There has been a lot and even more speculation from the social media industry since Facebook announced less organic (e.g. free) reach between businesses and consumers online. This isn't the first time that Facebook has made a change to its algorithm to limit the amount of free exposure to push people to move to online advertising. Facebook is a great and central source that more than 2 billion people use. They are also a publicly traded company and are accountable to the investors of Facebook shares. Many are saying that now is the time to expand your reach and grow to other outlets, like Instagram (also owned by Facebook). So, what is a company to do, what is the right thing to do, and most importantly what is the wrong thing to do? Let's dig in and find out.

We talk about the benefits of SEO or search engine optimization with every project we work on. Whether it be a basic brochure site, a site designed for lead generation, a customer support site, or an eCommerce site. You can build the most beautiful site in the world. You can have the greatest content in the world. Only when you let people know it exists will they be able to find you.

Blogs are often considered a waste of time by those that don't understand the importance of having one. They see taking 20-60 minutes of your day writing to be a complete waste of time. It is true that when you first start writing a blog the only people reading it is your very close inner circle. Over time that changes and that change have profound effects on the growth of your business in more ways than you can imagine. Let's look at the top ten ways a blog will help your business grow.

Honesty is often taken for granted until someone is caught in a lie. Trust is initially given when you don't know someone. This trust is given freely but can be quickly removed when you find that someone has been less than truthful. Some will have honesty as part of their core values but not their first core value. So why do we put it as the first value when others don't? This is a separator that allows us to be different, unique, and to stand out from the rest. Being from a small town of Chesterton Indiana I was brought up on a "Leave it to Beaver" type of lifestyle where a handshake is worth more than any document written by a lawyer to seal a deal. All services should be priced fairly and not rip someone off, and that communication should be polite, honest, fair, and yet firm when communicating.

We all live in our comfort zones and getting out of them is not necessarily fun and why people fall into routines. As a software developer, you would think I would love staying consistent and not pushing myself. That is partially true but I also love to learn on a daily basis and grow myself. Tonight, I wrote the information below to the team (note: this doesn't count as one of the challenge articles I put to them – that would be too simple). We cannot grow beyond our comfort zone without being pushed for a challenge. Our team continues to grow and each individual brings a new perspective into the equation in making us a stronger company as we push nationally in our web design and digital marketing. We believe in pushing ourselves and this is just another effort to push myself into a land I don't know what to expect which is the true definition of life itself.

When you post to Facebook as a business account you may see the option to "boost post" and this may seem like a good idea. However, there are still many things to consider. Using this option will surely boost your post engagement but it will do that alone, boost your post meaning you may get more likes, but this will not ensure a boost to your page or link clicks.

Businesses are always looking for ways to justify the existence of their digital marketing. One way companies do this is with eCommerce products. Depending upon the level of customizations you want you to have choices such as Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, and of course nopCommerce which is what we're writing about here. We love nopCommerce from the standpoint of its acceptance of internet standards, being open source, and the allowance to tie and integrate with many backend systems within growing small businesses.

We've heard of Facebook removing our organic reach for small and growing businesses. A key takeaway we've already taken is the importance of your own website. Facebook cannot control your business outside of Facebook. Your website is your voice, your products, and your brand messages all the time. Your website will use your sales funnel, marketing techniques, and lead generation to improve your bottom line. Facebook going back to its roots and it has upset many people that manage social media sites. We find this as a new opportunity to not only double down on the true marketing aspects of the business but grow it. This is where Facebook started and has grown from. Businesses, such as ourselves, have overtaken and enjoyed the ride of free promotion. That time has changed and it is now time we business owners have to "pay to play". Let's take a look at the core items that are happening with this change and how the business owner can take advantage of them.

When businesses ask individuals to talk to their organization, their customers, or a group of unknown individuals for an event they are looking for what is called an influencer. An influencer is someone that is considered, in part, an expert in their field. This past week I was asked to talk to two groups (note: I don't consider myself an influencer [yet] but I am definitely pushing to be one). One group is to a select twenty people in a very large company (who isn't our client – and we know never will be as they are not in our core market size). The group I will be talking to is their entire marketing department to change and improve their digital marketing foot print from locally to nationally. Of course, I accepted as just talking to a group of such great people is something that makes us truly proud. The other group is to over fifty people of their current and potential clients (and is one of our clients) related to helping learn the art of search engine optimization or SEO.