SMM Exam 2

For a corporation, Social Media Examiner notes things to consider before posting an image

#1. Do you understand the term fair use? Just because you provide attribution and/or a link back to the original doesn't mean you're free and clear. Fair use has nothing to do with attribution. That's an issue related to plagiarism, which is different from copyright. #2. Why are you using the image? If it is "...for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research..." you're on the right track (fair use). #3. Have you transformed the image? If the new work which incorporates the copyrighted image is a "transformative work" - what you created no longer resembles the original - there is a greater likelihood of finding an exception to copyright infringement. #4. How much of the image are you using? If you're using a thumbnail and linking to the original location, there is a greater likelihood of finding fair use than if you just post the original image. #5. Are you willing to risk your site being taken down, getting a cease and desist/bill/DMCA or being sued? The DMCA gives the copyright owner powerful options.

Best Practices for Blogging, Podcasting, Video Sharing and Webinars

#1: Use catchy titles. #2: Update frequently. #3: Keep content focused. #4: Invite comments. #5: Promote the Blog, Streaming Video, Podcast, or Webinar. #6: Engage with others. #7: Avoid negativity. #8: Stand by the content. #9: Cross promote. #10: Archive the content. #11: Use metrics.

Best Practices for Online Discussions on All Platforms

- Stick to the topic - Search before posting - Use good grammar and capitalization - No feeding the trolls - Do not post repetitively (or double post) - No sock puppets

Engaging Viewers

-Create a strong connection to consumers -Good for storytelling, and enjoyable to most viewers. -More appealing than dry text or a podcast -The more senses that are involved in gathering information, the more engaging the process becomes. -Viewers become more vested in content when a human is attached to it. -Communication studies estimate that 50% - 80% of meaning is conveyed through body language.

Copyrights

-In general, a copyright attaches to the image as soon as a photo is taken; the copyright applies to the taker of the photo. -Create your images with tools such as SmartArt in Word or PowerPoint or take your own photo. -Be sure to get permission to post pictures of individuals.

How to Create Appealing Video Content - Intimate

-It is part of human nature to follow stories. -A video that tells a story is more appealing, and creates a connection with the viewer. -Dove launched the "Real Beauty" social media campaign with personal and compelling videos designed to bolster the self-esteem of tweens, teens, and young women. -This FB campaign increased their number of fans by 75% in 3 months.

How to Create Appealing Video Content - Entertaining

-People want enjoyable, fun content. -If a video is viewed millions of times the brand will be carried along even if its mentioned very briefly. -Entertaining videos make news, are shared on social networks, and can spawn imitations and spinoffs, expanding the brand's influence

How to Create Appealing Video Content - Authentic

-Use real people in actual locations. -High production values may be seen as a sign of slick professional marketing, and may be more skeptical of the content. -Many viral videos are recorded using a webcam. -Viewers will not only forgive, but will often reward a "homemade" feel because the content seems more believable.

How to Create Appealing Video Content - Offbeat and Unusual

-Videos that challenge a taboo or seem otherwise strange and unlikely can be highly popular; most viral videos feature these qualities. -Relatively few videos are viewed in their entirety. -Desktop have highest viewing completion rate of 20%. -Smartphone viewing completion rate was 10%. -Location, mood and content matter. -Viewers most receptive in public places. -A mood of excitement increased receptivity.

Marketing with Photo Sharing Sites

1. Determine the Target markets 2. select the photos to upload 3. use photos to demonstrate the knowledge, involve users, not to sell. 4. Market the content 5. Secure permissions

Best Practices in Marketing through Photo Sharing

1. Determine your brand story and your target market and corresponding objectives and metrics. 2. Benchmark against others in your brand category. 3. Optimize your content by not posting the same content the same way on every site. 4. Realize that the customer is the center of your efforts. 5. Don't just display products; show products in context of how they are used. 6. For sharing your own photos, use images that express your brand's personality 7. Use each major platform to its best advantage. 8. Find and develop your brand influencers 9. Above all, measure and respond.

•Best Practices for Video Marketing

1. Match the production techniques to the intent of the video. 2. Design and produce videos for mobile - first and always. 3. Design and produce videos for the platforms on which they are to appear. 4. Post your videos on multiple platforms and on your own website. 5. Optimize your videos to be found in search. 6. Encourage viewers to share your videos. 7. Finally, don't make a sales video.

