In our latest “how-to” eBook, we breakdown how to use Snapchat for brand marketing.
The unstoppable juggernaut that is Snapchat has a lot of marketers scrambling to answer a simple question: how can we use Snapchat for brand marketing? Considering its popularity and the way in which it engages Millennials, it is an asset that virtually every marketer is trying to learn as much about as possible in order to incorporate it into a marketing strategy.
Snapchat has very deliberately made its user interface somewhat challenging to navigate. That is particularly true when it comes to marketing and advertising on the platform. What’s more, the nature of the platform is such that brands need to follow a very specific set of guidelines in order to effectively engage their audiences.
In this latest “How 2 with t2” eBook, we run through the basics of the platform, the different ways in which brands can leverage the app and its audience in order to captivate Millennials, and some of the best practices that exist when it comes to Snapchat. Click on the image below to download the eBook, or you can get it here!
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/How-2-with-t2-Use-Snapchat-for-Brand-Marketing-Cover.jpg932720Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-07-05 06:15:452017-05-15 21:17:31How to Use Snapchat for Brand Marketing
Building a comprehensive social business strategy means paying close attention to your social data sources.
The key to any successful organization’s strategy is almost certainly data-driven. That is especially true when it comes to your social business or campaign strategy. In order to find continued success, you’ll need to ensure that you have established your data as a tentpole moving forward. The only way to do that is to properly identify your social data sources and take full advantage of what they are telling you.
Data is everywhere, and each marketer might find value in a particular area that another marketer may not. That said, the three data sources outlined here (and featured in the image below, which you can feel free to share) are largely universal, and every marketer can begin taking advantage of these social data sources right away!
Owned Social Media
This might seem obvious, but for one reason or another, so many marketers refuse to dive into the mountains of data that exist right within their social channels. Of course, you have access to your page insights, but exporting and modeling your page and post data and diving further into your audience insights (using email lists, for example) can provide significantly more information. Not only will you be able to craft far more tailored messages, you will have a grander sense of your hypertargeted audience clusters, and can begin to leverage those insights in order to improve the performance of your ad campaigns, content strategies, etc.
Web Analytics
It is estimated that between 30 and 50 million websites are currently using Google Analytics. It is also very likely that you are currently using Google Analytics, or have some other web analytics system installed on your website. These dashboards are filled with important insights that can help you improve not only your marketing but your business strategies as a whole. Whether you are trying to get a better sense of your visitors’ paths, or identify what sources and content lead to a higher conversion at a lower cost, your web analytics dashboard can provide you with that information.
Tools & Technologies
Products like Brandwatch, Sysomos, Radian6 and more might be labeled as industry or social listening tools, but the reality is that they are so much more. These products are actually data collection and visualization tools that can help you vastly improve your marketing and content initiatives. They range in price – on the low end there are free options, and on the high end there are enterprise versions – but they are readily available and provide exceptional insights. What’s more, virtually any piece of technology used in order to facilitate the execution of a strategy will provide certain insights it collects, and those are often very useful while trying to consolidate your communications efforts and optimize your strategy.
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/your-social-data-sources.png23001600Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-06-27 06:15:092016-06-27 06:15:09A Few Social Data Sources
Every once in a while, it can be a lot of fun to review some trending social media fun facts in order to see just how quickly this ever-evolving industry is expanding.
In this rundown, we thought we would share a rapid selection of some of the most interesting social media fun facts from around the industry. It’s no surprise that social has become a cornerstone of any successful marketing strategy, as evidenced by some of these statistics. Take a look through them and see if there are any that surprise you or might make you consider a new strategy or medium expansion!
91% of the world’s retail brands are active on at least two (2) social networks. (AdWeek)
Web users have an average of 5.54 social media accounts! (GlobalWebIndex)
There are 12 new active mobile social (mobile app) users added every second! (Social Media Today)
Snapchat has over 150 million daily active users. That’s more than Twitter! (Bloomberg)
In 2015, social media advertising accounted for roughly $8.3 billion globally. (Jeff Bullas)
38% of businesses plan on spending over 20% of their advertising budgets on social. How much will you spend? (Pardot)
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Social-media-fun-facts-with-t2.jpg11832011Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-06-21 06:15:322016-06-21 06:15:3230 Fascinating Social Media Fun Facts
Live streaming is an exciting space, but perhaps more so than any other medium, best practices are crucial to your success.
There is more than one right way to live stream your content. In fact, that is the beauty of this exciting medium. Live streaming content is not a new practice by any means; it dates back even before the explosive rise of social media. But the evolution of technology and its accessibility have made it much more prevalent and readily accessible.
Unlike many other media, however, there is a very high degree of unpredictability, which means that a general of understanding of some live streaming best practices will help ensure that you and your brand stay in the good graces of consumers, long after your live stream has ended.
Keep It Casual
People are not tuning into your live stream so that they can hear the news, or listen to a scripted broadcast. If they want that, they’ll turn to something where there is less of a predictable element, like a video blog or podcast. What they are looking for when it comes to your live stream is interactive, authentic content. They want to experience a situation as you experience it. So, in order to engage your audience and keep them around for as long as possible, make your live stream as genuine as possible. (Just look at the engagement Chewbacca Mom got.)
