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In this article:\nWhat is a promoted Tweet?\nWhy you need Twitter for Business\nBest practices for Twitter advertising\nHow to promote a Tweet on your business account\nOther forms of social media advertising that you should try\nTwitter is a huge resource for sharing news and getting updates in real time. Because of this, it’s the perfect place to connect with industry leaders and customers who have a relevant interest for your business. \nHowever, with the average lifespan of a Tweet being around 18 minutes, it’s easy for your Twitter messages to get lost in the crowd. \nPromoting your Tweets\n can help you get more exposure and traffic. Read on to learn more about promoted Tweets and how you can set them up on your business Twitter account. \nWhat is a promoted Tweet?\nA promoted Tweet is the same—content wise—as any other Tweet. You still have your 280-character limit (since late 2017) and can add an image to it if so desired. But, promoted Tweets can achieve a broader reach through paid amplification. You can choose your target audience, set a budget, and watch as your Tweet receives more engagement and traffic.  \nFirst, you need Twitter for Business\nBefore you can start any kind of Twitter promotion, you need to have a Twitter business account. \nGet started with our guide: \nHow to create a business Twitter account\nThen, you can begin promoting your Tweets and gaining more exposure for your brand on this highly popular social media giant. \nBest practices for advertising on Twitter\nAs with every marketing strategy, there are some best practices you should keep in mind to get the most benefits from your Twitter advertising campaign. \n1. Focus on the copy\nTwitter isn’t as visual a platform as Instagram, Pinterest, or even Facebook. Users engage more frequently with Tweets that tell a compelling story or bit of information through the written word. So be sure to write or source good copy for your Tweets that will compel users to engage with them. \n2. Use a strategy of continuous promotion, rather than a one-off\nMultiple exposures to promoted Tweets from the same brand can lead to a 10% lift in brand favorability compared to those who only saw one Tweet from the same brand or campaign. This shows that your business can benefit from a continuous Twitter promotion strategy to increase the exposure of your brand to potential customers.  \n3. Include a call to action\nDon’t promote a Tweet with no real purpose. Include a CTA (call-to-action) that will drive consumers into doing something, whether you are asking them to Retweet, respond, or visit your website. Catch their attention, and then ask them to do something. \n 4. Create timely messages\nAs mentioned, Tweets die quickly, so be sure to create a timely message that people will either be searching for already or will be interested in because they recently heard something about that message. Some great examples of this are big games in the sporting world, celebrity gossip, and political movements. \nTimely news related to your industry is always a good topic to test out in your advertising as well. \nThis can be a tall order for local, small businesses, but we’ve seen some very successful campaigns from places like cookie shops or other “cult” restaurants with varying menus. They tweet updates or specials to drive local business and get customers excited about this week’s flavors.\nHow to promote a Tweet on your business account\nNow that you have a Twitter account and a few good tips for your promotion strategy, let’s get started on promoting your first Tweet.