Best Practices for Crafting an Effective Twitter Channel

1. Self Promote Cautiously - Focus on relationships first 2. Choose Optimal Tweet times - Post updates when followers are also updating 3. Respond to Question - Quickly respond to customers questions 4. Gather Feedback - Ask for opinions ir product reviews directly 5. Provide Unique Value - Answer the question "why follow and listen to the messages being offered?"

Elements of Content Marketing

1. Strategy - key in developing strong content. 2. Format - content can be deployed across many channels. 3. Content type - Different types of content work well for different businesses. 4. Platform - Can be over paid, earned, or owned media. 5. Metrics - Understand who, when, the reach, and other useful information. 6. Goals - Content should support the business and brand strategy. 7. Sharing Triggers - Marketers use emotional and other triggers to create responses in the audience. 8. Checklist - Content is optimized for search, to support the firm's goals, and other factors

Building Your Brand through Photo Sharing

1. Tie your photo sharing strategy into your professional goal 2. Keep the pictures linked to your professional brand, but have fun 3. Focus on engagement 4. Be sure not to overshare

Blogging's Six Pillars

1.Publishable. It is cheap and easy for anyone to set up a blog. 2.Findable. People can find blogs with search engines. 3.Social. Conversations about mutual interests can occur on blogs. 4.Viral. Blogs can often spread information faster than a news service. 5.Syndicatable. Viewers can easily subscribe to a blog. 6.Linkable. Blogs can link to each other.

Good content alone is not enough to reach the top of social news sites.

1.Vote up submissions by other users with similar interests, and they may return the favor. 2.Users who submit only their own content are quickly identified as spammers and ignored. 3.Even if an article becomes popular, not all of the viewers will consider purchasing a product. 4.By providing space for discussion by a wide reader base, social news can draw comments and input. 5.Many conversations occur on social news sites which cannot be found elsewhere.

What is a Blog?

A collection of the blogger's personal thoughts and ideas around a particular topic.

Which statement is FALSE? a. Sharing photos can provide a human face to a company. b. The cost of sharing images online is low. c. A photo sharing strategy will require an overwhelming time commitment. d. Photos often show up on the first page of search engine results. e. Photos can be used to influence buyer mood.

A photo sharing strategy will require an overwhelming time commitment.

Marketing with Webinars and/or Podcasts

Advantages of Webinars: •Webinars may gather a large audience (500+) without the need to travel •Ideal for training sessions or information sharing •The audience can ask questions and get immediate answers. •Email addresses provided by Webinar participants can later be used to send targeted messages. Prior to webinar registration, lead qualification messages can be asked.

Developing the Company Strategy and Brand Story through Content Marketing

Company Strategy -> Brand Story -> Content -> Communication Channels -> Measurement and Feedback

Linking a Blog to Marketing Objectives

Create tangible returns for the blog's creators •Many are personal and function like an online journal. •Many professional or corporate blogs do not accomplish their objectives, or don't know what those objectives should be. •Over 50% of blogs are abandoned within 90 days. The single biggest risk in business blogging is setting the wrong strategy.

The Growing Importance of Visual Marketing

In June 2018, the daily active story users of Instagram had reached to 400 million users, and monthly active users had reached to 1 billion active users. Imgur is one of the top sites on the Internet and is a self-styled "storytelling community."

Best Practices: Building a Personal Brand with Twitter

Lesson #1: Create a complete profile. Lesson #2: Follow in your area. Lesson #3: Create lists around your interests. Lesson #4: Create a follow strategy. Lesson #5: Post at least three times a day.

Personal Branding through Online Discussion, News and Bookmarking

Lesson #1: Engage in professional discussions related to your career interests. Lesson #2: Be careful of participating in discussions on controversial topics. Lesson #3: Your username will be associated with your post and you can't control the comments of others. Lesson #4: Your bookmarks on your registered accounts are available for others to see. Lesson #5: Properly attribute the source of any content that you pin to your Pinterest or other bookmarking. Lesson #6: Follow the rules of the bookmarking site. Lesson #7: Show your expertise by using content curation.

