5 Easy Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Business’ Social Media Presence

It’s a given that your business needs to have a social media presence. And you’ve probably got one. But what can you do to make it just a little better today without spending a lot of extra time and energy? Here’s five tips you can implement today to improve your company’s social media presence.

1. Ask questions. Social media is about starting conversations. When was the last time your business to consumer brand asked a question of your audience online? Even on a business page, you don’t have to be “all business.” You can recognize a current event or national holiday and ask people about their plans. ie: "Anybody out there got a case of the Mondays? Comment on this post and come in before 9 AM for a free drip coffee. We want to make your week a little better."

2. Put a face with a name. When it comes to a social media presence for a small business a logo is good but a face is better. Go ahead and put an image of the owner or an employee as the profile picture for your business’ social media account. This brings accessibility and a personal touch to your online engagement.

3. Respond within 24 hours. Have you ever tried to get answers from a brand via Twitter or Facebook only to never hear from them? Not exactly sparkling customer service. Commit to responding to messages, comments and @ replies within 24 hours. The sooner the better.

4. Add photos. With the popularity of apps like Snapchat, Instagram and even the social media giant Pinterest, there’s no denying that images are everything. Post photos from time to time that exude your company culture.

5. Show some personality. Feel free to express excitement over a new product line. Post an article that has a controversial perspective on a business trend. Do anything but be all self-promotey all the time. Contribute value to the online conversation and avoid being confused for a robot.

What about you? Do you have any easy solutions for stepping up a company’s social media game?

Exciting Announcement: HSL Creative is Expanding!

I’ve gotten the opportunity lately to share all of the exciting services that we offer at HSL Creative with several groups. When I’ve told people that I write, refresh and offer a fresh eye to companies looking to better communicate their messages online I inevitably get two responses: Oh that’s perfect! I really need a writer and/or social media help! That’s amazing! 

or

Oh that’s awesome! Do you also do design? 

Well as of November 1 the answer to that is YES. I’m expanding the team to include several of the best designers and also, hardest workers, I’ve ever met.

Introducing Briana and Casey. I went to grad school with these two and have partnered with them on several projects already. They are both incredibly talented, very creative and great additions to the HSL team.

Briana specializes in web design including Wordpress front-end development and HTML. She also has a knack for telling stories with images through infographic creation.

Casey is a jack of all trades who is our go-to for identity packages, logos, and print ads.

Whatever your content and design needs may be, we are the team to do it. You start with an idea and we'll help create the content and images that represent you best.

Welcome Briana and Casey!

Need design, social media, or writing help? Shoot us a message and we'll get to making your dreams a reality. 

The #1 Reason I Feel Ok Even Though I Don’t Live in a Major City

Me in Washington Square Park this Weekend. Taken by Juan-Carlos Lagares.

I’m from Nashville. A medium-sized city that as of late has become a “cool” place to live.

After college I spent time living back there as well as in Orlando and New York when I wasn’t living in quaint Virginia towns working in the theatre.

While people think it’s cool that I’m from Music City, nothing sounds sexier to the indiscriminate American than when you say you live in New York City.

Maybe it’s that so many people skulk through Times Square each year and can’t imagine that people actually live on that island. Maybe it’s because of the Stock Market or Broadway or Gossip Girl.

Any of those ways, since my last two years living in beautiful Central Virginia (far, far from the pace of the Big Apple) I’ve felt pangs of feeling less important, less “in the thick of it,” less, well, exciting, without a Manhattan zip code.

But as I was in New York this weekend I was reminded of the #1 reason that I have made peace with my (most likely temporary) residence outside of the Big Apple.

Social Media.

What I crave about living in a major city is the ability to rub elbows with influential people. I want to be challenged by people who hustle, have big dreams, and make a large and lasting impact on the world. There’s something about the pace of that place. People who mean business about their business move there.

Yes, there are pros and cons to living anywhere. If I was living on the Upper West Side I wouldn’t be writing to you today from my 200 square foot sunroom/office with windows on three walls (it’s a peaceful place).

But today is different than yesteryear. With the advent of online communities like Google+, Twitter and even sites like LevoLeague, I can connect with braniac freelance writers who do what I do but have more experience in the trenches. And spoiler: they live all over--not just in New York.

If I were in an isolated, internet-free world, I may be pretty sad about not living in a major city. But that is not the world in which I live. I am among a generation that has obscene amounts of information at our fingertips. I can read the daily musings of people like Chris Brogan, Michael Hyatt, and Jenny Blake and also enjoy the low cost of living and fresh air. It’s good to be alive. Right now. Right here.

What say you? Do you live in a small city? Longing for a major city? Which pace do you prefer? What are the drawbacks?