This is not to say that every one of your broadcasts has to be a carpe diem-like event. There are, of course, instances where you will want a little bit more structure and a plan (more on that below). But even in those cases, keep the environment somewhat more laid back than your more structured media. Your retention and engagement rates will thank you.
Have a Plan (or Don’t)
This might be what makes live streaming such an exciting space; a plan can be hugely beneficial as it will provide structure, but the ability to share content and welcome your audience into a live environment and to share in a personal experience is equally exciting.
As a brand, you should have a general idea of what kinds of live events constitute ideal streaming scenarios. This might take a little bit of testing at the outset as the audience that engages with your live streaming might be very different than audiences you’ve engaged with in the past. Once that testing is done, however, you will have a better idea of the kinds of spur-of-the-moment broadcasts you’ll want to host, and it will also give you an idea of the kinds of pre-planned content you’ll want to create and live stream in the future.
A great example of this live streaming best practice in action comes from BuzzFeed. They took advantage of a MythBusters-like theme and tried to see how many rubber bands it would take to blow up a watermelon. Apparently, hundreds of thousands of people wanted to know the same thing, and BuzzFeed discovered a niche of live streaming (‘Let’s See If This Really Works’) which has helped craft part of their live streaming content strategy.
Trial and Error
Just as with the practice above, you’ll want to try all sorts of little things at first. (However, note the next point before doing so.) If everything is kept above board (again, see below) then the worst case scenario is that very few or no people engage or view your content, and it is lost to the annals of time and space. Best case scenario? You receive loads of engagement and discover a niche of content that can be leveraged for ongoing success.
As noted above, live streaming (in this format) is still a very new space for marketers and brands, so every new entrant will need to find that groove into which they fit and have an audience. It might take a little time and, what’s also important to note, you might discover that live streaming doesn’t suit your brand or audience. That’s alright. Now you know and won’t need to reallocate marketing resources to the medium.
Ask Yourself, “Is this OK to share?”
It’s somewhat hard to believe that this is a best practice that needs to be included, but there have been too many instances where this question goes overlooked (by both individuals and brands). DO NOT live stream anything that is offensive, off-putting, in poor taste or, of course, illegal. (On that last point, maybe try and avoid doing anything that is illegal while you’re at it.) It’s somewhat baffling, but yes, this really does need to be said, as there have already been cases where this advice was apparently ignored.
Leverage Influence
News media outlets have found a lot of success in live streaming by inviting industry leaders (of all kinds) to answer audience questions live. Influencer outreach and marketing has been an excellent tentpole when it comes to high engagement as you have the ability to leverage an influencer’s large network. The same holds true when it comes to live streaming. When you are talking to an industry leader, people who might not have known you were involved in live streaming (or better yet, not known your brand was involved) might tune in to engage or simply watch. There’s a lot of potential to build your brand in that, and if you can get your hands on an influencer, it is well worth it.
Conclusion
Live streaming is still a new space in the context of social media, so there are sure to be more changes and new live streaming best practices creeping up. That said, there is no shortage of potential in this market, and it is a space that marketers should certainly explore. It might not be right for your brand, but an evaluation of the technology and opportunities (if they exist) is a worthwhile undertaking.
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Live-Streaming-Best-Practices-on-Facebook.jpg480640Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-06-13 06:15:382017-05-15 21:17:31Live Streaming Best Practices (for Beginners)
At the end of 2015 (and every year before that) marketers all over the world shared their thoughts as to what important marketing trends would shape the industry in 2016. As we approach the halfway point of the year, how many of those are coming true?
Late in 2015, the major focus was largely on the impact of mobile. Considering the already sharp rise mobile had experienced in the two years prior, this was less of a prediction and more of a base from which to make said predictions. Now that we are closing in on the six-month mark of 2016, it’s time to see how many marketing trends predictions are coming true, and what that means for the rest of the year.
Mobile Over Desktop
All signs pointed to mobile overtaking desktop in virtually every regard, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing. Considering its trajectory over the 24 months prior, this was hardly a prediction and more of an understanding. At the very least, it was an easy way to come out of the gate knowing that at least one marketing trends prediction would be correct.
Not even six months into 2016 and mobile has already surpassed desktop in a number of ways. ComScore data has found that the number of smartphone users, the amount of time spent using a mobile device and platform split (between desktop and mobile) all favor mobile. We also know that mobile search surpassed desktop search at the end of 2015, but early in 2016, we saw that mobile ad spend surpassed desktop ad spend for the first time.
Just last week, Google announced several new features being made available in AdWords and Analytics all with mobile-first in mind. As they put it during the presentation, mobile is no longer an option, it is the strategy. That was a fairly obvious notion at the end of 2015 and it has proven to hold true so far this year.
Technology Consolidation
When Salesforce announced that they would be rolling out a business intelligence dashboard that integrated directly with their CRM, a lot of marketers predicted that a new era was upon us whereby the startup world would be consolidated under the giants like Google, Facebook, Salesforce (obviously) and the like. Instead, we’ve seen the market for marketing technologies double (again).
