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How to Use New Pinterest Features to Improve Your Marketing https://ift.tt/3hRcfL7 Want a better return on your Pinterest marketing efforts? Are you using all of the Pinterest features available to you? In this article, you’ll discover how to use three valuable Pinterest features to enhance the customer journey. Explore the Newest Pinterest Board Features First, let’s uncover how to use these features to optimize your Pinterest […] The post How to Use New Pinterest Features to Improve Your Marketing appeared first on Social Media Examiner | Social Media Marketing. Social Media via Social Media Examiner | Social Media Marketing https://ift.tt/1LtH18p September 23, 2020 at 05:05AM
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Finding a Date Using Social Media? Here are Some Precautions You Can Take https://ift.tt/35Zvu32 We’ve all heard stories or even know people who met their spouses on social media, especially online dating apps, and today, they’re in a blissful relationship with them. However, they’re also many people who have met their worst nightmares on these platforms, either by falling into the hands of fraudsters or meeting people who took advantage of them. Surprisingly, the use of social media platforms to find love has been on the rise, as over 5 million Australians make use of dating sites. However, popular dating sites do not carry out background checks like a police check on their members. That’s why in the quest to find Mr. or Mrs. Right online, here are some important precautions to take: While Connecting Online
Fake dating accounts should be avoided at all costs. Most of the time, the owners of this account will not fill in their bio, neither will they link their social media accounts. Maybe they’ll upload only one picture. It’s important not to connect with someone with so little information.
Users that act inappropriately should be blocked. Moreover, users with suspicious behaviors should be blocked and reported. Here are some suspicious behaviors to bear in mind:
Sharing personal information like work or home address, social security number, bank information, and more, with someone online is a terrible idea.
It’s interesting the amount of information that can be gotten about a person from just a social media check. Checking out their profiles on other platforms gives a clearer picture of their personality. When Going for a Date Here are some of the things to bear in mind when going on a date with that person:
A video chat will help to ensure that the person is whom they claim to be. Moreover, you know exactly whom you’re going with on a date.
Never go on a date without telling one of your friends or family members. Send them a screenshot of the date’s profile, the venue, and time. If plans change along the way, promptly update them. This helps to ensure that someone else knows your whereabouts in case something happens.
Never meet in private for the first few dates. Meet in a place where there are lots of other people around, like a coffee shop or restaurant.
Stay away from alcohol on your first few dates to avoid getting hungover. This helps to ensure your date doesn’t take advantage of you.
If things are beginning to get ugly, enlist the help of the bartender or waiter to create a distraction. Call the police and head home.
Feel free to end the date anytime you feel uncomfortable. Safety should be your number one priority. The post Finding a Date Using Social Media? Here are Some Precautions You Can Take appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog September 22, 2020 at 09:06PM Shalom Lamm on What Will Happen To Museums Amidst the Pandemic https://ift.tt/33Se4CM With the future of the world changing every day, it’s hard to keep up with what will happen in the future. There are wildfires, torrential storms, and a pandemic that are continually changing the way we all live our lives. Shalom Lamm, an history degree holder, is curious about how museums will react to current lockdown regulations. As written on Ambit Success, Lamm has a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and a Masters in Military History. He is well versed in studying the past but also very good at predicting what trends will continue in the future. His passion for history and education makes him the perfect candidate to predict what will happen to museums during this trying time. Museums take a lot of time to plan. The exhibits might seem as if they change overnight, when in fact it takes months to curate one. Prior to the pandemic, Lamm expresses he enjoyed going to museums with his students and family. It was a wonderful way to see history first hand and also experience its emotional impact. When visiting World War II exhibits, it’s hard for Lamm to keep a dry eye. His Jewish heritage makes his connection to all those innocent lives that perished so much stronger. In addition, he is the CEO of Operation Benjamin. This organization finds Jewish soldiers who were not properly buried during the war and returns them to their families before performing a proper Jewish burial. It’s with these passions that admit to missing visiting museums. The pandemic has halted any visitors because of the constant fear of spreading the virus. Lamm believes that museums also have a hard time figuring out what to do because of sanitation policies. If artifacts were ever allowed to be touched by my guests, they had to have been sanitized. Unfortunately, no one knows how sanitizers would affect the binding, lettering, or hardware of a given artifact. Moving forward, museums must not let people touch anything. Lamm believes that if an artifact is displayed, it should be enclosed in a protective covering to solidify its protection. Of course, if museums were to open, the capacity must be limited. Lamm has used to attend museums with groups of all ages. Children, families, young professionals, and elders would always be active participants at museums. Unfortunately, that can no longer happen. School field trips will most likely come to a close, at least until a