Social Media - Express Writers

Here’s One Celebrity Trend You Don’t Want to be Following: Buying Social Media Followers

January 1, 2021July 31, 2015 by Josh McCoy

If you’ve ever dipped a toe into the world of blogging, you’re familiar with the “follower dilemma.” More followers means more exposure and increased authority, which generally means more conversions. That said, it makes sense to have as many followers as possible, right? It may even make sense to get those followers through whatever means necessary, right? Come to think of it, purchasing followers isn’t a terrible idea, right? Wrong. Although many of the world’s biggest celebrities beef up their social media accounts by buying followers, it’s not a trend you should follow. Here’s why: Click Farms and Hollywood Habits Although it may be surprising to some, buying social media followers is a hot business in Hollywood. Each year, companies that manufacture fake profiles and like producing “click farms” rake in hundreds of millions of dollars. One of the many problems with these so-called like farms (aside from their blatantly fraudulent nature) is the fact that, although the companies themselves are raking in the cash, the workers behind the hundreds of thousands of “likes” being produced on a daily basis are generally low-paid individuals from Dhaka, Bangladesh. These workers often make as little as $1 per 1,000 clicks and are subject to sweatshop-like working conditions. The click-farm problem has gotten so bad, in fact, that Facebook recently stated that up to 14.1 million of its more than 1 billion total users are fraudulent accounts built by overseas click-farms. Given these numbers, it’s easy to see how celebrity social media accounts are able to utilize purchased social media followers to quickly inflate their follower base and boost the appearance of popularity. The Problem With Fake Followers Although it might be perfectly fine for an uber-celebrity like Kim Kardashian to have 40 million Instagram followers, this doesn’t fly for Every Man, nor should it. While the temptation to purchase followers can be considerable, bloggers, businesses and individuals are best off giving the fake follower scene a wide berth. Fake Followers Aren’t Going to Beef Up Your Business In addition to being exploitative to low-paid, overseas workers, there are plenty of completely valid reasons you shouldn’t buy fake followers for your business. First and foremost: fake followers don’t generally increase business. Although purchasing social media likes is touted as a way to increase conversions, it may actually have the opposite effect. Although purchased fans result in a spike in overall “likes” or follows, they don’t ultimately interact with your page the way a real human does. In other words, a fake profile that has been built solely for the purpose of providing fraudulent “likes” won’t also provide high-quality page links, mentions, page views or conversions. Since these are the things a web page ultimately needs to succeed, it is obvious that purchasing social media followers won’t do anything besides boost your subscriber numbers. Fake Followers Drive Away Real Fans Additionally, purchasing social media followers will ultimately dilute the experience of your real fans. By drowning your page in phony likes and spammy comments, it is distinctly possible that the presence of fake followers will intimidate or completely overshadow your authentic fans. Because of the obvious presence of fake profiles hovering around your page, real people that may have otherwise interacted with you or your product will be less likely to comment, convert or join in than they may have been if more of your followers were authentic. While celebrities don’t need to spend much time or brainpower analyzing their engagement rates, normal businesses and bloggers do and the presence of fake followers will make this process incredibly difficult. Fake Followers Muddy Marketing Data Additionally, fake followers make it difficult for you to track where your high-quality traffic is coming from, who is engaging with your brand and who is not and how you can best attract more users. Faulty marketing data makes it tough to have a successful business and, in many cases, purchased followers are to blame. Fake Followers Lead to Disappointment and Huge Fluctuations in Numbers Individuals who purchase fake followers in hopes of beefing up their social media numbers and lending a false sense of authority, permanence and popularity to their business or web page are likely to be disappointed when their thousands of fake followers suddenly disappear. Dozens of companies across the web have cracked down on fake followers. For example, in a move known as the “Instagram Rapture,” Instagram wiped millions of fake accounts from its platform, causing Justin Bieber 3.5 million followers while rapper Tyga and famous-for-being-famous celebrity Kim Kardashian both lost upwards of 1 million followers. Take a hint from the celeb world: when it comes to building popularity, do it the honest way in order to avoid social-media based follower cleansing. How to Purge Fake Followers Is there a company you admire that seems to have tens of thousands of followers? Have you been wracking your brain trying to figure out what they’re doing that you are not? They may well be buying followers and, what’s more, it will be easy for you to find out. “But how?” you ask. As it turns out, there are many ways to spot fakes. If you’re a Twitter user, you can utilize an app like “Fake Follower Check” to generate an overview of follower activity and fake profile information for any page on the web. To follow up, use an app like Twitter Counter to view the page’s growth progression rate. When using Twitter Counter, watch out for sudden, sharp spikes or drops in subscriber numbers that would indicate the presence of click-farms. If you’re scanning a Facebook page, you’ll have to dig for fake profiles by looking into your page’s overall interaction patterns, as there is no app to check for suspicious activity. The tell-tale sign of fake followers is a page that has a huge spike in overall “likes” without co-occurring interaction on posts and content. Facebook also allows users to run Graph Search in order to determine where a business’s fans are coming from. … Read more

