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What Digital Marketers Need to Know About Estimated Taxes https://ift.tt/2TwTsZi Estimated taxes are a natural part of owning a business. The IRS wants tax payments throughout the year on all earned income, either through employer withholdings or estimated tax payments. For business owners and self employed individuals, estimated tax payments are how taxes are remitted throughout the year. As a digital marketer, you are probably familiar with estimated taxes. Here are some tips to make calculating and remitting your quarterly taxes easier. Who Pays Estimated TaxesAs we mentioned above, estimated taxes are for business owners and self employed. They up the withholding portion of taxes as well as self employed taxes. Now, depending on how your business is structured, the requirements on who pays estimated taxes might vary.
Who Doesn’t Have to Pay Estimated TaxesSometimes the estimated tax can be bypassed if the taxpayer is also a W-2 wage earner. In this instance, the taxpayer has the option of having their employer withhold an additional amount on their paychecks to help cover the estimated taxes they would owe. In addition, if the taxpayer did not have any tax liability from the prior year, was a US citizen or resident for the entire year, and the tax year covered a full 12 month span, they may not be subject to estimated taxes.
Calculating Estimated TaxesThe process of calculating quarterly tax payments can be a little confusing for many. The easiest way to calculate the amount owed, is to pay 90% of the amount paid in taxes from the previous years taxes and divide that amount by 4 to arrive at 4 quarterly payments. Any over payments will be refunded to you by the way of a tax refund, however, if you do not want the IRS to hold on to a portion of your money for months on end, it is important to calculate the amount accurately. It is important to adjust the amount accordingly, as sometimes income fluctuates. To avoid overpaying or underpaying, it is important to revisit your calculations. If the amount needs to be adjusted, you will need to take into account your current income, projected business expenses, and any deductions, credits, or exemptions. This is where good bookkeeping comes into play. Having the right tools and systems in place can help save time, stress, not to mention money. Many accounting software programs can assist with calculating estimated taxes.
In addition to calculating estimated taxes, self employed taxes also need to be calculated and remitted. The self employed tax makes up the taxpayers and the employers portion of social security and medicare. The current percentage for self employed tax is 15.3%, with 12.4% going towards social security, and 2.9% going towards medicare.
Making PaymentsThe IRS makes it really easy to pay them. You can send them physical payment by mail, make payments over the phone, or pay online.
Estimated taxes are due on a quarterly basis. The due dates for quarterly tax payments are as follows:
It is important to note that the due date is always the 15th business day of the month. Meaning that in the event that the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date is moved to the following business day. Underpayment/Failure to Pay PenaltiesFailure to pay quarterly tax payments, will result in a penalty from the IRS. Likewise, underpayment can also be susceptible to penalties from the IRS. If a taxpayer fails to remit quarterly tax payments, the IRS typically imposes a penalty in the way of an interest charge of 6%. For taxpayers who have paid their estimated taxes, but underpaid, the IRS will now waive the penalty, if at least 85% of their tax liability has been paid. This is down from 90% from previous years.
Working with an tax advisor can help you when it comes time to calculate quarterly tax payments. If you are concerned about overpaying, underpaying, or paying on time, it may be time to ask your tax advisor for some guidance, especially if this is your first year paying estimated taxes. If you have questions about estimated taxes reach out to our partner site Tax Hack Accounting Group, who specialize in assisting digital marketers with their accounting and tax preparation. The post What Digital Marketers Need to Know About Estimated Taxes appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog March 25, 2019 at 01:24PM
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Finally, a real fashion moment at an Apple event https://ift.tt/2usDsO1 Apple events are not traditionally hubs for bold style, so thank god for Wyatt Mitchell. Mitchell, who is the company's director of app design, stepped onstage at Monday's Apple event in Cupertino wearing a white workwear-inspired jumpsuit and Off-White x Converse sneakers. In a world of Silicon Valley vests, uniform dressing, and low-key button downs, it was a rare men's fashion moment — so of course Twitter noticed.
