Hashtags were first found on Twitter but have since grown in popularity and can now be used across all social media platforms. The purpose of using hashtags is to bring companies and people from all over the world to one page by sharing the same word or phrase. Typing a # in a search bar will bring up everyone’s post that has ever used that #. For example: #ThrowbackThursday #selfie #wackywednesday #justdoit #noexcuses. Check it out… Go onto Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, type any # in the search bar and see what comes up! Using hashtags for your brand will help your SEO ranking on Google and help to get your page noticed.

Tips for #Hashtagsforbusiness:
1) Create a hashtag that is NOT your business name. Younger customers will automatically view your company as outdated if your hashtag is your company name. Get creative! Using your tagline can give some great inspiration. #womenofevolve is also the hashtag used for a women’s clothing line in Europe. When you go to #womenofevolve, you’ll not only see our posts but you’ll see theirs too. Pretty cool!

2) Use a popular hashtag along with your company slogan hashtag. For instance, #womenofevolve #attitudeofgratitude or #changinglives #motivationmonday. You want one for your company and one popular hashtag for each post if possible. Don’t go hashtag crazy. An entire paragraph of hashtags is going overboard and is annoying at best.

3) Using apps like Ripl (which automatically give you 3 options of social media posts to choose from and will include a popular trending hashtag) can take the guesswork out of what is trending and what to post. You’ll look like a pro!
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Using hashtags is a fun way to connect with others in the world. You can literally make a #outofanything! #Ihopeyouwillusethem!

Here are 3 things I am consistently striving for in order to continually attempt work/life balance. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don’t but I’m always trying! Juggling running a business, scheduling back office tasks, to do lists from home… Oh yeah, they say “self care” is important too… How can you manage it all??

1) Time Management: Use your calendar the way it was intended…to keep you organized. Whether it’s digital or old fashioned pen and paper (I use both), mark everything you have to do first. Use colors to denote family time, business meetings, money making activities, personal time. Use a timer on your phone when you sit down to do those tasks. And don’t forget SELF CARE! Put it on your calendar. Your sanity and health are the biggest asset in your business.

2) Learn to say No: I know you want to volunteer for both of your kids’ sports teams. I know you want to take the day off and organize your bathroom… But you can’t build a successful business without balance. Sometimes you have to choose to get your social media campaign done and skip the lunch with friends. Sometimes you have to miss volunteer opportunities to build your following. Learn to say NO when it doesn’t fit your priority or your goals.

3) Utilize the support of your spouse and kids: Tell them your goals and priorities. I have many conversations with my kids, and my husband, about where we’re going, what we’re working for. I can’t always be at the school for events but I’ll schedule lunch with each of them once a month. My spouse knows what I’m trying to accomplish. He can say “Hey, I don’t think you should skip that networking meeting to get your hair done. I’m sorry, but you need to be there.” (Not that I’ve EVER skipped a networking event to get my hair done… wink wink)
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What kinds of tips do you use to keep your life balanced? If you’re still trying to figure it out, join the rest of us! Some days are more balanced than others but if you continue to put effort into your day, you’ll start running your day instead of it running you.

Whether you own your own business or work for someone else, sometimes our days/weeks just get away from us. That appointment you forgot, the financials you wanted to get to but didn’t…
Time blocking is a tool I learned from owning an executive assistant business. It has changed the way I manage my business… and my life.
​Tips for Time blocking:
1) Colors! Use different colors for different subjects. In the screenshot above, you can see my calendar. Pink is me Those are non-negotiables. Appointments set, places I have to be. Grey is back office. These items are fluid, meaning they can move if needed. (IE: Financials on Friday afternoon, social media campaign on the last Monday of the month.) Clayton is blue and Evolve events are green. Using colors helps me know exactly what is going on when and where exactly I need to be.
2) Automate Everything! Use your calendar for follow ups, to do lists, anything you can automate and get out of your head, the better! Use time blocking to tackle those tasks.
3) Use a timer! When you have one hour, or just 30 minutes, to tackle a project, set a timer on your phone. This gives your brain the impression you are on a time schedule, which you are. The days I set a timer, I am much more productive. If you have extra time, stand up and stretch! Take those few minutes to take a breath or two. Not enough time? Add 15 minutes if you can or put it on your calendar to return to later. Timers are a great tool to partner with your time blocking to stay on task.
Try it out and let me know if you can tell a difference!

Customer service is defined as “the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use their services.”
Money Making Activities (MMA’s) are activities done in order to make a profit.
A lot of business owners will confuse the two. For example, are these Customer Service or MMA’s?
~ Newsletters?
~ Calls to previous clients for referrals or reorders?
~ Calls to previous clients for quality control?
~ Posts to social media?
~ Blog posts?
Some of these examples could be customer service until you include an action step.
Here are a few of my favorite MMA’s:
1) 10 Touches/day:

• 2 Team members (What are your goals this week and how can I help?)
• 2 Current members (Who else do you know who might need more connections?)
• 2 Past visitors (I just wanted to check to see if you’d like to join us at X event?)
• 4 New connections on LinkedIn or Facebook (I have a social media campaign that takes care of this one for me. If you don’t, be intentional! Send them a “Thank you for the connection. Have a great week and consider me a resource.” message after they’ve accepted. I send that message to all my new connections.)

2) Take your newsletters from “customer service” to an “MMA” by including an action step. “Click here to visit our website!” “Register for X event today!”
3) Email 3 of your collaboration partners asking for speaking opportunities. (You can also find groups on Meetup. Don’t forget to thank them in advance for their consideration.)
4) Video a tip of the week. Add something people want to know about. Just remember to keep it simple!
5) Head out to a networking meeting in your community. Networking meetings are a great way to get people to know who you are and get acclimated to your brand. Try to invite one person to coffee or lunch for a 1:1 at each meeting you go to.
Schedule 5 MMA’s per day and do those first! Put the ACTION in TRACTION!
What are some of your favorite money making opportunities?

​The purpose of a good social media campaign depends on what your purpose is. For H7 & Evolve, our purpose is to get business people interested in visiting our meetings. Whether you’re selling a service or product, social media marketing has now become one of the easiest ways to promote brand awareness. The main focus of your campaign shouldn’t be selling… it should be to give your audience the impression that you, and/or your company, are experts in your field. Show you care about your clients, potential clients, and the community as a whole.
Tips for Social Media Posts:
1) Make yourself an expert in your field by keeping the content useful & relevant. Articles, blog posts, research on your industry.
2) Try not to constantly sell your product or services. Mix up your message with motivational memes, book quotes, etc. What is your target market going to respond to? Recipes? Innovation? Events going on in the area? Don’t forget to add a few personal posts with people in them! We love seeing behind the scenes of what you’re doing and will connect easier when there’s a person to connect to.
3) Use apps like Hootsuite to help automate your campaign. You can schedule posts right from your computer, up to 3 platforms. Set it and forget it!
4) Create a schedule for your posts. Mine is set up for the week: Motivation Monday, Business Tip Tuesday, Website Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, TGIFriday. You can also do Monday is what happened over the weekend, Tuesday product promotion, Wednesday an article, Thursday behind the scenes, Friday how I kicked a$$ this week… Try to post other things besides just your product or service. People love to buy things but they hate to be sold to.
Social media can be overwhelming at first. Start slow and try a few different tactics to see where your engagement is highest. Don’t worry about what time is best for what… Just start!