Twitter says it does not shadow ban, despite complaints by Republicans https://ift.tt/2NKsMSD After President Donald Trump accused Twitter of “shadow banning” prominent Republicans, the company denied that it uses the practice, in which someone’s posts are made invisible or undiscoverable without them knowing. In a blog post titled “Setting the record straight on shadow banning,” Vijaya Gadde and Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter’s legal and product leads, respectively, were blunt: “We do not shadow ban. You are always able to see the tweets from accounts you follow (although you may have to do more work to find them, like go directly to their profile). And we certainly don’t shadow ban based on political viewpoints or ideology.”
Gadde and Beykpour also addressed recent complaints, which gained more attention after a Vice article, that some accounts did not appear in auto-suggestions even when users searched for them by name. The two said the issue had been resolved and had affected “hundreds of thousands of accounts,” not just those representing certain ideologies. In fact, “most accounts affected had nothing to do with politics at all,” they wrote. Gadde and Beykpour said that the platform “ranking models take many signals into consideration to best organize tweets for timely relevance.” Twitter’s search engine shows users results from people they find interesting and popular tweets, while ranking lower “tweets from bad-faith actors who intend to manipulate or divide the conversation.” “Bad-faith actors,” they added, are determined based on how authentic their account appears to be, the actions they take on Twitter and how other users interact with them (for example, how often they are muted, blocked, retweeted or followed). Gadde and Beykpour said the third criteria may have made it appear that accounts by Republican representatives were being disproportionately affected by the auto-suggestion issue. “There are communities that try to boost each other’s presence on the platform through coordinated engagement,” they wrote. “We believe these types of actors engaged with the representatives’ accounts– the impact of this coordinated behavior, in combination with our implementation of search auto-suggestions, caused the representatives’ accounts to not show up in auto-suggestions.” Gadde and Beykpour’s explanation, however, frustrated users on both ends of the political spectrum, who said the company has to do a better job of defining who “bad-faith actors.” Liberals argued (as many have for a long time) that Twitter does not include enough bullies and troll accounts in its definition of “bad-faith actors,” while some conservatives continued to claim that the platform is biased against them.
Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com July 26, 2018 at 10:22PM
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Social Media Marketing for B2B Products: How to Build an Engaging Campaign https://ift.tt/2NOKpAF Social Media Marketing for B2B Products: How to Build an Engaging Campaign Plenty of companies still don’t take their social-media efforts seriously. For better or worse, there’s a stigma around social-media content. After all, it’s easy to get distracted by the interminable dross that pops up on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As such, marketers working for B2B companies will sometimes forgo prioritizing social-media channels in favor of other strategies. However, there’s evidence to say that isn’t a good idea. According to Forbes, 83 percent of executives chose a vendor for their company based at least in part on material seen on social media. If we accept that social media is a vital part of any B2B marketing strategy the question then becomes, how should a B2B company market itself on social media? Set Reasonable Targets Want to ensure your next social-media campaign generates positive results for your business? Then first you’ll need to establish parameters for your efforts and set goals you can actually measure. “Increasing engagement,” or “driving more sales” don’t count under these stipulations. Give yourself a hard target to aim for –– it’ll help sharpen your focus and motivate your team at the same time. Develop Relationships –– Not Just Leads Social media is still a social proposition after all. Remember, just because someone on social media is willing to listen to your product pitch, doesn’t mean they want to be harassed into buying it. There’s a subtle art to reaching out to potential clients in your field without overtly selling them on your company. Note, most B2B purchases work on a long-term purchase cycle –– so converting a lead into a sale could take months. That’s where solid content creation comes in. Yes, there are ways to gussy up your posts (and we’ll touch on them too), but at the end of the day great content trumps all. The more relevant, informative, and useful your blogs, videos, and content offers are, the likelier an interested lead will keep you in mind when the time comes to reconsider their buying habits. What’s more, anything you can do to engage with a potential client online will only bolster your position. Even though B2B purchases tend to be more pragmatic and less “knee-jerk” than B2C ones, it doesn’t mean emotions aren’t a factor. As evidenced by this study, roughly 70% of buyers will purchase a product because it represents a level of “personal value” as opposed to merely a “business value.” Get Creative When a business decides to market itself on a social-media channel, it opens up a world of possibilities. Compare for a moment typical pay-per-click advertising on a platform like AdWords with the kind of ads Facebook offers. AdWords ads are stale and static. They’re usually stuffed with keywords and don’t actually impart any information as to why a product or service is valuable. What’s more, poorly-run PPC accounts can end up costing a company when unqualified leads click on ads –– but don’t purchase anything afterward. Conversely, Facebook ads enable more freedom and creativity. It’s a well-known fact that videos and images increase engagement in “organic” social-media posts. In the same way, social-media advertisements provide B2B businesses the stage they need to showcase themselves. This is particularly valuable for manufacturers and companies that produce equipment for specific niches. A short video explaining the function of cell culture tubes or a hydro-drive gear sprocket will accomplish a great deal more than a 400-word blog dedicated to the subject. The Bottom Line At this point, most marketers should understand the basic precepts of sound social-media promotion. Yes, writing apt descriptions is crucial; as is keeping a tight schedule and peppering your pages with creative images and videos (which are perfect for sharing). Still, if you want to create a social-media campaign that goes above and beyond –– you’ll have to go above and beyond yourself. The social-media landscape is highly competitive, and not just for businesses within a given industry. That’s why quality content and consistent application is essential for a B2B company’s success on social media. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog July 26, 2018 at 04:55PM How To Leverage Social Media Marketing To Land Your Dream Job https://ift.tt/2LP1Tw1 Everyone knows social media is the place to attract attention for your business, but the kind of attention people want varies. For instance, some people want clicks, likes, and shares while others want their content to go viral. Some seek an increase in brand awareness while others want to spread an important message through community engagement. All of the above are essential components for marketing, but social media is also a good place to leverage to land a job. It’s also the first place many employers look when checking out a person’s application or resume. If you’re in the market for a job, social media can be your downfall or your best leverage. Recruiters are already using social media to make decisionsIt’s no secret that recruiters and hiring managers look at a candidate’s social media accounts. According to Time.com, a Jobvite survey revealed 55% of hiring managers reconsidered a candidate due to what they found on social media. For a better chance of being hired, spiff up your social media presence to reflect your skills and show a personality people want to hire. Some social media platforms support the creation of resumesSome social media platforms are augmenting their software to support portfolio/resume creation. For instance, Instagram allows people to create image resumes, something beneficial to anyone in a design or creative field. Also, some recruiters view a candidate’s Instagram posts as an informal portfolio. If you’re on Instagram, consider that each post is a piece of a portfolio trail. When job hunting, be intentional with what you post. If your profession can’t be represented in images, post memes of inspirational quotes and avoid the lolcats and lolcow memes. If your talent be reflected in what you publish, you have an advantageWhen building your web assets and online portfolios, do whatever you can to have your marketable skills reflected in the design. For example, a graphic artist can choose to use a standard website template or they can work with a programmer to design their own custom layout with impressive graphics. Doing this makes their website a complete representation of what’s possible for their clients. If you’re a content writer, make sure your public Facebook posts reflect your writing abilities. Most people slack off on social media and resort to abbreviations and acronyms, but you don’t have to. In fact, if you take the time to write well in a place where nobody does, you’ll be a breath of fresh air. If you’re in marketing, write creative posts as a spoof on real advertisements using your marketing skills. Sell the joke, not the product. Humor is a guaranteed attractor. Clean up your website because it’s going to be discoveredIf your website address is linked in any of your social media profiles, recruiters and hiring managers will check it out. If you linked someone else’s website to be funny, they’re going to think it’s yours. If you linked your real website but it’s not safe for work, take it offline and remove the links from your social media profiles. Your potential boss probably knows how to pull up an archived copy of your website from the Way Back Machine. Don’t give them the URL. Redesign your website to high standardsPoorly designed websites belonging to plumbers and electricians are easily forgiven. Many technical people don’t have the skills to create a perfect website, and it doesn’t reflect on their abilities to perform their trade. If a plumber can unclog a toilet, who cares if they can’t build a website? The same can’t be said for other professions where a website’s design directly influences the perception of that person’s abilities. For instance, have you ever landed on a website advertising web design services, but noticed they were using a free template that comes with every WordPress installation? Or, maybe you encountered PHP errors and broken links that made you think twice about contacting them for a quote. Even though content marketers aren’t website developers, their websites do impact the perception of their skills. For example, content writers need to have perfect typography, grammar, and spelling. If the website’s CSS doesn’t look good, their content won’t look good. Show more than your talentRegardless of your talent, recruiters want people who can work well with others and maintain a positive attitude. “Someone that I like and want to be around for 40 hours a week might be more likely to catch recruiters’ attention than someone who hasn’t quite nailed that personal-branding equilibrium,” former recruiter Ariel Lopez told Fast Company. Once you’ve displayed your talent, invest a little time to get your social media accounts to reflect a personal brand you can be proud of, and that recruiters will know is genuine. The post How To Leverage Social Media Marketing To Land Your Dream Job appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog July 26, 2018 at 11:27AM Twitter ‘shadow banning’ is Trump’s latest social media cause https://ift.tt/2AdW4Hs The president’s latest Twitter target is Twitter itself. This morning, Trump took to the platform to call out the alleged “shadow banning” of Republican users. It’s the latest in long standing conservative and right-wing complaints regarding perceived unfair treatment at the hands of social media platforms. This latest round stems, in part, from a recent Vice story highlighting Twitter’s removal of certain users — including Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel — from autofill search results. “The notion that social media companies would suppress certain political points of view should concern every American,” McDaniel told Vice. “Twitter owes the public answers to what’s really going on.”
“We are aware that some accounts are not automatically populating in our search box and shipping a change to address this,” the company wrote in response. “I’d emphasize that our technology is based on account *behavior* not the content of Tweets.” The company didn’t specify, however, why the change appears to be disproportionately impacting Republicans, though it it did reference a recent blog post highlighting recent policy changes. “One important issue we’ve been working to address is what some might refer to as ‘trolls,’ ” it wrote. “To put this in context, fewer than one percent of accounts make up the majority of accounts reported for abuse, but a lot of what’s reported does not violate our rules. While still a small overall number, these accounts have a disproportionately large – and negative – impact on people’s experience on Twitter.” In a tweet this morning, Trump promised further examination of the issue. “Twitter ‘SHADOW BANNING’ prominent Republicans,” he wrote. “Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints.” He didn’t spell out a course of action. That’s never really been his Twitter M.O. The site long served as a platform for his own venting/flame fanning, rather than outlining specific strategy. Congress has put various social media platforms in the hot seat of late, however, most notably Facebook, which found Mark Zuckerberg sitting through House and Senate hearings.