Which of the following is NOT a part of creating appealing video content? a. Authenticity b. Entertaining c. Intimacy d. Nostalgia e. Offbeat and Unusual

Nostalgia

How to Create Appealing Video Content - Sharing Online Videos

People share content for three basic reasons: 1. As an act of altruism, to help or to share information 2. To express their own identity 3. Because they have an emotional connection with the brand -People share for intrinsic and emotional reasons, but businesses are trying to get people to share for economic reasons. -Sharing occurs in several stages:

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the benefit of showcasing the product with online photos and other images? a. Showcasing a product is most effective when the presentation is highly detailed. b. Photos cannot be used to showcase document offers. c. Showcasing a product should not be used when the presentation is highly detailed. d. Photos cannot be used to influence buyer mood. e. The potential risk of exposed trade secrets does not outweigh the sales benefits of sharing product information.

Showcasing a product is most effective when the presentation is highly detailed.

When creating appealing video content, which of the following requires a descriptive and memorable title for reference for success? a. Primary b. Secondary c. Tertiary d. Group Sharing e. Blog Sharing

Tertiary

Consumer Use of Video

Use of mobile & video is growing rapidly. Figure shows that an increasing amount of time is spent viewing videos: As time-shifted TV -On the internet -On mobile devices -Mobile and time-shifted video are the trends marketers must accommodate. Note: Television is still king!

Consumer Use if Video cont

Use of mobile & video is growing rapidly. U.S. consumers who view branded video content on smartphones are "significantly more likely to watch, share, and feel personally connected to ads and branded video content than their counterparts watching on desktop or TV are."

One reason that video creates a stronger connection with consumers is: a. it doesn't tell a story. b. it is seen as a diversion or quick break. c. because viewers are more vested in content when there is a human face attached. d. it doesn't require many senses. e. because people don't like to read

because viewers are more vested in content when there is a human face attached.

•Social News Sites

•39% of digital news sites get more of their traffic from mobile than from desktops; mobile users remain on the site longer. •Traditional newspapers continue to struggle, & cable news showed a significant decline in prime-time viewing. •Viewership is up for evening network news and for early evening and early morning local TV news. •Downloads of podcasts were up a whopping 41%. •Digital news ad revenue growing, but not for traditional brands.

Marketing with Q&A Sites

•A Q&A site lets people pose questions and receive answers back from anyone willing and (hopefully) knowledgeable enough to reply. •Most Q&A sites can also provide fast answers by looking up questions that have already been asked. •Q&A sites are not an appropriate place to promote a product. •Members gain a reputation for providing detailed and useful answers. •A natural way to demonstrate thought leadership and build trust.

Building Your Brand Online Customize the Profile Page

•A good profile page will help to develop: a solid following, views to the main site, and more interest in the marketed product. •Best to use a face picture as the avatar, not a logo •The profile's description should provide context and important details but must be concise. •The background is a place to put URLs for other profiles, websites or blogs.

Marketing with Social News and News Aggregation Sites

•A social news site lets users submit links to news stories, etc. to be ranked and displayed, but sites differ in how they rank and display them. •Most social news sites also provide the means for readers to discuss and comment on articles. •These sites appear to be fundamentally altering the way news is consumed. •Readers are taking control of the news they view. •The most important determinant of an article's success will be the title. •Many hurried users will vote a story up or down based solely on the title, never viewing the attached content. •Make the title appeal to short attention spans, since those dominate the space on social news sites. •Lists are favored on social media sites, as they are easy on the eyes, and quick to read. •Buzzfeed invented the "listicle."

Everyone is a Publisher

•Anyone can become a publisher at minimal cost. •Content Clutter •There is a proliferation of content online. Some blogs have many readers, while many blogs have almost no readers

Marketing with Social Bookmarking and S-Ecommerce cont

•As social bookmarking becomes more popular, various social media sites have attempted to find ways to monetize their traffic. •Social commerce or "s-ecommerce" is ecommerce that incorporates selling within social networks. •Pinterest introduced buyable pins for specific retailers which allow users to purchase products from pins without leaving the site. •Facebook added a buy button. •Twitter has a blue Buy Now bar.

Marketing Benefits of Blogging

•Blogging advantages: 1.Communicating with (Potential) Customers 2.Word-of-Mouth Marketing •May be more than twice as effective as traditional marketing.

