Courtesy of soccialissimo.it

The Twitter VS Instagram Debacle

It was just another day on Twitter, when Instagram users noticed that their hipster-cool photos were buggy and on the fritz. Now, no more Instagram photos will be allowed on Twitter – ever, ever again. Is that true? What’s up?

SMMU Theories on This Bold Twitter Move

• It’s no secret that Twitter is becoming bolder than usual, and it’s developing its own photo filter app that will be used on the site. Much like Facebook has Instagram now, Twitter will launch a competitor, and they really want users to use their option over the incredibly popular Facebook option. In theory a good move, but I’m not sure if I’d bet against an app like Instagram.

• Twitter is a little bit sore about the fact that Facebook outbid them to GET Instagram several months ago – $1 billion was a hard bid to beat. At the time, both companies knew that the future of social relied on image communication. Twitter also blocked Instagram users from using its data to find friends.

• The Twitter creators are in the process of launching and developing 2 new concepts – Medium and Branch. Both will use images as a central part of the attraction of the core concepts. It has to be planning ahead by Twitter.

• Twitter itself is becoming a massive photo sharing site, with people attaching images to their tweets. The potential is huge for expansion…if only they had a great photo app.

• Essentially Instagram wants people to interact with images on their app and on Facebook, and Twitter wants the same for their upcoming editing software.

Courtesy of globalpost.com

Word on The Street and on #Twitter

The internet has its own opinions as we all well know – and people are FURIOUS about Twitters sudden Instagram ‘ban.’ Users can still tweet about their Instagram photos, but they can’t view them on Twitter anymore. It really messes with people’s profiles. Imagine if Instagram photos are the core of your business, and now that’s over.

Many, many people shared their opinions on Twitter:

@hipsterrunoff – I feel bad 4 all those ppl who wasted time integrating their #instagrambrand with their Twitter brand. *Retweeted 82 times.

@Cinemaduo – So goodbye #Instagram hello #twitter photo filters. Just FYI a good photo stands alone without any filter

Courtesy of digitaltrends.com

How Do I Get Around The Twitter Ban?

Twitter users are ‘getting around’ the Instagram ban by using Michael Schonfeld’s Chrome-based InstaTwit extension. With some clever URL jiggery-pockery this extension ignores the new ban, and allows you to post Instagram URLs and images – all day long if you like.

Will Twitter’s answer to Instagram be any good? We’ll find out and let you know!

Otherwise, what is your take on this Twitter VS Instagram debacle?

Courtesy of iloveseo.net

A Quick Curation Guide 101

Curating content simply means collecting content from various credible places online. When you share someone else’s blog post on your Facebook page, that’s curating content – or when you retweet something on your Twitter feed. If it involves someone else’s work and you’re sharing it on your own network, you’re curating content.

Twitter As a Curation Tool

There are three reasons why you’ll want to use Twitter as your main content curation tool.

1) Twitter is to the second, which means content is always fresh there
2) Twitter is home to some expert curators, which makes your job easier
3) Twitter is brimming with content gems waiting to be discovered

First of all subscribe to these 3 accounts:

• @BreakingNews (4 million followers)
• @nytimes (6 million followers)
• @Reuters (2 million followers)

If you subscribe to these 3 accounts you’ll always be informed when breaking news hits, and you can then use it to boost your social strategy. For example, news is rampant because of Hurricane Sandy in New York. If you were warned early of this, you could have used it to create a thoughtful blog post.

Courtesy of mashable.com

Use Twitter Search

I love Twitter search, it’s a vastly underused resource for content creators online. Simply type in the term or topic that you’re searching for, and you’ll be able to find incredible accounts with amazing content. Then save your search, so you can find those accounts again when you need more info later.

Use Twitter search for:

• Facebook post updates
• Twitter retweets
• Finding niche authorities
• Creating interesting blog post topics
• User generated research for ebooks or whitepapers
• To find great hidden blogs the search engines hide
• To find unique Pinterest images

Think of Twitter as a super-powered search engine, except it’s run by people and not stats. If I type in ‘social media’ for example, I immediately get a list of real people and companies working in the social media niche. Then I can pop onto their pages and find relevant content for this post.

Courtesy of twitter.com

Clicking on @mauricefreedman (Social Media Expert) I find an interesting article on how brands can now buy video ads on Linkedin. I can then choose to create a post of my own about it, write a response post to his blog or just share the info with my social network.

