Erik Qualman's Blog, page 583

Do Your Employees Schedule Too Much Social Interaction?

Whether one runs a small business or one employs hundreds or even thousands of individuals, workplace productivity is always the main goal in order to get the best results for the company and its customers.

With that said, just how productive are your employees on any given day of the week?

While many business owners are fortunate to have hard-working and reliable employees that show up at the front door or via telecommuting each and every day of the week, others have to deal with workers who are late to their desks, don’t do a good job of handling customer questions and complaints, and ultimately just don’t invest the needed time on a daily basis in their jobs, instead socializing.

Yes, much of that is certainly the fault of the employee, but the business owner who is not on top of the issue bears some responsibility too.

Letting your employees know from the day you hire them that they are expected to be on time and productive while at work is critical to a successful operation.

How Much Work is Truly Being Done?

One of the ways to greatly improve the odds of your employees being more productive than counter-productive each day in the office or through telecommuting or when out and about with clients is keeping them on a proper schedule.

Sure, some employees may not like the hours they’re asked to work, but unless they are the cream of the crop workers who you feel are worth working around to a degree, you can certainly find those willing to work the needed hours.

If you decide to turn to an employee schedule maker, you can make things much easier for both you and your employees.

Such a tool allows you to add employees, locales and positions in just minutes. This employee manifest can even be imported via an excel spreadsheet or CSV file.

If you find the need to have one or more workers cover a last-minute shift, you can use the employee schedule maker to fill that need by sending them a mobile alert and email regarding the required shift.

Now about those shifts….

Even though you think you hired the best employees available, are some of them spending a little bit too much time socializing during the day, specifically on their computers and mobile phones?

If employees are wasting time at work (your time specifically), they are ultimately doing a dis-service not only to the customers, but also their boss.

In order to keep employees on a proper and productive schedule, make sure you:

Set the ground rules from day one;
Put in place schedules that are fair and consistent;
Realize that workers are humans, not machines. That said know that they need a couple of breaks (see below) during the day;
Allow for “social” breaks during the day in 5 or 10 minute spans. Instead of employees trying to sneak in time chatting with loved ones or friends on their personal devices or using social sites on their computers for shopping ventures and other ventures when they are supposed to be working, the breaks are a good idea. It allows them to hopefully focus on their work and have the break/s to look forward to.

When you set schedules and rules for both you and your employees, good things more times than not are bound to happen.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of patrisyu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Top 5 App Store Optimization (ASO) Hacks For Better Rankings

Anyone who owns a smartphone knows just how massive the app market is today. Between Apple, Android, and Windows, there are untold numbers of apps for every occasion, most of which will never be seen by a wide audience. Is your app among them? It doesn’t have to be.

App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of getting your app closer to the top of the app store’s search results. It’s a simple enough concept, right? In a perfect world, ASO would just entail developing an amazing app that everyone will automatically want to download, but that’s not how it works. You’ll need to spend a little time understanding what impacts an app’s ranking and what steps you should to take to improve yours.

1. Make a Strong First Impression

While browsing through an app list, the first thing that sticks out is the title. A good title should tell a user everything they need to know about the app they’re looking at while staying true to the developer’s brand. It’s keyword rich, representing the app’s purpose to a “T” without being too lengthy.

If your title is intriguing enough, users will want to know more. Consider your app’s description the biggest chance to really sell your service. For that reason, it’s important to create a well-written, informative blurb about your app that lets users know why they should download it and how it will benefit them. Make sure to put the most valuable information right up front where it can’t be missed.

2. Be Visual

Image via Flickr by Jasonahowie

Your app’s icon says a lot more about your brand and the app itself than you may realize. It catches users’ eyes, draws them in, and encourages a click. If it’s an uneffective icon, it does the exact opposite. Design an attractive icon that tells a story about your brand, but avoid using pictures or too many colors.

Don’t underestimate the role screenshots play in your app’s success either. Choose them wisely. Each screenshot should clearly reflect your app’s functions and strengths to most effectively engage potential customers. Try thinking of your screenshots as a crash course of sorts through your app’s features so users get a good idea of what to expect.

3. Know How to Use Keywords

Any keywords you didn’t use for your title should be placed in the keyword field to attract even more traffic to your app. It can be tough to get the hang of choosing the best keywords, but a little research will go a long way. Do some detective work to figure out which words draw the most attention while remaining true to your brand.

Keep in mind that some app markets don’t take kindly to keyword stuffing. If you go overboard with being too repetitive or irrelevant, you run the risk of getting your app suspended.

