Social Media Archives - Page 2 of 87

April 3, 2019 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Top Five: Happy 15th Birthday to GMail

Top news this week from the world of social media includes the death of Google+, Facebook’s war on hate, LinkedIn’s lookalike audiences, GMail’s 15th birthday and a primer on using TikTok.

1. Google+ died yesterday

“On April 2nd, your Google+ account and any Google+ pages you created will be shut down and we will begin deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts,” the company said in a notice in late January. According to Google, it will take a couple of months to delete all the Google+ content, meaning users may still be able to access it during this time. Google+ sign-in will stop working for other services, but users will be able to sign into them using a Google account.

2. Sandberg says we can win against hate

Facebook COO Cheryl Sandberg took to the Instagram blog to share the steps being taking in the aftermath of the recent terror attack in New Zealand. “We have heard feedback that we must do more – and we agree,” she wrote. “In the wake of the terrorist attack, we are taking three steps: strengthening the rules for using Facebook Live, taking further steps to address hate on our platforms, and supporting the New Zealand community.

3. LinkedIn brings lookalike audiences to B2B marketing

LinkedIn has added lookalike audiences to its ad offerings! Similar to Facebook’s lookalike audiences, these use AI to identify users that match demographic and psychographic data of known customers.

4. Happy 15^th Birthday to Gmail

It’s Gmail’s 15^th birthday, so Google is launching two new features.

The first is the expansion of ‘Smart Compose’ options, the automated response tools which make it easier to communicate on the go. There’s also a new scheduling option to ensure messages get sent at the most appropriate time.

5. A beginner’s guide to TikTok

There have been more than 1 billion TikTok downloads according research firm Sensor Tower. Use the app to share 15-second videoclips, which are set to music from populart artists.

It’s a fast-paced app that combines elements of Spotify, Snapchat, Vine, and Twitch. This story outlines what you need to know to get started.

Get our weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with our free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

February 28, 2019 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Top Five: Should Facebook be regulated?

In this week’s Top 5 social media news for marketing and communications professionals we highlight new Google video display ads, a Forrester Research report on future digital marketing spend, TikTok’s FTC fine, Quora and potential Facebook regulation in the UK.

1. Video comes to Google responsive display ads

Now you can add YouTube video assets to Google responsive display adcampaigns. Google has also announced two reporting updates for responsive display ads.

Like responsive search ads, these ads are largely automated, with advertisers adding multiple images — and now up to five YouTube videos — headlines, descriptions and brand logos that get served in different combinations and ad sizes dynamically.

An exciting addition to responsive display ads which already delivered awesome CTRs! – SS

2. Forrester: Digital marketing spend to reach $146B by 2023, but search landscape is changing

Search ad budgets are predicted to shift to voice and voice-activated queries of voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant will be mainstream in five years. Marketers will move from pay-per-click to voice skills, SEO, content on sites like Pinterest and branding to better capitalize on voice.

Communicators need to keep on top voice search trends which will disrupt search and a whole lot more. – SS

3. TikTok gets fined $5.7 million for collecting children’s data, announces new kid-friendly version

“The operators of Musical.ly, now known as TikTok, knew children were using the app, but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13,” FTC Chairman Joe Simons said in a statement.

This increasingly important channel is getting ready for prime time, despite this set back. Pay heed. – SS

4. Should your organization use Quora?

One platform you might consider is Quora, the online question-and-answer platform. Users can pose questions or provide answers and brand managers can use advertising tools to highlight their brands.

Quora says it sees 300 million unique visitors every month, making it a prime opportunity to raise awareness and visibility.

This important platform is often overlooked by PR professionals. Check out this great infographic to understand Quora’s power. – SS

5. The UK calls on Facebook and other social media giants to be regulated

For the last 18 months UK lawmakers investigated Facebook, and it’s recommended they and other social media giants be regulated. A damning report said after years of self-regulation, these companies were unable to protect users data and privacy or from disinformation.

The UK parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has recommended an independent regulator be set up (like UK’s Ofcom or the FCC), and a compulsory code of ethics for social media companies.

It’s going to happen everywhere. And maybe it’s not a bad thing if this will help restore people’s faith in social media companies. — SS

Get our weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with my free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

February 23, 2019 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Is blogging still relevant in 2019?

In 2019 we are experiencing a resurgence in corporate blogging. For the first time in nine years, a greater proportion of Fortune 500 companies use blogs compared to that of Inc. 500 companies, according to new research from Umass Dartmouth.

The blog post below was first published on July 12, 2006, about six months into my blogging journey. In reading it I can remember some of the frustration I was feeling at the time. In reading the comments, I remember the support from the community and it helped me decide to carry on. Now, some 13 years later I can say that starting and maintaining a blog was a pivitol point in my career. I’ve learned so much, and have helped hundreds of clients use blogs to grow and achieve their goals.

Yes, in 2006 blogging did work. An it continues to do so in 2019.

Does blogging work?

On the occasion of Strive Notes’ 100th posting I thought I’d review progress. We started this blog site primarily to create a sense of community among Strive Public Relations consultants, since most of us work from independent offices. I think we’ve been partially successful in this endeavour with several Strivers taking part in discussions over the last few months. I’d like to see fuller participation, but I know that not everyone is comfortable with the medium.

A second objective was to raise the profile of the consultancy and drive traffic to the main website. And Strive Notes has certainly done that. Growing from a measly 200 visits per month to about 8,000, since its inception, this blog has been doing the job. Also, as far as SEO goes, we are certainly pushed up the agenda.

