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5 Ideal Examples of Social Media Optimization You Need to See

January 13, 2024November 16, 2021 by Adam Oakley

You’re awesome at social media marketing. You’ve focused on creating timely and engaging posts with great content, so you stand out whenever you post. In this scenario, you’re doing everything right – except for one thing. What did you forget? Still scratching your head? Set aside the content aspect for a second – yes, we know this is difficult, especially if you prioritize quality content like we do – and go back to basics. ….Are your social media profiles optimized? If you don’t know what this means, you need to. To put it bluntly, your content can’t be “king” if your profiles — your social home bases — are a hot mess. These two things – content and presentation – need to support each other. Don’t worry, though – we’re going to dig deeper into why you need to get your profiles on social media optimized. Then we’ll look at five great examples of social media profiles from businesses who are doing it the right way. Why Do You Need to Optimize Your Profiles on Social Media? Profile optimization is how you make your social profiles appear to best advantage to curious and interested users, a.k.a. potential leads. Without optimization on all your accounts, your web presence will look disjointed and choppy, not to mention people won’t be able to find your profiles through search engines. You already know how important it is to be discoverable online, especially if you’re a local business. Applying this to your social media accounts will ensure all of your channels are ripe for the picking for whoever needs to find them. PLUS, you’ll scoop up leads who may be digging deeper into your online presence to find out about your brand and what you stand for. The cherry on top? 🍒 You’ll cultivate a unified look across your web presence that’s professional, recognizable, and consistent. The Easy Guide to Overhauling your Social Media Profiles for Great Optimization Now that you know how important optimization is, we can get down to business. We’ll start at the shallow end of the pool with something very simple: your profile pictures. [bctt tweet=”Overhaul your social media profile in three easy steps? Yep, that’s it. Learn how at @ExpWriters ✨” via=”no”] 1. Unify All of Your Profile Pictures Your profile picture is your online face. People will come to associate your presence with your picture, so make sure it’s relevant to your business as well as eye-catching. A good rule of thumb is to use your brand logo, but you can always buck tradition for your social presence if you have an equally good photo that sums up your brand. (This could be a great headshot of you [or whoever stands in as your brand’s “face”] a variation of your logo, etc.) Whatever you do, employ the same profile picture across all the major platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Remember this picture will appear beside all of your social activity, like comments. As such, don’t choose a picture that’s hard to see when it’s scaled down to a tiny icon (like a detailed landscape picture, for instance). 2. Create an Informative Profile Bio According to Forbes, lots of companies make the mistake of not explaining what they do clearly in their bio. When users visit your social media pages, they’re probably trying to figure out who you are and/or if they should follow you. They can’t make that decision if you don’t provide them with the necessary information. The key is to be specific. If you make birthday cakes for dogs, don’t say your company “specializes in dog treats.” If you’re a tech company peddling coding software, don’t be vague and say you offer “solutions for web developers.” State what you do in terms your readers will glom onto. E.g., “Making Fido’s dreams come true on all of his special days with elaborate, canine-friendly cakes.” Don’t forget to include your location and hours if you’re local. Plenty of people use their smartphones to find out this information about a business on the fly, and it’s frustrating when it’s M.I.A. You may even lose business if someone is checking you out and considering stopping by – but they can’t find your address or hours, so they choose to go elsewhere. Sprout Social summarizes all of the above keys to visual optimization with this helpful infographic: Don’t neglect the next point, however. 3. Sneak in Keywords You can also use keywords in your profile name and description to show up in searches. Choose the most relevant ones and use them wisely to get discovered this way. Other places to sneak in keywords: your headline, photo descriptions, hashtags, the “about” section, and even in your status updates. Try using a variety of keywords in these various areas and see what happens. 5 Examples of Social Media Pages with Optimal Optimization With perfectly optimized pages that are consistent, audience-specific, informative, and engaging, these five different companies and organizations are examples of social media presences that hit the nail on the head. 1. NASA NASA does a lot of things right with their social media profiles. Their Facebook page, for instance, has an eye-catching profile picture and all of the right information to help visitors who want to learn more. Take a look at their Intro section: Not only have they provided a succinct bio that states their mission and purpose, they have also included useful information, keywords, and important contact details. Plus, their Twitter page mirrors their Facebook: They use a similar profile picture and the same header image. This equals perfect continuity and optimization across their brand outlets, creating a seamless experience. 2. Out of Print There’s no question about what Out of Print sells when you land on their Twitter page: “Shop bookish t-shirts, totes, socks, mugs, pins, and more!” This is a straightforward bio that gets the job done while inserting a few keywords and a great hashtag. It also nods to the charitable side of their … Read more

