How To Pick Your Pic: 4 Easy Steps On Getting Social Media Imagery Right

28Jun

Here in social media country, creative writers and graphic designers alike can find a home. Social media thrives on the visual as much as it does the textual. With the written word, there’s plenty of rules to abide by. SEO rules will get your posts higher up on search engine results. Hashtags will get your updates in the right news streams. User names will grab the attention of the right people. Anyone who even reads social media can see there’s obviously some formulas to follow when writing. Yet what about imagery?

From the earliest days of social media, visuals have been just as important than anything written, if not more so. We talk a lot about how to formulate awesome content, but pictures tend to take a back seat. For an image to be eye-catching, there needs to be a few elements present. For the picture to actually help your social media campaign succeed, you need an additional set of things to consider. Here are the most important items to make your pic rock!

Clarity. The idea of clarity covers two fronts. First, the obvious. A picture shouldn’t be blurry, pixilated, warped, or blown out. Unless your posts are about those old bigfoot pictures, clarity shows you’re a professional. You’ll need a high resolution image of at least 300 dpi to make sure that it’ll be crisp and clean on most screens. Large pictures are always good to pick so you’ll have peace of mind that your social media posts won’t look like a vintage video game. However, you should also keep in mind that huge pictures will take time to load. You’re also going to want to steer clear of any images that have watermarks or another company’s logo somewhere on it. The second side of clarity is subject matter. Don’t have your followers trying to guess what they’re looking at. If they can’t figure out what’s going on in a picture, they’re going to give up and scroll away quickly.
Subject Matter. Most of the time spent on images will be on pictures that accompany posts. Make sure the picture you pick out actually makes sense and is appropriate for the subject and audience. Obviously, this means no obscene pictures plucked from the dark corners of the web, but also that it fits in with the tone of your brand.
Optimization. There are many ways to make an image jump off the screen. You could spend hours trying to make a picture just right. First of all, colors are important. If you have very specific rules with your company’s colors, be sure to adhere to them. You may want to consider some basic design laws. Choose colors that complement each other. Lastly, GIFs and animations have become popular once again, and you can take advantage of this. These will add a bit of motion to your images and it might help attract the right set of eyes.
Professionalism. Having high-quality, professional images is an element of all three prior items. However now we’re referring exclusively to your profile and cover images. For businesses, logos are always a great way to go for the profile image and a nice clean accompanying graphic for the cover image. If you’re representing yourself and you need a headshot of yourself, be sure it is a high-quality image, you’re wearing something appropriate, and you know…smile! A word to the wise: just because it’s your personal page, doesn’t mean recruiters, clients, and potential employers aren’t looking through your stuff. Get those old party pics out of there.

There’s no question about it, images can make or break any post. These are the kinds of things that social media marketers truly strive to achieve perfection with because we understand how quickly an image can bring a whole new wave of attention to a page.

What do you think about imagery’s role in social media? Comment below!

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Why Customers Are Your Biggest Social Media Fans

By Christopher Tompkins

Social-Medias-Role-in-Customer-Service--200x300

28Jun

Advertising, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Local Marketing, Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

We’re aware of all the benefits social media has when it comes to personal communication. We’re able to connect like never before! That’s true when it comes to customer service as well. Each platform gives us unique opportunities to reach out to customers in innovative ways. Huffington Post explains how social media allows businesses to drop an intimidating veil and come down to an approachable level. Here are the top ways businesses benefit from what will define our generation in terms of business and human interaction:

Technically speaking, businesses now have access to a ton more data. Whether it’s customer reviews, demographics, or analytics, social media now helps get the numbers straight. We are able to look into the minds (and conversations) of our customer bases. This allows us to create better content, more engaging posts, and essentially adapt to the needs of the market.
Businesses now have a direct line to their customers. They don’t have to worry about other mediums like television channels and press releases if they don’t have to. If they want to reach out, all they have to do is press the “Publish” button. Now, with updates to Facebook’s Messenger app, we can greet them with immediate replies in case there isn’t someone near a screen to reply. There are also AI systems in the works so you can allow your customers to enjoy a quick, automated process.
As stated earlier, social media allows businesses to be human. They now communicate like everyone else and can have a real conversation. This is why we post engaging, fun content instead of constantly barraging our followers with ads. This is supposed to be social media, not a sales pitch.

We see a big shift in the way businesses market and advertise thanks to social media’s tools. The internet has opened up a whole new world for professionals to reach out to customers in a fluid, organic, and frankly, fun way.

For more on how social media changes the engagement of customers, check out Huffington Post’s article here: http://ow.ly/FH4P3008ThL

How has social media helped your business? Let us know!

