Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, these three tips from social-media marketing instructor Holli Moncrieff will help you improve your online marketing:

1. Have some fun.
   Like its name suggests, social media is designed to be social. The goal is to build relationships with your customers and clients, not sell them a product. Ask them to share a photo of their pets. Or their best tips for surviving Mondays. If you sell a scented product, ask them what their favourite scents are. Even though it might not feel like marketing, it is—it builds trust and people are more apt to buy from companies they like. And, the better you know your customer, the easier it will be to offer the products and services they want in the future.
2. Content is key.
   The number-one goal of any social-marketing campaign is to drive people to your website, and the best way to do that is with great content. What need do your customers have that you can fill? If you’re a museum, you can write a post of ten fun things to do on a rainy day. If you’re an auto-body shop, a list of spring maintenance must-dos would be helpful. By creating fabulous content for your website and sharing it on social media, you will attract customers to your site. Be sure to share others’ content on your social-media accounts as well.
3. Tread carefully.
   So you’ve gotten a bad review or a very public complaint from an unhappy customer. The lastthing you want to do is defend yourself, no matter how unjustified you think the complaint is. I’ve seen companies get defensive time and time again, and it always makes them look argumentative, unfriendly, and angry, no matter how carefully they word their rebuttal. If someone complains about your establishment, apologize. Offer a discounted or free service to lure them back. Your other customers will see this and appreciate how you handled a difficult situation. They might even speak up to defend you, and that’s what you want—your customers should be the ones discrediting negative reviews. Never, ever do it yourself. You can’t please everyone, and once you’ve posted a snarky rebuttal online, it’s out there forever.

Learn more about social media marketing with Holli: Beyond Hashtags

This spring, she will be teaching Beyond Hashtags, a social-media marketing course that goes far beyond the basics. Register today to make your online marketing skills sharper this summer.

About Holli:

For over two decades, Holli has been helping businesses

and non-profits navigate the choppy waters of social media. She is accredited with the Canadian Public Relations Society, and specializes in online relationship building and crisis management. Under the name J.H. Moncrieff, she’s also a bestselling horror and suspense writer.

Find out how to prepare for and what to expect at the RRC 2018 Career Fair on January 24 (NDC) and January 25 (EDC). Learn how to plan a strategy for the most effective and efficient use of your time, how to approach employers with an introduction that makes a good impression, and how to follow-up after the fair.

Exchange District Campus

Tuesday, January 16, 2018
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
P107, CGA Manitoba Room

Notre Dame Campus

Thursday, January 18, 2018
12:00 noon – 1:00 pm
Orange Lecture Theatre, GM44

Can’t make it in person?
Watch the full session online at http://blogs.rrc.ca/etv/streaming/

Register for one of the sessions at https://teamsites.rrc.ca/ses

If you have difficulty registering, have accessibility questions or accommodation requests, contact Student Employment Services at 204.632.3966 or JobCentre@rrc.ca.

Whether you’re a beginner or expert, Microsoft Master Instructor Janet Epps shares three tips to help you excel:

1. Today’s date
   Want a date that updates to the current date automatically every time you open the workbook? Type this formula =TODAY() and then press the Enter key. Format in the way you want under the Number group on the Home tab as usual.
2. Mysterious cell behaviour
   The cause could be many things but frequently it is simply unwanted formatting left behind (feels like a haunting sometimes). On the Home tab go to the Editing group and select Clear Format from the Clear drop down arrow. Format is removed but your content is retained.
3. Increase worksheet readability
   By printing with gridlines, heading and rows, it makes it easier to match up the cells when editing from a printout. Go the Page Layout tab and Sheet Options group, select Print.
   

Learn more about Excel with Janet: Excel 2016

This spring and summer she will be teaching Access 2013, Outlook & OneNote 2016, and Word 2013. Register today to make your Microsoft Office skills sharper this summer.

About Janet:
Janet is a professional trainer in the computer field. She holds internationally recognized Microsoft Master Instructor and Expert level certifications and provides training for corporations, colleges, and government. She also has extensive experience in business and has written several computer training manuals. Learners at all levels enjoy her down-to-earth teaching style. Janet is the winner of the 2016 Red River College Continuing Education Excellence in Teaching award.