21 Useful Digital Tools For Business Owners

Last week, a member of the Social Media Marketing Society Facebook Group put out a question looking for other members’ TOP digital tools. I gathered the list together and added a description and a link below as I thought these tools would be useful for my network of business owners. I haven’t used all these tools myself but my top tools are Canva, Wordswag & Evernote. I hope you find a tool or two that helps you in your business. The one I am interested in myself is the 1Password or Last Pass. Let me know what tool you found useful.

1 Password

A password manager, digital vault, random password generator, form filler and secure digital wallet. https://1password.com/

Last Pass

LastPass remembers all your passwords so you don’t have to. https://www.lastpass.com/

Trello

Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details. https://trello.com/

Canva

Create beautiful designs with your team. Use Canva's drag-and-drop feature and layouts to design, share and print business cards, logos, presentations and more. https://www.canva.com/

Wave

Track your expenses, send invoices, get paid and balance your books with Wave.ck your expenses, send invoices, get paid and balance your books with Wave. https://www.waveapps.com/

Every Pixel

Stock image finder for all who hate bad stock photos. Use it to find the best licensed images for the lowest price. More than 50 image sources. https://www.everypixel.com/

WordSwag

Now you can create beautifully custom text layouts that would normally take minutes - or even hours - with just a tap http://wordswag.co/

Lumen5

Lumen5 is a video creation platform powered by A.I. that enables anyone without training or experience to easily create engaging video content within minutes. https://lumen5.com/

Answer The Public

Find out what questions and queries your consumers have by getting a free report of what they're searching for in Google https://answerthepublic.com/

Dashlane

Change, Generate, Secure Passwords. Organize & Secure All Passwords https://www.dashlane.com/

Wunderlist

Plan for anything. Organize and share your to-do, work, grocery, movies and household lists. No matter what you're planning, how big or small the task may be, Wunderlist makes it super easy to get stuff done https://www.wunderlist.com/

Adobe Spark Post

Adobe Spark Post is a free online social media graphic design software that lets you add text, apply filters, resize, crop, and rotate photos. Easily create flyers, posters, memes, and more. https://spark.adobe.com/about/post

Adobe Spark Video

Adobe Spark Video is a free online video making software. Easily create beautiful slideshows, presentations, ads, and stories using your own photos, videos, and music. https://spark.adobe.com/about/video

Agorapulse

An easy social media management tool that works with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube. https://www.agorapulse.com/

Ripl

Create eye-catching animated videos that help your business stand out on social media and improve customer awareness. http://ripl.com

Over App

Your business, on your phone. Why use anything else when you can create all your eye-catching, professional marketing and social media content in one place. https://madewithover.com/

Co Schedule

Get your entire marketing strategy under one roof with CoSchedule, the #1 marketing calendar for everything you need organized https://coschedule.com/

True Key

The True Key app protects your passwords by scrambling them with AES-256, one of the strongest encryption algorithms available. Only you can decrypt and access your information with the factors you choose https://www.truekey.com/

Camtasia

Camtasia is a software suite, created and published by TechSmith, for creating video tutorials and presentations directly via screencast, or via a direct recording plug-in to Microsoft PowerPoint http://discover.techsmith.com/camtasia-brand-desktop/

Evernote

Organize your work and declutter your life. With Evernote on your desktop and mobile devices, your notes are always with you and always in sync https://evernote.com/

Zoom

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems https://www.zoom.us/

Happy Client

I was delighted to receive this review from Kate, a recent client based in St Albans

'Marian was recommended to me by a friend and I had an initial meeting with her to assess my needs. I felt that she was a perfect fit for me as she has all the skills that I struggle with, mainly a sound knowledge of social media and how to use it to maximise and support awareness of my business. We then had several sessions together and despite my extreme technology block I was never made to feel hopeless! Marian helped me orientate around Facebook and set in my first post to attract new customers to a new yoga class I was offering. She also helped me design and create an advert using a tool I was previously unaware of. I was able to learn quickly as Marian's teaching style is calm, knowledgeable and very open - her manner is really perfect for this type of work and her sessions were invaluable. What is more - my yoga course was a complete sell out the first night and this was entirely thanks to the work we did together. I have overcome my fear of social media finally - thank you so much Marian!' 

