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28 Business-Boosting Marketing Activities You Can Do in 1 Hour or Less

3/29/2017

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28 Business-Boosting Marketing Activities You Can Do in 1 Hour or Less

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The entrepreneurial lifestyle is often a hectic one.

Some “treps” easily end up working 50, 60, or even more hours per week.

Don’t get me wrong.

I love almost everything about running my businesses and blogs, but time is definitely at a premium.

And I’m sure many of you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day to spend on an extensive, exhaustive marketing campaign.

But you know what?

There are a lot of marketing activities that can get legitimate results that you can do in 1 hour or less.

I came up with 28 specific activities you can do in your downtime but which will still give your business a nice boost.

Here we go.

1. Create an editorial calendar

Almost any great blog begins with a detailed editorial calendar.

This is where you coordinate your content, schedule your posts, set deadlines, list your CTAs, and so on.

In other words, an editorial calendar provides structure to your blogging campaign and keeps things from getting messy.

Honestly, this is the only way I’m able to stay on top of my game (and maintain sanity) with all of my different projects.

I recommend checking out this list of editorial calendar templates from Builtvisible for more.

2. Tweak your editorial calendar

You should also know that an editorial calendar is never static.

A good one is dynamic, ever-changing.

If you haven’t checked your editorial calendar in a while, look it over and make any necessary adjustments.

For instance, you might:

Check off posts that have been completed
Add new content to create over the next month
Look for ways to make it more organized

3. Read three industry blog posts

I really recommend staying on top of industry trends.

This is your ticket to spotting patterns, generating new marketing ideas, and coming up with interesting new content to share with your audience.

That’s why I try to make it a habit to read three high-level industry blog posts whenever I get a chance.

4. Comment on three industry blogs

When you’re done reading, leave a thoughtful comment.

Go for more than just saying, “I love this blog post!”

Instead, shoot for something more detailed and insightful to prove you’ve really sifted through the information and analyzed it.

Here’s a great example of a recent comment I received on Quick Sprout:

I think this comment added even more depth to the conversation, and I can guarantee you any blogger would greatly appreciate such a comment.

I know I do.

5. Research industry trends

The way I see it, crushing it in most businesses is all about striking while the iron is hot.

That’s why I routinely do industry research to see what’s happening and stay on top of recent changes.

A quick Google search on “[your industry] trends” should pop up a wealth of information.

This can shape your business and marketing decisions and will help you stay sharp as an entrepreneur.

6. Brainstorm topics for your blog

As I’ve said before, coming up with new ideas for blog posts can be quite exhausting.

That’s why I like to devote some time to simply brainstorming new ideas so I don’t have to come up with them off the top of my head.

One of the ways I streamline this process is by using Alltop and BuzzSumo.

Here’s Alltop:

And here’s BuzzSumo:

They’re both great for seeing what’s popular and for generating ideas.

Sometimes, I can come up with as many as 50 rock solid ideas in just 1 hour this way.

7. Do keyword research

I’m a big fan of a process known as “batching,” which I’ve written about before on Quick Sprout.

Batching can be used to make nearly any task quicker and more efficient.

Here’s a simple example of using batching to deliver mail:

One marketing task that can be quite time-consuming is keyword research.

When you do this prior to writing every blog post, it can really drain your time.

That’s why I suggest doing it in blocks: identify keywords to target—all in one sitting.

You can then add your keywords to your editorial calendar so you know what to use in your upcoming content.

8. Send a pitch for a guest post

You probably already know I’m a huge proponent of guest blogging.

If you can get in front of a large, established audience, you’ll get exposure for your brand.

It’s just as simple as that.

But, of course, guest blogging first begins with sending an initial pitch.

If you’ve got an hour to burn, why not send out a couple of pitches to relevant bloggers?

And if you’re new to this, I really love this guide from Backlinko.

It will walk you through guest blogging step by step.

9. Repurpose one of your best blog posts

If you’ve been blogging for awhile, there’s a good chance you have a handful of posts that totally crushed it.

They’re the best of the best—your “unicorn content.”

Repurpose one of your best posts using a different medium, e.g., a whitepaper, long-form guide, infographic, or a short e-book.

If your audience was receptive to a particular topic presented in a standard blog post, there’s a good chance they will give it a warm reception in a different medium too.

Read over this guide for everything you need to know on repurposing content.

10. Record a video

Video marketing is ridiculously huge right now.

On average, video gets crazy engagement.

It also gets massive conversion rates.

If you’re not already leveraging video marketing, I suggest getting on board right away.

I know for a fact that video allows me to connect with my audience on a level that most other mediums cannot.

And the odds are good that it will produce a positive impact for you as well.

11. Record a podcast

I friggin’ love podcasts!

Interest in them has grown over the past few years quite a bit:

In my opinion, they’re a great way to “round off” your content and offer your audience an alternative type of media to consume.