\nWe’ll walk you through two options for creating a Tweet promotion: Quick Promote and the traditional promotion. \nQuick Promote is a good strategy if your Tweet already has a lot of engagement and you want to boost it even further without going through the process of creating an entire campaign. \nThe traditional method is a better option if you don’t already get a lot of traffic on Twitter and are just getting started. It also allows you more flexibility in your targeting and budget options. \nOption 1: Quick Promote\nStep 1: Log into your business Twitter account\nGo to \ntwitter.com\n and sign in. \nscreen capture of twitter login\n\nStep 2: Go to your business profile\nFind your profile icon on the left menu bar (if you’re using a desktop). Click on it to go to your business profile. \n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Select a Tweet that you want to promote\nNext, find a recent Tweet of yours that you want to promote, or create a new Tweet and then promote that one. Go to the tweet you want to promote and click the activity icon. \nThen, click “Promote your Tweet” in the window that pops up. \n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Promote your Tweet\nIn the next window, select a location for your Tweet to reach, choose your budget from the options provided, and click “Confirm Spend.”\n(Image)\n\nOption 2: The traditional method\nStep 1: Log into your business Twitter account\nGo to \ntwitter.com\n and sign in. \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Go to Twitter Ads\nFind the three-dot icon on the left menu bar (if you’re using a desktop). Click on it and then click “Twitter Ads.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Create a campaign\nFind the “create campaign” button on the top right of your screen and click on it. \n(Image)\n\nSelect an objective for your new campaign. \n(Image)\n\nName your campaign and add a daily budget (and total budget if desired). Select a start and end date for your campaign. You can also choose to run the ad ongoing. Click “Next” in the top right corner. \n(Image)\n\nNext, you’ll set up an ad group. Ad groups are used to organize your ads within a single campaign. This allows you to have different targeting for different ads within the same campaign. \nName your ad group, add a start and end time if different from the campaign start and end time. Add a total group budget if different from the total campaign budget. Select your bid type–automatic or maximum–and click next. \nNote: Automatic bidding is the default option for Twitter ads, and Twitter will select how much an engagement is worth based on your budget. With the maximum bid option, you can choose how much a single engagement is worth to you. \n(Image)\n\nNext, it’s time to add audience targeting. \nStart by selecting the demographics that you wish to target: gender, ages, locations, languages, and type of device they use. \n(Image)\n\nThen, you can choose additional features for your audience, like specific interests or behaviors that they exhibit. When you’re done narrowing down your audience, click “Next” in the top right corner. \n(Image)\n\nNow it’s time to select the Tweet, or Tweets, that you want to promote in this campaign. \nChoose the Tweet(s) you want to promote and click “Next.”\n(Image)\n\nLastly, review all of the details of your campaign, make any last-minute edits if necessary, and launch your campaign. Go back to Twitter Ads periodically to see how your ads are performing. \n(Image)\nOther forms of social media advertising that you should try\nTwitter isn’t the only advertising platform that can help with brand awareness and gaining more online visibility for your business. Facebook and Instagram are also great channels to use to get more leads, awareness, and consideration for your brand. \nThe best part about Facebook and Instagram advertising is that (since Facebook owns Instagram) they are both run by the same platform: Facebook Ads Manager.\nTo create Facebook and Instagram ads for your business, check out our guide: \nHow to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business\n.\nSources:\n
\nhttps://blog.twitter.com/marketing/en_us/a/2013/nielsen-brand-effect-for-twitter-how-promoted-tweets-impact-brand-metrics.html\n