•Generating Business Leads

•Business videos are good for demonstrating products and to build trust in the brand and product. •Research shows that videos also work to sell products. •Videos convert leads to sales at a lower cost than other lead generation activities. •Be clear about your marketing objective - A sales lead? A purchase? •A video should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Creating and Sharing Podcasts

•Choose a Format •Presentation: Record a live monologue or give a simple talk on a subject. •Q&A: A question-and-answer session can be set up with one or more people to give the listener more information. •Co-hosted: When co-hosted a podcast becomes an on-demand talk radio show.

Producing Podcasts

•Choose an articulate moderator: recorded audio often amplifies people's speaking quirks. •Create talking points, not scripts •Brevity •Avoid overediting •Include music

Benefits of Marketing with Online Photos and Other Images - Reinforcing the Brand message

•Company pictures can be highly persuasive for potential buyers even when they are not directly about the product. •Posting photos can give "a strong sense of culture and provide a human face to the company." •Pictures demonstrate an institution's values and beliefs far more vividly than written description.

Creating and Sharing Podcasts cont

•Content 1.Instructional 2.Informative 3.Entertainment •Best to stay with a common theme connecting the series of podcasts. •Do not attempt to create a one-size-fits all content Focus on the interests of your target audience

Building Your Brand Online Tweet Content

•Content should be "interesting, fun, and valuable." •Address the concerns, interests of the target audience first. •Do not cover too many different topics in quick succession. •Links without a title attached are unlikely to be seen. •Look at the number of retweets to see if they care.

Showcasing the Product

•Demonstrating how to use a product has several benefits as a video marketing strategy: •Viewers with no experience with the product may watch, be impressed, and consider making a purchase. •Such videos may also assist those who have already bought the product, leading to favorable online reviews and video sharing.

Different Uses for Microblogging

•Depending on the industry, audience, and objectives, a different mix of these six types of tweets might be appropriate. •Twitter remains the largest and best-known microblog site online. •In most cases it will be the starting point for establishing a brand's presence through microblogging.

Discussion Boards

•Discussion Boards •In their original form, they are in decline. •But in broader sense, they have become a mainstay of many sites. •Online gamers love to discuss gaming and their own play. •Some companies find discussion boards a great source of product innovation. •Most online retail sites include them for posting consumer opinions and receiving company feedback.

Promoting a Blog

•Drive traffic to the blog site and keep them coming back. •Request an email sign-up; create a list of readers who receive content on a regular basis.

Building a Twitter Following Equal Ratio

•Equal Ratio" Strategy: keep profile's following and follower counts close to equal. •The profile will only follow users who seem likely to follow back; it also follows back all followers. •May take weeks or months to gather even a hundred followers unless the brand is already well-known.

Benefits of Marketing with Online Photos and Other Images - Create awareness and encourage sharing.

•Posts with images are more likely to be shared on Facebook and Tweets with images get retweeted more often than those without. •Posts with images are also retained in memory longer. •Best practices include having the model look at the product, not at the camera, and creating infographics that contain an embed link.

Different Uses for Microblogging

•For marketing, two main purposes: 1.Convey information 2.Begin a discussion or participate in an ongoing conversation •The book Twitter Power 2.0 describes 6 types of tweets: 1. Classic tweets: "This is what I'm Doing Now." 2. Opinion tweets: "This is What I'm thinking Now." 3. Mission Accomplished tweets: "This is What I've Just Done." 4. Entertainment tweets: "I'm Making You Laugh Now." 5. Question tweets: "Can You Help Me Do Something Now?" 6. Picture tweets: "Look at What I've Been Doing."

Creating a Reputation through Blogging

•Honesty and open communication can lead to increased credibility. •Let bloggers know someone is listening and engaged. •Share stories and information on the business and to develop a likable public personality.

Building a Twitter Following Targeted Follow cont

•In Twitter's "suggested People" feature, users see lists of similar accounts and suggested people to follow based on which profiles they view and follow, leading to related profiles. •The second stage is choosing which to follow back. •Early on, with less than 500-1,000 followers, follow back nearly everyone; later, can be more selective. •Targeted following is best for marketing objectives, but not the fastest way of gaining Twitter followers.

Benefits of Marketing with Online Photos and Other Images - Leverage opportunities to market with low costs.