At the time of publication of this article, I’ve recorded over 200 podcast episodes on NeilPatel.com and have found it to be a tremendous experience.

Once you figure out the software and equipment, it doesn’t take much effort to record a podcast.

You can easily do it within 1 hour.

If you’re not sure how to get started, check out this guide from Pat Flynn.

12. Make a slideshow

I feel slideshows don’t get a whole lot of love and get lost in the content mix.

But they’ve got plenty of potential and are worth experimenting with.

Slideshare alone had 70 million users as of early 2017 and can be a great way to pull in some extra traffic.

13. Create a picture quote

I’m sure you’ve seen picture quotes floating on social media.

They look like this:

They’re especially big on Twitter and Instagram and work great for expressing thoughts in a visual-centric way.

The cool thing is that picture quotes are super quick and easy to make.

Canva is one of my favorite platforms because it offers a large library of professional images that are mostly free to use.

You can borrow from famous quotes or create your own.

14. Share three epic posts on social media

Curating content is an integral part of the social media marketing process.

You definitely want to shine the spotlight on other people’s great work rather than shamelessly self-promoting your brand.

Whenever you’ve got some free time, search the Internet for three epic posts to share.

To curate content like a boss, check out this guide from Curata.

15. Follow five relevant people

Sometimes I feel my social feed is a little stale.

In which case, I search for a few new follows to spice it up.

You may even be able to make some new contacts, so always be willing to make the first move on social media.

16. Engage with five people on social media

Allow me to piggyback on that last statement.

If you’re looking to expand your network and potentially find new business partners, be always engaging with others.

This hardly takes any time, but commenting or even liking or retweeting great content can sometimes be the catalyst for new opportunities.

17. Engage with five recent followers

It’s also important to engage with the people who follow you and build genuine rapport with your audience.

When you’ve got some spare time, go through your social media accounts and pick out a handful of recent followers.

Then hit them up by thanking them for following you or even start an online conversation.

18. Target an influencer

I’m sure you’ve heard about influencer marketing and how potent it can be as a marketing tool.

And it’s totally true.

But getting to the point where an influencer actually promotes your brand takes time.

The first step in the process is finding someone who is likely to be on board.

One technique I’ve found to be effective when searching for influencers is to use BuzzSumo.

Here’s an example of what pops up after I searched for content marketing influencers:

I think a great way to make use of an hour is to research and target potential influencers in your industry.

To learn about this process, check out this post from NeilPatel.com.

19. Contact an influencer

Once you’ve found an influencer, it’s time for the approach.

This typically involves doing a little research about them, their brand, values, philosophy, etc.

Next, send them an email or contact them via their website to give them your pitch.

I recommend reading this post from Crazy Egg for the skinny on reaching out to influencers.

20. Submit your business to directories

Did you know that 145 million people use Yelp each month?

And that’s just one of many business directories.

If you’re looking for a way to boost your exposure and reel in more local consumers, it’s smart to spend some time submitting your business to relevant directories.

This ultimate list from HubSpot highlights 50 of the best directories for local marketing.

21. Check Google Analytics

It’s important to stay current on key metrics.

I like to know about any visitor traffic patterns and behavior that could impact my ability to make conversions.

If you haven’t checked Google Analytics (or whatever type of metrics platform you use) in a while, it’s smart to spend some time there.

In particular, I pay close attention to the amount of time people spend on my site, referrals, and audience interests.

22. Analyze your top competitors

If you’ve got some extra time on your hands, you may want to see what the competition is up to.

I suggest identifying three or four of your top competitors and checking the following:

Top organic keywords
Backlinks
Top anchors
Referring domains

This will give you some valuable intel on what’s working for them and what you can do to gain the upper hand.

One of my favorite tools for doing this is SEMrush.

It’s free and will supply you with a load of information.

23. Do a content audit

Although the word audit may sound time-consuming and even a little intimidating, it’s actually not all that involved.

You can do a basic content audit in as little as 1 hour.

While it may be a tad boring, it’s a great way to ensure your content is hitting its mark.

You can learn the basics in this guide from Quick Sprout.

24. Do an SEO audit

Just like you want to ensure that your content is in tip top shape, it’s also crucial to see what state your SEO is in from time to time.

Doing an SEO audit is a great way to get a glimpse of how things are performing.

More specifically, you can tell:

What your top organic keywords are
Whether there are any issues with meta descriptions, URL structure, etc.
How your domain ranks among the competition

Check out this post from Search Engine Land to learn how to do your own SEO audit in only 5 minutes.

25. Check for dead links

Dead links aren’t cool.

They disrupt the user experience and can make your brand seem unprofessional.

That’s why I suggest checking for dead links every few months or so.

It’s no big deal.

Just use the Online Broken Link Checker.