How to promote Tweets on Twitter for your small business

In this article:\nClaim your Yelp listing\nUpdate your information\nPost photos\nGet and respond to reviews\nOffer deals and discounts\nAdvertise on Yelp\nPromote your Yelp listing off Yelp\nIf you own any type of beauty salon, including super-small, one-person businesses and you're not listed on Yelp yet, what are you waiting for? Ninety-two percent of consumers who use Yelp make a purchase within a week of visiting this review platform. But how do you get your Yelp listing in front of that 92 percent?\nJust like with any online platform, there are several ways you can enhance and promote your business’s Yelp listing. \nClaim your Yelp listing\nThe first step is always going to be claiming your Yelp listing. (Check out our in-depth tutorial for creating and \nclaiming your business listing on Yelp\n.) Sometimes Yelp will generate unclaimed listings for businesses that users search for frequently, and so you’ll want to do a search for your business on Yelp before creating a listing to make sure you don’t already have one. From there, you can begin the claiming process. \nClaiming the Yelp listing for your salon gives you full access and control over it, allowing you to make changes, keep your information up to date, and respond to customer reviews, which brings us to our next point. \nKeep your Yelp profile updated\nThe place where small businesses like salons fall short in their online marketing is keep their online listings up to date. With the sheer amount of people who use Yelp (more than 178 million every month), it’s absolutely crucial to make sure your information is correct and up to date. You want customers to be able to find you, right?\nHere’s a list of the type of information that you’ll want to keep updated on your salon’s listing:\nBusiness name\nService category\nAddress\nPhone number\nWebsite\nEmail\nHours (this especially—you don’t need a bad review because your hours were incorrect)\nServices offered\nPayments accepted\nParking information \nWi-fi availability\nPrices\nThe more information you can provide, the more likely you are to get a call to schedule that hair appointment. Consumers want to know as much information as they can before making a commitment, especially when it comes to their appearance. So if a competitor is offering more information about their business than you, they might just win that customer. \nPost lots of photos\nThis step in promoting your Yelp listing is incredibly important for hair and nail salons. Customers don’t just want to take your word for it that you know what you’re doing. They want a portfolio of proof! The more examples of your work that you can show to potential customers, the more opportunity you have to reel them in. \nReally make that extra effort here to post some good quality photos. Fortunately, we live in an amazing age of advanced technology where most of our phones have high quality cameras built right in, so this shouldn’t be too difficult, and then you can post them directly in the Yelp app. \nGet and respond to Yelp reviews\nReviews are powerful. Better make sure your salon is reaping the rewards of that influence. \nBy acquiring new reviews on Yelp, your listing has a better opportunity of showing up above your competitors. The number of reviews you have and the freshness of those reviews (how recently they were received) will help you stand out. \nResponding to these reviews really important, especially when you get the occasional get a bad review. Consumers want to see that you are responsive and take accountability. If someone left a bad review saying how disappointed they were because their nails smudged as soon as they left the salon, and you responded by inviting that customer back in to get their nails fixed free of charge, not only will they be satisfied, but others will be impressed too. \nIt’s not always easy to get new reviews, though, because happy customers don’t always think to leave them. Read our in-depth article on \nhow to get more reviews\n.\nOffer special deals and discounts\nEveryone loves to save a few bucks. Take advantage of that by promoting sales and great prices on your Yelp listing. \nAnother offering that Yelp has is \nYelp Deals\n. Yelp has a platform that allows you to promote discounts and gift certificates to entice customers to choose your salon over another one. These offers are prepaid vouchers that the customer purchases from Yelp, and then Yelp pays your portion of the sale to you each month. \nAdvertise on Yelp\nYelp has a great \nsmall business marketing\n platform that can help get your salon in front of even more potential customers. Yelp ads have three main benefits:\n1. Targeted local advertising\nYou can target customers searching for your services in your city. Yelp places your business in front of those who are searching and have the intent of making a purchase. \n2. Premium placements\nWhen you pay for Yelp’s premium placements, they’ll list your salon on competitor pages and at the top of relevant search results. \n3. Multiple platforms\nBecause most of Yelp searches are conducted on mobile devices, Yelp promotes your salon across all platforms: desktop browsers, mobile browser, and their mobile app. \nPromote your Yelp listing outside of Yelp\nTreat your Yelp listing like you would your storefront or your website. Direct customers and potential customers to your Yelp listing so they can see your reviews, photos, and all of the work that you have put into it. Maybe someone is still in the “considering” phase and they need to see that Yelp listing one more time to push them over the edge. \nHere are a few ways you can promote your Yelp listing outside of Yelp:\nAdd a Yelp icon or badge to your company website\nPlace a Yelp sticker in your store window\nGet a sign that encourages customers to “check-in” to your store on Yelp’s mobile app\nSources:\n
\nhttps://blog.yelp.com/news/study-92-consumers-using-yelp-make-purchase-visiting-platform/\n
\nhttps://www.reviewtrackers.com/blog/yelp-factsheet/\n
\nhttps://moz.com/blog/new-data-reveals-67-of-consumers-are-influenced-by-online-reviews\n

