Tools | Zinga Hart

Take 1 Hour To Automate Your Social Media

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Zinga H

I manage the social media as a part of my role. It is a small percentage of my day so to stay consistent with my schedule I set aside 2 hours a month to plan and organize posts I like on Hootsuite. With the ups and downs of working in higher education, it can be easy to forget to reach out on a daily basis. Using a social media management system can help you to share your own content and build your brand by displaying what interests you value. Here’s how I would split up the time.

10:00 Review my annual social media plan – Make any adjustments and add in any new creative ideas around the events happening in my local area.

10:05 Scan through Feedly and look for articles that match the month’s theme and my brand’s values. I right click through the ones I like and write relevant reviews with a short link going back to the original post. Read through the articles, write a short summary, and find a relevant picture to represent it. Sometimes there will not be a picture that represents well enough, so I will often find a better article or create the picture myself using Canva or find one on Photopin.

10:35 It averages about a minute per post to get the month scheduled for one post per day. Doing this grew the social media page by 300% over the past three years. It’s small, but steady, growth, and engagement averages around 27% percent of organic views, where organic reach for a page my size benchmarks at around 11%. So once I’m done I check to make sure every day is posted and review for typos.

10:40 For the rest of my time, I scan my social media feeds on Hootsuite and share relevant content from my community, specifically from other social media contributors within our organization, such as what’s happening in the Facebook groups, on our Listservs, or other events emailed to me.

10:50 Finally, I will add in a few posts supporting initiatives I have in my department.

When it comes to social media marketing, what you share from others should balance to four times of what you self-promote. Linking together is key to building a strong voice and vision with your social media brand.Finding time to consistently post is a matter of scheduling and automation. There are plenty of tools to use but Hootsuite is definitely tech I pay to have.

What are your biggest social media management challenges?

3 Ways to Attract Your Audience Online

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Zinga H

Do you own a shop in a local town? Where I’m from in Northeast Ohio there are a ton of local shops popping up in mid-size towns around me. I am happy to see small business owners serving and providing the community with a diverse set of offerings. The shops all have their own unique style, yet the ones that see the most action are the ones inviting to the customer to linger and offering a quality product. Like shops, our websites play an important role in inviting our customers, clients, or members to seek more from us.

Attract Customers With Open Doors

photo credit: Sainsbury’s – High Street, Longbridge Town Centre – entrance via photopin (license)

How do customers feel when they approach your website? Are they turned off by the design? Your competitors are using better strategies to ensure the user experience is as exceptional as would be in real life. Here are three ways to keep your site on par.

Improve your display

Your website is a window to your products or services. Like in local business marketing all parts of your business- from a menu to a bar of soap- must be displayed as if it is in a Macy’s window in the middle of New York. Keep your aesthetics clean and related to your brand. Make your colors appealing to the eye, yet let them represent the values of your brand.

Here’s Inspiration
95 Inspiring Websites of Web Design Agencies

Form, Function and Beauty on Brand Websites

Simplify your navigation

Your site might be too complicated If a customer has to ask: how do I make a reservation or get to the checkout? Users are used to making their next move quickly. If your customers can not simply find what they are looking for then they will leave for a site that is easier to navigate. While designing navigation avoid having the level of navigation go beyond three. If you are having trouble getting rid of levels, consider: What can be consolidated or removed? Links help connect people to infinite amounts of content, rely on proper linking over a cluttered navigation menu.

Optimize for Mobile

Web sites must be mobile friendly. 50% percent of shoppers are browsing on their phones. Google, the most-used search engine so far, also rewards websites in search engines if they are optimized for mobile viewing. Test your website today using google’s mobile-friendly test. In addition, to the design of your site being optimized for mobile, your content should also offer users quick and easily scannable information. Here’s results from my mobile friendly test!

How does your site measure up on the mobile-friendly test?

