The 5 Types Of Posts Your Social Media Needs!

18Jul

There’s nothing more terrifying to a writer than a blank document. That flashing cursor staring back at you… it gives you shivers! The same goes for social media marketers as well. At times, inspiration just won’t come, and you have to get those posts out there! The business is counting on you, after all. There are plenty of ways to brainstorm, but sometimes it can do wonders to go back to basics. We do not mean you have to start a brand new Facebook or Twitter account, but rather examining the fundamentals of social media marketing. One of the most important questions someone in this industry has to ask is “What kind of posts should I write?”

While there are millions upon millions of posts out there, most of them can fall into 5 overarching categories. As you progress through the world of social media, you may find yourself doing the very important task of laying out an outline of posts that you want to write. It is crucial to add variety to your social media content and as such, you will want to learn the following “areas” social media can cover:

Articles- If you spend more than five minutes on any of the social sites, you will run into one of these popular posts. “Articles” is a broad term, of course. Whether the content covers a news piece, a recipe, tips to accomplish a certain task, or a piece of history, articles are without a doubt the most common types of content out there on the internet.

Promotional- As a marketer for a company, you may find yourself being tempted to use promotional posts more often than others. While sales-oriented content can be effective, you do not want to oversaturate your followers with promotions. It is common to see a company crash and burn online because all they want to do is sell as opposed to connecting to the community. That being said, sales posts do have a place in your overall content mix. If shared in moderation and written with subtleness, sales posts could work.

Events- Whether it is Christmas Day or your company’s annual picnic, posting about an event or utilizing your preferred platform’s invitation tools can attract a lot of attention to your page.

Entertainment- While we primarily use social media for business purposes, many people head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others for entertainment. Join in the fun! Just because you have a business page doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t post fun and interesting posts every now and again. Providing some interesting and enjoyable content is a part of the job!

Native- Above all else, native–or original content– is pure gold. Whether they are photos, videos, graphics, text, or events, they are valuable. Of course, visuals are more eye-catching than text-only posts so be sure to create your own graphics, logos, flyers, and more whenever possible.

Depending on the week you are writing for, content should be ordered in a unique and inventive way. No two articles, promos, or events should be right next to each other on your content timeline. These posts are the bread and butter of your campaign so you will need to spend time on them.

Which of these posts do you find the most effective? Share below!

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Is Your Social Media Marketing Social?

By Christopher Tompkins

16Jul

Social Media

For decades, marketing was a fairly straightforward job. Regardless of the medium, the goal was to present the client’s product or service in the most positive light possible so customers would buy, buy, buy. There was no mistaking that all the content produced was advertising, commercials, and sales. Now, however, social media has changed everything. Perhaps it’s that the general populace has become keen on what marketers are trying to accomplish or perhaps it’s the technology that we currently use. Regardless, social media marketing requires a different type of approach, one of humanity and warmth.

The whole premise of social media marketing is to have have instant access to a company’s representative. That’s right, a live, human representative. The same should go for your content. It needs to have that human spark to it. How exactly does one go about reclaiming the humanity in an industry that was once very shallow? Here are some of the best ways to keep your social media content down to Earth:

Respond quickly. When a customer contacts you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or one of the other websites we all know and love, you need to respond the same way you would if it was one of your friends asking you a question, which is quickly! The days of being put on hold are coming to an end and the best social media marketers keep their response times low.
In addition to responding quickly, your tone should be organic. You should have a natural, friendly feel to everything you write and depending on your industry, you should add some personality to each post.
Raise engagement. How do you strike up a conversation in real life? With questions, statements, and general icebreakers. Social media is no different. Present content that will get the dialogue going. Ask a question in the form of a poll, quiz, or just a simple inquiry into your customers’ thoughts. Then, when you respond, try to act in a professional, yet comfortable nature.
Share! On your personal page, what do you do if you see something that your friends will enjoy? Well if you are a good friend, you share it. Your business page should be the same. If you see content out in the wild landscape of the internet that pertains to your customer base, try to share it often. This will bring a lot of attention to your pages as well.

Making sure that there is a conversation and human tone to your social media content will satisfy customers and have more followers show up. It is helpful to always examine how you are writing and to make sure it doesn’t seem too robotic.