It’s completely free, and it will give you the rundown of any broken links and identify their location on your site.

26. Do some internal linking

An internal link “is one that points to another page on the same website.”

Internal linking is a fundamental part of SEO and helps “spread link juice around your site.”

It’s a good idea to spend some time doing some internal linking if it’s something you’ve slacked on in the past.

Just make sure your links point to pages that are relevant and truly add to the reader experience.

27. Improve your email signature

Having an email signature that’s consistent with your company is an important aspect of branding.

Unfortunately, it’s sometimes overlooked.

If you really want to make a splash, add your logo along with a professional headshot.

Check out this infographic from Business 2 Community for the details on creating a killer email signature.

28. Fine-tune your sales funnel

Your sales funnel is the key to leading consumers through the buying process until they ultimately make a purchase.

But if you’ve been using the same sales funnel for the past few years, some serious inefficiencies could be holding you back.

Why not spend a little time going over your existing sales funnel to check for areas that could use some improvement?

Conclusion

Amping up your marketing doesn’t always require exhaustive work sessions.

In fact, there are many business-boosting marketing activities you can do in 1 hour or less.

If you’ve got some downtime and want to devote it to marketing, any of these activities should be worth your while.

Can you think of any other marketing activities that don’t require a big time commitment?

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March 29, 2017 at 03:45AM

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How to Be Successful on Social: Prime Your Pump!

2/23/2017

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How to Be Successful on Social: Prime Your Pump!

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In a previous post, I mentioned Napoleon, and how just as many battles are won through logistics and planning as by bullets and bombs. Success in battle, as in social media, comes from having an army of supporters before you even take one step onto the field.

But how do you begin to assemble that network in the first place? How do you command attention, convey authority and earn your followers’ respect? You have to look, act, and be the part. You must be confident, capable—ready to address the naysayers and yet leverage those who look to you for leadership. In short, you have to prime your pump!

Keep Your Followers From Getting Cranky

Remember those old hand-cranked water pumps you’d often see on farms or campgrounds? Perhaps you even grew up with one in your own front yard. Think back to a time when you ran to one of these pumps in thirsty anticipation of a cold drink, only to find that when you cranked the handle, nothing came out.

Crank-crank. Nothing.

Crank-crank. Nada.

Along comes your friend who cranks the handle once and—whoosh! Out comes the glorious, crisp, cold water from what seems like the depths of the earth. From that point on, the water flows unabated. You drink with abandon with every new crank of the handle, and you can literally fill barrels with the rewards of your efforts. Getting thirsty yet?

Similarly, when you present yourself to the world on social media, don’t disappoint your followers by not being ready to provide value right away. Prime your pump so that when people come to visit they’ll reap the rewards of interacting with you on the first pull of the handle. Prepare your public profile and persona so that it clearly states your mission and your value to your target audience. Have a great picture that speaks volumes about you without having to say a word. Craft a snappy bio that doesn’t require a dictionary or a degree in fine arts to figure out. Above all, don’t make your audience have to do a bunch of work before you provide them a payoff.

A Primer in Personal Branding

Pop quiz: think of a soft drink. Now think of a running shoe. Chances are you thought of Coke and Nike, respectively. These brands have spent considerable money over the years so that whenever you think of getting a drink or going for a run you immediately think of their brands.

To achieve business or personal opportunities in the world of social media, we need to think of ourselves as our own personal brands. When our target audience thinks of the products or services we sell, or the ideals that we stand for, we want them to immediately think of us.

The good news is that with the power of social media, building a brand no longer takes millions of dollars and dozens of years. You can start building your personal brand and priming your pump by following the simple steps outlined above. Be ready for greatness, because greatness is ready for you!

The post How to Be Successful on Social: Prime Your Pump! appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

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February 23, 2017 at 05:39AM

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4 Advanced Automation Tools To Streamline Your Social Media Without Sacrificing Your Voice

2/23/2017

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4 Advanced Automation Tools To Streamline Your Social Media Without Sacrificing Your Voice

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According to Social Media Examiner’s 2016 report, “At least 90% of marketers want to know the most effective social tactics and the best ways to engage their audience with social media.”

Here’s what I say to that:

Automate as much of your social media marketing as you can, so that you do have time to test different strategies and find the approach that works best for you.

Automation Tools: The Key to Social Media Success

View automation like you would a new personal assistant. You know they’re there to relieve some of your workload, but you’d never send them into a meeting with your largest client and tell them to pretend to be you. Social media is just like that. The random tasks that require more data entry and repetition can be automated easily enough; everything else should be personalized.

Now, in terms of which automation tools you should use, I always suggest starting with the more affordable options first. If you’re new to the social game, it’s best to get your feet wet when first testing the waters. Here are my favorite cheap tools to get started:

Jetpack by WordPress.com

Jetpack is a fully-loaded plugin for WordPress that helps users automate a whole host of items for their website. One of those items, as you may have guessed, is social media.

