Impact of Augmented Reality on Social Media Marketing

August 23, 2018 by Deborah Anderson

A strong social media presence has now become an inescapable winning digital marketing strategy for success. However, with millions of marketers and products swaying over social media, it is daunting for marketers to stay ahead of the curve. This is why marketers are constantly looking for new ways and tactics and augmented reality or AR is one of the striking new possibilities.

Often mistaken as virtual reality, AR is a potent and versatile technology that is changing the game of social media marketing while providing the marketers with unique opportunity to be creative in their marketing strategies.

What augmented reality exactly mean?

Augmented reality is a powerful technology that overlays an image generated by a computer on a user’s view of the real world. That means you can see virtual items or information while viewing real things. If you’ve ever played with the Snapchat’s lenses for a selfie, you get a general idea.

The Social Game

Although the hype of Pokémon was the first thing that caught our attention to the augmented reality, the truth is we have been seeing this trend for years now. With smartphones in the hands of 5 billions of world population, AR is a smart tool for marketers to make it more interactive for their users.

Millennials like Faincarter are also approaching the technology to market their products. The brand invites the customers to try out different lipstick shades through LipArtist, a Facebook Messenger bot. If they like the look, they can visit their website to make a purchase. This is no doubt a smart and winning marketing move for a brand.

Snapchat is leading the way with its interactive lenses that opened the door for a new form of marketing. The social networking site has set a new standard by integrating AR lenses for users to play with.

However other major networks like Facebook have no intention to lag behind. Facebook is gearing up its game by partnering with more than 700 brands and agencies to develop AR-based advertising. A new suite of AR tools for Messenger named “world effects” was launched by Facebook that allows the user to add real-time 3D objects into photos or videos within the camera frame.

IKEA is also tapping into the trend by rolling out an app that allows consumers to preview how the selected furniture will look in their living environments.

What does AR have in store for the future of social media?

The growth of augmented reality is showing no sign of slowing down. Thanks to the biggest tech players like Apple who has introduced ARKit to create augmented reality platforms for iPad and iPhone. Meanwhile, Google dukes it out with the launch of Poly, a website where users can search and share augmented reality objects.

“Seeing is believing” is now the common phrase in social media that brought to life with the renaissance of AR. This marvel of modern technology is having a big time, and with the top dogs already seeing success with AR, It is a kind of do or die situation for others that leave them with a choice to either shape up or lag behind. The Impact of AR is going to increase in 2019 and beyond. So it is essential for the social media marketers to leverage the technology right now to achieve a competitive edge.

Wrapping up

With the numbers of AR users hitting 200 million and AR advertising spending on the rise, it is high time for social channels to leverage AR. The technology is catching on at a higher speed, and many big brands are showing interest in the technology. So, if you really want to gain a competitive edge with social media marketing connect with any professional, augmented reality is the trend that you need to keep your eye on.

How To Effectively Run A Business Twitter Account (Without Violating Their TOS)

April 16, 2018 by Guest Author

Twitter is considered to be one of the world’s biggest social media platforms that your business can benefit from in a myriad ways. Benefits can include:

reaching out to a wider audience
connecting with your customers through public and transparent interaction
creating a brand identity and attracting your target audience

…and much more!

Twitter marketing is so powerful that both big and small businesses are using this social media platform on a more frequent basis to market their brand.

However, seldom do business owners actually ever read up on what they’re agreeing to when signing off on Twitter’s terms of service (TOS). As a result, some of them have unintentionally (for the most part) violated Twitter’s TOS without even realizing it and have caused their business accounts to be banned.

So, with all that said, here’s a list of things you’ll need to know in order for you to effectively run your business’ Twitter account without violating their TOS.

What to Know About Twitter’s TOS

As we all know, “I have read and agreed to the terms of service” is one of the biggest lies on the internet. However, since this is a binding legal document that you have to agree to if you want to create a business Twitter account, let’s go over the latest changes regarding the TOS.

What to Have in Mind

In October 2017, Twitter announced that they were making small changes to their TOS, which is when people actually read the whole document and discovered something that was there the whole time…

Twitter can use any user’s content in whatever manner they want. By agreeing to the Twitter TOS, users give Twitter “a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed).” They have recently added that every bit of content a user posts is their and that they have the right to do whatever they want with it. This, however, does not exclude that Twitter can allow anyone to republish a user’s content without the user getting paid or even being aware of it. Keep this in mind, especially if the majority of your content is original.

