by Karen Try | Sep 17, 2020 | Advice, New Blogs
If anyone had told me that the middle of March would be my last day in the office for the foreseeable future, I would not have believed them. When COVID-19 began, it felt like something from my childhood dreams. I thought staying home in your pyjamas and doing something you love was the ultimate goal. As it turns out, I was only partially right.
If this experience has taught me anything, it’s that we are social creatures who need some type of connection. I didn’t realize how much I would miss sharing a space with the uniquely diverse people that can be found at Innovation Works. I was in the office on Wednesdays, which included a lunchtime gathering known as Salad Club. I remember striving to finish as much work as possible before lunch, in anticipation of good food and conversation. Although I was an eager participant, no amount of salad could prevent me from grabbing an afternoon snack at Edgar & Joe’s, the in-building coffee shop. My visits were so regular that the staff nearly had my order memorized.
I wish I could tell you that my three cats are helpful and engaging coworkers, but the only thing they help with is the occasional distraction and the reminder that I need to take a break. If you’re like me and have to start working from home, the most important piece of advice I can give is to find some sort of balance. For me, that means still enjoying the comfort of pyjama pants, while making a point to be put together on the top. It’s important to stay connected to others however you can. Express your feelings, and tell others how you are doing, because we’re all in this together.
by Karen Try | Jul 21, 2020 | Advice, New Blogs, Social Media
Running contests on social media is a great way to interact with, and show appreciation to existing clients and customers. It’s also an opportunity to draw in new people to your existing audience. Some of our favourite small business friends have been found by following them through online contests!
When running a contest, it’s important to make sure that your delivery matches your brand, and your goals. Do you want more page likes? More engagement? Or maybe, you’re wanting to learn more about your own fans and followers.
Here are a few examples of contests that have been proven successful to expanding your reach, and ultimately reaching your goals:
A Photo Contest
Ask followers for a specific kind of photo, such as pets. This will encourage engagement. The audience can vote for their personal favourite, or you can choose a winner randomly. Be clear about the timeline of the contest and the prize.
Giveaways
Does your business have a gift certificate or product that eager fans and followers would love to win? Gift certificates are a great prize to attract engagement. To win, you could ask a trivia question, solve a puzzle, or comment on a favourite product or service. Don’t forget to have followers tag their friends to draw more attention!
Partner with Another Brand
Everyone loves collaboration. Talk with a local company that you love and whose core values and brand are in alignment with yours. Consider combining swag from each business as part of the prize! Collaborations are an easy way to get your business exposed to multiple new audiences.
Be Careful About Asking People to Share your Social Media Post!
This can be a helpful way to expand your audience, however, make sure you abide by the rules of the platform you are using. For example, Facebook guidelines discourage sharing contest related posts as a means of entry.
There are many benefits to running contests, it often has us thinking: Who is the real winner in this scenario?
Have you run a contest before? Share the highlights or challenges of past contests below and continue the conversation!
by Karen Try | May 14, 2020 | Advice, Customer Service, New Blogs, Social Media
Social media provides a great way of connecting with potential clients and customers. However, if you don’t know where to begin, the task can feel overwhelming. It’s important to start off by figuring out your business’s target audience. For example, who would benefit from your services the most, and how old are they? Once you establish the target demographic, you can make decisions about the best social media platform for communication.
Communication can start with monitoring the feedback received from customers on your social media pages. Thank them for taking the time to reach out. If you receive negative feedback, reach out to them personally, and ask what you can do to improve the situation. This is also an opportunity to ask clients and customers what they like about the services you have to offer, and ask questions to encourage engagement with your business.
Once you have established client and customer connections, it’s important to maintain them. Always follow up on customer feedback. If you haven’t heard from a customer in a while, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask how they’ve been; as well as giving them a brief update on services they might like to use in the future.
At MYOB, we manage communication for our clients. We’ve been growing their social media to multiple platforms to expand the reach, crafting their monthly newsletters to provide business updates during COVID-19, and refreshing their websites to ensure messaging is strong and consistent throughout. We’d love to hear some of the ways you’re connecting with customers at this time. Tag us on social media @MYOBVA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to share your stories!
by Karen Try | May 4, 2020 | Advice, New Blogs, Social Media
The Internet and social media have made the sharing and distribution of information a lot easier than it once was. You can share something with two clicks of a mouse, and no research at all. As easy as it seems, a lack of research can land you in unexpected trouble.
There has been an image circulating around Facebook that claims Author Dean Koontz predicted the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak in his 1981 novel The Eyes of Darkness. Though the image appears convincing enough, it was proven that he did not predict the virus. If you find yourself questioning the validity of a claim, snopes.com helps to point out what is true and false within it. If you are worried about a website’s credibly as a whole, https://mediabiasfactcheck.com provides insights into various news sources.
Trending images on Facebook always need more than one look. You should also pay close attention to any articles you decide to share. At first glance they will look credible, but it’s important to take note of the website domain name, and whether you can find other examples of the authors published work; as well as whether they have an easily found and professional point of contact . Proper spelling and punctuation are also an indication of an article’s validity.
Have you ever felt like you’ve seen a post before, but can’t figure out where? tineye.com is a website and Chrome extenstion that allows you to check when and where else an image has been shared across social media. This can help determine how old a source is, and the original context in which it was used.
Why should you fact check what you share on social media? Sharing misinformation can create a lack of trust between yourself and your intended audience. Along with the tools and practices mentioned above, use your best judgement. If a story or post appears a bit fishy, shocking or too good to be true, it likely is.
H/T: snopes.com, tineye.com, https://mediabiasfactcheck.com, https://www.summer.harvard.edu/inside-summer/4-tips-spotting-fake-news-story
by Karen Try | Apr 22, 2020 | New Blogs
Many of us have found ourselves with a lot of unexpected downtime. It’s a great time to rest and pick up a long forgotten hobby, or something you’ve never done before. However, it’s also the ideal time to take care of business. Perhaps start by updating your website’s look. A key aspect of drawing in customers is making sure that images are appealing, as well as current and professional.
It doesn’t just stop at your website’s appearance. An update to business contact information and policies can help potential customers find what is important. Perhaps most important of all: Can your potential customers find your website? MYOB will help with search engine optimization (SEO) and a user friendly website structure.
Don’t forget about your bookkeeping! We are prepared to assist with tracking your expenses and revenue, invoicing and payroll, as well as filing quarterly HST. Whether you need us weekly, monthly or quarterly, we are here for you.
The best thing we can do right now is to stay connected. Let family, friends, and customers alike know how you and your business are doing. Just because the world is moving in slow motion right now, doesn’t mean your business has to. We will work with you to create engaging and informative content for any social media platform. Staying actively connected on social media may also lead to potential new clients and customers.
MYOB is here to help every step of the way!
