Did you know there are over 800 million active users on Facebook, or that each user has an average of 130 friends? Failing to integrate social media networks into your business would mean passing up a huge opportunity to grow. Whether you’re selling a product or promoting your business, not adding social media to your marketing repertoire is passing up a great opportunity to grow. Utilizing this medium incorrectly however, can leave you wondering why after 6 months your business page still only has 12 likes. Following these guidelines below, can keep your posting on track and increase the amount of activity you receive.

Simplicity is key! This means your posts shouldn’t challenge the written work of Shakespeare. Keeping your message simple and short allows for fast transmission and easy understanding by the reader.

Be exciting! Knowing that your fan base consists of people who buy your products means you shouldn’t bore them with the same post. Keep it new and entertaining or your fan base will slowly disappear. For example: do a weekly photo contest with giveaways, weekly trivia, famous quotes or industry related facts.

Finally, be kind and respond! People took the time to read your posts and maybe even liked or commented on them. Be timely with a response and let fans know they are loved.

Utilizing these simple but effective tips can certainly help grow your fan base, but how long are you going to stare at your Facebook wall and wait for a fan comment? Contact Back 2 Basics Marketing today and let us handle your social media management to get your fan base booming. We create campaigns and manage your social media to increase customer engagement and eventually your ROI. Don’t pass up the opportunity to influence thousands of people and enhance your business with these tools.

Call us today to really make an impact on the social network 636.293.5958

With the New Year less than a month away, it isn’t a bad idea to consider some new ideas and ways to promote your business. Looking over this last years reports and analyzing what worked and didn’t work for your business is a great start, but how are you going take your business to the next step? Are you going to expand into new demographics and grow your company? Or did your business decrease or stagnant?

If your company is looking to grow, then make the decision to partner with an ad agency and take your marketing to the next level.

Back 2 Basics Marketing consults with you on the best way to take your marketing strategy to the next level. By understanding your budget and annual plan we will craft the right strategy for you business. Integrating our creative strategy into both large and small clients over the past few years has allowed for us to understand the environment of marketing and promotion. Through innovative thinking and creative expertise, your company will experience the growth you were looking for.

Take for instance, in 2010 Back 2 Basics Marketing partnered with Mick’s Exterminating. After just one year with us they experienced a 10% increase in 2011 and are looking forward to growing again in 2012.

With less than 31 days until the New Year let’s create something your clientele will love in 2012. Give us a call today to consult or build a step-by-step plan to get your business on the road to success.

The importance of an internship goes far deeper than just a mere resume booster. An internship can give you insight into a particular industry you’re interested in and it can provide valuable experience coupled with life lessons. Understanding how a particular industry or company operates can allow you to grow personally as well as professionally.

An internship can be the start of a life-long career in the field of study one pursues. The opportunity to work in a professional atmosphere can help guide an individual to help them decide if the field they are pursuing is something they are actually interested.

Internships may seem looming in nature at first, but their rewards far outweigh the drawbacks. Understanding that an internship isn’t just a right of passage, but a job constructed on the skeleton version of the real position (a position a company at some point will need to fill) is essential. Having the chance to show a potential employer that you’re hard working and how you can already perform the job responsibilities can be truly invaluable.

Take our VP of Operations for example. Danielle started out as an unpaid intern for six months — after graduation she was offered a full-time position. She was grateful for the opportunity and she is “living proof that internships can and do make a difference in your career,” she said.

Internships are a unique opportunity that you will never again encounter throughout your career. This is your chance to test-drive different positions to see which ride you enjoy most. Utilize it! Use your summers (and maybe even a fall or spring semester if your school allows it) to intern.

We at Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC are currently looking for hardworking individuals who are willing to learn and grow in a fast-paced environment.

Students can apply for an internship with Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC, anytime. Interns are expected to work a minimum of 15 – 20 hours per week and will receive academic credit, items for their portfolios, and opportunities to attend several networking events.

To apply for an internship position, please send a cover letter and resume, three recommendations, and three writing samples to info@back2basicsmarketing.com

Having the right Technology Director in place undoubtedly accelerates one’s path to success; this individual has the best understanding of technologies used in the organization, is able to stay abreast of current technology shifts and is accessible to clients 24/7.