4. Adapt When Necessary

Always be mindful of where you’re publishing your app. Markets can differ greatly, sometimes in subtle ways you may not be aware of. For example, Google Play lets you upload a YouTube video to serve as the first app screenshot. What works on one market might not always work on another, so be willing to adapt your ASO accordingly.

5. Concentrate on What You Can Control

Every mobile phone is different. Unfortunately, some things that affect your app are out of your direct control. Users tend to pick apps that have been downloaded frequently and that have been positively reviewed. You obviously can’t control how many reviews your app gets or what rating a user gives it, but you can focus on improving your ASO as well as your app in general. If you concentrate on optimizing your keywords, title, and images, you will almost certainly see more traffic that can increase your visibility to even more users.

The app market is one of the most competitive out there, but its size shouldn’t prevent you from exposing your app to a large audience. While ASO is a tricky process, it allows for valuable tweaking and experimentation that could ultimately lead to your app being the next big thing.

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere Kills It on Twitter

The man behind T-Mobile’s Uncarrier rebranding may be rude and crude but if you’ve heard of John Legere, he’s winning. Very few CEOs can attract and keep 555,000 Twitter followers engaged (and sometimes enraged) the way he can. Possibly because very few CEOs are tweeting about how the competition are all greedy bastards. Or how Pharrell makes them sick. The outspoken head honcho of T-Mobile’s liberal use of the F-word should be the first indication that his modus operandi is in a class of its own. The fact that people can’t seem to get enough of his foul-mouthed style is the second. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying the role Legere’s sometimes crass energy has played in his company’s incredible two-year turnaround.

In his nimbly tweeting hands, four-letter words are less of a crutch and more of a tool. His language – so inappropriate for a CEO’s public façade – clothes him in the veneer of the everyman. When he says, “The family plan is one of the biggest evils in this industry…. Lower prices. That is total horses–t,” it sounds like the kind of off-the-cuff complaint any one of us might make when shopping around for a provider. But is Legere’s salty language as off-the-cuff as it seems? Probably not. He’s smart enough to know that every word out of his mouth is probably going to become word of mouth, for good or for ill. There’s no such thing as bad press, after all, and the media seem to love writing about Legere’s latest roguish outburst.

Raising T-Mobile’s bottom line takes more than making a spectacle of yourself on social media, though. He’s most likely chosen Twitter as his platform of choice because of the two-way access it offers. His customers get direct access to him and vice versa, and he’s capitalizing on that accessibility in a big way. At the 2014 GeekWire Summit, Legere chatted about his approach to customer relations. His big reveal was ridiculously simple. “The truth is I learn almost everything I need to know to run T-Mobile [on Twitter]. On the email from individual customers or on Twitter. I take every Tweet that comes in and I read it. I forward it to people. My executive team gets them, we reply, and at my staff meeting every Tuesday, we track social media impressions, what they are and how we’ve responded to them. It takes a ton of time, it’s a lot of fun… I listen, and I respond.”

And so do customers and potential customers. T-Mobile has now had five consecutive quarters with over 1 million customer additions, partly on the backs of Twitter users who are the proverbial choir to which Legere does most of his preaching. His audience seems to be largely made up of fans of the carrier, so when he sends a populist message like, “We are either going to take over this whole industry, or these bastards are going to change, and the whole industry is going to shift. I don’t give a g–damn which. I can’t wait to watch the peckers scream and cry,” his followers are quick to shower him with favorites, retweets and replies. In other words, free advertising.

It’s how T-Mobile’s messaging has gone viral and continues to make news even when there’s no news that’s actually new. Legere is not the messenger; he’s the message. And clearly his strategy is working.

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17 LinkedIn Profile Must-Haves

Is your LinkedIn profile slacking a few necessities? LinkedIn is an online network that allows you to manage your professional identity by networking with potential employers online. Building your professional identity on LinkedIn can be a little tricky, but you never want your profile to be sloppy. Here are a 17 LinkedIn Profile Must-Haves.

Jasmin from Daily Infographic, The original post can be found here: http://dailyinfographic.com/17-linkedin-profile-must-haves-infographic

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Yelp Help for Small Business Owners

Online reviews are first & foremost with consumers. The problem is, anyone can trash your online reputation with hateful, negative comments.

Bad reviews are certainly hurtful to you, worse though, is the damage to your income. That’s because each potential customer you lose to a bad review, will end up at one of your direct competitors. Your immediate loss becomes their long-term gain as that customer spends money there for years to come.

