THE WHITLATCH WEEKLY

Social Media and hashtags go together like milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, or really any cliche example of perfect duos you can think of.  Like other resources provided via Social Media, hashtags are one we definitely need to be familiar with, inside and out.  Hashtags can be a very reliable and traceable tool, but you must know how to use them effectively.           I like to think of hashtags as a type of tool similar to the "Bat Signal."  Yes, the same one Lt. Gordon would shine so brightly over the streets of Gotham City as a call to Batman.  Such a simple image cast into the sky for a specific purpose.  It can be seen from far and wide, and when you do see it, you know something is about to take place, good or bad.           Unlike Gotham City, the world has no Batman (that we know of), but we do have millions and millions of Social Media users shining "Bat Signals" all across the globe. With this number growing daily, so has the importance

          In 1995, Newsweek  released an article titled, " Why The Web Won't Be Nirvana ."  This article was basically written to make the argument that the Internet was only going to be a fad. Paragraph after paragraph, it literally mocks the thought of being able to take a computer to the beach, purchasing items via the internet, or even having newspapers or books replaced with digital versions.  Author of the article, Clifford Stoll, made it very clear this would soon fade out, and the Internet would only be a fad.  Two decades later, here we are again.  The term, "fad," is being thrown around once more, and guess what...they were wrong again.                 It's funny how wrong Clifford, and many others, were about the Internet and its possibilities.   Nearly each resource or tool he said could never come from the internet, has flourished on the internet.  As the importance of Social Media has continued to grow more and more important in the workp

One of the big advantages of Social Media is being able to see exactly what your customer or audience is saying about your brand or company at all times.  The only question is, are we really listening?     Something a lot of companies are having trouble doing since the rise of the importance of Social Media, is simply listening to what is being said about their brand or company.  Not only listening to the good things and positive things being said, but even more so, the negatives.  Hearing the positives being said is what each company should be going for, but something that will be even more beneficial to your company is hearing the negatives and doing something about it.  Not only does this give you a head-start in fixing the problem and figuring out what went wrong, but it allows you to see an outside opinion with no bias perspective getting in the way.      People have always had a love for knowledge and even more so, sharing that knowledge.  Our curiosity levels are

      It is no secret that mobile usage and digital media in general has climbed over the last decade.  What used to be only accessible at your desktop, is now available right in your pocket.  Mobile media usage will continue to climb, but where should it be on your priority list as a Marketing professional?  There no longer is a question of whether a mobile presence is important or not, but rather, is it the most important ?         Don't get me wrong, to each their own as far as one's preference to look at certain types of media - desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.  Regardless of the device or source of Mobile Media, you must be aware of the consumers behavior when using different Mobile devices and what they prefer.    WHEN WILL THEY NEED YOU?          ALL THE TIME - WEEKDAYS - WEEKENDS - AM/PM - HOLIDAYS - EVENTS   WHY WILL THEY NEED YOU?          CUSTOMER SERVICE - F.A.Q. - E-COMMERCE - CONVENIENCE - INFORMATION WHERE WILL THEY NEED YOU?    

With 2015 coming to a close, Social Media also requires some end of the year attention.  Here are the Top Ten Chores for Social Media that you must not ignore as the new year approaches... 1.) Social Media Hygiene A very effective way of saving your self some time, is doing some winter cleaning throughout your Social Media platforms.  Go through both your followers and those you follow and see if they are still relevant and worth following.  This will take out certain content that isn't valuable to yourself or your business.  Email Contacts, Followers, Lists, Connections, go through them all carefully and weed out the ones that are cluttering your newsfeed. 2.) Am I Mobile Enough? If you haven't thought about how your customers or audience see you on their mobile devices, you need to get with the program, quick.  Internet users spend over 50% of their time on mobile devices in comparison to a desktop or laptop, not to mention Facebook alone reports close to 40% of their

Nobody really likes Mondays.  Am I right?  Especially the Monday that falls after a long weekend filled with turkey, football, and finding that unbeatable price on Black Friday, only to see that it is even cheaper on "Cyber Monday."  It's a beautiful thing isn't it?   Now back to reality... Back to emails, meetings, phone calls, and your fellow employee who always has to use the microwave right when you need to.  I don't like Mondays anymore than you do, but that doesn't mean they have to go to waste!  The Monday segment of my blog will focus on the "Must-Do's" to grow your business via Social Media.  So cheer up... snap out of that food coma, and let's make something of our favorite day of the week! Mr. Hundred Dollar Bill himself, Benjamin Franklin, once said, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."  This applies to Social Media, especially Social Media Marketing, in many ways. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN OR STRATEGY

WHAT WORKS IN SOCIAL MEDIA Since the launch of the Social Media epidemic, users from all across the globe have found what you can and cannot do in the Social Media playground.  Similar to Google and some of the other powerhouses of the web, Social Media had no clear blueprint of what worked and what did not in the beginning.  Trial and error was the only real course anyone had in navigating through Social Media.  Thousands of little icons and emojis later, things are much different.  There is some understanding to Social Media these days, which is only making the Social Media realm bigger and bigger.  Here is what is working and what is not as we come to a close of 2015. 1.) PROMOTE ALL OF YOUR ACCOUNTS - One of the best features that the majority of Social Media outlets have is they can normally be synced to one another.  Instead of just posting a picture on Instagram, you now can post to Facebook, Twitter, etc. with a couple extra clicks.  Not to mention they all allow their own

WATCH OUT 2016 Some new players in the app world are about to be knocking on the doors of some of the most popular icons are thumbs and index fingers can’t get enough of.   Here is a list of the top 8 apps to keep any eye out for the first of the year… (In no particular order) 1.) Shots – with the word “selfie” becoming more and more relevant each day (unfortunately) a new app breaks in to the scene in 2016, designed specifically for those oh so important selfie moments… imagine if “instagram” and “snapchat” had a baby... it would be shots .   It does have some features those two lack however.   It won’t be so focused on privacy and security, but more so connecting with people and being able to share your pictures.   You will not be able to comment on the pictures, but you can chat back and forth with others. 2.) Wanelo – what would be the perfect word for stuff you want, need, and love?   You guessed it... wanelo .   Allowing you to browse millions of retail avenu