Get Instant Recognition on Instagram

Millions of people partake in the free app Instagram, an easy-to-navigate social platform focused on pictures and videos. Some of these Instagram users could be your current and future customers. Instagram is known mostly for its copious amounts of “selfies,” but don’t underestimate its potential. If you manage its functions properly, Instagram will spread your business’s network across a wider audience.

As with any social media platform, the first step is to ensure that your profile is optimized for Instagram. Begin by uploading a clear profile picture that includes your brand logo, while also indicating what your business is about. If your profile isn’t handled properly, the people who want to find you won’t be able to. So, include information that your brand is recognized by, and your fans will follow.

Linking to and from Instagram will help build your social network. You can embed your Instagram photos and videos to any of your websites or blogs. By doing so, cultivating a following for your brand becomes much easier, partly because you’re now drawing from a pre-established pool of your own fans.

It seems obvious, but it’s necessary to be social on social networking sites, and Instagram is no exception. Like and comment on your follower’s photos and don’t hesitate to follow them yourself. The more interaction between you and your fans, the more often they will revisit.

Fill in the profile description space with an overview of your brand, not a detailed description of all your services and products. Remember that the concept of this site revolves around the power of images, not words. It may be a good strategy to alternate between business-driven and fun or inspiring photos. When posting images, use relevant captions to ask questions to your followers or grab their attention with something witty. Don’t forget to geotag your pictures so customers can locate your business, or view your multiple locations.

To truly market your brand reputation on Instagram, you need to have an understanding of how Instagram works. You can do this by exploring the site and learning how other businesses are using it to spotlight themselves. But you shouldn’t stop at Instagram; utilize all the social networking sites you can. If you need help building your social network, contact an online brand reputation management company like Centel Media for more information on social media optimization.

Courtney Fisher,

Assistant Press Secretary,

Matthew Shaffer,

Editor-in-Chief

Tweet Like a Pro

Since Twitter launched in July of 2006, the social networking site has grown an immense significance in modern culture. As of 2012, there were 500 million registered users. Today, if your brand is serious about reaching a large market and engaging current and prospective customers, your brand needs to have a legitimate presence on Twitter.

It is crucial to both protect and promote your brand when investing in social networks such as Twitter. Here are 10 missteps you or your business should avoid when using Twitter:

1. Ignoring followers: Don’t take your followers for granted. They are complimenting you on a public form just by following you. Appreciate and acknowledge them.

2. Ignoring complaints: When someone complains about your brand online there is no way to sweep it under the rug. Reply to them by trying to solve their issue, not by getting defensive and instigating a Twitter war.

3.  Never following back: If your brand doesn’t follow any other accounts it’s considered snobbish or pretentious. In addition, a lot can be learned by following other reputable and established brands.

4. Not updating: You created a Twitter account so you could tweet. Do so. Regularly.  

5. Cross posting: All social platforms are different, what works on one may not work on another. Keep your message consistent but your content original.

6. Only promoting: The fastest way to get un-followed is to continuously force a sell on your followers. Keep the promotions about your product to a minimum.

7.  Auto DM’s without reason: Auto direct messages are appropriate when welcoming a new follower, but sending them regularly is not only impersonal but obnoxious.

8. Retweeting compliments: If all your retweets are self-praise, it’s overkill. Remember, too much of a good thing, is a bad thing.

9. Leaving yourself vulnerable to hacks: Don’t forget to take precautions, like creating strong passwords. An account hack will not only ruin your twitter account, but ruin your entire online reputation.

Centel Media™ is the leading online reputation management company. As such, they offer services to assist you and your brand with the design of your Twitter page. Centel Media™ produces a professional backdraft and banner to be used in conjunction with a Twitter account. Their creative team has the expertise to produce engaging content for your brand while suppressing negative misconceptions associated with your online reputation.

Courtney Fisher,

Assistant Press Secretary,

Matthew Shaffer,

Editor-in-Chief,

Centel Media™

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Promote Your Brand Through Facebook's Timeline Promotions

Not long ago, Facebook forced companies to use third-party platforms for promotions. Now, businesses are allowed to use such marketing campaigns directly through their timeline on Facebook. There are a handful of guidelines and regulations you should know before hosting one of your own. Here’s how to run a successful timeline contest or promotion:

As with any new project, start by setting a goal. For some businesses, the goal might be sales oriented, or to collect email addresses and contact information, or to simply boost their number of likes. Whatever your business wants to accomplish, be sure to make an outline before you start. At the end of your campaign revisit these goals and determine if you met them or not. This will help you create an effective strategy in the future.

Choose prizes and incentives that endorses your brand in unique and creative ways. Consider all your options, you can even take suggestions from your fans and hear what they’d want the prizes to be. Just be prepared to incorporate their recommendations into your previously outlined goals.

Including the correct language and image content is another important facet to your promotion. Photos on Facebook generate 53 percent more response than posts without them. So, picking the right image can really help push the success of your campaign.

Crafting an appropriate timeline promotion will only be successful if it’s in compliance with Facebook’s regulations. This includes a statement that your campaign is in no way sponsored, endorsed or associated with Facebook. A complete description of the official rules must be included.

However, if you feel such disclaimers will dissuade people from participating, the best way to work around it would be to use an app. To ensure that your fans have easy access, while also maintaining an appealing appearance, establish and advertise the link to your promotion app. You can also use specialized applications to collect and review data from your promotion.

Gaining likes on Facebook can be difficult, and often beyond the help of a promotion. Centel Media, the leading online reputation management company, can help you gain more likes for little cost. With their new social media optimization service, Centel Media™ can boost the effectiveness of your Facebook page, so your brand can be recognized and your overall online presence improved.

In order to utilize Facebook’s new timeline promotions, and draw more attention to your business’s page, it’s important to understand how it all works and what Facebook requires of you.