Twitter product lead Kayvon Beykpour took to the platform in an attempt to further break down Twitter policy. “To be clear, our behavioral ranking doesn’t make judgements based on political views or the substance of tweets,” he wrote. “Some accounts weren’t being auto-suggested even when people were searching for their specific name. Our usage of the behavior signals within search was causing this to happen & making search results seem inaccurate. We’re making a change today that will improve this.” CEO Jack Dorsey echoed the comments, writing, “It suffices to say we have a lot more work to do to earn people’s trust on how we work.” Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com July 26, 2018 at 08:54AM How to Use LinkedIn Lead Gen Form Ads https://ift.tt/2LQ2a22 Want an efficient way to find qualified leads on LinkedIn? Have you heard of LinkedIn lead gen form ads? In this article, you’ll learn how to set up a LinkedIn ad campaign that collects downloadable leads.
#1: Offer Something Your Target Audience Will Truly ValueLinkedIn lead gen forms make it easy to collect leads via your ads. When members click your ad’s call-to-action button, your form will open with the fields already filled using information from their LinkedIn profile. This makes it easy for them to accept your offer. Before you create a lead gen form, however, you need to decide what your offer will be. Think about what’s important to your target audience. What information will appeal to them? What will capture their attention? Where are they in the customer journey (top of the funnel, mid-funnel, bottom of the funnel)? Answering these questions will help you choose an offer that will be of value to your target audience, such as a free consultation session, eBook, assessment session, report, or guide. #2: Start Your LinkedIn Ad CampaignAfter you decide what your offer is, you’re ready to set up your LinkedIn ad campaign and create your lead gen form. To get started, navigate to your LinkedIn home page. Then click Work and select Advertise from the pop-up window. Or go directly to www.linkedin.com/advertising. On the next page, click Create Ad. When the LinkedIn Campaign Manager dashboard opens, click Create a Campaign. Select an Ad Type and Format On the Choose an Ad Product page, select Sponsored Content. On the next page, you choose your objective. Select Collect Leads Using LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms. The next step is to choose an ad format. You can choose from three options: article image or link, carousel, or video. The format for your LinkedIn ad campaign depends on your industry and target audience. If you’re not sure which LinkedIn ad format your audience prefers, test all three options for 14 days. After you determine which one performs the best in terms of leads generated, go all-in on that one. Select Your Ad Content After you select a LinkedIn ad format, you’re ready to build your ad. You can either select existing content or create new content. The language in your creative should match your offer. This will make it easier for people to understand your message while aligning with your call to action. #3: Build Your LinkedIn Lead FormOnce you have your content, the next step is to select a call to action. This is critical. The call to action you choose should be based on what you want your audience to do as a next step. This page is also where you can create a lead gen form template that will filter out some of the leads you generate from this LinkedIn ad campaign. The form template should collect basic information, such as name, email address, and phone number. To identify qualified leads for your business, it’s also helpful to include a few questions such as “What are your biggest challenges?” To build a lead gen form template, click Create New Form Template at the top right. In the pop-up window, add a form name, describe your offer, and enter details about your privacy policy. When you’re finished, click Next. Now decide what info you want to collect on your lead form. The default settings are First Name, Last Name, and Email Address. The fields you choose will be prefilled for the LinkedIn member based on their profile. Scroll down to add questions to your form. When you’re finished, click Next. The final step to building your form is to customize your thank-you message, which is optional. This is the message that members will see after they submit your form. You can also enter the URL you want people to visit after they complete your form and select a call to action to display on the thank-you page. Click Save when you’re done. Click Next to move on to the next step. #4: Set Up Targeting, Bidding, and SchedulingNow you’re ready to choose your target audience. To get the best results from your Linkedin ad campaign, you need the right messaging and targeting. It’s important to go beyond just the basic job role, industry, and location targeting. A micro-targeting outreach approach can work well for some businesses. In this case, you target an audience from a niche group or a particular group of companies on LinkedIn. Although this narrows your audience, you’re able to customize the language of your advertising creative to appeal to them. When you’re finished setting up your targeting, be sure to save the audience for future LinkedIn ad campaigns. This will make it easier to test different audiences. Now you need to set a bid. One common error that many businesses make is not setting the right daily budget or bid. With a testing campaign, I recommend that you start with a minimum of $50 per day. The bid will vary based on what LinkedIn suggests, but it’s helpful to set the bid $1 higher than the suggested bid (i.e., if the suggested bid is $9.82, go with $10.82). You can adjust the bid as the LinkedIn ad campaign performance improves and the suggested bid number drops. If there’s a lot of activity and engagement with your LinkedIn ad campaign, you’re more likely to see that change, which places you in a great position to adjust your bid. After you set your bid, schedule your campaign. You can either start it immediately or choose a start and end date. Finally, set a total budget for the LinkedIn ad campaign and click Next. The last step is to review your campaign details and launch your LinkedIn ad campaign. #5: Monitor Your LinkedIn Advertising Campaign and Download LeadsAfter you launch your LinkedIn ad campaign, monitor the LinkedIn ad campaign daily for the first 14 days. In Campaign Manager, open the Campaign Performance tab. Pay attention to the key performance indicators such as the click-through rate (CTR), social actions, cost per click, and any leads being generated. To export your leads as a CSV file, click Account Assets and select Lead Gen Forms. On the Lead Forms page that appears, find your lead form and click Download Leads under the Actions column. To make the most of these new leads, it’s best to follow up with them in the first 24-48 hours, while your business is still fresh in their minds. This also gives people the opportunity to ask for additional information. .What do you think? Have you used lead generation forms in your LinkedIn ad campaigns? How have they performed for your business? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Social Media via Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p July 26, 2018 at 05:11AM
