Instagram, the inauguration and growing your business

While those of us in Baltimore are still celebrating last night’s Ravens win, the rest of the country is getting watching the inauguration and enjoying MLK Day. According to CNN, this will be the biggest event in the history of Instagram. Never before have so many people been able to use their cell phones to send messages out to the while world.

As photo sharing programs grow in popularity, you too can take advantage of this media to share photos of your business. Millions of people are out there waiting to see your images. Make them interesting and engaging and you will surely succeed.

How do you accomplish that? One way is to add a comment that is a call to action. Pose a question that you hope will elicit responses. Put a photo of a product you sell and ask people about it. Try to make your photos interesting and not just a picture of an item with a plain background. Have someone hold it, shoot it from a bit of an angle, do something to make the photo come to life.

Blurry photos are never good. No matter what filters you add or what program you use, it will still be blurry. Take a little time to get it right.

A funny or amusing photo will often get people to comment or share the picture. Adorable animal photos are extremely popular as are funny baby pictures. Photo bombing pictures, where a person or animal seems to have popped up out of nowhere taking over the photo, are always a favorite.

If you are well-versed in Photoshop, it can make all the difference in the world. Using filters, special effects and cropping will enhance the picture. Effective use of Photoshop to add a humorous element to the photo will add a little magic to your image.

So on this inauguration day, think about ways you can engage and entertain your own audience with the passion that this day holds for Americans.

Make the most of mobile media

People use social media at work and at home, but they also use it on their smart phones and tablets. As a marketing professional, you need to take advantage of that. Have you ever looked at your own website on a smart phone?

Some websites and/or blogs look great on a computer, but not so hot on a phone or tablet. You need to address this as more people are using their cell phones to look up businesses when they are not at home. Your phone number or contact information must be easy to find on your mobile site so people can reach you.

It is not out of the question to create your own app that can be downloaded by your clients. You don’t have to be a bank, sports team or large company to have an app. You can put some handy content on a smart phone app that will encourage clients to keep it on their phone. Give them something useful, reference material that your target market wants and needs to have at their fingertips. Every time the client turns on their phone or tablet, your app is staring them in the face. Your name becomes familiar to them and as they get to know and trust you, they will buy from you.

When you optimize online business listings, like through Bing, allow businesses to register and set up a mobile page. You can promote that on your social media so that people can bookmark your listing for easy access.

Put some thought into how people can use your blog, website and even an app when they are away from home. You might just discover a whole group of people that become new clients.

New iPhone OS6

Do you ever feel like you are back-peddling in life? That’s how I felt when I downloaded the new iPhone software. To be fair, I’ll admit I have an older model, the 3GS. I changed my main email about 6-9 months ago and the new version of iCloud reverted back to the old email address and refuses to cooperate!

Don’t get me wrong, I still love Apple and Mac. I’ll give away my age and say that I’ve had a Mac since day one and an Apple 2e before that. You can talk to me until you’re blue in the face, but you will never convince me that a PC is better. Sorry.

I taught word processing back in the days of Dos. I’ve kept and used PCs over the years (along with Macs) because some of my clients worked on PC only and the files didn’t translate from one to the other way back when.

Back to my dilemma… I have to say that the people at Apple were very nice, they couldn’t help me, but they were very nice. I seem to always have the “exception to the rule,” no matter what my software, hardware, house or car problems are.

I spoke to three different people at Apple and while I was on the phone for two hours with them, I did a little research. Every time they upgrade anything, they are inundated with phone calls and emails from people with problems. I’m sure this is true with every software company. Usually, (not in my case, but with most people), they give a quick answer and the problem is solved. Honestly, the software generally does most of the work. You just plug your phone into the computer and it is done in a matter of minutes.

After talking to two young techs, I was passed along to an expert. He couldn’t help me either, but we had a great conversation while he tried.

He told me that the new You Tube app is a winner. It apparently has some excellent new features. Many social media sites are changing to keep up with people wanting to share things using the mobile versions. This is wonderful news for those of us who are constantly on the move.

One of the new iPhone features is that when you download a new app, it has a little blue ribbon across it. This helps those people who have tons of apps to find the new ones they just downloaded. Once you use it, the blue ribbon goes away.

The interface with Twitter and Facebook is a main change on the new OS for the iPhone. Sharing is easier and that’s the name of the game with any new software. Connecting people in every way possible is the goal of all social sites.

I will try not to be discouraged about my problem. If you haven’t upgraded, do it. Don’t let my problems dissuade you. An engineer at Apple has been contacted and will be getting back to me when they figure out how to solve my one-of-a-kind issue.