What NOT to do (According to the Latest TOS Changes)

In regards to the latest updates in Twitter’s TOS, it’d best to avoid performing the following actions:

Posting the same content across multiple accounts. Twitter, being against spamming and bots, has decided to make this change in their TOS to not allow users or businesses to post the same tweet/post across more than one Twitter account. Therefore, if you have more than one business account, make sure not to post identical content on all your accounts, as this can result in your account(s) being suspended.
Perform simultaneous actions across multiple accounts. Just like publishing the same content on more than one account, Twitter does not allow its users to retweet, like, or follow an account simultaneously across multiple accounts. This change, again, is made in order for Twitter to put a stop to spamming and bots as well as to provide more quality content to its users.
Recycle identical Tweets on one more than one account. Recycling evergreen content will no longer be allowed, as one of Twitter’s TOS changes includes the banning of posting identical content on one or more accounts. Even though this change seems unnecessary, if you continue to do this, you will technically violate Twitter’s new TOS. Make sure to post and tweet carefully to avoid doing this.

One example of a suspended business Twitter account would be the suspension of @WebTrafficCafe, a company led by Ana Hoffman that helps businesses acquire more traffic. But what exactly did @WebTrafficCafe do to get their account suspended?

They posted identical tweets across multiple accounts. Ana herself has said that it’s not against the rules to have multiple Twitter accounts, but as we already mentioned, according to the latest TOS changes, posting identical content across more than one account is against the rules. What can be learned from this? Don’t schedule identical content to be tweeted across all of your Twitter accounts, simple as that.
They retweeted the same content on multiple accounts. Being the second major change Twitter has made in their TOS, performing simultaneous actions across multiple accounts is no longer allowed. What can be learned from this? Don’t retweet, like, or follow an account at the same time across multiple accounts.
Aggressive following. By using TwitterAdder, which is a follower building tool, Ana has automated the search for potential followers. This kind of automation that leads to aggressive following is no longer tolerated by Twitter.

Tips for Effectively Running a Business Twitter Account

Now that we went over the latest changes in Twitter’s TOS, let’s give you some extra tips on how to effectively run your business Twitter account.

Find Your Target Audience and Engage With It

Reaching out to people who are interested in your industry/brand is essential for having a successful business Twitter account. Some ways to reach out to your targeted audience is by using Twitter’s advanced search, industry influencers and amplifiers, and various third-party Twitter tools.

While all of these tools may be useful, they still won’t be enough to reach out to the audience you need. Engaging with your target audience is the second part of this equation in order for your audience to grow. Once you’ve found your audience, it’s important to really get their attention and make them feel like a part of your community.

To do this efficiently, all you have to do is be personable with them; Mention their username in a tweet, retweet and favorite their tweets about you, get creative with your engagements with them, and above all else, STAY ENGAGED!

Automate (but not too much)

Being authentic on social media is important, but that doesn’t mean that you need to be on the platform and tweet 24/7. Business accounts can gain plenty by simply automating their feed. However, too much automation won’t do your business account any good.

The best form of automation that won’t make your account seem inauthentic is scheduling your posts. This method will give you more free time and a clear, organized vision as to how your followers will respond to your published content. Plus, there are of plenty tools that can help you schedule your posts — many of them also possessing analytic features that will show you when the best times are for you to post and when your target audience is most present on Twitter. Tools like Amplifr can help you manage and schedule posts on multiple social media accounts, so think about scheduling your posts in advance and make your life a bit easier.

Don’t Sell All the Time

While using your Twitter account to sell your company’s products/services is one of the main reasons for its existence, selling all the time can come off as a bit spammy. In all honesty, Twitter is more-so used to find and engage with audiences and customers rather than to sell your products/services, so don’t sell too hard. Instead, provide value to your followers and give them a reason for needing and buying your products or services. Engaging with your followers is what Twitter is all about.

Create Great Content

Content is one of the main factors which determines the success of a social media account. This is why knowing the interests, likes and dislikes of your target audience is very important.

Creating a content plan is a good idea if you want to stay organized. Make sure that the majority of your content is original, but use curated content as well. Help your audience in some way, solve some problem they struggle with and provide value, use hashtags thoughtfully, ask questions, share how-to tips, share trending topics from your industry, and keep your tweets short. All in all, create content that your target audience is interested in and post at least a couple of times a day.