Once you’ve downloaded the plugin for your website, visit the Settings tab within WordPress and click on “Sharing”. This is your new Publicize tool, courtesy of WordPress. It will enable you to:

Link your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ pages to WordPress.
Add social sharing buttons to each of your posts (for the social media platforms of your choosing).
Automate the sharing of any post, page, or other content type on your preferred social channels.

As I said, too much automation is never a good thing on social. While it’s great to have a tool like this to automatically share your new content on social media, people will start to notice if that’s the only activity you’ve got going on.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a great way to manage the activity on your social media accounts from a single platform. It’s also a fairly comprehensive tool when compared to some of the other social media management tools available.

So if you’re looking for a tool where you can:

Connect all your social media profiles
Post messages to each of those profiles
Manage your schedule of posts
Engage with your connections
Generate reports on activity
And more

Start with Hootsuite.

Feedly

If you haven’t heard of Feedly before, this is what’s known as an RSS feed aggregator. In other words, if you enjoy reading content from 11 different websites, but don’t want to visit each site separately in order to do so, use Feedly.

People want to engage with businesses like they would with people. If your social media page shows post after post of your own content, your audience may get the sense that you only care about pushing your own agenda. But if they noticed that you share relevant and interesting content from other sources… Well, then, they’d see you as a well-informed and impartial thought leader who simply wants to talk about important matters, even if they don’t come from your own blog.

In other words, when you find something share-worthy on Feedly, add it to your Hootsuite.

Zapier

Zapier works similarly to the Jetpack Publicize tool. The main difference is that Zapier automates the connection between a lot more than just WordPress and your social media.

Want to automatically share posts from a Facebook Page to your personal profile?
Want to share your latest newsletter with your LinkedIn followers?
How about pinning all of your Instagram photos to your Pinterest board?

Think about all the different ways you could connect your social media tools to everything else you use. Google, newsletters, WordPress, cross-social platforms, and more. Just create a Zap to make the connection, and you’ll be ready to go!

Wrapping Up

Social media has been the source of many headaches for marketers, entrepreneurs, and others just trying to figure out how to make this marketing channel work for them. Rather than spend too much time navigating the basics, automate as much of that as you can with the tools above. Then you can focus on being strategic about where to post, when, how frequently, and with whom you should share it!

The post 4 Advanced Automation Tools To Streamline Your Social Media Without Sacrificing Your Voice appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

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February 22, 2017 at 10:18PM

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Facebook Rolls Out Major Video Updates: This Week in Social Media

2/18/2017

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Facebook Rolls Out Major Video Updates: This Week in Social Media

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Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news.

To help you stay up to date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.

What’s New This Week

Facebook Announces Autoplay Sound, Picture-in-picture View, and Other Updates to Video: Facebook rolled out four major updates “that make watching video on Facebook richer, more engaging and more flexible.” These updates include autoplay sound that “fades in and out” and the option to minimize Facebook videos to a “picture-in-picture view” as you continue to scroll through the news feed. Facebook also introduced a larger format for watching vertical videos on both iOS and Android devices and officially announced a new Facebook video app for TV. Facebook’s TV app is expected to roll out “soon” to app stores for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TV “with more platforms to come.”

Facebook rolled out a major video update that makes watching video on Facebook richer, more engaging, and more flexible.

Twitter Features Periscope Video in Top Trends Section of Explore: Twitter announced that users will “now see Periscopes surfaced in top trends” section of the Explore tab. TechCrunch reports that live videos in this section “will be marked with a bright red ‘LIVE’ label for easy spotting” and will offer the same viewing experience as in Periscope “with the ability to heart and comment on the video content, as well as retweet.” As reported earlier this year, the latest version of the Explore tab now features “trends, Moments, search and the best of live video” but is currently only available on Twitter for iOS. On Twitter for Android, live Periscopes can be found in the Moments section.

Watch what’s trending – LIVE! You’ll now see Periscopes surfaced in top trends. http://pic.twitter.com/Bhj8JT2ITw

— Twitter Video (@TwitterVideo) February 14, 2017

Facebook Rolls Out New Job Posting and Application Features for Desktop and Mobile: Facebook announced that page admins can now “create a job post, track applications and communicate directly with applicants” on their business pages or through a new Jobs on Facebook section on the site. As with other Facebook posts, admins also have the option to “boost job posts to reach a larger or more relevant audience.”

Likewise, job seekers can just easily apply for jobs with a new “Apply Now” button found on Facebook’s job listings. This button generates a pre-populated form “with information from [the user’s] profile on Facebook.” However, Facebook notes that applicants will be able to “review and edit their information before submitting it” to a business. Facebook’s new job search features are rolling out to both desktop and mobile “over the next few weeks,” but are currently limited to the U.S. and Canada. Facebook hasn’t announced when these new job search features will be more broadly available.

