Believe the Hype (Writer) – Social Media Is Not a Trend.

If you think the way you will do business in 2011 will be the same as years past, you’re wrong. Is it about the amount of followers you have? No. It’s about providing instant access to information, emerging from the clutter headlines, relationships and industry expertise.

With these four strategies in place, you can truly maximize your social media experience and have the power to grow your business in 2011.

1. Instant Access to Information – As you know instant gratification is a reoccurring theme in all of our lives. When you deliver great content about your product or service, you are feeding the instant gratification to your potential client. When people want to buy something, they research online. If your content shows up on their search, you have done your job.

2. The “Emerge From the Clutter” Headline – Yes you need an attention-grabbing headline so your audience will read your great content, but you also need a call to action statement in your content. Congratulations, you snatched their attention with your headline, but what do you want them to do next? Tell them.

3. Relationships – Business has changed, but it is still about relationships. To grow your business, you still need to build relationships in person and online. Rather than hunting down clients through social media sites, provide a safe environment within these sites where your potential clients will benefit from this relationship, for free. Like in-person networking, once they trust you, they will spread the word for you.

4. Industry Expertise – Everyone is selling something. Positioning yourself as an expert through the correct use of social media can give you the forum to truly present the value of your product, service, idea or cause. As we all know, you would rather buy than be sold.

You may feel intimidated by your competition’s social media presence, but when you look closely, do they truly practice all of these strategies? If not, there is blatant room for you to become the expert in your industry and emerge from the clutter of your competition.

The Hype Writer specializes in social media strategies, management and content writing for businesses. The Hype Writer works with small and medium sized businesses to help strategize and produce content for email marketing and social media marketing. You know that social media is important, but do you have time to spend maximizing your social media exposure? If not, The Hype Writer can take the burden away from you by managing, strategizing and writing the content for your social media sites and email marketing month to month. They also keep up with the trends related to social media and your industry. If you are interested in learning more, please visit our website www.thehypewriter.com or email us at hype@thehypewriter.com.

Believe the Hype (Writer) - Brand Image Matters

When you first decide to start a business, it can be intimidating. If your funding is limited, where do you decide to spend the resources you have? It may be a different answer in 2011 than it was in 2007.

If you think the way you will do business in 2011 will be the same as years past, you’re wrong. Is it about the amount of followers you have? No. It’s about access to information, sharing knowledge and industry expertise. Content drives business online but also consider your brand image. A first impression still counts.

Our client, The Hype Writer specializes in social media strategies, management and content writing for businesses. Therefore, an online presence is extremely important. They made the decision to invest in a professional brand image to stand out from the competition.

Designing a logo, website and other branding elements for a start-up company is always a fun challenge. If the company has a strong name that lends itself to interesting visuals, that is a plus. The Hype Writer is a great name - it is a juxtaposition of old vs. new.

The logotype is simple and clean. The typeface Courier was used to reference the font most commonly used on a typewriter. By contrasting the classic font with modern and fresh colors, we have created a brand image that is approachable, professional and still fun.

On the website, the paper airplanes and scribbling reference the creative process a writer might go through to develop content that is interesting and engaging. Jotting down thoughts and doodles or sending your ideas flying through the air via paper plane to help get the creative juices flowing.

More mature audiences can relate the typewriter stylization used on the business card and website. The typewriter and paper are tangible and textural while the Internet remains intangible and still a bit mysterious for some. But a writer is still a writer. Whether it be for a more traditional form of media or for the Internet.

“As you know, there are several options to choose from in Houston when looking to build your company brand. Tribe Design was the company I knew I could count on because of their professional reputation and fresh ideas.

I wanted my logo and brand to have a vintage feel but still keep a modern appearance. I desperately needed a creative graphic design genius to help me put these ideas together and construct a clean, concise brand.

The first thing Tribe helped me do was save me from myself by putting up a professional looking splash page in place of my makeshift contact page created from my Go Daddy account. They knew my brand image was important to me and that the first impression online can make an impact on potential customers.

Since my business is social media, I needed to build my brand and keep it consistent across all media. I worked with Tribe to create a clean and concise brand image for my business card, letterhead, website, Twitter page, Facebook page and coming soon… my You Tube channel and email marketing newsletter template. I also needed my web page to be mobile/iPad friendly. Tribe is professional, service-oriented and extremely creative. I will continue to use Tribe to help shape my brand image.”

- Leslie Nelson, The Hype Writer

Have you started to incorporate Facebook, Twitter and You Tube in your business marketing? Do each of these channels maintain your brand image? Sometimes companies rush to set-up these sites just to say they “have them”. That can actually hurt your brand. Tribe Design does a great job making each site a little different, but still consistently recognizable. The best way to maximize your marketing presence in 2011 is a combination of professional design and effective content. Contact Tribe Design today to help you develop a consistent, professional brand image.