Include Different Media Types

Videos, images, and gifs drive more engagement, so focus on these media types as well instead only on those tweets that contain just text. Visuals attract followers more than mere text, so use multimedia to your advantage and give your audience what it wants.

Final Words

Twitter has come a long way since its beginnings and is now being used by many big, medium, and small businesses. Running a business Twitter account can sometimes be confusing since they’re oftentimes changing their TOS, which is why this article concentrates on just that.

For more information on Twitter marketing, check out this extensive guide where you can learn more about effectively running a business Twitter account.

10 Unique Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog Using Twitter

October 26, 2015 by Guest Author

For someone like me who loves to be wordy, Twitter is a bit of a challenge. While many people may see the 160 character limit as a restraint, it can actually empower you to drive some serious traffic to your blog. You see, having that limit forces you to really make every word count, and that opens up doors for concentrated marketing tactics that drive people to your blog.

Today we’ll look at 10 ways Twitter can be used to make your posts sound irresistible to both dedicated followers and new readers alike.

10 Twitter-Based Strategies for Driving Traffic to Your Blog

A blog lives and dies in the ways you promote your content and bring in traffic. Even if your posts are solid gold, no one is going to see them unless you’re promoting them. There are ways to do this via email, Facebook, Google+, and even Pinterest, but today we’re going to talk about one of the big dogs: Twitter.

Put on your thinking caps and dust off your hashtags, because it’s time to start tweeting like a chatty bird! Here are 10 ways that Twitter can help you drive traffic to your blog!

1. Make Your Tweets Short and Intriguing

A tweet, in and of itself, is very short to begin with. That being said, if you can cut it down to under 100 characters, statistics show that these shorter tweets get 21% more interactions. In many cases, people will simply tweet the header of their post, but if you really want to get the curiosity flowing, try something a little more enticing.

Let’s say your post is about being productive. You could try a tweet that reads: “Never waste another second…” and then put a link to the post. People read something short and sweet like that, and they wonder what that means, so they click. The key here is creating a call to action.

2. Include a Quote

Sometimes the best way to get readers to read your content, is to give them a little taste. Studies show that tweets with quotes, get 54% more retweets. Find a good line from your post and feature that as a tweet with a link to the full article. Say you’re doing a post on how to work from home. Put a quote from your post in there such as “We would all rather work from home than spend years in a cubicle. Find out how…” and throw a link to the full post.

3. Use Statistics

People like hard, proven numbers. Seeing these reinforces ideas in their heads and shows that you’ve done your research. Say you’re doing a post about how Twitter is great for driving traffic to your blog (see what I did there?) and you want to showcase how many people actually use Twitter. Try something like this: “32% of all internet users are using Twitter…” and then put a link to your post.

4. Utilize Hashtags

Twitter utilizes hashtags (or this symbol: #, followed by several words) to categorize tweets. You can utilize these to make your tweets visible to a variety of users. When you tweet about something like blogging tips, you can include the hashtag #BloggingTips.

Another example is using general hashtags to broaden your reach. Depending on what your tweet is about you could use #InternetMarketing, #Blogging, #TwitterTips, or anything else that crosses your mind.

5. Use @mentions

The concept of a “mention” is simple: It allows you to send tweets directly to fellow users or followers. The benefit here is that these tweets are commonly retweeted to the user’s followers. Say you read a post by Matt Banner and you loved it. You wrote something similar and you want to share it with him.

All you have to do is use the “@” symbol and his user name to mention him in the tweet: “Hey, @BlastYourBlog, check out this post inspired by one of your own!” When Matt retweets that to his followers, they will come check out your blog.

6. Include Eye-Catching Images

If someone is scrolling through their feed, they may pass right over a tweet by you, but if you catch their gaze with an enticing photo, you’ll have their attention (and most likely a visit from them too!). You can find some cool images online to use, but an even better method is to make your own.

Try reading a tutorial on Canva, a free tool for making your own Twitter images, and then you’ll have access to an unlimited amount of options for adding that visual spice to your tweets.

7. Pose a Relevant Question

Questions are a sure-fire way to generate engagement from your followers. Most posts solve a problem or answer a question, so why not get people interested by posing that exact question to them? If you wrote a post about avoiding common mistakes in marketing or blogging, you could pose a question like this: “Which #blogging mistakes do you wish you could have avoided?”

People will answer the question in their head, but then they’ll start thinking about other potential mistakes, and that will compel them to click.