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How To Be A Social Media Business Knock Out

By Christopher Tompkins

28Jun

Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Marketing, Periscope, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

There’s a big difference in how one uses social media for personal use and for business. When you’re using it personally, you really don’t have much to lose other than agitating a friend or two with an off-color post. When it comes to posting for your business however, every move you make is important. You are no longer posting as a person, you are now a living, breathing, personified business typing away. What are the best tactics to use when representing your business? Here are Small Business Trends’ four best ways to handle this new audience:

Be sure your posts have a nice medium between being widely-relatable and catering to your demographic. They should appeal to a certain audience, but you don’t want it to be so specific nobody will understand but the pros.
Even if you don’t have many viewers, engage with them and listen to what they have to say about your content. Many followers will share your thoughts if you give them an avenue to. Listen to their feedback and adapt your approach. If you use social media right, your follower numbers will increase.
Being ambitious is great, but biting off more than you can chew will leave your audience hungry for content. Having a full list of posts without having the resources to accomplish them is setting yourself up for failure. Don’t automatically expect an ROI from social media posts. It doesn’t work quite like that and expecting a spike in sales immediately isn’t rational.
When looking at your user feedback, take it with a grain of salt. Realize a lot of it is subjective. It is important to remember fundamentals when posting information as well. Having a social media expert’s advice is priceless when trying to figure out the best strategy.

For additional details of Small Business Trends’ four tactics check out their article here: http://ow.ly/pfD930094uZ

Do you have any other tips that can help a business thrive on social media? Let us know!

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An Unsurprising Affirmation

By Christopher Tompkins

27Jun

Facebook, Social Media

It’s probably not a shock to anyone to find out that Facebook is the most used social media site for business. However, it was also the site considered to deliver the best ROI. eMarketer reports some interesting numbers about where the social media platforms stand in this side of business.

According to their article, eMarketer reports about a survey that questioned 551 social media marketeers worldwide. An overwhelming 95.8% of them said that Facebook provided the best ROI. Twitter followed with 63% and it dwindled down from there.

While ROI isn’t exactly the best information to gauge social media activity, it can be helpful when looking at things from a strict business point of view. Most importantly, it can be a sign of the amount of engagement. For instance, Snapchat was only considered to have the best ROI by a mere 2.1%. Someday we may see Snapchat pick up those numbers, but for now, businesses aren’t yet comfortable with the app.

Now, Facebook has new tools on its utility belt. Facebook Live and Facebook Messenger are great additional pieces to the social media puzzle. Now, we can broadcast live video streams out to our followers with Facebook Live. We can also converse in new and intuitive ways with friends, families and yes, customers with Messenger’s many features.

One of the biggest reasons for Facebook’s firepower is its advertising efforts. It has the ability to reach out to a massive amount of people in the specific demographic you’re trying to target. If Snapchat had something similar, those percentages would surely rise.

For more information about this study, read eMarketer’s article here: http://ow.ly/VB8030096NM

What do you think of this? Do you think it is a dependable system to gauge effectively? Let us know!

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5 Things You Need to Know Before you Start Blogging

By Christopher Tompkins

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27Jun

Advertising, Email Marketing, Facebook, Local Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

A blog is a powerful tool for a business to have in its utility belt. It can significantly improve your internet presence and, if done correctly, your peers will soon flock to you for your insights! However, one must learn to crawl before they can run, and one needs to learn how to blog before you become an internet sensation.

Consider this segment of our blogging for business series a crash course. These are the 5 essential elements you need to consider before you begin to publish posts. We all had to take our time to learn the basics and now it is your turn!

Platforms. First of all, you will want to figure out what website you want for the blog’s home. There are many platforms to consider, however we have found that WordPress is one of the most effective and comprehensive. They offer mobile applications so you can blog on the go and is comprised of an interface that is easy to use, no matter what level of experience a user has. There are other well-known sites such as Blogger and Tumblr, which have proven themselves as useful. Tumblr specializes in microblogging and has a more of a social media feel to it. While it was once very popular, more serious bloggers currently flock to WordPress and Blogger.

SEO. Search Engine Optimization is a complex beast. In its simplest form, it is a tool to help articles reach the front page of search engine results based off of their keywords. However, it can be considerably more intricate than that. Luckily, WordPress incorporates a simple SEO field so you can master Google and others with ease.
Your Audience– Now that we have the technicalities down, you need to figure out who will be reading your blog! Will it be potential customers, your peers, or simply avid readers? By figuring this out, you will make the next two elements easy as pie.

