Facebook Business Pages are considered a must for most owner-operator, small, or medium sized business.  They are as much a business card today as, well, a business card today!  What’s strange is that so many businesses are advertising their direct competitors, on their business page, and don't even realize it! How is this happening?  By enabling "similar page suggestions", these business pages are unintentionally promoting their competition to their fans. Here’s how you can keep your fans on your page longer and stop using your Facebook Business Page as a traffic stop to another Facebook Business’s Page. To turn off similar Page suggestions: Click Settings at the top of your Page From General, click Similar Page Suggestions Click to uncheck the box next to Include [Page name] when recommending similar Pages people might like on a Page timeline Click Save Changes P.S. - Take a few minutes on Facebook and “Like” some local businesses that you are familiar with (just make sure they aren’t in your industry or competitors)!  You may be surprised how many fans of these local businesses can turn into fans of yours.

R.I.P. our dear friend, Jim French, of BurrellesLuce. A kind and gentle man who will be missed by all who called him friend.  

Engage121 just passed the 11,000 mark for small businesses served! That makes Engage121 the largest social media marketing and management company serving small businesses.   Spurring this growth has been the introduction, and innovation, of Social Media Assistant — the social marketing concierge service that provides viral content and a proprietary ad strategy that drive rapid community growth and highly qualified leads.   Want to learn more? Click here! Want a personal one-on-one demo?  Click here to schedule one at a time convenient for you!

Here is a great example showing how social media builds trust, engagement and advocacy with this, our latest success story. Take a look at the latest viral Facebook post that the Social Media Assistant (SMA) team sent out to the Once Upon A Child social media community. baby food recall This post was seen by more than 10,300 people and it all started with 97 Facebook "Likes".  Do you know why this post was so engaging?  It may have nothing to do with the quality affordable merchandise your customers find at Once Upon A Child. But, it did resonate with your community! So, how does that help you? SMA Forges A Powerful Bond Sure, your customers care about what you sell. But, when they walk out of your store, they care about lots more – such as the danger presented by the small pieces of glass in some Stage 2 Beech-Nut CLASSICS sweet potato & chicken.  Of course they do. Your customers are people, too! Posts like “Beechnut” tell your customers that you are people just like them. You care. Just like they do. And, these shared values create the kind of good will that builds loyalty and trust. Every day, SMA scours the Internet to find material that casts the most positive light on Once Upon A Child throughout your social media community. It’s what we do better than anyone else! If you are not taking advantage of all the goodwill we can bring to your business, think about using Engage 121’s Social Media Assistant. Click here to learn more and get started building your engaged and growing community!  

Facebook is removing the ability to search for keywords. As a result, any existing EXPLORE searches you have created in Engage121 will no longer generate Facebook keyword search results. PLEASE note, this will not impact on your ability to monitor and engage on your own pages, which we will continue to accommodate through LISTEN. However, Facebook’s decision means changes inside Engage121 where we have developed new substitute functionality that still allows you to search for keywords in Facebook. Effective May 1st, Engage121 will provide you the ability to target keyword searches to 10 specific and pre-identified Facebook pages. This functionality will maintain your ability to search Facebook for keywords. But, instead of searching all of Facebook - which Facebook now precludes - we will provide you the ability to search a subset of Facebook from the 10 pages where you believe content of interest to you is most likely to be found. As always, we expect these EXPLORE search results will prove useful for industry analysis, competitive intelligence or other business development reasons. Again, please note that after tomorrow, April 30th, you will not be able to run a search in EXPLORE for Facebook without first identifying the 10 specific Facebook pages you intend to target. Please see our client email for step-by-step instructions to set these up. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our support team by email on support@engage121.com OR call 888-607-9655    

One of our client's "Lost baby bird" Facebook post went viral and engaged over 1,000 people.   What exactly does this mean and why is it important? Imagine This…. You’re in your store or office, perhaps behind the counter or stocking shelves. A loyal customer walks up and greets you with a big smile, shakes your hand. Then you notice the customer is not alone. They’ve brought members of their family as well as some of their friends…and not just a few. There’s a dozen…maybe more….and each of them has brought followers of their own. Picture the Scene… Then another loyal customer greets you and wouldn’t you know…same thing…they’ve brought along scores of friends…accompanied by their friends. Then it happens again…and again…and again. A very large crowd forms. And each loyal customer turns to the crowd and says wonderful things about you, how you are the one to see when it’s time to buy bird feed and accessories. You do a quick head count and realize there might just be a thousand people hearing, and in turn spreading, great things about your business…and you haven’t said a word! It’s Not Your Imagination: That’s what going viral is all about! Engage 121’s Social Media Assistant selects compelling social media posts that turn your most loyal followers into your most ardent brand ambassadors. We understand you’ve got a business to run. It’s your passion. Social media is ours and we know how to make it work for you. Looking to create a growing, engaged community?  Click here or contact Nicole Falco at 203/849-7241..