8. Promote Your Tweets

If you have some funds for advertising set aside, why not give promoted tweets a try? This allows you to choose which interests, locations, and people to target. Once you’ve started the program, your tweets will appear in the timelines of all the people in those categories, in addition to your followers.

This can be used to promote posts, giveaways, contests, or anything in between.

9. Ask Your Followers to Retweet

When someone retweets something you posted, suddenly your content is on display to their followers as well. The more something gets retweeted, the more the potential audience grows. You don’t need to make a huge deal of it, but if you ask, your followers will most likely help you out.

Next time you tweet a post, try adding a “Please RT” in the tweet so your readers know that you want them to spread the word.

10. Put a Link in Your Bio

This one is very simple but very effective. On your main Twitter page, visitors will see your bio. It’s usually a sentence or two about yourself. A great way to drive traffic to your blog is to include a link to it in your bio. This link will never go away unless you change your bio, so it’s an easy and permanent way to bring more people to your site.

Final Thoughts

Twitter is a fantastic way to hone your skills as a writer by giving you a limited space to work with. It’s also a great place to interact with readers and bring traffic back to your blog. How do you utilize Twitter? What ways does it benefit your blog? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The Benefits of Using Linkedin Professionally

September 7, 2015 by Guest Author

The professional business world can be a tough industry to break into, but there are ways that people can get their foot in the door, such as using Linkedin. This is a great way to not only break into the business industry but to also connect with others. People in the business industry use Linkedin for referrals, recommendations, introductions and just connecting with each other. The site is more than just a social media or networking site, however; it’s a strategic chance for people to excel in a cut-throat world. Here are a few of the benefits that people gain when they use Linkedin professionally.

Smart Connections

The best thing about Linkedin is that serious business owners use this social media platform than any other. People can visit the pages of successful businesspeople. One example is Clarence Gooden’s Linkedin profile, to see a summary of their careers and notable achievements. People in the business community use Linkedin as a way to develop their professional profiles and often use professional head shots for their profile photos. In short, it’s a social media site built by professionals for professionals.

Using Linkedin as a Research Tool

Since Linkedin has one of the most comprehensive lists of important individuals in the business world, people can use this site as a tool to research companies and people with whom they want to engage. Using this site, they can make a targeted list of certain individuals that they want to get to know. This can help them gain information on a certain industry, and it could act as a way to contact these individuals with smart, well-researched messages.

Rules of Etiquette

No matter the social media website that a person is using, there are certain rules of engagement that need to be followed. Knowing these rules can improve a person’s chances of linking up with more high-powered individuals in the business world. Just because someone has linked with a person on Linkedin doesn’t give that person the right to send frequent sales-based emails. Instead, use Linkedin as a way to interact with people and gain their support. It can be used to contact people on a business level by building a strong base.

Increasing Brand Power

Not only does a presence on Linkedin help individuals; it also helps their brand identity. It’s a great way to get out the name of a company or brand to a professional group of people. The way that big time business owners see a brand or name in the industry is extremely important. Using Linkedin, individuals can promote a brand correctly and on a more personal level. Growing a brand identity on the platform involves making smart connections and building these connections. Once these connections are established, it opens the door to other possibilities that simply don’t present themselves on other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Linkedin is a serious way for the professional community to interact. This is the type of social media network that real decision makers use. The benefits above show why Linkedin is a resume and social media hybrid that is too helpful for professionals not to take advantage of it.

One Hashtag Blunder Can Put You In A Bad Digital Neighborhood

January 29, 2015 by Alex Yong

Maybe you’re spontaneous. Hey, that’s often a good thing. But you can burn yourself by being too spontaneous on social media. Let’s look at hashtag usage as an example.

In a nutshell – Be careful about being too spontaneous with hashtags.

Let’s break down the hashtag #paytoplay to explore what it means to different people. Lots of industries have their own whirlwinds when it comes to the concept of “pay-to-play”. The issues and industries vary, but one thing’s a constant – it’s always a whirlwind.

For example, in the public relations world, people in that industry can talk for days about how pay-to-play has no place in PR. But if you speak with a publisher, he or she will tell you pay-to-play refers to native ads, etc. In politics and lobbying, pay-to-play is the bane of that world, and always referred to in a highly negative context.

