Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/jet-cloud-landing-aircraft-46148/ I am not writing this review with any mal intent but to evoke any self-reflection on the part of the owner of Mood Images Events & Travel . At no point will I advise you not to book with this agency, however, my documented experience should serve as a cautionary tale. I am also of the view that you should accept the part you play in your own suffering so, of course, I know that I did not hold the owner accountable on several occasions because all I wanted was a good trip. With that being said, let’s begin. I really wanted to go on my first solo trip this year and this motivated me to continue accepting questionable service from this organization. I booked a 4 days-3 nights' trip to St. Lucia. What motivated me to go with this travel agency?   I’m a Digital Content Manager – I create, curate & manage content for several local and international companies - so naturally content is wh...

Witnessing social media's reaction to MBJ's trademarking of the word 'J'ouvert' for his new venture and then the reaction from social media about social media reacting to it, was exhilarating to say the least. Ironically the whole debacle reminds me of J'ouvert itself, LOL. Everyone's out slinging mud, paint or powder everywhere, but it's just in the form of comments, tweets and social media statuses. A quick Google search for the word 'j'ouvert' rendered just about 565,000 results in record time. So how did Michael B. Jordan get this wrong for his new business venture? Here's my 2 cents.  1. What occurred is NOT cancel culture. Although some would have pointed out that what occurred recently was borderline 'cancel culture', I disagree. From my interpretation of cancel culture, MBJ is just being taught a very public lesson on cultural sensitivity and cultural appropriation. His product will still be sold ........just not with ...

  So did you watch it? Wait, before I get into this, DISCLAIMER: I am a Wendy Williams fan! So, this isn't a hate-on-Wendy parade but really about what the movie (and documentary) taught me. Forgive me if there are any fan-girl moments during your skimming, LOL.  Of course, being the fan that I am I had to tune in to watch both the Wendy Williams movie and the documentary, 'What A Mess', which were both aired on Lifetime on January 30th, 2021. What she does can rub people the wrong way of course, because her show is centred around airing people's dirty laundry. However, the tabloids have been negatively talking about celebs since they were invented; so sometimes I struggle to understand the hate that Wendy catches because unlike the tabloids, she doesn't necessarily speak negatively about them, she just highlights all the things celebs go through in their life. Anyway, let's get into what Wendy's movie taught me about content creation: 1. Research, Research...

On January 1st, I shared my first blog post for 2021 and I thought 'that should carry me over for a couple weeks or so' .......until Carib released an ad that had social media buzzing this past weekend. View it below. All credits due to the creators and all parties involved in the production of this ad. No copyright infringement was intended in its posting. Local Twitter users had a lot of positive things to say and of course the post garnered a lot of engagement on Facebook and Instagram . It literally is a great piece of content that makes us (as intended to by Carib) #holdontothecarnival. Here are the three reasons why I think this ad was so perfectly timed and why it resonated so well with a lot of us: 1. The pandemic Of course it's no secret, the pandemic (and the impact it has on us locally) is arguably at the centre of the ad. The distinct flashbacks of life before & after the pandemic effectively prompts nostalgic feelings from viewers. Furthermore, it ...

So I binged-watched the hit series, Emily in Paris in one night. It was that entertaining. I loved the 'Ugly Betty' undertones, the relatability of the character Emily and the humour that the language barriers brought about! The fashion! The food! The wanderlust of it all and of course the romance. If you haven't watched an episode yet....you should. I'm waiting with bated breath for season 2! Apart from all the fluff that makes a series like this particularly great, there were some important marketing lessons that you may have missed out on. But not to worry, I'm here to break them down for ya! Lesson 1: Content is Everywhere & Everything Formulating a strategy is one of the first things Marketers talk about....so it's always in our faces. But, sometimes content falls outside of that strategic box and literally creates its own 'strategy' if you will. If you are in the digital marketing field, I know that you know, that our minds are always on go. Tr...

NO MORE BABY STEPS   Photo retrieved from pexels.com Showing up for your biz doesn't mean doing a random post here & there. It doesn't only mean working feverishly behind the scenes to get stuff done. It also means appearing on camera, building sound 1:1 relationships with your followers which ultimately turns them into fans & clients!   Photo retrieved from pexels.com Here are 5 things you can do to start showing up for your biz online:  1. Start a Blog: It's the way I got my start. After an assignment from my Digital Marketing lecturer I created "Paula J's Marketing Blog" . Starting a blog is a great way to get comfortable sharing your opinions openly and build a body of work!  2. Start a podcast: Similar to a blog, but you're taking it one step further by letting your audience HEAR you! You will begin to get more comfortable sharing your opinions openly but on another level. Podcasting is fun....some of you may know one of my many past podcasts ...