If you would like to read more reviews from my clients you can go to Google Reviews

I am looking forward to writing some new developments in the social media world so keep updated!

Have a great day!

Marian

The Power of Facebook Groups

3 weeks ago, I was introduced to a lady who I was told was recruiting for the NHS and needed help with social media. I got very excited at the prospect of working with the NHS and thought, this is my big moment.  It was a big moment but not in the way I first envisaged.  This lady was caring for her brother and it turns out she was recruiting 5 carers to help her.  She had been given a budget from the NHS so she could find people herself.  I asked her what she had already done to advertise the positions.  She said she had advertised in the local job centre and the newspaper but with no success.  She had been told by someone to try social media.  I asked her if she had a Facebook profile.  She said she had set one up the week before but did not know how to use it. 

I asked her for her local area and then I did a search for a Facebook Group for her location. I found a community Facebook group with over 15000 members.  I asked the lady to email me the job description and on the following morning which was a Saturday, I posted the job ad.  Within 3 seconds people were tagging people about the post and other people said they were interested. The lady contacted me that night to say she could not thank me enough, she had received 19 calls and was deciding on who she wanted to interview.  A week later, she emailed me to say she had interviewed 10 people and 5 of them would be meeting her brother the following week. 

While I did not charge the lady for this, it brought me great joy that I could help her out and told her to contact me again if she needed help

New Review

I was delighted to receive this review from a client a few days ago ( June 2017), It makes all the hard work worthwhile when you know you are making a difference to a business
' I recently had a Facebook Ads training session with Marian. I was bowled over by how knowledgeable she is. Plus she is so easy to chat to, very well-prepared and is extremely helpful. All great qualities in a trainer. I came away having learned a huge amount - not only about the topic we were meant to be covering, but other topics too that crept into the session. I can really see how the power of Facebook Ads can be utilised for many of my clients and how i can put everything into practice in my workplace. Marian has since come back to me with further support and answers - going above and beyond what I expect to receive from a training session. Plus the training notes are detailed and will enable me to work independently with FB Ads. I can't recommend Marian enough for all your social media training needs.' (Claire Flawn, St Albans, Hertfordshire) 

2016 SOCIAL MEDIA INDUSTRY REPORT FINDINGS - SOCIAL MEDIA EXAMINER

For those of you who may not have seen the results of the 2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Social Media Examiner, I have pulled out the main findings. Social Media Examiner is my go-to source for all developments in the social media space. This is the 8th annual study carried out by Social Media Examiner. This study uncovers insights from over 5000 marketers. Most participants were between the ages of 30 and 59. The gender split was 57% female and 43% male. 

Main Findings

1.      Video has become essential. 60% of marketers use video in their marketing and 73% plan on increasing their use of video.

2.      Live Video is hot. 50% of marketers plan on using live video services such as Facebook Live and Periscope, and 50% want to learn more about live video.

3.      Facebook and YouTube hold the top spot for future plans. At least 63% of marketers are planning on increasing their use of these social networks. 

4.      Snapchat. 5% of marketers are using Snapchat currently but 16% plan on increasing their Snapchat activities and 28% of Marketers want to learn more about Snapchat. See latest news today on Snapchat Snapchat 'files for stock market float'

5.      Facebook is the most important social networkfor marketers by a long shot. When asked to select their most important platform, 55% chose Facebook, followed by LinkedIn at 18%.  67% plan on increasing their Facebook marketing activities.

6.      40% of marketers don’t know if Facebook traffic has declined in the last 12 months and 35% aren’t sure if their Facebook marketing is effective.