How to Use 5 Types of Content to Grow Your Online Authority (Recap of My Live Talk for #SocialMediaBootcamp in Austin, Texas)

March 24, 2022April 30, 2019 by Adam Oakley

Last week on Friday, I had the honor of speaking at Jessica Campos’ event, a Social Media Bootcamp right here in Austin, Texas. It was exciting for two reasons: for one, it was at The Capital Factory, a dream speaking venue in downtown Austin. For another, I had a fantastic host: Jessica is the founder of Marketing for Greatness and a well-known local marketer here in Austin, Texas. She worked hard at putting together a memorable event, and invited me to come and speak personally. Jessica hosts many networking events locally, and is a great person in real life just as much as she is in marketing. I love being around her. I said yes to Jessica’s invitation, and the rest is history! This amazing lady worked her network marketing magic and sold out the room – we had 50 seats, and more than 50 in attendance! It was my largest live audience yet. I’ve had the idea for a session on how to build authority online using the five foundational types of content for a while, and I decided to explore that for Jessica’s bootcamp. It was the perfect complement session to her opening talk on holistic social media marketing practices. This talk was born: Building Authority Online & Where it Begins: 5 Types of Content You Should Be Publishing to Grow Your Brand. After my talk, it was exciting to hear terrific real-time feedback from attendees. Two senior-level marketing executives that worked in Austin came and found me to tell me how much my talk resonated with them. “Everything you were saying about content made SO MUCH SENSE! Our ads aren’t working, nothing has been working, and we know we’ve needed a new channel for a while.” It was clear they were excited to find a way out from old practices that weren’t working. That was a thrill to me to hear! I loved knowing I’d been able to make a difference for someone. In today’s blog, I’m recapping the talk I gave, including the most important takeaways and lessons. Buckle in! [bctt tweet=”Check out @JuliaEMcCoy’s recap of her talk on building #authority online through #content, live at @capitalfactory in #ATX for @jessicamcampos’ #socialmediabootcamp ” username=”ExpWriters”] Social Media Bootcamp LIVE in Austin, Texas (Hosted by Jessica Campos) Here’s a look at our fun day in Austin at Jessica’s bootcamp, put together by my designer in a collage. Keep scrolling for top takeaways, a recap of Jessica’s and my session, and some special shoutouts! Jessica Campos: Social Media Practices That Bring Real Results in Your Business Jessica Campos started off Friday’s Social Media Bootcamp with a fantastic, action-packed session. She talked about the reality of “marketing” on social media, and how it’s not okay to just “turn to the person next to you, and ask, Would you like to lose ten pounds?” — and she had the whole room nodding and laughing. If it’s not okay to do in a waiting room, why do it on social media? She shared with us the typical