Twitter has the power to provide you with new information, something you always need when you’re running your own social campaigns. So, keep your eyes pealed and take advantage of breaking news, trends and hot topics in your niche, by using Twitter as a curation tool.

If you liked this blog post on Twitter curation, please share it with your friends

How do you find content to share online?

Last night participants discussed SEO for results. Among some of the tips shared during the chat by John Souza, founder and chief strategist of Social Media Magic and SMMU were:

• There are three main components to every effective search engine optimization program: 1) site architecture, 2) content and 3) backlinks.

• When customers search the web they are looking for a solution to a problem they have or fulfillment of a specific need. Identify what these problems and needs are in order to develop a list of keywords that will attract the most traffic to your site.

• If you’re new to SEO, don’t go after keywords that are generating a million hits or more per month. Instead, to get the most out of your campaign, focus on words that are less competitive and are getting a maximum of 20,000 to 30,000 hits per month.

• Search engines need to know exactly what each webpage is about so keep your structure and content simple.

• Make sure each webpage has a strong headline and use a different title tag and headline tag on every page.

• When doing keyword research, look at the top three sites for all of your keywords. Use your competitors’ sites as a model when determining structure, content and keyword density.

• Search engines can’t see graphics, so a graphic labeled “Image 1” won’t contribute to your strategy. Instead, label your website graphics with keywords, for example, “Dance Studio Atlanta, Georgia” as a best practice.

• Be wary of ads claiming that they can get you on 1000 search engines. Google, Yahoo and Bing have approximately 99% of all search traffic in North America. So the other 997 sites represent only about 1% of the market.

• Never engineer content solely to increase your search engine rankings because it often comes across as gibberish to web visitors. Instead, write content for people that’s search engine-friendly.

• Never flood your webpages with keywords. Your site’s keyword density should be around 3%. If your competitors are around 5%, then you can bump your density up to be competitive.

Follow #SMMUChat every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. E.T. on Twitter by following the hashtag. You can use TweetGrid or TweetChat to help making participating in the chat easier.

Join #SMMUChat on Wednesday, November 2 to discuss Blogging for Business. We’ll be discussing how to leverage blogging to drive awareness and sales. Visit www.smmulive.com/smmuchat for more information and don’t forget to invite your friends and colleagues.

Courtesy of misstechie.wordpress.com

That’s what its like for Twitter, a lot of the time. Because Twitter is so time consuming, and let’s be honest – difficult to use as an effective sales tool – we get people putting it down, writing it off and bleating about how rubbish it is every chance they get. This is obviously because they have tried, and failed to make money off the platform, or worse – just can’t stand how it works.

The Delicious Truth About Twitter

This is mostly because people have unrealistic expectations when they start to use the platform. Recent statistics suggest that the most active Twitter accounts are celebrities, large corporations, famous businessmen and other marketers.

As the months roll by, more and more ‘real’ people are signing onto Twitter, for recreational reasons. There is this false perception that because there are 14 million US users alone, that most of these people are ‘real’ people, or a primed market waiting to buy something.

Being Active About Your Community

The real truth of the matter is that many Twitter accounts that are the most active, and therefore have the highest potential for relationship development and sales – are other marketers. Too many marketers dismiss this fact, and alienate themselves from a growing community of ‘other marketers who also like to buy things.’ Marketers on Twitter are not the enemy. They need to be viewed as a potential sales base.

The only problem is, that because Twitter is still a newborn on the internet – most of these marketers have no idea how to use it properly. They spend hours sending out promotional material about themselves or their businesses, and they don’t truly make the relationship connections they should.

As this changes (and it will change) more and more marketers will begin to see the value in JV partnerships, sales and relationships made on Twitter with other marketers.

Your Primary Goals Revealed

If the goal on Twitter is to gather a community of interested ‘potential consumers,’ then other business people will surely have to be a large part of that. They have the most reason to spend time on Twitter, and are more likely to read your feed than ‘real’ people.

As more sign ups happen everyday, and mobile technology spreads the Twitter bug around the globe, we will see a shift to more ‘real’ people with active accounts. Eventually and hopefully, Twitter will become as active as Facebook.

So when you are marketing on Twitter, keep in mind that many of the people who read your feed are also trying to sell something to you. If you can interest them in what you’re selling, there’s hope for your services or product.

In the meantime, keep building your community and trying to connect with people any way you can. Reach out to other marketers and make friends. Stimulate a genuine Twitter community that goes beyond sales, competition and frivolous posting of random nonsense.

What do you think about the ‘real’ users of Twitter? Let us know!