Share your thoughts on humanity’s role in social media below!

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What Social Media Marketers Can Learn From Pokemon Go

By Christopher Tompkins

What-Social-Media-Managers-Can-Learn-From-Pokemon-Go-200x300

12Jul

Advertising, Facebook, Local Marketing, Marketing, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

Do you remember the hit game Pokemon from the 1990s? While there have been several versions since Nintendo’s original incarnation, it’s popularity returned in a big way recently by tapping into the smartphone world where Pokemon Go, a completely new game, is available for free.

Not even Nintendo itself expected its new video game to take over the world as quickly as it did. Less than 24 hours after its release, Pokemon Go’s servers began to crash due to overpopulation on their digital frontier. Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store both proudly house the massively popular game and at the time of writing this article, there are well over a million players trying to “catch ‘em all”.

Yes, it’s obvious that video games are popular. Yet by tapping into the mobile app market for the very first time, Nintendo has proven itself to understand the current trends in their field. However, there’s much more at work here than an app. From a marketing standpoint, they just accomplished a beautiful act.

Without getting into too many details, Pokemon’s popularity hit American shores in 1995 when their first two games debuted on Game Boy, the premier mobile gaming platform at the time. Children ate it up like it was the end of the world. Merchandising exploded. A TV show, a card game, action figures, stuffed toys, candy, clothing, themed stores, and much more took the world by storm. It was a marketer’s dream. Now, those children are in their mid-twenties and early thirties and have put the Game Boy down in place of an iPhone or Android device. Nintendo adapted perfectly to their original audience. Best of all, they made a majority of game play for free.

So, as social media marketers, what can we learn from this rising phenomenon? For one thing, watch internet trends closely. No surprise #PokemonGo was one of the top hashtags for quite some time. Brands that were able to somehow pull Pokemon Go into their social media posts received a nice spike of engagement. All over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, there were tons of Pokemon-related posts. Keep in mind that all of this publicity is free. Nintendo hardly advertised this app at all!

Social media marketers should also take note on just how ingenious Nintendo was to tap into their original market. Surely, today’s children could probably borrow their parents’ phones and play, but the numbers are coming in and it’s not a surprise to anyone that the most downloads are from those same people who played the original version. Nostalgia, it is one heck of a marketing tool.

Pokemon Go would not have been as much of a success without social media and you can take advantage of the firepower of these platforms just as easily.

What are your thoughts on Pokemon Go’s quickly rising popularity? Comment below!

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Learn Snapchat In A Snap!

By Christopher Tompkins

11Jul

Advertising, Instagram, Marketing, Periscope, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized, Video

Okay, Snapchat, you have our attention. The app-exclusive social media platform is beginning to hold its own amongst the social media giants, especially for Millennials and younger users. With video’s rise in popularity, it was to be expected. Its interface isn’t exactly where it should be, but with each new update we are seeing improvements.

Snapchat began with an original concept. Users could send each other pictures or videos with an expiration date. Don’t blink, because once you click on a picture, it will be gone and never able to return. Not even the creator could see it (hence, the ghost mascot). You can probably see how young people would find this entertaining, but businesses wouldn’t really find a use for it.

One of the more significant updates in Snapchat’s history is Stories. There, viewers can see pictures and videos of the creator’s choosing for up to 24 hours. It was just enough for businesses to begin to flock to the mobile app.

Yet the biggest issues marketers face is Snapchat’s lack of reachability. We’re not talking about numbers, there’s already 100 million snapchatters out there and that number is sure to grow as younger internet surfers flock to the eccentric software. We’re instead talking about Snapchat’s lack of searching power. If you know a user’s exact username or their Ghost-styled QR code, you won’t have a problem. But what if a user just wants to search your name? They may have difficulty finding you.

There is a helpful third-party app called GhostCodes, in which you can search their database of Snapchat accounts. You can find them based on industry, name, or subject matter. It is a helpful app that Snapchat itself could learn from.

Social media video rules apply with Snapchat. They are short and able to have a filter. Just very recently, Snapchat added their Memories feature. This allows users to upload pictures and videos from their device’s camera roll. They are slowly shifting away from “once and done” style they used to have and grew popularity through, but in the same token they are gaining the attention of serious social media users.

