The BOSS Network Blog

While chatting with a fellow journalist the other day, we expressed the same sentiment about social media. Although it’s great for keeping in touch with friends (which is how we’ve stayed connected since first meeting at college years ago), Facebook, Instagram and the likes can be a breeding ground for resentment. I first wrote about “Facebook Envy” for the now defunct millennial website Life2PointOh.com a few years ago and, I’m ashamed to admit, many of my feelings have not changed. While I may appear to live a charmed life on the outside (dream job, dream guy, cute clothes), I still have insecurities and doubts on the inside (oh, Quarter-Life Crisis, will you EVER go away?). Another journalist friend of mine once posted: “Stop comparing your behind-the-scenes struggle to everyone else’s highlight reel.” And she has a point. Most people only post the GOOD stuff on social media: the engagement, the promotion, the cute little baby bump, the fancy home, etc. What you don’t see,...

When you are trying to develop and build a branding strategy – be it personal or business, possibly the most powerful tool you have at your fingertips is Social Media, and that all important active presence that is needed. There are so many benefits to being active on different social channels which will really ramp up your branding if you actually take stock and really take advantage of them.  How I used social media to build my Social Media Brand online? There are many techniques to branding your business online. Use the free social platforms to create your business profiles and begin sharing rich content about your business brand. Having a regular online presence daily helps to get your brand recognized on social media platforms.  Another great way to get your brand out in the world of social media is to create press release about your business brand with detailed information on what your company has to offer to consumers and businesses alike. 1. Create yo...

I’m sure all of us feel frustrated or overwhelmed when it comes to managing all our social media platforms. There are a billion people online, and sometimes, it can feel pointless to try and insert ourselves into a million other conversations. But lately, I’ve been introduced to a few tricks, and I’d like to share them with you. TWITTER: The key to all social media platforms in engagement, but the key is to engage with the right people. To do that, organize your Twitter contacts into “lists” and categorize them. That way, you can hone and target right into your chosen peer group instead of having to filter through all the incessant chatter in your Twitterverse. For example, create a list of “female entrepreneurs” or “fashionistas” and you can drop your favorite figures in those categories right in. When you access your list, you’ll know exactly what kind of conversation your entering, and the kind of people you want to hear from. Then you can tweet away- to the right peop...

A status update is more than a mere 150 characters, it’s a bold statement, if you choose it to be. Every tweet, facebook update, and blog post is a chapter in the book you are writing about you and/or your company’s story, so it’s crucial to view social media as a craft. So what should you post on Facebook? Here are three different ideas that you can use to innovate the way you post: 1.  PHOTOS - Pictures are indeed worth a thousand words, but only if the picture is purposeful to your brand’s story. Share photos of you at work, in action, or your product. They don’t have to be pictures of yourself, but rather, photos that demonstrate your services/product and the value it offers. Photos also tend to get more “likes” and views on social media. 2.  RELATED ARTICLES - The articles you read show where your interests are. Sharing these with your audience further reinforces the lane you’re creating for yourself and your business, all the while educating yourself...

As of 2012, there are over one billion Facebook users. How many of them could be your next client? Chances are you have a personal Facebook account. That's great for connecting with friends, relatives, and finding new social connections. But as an entrepreneur, if your paying prospects are hanging out on Facebook, you are missing an opportunity without a Facebook Page for your business. When choosing to set up your Facebook business page, here are six ways to get it right: 1. Connect Your Page to Your Blog/Website Presumably, your business has an online presence elsewhere - a website, blog, or some such. On your site, it's a good idea to set up a link to your Facebook page and vice versa. This allows visitors to your site to easily connect to your Facebook page. And your Facebook friends can easily find your website (you can do this by adding a link to your website in the Basic Information section of your Business Page). Facebook is known as a familiar n...

This week for this week for Black Enterprise Small Business University expert teacher Tina Wells, CEO and founder of Buzz Marketing Group, teaches a course on Marketing. Lesson 1: SOCIAL MEDIA AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOUR BUSINESS If you are launching a new business you need to understand your target audience, go where they are in order to reach them. For example, Marketers looking to promote a product or service for the millennial generation must launch campaigns online. Studies have shown that more than 40% of the millennial generations spend more than 6 hours a day online.   How can you accomplish this? Social Media. Social Media has drastically change the way entrepreneurs market their products and services, you can no longer rely on traditional tactics to reach your target audience, especially millennia’s’ who are bombarded with hundreds’ of advertisements a  day. To break through the noise and reach out to them to directly through platforms such as Twitter ,...