Courtesy of twitdom.com

But who has time to flit in and out of Twitter like that, cutting chunks out of your day? A good Twitter marketing strategy can turn into a time wasting nightmare pretty fast.

That’s why businesses are now using Twitter automation, to remove some of the time burden of continually posting Tweets all day. By using these automatic Tweet services, they are able to queue up their marketing messages and informative or fun messages – space them out equally, and set a time for them to be posted.

Tweet scheduling is a pro-active and effective management system for this micro-blogging platform. The result? Your business reputation continues to grow, as you remain on top of your Twitter marketing strategy and relevant in the eyes of your community.

Using Twitter Automation Software

There are three great Twitter automation platforms in the world today – and each of them will help your social media strategist organize and schedule your Tweets from a central system. Some of these platforms even allow integration with other social networks like Facebook – so you have one location for all of your social media posts.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a free automation platform that lets you create and schedule your Tweets weeks in advance – if that’s what you want. This is turn leaves you to concentrate on the important parts of Twitter, like communicating with other Twitter users, and making connections across the world. Leave the everyday posting to Hootsuite.

TweetDeck

TweetDeck is one of those all-in-one management systems, where you can upload multiple accounts onto their platform and manage them from a central location. Add your Twitter account to the system and monitor or schedule Tweets as you see fit. No more clicking over from multiple accounts – they can all be loaded right here.

SocialOomph

SocialOomph is a favorite among online marketers because you are able to schedule Tweets, set up auto direct messages and create functions like the ‘auto-follow’ feature. Not all of these are ‘best practices’ but the functionality is there if you need it. With SocialOomph, you can spend more of your time on Twitter connecting with people, than posting stagnant messages.

Twitter real time searches are becoming more and more popular, and with your auto Tweets, your business will always be in there with relevant information. As long as you target certain keywords and closely plan and schedule each Tweet for maximum efficiency – your business will get a solid boost in reputation. Everything these days is current and in real-time, use this to grow your business image!

Which auto Tweet platform do you use?
What has your experience been when queuing up Tweets?
We’d really like to know!

Consider this your advice column, covering all things social media marketing.  Got a question for the Expert?  Drop a comment at the end of the post, send us a tweet, or stop by our Facebook page and leave a comment!

Dear Expert;

I’ve spent the past few months building up my networks across all my social media profiles.  I’ve got a large following on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin – now what?

Sincerely,
What’s My Next Step

Dear What’s My Next Step;

While it’s great that you’ve got a large following built up across these three networks, the problem is that you’ve hit the road in a Chevy for a road trip, with no map, and no destination.

Every social media marketing endeavor needs to start with a solid strategy in place.  Not only should you know where you want to go and how you’re going to try to get there, but you also need to know where you started.  This is especially important when it comes to measuring how successful your social media endeavors have been for you.

I recommend taking a look at our two-part blog post on Creating a Winning Social Media Presence, and then going back to re-asses if your network is built to accomplish your goals.

Sincerely,
The Expert

Dear Expert;

I’m intrigued by the possibilities that social media marketing has to offer for businesses, but I’m wondering, how do we go about reaching potential clients, and not just peers in the industry?

Sincerely,
Looking for the Right Ones

Dear Looking for the Right Ones;

It’s tempting, when first starting out in social media, to simply run and join every industry network there is, only to discover that you end up preaching to the choir instead of converting the lost.

I’m assuming you’ve got your target market nailed down, and that you know them inside and out – and if you haven’t done that, then you need to sit down before going any further, and figure it out.  Knowing who your target market is includes knowing their pain points,  where they’re most likely to hang out, or what activities and products they are into, lifestyle choices they make, etc.  Once you’ve got a handle on your target market, it’s simply a matter of reaching out to your prospects through those channels (networks, groups, etc.).

Having said that, there’s one big thing to avoid doing – spamming.  The minute you open your mouth, and your audience thinks you’re simply there to sell something, you’ve lost.  Instead, go in as a contributor – someone with knowledge to freely share, and once they’ve embraced you, then you can start to build a potentially profitable relationship.

Sincerely,

The Expert

Consider this your advice column, covering all things social media marketing.  Got a question for the Expert?  Drop a comment at the end of the post, send us a tweet, or stop by our Facebook page and leave a comment!

Dear Expert;

I’ve heard a lot of social media people talking about how Twitter can help small businesses.  I’ve also heard others talk about stagnate accounts, and problems with Twitter as a tool.   Is Twitter really a good idea?  Can you tell me what types of tweets are most effective?

