Mind Your Manners: Facebook Etiquette
Social Media Etiquette for Small Businesses
Are you just starting out in the world of Facebook marketing? If so, you are probably in need of a few pointers to really get things rolling.
Did you know that when and how much you post could boost or bury your presence on your followers’ news feeds? Are you responding to those negative comments or just deleting them? You may have developed a Facebook strategy, but don’t forget to work on your etiquette, as well!
Post Frequency
How many times a day have you decided to update your Facebook status? Too much will overwhelm your fans. Too little might make your page seem inactive. There is a sweet spot for every small business – you just have to find yours.
Response to Activity
When you get comments on your content, you must respond to them! Even if you are interacting with a hostile, unhappy customer, showing that your brand is calm and collected under pressure is actually better than hiding your flaws and pretending they don’t exist. Responding to your followers in a quick and friendly manner is sure to establish you as a personable brand.
Timing
What times of day are you posting your status updates? If it is too early in the morning or late at night, no one will see your updates. Experiment with Insights to see what time of day is best for you to post to your Facebook profile.
What tips do you have to share from your experience? Let us know in a comment below!
$99 Website Evaluations for Small Businesses
Let Ajalon evaluate your business website today!
Let’s forget about the competition for a second and get back to the basics – is your business website all that it can be? If your website is a hub for flat design, poor navigation, and ancient ascetics, you might want to take advantage of our $99 website evaluation today!
Your website should be the “after-party” for your customers after your business has closed for the day. Visitors should be able to learn about and interact with your brand within the different pages that make up your site.
Is your website working for you after hours? Let Ajalon determine what state your business website is in today!
Responsive Websites for Small Businesses
Mobile Marketing for Business Websites
Is your website ready for the mobile marketing revolution? It has now been estimated that nearly half of American adults carry a smart phone around in their back pocket. We can only imagine how many peruse the internet on their tablets on top of that. Have you prepared your website for the mobile marketing revolution?
Your small business website might not display on a smart phone the same way it does on PC or laptop. Web developers are quickly coming up with dynamic designs that allow a brand’s website to expand or condense depending on what size device they are viewing on. These are called responsive websites.
Updating your site with simpler, more interactive content could save you time and energy in the long run. Not only will your site be easier to use for mobile users, your site will be better with minimal changes.
When was the last time you tested your website on a smart phone or tablet? Heading in a responsive direction might be the perfect idea for your small business web pages.
Facebook Profiles: 3 Ways to Make Big Changes
Upgrade your Facebook profile today!
Is your Facebook business page in need of a refreshing new look? If you aren’t taking advantage of all of the upgrades that the developers have released in the past year or so, your page is bound to blend in with all of the rest out there.
There are more than a few ways to spruce up the look of your page, so we thought we would share a few with you today.
Cover Photos
Updating your cover photo is one of the main things that visitors will notice after landing on your Facebook page. The Facebook developers recently released that news that you can now include up to 20% text – why wouldn’t you take advantage of that extra ad space?
Custom Tabs
If you have already taken the time to update your cover photo, be sure you update your tab images at the same time. Custom tab images that match the colors and tone of your cover photo will create one cohesive Facebook business page that visitors will love interacting with.
Profile Photo
Choosing an easy-to-spot and appropriately-sized profile photo isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Ask your graphic designer to create an image of your logo specific to Facebook’s guidelines. Your followers will begin to recognize your logo and trust your brand.
What have you done recently to set your Facebook business page apart from the rest? If you are stuck figuring out where to start with your Facebook marketing efforts, let us set up your brand new page today for only $199!
Instagram Introduces New Tagging Feature
Tagging Introduced to Instagram Accounts
Do you love or hate when Facebook alerts you that you have been tagged in a friend’s photo? If you love it, you’re going to enjoy hearing that Instagram has introduced tagging within their social network!
Introducing Photos of You from Instagram on Vimeo.
We love the nifty way you can hide those tagged photos from your profile as well! 
Local Sonoma County Businesses on Instagram
Instagram with Sonoma County Small Businesses
Is your SonomaCounty small business on Instagram yet? Instagram is a popular and fast-growing social media network that allows users to add cool filters to their photos and post them for others to see. Hashtags and more make this online marketing tool an important one that will spread the word about your business and all you have to offer.
