13 Ways For Your Biz To Think Pink in October

August 12, 2015August 12, 2015audreygotto Leave a comment

Social Responsibility is a big priority for many companies. How about yours? Does your team participate in a local “Walk For The Cure” or other fundraiser to show your support for a special cause? Branded products are an important component of any awareness initiative. Why? because pairing your brand’s logo with the cause shows goodwill to your staff and the community. Not to mention the warm and fuzzy feeling we all experience when putting ourselves out there to help others. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Fina Promos have put together 13 of our favorite product ideas for showing support. Just click on the PINK SNEAKERS PHOTO to get great ideas.

Branded products help show your company’s support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Please leave a comment below and share how your business has shown social responsibility for the causes that matter to you.

All My Best,

Audrey Gotto-Owner and lover of pink sneakers.

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3 Ways to Get More Twitter Shout-Outs ( Retweets)

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015audreygotto Leave a comment

The goal for any marketing effort is to be create awareness of your product or service and attain new business. How can you increase your company’s exposure on social media channels such as Twitter? When a follower retweets your post, his or her followers are now exposed to your business or organization. This kind of shout out is immeasurable! Here are the top three tips I share most often when asked how to get tweets, well, retweeted. If you’re new to Twitter, just pick out one and start there. Retweets are sure to follow.

1. Add facts, figures, stats, and images to your tweets Most people like to see facts, figures and stats in tweets. I know I do. And, I’m pretty sure it’s not a coincidence that the tweets at Fina Promos that get re-tweeted almost ALWAYS contain a relevant statistic or fact, figure, and/or image. Tweets with images are 94% more likely to be retweeted. Twitter rewards people who get their dimensions just right by displaying images in the feed, so keep your images 440 by 220 pixels. Below is an example of an image I shared on twitter that quickly and clearly incorporates this idea.

Share one interesting and relevant stat or sentence from your blog post with a link to read more. Remember to attach a photo if possible, as tweets with photos are twice as likely to be retweeted.

2. Use hashtags properly

Less is more. One or two relevant hashtags is more than enough for any tweet. Any more and you risk becoming known as a hashtag spammer, and nobody wants to talk to that person. In a study of 1.2 million tweets, it was found that a sprinkle of relevant hashtags can increase your retweets by 55%. Twitter offers guidance on how to use hashtags, as incorrect use can lead to a violation of their T&Cs, so give that a read before embarking on your hashtag journey. I’m a big fan of placing my “hashtagged word” at the end of my post. It might look like this; “Life only demands from you the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible-not to have run away.” #quoteoftheday #inspiration Whatever your personal style, be uncluttered and professional with your use of hashtags.

3. Have a PURPOSE for your tweet Always think about the purpose of your tweets. Are you sharing awesome information with your followers? Promoting your latest blog post? Talking about a current event? Keeping your tweets focused, interesting and relevant will dramatically increase of your tweets being retweeted by your community. Maybe you’re trying to do all three. Choose your reason for that ONE tweet, and have at it! Vague or generalized tweets will not be share worthy most (if any) of the time.

I have provided a link below to my FREE Ultimate Twitter Checklist. Feel free to download and use it to audit your own site.

http://finapromos.net/images/twitter-checklist1.pdf

Regards, Audrey Gotto

Got any other tips or stats for creating tweets that will get retweeted? Let us know how you succeed in the comments.

“Promote Your Selfie” – The Top Promotional Product Trend in 2015

March 10, 2015March 10, 2015audreygotto Leave a comment

Breakout product of 2015: the selfie stick.

If you haven’t heard of selfie sticks, they’re those telescoping wands with phone holders at the end of them that allow you to take selfies that don’t look like selfies. They come in Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth models. Why so popular this year? Consider a few statistics:

54% of internet users have posted original photos online.

There are nearly 62 million tagged selfie photos on Instagram alone!

Everyone is familiar with Ellen Degeneres snapping a selfie at the Oscars. The Oscar selfie was thought to be worth over $1 billion to Samsung. Several major celebrities were featured prominently in the selfie, along with the Samsung product logo on the back of the phone. The selfie was snapped with the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, and it became the most retweeted file in Twitter’s history – getting many more viewers in that way than at the event itself.

Many brands have since jumped on the selfie revolution building successful media campaigns around selfies, and some have done so very successfully. Event professionals, PR firms, and some major brands are looking at ways to turn event selfies into marketing gold.

A selfie Stick would make a great promotional swag gift at a fundraiser or VIP reception. By utilizing social media and print media prior to the event, a social buzz is created even before the first drinks are served. And can you imagine how many posts, shares and retweets such an event might garnish? Imprinted selfie sticks sell for approx. $8-$15 and believe me, it’s well worth your swag budget!

At Fina Promotions, we run a #PromoteYourSelfie contest on Instagram. (Happily, our company sells logo’d selfie sticks AND imprinted T-shirts!) We ask Instagrammers to like our image and follow @finapromotions on Instagram for a chance at a free “BUT FIRST LET ME TAKE A SELFIE” T-shirt. A random new follower is chosen every Thursday (Selfie Thursday) and they are notified by a direct message in their IG inbox and are tagged in our photo for the week. They can then post a selfie, and tag us in their photo wearing our shirt after they have received it. We have so far in three weeks increased our Instagram following by 30% as a result.

So, what are you waiting for? Get with the trendy, beautiful people and #PromoteYourSelfie! I’m always happy to assist you with finding the perfect promo item for your next event.