There has been an explosion of mobile applications in recent times, coinciding with the expansion and developments in the digital marketplace. As a result, companies of all sizes, in all industries and in every country have begun to appreciate how mobile applications can increase engagement with their customers. The efforts of app developers from uk allow them to market their products in a way which relates to the modern consumer. It is undoubtedly true that every business must have an application of theirs in today's day, and if you don't, not to worry as you can order apps here. Applications is how the potential customer gets in touch, and as it easy to use and manage, it acts as a tremendous promotional tool of the services you offer. That's why working with experienced mobile marketing specialists and excellent app developers like XAM Consulting can be the best way to ensure that your strategy is designed to succeed. Realizing the full potential of social media takes time, effort … and quite a bit of know-how. So, it is difficult for many businesses to go it alone. That’s when having a partner comes in handy. The perfect partner is someone who understands social media just as well as you know your business and whose sole focus is building and nurturing an engaged and growing community. That’s us! We develop fun and engaging promotions and ad campaigns, while also helping to make sure the photos and stories that should be shared are posted promptly and interactions among followers are monitored and nurtured to maximum effect. But, you – our partner – can play an invaluable role. As we said, no one knows your business better than you. And, no one is in a position to suggest timely stories or engaging photos better than you. At Engage121 we understand all that. That’s why we developed E121 Mobile app to complement your SMA service. We want to make it as easy as possible for us to partner in your social media success. Here are 6 Reasons to Connect with E121 Mobile 1. Like We Said – It’s Easy. You don’t have to be a high-tech geek to download the E121 Mobile app to your mobile device. There’s no special software program to learn. Within minutes of downloading E121 Mobile from the Apple App Store or Google Play, you’re good to go. Call us and we’ll be glad to help you. 2. Accessing Your SMA Account Is A Snap. Use the same username and password you already use to log in to your SMA Dashboard that we hope you've come to know and love. It looks exactly the same as what you'd see on your desktop or laptop computer monitor. Nothing new to learn! Not a Social Media Assistant customer? It will still take just a few minutes to get you up and running. 3. Manage HOT!CONTENT No Matter Where You Are. Stay up to date on your mobile and through your email with the hottest [...]

We are running an event at #SMWLDN on Sept 23rd on #localsocialcontent. Put the date in your diary now or register at: http://socialmediaweek.org/london/events/getting-started-local-content-strategy EVENT DESCRIPTION Social media is something that consumers can understand and work with, so it's easy to search on social media networks and connect with organisations. However social media strategies for many businesses are focused on the company as a whole, which isn't always the right approach. Companies have different franchises, product or service groups, and regions with different offerings, so it can be tough to understand how social media fits into the picture. It is important to look at what social media platforms are used and how they are promoting themselves, some smaller businesses may look into things such as how they can buy Tiktok likes, how to bring up their follower count, whether that be on Instagram or Facebook, so they can build on what they have. Company's work to gain local SEO results, so why not work to gain local social media results? Why Social Media Should Get Local Having a local approach to social media can certainly be time-consuming, but there are quite a few reasons why this is the right option for some companies: Your content can be more relevant. Having a local approach to social media will help make sure that your content is incredibly relevant to each and every member of your audience. If there is something going on in the community, tweet about it; if there is something that may only be related to one of your services, only tweet that out to those following that account. If you need some help, get hosting + expert wordpress support at the link. You can make stronger connections. You will be able to make connections with those in a local community, which can help improve your relationship. People will know that they are speaking with someone who is nearby and understands what's going on in that community, which can be comforting and therefore help your company gain business. It's easier to offer short coupons and/or promotions. Piggy-backing off of the first point about content, if you have specials and promotions at a certain location (maybe to celebrate something), then having your own social media accounts will allow you to really promote them. This also goes for any special announcements or upcoming new products. The purpose of the event is to review/discuss and learn from real life success and war story examples of companies who have started to build genuine local content strategies and the challenges they faced to deliver relevant and genuinely local interest content to their social communities. How you go about creating a local social media approach is something that will take some time, but in the end the benefits are worth it. It doesn't cost any extra to create a local approach, just a little bit more organisation. We will review a variety of techniques on how to build a local social content strategy, how and why you [...]