I was so elated when Leeon, @thecontentmagnet invited me on her podcast recently to discuss this topic among other international Social Media professionals.  Photo retrieved from Pexels.com Here's a snippet of what I said: 1. NO ONE TOLD ME IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AS DREAMY AS I THOUGHT: I would immediately make loads of money and it would be all fun & cute. I'll be smiling all the way to the bank and back, I thought. *insert evil laugh here* Guys, let me tell you, that was just a dream! Entrepreneurship requires HARD WORK. You hear this all the time but it's real! 2. NO ONE TOLD ME QUITTING IS FOR WINNERS: You have to develop the skill of knowing when to retire certain elements of your strategy or try something different to accomplish your goals. Quitting is not bad. Quitting could mean "I'm not in the correct mind frame RIGHT NOW to achieve success"! That doesn't mean you won't be in the right mindset at another point in time. If it's nit wo...

So a couple of days ago, one of my followers told me she was doing a wishlist for her platform......compiling all the things she'd want to achieve, invest in, persons she wanted to work with etc. to make her platform better! And it got me thinking... I hosted a Vision Board Party in 2019 and have been actively vision-boarding since 2018! And I know it sounds cliche but they actually work! I'm a creative and a collage of all my life's dreams and goals on a board really motivates me to achieve them. Here are 5 tips on how to create a Vision Board/Wishlist for your business' social media: 1. Plan your business' social media goals - You can jot them down on post-its or maybe in a cute planner. Remember to use the S.M.A.R.T acronym when determining your goals. 2. Identify different social media roles based on those goals - Ask yourself, who would you like to work with? What course do you think would benefit from? 3. Develop a timeline for reaching those goals and buildin...

This place seems eerily familiar. Restrictions have been placed on Trinidad and Tobago once again, in response to the rising number of Covid-19 cases. The last time we were in "lockdown" mode, I advised you to do whatever you wanted with your time via my Instagram platform. That still applies, however, here's what you can also work on if you find you have extra time on your hands: 1. Your Mindset: You have to change the way you think. Your mindset is the only thing that can pull you through the days when you're running on empty. Low/No sales demotivate you enough to quit? You keep second-guessing yourself? All true emotions we go through from time-to-time, but does that mean you should not press forward? 2. Your Strategy: Change your approach. Do you have a strategy in place that works for your social media or are you just winging it? Winging it is fine, but winging it is like burning loads of gas while going nowhere. Invest in a strategy and follow-through! 3. Your P...

I recently participated in an Instagram challenge. Each day, I got a prompt of what I should be doing on my Instagram to get the most engagement from my followers. It mostly involved the use of IG Stories and of course there would be a day that I had to go live! I was nervous as hell! BUT that was not the most nail-biting thing I had to do! The last day of the challenge, I had to DM some of my followers! Some of them I had never interacted with before, so naturally I thought that randomly popping up in their DM would be weird and awkward! But listen, I got the opposite reaction! I chose an appropriate time  (New Year's Day) and I sent them personal messages. There was a lot of cut and pasting, but I wanted each message to be personal. So, I added each follower's name and added a few details - especially if I had been interacting with them for a while- and I thanked them for following me, interacting with my stories/posts and told them to look forward to more content this y...

We're headed right into another year! Can you believe that 2020 is just a couple days away?! 🤯 Where did the time go?! ⌚ You shouldn't be stressing on lost time...instead you should be focusing on outlining the goals that you want to achieve for your business next year! 🎉' Whether it's to grow your clientele by 5% within the 1st quarter 📈 or sell 50% more stock by January's end 💵, you need to be specific and conscious about the goals you want to meet and surpass for the coming year! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Why are you waiting until January 1st to set goals for 2020?! ⠀⠀ If you're waiting to set goals, whether personal or for your business, there's no magical feeling that will come to you to set them - especially if you tend to procrastinate . Here are some things you should do to make sure you set those 2020 goals ✍🏾: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. Find a quiet space: It's the holidays, I know 🎄 It's my favourite time actually and I know how busy and noi...

So you've started a blog for your business and you've reached a point where you can't come up with topics to write on. Don't worry, I've got your back. Here are three blog post prompts that you can use: 1. Tell Your story: How did you get to this point? Any failures. mini/large victories? - Clients love a backstory. Be sure to include any tidbits of teachable moments and even a little bit of tea if you have to. 2. A Day in the Life of: Share an account of a day's activities in your business. What does it take to run your business? Spur of the moment decisions? Pre-planned meetings? Behind the scenes posts always attract a lot of views/interactions. 3. Share future plans: Everyone is looking for someone to relate to or even follow or be inspired by. When you share your dreams and goals, your audience will feel a sense of connection to you and may even feel motivated to set/share their dreams & goals. Remember, just because you have a business doesn...

Not every image you upload to social media will get the likes, comments or views you want. It is sad yes, but it's real. Not every time you click 'upload' you'd be able to get that dopamine fix. Social media is flooded with gurus who tell you the ins and outs of how to kill the social media game! I ain't mad at them, but do you know what's the recurring thing that they all say? E N G A G E! You need to engage with your audience, followers, clientele and whomever else you need to, to make sure that they know who you are, what you're doing, where you can be found and how and when they can get in touch with you. I'm going to give you three ways I stay in touch with my followers: 1. Newsletters: I use monthly newsletters for my personal blog to inform my audience of my latest posts, share freebies, information on my events and so on. This way may seem old-fashioned, but guess what i'm doing? Building an email list! And each month, it grows!...