•Initial setup costs are a small investment can be sufficient to propel a photo marketing campaign forward. •The time commitment for maintaining a photo sharing presence less demanding than a social networking site.

Monitoring the Blogosphere

•Learn about the "tone" of the online community. •Relevant comments are likely to be dispersed through a huge number of blogs. •Stay current on important blogs in the industry and view reader comments.

The Growing Importance of Visual Marketing

•Marketers must be aware of the importance of visual images to consumers. •They should be constantly changing and updating their images, and encourage consumers to do the same •Google is emphasizing the photo sharing capabilities of Google+. •Facebook purchased Instagram for photo sharing.

•Leading Video Platforms

•Marketers post their branded videos on multiple platforms including their own websites. •In addition, Facebook allows videos on both posts and Facebook Pay per Click (PPC) ads. •Advertisers like Facebook ads because they generate more viewer interaction than videos on other platforms. •Snapchat users share over 700 million "ephemeral" photos and videos each day; viewable for 10 seconds. •Twitter's Vine only accepts 15-second videos. •Table shows the largest platforms

Podcasts

•Marketing Through Podcasting •Podcasts are media files distributed via subscription on the Internet. •A podcast may contain only audio or audio & video (vodcasts); they can be: 1. Played directly off the website on a computer 2. Downloaded to a computer and listened to offline 3. Downloaded to portable MP3 players for listening offline

Building a Twitter Following - Mass Follow

•Mass Follow" Strategy: follow others in the hope that they follow back. •Twitter will block users from following more than 2,000 profiles unless they are also being followed by a similar number. •Most of the users who follow back will be mass marketers and spammers and will not read the tweets.

Webinars or podcasts?

•May emphasize one medium more than the other •The choice may reflect available technology and resources (podcasts are less expensive). •Webinars valuable for learning or collaboration •Podcasts less interactive but have continuing accessibility because downloaded. •A natural fit for opinion, information, entertainment

What Is Microblogging?

•Microblogging is a form of blogging with significant limits on the length of posts, typically consisting of short sentence and links, usually 140 characters. •We will focus on Twitter as the primary application for marketing via microblogging. •A related concept is MWOM (microblogging word of mouth) which can accelerate WOM communications; this is known as the Twitter effect.

The Evolution of Online Discussions

•One of the earliest types of social media is the discussion board, a service where participants can exchange messages with each other. •Often, a sense of community develops around discussion boards. •Typically organized into groups based on topics of interest •Forums arrange posts and replies in a thread so that users can follow the flow, and see the chronological order of posts. •A moderator monitors and facilitates discussions, enforcing discussion board policies and rules. •Traditional discussion boards have declined in popularity over recent years. •Discussions now take place in many different forms on the Internet. •Facebook Groups allows anyone (administrator) to create a group focused on a topic for discussion, and the group may be open (anyone may join) or closed (membership is by invitation or approval only).

Creating a Content Strategy cont

•Overcome the fear of being too specific. •Be as niche and specific as possible. •The future lies in serving niche markets on a large scale. •Consider specialized interests

Large Audiences

•People are reading less, watching TV & screens more. •Marketers "follow the eyeballs" and the eyeballs of all age groups are on video. •Young consumers 18-34 watch more video than older age groups. •Studies now show a noticeable shift to video among older age groups 50 & older The video audience is large and demographically diverse

Benefits of Marketing with Online Photos and Other Images - Showcase the Product

•Photos can be used to showcase a product, document offers, and influence buyer mood. •Showcasing a product is most effective when the presentation is highly detailed. •The potential risk of exposed trade secrets is often outweighed by the sales benefits of sharing product information.

Marketing with Podcasting

•Podcasting requires a strong commitment to creating content tailored to marketing goals. •Podcasts can bring in independent revenue •Recruit paid sponsors to advertise the product. •Offer fee-based content (requires superior content). Don't begin with monetizing; may be difficult to get subscribers.