There are already several local Sonoma County businesses and establishments using Instagram to market their goods and services. Let’s take a look at a few:
Sonoma County Parks
Sonoma County Parks is utilizing their Instagram profile to document interesting destinations within the Sonoma County Park System. This beautiful photos encourage Sonoma County residents to venture out into the wild and try to capture some of their own shots!
Heritage Public House
Heritage Public House is a local craft beer tap room that recently changed locations. Their Instagram profile worked wonders to keep loyal patrons updated on the progress of the reopening.
Now that the tap room was up and running, Heritage posts photos of the rotating taps and tasty looking food and beers.
Invitations by Ajalon
Invitations by Ajalon has been providing insights into the letterpress wedding invitation world with their Instagram profile! Followers and letterpress lovers enjoy getting all of the behind-the-scenes looks at the printing process.
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Instagram is free to join and easy to use. Follow us today! We would love to follow you back and see what you are up to from day to day 
Tracking Social Media Marketing with Analytics
3 Ways to Track Your Social Media Marketing Efforts
It is known that social media can work wonders for small businesses, but measuring that success is something a lot of small companies have problems with. If you are not hiring a company to implement and track engagement with your social media profiles, you should be attempting to keep track of your efforts.
There are a few different ways to help you determine where your social media marketing efforts are best spent. Let’s take a look at a few.
Google Anlytics
Google Analytics is one of the most trusted sources to measure your website and social traffic. Google’s analytics tool has a social section, allowing you to measure your social referrals.
If you post the same posts to all of your social networks, you will be able to determine which network brings more visitors to your site. Perhaps Facebook brings the most visitors, but Twitter has more engaged visitors who are more likely to purchase your products. You might want to spend a little more time on your tweets, but keep the Facebook activity happening.
There are so many little factors that Google Analytics can help you figure out what is working for you.
Facebook Insights
Facebook Insights will help you figure out what marketing tools are working for your Facebook business page. You can determine how many people see each of your status updates, and which of those updates creates more engagement.
We have found that photos and a sentence of plain text get the most engagement on our business page. What about you?
Pinterest Analytics
Pinterest recently release Analytics for business accounts. This tool is extremely helpful when determining how many people are pinning images from your site, how many repins you accumulate, and so much more.
Stay tuned for a blog post on figuring out your own Pinterest Analytics in the near future.
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Tracking your social media marketing efforts will ensure you don’t end up wasting valuable time on Facebook and Twitter. You will be able to determine which networks work best for your business, what content gets the most engagement, and how to proceed with your social media strategy.
Writing the Perfect Press Release
Advice for Inspiring Press Releases
Writing press releases for your small business is still one of the most popular marketing techniques to this day. These professional pieces of copy inform the public about your business endeavors, product releases, and so much more. With so much opportunity to get the word about your business out there, it is no wonder press releases are still so popular.
Have you written press releases for your small business? If not, you might be at a loss on where to begin. Here are a few tips.
Headlines
Eye-catching headlines are best for your press releases. Internet surfers and journalists alike peruse blog articles and click on the ones with the most interesting titles. The same is true for press releases.
Numbers
Including hard numbers in your press release will support the significance of your announcement. Did you small business grow by a certain percent? Are you now serving 25% more of your local neighborhood? These numbers and more will help create an intriguing press release.
Grammar
Proof read, proof read, proof read. And then proof read again! Getting grammar or spelling wrong within your press release will ensure that no one takes you or your small business seriously.
Length
Limit your press release to one or two pages. Your press release should be short and sweet, but still deliver all of that important information and keywords to your readers.
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When was the last time you wrote a press release for your small business? Announcing a new product or feature could be the perfect excuse to write one today!
Restock Your Business Cards Today!
Running low on business cards? Stock up for less!
If your supply of business cards is running low, today is a great day to restock your most important marketing arsenal! We’re offering 17% off your full color business cards this month. With a colorful, sleek design, you know your business cards will stand out in the crowd.
What do your business cards currently look like? No matter if you just need to reorder, or want to print a new card that will knock customers’ socks off, we would love to take 17% off your next full color business card order.
$199 Facebook Business Page Set-Up
We want to set up your Facebook business page!
What state is your Facebook business page in? The Facebook developers are constantly coming up with new page features and solutions to old problems, so if you have not been keeping up with them all, you might have been left behind in the dark.
We know that getting your Facebook presence established is not an easy task, so we are here to help you get started. Whether you are not on the social network yet or in need some serious upgrades, Ajalon would be delighted to get the job done.
Contact us to set up your business page today!