7 ways to promote your hair or nail salon on Yelp

In this article:\nHow your small business can benefit from a YouTube presence\nHow to set up a YouTube account for your small business\nEnhance your marketing efforts with other social media outlets\nYouTube is a great resource and social media channel for small businesses to utilize, particularly if your business is visual by nature or you have a big personality. \nHowever, even plumbers, landscapers, decorators, pet groomers—pretty much any type of business you can think of—have developed huge followings and marketing reach on YouTube\nIf your business doesn’t have a YouTube channel yet, we’ll show you how to create one, as well as give you some pointers for how a YouTube account can benefit your small business.\nWhy your small business should be on YouTube\nConsumers are highly engaged by visual media—memes, photography, infographics, and video. YouTube is also the 3rd-largest \nsearch engine\n and the 3rd most visited site on a global scale with more than 1 billion visitors each month. \nIf that’s not reason enough to help increase some brand awareness by using this channel, here are a few additional benefits your business can gain by using YouTube as a marketing tool:\nYouTube videos can help your business get found on Google through video search\nYour content can last longer as you repurpose blog posts into videos that you can share on YouTube\nYour audience will promote you as they share your videos\nIncrease customer conversions with video\nTarget video ads through Google Ads on YouTube\nAdd a face to your brand that people will recognize and connect with\nYouTube can add transcripts and captions to videos to make them more accessible\nIf you are already producing video content for your business, then take advantage of the many benefits of YouTube and set up an account. We’ll show you how in the next section of this article. \nHow to set up a YouTube account for your small business\nLet’s get to it. \nStep 1: Set up a business Google account\nDo you have a Gmail that you’ve already set up for your business? That will be the first step to creating your YouTube account. If you already have a business Google account, skip to Step 2. \nYouTube is owned by Google, so you need to sign in with a Google account. We recommend creating a separate Google account for your business rather than signing in with a personal account. This will make it easier to share the account information with other employees as your business grows. \nGo to Google.com and click “Sign in” to set up a Google account. \n(Image)\n\nClick “Create account” and then select “To manage my business.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nAdd your first name, last name, username, and password. Then click “Next” and follow the prompts to finish setting up your account. \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Create your YouTube channel\nNow go to YouTube.com. If you are already signed into your Google account, then YouTube will already be signed in for you. If you’re not signed in yet, just click “Sign in” in the top right corner and use your business Google account to sign in. \n(Image)\n\nOnce you are signed in, click on your profile avatar in the top right corner and go to “Create a channel.”\n(Image)\n\nClick “Get Started.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, you’ll be given the option to use your username for your new channel or use a custom name. For businesses and brands, we recommend using a custom name so you can brand your YouTube channel.\n(Image)\n\nAdd your channel name (your business name is fine here), check the “I understand…” box and click “Create.”\n(Image)\n\nOn the next screen you can and should add all of the following:\nProfile picture (your business logo is great for this)\nChannel description (what kind of videos will you be sharing?)\nLink to your website and other social profiles\nClick “Save and Continue.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nNow you have a YouTube channel for your business! Continue to Step 3 to further customize your channel. \nStep 3: Customize your YouTube channel\nWhile you can now upload videos and technically do have a YouTube channel for your business, you should customize your channel to fit with your branding. \nStart by clicking “Customize channel” on the new screen you are brought to. \n(Image)\n\nHere, you can add channel art (a banner photo), add featured channels that are relevant to your business, and add new sections to organize your videos. \n(Image)\n\nGo to the “About” section to edit your description, add a business email, and add your location. \n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Upload your first video\nNow all that’s left to do is start adding videos. Wherever you are on YouTube, you can always click the video camera icon in the top right corner to upload a new video to your business channel. Click “Upload video” and follow the prompts to get your video added. \n(Image)\n\nEnhance your marketing efforts with other social media outlets\nYouTube isn’t the only social media outlet that you should take advantage of. Learn the benefits that you can gain from other social media channels for your business and use those that best suit your needs. \nHere are a few guides to get you started:\nHow to create and claim your business’s Facebook page\nHow to create an Instagram account for your business\nHow to create a business Twitter account\n\nHow to create a business LinkedIn account\n
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How to set up a YouTube channel for your small business