vaccine is found. Having large groups of children running around museums can be detrimental. On Thrive Global, Lamm says that in order for the children to be 100% safe, they must stay home or in their classrooms.It’s hard to believe that the beautiful rooms, hall, and exhibits filled with human history are now silent. With no visitors, it can be difficult for museums to support staff. Shalom recommends donating to either local museums or any of your choice. This is because although it may not seem like museums are a priority to keep afloat during the pandemic, they most certainly are. Without the colossal amounts of history documented in each museum, we would all be clueless. By having visitors, the museums are able to interchange exhibits and produce more content for those of all ages. That’s why Lamm urges those who can to make any contribution. If museums were to ever be just online, it wouldn’t be the same experience. There is an emotional connection made between an artifact and a person when they are so close to it. Lifesize perceptions of animals can only be experienced at the Natural History Museum in New York City. These are simply events that can only happen in person. Although Lamm is a professional historian, he still has trouble predicting the future. Museums are a substantial part of educational culture. Without them, our world would be very different. Thrive recently published an article about the importance of the past. Museums teach us the past so the future is brighter and the world could certainly use some sunshine this year. The post Shalom Lamm on What Will Happen To Museums Amidst the Pandemic appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog September 22, 2020 at 06:35PM
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Social networks are doing a voter registration blitz this week https://ift.tt/362YmY3 With the most uncertain election in modern American history fast approaching, social networks are doing a final big push to get their users registered to vote. The efforts align with National Voter Registration Day, which punctuates ongoing efforts from companies like Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat to get people to the polls, whether IRL or through mail-in voting. Snapchat, which says it has helped 750,000 U.S. users get registered to vote, announced new voter-focused programming with an eclectic slate of celebrities that included Snoop Dogg, former President Obama and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The social network is also launching some new Snap Originals (the company’s short form pieces of content) themed around the U.S. election. Those include a “Good Luck Voter!” miniseries by Peter Hamby a special election-focused episode of “While Black with MK Asante.” Star power aside, a Snapchat tool prompts users make a plan to vote with friends and also allows them to request a mail-in ballot through the app itself. Any account featured on Snapchat’s Discover page can also embed the platform’s voter registration tool directly into their content. Twitter’s own efforts also put voter registration front and center. On September 22, all U.S. Twitter users were sent a prompt asking them to register or confirm their voter registration through TurboVote. The prompt and an accompanying push alert were sent in 40 languages. The new reminders join the company’s existing voting info hub and its #YourVoiceYourVote campaign, which recruited popular accounts like Marshmello and Chrissy Teigen to promote a link to Vote.org’s registration check page along with original voice notes. Twitter also added new hashtag emoji linked to #NationalVoterRegistrationDay and #VoteReady.
Adding to its existing efforts, like the launch of its own election info hub, top-of-newsfeed prompts and Instagram reminders, Facebook roped in celebrities Alicia Keys, Gabrielle Union, Jada Pinkett Smith and others for a special “Vote-A-Thon 2020” series of livestreaming educational PSAs around voter registration. Facebook says it’s helped 2.5 million people get registered to vote across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger Facebook’s top-of-feed notifications reminding users to register will run on the Facebook app, Instagram and Messenger through Friday September 25. Users who use a new set of Instagram stickers for National Voter Registration Day will have their story featured in a special voter registration-themed story on the social network. YouTube and the apparently still-in-limbo TikTok didn’t appear to be holding their own voter registration drives Tuesday, but Google, Reddit and Discord all featured prominent homepage banners reminding users to register to vote. Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com September 22, 2020 at 05:16PM
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4 Different Ways to Build a Better Relationship with Your Customers https://ift.tt/3kHvNDs If you want to run a successful business, then you need to build a good relationship with consumers. There’s no better source of income than a returning customer who has recommended your company to their family and friends. Beyond providing good customer service, there are several other tactics that business owners can employ to build a stronger relationship with their clientele. But what exactly are these tactics? And how do they work? Well, we’re going to be answering these very questions in our article today. Keep reading if you would like to find out more. 1.) Asking for Feedback It’s not uncommon to see different companies asking their customers how they did. This is all about soliciting feedback. Not only does this help businesses to identify where they could improve their operations but also demonstrates to the customers that they care about their opinion and providing them with a quality product/service. However, this isn’t a completely altruistic act. Sometimes, simply asking someone to leave a review means they are more likely to leave a good one. Bearing in mind good reviews are good press, asking for feedback works in your business’s favour in more ways than just customer relationship management. 