In my last post, I talked about the merits of Facebook ads and boosting Facebook posts, and the Achilles heel of Facebook ads: ad-blockers like Adblock Plus. I ended with the question, “What does this mean for your company’s social media strategy?” I think it means that the smartest way to advertise on Facebook is
Facebook: ads or boosts?
News flash: Facebook is a valuable social media tool that every business should be using. (This message brought to you by the year 2008.) However, like any tool, it has to be used correctly. The typical usage goes something like this: you post an update on Facebook. Your fans (those who have “liked” your page)
Weebly doesn’t wobble
Last week I looked at a popular new tool for non-graphic designers in need of graphic design, Canva. This week, I look at a popular new tool for non-web designers in need of a website, Weebly. Like Canva, Weebly is designed to be easy to use. Did I say easy to use? I mean easy
Canva: a cool tool for design
Graphic design is hard. Hard for most of us anyway. It takes a special combination of technical savvy, a sharp eye for what looks good and an artist’s creative touch. Yet many of us are called upon to be graphic designers all the time, whether we like it or not. For example, companies require: •
Trends in digital and print, part II
Last week I looked at trends in print and digital media, with the takeaway being that while both print and digital are struggling in unique ways, they’re still great platforms to put your business out there. This week I want to look at another interesting trend: digital media venues swimming against the tide. Some popular
Trends in Digital and Print
At Trade Press Services, we generate editorial opportunities for clients to be published in print and online publications. In the process, we are seeing some interesting trends and lots of changes. First, there are a lot of publications and websites out there—tens, if not hundreds of thousands of print publications alone, and more than 600
Five Types of YouTube Videos Every Company Needs
Is your company using YouTube as part of its social media campaign? If not, it should be. Is your company using YouTube as part of its social media campaign? If not, it should be. While not as ubiquitous as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, YouTube is the go-to destination for posting videos, whether they’re family home
A Song for the Grammar Police
Grammar fans, we have our song. Attention grammar-philes: Every now and again, pop culture delivers something of value to those who toil in the trenches of the business world. Celebrity culture is usually far removed from marketing meetings and mission statements, but this summer a bit of fun and inspiration has come from an unlikely
The game changer
The business section of any bookstore is full of trendy, flavor-of-the-moment systems and methods to teach business people to become great. In fact, a casual glance at a bookshelf in Barnes & Noble or a scroll through Amazon.com leaves one with the impression that business people must be like survivors of a sunken ocean liner,
Balanced reporting
Presenting balanced reporting has been one of the most important jobs of journalists for hundreds of years. While some stories are relatively straightforward (“Car hits pedestrian”), even the most cut-and-dried event can become subject to bias and interpretation by the reporter, whether intentional or not. For example, “Car hits pedestrian” can be portrayed as “Careless
Five ways to manage your online reputation
Managing your online reputation is something you can’t ignore in 2014. In my last post I discussed the importance of managing your company’s online reputation. In this one, I’ll share five ways that get down to the nuts and bolts of how to actively watch and maintain that reputation. Remember that social media is a
Managing your reputation online
“You cannot opt out of any of this. You cannot opt out of social media. You cannot opt out of online reputation management. It’s going to happen. Just having a web page isn’t enough.” Those are the comments of Matt Bullington, the fourth generation owner of the tiny but iconic Texas Tavern diner in downtown
Time Magazine
A huge experiment in transitioning from print to digital media is underway with the spinoff of Time Magazine from its parent company, Time Warner. The outlook couldn’t be worse for Time, Inc., which starts its journey with $1.3 billion in debt, falling revenues and profits, and rising staff cuts. Time, Inc. owns dozens of magazines,
SEO: Gimmick or Gotta-Have?
If there’s any one thing about the Internet that confuses online content producers (e.g., writers, musicians, photographers, videographers, etc.), it’s SEO, or “search engine optimization.” To most creative types, SEO means that it’s not good enough to write a great blog entry, create a great video or capture a great image. No—now you have to
Mobile websites
You can no longer design your website solely for the desktop and PC market. Mobile websites? This year is an interesting time for the internet—and it’s got nothing to do with FCC rulings on net neutrality. Mobile usage of the internet is exceeding usage from traditional devices like PCs or desktops. Consider the following charts.
Managing your workload
Learn to say no. Do you have a hard time saying no? Or have you ever found yourself with more work than time and wondered what happened? You’re not alone. Fortunately, good communication can help you manage your workload avoid these situations. Here’s how: First, take stock of your own abilities. Are you someone who
Ten do’s and don’ts for your annual report
Annual reports can be useful documents for your stakeholders—if they’re prepared properly. All too often, an annual report is a bland, meaningless collection of buzz words, truisms that apply to any business and vague promises of growth or innovation. To make your annual report a valuable document, here are 10 do’s and don’ts for your
E-books: A snapshot
It’s been a while since Trade Secrets looked at e-books. Here’s a snapshot of where the world of electronic books and e-readers stand in May of 2014: According to a recent Harris poll, 54 percent of Americans read e-books, and 66 percent of millennials read e-books. Go go gadget: If you read exclusively in the
Four PR Gems, Debunked
“You can’t measure PR effectiveness, so it’s a waste of money.“ PR, or creating fertile ground for your company to grow, can be difficult in the social media age, when little Suzie’s t-ball game has the same clout as your company’s marketing department. Here are four PR gems that we’ve debunked to help your company
Five reasons to use lists when you write
Last week I talked about your to-do list, but this week I want to talk about using lists in your writing. We’ve all seen the articles: “Ten tips to lose weight by summer,” “Three ways to get that raise,” and so on. Why are lists so popular? What compels authors to write this way? Here
Making lists
Do you remember a time when you didn’t need a calendar or didn’t need make lists to remind you of what you needed to do, where you needed to be, and when? A time back to high school or even earlier when the demands of life were simpler and far fewer than they are when
Authority
For centuries, Western knowledge has been based on the concept of authority. Whether it was religious authorities handing down spiritual truths, government officials handing down legal truths, or scholars handing down scientific truths, society, with rare exceptions, has accepted the truths passed on to them without question. When union leaders spoke, workers followed orders. When
Below the fold
If you ask a web designer or online media professional what “below the fold” means, they may give you a blank stare. But those of us who cut our teeth in print media know that “below the fold” refers to a story that’s important enough to make the front page, but not important enough to
Do you have a bad sales force?
A stunning new article on the nation’s sales force by Dan Lyons out on Hubspot reveals what many of us have long suspected: Most salespeople aren’t very good at their jobs. The article quotes Dennis Connelly, of Massachusetts-based sales consultancy Kurlan, as saying, “For lack of a better word, they stink.” Kurlan found that three-quarters