Facebook is rolling out new features that allow job posting and application directly on Facebook.

Our Take on Top News This Week

In this week’s show from Friday, February 17, 2017, Michael Stelzner and guests discuss the top news in social media. Topics include major updates to Facebook video (8:15), new job search features on Facebook (28:30), and new Amazon Alexa tools and data for marketers (34:54). Subscribe to future shows here.

More News to Note

Facebook Announces New Accountability and New Data Choices for Marketers: Last year, Facebook revealed several reporting mistakes that might have seemed relatively minor but collectively added momentum to calls from the ad industry for better data and more third-party oversight from Facebook. In response, Facebook announced several upcoming initiatives such as providing more impression-level data and three new buying options for video ads across Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network that are expected to provide greater “transparency, choice, and accountability.” Facebook also committed to an audit by the Media Rating Council “to verify the accuracy of the information” it delivers to its partners. Facebook plans to roll out these updates over the course of this year.

LinkedIn Adds New Features to Premium Memberships: Two LinkedIn consumer subscription options, Premium Career and Premium Business, now offer “a multitude of exclusive data insights, as well as unlimited access to newly launched LinkedIn products like LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn Salary.” Premium Career members can now access a range of insights for LinkedIn Jobs such as “connections at a hiring company, jobs you’d be a top applicant for and companies that are growing quickly for professions similar to yours.” Premium Business members now have access to new data insights like employee growth trends on any company page and “an enriched Who’s Viewed My Profile experience.” LinkedIn also expanded its recently released salary comparison tool, LinkedIn Salary, so LinkedIn Premium members can access salary data without having to enter their own salary information and can filter job listings by salary.

LinkedIn Premium members can now access a multitude of exclusive data insights such as job listings where you might be a top applicant.

LinkedIn Premium members can now access “a multitude of exclusive data insights” such as job listings for which you might be a top applicant.

LinkedIn Rolls Out Three New Products for Job Searches and Hiring: LinkedIn released three new product updates that allow hiring managers and recruiters to “focus on the right candidates and improve [their] response rates by 2-4x” on LinkedIn job listings. These new features include Open Candidates, Apply Starters, and Contractor Targeting. With Open Candidates and Apply Starters, businesses can “uncover members who’ve signaled that they’re thinking about making a move by sharing their profile and job activity with recruiters.” The Contractor Targeting tool presents employers with LinkedIn members who are “likely to be interested in contract roles based on their preferences or profile history.” LinkedIn states that these new features help businesses discover job candidates “who aren’t just ‘passive’ or ‘active’ but instead are open to new opportunities.”

With LinkedIn’s new Contractor Targeting feature, hiring managers can target job seekers who are more likely to be interested in contract roles based on their preferences or profile history.

Twitter Removes Blocked or Muted Accounts From Notifications: Twitter announced that users will no longer see any replies or conversations started from accounts they’ve blocked or muted in their notifications. While this update effectively filters abusive users out of a user’s notifications, it will prevent positive replies to the same conversations from showing up “unless the replies are from people [they] follow.” Twitter explains how this new antiabuse measure will impact muting and blocking on the Twitter Help Center site.

Twitter now removes blocked or muted accounts from user notifications.

Amazon Launches Online Hub for Marketers: Amazon launched an online hub to help marketers “get started with creating ‘skills’ (Amazon’s word for apps) for the Echo device family.” Marketing Land reports that the new hub “currently lists 20 agencies ‘with expertise in designing, developing and optimizing Alexa skills,” including Razorfish, Mobiquity, VaynerMedia and others.” Brands that are interested in building their own Alexa skills can be connected to the Alexa Skills Kit, exclusive Alexa data, and development tools and providers to help them get started. A new report from VoiceLabs suggests that “by the end of this year around 33 million voice-first devices will be in circulation… News, games, education, lifestyle, weather and sports are top content categories for these devices.” These new tools and resources from Amazon allow marketers to “join the growing voice movement.”

YouTube Now Boasts One Billion Automatically Captioned Videos: YouTube announced that “the number of [YouTube] videos with automatic captions now exceeds a staggering 1 billion.” YouTube also reported that users “watch videos with automatic captions more than 15 million times per day.” YouTube has been able “to scale the availability of captions” by combining Google’s automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology with the ability for creators to correct transcription errors. According to YouTube, this technology, combined with improved speech recognition tools, machine learning algorithms, and expanded training data, has resulted in a 50% leap in accuracy for YouTube’s automatic captions in English. YouTube will continue improving the accuracy of its automatic captions, as well as expanding this progress to its nine other supported languages, which include Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Reddit Updates Public Front Page: Reddit is “making some small but significant changes to the front page that gets presented to anyone who isn’t logged in.” Where new users would have previously seen r/all, “a set of 50 default high-traffic subreddits” that were selected by the site, they will now “be sent to r/popular, which will supposedly come from more sources with a few restrictions.” TechCrunch reports that logged-in users who have their own subscribed subreddits shouldn’t experience any changes to their Reddit front page.

