7 Rules of Social Media Automation

Effective social media marketing can be very demanding, and time-consuming, and as such, automation tools can be hugely beneficial. But there are also various potential pitfalls in using automation tools – the key lies in finding the balance between automation and personal engagement. Full Story: Social Media Today

Digital marketing trends that characterised 2019

Consumers are sick and tired of being actively sold to. In fact, if they think that a piece of copy or a graphic looks like an ad (even though it may not be) they avoid it. Some people actually go to the extent of blocking ads on their PCs and mobile devices entirely. “This is shown,” says Lisa Schneider: managing director of the Digital School of Marketing, “in the click-through rates for banner adverts, which is just 0.05%. This is a dramatic drop from years gone by.” Full Story: Bizcommunity.com

What Social Media Will Look Like When No One Ever Clicks Like

Instagram is in the midst of a wonderful experiment. Some users in the U.S. are part of a limited trial where they cannot see the likes on a post (although they can still track likes on an image). It’s an experiment that has already started in Australia and other countries. The idea is to let a post speak for itself on its own merits and to put an end to the constant popularity contest where only well-liked posts get attention.

Facebook Releases New Overview of Content Removals, Fake Profiles and Enforcements

While debate rages over Facebook’s stance on political advertising – and its decision not to remove ads which include false claims – The Social Network has this week released its latest Community Standards Enforcement Report, which outlines all the content removals and actions it’s taken as a result of posted material that breaks its established rules. Full Story: Social Media Today

Be Where? Say What? Social Media Marketing for the Real Estate Professional

While it’s not news that marketing via social media can be highly effective for strengthening and growing your sphere of influence and finding potential buyers and sellers, it only works to your advantage when you do it right. All too many agents fall prey to “shiny object syndrome”—jumping on the latest and greatest platform (or all of them at once) without taking the time to understand whether or not they’re in the right place, saying the right things to the right people. Full Story: RisMedia

Social Media Strategy Is As Easy As ABC With Julie Atherton’s New Book

Julie Atherton and I crossed paths when we were on the DMA social media council, since then Atherton has gone on to lecture and consult major clients around the world regarding social media. Her new book ‘Social Media Strategy: : A Practical Guide To Social Media Marketing and Customer Engagement’, is, therefore, something I was more than a little keen to read. Full Story: Forbes

Five Social Media Predictions for 2020

Socialbakers, the unified marketing platform for social media marketers, today released its top social media predictions for 2020. According to Socialbakers, 2019 was the year TikTok exploded and influencer marketing gained traction, especially with marketers in beauty, fashion, e-commerce and auto. In 2020, the company predicts that influencer marketing will continue to grow and that social commerce will achieve lift off thanks, in part, to the growth of shopping-related content, experiments in VR-powered shopping experiences, and the rise of bots for customer service. Full Story: Business Wire

Instagram Goes After TikTok with New ‘Reels’ Mode

It what will likely come as little surprise, Instagram has launched a new feature which aims to replicate the key functionality of rising app TikTok. But rather than taking on parent-company Facebook’s usual tactic of launching a separate app, Instagram is adding its new ‘Reels’ feature as an element within Instagram Stories, using the app’s scale to try and beat TikTok at its own game – and blunt its potential to take away younger users. Full Story: Social Media Today

The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Terms

If you’re in the process of starting your own business or updating your marketing strategy for 2020, you have undoubtedly been made aware of the importance of using social media to jump start your business’ growth. Full Story: Business 2 Community

Why Hashtags Are Essential to B2B Social Media Marketing

While most people are familiar with hashtags, many B2B marketers don’t know the best way to use them or may even consider them irrelevant to their social media strategy. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Hashtags originated on Twitter but have now become widely adopted by all social platforms as a way to tag your content with specific topics or conversations (by using a word or phrase preceded by the “#” symbol). When you use hashtags, anyone who follows or searches for that hashtag can see and interact with the posts you’ve tagged. Full Story: Business 2 Community

How a Privacy-Centered Social Media Platform Acquired Millions of Customers With No Paid Marketing

Mark Weinstein, founder and CEO of MeWe, aims to give Facebook a run for its money. His company, billed as a “next-gen social networking platform,” encourages a privacy-focused social media experience. Full Story: Entrepreneur

3 social media marketing hacks to generate more sales

Many online retailers already advertise on Facebook and other social networks, but few take full advantage of the opportunities. Here are three strategies for maximizing your social media marketing, including an example from BH Cosmetics. Full Story: DigitalCommerce360

Social media marketing is essential to build a company’s brand

There are a few simple principles to keep in mind when using social media to manage reputation and generate growth for your organization. The first order of business is not to be overwhelmed. It’s not about reaching every person in the world. Nor do you have to post to your social media accounts every hour of the day. Full Story: Chicago Daily Herald

Create Your Social Media Marketing Strategy in 4 Easy Steps

Creating a social media marketing strategy can be an excellent move toward achieving many business goals. However, most entrepreneurs today dive into social media marketing without a clear definitive plan and often end up wasting time and money. Full Story: Edgy Labs

A Crash Course in Custom Audiences for Your Social Media Ads

When you want to get your message in front of the right people on social media, where do you turn? More and more, brands and businesses are turning to social ads and custom audiences. You can do a lot of awesome, targeted messaging by focusing on the right audiences with your ads — whether you’re talking to a group of customers, a bunch of website visitors, or a list of subscribers. Full Story: Business 2 Community

The Business of Paid Social Media

Nowadays, paid social media is absolutely essential for businesses. Almost every business invests in Facebook ads, Instagram ads and other types of digital media buying. It’s the only way to scale your marketing quickly and get the results you need from your efforts. But it’s easy to make mistakes which could end up costing your company millions. Full Story: Branding in Asia Magazine

7 Ways to Stand Out on Social Media

Your social media pages can be very rewarding, driving traffic and conversions to your website. However, it’s also very challenging to stand out when you’re competing against other businesses and individuals for attention. You need to make sure that your content and marketing strategies are up to date and effective. Full Story: Business.com

Why are Millennials Hooked to New-age Social Media Platforms?

Millennials stand out for their innate understanding and quick adoption of technology. With mobile devices becoming ubiquitous, they are spending most of their time on smartphones for shopping, chatting, social networking, and media consumption. Full Story: Entrepreneur

How to Create Accurate Customer Personas for Your Business

Developing a marketing profile for your audience is one of the most critical steps you should take before and after the launch of your website or product. Email, social media, content marketing and product success pivots on accurate customer personas. There are various ways you can pinpoint your audience and create profiles for consumers that are accurate and that can significantly boost conversions and engagement. Full Story: Business.com

Why Social Media Companies Frown on ‘Gaming the Algorithm’

To succeed on social media, you must hustle. Journalists and advertisers cleave to search engine optimized keywords, and make byzantine calculations that determine when, exactly, their articles or clients are most likely to break through the clutter and win the algorithmic lottery. Full Story: WIRED