As a Social Media Manager, your to do list is long.  When it comes to social media marketing we can all use as much help as possible and having the right tools at our disposal is key to having a successful marketing strategy.

Below are seven must have tools every social media manager should be using to save time and maximize efforts.

Tailwind

Tailwind helps solely with Pinterest marketing efforts. It helps you with calendar scheduling, pinning to multiple boards and bulk uploads.  It also helps you figure out when are the best times to send your pins for optimal engagement.  If you are an agency with multiple accounts, Tailwind helps with seamless management of those as well.

Emphatic

The ultimate tool for custom social media content creation for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. As a business, you provide information about your product/service and target audience. U.S. based freelance writers will then take your unique profile information and come up with specialized social media updates.  You review the content and schedule when you would like it go out.  This service really is a game changer and you will be amazed by how much time it frees up.

Tweepi

Tweepi is a powerful management tool for Twitter. Their “Flush” option makes it possible to see who is not following you from the followers you follow. On the flip side,  The “Reciprocate” option lets you see who is following you but you are not following back. And lastly the “Cleanup” option lets you see everyone you are following so you can easily unfollow whomever you want.

Brand24

Getting real time feedback on what people are saying about your brand is priceless information. Brand24 provides you with just that as well as what is happening with your competition.  You will then be able to promptly respond to any positive or negative feedback you receive across all your social-media platforms. This will ensure you stay engaged with your audience as well as effectively assess any opportunities for a sale.

Adobe Post

This super easy to use photo editor lets you apply filters, add text, resize, crop and rotate any photo. They have an extensive library of images or you can choose one of your own.  Making beautiful images has never been this easy. The other great part is that it’s free.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides users with detailed reporting and analytics tools with regards to visitors to your website and what they do once they are there. Everything from how many visitors to how long they stayed to what pages they viewed and for how long, are just some of the helpful features this tool offers. This type of insight helps you focus your social media efforts toward those endeavors that are generating traffic and conversions.

KnowEm

With KnowEm you can search over 500 popular social media networks for the use of your product, brand, personal name or username. This allows you to claim your name and secure your brand.

 

 

 

 

When we talk about customer churn it really boils down to determining why customers leave and what you can do to get them to stay. Customer churn can be anything from service cancellations, closing of an account, failure to renew etc. No business wants this, but every business experiences it and it’s completely normal. The main thing to keep in mind is that it’s totally preventable with the right strategies.

Below we will share 5 great tips on how to help your business reduce its customer churn rate and in turn boost customer retention.

1.  Stay proactive

Customer service has a very negative perception across all industries. Customers will often let issues go unresolved rather than make that call. This is a very big problem for many companies. Some reports suggest that upwards of 90% of customers churn without ever complaining and the company is left to wonder why they are losing customers.

The Solution is to be proactive and and start asking questions. See what kind of experience they are having with your company and if they need help. Customers are also great for getting suggestions on how to better your service. One great way to find out how things are going is by using customer surveys. This is a great way to measure customer loyalty and help you make any improvements. This is something to incorporate on an ongoing basis. Every 30 days, 90 days, 6 months etc. Having specific feedback at these intervals will help you see what the fall off points are when loyalty and customer satisfaction start to decrease.  Find out more info on using customer surveys here: https://www.helpscout.net/blog/customer-survey/

2. Turn to SAAS businesses that can help reduce churn

Statistics are very clear in that increasing your customer retention by a mere 5% can yield from 5 to 95% in increased profits. Therefore, it is crucial that businesses are implementing a churn reduction strategy. Remember, customer acquisition will cost you much more than customer retention.  This is where looking at a SAAS provider that can help you reduce customer churn can be a lifesaver for retaining those important customer relationships.  LessChurn.io is a great option, as it assists you in helping users right before they are about to delete their account with your business. They equip you with a customizable iFrame (HTML document embedded inside another HTML document on a website), which is then embedded in your app at the point where account deletion would take place. Instead of only offering an option to delete your account, they provide users with other helpful options such as: pause billing, extend trial period, get a discount and more.  They even help you track feedback which is key to improving your service and reducing future churn.

3. Always find out why customers leave and learn from it

There is always a reason why customers end up cancelling a service. They may want to see how a competitor might be a better fit or they are no longer in need of your services. The easiest way to navigate this and gain some valuable knowledge is to ask why they are leaving.   Incorporate a drop down menu with pre-populated reasons as to why they are leaving (i.e. unhappy with service, too costly, no longer need service etc) With that being said, it is helpful to also allow room for them to express in their own words why they are leaving. These details are not only helpful in bettering your products and retention efforts, but they may also win you some customers back.

