Using Social Media as a Fertilizer for Your Startup

Small businesses have come to rely on social media marketing because it offers a level field even in competition with big corporations. It comes down to how well you connect with your audience.

Social Strategy

While there is inevitably research involved in finding the right audience, your social strategy should consist of something similar to the following steps:

1. Determine Your Goals: Before you do anything else, establish exactly what you hope to accomplish, whether it's promoting a new product or service or simply growing your most loyal followers.

2. Develop a Concept: This starts with a thorough understanding of both your own brand and how your target audience behaves on social media. Then you can come up with a catchy idea that relates intimately to both.

3. Provide Great Content: How will you express that idea? Video? Funny images? Slogans? Or a combination of approaches? Just be sure every post is original, interesting, and relevant to the campaign.

4. Generate Leads: The power of social media lies in generating new leads for your business. Be sure to make it easy for followers to connect with your websites, phones, chat, or other points of contact.

5. Build Relationships: Posting is only part of the solution. To grow brand recognition in a positive way, you must also interact with and listen to your followers.

6. Acquire Customers: Social leads are only the gateway to the customer journey. Craft a pleasant and efficient sales experience, as well, to make these prospects customers.

7. Experiment and Track Measures: Have the right digital tools to monitor progress on every concept you employ.

In an environment with a lot of competition and occasionally some brilliant ideas, this last step is very important. You need to make an effort to keep up with both your target audience and your competitors. 




One of the keys to success is having the right tools to monitor social activity. You want to know for certain which audiences are engaging with which posts. The tools you choose must make success measurable in plain numbers. These become your guide for optimizing your social skills.

A lot of experimentation and brainstorming may be involved before you hit on the right campaign, but don't get discouraged. There's always room for more great content on social media. 

The trick is to make it so engaging that that your own followers will spread the message for you. Often that's done by connecting them with the big trends that are happening now.

Here are a few examples of social campaigns that got it right at the right time.

Use the News

In the summer of 2017 when everyone was talking about a major solar eclipse that would be visible all across the U.S., Chiquita Banana took advantage. Their marketing campaign featured an eclipse's familiar crescent shape as the Banana Sun.

While they plastered the Banana Sun over other advertising mediums, they had fun with it. A brightly glowing yellow banana was a big hit on social media. The image was shared and retweeted by thousands in the form of .gif files, video clips, screen savers, and more. 

As a result, Chiquita's social media audience blew up with many thousands of new users in the space of three weeks.

Be Trendy

The Netflix show Stranger Things became a big hit with audiences. If you're a fan of the show, you might have noticed something delightfully odd that kept popping up: Kellogg's Eggo waffles, a favorite of the character Eleven. 

Although Kellogg's role was initially inspiration and not product placement, they exploited the popularity of the show in their own advertising, and by the second season had, indeed, negotiated a deal with Netflix.

The show was easy to connect with across social media content through plot updates, video clips, funny images, and virtually anything related to #StrangerThings and Eggos. 

Audiences couldn't get enough of the show or the breakfast treats. Kellogg's social media following grew dramatically over that second season.

Benefits of Social Marketing

How you market is more important than how much. It's a fertile environment because users aren't necessarily interested in the endless corporate advertising of brands they're already too familiar with. Perhaps best of all for entrepreneurs, social media marketing can also be done very affordably, for an ROI that can't be ignored.

Social users are always looking for something fresh and intriguing to connect with. Social networks are about communication, which means prompt responses and an authentic feel. 

These are things that you, as the guiding spirit of your startup, can manage better than a corporate bureaucracy.

All you need is a good idea to sow, and an effective social strategy will help your concept grow your market influence. 

Be consistent, interesting, and post regularly, and audiences will keep coming back to be entertained.

Jasmine Williams covers the good and the bad of today's business and marketing. When she’s not being all serious and busy, she’s usually hunched over a book or dancing in the kitchen, trying hard to maintain rhythm, and delivering some fine cooking (her family says so). Tweet her @JazzyWilliams88

Paying It Forward: How to Invest in a Charity

Many people, teachers, and organizations have invested in your life. Now may be the right time to begin investing in someone else’s. Giving money to a charity is often a great option because it is simple enough for you to write out a check or input your credit card number. 

Plus, charities know just how to use your money for the greatest good. Not only will your end-of-the-year taxes thank you, but also you will love the great feeling you have when you pay it forward.

Start with a Plan

Rather than giving impulsively, consider what your plan for giving is at the beginning of each year. Some prefer to wait until after tax season so that they can see what their gross adjusted income was the previous year. 

Whether you like to give a solid percentage of your income or a set amount of money each year, you should set up your plan before writing out your first check.

Spread Out Your Giving

Instead of giving all of your money to one organization, consider spreading it out a bit. Some professionals recommend the 50/30/20 principle in which you give 50 percent of your charitable contributions to one or two major causes, 30 percent to local organizations and 20 percent to unexpected needs.

Give a Large Enough Amount

On the other hand, keep in mind that any charity prefers a large enough amount to offset any transaction costs. Rather than giving 5 or 10 dollars to dozens of organizations, try to narrow down your focus to a dozen or fewer organizations over the course of the year. 





Some charities may even give you the option of covering transaction expenses yourself, which can be a smart move.