Understand the destructive potential of leaving your reputation to chance and show you how to easily take control and benefit from Yelp and other popular online review sites.

This infographic was submitted to the Socialnomics team by Kamron Karington, the original post can be found here:  http://chatterbox360.com/when-yelp-attacks/

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The Key Tips on Implementing Paid Social Media for Brand Awareness

First thing’s first, you need your goals (as with any marketing plan). Decide if your paid social media strategy will help for awareness of your brand being on that channel or perhaps help create engagement with a new campaign. Let’s assume for this post that you’re trying to gain awareness for your brand as you enter some new social channels. Different channels allow for different interactions with consumers as well as unique ways to target and reach them.

Some quick tips for each channel:

Facebook: A tough place to navigate without a budget these days. Ensure your facebook ads and sponsored posts have bold visual photos and videos. Within the feed a status update with just text will easily be skipped over. But a visual that can capture someone’s eye may allow a second glance, and hopefully a click for your CTA.
Twitter: Promoted Accounts and Tweets are the easy way in for awareness. Note, you only need promoted account tweet copy for the mobile ads, not desktop. 
Instagram: Thankfully the budget has come down for brands, but the price tag isn’t cheap. If you want the extra boost go for it. But if you can manage to gain your audience through organic tactics such as cross promotion, hashtags, and influencers – stick to that.
Pinterest: Same as with Instagram. There are some great opportunities with Pinterest, but with the latest guided search opportunities, there are great ways to be found without needing paid promotion. 
tumblr: The cool part about tumblr is that you rarely realize you’re looking at a sponsored post. The brands who have done it well, are sticking to the tumblr community ways of big images that captivate, and intriguing stories to keep you intrigued and hopefully follow the account for more. The cool paid opportunities include but are not limited to in stream sponsored posts for desktop and mobile. But one of the best places to really get your audience is through the spotlight ad. It allows full access to new members, as as tumblr continues to grow, so do the brand opportunities. 
LinkedIn: I can’t say more about the targeting capabilities. You can reach your audience down to their job title. Need I say more?
YouTube: There are many ways to get your videos out there to your audience, but the preferred way is through Trueview in stream, in search and/or in display. The key with these ads  (especially in stream) is to have the most enticing part in the first 5 seconds. Otherwise your audience normally has the opportunity to skip after that time period. 

Remember, the key for social media ads is not to just spend away all of your social media budget. But to test what posts are doing well and how you can gain more traction on those channels. For example, if you have a tweet that is doing well organically, boost it. Make it a promoted tweet to gain even more. Once you and your team learns which posts do better on particular channels, you can plan to boost certain ones ahead of time. For instance, if you are planning a Halloween promotion, you may want to ensure you have your spend ready for that week and have some posts to a/b test for the best copy, image/video, and link. And it doesn’t hurt to see what your competition is doing too.

Bonus tip – don’t skimp on the visuals. They work on every channel. Make sure they’re quality photos or videos and not just simple stock photography.

Image Sources: Instagram – lexus, michael kors

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Why Social Media Matters in the Job Search

Taking a social approach to your job search might just be the best employment decision you ever make.

With more and more social media sites dedicated to the professional job market, going social with your job seeking endeavors is more fruitful than you might think.

When you’re ready to find your dream job, here are a few social websites that can help:

First Things First: Clean Up Your Social Act

There’s a difference between a social media account that’s all about socializing and one that’s professional.

If you’re planning on using your social profiles for job hunting purposes, then you need to clean up your act and make sure your social life is somewhat professional.

Posting pictures of yourself and your less-than-professional escapades simply won’t fly with recruiters. Instead of erasing your social history, you can simply set your profiles on sites like Facebook and Instagram to private.

Once you clean your social slate, you can then concentrate on the social media sites that will help you find your next job.

All Begins With Linkedin

Linkedin is the ultimate social site for professionals.

If you haven’t done so already, you need to join Linkedin and start making connections within your industry. Millions of employers scour Linkedin every day to find top recruits and browse professional profiles.

Familiarizing yourself with Linkedin is fast and easy, but setting up your account is only the first step. To truly take advantage of this job seeking social site, you need to optimize your profile by adding your résumé and continuously updating your work experience.

In addition, you’ll also want to make sure you network by joining industry groups and exchanging endorsements with your friends and colleagues.

Don’t Forget About Facebook

As the following article shows, from finding the right position and salary to “health insurance considerations for job seekers,” your job hunting experience can become pretty stressful. Fortunately, Facebook is a great resource that can also take some of the worry out of your employment endeavors.

