Best business meetings
Wine, olives and brilliant discussions.
Cross brand/location relevancy.
I always push my clients to make short relevant posts. Even a one liner can do the trick. Sometimes, a well known location image with a simple statement is more than enough to get your post liked on social media and shared in other circles.
The infamous Chef Mathew Kofler. Cooking it up in front of Sydney's Saloon.
Using a reference to another brand or a well known location makes your post more relevant to people in that area.
Why Blog
I always focus on blogging as a center point for content creation. I, like most of my clients, am an owner of a small business. I struggle to find the balance between working on projects for clients and working to grow my business. I have had so many conversations with other business owners. We all have similar desires and concerns. We wish our web sites were up to date with our latest content ideas. We wish there was more time to engage our social media audience. We wish there was more time for all of our great ideas, and for those of you who pay people to do these things for you, I bet you wish there was a way to measure if it's really worth it.
I can address every item on the wish list by blogging. This site currently has three pages (About, Blog, Contact). My Contact page will not change much. I have email at my domain, a phone number, address, and a contact form. The About page will remain steady until I get more certifications. The easiest part of my site to update is the blog. I don't have to make changes to a template or anything techy.
I can blog from my phone and add pictures with one click. My blogging platform(Squarespace) publishes posts to all my social media accounts. Now I don't have to feel guilty for failing to update Facebook regularly. I have yet to tweet with any regularity and probably wont start so why not let my blog tweet for me. The best part is that I can get rear-instant feedback. If my blog posts the same content to several social media outlets, I can watch the results in my Analytics console to measure which social media audience is engaging with that content. If, for instance, no one from Twitter is interacting with my content, maybe I need to pay more attention to my profile or audience on Twitter. Am I following the right people? Should I comment more? If a certain type of content starts to catch traction, consider a page on your site for it. Maybe your blog/social media audience is trying to tell you something.
Lastly, blogging is the easiest thing a small business owner can learn to do. If you knew everything about your CMS, you'd be in the web design business. If you knew everything there is to know about the perfect Facebook post, you'd be in social media marketing. Most of my blog posts are made from a mobile app. Right now I'm sitting on the shore of Lake Martin, enjoying a great day outside. The wake-boarders are putting on a good show and a nap is in my immediate future.
Hairloft getson Google
Janeen and Andrea were awesome! So glad they are on the map.
LEt's Put New Orleans On The Map!
Can't Wait To Get Started!
So fresh brah
Always a suprise for the tastebuds. Chef Matt is a genious. Lefant Terrible
Partner Rewards
Gets even better.
Surprise
The funniest part is the wrapping paper.
Brand Permissions - Again
My last post contained images of the correspondance between myself and brandpermissions_cases@google.com. I wanted to prove that using some of the images available on Squarespace Logos violated Google's policies. To do this, I would need to show images from Gmail. I could have copied the text but adding images is important so I filled out the request form here: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/permissionsbranden/
Seems like a minor thing but I always end up making tutorials for my clients and I plan on putting them on my site for other partners to use. Making branded, tailored tutorials for your clients is a great way to set policies, ensure you give clear instructions, and lay out templated procedures that enable you to scale your business later.
It seems that intent is what's important here. "Instructional Purposes" and of course follow the directions about the disclaimer, as I am about to do.
Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
The term "Squarespace" is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc. This website is not affiliated with Squarespace, Inc.
I have used Squarespace Logos for my business before. My logo is a bit silly but it gets a chuckle here and there. I recently decided to change it to something more appropriate for an agency. I have a team now, a Google Partner Badge and a hankerin to get serious.
It is an easy process. Enter a business name and tagline, then select from the available images. You can search for images for things like: consultant, designer, cowboy, etc. The selection is limited to basic shapes but they are just what you need when you don't know what you need.
Some Squarespace Logos Violate Google Policy
Now that I am doing more than just Adwords and SEO, I began typing in various services: social media, marketing, business listings, maps, etc. I noticed that some of the available icons looked a lot like Google icons. Having just submitted a successful brand permission request(documented in my next post) to Google, I figured it wouldn't hurt to confirm my suspicions before I blog about it. I downloaded the logo, posted it to an unlinked page on my site(a URL is required for your request to be considered), then submitted my request.
The site says it may take up to two weeks to respond, but I was answered within a day or two. Having been denied, I have taken down the page with the logo. My other request(which was granted) was also answered as fast with clear instructions on how to display the content.
I can't help but wonder if Squarespace has such permissions. If not, am I in violation for posting their versions of the images? The logo was a pretty clear violation. But I must wonder if others, who are even less familiar with issues concerning brand permissions, might be using those logos.
I have to say it now. I use Squarespace for all my sites. It's just awesome. They have made it easy for me to focus on making the content. Content generation is still the hardest part of blogging and we must make it a point to use other's content wisely and with permission. Something in my gut tells me that I am violating some agreement right now. If I am, another post.
The term "Squarespace" is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc. This website is not affiliated with Squarespace, Inc.
Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
Content Comes First
I learned a lot today. Content is king and generating it is often the hardest part of starting a blog. I have set up blogs for clients and friends. Once the basic functionality is there, I encourage them to make the first dozen posts. This involves some training time from me and some learning on their part. Realizing that you can get your voice out there is an amazing thing and pushes you to write. You see your direction and begin to "hear" your own voice. It also allows you build a critical mass of content needed for Google to be able to know what your blog is about. Sometimes we get hung up on getting the design of our site/blog just right. We all want the look and feel to be right. Is the logo, font, color, etc like we hoped? These are questions that we should be asking ourselves on a regular basis anyway.
Monetization avenues are another sticky point. When there is a lack of content that lets everyone know what you are about, you can't determine your contents value.
Monetizing your site is a broad subject for another post, but for this site, I decided to sign up for Google Adsense. I have been wanting to learn Adsense to expand my service offerings as well so a win-win. But as this is my second post, there is no way for anyone to know what I'm really blogging about. Not even Google.
Descriptive branding and menus wont do it either(not that I even did that yet). You can think symbolic logos and catchy tag lines will help. Nope. Those will change too. Content is still the only way to move forward. Kinda funny that I'm the one to drop the ball. My feet are up and the humble pie ain't bad.
Google Partners
Recently earned the Google Partners badge for my business. It has been the wisest decision I have ever made. After getting Adwords certified, I pushed to get my clients' campaign quality scores as high as possible. The new skills I learned allowed me to boost conversions for all of my accounts across the board. Google Partners support has been invaluable. Tips, exclusive hangouts and direct help on several campaigns pushed clicks and conversions through the roof. My clients noticed too. The revenue gains have kept ad spending up and helped me meet the minimum spend requirements for Partner status.
The program is so much more than a certification. It is a growth process for your business. I registered to host a live Partners event. What a great way to meet potential clients. I plan on converting several attendees into clients in the next month. Google has laid everything out for you. You just have to be willing to put in the time and be ready to learn.