Ask a Professional for Help

Because charitable giving can often be written off as a deduction on your taxes, you will want to give wisely and keep receipts. 

This is especially important if you are giving charitably from your IRAs or retirement accounts. A professional, such as one from RMR Wealth Builders Inc., can help you know what will be best for you.

Choose the Right Charities

Your friends, family, or financial planners in NJ may be able to direct you to which charities are legitimate and worthy causes. However, you may still want to do your own research to feel good about your choice. 

Check out online sites that show you how much of any charitable donation actually goes to helping the less fortunate for numerous popular charities.

Giving to a charitable cause or to a specific charity should be a long-term commitment for you. While most experts say that it is fine to give a small percentage of your charitable investment amount to spur-of-the-moment needs, it is best to have a plan each year for who and what you would most like to support. 

Consider what charities speak to you personally, and then enjoy giving back to others who are less fortunate than you are.

Staying out of the Red: How to Keep Your Business out of Bankruptcy

Just like a person, a business must find a way to pay its bills and keep a sufficient amount of money in the bank. Furthermore, companies also have their own credit scores that go up and down based on its ability to manage money. Good money management can keep a business thriving for years while also keeping it far away from a bankruptcy court.

Don’t Borrow Funds Unnecessarily  

Prior to borrowing money from a bank, friend or other ABL lender, it is important to know how that money will be used. It is also important to know how that money will be repaid and when. An accountant or other financial adviser can help a business owner determine if a loan is an appropriate way to help the company grow.

Don’t Overspend

One of the many problems that most businesses have, especially if they are still in their startup phase is they tend to overspend. The problem with overspending should be obvious, but by doing so, you may not be able to pay for the necessities for your business to survive. 

You have to be able to pay the bills and pay your employees properly. But overspending can be very easy to do. There are going to be times where you have unexpected expenses that come up. 



However, if you budget your money properly, not only should you be able to take care of those unexpected problems, you should be able to take care of all the necessities in your business and still turn over a profit. It is tricky, but if you are able to pull this off in your business, you will be successful in the long run.

Keep Labor Costs in Check

A company’s employees are among its most important asset. While you can attract quality talent by offering higher salaries and other perks, it could have negative consequences for your bottom line. 

Make sure that you pay what your company can afford to spend on human resources even if that means paying your people less than the competition. In some cases, you can make up for a lower salary with more robust health benefits or extra vacation throughout the year.

Don’t Expand Too Fast

Expanding too fast can cause you to overspend money in your business. When you try to expand, you have to be able to anticipate all of the unexpected expenses that may arise. Although opening a second or third location could mean additional revenue, it will also mean additional costs. 

It could also mean that you need to hire managers and other personnel to properly oversee these locations. By growing at a controlled pace, you can increase revenues in a consistent manner and ensure that each location is making enough money to justify its existence.

Make Use of Credit Monitoring Tools

Using tools like CreditRiskMonitor can make it easier for a company to determine where it stands compared to the competition. This may help a business take action to cut costs, pay down its debt faster or otherwise become a leaner organization. 

By taking these steps, it could be easier to secure an investment or otherwise increase its revenue and gross profit.

As a business owner, you want to make sure that your company is as financially healthy as possible. This makes it more likely that the business will be around for the long-term, which may instill greater confidence in employees, suppliers and investors. 

Ultimately, it makes it easier to grow your business from a small business into a regional or national power.

How Buying Used Car Parts Can Save You a Pile of Cash

Buying new car parts and having them installed at the dealership where the vehicle was purchased may seem like the most logical approach to car maintenance and repairs. However, that approach can be quite costly. 

Another option is to buy used car parts and pay a mechanic friend to install them or do it yourself if you have the knowledge and equipment to do so safely. Here is how used car parts can save you money.

Lower Price

It almost goes without saying that buying used parts instead of new ones is cheaper. But the price difference can be substantial. For example, buying one new tire could cost almost $100 for certain brands, whereas a used one with a fair amount of tread remaining could cost $50 or less, especially during a sales or overstock event. 

The same is true for many types of vehicle parts, so it is a good idea to find out where quality and reliable used parts are sold and check out their inventory and costs.

Convenient Purchasing

Used car parts can be bought from many car repair shops, wreckage or salvage lots, and online. You can quickly browse auto parts for cars to see for yourself. You could also comparison shop to get the best deal. 




Some places offer a frequent buyer discount or special sale savings reduction. Buying a used part is generally as fast and easy as buying a new part, if not even more convenient, especially if you have one or two favorite used cars places in mind.

Cheaper Installation

Many dealerships and auto repair shops charge prohibitive pricing to install new parts and allegedly remove or dispose of old ones. 

Sometimes the installation costs more than the new product. A used part is often cheaper to put into the vehicle, especially if done by a local mechanic or trustworthy friend. Taxes will be less on a lower-priced used part, too.

Less Waiting Time

While waiting times can vary, there are typically many used car part shops or places to buy the part you need instead of waiting to have one ordered at the repair shop. 

Online purchases may apply for either new or used parts, and shipping time is about the same. Know where to get the used part you want by comparing shops in advance.

Buying used parts can save time and money. Plan ahead and shop around to find the best deals instead of paying more.