Tag: Cheri Martinen

August 12, 2014

#Hashtag your next Event

Back in July we talked to you about How to Step Up your Hashtag Game and this week we wanted to take it one step further to teach you how to hashtag your next event.

As we’ve talked about before, hashtags are great for branding. But do you know what they are even better for? Organizing an event. Not only will it help get the word out, but it will also help you get a handle on just how much buzz has been generated. You can now track hashtags across the most significant platforms in social media. That includes: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest.

It’s simple. All you have to do is come up with a #hashtag to brand your event. We recommend keeping it short and simple, something that will stick with the event’s participants and attendees.

As an example, let’s say we here at AIMS decided to throw a conference for insurance marketers. We know that we need a hashtag that isn’t already in the rotation, so we’ll go with #AIMSConference. It is specific to the event and easy to remember.

In order to get the word out to those attending our event, we start the branding process early. That means #AIMSConference is featured prominently on the event website, invitation and confirmation emails. It is also a good idea to start using it as you plan the event. That way, you can share your progress with your followers and keep the hashtag fresh in everyone’s minds.

At the conference (or whatever your event may be), there should be a reminder for everyone to hashtag their photos, tweets and videos with #AIMSConference.

When it’s all said and done, you can sit back and review your event through the eyes of the hashtag. People tend to be far more vocal on social media than they are in real life. This then, will be a great way to evaluate your event: Did people have a good time? What are the positive reviews? What are the negative reviews? What can you do next time to make the event better?

You might not always like the answers you get, but at least you’ve developed a baseline and can better develop your event in the future. Or, the outcome will be positive and you can bask in a job well done! Odds are the truth will lie somewhere in between.

Photo – © zakokor – Fotolia.com

July 29, 2014

How Checking Out can help you Check Back In

Did you know that the US is the only developed country in the world to not require even one paid vacation day or holiday? That means fewer and fewer of us are taking days off for leisure, and that’s a shame. Here at AIMS, we believe that checking out for a while is important to staying engaged and on top of your game.

Here are five reasons why checking out helps you check back in:

Vacations help you de-stress. Did you know that too much time in front of a computer screen has been linked to stress, loss of sleep and depression? Our solution? Power down for a while.
They’re good for the heart. Okay, so we could have tied this one in with number one, but it bears mentioning: According to the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine middle aged men with a high risk of coronary heart (CHD) are less likely to suffer a debilitating attack if they take regular vacations.
You can catch up on your reading. No, we’re not just talking business books. But we have found that reading for fun can actually help spur on ideas in the workplace.
Vacations help clear your mind. Have you ever found yourself thinking about that one problem at work that just won’t take care of itself? You’ve invested so much time, but nothing seems to be working. Stepping away for a while can be helpful if only to allow you to clear your mind. After all, a clear mind is an open mind.
After a vacation you’re ready to get back at it. We don’t know about you, but when we take a few days (or weeks) off, we come back refreshed and ready to go! Everything seems shiny and new again, which bodes well for creating a positive work environment.

So now you know why we like vacations, what are your reasons?

Photo – © olly – Fotolia.com

July 23, 2014

Google Analytics for iOS App now Available

Google Analytics is one of the industry’s top tools for tracking traffic on your website, and until recently there was not an app available to be able to use it on your iPad or iPhone. But the times they are a changin’ and you can now download the Google Analytics app from the App Store.

This is great news for the Apple users out there! Just like the Android App before it, the iOS version allows for real-time tracking of visitors to your company’s website, and all from the comfort of your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

So why should you use Google Analytics? Here are three reasons:

Get to know your audience.

Analytics allow you to get to know your audience. Who is visiting your site? Where are they located? How long are they staying? Which platforms are they using to access your site? Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to adjust your strategy to better cater to your clientele.

How are visitors finding your page?

As we’ve already stated, analytics not only track who is visiting your page, but also where they are coming from. Do you send out a lot email blasts? This tool will help you determine whether or not that strategy is working. Or maybe you have gone the paid route and advertise on Google, Yahoo or Bing. Google Analytics will help you determine just how effective these campaigns really are by tracking the influx of traffic to your site.

What works on your site?

So now that the audience is there, what are they doing? Analytics will help you figure out what works on your site and what doesn’t by monitoring each page’s interaction with users.

So what are you waiting for? Go get that app!