In this article:\nWhy use Instagram for business\nHow to set up and claim your business Instagram account\nWhat to post on Instagram\nEighty percent of Instagram’s one billion users follow at least one business on their Instagram account. They enjoy the aesthetically pleasing content that brands tend to share on this channel, and feel more connected to brands they like.  \nWith so many potential customers on Instagram, this platform provides tons of opportunities for your business to increase awareness of your brand and improve your online visibility. \nWhy use Instagram for your business?\nMore people join Instagram every year. This popular social media channel is the perfect way for consumers to relax and pass time as they check out fun and inspiring images and engage with their favorite brands. \nSome advantages that Instagram can provide your business:\nAny size business can be successful on Instagram\nThere are about 1 billion active Instagram users worldwide daily\nLocal advertising functionality can help you reach targeted audiences\nYou can partner with influencers to share your brand and gain more awareness\nEasily engage with customers through comments, polls, and direct messaging\nMobile users are more frequently on Instagram than any other social media channel\nMonitor competitors’ Instagram accounts to see how they engage their followers\nBoost sales by showcasing new products and services\nGet feedback from consumer polls and collect data to improve your business\nHow to set up your business Instagram account\nNow that you know some ways Instagram can help your business, let’s dive in. Follow these steps to set up your business Instagram account. \n1. Download the app or go to the Instagram website\nFirst, you’ll need to go to Instagram’s platform. You can download the mobile app on your phone or tablet, or you can go to Instagram.com in any web browser. \nFrom there, you’ll need to sign up for a new account. \n(Image)\n\n2. Sign up for Instagram\nContinue the signup process by clicking “Sign up” and entering in all of the required information. You are given the option to “Log in with Facebook,” but this is really only a good option for personal accounts. (For those who aren’t aware, Facebook owns Instagram.)\nFor a business account, you’ll want to keep it separate from personal Facebook accounts so anyone that you need to can have access to the account. \nEnter a mobile number or email (one of these will be used to verify the account), the name of your business, a username, and a password. Then click “Sign up.”\n(Image)\n\nVerify your phone number or email next. You’ll receive a 6-digit code that you need to confirm in order to finish setting up your account. \n(Image)\n\n3. Switch to a business Instagram account. \nNow that you’ve created an account, you’ll want to make sure you change the settings so your profile appears as a business account. You’ll need to log in to the mobile app to do this. \nWhen you’re there, click the user icon on the bottom right corner of the app. \n(Image)\n\nNext, click the menu icon in the top right of your screen and navigate to your settings. \n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nAfter that, click “Account”… \n(Image)\n\n…and then go to “Switch to Professional Account.”\n(Image)\n\nFrom there, you will be prompted to select a “Creator” account or a “Business” account. As a small business, we urge you to select business to gain the best opportunities for your brand. \n(Image)\n\nThen you’ll be directed to a series of screens that let you know what a business account can do for you. Click “Continue” through each of the next four slides. \n(Image)\n\nNext, select the best category for your business. Scroll through the list or search for the most relevant category that represents your business. \n(Image)\n\nThen you’ll want to add your business’s contact information: email, phone number, and address. If you have a business cell phone, that would be the best number to associate with the account. \nYou don’t have to display your contact information, but the more places this is accessible, the more opportunities you have for customers to get in touch with your business. \n(Image)\n\nAfter you’ve updated your information, it’s time to connect to your business Facebook page. Facebook and Instagram advertising are integrated together, so you’ll want to make sure to link these two accounts. \nDon’t have a Facebook page for your business? Check out our guide: \nHow to create and claim your Facebook business page\nYou will need to be an admin of your business Facebook page in order to connect it to your Instagram account, and when you select “Choose Page” you’ll be prompted to log into your personal Facebook account to see the pages that you are an admin on. \nSelect your business page and click “Done.” \nYou can also link your Instagram account from your Facebook page on a desktop computer if someone else is the admin or if you want to do this at a later time.\n(Image)\n\nNow you officially have a business Instagram account! But there are a couple more things you’ll want to do to really complete your profile. \n4. Complete your profile\nNow you need to add a profile photo, bio, and your website in order to complete your business’s Instagram profile. \nTo add a profile photo, go back to your profile and click the “+” on the profile icon in the top left of your screen. \nFrom there, select “Add Profile Photo” and “New Profile Photo.” \nA company logo is usually the best picture to use here because it helps to reinforce your brand. \n(Image)\n\nWhen you have your profile photo added, go back to your profile and select “Edit Profile.”\nThis is where you can update your bio and website. Add your website into the appropriate field. And then add a short description of your business into the bio section. \nThen click the checkmark in the top right corner, and your profile is officially complete!\n(Image)\n\n5. Add content\nYou have signed up for Instagram, switched to a business account, and completed your profile. Now it’s time to start posting. \nGet some beautiful images together of products or employees on the job and start tracking engagement. \nMost businesses post on Instagram between 1 and 3 times each day. Try to set a goal for your business and select an employee who can keep up with the posts. \nRead on to learn more about what kinds of things you should post. \nWhat kind of content should businesses post on Instagram?\nInstagram is a creative platform, so be sure to get creative with your posts. Professional photos and videos will go a long way here. \nTo get help you get started, we’ve put together this small list of ideas that your business can use to post on Instagram:\nNew products and services\nDiscounts and deals\nEmployee features\nCustomer features\nInspirational images and quotes\nMemes\nContests/giveaways\nCelebrations for your business (anniversaries, milestones reached)\nTrending hashtag posts (#NationalDoughnutDay anyone?)\nBehind the scenes photos and videos\nUpcoming events\nHoliday posts\nGet creative and have fun with it!\nThere are so many ways that small businesses can take advantage of Instagram and find success on this platform. You just need to determine your goals for your business’s Instagram account and start working toward those.