journey of one of her warm leads: the person left her website open in their tab for days, closed it, came back through a Facebook ad and then clicked over to the blog, left the site again and came back to the contact page in another few days. And repeat. I relate! We cannot predict our buyer’s journey. Jessica shared how the marketing funnel is dead, and what’s replaced it: the loyalty loop. (As most of you already know by now, I completely agree that the funnel is dead. I’ve written about that here.) Jessica also shared how to discover your audience using tools like Facebook Insights and Google Analytics’ user behavior, two great tools for finding out real information about your audience. Using the whiteboard to write out the frameworks she shared, Jessica covered several areas that made up a “sandwich,” or “burger” to help us remember how to build a solid social media marketing strategy: The importance of data and knowing what your leads and ideal audience is actually doing and thinking of Building avatars to represent and get to know your ideal audience Creating a culture to attract your tribe and people Writing a manifesto to represent who you are with a brand voice to differentiate yourself from the masses Focusing on growing your influence online to attract people to you and your brand Jessica also did a real-life marketing analysis with one of the attendees, Lori Stinson, an agent and owner for logistics and supply chain company DSV. It was awesome! With Lori next to her, Jessica built avatars to represent Lori’s ideal audience, an experienced, established company out in California. One method I loved was when Jessica told Lori that LinkedIn was going to be her best bet to earn social media leads from. Several members of the audience also shared terrific ways Lori could create fun marketing campaigns to pull in the eyes and ears of her ideal people. Around noon, Jessica wrapped up her session, and we all had a lunch break. Then, it was time for my session. Special Shoutout to Jeff at Chubby Diaries & @YoungMommy (Christine Young) on Twitter I want to take a quick moment to give some well-deserved shoutouts. Jessica asked Jeffrey Jenkins, a local entrepreneur, travel influencer, speaker, and the founder of ChubbyDiaries.com, to attend and record media for us (as content creators, Jessica and I are all about maximizing our event presence). He took our photos and the raw video (coming soon to my YouTube channel!). Special shoutout to Jeff, who was a fantastic help! Another shoutout to Christine Young, supermom to 7 and blogger at FromDatestoDiapers.com, for live-tweeting during our event! She captured some fantastic takeaways live during our bootcamp. Great ideas = great content. Take time to brainstorm ideas, research topics, gather data, and formulate topics for posts. #socialmediabootcamp — Christine Young (@YoungMommy) April 26, 2019 Building Authority Online & Where it Begins: 5 Types of Content to Grow Your Brand (Recap of My Live Talk) I started my session with these important facts about today’s buyer: 81% … Read more