If you fail to remember that pay-to-play ruffles feathers and gets folks hot under the collar, you could easily think using the hashtag #paytoplay (click to see) is a good idea if you’re trying to get a point across, or tie it to a concept. Well, I picked a great example, because #paytoplay is quite a cesspool, and it’s not a grouping where you would want to be seen. It’s got lots of suspicion-inducing political tweets, escort tweets, etc. Overall, it’s just icky and negative – Think of it as a “bad neighborhood,” but a neighborhood on social media. Just like in real life, you avoid some neighborhoods; the same goes for social media.

Just so you know, I was tempted to use #paytoplay in a tweet about something related to PR. Glad I didn’t. And when I see a hashtag in a tweet, I immediately think the person tweeting is doing me a favor by giving me access to other tweets & tweeps discussing the issue. So, naturally, I click the hashtag because I like to be in the know. But if a hashtag lands me in a bad digital neighborhood, it irks me because it makes me conclude that the person tweeting was too spontaneous and did zero research. The advice here is – Don’t do that to your followers. Yes, be spontaneous, but take a few seconds to look at a hashtag’s “digital neighborhood” before using it. And do you really want your tweet seen in a bad neighborhood? One misstep and you’ll send your followers somewhere they don’t necessarily want to be.

5 Clever Ways to Connect with Influencers on Twitter

January 27, 2015 by Alicia Lawrence

Influencers are everywhere on Twitter. They’re witty, they’re insightful, they’re powerful… and they’re bombarded every day by people like you who want to tag along on their coattails towards stardom.

Here’s the problem, though: They don’t know you yet, and you have to stand out from among all the voices striving to gain their eyes and ears. So what are you going to do to make sure you’re the shiny piece of gold amidst the iron scraps?

If you really want to connect with influences using Twitter, you have to get downright creative. You also have to be willing to be totally real. Act like you’re both human beings, and stop telling yourself that the influencers will never respond to you! After all, they’re made of flesh and blood, too, and they are obviously open to learning.

The trick is to stop force-feeding your messages and pitches. No one likes to feel like they’re being manipulated, and that includes all those influencers. Instead, try one or more of these techniques to cleverly and properly get noticed.

So what are you going to do to make sure you’re the shiny piece of gold amidst the iron scraps? -Ali Lawrence

#1: Storify Your Releases

When you have to make your next pitch, turn it into a story and add tweets by relevant influencers. Make sure you only use items that are pertinent to your story. When you publish on the Storify board, you’ll get the option to notify those who you mention in the Storify board. Those influencers will see that you’ve used their quotes, and might even be willing to talk about your client’s piece. This is a boon, especially if your influencers are big in media, as in the case of journalists or radio personalities with large followings.

#2: Add Your Influencers to a Twitter List

“Duh” you might say, but you might be surprised the amount of people who don’t put their influencers in a list. If you haven’t already, create a list revolving around the topic your influencers like, such as “awesome foodies,” and add those you want to connect with, to it. The influencer will be notified that they made it to your list. Then, follow them like crazy and make sure you re-tweet or favorite anything they say that’s relevant to your list. Who knows? They might even decide to follow you back if you keep up with the Twitter list and make it interesting and fun.

Don’t forget to join #SocialCafe every Tuesday 6p PST / 9p EST!

#3: Join Twitter Chats

Does your influencer get involved with Twitter chats? If so, you can partake in those chats, too. Bring up thought-provoking ideas revolving around the topic being discussed. Ask questions and make a special effort to favorite or retweet what the influencer tweets.

#4: Stroke Their Egos… A Little

Influencers like to be stroked, but only subtly. For example, you could publish a Top Ten list with the best gardening blogs and include those you want to connect with on Twitter. When the list goes live, send them a tweet to let them know they were included. Who knows? A “thank you” or follow might be your reward.

5 Clever Ways to Connect with Influencers on Twitter

#5: Be Interesting, for Glob’s Sake

Okay – this might be tough for all the folks who are by-the-book and not accustomed to tapping their right brains, but it’s essential. Start… Being… INTERESTING. When was the last time you retweeted a boring tweet? Never? That’s probably why your tweets aren’t getting retweeted or seen by influencers! Harness your goofier or creative side once in a while; you might even attract enough attention on the Twitterverse to be asked to speak at a convention, host a Twitter chat or add your two cents to an article.

You’re on Twitter anyway, so be a little bold this year and start working on your influencer communications. You might just discover that those influencers aren’t as untouchable as you thought.

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