5 Best Practices to Increase Your Happiness on Twitter

Twitter is but one of several social networks that are used by millions of people every day. If you’ve ever started to get bored with Twitter, were ready to delete your account, or wondered why people used the 140-character tool in the first place, check out these five tips for enjoying Twitter 1. Determine how you want to use it. My favorite social network is Twitter. Why? Because I follow a mix of friends, family, and thought leaders that post interesting, engaging content that is useful to me. A follow list without purpose could you leave you bored and annoyed on Twitter. But following your favorite author, magazine, or athlete could make it very exciting.

2. Utilize a source like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to make sure you don’t miss important posts. As a social media professional I use Tweetdeck to schedule posts and to follow several lists from each accounts I manage. It helps me stay organized and keep track of the content that I know our readers would want to see. Using Twitter without other applications almost guarantees that you'll be overwhelmed and that you'll miss the good stuff.

3. Utilize Buffer. This fantastic tool let’s you skip a step when it comes to scheduling posts. You can set up a schedule for when you want posts to drop and Buffer slides each post into a slot. With the Buffer button in my tool bar it’s so easy to keep the content flowing without having to stop and decide exactly what time it’s going out. Buffer is also awesome because it gives me an analytics report that tells me how each post is working. I can find out number of clicks, favorites, retweets, shares, etc.

4. Favorite tweets that you want to return to. When I’ve got a little down time and I'm scrolling through Twitter on my iPhone I don’t usually want to click away from my feed. I’d rather read a full-length article on my iPad or laptop. I primarily use my favorites as a bookmarking tool where I can go back and locate content that piqued my interest. Sometimes it’s a quote I want to recycle, sometimes it’s just a tweet that I find funny, but often it’s a link to an article that I want to read later. Favoriting an item is the way I “save for later” and it works great.

5. Interact with others. Connecting with friends, colleagues, thought leaders, and people who you admire, is one of the hands down best aspects of Twitter. Last week I had a tweet exchange with Dr. Karen Prior, the woman who wrote my favorite book of the year. I began an email exchange with Howard Sherman, the former Executive Director of the American Theatre Wing, because I engaged with him on Twitter. Twitter is no replacement for eye contact and a firm handshake but it is an unprecedented mode of connecting with people. Maximizing that opportunity is by far Twitter’s coolest feature.

What is your favorite use for Twitter? Do you find other social networks to be more useful?

7 Tips for Being Your Own Publicist Online

Secret's out: we are not all celebrities and big shots that have a Samantha Jones-esque worldly wise publicist looking out for the messages we are sending out into the universe. Today your social media personality contributes heavily to client and colleague and even potential employer perceptions of you. Here are seven best practices for keeping a positive image online.

1. Vent somewhere else. Feeling the need to let off a little steam? Text a friend, write in your journal, or share it with your spouse. Don't type a status update. Venting via social media may have more negative repercussions than positive ones. You may come across as someone who has poor judgment or looks as if they have no one to talk to in the real world. It's bad press all the way around. Don't do it.

2. Keep away from unpleasantries. Whether it's photos of dead animals, oversharing about your morning hygiene routine or the details of your illness--think about your queasiest friend. Would she want to hear about it? If not, then just don't mention it.

3. Don't treat social media like a megaphone. Engage with others! Respond, comment, like. Don't waste hours of your day, of course, but the truly adept social networker finds that happy balance between sharing with his or her tribe and engaging with them. It's just rude to constantly post messages online and not respond to anyone else. Online manners FTW.

4. Avoid potentially offensive or polarizing statements. You probably know someone who is relatively meek in person and then seems to be an angry confrontational jerk on Facebook, amiright? Chances are, your perception of him has been affected by what he posts. There's nothing like logging on and realizing that former quiet, coworker is a little bit racist. Avoid off color jokes, criticizing others, and making sweeping statements regarding current events. Whatever you post can and could be used against you. So, just keep it classy.

5. Balance out that self-promotion. Social media provides an incredible venue to promote work that excites you. There's no reason not to let the world know when your album drops, you have a big art show, or are speaking at a conference. Just make sure you don't only turn to the interwebs when you have something to promote. Experts say self-promotion should be 10% or less of what you post. Adhering to that rule is a good idea.

6. Observe the Grandma Rule. Great question to ask yourself before posting anything: would I want Grandma to see this post? If yes, then go ahead and post it. If no, just skip it.

7. When in doubt, less is more. People can't twist the words you never say (or, type).  Don't feel the need to post something every day. Click "send" when you have something to contribute. Our words are our legacy.

What do you think? Do you have any rules to live by as you use social media? Do you have any tips for what to avoid? Post em in the comments!