How to create an Instagram account for your business

In this article:\nWhy you need a blog for your small business \nDo’s of writing an effective small business blog \nDon’ts of writing a blog for your business\nBlogging can be an important facet of any content marketing campaign. From providing value, to attracting new customers, to helping your website show up better online, there are several ways that writing a blog can help even truly small businesses. \nAs you begin planning your blog strategy, you should keep a few things in mind along the way. There are right and wrong ways to blog, so let’s go over what those are and discuss how to get started. \nWhy you should consider using a blog to help market your small business\nStarting a blog for your small business can provide several benefits for your online marketing, SEO, and customer experience. \nBlogging can improve search engine visibility\nBlogging is a great way to enhance your search engine visibility, or in other words, \nSEO for your small business\n. Google and other search engines place a high value on fresh, new content on websites and social media. \nPosting regular content shows Google that your website isn’t stagnant and that you are trying to provide constant value to your (and by extension Google’s) users. \nA quality blog positions you as an expert in your field\nWhen you write blog articles on your website, they help set you apart as an expert in your field. Your blog articles should be relevant to your industry and help others to learn more about it. \nA good blog will provide value for your readers and current customers\nAlong with making you the expert, a blog helps to provide additional value to your customers–like how to use your products or additional information about your services. \nA blog can increase traffic to your website and social profiles\nAs you post your blog articles and share them on your social profiles, they provide more opportunities for you to increase traffic to your website and social channels. This can also help your search engine visibility as more people find and view your blogs. \nThe do’s of writing an effective small business blog\nSeveral things are necessary for writing a good blog post beyond just the writing itself. You need to have it well-organized and easy to read and consume. \nFollow these do’s for writing a blog to give yourself the best opportunities to succeed. \nHave a clear focus\nEach article you write should have a definite focus. Before writing any blog article, think about the topics that would best benefit your customers and readers. \nRather than try to cover too much, choose a specific topic for each article to keep your readers engaged and help them easily follow the article.  \nUse relevant headings and subheadings\nAll blog articles should be easy to read and follow. One thing that makes for better readability is separating the different sections of the article by using headings and subheadings. \nMost people have low attention spans when it comes to reading through large blocks of text, so using headings to help break the article up will allow them to easily scan it to see what it is about. And then if they choose to dive deeper and read the full article, they have that option. \nThis technique also helps with SEO, as your H1/H2/H3 tags help search engines determine what your blog is about. Learn more in our article about \nfree tips for better SEO rankings\n.\nPost updates frequently\nIf you are going to start a blog for your small business, you should commit to a blogging schedule. Posting frequently and consistently will be important, especially if you start picking up regular readers. A good beginning goal to shoot for is 1-3 articles per month. \nDetermine what your team is capable of handling and work up from there. (More is generally better, but make sure every post is valuable and relevant.)\nLook for keyword opportunities\nYour blog is a great place to try ranking for new keywords, especially long-tail phrases. Long-tail phrases are the longer phrases people type when searching for something online. They are usually 5 or more words. \nSome examples of long-tail phrases are “how to write a blog for small businesses” or “where to find the best restaurants in NYC.”\nStrategically plan keywords that each of your blog posts could go after and then stick to that plan as you write your articles. \nUse effective, high-quality images\nImages help enhance your blog posts. People are visual by nature, so adding a compelling image to your blog post will help grab their attention and keep them interested throughout the article. \nLearn more in our \nguide to getting professional-quality photography for your small business\n.