The most unique and fun features Snapchat offers is Geofilters. They utilize a smartphone’s location services and present overlay graphics that are exclusive to the area. You will find a special Tampa filter in Tampa, Denver filters in Denver, you get the idea. Businesses can also make their own, but that is a bit of a process.

It’s time to start thinking about Snapchat but most importantly, it is time to see how video can help your online marketing.

What do you think about Snapchat? Comment below!

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5 Ways to be an Insta-Pro on Instagram

By Christopher Tompkins

How-To-Be-An-Insta-Pro-on-Instagram-200x300

10Jul

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

In 2010, one of today’s most popular social media platforms, Instagram, debuted and in no time, it began to catch speed. Now, in 2016, there are over 400 million users. That’s an insane amount of users! While it doesn’t compete with its parent company, Facebook’s 1.6 billion users, the powerful picture-centric platform is becoming a time-tested tool for online marketers.

Throughout it’s run, we have seen a few changes in its infrastructure. For one thing, its algorithm now follows similar rules to Facebook and Twitter, which presents posts not in a time-linear fashion, but rather in an order the website thinks you will like. As we posted on our blog yesterday, there are many ways marketers can use algorithms to their advantage. Another major change was an aesthetic shift earlier in the year. Their iconic logo changed to something well, less iconic. Yet their layout did become more sleek and in theory, more user-friendly. Yet regardless of the changes, there have always been some constants to Instagram and helpful tactics in which users can promote their content effectively. Here are the top 5 ways we have found to be the most useful:

Share videos- Yes, Instagram started off as a photo-exclusive website but they have recently become aware of the effectivity of video. Between Vine, Snapchat, Facebook Live, and Periscope, video is starting to rock the house. So, Instagram allows users to create and share 15-second videos. For those unfamiliar with social media video trends, 15 seconds is actually a substantial amount of time. Every second counts in these short quips and you should dazzle them up with apps like Ripl and Pic Play Post.
Picture moderation- Those sepia and black and white filters are very cute, but don’t overuse them. Moderation is key when trying to make them snazzy, but you should also be aware of your subject matter’s balance. Like all social media marketing, there should an even flow of interesting posts and sales-oriented content.
Connect with Facebook- Instagram wasn’t always owned by social media giant Facebook. However, marketers can use their partnership to their advantage by syncing your contacts so all those Facebook followers of yours can see your Instagram content when they follow you!
Optimization- Don’t forget to fill out your profile information! We can’t tell you how many profiles we see that are lacking essential elements such as website addresses and other contact information. When uploading external documents, you will want to ensure they are the right size and the essential elements do not get cropped out when published.
It’s recommended to post a max of 3 times a day. Quality, and high-engaging posts are the most important for Instagram, especially after their new algorithm has been implemented. You will want to be sure your followers “turn on notifications” for your profile and comment on a few things as well. That way you will stay at the forefront of your account.

Instagram is a powerful tool, especially if your business has some form of visual quality to it. We do not mean it is exclusive to artists, but rather any business that can demonstrate their work in a picture and a caption. That’s pretty much most businesses isn’t it?

What are your thoughts on Instagram? Comment below!

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How to Run Circles Around Social Media Algorithms

By Christopher Tompkins

Run-Circles-Around-Social-Media-Algorithms-200x300

9Jul

Advertising, Email Marketing, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Periscope, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Twitter, Uncategorized

Social media marketers need to be as adaptive as chameleons in today’s cyber landscape. Our favorite websites throw us curve balls by constantly changing their algorithms and layouts. As such, we need to continuously tweak our strategies. Yet how can you compete with the inner-workings of a huge website such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter?

One of the more significant algorithm changes of late has been Instagram’s switch up. They had always ordered posts in a time-linear fashion, placing the most recent items first and older posts would be further down the line. Now, Instagram seems to be taking advice from its parent company, Facebook. Their new algorithm has the website trying to predict users’ potential interest in each post. There are several variables ranging from the person who posted it, subject manner, and the amount of engagement the post already has. No matter how you look at it, it is a new challenge for marketers, like all social media algorithms.