The outfit's only downside: There's a chance it distracted the audience from what Mitchell was talking about (magazines on the new subscription service Apple News+). But if it gets him a cover spot on GQ, maybe it was worth it? Social Media via Mashable https://ift.tt/2DCFv97 March 25, 2019 at 01:11PM
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Social Media Marketers Continue To Explore The Use Cases For Big Data https://ift.tt/2HFrCc3 The use of data has always played a role in helping to map out new digital marketing campaigns. What has changed now, however, is the increasing robustness of the tools and technologies used to analyze that data. For example, the new buzzwords now are artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning. The growing belief amongst digital marketers is that, armed with these new tools, they are getting closer and closer to “cracking the secret” of how to deliver hugely successful online campaigns with maximum ROI. The new era of hyper-personalizationOne big trend within the field of digital marketing, for example, is hyper-personalization. The idea here is that no two customers or prospects should ever see exactly the same content. Prospect A arriving to your website from Facebook should see different content than long-time Customer B arriving to your website from a link within an email newsletter. And now the ability to crunch all the data that’s out there is making that dream a reality. Theoretically, if you visit an e-commerce website based on a tweet you saw on Twitter, then you should be shown a customized page of products that perfectly reflects your tastes, preferences, behaviors and interests. Machine learning tools should be able to make inferences. For example, say you tweeted about an upcoming birthday party last week and that you have already spent time on a particular website in the past, checking out new dresses. The AI tool can then offer up a perfect selection of birthday dresses that it has expertly calculated to match your income, demographic and geographic location. Semantic search and sentiment analysisAnother big trend is the use of AI tools for semantic search and sentiment analysis. For example, consider the monumental task of any brand trying to sort through what people are saying about it on social media. A single human couldn’t possibly parse all that information, but a machine can. And even better, these text analysis and sentiment analysis tools are becoming so advanced they can differentiate between real sentiment and sarcasm or irony. (When you consider how much sarcasm and irony exists on social media today, you can see why that’s a powerful tool to have in the toolbox of any brand.) Moreover, brands now have a much better idea of what people are actually searching for. As a result of integrating semantic search tools, for example, Walmart claims that it has boosted conversion rates by as much as 10-15%. The idea here is simple: if a customer has searched for something on your site, you want to be able to show relevant results immediately. Failure to do so means that a customer might soon abandon your website entirely. Other possible use cases for Big DataOf course, that’s really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to data and analysis. For example, new AI tools might make it possible to come up with more sophisticated tests than just A/B testing in which just a single variable is tested. Imagine tests where multiple variables are tested at the same time. And, of course, the Holy Grail for digital marketers is being able to predict the behavior of customers in the future with near 100 percent certainty. That would take all the guesswork out of crafting a digital marketing campaign and ensure that digital marketing resources are used as effectively as possible. The post Social Media Marketers Continue To Explore The Use Cases For Big Data appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog March 25, 2019 at 09:21AM
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How to Write Effective Facebook Sponsored Posts https://ift.tt/2TZVuGz Want to try something different with your Facebook advertising? Have you considered using text-based sponsored posts? In this article, you’ll learn how to write and structure two types of longer-form text-based Facebook sponsored posts. Why Use Long-Form Facebook Sponsored Posts?A long-form Facebook sponsored post is simply a blog post or landing page within the body of your sponsored post. Instead of sending readers to blog content on your website and retargeting them with ads to narrow your buying audience, long-form sponsored posts are designed to keep users engaged with your content on Facebook. They prompt the reader to read more with the See More link in the first few lines of the text. One of the big myths about content is that people have the attention span of a goldfish. In actual fact, multiple studies have proven that when people are engaged, they’ll readily consume long-form content. When it comes to Facebook ads, many companies still hold the view that shorter is better. However, as an AdEspresso experiment shows, well-constructed longer-form sponsored posts consistently outperform shorter ads. They can lower your cost per acquisition, lead to more authentic conversations, and create increased sales conversions. Another reason why marketers have embraced long-form ads is due to Facebook announcing in 2018 that the algorithm would favor ads and content that keep users interacting, clicking, commenting, and sharing on Facebook. When everyone starts doing the same Facebook ads in the same way, it can be disengaging. Audiences crave variety, drama, and authenticity. When you rely on the same post formats time and again, you risk your audience tuning you out. Different factors determine the success or failure of a Facebook long-form sponsored post. Let’s look at two different examples that highlight what works and what doesn’t. Facebook Sponsored Post Type 1: Present the Problem/SolutionThis Facebook sponsored post is aimed at small businesses wanting to learn how to be more effective with their social media marketing and Facebook ads. Now let’s look at the individual components of this sponsored post and what makes it effective. Call Out the Pain Point in the First SentenceThe post begins by calling out a clear pain point for readers. “Selling on Facebook doesn’t have to be hard” appeals to readers who think selling on Facebook is difficult. Then the post clearly spells out that the advertiser has the solution to this problem: “Our Facebook & Instagram Advertising Program has everything anyone could need. ?” Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
