Tag: Twitter

#AwesomeContent – Why Native Video Gets Higher Engagement on Social Media


In our last blog post, there was great detail about why live video is important and how it impacts engagement on social media. Live video is cream of the content crop but other videos are almost as impactful.
In a 2016 HubSpot survey, 43% of consumers wanted to see more video content.
Today, most of the major social media platforms have their own native video publishing options.  Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter… not to mention YouTube and Vimeo…are invested in video content.  This makes it simple to take a video from your smartphone or your desktop and upload it to these sites.
We’ve already talked about WHY you should be creating and sharing videos. Now we need to talk about native posting and why it’s important.
Native video is video that is uploaded to or created on social networks and played in-feed, as opposed to links to videos hosted on other sites. Native video formats are specific to each social platform and are designed to maximise video engagement (i.e. number of views), discovery and distribution.
-Wikipedia
Yes, being able to schedule your social media posts in advance is not only helpful, but often necessary to ensure that you remain consistent and relevant online. Unfortunately, this sort of scheduling is not encouraged by the major social platforms and their algorithms are set up to boost native content over scheduled posts.
Video takes time and effort to create and produce. You, absolutely, need to be getting the most return on your time.  Since video content promotes the most engagement – you want to expand your reach as much as possible with every post. Facebook and Twitter and Instagram want you playing in their sandbox as much as possible and will reward you with expanded reach and presence when you do so.
According to Adespresso, one case study found that there was a 135% increase in organic reach for native videos even compared to photos.
There are additional perks to taking the time to post videos natively – including better analytics and editing opportunities. However, the real push is that 135% more reach! This is no small number.
Take the time to really showcase and highlight your videos by posting them directly onto the platforms. It’s my mission in life to show you how to #BeAwesome with your social media and native video is exactly the technique to use. I will leave you with this nugget:

According to Facebook, by January of this year there were three billion video views on their platform everyday.


Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!
Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

New Year, New Habits – If You Like It Then You Better Put a Tag On It

In order to really get a handle on using Twitter, social media users have to understand the platform’s special features and lingo. One of the most important aspects of using Twitter is understanding and incorporating hashtags. A hashtag is a word or phrase with the # symbol placed directly in front of it. The idea of the hashtag is similar to that of a keyword on Google. These symbols can be used to quickly and efficiently search this social media platform for tweets and conversations pertaining to that particular topic. Otherwise the site is a consistent flow of disorganized and unconnected posts.
This way of categorizing topics enables users to find information on a specific area of interest but also allows users to label their tweets within a specific category so that they are easier to locate. Since Twitter is a stream of live information – being able to tag tweets to a specific topic or event allows for a better stream of viewing posts from a variety of users all talking about the same moment or idea.
Want to Create a Hashtag?
The good news is that hashtag creation is available to everyone. If a search of Twitter doesn’t come up with a tag that you’d like to use, it’s simple to create your own. It’s as easy as typing it into Twitter. No other steps are needed. Of course, there are not many hashtags available that haven’t been used yet. Also, an obscure hashtag is not likely to be found unless the creator does some significant promotionto establish presence.
Also, the Twitter Supportpage clearly states that not all hashtags or tweets are indexed. This may mean using it more frequently to ensure it makes an impact on the platform. The more recent the tweet, the more likely it will be indexed but even that is no guarantee.
Hashtag Ownership
On the surface, hashtags are not really owned by any particular business or organization. They can’t be purchased and users are welcome to use any hashtag on their account, as long as it doesn’t conflict with the Twitter Trademark Policy.
What is a Trademark Policy Violation on Twitter?
Using a company or business name, logo, or other trademark-protected materials in a manner that may mislead or confuse others with regard to its brand or business affiliation may be considered a trademark policy violation.
However, Twitter users can register their hashtags with Twubs. It’s important to remark that registering a hashtag isn’t the same as registering a trademark. It isn’t a means to keep other people from using it. There is no way to own a tag in the same way that you own a logo or domain name.
Registering a tagmeans that your brand becomes attached to it and that the tag will get added to a hashtag directory. This directory allows businesses to go into some detail about the tag and why it exists.
Once you have created a unique hashtag and registered it, then it is time to market the tag as much and as often as possible. This is the way to motivate the audience to associate your registered tag with your brand. You’ll never be able to control everything that becomes tagged with your #, but the idea is to generate more presence for your business on social media.
Still have questions about how to effectively incorporate Twitter into your social media strategy? Give us a call and we can help you build an online brand that helps you #BeAwesome and develop a #NewHabit for this year!
~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don’t get left behind ~ 


Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn,Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , YouTube,Pinterest, Instagram  and the tools to manage them. 