One More Move: Drink a Bright Green Smoothie

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Zinga H

photo credit: ~ Green Goddess Smoothie ~ via photopin (license)

There’s something I love about the color green. Perhaps it is how it represents growth, wealth, and health or because it can symbolize balance. One thing is for sure, leafy green vegetables contribute to many positive attributes, including the potential to keep our mental capacities sharper over time or contribute to the health of our gut instinct. Sharp faculties and a strong gut instinct all us entrepreneurs must maintain to persevere. One of my favorite ways to get my daily dose of green goodness is through a refreshing smoothie. Since it is summer now I could drink one two three times a day. Here are some of my favorite recipes. Here are my top three

Pre-Workout Smoothie

Simple Green Smoothies pre-workout smoothie is a great way to gain energy and nutrients before getting an intense workout. It also provides a basis for a good smoothie where you can get creative and mix and match your own fruits and juices.

Pineapple Chia Smoothie from Jelly Toast Blog

When I want a cup of delicious energy, I got for my pineapple chia green smoothie. The mixture of pineapple and chia seeds gives me a boost that outweighs coffee exponentially and without a crushing caffeine crash.

Ginger green smoothie from Love and Olive Oil

Finally, when I am feeling the need to detox, I reach for my ginger. This recipe for ginger spinach smoothies covers what I like, but I would include some extra honey for a more immunity-boosting drink.

Comment below! Do you drink green smoothies? What is a recipe you like?

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Want success control time. This shows a clock falling to the ground to show a sense of time being out of control

Want Success? Wield the Tool of Time!

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Zinga H

photo credit: 12 sec via photopin (license)

Do you want to move forward in your career, manage multiple projects with ease, drastically reduce stress levels?

You may be wondering how can I take control of my time?

What we know about time do know about time? Scientifically we are still inconclusive. Early theories related time to the breakdown of things; the collapse into chaos. The theory behind the relationship between time and energy show that with time dormant energy will move velocity and acceleration at a constant rate. Although what time is exactly is still fuzzy to definitions science agrees it plays an important role in the things that happen and perhaps even the creation of the universe.

Yet, with all the studies surrounding time Carrol claims it is “not the be found in the underlying laws of physics” Time does not take up space and does not have a mass. Which in a sense means time is a imaginary. It’s not a real part of our physical world, but one created by us humans. It is hard to pin down this tool we created. Major philosophical theorist divide into three parties: Presentists, Growing-past philosophers, and eternalists. Presentists believe on the present is real. Growing-past philosophers believe the past and the future are real and eternalists believe in the existence and reality of past, present, and future. I lean towards the eternalist camp. I think most entrepreneurs do, since the future is the substance of our dreams.

Which is why “time is money” is the mantra of any wealth warrior. Recorded in The Free-Thinker in 1719, the phrase time is money relates the idea that time is a valuable resource as one of the purest measures of human value since our time is finite on this earth and we must produce what we best can and seize opportunity. Are you leveraging your time to maximize your return? Wasted time is wasted money and it moves you further away from the feeling of success. As though you are not maximizing the opportunities available in your life. How can we escape the subtle sense of chaos that comes with time?

We have to focus on what is really at play. You have a desire to effectively seize the opportunities you have before you. Time-management needs to be re-named to Self-management. Self-management is “the process of evaluation [sic], prioritizing, and organizing one’s tasks” . Time is the imaginary tool we use to measure the movement and completion of tasks. We watch a flower grow and a forgotten yogurt die. When we use the tool of time right we realize the steps we are taking towards our goals. When we use the tool incorrectly, we can dwell in non-present aspects of time like stressing over the future or reminiscing in the sweet past.

How do you manage yourself wisely? The first step is to put yourself first. Self-management is a continuous process of a commitment to developing yourself. It took me ten years to get a comfortable grip on time, and I’m still striving for greater discipline. What major roadblock in my way, was the belief that if I just gave my mind, body, and spirit up to other things I would somehow feel fulfilled with the time I was spending. So I worried unnecessarily, ate indulgently, and felt all types of ways without making any real traction in my goals. It was only when I focused on myself: being my healthiest; cultivating my thoughts for pro-action; and rewarding my behavior with gratitude and respect that I suddenly began to take leaps towards achieving the life I desired.