4. Show your customers you appreciate them

Businesses work hard to provide the right service and products that consumers want, but they often fall short on strategies to retain those customers.  Customer appreciation is key to customer retention. People want to know their business is valued.

Here are a few simple ways to show your valuable customers you appreciate them:

• Act on any feedback you receive.  Adding new features or services that customers suggest goes a long way.
• Incentives are great.  Loyalty programs help boost repeat purchases and keep your business at the forefront of their mind
• Say Thank You. It goes a long way.  Whether in an email or letter.

For more ideas on ways to show your customers appreciation, check out this article: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-ways-to-socially-reward-your-customers/

5. Get granular to find out what types of customers churn.

Not all customers are created equal, so if you can figure out those that have a higher chance of churning, you can shift your focus to customer retention efforts.  As an example,  look into calculating what the customer churn rate is for various advertising mediums or product lines. It may become evident that customers who signed up via a PPC have a higher churn rate than those who reach you through a 3rd party.  With this knowledge, you can then make the appropriate adjustments to where your marketing dollars are going.

In conclusion, churn is the last thing a company wants, but it’s inevitable.  The key is to learn from each lost customer and use that knowledge to better your retention efforts, switch up your offerings and nail your feedback initiatives.

When you are a real estate agent, you really are like a small business owner and the right marketing can take your business to the next level.  Executed properly, key marketing ideas can give agents/brokers that much needed advantage over the competition.  The right ideas can generate more leads and make it much simpler to turn those leads into clients.

 

Below are 4 great marketing tips that can make you the consummate agent in your area.

Your website and emails must be mobile friendly

Everything media related has really moved online.  Majority of people are checking emails and viewing websites on a mobile device.  Your emails must be formatted so that they are easy to read and your website must be mobile friendly as well.  If you are not doing this already, that must be top priority.  Nothing will turn off prospective clients faster than a website that cannot be viewed properly on their phone or other mobile device.  For more tips on how to make your site mobile friendly, check out this article: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/make-site-mobile-first-2017/183023/

Real Estate email flyers are key to your marketing plan

Real estate email flyers are a simple and effective tool for wide scale marketing of your properties to both clients and other agents.  I love using Flyerus.  They have a robust email flyer template gallery and you can customize to your liking.  What you may not know,  is that real estate email flyers are also a powerful tool for driving traffic to your website. The key to this is through search engine optimization.  You can achieve this by utilizing the same linking tactics, keywords and any other SEO techniques you use to get traffic to your site, Facebook page, blog etc.  Before you know it, your flyers will be an essential component to your online presence as well as a key tool for boosting your rankings with Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Enhance your listings by incorporating photos and videos

People love beautiful and interesting listings.  They also love to see them up close and personal. If you have a property with some great features like a gorgeous entryway, a stunning exterior, or even a swoon worthy master bathroom, show that off through photo and video.  The photos and videos can be posted to your social media pages and on your website.  Up-to-the-minute updates like this can gain you traction with new clients especially if you are using hashtags.

Time to get social

Social media is key to growing your brand and your following.  Start off by creating a consistent content schedule and you will see your reach grow.  Try posting links to your blog, or helpful articles, funny memes or quotes as well as info about your business.  Be sure not to make your posts too promotional as that will turn your followers off.  The key to winning them over is to post valuable information, engage with your followers, follow them back and make certain to also comment and like their posts.  For more tips on how to conquer social media, check out this article from RISMedia: http://rismedia.com/2017/02/27/tips-real-estate-agents-succeed-social-media-2017/

Marketing your listings takes both time and effort and a lot of trial and error.  Put aside time each day to hone your marketing strategies.  Give the above tips a try and good luck!

Managing a landscaping business is no easy feat.  Whether you have 5 employees or 500,  there is quite a lot to remember and think about.  From managing your crew to dealing with the challenges of having your own business, there is plenty to juggle.

Below are some key tips to try to help you better manage your landscaping business.

Using a Landscaping Business Management Software is key to streamlining your business

Look into implementing a business management system

When it is just you running the business, it’s simple to track estimates, invoicing, expenses etc. on good old pen and paper. But if you are trying to expand and grow your business, this old-school way of doing things just isn’t going to cut it.  If you have not already, look into implementing a business management software.  Choosing the right software is key to boosting efficiency and getting your business streamlined.  Scapersoft, designed by lawn care professionals for lawn care professionals, has all of the essential project and internal management functions you need to run a successful operation.