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Twitter will lock your account if you pretend to be Elon Musk https://ift.tt/2A9wjI3 Twitter will lock your account if you pretend to be Elon Musk
By Matt Binder
If there’s another Elon Musk out there, it just became a little bit harder for them to join Twitter. Thanks to cryptocurrency scams, Twitter is now automatically locking any account set up on the website that makes its display name “Elon Musk.” Users who change their display name to Musk’s will be greeted by a Twitter locked account page requiring the user to solve a Google reCAPTCHA as well as verify their phone number. Twitter is taking this step after a barrage of cryptocurrency “giveaway” scams have inundated its platform. The scam is actually quite simple to pull off. A fake account is set up to resemble an influential tech or cryptocurrency figure’s account as closely as possible. Elon Musk, with all the mainstream attention surrounding his companies, has been a very popular target. When a Twitter celebrity tweets, the scammer with the fake account that mimics the target's jumps into action. A fake Elon account tells real Elon’s followers that if they send cryptocurrency to the link included in a tweet, they will get multiples of the cryptocurrency sent back to them in return. As we’ve previously discovered, many Twitter users aren’t spotting the difference between real Elon and fake Elon and are falling for it, sending their crypto to fake Elon but receiving nothing in return. While the scammers have been bilking trusting Twitter users out of all sorts of cryptocurrency, the scam seems to have had a focus on Ethereum. The scammer problem has been so bad surrounding Ethereum that even Elon Musk pointed out the magnitude of bots pretending to be him in his replies.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is very aware of the problem and has begged Twitter to intervene and do something about the problem. He’s pleaded for help not just via his tweets but also by changing his display name to Vitalik "Not giving away ETH" Buterin. Buterin also put a disclaimer in his Twitter bio “Not giving away ETH.” Well, it seems like with this step Twitter is finally stepping up to the plate and doing something about it. As Gizmodo points out, Twitter’s locked account measures are happening for accounts set up to mimic other tech figures too. But scammers are already working on finding ways to get around this new security measure. Just yesterday we reported on an old FOX show’s verified Twitter account being hacked to partake in this very scam. The formerly dormant @AlmostHumanFOX Twitter account was pretending to be Justin Sun, the founder of TRON, an influential blockchain company. As the owner of a non-dormant verified account, I checked to see if a person in control of a verified account would be able to change its display name to say, Elon Musk, without issue. They can. While Twitter’s security updates might make scammers’ lives harder, try as it might, its clear these kinds of scams are from over on Twitter. Social Media via Social Media https://ift.tt/2DCFv97 July 25, 2018 at 01:54PM
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14 Mobile Trends That Are Dominating 2018 https://ift.tt/2NJjzK9 As we pass the midway mark of 2018, it’s clear that mobile technology is prevalent in our world today. In the past, I’ve told you to keep an eye out for the top marketing trends of 2018. But now I want to take that one step further and narrow that focus specifically to mobile trends. As a business owner, you need to keep your finger on the pulse of modern marketing trends to be successful. This guide is beneficial for marketers, app developers, and anyone else who wants to improve their business. While I’m not saying you need to apply these trends to your own marketing, it’s important you’re aware of the new technology that’s available and surrounding you. Who knows, maybe you’ll decide to change your strategy based on this information. I used research from previous years as well as some recent technological developments to come up with this list. These are the top 14 mobile trends dominating the year so far. I expect these to continue trending upward as we close out 2018. 1. Artificial intelligence (AI)Artificial intelligence has penetrated our mobile world. We’re getting one step closer to mobile devices morphing into robots and taking over the planet. Obviously, I’m kidding. While that day has yet to come, we are seeing advancements in mobile AI. You may be familiar with some of these:
All of these are examples of AI that may even be installed on your mobile devices right now. In addition to these popular forms of AI, mobile apps are now using software such as voice recognition to encourage hands-free use and ultimately optimize the customer experience. AI software is used to help developers and marketers learn more about the user. Businesses are trying to get more revenue by using this information to create relevant advertisements that target specific audiences. 2. Location-based technologyYour smartphones and tablets are tracking your location. That’s not a secret. Mobile applications are also tracking your location, with your permission. Each time you download a new app, it requests your permission to use your location. Here’s an example of this from Nexonia: Each time you download a new app, you’ll get a notification similar to the one seen above. You may not even be able to use some apps to their full potential without giving them access to your location. For example, think about a ride-sharing app such as Uber. They need your exact location to connect you with a driver. But have you noticed an increase in apps requesting your location even if you don’t think it’s required to use the primary function of the app? That’s because 7 out of 10 apps on your smartphone share your data with third parties. They do this to enhance their marketing campaigns. If a business knows where a user is, it can send them targeted ads based on the location. An example of this is when an app uses geofencing technology. Here’s how it works. Let’s say you own a restaurant and have a mobile app. If an app user walks within a few blocks of your location, they’ll receive a notification about your lunch special. So far in 2018, we’ve seen an increase in this strategy, and we’ll continue to see it used in the future. 3. Augmented realityAugmented reality takes something that’s real and modifies it. One of the best examples of this is the face filter options on Snapchat. Recently, Instagram implemented this feature as well: Other mobile apps use this strategy to generate revenue. Remember when everyone was going crazy about Pokemon Go? The entire premise of that game was based on augmented reality on a mobile device. I found some mind-blowing statistics about the game and how successful it was:
Those numbers speak for themselves. Based on the success of apps such as Pokemon Go, Snapchat, and Instagram, more businesses have been trying to incorporate augmented reality into their mobile technology. This will help them create brand awareness, app downloads, engagement, and revenue. 4. Syncing wearable technology with mobile devicesWearable technology has become increasingly popular in 2018. I’m referring to things such as fitness bracelets, smartwatches, healthcare monitors, and glasses. They all can be paired with mobile apps. Take Fitbit as an example. All the movements of a person wearing it can be tracked through an app. Users can check their heart rates and how many miles they walked in a day, among other things. By syncing with mobile devices, these apps can be used socially as well. People can compare their progress with their friends and make it a competition. As a result, it encourages the usage of the technology and increases engagement. By the end of 2019, experts estimate that more than 125 million units of wearable technology will be shipped. That compares to just 50 million units shipped in 2015. The reason for the popularity of this technology is its ability to pair with mobile devices. 5. Revenue from mobile applicationsMobile apps are making a killing. Just look at the jump from 2016 to 2017 in terms of global app revenue: There was a substantial increase in revenue through both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This trend isn’t slowing down. Mobile apps will continue to thrive. Experts believe that by 2020 the global revenue from mobile apps will be $190 billion. That’s triple the numbers we saw last year (2017). 6. Mobile devices syncing with homesMobile apps are being developed to help improve consumers’ experiences within their own homes. You can find businesses that sync your home air conditioning and heating with an app. That way, you can control temperatures whether you’re home or not. Instead of going to a central thermostat in the house, you can reach into your pocket and set everything on your phone. Home security has been integrated with mobile technology as well. There are apps that have a video camera synced with your doorbell so you can see who is at your front door when the bell rings. Home security cameras on the inside and outside of your home can all be controlled and monitored from mobile devices. There are even smart refrigerators that connect with mobile devices. This technology gives you the ability to see inside your refrigerator while you’re at the grocery store so you can see what you need to buy. 7. Enhanced mobile securitySaying that security is important would be an understatement. With big companies having security breaches, consumers have become increasingly aware of the potential dangers of giving away their personal information. Many people don’t like the risks of providing sensitive information to businesses, especially through mobile apps. In fact, security and distrust are two of the top reasons why mobile users don’t feel comfortable using mobile payment applications. Furthermore, 56% of American consumers say they believe mobile payments will increase their chances of becoming a fraud or theft victim. Only 5% of people think these types of payment methods reduce those chances. But as previously discussed, mobile app revenue is on the rise. While some consumers are reluctant to pay via mobile, others are not. Businesses are recognizing these perceptions and improving their mobile security. They want their customers to feel as comfortable as possible when paying using mobile devices. 8. Small business mobile appsNot long ago, mobile applications were just for the big players. But now everyone is developing them. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in business or how small your company may be, you can probably benefit from mobile app development. Last year, more than half of small business owners in the United States said they had plans to develop a mobile app. Midway through 2018, those apps should be in development and launching soon, if they haven’t already. Why are they building apps? Fifty-five percent of small business owners are using mobile apps to increase sales revenue. Apps also improve the user experience and help businesses stay competitive in a market that’s always changing. You can’t afford to fall behind, so you need to stay up to date with the latest technology. 9. Increased mobile paymentsAs mobile security improves and global app revenue rises, we’ll see an increase in mobile payments as well. Among them are:
Just look at the jump in the number of payment apps users we’ve seen over the last three years: These numbers are continuing to rise in 2018. Again, this relates to mobile security. There is a direct correlation between how comfortable people feel making mobile payments and the increase in mobile payment popularity. 10. Transportation appsFor quite some time, we’ve seen apps for train tickets, local bus schedules, etc. Ride-sharing apps, such as Lyft and Uber, have been dominating for years now as well. Even car sharing apps, such as Zipcar or Turo, are nothing new. But new apps are bringing transportation to a whole new level. I’m talking about Bird and Lime Bike. Users can locate a scooter or bicycle from their mobile devices. When they approach the transport, they can unlock it using cameras on their smartphones. Users get charged for the length of time they used the bike or scooter. When they’re done, they can leave it anywhere. Note that it’s relevant to our discussion about location-based services and mobile payments. These new types of transportation are also integrated with mobile technology. Bird raised $15 million earlier this year from investors. They are seeking an additional $100 million. It’s safe to say they predict this will be a major part of the future in this industry. 11. Virtual realityVirtual reality is not quite the same as augmented reality. You’ll need more than just a smartphone to experience virtual reality. Typically, a helmet or some type of goggles get used simultaneously with your mobile device. This technology may even come with a joystick or controller. It’s estimated that the global valuation for the virtual reality market will exceed $26 billion by the year 2022. This won’t happen overnight. We’re already seeing virtual reality advancements in 2018, and I expect those trends to continue as we move forward. 12. Hybrid appsMobile app development can be expensive. Business owners have weighed the pros and cons of native and hybrid app development. While both have their upsides, native development is more expensive. Furthermore, native apps can be built only for one platform at a time. This is a problem for smaller businesses with smaller budgets for app development. If you want to have your app available on both iOS and Android devices, you’d need to go through development twice, which is no easy task. Some businesses can’t afford that. But hybrid apps make this possible. It gives people the opportunity to launch their apps on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store simultaneously for a fraction of the cost. That’s another reason why more mobile apps are available for download, which contributes to the rising global app revenue as well. 13. Personal mobile devices in the workplaceResearch indicates 87% of businesses depend on their employees to access work resources from their personal mobile devices. This is a big change from what we’ve seen in the past when businesses were trying to prevent this. The concept is known as BYOD, or bring your own device. In 2016, 78% of companies that disallowed BYOD said it was due to security concerns. But as I’ve already discussed, mobile security is improving, so now businesses are adapting and changing their policies. Research shows there is a 34% increase in productivity when employees are allowed to use their personal mobile devices for work, which makes sense. They are used to handling these devices on a daily basis. It’s easier for them to navigate and stay organized. This also helps businesses cut back on costs since they don’t need to pay for new hardware. 14. Biometrics advancementsBiometrics are used to enhance security for mobile devices. Examples of biometrics include:
Your current device may have some of these features installed. We’ll see a lot more of this moving forward. For example, let’s say you’ve got an iPhone that was released in the last couple of years. You’re used to the fingerprint feature to unlock the device. But now the new iPhone X has facial recognition software. Other apps are using biometrics as well. For example, you may be required to use your fingerprint to make a mobile payment through some platforms. ConclusionTechnology is constantly evolving. Just compare your current smartphone to the phone you had five or ten years ago. As we continue through 2018, we’ll see several different trends. Older mobile technology will be improved, and newer technology will be introduced. The idea is to understand how consumers react to these changes. They are the ones who shape these trends. Identify the upward trends, and adapt accordingly to meet the needs of your mobile customers. How is your company using the latest mobile trends to make improvements and target mobile consumers? Social Media via Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/UU7LJr July 25, 2018 at 10:01AM
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How to Calculate the ROI of Influencer Marketing Campaigns https://ift.tt/2AaJvwq Do you run influencer marketing campaigns? Wondering how to determine the ROI of your efforts? In this article, you’ll learn how to measure the results of your influencer marketing campaigns.
#1: Determine Your End Goal at the BeginningBefore launching an influencer marketing campaign, you need to decide what you want to accomplish. Establishing an end goal for your efforts is essential for determining how you’ll measure it. Here are the most common end goals (and how to measure them): Brand awareness: Two ways to measure brand awareness are the number of pieces of content produced and impressions. Lead generation: Offering an opt-in inclusion for a newsletter or conversions (such as registering for a price quote) are quantifiable ways to gauge lead generation. Direct sales: Unique discount codes (as in the example below) can help you track sales from your influencer marketing campaign. Brand lift: Brand lift takes brand awareness a step further and refers to a measurable increase in your social media or website presence. Measurements of brand lift include social media following and specific conversions such as website traffic. Remember, measuring ROI only works if you choose the measurement tactic before launching your influencer campaign. #2: Design Your Influencer Marketing Campaign With Measurement in MindOnce you’ve identified your end goal, make sure you have the proper assets in place for your influencer campaign. Design a campaign and seed influencers with the necessary assets to make the goal measurable. Here are some examples of which assets to put in place to measure ROI: Direct sales: If you sell products online and want to measure ROI of your influencer campaign by direct sales, give influencers a unique code to give to their audience that they can use at checkout for a percentage off their purchase. A good amount is 15%-20% off. Make sure the influencer has experience using your brand’s product or service, and let them know you’ll be giving them a discount code before the campaign launches. They can then quote you an appropriate rate and write their post accordingly. Impressions: To create maximum exposure, ask influencers to share their review of your product on their blog (if they have one), as well as their social channels. Conversions: If you’re trying to generate leads via your influencer marketing campaign, make sure you have a juicy piece of content that influencers can share with their audience. Also, be transparent with influencers that you’ll be measuring the success of your campaign based on a certain conversion you’re asking them to link to. Number of pieces of content produced: If you want influencers to produce content for a certain channel, supply high-quality visual and content assets that they can use (i.e., pictures of your brand’s product). Also, ask influencers to post across all of their channels to maximize the types of content that your brand receives. Before launching your campaign, it’s a good idea to assign a value to each piece of content you’ll be receiving. You can then factor that into the ROI you attribute to your overall campaign. Sign-ups: You want to make sure influencers understand that you’re trying to push a certain piece of content or increase subscribers to a newsletter. Knowing this, they can skillfully write a post that steers their audience to help you achieve your goals. This will change the direction of a post, so it’s crucial to be upfront with influencers about it from the very beginning. Social media following: As with sign-ups, a goal of increasing your social media following will ultimately inform the direction of an influencer’s post. You can have the influencer include a call to action (CTA) in their content for readers to follow your brand on various social channels. Also running a contest or giveaway on social media is a fun way to lead an influencer’s audience to your social channels. #3: Compile Campaign Data to Establish ROIBased on the goal of your influencer marketing campaign, you’ll need to measure one or more of the following campaign data points so you can use them to establish ROI: Direct sales: Measuring direct sales is easy if you sell products online. To determine what you earned for every dollar spent, calculate the amount of sales you earned from your influencer’s unique discount code and divide it by the dollars you spent on the campaign. Or subtract the amount you spent from what you earned to determine what you earned from your campaign. Impressions: Impressions is the number of people who saw your influencer’s blog or social post. Brands typically look at actual impressions or potential impressions. Actual impressions are determined by the actual number of people who saw the post that the influencer produced. To determine this figure, calculate the influencer’s social following and/or monthly unique visits to their blog each month. If you want to take this a step further, you can calculate potential impressions for each influencer-produced post. To do this, multiply the number of social shares that the post earned by the average number of followers per user on social media. The average number of followers for each network are:
For instance, if your brand earns a blog post and it was shared on Facebook 10 times, multiply the shares (10) by the average number of followers per user on Facebook (338). Also add the influencer’s following to that figure. If the influencer in this example had a total reach on Facebook of 5,000, your post had 8,338 potential impressions. The equation to use for each influencer in your campaign is: # of shares of your post + average number of followers on channel + influencer’s reach = potential impressions per post To translate impression calculations to ROI, businesses tend to use a numerical value of what they deem an impression is worth. This can be different for each social channel. A B2B brand would put more weight on LinkedIn than Pinterest, while certain B2C brands may value Facebook more than Twitter. The average impression is worth $0.012 and can be increased or decreased per channel. To put a numeric value on impressions, simply use the equation above and multiply your actual impressions and/or potential impressions by $0.012 and, voilà! You have your ROI. Conversions: Conversions may overlap with a few other areas of influencer marketing campaign goals or measurements. To measure conversions, focus on actions a reader takes after viewing a social media or blog post. These actions might be downloads, purchases, or certain website pages visited. There is no industry standard for conversions, so you might consider something like the percentage of website visitors who convert into buyers. To estimate how many of these unique visitors purchased from your brand, look at the number of website visitors brought in by following a link through an influencer’s blog post. Also factor in the average amount a consumer spends per purchase. Number of pieces of content produced: When it comes to measuring how much a piece of media is worth, consider how valuable and versatile all influencer content can be. These words and images can be used on websites as testimonials, across social media, and in a variety of marketing materials. These pieces of media can also convert readers into leads or direct buyers to an online store. There is no industry standard for measuring a piece of influencer-produced media, so it’s helpful to look at sales and ROI from a past campaign. Next, divide the number of pieces of media produced for the total campaign by sales, and assign a value to each piece of media. Keep in mind that you’re basing this metric on past methods of measuring ROI, so it may not be a great measurement tactic if you’re running your first influencer marketing campaign. However, it does give you a reference point. Sign-ups: Sign-ups are often intertwined with conversions and can be measured in much the same way. Sign-ups generated from a single piece of influencer content can give you great metrics, especially if you don’t sell products online. You can include a lead capture form to download a piece of content or sign up for a newsletter, which is a great way to build your email list. Social media following: Some brands employ influencers to help them build their social media presence. You can designate a numerical value for each new follower to attribute a dollar amount to the new eyeballs on your brand. .What do you think? What are your influencer marketing goals? How do you power your influencer marketing strategy and measure ROI? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Social Media via Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p July 25, 2018 at 05:05AM
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How To Develop A Social Media Policy For Your Business https://ift.tt/2Lox8SQ For any small business, a social media policy should clearly outline how all employees should conduct themselves online – such as the type of content they can post, how they should interact with people online, and how they should respond to any negative crisis event. Here are several key guidelines on how to develop a social media policy for your business. Encourage employee participationFirst and foremost, social media policy should encourage, not discourage, online activity. If you think about most corporate policies, they describe what you cant’ do, not what you can do (e.g. you can’t take more than X days of vacation each year). So you have to take a different approach with social media. You should clearly encourage employees to engage online, and to practice common sense while doing so. Establish basic guidelines for social media useYou should establish certain “rules of the road” for social media use. For example, if employees are posting content via their own social media accounts, they should make clear what their relationship to the company. For example, say that your company has just released a fantastic new product, and your employees want to talk about it via social media. They should clearly point out that they are employees of the company, and what their role is. This prevents any awkward situations, where it appears that a company is “hyping” its own products using stealth social media accounts. Focus on common sense principlesIt’s tempting to try to create a massive, 30-page document outlining every possible situation on social media and how employees should act. But guess what? That’s self-defeating for two key reasons. One, nobody is going to read a boring 30-page document. Two, social media is constantly evolving. As soon as you think you’ve covered everything possible, a new social media use case will appear. So focus more on common sense principles – and keep it brief. For example, popular retailer Adidas has a simple, two-page document. It focuses on common sense principles. For example, you have to be careful about non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality agreements on social media – if you have a super-secret product about to launch, you don’t want your employees posting Instagram photos of it! Include guidelines on how to deal with crisis eventsSooner or later, your company will have to deal with a social media crisis. And you will want your employees to know how to deal with it. For example, some companies designate a single person to be the point of contact for any social media crisis. Others tell their employees to respond immediately to any crisis. Adidas, for example, tells its employees that they have to be “the first to respond to a mistake.” The goal, of course, is to contain any fire so that it doesn’t become a conflagration. With these basic guidelines, it’s possible to create a flexible and effective social media policy. Remember – your goal is not to list every possible contingency, it’s to provide a framework for action. You should empower employees to share their enthusiasm and energy, not make them jump through a lot of hoops to get the word out about your company. The post How To Develop A Social Media Policy For Your Business appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog July 24, 2018 at 02:54PM
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The Lazy Marketerâs Guide to Customer Research https://ift.tt/2uMGPzT Finding out what your customers are thinking is a tough nut to crack. Where do you start? Are surveys still the only way to conduct customer research? What if nothing useful comes from it? Do you really have time to do it? Luckily for you, weâve come up with a list of easy customer research tips and tricks. They even come with their own scoring system, so you know exactly how much effort youâll have to put in. Read on to discover: Bonus: Download a free guide that reveals how to increase social media engagement with better audience research, sharper customer targeting, and Hootsuiteâs easy-to-use social media software. What are the benefits of customer research?