You’re probably pretty familiar with Facebook, so using the social site as a job hunting tool should come pretty easy. Whether you use the Facebook marketplace to search for job openings and networking opportunities or you join Facebook groups within your industry, everyone’s favorite social site can pave the way to your next career.

Take a Chance with Plaxo

Plaxo is a relatively unknown social site that helps you keep track of and in contact with your professional acquaintances.

Much like Linkedin, Plaxo allows you to create a professional profile, but it also draws information from your other social accounts such as Twitter. Plaxo also works in tandem with Simply Hired, so you’ll get all the latest job opportunities within your field too.

Social Job Seeking Tips

Making sure your social profiles are clean and professional is an effective way to use social media as a job seeking tool. From there, you can also build your social presence by starting your own professional blog and website.

Likewise, making sure you network with other professionals within your industry as well as related industries will help you grow your presence. Continuous social engagement will also prove to employers that you are serious about fulfilling your job seeking goals.

If you’re in the market for a new job, keep in mind the social sites above and start networking now.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Surrogate Moms Can Be More Social

A surrogate mother is someone who carries a child via pregnancy for another woman. They may use their own egg or they may use the other woman’s egg. Once the baby is born, he or she is then given to the original parents.

While there are no formal statistics on surrogacy, it’s estimated that nine children are born to a surrogate mother in each state every year, according to Modern Family Surrogacy.

It is also believed that surrogacy is becoming more and more popular as many couples deal with infertility issues.

Are you looking to be a surrogate mom?

If you’re looking to be a surrogate mother, there are many things you can do to get involved and get the process going.

First of all, though, you need to make sure you are in good physical condition to carry a pregnancy.

The article “How healthy does a surrogate mom need to be?” discusses a few requirements for those looking to carry someone else’s child.

You need to have a clean alcohol and drug record (including not smoking), have had a previous healthy pregnancy and childbirth, complete a problem-free medical exam and, of course, take care of yourself during the pregnancy. You can do this by eating healthy, being active, taking a prenatal vitamin and attending all of your prenatal doctor’s visits.

Know the Road to Travel

To be a surrogate mother, you can go the traditional route of contacting an agency and filing out an application or you can use social media to help find a private surrogacy.

The key with social media is that you need to make sure your platforms remain clean, professional, caring and considerate.

If you post inappropriate photos or comments, you most likely will not find someone who wants to use you as a surrogate mother.

Platforms you can use include:

Facebook – Perhaps create a private group to inform family and friends that you want to be a surrogate mother. Someone you know may be struggling with infertility that you’re not aware of, and they may reach out to you if you put yourself out there. Facebook is a great way to reach hundreds of family and friends, as it’s currently the most popular social media network.
Twitter – Twitter is quickly growing and gaining followers. Similar to Facebook, you can Tweet about your desires to be a surrogate mother and see if any of your followers reach out to you. What better way to become a surrogate than by helping someone close to you in your life?
Instagram – Create an Instagram account dedicated to your quest in being a surrogate mother. Post quotes from other surrogate mothers, share photos of your current children or previous pregnancies and reach out to the community around you.
YouTube – YouTube is another popular social media platform used by billions of people. Perhaps create a video / testimonial sharing why you want to be a surrogate mother and how you wish to help someone whose heart aches for a baby. YouTube provides a more personal feel than any other social media platforms because you can speak directly to the person and feel more connected.

Between family and friends, social media networks and private agencies, you should be able to fulfill your dream of being a surrogate mother.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of patrisyu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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What Brands Need to Know about the New Twitter Timeline

Recent changes to what Twitter users see in their timelines have aroused controversy among some people and enthusiasm among others. In addition to showing tweets and retweets from accounts a person follows, the timeline will now show other “popular and relevant” posts Twitter thinks users will enjoy.

The new Twitter timeline

Whether you like it or not, Twitter just took another step toward mimicking social media giant Facebook: Twitter has implemented a timeline feature that will show tweets you may (or may not) care to see.

According to the site’s very own definition of the Twitter timeline: “Additionally, when we identify a Tweet, an account to follow, or other content that’s popular or relevant, we may add it to your timeline. This means you will sometimes see Tweets from accounts you don’t follow. We select each Tweet using a variety of signals, including how popular it is and how people in your network are interacting with it. Our goal is to make your home timeline even more relevant and interesting.”

The rub for most people is bigger than the timeline itself. Rather, it signals a transition from total to partial user customization.

