Bootstrap Business Blog Blitz: Your Quick Questions Answered Vol 13

I answer countless questions each month from readers and peers about social media, entrepreneurship, blogging, and more via Facebook, Twitter, Quora, LinkedIn, and other platforms. Sometimes I can’t spend hours answering their questions so I quickly type up the first reply that comes to my head in 5–10 minutes or less. Not much editing or revising is done.
I love to help people out or at least give them my opinion / experience, but I also know that others can benefit from these insights as well. The answers don’t always apply to everyone since they were intended for 1 person or company, with varying degrees of context that I’m already aware of when answering.
I figured this time around I’d answer this new set of questions on my Medium page instead of my Bootstrap Business Blog which already has 12 earlier volumes of Blog Blitz quick questions answered.
In the tradition of this series, grammar is not a top priority so my apologies…
Names and companies have been removed for anonymity as always:
Should I Even Bother With Foursquare Any More To Market My Business?
Well you certainly shouldn’t make it a high priority for your overall digital marketing strategy, but it won’t take much time or effort to enjoy small benefits. There are still millions of Foursquare users out there and some of them are still really in to it. Create and optimize listings for your business locations. It’s not as important as Google Business / Maps listings so make sure you’ve done that first. For some businesses, connecting with peers and locals and sharing your check-inns, tips, and pictures can be beneficial for overall influence and branding. This can supplement your Google & Yelp activity if you’re already doing that.
I wouldn’t invest much in terms of paid advertising with Foursquare but because it has been on a decline the past few years you should be able to get some good deals, and perhaps a strong ROI for some lean entrepreneurs and small businesses.
What Are Some General Tips To Build Up My New Photography Business On Instagram? I have about 300 followers and follow 500 accounts after about a year.
Take amazing pictures!!! Ok well besides that, and the typical answer of “grow organically with interaction and nurturing followers etc”… I’d say first off, although others might tell you not to, you probably need to start following more Instagram accounts in your area. Accounts that may be interested in your photography services or whatever you’re interested in promoting The more people you follow (up to 7,500) the more will follow you back and like your posts and visit your website. Some will be higher quality than others but you need to build up some numbers. Other than that though, post 1–2x per day, publish a “story” once a day if you can, and use up to 30 hashtags per post to increase post exposure hashtags including local keywords like #localcity #localtown #state #region etc can sometimes help people find you. I’ve built up my own Instagram and some company IG accounts with a lot of help from my Facebook and Twitter accounts so other social networks can be leveraged to boost your Instagram.
I’ve Been Asked By Companies That Aren’t Quite The Right Fit For My Employer To Do Some Social Media / PPC Work For Them. It Feels Like A Possible Conflict Of Interest. Should I Work With Them?
I’ve done plenty of freelance and part time social media marketing on the side of my current job, along with sponsored blog posts, product endorsements, etc. It’s a great way to build up your bank account and resume. I’m not sure if you’re asking if you should take them on as opposed to your employer, but if you don’t think they are a good fit for your employer then I don’t see why not. For me at least it comes down to how much time, energy, and resources you have to devote to the freelance work without it hindering your commitment to your full time employer/clients. As you know, it’s one thing to endorse a product or company with your personal social media and another to run their whole social media / PPC accounts. You might be better off referring them to a leading SEO agency in Alberta than trying to do a mediocre job on your own.
What Are 5 Great Startup Tools You’d Recommend?
Slack is an invaluable tool these days when it comes to cloud-based collaboration and it will really boost your company productivity. I’m a fan of using Nimble to combine CRM with social media marketing. Curata is a great Boston-based business that really helps you scale your content marketing campaigns. Sniply is useful for adding additional branding and CTA’s to your highly curated shared links on social. And finally, Squarespace can provide simple yet functional websites and online stores for smaller businesses on a budget, without a web design team.
Does Social Media & Mobile App Affect Kids & Teenagers Negatively? There Are Many Dangerous Trends With Low Self-Esteem, Suicide, Bullying, etc. What Are Your Thoughts & Experiences?
I think the social media comparisons to peers is a big problem and getting worse for a lot of people. Not just kids or teens either, but people in their twenties, thirties, and sometimes older. A lot of people get jealous and depressed because they compare their everyday life to the select “highlights” that their peers post on their social media. I see it everyday from people of all ages and they get a distorted view of reality. I spend a lot of time on all social media platforms and sometimes get sucked into it a little bit as well but I’ve always used social media primarily for business purposes. When I see entrepreneurs or peers in business posting about their money and success, I know that in reality it’s not the full story. There is a lot of weird negative stuff out there for kids so I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with nearly as much when I was younger. On the flip side, there are countless tools and resources out there to help people of all ages.
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