\nChoose your blog article length strategically\nA blog article is drastically different from a social media post. On social media, it’s important to keep your posts very short and to the point. But blog articles can (and should) go a little more in-depth and provide additional value. \nMore and more frequently, we are finding that long-form blog posts perform better on Google. They provide more value to users by answering their questions within one post. Long-form blog posts can range from 800-2500 words (and sometimes more). \nThe important thing here is to make sure you provide a well-rounded article that stays to the point. If you can write everything your customers need to know in 500 words, that’s great. Don’t try to stretch it out to get a certain word count. \nAnd if you feel you need to keep adding additional sections and the article starts to creep beyond 2500 words, the subject may merit being separated into multiple, more specific articles. \nReview, review, review\nWe cannot express enough how important the review process is for your blog. After each blog post is written it is crucial to have another set of eyes (preferably multiple sets) review the article for any misguided facts, spelling, layout problems, non-functional links, grammatical errors, etc. \nYour blog is an extension of your brand and represents your business. Make sure it represents you well. \nPromote your blog articles\nOnce your articles are written, it’s important to share them everywhere you can. Share your content across all of your social channels and be sure to include keyword-rich anchor text links back to your blog. \n(For example if you want your business to rank well in searches for local pet services businesses, you would select some keywords and use those as the “anchor text” to your article, thus: \nlocal pet services\n.)\nYou may even decide that some blog articles are important enough to boost as a paid ad on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. That’s a great way to get more readers for your blog. \nThe don’ts of writing a small business blog\nWe’ve outlined the right ways to do create and promote small business blog. Now here are the things to avoid doing if you want to do well in the search engines and keep your readers engaged. \nDon’t set unrealistic goals for your blog\nIt’s important not to set goals that you can’t achieve. Let’s say you want to post 5-6 articles every month, but you don’t have the time to do that yourself, and you don’t have any other writers on your staff to help you out. You’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. \nSet realistic goals for yourself as you start your blog writing endeavors. Start small and grow as you are able to. \nDon’t copy others’ content or plagiarize\nThis should be an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many small businesses just copy some content they like from another website and post it on their own without giving any attribution to the original source. \nPlagiarizing large amounts of content on your website, even if you do give credit to the original publisher, is illegal, unethical, and can hurt your search engine visibility. \nIt’s important to write unique content on your website. And if you do need to copy some content from another site, make sure to give them proper attribution and try to keep this to a minimum and only when absolutely necessary. \nIf you want to mention other people’s blogs or social media and link to them, recommending them as another good source of info, this is usually perfectly fine (and actually desirable for the other party).\nDon’t post inconsistently or infrequently\nDon’t start a blog on your website, post once, and then leave the blog stagnant for several months. Your website should be a living, breathing thing that you are consistently feeding new content to. Determine a realistic frequency to post blogs and try to stick to it. \nIf you don’t apply real effort to creating good, relevant, fresh content for your blog, you will see practically zero benefit from it.\nDon’t post irrelevant content\nYour blog should be relevant to your business. If you run a veterinary clinic, you’re not going to want to post blog articles about interior decorating (unless it somehow relates to a pet’s health). \nKeep your blog articles relevant to your business and the needs of your customers. \nDon’t ramble \nRambling is a big no-no. No one is going to want to read an article that rambles on and on about any given topic (or gets way off topic). Rambling usually doesn’t have a clear focus and tends to take away from the overall impact and value of the article. \nKeep your articles well-organized and concise. \nDon’t use long spans of text\nGoing back to consumer attention spans, it’s important to avoid long walls of text within your blog articles. Keep your paragraphs short. \nThree to 4 short sentences is a good goal to have. This will make your articles easier to read and skim through. \nFor most people, if they see a long wall of text when they land on an article, they will go back and find a different one that is easier to consume quickly. \nDon’t forget to proofread\nProofreading and reviewing all articles before they get published is an important part of the process. Don’t be in such a rush that you publish mistakes or poorly crafted content just for the sake of posting.\nRemember that your blog represents you. Show that you care by publishing quality, well-built articles. 

