Be Careful- Negotiating a Balance with Your Business’s Usage of Social Media

These days many business owners understand that social media is a significant marketing tool.  In fact, about 82% of small business owners are using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram to help grow their business.  Social media provides businesses with more exposure than traditional marketing and provides businesses with an opportunity to build relationships with their clients.  It gives businesses the power to learn more about their target audience and collect feedback which can be incredibly helpful.  Furthermore, social media is really, really popular!  While there are certainly a lot of perks to integrating social media into your business’s marketing plan, business owners can’t lose sight of the value of those traditional and more personalized approaches.  Here are a few ways businesses can find that perfect balance between social media and traditional forms of marketing.

Not All Consumers Are Created Equal

As social media expands into our lives, there has been a shift from traditional marketing to digital marketing.  While the advertising climate is changing quickly, it is important for businesses to remember that there is a still a place for traditional marketing.  Not all consumers are created equal and the needs, wants, and behaviors of consumers vary.  Consumers communicate with brands both digitally and traditionally and in many cases simultaneously.  The most successful businesses are those that streamline their marketing strategy across all channels to reach every consumer.

Get to Know Your Audience

The best way to find a balance between social media and traditional marketing is by analyzing your audience.  What products or services does my audience want? What information are they looking for? What channels do they prefer to use and why?  Once you have these answers, you can cater your marketing strategies to better meet the needs of your audience.

Analyze your ROI

How much does your business spend on traditional marketing? Do you employ a full time digital marketing staff and what are those costs?  Take a closer look at the costs associated with your companies’ return on investment.  From there you can determine the overall effectiveness of your marketing strategies.

Focus on the “Big 3” of Social Media

Many businesses make the mistake of jumping all in with social media and dappling a little bit in everything.  This can stretch your social media presence too thin. Instead, focus on the “Big 3” of social media marketing: blogging, Facebook, and Twitter or LinkedIn.  You can better balance your marketing strategy when you are juggling 3 platforms as opposed to 5 or 6.  Once you’re well established in your 3 main social media platforms, you can further boost your business by incorporating digital tools such as SEO, SEM, and emails.

Use Your Marketing Strategies Simultaneously

When possible, link your digital and traditional forms of communication.  For example, use your traditional channels such as print or radio to promote your social media channels.  Likewise, encourage social media followers to contact you directly or join the conversation by offering incentives, exclusive offers, and coupons.  You can also take feedback and positive social media reviews and post them on to your website as a way to link your traditional website with your social media followers.

The days of pushing all of your content through one channel are long gone and its’ time for businesses to start finding a balance between digital and traditional marketing strategies.  You will see the greatest results and truly maximize your efforts when you integrate your marketing tools across various channels.

Negotiating salary seems daunting to many people.  Whether you are just starting out or you are looking to get a pay raise at your current job, salary negotiation can be a difficult task. While it might seem intimidating, you will have much greater success in negotiating pay if you come to the table armed with the right information and the proper mindset.

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We’ve all heard about the gender pay gap in the United States. Research suggests that on average women earn about 79 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts.  Likewise, women of color earn even less. This pay gap often starts during the hiring stage, when salaries are being set. While we might not be able to solve the crisis over the national pay gap, women can influence their earning potential by knowing how to negotiate properly when they are hired for a job. If you want to narrow your own personal pay gap, here’s what to say and do in order to earn the most money.

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Businesses have a lot of expenses including rental space, advertising, employee salaries, and product overhead just to name a few.  It goes without saying that most businesses would be interested in saving money wherever they can.  One way businesses can do this is by shopping online for office equipment and supplies.  Business owners can make smart savvy purchases by utilizing eBay for many of their office supply needs.  In addition to being one of the world’s largest marketplaces, eBay gives customers the opportunity to negotiate pricing on many of their products.  This can mean big savings for businesses.  Businesses can purchase everything from office chairs, furniture, computers, medical equipment, industrial equipment, restaurant equipment, electronics, printers, and much more.  If you want to save on your business expenses, it’s important to learn how to negotiate prices on eBay.  Here are a few tips for negotiating the best offer on eBay in order to save big money for your company.