Up until now, the growth of the marketing technology sector seemed like a good thing. (And, for the most part, it was.) Now, as VC wallets tighten and IPO whispers have quieted, an increasingly vast marketing technology landscape is looking a little unstable. In the social media management group alone there are over 200 companies offering similar products. One wonders if there is really enough business out there to keep all of these companies afloat (especially when the huge majority of them are not making enough money to keep the lights on themselves).
The Growth of Content Creation
As products like Snapchat and Facebook Live have picked up momentum and popularity (especially with the coveted millennial market) brands have shifted a lot of their efforts to creating vast amounts of content in-house. There are now more jobs posted than ever before for content creators of channel-specific content (including posts for Snapchat Story creators, which is new to 2016).
Content marketing (as a more concrete, solidified concept) has been a focal point of the marketing world for a few years now, but the slow adoption of new media by a lot of organizations (particularly larger organizations) has meant that content creation has been mixed in with other marketing initiatives, and new media – social in particular – has been fed scraps. Now, brands of all sizes are recognizing the huge potential of developing channel-specific content and are focusing a large amount of resources (not just marketing resources) to getting that done.
And speaking of Facebook Live video…
The Year of Streaming
A common prediction that was circling throughout the latter half of 2015 was that 2016 would be the year that live streaming really took off as a mainstream means of communicating. So far, that has held true. For the last couple of years, rich media types have been at the forefront of hyped communications (images, to video, and now streaming) despite the fact that these media types were nothing new. (Online live video broadcasting, for example, has been around for about two decades.) Now, not only are we shifting our efforts to focus on live streaming, but the market is showing its penchant for engaging with live content.
Conclusion
While some marketing trends predictions have fallen flat, a lot of what we thought would come of 2016 has so far proven to be true. Of course, there is still plenty of time left to see how much of the trending norm is hype and how much is here to stay, and a lot of that will depend on return and measurability. One thing is for certain, however; the market is responding favorably to these new types of content and their respective media, so marketers will surely continue to invest heavily in them.
With so much on the market, selecting marketing technologies can feel like a daunting task.
Every year, it seems as though the market for marketing tech expands significantly. The reason why it feels that way is pretty simple: it is. Since 2011, the market for marketing technologies has increased roughly thirtyfold! With so much out there, it can feel like choosing the “right” tool is next to impossible.
Our latest eBook covers the process of selecting a piece of marketing tech, and what steps marketers need to take in order to ensure that they are choosing the right piece for their needs. Click on the image below to download the eBook and learn about the steps you need to take in order to select the right tool for your needs!
There is a lot to look forward to this coming year with regards to B2B social media.
We often hear that when it comes to new media marketing and advertising, there is no longer a significant difference between B2B and B2C, but there are still some important idiosyncrasies that make the approach to B2B social media somewhat different than B2C.
Among the impressive stats in this infographic from Real Business Rescue, we should take note of the fact that 90% of B2B organizations feel as though social media improves exposure. That is especially important on an increasingly crowded platform. Moreover, 65% of B2B businesses have been able to generate leads as a result of their efforts on social media.
The challenge for B2B has to do with data. According to the findings, only 30% of B2B marketing projects consider their analytics in order to improve results. For a program to be successful, and for results to improve on an ongoing basis, those data need to be analyzed on a regular basis and need to provide the foundation for growth.
Take a look at the infographic below and see all the potential that exists when it comes to B2B social media this year!
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/B2B-Social-Media-in-2016.jpg6805990Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-05-17 06:15:382016-05-17 06:15:38B2B Social Media Potential in 2016 [Infographic]
Improve the results you drive from your videos by adopting these YouTube best practices right away!
YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, right after its parent, Google (obviously). Nearly a fifth of all online traffic finds itself on the video search engine, which means that for as valuable as video content is, it can be hard for your audience to find it.
The YouTube best practices outlined here can help you drive better results in a shorter timeframe from your video content on YouTube.
Standardize Your Content
When you’re driving down the street and you see those big, golden arches peaking through a sea of billboards and highrises, you know that you aren’t too far from a McDonald’s. Your videos should be equally recognizable.
Now, this is not to say that you need to have an instantaneously recognizable brand, but your video content should be properly branded and that branding should be consistent. Whether it’s something like an intro, music, or a style of video, people should be able to identify that they are watching one of your videos from the get go.
Create Playlists
Playlists are great tools for organizing your YouTube channel, and they are just another way to categorize and tag your videos, which is hugely beneficial for search.
Again, with so much content being shared on the video engine every second, the more you can do to walk people through what they are seeing and what value the content will bring to them, the better chance you’ll have of getting your videos seen and retaining your audience for a longer watch time.
Commit to Consistency
If you’re going to share a video today, then another one tomorrow, then a third in two months, another a week after that and so on without a clearly consistent production and publishing schedule, it will be hard to build a loyal following, and your YouTube channel will never really get to where you want it to go.