Practice items

Here are some reflection exercises for self-management:

What do your value? How do you rank your values?
What are your top 20 priorities? Drop it down to 5.
What does it take for you to perform at your best?

References

Time and Energy – Millennium Relativity.” 2002. 5 Aug. 2015 <http://www.mrelativity.net/TimeEnergy/TimeEnergy.htm>

What Is Time? One Physicist Hunts for the Ultimate Theory …” 2014. 5 Aug. 2015 <http://www.wired.com/2010/02/what-is-time/>

“Time | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.” 2009. 5 Aug. 2015 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/time/>

“What is the idea behind the quote “time is money”? – Quora.” 2014. 5 Aug. 2015 <http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-idea-behind-the-quote-time-is-money>

“Time = Money | SUCCESS Magazine | What Achievers Read.” 2013. 5 Aug. 2015 <http://www.success.com/article/time-money>

“Time Management – Exploratory Studies at Purdue.” 2014. 5 Aug. 2015 <http://www.purdue.edu/exploratory/academic-support-new/time-management.html>

Management: Developing Self-Management Skills … – SQA.” 2007. 5 Aug. 2015 <http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/CB3496_self_management.pdf>

Entrepreneur! You Need to Know Inbound Marketing.

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Zinga H

Do you want to attract more customers online?

Do you need to attract more customers in real life?

Marketing is a business fundamental you need to know as an entrepreneur. Technology is constantly improving and enhancing how we communicate with our community. Ignoring new trends, technologies, and strategies could cause the next generation of your product or service user to turn blind to your presence. Shine your neon lights online and in real life by discovering what inbound marketing has to offer.

Inbound Marketing is a group of strategies and tactics that helps serve your customers better while boosting your brand to the top of the list as delivering quality service and products. Typically an internet marketing strategy Inbound Marketing includes creating content (blog articles, white papers, webinars) to attract your customer and help them consider which of your products or services you offer that can help them. Inbound marketing is about bringing the customer that already wants your product or service to your doorstep.You earn your customer’s attention by simply capturing it with the information they can honestly use. As well all strive to conduct good business, we all turn to the internet to help improve our offerings. When you establish yourself as a person who offers quality, your target audience will trust your brand’s link in the search engine results. Being easy to be found locally and on the web while drawing customers in with your value offers will keep you competitive and distinguish you from the crowds. Here are five questions to consider when moving towards an inbound marketing strategy.

Who’s my target audience?

Defining the person most likely to be looking for your services is necessary so you can better communicate to their wants, needs, and desires. This is called defining your persona in the inbound marketing strategy. One quick way to build your persona is to find one person that fits the match and then exploring them fully. How did they grow up? Where did they go to college? What are their hopes? What are their hobbies? The more you know, the more your relationship with your customer can grow.

How am I represented on the web?

There are a plethora ways to announce your existence on the world wide web. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube, SnapChat, etc. where do we start? Well, first with your website. Your website is like your living room, and it is your chunk of the internet that contributes and represents you and only you. Next, it is up to you to choose what social media platforms will best share your message. Usually, you would start with where your persona may surf the web. Then expand from there. If it all sounds like too much to manage, choose a platform like Hootsuite to pre-schedule your posts.

What do I consistently offer my customers?

Next what will you share with your customers? Share their interests, especially ones tied to your industry, product, or service. Make sure what you share represents your values and to properly promote the content of others by linking back to them or citing their work. Staying consistent will help your customers recall your brand, name, product, and service at the right moment and right time. They will remember you for what you offer and seek to turn to you first.

What can I teach my customers?

Developing your content and providing quality offerings to your customers is key to developing your inbound marketing strategy. While sharing content keeps you involved and fresh in the social media world, developing content is what keeps your customers coming back to you. What can you share the world? Are you developing a cookbook? Share recipes that didn’t make it in or cooking techniques to help build their skills.