Reddit tweaks and renames public front page https://t.co/prT8xBbJX8 http://pic.twitter.com/HrUDmBTE2P

— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) February 16, 2017

Google Maps Officially Rolls Out Favorite Places Lists: As announced earlier this year, Google Maps has officially rolled out the ability to “create lists of places, share your lists with others, and follow the lists your friends and family share with you – without ever leaving the Google Maps app.” Google offers three different preset lists types, including Favorites, Starred Places and Want to Go, but users have the option to create custom lists that can be public, private, or shared with a link. Favorite Places Lists are available on Google Maps on both Android and iOS and on desktop.

VIDEO

Upcoming Social Media News Worth Following

YouTube Will Stop Supporting 30-second Unskippable Ads in 2018: In an official statement given to Campaign, Google announced that YouTube will “stop supporting 30-second unskippable ads as of 2018 and focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers.” The spokesman confirmed that other advertising formats shorter than 30-seconds, including the 20-second spots, will remain unskippable.

Facebook Updates Community Standards Policy: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed an upcoming shift in Facebook’s Community Standards policy and established the central tenets of the next phase of Facebook’s mission around support, safety, information, civic engagement, and inclusion. TechCrunch reports that along with this update, Facebook will give users the ability to define “what is and isn’t objectionable and influence the local defaults of those who don’t choose voluntarily.” Facebook also plans to give local groups more admin tools; expand AI detection of bullying, self-harm, or other issues; fight polarized or sensationalized news and more.

YouTube Kids Announces Upcoming Smart TV App: YouTube announced that a YouTube Kids app will soon be available “for download on a number of internet-connected LG and Samsung Smart TVs.” YouTube reports that YouTube Kids boasts “over 30 billion views in the app to date and over 8 million active viewers” and features both original and syndicated content.

YouTube announced that a YouTube Kids app will soon be available for download on a number of Internet-connected LG and Samsung Smart TVs.

Quora Updates Anonymity Policies and Practices: TechCrunch reports that Quora “will begin cracking down on spam and harassment by reviewing all anonymous content before it’s distributed on its network.” Quora will restrict anonymity on its site to either asking questions or sharing answers, but won’t allow it for actions such as voting, commenting, suggesting edits, and more. However, the article also notes that anonymous content will now be “untraceable” to encourage users “to seek out or share more personal or sensitive experiences in their questions and answers.” These changes will go into effect on March 20, 2017.

Q&A site Quora clamps down on anonymity – will review content before publishing, restrict actions https://t.co/UwKQMOUVXJ

— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) February 11, 2017

Musical.ly Tests New Video Messaging App, Ping Pong, on iOS: Musical.ly launched a new video messaging app called Ping Pong on iOS “in what appears to be a test ahead of a public debut.” TechCrunch reports that Ping Pong is the fourth app to be released by Musical.ly, which had “over 100 million users as of last fall.”

Some Interesting Studies to Note:

2017 Small Business Marketing Trends Report: Infusionsoft’s research data based on a survey of 1,000 small business owners across the United States explores respondents’ current and future digital marketing plans for 2017. Some 56% of respondents say they expect to spend more on social media this year than last year. Further, 33% plan to spend more on digital advertising and 32% plan to spend more on search engine optimization. The report also examined the most popular tactics small business marketers are planning to use. The top choices include social media (70%), email marketing (44%), digital advertising (42%), and search engine optimization (39%).

2017 Digital Trends: In this seventh annual trends survey, Econsultancy and Adobe identify and examine “the key digital trends, challenges and opportunities” marketers should consider in 2017. This new report is based on a global survey of more than 14,000 marketers and ecommerce professionals and covers topics such as customer experience, mobile, data-driven marketing tactics, and personalization. It also explores how companies are handling digital transformation and committing to “creating a great customer experience” in the future.

Instagram Emoji Study: New research from Quintly explores how Instagram emojis are being used and how they impact engagement. The study examined 6.2 million Instagram posts by 20,000 brands and individual user profiles in 2016. The findings reveal that 56% of Instagram accounts included at least one emoji in their image or video posts in 2016. The study also found that posts with at least one emoji had an average interaction rate of 2.0. In comparison, Instagram posts that didn’t include at least one emoji had an average rate of 1.77, representing 17% lower interaction. The study also revealed the top 10 emojis used in 2016.

What do you think of the updates to Facebook video? Have you checked out the new Job Search features on Facebook? Please share your comments below.

Facebook Rolls Out Major Video Updates and other social media news for Feb. 18, 2017.