Google & Twitter Team Up On A New Content Delivery Platform

June 19, 2024October 9, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Getting content and getting it fast is important in the world of the Internet, isn’t it? When you see an interesting article, you want to click and read without having to wait for several seconds. Facebook knew this way back in May, creating a new content delivery platform called Instant Articles. And now it looks like Google and Twitter are teaming up for something similar. What is this new content delivery platform? And how can you use it for your content? Avengers, Assemble: Google and Twitter Teaming Up for a Content Delivery Platform Back in May, Facebook announced a new content delivery platform called Instant Articles. The plan on Facebook’s part was to offer original content from companies directly on Facebook instead of third party sites. They’ve continued this with the revamp of Notes, creating a powerful long-form content platform. And Google and Twitter did not want to be left out. Recode reports that many Twitter users are noticing that articles load instantaneously now, instead of waiting for a few seconds for it to load. Are you seeing the similarity with Instant Articles? Once you get passed that similarity, you’ll notice a few interesting differences. This isn’t necessarily being hosted directly on Google and Twitter; in fact, both channels want to make this an open source service. This gives several tech companies the opportunity to use this and build on it for their own needs. This is a great opportunity for websites, and since this is based on cached websites instead of an individual content platform, it is open to everyone. And, you won’t lose out on ad revenue either. How is this Going to Compete With Facebook’s Instant Articles? The biggest way Google and Twitter’s new delivery platform is going to compete with Instant Articles is simply that it is open source. Instant Articles is only for Facebook and isn’t available for everyone yet. However, with this platform, every single publisher will benefit. When it comes to using Facebook, Mashable points out that it really is a difficult position for publishers. Instant Articles shows that people need to jump on the Facebook bandwagon or they could lose out. However, it could also get to the point where people rely too heavily on Facebook and forget other channels. This isn’t so with Google and Twitter, which is making this new option immediately attractive to many publishers both large and small. Is This Going to Drastically Changes Online Content Delivery? Thankfully, this new change isn’t going to be a drastic change. It just means that you need to focus heavily on content creation. And really, you should already be focusing on it. Creating excellent content pieces that people will click on is the biggest way that you can take advantage of this excellent opportunity. Content creation is an incredible way to deliver content your clients want to see, providing them with value. This can definitely help you stand out from all of your competitors, making you someone people will trust quicker. 7 Ways to Prepare for Google and Twitter’s Content Delivery Platform When it comes to creating excellent content and preparing to utilize Google and Twitter’s new setup, there are a few things you can do. I am going to take a look and help you create some awesome long-form content pieces that people will click on and love to read ASAP. 1. Prepare to Write More Long-Form Content for Social Media The biggest thing you need to do to prepare for the majority of recent changes, including Google and Twitter, is to make sure you are focusing on long-form content. Long-form content can drastically increase your website traffic, as well as making sure people stay, return, and share. Just take a look at this graph from Wordstream after they began to implement long-form content: When they began to create long-form content, they saw that more readers stayed on their site longer. This is great because it then opens it up to encourage people to go around your site and look at your products and services. Sujan Patel says that long-form content also gives you the ability to reach a wider audience base, helps you to talk about more topics, and helps you generate more leads. 2.Hire Not Only Social Media Managers but Copywriters As Well One of the best ways to prepare and get awesome content is to not only hire social media managers but copywriters as well. This will help you create great content consistently, helping encourage people to click the links on Twitter and read your article. Just imagine what the combined efforts of Google and Twitter with the power of a copywriter can do for your site. You’ll see some absolutely incredible results. Including, but not limited to, people sharing your content, engaging with it, and staying on your site longer. 3. Know How to Tailor Your Content for the Channel You should also know the tone you want to use when it comes to reaching Twitter. You may need to create some great blog pieces that capture that tone, and help you reach out to a wider demographic. It is vital to know, however, the difference between your brand’s voice and the tone you use. Your voice must always stay the same to help promote consistency. Buffer’s Kevan Lee powerfully states that, “Voice is a mission statement. Tone is the application of that mission.” You should already know the voice you want to have for your brand so use it when crafting content. And change up your multitude of tones to reach out to the right audience on Twitter. 4. Keep Up Your Business Site’s Blog With Facebook’s Instant Articles, you might start believing you don’t need to keep up your site’s blog. As I stated earlier, this is exactly what Mashable is afraid of. And you shouldn’t fall into this easy trap. With the new change between Google and Twitter, you will absolutely need to keep up your business’s blog. Don’t neglect it for … 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