Use an Aspirational Statement in the Ad HeadingDamn Good Academy also places an aspirational statement in the ad heading: “Learn to sell effortlessly online.” Psychologically, this statement primes the interested reader to click on the ad and read the rest of the text. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
State Three Core BenefitsIn the next few lines, the advertiser lists three compelling benefits for people who want to improve their social media ads. These benefits highlight what underlies the key problem identified in the first line—people find selling on Facebook hard. Benefits aren’t the same as features. Features talk about the product or service, whereas benefits focus on the result the customer will get from using the product or service. Questions to help you write this part of the Facebook ad:
Position Your Brand as the AuthorityNext, Damn Good Academy positions themselves as an authority to convey expertise in this field. The ad invites the reader to explore the brands they’ve worked with to add further weight to their authority. For consumers to know, like, and trust you, you need to give them confidence that working with you will provide them with the result they’re after. Some options for this section are to:
This information demonstrates your domain authority and establishes trust. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
State How You’re Different From CompetitorsAfter showing the reader their authority, Damn Good Academy positions their offering, stating how it differs from other available programs/courses. The statement “We’ve found that most courses just teach how to use the tools but not how to be profitable” clearly spells out how their offering is different. Questions to help you write this part of the Facebook ad:
Call Out ObjectionsDamn Good Academy shares further benefits and addresses common objections readers may have, such as:
By calling out reader objections in a clear and conversational manner, they’re boosting their authority while also being clear that taking action on the knowledge they share is vital to success. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
Share Product/Program FeaturesNext, Damn Good Academy delivers their program’s promises, explaining exactly what they’ll cover. They state who the program is for: “beginner to intermediate” Facebook ads creators. They also reiterate how completing the program will enhance business performance. Questions to help you write this part of the Facebook ad:
Wrap Up With a Friendly Sign-OffIn this example, Damn Good Academy ends their Facebook long-form sponsored post with a friendly message to the reader. I recommend that you test a version that includes the call to action within the body text, as well as one that has it just in the headline. You can do that by copying your initial ad in the Facebook Ads Manager dashboard and running an alternative version. Use EmojisAs you can see, this ad uses a lot of emojis. Using emojis in your Facebook sponsored posts has two main benefits:
Include Story-Based Video ContentThe video that Damn Good Academy uses in this Facebook sponsored post is unconventional and humorous. It adds spice to their post. They could have just used a talking head video selling people on the benefits of the campaign, but they chose to use a different approach and it paid off. A video doesn’t need to be expensive or professional. Tools like Lumen5 make creating simple, story-based videos easy. ResultsThis Facebook ad campaign generated a significant reduction in cost per acquisition compared to shorter-form sponsored posts that Damn Good Academy had used previously. Starts March 20th! Discover the latest tactics and improve your marketing know-how! Facebook Sponsored Post Type 2: Present the Hero’s JourneyAuthor and branding specialist Ben Angel chose a long-form Facebook sponsored post because it allowed him to communicate the full message about his book. The ad was supported by other marketing strategies including a landing page that featured numerous testimonies from doctors, psychologists, athletes, and nutritionists, as well as a 10-minute video that revealed his story and how his online program differed from others in the wellness space. Ben’s long-form post uses a completely different approach to Damn Good Academy’s but achieved great results. Let’s break it down. Describe a Triggering Event to Set the SceneBen sets the scene for his story by sharing a triggering event. Notice that the image provides the perfect context? Here’s Ben lying down on a big empty stage, something we usually associate with success and power. The last sentence before the See More prompt leaves people hanging, which makes it more likely interested readers will click through and read the rest of the post. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
Tell the BackstoryIn this section, Ben shares the journey that led to this triggering event. He walks the reader through his experiences, thoughts, and feelings. In contrast to Damn Good Academy’s post, this one shows a lot of vulnerability and helps the reader identify with the struggles he experienced as he points out the breakdowns that occurred along the way. Being authentic about your setbacks can create a space for the reader to identify with you. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
Challenge Conventional WisdomNext, Ben uses storytelling to argue his main point and challenge conventional wisdom about mental health. Although he’s taking the reader on a hero’s journey, he’s also taking a stand on how to solve the problem. Challenging conventional wisdom is a great way to show the reader how you’re different from your competitors and highlight your authority on a topic. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
Share Your QuestBen goes on to share the quest he went on to solve this problem and he dives into his discovery story. This section also further bolsters his authority because it shows the research he did for his book. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