Technology is a hell of a thing! You can literally start a business with no money today! All you need is a social media account and you're off to the bank cuz you're about to rake in the big bucks!!! Ummm..... If you want to listen to that advice, go right ahead, but seriously, there are specific things you need to consider when you want to start a business and more specifically for this post, we're talking about the things you need to consider when selecting your business name. So before you go run off to print those nice business cards, check out the following tips: Does it ring a bell? - When naming a business, consider all your options and say them out loud. Does it roll off your tongue or does it sound like a tongue-twister? Does it sound familiar? Does it sound stickable? (Yea, we make up our own words over here, Lol). What does the name imply that your business offers. You need to pick a name that has the potential to become a household name and withstand...

I know, I know. The excitement of starting your new business is exhilarating. You can't wait to build your following and more importantly your brand, right? So I'm sure you  have a couple things on your list that you're eager to cop like business cards, probably a lil' t-shirt with your business name? But before you invest in all of those cool things, here are five things you need to get from you Graphic Designer. 1. Advice Firstly, you may think you do not need a Graphic Designer because there are so many free tools available on the Internet such as apps and even logo generators, but trust me, if you want to stand out from what everyone else has, you need a Graphic Designer....................or at least their advice. EVERYONE is using Canva - and don't get me wrong, I love Canva and Canva definitely changed the game for DIY Graphics and Marketing BUT sir/mam, remember that Canva is open and available to everyone. I am a thousand per cent positive that when...

Oh so you thought it was over? Lol. First of all, I'm glad to be back! I was so inspired to restart posting on this blog. Marketing is a passion of mine and even though I've started my personal blog, I will definitely commit to posting more articles on here. So let's get right into it! I saw a poster for a networking event some time ago and one of the requirements was to bring your business cards. Now I was unable to attend the event, but if I did, I wouldn't have carried any business cards because I quite frankly, didn't have any! And, I still don't. That might come as a shock to a lot of you because I think one of the first things every entrepreneur is eager to receive is their business cards. Right? What is so appealing about business cards though? Can someone fill me in, because I think I missed something? It's a little 2" x 3" card that you share out to potential customers and even prospective business partners - usually prompti...

Sadly, this chapter of blogging for me has closed. When I got this assignment to blog about Digital Marketing, I grasped the opportunity to fully immerse in this 'blog life' and whatever came along with it. Ironically, I did blog before for another course and I only re-stumbled upon the blog about a week ago. I so forgot about it. But, the great difference between that assignment and this one is that I looked at the old blog as a task and this one as an experience. It's quite a weird feeling reading your own words from years ago. I was so robotic then in my writing style. CHEERS, to growth! See my old blog here .Anyway, before I ramble on, i'd like to leave all the potential Digital Marketers with some words of advice, inspired by each post I made in the past few weeks: 1.  You should start blogging. It's therapeutic. 2.  Periodic but great content is better than consistent but mediocre content. 3.  Your brand identity is important and should be uniform acr...

This past weekend, I had an awesome time at the Green Market in Santa Cruz. I spoke to some vendors about their digital profiles for their businesses and they had a lot to say about their preference of Instagram over Facebook. Check out this vid of my visit to the Green Market and listen out for he vendors' thoughts. I tend to agree with the vendors thoughts about Instagram's usage for social media marketing being more effective than that of Facebook, especially when targeting a younger crowd. Personally I believe that Facebook has just become too "busy" and less appealing, however, I do scroll through Facebook, occasionally. Let's get interactive! Why do you think businesses are gravitating towards Instagram? UPDATE:  I have started my own personal  blog . Follow me on  Instagram  &  Twitter  for more content!! Special Thanks to Paige & Co.  and Aviaire Body TT for participating in this video! Follow them guys!

When the phrase " #1 New York Times Best Seller " appear on a book, it's usually understood that the book may be a good read. It also means that the book must've been positively reviewed by readers or editors which adds to the book's sales. While checking up on what " #1 New York Times Best Seller" actually means and how you get on the list is a big conspiracy theory that I would not even begin to speak on. In case that interests you, click on this link to read more. But today, what I am going to speak on, are reviews. In particular, Facebook reviews. Shaw (2018) stated that Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world and has over 2 billion active users every month! Therefore, Facebook definitely has a wide reach and with reach comes influence. Sometimes i'm casually scrolling through Facebook and a business has something to sell that catches my eye. The first thing I do is go to the page and check out the customer reviews/r...

I remember when I bought floppy discs to save my assignments and it was the coolest thing. Look at us now touching the skies and what not, living our lives on the cloud, LOL. We have come really far with technology, but Digital Marketing has also evolved over the years. Today, we'll be looking at the history of  Digital Marketing through a short video I created! Listen out for the questions and interact with me, as always! UPDATE:  I have started my own personal  blog . Follow me on  Instagram  &  Twitter  for more content!! Works Cited: Lincoln, J. E., & Lincoln, J. E. (2017, February 22). What Is Digital Marketing? (Full History) More. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from  https://ignitevisibility.com/ what-is-digital-marketing/ Monnappa, A. (2018, July 06). The history and evolution of Digital Marketing. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from  https://www.simplilearn.com/ history-and-evolution-of- digital-marketing-arti...