Signed,

Tweeting in Uncertainty

Dear Tweeting in Uncertainty;

Yes, Twitter can be great for helping a small business grow, and hopefully, after reading this answer, you’ll be able to create a thriving account.

The one thing you should understand right off the bat is that there isn’t really ONE type of tweet that works better than others.  In fact, except in very, very, very rare examples  (e.g. @ShitMyDadSays), sending out only one type of tweet is a good way to turn off potential followers.  Like a well-cooked meal, your tweets should be a mix of multiple flavors and styles that complement each other.

Whether you are a B2B, or a B2C, start by sending out a mix of industry-related tweets (events, news, etc), along with self-promotional, and conversational.  If your Twitter page is under your name, don’t be afraid to send out some personal tweets too.  Then watch and see what sparks your followers’ interest, play with the balance of tweets a bit, and figure out what works best for you.  Just remember, the whole goal is to generate conversation, and from conversation, prospects, and from prospects, new sales.

Signed,

The Expert

Dear Expert;

Recently I started up a blog that seems to be gaining some traction.  In order to encourage more growth, I set up a few social media profiles on different sites.  My question is this – how do I manage all this content?

Signed,

Drowning in Words

Dear Drowning in Words;

A post here, an update there, and before you know it, the day is over and your computer desktop is littered with files.  The bad news is that with the onset of real-time updates, the need for constant fresh content may start to become a major priority (and headache!) for businesses and professionals alike.  The good news is that there are some simple strategies and tools out there to make all of this a little bit easier.

First of all, try repurposing your content.  Once you write a blog post, tweet about it with a link, or post a portion of it on your Facebook page.  Secondly, come up with a content strategy.  Plan out ahead of time, as much as you can, some of your tweets, blog posts and updates, then schedule whatever possible with a tool like Hootsuite, or ping.fm.  Third, show up for the conversations that take place around your content!

Signed,

The Expert.

Interested in having one of your own?  It’s not a bad idea, afterall, it’s a great way to increase visibility.  Thankfully, it’s a fairly simple process.  Go to the Like Button Page in the Facebook Developer’s section, answer seven questions, and presto! Now you’ve got the code you need to add to your webpage or blog.  Once added to your page, any fan who clicks on it will automatically be letting their Facebook network know that they’re a fan of your website/blog/Twitter/and the list goes on…

Here’s a sample of what ours looks like (This button is set up to let others “like” our page on Twitter):

Interested in having one of your own?  It’s not a bad idea, afterall, it’s a great way to increase visibility.  Thankfully, it’s a fairly simple process.  Go to the Like Button Page in the Facebook Developer’s section, answer seven questions, and presto! Now you’ve got the code you need to add to your webpage or blog.  Once added to your page, any fan who clicks on it will automatically be letting their Facebook network know that they’re a fan of your website/blog/Twitter/and the list goes on…

Here’s a sample of what ours looks like (This button is set up to let others “like” our page on Twitter):

Ok for one, it’s just really cool to tweet something, then jump over to Google or Bing to do a search, and see your tweet pop up under the results.  Real-time search provides a fascinating look at what conversations are taking place right at that moment, around the world.  And, it marks an important step forward in online search capability.  Beyond this, however, is there any real value to real-time search?  Well, there’s good debate going on about that too.  The potential is there, definitely, and the likes of search engines and social media networks alike are nodding their heads in fervent agreement.  So what does all of this mean for the average business professional?

Imagine a company looking for customers interested in rock climbing.  A quick look online and you’ll find conversations and tweets from customers talking about the very subject your company addresses, and within moments you can be involved in that conversation as well.  In fact, there are a lot of businesses doing this already.

The reverse is also happening as well.  Consumers looking for a particular company, or information on a subject/product/etc. are finding real-time results for their queries, posted by the businesses hoping to capture their attention (and loyalty).  Any business that isn’t thinking about this, is one that is potentially leaving some customers on the table.

Real-time search also calls into question the relevance of content on company websites.  In the past, SEO experts in particular, recommended updating content periodically, in order to remain on top of search engine results.  This becomes even more critical as real-time takes hold, only now companies will need to think about updating content daily, or more frequently, if they’re going to keep their top-ranking on search engines alive.

At the same time, there’s still some growth and innovation that needs to take place in this arena.  With Twitter and Facebook opening up to search engines,  the pool of content available online just expanded by an incredible amount, and as many are pointing out, search engines are still figuring out how to wrap their arms around it all.