State Your Results and Align Readers With Your PurposeIn this section, Ben shares his results with readers. He acknowledges people who may also be struggling with this issue and then shares his purpose. He calls on readers to take action by sharing some key benefits they’ll get out of his online program and further shows how he drew on expert knowledge to write his book and create his program. Questions to help you write this part of your Facebook sponsored post:
Call the Reader to Action and Share OutcomesIn his call to action, Ben clearly spells out what the reader will get out of his 13-week challenge and shares a link to his landing page. Questions to help you write this part of the Facebook ad:
Point Out the FeaturesBen spells out the program features and weaves in more benefits, including an offer and another call to action. Questions to help you write this part of the Facebook ad:
Add a Final Call to ActionBen once again calls out a reader objection, reiterates his call to action, and signs off. He includes more authority statements at the end to further support why readers should trust him. Questions to help you write this part of the ad:
ResultsBen reported that he made nearly $250,000 in sales from this one long-form Facebook sponsored post within a 3-month period. And even though the ad drove people directly to join the challenge and get his new book for free as part of the offer, Ben shared that an unexpected benefit was increased book sales on Amazon. Ben said this campaign did better than any of his previous campaigns. He put this down to the in-depth audience research and testing he did at the beginning of the campaign. The ad had a high relevance score, which enabled him to lower his cost per click, increase ad spend overall, reach an audience of close to 6 million, and produce 278,000 engagements including more than 140,000 likes and 1,300 comments. Best Practices for Long-Form Facebook Sponsored PostsWhen writing long-form Facebook sponsored posts, here are a few issues you need to be aware of. Review Facebook’s Ad PolicyWhen creating long-form sponsored content, it pays to reference Facebook’s ad policy. It’s easy to make a mistake, particularly around the Personal Attributes guideline (12) or the misleading or false content policy (13). To avoid confusion, always keep this policy handy while writing your content. Write Well-Structured and Authentic Ad CopyFacebook sponsored posts are only effective when they’re well-written. That’s why I recommend you follow a structure that works for other businesses. Stay on-point, provide evidence to back up your claims, and use examples that clearly spell out the value proposition for readers. Ben cautions that he never would have had such a huge response if he wasn’t as raw and honest in his copy as he was in the book. The marketing materials need to reflect your story, even if it’s full of setbacks and immense personal struggle. Tools like Hemingway app can help you check your word usage, grammar, and punctuation. You can gauge your post’s readability level on the Gunning Fog Index website. Don’t Rely on Only One Facebook Ad TypeMix up your Facebook ad types for added variety. If you become too reliant on one ad type, you risk your intended readers scrolling past your content. Ben used a number of different Facebook ad types across his entire campaign and tested a lot of ad formats. The profits he made from that ad didn’t just appear by magic. He worked hard on his messaging, the support material, and ad testing to make the magic happen. If the Facebook post type doesn’t include the Learn More button, be sure to include clear calls to action throughout the post (not just at the end). ConclusionUsing long-form Facebook sponsored posts adds variety and authenticity to your Facebook ads. They can help you skip a step in the buyer lifecycle, narrow down your prequalified buyers, and save money on your ads. What do you think? Do you use long-form Facebook sponsored posts in your marketing? Share your experiences in the comments. More articles on Facebook ads:Starts March 20th! There are 17 tracks of content available to you at Social Media Marketing World. Don't miss this event! Social Media via Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p March 25, 2019 at 05:01AM
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In praise of the weeklong social media break https://ift.tt/2TunUDE In praise of the weeklong social media break
By Chloe Bryan
Perhaps your phone has delivered your weekly Screen Time report and you know, in your heart, that it's time to take a break from social media. This is good. A little break is nice every now and then. But you don't need to embark on a full 30-day screen-free detox every time you overdo it on Twitter. Instead, consider a weeklong break. Yes, just seven days. Will it irrevocably change your habits? Probably not. But a valuable break doesn't have to. Crucially, you do not have to announce that you are taking a weeklong break from social media. A week is not long enough for anyone to get mad that you have not liked their photo from the farmers market or responded to their DM about someone from high school's baby. This makes the weeklong break easy to do on the fly. Feel gross about the feverish speed with which you opened Instagram as soon as your flight landed? Just delete the app right then and there and set a reminder for a week later. You will face no consequences. (If you're planning a break in advance, I recommend starting on a Friday. Faced with a social media-free weekend, you'll be forced to dive into the cold waters of Doing Other Stuff headfirst.) I take weeklong breaks from Instagram periodically. Sometimes, the constant barrage of impossible bodies gets to me; other times, I'm privately embarrassed by how much I've checked who viewed my Story. It's not that I don't like Instagram, or that I think it's ruining my life — I like seeing what my long-distance friends are up to and shopping for vintage clothes and monitoring all the dogs at the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary. I just need a vacation. This is what the weeklong break is all about: the idea that social media can serve you sometimes, but be bad other times. Imagine! There's a whole obnoxious culture around not being online. People brag about it, people make fun of people who brag about it, people brag about making fun of people who brag about it — it's exhausting. There are literally hundreds of articles extolling the benefits of the "social media detox": You will read more books, you will feel happier, you will suddenly take up six new hobbies. This is a lot of pressure — I just wanted to not hate-read tweets for a week, not alter my perspectives on life and death. When I re-download Instagram after a weeklong hiatus, I do find that the impulse to check it has lessened. Most of the time, though, the impulse comes back after a few days and I'm back to scrolling as usual. This is fine. Being offline does not need to change your life. It's cool to just log off. If you want, you can log back on later. Social Media via Mashable https://ift.tt/2DCFv97 March 24, 2019 at 12:11PM