Help, WebMD! I Think I’ve Contracted Social Media Syndrome

March 24, 2022July 16, 2015 by Adam Oakley

You might have wondered this already. Is too much social media actually damaging your health? How do you know when enough is enough? And when you get to the point where you’ve gone too far, is there any way to stop the social media spiral? Let’s explore the issue, WebMD style. The Social Media Syndrome Overview In its perfect form, social media allows us to connect with people we would never have been able to communicate with a hundred years ago. It lets us make friends or business contacts with people all over the world. But in its current form, could it be ruining our health? Medical News Today has some social media stats that begin to shed a light on this potential problem. 42% of adults use more than one social media platform. The average American spend 7.6 hours a month on social media. 40% of Americans log on to social media more than once a day. Over 25% of respondents to a UK survey said social media has negatively affected them. 2/3 of respondents had trouble sleeping after using social media. 55% said they felt uncomfortable and worried when they couldn’t check their social media. Those are some pretty serious numbers. And to add to it, a Contently infographic points out a University of Michigan study showing that people feel sadder when they get off Facebook, and eventually they start to feel unhappier about life in general. All these problems are only likely to get worse as more and more social media platforms hit the market. Between This. and that, it feels like we are adding more and more to our social media marketing mixes every day. Symptoms of SMS So let’s say that social media can ruin people’s mental, and perhaps even physical, health. How do you recognize the problem in yourself? Symptoms of Social Media Syndrome (SMS) (my name for this problem and not a medical term) have been reported to include: FOMO (the fear of missing out) Difficulty relaxing and sleeping, often occurring after bouts of social media use Increasing unhappiness and dissatisfaction with your life The inability to stop going on social media Lack of productivity The inability to type or write in complete sentences Information-Overload (brain burnout) The inability to be alone The use of shortened words that are already really short (e.g., bae for baby) SMS is characterized by the need to be a part of things even when you are not actually a part of those things. As far as FOMO goes, I think of it as the baby factor. Have you ever noticed that babies don’t like to fall asleep in crowds? You can tell they are tired. Their heads are nodding and their eyes are closing and they are crying their heads off. Yet they often don’t want to fall asleep. This is because there is too much going on around them, and they don’t want to miss a thing. FOMO causes the same problem in over-stimulated adults. SMS is related to Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) (a term not made up by me), which has symptoms similar to chemical dependency. According to the Contently infographic, this disorder affects over 8% of the population. Diagnosis and Testing for SMS When social media starts to affect your health, you should be able to tell by asking yourself the following questions and giving yourself an honest answer. Could I go a day without logging on to any social media account? Do I communicate through social media more than I do through face to face communication? Has social media use ever interfered with my work performance? Do I ever feel stressed-out or restless after using social media? Do you recognize any of this in yourself? Other ways to diagnose and test for this problem is to ask around. Have friends, family, or co-workers noticed any odd or worrisome behavior from you? Do they ever contact you through social media because they know that is the best place to reach you? Have they ever felt like you were more into your phone/tablet/computer than them? If you find that you don’t even have to ask the people that know you if they think you have a problem, they just tell you, then you really know it has gotten bad. Treatments and Cures Once you have been diagnosed, you need to find a way to fix the problem. The most obvious option to do this is to cut back on your social media use. Take some time to just be by yourself or talk to people IRL (in real life). Things you can do to pass the time: Read a book. Go outside and take a walk. Work on your novel. Build a house. Volunteer for your favorite charity. Get some work done. Clean your house. Pick up a hobby. Sing a song. I could keep this list going for a long time. The important thing here is not what you do, though. Do whatever it is you’d like. The point here is to do whatever it is you like to do without needing social media to do it. Try going longer and longer periods without using social media. When you have broken the need to be on social media, take steps to keep yourself from a recurrence. You can do this by learning the difference between healthy social media use and unhealthy use. Home Remedies Social media has so many good features. It makes you feel powerful and important. It helps you make friends. It lets you sell your product to people all over the world. It connects you to networks. But if it is ruining your health, maybe you need some social media-cation. Quitting altogether does not have to be the solution. But cutting back to healthier doses just might be what you need. If you are looking for a cure to your SMS, then try this for a natural remedy: take a look at our social media services. You rest your mind, … Read more

The Science Behind Social Sharing: What Do People Share the Most?

