loyalty. If you're on the fence about whether you can commit to maintaining a Facebook business page, remember that it’s more detrimental to your business to have a business page with no activity than to not have one at all. Keep up with postings and keep your page current and you'll do great! Check out our Facebook business page here.

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

When building a website, there is much more to think about than just traditional layout and design. A website today must be built with the purpose to be seen in search results. This holds true for supplemental sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, etc. It is becoming increasingly common that these supplemental sites will rank toward the top of search results.

In a recent study, 64% of small businesses felt that these social media sites are unimportant for them. We find this number to be far too large. For small businesses with limited marketing budgets, social media can be a great way to reach customers. Though these sites do take time to create and maintain, the impact on search results for a business can be huge.  We strongly recommend that small businesses utilize these sites to grow their online presence and be seen in search results.

This photo shows the search results for Ruby Porter, where you'll see the first listing is our website, and second is our Facebook page. If you continue to scroll down in the search results, our LinkedIn and Twitter pages also show up on the first page of search results. This is just one example of how important social media sites can be in helping your customers find you online.

For businesses without any social media sites, the next big question is where to begin. With so many different social media sites to choose from, where should a business start? In most industries a small business should start with a Facebook page. Once this page is up and running, your business can branch out to other sites, but only if you have the time and resources to do so faithfully. It is better to have fewer, well-utilized sites than many sites that look as though they've been neglected or only partially setup.

Questions on how to use these tips for your business? Having trouble getting started? Contact us, we're here to help.

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

As advertising has increasingly moved to the Internet, Facebook advertisements are becoming a common way to reach customers. With 750 million users, many of which use the site daily, it's no wonder why advertisers see Facebook as a great way to reach customers. A recent study found significant differences in the way that different genders and age groups respond to Facebook advertisements.

Facebook Ad Stats:

• Women are 11% more likely to click on an ad
• Women (age 50+) are more likely to click on an ad where as younger women usually don’t go beyond using the ‘Like’ button
• Across all groups, women age 50+ have the highest click through rate
• Men (age 50+) are 11.7% less likely to ‘Like’ a page than their younger male counterparts

What does this mean for your business? If you have a gender neutral product or service, you will see higher success by tailoring your advertising to women since they are more likely to click. If your target market is women ages 50+ Facebook is likely a good option to explore for your advertising. However, if your target market is younger, you may want to reconsider using Facebook advertisements, and spend your advertising dollars on a medium that generates more response from these customers.

Still unsure if Facebook Ads are a good fit with your business? Ask us, we're here to help.

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

Source: http://paidcontent.org/article/419

We recently came across "The Ten Twitter Commandments" which we find to be funny, but also very accurate. They are simple and easy to implement. Here they are via B2C:

1. Thou shall not blabber
2. Thou shall not follow random tweeters who are of no value, just to increase one's number of followings
3. Thou shall not neglect one's Twitter account, becoming inactive and complacent
4. Thou shall not talk too much about oneself and one's achievements (or one's cheese sandwich)
5. Thou shall not expect to get retweeted, if thou do not retweet in return
6. Thou shall not take followers for granted
7. Thou shall not spam
8. Thou shall not use 'eggs' as one's profile picture
9. Thou shall not use Twitter to stalk or harm others
10. Thou shall not send out automated messages to new followers 

Follow these commandments and you will be a Twitter star!

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

LinkedIn company profiles are very beneficial. It is another way for your small or large business to get its brand noticed through social media. A LinkedIn company profile can be great for any business regardless if you’re service based or product based.

Here’s why we think LinkedIn company profiles are beneficial:

• Build Credibility -- LinkedIn offers the opportunity for companies to receive recommendations from anyone whether they are a client, employee, business partner, etc. These recommendations will be visible to everyone who views the page.
• Increase Brand Awareness -- Have your brand and logo on the company page so that viewers can see what your company is all about. Also, post information about the services or products you offer and link those items to the corresponding pages on your company’s website.
• Extend Your Reach -- You can connect each of your employees to your company profile. Doing this serves two purposes. First, you can channel inquiries to the appropriate people within your company (direct link = better business). Second, your employees can become brand ambassadors thereby creating opportunities for your company to be viewed by a wider audience.
• Highlight Products/Services -- You can highlight all of your products/services and show viewers why you're the expert in your field.
  