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The ethics of internet culture: a conversation with Taylor Lorenz https://ift.tt/2urWfcs Taylor Lorenz was in high demand this week. As a prolific journalist at The Atlantic and about-to-be member of Harvard’s prestigious Nieman Fellowship for journalism, that’s perhaps not surprising. Nor was this the first time she’s had a bit of a moment: Lorenz has already served as an in-house expert on social media and the internet for several major companies, while having written and edited for publications as diverse as The Daily Beast, The Hill, People, The Daily Mail, and Business Insider, all while remaining hip and in touch enough to currently serve as a kind of youth zeitgeist translator, on her beat as a technology writer for The Atlantic. Lorenz is in fact publicly busy enough that she’s one of only two people I personally know to have openly ‘quit email,’ the other being my friend Russ, an 82 year-old retired engineer and MIT alum who literally spends all day, most days, working on a plan to reinvent the bicycle. I wonder if any of Lorenz’s previous professional experiences, however, could have matched the weight of the events she encountered these past several days, when the nightmarish massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand brought together two of her greatest areas of expertise: political extremism (which she covered for The Hill), and internet culture. As her first Atlantic piece after the shootings said, the Christchurch killer’s manifesto was “designed to troll.” Indeed, his entire heinous act was a calculated effort to manipulate our current norms of Internet communication and connection, for fanatical ends. Lorenz responded with characteristic insight, focusing on the ways in which the stylized insider subcultures the Internet supports can be used to confuse, distract, and mobilize millions of people for good and for truly evil ends:
Such insights are among the many reasons I was so grateful to be able to speak with Taylor Lorenz for this week’s installment of my TechCrunch series interrogating the ethics of technology. As I’ve written in my previous interviews with author and inequality critic Anand Giridharadas, and with award-winning Google exec turned award-winning tech critic James Williams, I come to tech ethics from 25 years of studying religion. My personal approach to religion, however, has essentially always been that it plays a central role in human civilization not only or even primarily because of its theistic beliefs and “faith,” but because of its culture — its traditions, literature, rituals, history, and the content of its communities. And because I don’t mind comparing technology to religion (not saying they are one and the same, but that there is something to be learned from the comparison), I’d argue that if we really want to understand the ethics of the technologies we are creating, particularly the Internet, we need to explore, as Taylor and I did in our conversation below, “the ethics of internet culture.” What resulted was, like Lorenz’s work in general, at times whimsical, at times cool enough to fly right over my head, but at all times fascinating and important. Editor’s Note: we ungated the first of 11 sections of this interview. Reading time: 22 minutes / 5,500 words. Joking with the PopeGreg Epstein: Taylor, thanks so much for speaking with me. As you know, I’m writing for TechCrunch about religion, ethics, and technology, and I recently discovered your work when you brought all those together in an unusual way. You subtweeted the Pope, and it went viral. Taylor Lorenz: I know. [People] were freaking out. Greg: What was that experience like? Taylor: The Pope tweeted some insane tweet about how Mary, Jesus’ mother, was the first influencer. He tweeted it out, and everyone was spamming that tweet to me because I write so much about influencers, and I was just laughing. There’s a meme on Instagram about Jesus being the first influencer and how he killed himself or faked his death for more followers. Because it’s fluid, it’s a lifeline for so many kids. It’s where their social network lives. It’s where identity expression occurs. I just tweeted it out. I think a lot of people didn’t know the joke, the meme, and I think they just thought that it was new & funny. Also [some people] were saying, “how can you joke about Jesus wanting more followers?” I’m like, the Pope literally compared Mary to a social media influencer, so calm down. My whole family is Irish Catholic. A bunch of people were sharing my tweet. I was like, oh, god. I’m not trying to lead into some religious controversy, but I did think whether my Irish Catholic mother would laugh. She has a really good sense of humor. I thought, I think she would laugh at this joke. I think it’s fine. Greg: I loved it because it was a real Rorschach test for me. Sitting there looking at that tweet, I was one of the people who didn’t know that particular meme. I’d like to think I love my memes but … Taylor: I can’t claim credit. Greg: No, no, but anyway most of the memes I know are the ones my students happen to tell me about. The point is I’ve spent 15 plus years being a professional atheist. I’ve had my share of religious debates, but I also have had all these debates with others I’ll call Professional Strident Atheists.. who are more aggressive in their anti-religion than I am. And I’m thinking, “Okay, this is clearly a tweet that Richard Dawkins would love. Do I love it? I don’t know. Wait, I think I do!” Taylor: I treated it with the greatest respect for all faiths. I thought it was funny to drag the Pope on Twitter. The influence of InstagramSocial Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com March 24, 2019 at 10:17AM
