Why Your Company Needs a LinkedIn Page

Think of a recent professional networking event you have attended. How many people were there? 100? 200? How would you feel about one with 433 million people? That is approximately how many people are currently using LinkedIn.

Don’t miss out on all the valuable connections and relationships that LinkedIn has to offer. Not only is it something you need to tap into personally, it’s important to create a separate page for your business. Engage with like-minded people, stay up-to-date on industry trends, and show off where your business excels.Continue reading

More Than Just Selfies: A Guide To Instagram for Business

instagram for business jemully media

When Instagram started in 2010, it quickly escalated the trend of selfies. While selfies with duck faces are still posted a little too frequently, (see images below) Instagram is blooming into a creative space where users have the ability to showcase a different side of their personality.

-Duck face- (4)

Instagram is also evolving into the perfect niche for a business to advertise and connect with people in a different way than they do on other platforms.

Until recently, Instagram was solely comprised of personal accounts.Continue reading

10 SEO Techniques (You Needed Yesterday)

10 SEO techniques (you needed yesterday)

I see you working incredibly hard to keep your social media updated and to have the most beautiful website. How come you still aren’t seeing any major results? Sadly, if you’re not steadily improving your SEO (Search engine optimization), it could all be for nothing.

When people search for a company like yours in their browser, you need to be one of those first results. Otherwise, your website will be greatly overlooked.  Employing SEO techniques is one of the most powerful tools any and every business can use to increase web traffic. Continue reading

Social Media Marketing: Free Or Not Free?

Jemully Media - Is social media marketing free or not free
Social media is free. This is commonly accepted. I participate in several personal accounts with all the usual suspects: Facebook, Twitter (three different handles), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest—plus a few other niche platforms—and I’ve yet to spend a cent on any of them. I also work with many clients to establish or nurture social media presences for their businesses. Establishing accounts for these businesses was also free in the fact that the social media platform did not charge a fee for the business to own an account. But this is where the free-ness of social media, and social media marketing, becomes a bit more complicated, and even a misnomer.

It turns out that having social media is not synonymous with doing social media well.

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7 Proven Steps to Defining Your Target Audience

Jemully Media free target audience checklist

Download Our Free Target Audience Checklist.

It starts with the right questions. It ends with the right answers.

Here is an example of how the scenario goes in our agency. The table was set with the usual fare: fruit, cheeses, and a touch of something sweet (usually a muffin or two). Along with small porcelain plates, the notepads and pens were positioned by each place. The flat screen was displaying the company website. When we finished the get-acquainted pleasantries between our team and our new client, I directed the conversation to the purpose of the gathering—learning about his target audience.

“Thank you for sharing a little bit about yourself and the background of your company. So, as we begin to formulate a marketing strategy, help us understand exactly who is your target market—your ideal customer—for the business?”

“Everyone,” he replied with a little chuckle as he glanced at each person around the table, looking for signs of affirmation. “Everyone needs what we sell.”

Jemully Media conference table target audience meeting.
Photo credit: Stock Pic Shop

Every week our team sits down with business owners who participate in a similar scenario. It is our team’s goal to learn about each company so we can help the owner develop a strategy for growth. The answer to the common question, “Who is your exact target audience?” is one of the first questions a business owner should answer. The description in this answer impacts the effectiveness of whatever game plan is implemented. Not only will the answer be a guiding factor in the channels the business uses for the promotions, but it will also influence the content of the message that is going to be communicated.

When the first answer to the audience question is big, and wide, and inclusive, it is our job to ask more questions that will begin to draw smaller and smaller circles on the target. The final result of the questions and answers will be a central sphere that encompasses just the right persons for the product.

Defining the target audience for your business.

If your answer to the question is similar to the one we often get—”everybody!”—then our free seven-step checklist is for you. This checklist is our series of questions we use with clients. You can take this tool and answer the questions as they apply to your business. This set of questions helps you sift through the whole world and shake out which type of potential customer will benefit most from what you offer. After answering the questions, you will have a clearer picture of who the ideal customer is for your business. Knowing your ideal customer will help you focus your marketing efforts so they are tailored to reach the right segment of “everybody” who needs your product.

