Our top 5 FREE social media tools

If you're anything like me, by now you've probably got your fingers in all sorts of social media pies...LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook...Snapchat! And it can be tricky to keep track of them all, but there are some great tools out there to help you stay on top of your online social life. 

Here are my top 5 totally FREE social media monitoring tools: 

Tweetdeck... download it directly to your PC/Mac, iPad, phone. It helps you monitor your news feed, notifications, messages and general activity. You can quickly adjust your lists and your settings, as well as compose a tweet. A notification even pops up in the corner of your screen when you get a new tweet....VERY handy! However, it doesn't give you any reports – so if you're looking to not only keep track of your tweets but to analyse your activity then you'll need to use a reporting tool as well. 

Twazzup... is another site really for Twitter beginners, keeping a track of your chosen company or keywords in real time. It lets you know the top influencers, as well as the top 10 related keywords. 

Mention... is a great tool for tracking your mentions, especially when the user has not used a # or @ (or has used an incorrect @). You can set up multiple alerts for your keywords (you can even set up to 10 different languages), and hopefully, never miss a mention again. There are limitations to the free version of mention however, for example you can only set 10 alerts. 

Klout... gives your social interaction skills a score. You are scored between 1-100 for your social influence – Barack Obama has a 99 Klout scoring! The homepage shows you top content stories, with the opportunity to keep on top of trends and share those stories with your fans and followers. As with all of these sites you can schedule your posts, but unlike the others, Klout allows you add  Twitter, Facebook (including Facebook pages), Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn AND Foursquare – even some of the accounts you pay for aren't compatible with all of these networks. 

Hootsuite... allows you to keep track of all of your news feeds in one place, quickly and easily. You can add multiple columns to view your messages/new followers/scheduled posts. You can also add multiple tabs, so you can allocate a tab for your company profiles and a separate tab for your personal profiles.....helping avoid any awkward mistakes! 

Looking for some help with your social media? From building a strategy to monitoring your daily activity....whatever you need - why not give us a call on 01635 521654 or drop us an email hello@appleprint.co.uk to see how we can help! 

PRINT POWER: HOW BIG IS YOURS?

Say it loud and proud in print on a poster. Say it tall in print on a banner. Or say it small(er) in print on a leaflet, flyer, newspaper advertisement. Whatever the size, whatever the format, there is still a lot of mileage to be had in the printed word when it comes to marketing.

From a practical perspective, much printed matter is portable and slips nicely through a letterbox, sits neatly in a leaflet dispenser, tucks into a pocket or handbag. More exciting is the creativity and choice that come into play when considering the material, design, colour to stimulate the senses of the reader. And of course there’s flexibility: something that will fold, or not? A voucher to cut out for a special offer maybe? Perhaps a beautifully embossed invitation that will be kept, or something cheap and cheerful that will be read, digested and thrown away?

Successful marketing draws customers in by grabbing their attention. Printed material works because users seek out the information rather than having it forced upon them or having it simply wash over them in an instantly forgettable manner. And if they didn’t catch it the first time, they can read it again. And again. And again.

And then there’s numbers. Today’s digital printing processes mean that it is cost effective to print tens of thousands of copies for the masses or just a handful for the chosen few. And digital reprints are a savvy financial choice – only having what you want when you want means less is spent on both printing and storage.

Print as a standalone medium can be highly effective in marketing; but you might want to consider integrating it with other media, for example TV or radio advertising, giving both aspects of your marketing campaign a boost. The options are endless.

If it’s time you made print part of your marketing plan, speak to Apple Print and Creative on 01635 521654 (www.appleprint.co.uk).

Come see us in action!

Apple Print & Creative can offer you the best and most cost-effective printing solution for your needs – whatever the number you want and whether it be compliment slips, menus, marketing leaflets, instruction manuals, pull-up banners, or any of the many things in between. No job too big. No job too small. No job too complex.

But before you commit to placing an order with Apple Print & Creative, we’d love you to come and meet us. Our Apple Print & Creative family lives at The Orchard in Abex Road, just off Bone Lane in central Newbury.

Our offices and printing works are all housed under one roof, which means our team members are on hand to communicate with each other and get your job printed better and faster.

We’ve got absolutely nothing to hide, so why not pop along for a chat and a cup of coffee, find out what we can do for you and have a look around?

We can promise you:

• A personal one-to-one service from a dedicated Account Manager
• A professional design service from our Studio, should you need it
• The latest industry-standard printing equipment, robustly tested, maintained and definitely up to the job
• Excellent value for money
• A quality product, delivered on time

What have you got to lose? Well, maybe half an hour of your time. But it will be time well spent, even if it’s only for a free coffee.

What have you got to gain? Well, the invitation’s on the table. 
Come and find out ...

Apple Print & Creative. West Berkshire’s premier printer. We have the solution.