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If you have every watched a toddler playing on an iPad you might be in awe of their ability to correctly navigate the device.  Many adults struggle with figuring out why their app won’t update while a two-year old is sitting beside them putting them to shame with their knowledge of how to use an iPad.  The point is, by the time these kids are 7 or 8, they will probably be more tech savvy than many adults.  This group of children is known as Generation Z.  They are the first generation to grow up with technology right from the start.  As millennials are getting older, the Gen Z population is growing quickly. In fact, this generation (ages 19 and under) makes up a quarter of America’s population and will account for around 40% of all consumers by the year 2020.  Therefore, it is important to understand what these consumers are looking for and exactly how to negotiate and market to them.

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Conflict is inevitable in any marriage and you and your spouse are bound to disagree on many different issues throughout your life together.  And let’s be real…the more time you spend together as a couple, the more little annoyances become magnified.  Oftentimes couples fight about their disagreements and their marriages suffer as a result.  The good news, however, is that these disagreements don’t have to lead to fighting.  There is a much better and healthier way to solve these issues that involve learning how to negotiate with each for a solution that is beneficial to both of you.  Here are a few tips for negotiating with your spouse so that you both win.

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Entrepreneurs and small business owners are met with various challenges and among these worries is the question of whether or not they need a business lawyer.  It is a common perception that lawyers are expensive and these small businesses don’t have the extra money to be paying costly lawyer fees.  As a result, many of these smaller businesses don’t hire a lawyer until they are faced with a serious legal matter.  However, the reality is that hiring good legal counsel can actually save your business money in the long run.  While you certainly don’t need a lawyer to handle every aspect of your business, an ounce of prevention can be worth a great deal later on down the road. Lawyers can help your business in a number of areas including organizing your business, protecting patents or trademarks, resolving employee issues, analyzing contracts and leases, and negotiating with investors.  Once you have chosen to hire a lawyer to represent your business, it is important that you understand how to negotiate with them in order to get the best results for your business.

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If you have ever had to deal with a difficult person then you probably know how challenging it can be to come to an agreement with them.  Oftentimes these people are controlling, intimidating, confrontational, or demanding.  Although it can be frustrating and even a little unnerving at times, the right communication skills and approach can help you find a way to turn their aggression into cooperation in order to make a deal.  Here are just a few helpful tips for negotiating with difficult people.

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How many times have you attended a wedding and during the toast someone mentioned what it takes to make a great marriage.  We have heard everything from being a good listener to spending quality time together to responding with “Yes, dear!”  While all of these things certainly are important, perhaps the secret to a happy marriage is learning the art of negotiating with your spouse.  Most married couples have found themselves at some point comparing their chores and responsibilities to that of their spouse.  We can almost hear ourselves saying “I have done the dishes every night this week.  It’s your turn!”  Inevitably, these kinds of conversations leave both parties feeling frustrated, underappreciated, and angry.  Conflict is inevitable in any marriage and you and your spouse are bound to disagree on things.  However, this doesn’t mean that conflict has to lead to fighting.  There is a better solution.  Learning how to negotiate with your spouse can help you deal with conflict in a way that is healthy and where you can both sustain your love for one another.  Here’s how to negotiate with your spouse so that you both win!

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Everyone knows that you have to negotiate to buy a car.  It is expected and is pretty obvious from the moment you step on the lot.  But what about the more subtle forms of negotiation?  Do we even recognize when these occur?  Much of our life involves negotiation and it can be to your advantage to learn the tricks of becoming a skilled negotiator. Subtlety is a key component in getting people to do what you want.  Call it manipulation if you will, but when you can negotiate without appearing like you’re negotiating, you immediately gain the upper hand.  Here are a few tips for learning the art of subtle negotiation.

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