Author: Martin

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Social Media – What’s Next?

The article by Werner Geyser, 17 Social Media Trends for 2022 and Beyond  covers some of the same topics in this course, Introduction to Social Media, and some new trends as well. Geyser talks about reaching new audiences through social media, influencer marketing, and social listening as we discussed in this course.  He goes on to say that TikTok will be huge, augmented reality will become  more mainstream and video content will continue to dominate.

TikTok Will Lead Social Listening 

Social listening is going to be used more by brands, and video content will continue to dominate social media as cites like TikTok, YouTube and Twitch will continue to grow more and more. Video content is more engaging and is almost 82% of all online content. To be effective it is important to use the right format and duration for a video, like short (1 to 3 minutes)or long (5 minutes or more). Geyser points out that TikTok will overtake Instagram with its short videos and new tools like ads and business profiles, targeting  millennials and Gen Z.  

Augmented Reality Will Become More Mainstream

Augmented reality will be more available to everyone and this will make ads and shopping online more engaging.  Geyser states, “This technology is definitely only set to grow in the next few years.” AR is not just about adding bunny ears to your favourite photo, it will provide a better shopping experience so that people can try out products beforehand. AR has the potential to boost click-through rates by as much as 33%. 

Augmented reality will change many things such as video games, movies, tv shows and even social media. These modes of entertainment  will change because they are able to incorporate augmented reality and companies will leverage chat rooms for social listening. This will help the companies to use what you say in augmented reality to help social media become more personalized. Here is a great video that describes how AR is being used already by companies like Ikea, Rolex and Nike.

The Future of Social Media 

The future of social media will be about companies and people connectting with each other and  this will continue to grow and set trends. People and businesses will jump on new trends as it becomes more important to reach out, engage and personalize content. Video content and augmented reality will become more mainstream in social media that will help engage people and create a better overall experience.  

Want to read about augmented reality and social media? Click here to learn more https://bit.ly/3w18r49

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How to optimize the links you are using on social media

In the article UTM tracking & URL shortening for social media marketers, Jacqueline Zote explains the tools of  tracking social media campaigns using UTM and shortened URLs and how they work. These may sound a bit intimidating but are actually fairly easy to implement and understand. They help improve the performance of the links your sharing on social media. This means more  link clicks and therefore, more traffic.

The performance of the links your sharing is important .

Photo by Kerde Severin on Pexels.com

What are UTM’s ?

UTM’s (Urchin Tracking Modules) are tracking devices on the website links that help track how long, where and what consumers do on the website when they use the link to the website. This is one piece of Google analytics that helps businesses determine the effectiveness of their website.  UTM’s can be set up and you can choose what they track. Tracking the platform the traffic is coming from would simply mean adding to the URL ‘utm_source’. For example,  if you want to share a link to your website on Facebook and then track it and your website URL is http://businessxx/yourpage/ then adding a UTM would look like http://businessxx/yourpage/?utm_source=facebook. If you want to learn more specifics about the different UTMs I recommend you read Zote’s  article UTM tracking & URL shortening for social media marketers. Lastly, to get the most out of UTM’s, they should be used across all social media to help understand what people like about the content and what other sites they are linking from.

Here is a short video that explains how UTMs work: 

What are shortened URLs?

Shortened URLs usually have a greater  click through rate and look nicer for businesses and can also help with UTMs as it makes the URL short to put on a site page. Shortened URLs are easy to use because all  you have to do is go to Bitly , TinyURL  or Sprout Social  shorten the URLs that are for your business.  For example, would you prefer a long link such as this https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_tables_and_figures.html, or a shortened URL such as this OwlPurdue? 

Shortened URLs also can have UTMs in them making it possible to see what people are doing on the website and what they are talking about. They are also great for other social media that may have a character or word limit in a message.

Keep a close eye on your links and how they are performing.

Drive and measure

In conclusion, UTMs and Shortened URLs are helpful in driving traffic to your site, as well as  measuring that traffic. Your sites will look slicker and more enticing with shorter URLs as well. Do you use links in your blog or social media sites? Do you know how many clicks they are generating? Let me know in the comments below. 