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

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

20 Tips To Create A Winner’s Social Media Strategy

January 1, 2021February 14, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Go anywhere these days, in fact don’t even leave your home, and what do you find? No, it’s not infomercials for the next great cooking gadget that solves a problem that never existed. It is references to social media. Every company, business, person, dog, cat, and mythological creature has a social media presence. A few years back parents were mad at their kids spending countless hours on a certain social “space”. Well it has expanded from that and now the parents and grandparents aren’t questioning kid’s social media usage, they’re sending the kids stupid jokes and photos. Yeah that’s right, social media has spread to the masses. You have it, your grandma has it, your nephew has it, your employer has it, and your favorite store has it…notice a trend? A recent article by Fast Company about social media usage statistics provided some staggering figures. Some of the facts like “Social Media has overtaken porn as the No. 1 activity on the web” are just funny, while others like “93% of marketers use social media for business” show us the direction commerce is going. Regardless of if you are using social media for personal usage, to promote yourself, or to promote your business, it is an interracial part of the way people relate and communicate and is here to stay. So how can you use one of the most powerful communications ever to your benefit? Read on and find out. 20 Tips For An Awesome Social Media Strategy 1. Integrate your web presence with your social media content Let’s face it, you have your email address, perhaps you have ten email addresses. They are easy to get and free. You also have a web site. These days you can build it yourself for free, no knowledge necessary, or you hire an HTML expert to do lots of confusing stuff and build a site that dominates all. So how exactly do you get the customer or client from your email or web site, to your social media? Let’s face it; you and your business don’t look so stellar with only 12 followers. People judge this stuff, if a teenage girl has 300 followers, than your seemingly successful business should have tens of thousands. Establish an email newsletter, or if you have one, great. Now be sure that each issue not only provides links to your social media content but also references it. Tell the readers that if they go to your page and complete some function there is an incentive. Say this “visit us on ____ (insert your page info) and comment on _____ (whatever creative thing you come up with) and receive a 30% coupon code.” Now you are enticing them to go to your page and rewarding that effort. Try it. 2. Open up your perspective You’re not dictating to the board of directors here, you’re talking to the everyday average Joes and Janes that frequent your business. Sure they’re smart but social media is about being social, not suit and tie stiff in the board room. 3. Give them a path to follow Add buttons and links to your site. Every social media provider has predesigned HTML buttons that you can customize and pop in your site in seconds. Don’t hide them on some random subpage. Put them right there on the main page of your web site. Go ahead and do it, I’ll wait. All done? What you have just done is invited your customers and clients to join you. People love to feel like they belong. Getting them to join in on your social media content makes them part of your business and not just a client. And think of it this way, if one person likes your page their friends will see it and be lead to check you out as well. They are called followers for a reason. 4. Relate, don’t dictate to your followers Nobody will ever doubt the power of advertising. However, social media is more of a relaxed media. Relate to your customers. Be one of them, not a dictator. In fact, Social Media Examiner talks about accessing and knowing your audience. Seeing as they are not just a number, make people feel welcome at your business and make them want to return. Let’s say you own a restaurant, if you actually own one even better. Ads talking about your new dish or sandwich are great. However putting up a post about it and discussing it is better. Tell them the process behind it, where you came up with the idea. Show them a video of you making it. And post photos! People love photos, why else would Instagram exist? Get creative with some photo editing and include power words in your photo. Show them the sandwich with bold words talking about its attributes. The point here is not to lay down a sales pitch; people know when they’re being baited. Relate to them, imagine you are your customers and share with them. 5. Involve your entire workforce Are you a one man (woman) show or do you have an entire staff at your disposal? Your social media content should always be fresh and up to date. Who has gone to a page for their favorite restaurant or store only to see their last post was six weeks ago? If you are too busy to stay atop it then consider enlisting a social media content person. As a primary or additional job function they will make daily posts about sales, specials, and everything that’s breaking news for your business. People enjoy fresh content and they enjoy interaction. 6. Know what they know There is a chance that people on your staff have special skills you didn’t even know. Is the guy in the mail room a part time filmmaker? Well enlist him to make some video content. Does your waitress dabble in graphic design? Ask and you may be surprised. These are assets … Read more