January 1, 2021July 5, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Getting likes and shares on social content is a great way to see your business having an impact on clients. While you’re working on getting those likes and shares, you should take a look at why people like posts and why they end up sharing your content: the science behind social sharing. Here’s a direct look at these reasons with some great tips on how to create excellent content that your customers will not only read but also like or share. The Science Behind Social Sharing: Just Why Do We Like & Share Posts on Social Media? Posting to social media has many aims, including getting likes and shares from your clients. You’ve read how to create excellent, shareable content, but just why do people like posts or share on social media? There are many reasons for this and I am going to look at different reasons from the latest post from QuickSprout, investigating just why people do what they do on social media. 3 Reasons Why We Like Posts on Social Media Let’s take a look at a few reasons why your clients and even yourself, like to “like” things when it comes to Facebook and other social posts. 1. We Can Affirm What the Person Says. According to the QuickSprout post, one of the main reasons we like posts is we get the chance to affirm what the other person is saying. This doesn’t always mean we technically like something, but that we want to encourage the person. A like on our posts shows that our readers, friends, and families found something interesting or moving about our post. It also shows us that people are, in fact, listening to what we say. This is great when it comes to your business because that means that there are truly people reading your posts, even if you sometimes feel you are speaking into the social media void. 2. We Can Feel “Involved” With Something. As humans, we all have a need to feel involved in something. This is one reason why we look for groups to work with whether in the community or online. In the QuickSprout article mentioned earlier, one way we all work to feel involved is by liking something on Facebook. This goes for sharing, as well because it gets more people to see a post from a group or business you’re involved in. Remember this when you post social media content by posting things that will help your customers feel even more involved in your business. 3. We Can Express a Form of Empathy. A simple but deeply emotional reason in the science of social sharing. Have you ever noticed when someone says a family member or friend passes away, people update their Facebook and within minutes someone else likes it? Does that person really like that their friend’s loved one died? Are they really that callous? Actually, they aren’t. “Liking” doesn’t always mean you like a post, as I mentioned earlier. It can be a way to affirm, but it can also be a form of empathy. Many of us are separated from our friends, so a like on a sad update helps us feel like we are making them food or giving them a hug. Likes can be the emotional Heimlich of the Internet world, and help people feel a strong sense of community no matter what is happening. Three Top Reasons Why We Share Social Media Posts Now that I’ve looked at why people like posts, let’s take a look at why they share. Just what is the psychology behind a social share and what should your business do to get them? Take a look! 1. We Want to Share Interesting Things. Interesting things are important to us, and when it comes to our social media channels, we want to share interesting things. No one wants to share something that makes them look like a boring fuddy-duddy to their friend group. No matter how boring the topic is, if it is written in an interesting, unique way, people are more likely to share it because they found it, well, interesting. This is why you should share “how to” articles, lists, and other types of easy-to-read content because they can help you make some pretty interesting content no matter what. 2. We Want to Support Things We Care About. In addition to sharing interesting things, we also want to share posts to support things we care about, according to Shea Bennett from Ad Week. In fact, according to Shea, about 68 percent of people do this because it helps to show who we are while highlighting different areas we care for. This could be dumping a bucket of icy water over oneself to raise awareness and support for ALS or sharing a blog post from To Write Love on Her Arms. Whatever a person cares about, they will share. You can research your audience to learn what it is they care for, which can help you craft great content they will be willing to share with others. 3. To Develop and Nourish Our Online Relationships. Another reason people share, according to Garrett Moon from CoSchedule, is to help develop and nourish their online relationships. About 78 percent of users polled said this was the reason, and it is quite apparent by the way we all use our social channels and work to grow various relationships. These relationships can be with friends, family members, or even businesses, which is why your business should create content that focuses on the user, not your company. 4 Perfect Things You Can Share on Your Business’s Social Media Pages Now that you can see a few of the reasons behind why your clients will be liking and sharing content, you are probably wondering how you can create it. I am going to look at a few ways to create content your clients will definitely want to share and like, helping you promote and grow engagement and relationships. Once you focus … Read more

New Social Network This. Is Big: But Will It Replace Ello?

June 19, 2024June 29, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Is This. the next big thing? Or will it soon be That. social platform. You know. The one That. wasn’t as big as people thought it would be? Is This. Going to Be the Best Thing Social Media Network Since Sliced Bread? Whenever we have a new, up-and-coming anything, we say it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And that fits in this situation because the expression likely came from a marketing strategy. It is thought that Wonder Bread’s advertisements of its new sliced bread as the next great invention after wrapped bread eventually evolved into the expression as we know it. And right now This. is big. But will it be the best thing since sliced bread? What a Rose by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet? Even before we get into what This. is, let’s discuss why this is called This. and not That. (or anything else they could have come up with.) This. as a social media expression started way before the actual platform was created. Through its use on Twitter, memes, and other social media connotations, it has come to mean, “Yes. I agree with this.” All you need to do is share a link, and type, ‘This.’ and people will just get exactly what you mean. Basically, it means, “I could not say it in any better words, so I won’t try. Just, this. This is something you need to know.” Kyle Chayka wrote an aricle on this for Medium. (Literally. It is an article on the word this.) In the post, the etymology of the word is discussed. It comes from the and seo. So in other words, the is a specific – not a thing, but the thing. And seo is Old English imperative of to see. So, as Chayka points out, if you point it together, it means – Look at the thing I want to show you. See this specific thing. It is a command. It’s just. This. What is This., Though? This. is a newly launched social networking site. It is similar to other networking sites in several ways. Create a profile. Connect to people. Share links to content you love. However, there is one notable exception (other than the fact that right now it is still invite only.)You can only share one link a day so you better make it something good. The idea behind This. is the same thing content experts have been preaching for years: quality over quantity. If you only get one link, you better make it something worth linking to. Apart from making the linker think about what they are going to post, there are several reasons This. should please viewers as well. Imagine if you could take your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds and get rid of all the nonsense. Say goodbye to your best friend’s cousin’s posts about her dinner or your friend’s constant pictures of her adorable kids. Instead, the only thing you see are the articles, videos, etc., that are really important to people – because in This. world, you can add a link, not a selfie. The idea behind the product is not only to boost quality posts, but to make what you read much more digestible. Because of the novel idea behind This. many people think it will be the next big thing in social media. Remember Ello? But people used to say Ello was the next big thing in social media. Where does that stand? How can there be two ‘next big thing’s’? When Ello launched, it was touted as the solution to Facebook. It was going to take social media and turn it on its head. How was it going to do this? By removing all the annoying ads and getting rid of the clutter by allowing you to put the posts you didn’t like under a noise category. The site gears itself towards younger generations and does not try to hide it. Now, people do not talk as much about this platform. Sure it still exists. Technically. But as Tech Crunch will tell you, it is only pretending to still be alive and everybody has already forgotten it – except for obviously Tech Crunch and me who could not have quite forgotten it yet since we are both talking about it. So what happened? According to Josh Constine, who wrote the Tech Crunch article, the problem with Ello was that they tried too hard to be Facebook – just without ads. Facebook is a monster. It is not going to come down that easily. So if you want to succeed in the social media arena, your best bet is not to overthrow Facebook, but just to be different enough to cohabitate with it. Can This. Last? So is This. the new Ello? Or could it be the next Twitter, Instagram, etc.? Different enough to be a companion to the social network giant not a competitor? The best way to figure this out is to look at what the experts think and at what the limited amount of users think. This. User Reviews I wish when I said This. user reviews, I meant this user reviews the product (meaning me), but since This. is invite only, I’ll just have to take the words of others. So what I meant before is that this section is on user reviews of This. There are only around 10,000 users right now, but that isn’t because only 10,000 people are interested. It’s really hard to get an invite. Of the people using it, though, most seem to be satisfied with it. However, for now, many of the users are press and journalists who have been lucky enough to get an invite. In other words, most of the user reviews are the expert reviews. And that is the problem with making any sort of claim as to how This. will do once it has entered public Beta. The “experts” and the general public often disagree. So while the experts may … Read more