Bringing on Justin Chadbourne to the Back 2 Basics Marketing team was not a hard decision…

Justin has an Associates in Visual Communication from ITT Technical Institute where he graduated valedictorian of his class. With a passion for technology, Justin comes to Back 2 Basics Marketing with the knowledge and skill set to help keep us at the forefront of ever evolving internet and mobile technology markets.

“I’m excited to join the Back 2 Basics Marketing team for many reasons, but mainly it’s because I feel that I can make a genuine difference for our customers with their online and media related marketing concerns. Being able to put my experience to work in planning and technical execution is a fairly rare opportunity in an increasingly “get the job done” industry. We have developed a reputation in the market as a premium resource for excellently planned and executed solutions for our clients. My job is to make sure that as new markets and media such as the current mobile trend open up that we are strategically ready to help our clients move into these arenas creatively and effectively,” expressed Justin.

Justin maintains constant interaction with our clientele and provides solutions to all of their Web-related issues. Additionally, Justin is hands-on with our client search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. From backlink generation to content optimization, keyword research and semantic code, Justin is determined to bring growth and revenue to our clients through these SEO techniques. His number one goal is keeping up with industry trends to ensure our customers do not get left behind.

Our path to success has definitely accelerated with Justin joining our team. And we hope this success is even more accelerated due to our relocation on Locust Avenue in Midtown near downtown St. Louis.

So if you ask us the question of internal vs. outsourcing… Our answer will always be “internal” – As giving the best service we can demands internal.

Back 2 Basics Marketing is a full-service ad agency in St. Louis, MO. We specialize in results oriented marketing, advertising and public relations. If you are interested in having our agency handle your search engine optimization, call 636.293.5958 or visit
 www.back2basicsmarketing.com.

As many businesses begin to see the value of social media, many have also begun using 3rd party applications (apps) such as Hootsuite, TweetDeck and Networked blogs to increase their content and online presence. While using 3rd party apps can save time, posting to multiple social media platforms at once can actually hurt your online presence. According to recent study by Applum, social media accounts receive an average of 70% fewer likes and comments.

Why? Let’s take Facebook as an example; auto posts reduce the prominence of posts published by third-party apps and can be hidden on the news feed. As likes and comments increase a posts’ prominence in the news feed (thereby driving more impressions and clicks), all pages using auto-posting apps should look to switch to manual posting. Not only will your impressions and clicks increase, manual posting allows a company to be more interactive/personal with their fans/followers. A personal touch to your status’ can sometimes make all the difference with customers. Whether it’s a daily tip, insights on the company or what we call “fill in the blanks”, status updates are best when personalized and manually posted.

While this might require changes in work flow of allocation or additional resources, it’s well worth it to take the extra minute and manually post.

Back 2 Basics Marketing is a full-service ad agency in St. Louis, MO. We specialize in results oriented marketing, advertising and public relations. If you are interested in having our agency setup your social media for your company or do a social media tutorial, call 636.293.5958 or visit
 www.back2basicsmarketing.com.

Back 2 Basics Marketing LLC, a full-service ad-agency in St. Louis, is hosting their second annual open house on Friday, December 2nd from 4:00PM to 8:00PM in their new office location at 3027 Locust Avenue in Midtown Alley near downtown St. Louis.

Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC is providing appetizers and refreshments throughout the event. Additionally, attendees have the opportunity to win door prizes donated by local area businesses. Over 300 businesses attended the event last March, which allowed for extensive networking and referrals amongst businesses.

“We very excited for our clients & prospective clients, family, and friends to join us in celebrating our new office space and a great year at Back 2 Basics Marketing,” said Michelle Nelson, President and Founder of Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC. “We are thrilled to have had such positive growth in our company, and we anticipate further growth by our move to Midtown Alley.”

Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC recently added new team members and their experience ranges from working with nationwide corporations to non-for-profit organizations. The open house provides a unique opportunity to speak with team members about marketing tactics, strategies and industry trends to enhance business and ROI.

A Franchise System will also be available to speak with individuals about a unique business opportunity with Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC. This business opportunity gives individuals the chance to start their own marketing agency with less restriction, less start-up capital required, and no ongoing royalty that franchising opportunities require.

