I know you’re busy and time is, after all, money! We’re all looking for fast and effective social media tips to try. So here are my Top 5 Tips to Boost Your Biz on Social Media:

Most of us have that one friend who is hashtag crazy. Their Instagram and Facebook posts just aren’t complete without 10+ hashtag’s that only they would ever use: #doesntsallylookcuteinthisdress or #milothepuppyisthebest. You know what I mean, right?

But love them or hate them, hashtags aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, for us marketers, hashtags are an important part of social media marketing for small business. However, In order for them to be effective, hashtags need to be creative and consistent. So, what’s the best way to use a hashtag? For a simple guide, just follow the Three C’s: Conversation, Competitions and Categories.

Facebook has announced that in the New Year, it will limit how many promotional posts people see on a business page. With organic reach at an all time low (some say it’s heading the way of the Dodo!), many of my small business clients have told me they’re feeling the effects. My response? Don’t put your marketing eggs in one basket!

I’ve always advocated diversity in marketing. Sure, social media marketing with apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus etc are still an important part of the marketing mix, but you don’t own those platforms. No doubt you’ve invested time and money building a large social media following but at the end of the day, the social media platform has control of what your 'fans' see.

Make your Facebook Page cover photo clickable – and send visitors to a landing page on your website that features your email sign up.

This is so simple and quick it will literally take you less than a minute to do. Here's how:

• Click directly on your Facebook page cover image
• Click “Edit”
• In the top description box, enter some promotional copy and then add a link to the page you want to send people to. Facebook will automatically make the URL a hyperlink
• Click “Done Editing”

Below is a screen shot of what the interface looks like when editing your Facebook Page cover photo. Add any URL you like and Facebook will make it a hyperlink!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across something in my Facebook News Feed that I’d love to read but just don’t have the time there and then. I have, on occasion, tried to scroll back to find something later but it was an exercise in futility! So I was quite excited when Facebook released their feature simply called “Save”.

I recently downloaded a fantastic e-book from American inbound marketing giant Hubspot called “Branding in the Inbound Age”. At 76 pages, it’s a fantastic resource for a small business marketer like myself and I’m keen to share some of the content with you along with my key take outs.

Even in the very early stages of my career, when I was in my early twenties, I knew I wanted to run my own small business. The idea of being my own boss, not having to ‘punch the clock’ and not having to commute were all very appealing. 

After I felt I’d gained the work experience I needed in the corporate world and when I was confident I could deliver a service that businesses needed ...   

If you’re marketing your small business online, then I’m sure you’re familiar with the latest buzzwords… “content marketing”.

What is content marketing? It’s all about creating and sharing valuable content – for free – that attracts potential customers. After all, attraction is the first rule of inbound marketing.

But the real art of content marketing is communicating with your customers and prospects without a hard core “sell, sell, sell” mentality.