HubSpot.com offers incredible information on improving your Inbound Marketing Strategy. The also deliver a plethora of content from blogs to courses to help you explore deeply. Check out a YouTube video below for information. For more free information and relevant content be sure to sign up for next August’s newsletter where we discuss finding your buyer’s journey.

Here’s some great books to read around Inbound Marketing

photo credit: Zen of Pea Gravel via photopin (license)

Simple Tips For You To Impress at a Dinner Interview

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Zinga H

This is it. You’ve arrived. They only roll out the silverware and napkins for the most promising interviews. The dinner interview is your advancement into mid- or executive-level career positions. So, how do you masterfully wield your fork and career pitch to propel you forward into landing the job you most desire? Similar to the regular interview you must do your research, prepare your presentation, and show gratitude in order to bring awareness of the values you can bring to an organization. Here are 3 ways to sharpen your dinner interviewing skills.

Research the organization

Showing up to a job interview, not knowing about the organization, the person you are meeting, or even the industry you are entering is a quick way to crumble your opportunity away. Take it a step further by considering the bigger picture and vision that the company will be considering. Weave the organization into the network of all organizations and show that you can see with the lens needed to be successful within your future position.

Pitch Pleasantly

One thing you have for you at a dinner interview is it is so easy to display your character and ability to interact with others. How so you ask? The servers! A restaurant is full of people working in unison to help produce an enjoyable experience for their customers. All good businesses do this. Join in with the restaurant team and to show how well you interact with the world around you. Say please, thank you, and keep your table area clean. Work with them and display respect as if you had to work with these people every day. There is no easier way to display your grace than to do this. Treat your server poorly and you may do well to leave an unpleasant taste on your potential employer’s tongue.

Chew Well

This advice goes both literally and figurately. It can be easy to over talk during any interview, they added a casual atmosphere of a restaurant can allow your words to flow easy like a steady stream. To impress, ask important questions and weigh in on the answer while you chew your food thoroughly, then swallow and then speak or ask a more clarifying question. The dinner interview is a time to languish in the organization and treat it as if it is a potential partner you are taking on a date. Enjoy their company and don’t rush through your resume of skills and accomplishments. This interview is about them and the things you will do for them. Here are more tips on questions to ask to show an organization you care.

The dinner interview is a great way to get your seat at the table. Use your knowledge, words, and body language wisely and you will be sure to leave an impression.

photo credit: rack of lamb presentation II (license)

5 Ways to Hack Your Sleep Routine

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Zinga H

Sleeping is important. When it comes to your growing list entrepreneurial ventures using sleep to keep your mind and body fueled will become ever important. Sleep keeps us alert, happy, motivated, and creative. These are all qualities needed to sustain the long hours, pivot gracefully and receive more opportunities in your life. Check out 5 ways to enhance your sleep schedule, so you can advance your wake time.

Wake Up Earlier – There are several ways to do wake up earlier in the mornings. The first is to have a reason to wake up. Knowing what you want to do with your time will help convince you to wake up. Also, it will give you a good routine to flow into right after turning off your alarm. Besides having a plan, one action to take is to set your alarm at your normal start time then set it ten minutes earlier each morning progressively.

Tweet tip! Ditch your cell alarm and switch to a standalone alarm, that way you can charge in another room and minimize cell phone distractions – Tweet

Take Naps – Taking naps is shown to have great effects on our productivity [link]. Many of my friends look at me incredulously when I say I take naps daily. How do I do it? I practice. Start in your nap spot and set your alarm for a 5-minute nap, then a 7 minute, then 10. Work your way up to a 20-minute nap and you will have the power nap [link] mastered.

Sleep in Phases – Poly-phase sleeping is the practice of sleeping on a schedule of multiple smaller rests throughout the day over one long rest during the night. In essence, it’s your nap routine pumped to the max. I’ve not mastered this, but some people manage to get their sleep down to two hours a day. What a dream. Steve Pavlina explains this how to do this in detail.

Meditate – I’ve heard 20 minutes of meditation is equal to 4 hours of rest. Try just one minute [link – YouTube video] to start. The increase in oxygen to your system will help it feel satisfied and mellowed, like the rest you can get from a well-maneuvered massage.