You don’t necessarily need to be creating dozens of videos every month, but you should be at least somewhat consistent in the frequency with which you’re publishing videos. That is especially true if you’re creating videos as part of a series, where your subscribers and series followers are expecting new content every so often.
Properly Tag Your Videos
With options to improve search potential so easily accessible, it’s surprising that there are still marketers who do not take advantage of these elements.
When you have completed a video and are ready to upload it, add in specific tags (it helps if there are some auto-populated based on existing categories) and take advantage of the descriptions, geo-tagging, subtitles (when applicable, or auto-populated), video elements, etc. Every option should be used when it applies, as each of these are categorization and classification elements (just like the playlists discussed above) and can help improve your videos discoverability.
Keep Your Videos Short and Focused
Ideally, your videos are going to be under two minutes in length. The reason is simple: data shows that the average online attention span is roughly 8.25 seconds. So, even your most engaged audience might not be willing to give you more than a couple of minutes of their time. You’ll need to create content that is almost immediately captivating and brief enough that people will stick around until the very end.
The easiest way to go about this is to keep your videos relatively straightforward. You’re not hosting an hour long talk show; this is a small bit of easily digested content that engages your audience and provides value. There is no easier way to do this than to ask a question and use your minute or two to answer it. Pay attention to your analytics, as those will give you an idea of your audience retention, and in turn provide insight into how long your videos should be.
Conclusion
Of course, every marketer and brand will have different uses for a network like YouTube. But, in order to find success with the network, you’ll need to know about some of the best practices, and these five are a good start.
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/YouTube-best-practices.jpg16002400Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-05-10 06:15:432017-05-15 21:17:285 YouTube Best Practices for Improved Results
For a long time, our attention spans have been getting shorter. That’s a problem for marketers.
How do you capture someone’s attention in only a few seconds? With so much content constantly flooding our various feeds, grabbing the attention of a passer-by has become an increasingly daunting task for marketers. This infographic highlights recent findings that show just how difficult of a task that really is.
How long do you think your attention span is?
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Our-short-online-attention-spans.png61511000Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-05-03 06:15:402016-05-03 06:15:40Attention Spans are Short and Getting Shorter [Infographic]
When you find a few social media time saving tips, it can make a world of difference in your day-to-day management techniques.
Managing your social accounts can be a pretty time-heavy task. While auto-piloted processes can work in certain areas, attention needs to be paid to your brand’s online presence in order for it to generate the results you’re hoping for. These social media time saving tips, while useful, won’t mean cutting out the time devoted to social in its entirety, but you will find yourself generating just as much success on social, and less time needed to achieve that.
1. Use a Calendar
Why marketers haven’t all subscribed to the idea of using a content or editorial calendar is a mystery. Not only does it simplify the daunting task of regularly sharing fresh content, but it shaves hours off of your monthly management time. What’s more, with regards to the auto-piloting mentioned above, a calendar makes that easier (and limits any potential harm that may come from the practice).
A carefully laid out calendar provides marketers with a roadmap that can be closely followed (or loosely adhered to) over the course of a month and allows for more time to focus on other priority tasks within or out of the social sphere.
2. Scheduling
Whether you are using Hootsuite, SocialOomph, Sprout Social, another tool or Facebook itself, a calendar means scheduling (pretty far ahead of time) is a much more viable option.
Scheduling your content around a contest or event is easy, but day-to-day content and recycled material can be a little trickier. As noted above, once you have a calendar in place, you can begin scheduling your content accordingly, thereby saving you time once again.
3. Standard Reporting
Virtually every tool or technology (from free to enterprise) provides some sort of reporting capability. Reporting not only highlights your performance, but it is also a useful way to identify what items need your attention, and how to prioritize those items.
Automated reports (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc.) are a great way to save yourself some time. If you’re using a piece of technology (see below) then having reports automatically emailed to you will allow you to create a management schedule to address issues as they come up (if they come up).
4. Take Advantage of Technology
Let me start off by saying that there is no one perfect tool for all marketers. Your ideal piece of technology will depend entirely on the objectives you’ve assigned to your efforts on social media. Once you have those, evaluate different tools in order to determine which one (or ones) will help you operate at maximum efficiency while saving time.
Every one of these technologies is referred to as a solution. That is because they have been designed to solve a problem. Know your problem areas, then find the solution that’s right for you.
5. Create Third Party Lists
Creating original content can be hard. With so much in circulation, it is only a matter of time before you start to feel like your content is going stale. In order to avoid that from happening, you’ll want to keep a list of third party resources from which you can borrow or share content on a regular basis. Of course, that is not to say that you should plagiarize anything, ever. But these resources can be used as sources of inspiration for new content, or you can share content from these parties directly from the source.
This is a major time saver and helps showcase to your audience that there is no bias for your content over someone else’s – you simply want to provide value to your readers.
6. Track Your Content Performance
Just as with those third parties, you’ll want to pay attention to your highest performing content. Why? Again, it will help in the optimization of your content creation process. As you see the content that outperforms the rest, you’ll be able to create (and re-share) that specific or affiliated content and avoid spending time on content that does not generate the results you are looking for.