Find good help

I am sure you have heard the saying “a business is only as good as its workers”.  When it comes to the landscaping business, this is even more true.  More times than not, your employees will be the face of your business and the main person meeting potential customers who are looking to hire your company for a job. First impressions are everything, so you want to make sure that you are employing workers you can really trust. You want to make certain potential hires are solid, reliable people with strong references and commitment. It only takes a few bad hires to badly tarnish your brand, so make sure to properly vet candidates and consider doing a trial period in which they can prove themselves.

Make sure your crew and new hires are properly trained

An employee who is not properly trained will often not know what to do next and will end up squandering time and waiting for direction.  By properly training each member of your crew, you will evade precious time lost that ends up leading to inefficiency.  Basic training should consist of thorough and complete instruction on how to use equipment, how to complete on the job tasks and any landscaping knowledge (i.e. plant types) that may be necessary.

Implement preventive maintenance.

As with many service industries, the equipment you use as a landscaping business will more than likely be your biggest expense and in turn one of your biggest assets . You want to make sure you guard that investment by employing a strong preventative maintenance plan. Regularly get the oil and brakes checked on your vehicles and if your equipment shows any sign of something wrong, take it in right away.  The more quickly you take care of any issues, the less impact those repairs will have to your bottom line.

GPS tracking should be installed on all of your vehicles

For landscaping companies, installing GPS tracking on work vehicles is key for many reasons. From overall greater insight to business operations to doing away with cushioned time sheets and inefficient driving routes, these awesome tools will provide you with a way to survey routes, keep track of employee time on jobs, cut down on fuel usage and improve productivity.  And who couldn’t use more of that.

 

 

So I would like to start off saying that I am a planner.  I love to plan ahead for everything and anything.  I’d like to share with you my thoughts on how to post on Instagram and other top social media sites.

As a blogger, my ultimate dream is to be able to not just plan out tomorrow’s update but even next month’s or dare I say next year!  As the old saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. I am a firm believer in this and the idea that scheduling your social media content in advance is very much worth it.

Scheduling posts and updates to social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter saves you valuable time

Whether you are a blogger like me or any other marketer, having a presence on social media is key to making your mark in the online world.  Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have become a key marketing space for businesses small and large.  Marketing online can be time consuming.  I often struggle with when and what to share with my audience let alone sharing it in real time.  Many are overwhelmed by the process and are looking for ideas on how to make the process easier.

This is where I would like to circle back to scheduling out your posts.

What is the best method on how to post on instagram?

A small exercise that will yield great return in both time and energy.  Just think how great it would be to create your posts and updates all at once.  Even better, you can schedule them to be released at your desired time.  This proves to be very valuable if your key target audience is in a different time zone, or if you want to post at a specific hour. 

Scheduling your social media posts leads to consistency and deeper audience engagement

How awesome would it be to just be able to log on to your social media accounts for 10 minutes in the AM and 10 minutes in the PM.  This would give you just enough time to connect with your audience and make new connections.  Now that is what I call a productive day.  Scheduling your posts not only saves you time but promotes consistency. Posting consistently helps ensure your social media profiles remain active and engaged with your audience.  If saving time and being more consistent doesn’t get you excited to start planning, these added benefits of scheduling your posts will.  Extend the lifespan of your posts and updates.  The ability to create a custom schedule and spread out your posts. And last but certainly not least, the ability to use that new found extra time doing something else you love!  

So now I move on to the exciting stuff.  A brief intro to my favorite tool that is going to take your social media presence to the next level!

Autogrammer:  One of the best tools for managing all your social media in one place and especially to post on Instagram

Now let’s move onto THE tool that is going to get you freed up.  Autogrammer, one of the best tools to use when posting on Instagram.  Autogrammer features a multitude of time-saving benefits.  Some of these include the ability to post to multiple platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  You can schedule for posting at a future date and time. You can conveniently manage multiple social media accounts from one place.  They offer an easy to use yet powerful photo editor that allows you to easily crop, apply filters, rotate, fix colors and more on the fly.  And last but not least, you can instantly bulk upload images.  Autogrammer is such a great time-saving tool but what I love most is it allows you to do all this in one place; you don’t have to use different apps or programs.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my post on how to post on Instagram and save much needed time with the best scheduling tool out there…Autogrammer.com!