7.      Facebook Ads. 86% of social marketers regularly use Facebook ads, while only 18% use Twitter ads.

8.      Tactics and Engagement.These are the top areas marketers want to master. 90% of marketers want to know the most effective social tactics and the best ways to engage their audience with social media.

Other significant information from the research shows

-         90% of marketers said that social media is important to their businesses.

-         41% said they were able to measure their social activities.

-         63% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more and 39% for 11 or more hours weekly, 19% spend more than 20 hours each week on social media.

-         For people just beginning with social media, 54% spend 5 or fewer hours per week.

-         The two top benefits of social media marketing are increasing exposure and increasing traffic.

-         68% of marketers are using social media to develop loyal fans and gain marketplace intelligence (66%).

-         Over 50% of marketers who have been using social media for at least 2 years report it helped them improve sales.

-         With spending as little as 6 hours per week over 92% indicated their social media efforts increased exposure for their businesses.

-         Over 88% who have been using social media marketing for a year or longer report it generates exposure for their business.

-         Over 50% of marketers who have invested at least 2 years in social media marketing reported that new partnerships were gained. 

-         With as little as 6 hours per week, 66% of marketers see lead generation benefits with social media.

-         Improved search engine rankings were most prevalent among those who’ve been using social media for 1 year or longer, with 54% reporting a rise. 

-         Over 79% of participants found that increased traffic occurred with as little as 6 hours per week invested in social media marketing.

-         Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google +, Instagram and Pinterest were the top 7 platforms used by marketers.

-         Marketers plan to increase their use of videos, visuals, blogging, live video and podcasting in that order. 

If you would like to go deeper into the report where there are over 90 charts to examine click here for the full report.

A nice way to end a Wednesday

I got this lovely message from one of my clients this evening 'Just wanted to say thank you so much for the time you spent helping me understand LinkedIn. You are very knowledgeable, patient and a good teacher and I would recommend anyone that needs to know how to get the best out of LinkedIn to help move their business forward and get it noticed.'

Social Media Marketing Society - Created by Social Media Examiner

I have recently become a founding member of the Social Media Marketing Society, created by Social Media Examiner. Social Media Examiner has been a fantastic source for my business in the past 2 years, providing up to date information on the ever evolving changes in the social media space. The Social Media Marketing Society is a community of Social Media Marketers around the globe, there are forums, live hangouts, training sessions. I only joined the Society in May but so far I have found it fantastic and am really excited to share it with you - enrollment for 2015 ends on the 30th June so if it something you are interested, have a love at the link here to find out more 

http://society.socialmediaexaminer.com/

Looking forward to keeping you updates on all thing social media

Marian 

'Social Media is about Relationships, not numbers', says Charron Pugsley-Hill

In a recent interview with Artist and wildlife Conservationist, Charron Pugsley-Hill, she gave me an insight into how she is using social media to build relationships and grow her business. 

Charron, thanks for giving me an insight into your business.  Firstly, can you tell me how you became an artist and when you set up your business?

Becoming an artist doesn’t happen overnight! I have spent my life as a professional wildlife conservationist and environmentalist having given up art as a small child because I absolutely didn't get it. Why would you paint an apple to look like an apple was my view and so I went down the science route. In 2010 having known that something in me needed a change I took voluntary redundancy, went out and bought a canvas (large) and some paints and started painting and haven’t looked back since. It was in 2012 that I called myself an artist for the first time and set up my business in November of that year.

How long have you been using social media to communicate your business message?

I used Facebook immediately, Twitter since January 2014, Pinterest and Instagram a few months ago.

Do you use any traditional paid advertising or marketing methods?

I have Facebook ads and boost posts sometimes.

How did you learn to use social media?

Having been absolutely rubbish at using pc s my husband gave me the amazing gift of a MAC which transformed my life and I then read about social media, talked to friends and went on several workshops with experts. I am no expert and still have a long way to go but I enjoy it-perhaps too much! 

What do you like about social media for business?