Conclusion
There is no question that time will need to be devoted to your social efforts. There is no Amazon magic button or quick fix to drop your management time down to zero. But by following these tips and paying attention to the details, you’ll find that managing your social media does not need to be a full time commitment, and that you can generate great results with slightly less time devotion.
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Social-media-time-saving-tips-for-marketers.jpg25543831Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2016-04-26 06:15:332017-05-15 21:17:256 Social Media Time Saving Tips for Marketers
How to Use Snapchat for Brand Marketing
/by Corey PadveenIn our latest “how-to” eBook, we breakdown how to use Snapchat for brand marketing.
The unstoppable juggernaut that is Snapchat has a lot of marketers scrambling to answer a simple question: how can we use Snapchat for brand marketing? Considering its popularity and the way in which it engages Millennials, it is an asset that virtually every marketer is trying to learn as much about as possible in order to incorporate it into a marketing strategy.
Snapchat has very deliberately made its user interface somewhat challenging to navigate. That is particularly true when it comes to marketing and advertising on the platform. What’s more, the nature of the platform is such that brands need to follow a very specific set of guidelines in order to effectively engage their audiences.
In this latest “How 2 with t2” eBook, we run through the basics of the platform, the different ways in which brands can leverage the app and its audience in order to captivate Millennials, and some of the best practices that exist when it comes to Snapchat. Click on the image below to download the eBook, or you can get it here!
A Few Social Data Sources
/by Corey PadveenBuilding a comprehensive social business strategy means paying close attention to your social data sources.
The key to any successful organization’s strategy is almost certainly data-driven. That is especially true when it comes to your social business or campaign strategy. In order to find continued success, you’ll need to ensure that you have established your data as a tentpole moving forward. The only way to do that is to properly identify your social data sources and take full advantage of what they are telling you.
Data is everywhere, and each marketer might find value in a particular area that another marketer may not. That said, the three data sources outlined here (and featured in the image below, which you can feel free to share) are largely universal, and every marketer can begin taking advantage of these social data sources right away!
Owned Social Media
This might seem obvious, but for one reason or another, so many marketers refuse to dive into the mountains of data that exist right within their social channels. Of course, you have access to your page insights, but exporting and modeling your page and post data and diving further into your audience insights (using email lists, for example) can provide significantly more information. Not only will you be able to craft far more tailored messages, you will have a grander sense of your hypertargeted audience clusters, and can begin to leverage those insights in order to improve the performance of your ad campaigns, content strategies, etc.
Web Analytics
It is estimated that between 30 and 50 million websites are currently using Google Analytics. It is also very likely that you are currently using Google Analytics, or have some other web analytics system installed on your website. These dashboards are filled with important insights that can help you improve not only your marketing but your business strategies as a whole. Whether you are trying to get a better sense of your visitors’ paths, or identify what sources and content lead to a higher conversion at a lower cost, your web analytics dashboard can provide you with that information.
Tools & Technologies
Products like Brandwatch, Sysomos, Radian6 and more might be labeled as industry or social listening tools, but the reality is that they are so much more. These products are actually data collection and visualization tools that can help you vastly improve your marketing and content initiatives. They range in price – on the low end there are free options, and on the high end there are enterprise versions – but they are readily available and provide exceptional insights. What’s more, virtually any piece of technology used in order to facilitate the execution of a strategy will provide certain insights it collects, and those are often very useful while trying to consolidate your communications efforts and optimize your strategy.
To find out more about leveraging data in order to build your marketing strategy, come to my session at the Social Media Strategies Summit in Dallas, August 17th. Hope to see you there!
30 Fascinating Social Media Fun Facts
/by Corey PadveenEvery once in a while, it can be a lot of fun to review some trending social media fun facts in order to see just how quickly this ever-evolving industry is expanding.
In this rundown, we thought we would share a rapid selection of some of the most interesting social media fun facts from around the industry. It’s no surprise that social has become a cornerstone of any successful marketing strategy, as evidenced by some of these statistics. Take a look through them and see if there are any that surprise you or might make you consider a new strategy or medium expansion!
via GIPHY
via GIPHY
via GIPHY
Live Streaming Best Practices (for Beginners)
/by Corey PadveenLive streaming is an exciting space, but perhaps more so than any other medium, best practices are crucial to your success.
There is more than one right way to live stream your content. In fact, that is the beauty of this exciting medium. Live streaming content is not a new practice by any means; it dates back even before the explosive rise of social media. But the evolution of technology and its accessibility have made it much more prevalent and readily accessible.
Unlike many other media, however, there is a very high degree of unpredictability, which means that a general of understanding of some live streaming best practices will help ensure that you and your brand stay in the good graces of consumers, long after your live stream has ended.
Keep It Casual
People are not tuning into your live stream so that they can hear the news, or listen to a scripted broadcast. If they want that, they’ll turn to something where there is less of a predictable element, like a video blog or podcast. What they are looking for when it comes to your live stream is interactive, authentic content. They want to experience a situation as you experience it. So, in order to engage your audience and keep them around for as long as possible, make your live stream as genuine as possible. (Just look at the engagement Chewbacca Mom got.)
