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#Hashtags. Some companies use them, some don’t. Ultimately, if you use the wrong ones, it’s true that your business won’t see much benefit from them. Yet, if you research your hashtags and treat them as the communities that they are, your social media following can grow and get the traffic it deserves. In these three steps, I’ll go over how to choose the right hashtags for your business and get more engagement on your content.

Black Lives Matter. That’s a complete sentence as it stands, and it’s not open for argument, rebuttal, or expansion (if “all lives matter,” we wouldn’t need nationwide protests to recognize the value of Black life).

This year, although we have not yet lived through half of it, has already been one particularly rife with crises. Speaking from a global perspective: A global pandemic is an immense stressor on every single sentient being on this planet. Speaking from a US perspective: We are a young country, still fighting out who we are and who we want to be. Speaking personally: I have more thoughts and feelings about this than would fit here, but I am going to restrict this post to a very narrow topic, and that is how we handle business social media in a time of crisis.  When it comes to managing social media, it can be difficult to predict when an external problem may arise that you need to address on a business account, and this sometimes means making hard decisions under pressure. We like to give our clients the opportunity to address heavy issues on their social media channels, if desired, or allow us to handle them. If you’re reading this post, you’re probably wondering how best to handle social media right now. Here are some tips to help you make decisions, and avoid seeming out of touch or tone-deaf. 

In 2019, you may recall if you’re a reader of the hasOptimization blog or you follow us on social media, we completed an overhaul of the Tentsmiths website. There are plenty of times where we’ve told customers, in no uncertain terms, that their website is holding them back. In the case of Tentsmiths, new owners Alena and Stephen were well aware of how the ancient, inadequate website for Tentsmiths was holding back additional orders from new customers who did not want to jump through hoops to complete a purchase.

hasOptimization is proud to announce the launch of a detailed event timeline for the Society of Women’s Health Research (SWHR). SWHR approached us with a need for a visually appealing and responsive timeline to commemorate their 30th anniversary. We were happy to be of assistance, and want to share this project with you.

I’m pleased to announce we’ve hired a second social media manager to keep up with the needs of our growing client base. Erin Lafond comes to us from a top-notch writing background, with a MA in English from Boston College, and we’re thrilled to have her skills on tap in social media as well as in content writing.

While we’ve certainly talked plenty about why blogging can benefit your business, why you should use broad topics, and how to structure a blog post, one thing we haven’t really touched upon how to determine what topics to write a blog post about. In this post, we’ll go over some places you can generate blog topics, and how those blog topics will work for you.

Important information for all small businesses in NH and other areas: The Small Business Administration now has “disaster loan” opportunities for small businesses, including Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Payroll Protection Program loans. Both of these programs can in fact be grants (“forgivable loans”) if used for the intended purposes, and have low rates for any money you must pay back. Our accountant, Joe Orabono at Vector Tax & Accounting, sent us a note to tell us he’s recommending that ALL his small business clients apply for these programs, especially given the potential for grants from them. Here at hasOptimization, we are absolutely NOT financial professionals, so you should consult with your accountant for information specific to your needs. If you’re a small business owner and are looking for more information on these programs, some details are available on SBA.gov. While we can’t help with financial advice, we wanted to share this important information with those who might need it. We CAN help you with other aspects of managing your business during the coronavirus pandemic, however, including ecommerce setups, social media marketing, advertising, and advice on how to take your business online, even if it’s your first time. Stay home, stay healthy. We’re all in this together.

Hiring in the world of COVID-19 2020 is, well, kind of a trip. Many companies are laying off staff, and here we are hiring. In many ways, this reflects hasOptimization’s relatively privileged position in this wild ride: We were already a fully remote company, focused on web-based marketing efforts. We will, ultimately, be able to weather this and come out in good shape. And in the meantime, we needed a Social Media Manager.

Getting stir crazy? Not sure how your business will fare during this time of uncertainty? Don’t forget about all things internet that can help you continue growing your business even when people can’t come through the door!