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Hashtag about a world without Twitter is trending... on Twitter https://ift.tt/2CA5fAC If we're being honest, tweeting about what the world would be like without Twitter is peak 2019. And, yet, here we are, with #InAWorldWithoutTwitter trending on an early Spring Saturday. The tweets are a mix of genuine and jokes yet most of them all hold a grain of truth in them and reveal the best and worst of Twitter as a platform. If nothing else, the tweets all get at the great dichotomy of Twitter in 2019: it can be a garbage place that allows garbage people to post their, well, garbage, no matter what Jack says. And it's gotten pretty bad at times. Like, really bad. On the other hand, it has certainly revolutionized the way information and news is shared and how we communicate. Those come with caveats, of course, that prove the platform is far from perfect. News spreads much quicker than before but so do mistakes and communicating with strangers can be great or it can be a hellscape. The irony of using Twitter to talk about a world without Twitter and how it would actually be better, jokes or no, is also hilarious and indicative of the way we've all turned into one big shruggie. After all, if you really want a world without Twitter, all you have to do is delete the app from your phone or just stop visiting Twitter-dot-com. So here we are, tweeting and, with this article, writing about a world without Twitter and wondering, longingly, how much happier we'd be. If that's not the perfect way to sum up Twitter over 10 years after its debut, I don't know what else is. Social Media via Mashable https://ift.tt/2DCFv97 March 23, 2019 at 04:41PM
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Killer Tips for a Powerful Social Media Strategy https://ift.tt/2YiBm0X Social media, love it or hate it, can be the difference between life and death for a business, public figure, or even a work relationship. After all, you need to keep your customers updated on what’s going on so they know when to show up, what they can expect to spend, and what to look forward to when they arrive. And office mates can stay in touch with one another, making sure to coordinate events and meetings properly to ensure great results as the weeks and months go on. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you’ve got something of a grasp on your social media strategy. Let’s review some ideas so you can make your profiles conducive to profit, productivity and people.
The best way to make sure you’re killin’ the social media game is to examine whatever it is you’re currently doing. So, go though the content you’ve put up over the year and see what made your audience interested and what bored them to death. You will most likely collect a ton of data, so make sure you have some measures of assessment for it. Categorize your content and then measure how each one performed. For example, did infographic content beat video content? You can use various platforms to help you tag and organize your content and measure its results. Sprout Social, for example, helps with this immensely. You can even export data from social media platforms and use said info in your measurements. Your primary goals of your Content Strategy examination are:
What you find may surprise you!
Now that you know about your social media content strategy, you are going to see some ways you can improve on whatever content you have used in your posts on social media and even in your ads. It is a good idea to spend a little time and money in content creation for the most effective social media marketing. You can do all kinds of things: Video shoots, colorful and informative graphics, photo shoots, and more. The idea is to take lessons that you learned from your examination of your past year in social media and use them to make more of what your followers want to see. We know not everybody has a Bill Gates budget. So, if repurposing content is something that you need to do, don’t worry about it. Many people are not going to call you out on repurposed content. If you do have the budget to create some fresh material for your social media front, go for it-videos, especially, are a huge win. Be sure that you do research on your industry to make sure you’re staying current with the latest trends in video creation. And make sure to hire a videographer who knows his or her stuff-gone are the days when a cell-phone video would generate good results. You can even put a call out for people in your office who own great video equipment to come forth for a great resume builder and a chance to break up the routine workday.
Ten years ago, if somebody told you that a social media influencer could mean success or failure for an industry, you might have got some laughs. But, the matter is all too serious. For instance, consider the deaths of beloved celebrities like Prince or Bob Marley. Influencers who acknowledge these and other talented individuals may generate sales and brand loyalty. Today, that is more true than ever. Just as a great celebrity promotes a soft drink or sports equipment, a social media influencer can really ignite a brand. Influencer marketing will likely change shape over the coming years, but right now it is hot like fire. So long as you clearly define your expectations, thoroughly vet your desired partners, and provide a clear outline on what you will deliver, you should have a successful time working with an influencer. Literally ANYBODY can build a platform and their personal brand. So, you will find yourself faced with a lot of shady people and unrealistic individuals who claim they are social media marketing gurus that want hefty payments for their services, even with no performance data to boast. Don’t blindly jump into a partnership. Connect with influencers who are important to your brand or industry. See what kind of content they create. See how much engagement and participation that content actually generates. Do not be afraid to ask for analytics and numbers about this info. Anyone worth their salt in the influencer game will be happy to show what they can do for you.