Delivering Podcasts to Consumers

•Podcasts can be shared at no cost. •Directories for listing podcasts, including Podcast Alley, and iPodder.org. •Separate search engines for finding podcasts •To assist search engines in finding podcasts, fill in the ID3 tag manually. -ID3 is a file data tagging format that is recognized by most media-playing software

•Primary Sharing

•Primary sharing is the simplest step, as it can be done by just one person. •A video must be posted online. •If it is posted on several sites, consider funneling all link traffic through the most popular portal (YouTube) or wherever the target audience is concentrated, so that the video will be ranked higher by search engines. •Posting a blog entry to refer to the video is also helpful; the post may be picked up and further distributed by syndication services and shared by other bloggers.

Quora

•Quora (A combination of professional networking and an advice service) presents unique opportunities. •Brands cannot be directly involved, but they may find a way to be indirectly involved as did President Obama, who, in his effort to promote health care insurance, became a Verified Profile on Quora so he could answer health care questions there. •Upon joining, users are encouraged to follow areas and people of interest. •Establish areas of expertise by answering questions and posting news. •83% of top 100 brands had at least one discussion thread there.

Preparing for and Executing the Webinar

•Risks and dangers of Webinar: •No way to gauge audience reaction; no feedback. •No chance to rerecord if speaker is stumped or misspeaks. •Time spent preparing will be very well spent.

Building Your Brand Online Search to Gather Information

•Search: users, posts and subjects and learn specific topics, how frequently they are updated, how important the topic is, what the audience is interested in. •Search: Twitter for the brand's name, the competition and what is being said about each. •Search: is made easier by hashtags (#topic). •Use hashtags when you tweet.

Marketing with Q&A Sites cont

•Sharing information through these sites builds an aura of expertise. •Many services provide points or rankings to members who provide the best answers. •To build your reputation, share answers in a thorough, detailed way. •Q&A sites can help build links to a product page. •Beware of many sites that offer to help build such links; they may be, at best, not considered good quality by search engines, and can harm the ranking the site, not help it.

Marketing with Social Bookmarking and S-Ecommerce

•Social bookmarking is a way for people to store, organize, search manage "bookmarks" of web pages. •Most services allow users to organize them by tags, single word descriptors that categorize the bookmark. •Users can search social bookmarking sites using the descriptor to find content and bookmark that content within their own accounts. •Social bookmarking is also called folksonomy, collaborative tagging, social classification, social indexing, and social tagging. Social Bookmarking Sites List contains a list of sits that accept external content based on the rules of each site

Building Brand Awareness

•Some brands have an obvious link with stories and other content that can make compelling video. •Red Bull has created such a link between its energy drink and extreme sports. •Skiers may watch its double pipe or snowboarding series •If consumers like racing, Red Bull offers everything from motocross to Indycars. •The events and videos get a great deal of press attention, extending the brand reach.

Video Streaming in the Social Media Mix

•Streaming video is a live video broadcast shared over the Internet. •Apps (Periscope, Meerkat) have allowed easy sharing of video streams. •Best suited to live, interactive content •Viewers can comment on the video and what is happening in the moment. •Streaming is best done when shared online and when other forms of social media are also used to interact. •Legal issues include possible video piracy, but the benefits for marketers are clear.

Creating a Content Strategy

•Success requires a clear and meaningful content strategy •Based on the overall firm objectives and brand positioning. •Content marketing as a strategy has three major components: 1. The creation of the content based upon target audiences and personas. 2. The dissemination of the content through appropriate channels to achieve marketing objectives. 3. The measurement of the success of the content through the analysis of results. •Publishing content can achieve a wide variety of marketing goals and objectives. •All content marketing should reinforce the brand over multiple contact channels. •It is important to develop a powerful story that can be told across channels.

Building a Twitter Following Targeted Follow

•Targeted Follow" Strategy: search for and follow 50-150 profiles with similar interests and ideas or those that already have members of the target audience following them. •Focus more on the content and interests, and do not be overly concerned about following some that are unlikely to return the favor immediately. •To increase the chances of being followed back, consider sending a mention (hashtag #NowFollowing or similar) to inform the person about gaining a follower. •The Mention feature makes directed messages simple: •a tweet with "@[name]" will be viewable on the @Mention section of that person's home page, signaling that you are worth following back. Strike up a dialogue when appropriate and begin developing relationships

The Growing Importance of Visual Marketing cont

•Terms for the technology of sharing images: •Image hosting site - a place where a user can store pictures from a device and retrieve & print them. •A photo sharing site - lets users upload photos and other images for public or private consumption, allowing others to comment, rate, and tag the pictures. •Photo sharing sites typically permit registered users to comment on the images and tag them with descriptive keywords, making it easier to locate similar graphics.