We recently updated the Ruby Porter LinkedIn company profile. Check it out and give us feedback.
We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Another example of a LinkedIn company profile that is product based: Pink Butterfly Aprons

Thanks!
The Ruby Porter Team

Here at Ruby Porter we love learning new things! So we were really excited when we learned about Google's take on the new model for the buying process. Google recently released a long document about the new buying model for both business to consumers and business to business. The old or traditional buying model consists of three standard steps:

1. Stimulus - the advertisement you see or the article you receive in the mail about the product.
2. First Moment of Truth - you're at the shelf looking at the product deciding if you want to purchase it or not (your first interaction with the product or service)
3. Second Moment of Truth - you've made your purchase and are now experiencing it. Was it everything the advertisement said it would be?
   

The new buying model, as explained by Google and executives from large multinational corporations, inserts a fourth step called the Zero Moment of Truth or "ZMOT" between the Stimulus and the First Moment of Truth. ZMOT consists of written reviews, word of mouth, mobile searches, opinions of people you talk to, etc.

Why make the change? Simply stated, we don't shop the way we used to. With the abundance of online reviews, mobile device applications, etc. that allow us to take a more educated position in our buying choices, we have changed our patterns and expectations. And the stats don't lie. According to research presented by Google, 70% of people use reviews before purchasing an item and 79% of people use a cell phone while shopping. And more importantly, these same studies have shown that people trust reviews from other people more than they trust advertisements.

What does that mean for businesses?
We need to be aware of what is written about us online, and we need to actively participate in the discussion via social media. Some businesses fear that there will be negative comments online and so shy away from it altogether. But the fact is that people have always talked and continue to do so on or offline. It is better to be a part of the conversation so you can demonstrate your customer service versus having it out there unchecked or addressed. A wound left untreated will only get infected if you know what we mean. It's best to just be honest. Admit to any wrong doing and offer to make it better. Customers will appreciate that.

Here's a perfect example: Very recently, Dominos Pizza decided to put its customers' feedback, unfiltered, live on a Times Square billboard. Pretty brave, huh?

Cheers,
The Ruby Porter Team

For small businesses, Facebook can be a great opportunity to personally connect with your customers, but unlike a webpage or blog, there hasn’t been a lot of leeway for building your brand with graphic design.

However, recent changes in Facebook’s layout have allowed a more personalized look for your business. Here are three easy changes, according to Tim Ware on techipedia.com:

Increase the size of your profile picture: Your profile picture is the most basic visual representation of your brand as it appears on Facebook, so the increase in size to 180 x 540 pixels allows more real estate to show yourself off. The long banner-like profile picture can include information, multiple images, or just a larger picture of your product.

However, keep in mind when you’re deciding on your picture’s size that just because it can be big doesn’t mean it has to be. The long banner pushes down your tab navigation, which is important for interaction with your site. If you don’t need all that space, don’t use it up.

Add a Photostrip: Located at the right of your picture, above your wall, is another interesting graphic addition:  the photostrip. This shows a series of images in a row, and can further help brand your page by incorporating your product, or just using visuals that have to do with your brand, or create the mood you want. You can choose the five images that you want to use, however, you can’t choose the order in which they appear, creating an interesting dilemma. Here’s how some businesses used that as an advantage:

Include Custom Tabs: There are multiple custom tabs available. A welcome page can introduce new customers to your brand using imagery and description in a way that wasn’t possible before on Facebook. Here’s how Soshables used this to create more tabs within their welcome page:

Also, you can include a portfolio tab, to showcase your work. Here’s ours from Ruby Porter:

Always Remember: Be creative! Even when you have limitations, you can come up with some great visual imagery to represent your brand and further engage your audience. As always, if you have questions about any of this, let us know. We’re here to help.

Until next time,
The Ruby Porter Team