This is not to say that every one of your broadcasts has to be a carpe diem-like event. There are, of course, instances where you will want a little bit more structure and a plan (more on that below). But even in those cases, keep the environment somewhat more laid back than your more structured media. Your retention and engagement rates will thank you.
Have a Plan (or Don’t)
This might be what makes live streaming such an exciting space; a plan can be hugely beneficial as it will provide structure, but the ability to share content and welcome your audience into a live environment and to share in a personal experience is equally exciting.
As a brand, you should have a general idea of what kinds of live events constitute ideal streaming scenarios. This might take a little bit of testing at the outset as the audience that engages with your live streaming might be very different than audiences you’ve engaged with in the past. Once that testing is done, however, you will have a better idea of the kinds of spur-of-the-moment broadcasts you’ll want to host, and it will also give you an idea of the kinds of pre-planned content you’ll want to create and live stream in the future.
A great example of this live streaming best practice in action comes from BuzzFeed. They took advantage of a MythBusters-like theme and tried to see how many rubber bands it would take to blow up a watermelon. Apparently, hundreds of thousands of people wanted to know the same thing, and BuzzFeed discovered a niche of live streaming (‘Let’s See If This Really Works’) which has helped craft part of their live streaming content strategy.
Trial and Error
Just as with the practice above, you’ll want to try all sorts of little things at first. (However, note the next point before doing so.) If everything is kept above board (again, see below) then the worst case scenario is that very few or no people engage or view your content, and it is lost to the annals of time and space. Best case scenario? You receive loads of engagement and discover a niche of content that can be leveraged for ongoing success.
As noted above, live streaming (in this format) is still a very new space for marketers and brands, so every new entrant will need to find that groove into which they fit and have an audience. It might take a little time and, what’s also important to note, you might discover that live streaming doesn’t suit your brand or audience. That’s alright. Now you know and won’t need to reallocate marketing resources to the medium.
Ask Yourself, “Is this OK to share?”
It’s somewhat hard to believe that this is a best practice that needs to be included, but there have been too many instances where this question goes overlooked (by both individuals and brands). DO NOT live stream anything that is offensive, off-putting, in poor taste or, of course, illegal. (On that last point, maybe try and avoid doing anything that is illegal while you’re at it.) It’s somewhat baffling, but yes, this really does need to be said, as there have already been cases where this advice was apparently ignored.
Leverage Influence
News media outlets have found a lot of success in live streaming by inviting industry leaders (of all kinds) to answer audience questions live. Influencer outreach and marketing has been an excellent tentpole when it comes to high engagement as you have the ability to leverage an influencer’s large network. The same holds true when it comes to live streaming. When you are talking to an industry leader, people who might not have known you were involved in live streaming (or better yet, not known your brand was involved) might tune in to engage or simply watch. There’s a lot of potential to build your brand in that, and if you can get your hands on an influencer, it is well worth it.
Conclusion
Live streaming is still a new space in the context of social media, so there are sure to be more changes and new live streaming best practices creeping up. That said, there is no shortage of potential in this market, and it is a space that marketers should certainly explore. It might not be right for your brand, but an evaluation of the technology and opportunities (if they exist) is a worthwhile undertaking.
Midway Report: Marketing Trends Predictions Analysis
/by Corey PadveenAt the end of 2015 (and every year before that) marketers all over the world shared their thoughts as to what important marketing trends would shape the industry in 2016. As we approach the halfway point of the year, how many of those are coming true?
Late in 2015, the major focus was largely on the impact of mobile. Considering the already sharp rise mobile had experienced in the two years prior, this was less of a prediction and more of a base from which to make said predictions. Now that we are closing in on the six-month mark of 2016, it’s time to see how many marketing trends predictions are coming true, and what that means for the rest of the year.
Mobile Over Desktop
All signs pointed to mobile overtaking desktop in virtually every regard, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing. Considering its trajectory over the 24 months prior, this was hardly a prediction and more of an understanding. At the very least, it was an easy way to come out of the gate knowing that at least one marketing trends prediction would be correct.
Not even six months into 2016 and mobile has already surpassed desktop in a number of ways. ComScore data has found that the number of smartphone users, the amount of time spent using a mobile device and platform split (between desktop and mobile) all favor mobile. We also know that mobile search surpassed desktop search at the end of 2015, but early in 2016, we saw that mobile ad spend surpassed desktop ad spend for the first time.
Just last week, Google announced several new features being made available in AdWords and Analytics all with mobile-first in mind. As they put it during the presentation, mobile is no longer an option, it is the strategy. That was a fairly obvious notion at the end of 2015 and it has proven to hold true so far this year.
Technology Consolidation
When Salesforce announced that they would be rolling out a business intelligence dashboard that integrated directly with their CRM, a lot of marketers predicted that a new era was upon us whereby the startup world would be consolidated under the giants like Google, Facebook, Salesforce (obviously) and the like. Instead, we’ve seen the market for marketing technologies double (again).
