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Why Investing in a Social Media Marketing Company Could be the Smartest Thing You Ever Do

When used properly social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are a business owners greatest resource. Think about it…Facebook reaches almost 2 billion people around the world and Instagram isn’t far behind. Why not use social media to get your name out into the world and promote your company?

Maybe you have tried to utilize social media for your business in the past with no luck. When you hire the services provided by a social media marketing company you are guaranteed to see some significant improvements within your business. Of course you’ll have to pay for the services but you’ll get a return on your investment that makes it completely worth it.

Companies that specialize in social media marketing do more than just post on your company wall and respond to comments. Here are just a few of the services provided that make the investment one of the best decisions of your professional life.

Account management

This service means that your social media accounts are completely in the hands of the social media marketing team. There are two main components of account management: content creation and engagement. Content creation is just as it sounds; it involves creating the content for your pages and finding relevant content to post that will interest your customer base.

Engagement involves actually engaging with followers and friends on your social media business accounts. This includes responding to inquiries and comments, strategically reaching out to potential business partners, finding influencers to market your product, and deleting spam or negative comments.

Customer service

There is most likely a customer service division within your company. Well there is also one in a social media marketing agency that deals with solving customer problems directly on the platforms. The first step in this requires the social media professional to be trained on your company’s policies and overall methodology.

Paid media advertising

Social media advertising comes at a cost but keep in mind the number of potential customers you will reach with these ads. The main platform for this is currently Facebook and it requires constant monitoring and content optimization. Organic traffic (like the stuff we mentioned before) is great and all but the best way to profit from social media is through advertising.

Account growth and management

Social media marketing professionals know that you should NEVER buy followers and friends to fill your account space but maybe as a beginner you are unaware of this. It is completely not worth it because if you get caught it can ruin your account in the long run. Instead leave it to the pros to use hyper-focused practices to target your desired audience.

For Facebook account growth the experts know that it is necessary to share your content in tons of groups in order to increase your following. They also utilize share partnerships with other business accounts and invest in paid advertising. There are different methods used for each social media platform and social media marketers know the best strategies for each one.

5 Key Features of an Advanced Order Management System

Investing in an order management system for you business is a crucial step in keeping up with your competition and staying ahead of the game. Having the proper OMS can make your business run more smoothly than you could ever imagine. When researching which OMS to invest in you’ll see that there are tons of available options.

So which one do you choose? During the decision-making process always be sure that your OMS includes these 5 advanced features. These features will not just help your business meet its full potential but also make your life so much easier.

Provides end-to-end visibility

Even if you have multiple sales channels, warehouses, and shopping platforms your OMS should be able to provide end-to-end visibility. It should allow you to measure inventory in terms of what is available, what is in demand, what has been allocated and what has actually been sold. This feature is key especially when you operate across multiple channels.

Provides complete inventory control

This is the main reason for many business owners to invest in a proper order management system. An OMS will synchronize everything multiple times throughout the day. When an OMS does its job you won’t ever have worry about a customer getting annoyed with an “out of stock” label on the product he/she is hoping to buy.

Integrated order processing with EDI system

Your OMS should be able to synchronize orders and manage inventory warehouse management with your EDI system. Don’t know about EDI? Well now is the time to invest in it. EDI is electronic data interchange that has been helping businesses share documents in a standard format for almost 50 years.

An advanced order management system will integrate with you EDI for greater inventory control and improved order processing. When these systems are integrated it will greatly reduce manual data entry since all of your company information will be directly updated into your accounting or back-office system.

Provides the best customer experience imaginable

This is crucial not just for running a business but for seeing it grow over time. The main goal of any business model is to increase profit margins. The best way to increase profit margins is to make customers happy so that they keep coming back. They won’t turn to your competitor if they are happy with the product and the process of ordering it.

An order management system will ensure that the customer has the best experience possible when making a purchase. It simplifies the shopping experience by easing the process of adding items to the cart and accepting secure payments.

Manage and enable dropshipping

If your business uses a dropshipping model you’ll definitely need to invest in an advanced OMS. Dropshipping is when you don’t actually keep your inventory on hand but instead it goes straight from the manufacturer to the customer. Needless to say this can get confusing if you don’t utilize the proper tools – like an OMS – to help you out.

Top schools for the budding writer

Always had a way with words? If so, you may be thinking about going to school to improve the quality of your sentence structure, narrative, and flow. There is more to the process than simply picking a school which has a vaunted Bachelor of Arts program – you should be searching for one which specializes in helping talented writers thrive.

In this blog, we’ll recommend four colleges in America who have a proven track record turning wordsmiths into professionals.

1) Northwestern University

Of all the colleges on this list, Northwestern stands out above the rest of its longstanding track record of churning out acclaimed and frequently published writers over the years. 

Its stable pool of decorated professors are responsible for setting up authors like Veronica Roth of Divergent fame for the commercial success they have enjoyed to date.

With plenty of opportunities to put their skills to good use (student newspaper, interning at papers in the area, writing competitions held by the English faculty, etc), Northwestern University is set up to help literary types succeed.   

2) Washington University of St. Louis

Are you already an established writer who wants to add a valuable credential to the end of your name? Washington University of St. Louis offers one of the most prestigious Master of Fine Arts programs in the United States, making it an option you should have at the top of your list.

Its courses go into deep detail on topics which will help you lift your communication skills to the next level, and with scholarships available which can help budget challenged scribes (i.e. most of us) to afford tuition fees, this program is one every career writer should consider taking.   

3) John Hopkins University

This suggestion turns a lot of heads, as most know John Hopkins to be an engineering school. Despite seemingly being the antithesis of an ideal school for creative types, the program they set up for writers many years ago has developed into one of its better kept secrets.

Its strength lies in forcing writers who sign up for this program to indulge in a variety of different styles of writing. From straight up journalism to more esoteric pursuits like creating poetry, this series of courses will take you through every application of the written word. 

4) Brown University

Want your writing degree to come with Ivy League cred? Check out either the Bachelor degree in creative writing or the Master of Fine Arts program offered by Brown University. 

With no core requirements in these programs, you are free to choose whichever courses you like, giving you the opportunity to give yourself an educational background that will support your future works.

With a strong alumni network that include numerous Emmy and Pulitzer award winners, you can be sure of the calibre of the instruction you will receive at this prestigious university.