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February 17, 2017 at 09:03PM

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Twitter's new anti-abuse measure stops notifications for threads started by people you've blocked

2/17/2017

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Twitter's new anti-abuse measure stops notifications for threads started by people you've blocked

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Twitter's number one priority in the last couple of months has been combatting abuse on the platform.

In November, the company launched a set of measures to get rid of trolls, including a "mute" button that helps users filter out unwanted conversations. In early February, Twitter announced a new "safe search" feature that blocks potentially offensive tweets. And earlier this week, the company stopped notifying people when they were added to lists — though that change was reversed within hours.

Now, Twitter announced it will no longer notify users about replies to threads started by accounts they've blocked or muted — unless those replies are from people they already follow.

Now, you won't be notified about replies to conversations started by people you've blocked/muted, unless replies are from people you follow.

— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) February 16, 2017

It's another granular change in Twitter's (not very successful) battle against trolls, but CEO Jack Dorsey did promise the company will be measuring its success in this department "daily". So we can expect more small changes like this one in the future.

To learn more about blocking accounts on Twitter, go here. The newly announced functionality is explained as well.

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February 16, 2017 at 09:02PM

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How to Use Instagram Live to Generate Leads

2/14/2017

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How to Use Instagram Live to Generate Leads

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Interested in using more live video for your business?

Wondering how Instagram Live can generate leads?

Using Instagram Live stories as a lead generation tool will help you stay one step ahead of your competitors.

In this article, you’ll discover three ways to use Instagram Live video to generate leads for your business.

How to Use Instagram Live to Generate Leads by Ana Gotter on Social Media Examiner.

Why Use Instagram Live Video for Lead Generation?

When you broadcast live video on Instagram, it appears in your Instagram story and viewers can watch and interact with you in real time. The catch? While other platforms allow you to share a live video afterward, an Instagram live video appears only while it’s being broadcast.

Because people need to watch your live video now if they want to see it, Instagram live video has a sense of urgency. Live videos can get special attention because of this. Your followers will receive a notification that you’ve started a live video, and they can see you’re live in the Stories section.

Users are notified when someone they’re following goes live; you can also see who’s live in the Stories section.

Instagram also features live videos from public profiles in the Explore section, which can boost your visibility beyond your followers without you having to pay for it.

If there are enough live videos happening at once, Instagram will have a section of “top live videos” that users can choose from in the Explore section.

Here are some ways to use Instagram Live video to generate viable leads for your business.

#1: Capture Warm Leads by Teasing New Products

Because Instagram Live video isn’t permanent, you don’t go live to give information you want users to refer to later. (Facebook Live, which can be saved, is a better platform for that purpose.) Teasing new products, information, or big announcements, however, is another story.

For example, an artist under the profile whenwewake used Instagram live video to give a sneak peek at his new paintings.

Artist profile whenwewake used Instagram live to give a sneak peek at some of his new paintings.

The urgency of Instagram Live video makes these teasers more exciting and engaging, because users don’t know when the video will end, and they know they have to watch now for all of the information. The sneak peek also makes viewers want to know more.

After the teaser, ask viewers to sign up for more information on your website or pre-order the product. This approach gives your live video an element of exclusivity, which can encourage people to act immediately, increasing the number of leads you get.

A sneak peek in an Instagram live video automatically makes people want to know more.

#2: Expand Lead Collection by Promoting a Social Contest

Social contests are a fantastic lead generation tool, especially when you use contest software to help capture lead information. When you have a contest, use Instagram live video to promote your contest and drive engagement.

Contests, like the one below from cutest_kiddies, are often promoted in Instagram stories. But Instagram live video can increase results thanks to its natural sense of urgency and extra visibility.

With Instagram live video, you can promote social contests in a number of ways:

Preview prizes before and during the contest to generate excitement and boost entries.
Showcase entries after the contest is over. To share entries, you might read comments out loud or take a video of the photo entries on another screen.
Simply talk about the contest and remind people it’s happening.

Instagram stories are a common way to promote contests, but Instagram Live video has extra visibility and creates urgency.

If you want to go all out, make Instagram live video part of the actual contest. For example, to be eligible for a daily prize, have users answer questions you ask in a live broadcast. Or use Instagram live video to share clues for a scavenger hunt.

You can keep the broadcast times spontaneous and sporadic so users have to watch their phones for a notification that you’re live. You could even offer to give additional clues or details of when the video will be broadcast if people subscribe to your email list ahead of time.

#3: Collect Email Leads by Gathering Questions for a Live Q&A

Q&As are a popular subject for live videos; they offer value and can drive customer participation. When you promote a Q&A before the broadcast (especially if an influencer or expert is involved), request that users submit questions ahead of time.

Let users know ahead of time what the discussion will be about and why your expertise matters.