2.) Email Marketing Email marketing is a form of permission-based advertising, as people can only receive messages from businesses if they’ve agreed to sign up. If you manage to get your foot in the door with email marketing, this is a brilliant way to build a good relationship with your customers. For example, within a monthly e-newsletter, you can provide free information or special subscriber promotions. Resultantly, users feel like they have made an excellent deal by subscribing to you, thereby ensuring their loyalty for the future. Email marketing is also a brilliant way to deliver tailored content to customers, such as product recommendations based on their search history. Once again, this deepens their appreciation for your company. Check out this list of the best email marketing platforms to see how else they could benefit your business. 3.) Increase Interactions People are more likely to remember and thereby shop with your company if you interact with them. For example, you will often see companies replying to the messages that customers leave on their social media posts. Whether these are humorous interactions or addressing genuine concerns, you are bound to improve your relationships with your customers. By showing people they are seen and heard, they feel more valued and should return to your business. Just don’t go overboard or become intrusive when doing so because customers won’t appreciate that, either. 4.) Loyalty Schemes If you want to guarantee a returning source of income for your company, then it’s worth introducing a loyalty scheme into your services. A popular example of this is offering customers free coffee after they visit your café three or more times. Retailers and supermarkets also have things like loyalty cards which accrue shop credit whenever the customer buys with them. As everyone wants to save money wherever they can, this means people are more likely to shop with you. To build a stronger relationship with customers beyond your typical loyalty schemes, we recommend throwing in special rewards from time to time, too. These will come as a surprise and make customers feel especially appreciated. Though this might cost your business a little money, it will undoubtedly pay off in the end. These are some different tips for building a better relationship with your customers. Putting in a little more money and effort will make a big difference. The post 4 Different Ways to Build a Better Relationship with Your Customers appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog September 22, 2020 at 11:12AM
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Best VPN Services https://ift.tt/3mJFEuw Want a good way to stay safe online? Or maybe you’re traveling abroad and need the Internet for work? Or perhaps you just want to access Netflix videos from other countries. You need a VPN (virtual private network) service. A good VPN masks your online identity by hiding your IP address, using the IP address of the VPN’s server instead. This allows you to keep your privacy and sensitive information safe online, and also helps you circumvent the most powerful Internet firewalls. This gives you more access to websites and online content you otherwise wouldn’t get. Luckily, there are tons of high-quality VPNs out there. Unluckily, there are also plenty of bad ones. That’s why we created this guide. We want to break down the five best VPN services out there, and give you our in-depth reviews of each one. • Best for flexibility What is a VPN service?VPN stands for “virtual private network.” The way it works might seem complicated—but it’s actually pretty simple: VPN services have a network of servers all over the world. Customers access those servers and use them to mask their IP addresses. This allows them to essentially search the Internet as if they were in the country where the server is. To help protect your identity, VPN services are highly encrypted. This protects your personal identity, and helps secure all of your information while you safely browse. Think of it like a tunnel. You can hide a tunnel that allows you to travel anywhere you want without anyone knowing. The same is with a VPN. Now that you know how VPNs work, let’s take a look at the five best ones. The 5 Best VPN Services
We took a look at dozens of VPNs and have narrowed it down to these five best ones. #1. ExpressVPN – Best VPN for flexibility• Best for flexibility It’s also one of the best (if not the best) VPN service out there. They offer more than 3,000 servers across 136 locations in 94 different countries. Their plans also come with unlimited bandwidths and lightning fast speeds. In fact, they come with a built-in Speed Test tool that allows you to choose the fastest servers. Some of their best features:
Perhaps the biggest selling point for me is their fantastic customer support. You don’t want to be in a situation where you can’t get ahold of a representative when you need them. Luckily, with ExpressVPN, they have a world-class team of support professionals on call at all hours to help you with any issue you might have. Pricing for ExpressVPN starts at $8.32/month. That’s billed annually. If you want their month-to-month pricing it’ll run you $12.95/month. With it, you’ll also get a 30-day money back guarantee. So if you don’t like their services, you can get your money fully refunded, no questions asked. #2. NordVPN – Best prices for VPN services• Best prices out there In fact, if you act now you can save 51% on your NordVPN service at just $5.75/month (billed annually). That’s a pretty fantastic deal. On top of a great price point, NordVPN also offers a stellar VPN service. With more than 5,400 servers across 59 countries, you’ll be able to connect up to six devices to their lightning fast connections to any of their servers across the globe. The devices you can connect include Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, AndroidTV, Linux, Chrome, and Firefox. They also have a great proxy extension for both Firefox and Chrome for even easier VPN access. Some other great features:
Due to their fantastic service, they’ve earned themselves a number of ProPrivacy Awards too. It should be noted that in October 2019, NordVPN was the subject of a cyberattack after one of their servers in Finland was breached. A private server key was leaked as a result. That next month in November, another much more severe cyberattack occurred that resulted in more than 2,000 usernames and passwords being exposed. NordVPN has dedicated themselves to fix these issues though via internal security audits. They also implemented a bug bounty program that allows others to find and recognize bugs for them in exchange for money. This can be a dealbreaker for anyone who values security. As such, we felt it was only fair that we call it out. However, we still believe that NordVPN is one of the best out there when it comes to VPN services. Prices currently start at $5.75/month for an annual contract. However, this is subject to change as NordVPN frequently offers amazing deals throughout the year. #3. Cyberghost VPN – Most bang for your buck• Most bang for your buck With more than 6,500 servers across more than 90 countries, Cyberghost gives you features you won’t find on other VPN services such as:
While they include a lot of great features you might not find elsewhere, they are lacking in a few areas. For one, their customer support isn’t the most robust. While it’s technically “24/7” they don’t have a live call feature if you want to talk to a human. Instead, you can put in a ticket request with your issue, and they’ll contact you when they receive it. That can be an issue for people who encounter problems that need to be solved as soon as possible, which you want to avoid if you’re traveling abroad or using a VPN for work. The pricing is very lucrative, though, starting at $2.75/month. However, you’d be locked into an 18-month contract—which can be a deal breaker depending on what you’re looking for. Their six month plan runs you $7.99/month and their one month plan is $12.99/month, so it’s definitely the pricier option once you’re finished with their promotional deal. However, with their services, it’s really worth it for the money. #4. Surfshark VPN – Best VPN service for more devices• Unlimited devices with subscription But what really separates Surfshark from the rest of the pack is the fact that you can have unlimited devices to one account. This is great for people who want to share VPNs or if you’re just a tech head who loves having multiple devices. They offer more than 1,700 servers across 63 countries. They also utilize the same AES 256-bit encryption of most all VPN services. Some other great features:
They also offer 27/7 support through a live chat tool as well as email. If you’re looking to talk to someone though, you won’t be able to get them on the phone–that might be a dealbreaker. But as long as the live chat is working, you should be good. Pricing-wise, Surfshark is also one of the most affordable ones out there with the current promotion going for $2.49/month. Granted, that’s with a two year contract. Their six month pricing isn’t too bad either at $6.49/month. And if you’re not satisfied with the service, they also give you a 30-day money back guarantee. Perfect if you want to try it out for a bit while traveling or working from home. #5. Tunnelbear VPN – Most simple VPN service• Most simple VPN service Customers click on the VPN server they want to access, and a little cartoon bear tunnels its way towards that server. Maybe it’s just the kid in me but TunnelBear really makes something as mundane as using a VPN kind of fun. Aside from their delightful interface, they also offer a great VPN service. With servers across more than 23 countries, TunnelBear gives you what you need at an affordable price. They do have a few potential downsides though. While TunnelBear is very beginner friendly, they don’t have the features and tools you might find in other VPN services. Things like ad-blockers, Netflix unblocking, and limited devices are all lacking with TunnelBear plans. However, this could also be a boon for anyone looking for a simple, straightforward (and a little fun) VPN service. Pricing wise they’re very affordable. They offer a free trial but that only gives you 500MB of browsing. For unlimited browsing and five connected devices, it’ll start (and stay) at $3.33/month. For teams, you’ll be looking at $5.75/month. These prices aren’t promotional either. This is just how it’ll be until they decide to change it. Plus, you gotta love that branding. How to choose a VPN service?When deciding on a VPN service, your criteria should be unique to you and what you’re looking for. That said, there are a few different areas that we looked towards when compiling this list. Use them to help guide your ultimate decision when it comes to VPN services. SecurityThis is a no brainer. If you’re looking for a VPN, you probably value security more than any other factor. As such, you want a VPN that comes with what should be standard features by now such as:
And more. On top of that, you should see if the VPN has had a history with cyber attacks and compromised security (cough NordVPN cough). While that might not necessarily mean that they’re a bad VPN, it might be a dealbreaker when considering them and another company. User interface and functionalityWhile pricing, security, features, and speed are all important, none of them really matter if you can’t actually use the VPN. That’s why you want to look for a VPN with a user-friendly interface that allows even the newest VPN user to easily access its services. You shouldn’t have to have a degree in computer science or cybersecurity in order to use a VPN. That’s why simplicity and intuitiveness are the name of the game when it comes to these solutions. Tunnelbear VPN stands out for this reason. It’s as easy as pointing and clicking with their service. Along with the user interface, you’ll want to make sure you get a VPN that doesn’t bog you down with a bunch of features you won’t use and don’t need. Why pay more for Netflix access when you’re just using it to keep safe while you work? SpeedOf course, your VPN should be fast too. You don’t want to spend all day waiting for a Netflix video to buffer or for your page to load just because you’re using a VPN. This also includes things like torrenting and file sharing. You should expect fast speeds akin to that if you weren’t using a VPN. Be sure to compare speeds when it comes to your VPN solutions. Surfshark and Express VPN standout for their fantastic speeds without sacrificing security. That’s why they’re recommended on our list. • Best for flexibility ConclusionHere’s our list of VPN services again:
Each VPN service is unique to fit your unique needs. What you ultimately choose is up to you! But keep in mind security, speed, and a user-friendly interface when making your choice. Social Media via Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/UU7LJr September 22, 2020 at 11:00AM
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How to Use Facebook Groups to Keep Customers: 5 Ways https://ift.tt/2EsTd0c Looking for a way to increase customer retention? Are your customers using Facebook? In this article, you’ll discover how to strategically use a Facebook group to nurture customer relationships. Why Repeat Customers Are the Most Valuable Customers Attracting new customers for your business can be a costly exercise, but once you’ve converted them, they become […] The post How to Use Facebook Groups to Keep Customers: 5 Ways appeared first on Social Media Examiner | Social Media Marketing. Social Media via Social Media Examiner | Social Media Marketing https://ift.tt/1LtH18p September 22, 2020 at 05:04AM
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Are You Making the Most Out of Your Social Media Advertising Campaigns? https://ift.tt/35VMx5P Most of us are already aware of the power associated with social media channels. Not only are these domains excellent resources to connect with other like-minded users, but they represent essential tools in the world of online retail sales. However, many freelancers are failing to make the most out of the numerous advertising opportunities which await. If you feel as if a current marketing campaign is falling flat, the chances are high that minor changes need to be made. Let us first take a look at some everyday errors to avoid before moving on to discuss the ways in which you can truly leverage the scope of social media circles. Social Media Marketing: More Might Not Necessarily be Better The Smart Approach to Social Media Advertising
Assuming that you have a solid e-commerce solution in place, you will next need to adopt a more pragmatic approach to your marketing campaigns. Try to determine which posts have garnered the most attention. What do they share in common? Are they all associated with a specific product? What about the tone of voice? When were they created and what types of media content (if any) was embedded within their structure? If you are able to discover which posts generate the most interest, it will be much easier to curate similar material in the future. The post Are You Making the Most Out of Your Social Media Advertising Campaigns? appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog September 21, 2020 at 06:52PM
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This Week in Apps: iOS 14’s surprise arrival, Apple’s app bundle, TikTok & WeChat banned from app stores Sunday https://ift.tt/3hEN5zq Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the TechCrunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that flows through it all. The app industry is as hot as ever, with a record 204 billion downloads and $120 billion in consumer spending in 2019. People are now spending three hours and 40 minutes per day using apps, rivaling TV. Apps aren’t just a way to pass idle hours — they’re a big business. In 2019, mobile-first companies had a combined $544 billion valuation, 6.5x higher than those without a mobile focus. In this series, we help you keep up with the latest news from the world of apps, delivered on a weekly basis. Top StoriesHow iOS 14 and Apple’s other new plans impact appsAt Apple’s hardware event this week, the company announced a new Apple Watch Series 6, an Apple Watch SE, an eighth-generation iPad and a new iPad Air, among other things. But the bigger news for app makers was the surprise release of iOS 14. Typically, developers are given a much longer heads-up and at least have the updated version of their developer tools well before the actual iOS launch day. This year, however, Apple shocked app developers with an announcement during its live event that its new software platforms, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14, would arrive in less than 24 hours. The move was a low blow from Apple at a time when its developer community was already feeling disrespected by Apple’s tougher stance on the use of in-app purchases and increase in capricious app rejections, not to mention the language Apple used to describe their contributions to iPhone’s success in Apple’s lawsuit with Epic Games. But now iOS 14 is here, and with it comes a radical change to how apps are presented and used on iPhone. App Clips will allow users to launch “mini app” experiences when a full app download isn’t needed, like in the case of needing to pay at a parking meter using a native app. Widgets will allow developers to increase their presence on the home screen, potentially increasing their importance to their most loyal users. But on the flip side, infrequently used apps may now be abandoned in the new App Library. Any app that doesn’t get a home screen spot in the new version of iOS either as an app icon or widget may soon find that its MAUs and DAUs decline after users upgrade to iOS 14. Being relegated to the App Library is the equivalent of being stuck inside a folder on the back screen — out of sight and forgotten. App developers who suspect they haven’t made the cut in the big iOS redesign will need to make clever use of push notifications to rekindle their relationship with users. But this, too, is a fine line. Too many notifications