This is the second installment of my Lessons Learned series. Lessons will be sent via email at the start of the quarter and posted as a blog at the end of the quarter. If you like what you read, please make it go viral!

LESSONS LEARNED, VOL. 2
1. Be the master of one, not all
2. To #hashtag or to not #hashtag
3. Track your performance
4. Be strategic
5. Is it worth repeating?

Be the master of one, not all

Being a jack of all trades is only useful in a game of kickball; it is not useful in marketing your business. But, being a master of one is. So, in all of your marketing efforts choose the tactics that work for you and do those things well–the best. If LinkedIn is where your audience resides and you get leads from that effort, be intentional about your use of LinkedIn. If you receive phone calls from your online ad campaign, elevate your messaging and ensure that you have a call to action. If X equals Y…you get what I am saying. Engage in marketing efforts where your return in leads matches your labor/dollar output.

To #hashtag or to not #hashtag

For those of you who do not quite understand hashtags yet: hashtags place you and others in a conversation around a particular topic in social media. So, it is important to use hashtags wisely. Decide if you want to be in a local, global or exclusive conversation. Begin by researching your chosen hashtag to see who is in that conversation. If you want to be global, choose accordingly. If you want to be local, choose to be. And, if you want to be exclusive, use a telephone.

Track your performance

We all know about Google Analytics, Social Media Insights and Twitter Search, right? If you don’t, Google-it, now! Tracking the performance of your marketing efforts is the best way to understand your user and their behavior, and to figure out what works the best for your audiences so that online interactions translate into leads for your business.

Be strategic

Your business is not marketing. But your business does need marketing to continue to grow. Be strategic about how you market yourself. Don’t just write words on a website, make sure those words are messaged and each page has a call to action. Don’t just post something on social media, make sure that post speaks about your brand, delivers on your promise and builds on your reputation. Take the time to plan, be strategic and carefully craft your message.

Is it worth repeating?

Make what you do worth repeating in performance, conversation and strategy.

I am all about infographics these days. Here are a few interesting ones that captured my attention.
Animated Infographic
Using Social Media as a Customer Service Tool
Social Giving