The Rise of Pinterest: 5 Reasons It Should be Part of Your Social Media Mix

December 31, 2020June 5, 2015 by Josh McCoy

Are you looking for a great, new way to help leverage your social media campaign? Of course you are, that’s why you’re reading this blog! There currently exists on the web an excellent social media channel that has been around for a while now, yet is starting to become a very vital aspect of any social media campaign – Pinterest. That’s right, the channel that gives people recipes and DIY tips is the next element in an impressive social media campaign. Let’s take a look at why this channel will be important for you, the various advantages of it, and how you can use Pinterest to generate revenue. Why is Pinterest Such an Important Channel? Pinterest hasn’t always been on the social media radar as an important channel for businesses. However, it is an incredible channel that can help bring about engagement and revenue for your company. According to Suzanne Delzio at Social Media Examiner, Pinterest currently has 47 million users, and this number is expected to grow exponentially in 2016. Researchers believe this growth will happen going off of past analytics that show users doubling in 2014, and more people are signing up for the social site each day. This means that your clients are likely to be on this channel already, and if they aren’t, they soon will be. While Pinterest has been a site mainly populated by women, the social media channel has attempted to grow the demographic, and reports are showing that the amount of men signing up is growing quick. As you can see, the platform is growing by leaps and bounds in many different areas and demographics, making it an important channel. You need to make sure you are on this channel soon and well before 2016 starts. Who Uses Pinterest the Most? I briefly mentioned above that women use this site the most, but that the amount of male users is growing quickly. However, I am going to give a bit more detail into the users to help you craft an excellent campaign. According to Carly Stec at HubSpot, one-third of users are women, and that number is up by 25 percent. In addition, 8 percent of men inside the United States use the social channel, which is a growth from 5 percent. These numbers are expected to rise, and this means that there will be more shoppers will to buy your products or services. For now, women are still dominating over at Pinterest, and should be a target audience. However, don’t neglect the men who are starting to use this channel, as well. The Anatomy of a Pinterest Brain When it comes to Pinterest, you need to know and understand the anatomy of a user’s brain. Just why do they go to the platform and how do they become a shopper instead of a browser? Let’s take a look! “I’m Just Looking at Various Things.” When someone opens their Pinterest app or goes on the desktop site, they simply start out looking and browsing what is being shared. Many times, they don’t go in with the intention of buying, but, by following a few steps, many do end up doing so. “Well, This is Interesting.” The next part of the anatomy of a Pinterest brain is that someone has to think the image, idea, or product looks interesting. The more interesting the pin, the more likely that person will be to click on the image and then the link attached, directing them to a site. This can then lead them to purchase the item from the picture. “I Need to Narrow This Down.” Many times, people who are browsing Pinterest will see a multitude of interesting things, but they want to make sure they narrow things down. This helps them decide which pins to share or which products to buy. “This is Exactly What I Need.” After narrowing things down, users will end up buying what they find to be exactly what they need. This is why it is important to make your pins stand out. You want it to be the winning pin for the Pinterest brain. Don’t worry; I am going to look at how you can achieve this later in the blog. 5 Incredible Advantages to Using Pinterest for Your Business Before I get into how you can make incredible revenue with a Pinterest account, I want to look at the advantages of joining. Some people might not be sure that it is a site they can use, but there are some incredible benefits to it. You Can Reach a Younger Demographic. Pinterest gives you access to a younger demographic, and while you might want to reach an older one, young people can really help your business. You shouldn’t ignore this demographic because you might be surprised just how much revenue you can bring in when you advertise to them. Pinterest is a great starting place for this. You Can Use it as a Marketing Tool on Your Site or in Your Store. If you have product images or blogs, you can add a Pinterest social share button to your site. This will encourage users and readers to pin anything they find interesting on their own account, therefore sharing it with their friend group. If their friends find it interesting, they will share that pin and so on. This can bring in more people to that product, blog, or landing page, and once there, you can convert them to leads. You Can Share More Than Just Your Products. When it comes to Pinterest, you aren’t limited to only sharing product images. In fact, you can share your blogs, other landing pages, and also share helpful information from industry leaders. You can create boards for each and every idea you have, helping to keep them all organized, and allowing people to follow the boards they find interesting. You Can Create a Board that Links to Your Blogs. Do you want to drive more traffic to your blogs? Then create … Read more

What Does Facebook’s “Instant Articles” Mean for Users and Businesses?