I love Twitter for its spontaneity, quickness and connections that I have made. Facebook shows my images so much better and is more long-lasting so I guess I like them for different reasons. Instagram is about showing my inspiration particularly when I am out walking. So I post and use each platform for different things!

How many likes/ followers/ connections do you have on each platform?

Not enough yet! But for me it’s never been about numbers but about the people I want to reach! I have said many times I will never buy into the numbers game-it’s about quality not quantity and making the right connections and I will continue to reach out to those lovely people.

How often do you post updates on your platforms?

It does vary depending on what I am working on! I try to tweet several times a day and FB daily. Instagram is more when I am out and about. I post different things on the different platforms. Pinterest is more random.

Can you think of a post/update that has received the most interaction from your audience?

Probably those that have asked for people to take part in something whether it is to take part in a voluntary workshop or by asking questions and opinions about a piece of artwork.

Why do you think that post received so much interaction?

It’s about clear requests and information-the reader understanding what I am asking them to do.

What do you dislike about social media for business? 

The time it takes-I try to reply to everyone and it is me that does it all as I want to connect directly- you get the real me!

Do you carry out advertising on your social media platforms?

Only on Facebook.

Tell me how you used social media in a successful way for your business?

Twitter has been amazing for me-I have ‘met’ so many great business people here and have often ended meeting up for coffee or in my case tea and you feel you already know someone so it is exciting to meet them in the flesh. I once started a conversation with a lady who then invited me to do an interview on palette pages and ultimately it led to being exhibited in an international contemporary art exhibition and doing my first installation piece. I have met a number of people who have bought my work and others who have given great advice and entertainment. 

Would you recommend one platform over another for a creative business like yours?

Facebook and Pinterest are always seen as the platforms for artists and designers to show off their work but personally I love Twitter……

Would you say you have made good contacts for your business using social media?

Definitely and some close friends too!

Which platform do you find is the least effective for your business?

Currently Instagram but I am working on it!

If money was no object, what would you like to do with/ on social media?

I want to continue doing most of my own social media as for an artist it’s about connecting with the art and the artist, however I will be using it with a strategy compiled with an expert to gain more sales and connects.

How much time do you spend on social media on a weekly basis?

5 hours + but it’s also important for artists to connect with each other and also lots of opportunities come up too so I need to keep on the case!

Do you have social media targets on a monthly basis?

No and I should!

Do you use a social media dashboard?

Yes I use Hootsuite and it really helps with scheduling twitter and Facebook but I always check for responses regularly. This is something a specialist could do more of for me in the future especially on Twitter!

What advice would you give to business owners who are skeptical

 of social media?

I was skeptical too but I believe now strongly that all businesses need to be on there as potential clients are definitely there and also I enjoy using social media. It makes me feel more connected to the wider world and more people within that world and that’s got to be a good thing in my book!

If you would like to share any other observations about social media for business, I would be delighted to hear them.  

Choose which you like and feel comfortable with and then be consistent and regular with your posts. Do not expect overnight immediate success although it can happen-it’s about creating relationships!

To learn more about Charron and her beautiful paintings, click here

Face-Lace Cite Social Media Key To Success

I recently met Phyllis Cohen, Managing Director of Face-Lace.  As we chatted I told Phyllis about my business 'Flourish With Social Media', and Phyllis told me social media was a key aspect of the success of Face-Lace and getting the word out about Face-Lace products.  Never one to pass up an opportunity to find out more about how companies are using social media, I asked Phyllis if she would be happy to to share her social media story for my newsletter.  I was delighted when Phyllis agreed and here is an insight into how Face-Lace are using social media for their business.

When did you set up Face-Lace?

Phyllis: I began doing the research in early 2011, we launched at the end of February 2012.

What was your background before setting up Face-Lace?

Phyllis: I have worked as a Makeup artist in the UK, USA  and Europe for over 30 years, so I know the beauty industry well.