Much like we examine the stats of athletes when choosing our fantasy football teams, you should absolutely keep an eye on the stats of your competition. Doing this will help you gain insight and ideas about how to approach your own strategy. Ask yourself the following as you examine their output: What are they doing well? Could I use one of their ideas but put our own spin on it, and therefore make it even better? Don’t think of this as lacking creativity or trying to copy what others are doing. Think of this as a means to see what opportunities exist for your brand. You never know what might surface in doing this. Remember, though-appearances can be deceiving. What looked like a million-dollar idea may not have panned out the way they wanted it to, and vice versa. You never know what budget went behind a particular idea, or what kind of strategy they are running. So, don’t jump into an idea when your information is incomplete. Just examine what they’re doing, see if it’s a good fit for you, and then see what you can do to make it your own. A little competition is the spice of life and healthy.
Water takes the shape of whatever vessel it is poured into; it kinda goes with the flow. You too should learn to be adaptable and update your strategy as you need to. Consider Snapchat. When they introduced their “Stories”, Instagram immediately jumped on the bandwagon as well and implemented a feature just like it in 2016. Facebook, meanwhile, was rolling out the option to livestream. Content produced in real time suddenly became the “thing” and even three years later, it’s going strong. Many other marketers got right into the fray and started livestreaming their product demos, Q&A sessions, presentations, and other content, which increased awareness and trust among followers and investors. Even professional organizations like the Radiological Society of America conference were streamed by GE Healthcare via Facebook Live. In doing so, important takeaways and attendance was clearly communicated. This is not to mention that over 20,000 views were had on that video from members in their community, no doubt granting a sense of privilege and reassurance in an otherwise highly regulated and exclusive space. So what’s the takeaway? It’s simple: Give yourself some leeway and embrace the tech that is coming down the pike. When it comes time to re-evaluate yourself and see how you’ve been doing in your social media performance and habits, base your tweaks and revisions on the following areas:
Whatever you do now, don’t get too attached to it. It will likely change the following year. Embrace it-after all, that’s the name of the game and the key to staying on top!
Here’s a classic but a relevant one-you just have to be consistent and routine with your posting depending on the platform. Some platforms like Instagram don’t move as fast as Twitter, so you may not have to publish so often. But, make sure you’ve got a schedule and you stick to it. Ask yourself:
Don’t get lost and forgotten because you aren’t publishing enough! You have a lot of competition. In Closing Sure, some strategies have been done to death. But you can definitely keep things fresh and interesting, so long as you’re open to change, enjoy new ideas, and are not afraid to put your own creative spin on an idea from a competitor. Be open and adaptable and you will find your social media image succeeds with flying colors. The post Killer Tips for a Powerful Social Media Strategy appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog March 23, 2019 at 01:39PM
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Elon Musk defends tweets in SEC’s contempt proceedings https://ift.tt/2URQIHE Tesla CEO Elon Musk argued Friday that his Twitter use did not violate a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and that the agency’s request to have him held in contempt is based on a “radical interpretation” of the order, according to court papers filed in Manhattan federal court. The SEC has asked a judge to hold Musk in contempt for violating a settlement agreement reached last year over Musk’s now infamous “funding secured” tweet. Under that agreement, Musk is supposed to get approval from Tesla’s board before communicating potentially material information to investors. Musk contends he didn’t violate the agreement and that the problem lies in the SEC’s interpretation, which he describes as “virtually wrong at every level.” The filing also reveals new details about the settlement negotiations, notably that the SEC sent Musk a draft agreement that would have required him to obtain pre-approval for all public statements related to Tesla, in any format. Musk and Tesla never agreed to those terms. Instead, Musk says the agreement requires him to comply with Tesla own policy, which would require pre-approval for “written communications that contain, or reasonably could contain, information material to the company or its shareholders.” The barbs traded via court filings are the latest in an escalating fight between the billionaire entrepreneur and SEC that began last August when Musk tweeted that he had “funding secured” for a private takeover of the company at $420 per share. The SEC filed a complaint in federal district court in September alleging that Musk lied. Musk and Tesla settled with the SEC last year without admitting wrongdoing. Tesla agreed to pay a $20 million fine; Musk had to agree to step down as Tesla chairman for a period of at least three years; the company had to appoint two independent directors to the board; and Tesla was also told to put in place a way to monitor Musk’s statements to the public about the company, including via Twitter. But the fight was re-ignited last month after Musk sent a tweet on February 19 that Tesla would produce “around” 500,000 cars this year, correcting himself hours later to clarify that he meant the company would be producing at an annualized rate of 500,000 vehicles by year end. The SEC argued that the tweet sent by Musk violated their agreement. Musk has said the tweet was “immaterial” and complied with the settlement. Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com March 22, 2019 at 08:07PM