If you are interested in attending the open house or donating, please contact Danielle Shields, Vice President of Operations, at 636.293.5958 x 1. To learn more about Back 2 Basics Marketing, visit www.back2basicsmarketing.com.

Why Hire An Advertising Agency?

Many business owners often question from time to time; what is the advantage of hiring a professional advertising agency? Your business might be down, maybe you are looking to expand, or maybe you are looking for strategies to keep your current clients. We have compiled our top four reasons for why we believe that a professional advertising agency will help your business.

4. We do the hard part for you

The Internet, despite its limitless possibilities, can often become confusing when trying to figure out how to harness it’s full potential. Imagine gaining access to your entire target market, just through the Internet. Take a step beyond your company’s facebook page and ask these questions. Do you have the ability to manage multiple social media platforms simultaneously? Do you know how to make your company visible on search engines such as Google through Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Can you design and maintain your own website? Do you even have the time for all these things? This is why advertising agencies exist, while it is common to outsource your accounting or other professional needs, consider the positive impact outsourcing your company image to skilled professionals could have.

3. We provide a fresh perspective

Why have your sales flattened out? When did it become so difficult to attract new customers? Why do you attend all those seminars to help your business? It doesn’t take much sometimes to know you need a new idea. Hiring an advertising agency often provides your business with a new perspective on what, when, how, and where you should be promoting yourself. They can provide fresh ideas, design a strategy and approach for your sales growth, and give you the support and tools needed to expand your business.

2. We can improve your marketing ROI

How much are your in-house promotions really saving you? The specialized workforce of many advertising agencies allows projects to move ahead with more efficiency which gains you more return on your marketing dollar. They have industry research, knowledge about your competitors, they provide expert advice for your company, and they are only paid to do one thing: effectively present your company in the marketplace. This focus allows an agency to provide more targeted, and therefore less wasteful, advertising for your company. Ask yourself: what are your in-house promotions costing you compared to a professional agency?

1. We are the experts

Advertising agencies are successful because of their expert knowledge in a complicated industry. Graphic design, branding, media, public relations, social media, internet technology, and metrics and analytics are all integral parts of your company’s complete marketing puzzle. An agency’s job is to make sure that all the parts of your puzzle are assembled to create the full picture of your company for potential clients. Quickly adding quality to any component of your business, their specialized work force can produce results you previously thought were unattainable for your company.

Ultimately, if you decide to hire an ad agency you need to trust them as you would any other professional resource. Your trusting relationship will always bring fruitful results.

Back 2 Basics Marketing is a full-service ad agency in St. Louis, MO. We specialize in results oriented marketing, advertising and public relations. If you are interested in having our agency develop a positioning statement for your company, call 636.293.5958 or visit
 www.back2basicsmarketing.com.

Back 2 Basics is in the process of re-branding. With re-branding, comes the time spent on tweaking our logo and determining that single most importance sentence in our marketing arsenal – the positioning statement. Now, as the Vice President and being with the company for close to 4 years, one would ONLY think that this simple assignment would be easy… I know what makes B2B unique but putting this into words, well… that’s a different story. The whole idea of the positioning statement is to be short & catchy while still capturing the “uniqueness.” So the question remains… How do I put all my thoughts into only 4 to 6 simple words?

Creating a positioning statement is definitely harder than it seems BUT on the flip side, positioning statements are the best way to ensure that people remember you and your products/services. So to make things easier, I took the following seven questions into consideration during development:

1. Who are we?
2. What business are we in?
3. What people do we want serve?
4. With whom are we competing?
5. What makes us different from competitors?
6. What’s the benefit?

It’s certainly not finalized yet but concepts/ideas are ticking. It’s really about investing the time and effort to do it right… Our new statement will be unveiled this Friday so stay tuned!

Back 2 Basics Marketing is a full-service ad agency in St. Louis, MO. We specialize in results oriented marketing, advertising and public relations. If you are interested in having our agency develop a positioning statement for your company, call 636.293.5958 or visit
www.back2basicsmarketing.com.