December 31, 2020May 25, 2015 by Josh McCoy

The world of content and social media is buzzing with some of the latest news coming out of Facebook HQ. Facebook is planning to host various content pieces from a select number of websites for a new experimental feature that could bring about epic change to social media content. The new feature is called Instant Articles and it aims to bring content directly to users in a quick, efficient manner. What is this new feature and what can you expect? Take a journey with me to find out. What is the New Feature? Instant Articles is a new feature Facebook is testing to see just how well it works for their users, as well as publishers. According to Tech Crunch, Instant Articles gives users access to the news and content they want without having to click and go to a publisher’s website, waiting for it to load. Sometimes, users experience too much load time with various sites, and Facebook wants to help them cut that time down and have quicker access to their favorite sources. The new feature is currently being tested by a few publishers to see how well it works for them and users alike. These publishers are Buzzfeed, The New York Times, National Geographic, and a few other well-known news sites. This is only available on mobile so you will not see Instant Articles within your browser. Will Instant Articles Give Users More Control Over Their Newsfeeds? Facebook has recently said that it plans to give users more control over what they see in their newsfeeds, which many are excited for. However, many experts are questioning just how this will play out with Facebook’s newest addition. No one can say for certain if people will get the control they desire over their newsfeeds, and it is likely everyone will need to wait for a bit to find out. However, one element of Instant Articles is to give users the ability to see content that is curated specifically for them. For example, according to the Tech Crunch article I shared above, if users like, comment, and/or share certain types more often, their newsfeeds might be tailored more to show more Instant Articles on topics they like. This isn’t truly control over one’s newsfeed, but it might be a step in a direction that helps Facebook users feel they are getting the content they want. Will This Help or Hinder Businesses? Since Instant Articles is in the experimental stage, it isn’t entirely sure just how much it can help or hinder a business. However, there will be an easy-to-access share button on all Instant Articles postings, which can help get content shared by more people on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Remember, I said earlier that this was only available on mobile, which means that the share button for Facebook will help push the content from mobile availability to browser availability. It will also be great for users because there won’t be a delay when they open web content. They will get to see their content right away without waiting, and possibly leaving the story before it loads. The feature will also support the ability to expand images and GIFs, giving publishers the ability to create trendy pieces that will resonate with a social media crowd. The main way it can possibly hinder a business is if Facebook does do what I mentioned earlier in the article. If the social media giant starts to tailor a user’s newsfeed based off of what Instant Articles the user likes, comments on, or shares, this could mean other articles get lost. This can be a detriment to different companies, and it is a legitimate worry. Will this truly happen? We will just need to wait and see how Facebook uses this feature, and how it will impact the newsfeed. It is too soon to say if this will be the main hindrance or if there will be other hindrances to look out for in the future. This is What Paper Was Supposed to Be Do you remember when Facebook released a new app that incorporated the person’s Facebook account plus news content? If not, don’t feel too bad. Many people ignored this app, known as Paper, making it an epic failure for Facebook. That didn’t stop the social media company, however. In fact, this new feature is very similar to what Paper was supposed to be for the company. It features the ability to access curated news stories quickly, giving users the ability to read their content in the app. Now that Paper isn’t really being used for that purpose, Facebook has implemented Instant Articles, hoping it will prove to be successful. It might just be since it will be in the Facebook app as Paper could have failed simply due to needing to download yet another app. Who Does This Really Benefit? When Facebook implements a new feature, the natural question is who will it really benefit. Many times, people believe that the feature will only benefit Facebook, but the company is trying to make sure people know that is not the case with Instant Articles. First of all, it will benefit the users of Facebook because it provides them with a quicker load time by not making them leave the platform to read the article. It will also benefit publishers because Facebook has said they will receive 100 percent of revenue from Instant Articles ads. Another way publishers benefit is that Facebook is also planning on sharing analytics to help the publisher create perfectly tailored content. Obviously, Facebook will see benefits such as making it a leading news source, which the company hopes will beat Twitter. If the company is set apart as the leading social channel for news, this means more publishers will work with Facebook, which will bring more viewers, and eventual revenue, to the company. This is all speculation, of course, as everyone waits to see just how Instant Articles will work and if it will be … Read more

