Shopping online might seem easier in the long run, but there is no better feeling than experiencing local customer service and helping an entrepreneur thrive in your community. Here are 7 reasons you should consider shopping local instead of online!

Local business owners are so helpful when shopping for a gift or looking for yourself. They know their store like the back of their hand and would love nothing more than to provide you with exceptional service.  

If you have a friend or family member that owns a business, we encourage you to support their ambition. Buying local may cost you a few extra dollars but more often than not, you can't match the quality of their product or services. 

When you shop local, you are not only helping the business owner keep their doors open, you are also helping your community grow. Most business owners are the ones sponsoring your local hockey team or providing funds for your local events. Thank them by supporting their business and shopping local. 

Yes, Amazon might have a description listed under their item for sale but it's hard to know how good the product is without seeing it for yourself. When you shop local you have someone there that can help you every step of the way. They can explain the best options for you and you can even see the items and quality in person! 

Take it from someone who spends most of their day sitting at a desk from their home office. It's SO NICE to get out of the house, see some friendly faces, and know that you are supporting another entrepreneur. Walking around town gives you a little exercise and fresh air. It's a win-win for you and the business! 

I don't know a local business that isn't proud of the products or services that they provide, and if they aren't - they are in the wrong career! Our local establishments make sure to hand pick or create the best products and service for their customers. Skip the cheap crap and wrong sizes you can find online and shop local quality instead. 

Do you ever go shopping and not know what you are looking for but then end up finding some awesome deals? That happens to me all of the time when I am shopping local. I challenge you to visit a few shops or restaurants that you've never been to before and see if you find any hidden gems in your area! 

We hope that you take the time to explore some businesses in your local community and surrounding towns. You might be surprised at the treasures you will find! 

If you have been posting on social media regularly but not getting much engagement, we have some tips that should help. Once you figure out who your target audience is, you will want to create content that will intrigue your fans and keep them coming back for more! 

Here is our advice to grow your social following and increase your interactions. 

Many businesses make the mistake of ONLY posting promotional content on their page. Although it's important to trickle that in, it's more important to create content that your viewers will WANT to see. Here are a few posts that will get you more engagement and help you thrive on your social pages. 

Everyone loves a good employee highlight. Showing a smiling photo of an employee with a blurb about who they are is a great way to humanize your page. 

Most people don't like to brag about themselves but people do love to cheer you on, especially on social media! Be transparent and share your wins with your audience. 

As a business owner and entrepreneur, we believe that it's important for you to be part of your community. Show yourself working at events, volunteering, and supporting local businesses in your area. 

This type of content almost always does well on social media. When you choose a quote or meme that can relate with your audience, you are more likely to have generic likes, comments, and shares. 

There is a reason that Snapchat and Facebook/Instagram stories are so popular. People want to see what you are doing while you are doing it. 

Change your hours? Have a lunch special? Hire a new employee? Remodeling? Let people know! It's fun to know what's going on with your business. 

The best way to have a successful business is when people know, like, and trust you. Be relatable in your content and be real. 

Although creating on-brand graphics may look professional, posting a clear unedited photo might actually get more engagement. Break up your content and use a mixture of photos, graphics, videos, and articles to keep your page interesting. 

Facebook is promoting and prioritizing live videos right now. If you are comfortable making a live video talking about your business, promoting a product, or telling people about yourself, you will get more views and engagement. We say - Go for it! 

Unless you have a large following, boosting posts or creating ads could be your best bet to bring awareness to your page and content. That being said, it can actually be beneficial to boost your fun - engaging content over your promotional content. The more you spend, the more people that will see your posts. 

We hope these tips help you create fun and engaging content for your audience. Don't have time to create the content yourself? We've got you! Contact our marketing masterminds at Meraki Marketing Group to help your pages grow and flourish. 

Social media has revolutionized the way we do marketing. It's not hard to believe that the average person spends 3 hours per day on social networks and messaging. With it becoming more integrated into our daily lives, it's silly not to utilize it to market your business. 

Here are a few of our tips to create a successful marketing strategy for your business! 

Laying out your goals and objectives are the best way to get started with your social media marketing strategy. Start with your top 3 marketing objectives and evaluate how social media can help you achieve them. Make sure to write down your goals, you're 30% more likely to be successful if your goals are written down. While setting your goals, make them attainable and break them down into smaller steps. 

Most businesses have a target audience they would like to reach and engage. Think about the people that purchase from your store or use your service. Are they a certain age range, gender, income level, and what are their interests, etc? Tailor your content to their wants and needs to engage that audience. 

Creating contents on your social media platforms can really amp up your engagement, online visibility and followers. The key to a successful contest is to giveaway something your target audience will desire. Next, figure out your goals, decide which platform to host the contest, create a deadline and promote the contest with an advertising budget! 