Up until now, the growth of the marketing technology sector seemed like a good thing. (And, for the most part, it was.) Now, as VC wallets tighten and IPO whispers have quieted, an increasingly vast marketing technology landscape is looking a little unstable. In the social media management group alone there are over 200 companies offering similar products. One wonders if there is really enough business out there to keep all of these companies afloat (especially when the huge majority of them are not making enough money to keep the lights on themselves).
The Growth of Content Creation
As products like Snapchat and Facebook Live have picked up momentum and popularity (especially with the coveted millennial market) brands have shifted a lot of their efforts to creating vast amounts of content in-house. There are now more jobs posted than ever before for content creators of channel-specific content (including posts for Snapchat Story creators, which is new to 2016).
Content marketing (as a more concrete, solidified concept) has been a focal point of the marketing world for a few years now, but the slow adoption of new media by a lot of organizations (particularly larger organizations) has meant that content creation has been mixed in with other marketing initiatives, and new media – social in particular – has been fed scraps. Now, brands of all sizes are recognizing the huge potential of developing channel-specific content and are focusing a large amount of resources (not just marketing resources) to getting that done.
And speaking of Facebook Live video…
The Year of Streaming
A common prediction that was circling throughout the latter half of 2015 was that 2016 would be the year that live streaming really took off as a mainstream means of communicating. So far, that has held true. For the last couple of years, rich media types have been at the forefront of hyped communications (images, to video, and now streaming) despite the fact that these media types were nothing new. (Online live video broadcasting, for example, has been around for about two decades.) Now, not only are we shifting our efforts to focus on live streaming, but the market is showing its penchant for engaging with live content.
Conclusion
While some marketing trends predictions have fallen flat, a lot of what we thought would come of 2016 has so far proven to be true. Of course, there is still plenty of time left to see how much of the trending norm is hype and how much is here to stay, and a lot of that will depend on return and measurability. One thing is for certain, however; the market is responding favorably to these new types of content and their respective media, so marketers will surely continue to invest heavily in them.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Selecting Marketing Technology [New eBook]
/by Corey PadveenWith so much on the market, selecting marketing technologies can feel like a daunting task.
Every year, it seems as though the market for marketing tech expands significantly. The reason why it feels that way is pretty simple: it is. Since 2011, the market for marketing technologies has increased roughly thirtyfold! With so much out there, it can feel like choosing the “right” tool is next to impossible.
Our latest eBook covers the process of selecting a piece of marketing tech, and what steps marketers need to take in order to ensure that they are choosing the right piece for their needs. Click on the image below to download the eBook and learn about the steps you need to take in order to select the right tool for your needs!
B2B Social Media Potential in 2016 [Infographic]
/by Corey PadveenThere is a lot to look forward to this coming year with regards to B2B social media.
We often hear that when it comes to new media marketing and advertising, there is no longer a significant difference between B2B and B2C, but there are still some important idiosyncrasies that make the approach to B2B social media somewhat different than B2C.
Among the impressive stats in this infographic from Real Business Rescue, we should take note of the fact that 90% of B2B organizations feel as though social media improves exposure. That is especially important on an increasingly crowded platform. Moreover, 65% of B2B businesses have been able to generate leads as a result of their efforts on social media.
The challenge for B2B has to do with data. According to the findings, only 30% of B2B marketing projects consider their analytics in order to improve results. For a program to be successful, and for results to improve on an ongoing basis, those data need to be analyzed on a regular basis and need to provide the foundation for growth.
Take a look at the infographic below and see all the potential that exists when it comes to B2B social media this year!
5 YouTube Best Practices for Improved Results
/by Corey PadveenImprove the results you drive from your videos by adopting these YouTube best practices right away!
YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, right after its parent, Google (obviously). Nearly a fifth of all online traffic finds itself on the video search engine, which means that for as valuable as video content is, it can be hard for your audience to find it.
The YouTube best practices outlined here can help you drive better results in a shorter timeframe from your video content on YouTube.
Standardize Your Content
When you’re driving down the street and you see those big, golden arches peaking through a sea of billboards and highrises, you know that you aren’t too far from a McDonald’s. Your videos should be equally recognizable.
Now, this is not to say that you need to have an instantaneously recognizable brand, but your video content should be properly branded and that branding should be consistent. Whether it’s something like an intro, music, or a style of video, people should be able to identify that they are watching one of your videos from the get go.
Create Playlists
Playlists are great tools for organizing your YouTube channel, and they are just another way to categorize and tag your videos, which is hugely beneficial for search.
Again, with so much content being shared on the video engine every second, the more you can do to walk people through what they are seeing and what value the content will bring to them, the better chance you’ll have of getting your videos seen and retaining your audience for a longer watch time.
Commit to Consistency
If you’re going to share a video today, then another one tomorrow, then a third in two months, another a week after that and so on without a clearly consistent production and publishing schedule, it will be hard to build a loyal following, and your YouTube channel will never really get to where you want it to go.
You don’t necessarily need to be creating dozens of videos every month, but you should be at least somewhat consistent in the frequency with which you’re publishing videos. That is especially true if you’re creating videos as part of a series, where your subscribers and series followers are expecting new content every so often.