or pushing low-value notifications will see users turning to other iOS tools — like the option to easily silence or switch off notifications entirely for the app in question. And then, without any visibility or a way to connect, the app will be truly forgotten. Apple also challenged the entire fitness app industry with its launch of a Fitness+ subscription service. Wall Street investors weren’t too worried about the long-term potential impact to top brands, like Peloton and Fitbit. But these companies are not necessarily representative of the smaller fitness app maker. For $10 per month or just $80 per year, Apple is offering a home gym membership of sorts, with deep integrations with Apple Watch. Fitness+ offers workouts and instructions set to music that can be used across Apple devices. Because it’s from Apple, the workouts will also correctly sync to the Apple Watch for accurate recording of various workout metrics, like calories burned, pace or distance, for example. The service is also being bundled in Apple’s new Apple One subscription in the upper tier, which may appeal to Apple’s current subscribers looking to save money by paying for an all-in-one service instead of individual apps. And what could a fitness app maker do to compete with this? Or a music app, for that matter? Third-parties don’t typically have the option to get bundled into a high-value package alongside other top apps from unrelated industries, unless the company goes out and forges those deals itself — like Spotify once did with Hulu. Given that Apple is still being investigated over antitrust issues, it’s rather bold to launch a bundle deal like this while continuing to commission its competitors — rivals who have no other means of reaching iPhone’s audience outside the App Store. Another new Apple service puts family tracking apps on notice. Though apps like Life360 have become must-have tools in the helicopter parent era, Apple’s new Family Setup aims to transform the kid-tracking industry by taking a different tactic: it’s for families who aren’t buying kids an iPhone just yet. Instead, Apple will lure new customers by making its Apple Watch — and specifically, the more affordable Apple Watch SE — kids’ first Apple device. Kids get to use Apple Watch’s key features, like Emergency SOS, Maps, Siri, Alarms, Memoji, Apple Pay, and more, while parents get to restrict who the child can call or text. By the time the child upgrades to iPhone and the wider world of apps that comes with it, families may see no need for a third-party alternative for family safety. That means kid trackers will need to upgrade their offerings to include features that Apple doesn’t, like Life360 does with its driving features, like crash detection or weekly driver reports, for instance. Continuing chaos around the TikTok banThere is nothing straightforward about the TikTok ban. Like much of the Executive Order activity coming from the current administration, a broad order is issued but the details are left to be worked out on the fly, leading to chaos. In the case of the TikTok deal and the app’s potential ban in the U.S., at the beginning of this week we learned China would rather see TikTok banned than forced into a sale, and that neither Oracle nor Microsoft would get to acquire TikTok’s U.S. business. Microsoft was said to have apparently pissed off TikTok owner ByteDance by calling the app a security risk and was cut out of the deal. Later in the week, Oracle put out a press release saying it would be the technology partner for TikTok, and Walmart separately claimed to still be involved. Oh, and it seems Instagram founder and former CEO Kevin Systrom was approached for the TikTok CEO job at one point. Lord. So what’s happening now? The U.S. government and ByteDance continue to negotiate on specific terms. As of late, the U.S. wants Oracle to agree to review TikTok source code for backdoors, ByteDance to create a new organization for its U.S. operations with a board approved by the U.S. government and for there to be a license agreement for TikTok’s algorithms. As TechCrunch reported, these terms beg the question as to how TikTok could possibly continue to refine its algorithms in real time without access to U.S. TikTok user data, or when it has to rebuild its infrastructure on Oracle, separated from a core product being developed elsewhere. But nevertheless, reports claim ByteDance has agreed to the government’s terms and also plans to IPO TikTok’s global business. On Friday, the Commerce Dept. announced the details of how it plans to enforce a shutdown, saying that both TikTok and WeChat, the other Chinese app impacted by the ban, would no longer be distributed on U.S. app stores as of September 20. But TikTok gets an extension that allows it to still operate until November 12 as the parties attempt to hammer out the complicated deal. That deadline means the app will continue to work through the U.S. elections, based on how the terms are spelled out now. But those could change at any time, given the chaotic nature of how this potential ban has progressed so far. Despite being one of TikTok’s chief rivals, Instagram — which recently copied TikTok with its own feature, Reels — has come out against the ban. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said a U.S. ban of the app would be bad for the internet more broadly, including companies like Facebook and Instagram. TikTok interim CEO Vanessa Pappas then publicly asked him for help with its litigation.
By the time you read this, several more updates about the TikTok deal may have been released. Stay tuned. Weekly News
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DownloadsAviary Aviary’s recently launched Twitter app ($4.99) is ready for iOS 14, with home screen widgets and support for multiple columns on iPad. Color Widgets A simple app is No. 1 on the (non-game) App Store because, clearly, iOS users were ready for widgets. The Color Widgets app lets you pick a color, font and theme for a basic widget that displays the date, day of the week, time and battery level. Isn’t that pretty?
Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com September 21, 2020 at 04:40PM
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Social Media for Nonprofits: 11 Essential Tips for Success https://ift.tt/2bjOChz Anyone familiar with using social media for nonprofits knows there are both challenges and advantages. Organizations are often run by small teams and volunteers, with resources and budgets stretched thin. And with organic reach plummeting in favour of ad dollars, social media can sometimes seem like a lost cause. Fortunately, there are several tools and resources available for nonprofits on social media. Most platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, offer support and special features for eligible nonprofits. But they’re not helpful if you don’t know where to find them or how to use them. Learn how to set your nonprofit social media strategy up for success. Get your message out and make every effort count with these timesaving tips. Bonus: Read the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence. Benefits of social media for nonprofitsSocial media marketing for nonprofits allows you to share your message on a global and local level. These are the primary benefits of using social media for nonprofits. Promote awarenessEducation and advocacy is one of the first steps to affecting change. Share your nonprofit’s message on social media. Communicate your mission to new followers and spread the word about new initiatives, campaigns, and issues within your community. And connect with the people who need support.
Build communitiesGrow your base and recruit potential volunteers, speakers, advocates, and mentors. Social media can be a powerful community building tool for nonprofits. Create channels and groups where people can engage, share resources, and stay informed about issues that matter to them.
Inspire actionRally people behind your nonprofit with concrete actions they can take to support your cause. Promote marches, protests, marathons, and other events. Encourage followers to call politicians, pressure or boycott bad actors, or simply adopt more mindful behaviour. And of course, run fundraisers to collect donations.
Share your impactShow people what your nonprofit can accomplish. Build momentum by celebrating victories, big and small. Let your contributors know you value their contributions and see how their help has made a difference. Share achievements, gratitude, and positivity, and you’ll attract more support down the line.
11 social media tips and best practices for nonprofit organizationsFollow these best practices to support your nonprofit organizations and social media goals. 1. Set up accounts as nonprofitsMost social media platforms offer special features and resources for nonprofits. Facebook and Instagram allow nonprofits to add “donate” buttons and run fundraisers from their accounts. YouTube offers Link Anywhere cards, production resources, dedicated technical support, and fundraising tools. Make sure to enroll as a non-profit in order to access these benefits. Here are platform-specific links for nonprofits:
YouTube
TikTok
2. Add donation buttonsIf your non-profit collects donations, make sure you’ve added donation buttons on Facebook and Instagram. Both platforms have fundraising tools, too. But you never know when someone may discover your nonprofit on social media and want to contribute. How to add a donate button to your Facebook Page:
How to add a donate button to your Instagram profile:
While you’re adding buttons, add links to your social media accounts to your website, newsletter, and email signatures. Make it easy for people to connect, and give them confidence they’re following official accounts. Find all the icons you need here. 3. Take advantage of free training and resourcesThere are tons of free resources available on social media for nonprofits. So many, in fact, that the time it takes to wade through them almost outweighs their benefits. We’ve pared the top social media for nonprofit resources down into a concise list, sorted by platform. Facebook and Instagram nonprofit resources:
YouTube nonprofit resources:
Twitter nonprofit resources:
LinkedIn nonprofit resources:
Snapchat nonprofit resources: TikTok nonprofit resources:
Hootsuite nonprofit resources:
4. Develop social media guidelines and policiesNonprofits are often run by lean teams and supported by a network of volunteers with varied backgrounds, schedules, and skill levels. Social media policies for nonprofits allow organizers to provide structure and maintain flexibility. With clear guidelines in place, it’s easier to onboard new volunteers and deliver consistency no matter who’s running the accounts. A social media policy for nonprofits should include:
In addition to social media policy, it’s worthwhile to draw up social media guidelines. These can be combined or treated as separate documents. Here’s what your guidelines may include:
Guidelines should equip teams with the information they need to succeed and prevent your nonprofit from straining limited resources. 5. Create a content calendarA content calendar is a good way to keep your nonprofit team on the same page. It also allows you to plan ahead so teams with limited resources aren’t stretched too thin or left scrambling to put things together at the last minute. Anticipate key events that are important for your cause. For example, a nonprofit that champions women will likely want to plan content for International Women’s Day, Mother’s Day and Gender Equality Week. Don’t forget traditional holidays or important anniversaries either. Take a look at Twitter’s Marketing calendar or Pinterest’s Seasonal Insights Planner. Note the keywords and hashtags so you can benefit from increased reach during these events. #GivingTuesday is an important social media for nonprofit event, too.