Topics- Now that you have figured out who will read your writing, you need to figure out what they like. Business 2 Business blogs like to center around practices in the industry or current events and policies that affect your work. Those who want their customer base to read their posts would benefit from tips, tricks, and ideas that would essentially incorporate their product. Sure, you could make every article a sales post, but you will not get many readers that way.

How to Write- You need to figure out the tone that will work for your audience and subject matter. Is it a strictly professional piece of writing or does it have a conversational feel? Regardless, make it unique! You will want to be sure that there is a reason readers are going onto your website as opposed to others’.

Do you feel ready to write now? Once you have these five elements down, you should be able to rock the blog world, no problem!

What do you think about these five essential elements? Comment below!

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4 Social Media Marketing Misconceptions

By Christopher Tompkins

25Jun

Social Media

There has been a lot said about our industry. Social media marketing is gaining speed and now even the tech-illiterate know a little bit about it, or so they think. We have dealt with various communication platforms since the Internet started taking flight, and we are finally seeing its effectivity everywhere!. It’s always interesting to see what people who aren’t heavily involved think about social media. One of our favorite stories is about a friend’s grandmother who thought that Facebook was only for gossip, since she was only exposed to people talking about others on the popular website. Like everything else in our lives, there are preconceived notions about social media. The marketing side of things is no different. Eager entrepreneurs and business owners see the reach that the internet offers and want to jump right in. Often times, however, they may not fully understand what they are getting into. So, let’s set some things straight.

Social Media Marketing Isn’t Free. Sure, signing up for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram is free, but once you are ready to dig a little deeper, it will cost you. These platforms and all others like them thrive on advertising revenue, and they sure know how to make their money. Less and less is becoming free, so be sure to save at least 9% of your marketing budget for tools such as Facebook advertising and Twitter Cards.

Don’t expect immediate ROI. It is a businessperson’s instinct to try to analyze a marketing technique’s return on investment. Social media marketing doesn’t work like that. It is more about communication with one’s customer base as well as showing an interest in the global community. Yes, it will most definitely bring life to your business and customers will notice you more than ever, but not in a traditional sense. There is a large subjective element to this type of marketing.

You will not go viral overnight. Social media marketing takes time. Users do not typically soar to Internet stardom extremely quickly. Your internet presence needs to build up over time. You need to be patient and consistent.

Social Media is not a “once and done” type thing. Social media takes effort. You do not just create a page and let things alone. You need to post often- at least once a day for Facebook, and multiple times for Twitter. Social media marketing is an investment in time as well as assets. However, it is absolutely worth it.

As you can see, this new marketing strategy takes some time and effort that social media managers work at great lengths to perfect. However, if you have patience and determination, you will see wonderful rewards.

What other misconceptions do you know about? Comment below!

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Are Your Images Social Media Ready?

By Christopher Tompkins

20Jun

Graphic Design, Social Media

With social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat rising in popularity, we see visual content becoming increasingly essential. After all, who wants to read anymore? Social media requires a nice balance of eye-capturing imagery and engaging copy. That being said, you can’t just pick a random picture, throw it onto your timeline, and expect gold. There are certain requirements each platform administers. So let us see just how ready your photo library is for social media, shall we?

Those who run the big social media companies know full well that images are key to a successful post. These people have a job to do, which is controlling the stream of content that goes through their platforms and to ensure it doesn’t turn into chaos. As a result, dimensions for imagery have been created and must be adhered to. Since these images are on the web, they are measured in pixels. Here are the rules:

Facebook:
– Cover photo- 851px x 315px

– Profile photo- 180px x 180px

– Images in updates- 1200px x 630px

Twitter:

– Header photo- 1500px x 500px

– Profile photo- 400px x 400px

– Pictures embedded in tweets- 440px x 220px

Instagram:

-Profile photo- 110px x 110px

-Thumbnail photos- 161px x 161px

-Posted images- 640px x 640px

LinkedIn:

– Cover photo- 974px x 300px

– Profile photo- 400px x 400px

– Banner image- 646px x 220px

If you decide to go against these rules, you’ll find yourself with an image that has been inappropriately cropped or a pixelated mess. Consult with your graphic designer, photographer, or social media manager to be sure that your pics are perfect.

Share your thoughts with us below!