Let users know ahead of time what your Instagram live discussion will be about and why your expertise matters.

While most businesses ask for questions on Facebook as a source of engagement, you can use email instead to generate leads. If you send users to your site (or even a Google form), you can ask for their emails in exchange.

To collect questions and emails, you can use a Google form, which is easily shareable on social media, to encourage people to submit their questions and lead information.

You can use a Google form, which is easily shareable on social media, to encourage people to submit their questions and lead information.

If you promote your Q&A widely enough ahead of time, you can generate a large number of relevant leads who are genuinely interested in your business.

Also consider offering to email people before the video goes live as an incentive for submitting a question, increasing the likelihood they’ll watch. If newer leads are still a little unfamiliar with your business, this email can make a big impact in pushing them towards converting.

Live Video Best Practices

To get the most leads from your Instagram live video, there are a few best practices to keep in mind:

Announce the live video beforehand. Instagram live is there and then it’s gone. Although plenty of users do opt into push notifications that let them know you’re broadcasting, you should still announce the live video on Instagram.

Increase viewership of your live story by cross-promoting it on multiple platforms before it starts.

Use relevant hashtags to boost visibility and make it easier for a relevant audience to find you. Also announce it on other platforms to increase viewership.
Test sound and video quality before you go live. Record a brief (regular) video through the Instagram camera, watch it, and then delete it. Check for background noises. Also, make sure the background itself is clean, with no clutter or anything you don’t want viewers to see.
Keep the content exciting and upbeat to match the platform. Choosing content that’s upbeat and fun to watch keeps people tuned in. This is essential because you can’t share the video later. If you have valuable content, make sure someone else is recording from another device so you can reuse the content.
Go live at peak activity times. This is extremely important. Since your Instagram live content only exists as long as it’s actually being broadcast, be sure the largest number of people will see it. Afternoons and early evenings are often times when plenty of users are online.

Final Thoughts

Instagram Live video is still a new feature. Right now, everyone is focusing on how to use it and looking at it purely as a tool to drive engagement.

What do you think? Have you tried Instagram Live video? What’s your experience with contests or Q&As? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

How to Use Instagram Live to Generate Leads by Ana Gotter on Social Media Examiner.

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February 13, 2017 at 09:03PM

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Sad Atlanta Falcons fan buries team gear as a warning for the future

2/7/2017

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Sad Atlanta Falcons fan buries team gear as a warning for the future

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Time capsules are a nice idea.

The notion that one day some future generation of human (or alien) will unearth something from our current time and learn a bit about us is pleasing. It makes us feel important, like something worth remembering.

However, for one Atlanta Falcons fan, there are definitely things worth forgetting. Super Bowl LI is one of those things.

That fan was so distraught over the Falcons' drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots that he decided it was time to fold up his Falcons shirt and bury it deep in the ground. With it, he wrote a note addressed to the people of the future.

"If you have unearthed this," the note warns, "you have not found anything vintage or cool. This shirt is bad luck."

He then suggests whoever finds the shirt to Google "Super Bowl 51" if they need further explanation about why the shirt is bad luck.

"This shirt blew a 25 point lead," the note says. "Put it back. Trust me!"

People of the future, you have been warned. Never bet against Bill Belichick or Tom Brady. You will not win.

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February 7, 2017 at 06:06AM

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28 Business-Boosting Marketing Activities You Can Do in 1 Hour or Less

1. Create an editorial calendar

2. Tweak your editorial calendar

3. Read three industry blog posts

4. Comment on three industry blogs

5. Research industry trends

6. Brainstorm topics for your blog

7. Do keyword research

8. Send a pitch for a guest post

9. Repurpose one of your best blog posts

10. Record a video

11. Record a podcast

12. Make a slideshow

13. Create a picture quote

14. Share three epic posts on social media

15. Follow five relevant people

16. Engage with five people on social media

17. Engage with five recent followers

18. Target an influencer

19. Contact an influencer

20. Submit your business to directories

21. Check Google Analytics

22. Analyze your top competitors

23. Do a content audit

24. Do an SEO audit

25. Check for dead links

26. Do some internal linking

27. Improve your email signature

28. Fine-tune your sales funnel

Conclusion

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Wrapping Up

Facebook Rolls Out Major Video Updates: This Week in Social Media

What’s New This Week

Our Take on Top News This Week

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Upcoming Social Media News Worth Following

Some Interesting Studies to Note:

Twitter's new anti-abuse measure stops notifications for threads started by people you've blocked

How to Use Instagram Live to Generate Leads

Why Use Instagram Live Video for Lead Generation?

#1: Capture Warm Leads by Teasing New Products

#2: Expand Lead Collection by Promoting a Social Contest

#3: Collect Email Leads by Gathering Questions for a Live Q&A

Sad Atlanta Falcons fan buries team gear as a warning for the future

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