The do’s and don’ts of writing an effective small business blog

In this article:\nWhy use Facebook advertising\nCreate a Facebook account for your business\nHow to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business\nHow to create your first ad campaign\nSocial media is a prominent source of entertainment and information in this digital age, and Facebook is king. It’s no wonder there is so much emphasis to get your business on Facebook and start advertising there. \nIn this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business, and even get you started with your first ad campaign! \nWhy use Facebook advertising for your small business\nFacebook advertising holds three main purposes or goals for the businesses that use it:\nBrand awareness \nIncreased consideration\nIncreased conversions\nWith enhanced targeting capabilities and low costs, advertising your business on Facebook can help you with each of these goals.\nImportant note: If you want to advertise your business on Instagram, you’ll need to have a Facebook Ads Manager because it is integrated with this platform. \nCreate a Facebook account for your business\nBefore you can start advertising your small business on Facebook, you’ll need to set up a Facebook business page. Whether you choose to advertise your business on Facebook or not, this is still an important step for any business’s marketing strategy. \nCheck out our guide: \nHow to create and claim your Facebook business page\nHow to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business\nLet’s get started. \nStep 1: Set up your Business Manager account\nFacebook Ads Manager is a feature of Facebook’s Business Manager, so you’ll first need to set up an account there. \nGo to \nbusiness.facebook.com\n and sign in to your Facebook account. Once you’re signed in, click “Create Business.” \n(Image)\n\nA modal will then pop up where you’ll need to enter your Business Name, Your Name, and Your Business Email. Click “Next.”\n\n\nNext, enter your business details:\nCountry\nStreet address\nCity\nState\nZip\nBusiness phone number\nWebsite\nBusiness use\nClick “Submit.”\n(Image)\n\nNow, confirm your email address and your Business Manager account will be set up. \n(Image)\n\nIt can sometimes take a little time to receive this email, so if you don’t have it right away, don’t worry. You can still continue setting up your account. \nStep 2: Add an ad account to your Business Manager\nNow that your Business Manager is set up, you can add an ad account. After you confirm your email or click “Done” on the pop-up, you’ll be brought to your Business Manager dashboard. Click “Add Ad Account.”\n(Image)\n\nYou’ll then be brought to a pop-up modal with three options: add an ad account you own, request access to an ad account, or create an ad account. \nWe’re going to show you how to create a new ad account, so select “Create Ad Account.”\n(Image)\n\nGive your ad account a name (your business name works best here), select your time zone, and select your currency. Click “Next.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, select who your ad account will be used for–your business or another business. This will likely be your business unless you are a marketing agency setting this up for a customer. Click “Create.”\n(Image)\n\nThe next window you are brought to will prompt you to add yourself to the ad account so you have full access to it. Click the circle by your name, click the toggle option next to “Manage Ad Account,” and click “Assign.”\n(Image)\n\nNice work! You’ll see the following message and your ad account is official.\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Add a payment method to your ad account\nBefore you can start creating Facebook and Instagram ads, you’ll need to add a payment method to your Ads Manager account. \nYou can select “Payment Methods” in the window that pops up after you finish creating your ad account or follow the next steps. \nFrom your Business Manager dashboard, click “Ad Account Settings” on the left menu bar. If you don’t see this option yet, refresh your page. It may take a minute to appear since you just created your Ad Account. \n(Image)\n\nGo to “Payment Settings.”\n(Image)\n\nClick “Add Payment Method.”\n(Image)\n\nEnter the payment method of your choice. You have the option to add a credit or debit card, your Paypal information, your bank account, or a Facebook Ad coupon. Click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nThis last step of setting up your ad account is optional, but super handy if you have a max budget that you can spend on Facebook ads. You can set a spending limit for your Facebook ads, so as soon as your ads reach that limit, they will shut off. This is good if you forget to put an end date on your ads or if you have someone else managing them for you. \nYou can always update or remove this limit when you run another ad campaign as well. \nClick “Set Your Account Spending Limit.” Then type in the amount that you want to set it to and click “Set Limit.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nYour Ads Manager Account is officially set up!\nStep 4: Create an ad\nYour ad account isn’t complete without getting a new ad set up. There are tons of ways to configure your ads, so we won’t walk you through every option in this guide, but we’ll give you some of the basics to get started. \nGo to your Business Manager dashboard and click “Create Ad.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nFirst, select the goal for this new ad campaign. \n(Image)\n\nName your campaign and click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nThen you’ll be taken to create your “Ad Set.” This is your ad audience, placements, and budget. Here you’ll need to complete the following steps:\nName your Ad Set\nChoose where you want to drive traffic to (website, app, or Messenger)\nCreate your audience (click “Create New” to change your audience’s location, age, gender, and detailed targeting information) and save it\nChoose your placements (Automatic Placements is recommended)\nSet your daily budget and schedule\nClick “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nOkay, now your audience and budget are set, so it’s time to create your ad. \nName your ad and choose the Facebook page that it is associated with (this will be your business Facebook page). \n(Image)\n\nNext, you can create an ad by using media from your Facebook page, uploading new content, or using an existing post on your Facebook page. \n(Image)\n\nMake sure to add the following items to your ad:\nPrimary text (tell people what your ad is about)\nHeadline\nDescription (any additional details)\nLink to your website or a Facebook Event\nChoose your Call to Action\n(Image)\n\nClick “Confirm” and watch as your ad starts getting traffic and engagement!

34 articles found in “Social media”

How to promote Tweets on Twitter for your small business

7 ways to promote your hair or nail salon on Yelp

How to set up a YouTube channel for your small business

How to create an Instagram account for your business

The do’s and don’ts of writing an effective small business blog

How to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business

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