What motivated you to set up Face-Lace?

Phyllis: I always love a challenge and had been experimenting using stencils to expedite makeup work where I needed to finish work on the skin with elaborate details in a short time frame, I bought a machine to help me cut intricate stencils and one day I thought about using the machine to cut designs which could be stuck straight onto the skin. 

How did you get the word out about Face-Lace?

Phyllis:  I knew my best bet would be to launch it on the back of a fashion show at London Fashion week as most of the worlds fashion press is there.  I asked a stylist friend of mine if she knew any young designers who might want to collaborate. We created a bespoke design for a young designer Corrie Neilsen and as soon as we placed the first Face lace onto a model backstage several bloggers and journos swamped us to ask "what is it"?  They immediately began tweeting about it.

We also had samples and flyers sent out  to about 60 Beauty bloggers and journalists to coincide with the dates of the show.

What social media channels do you use for Face-Lace?

Phyllis: We use Faceboook, Twitter and Instagram. We also have tumblr, but don't use it too often. 

How many followers do you have on these channels?

Phyllis: Facebook 5534, Instagram nearly 4600, Twitter nearly 2500 

How did you get your followers, organic or paid reach?

Phyllis: After our first year we had 3000 Facebook followers, they came to us organically.

What do you consider to be the most beneficial aspect of social media for Face-Lace?

Phyllis: It is like free advertising, we had many PR companies approach us but we didn't see the need immediately to go with any of them. I knew the love affair with the press would wane at some point so I employed a PR company as we started out third year. 

How often do you post updates on your social media platforms?

Phyllis: It depends what is happening, if we are launching new designs and have had any press we will post every day, if not at least twice a week for Facebook, 2-3 times a week for Twitter, and 2-3 times a week for Instagram. 

What is your favourite platform to use? 

Phyllis: I am one of the few people on the planet who doesn't have a smart phone so I have to have a young employee to do Instagram for me.  I do Twitter and Facebook. they each have their place. I remember some one explaining that there are protocols for each type of media- he said Instagram was all about catching a moment and if you put anything too staged it is sneered at by the aficionados .  I have to admit I'm not too good at all the hashtag words. But Zoe my young employee rattles them off in the most impressive way.

Do you consider social media to be an essential part of your brand awareness strategy?

Phyllis: Yes definitely 

What other forms of marketing and brand communications do you use?

Phyllis: We still get involved with London Fashion week and do quite a few collaborations with other companies and fashion houses, we have sent many designs to Makeup artists working on  popular programmes that use performers including Dancing On Ice, X Factor, The Voice, etc.

Does social media play a key role in converting sales?

Phyllis: Yes our first stockist enquiry was from Harvey Nichols who said they found out about the brand from a beauty blogger. 

Where are your products stocked? 

Phyllis: In the UK- Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Topshop, Angels Costumier, Screenface and Tilt- Professional Makeup shops.  Aside from that we have stockists in 15 countries.

What are the challenges you face when managing your social media channels?

Phyllis: Just keeping track of it all, and having the time to do it.

Do you employ someone to manage your social media channels or outsource the management? 

Phyllis: No I still do it myself, with Zoe's help. 

What are your future plans for Face-Lace on social media? 

Phyllis: People have been saying I should do a blog, and set up YouTube channels with ideas of using Face lace.  When I can find the time to do so I will take up these ideas. 

What is your advice to other businesses who are hesitant in taking the leap into the social media world?

Phyllis: It is definitely worth it, and will become more and more important as the now younger consumer grows up.

Do you feel the number of followers you have on social media reflects your success as a company? 

Phyllis: It is difficult not to, and it is how I check the value of companies and bloggers I might want to collaborate with. So if I'm assessing a company by their social media profile they must be doing it to me as well.

What is your daily pattern with social media?

Phyllis: I check what is happening on all 3 platforms several times every day 

Do you use a social media dashboard? 

Phyllis: No I don't know what it is. 