Want to learn more about UTMs and Shortened URLs? Click this link to read my latest blog https://bit.ly/3QjbvQB

Find out why you should be using #ShortenedURLs https://bit.ly/3QjbvQB

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How Social Media Creates Loyal Customers

In the article Impact of Social Media on Business Communication (techfunnel.com)  Anirudh Menon explains the advantages of social media communication and how it can create better customer service and increased sales. 

Connections With Consumers 

The ability to connect and align the consumers with the brand, and engaged them with unique content is the main focus of social media marketing campaigns. It’s not about pushing a product rather it’s about creating customer loyalty that results in sales.

Marketing Online

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Businesses are able to market to any or specific consumers using social media. This tool is useful because they can get more customers or just get more people interested in their product. They can use all types of social media like Google ads, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitch or Twitter to reach their consumers.

Visuals

Businesses can now use better visuals to capture the consumer’s attention comparted with before when it was focused on company logos and images. The use of more personalized visual content gets the consumers to make a decision to go after and  purchase faster. Here is a link to a great video on how to create social media graphics: 

24/7 Online Presence

Social Media 24/7

By having a continual 24/7 online presence when a new product is released, businesses can monitor how people like or dislike a product, and can see what works and what doesn’t work for the marketing campaign. In addition, this constant engagement by the consumers is extremely advantageous for businesses that leverage this flexibility.

Have you ever clicked on a social media ad and made a purchase outside normal shopping hours? Let me know by answering the poll below. Or do you follow any businesses or brands on social media? Let me know in the comments below. 

    Want to learn how social media can help your marketing campaign? Click this link to read my latest blog: https://bit.ly/3B1KT28

    How Social Media Creates Loyal Customers

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    Ever Wonder How to Stay on Top of a Cluttered News Feed on Facebook?

    Stay on Top of Facebook’s Algorithm – Here’s How

    Neil Patel (2022), explains Facebook’s algorithm in his article Facebook’s Algorithm Revealed: How to Remain Visible in the Cluttered Facebook News Feed . He described the difference between organic reach (unpaid) versus paid for advertising and that if you can use organic reach to drive consumers to your facebook page it  costs only time and effort. One way to increase your organic reach is through Facebook’s live video feature.

    The Importance of Live Video

    Facebook’s algorithm is no longer how many likes a post gets but is now focused on time spent on a post which is an indicator of user preference. Live videos are viewed 3 time more than recorded videos and they allow the audience to engage and interact in real time. Patel refers to an article by Kristi Hines (5 New Facebook Live Video Features for Marketers/)   who describes Five New Facebook Live Video Features:

    1. Where you can broadcast – post live video to your profile, pages, groups and events pages
    2. Go Live – filters and the ability to draw on your screenshots are on their way
    3. Get Additional Live Video Insights – see how many people are watching your video in real time
    4. Engage with Live Video – viewers can comment and send reactions in real time
    5. Discover Live Map Feature – live video markers on a map in real time 
    Example of Live Map Feature on Facebook: facebook live map – Bing images

    Going Live Might Sound Scary – But You Can Do It!

    Viewers watch longer if a video is live this helps stay on top of your news feed. Creating live video might take time and effort to do it well but it may be worth it. Here is a link to short how to video you might find helpful:

    Video by HubSpot on YouTube

    What sort of barriers might you encounter to producing live video? I can think of equipment but most good quality cell phones can probably do the job. The content that you are creating while live should be interesting and unique. Beyond that it probably requires some experience and guts. 

    References

    Hines, Kristi. (2022). 5 new Facebook live video features for marketers : Social Media Examinerby KRISTI HINES. Social Media Examiner | Social Media Marketing. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-new-facebook-live-video-features-for-marketers/  

    Kristin. (2019, September 17). How to go live on Facebook (guide). YouTube. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUUIzNJ2BA8 

    Patel, N. (2021, May 25). Facebook’s algorithm revealed: How to remain visible in the cluttered news feed? Neil Patel. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://neilpatel.com/blog/facebooks-algorithm-revealed-how-to-remain-visible-in-the-cluttered-facebook-news-feed/