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The Top 4 Ways to Be Original On Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

19Jun

Social Media

When you begin to plan content for your social media updates, a little bit of finesse is needed. Sure, you can always share, retweet, and comment on others’ material, but this cannot be your only activity on your account! To have an effective social media marketing strategy, you need original material. It is easier said than done, as you could imagine. However, you do not need to be a master marketer to figure out how to formulate your marketing. Here are some of the tools of the trade:

- Promotional Posts- Of course, where would social media marketing be without…marketing? Strategically placed sales posts will be helpful as long as you do not drown your feed with them. Use strong language, be confident, and remind your followers why they chose you as opposed to your competition.
- Events- Depending on your business’ industry, you might host some events of your own and want to spread the word. Whether it is a company picnic, a guest speaker, or a blowout sale, social media is the perfect place to promote. You can also show your support for certain movements such as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month or contribute to fun events like National Candy Month.
- Imagery- Original visuals are integral to your posts. It is an important tactic to raise engagement levels. The best part is that you don’t have to be a professional graphic designer to make exciting pictures. Apps and websites like Canva and Layout make pictures look like they were done by a pro.
- Fun Posts- Yes, social media is great for marketing, but it is also a form of entertainment for many users. Create updates that are fun, engaging, and receive some feedback in the process. You can create quizzes, polls, caption contests, and more. These are the types of posts internet surfers look out for when browsing social media. Give it to them!

While it can be important to share others’ content and social media posts, it is just as important to have an arsenal of original and enticing updates to send out to your followers.

Do you have other ways of creating original content? Comment below!

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Why Social Media Has a Soul

By Christopher Tompkins

18Jun

Social Media

When Americans woke up on June 12th 2016, they were horrified by the news of a massacre in Orlando. Many of us banded together to support the victims’ families and friends as we tried to heal from the terror that hate brought.

During that day however, we saw something else amongst the countless social media posts mentioning the attack. We saw what may have been the most important post ever for those closely involved in the situation. People who lived in or near Orlando were able to “check in” to notify their Facebook friends that they were safe. Facebook’s Safety Check system was previously implemented during situations such as the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015, and other dangerous incidents throughout the world. This was the first time Facebook had to activate Safety Checks in the US and because they did, people were informed of many loved ones’ statuses.

Safety Checks are one of the ways social media’s reachability has such a positive impact on our world. We see events as they happen through Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. News about serious events reach the right people quicker than ever. Yes, social media is amazing for marketing yet as we can see, there is much more to discover.

Facebook is also adding another feature that is literally life-changing. They have teamed up with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and is now offering users an opportunity to help those who may be in crisis. If users see a potentially suicidal post on their news feed, they can inform administration by using the Report Suicidal Content link as well as the traditional “report button.” As we’ve seen many times on the news, social media can be an outlet for those expressing troubling and potentially self-destructive thoughts. These new tools could be very helpful in preventing disaster, as there will be an immediate resource available.

These progressive updates show that social media can be utilized for a plethora of uses. While some promote your business, others can help save a life. These new platforms have the power to connect in ways we were never able to before. It seems that the globe may be shrinking, and that’s not such a bad thing after all.

What do you think of these new tools? Do you think more will follow? Comment below!

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New and Old Audiences of Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

14Jun

Advertising, Facebook, Instagram, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

Back in the day, social media was intended for teenagers and young adults to roam and cause ruckus. Mark Zuckerberg’s technological wonder, Facebook, was originally designed just for college students. In fact, in its early days you needed a “.edu” email address to sign up. However, things have begun to change– the grown-ups are now checking out social media.

This has been a curious event that has transpired over the past few years. A large majority of adults over 50 are flocking to social media, more specifically to Facebook. Why is this, exactly? Technology has changed the world and Generation X and the Baby Boomers — and sometimes even older– have noticed. The prime suspect is Facebook, seeing as how it is a primary source of communication for many people. Here, they can see their old friends from years ago or check on their kids.

But beyond the social side of this movement, it is no coincidence that once businesses started getting heavily involved in social media, so did these older users. It went beyond posting updates and pictures and took the marketing side of things more seriously. Many of these users utilize Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for business purposes. They take advantage of these services to spread their brand in the wild internet frontier. It may be different from traditional marketing, but a majority of them see its impact and have stuck with it.

After Facebook, older adults have flocked to Twitter and LinkedIn next. Both of these are heavily involved in the business world. We’ve even seen Twittter affect the Presidential Election this year. It is great for instant news that keeps on updating. LinkedIn is where it gets considerably more serious. Here, professionals of any industry can connect without the frills of other platforms. They’re able to use LinkedIn for business ventures and networking in ways that only conferences could provide prior to the internet.

So, move over Millennials. There are new users in town. Don’t worry though, you still have Instagram and Snapchat primarily to yourself.

Why do you think there is an influx of older users on Facebook and other platforms? Comment below!

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