Building a Twitter Following Purchase Option

•The "Purchase Option": Services offer to provide Twitter followers for a fee. •It is not advisable. •Likely to be some combination of automated accounts, inactive accounts, and accounts not in the target audience. •Synergize with other media to draw existing contacts into Twitter. •Integrate Twitter with Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg. •Provide a link from the company website or blog requesting viewer to follow. •Attach the Twitter handle to business cards, email signatures, etc.

One of the issues is who owns the image.

•The copyright protection afforded to users varies among photo sharing sites. •Generally, copyright holders of photos, artwork, etc. can grant users the right to use their creations without fees & still retain the copyright. •It is critical to check the copyright policy of a photo sharing site before posting images to it or using images from it for either commercial or personal purposes.

Setting Up a Blog

•The difficult parts of blogging are creating a compelling, relevant subject for the blog, writing effectively, and improving content over time.

Future of Q&A sites

•The original sites undergoing traffic decreases. •Whether newer sites like Quora can revive the sector is an open question. •SMMers must remember that whatever the platform used, they must listen to customers'' issues and respond to them. •They can also use these sites to develop a reputation for expertise that will lend credibility to the companies they represent.

The Growing Importance of Visual Marketing cont

•The sharing of visual images on smartphones is driving the growth in photo sharing worldwide. •More than 3.8 billion people have smartphones (est. Feb 20, 2020) •People like and comment more on posts when they include a visual image. •Facebook status updates attract the greatest number of comments and get the highest engagement score. •Videos encourage shares. •Photos encourage likes and achieve the highest engagement per fan per post. Good, compelling content is important, but can be boosted by a powerful image

Future of Social Bookmarking

•These are enjoying explosive growth, but only on sites that allow users to share their content & comment on it. •Examples: Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, and Digg. •Social bookmarking can introduce sites to others with relevant tastes. •Data provided by these sites is valuable to search engines. •Bloggers should always submit their posts to well-regarded bookmarking sites.

Marketing with Microblogging

•Twitter makes every other social media tool more effective by providing a distribution outlet that can reach millions of consumers. •Twitter can assist in almost any marketing goal: •Increasing brand awareness •Connecting with customers •Providing support •Distributing information •Identify influential people with common interests •Create valuable relationships •The principles learned here can be applied to other microblogging platforms.

Building Your Brand Online Know the Audience

•Using the search function to navigate through Twitter is helpful for building a portrait of the target audience. •Twitter's database of faces attached to personal interests, provides an optimal arena to study and develop different user personas. -Find one person whose profile exemplifies a certain persona. -Look at the list of similar people to follow; how do their interests differ? -Continue until another persona emerges. •A word of caution: the demographics on Twitter do not necessarily reflect those of the general public.

Benefits of Marketing with Online Photos and Other Images - Drive Web Traffic

•Visual marketing can help draw traditional press attention, it is perhaps even more effective at driving web traffic toward a product website. •Photo results often show up on the first page of search results, bringing many to view that content. •Photo sharing is a natural complement to other tools in a SMM campaign.

Hosting Webinars

•Webinars resemble a conference or seminar. •Conducted live over the Web; interactive. •Webinars are typically B2B marketing activities. •Webinars sometimes contain a visual aspect: a slide show presentation or live-stream video; the material may also be streamed.

•Tertiary Sharing

•When content is spread on the Internet by people who likely do not know or have connections with the original video's creator; viral videos are found at this stage. •Study: Facebook accounted for 81% of shares •Pinterest at 7% •Twitter with 6% •No other channel accounted for as much as 2%. •Make sure the video has a descriptive & memorable title for reference. •Consider having different titles, tags, or keywords on each online video-sharing website.

•Secondary Sharing

•When fans, friends, customers or early viewers begin spreading the video within their own social circles. •This stage is perhaps the most crucial in establishing a video's audience, because the majority of online videos that fail to spread within the first forty-eight hours never become popular. •Lay the groundwork for secondary sharing earlier: •Interact with other content creators, especially opinion leaders. •Some firms use contests or incentives.