4 Lessons You Can Learn from a Superhero of Social Media: Arrow

January 1, 2021May 21, 2015 by Josh McCoy

This is our first guest blog from Alecs, our Client Accounts Manager. She stays busy running the daily business of managing different client inquiries and our billing department. When she’s not doing that, you can find her busy on social media. We can all use a little inspiration now and then, and there is plenty out there for everyone. When it comes to social media, there are some truly excellent people who know how to leverage it for the good of their business or career. Someone who excels at social media is DC Comics’ Arrow star Stephen Amell. You could easily call this dude the superhero of social media. Let’s take a look at his approach to social media and see just how you can gain superhero social media strategies for your very own. Who is Stephen Amell and What is Arrow? If you aren’t a big superhero fan or don’t watch much TV, you might be unaware of who Stephen Amell is, as well as Arrow. Amell plays the lead character in the CW’s adaptation of the DC Comics Green Arrow franchise which follows the story of a young man who fights crime. The Arrow, played by Amell, is a sort of vigilante who fights crime and corruption wherever he sees it, helping to make his city and the world safe. The show has been vastly popular and has been on the air for three seasons. The show has helped take over the television world, giving it into the hands of several fun, and wonderful superheroes many of us know and love. However, Stephen Amell doesn’t just play a great crime-fighting character, he also has an epic social media strategy that I firmly believe you can learn from. 4 Ways Arrow Star Stephen Amell Wins at Social Media There are many reasons why Stephen Amell is quite literally the superhero of social media, which means there is plenty for you to learn. I want to delve into some of what he does to show you a few excellent things you can apply to your business’s social campaign. 1. He Regularly Interacts With His Fans Through Question and Answer Sessions. Something that is growing in popularity amongst celebrities, especially within the nerd culture world, is hosting AMAs or Ask Me Anything sessions. What an AMA is, is basically fans getting to ask their favorite celebrities questions and hearing back from that person. Sometimes an AMA is done on Reddit, where they originated. However, some celebrities, such as Stephen Amell, host them regularly on Twitter or Facebook. What this does is provides a great opportunity for famous individuals to answer fan questions, which helps to build and expound upon a relationship with the fans. Fans are more likely to watch a celebrity’s show, read his or her books, and see his or her movies if the celebrity, such as Amell, is willing to talk to them. This is a great lesson for all businesses utilizing social media because connecting and engaging with your client base will help bring in revenue. In addition, regularly engaging with clients or fans can help bring in visitors that will then be converted into leads. Take the time to host a few question and answer sessions, engage in a few within your industry, and whenever a client comments or tweets, always be sure to answer back. 2. He Approaches Social Media With a Genuine Attitude. When Stephen starts writing and engaging with his fans on social media, he does so in a genuine matter. Fans don’t have to question what his aims are when he posts a photo, suggests a charity, or holds a question and answer session. They know that he is there to connect with, which provides a more genuine experience for both Amell and his fans. Even when he is “advertising” for a charity or his TV show, it never comes across as such. What can you learn from this for your business? This shows that you need to approach social media in a genuine matter and leave the sales pitch behind. Yes, you want to sell your products or services, but you don’t want to come across that way. Just start engaging with your clients, and when you post about your business, make it fun. When you leave the sales pitch behind, people are more likely to spend money on your business. 3. He Live Tweets Arrow to Engage With Fans. While the show is currently over, Stephen made sure to live tweet when he was able to and connect more with fans. Live tweeting shows is incredibly trendy right now amongst stars of any TV show and is something you will regularly see on Twitter. Live tweeting simply means that, as the show is airing, stars and fans alike will tweet out their thoughts on what just happened. Amell knows that people within the Arrow fandom love live tweets, so he makes sure to do something for them. This is truly fun for fans, and I believe it is quite fun for the stars of the shows, as well. While you might not be live tweeting a television program, finding something to tweet about with your clients is a great way to boost engagement. It can be a Twitter question and answer session as I mentioned above, or it can be making up a silly hashtag and having people join in for fun and games. Just find something that you can connect with your audience and they will love it. 4. He Gives Fans a Glimpse Into His Life, Making Them Feel Part of it. The adage says a picture is worth a thousand words, but it is so much more than that. In fact, pictures are a great way to promote engagement and connection with someone. Amell does just this with his Instagram account, as well as with Facebook and Twitter. He gives his fans a tiny glimpse into his life, and those small snapshots are enough to make his fans … Read more