All My Best,

Audrey Gotto

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile For Maximum Exposure

ImageDecember 21, 2014September 21, 2014audreygotto Leave a comment

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for building our own personal/professional brand (or persona) as well as our company brand image. A well optimized LinkedIn profile will support the “LinkedIn activity” your brand is associated with. Be sure to use key words in your professional bio or that of your business. This should be the NUMBER ONE item on your list of priorities. Get it right. Experiment with key words until you are sure you are representing yourself and your brand precisely where you want to be found in the “webisphere.”

I have included a 22 item LinkedIn “checklist” for you to download or print as a free guide to help optimize your entire LinkedIn presence. I hope it is helpful for you. I’m still trying to get through all of the steps, myself! Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion in the “reply” section. I’d love to hear from you.

Regards,

Audrey Gotto

Click on the link below

LinkedIn-checklist(1)

Cool Article-Read thru! I Am Leaving #SocialMedia

LinkNovember 25, 2014September 21, 2014audreygotto Leave a comment

Jeff Comm, New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur wrote an excellent article that I just HAD to share with you! Follow Jeff on his journey of love/hate with social media. Thousands (no, millions) of us can relate to this…GREAT ENTERTAINING READ!

Click on link to Jeff’s Article

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140324190941-3561889-i-am-leaving-social-media?trk=nus-cha-roll-art-title

Trinkets, Trash, or Treasure? How Should You View Promotional Items?

VideoSeptember 24, 2014September 23, 2014audreygotto Leave a comment

As I sit down to my computer this morning, (half awake, I might add) to write an article about the usefulness (or lack thereof) of promotional products, I take a sip of java from my favorite mug.

It’s the black one with the stylized “Starbucks Lady” logo etched in white. I love this mug. I pull it out every morning as I immerse myself into my work day. In fact, if this mug is not yet washed (i.e; still in the sink!) I will wash it by hand. That’s how much I LOVE this ceramic mug. Most of us can relate to that one item we pull out of the cupboard first. Two minutes later I picked up an Allied Group, Inc. (one of my clients) logo’d imprinted pens to take a few notes….Oh, and by the way I wrote that note on a scratch pad imprinted with a local auto glass company’s logo, phone number and address imprinted at the bottom of each and every page.

So, what’s the point? Okay maybe I don’t automatically think, “Wow! I really must call Allied Group, Starbucks and Ryan’s Auto Glass today and give them tons of business!” More likely I will occasionally have a need for an auto glass repair, SEO work from Allied or need to stock up on Starbucks. BUT WHEN I DO HAVE THE NEED, more than likely my subconscience will lead me to think of those companies whose marketing promo products are laying around my house.

What about you? Look around your house or office after reading this article. How many promotional products do you see? Why do you have them around? Are they useful items? A brand you like being associated with? Is there an emotional connection. Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

The video below shows some very compelling statistics on the power of this advertising medium. So, what do YOU think? Trinkets, Trash, or Treasures?

http://finapromos.net/ TEL 412-523-5185 /Audrey Gotto

What Social Media Platforms are Best Suited to Your Business?

ImageSeptember 18, 2014September 18, 2014audreygotto Leave a comment

Wondering which Social Media Platforms your #SmallBiz should focus on? Here is a great infographic to quickly help you decide which one best suits your target audience. Click on “View Original” link at the bottom of this post to help you succeed. FOCUS on the best ones for your brand. Better to be excellent at a few than mediocre on many. -Audrey Gotto, Fina Promotions

What I Learned from Mr. Ed about Marketing

March 20, 2014audreygotto Leave a comment

“Never speak unless you have something to say.” -Mr. Ed

I agree with Mr. Ed, the talking horse in the classic television series. He was famous for saying, “you should never speak unless you have something to say.” He was one smart horse, folks. In fact, from a promotional marketing perspective, his advice is often overlooked by many businesses. After identifying your target audience or group, don’t just “wing it” when it comes to your promotional message. Take the time to create a strong, effective and compelling marketing message or statement right on the promo product you are spending your hard earned marketing dollars to purchase.

When imprinting or customizing a promotional product, business gift, or advertising specialty product, some businesses print or engrave their logo only on that product. This is a waste of valuable marketing “real estate” and can be a missed opportunity. A coffee mug can be imprinted as a “wrap around” design giving you room for a full color process photo of your product or service. Consider using your maximum imprint area without being cheesy. Granted, not all imprint areas are large enough to accommodate a lengthy tagline. And the type of promotional product you choose may not warrant detailed graphics. But, as you think your promotion through, consider including a strong benefit statement or call to action.

When imprinting promotional products for my company, Fina Promotions, I always try to include the message; “Marketing Services for Small Business and Busy Entrepreneurs.” At the very least, imprint your website address underneath your logo if you can. It generally doesn’t cost any more if you imprint in the same color as your logo or graphic image. It can improve your results dramatically. By adding that one line (tagline, message, or benefit statement), I am informing the target group what I want them to know about my company.

So, Follow Mr. Ed’s Advice and never speak unless you have something to say!

-Audrey Gotto

On-Target Marketing Blog

Providing Branding Direction with Promo Products, Social Media and Creative Print

Marketing

“Promote Your Selfie” – The Top Promotional Product Trend in 2015

Breakout product of 2015: the selfie stick.

Trinkets, Trash, or Treasure? How Should You View Promotional Items?

What I Learned from Mr. Ed about Marketing