social media content - Express Writers

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

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

When Should You Post Your Social Media Content? Is There A Magic Time?

January 1, 2021July 11, 2014 by Adam Oakley

How do you successfully get the most views to your social media updates? It seems almost impossible and can be a major letdown when you see someone randomly go viral. Just how does one do that? Did they use a different word than you? Or, did they simply find a magic time to post to social media? When it comes down to it, many people realize that they need to find that social media time sweet spot, but it is, yet again, something that seems unattainable. In this blog, we are going to talk about the various social media networks and when is a good time to post to each. When Should You Post To Facebook? Facebook is something we all know as a social site that helps us waste time when we no longer want to be in the office or to pay attention to things going on around us. Many office workers find that they will start to peruse Facebook when they are in a workday slump, especially towards the end of the week, according to Buffer. In fact, engagement rates on Facebook are at about 18% on Thursdays and Fridays – you know, those pesky days that stand in between you and the weekend. This is an optimal time to post your information because it has a higher likelihood of being seen. Buffer also points out that 86% of posts are made Monday through Friday, with a few posts on Saturdays. Buffer does say that another study points out that while actual posting is down on Saturdays, engagement with businesses is up to about 32%. These statistics show that the optimal time to post on Facebook is towards the end of the week. When Should You Post To Twitter? Twitter is a hard social media network to pin down when it comes to optimal posting times. It seems more people use Twitter on their mobile devices, which gives them quicker and easier access to view tweets. Because of this, many people will check their accounts multiple times a day. Regardless of this difficulty, Hubspot was able to get a decent amount of statistics together to help find optimal posting days for Twitter. It seems Twitter gets the most views Mondays through Thursdays around 1 to 3PM and the worst times to post are every day after 8PM and Fridays after 3PM. While this is all up in the air depending on your client base, Hubspot also points out that they can truly say what brings about more interaction – posting photos. Here are some fun stats about tweeting photos: You have a 36% increase in clicks. A 31% increase in site visits. A 41% increase in retweets. A 48% increase in favorites. A 33% increase in changing visitors into leads. A 55% increase in leads. While you’re working to find that sweet spot for timing, know that it is solid fact that you will bring in more views and leads simply by posting a photograph. When Should You Post To LinkedIN? Because LinkedIN is specifically used for businesses and business professionals, it is oftentimes used right before the workday begins and right after it ends, according to Entreprenuer.com. Entrepreneur also says that it is often used on Tuesdays and Thursdays around those times. If you make a post during normal working hours, it is less likely to receive views or bring in any clicks and visits. Try posting your LinkedIN material on Tuesdays and Thursdays specifically at around 7-8:30AM local time and avoid posting Mondays through Fridays between 1 and 5 PM. When Should You Post To Google+? G+ is yet another social media site that is best posted to in the morning. On the same infographic provided for Twitter, Hubspot says that the usual time people are on G+ is 9 – 10AM. The best time to receive the most engagement on your G+ updates is Wednesdays at 9AM. You will get more interaction and +1’s for posts made on those days. The worst time that Hubspot found for posting on G+ is very early mornings when people are either commuting to work and are too groggy to function fully or in the evenings when they are spending time with their family. An important fact about G+ and demographics is, according to Hubspot, it is growing rapidly with people between the ages of 45 and 54 years old. Keep this in mind as you post to G+ and make it friendlier for that demographic. Learn Which Times Work The Best For Your Social Media While these statistics are really helpful, it is wise for you to learn what times work the best for your specific audience. You can give the above a try, but if you notice you have little to no engagement on the suggested times, you should start to tweak it. Try earlier, if that doesn’t work, try later. The times vary for each business and person. Some people have more luck with posts made late at night because their audience is still awake while some have luck with early morning posts. Either way, you have to make sure you know what your audience wants and when they are online. You can find this out by looking at your analytics, or by simply asking your clients what times they are usually online. In fact, this is an integral part to having a successful social media strategy; your clients can help you improve everything regarding your social media presence. Try these times out and start tweaking until you reach the time slot that works the best for you!