Why Content Matters For Your Brand Presence on Social Media

December 31, 2020May 19, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Today, nearly every online marketer knows that content is king. Regardless of how pretty and well organized your website or blog is, none of it matters if you don’t have the content to back it up. How does social media come into play with the need overall for content? Is content really that important in social media? Yes! The answer is yes, content is more important than ever on social media. April was an absolute storm for updates and changes in the social media world and all of the new changes and rollouts are going to greatly impact who can see what and how content is viewed. It is a dog-eat-dog world out in the social media world of content. Everyone can write and everyone can tell a story, the biggest thing you must ask yourself is if yours is better than everyone else’s—because that’s what it’s going to take to be heard, to be liked, to be followed. Couple the fact that everyone is clamoring to be heard with the new social media updates and you will see how it can be an uphill battle to get your voice out there. The 3 Main Features of Facebook’s New Algorithm What started as a fun place to stay up-to-date with your friends and like their cute baby’s pictures has turned into a mass media market and the perfect platform for promoting your business. Unfortunately with changes last year to Facebook’s algorithm it hasn’t been as easy to get organic traffic to your brand’s Facebook page, but it is still possible to do. With the new algorithm update that rolled out on April 21, 2015, Facebook has taken it a step further, making it even harder to gain organic traffic and almost forcing brands to pay to promote their business. This new algorithm has some serious updates in store. Facebook announced it is putting more emphasis on friends and like pages and less on brands. The new update includes the following features: The content you care about is right on top: Your close friends’ statuses, pictures and anything else you look at consistently is shown at the beginning of your timeline so that you don’t miss anything in the lives of the people you care about most. This goes for pages as well. Pages you consistently interact with will be shown at the top of your news feed. Less posts from those you don’t: For those without many interactions, friends or like pages, Facebook has relaxed the number of times you can see their posts. Therefore, you can now have back-to-back posts that were previously blocked from coming through on your news feed. Less non-relevant notifications: Lastly, those annoying likes and comments friends make on other’s pages and posts that you could personally care less about and usually from people you have no clue who they are, will be buried at the bottom of your news feed, or quite possibly not visible to you at all. So why is content on Facebook more important now than ever before? Because by placing the emphasis on friends and shoving the brands to the back burner, you are going to need every fan you have to help push your content without having to pay for it. Every time your content is shared, all of their close friends will be notified and have the opportunity to read it. Without good content, you are pretty close to dead in the water – or at least looking at a much larger Facebook marketing budget. What’s New? Hello, Discover from Snapchat Snapchat has always been a really fun way to see pictures of your niece or nephew or your friend’s crazy weekend out. With the addition of Snapchat’s Discover, storytelling takes on a whole new role with this media platform. By offering a place to tell stories, users can open up different editions to see what is out there. Popular brands such as ESPN, the Food Network and National Geographic have their own channels where you can watch video. Simply open the channel to view the snap. If you like what you see, you can swipe up and view the whole video, and otherwise you can swipe left to see more. Because what’s hot today is old news tomorrow, these channels are updated every 24 hours to keep content fresh and exactly what you’re looking for. In today’s instant gratification world, millennials don’t waste time looking at things that don’t intrigue them. Discover starts with 10 second clips, letting you quickly decide if it is worth your time to check out, therefore not wasting your time watching a whole video of something you really don’t care about. While this is a really great update and feature it lacks in a major way that other social media platforms don’t have problems with – there is no engagement. While storytelling and content are so important, consumers want engagement from brands. Discover is simply an in-your-face marketing tool where there is no way to interact beyond watching the video. 7 Ways To Get the Best Content Out There & Be Social On Your Platforms It’s no secret that with everyone and their mother sharing stories and content on social media, a lot gets overlooked or not viewed. So how do you combat that? How do you get your voice heard and noticed in an over-saturated market? Post pictures. In everything you do, post pictures. No, more than that, post intriguing pictures – pictures that make you want to open the story and read it because you just can’t imagine what that image has in store for you. On platforms like Twitter, that picture may be the only reason someone opens your story, since Twitter only gives you so many characters to explain what you are doing. Therefore, that picture has to speak 1000 words before your actual words are even read. Share your content everywhere. Put it on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google Plus and Pinterest. The more places your content … Read more

How Food Trucks Are Killing It On Social Media

January 1, 2021May 11, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Looking for social media inspiration is one of my favorite things to do because I know just how much a little inspiration here can help. One of the latest trends I’ve noticed is food trucks and their absolutely epic presence when it comes to social media. I am going to look at why they kill it on social media and how, regardless of your industry, you can gain great inspiration for your very own social media campaign from these eateries on wheels. Food Trucks Are Winning At Social Media Content Food trucks have been part of the eatery crowd for quite some time, but they’ve become increasingly popular in the last few months and years. They are a great place for communities to gather and make great food for everyone. However, they wouldn’t be near as successful if it weren’t for social media. These small eateries, many of which travel to various locations throughout cities or towns, need social media to connect with their fans and let people know vital information. When it comes to social media, food trucks are a great example of how to use it and just what it can do for businesses. One city that has a great food truck community is that of Austin, Texas, where my own office is located. Here in Austin, we have websites that are dedicated to finding excellent food trucks for newbies, and also giving information to those who need it for their favorites. And a Few of Our Austin Favorites… If you’re ever in Austin, make sure to visit a few of these trucks (we recommend it!) If you aren’t heading to Austin anytime soon, you should still take a look at their social media presence to see just what you can learn from them. No matter where they are at, whether in Austin, Texas, such as Cowabunga Burgers or food trucks in Missouri such as Not’cho Ordinary Taco or London Calling, you can find some sort of social media inspiration. Let’s take a look at how food trucks are killing it with social media and just what you can learn from them for your own business. How Are Food Trucks Doing So Well On Social Media? One of the best ways that many food trucks are being epic with their social media presence is because they are focusing on their industry and customers. If you take a look at a few of the food trucks I shared above, you will see that they have a strategy that fits their service and their clientele. When you head to a local food truck, take a quick look at the age range of people there, many are Millennials or Generation X, and the business owners know this. In fact, many might just fit into those age ranges, themselves. Because of this, they know that they need to have an epic social media presence that is going to standout from the crowd of food truck businesses on social media. Now, let’s take a look at a few things you can learn for yourself and your business from these incredible eateries and how it can apply to your business. The Top 4 Things You Can Learn from Food Trucks and Social Media There are a few things you can take away from food trucks, besides yummy niche food, and I am going to take a look at a few! They All Rely on Having Their Location Plugged in. This might not work for every business, but if you are a locally owned or small business, location is everything. It is especially true for food trucks because the instant someone arrives, they will want to check in and let their friends know where they are. This is great because it shows up on Facebook just how many people visited your location while also giving free advertisement to a wide range of people you might not have access to. Take a look at the pages I listed above to see how many people are checking in, and imagine each person has at least 200 Facebook friends. That’s a lot of coverage for practically no advertising cost. Sounds excellent, doesn’t it? They Keep Things Professional but Personal on Social Media. Food trucks and their social media presences are great at showing how one can be classy and professional while still getting “personal” with customers. This helps to foster a great relationship with people, making them more likely to engage with the social media page and business, as well as continuing doing business with the company. A great way to get “personal” on social media is to let your personality or brand personality, shine through, making people click. This helps differentiate you from your competitors, and can, in the end, instill a high amount of trust in your company from clients. They Share Updates Their Followers Want to See. When a food truck business owner posts to social media, they know that they have to post content their clients want to see. If they are constantly posting irrelevant information, their clients won’t engage with them and this could end up leading to a failed food truck. However, by posting content that is engaging for their specific audience, they are creating a fun atmosphere that will have people coming back for more both in the social media and physical sense. Make sure that when you are posting content, you are posting something that engages your clientele and that it is something they relate to. This can be various trends within your industry, on the Internet, memes, and so much more depending on your industry. Keep it relevant, keep it interesting, and you will keep your customers. Using Multiple Social Media Channels. Many food trucks don’t just rely on one social media channel to get their coverage. They understand that people have multiple channels, and, therefore, know the need to be on a few others. The typical places you will see a food truck will be Facebook, Twitter, and … Read more

