Belle Strategies Marketing Agency

Digital Marketing Services


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The Art of Blogging

Hi everyone! This week I am going to be talking a little bit about the Art of Blogging!

Blogging – there’s all kinds of people doing it today – for business, for pleasure, and even just for entertainment.  A blog is essentially an online journal that can be read by anyone. Blogging is an instant way to promote yourself or company and your knowledge of your specialty. But what exactly makes a good blog? It’s a funny thing to say, but yes there is an art to blogging.

The first blog I wrote took me hours. I wish I were exaggerating. I was focused on all the wrong things. A lot of people make the mistake of starting out by picking a niche they are not exactly passionate about simply because it pays well. Mixing business with pleasure is not only possible, but it is also a good idea. Yes, you can make money by doing something you love and, even more so, you will also see your personal productivity go through the ceiling. Try starting a blog on a topic that relates to your specialty. You will be surprised at how easily the words flow. Readers will be able to sense your enthusiasm and passion.

Another quick tip – It’s vital that you market your blog in all possible ways to drive targeted traffic. Comments on popular, active blogs and forums helps a lot. Post to your website and remember to link your blog to Twitter, Facebook, Goggle+ and LinkedIn. If you want to go even further, Socialmediaexaminar suggests getting your blog on smaller less well-known networks such as Quora.com, Tumblr, and Empire Avenue.

And don’t forget images! Images don’t just make your blog look pretty, they also help people find you in image search options offered by Google, Bing and Yahoo! Plus nobody wants to read a blog without images…it’s well…BORING!

Happy blogging!


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Using Hashtags on Facebook

Hi guys, this week I am going to write about the use of hashtags on Facebook. Yes… hashtags; that pound sign looking thing you see all over social media. Believe it or not, there are legitimate reasons for them!

As you have undoubtedly seen, hashtags are now clickable on Facebook. Using a hashtag # (or pound symbol) in front of a word or phrase turns the word into a clickable link. And when you click the link, you will find a feed of public posts that include that hashtag.

If used correctly, hashtags can expand your reach, amplify your brand and promote specials and events. But there are some common mistakes that people make when using hashtags.

Don’t Do This:

  • Create a hashtag that is two words. Hashtags have to be all one word.
  • Use another brand’s hashtag. Do your research!
  • Use hashtags too much. Use them sparingly (not in every single post). Some people may not be as excited about hashtags as you are!
  • Use long hashtags. Make them short and easy to understand.

Well, that about wraps up this week’s post! Hopefully you use these tips to your advantage and are able to see the benefits of increasing your visibility. Now, get out there and get your #hashtagging on!


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Get More Attention – Facebook’s New Ranking Algorithm

Hey everyone!  This week I am writing about Facebook’s new algorithm…why I love it and also sorta hate it. Mom always taught me to sandwich an insult between two compliments so let’s go with that theory and start off with this:

Love It: Story Bumping – one of the new features – pushes stories that users haven’t seen above the ones they have. Before Story Bumping, Facebook ranked all published updates since a user last logged in. That user’s News Feed would display the best ones, effectively burying stories that Facebook didn’t deem relevant. You might have also seen the same stories over and over when logging in multiple times over a short span. Story Bumping won’t let that happen anymore! It will bump all the updates a user hasn’t seen to the top of the feed since last logging in even if they aren’t super new.

Hate It: Story Bumping – ok don’t be confused but I also kinda hate this. From a professional perspective this is so awesome! But personally, I am a process nut and a detail freak. I want to see the most recent stories and scroll down my feed in chronological order…it’s ironic that Story Bumping gives me the opportunity to do my job more effectively but goes against my first-to-last, loves-making-lists nature.

Love it: Last Actor – another new feature – is a huge win for businesses/organizations using facebook to create an online community. Without getting too technical, Last Actor keeps track of your last 50 interactions, then shows more (or less) of people/pages based on that. For a company this means a) the more a user interacts with you (likes, comments, shares) the more likely your posts will show up in their feed moving forward and b) it increases the likelihood of that user’s friends seeing information about your company too (for example: “Rachel Creveling likes Belle Strategies” will show up on my friends’ feeds more and more as I interact with the Belle Strategies fan page).

What it comes down to is this: Post relevant and engaging content that will prompt your facebook fans to interact! More social, more sold!