Weâve established that customer research is important, but apart from surveys which seem old-hat in todayâs social society, how can you easily (and lazily) conduct customer research? 9 simple ways to conduct customer research1. Use your productGo buy something from your store, create an account, or try to sign up for a subscription. Whatever it is you want your customers to do, go through the experience from their point of view. Youâll be surprised at what can shake out by doing thisâand youâll better understand your customerâs happinessâor frustrationsâwhen they come into contact with you. Ease of research score: 10/10. This is a no-brainer. 2. Search your brand on RedditThis may be a new platform for you to try out, but Reddit is often very useful for unexpected nuggets of information. As Reddit caters to everything from the mainstream to the niche (it brands itself as the âfront page of the internetâ), youâre either going to find comments from someone who has used your product, or a group of enthusiasts in the industry your brand plays in. Reddit posts are usually where youâll find honest answersâsometimes brutally soâbecause people are talking to each other about you instead of directly to you. As such,itâs a place of unexpected insights and ideas on how to connect with your customers. Ease of research score: 8/10 â easy to do once you get the hang of the platform, but sometimes you can get a bum steer by missing out on diverse voices or opinions in your brandâs niche, as Reddit can often be an echo chamber for similar opinions. However, the potential gain and the ease of doing this activity outweighs the negatives. 3. Look at your competitorâs social ads and their channelsMake a list of everyone you consider a competitor (and those your brand aspires to be like), and check out their social ads and channels. Look at the comments their audiences are leavingâthe bad and the good. Youâll be able to see where your competitors are excelling and underperforming, and look to both emulate and avoid. We usually find social adverts are especially telling, as audiences are sensitive to what ads are served up and so they tend be vocal and honest in their replies. Ease of research score: 9/10. It can sometimes be tricky to find your competitorsâ ads if youâre not served them automaticallyâkeep your eyes open when youâre scrolling through feeds in your personal time. But, checking out their channels is easy as pie! 4. Take a look at Amazon reviewsThere are a few reasons you should check Amazon reviews. If you sell a retail product on the platform, not only can you see what people are saying about you and your competitorâs products, but you can get very deep into niche research (like Reddit). For instance, if youâre an online service that helps users save money to buy a house, you can look up personal finance books and see from their reviews what content was helpful and where the gaps in the market are. This helps you to improve the service or content youâre offering to your audience. Ease of research score: 8/10. This kind of customer research is easy to do, but you potentially have to wade through a lot of âpaid forâ reviews to see whatâs genuine and whatâs not. 5. Talking with your sales team/jumping on a sales callSee how they talk to customers, what works well for them, and what doesnât. It can be unexpectedly enlightening, and you might hear or see a technique that you hadnât thought of using before to speak to your audience. Your sales team are on the front lineâthey know your customers better than anyone. Ease of research score: 1 â 8/10. You might not have a sales department, but if you do, schedule a meeting with them right now (after finishing this blog post of course). 6. Interview friends and family that fit your brandâs demographicThis way you can still ask the more pointed and probing questions that you would in an expensive survey, but for free! Ask them for real and honest feedback, and do it face to face (over dinner?) to get their reactionsâitâll add much more colour to your understanding of your customers. Bring their insights back to your team to decide whether any are worth exploring further. Ease of research score: 5/10. It can be tricky to wrangle friends and family, as well as time consuming. But we think the benefits of a in-person interview outweighs the effort spent. Bonus: Download a free guide that reveals how to increase social media engagement with better audience research, sharper customer targeting, and Hootsuiteâs easy-to-use social media software. Get the free guide right now!7. Check the digital complaints boxItâs hard to read negative remarks or comments about your brand, but some of these may offer real insight into how to make your brand even better. Get on your social channels and check the comments, or talk to your customer service team and see what the most common complaints are. You can also reach out directly to individual customers for a more in-depth interview to understand with greater detail improvements you can make as a brand. Ease of research score: 7/10. Tough to take on the criticism, but worth it! 8. Check your insightsFacebook and other major platforms have great metrics and insights on who follows and engages with your pages and content. This is a super simpleâand freeâway to get basic information on who your brand is appealing to. Sometimes it can be surprising as well. Ease of research score: 10/10. This is a no-brainer 9. Do a keyword searchFind out which keywords are related to your brand or business and then go digging across social networks with them. Most social channels use hashtags as an easy way to navigate keywords, so you can see what people are posting in relation to them. Use the results of your research for inspirationâor a lesson in what not to do, depending on the post. This is a simple, quick, and incredibly easy activity that should be ongoing! Ease of research score: 10/10. Another no-brainer All 9 of these activities are the least you could possibly do to get a better picture of what your customers are thinking and feeling about your brand, but you donât even need to do all of them. Pick one (or two if youâre feeling motivated!) and see how far you get. Perhaps youâll be inspired to take an even deeper dive into customer research by creating audience personas. Or maybe youâll invest in some of the best social media analytics tools to get even more detailed insights. Whether youâve got budget to burn or not, customer research is never a bad idea. Connect with your customers on social media using Hootsuite. Upload, schedule, and publish posts to all the major social media networks from one dashboard. Try it free today. Social Media via Hootsuite Social Media Management https://ift.tt/1LdunxE July 24, 2018 at 08:50AM |
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