The tertiary objective was to solidify client relationships and increase sales leads. I’m not so sure that we’ve achieved this. I’ve little evidence that clients and prospects are looking at this blog. No client has ever commented, although one did once mention it in passing. I’ve never received an email from a prospective client to say, ” I’ve been reading your blog. Please tell me more about your services”.

Now, when you consider that client relationships and new business development are the lifeblood of any consulting firm, it makes me question if all the effort that goes into blogging is worth it. Perhaps the time would be better spent prospecting in more traditional ways?

I think, to find my answer, I’m going to commit to doing another 100 postings and see how it goes. Then I’ll have another think about if Strive Notes should continue. Wish us luck!

February 14, 2019 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Top Five: Facebook ads are getting smarter

Top five social media news stories for marcoms professionals this week feature new innovations for businesses from Facebook, LinkedIn Live video and new features from YouTube and Whats App.

1. Facebook Merges Instagram Direct with Page Inbox, Allows Page Access to Groups

In the next few weeks, Facebook is rolling out Instagram Direct to page inboxes in Brazil and the United States. With the integration of Direct into page messaging, admins can manage conversations in one place, rather than switching between two different apps. The integration is available to both mobile and desktop devices for the application Pages Manager.

In the upcoming weeks, Facebook is allowing pages to participate in groups. With this change, page owners can join Facebook’s interest-focused communities and interact with members, rather than doing so from their personal accounts.

These changes improve Facebook’s usefulness for Brand Page owners – SS

2. LinkedIn Launches Live Broadcast Feature in Beta

LinkedIn is launching the live broadcast format in a US beta test. Called LinkedIn Live, it allows individual professionals and organizations to broadcast real-time video. For now, it’s available by invite-only, but will be opened up soon.

Live video was a game changer for Facebook. It will have a big impact for LinkedIn too. – SS

3. Facebook introduces household income targeting based on US ZIP code averages

Facebook is introducing ad targeting by household income by U.S. ZIP code. The feature allows advertisers to target ads to U.S. Facebook users based on the average income levels in the ZIP code in which they say they reside. Advertisers can target audiences by the top 5 percent, top 10 percent, top 10 to 25 percent and top 25 to 50 percent.

A really useful insight to add will even more power to Facebook advertising. – SS

4. YouTube expands test Explore tab to more devices

YouTube is expanding the test of its “Explore” feature, a discovery tool first introduced within its iPhone app. Like Instagram’s Explore page, the new feature introduces users to diverse personalized recommendations. The test is now available across devices, and now also suggests up-and-coming YouTube creators.

Better visibility and discoverability will keep YouTube a top tool for digital marketers. – SS

5. WhatsApp is testing an algorithmic feed for Status

The messaging app is now testing an algorithm for Status that will sort updates by relevance, rather than chronological order. WhatsApp is starting to test the feature now with a small subset of iPhone users in Brazil, Spain, and India, and plans to roll it out more broadly in the future.

The new algorithmic sorting will order WhatsApp’s Status updates — that’s the messaging app’s version of Stories — based on whose update is likely to be most relevant. Up until now, updates have been placed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent Status appearing first.

This will reduce visibility for most brands and Facebook could take this new approach with Stories on its other platforms. – SS

Get our weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with my free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

February 6, 2019 by sherrilynne Leave a Comment

Top Five: What’s your (Instagram) story?

This week’s top 5 social media news for marketing and communications professionals! We feature the new Facebook Messenger Unsend. See some how-to info for Instagram Messenger. Get information from Facebook on fighting fake news. Learn about Pinterest’s smarter search. See Ottawa’s effective street signage.

1. Facebook’s Messenger Unsend Feature Is Now Available

Facebook is rolling out an unsend feature on Messenger, which allows users to retract messages within a ten-minute window.

When users click a message, two options will appear: Remove for Everyone and Remove for you. Choosing the latter will remove the message from the recipient, and leave a note about the removal. Choosing the former will remove the message only from the sender. The recipient can still see the message.

Messenger is becoming increasingly important in digital marcoms. Are you update with its features and functions? – SS

2. How to Improve Your Instagram Story Engagement

Here’s seven ways to encourage followers to tap on, reply to, and screenshot your Instagram stories.

2019 is the ‘Year of the Story’. If you’re not leveraging this engaging content format in your marketing communications campaigns, you’re missing out. – SS

3. What Is Facebook Doing to Address the Challenges It Faces?

People want to know about Facebook’s efforts to stop the spread of misinformation, prevent election interference, and protect people’s privacy. This past year the social network has invested record amounts in strengthening its defenses against abuse. It’s also giving users more control over their information and more transparency policies, operations and ads. Here’s steps taken in five key areas.

The team at this crucial marketing platform is working to address some serious problems to restore users’ faith. – SS

4. Pinterest’s New Feature gets smart with skin tone

Pinterest is adding a new feature that lets users search based on skin tone ranges, a handy feature for a service that’s popular with fashion and personal style brands.

Pinterest is a channel that is often overlooked by corporate communications professions. But it’s smarter than many of its competitors. – SS

5.Humour helps ease the pain of city construction

In the effective use of non-digital communications category, congratulations are due to the City of Ottawa for injecting a little humour into the multi-year Elgin Street disruption. (Photos by Stacey Diffin-Lafleur).

Get our weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with our free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

Get our weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with my free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

Does blogging work?

Get our weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with my free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

5.Humour helps ease the pain of city construction

Get our weekly Top Five delivered directly to your inbox with my free weekly newsletter. Subscribe by clicking here.

Contact Me

Reach me