13 Lessons From Upworthy & BuzzFeed: Viral Content's Secret Sauce As social sharing has accelerated at an exponential rate over the last several years, so too have a slew of enterprising and innovative new sites that have learned to successfully leverage the full scope of social. Two in particular, BuzzFeed and Upworthy, have had growth so substantial that it’s been hard not to hear about or notice their meteoric growth. BuzzFeed has tripled its monthly unique visitor counts over the last 24 months, from 4.3 million to 19.3 million. At its current projected trajectory, it's set to eclipse sites like The New York Times, Huffington Post (also started by a BuzzFeed founder), and CNN over the next few years. Clearly these two sites have tapped into something important that’s fueling their massive growth, but what is it? Lesson 1: Important Audiences Are the “Bored at Work” and the “Bored in Line” Alleviate boredomConnect with their current frustrations Lesson 2: What Content Spreads Depends on the Platform Lesson 3: Certain Content Types Work
14 Tools to Streamline Your Social Media Marketing Do you want to manage social media more efficiently? Do you have the right tools? To streamline your approach, you’ll need resources that work well with your business. In this article I’ll share the best tools to manage and optimize your social media marketing. Find 14 tools to streamline your social media marketing. #1: Find Your Audience Once you define your target audience(s), find the social media platforms they frequent online. Here are tools you can use to find your audience across the web. Followerwonk My favorite (and free) hidden gem is Followerwonk. Traackr An influencer marketing platform, Traackr creates specific lists of influencers and their qualifications, based on the criterion put into the system—whether it’s a region (New York) or topic (chocolate-lover). Search for influencers on Traackr. This technology searches all public-facing channels and builds full online profiles for every influencer on the list ranked according to reach, resonance and relevance. SEMrush Hootsuite Kapost
How to plan your Social Media Posts: 10:4:1 Rule Do you manage a social media account or multiple accounts and scramble to find a method to produce and organize content that gets engagement? What if I told you there was a science to the art of creating social media content that gets noticed ...There is a beautiful tool called the "10-4-1 rule" that can assist you with knowing the exact amount of content that should be curated and produced to evolve your social media marketing plan. If you haven’t heard of the 10-4-1 rule with regard to creating great posts for your social media marketing campaigns, let us introduce you to a wonderful tool that is going to help you in many ways. Essentially the 10-4-1 rule is a ratio of what messages to send out over a 15-post period across your social media platforms. The truth is, creating fantastic content isn’t always as easy as you may think. 1) Consistency 2) Building trust as an expert to your audience That sounds easy, but often it isn’t.
21 guidelines every social media policy needs Kerry Gorgone wrote a blog post about whether you should friend your employees on social media. I have a hard time with this for two reasons: I met each of my employees through social media, which means I was friends with them there before they started working for me. Social media is part of what my team does, so there is a big blurry line between personal and professional. Right now, it's probably OK (I say "probably" because my staff may tell you differently), but as we continue to grow, this may be something I need to keep in mind. It might not be OK to be friends with all of my employees on social media. That's why a social media policy is so important. The legal ramifications Peter Fischer, an attorney at Stokes Roberts & Wagner, says it's best to have a policy with a signature line where employees put their John Hancock. In accordance with National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) laws, he recommends the following: The social media policy It doesn't have to be. State where you work.
16 Tools Every Social Media Manager Should Use This post was originally published on Feb 4, 2014 Smart businesses know that social media is a power to be reckoned with: social media channels create a direct line of communication between your company and consumers and give anyone with an Internet connection instant access to the latest buzz around your products or services. Not to mention, they can help you to generate revenue, while building your brand presence. Let that marinate for a second. The 16 tools below will help you and your social media manager take on the complexity of the job. 1. Those who have Google Analytics installed on their website can use Visually’s Google Analytics Report: an app that creates a custom infographic of your website’s activity and performance. Pricing: Free 2. This free, easy-to-use Twitter management tool allows you to oversee all aspects of your Twitter account(s) in one interface. 3. 4. Like Hootsuite, Sprout Social is a social media dashboard that monitors and manages multiple social networks. 5.
10 Successful Facebook Marketing Examples Is your Facebook engagement dropping? Need some inspiration to pump up your Facebook marketing? As the Facebook news feed continues to change, it’s important to figure out how to make the platform work for you. In this article I’ll share Facebook pages from both large and small brands, and tips to incorporate their tactics into your Facebook marketing plan. Discover ten brands successfully using Facebook. #1: Qatar Airways Qatar posts a number of pictures about football (soccer in America), which is what their fans care about. Post about things your fans care about. Qatar also changes their cover photo often, which is a great way to promote something new. Change your cover photo with a new message to your fans. Key Takeaways: Post what engages your audience and change your cover photo often. #2: Dove This inspiring video helped Dove get close to half a million views and thousands of likes, comments and shares. Create and share videos, since video gets more engagement on Facebook. #3: Oreo
120 Marketing Tactics for Blogs 120 Marketing Tactics for Blogs [Infographic] Part of a good content marketing strategy, blogging helps you position yourself as an expert in your area. Content marketing consists of producing and publishing information that builds trust and authority among your ideal customers. It is a way of creating relationships and community so people feel loyal to your brand, and it helps you become recognized as a thought leader in your industry. 5 steps for creating a successful blog The key to successful blogging is creating content that your target audience wants to read. 1. It’s important to know what you want to accomplish and how you’ll measure your success. 2. Who are you trying to reach? 3. Identify ways in which can add your unique voice to the discussion that already exists about your industry and brand. 4. Have you ever heard someone say, “If you don’t update your blog daily, there’s no reason for people to visit it”? 5.
45 Best Mobile Apps and Tools for Marketers You get a ton done when you’re at your computer, speeding away on the day’s social media strategy. Might there be a way to wring some productivity when you’re away from your desk? Mobile apps and tools can make it so a marketer’s entire day is filled with opportunities to connect, engage, and share. Which apps are best for social media marketers? I gave a huge number of them a test run and came up with 45 amazingly useful apps that can help you accomplish social media marketing tasks with a tap, swipe, or touch. I’d love to hear which ones are your favorites, and if I missed any that you love to use. 45 best mobile apps for your social media marketing Dashboards and clients for social media management 1. You can schedule updates to multiple accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+, as well as follow-up with statistics on how each post performed. > Download for iOS and Android Other options – 2. > Download for iOS 3. > Download for iOS and Android 4. > Download for iPad 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.