The first step of adapting to algorithms is to understand what they are intended to do. Like Instagram, Facebook’s current algorithm is meant to deliver quality posts to the user in an intuitive way, even if they aren’t frequent users. It delivers more posts from whom you engage with the most. You will notice this when you like or comment on an update from someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Soon, you will see their posts more often in your timeline and once you continue to like them, Facebook will think these kinds of posts are exactly what you want. Seems user friendly, right? This, however, doesn’t make it easy for social media marketers when they are trying to get the word out to new audiences. Now, users do have the option to switch off these algorithms. For instance, Twitter has a handy pre-checked box that says “Show me the best tweets first”. If one unchecks that, they are back to the old-fashioned type of news feed. However, you in no way can expect users to uncheck that box. You have to be proactive!

Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have an answer to the outreach problem they have presented. Using hashtags and keywords will save you from being lost in the updated news feeds. Yes, it seems like hashtags may be a common saving grace, but it is one of the most effective tactics to reach audiences aside from utilizing advertising services. This way, your content will come up when a user searches for the hashtag’s subject manner. Hopefully, they will follow your trail of breadcrumbs back to your profile and you will be set.

For Instagram, one of the biggest ways to stay on your followers’ screens is to request they “turn on notifications.” If people choose to receive notifications from your account, Instagram’s algorithm will work in your favor and you will begin to take notice. For Facebook, engagement is key. If you want your audience to continue to see your posts, (and of course, you do) promote commenting, liking, and sharing. You will start to notice the tides turning in your favor, but you need your followers’ cooperation.

As you can see, algorithms can be tricky. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as everyday we have to study the workings of social media to see how we can have an advantage. In the future, we are going to see more restrictive algorithms and it is important to have an expert on your team for when the time comes.

What do you think of algorithms? How do you adapt to them? Comment below!

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The 5 Best Ways To Perfect Pinterest

By Christopher Tompkins

7Jul

Advertising, Local Marketing, Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

Pinterest is a very eccentric social media platform. Yet despite it breaking some traditional norms, it has a lot of potential. It’s a great place to find inspiration or a unique way to use a product. Yet it doesn’t have to be for just DIYers. Pinterest is definitely an opportunity for businesses to promote their brands.

If you are new to Pinterest, once logging on and picking your interests, you will see that posts (or “pins”) are arranged in a different way. It’s too cool for traditional linear order! But its content display isn’t the only element that is unique. Check out these great ways to be a Pinterest pro.

First of all, Rich Pins are great ways for businesses to have an advantage over the competition. They will cost you some money, but these posts have extended reach and your followers will be sure to view them easily and your content will be viewed.

Images are the biggest elements of your pins, literally and figuratively. As such, they should be bright, simple, and eye-catching. After all, they will be competing with many posts, so you want your followers’ eyes to lock onto your pins as soon as possible. Longer images work best on this social media platform thanks to its layout, but this can work in your favor, especially if you decide to add overlying text. Speaking of the written word, you have the opportunity to add captions. You will want to take advantage of this. Pinterest isn’t the place for a long-winded block of text, but a couple hundred words could help get your point across.

If your goal is to reach out to a local audience, you can utilize Place Pins. this will allow you to talk about a specific location and showcase imagery. This is a great way to show some hometown pride.

Lastly, keywords. When writing for Facebook and Twitter, the rule of thumb is a maximum of three hashtags per post. However, with Pinterest’s keywords, you can go crazy. The more the merrier on Pinterest! These will help you get a lot of attention on this popular website.

Pinterest is yet another avenue to tap into your customer base. It is growing in popularity and you should research how you can take advantage of its unique infrastructure.

How do you use Pinterest? Comment below!

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Facebook Goes Global: How Their New Translator Will Change Everything

By Christopher Tompkins

6Jul

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

Facebook has been on a roll lately and one can only assume it’s all building up to world domination. Their new tool in the works might make you wonder just how true that is. They have begun developing a content translator that will be able to work with 44 languages.

While Mark Zuckerberg may or may not have plans to take over the world, his team has provided an innovative way to communicate for the 1.5 billion users that do not speak English. As you could imagine, there are quite a few.