Properly Tag Your Videos
With options to improve search potential so easily accessible, it’s surprising that there are still marketers who do not take advantage of these elements.
When you have completed a video and are ready to upload it, add in specific tags (it helps if there are some auto-populated based on existing categories) and take advantage of the descriptions, geo-tagging, subtitles (when applicable, or auto-populated), video elements, etc. Every option should be used when it applies, as each of these are categorization and classification elements (just like the playlists discussed above) and can help improve your videos discoverability.
Keep Your Videos Short and Focused
Ideally, your videos are going to be under two minutes in length. The reason is simple: data shows that the average online attention span is roughly 8.25 seconds. So, even your most engaged audience might not be willing to give you more than a couple of minutes of their time. You’ll need to create content that is almost immediately captivating and brief enough that people will stick around until the very end.
The easiest way to go about this is to keep your videos relatively straightforward. You’re not hosting an hour long talk show; this is a small bit of easily digested content that engages your audience and provides value. There is no easier way to do this than to ask a question and use your minute or two to answer it. Pay attention to your analytics, as those will give you an idea of your audience retention, and in turn provide insight into how long your videos should be.
Conclusion
Of course, every marketer and brand will have different uses for a network like YouTube. But, in order to find success with the network, you’ll need to know about some of the best practices, and these five are a good start.
Attention Spans are Short and Getting Shorter [Infographic]
/by Corey PadveenFor a long time, our attention spans have been getting shorter. That’s a problem for marketers.
How do you capture someone’s attention in only a few seconds? With so much content constantly flooding our various feeds, grabbing the attention of a passer-by has become an increasingly daunting task for marketers. This infographic highlights recent findings that show just how difficult of a task that really is.
How long do you think your attention span is?
6 Social Media Time Saving Tips for Marketers
/by Corey PadveenWhen you find a few social media time saving tips, it can make a world of difference in your day-to-day management techniques.
Managing your social accounts can be a pretty time-heavy task. While auto-piloted processes can work in certain areas, attention needs to be paid to your brand’s online presence in order for it to generate the results you’re hoping for. These social media time saving tips, while useful, won’t mean cutting out the time devoted to social in its entirety, but you will find yourself generating just as much success on social, and less time needed to achieve that.
1. Use a Calendar
Why marketers haven’t all subscribed to the idea of using a content or editorial calendar is a mystery. Not only does it simplify the daunting task of regularly sharing fresh content, but it shaves hours off of your monthly management time. What’s more, with regards to the auto-piloting mentioned above, a calendar makes that easier (and limits any potential harm that may come from the practice).
A carefully laid out calendar provides marketers with a roadmap that can be closely followed (or loosely adhered to) over the course of a month and allows for more time to focus on other priority tasks within or out of the social sphere.
2. Scheduling
Whether you are using Hootsuite, SocialOomph, Sprout Social, another tool or Facebook itself, a calendar means scheduling (pretty far ahead of time) is a much more viable option.
Scheduling your content around a contest or event is easy, but day-to-day content and recycled material can be a little trickier. As noted above, once you have a calendar in place, you can begin scheduling your content accordingly, thereby saving you time once again.
3. Standard Reporting
Virtually every tool or technology (from free to enterprise) provides some sort of reporting capability. Reporting not only highlights your performance, but it is also a useful way to identify what items need your attention, and how to prioritize those items.
Automated reports (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc.) are a great way to save yourself some time. If you’re using a piece of technology (see below) then having reports automatically emailed to you will allow you to create a management schedule to address issues as they come up (if they come up).
4. Take Advantage of Technology
Let me start off by saying that there is no one perfect tool for all marketers. Your ideal piece of technology will depend entirely on the objectives you’ve assigned to your efforts on social media. Once you have those, evaluate different tools in order to determine which one (or ones) will help you operate at maximum efficiency while saving time.
Every one of these technologies is referred to as a solution. That is because they have been designed to solve a problem. Know your problem areas, then find the solution that’s right for you.
5. Create Third Party Lists
Creating original content can be hard. With so much in circulation, it is only a matter of time before you start to feel like your content is going stale. In order to avoid that from happening, you’ll want to keep a list of third party resources from which you can borrow or share content on a regular basis. Of course, that is not to say that you should plagiarize anything, ever. But these resources can be used as sources of inspiration for new content, or you can share content from these parties directly from the source.
This is a major time saver and helps showcase to your audience that there is no bias for your content over someone else’s – you simply want to provide value to your readers.
6. Track Your Content Performance
Just as with those third parties, you’ll want to pay attention to your highest performing content. Why? Again, it will help in the optimization of your content creation process. As you see the content that outperforms the rest, you’ll be able to create (and re-share) that specific or affiliated content and avoid spending time on content that does not generate the results you are looking for.
Conclusion
There is no question that time will need to be devoted to your social efforts. There is no Amazon magic button or quick fix to drop your management time down to zero. But by following these tips and paying attention to the details, you’ll find that managing your social media does not need to be a full time commitment, and that you can generate great results with slightly less time devotion.