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2019 US VC funds take a more boutique approach https://ift.tt/2Hb7Vrx
Joanna Glasner Contributor
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Over the past year, we’ve written a lot about the rise of supergiant venture capital funds. Ever since the rollout of the $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund, established VCs have been outdoing each other to raise ever-bigger funds. But let’s not write the epitaph on smaller funds. U.S. venture fundraising data for 2019 reveals a lot of smaller, more focused funds closing on capital. Newcomers are rolling out fresh early-stage funds, and even established VCs are opting in many cases to keep fund size constant or even a bit smaller. The influx of small and mid-sized funds serves as a reminder that supergiant funds are somewhat of an aberration for the venture capital industry. While VCs compete to back massively scalable startups, the common wisdom is the venture capital industry itself does not scale especially well. Adding more capital to the pot, the thinking goes, likely does more to inflate valuations than foster great companies. Silicon Valley stalwart Kleiner Perkins is among the latest to hop on the smaller-is-better bandwagon. Three weeks ago, the 47-year-old firm closed on $600 million for its eighteenth flagship fund, touting a plan to go “back to the future” and focus on early-stage with the philosophy that “venture is a non-scalable, boutique craft.” Of course, $600 million is by no means a tiny fund. And Kleiner’s most prominent growth-stage investment partner, Mary Meeker, did just leave to start her own firm. Nonetheless, it is a step down from Kleiner’s last major fundraise in 2016, which brought in $1.4 billion for a growth-stage vehicle and an early-stage fund. Meanwhile, Crunchbase fundraising data shows plenty of U.S. funds of $200 million or less closing in 2019, as well as several more that are apparently still in fundraising mode. So far, billion-dollar-plus funds are pretty scarce. Below, we take a look at the venture fund Class of 2019, including newcomers, as well as follow-on funds from established firms. We also focus on rising stars, newer firms that have raised larger new funds. NewcomersNo matter how many existing venture firms are out chasing startups, there’s always a niche that some newcomer will identify as underserved. So far, 2019 has been no exception. At least five U.S venture firms have announced closings on their inaugural funds this year.1 Probably the highest profile new entrant this year is from an already well-known Silicon Valley investor, Steve Jurvetson, founder and former managing partner of the 34-year-old VC firm DFJ. Jurvetson closed on $200 million this month for Future Ventures, which will focus on early-stage deals in areas including space exploration, quantum computing, AI and synthetic biology. Another noteworthy newcomer is Motley Fool Ventures, which is an early-stage, tech-focused venture fund tied to The Motley Fool investment platform. In a twist on the typical VC model of raising capital from large institutional investors, contributors to the $146 million fund are primarily Motley Fool members.
Biggest fundsEstablished VCs have been raising fresh cash, too. So far this year, we haven’t seen a pure-play venture capital firm close a U.S. fund of a billion dollars or more.2 However, we have seen a number of pretty big funds from well-known VCs. Last week, Menlo Ventures, a longstanding Valley firm that led one of Uber’s early-stage rounds, closed on $500 million for its first Inflection Fund, which will focus on early growth-stage startups. And on the biotech front, California-based 5AM Ventures proved the early-stage bird can get the follow-on investment, raising $500 million across two new funds. And on the East Coast, Boston-based MPM Capital closed on $400 million for its seventh flagship fund. Rising starsSo far this year, we’ve also seen a number of relatively new venture capital firms raise upsized follow-on funds. By relatively new, we generally mean firms that closed their first fund less than five years ago. Typically, when we see a firm raising a larger or stable-sized follow-on fund, it indicates a rising star. It usually means that their existing portfolio has seen some successes, and investors are optimistic about future prospects. Edtech investor Owl Ventures meets this criteria. The five-year-old firm closed on $316 million for its third flagship fund this year. To date, San Francisco-based Owl has invested in at least 24 companies, with a couple of exits and a number of up-rounds under its belt. Enthusiasm for the cybersecurity space boosted the fortunes of another firm on our rising star list, TenEleven Ventures. The five-year-old, Silicon Valley-based venture firm closed on $200 million for its second early-stage fund this month. Fundraising modeClearly, not everyone can raise a billion-dollar venture capital fund. And not everyone wants to. For early-stage in particular, the longstanding practice of raising smaller and mid-sized funds is alive and well. That said, a couple months of fundraising data does not necessarily indicate a long-term trend. We could see a string of billion-dollar-plus funds closing in the next few weeks. Or not. For now, however, it looks like pressure to become the next SoftBank has ebbed some, with unicorn-chasing giants carving out their niche and smaller funds eyeing other opportunities. MethodologyWe focused on U.S.-based firms raising funds that make investments in U.S. companies. This does not include, for instance, a Silicon Valley-headquartered firm raising a China-focused fund. We also did not include Spark Capital, which has submitted securities filings laying out plans to raise a $400 million sixth flagship fund and an $800 million growth-stage fund. The New York and Boston-based firm, known for its early investments in Twitter, Slack, Coinbase and other unicorns, is widely expected to meet or exceed its fundraising goals, but it has not yet officially closed the funds.
Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com March 22, 2019 at 06:37PM |
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