If you’re from Boston and rep the Boston pride, BostInnoshould be your go-to outlet for catching up on the latest city news and media. Launched in 2008 as a start-up blog, BostInno has transformed into New England’s fastest growing online media property. Featuring local companies like CampusLIVE,MITXand Startup Massachusetts, BostInno has been rapidly expanding to feature companies that are helping shape Boston through their innovation.
BostInno’s newest featured channel, IEEE Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network(ENET), has been making strides in the entrepreneurship and networking scene for the last twenty years. ENET’s main goal is to connect early-stage entrepreneurs with information and resources necessary to transform an idea into a successful business or product idea. As BostInno’s newest channel, ENET will be providing content on the happenings of Boston’s next leaders and innovators.
Do you follow brands on BostInno’s channels? If so, comment below and let us know which ones!
Maintaining your social media accounts can be exhausting, time consuming and stressful. However, HootSuite provides consumers with a user-friendly dashboard to monitor and maintain social media efforts through strategic planning and timing. To date, HootSuite has released 1 billion messages, with approximately 1.5 million messages being sent from HootSuite dashboards per day! This Toronto-based company has some celebrating to do because MarketWatchreleased a press release stating that OMERS Ventures is purchasing a $20 million ownership stake in HootSuite.
Here at TRA360 we couldn’t be happier for HootSuite and look forward to seeing how else HootSuite can help simplify our lives through social media management in the future. Do you use HootSuite for your business? Tweet to us @TRA360 or comment below to let us know!
An empty Word document is open on your computer screen. You look at the computer blankly and its vast whiteness seems to stare back at you. “What will I write about today?” you wonder. Perhaps you try to type a sentence or two. Delete, delete, delete. “Never mind, that sounds horrible!” you think. What should you write about?
If you are nodding your head at this point and can relate to suffering from writers block, realize you are not alone! Bloggers, writers, marketers, social media professionals or anyone who is creating content needs to master the art of what to post, when to post it and how to continue posting in the future.
1. What to post?
Creating content is not rocket science. For example, I’m creating content right now just by writing about how to create content! Yes, it’s actually that simple. Depending on your purpose of blogging (are you blogging on behalf of a brand or are you blogging on behalf of yourself?), you should take time to plan out your content beforehand. If you are writing about a specific industry, do your research! What are people and thought leaders in your industry writing about these days? Search through LinkedIn groups, online forums, online publications, and even Google News to see what the hot topics and trends people are buzzing about. Once you have established a grip on what is going on in the industry, writeyour own opinion! No one wants to re-read the same story again, so make yours interesting! Why do you care about this topic? Why should others? Is there a slant that nobody has written about yet? Find your niche and go for it!
2. When to post?
Now that you have published an awesome and thought-provoking post, the next order of business is when to post it? As a Social Media Strategist and blogger myself, I have struggled with this question in the past. Deciding on what day and time to launch a new post is critical to receiving the maximum amount of views and overall traction. In order to successfully answer this question, you must ask yourself two more: 1.What time of day are people most likely to read blogs? 2. Are people more likely to read blogs during the weekdays or weekends?
A study from HubSpot’s Social Media Scientist, Dan Zarrella, shows that 80% of 1,400 people surveyed prefer to read blogs in the morning, followed by the afternoon, then evening, and lastly late night. However, if you are re-tweeting content from Twitter, then 4pm on Friday evenings are the hottest time of the week for re-tweets. Because many companies prohibit social media at work, sharing your content through social channels after the workday is over is your best bet for reaching maximum audiences. Takeaway?Publish your content on weekday mornings and “seed” your content through social channels later in the day; preferably on a Friday afternoon. Weekends are great for social media and you will receive more views on the weekends when people are more active on Twitter and Facebook to share your content.
3. How to continue posting in the future and gain more subscribers?
Posting, posting and did I mention, more posting? Frequency is key to attracting more readers, especially if your posts are relatable or relevant in some way to your audience. By posting solid content frequently (and no, frequently does not mean once a week, but keep in mind you also don’t want to be posting silly, boring or irrelevant content), people will begin to trust you as the thought leader of your industry and continue to come back for more. Tip? Leave your readers hungry for more! They will want to see what tips, tricks and insight you have for them next time, and will continue to visit your blog on a regular basis.
Do you have a blog that you read regularly? What is it about that blog that keeps you coming back for more? Comment below or tweet to us @TRA360 and let us know!
If you are a runner, you are probably aware that completing a marathon is one of the greatest challenges a runner can face, but also well worth the reward of crossing the finish line at the end. As it takes a full 26.2 miles to complete a marathon, runners realize this is no easy task. Training can take people years to get their bodies physically and mentally fit. Marathon Monday is like a marketing strategy. Not everyone runs in Marathon Monday (every Patriot’s Day in Boston) and likewise, not all companies engage in marketing tactics for their businesses. Marketing strategies may be that uphill battle (Commonwealth Ave. for the Boston Marathon, anyone?), but when said and done, completing a successful marketing initiative for a business is that feeling of euphoria that runners experience after crossing the finish line. And here’s why:
1. Training and mental preparation
Just like a runner preparing to train their body to run 26.2 miles up hills and over varying terrain, a company who wants to promote their brand must take appropriate measures before executing their plan. By surveying the space around them, and seeing what has or hasn’t already been done, brands can get a feel for what’s worked and what hasn’t in the past. What’s original versus what’s old and stale? Companies brainstorming original and fresh marketing perspectives will be the ones to hit the jackpot at the end.
2. Need an H20 break along the way? Take some time and reboot the engine
On Marathon Monday, most runners are not in-it-to-win-it, but for the sheer experience of running a marathon and being cheered on by thousands of fellow Bostonians handing out water, Gatorade and orange slices for energy. Sometimes runners need to take a break and re-assess their strategy. Have they started off fast in the beginning and are feeling tired only a few miles into the race? Similar to marketing strategies, sometimes it’s best to take a break and learn to pace yourself. For marketers, the same applies. Whether it’s a campaign, project or promotion, brands simply cannot execute their strategies in one sitting. These efforts take time and will not be successful overnight. Ample planning, meeting, research and execution time should be spaced out over the course of a significant period of time to show appropriate results.
3. Don’t give up yet: the finish line is in sight!
Whether you’re a marketer or a runner or something else, many of us have experienced that “YOU’RE SO CLOSE” moment through races, initiatives, or even a simple workout on the elliptical when you just really want to get off at minute 27 instead of pushing through to minute 30. Everyone wants to give up at the end; after all, they put in ample effort at this point and have become over exhausted, overheated, and simply, over it. But it’s at this point where you must find it within yourself to cross the finish line. No, it’s not easy, but don’t forget to listen to those cheers of encouragement coming from the sidelines. The uphill battle is almost over as you can see the Prudential tower in sight. Marketing strategies feel the same way! Maybe brands have failed in the past, or they cannot get a hold on their targeted demographics. Whatever the reason may be, by pushing yourself and your brand to the limit, you will be able to finish proud and accomplished.
Do you have a story of a marketing campaign that felt like you were running an uphill battle? Let us know below!