Do you use social media as a customer service tool?

Phyllis: Yes we do special offers sometimes through social media. 

I would like to say thank you very much to Phyllis for being so generous in sharing her experiences with social media to date for her business Face-Lace.  I am sure many businesses will learn something from Phyllis's insight. 

Great website to create cool content

I have started working on tutorials on www.canva.com and LOVE it! Such simple tricks and tips to make your content, text and imagery stand out from the other content out there. Watch this space for more cool tools xx

A slick signature with social profiles

I was recently delighted to learn about www.wisestamp.com which gives your email signature a really slick professional look. All your social media buttons can be added here which is pretty fancy. You can get it for free or pay £4 per month if you don't want a link to their site. I set mine up on outlook 2013 and am thrilled with it and I thought I would share the love! 💕😍

This was a Facebook post I sent out recently about following your dreams - its often very scary to do something new, I felt this when I set up my own business.  But as I have heard many times before 'the failure is not to try'.  We will all make mistakes whatever we do and that was really hard for me to accept as apparently I have a 'perfectionist sub personality' going on somewhere.  Hopefully this will inspire you to follow your dreams, whatever they may be.  Know that you will make mistakes but turn it around and instead of looking on it as a mistake, look on it as 'new learning'.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Post by Flourish With Social Media.

Sam Smith doing a cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car

Here is a link to Facebook post I sent out which was Sam Smith doing a cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car. .....Take a few moments and enjoy!


https://www.facebook.com/flourishwithsocialmedia/posts/538685716275366

The granny snoring dilemma

What should you do when you go on holiday with your 75 year old mother and she snores very loudly in the family room you are sharing with her and your 2 young children. 

Do you give her a shake and say 'mam you're snoring' and risk her then being awake for hours? 

Or do you lie there getting more and more tense waiting for every snore to reach new octaves and hoping that once it reaches a crescendo, like a dormant volcano, eventually it will subside? 

It's a very difficult decision for a loving daughter and mother. I'm torn between my wonderful mother's need to not be woken up and my bleary eyed children who are baffled at this new granny they haven't experienced before. They are getting fits of the giggles in between pulling the quilt over their ears. 

It brings me back to when I was a child staying in a caravan on holidays which literally shook its way through the night with the level of snoring.

This is a DILEMMA

Got a lovely review after a recent social media coaching session

From Tori Deslauriers Photography Ltd
'Marian is wonderful to work with; personable, funny and knowledgeable. Her 1-2-1 training is great value for money and has left me with many ideas on how to push my business forward on social media platforms. I will definitely be recommending her.'

Nice to get such a lovely review x

Testimonial from Allison Spargo, MD, People for the Future

"Marian is a a super partner to work with, extremely friendly and professional. She takes time to thoroughly understand your business and what you want to achieve from your social media and then presents her thoughts and ideas in a creative, easy to comprehend way.  Her writing skills are extremely engaging.  Her knowledge and experience in Marketing, combined with her knowledge and experience of the different social media platforms give her clients the best of both world. I would highly recommend Marian to her future clients"

My Dad

Sorry I haven't been writing for a while.  Sadly my father passed away on March 29th 2014.  He was often described as the 'Perfect Man'. To me he was the 'Perfect Dad', kind, loving and gentle.  Thinking of you dad x

A happy customer

I recently did a one to one coaching session with a lady on Twitter and Facebook recently.  She has now found the confidence to start tweeting and was delighted with the results of her Facebook ad.  This is her review

'I contacted Marian at Flourish with Social Media as I needed someone to help me navigate the different social media platforms that are available.  I booked an hour consultation during which time Marian helped me understand how to use Twitter for my business and gave me tips and ideas.  This has given me the confidence to begin Tweeting to help raise my business profile.  We also looked at advertising on Facebook and she helped me target my campaign to specific locations.  This brought about positive results and bookings.  It was certainly an hour well spent.

Thank you Marian'

Lovely to get such positive feedback