6 Ways to Fix Your Social Media When Drunk Tweets Get Out

December 31, 2020February 11, 2014 by Adam Oakley

“It happens to the best of us.” You’ve heard this old saying, right? Unfortunately, it proved all too true for JCPenney during this year’s Superbowl. The well-known brand inadvertently let (more than one) drunken tweet slip out on their Twitter feed. The problem? Most people and even other companies thought that their SMM was tweeting drunk behind the J.C. Penney Twitter handle, @jcpenney. After tore up tweets like “Who kkmew theis was ghoing tob e a baweball ghamle,” Kia Motors America wrote, “Hey @jcpenney need a designated driver?” Who kkmew theis was ghiong tob e a baweball ghamle. #lowsscorinh 5_0 — JCPenney (@jcpenney) February 2, 2014 Toughdown Seadawks!! Is sSeattle going toa runaway wit h this??? — JCPenney (@jcpenney) February 3, 2014 Since then, it’s rumored by BuzzFeed and several other news locations that the drunken tweets were planned. But, as CBS reported, it backfired for the brand—and we don’t think it’s such a great idea. Let’s be honest: it hasn’t NOT happened before. After all, if you type “how to handle drunk tweets” into a search engine, you’ll see some interesting links topping the results page. No matter how big you or your brand is this can happen to you. What would your reaction be if it did? Would you ignore the mishap? Would you scramble to delete the evidence? It might seem like the best solution, but is it really? Fixing a Bad Social Media Post: Resisting Your Initial Reaction According to Hubspot, you can delete a drunk tweet or social media post and keep it quiet, if you catch it very quickly. And by “very quickly,” we mean practically immediately. If you catch the post within seconds of it going up, you’ll likely be able to delete it and pretend that it never happened. Deletion of a mistake ridden, unfavorable tweet or social media post is certainly the first reaction most of us would have, but is it really the best action? What if leaving the unfortunate post and tackling it head on could result in something positive, like building a more trusting relationship with your clientele or strengthening your reputation? If there’s a chance your tweet or post has already hit the feeds of your followers or was quickly seen by a vast audience, deletion is not the best option! It’s like Hubspot says, “Once something is out there in cyberspace, it’s usually there forever. Someone, somewhere probably got a screenshot of it – especially when you’re a brand with a large audience and a lot of eyes on you.” Keep in mind that anyone receiving direct e-mail or app notifications will likely have a copy of whatever you’re trying to get rid of. Deleting the post and pretending like it never happened could open you up to some hard-hitting and reputation-damaging attacks; attacks that could prove more destructive than a drunken tweet. After all, if a brand you trust, love and respect deleted a saucy tweet, social media post or blog comment with no comment, wouldn’t you wonder why? However, it is possible to delete a drunken tweet and handle it with class—if you know how to do it! We turn to none other than the American Red Cross for a stunning example. In 2011, Geekosystem.com reported on a drunken tweet accidentally sent from the American Red Cross Twitter account. The questionable and embarrassing tweet came from an individual who had access to the organization’s account. The individual in question allegedly made a mistake while using HootSuite and their embarrassing tweet showed up on the Red Cross’s Twitter feed. The Red Cross deleted the embarrassing tweet and followed up by tweeting, “We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we’ve confiscated the keys.” The Red Cross did more than delete the unfavorable tweet and pretend it didn’t happen. They acknowledged the tweet and found a way to spin it into a positive. According to Geekosystem.com, “The best part about all of this, other than the calm (or cold, calculating and secretly terrifying?) poise of the Red Cross, is that the Red Cross managed to turn this digital faux pas into receiving donations (which further solidifies the calculating and terrifying theory), as Dogfish Head Brewery, whose beer was mentioned in the accidental tweet, encouraged donations.” What Geekosystem called “cold, calculating and secretly terrifying” is what we call good business sense. This situation could easily have turned into a media nightmare, but the Red Cross handled it with class and turned it into a positive—all by tackling the problem head on! How to Handle Unfavorable Tweets, Drunk or Otherwise What is an unfavorable social media post, tweet or otherwise? It’s bad publicity. Marketers have been handling bad publicity for years. It’s no surprise then that their tactics work just as well in the land of social media. Let’s consider six ways to handle those embarrassing, unfavorable and even scary social media disasters: Respond quickly, honestly and decisively. Customer complaints are a real possibility in the social media world. It’s easy and fast for a disgruntled customer, employee or third party to throw out an unfavorable, perhaps even evil, post. The best course of reaction is to respond quickly and be both honest and decisive in your reply. Acknowledge errors and mistakes. Acknowledging the bad publicity and being honest about it is vital. If you, your brand or someone within your company made a mistake, own up to it and apologize. Current and potential customers will appreciate your openness. Never say, “No comment.” When a negative post hits the cyber waves, it’s easy to feel blind sighted. When your public is calling for your comment, avoid retreating by saying, “No comment.” It will instantly cast question regarding your position and open you to the perfect storm of amplified attacks as your followers dig for dirt. If you’re unsure of how to respond and feel like you’re short on information, consider saying something like, “I’m … Read more