5 Ways to Correctly Use #Hashtags on Instagram & Twitter

December 31, 2020April 27, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Hashtags are an incredible part of social media. They are what connects people during incredible or tragic moments, bringing the entire world together on social media. They provide excellent opportunities for discussion and are excellent for businesses. However, you might be wondering just how to use them, and use them correctly, on Twitter and Instagram. Let’s take a look at hashtags that will help you create an excellent Twitter or Instagram campaign. Crash Course: How Does A Hashtag Work? Hashtags are becoming vital to any social media campaign, but many people still might not know just what a hashtag is. Here is a quick rundown and reminder: a hashtag is a word or phrase used on social media that follows the pound or number sign (#). This helps to tie posts together with others and makes it easier for clients and readers to browse through the hashtag to find relevant information. This is a great way to index and categorize posts to make it easier for those with an interest in the specific keyword. For example, if you are selling artisanal coffee and want people who aren’t following to see your posts, you can use a hashtag such as #artisanalcoffee or a keyword that you use more often on your site. This will help connect you, and broaden your reach. Why Should You Use Hashtags? I briefly stated a benefit of hashtags in my example above. You need hashtags because they help direct people to your posts if they are not within your network. Let’s say you are a company that sells your product worldwide; you may have a few local customers, but how can you connect with someone in England, Australia, or America? Simple answer: hashtags. In addition to broadening your range and reaching out to more customers, you can also use hashtags as a way to engage with your clients, potential clients, and industry leaders. In fact, researchers find that tweets that utilize hashtags get two times the amount of engagement as a regular, non-hashtag tweet; interesting! The biggest thing about social media is being social, and you can do just that with hashtags directed at being social. I am going to take a more in depth look at this to show you just how you can correctly use your hashtags, especially when it comes to Twitter and Instagram. Companies That Should Be Using Twitter or Instagram Twitter is a great social channel for many businesses to use because it can connect you with a broader range of individuals. It can also provide you with the chance to host online chats, which I will discuss later. Twitter is a great social channel for small businesses and is also a great tool that B2Bs can use. Now, when it comes to Instagram, it is important to sit down and think about what your company does. If you don’t have much visually driven content and don’t focus on it too much, then Instagram is not for you. However, if you do have visually driven content or product, Instagram is perfect. If you are looking for some tips on how to use Instagram for your business, Social Media Examiner gives some excellent points to guide you in the right direction! How To Correctly Hashtag Your Content on Instagram and Twitter Now that I’ve taken you on a crash course reminder on hashtags, their importance, and if you should use Twitter and Instagram, I am going to help you learn how to use them. Remember, when it comes to social media and hashtags, you will need to tweak and grow to find the best ones for you. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can correctly, and awesomely use hashtags. Use Weekly AMAs or Hashtag Chats. Many businesses use something known as an AMA or an Ask Me Anything. Ask Me Anything is a really popular concept for many celebrities and users on Reddit, but it is slowly catching on for many businesses on other social channels. Most of the time, a business will adapt it into a chat instead of using AMA, but the concept is the same and helps develop communication and dialogue. A great example of a business chat is that of SEMRush’s #semrushchat that they hold to talk about various concepts. They discuss various questions with their readers and followers and then post the discussions on their blog. This is a great way to answer some of the common and current buzzing questions clients have while also creating excellent blog material. Create Unique Hashtags. This is a perfect way to get your posts to stand out while directing people to your accounts and site. You will need to use trendy hashtags that will get noticed, but throwing in a unique hashtag created by you will help put all of your posts in an easy to find spot. It can also help when people start discussing things with you, using that hashtag instead. This will direct more people to the discussion, and eventually direct people to your Twitter account, or website. In addition, a unique hashtag can also help you keep your business related photos in one spot on Instagram, giving people the chance to see all photos you’ve posted throughout your whole Instagram usage. Follow Specific Hashtags to See More Discussion. When you are using Twitter, it is a good idea to make sure you follow specific hashtags to see discussions and anything your clients might be talking about. This is especially necessary if you create your own hashtag to get people involved in discussions. It won’t work if you don’t keep tabs on it to talk with clients. The best way to follow specific hashtags is to utilize social media tools such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, or others that allow you to create columns for certain keywords and phrases. Utilize Trending Hashtags for Easy Advertising. No matter if you are on Twitter or Instagram, using trending hashtags for advertising is a great method. Most of … Read more