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.

Social Seven – Top 6 Twitter Tips



Top 6 Twitter Tips with Social Bridges
Special Guest: Beth Johnston of Social Bridges
Beth Johnston of Social Bridges is our guest speaker this weekend and she has some social media tips for our audience. This is a 101 class for individuals already on Twitter but are more interested in getting their brand recognized on the platform. Here are six tips for companies who would like to get started on Twitter.
Twitter is known as the cocktail party of social media. You’ve got 140 characters or less to make your point and to make it a solid, clear statement. It’s a quick to respond platform. You need to monitor Twitter and respond when mentioned.
Top 6 Tips for Making Your Brand Known on Twitter
1. Tweet About Your Business
People are following you because they are interested in your business. You are the expert so post industry information. Behind the scenes posts are interesting. Use Twitter to educate.
2. Make Yourself the Local Expert
This is especially true if you have a local storefront. Tweet about events, activities and special occasions going on in your area. Tweet about what is going on. Reach out to people interested in your area and showcase your knowledge.
3. Engagement
Twitter is known for their quick conversations. Encourage more of that by tweeting questions. Make it about your followers.
4. Hashtags
Hashtags are critical. Using the # symbol before a trending word or phrase will draw new followers to your account helping you reach a wider audience.
5. Mentions
Mentions is when Twitter users put the @ symbol before another user’s Twitter handle. This is a way to draw attention to a specific user, highlight them, ask them a public question, or just start a conversation.
6. 8/20 Rule
As with any social media marketing, it’s important to use the 80/20 rule on Twitter. This means only spending 20% of the time (or less) on self promotion and the rest of the time on content that is interesting to the audience.
Learn more about Beth and her company by visiting: http://socialbridges.biz/
Think this might help you with scheduling content and staying on top of your social media? Follow us on social media to find out when our Social Seven podcast is streaming live!

Forget Me Not – Reconnecting with People Online

The next chapter of our #KeystoKindness series this month covers reconnecting with people online. This is especially true for past clients, colleagues, co-workers, and networks that you might not have thought of in awhile. While social media is all about connecting, having conversations and engagement online, the focus tends to be on making new relationships instead of strengthening those you already have.
The main benefit of reconnection is building on a foundationthat is already established. They already know, and most likely trust, you and what you do. We all get busy and get lost in our own tunnel vision. Taking a moment to remind them that you are around and are thinking of them is a great way to reopen communication channels. From there, both parties are welcome to collaborate, brainstorm or share information.
How to Approach Reconnecting
It may feel awkward to say hello to someone you haven’t thought of in awhile. It doesn’t have to elaborate, opening with something simple works just fine. Try one of these:
“Hey there! I was just thinking of you and wondering how your business was doing?”
“Hello! I’m working on this new project and thought it would be great to get your input on it. I’ve always valued your opinion.”
“I saw this article online and it looked right up your alley. Figured I would share and see how you are doing?”
Where to Reconnect
Sure, you can just shoot people an email or a text to reconnect. There’s nothing wrong with that approach at all. However, consider using your social media platforms instead. For one, everyone is looking for more authentic engagement on his or her online platforms. Besides, a side benefit could be that other people view or even participate in the conversation.
Facebook
Share a link to a website, blog, or article that might be interesting to the person. Like some of their posts. Comment on their shares. Make sure to leave a personal note. Ask them a question to encourage them to respond.  
LinkedIn
The good thing is this site is built for connecting. Go through your connections and send people a message. Leave a recommendation or endorsements. Often they will be grateful for the time you spent and message you expressing gratitude. Perhaps they will even reciprocate on your profile. Spend some time looking at the prompts the website offers for reconnecting – congratulation people on their new jobs, promotions or work anniversaries.
Twitter
Twitter has perfected the art of the short conversation. If you use Twitter, get on there and start retweeting, favoriting, and mentioning people you haven’t spoken to in a while. Find creative ways to spark their interest and build your own engaging conversations.
There are other ways to reconnect as well. Know any bloggers? Go read their latest blog post and post a comment. Engage and interact with people you know on forums, community groups, and websites. Pull up a list of people you network with and send them something valuable or interesting.
Challenge yourself to take some time this week to drop a line with some people you haven’t talked to for a bit. It establishes more presence for you online and you never know what kind of benefits might come from engaging others. Keep expressing gratitude, counting your blessings, and sharing kindness.

This is just one of the ways to #BeAwesome this November. Keep an eye out for more of our #KeystoKindness later this month.

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don’t get left behind ~ 


https://thesocialmediaadvisor.com/


Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn,Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , YouTube,Pinterest, Instagram  and the tools to manage them. 

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.