Consistency Is Key for Social Media: 20-Step Management Guide

August 25, 2022January 23, 2014 by Adam Oakley

We’ve already established that going social for your business in 2014 is not a matter of if, but why. Armed with that knowledge, we thought it was only fair to share the nuts and bolts of howto establish and manage your social media presence. We have not 5, not 10, but 20 concrete steps to take you from “What social media platform is best for my industry?” to “What, you don’t have a social media manager?” in no time. 2014: It’s Social Media Party Time! Let us invite you to our party. That’s right, with all our talk of cake lately; we’ve also gotten in the mood for parties. And with social media’s emphasis on engagement and, well, being social, we thought a party with all its intricacies — from venue to wardrobe and guest list — was the perfect illustration. So, for the duration of our time together, it’s party time. Who knew reading a blog could be so much fun? Pick Your Parties: Platform Selection Think of each social media platform as a swanky party. Each has its own vibe, venue, and party-goers who can’t get enough. It is your mission to find the parties your business should attend and get in the conversation. Which leads us to… Step #1: Finding the Right Social Media Platforms for You It’s tempting to setup a profile on every available platform to get the most exposure for your business. But as a small business owner, your time is precious and this one-size-fits-all strategy runs the risk of wearing your resources too thin. Instead, you need to research and find out where your social media target demographic hangs out, and go to those parties. You wouldn’t see a bunch of guys at brunch, would you? So if you run an online Poker site you wouldn’t necessarily need to party on a Pinterest page (used predominantly by women at 84%, according to Business Insider). The only exception to this rule? Google+. Although this platform is overwhelmingly used by men, all businesses could use the SEO pick-me-up this site provides. Dress to Impress: Social Media Profile Set Up You know which platforms to focus on. Now, how should you prepare your profiles for the best exposure possible? This next tips and tricks will get your business profiles dressed to impress in no time. Step # 2: Choosing the Right Profile Picture If your company has a logo, you are probably farther along on this step than you think. The perfect profile image is, you guessed it, your logo. Already a key part in your branding, your logo will make it easy for potential clients to identify your business, no matter where they bump into you. Step #3: Using Quality Imagery Banner. Cover. Header. Theme. Channel Art. No matter what the platform calls it, most of them have space for a larger image on your profile. Think of it as your chance to accessorize your party-perfect profile picture (your logo, right?) with an engaging pop of color and personality. To brand your profile further, we suggest using your website’s color scheme and images as the inspiration for your larger feature image. It is also crucial to adhere to the imagery guidelines for each platform. Fuzzy images or an overuse of text, like too much makeup or a clashing tie, will totally throw off your look. Step #4: Choosing an Easily Identifiable and Keyword-Conscience Username Your social media handles need to be easy for customers to connect with your company name, tagline or main service, according to Forbes. In other words, when people see your posts on their feed they shouldn’t be confused about who the post is from – that’s as silly as not introducing yourself. So, thoughtfully pick a social media name and stick with it across all platforms. And remember to use keywords. Say you are a Wedding Planner. Instead of using your company name, you may want to consider including your location and main service, like “DallasWeddings.” Step #5: Crafting Consistent Company Taglines and Descriptions Before you complete your profile set up, take some time to distill your company’s goals into a succinct tagline, longer description, mission statement, and history blurb. As with the “big picture” in step #3, you can take key points from your website to craft this information. Once you (or the copywriter you hired) write a tagline, long description, and mission for your business, you can plug them into all of your profiles. Consistency is the name of the game here, too. Not only do you want to coordinate with the formality and tone on your site, you also want all of your profiles to communicate the same message as well. And as with your username, remember to use industry keywords while maintaining a written-for-people vibe. Step #6: Providing Consistent Contact Info, Address, Hours This party parallel is pretty obvious. If you met someone interesting at the party, they would need a way to get in touch with you. Your social media profile should tell customers exactly where and how to contact you. Step #7: Claiming Custom URLs Just like a manicure adds imperceptible polish to any party prep, your effort to claim vanity URLs will add a much-needed touch of professionalism to your profiles. First, a pop quiz: Which URL looks more polished and inviting? A. www.facebook.com/yourbusiness or B. www.facebook.com/yourbusiness/390691057733835 (The correct answer is A, of course.) This step takes a bit more effort because some platforms have requirements to claim your URL — like these for Google+. The extra elbow grease is totally worth it to provide a more inviting persona for your customers to interact with. Get the Party Started: Social Optimization Help people find, connect, and share content from your pristine profiles with these next steps. Step #8: Making It Easy for People to Connect with You After all of your (readable, but SEO-friendly) profiles are created with their shiny, custom URLs, you … Read more