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Client Spotlight: Food MarketMaker

Every company has a story — and at SmartSolutions, we’re passionate about helping them tell that story. Our first client spotlight feature is Food MarketMaker, a national network that connects farmers and fishermen with food retailers, processors, caterers, chefs, consumers and more.

 


 

In their own words

“Whether you are a producer looking to reach new markets; a buyer wanting to connect with local or specialty suppliers; or a consumer looking for goods and services in your area MarketMaker is a must-have resource.

MarketMaker is the largest and most in-depth database of its kind featuring a diverse community of food-related businesses: buyers, farmers/ranchers, fisheries, farmers markets, processors/packers, wineries, restaurants and more. MarketMaker provides simple yet powerful search tools to connect with others across the production and distribution chain.”

 

Learning more

At Food MarketMaker, there are ways to benefit everyone — from producers and buyers down to consumers.

For producers — Register your business in MarketMaker, creating your entry in the database where consumers and buyers can find your products. Through MarketMaker, producers are able to reach and form alliances with buyers more efficiently.

For buyers — Registering yourself as a buyer makes your business discoverable to producers who are looking to grow, source or sell more of whatever you might be looking for. Using MarketMaker helps buyers find more suppliers of differentiated, high-quality products, leading to more efficient sourcing and, in-turn, higher margins.

For consumers — Looking to find fresh strawberries, organic apples or mirlitons? Consumers are able to use MarketMaker to locate suppliers selling exactly what they’re looking for. Use MarketMaker to search for literally any product, such as chick peas, specialty mushrooms or seasonal fish, from anywhere in the United States.

 

What’s in Season app

Looking to find fresh produce, but not sure what might be in season in your neck of the woods? MarketMaker’s “What’s in Season” app provides consumers and buyers a place to search for just that — produce in season in your geographical region.

Click here to learn more about the What’s in Season app.

To learn more about Food MarketMaker, you can visit foodmarketmaker.com or follow their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages!

 

Every company has a story — and at SmartSolutions, we’re passionate about helping you tell that story. 

Looking to give your company’s social media marketing presence the boost it needs to start seeing a more positive return on your investment? Click below or call us today to get your free consultation!

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Top 5: Business & Marketing Podcasts

Podcasts can simply be described as the new generation of “talk radio,” but can be played anywhere, at any time, from nearly any device. The difference between talk radio and podcasts, however, is the vast variety of topics and personalities — virtually anybody can host a podcast.

But how does this apply to the world of marketing and your business? 

One of the most popular podcast niches is the business, advertising and marketing worlds — specifically social media. As a business owner, we understand you’re always looking for ways to better your business. Here are the top five business and marketing podcasts currently available for download.

 

Seeking Wisdom — David Cancel & Dave Gerhardt

A podcast for people who want to get better every single day.

Hosted by David Cancel and Dave Gerhardt, Drift’s podcast Seeking Wisdom is considered a must-listen by all entrepreneurs and business owners. The podcast, primarily focused on business management and marketing practices, also delves into topics such as wealth, learning and health for business owners. 

Click to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts

 

Marketing over Coffee — John J. Wall & Christopher S. Penn

One of the best “short listen” podcasts available, Marketing over Coffee features hosts Wall and Penn recording from a local coffee shop, designed to be a casual conversation (over the traditional news-styled podcast).

Each podcast, roughly 20 minutes in length, sees the two sharing tips on marketing, social media, search engine optimization, copywriting and taking listener questions.

Click here to listen to Marketing over Coffee’s most recent episodes

 

The Science of Social Media — Buffer

Social media management platform company Buffer prides themselves on their organic content creation — so it shouldn’t be any surprise that their podcast, The Science of Social Media, is any different.

Whether you’re brand new to the idea of social media marketing or a seasoned veteran, Buffer’s podcasts offers insights into best practices, mind-blowing digital marketing statistics and a great flow that makes for an easy and informative listen.

Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts

 

StartUp — Gimlet Media

An award-winning media company, Gimley’s podcast, StartUp, gives listeners a real and unbiased glimpse into what the process of getting a business off the ground is truly like. Hosted by Gimlet CEO Alex Blumberg, a wealth of experience and knowledge provides business owners with a great resource for learning.

 

Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts

 

Social Media Marketing Podcast — Social Media Examiner

A weekly podcast dedicated to the latest and greatest in the world of social media, Social Media Examiner’s podcast, Social Media Marketing, is hosted by Michael Stelzner and various other members of the SME team. 

In this podcast, which is a longer-form podcast of roughly 45 minutes per episode, SME’s team breaks down the latest in social media news, talks about best practices and new strategies, and features some of their favorite examples of proper social marketing tactics, and is a must listen for any marketer or business owner looking to level up their marketing strategies.

Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts

 

 

Every company has a story — and at SmartSolutions, we’re passionate about helping you tell that story. 

Looking to give your company’s social media marketing presence the boost it needs to start seeing a more positive return on your investment? Click below or call us today to get your free consultation!

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Social Media Image Sizing Cheat Sheet

Keeping up with the latest social media image sizing trends can be confusing, we understand. 

What looks good on Instagram won’t show properly on Twitter, and what populates in an Instagram link won’t look the same as LinkedIn. Allow our (free to use) social media image sizing cheat sheet to help!

Note: all image sizes are listed in pixels.

Facebook

One thing to remember when sizing images for Facebook is that different images will display differently on mobile vs. desktop. With most of the traffic nowadays being mobile traffic, be sure that when you’re creating your social images, you’re using mobile-friendly images and templates. 

Your profile photo will be the photo that universally represents your brand across searches and posts on Facebook, so be sure you’re selecting the proper logo and displaying it properly.

A cover photo is particularly tricky, as the image will display differently on both mobile and desktop — so be sure to create an 820 x 312 cover photo, while containing the messaging or particular imagery to 640 x 360.

One of the most common ways of sharing on Facebook is to share links — and with verified domains, you can customize the image with the accompanying link. This is one of the most popular ways to share custom content on Facebook.

 

 

Instagram

One of the most popular photo-sharing social networks (and really, social networks overall), Instagram is the best place to showcase your company’s visual experiences and creativity.

With Instagram being based on visuals and pictures/videos, it’s important to be sure you’re using the correct dimensions. 

You can choose one of several photo sizes on Instagram, but the best is to either post a 1:1 (1080 x 1080) or a 4:5 (800 x 1000) ratio image. While 1:1 fits within the grid more uniformly, the 4:5 ratio choice takes up more of the news feed, giving your brand optimal exposure.

One of Instagram’s hottest features at the moment is stories, a format that allows users to view uploaded videos and photos that are only available for a 24-hour period. The best format when posting created content (that’s non-organic) is 1080 x 1920.

 

 

Twitter

With over 313 million active monthly registered users, Twitter is known worldwide as the “engagement” platform. If there’s a discussion happening around your brand, or support needed, chances are it’s coming from a Twitter account.

Similarly to Facebook (and every other social channel, really), your profile picture will be the main image that represents your brand or company across the platform. Next in importance when setting up your profile will be your cover photo, which will maintain the same aspect ratio on both mobile and desktop.

And finally, the in-stream images, one of the staples of the Twitter timeline. Make sure to keep the image to 440×220 (or 2:1) as any other aspect ratio will display improperly.

 

 

LinkedIn

With over 460 million registered users, LinkedIn is the world’s largest social media network dedicated specifically to the professional realm — so it is imperative that your company’s LinkedIn profile look professional as well.

When it comes to LinkedIn’s imagery style, the most apt comparison is Facebook. The cover photo, profile photo, and shared images are the most common images needed to get your profile on the right track.

 

 

Every company has a story — and at SmartSolutions, we’re passionate about helping you tell that story. 

Looking to give your company’s social media marketing presence the boost it needs to start seeing a more positive return on your investment? Click below or call us today to get your free consultation!