Of course, Facebook isn’t alone in trying to solve an age-old problem. Google has offered translation services for years and Microsoft has also been developing new technology to allow communication amongst the world’s residents via Skype. However, Facebook’s translator will be native to their website and we will be able to see posts rewritten into our native tongue. Before we get into the business side of it, just imagine the opportunities this presents to families and friends. We have always had trouble connecting to those who spoke a different language. However, that may change.

We have seen translators fail in the past. Yet with each step forward, automatic translation software is becoming increasingly accurate. You could imagine the opportunity this raises for companies who already utilize social media. Before this groundbreaking update, Facebook updates were restricted to those who could read the language it was originally written in, unless users endured the hassle of looking up a third party translator. Now, however, the tools will be right on Facebook and the language barrier will begin to fade.

What do you think about Facebook’s attempt to unite the world? Comment below!

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What Your Social Media Marketing Doesn’t Have (But Really NEEDS!)

By Christopher Tompkins

2Jul

Advertising, Email Marketing, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Periscope, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

At this time, millions of businesses are on social media. Yet this doesn’t mean they are all successful. Perhaps, they have created accounts out of sheer obligation to a boss, or it was a one-shot attempt to stay trendy. As social media gurus, we see these kinds of accounts often. “Bare bone accounts” do the minimum by showing up on their platform of choice’s search results. However, this actually backfires on the owners by disappointing fans due to their lack of content. What should a social media account bring to customers?

To utilize the potential of your business profiles, you will want to optimize your page. In detail, go through each area that Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms offer, and your profile will have increasingly positive results. Sure, your name, address, phone number, and website address are all important, but an effective page requires in-depth copy for short descriptions, a company overview, a mission statement, and several other areas of the page.

Customers do not enjoy having to search for your resources and they shouldn’t have to. Facebook offers you two menus to provide helpful links. The “Apps” section allows your business page to showcase the essential pages of your company’s web presence. This section can also turn into a handy portal to your other social media platforms. The top of the page’s horizontal menu can be customized to transport customers to your most important assets and the web pages you want them to visit.

Twitter offers less optimization options, so you will want to take advantage of every single line offered. Descriptions, web addresses, locations, and a powerful cover image will make your profile look just right. Like everything else about Twitter, their customization options are effective and sleek.

Unlike Twitter, LinkedIn has tons of room for customization. Fill out as many fields as possible. Both personal and business pages have their own unique set of options, so take your time and don’t leave any room for customers’ unanswered questions. Your pages should speak for themselves!

Every platform offers different ways to present your information. Optimizing your page is one of the most important early steps in social media success. Here is another tidbit- this isn’t a once and done step. As your company grows, so should the information on social media. Keep everything updated and accurate. You may find this process repetitive, but by enriching all your pages with as many details as possible, a whole new level of professionalism will be yours!

What optimization tricks do you know of? Share below!

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Steps To Stay Ahead In Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

30Jun

Social Media

It seems that news stories have shorter and shorter life spans with every major event. Events that happened last week are already old news thanks to the internet. We are hungry for fast, fresh, and high-quality content and it is up to social media marketers to deliver. How exactly do you keep up with it all? Here are some helpful steps to take:

Schedule. While planning your posts for a particular period of time won’t help you with breaking news, scheduling ahead will be one of your most beloved tools. If you devote a few hours each week to social media, you will not feel obligated to spend every moment on the computer. Then, use either the native scheduler of your social media platform of choice or a third party such as Hootsuite so your updates will go live when you want them to.

Stay Informed. Be sure to have a sharp eye on what is happening in the world and in your industry. To do this, you will want to follow the leaders of your field and reputable news sources. Once you see news start to break, it will erupt over the internet landscape very quickly, so jump in early.

Watch the calendar. Of course, knowing the date is important, but what we are referencing here is keeping on top of seasonal trends. Holidays, awareness months, and anniversaries all bring success to social media marketing. You don’t want to be that one Facebook page that doesn’t wish a Happy Mother’s Day!

Social media marketing isn’t easy. It is hard to keep up with all the moving cogs and gears that make up the internet. Yet with these tips, you will be good to go!

Do you have any other tips about staying ahead? Comment below!

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Tag : social media