As one writer says, “Until now, Twitter has always been a place where you could rely on seeing only what you wanted to see, retweets and sponsored tweets aside.” Now, however, there is a much greater possibility that superfluous content will pepper your newsfeed more frequently.

What brands need to know

While the response has been mixed, Twitter’s move is certainly an important piece of news when you regard it in light of marketing and brand exposure. What can your brand learn from this news and how will it affect the social media arena as a whole?

Appease your investors. This is simply an assumption, but Twitter investors have to be slightly worried about the site’s ability to stay relevant with marketers and brands. While the site does allow sponsored tweets and advertisements, it is somewhat difficult for the company to control the flow of information. Twitter doesn’t appear to be in trouble, but investors always prefer that a company retains control over its products and services. This may be an attempt to appease investors and assure them that they have a strategy in place for accomplishing this.


Quality trumps. If your business uses Twitter as a marketing tool, the need to develop engaging, humorous, and effective tweets has become that much more essential. According to Martin Beck, “Twitter already rewards the savvy, the funny, and the timely; now with more serendipity in the mix, that bias should be amplified.”


Invest in Internet marketing. Internet marketing — and social media marketing in particular — is more important than ever. As can be seen by frequent changes in search engine algorithms, social media rules, and Internet ad regulations, your total focus is required. That means outsourcing other areas of your business — such as HR and payroll — may be necessary to stay on top of issues such as marketing.

As FrankCrum puts it, “Your time is too important to your small business for you to be weighed down with the mundane tasks of processing payroll, filing state and local taxes, and managing employee benefits.”

Timeliness is key. Twitter’s new adjustment reinforces the idea that timeliness is the most important aspect of social media engagement. Users are looking for information that matters in the moment, not stuff that’s old news. Brands need to develop strategies to capitalize on this.

Times are changing

The times are changing … and so should your brand’s strategy. While Twitter’s new timeline may seem insignificant, it is indicative of much larger developments. Make sure your company is poised for success by listening up and watching for new opportunities.

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The Beauty of Social Media for New Mothers

With more than 1 billion people using social media, it can be used for just about anything.

While most people think of it as a way to stay in touch with old friends, network and grow their businesses and see what’s going on in the world around them, it is also a great way to get and stay healthy.

This is especially true for new moms, who are oftentimes too busy to find the motivation to work out and eat right.

As a mom of two little girls myself, I understand what it’s like to be short on time.

My gym days are traded for walks at the park, you can normally find me eating my daughters’ leftovers and I’m more likely to cook easy, kid-friendly foods as opposed to organic, quinoa-filled meals. That is, until social media stepped in.

Social Media Can be Inspiring

Social media can be used as an inspiration for helping new mom’s look and feel their best.

For me, the biggest benefit was simply connecting with other new moms and trading healthy recipes, motivating each other to work out, sharing tips on skin care and makeup routines when you only have five minutes to spare and getting the latest information on great products.

One product in particular that’s extremely beneficial to new moms is Noni.

Noni skincare products are organic and contain no harsh chemicals, making them ideal for new moms, especially if they’re breastfeeding.

Noni benefits for new mothers include helping increase milk flow, helping reduce postpartum hair loss, losing weight and getting your skin looking its best.

Use Social Media to Look and Feel Your Best

Social media is a great way for new moms to stay healthy so they can look and feel their best.

The best social media platforms to help you get healthy include:

Instagram – Instagram is a social media site dedicating to sharing photos. People create Instagram accounts for all sorts of things – including as a way to document their life, a tool to share recipes, a motivational source for fitness and more. You can find workouts, meal plans and motivating photos of moms who have lost their baby weight and strive to live a healthy life.
Facebook – Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world. It’s great for finding groups of moms that are similar to you so you can all encourage each other in your goals to getting healthy. Whether you’re looking for the best beauty product advice, need easy healthy recipe ideas or just want to meet other moms to connect with, Facebook can help.
Blogs – Blogging is a huge market for moms to connect with one another and share tips. A simple Google search of “mommy blogs” will yield thousands of results. If you find a mom you like and relate to, send her an email or leave a comment on her blog. Most likely, she’s looking for friends and other moms she can connect with, too. And if you’re feeling really brave, consider starting a blog of your own as a way to motivate you in your goals.

Staying healthy is so important for moms, as it’s not only important for them, but also for their kids.

We are the primary example in our kids’ lives and whether we like it or not, they are watching and copying our every move.

Use social media to get healthy and be a positive example in their lives!

Photo credit: Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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