Write Before Bed – Sometimes going to sleep can be difficult, especially for the entrepreneurial mind that often races with new ideas. One way to settle your mind is to take the time to write them all out before going to bed.

A good sleep schedule is a great practice in personal leadership. Take the time to nurture your body and your body will nurture you.

photo credit: Dormir en N&B via photopin (license)

Tech Review: Build a Cleaner Resume with Resume

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Zinga H

When job searching it is important to spend a time catering your resume to each and every position. Taking the time to keep track, modify, and distribute multiple resumes can be draining, add making them modern and beautiful and you can find yourself consumed with time spent on just your resume alone. One website that helps makes this process easier for the job search is Resumonk.

Resumonk offers users easy design, fair pricing, and a sleek interface. Although there are some cons overall, the website delivers and has become a favorite since emurse went away.

Easy design

When first using Resumonk users have the option to start from scratch or import their LinkedIn Profile. The import tool was great because it brought in all facets of my profile, including any recommendations others have left. One downside was it listed all my skills. While useful you will have to pare down as it will take up a lot of space on your resume. It is easy to navigate from section to section, and there are many options to design your resume as you see fit.

Fair pricing

Resumonk is a freemium website. While you can use it for free, I ended up purchasing the subscription because I enjoyed the premium resume designs offered. A lifetime plan is $59 dollars while a 1-year plan is $20. Depending on how long your job search will take $20 for a year should be plenty of time to design, re-design, and distribute an unlimited amount of resumes.

Sleek Interface

A lot of resume builders online are ugly and as dreadful as filling out an online job application. Resumonk gets past that by paying attention to the design. The templates are well worth using and the fact that it pairs the design with the cover letter makes this web application a true professional service. Finally your dashboard provides you with all your past resumes to copy, edit, and reuse, making your job application process much easier.

Cons

While I will be using Resumonk for a while. I do hope they improve their resume template options. Although there are 4 pages, without the promise of more to come, I worry their designs will become generic as more users purchase their services. It should also be easier to transfer sections and pieces of one resume over to others. Finally, the import from LinkedIN can be awkward as it tends to list your oldest job at the top, requiring me to re-arrange in present chronological order.

Overall Resumonk is a great resume builder and tracker. You get to make 4 free resumes with the free option so check it out today!

Resumonk

Tech Tool Review

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Zinga H

Canva is a tool to buy to make your marketing life easier. Simple design, lots of options, and a simple pricing model make it a web app worth investing in. I run leadership events in Northeast Ohio and creating flyers for the event I almost immediately turn to Canva. It works so great, you won’t regret investing in it as a simple tool for your business.

Easy to use

Canva is a simple web app and you can access it anywhere and anytime. It’s easy to share using links and there is no download needed to share designs. It uses a two-panel design where you drag-and-drop images, designs, and clip art to your visual marketing content. There is also an option to automatically optimize design sizes using an array of pre-cut formats in the size of Facebook picture posts, twitter posts, web page banners, infographics, etc. Canva keeps it easy to use and there are a ton of ways to incorporate it in your marketing strategy.

Tons of free options

Free web apps are a dream for anyone charged with marketing for their start up. Canva offers tons of high-quality graphics and beautiful designs to use in your marketing material. I have used Canva to create many formats enhanced for web use. Colors are easy to change to add your can upload and use your own graphics for free adding even more to your design options.

Simple pricing model

Canva’s free options make web marketing easy and even fun. Canva monetizes its model by charging a dollar for premium flyer elements, clipart, backgrounds, and designs. It’s straight-forward and there is no need to sign up for a monthly subscription. While, I use the free options often, I buy the stock art they offer because it is good quality. It also makes it easy to market quickly and consistently.

5 SEO Concepts You Need To KNow

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Zinga H

Search Engine Optimization is necessary to help your audience find your quality content and for building your brand. Here’s an infographic to understand some basic terms you need to know.

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