To be successful on social media, you need to connect with your audience. Don't turn them away with too many posts advertising your products and services. They want to see what is going on in your shop, what you are doing in the community and what inspired you to start your business.

​Get your customers to know you, like you and trust you. If you can do that, they will want to support your business. 

There are many ways to include video content into your social media strategy. Going live on your Facebook page is a great way to connect with your audience while showing your an authentic person and not just a brand.  If you aren't ready to take that leap, recording a video will help people visually see what your business is doing. Don't make your video too lengthy though, most people nowadays have a short attention span. 

A good quality image can go a long way. Although actual images can be the best to use, you can also use copyright-free stock photos or create a graphic using Canva or PicMonkey. 

There are many tools you can use to make scheduling your social media content easier. 
Scheduling: Facebook's Creator Studio for Facebook & Instagram, Hootsuite, eClincher, Sprout Social, Feedly, Tweetdeck, etc. 
Creating Graphics: Canva, PicMonkey, Photoshop, Word Swag, Adobe Spark, Pablo by Buffer, Besynger, Snappa, and Gravit Designer.
Spelling and Grammer: Grammarly, WhiteSmoke, Ginger, CorrectMe and Speller.
Saving Passwords: LastPass, NordPass, 1Password, Keeper Security, and Dashline. 
Branding: ColorPicker, ICONA, Logo Maker, etc. 

Advertising can be HUGE for your social media pages! If you are just starting out and don't have any current following or audience, you are going to need to set aside a budget to target your potential customers. Remember when you started researching your audience? Those are the people you want to target while creating your ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google, Pinterest, etc. 

As a business owner, your time is limited and I'm sure you're already overwhelmed with your busy work day. It can be a great idea to delegate the social media work to someone in your company, or engage an outside expert. Choose someone that has the skills to create engaging content and the time to post captivating images and videos on a regular basis. 

Thinking about all of the things you need to do on social media to be successful can be overwhelming. Our best advice would be to start small and learn as you go. Keep educating yourself on the platforms and tools to make your content easier to create. 

If you don't have the time to do it yourself, contact Meraki Marketing Group! We are proud to be an affordable option to keep your social media pages on the right track to success. Have questions or comments? Post them below! 

Working from home is starting to be the new normal for many companies due to the outbreak of coronavirus. If you are new to working remotely, these tips can help you stay focused and productive through the day.

It's important to have a designated work space in your home. Although remote employees might not have a designated office, creating a space with your own desk and computer will make it easier to stay focused. 

Taking breaks through your workday is healthy to reset your mind. Spend 15 minutes to play fetch with your dog, relax on the couch or enjoy a snack. When it's time for lunch, take the full break and DON'T eat at your desk. Breaks can increase your productivity and improve your workday.

A cluttered workspace is a cluttered mind. Don't let your office space turn into your storage space as well. Take the time to file your paperwork, throw away your trash and organize your desk. (You'll thank me later!) 

While working from home, many people go a little stir crazy. It's hard when the place you go to after work to relax and unwind turns into your office. While Covid-19 may make it difficult to go many places, taking a walk around your neighborhood or enjoying fresh air and natural light will do your body some good. 

It's no surprise that people can get sidetracked while surfing the internet. Set goals to achieve through the day, create a schedule and stick to it. Taking the time to have a normal routine in the morning, during your day and after you sign off will help your day go by smoothly.

We get it! It's so nice to be able to roll out of bed and start work in your pajamas. Wake up, make your bed, shower, brush your teeth, drink your coffee and then start your workday.  When you take the extra time to look presentable, you'll reflect that diligence in your work. 

Kristen has been a social media guru since her college days at St. Cloud State University. After graduating in 2014 with a degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis in ​Public Relations and a minor in Psychology, she started working full-time at a marketing company in St. Cloud, MN. 

Since college, Kristen has worked at two social media marketing companies and also sold cars for a Chevrolet dealership. After getting a few clients of her own, she decided that she would like to pursue a career in social media marketing and started her business, Meraki Marketing Group in 2017. 

Many people ask why she chose the name "Meraki Marketing Group". The meaning of Meraki is "to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to put something of yourself in your work." She decided that meaning encompassed the vision for her company and the name stuck! 

Kristen has a passion for helping her clients businesses grow. She loves to see a lot of engagement on their social media platforms and spends countless hours checking her content and engaging with followers. From working with hundreds of various companies from small businesses to large companies and resorts, Kristen has done it all! 

In her off time, Kristen enjoys traveling, riding her horse, Dakota, and hiking with her three German Shepherds, Bravo, Luka and Freida. She has also been busy planning a wedding with her husband-to-be, Travis, coming up on September 19th, 2020 and can't wait to spend the rest of her life as a Murphy!  

If you have any questions about Kristen, feel free to ask in the comments below! 

It’s no secret that Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms. Many businesses are turning to it for easy marketing where they are able to track their results. Here are a few reasons why your business should get involved with Facebook. ​