Once you’ve accounted for external events, get more granular with your nonprofit. Develop a social media content strategy that compliments your organization’s objectives. Decide when it might be best to run campaigns and fundraisers. Determine your posting frequency and start scheduling content. If possible, aim to post consistently. When are the best times for nonprofits to post on social media? We break down the best times by platform here. Be sure to also check your analytics to confirm when your followers are most online and likely to see your posts. Hootsuite Planner is a timesaver for teams—especially for overworked teams. Assign tasks, approve content, and see what’s coming up so messages don’t get mixed. Our Composer will also suggest optimal times to post your content. 6. Share stories about peoplePeople connect with people. It’s as simple as that. Studies repeatedly confirm that posts with pictures of people in them tend to receive more engagement. Twitter research finds videos that include people in the first few frames leads to 2X higher retention. Another study by Georgia Institute of Technology and Yahoo Labs reports that photos that contain faces are 38% more likely to receive likes and 32% more comments
These days people increasingly want to know who’s behind the brand and logo. That’s true of nonprofits, too, especially since building and maintaining trust is imperative. Show your audience who founded your nonprofit and why. Introduce people to your volunteers. Tell the stories of the people and communities you’ve been able to support through your work.
7. Post shareable contentCreate content that people will want to share. What makes a post shareable? Offer something people will find valuable. It could be anything from an informative fact to a heartwarming anecdote. And never underestimate the shareability of strong visuals--especially video. How-to’s and tutorials continue to be popular across social media, from Pinterest to TikTok. If your nonprofit social media strategy includes education, consider trying these formats.
Statistics and facts often reveal the cold truths behind certain issues. Infographics can help you tell the story behind the numbers. Take advantage of the carousel format on Instagram to parse out complex or multilingual information across a series of images. Try to design each image as a standalone. That way people can share the slide that speaks to them the most.
Strong call to actions and motivational quotes work here, too. Want to rally people behind a message? Imagine your post as a protest sign. What would you want to carry down the streets and wave over your head?
8. Run a hashtag campaignWith the right hashtag and nonprofit social media strategy, your organization can shine a spotlight on important issues. Bonus: Read the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence. Get the free guide right now!Choose a hashtag that drives your message home and is easy to remember. For example, UNESCO created the hashtag #TruthNeverDies to raise awareness about crimes against journalists. On its own, it’s pretty self-explanatory, and easy to rally around. Timed to coincide with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the hashtag earned more than 2 million impressions and was shared on Twitter more than 29.6K times. Other nonprofits have tapped the popularity of hashtag challenges on TikTok. The United Nation’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) launched a #DanceForChange to promote sustainable farming in Africa. More than 33K videos were created during the campaign, amassing 105.5M views.
9. Launch a fundraiserStep up your social media marketing for nonprofits with a fundraiser. Fundraisers have always been possible on social media, but now with several fundraiser tools in place, it’s even easier to collect donations. On Facebook, verified nonprofit organizations can create a fundraiser that lives on their page. Other features include a Facebook Live donate button and a fundraiser thank you tool. You can also allow people to create personal fundraisers for your nonprofit and add donate buttons next to their posts. Instagram also supports Live Donations, for fundraisers that you can run yourself, or other accounts can run on your behalf. You can also create donation stickers for Instagram Stories, and allow people to share them.
TikTok now has donation stickers, too, but for now they’re only available for certain organizations. 10. Signal boost with tags and partnersPartnerships should be a core part of your nonprofit social media strategy. Why? The best way to reach more people on social media is with more people. Join forces with like-minded nonprofits, or team up with corporate partners and influencers. Working with partners allows you to share platforms and connect with a new audience that will likely be interested in what you’re doing. Use tags and encourage engagement to signal boost your posts. For example, B Corp tagged all its certified companies mentioned in an article it shared, increasing the odds that each account and its followers will like and share the post. To promote an upcoming event, the nonprofit United States of Women took advantage of Twitter hashtags, mentions, and photos tags—sending implicit notifications to all parties involved to like RT.
Tag-to-enter contests can be an effective way to reach more people as well. Run a challenge or giveaway and ask participants to tag friends for a chance to win.
Need a little more of a boost? Consider social media advertising. 11. Host an online eventEvents are an important way for nonprofit members to come together, organize, share knowledge, and affect change. Social media is no longer just a place to promote these events. It’s a venue for hosting events, too. Many events that would have once been held in person have gone virtual, opening them up to much broader audiences. Just about every platform, from YouTube to LinkedIn to Twitter supports live events, from webinars to dance-a-thons. These events can be streamed across multiple channels, and include live chat and fundraising. LGBTQ+ media advocacy nonprofit GLAAD uses Instagram Live to host a weekly GLAAD Hangout for its followers.
In honour of National Indigenous History Month, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund raised money by hosting performances from musicians and artists. National Geographic Society promotes its mission to protect the planet with YouTube series, including Photo Camp Live and Storytellers Summit. Don’t forget in-person events can also be broadcast live or recorded and published for social media. Use Hootsuite to manage your next nonprofit social media campaign. From a single dashboard you can schedule and publish posts across networks, engage the audience, and measure results. Try it free today. The post Social Media for Nonprofits: 11 Essential Tips for Success appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Social Media via Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard https://ift.tt/1LdunxE September 21, 2020 at 04:36PM |
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