Spotlight on Local Goodness: Introducing the 321 Coffee Cart ☕️
With the introduction of the 321 Coffee Cart, you can now find their delicious brew just about everywhere!
A Night to Remember for the Raleighwood Newbie
Fast forward three months, and I received a ticket (thank you, Raleighwood) to Midtown Raleigh’s biggest bash of the year, the State of Midtown. It was hard to contain my excitement at the sheer fancy-pants vibe of the whole thing, and now I can’t wait to spill the beans about my awesome experience with you all!
The Art of the RSVP: Raleighwood’s Raleigh Magazine Feature
Raleighwood founder Lisa Jeffries Nobling was recently interviewed by Raleigh Magazine regarding the ‘dying’ art of the RSVP. Has the RSVP become obsolete? The article delves into the question of whether the RSVP, a long-standing tradition in event planning, has become obsolete in today’s fast-paced digital age.
Common Social Media Marketing Myths—Debunked
There are a lot of myths out there concerning social media marketing. Here, we tell you what’s true and what’s not.
Instagram Feed Filtering is Coming – Get Ready to Pay to Play
The beautiful simplicity of your Instagram feed is coming to an end. And you can bet marketers will be asked to pay up.
5 Things Every Small Business Email Should Include
For the eighth year in a row, iheartretail.com is publishing our annual listing of all of the local retailers and brands participating in Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday that we can find. Our goal is to help shoppers keep their holiday spending local, and to help retailers bring more business in their doors. It’s a labor of love that takes hours upon hours to collect, publish, and promote.
Last year, I read over 100 emails within one 24 hour period from retailers promoting their weekend offerings to compile the annual shopping guide. Some were great, some had lots of room to improve. Here’s my advice to you for email marketing success.
5 Things Every Email You Send Should Have Inside!
1. A Reply Email Address
Ditch your email system if it uses no-reply and for Heaven’s sake, put an email address you actually check. Don’t make your customers chase you to contact you, because they will just shop elsewhere.
2. Your Business Hours
Just because you’re open normal hours, don’t assume your potential customers know what they are – and if you’re operating extended or shortened holiday hours, this becomes even more important. Your customers are in a rush due to the craziness of the holiday season, so help them out here.
3. A Phone Number That Will Be Answered
Again, holiday shoppers are experiencing nutty schedules, the demands of family, a condensed work schedule, and more. Sometimes, they just need to know if you have something in stock or if you can make their special request happen. Be ready for their calls and make it easy for them to reach you!
4. Your Website
I know this seems crazy, but you won’t believe how many businesses, especially retailers, forget this important link. This is the ideal place to send your audience when they have questions outside of your business hours! (It also offloads your email and phone traffic if you answer their key questions right on your website) PS: Don’t forget to put all of these important points of information (phone, hours, etc.) on your website, too. This is where your audience will likely look before they call you!
5. Physical Address
Keeping with the theme of convenience for your holiday shoppers, don’t forget to remind them where they can physically find you if you maintain a brick-and-mortar business. (If you’re online only, at least include your city and state so that those paying particular attention to shopping local will know that you’re their neighbor, too!)
6. Freebie Advice! Don’t Procrastinate
The old college rule still rings true: don’t procrastinate! Don’t wait to let your audience know what’s going – especially when it benefits them. If you wait until Thanksgiving or Black Friday to send your Black Friday promotions out, you’ve missed out on a huge majority of shoppers who’ve already made their plans. If you wait until the day of your promotion to email them, you’re likely going to become just an impulse purchase or a late add-in to their schedule. Make sure you send out your info in time to be a priority of theirs, not an after thought!
Recent Graphic Design Projects: Flyers, One-Sheeters, & Social Media Graphics
As a small but mighty agency, we quite often forget to showcase our recent work! Without further ado, here’s a look at some of our recent graphic design projects…
What projects can we help your business, brand, or organization get started on today?
Most Effective Times, Days to Send Email, Post Social Content
Media Post has a nice updated report, from various sources, of the most effective days and times to send marketing emails and post content to various social media networks, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Interestingly, the report shows that while the most popular time to send email is on Thursday between 11 a.m. and noon, the most effective time is actually on the same day between 2 and 5 p.m.
See the full report, and what it lists as the most effective time to post to your favorite social media network or to post blog content at http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/243355/when-to-post.html
You’re Making Us Blush! A Raleighwood Review from Carmon’s Curl Up & Dye Salon
Thanks to Beth and Carmon from Carmon’s Curl Up & Dye Salon in Garner for the kind words:
It’s always nice to hear from old friends, but it’s a shame when they come calling because their former website designer is holding them hostage! Unfortunately, there are some less than stellar designers out there who give the rest of us a bad name. Luckily, we were able to work with the salon’s prior web designer to reclaim the domain name and create a new WordPress website based around the concept of a “content management system” (CMS). The big benefit of using a CMS is that Beth and Carmon are now able up post updates to their blog and update their website in just a few clicks – almost instantly! And when they need some help with the “heavy lifting” they know we’ll be around to help.
This model doesn’t work for every design firm, but we love giving our clients the ability to have a little freedom with their websites. Check out our website packages and let us know if we can help you out, too. And if you find yourself in Garner, NC and in need of a cut and color, visit the gang at Carmon’s Curl Up & Dye!
Now Offering Social Media Management Packages
Raleighwood Media Group is pleased to offer a new service, designed with small business owners and c-suite executives in mind: monthly social media management packages (click the link to find out more, including pricing).
Is your time better utilized managing your business rather than posting to Twitter — although you know it’s something you need to do every day to remind your audience that you’re in business and ready to fulfill their wants and needs? Read what Fred’s Beds president Lisa Stansbury had to say about the month of posting we took off her hands recently:
The month of June was so hectic for me that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to tweet much at all. Raleighwood Media Group provided me with quality content that was exactly what my customers needed to see. The content was much higher quality than what I normally produce myself. It was one less thing on my plate that allowed me to focus on other pressing matters. Social media is something that is easy to drop by the wayside when you have customers that need attention. You cannot make up for lost time. If you don’t send a message, no one receives a message. Raleighwood Media Group filled a much needed niche for me.
Social media management package begin at only $189/month and are scalable to fit your unique needs. Send us an email at Info@RaleighwoodMedia.com or call us at 919-229-9725 to get started today!