OUTLINING THE TARGET AUDIENCE PROCESS

In our free Target Market Checklist, you will work through a simple process of answering questions about your business that will help you:

  1. Define your brand and your niche.
  2. Define your unique value proposition.
  3. Describe your ideal customer.
  4. Describe what your ideal customer needs most.
  5. Craft your brand promise.
  6. Choose your marketing channels.
  7. Define your goals and measures.

We appreciate your interest in our Target Market guide! With this checklist in hand, you are well on your way to hammering out an effective marketing plan. Sometimes, knowing the right questions to ask is just as important as having all the answers.

DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST

To get your free downloadable PDF version of this content, simply fill out the form below. This form will also subscribe you to our newsletter where you will get access to other useful marketing tips. Don’t worry, we won’t overload your inbox, just our newsletter a few times a year with more helpful tips and links to some of our popular blog posts!

More resources for refining your target.

After you you answer the questions on our checklist, you may want to refine your audience even more. Additionally, we recommend some competitor research as well. Here are some resources that will help you take a deeper dive in your strategic planning.

20 Cringeworthy Pronunciation Fails

Pronunciation fails are like broccoli caught in your teeth. A good friend will tell you; a bold acquaintance might tell you; others will inwardly cringe and let it slide.

Although pronunciation fails can be funny, to some people, it is akin to hearing nails on a chalkboard, or it is downright embarrassing.

“Recently, I said expidentionally instead of exponentially. I was speaking with a highly intelligent friend. I think she threw up in her mouth, a little.”Continue reading

Black History in the Military – Celebration of “Firsts”

Black History in the Military

Black History Month celebrates the achievements of blackAmericans and recognizes their integral roles in American history. Black history in the military is a narrowed focus to the point of celebrating those men and women who bravely fought for America’s greater good, but who were also groundbreakers in our armed forces and our nation’s long (and scarred) journey for justice in our civil rights.Continue reading

Ask Weird Questions Before You Buy a House

Jemully Media ask questions before you buy a home

START DURING THE WALK-THROUGH

As you walk-through a property with a realtor, one of the best pieces of advice we can give is this — ask questions when buying a home. Ask whatever pops into your mind, ask questions. Get inquisitive. Yes, ask anything under the sun. If you wonder about it, then it can’t hurt to see what the sellers have to say about it. To start you off, here are a few questions to consider:

  • Ask why the seller is selling.
  • Find out if any of the furniture or appliances are included in the sale.
  • Seek to look under the rugs.
  • Inquire about looking under the sinks.
  • Is the house in a rural area? Request information about cable and internet service. Maybe it’s spotty, maybe it’s non-existent. Either way, these are just a few of potentially many things that you’d really rather know before making a decision.

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New Holiday Family Traditions!

Family traditions are important. They make up a big part of what we hold onto as we grow older. Family traditions come in all shapes and sizes, and can be seasonally specific, or not. Holidays are meant to be celebratory, but if for some reason yours have been feeling stale or otherwise lacking, try instituting some new traditions. The variety will spice up your family’s holiday and either give you something to look forward to each year, or something to ditch in favor of yet more new holiday family traditions!

Here are some ideas for holiday family traditions. Some are Christmas-centric, some are not, and there are ideas to fit all budgets.Continue reading

How to Use Pinterest as Your Holiday Gift Guide

How to Use Pinterest as Your Holiday Gift Guide - Pinterest is one big wishlist. Learn how to use Pinterest boards as your holiday gift guide & put your social media stalking skills to use. 

Some families provide each other with a holiday wish list, but for those that don’t, or for that difficult-to-buy for person, you may be able to use Pinterest as your holiday gift guide.

Brilliant, right?

Of course right. Let me show you how to use someone’s Pinterest boards as your holiday gift guide this season! It’s part detective work and part putting those social media stalking skills to use.Continue reading