Engage121 announces the launch of a newly designed website, designed with a fresh new look and user-friendly navigation, updated with the latest products and services information located at the same address: www.engage121.com “The site’s homepage welcomes visitors with bold colors, a clean uncluttered design, and featured content focused on the seven tenets of Engage121 – plan, listen, engage, localize, publish, advertise, analyze. The goal of the site is to provide our clients with the most accurate product information, strengthen partner relations and share our knowledge and expertise in the field of social media marketing” said Jon Victor, CEO, Engage121 The new site is divided into four main sections: APPROACH, WHAT WE DO, CLIENT SUCCESS and RESOURCES. By moving to a more client-centric layout, we allow visitors to access information based on their own choice rather than sift through everything to decide what is of interest to them. Current and prospective clients will find detailed information about the products and services in the WHAT WE DO section. The CLIENT SUCCESS area will give information on who we work with and outline a range of projects we participate in as well as different approaches depending on the market. Get inspired by best website design options at www.sandcastle-web.com/services/website-design/. The website will feature new types of rich content, inspired by our experience, gathered materials and the great team of people working at Engage121. This content can be found in the SOCIAL RESOURCES section in the form of blog articles, case studies, videos and presentations. The website will be updated on a regular basis, with news of events, product launches and new content. ABOUT: Based in Connecticut, Engage121 Inc. has, for more than 15 years, provided communications software and services to hundreds of brands, retailers, national franchisors, dealerships and direct sales organizations. Engage121 Enterprise is a social media management, monitoring, publishing and reporting application serving multiple users across an enterprise – from brand managers, community managers, and the marketing team through to individual outlet owners, we make sure to use some of the best business software systems, including an ERP software (get more information here). All functionality is seamlessly integrated so that each user has the same view of the customer; and every user – across all locations, functions, teams, departments, divisions and countries – can respond in one voice. Website: http://www.engage121.com

Hollywood Sign Pre-PicMonkey Engage121’s new integration with PicMonkey.com creates a powerful suite of image and photograph enhancement tools within the OA3 and CA software dashboards. The new features, seamlessly incorporated into the existing photo library catalog, provide Engage121 users with a number of new image editing capabilities including: Hollywood sign enhanced with PicMonkey Basic photo editing features like crop, sharpen, resize and rotate More than one hundred scripts and fonts Selectable and customizable themes Twenty touch up features, such as red-eye remover, weight loss, wrinkle remover and spray tan Background textures, such as papyrus, water and clouds Filters and framing techniques Graphic overlays… and more To see the entire list of available features, check out PicMonkey.com. All PicMonkey features, including their premium offerings, are currently available to Engage121 customers. Powerful marketing tools The PicMonkey integration, in effect, puts the power of Photoshop® and expertise of a graphic artist in the hands of any marketer using Engage121. With image sizes between 3 and 16 megapixels, the integration accommodates a range of pictures - from high-resolution collages to thumbnail-size profile pictures. PicMonkey-enhanced images may be shared or promoted through any social channels currently available to Engage121 clients. Marketing opportunities easily captured Got a Main Street address, but parking lot access off Side Street? Create a quick button informing folks there is parking out back. As the trend towards increased engagement with images and photographs continues, numerous new opportunities arise for marketers. Our clients may now leverage these opportunities from within the Engage121 dashboard by Customizing corporate stock photos to incorporate local elements Building branding recognition through use of colors or overlays by adding a logo, spokesperson or mascot into any image Personalizing promotions or ads Creating sharable content using characters and visual effects to spread a funny or captivating message Expressing themselves creatively to capture audience attention Make an impression with Engage121 Engage121 provides all the tools and resources to create exceptional social media marketing content. Like our other integrations, the expanded PicMonkey capability is designed to help clients maximize franchise’s social media advantage of national brand recognition coupled with the local passion and innovation of each franchisee. Upload a photo today to make an impression with Engage121. Here’s how to do it: Step 1: Hover your mouse over the image you want to edit in your library. Step 2: Choose the edits that you want to make from the left-side menus.   Step 3: Save the altered image or photo.   Step 4: Authorize PicMonkey to use your connected account. Step 5: Share!