“You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Hall of Famer

I love this Gretzky quote because it’s such a great way to look at life and business, (as well as sports) and it really ties in with the opportunity that we’re offering. If you’re ready to step up and take your shot, we’ve got a great way for you to own and operate a virtual, ultra-light start up ad agency. If you’re looking for a business that offers a high degree of flexibility, less restriction over a franchise model and no ongoing royalty fee, this is right up your alley! The virtual business model utilized by Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC presents owners with a low cost and effective business, ensuring greater potential for profitability, and the Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC team will provide an intensive training program and on-site assistance during your initial launch, as well as ongoing sales training and consultation during your first year in business.

While many feel that a down economy is a bad time to start a new business, those in the know disagree. “Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC as a new business opportunity represents a fresh idea and an exciting opportunity for the right person interested in business ownership, “ said Chris Coleman, Franchise Consultant for FranNet of St. Louis. “I believe their business opportunity will be a success story for years to come.”

In fact, Back 2 Basics Marketing, LLC was started when I decided to take my shot: Three years ago I moved to St. Louis with the same fears but now I’m running a successful ad agency with over 150 clients nationwide. My business model demonstrates that this fear is incorrect and that with a little help, a new business owner can be successful beyond anything previously imagined. I truly believe that anyone can make a dream into a reality.

If you’re ready to take your shot, call Chris Coleman, Franchise Consultants with FranNet of St. Louis, at 636.228.4700, or email him at ccoleman@frannet.com.

I was recently asked a few questions by one of our clients to comment on how a business can deal on social media? Much of this is based on services we provide for our clients.

How important is it for business owners to learn how to manage customer complaints on social media?

It is absolutely crucial that small business owners learn when and how to manage customer service issues on social media. As consumers, we are giving new meaning to the phrase “I want it my way.” In an era of McDonalds Happy Meals and single people getting dates delivered to their email faster than you can blink, our expectations as consumers have gone up. On the flip side, as business owners we have to meet that demand. Your customer may prefer to call your toll-free number or send you an email or chat with you live on your website or send you a message on Twitter. Yes, the list is long. But, the goal is to provide your customers with choices, because as consumers we will settle for nothing less. This doesn’t mean that you have to respond to every message or tweet within seconds. It just means that you are listening to your customers, and making a genuine effort to be of service to them – on the platform of their choice. All good businesses require systems, and offering customer service through social media is no exception to the rule.

If we see something negative, we are much more likely to believe it as true vs. when we see something positive. A negative comment, when truly constructive, can be a great opportunity for the business to “walk the walk."

Let’s say an unhappy customer posts negative comments on what should be a business owner’s first steps?

The first step when faced with a negative comment is to analyze it. Is the complaint truly constructive, and is this truly a distraught customer you are dealing with?  Unfortunately, this is becoming a larger issue. In which scenario, I’d recommend responding promptly and courteously to the customer. At the end of the day, people realize that businesses make mistakes because human beings run them. They will judge you (the small business owner) based on how you deal with a situation, vs. the situation itself. I am more impressed when a business or individual takes the time to say “sorry, let us make it better” vs. turning a blind eye.

Are there any “golden rules” or “best practices” business owners should follow when monitoring social complaints and dealing with them?

When we work with our Back 2 Basics Marketing clients, we ask them to follow some Golden rules. 1) Work on building a positive brand before you need it. A restaurant that gets just two negative reviews is going to feel the pinch a lot more than a restaurant that has thirty positive and two negative reviews. Encourage your happy customers and clients to share their experiences online. 2) Make the most of free websites like socialmention.com to keep a check on your brand. Even a weekly search will do. 3) Do not censor truly constructive comments – even if they are negative in nature. Feel free to delete (when on your website or Fan Page), comments that are cruel, discriminatory, violent, or vulgar. If you have a Facebook Fan Page, take the time to create a Fan Page policy – one that clearly states the intent of your online platform (customer service and feedback for example) and what you will not tolerate. Then, you can deal with the comments and interaction there based on your pre-set policy.

How can businesses turn these negative situations into positive ones—and ultimately protect their integrity?

By cultivating positive relationships online and offline, and dealing with the negative comments and complaints in a timely and courteous manner. For information on Back 2 Basics Marketing social media services and how we can help lighten your load, call us at 636.293.5958 or check out our website at www.back2basicsmarketing.com or Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/Back2BasicsMarketing.