All of Your Marketing Questions, Answered
There is no dumb question when it comes to marketing.
1. What is a hashtag… and can I just make one up?
While use cases vary between social media platforms, hashtags are a simple word or phrase that helps with search-ability and categorization. Chances are that the ones you make up already exist and are in use, but a small amount of research can go a long way. On Instagram, posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement.
2. What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization, which really means: are you Googleable? What happens when you search your name or your business name? Do you show up? The goal for SEO is for you to show up in a search. The ways to achieve that are complicated but they’re often baked in to the tools you use on your website.
3. Do I accept LinkedIn requests from people I don’t know?
Yes, that’s what LinkedIn is for. But use your judgement. Of course, a person connected with a person you know is normal. Someone who seems unrelated to your line of work, or located very far away from you — use your discretion.
4. Who uses Instagram?
Instagram is a photo based social media tool, with over 1 billion monthly users, and 500 million on their daily.
Instagram users skew female — with 52% of users identifying as female. 35% of US teenagers say Instagram is their preferred social media platform, and 63% of internet users between the age of 18–34 use Instagram.
71% of US businesses are are estimated to be on Instagram. So if your demographic is younger, often female, and your brand incorporates visual posts, it’s a good place to be.
5. How do I edit a photo?
There are many great, free (or almost free) tools you can use to edit your website and social media photos: Adobe Photoshop Express, Paint.NET, Pixlr X, Fotor, BeFunky.
6. Should I use punctuation on Twitter?
Yes and no. Twitter is an informal platform known for grammatical short cuts, emoji use, excessing exclamation points, and specifically not being well written. However, find what works for you! Take the approach of seeing what your peers and competition are doing, industry leaders, and how customers react. Find a profile you think is funny or interesting and take inspiration.
7. Where can I find stock photos and icons to use
For photos free to use that don’t look like fake stock images, try Unsplash, Canva, Shutterstock, Pixabay. As for icons or logos, check out The Noun Project, Icons8, Flat Icon, Icon Shock.
8. How many emojis are too many emojis?
Use your judgement here. You’ll probably know when you’ve hit your emoji threshold. And of course, be aware of when an emoji is appropriate and when it’s not. Instagram and Twitter are much more casual with emojis, whereas Facebook and LinkedIn err on the side of full grammar and punctuation without many smiley faces.
9. Is TikTok related to clocks?
Somewhere, tik tok still means “clock noise” but here in marketing and business land, TikTok is a video sharing social network created by ByteDance, a company based in Beijing. It started in 2012 for lip sync, comedy and talent videos. And in 2017, they launched their iOS and Android app for audiences outside of China. Videos are 15 seconds long, a lot of people dancing and singing, and it’s quite popular with “Gen Z” (people age 10–24).
10. How can I get a logo without hiring a designer?
You don’t need design skills to create a good logo, nor do you need an exorbitant budget to hire extra help. Create a logo using these easy tools (most free): Canva, Free Logo Design, Logo Makr, Logo Maker, Logo Crisp.
11. How much does marketing cost? Is it the same as advertising?
Marketing can cost as much as you want it to. If you have a budget of $1,000 to spend on marketing, awesome. If you have $0 to spare on ongoing marketing, you’re good too!
There are so many ways to accomplish marketing for free through social media posts and joining conversations. The almost free version of marketing is creating a website on a budget, through an easy website builder and buying your domain. These items have monthly or annual costs associated, but are essential costs to business.
If you join a marketplace or anything with “Pro” services, you can also expect to be billed recurrently. From there, spend what you want on traditional or digital advertising. Advertising is a part of marketing, but they are not synonymous. Many businesses find success without the use of any advertising.
Marketing online is always changing and transforming as new tools launch, algorithms change. It’s good to ask questions and stay informed.
