The evolving world of Social Media can be hard to keep up with. Here are some updates you may want to keep in mind when you’re planning your social media strategy.
Twitter
Twitter introduces group direct messaging and the ability to film, edit and share videos from your Twitter application. Group direct messaging will allow Twitter users to privately message up to 20 people. Now with whatsapp chat groups being most peoples go to for group messaging how will Twitter’s group messaging function compare?
Users will use the Twitter direct group messaging function to share content with people they follow on Twitter vs whatsapp which is with people who you have in your phone book. It’s essentially, micro social networking within a social network. Creating smaller groups that have similar interests to share content with, away from the public eye.
As for the new video direct upload function. Brilliant! It was about time, especially since Instagram and SnapChat gave that option to its users. So which app should you share your short videos with? Look at it this way, Twitter you share videos that are related to your tweet, especially information you want to get out quickly in real time (as you know, Twitter moves fast). Instagram, share your most creative and engaging videos (recipes, workouts, snip its of your latest YouTube video) and SnapChat is a short story of what you’re doing in real time for personal accounts. However, if you’re a brand then it’s totally different and is used for promoting and getting the message out there (like the new discover option).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtFJf1N3zWw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNnVH-mwSdM
Facebook
Have you seen the new CTA (Call to Action) button on your Facebook page? It’s right on your cover photo:
Facebook gives page managers 7 tag options for their CTA button. They include:
Book Now
Contact Us
Use App
Play Game
Shop Now
Sign Up
Watch Video
LinkedIn
There’s a new LinkedIn app in town for Android users. It’s a fast and easy way to strengthen your professional connections. This app gives you updates about your connections so you can reach out to them at the right time. For an example, recruiters who post job opportunities or hr connections from companies you love. You can download the app on the google play store.
The digital age where social media has become a huge part of our generation, the opportunity curve is going through the roof for the guy/girl next door becoming famous overnight over an uploaded video, tweet or instagram post.
My Facebook feed had this one article that was being shared over and over again by different people and even made it to a few of my whatsapp group conversations. A YouTuber becomes famous and some of the videos have a word for word resemblance with another YouTubers videos. Some viewers feel cheated and have shown their outrage via YouTube comments, twitter and other social platforms. Everyone has their opinion on whether this is unethical or not. If you ask me, before judging someone online for copying another persons content and resorting to cyber bullying take these points into consideration:
If you believe someone has done something unethical, being unethical back (ex. cyber bulling) does not make things right
The person copying others online content may not be aware that this is even wrong (or not allowed) and may not know that they should be giving any kind of credit to the person they were inspired by or copying (if that’s the case)
Person may have seen creating the copy of the video as their own variation of it
[Tweet “Fame = many responsibilities & few understand these responsibilities right away..”]
You can learn from making mistakes and either correct or continue to do the same and ignore all negative feedback from your fans and only take the good. Although if you ask me, any kind of criticism, especially bad, can be really good for you if you take it with a grain of salt and use it to build your online image into something even better. After all, if you win all of your fans hearts, it only feeds into your popularity even more. It can even be inspiring to other content makers and they may even follow suit.
Here are some guidelines to follow when sharing or creating content on social media platforms:
Twitter
On Twitter when you share someone’s tweet it’s called a Re-Tweet. Click on the Re-Tweet button under the Tweet.
You can also start a new tweet and start the copied tweet with ‘RT’ which is short form for Re-Tweet. When you tweet this way don’t forget to also add the person’s Twitter name. Should look something like this:
This is a great way to give the other person credit on Twitter and also you’re engaging with the user. That user might even appreciate you giving them credit and mentioning them in the tweet that they may even Re-Tweet your tweet. Especially if you added your own comments to the tweet.
Facebook
We are able to easily ‘share’ a post on Facebook by clicking on the share button. When you share a post, viewers of the post can see where that post derived from. (Facebook page, Facebook user, outside Facebook source)
Instagram
There are a lot of ways you can give credit to Instagram users you’ve either been inspired by or just want to copy the exact image and post it on your account.
Download a reposting instagram app (Ex. App called Repost for Instagram on Androids) Apps like this will automatically add a side bar with the repost symbol along with the original content creators name.
You can tag the person in the image before posting when in edit mode
You can also mention the original image post-er in the edit mode: #regram @piperlime
Vine
Vine has a one button share option or just like Instagram you can use a hashtag like #revine.
Tumblr
This microblogging platform and social networking website also allows you to press a button to share or use hashtag #reblog.
YouTube
On YouTube it’s a bit more tricky because there are no share buttons and most YouTubers videos are not their own original content. YouTube doesn’t have the processes in place like other social platforms to encourage users to give credit. It’s kind of like a free for all. Built up of so many videos that tell the same story by different people/characters. It’s evident in beauty channels with similar looks being created by different beauty experts, comedians with the same punch lines, tutorials teaching the same technique and more. It really comes down to the YouTuber. Do you want to give credit to the content that was created by another that inspired you to re-create? Or would you rather just create the video and put it out there because it’s different enough that you’re in it? How about the fact that the video you created is different in your eyes because you had a different approach, a slight change in the story, different technique…innovative?
Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.
With a platform that doesn’t give you the option to tag, share or promote to give shout outs to those who inspired you to create your content, it’s no wonder why there are so many copy cats. Not everyone has come to accept YouTube for what it is. Some viewers demand and criticize YouTubers to admit or share who they copied or were inspired by. However you will rarely read or see a YouTuber mention where they got their content from or who they were inspired by. Everyone wants to be an original, some with little to no effort. To each their own.
Every Tuesday at 3 pm EST the Social Media Managers, Community Managers and On-line Marketing communities come together to chat about all sorts of related topics. Everything from best practices in Social Media, new platforms and the future. This Tuesday’s Twitter chat was a bit different. Instead of the usual to the point questions SMXChat asked fill in the blank questions.
Here are some of my favourite responses including my own to this weeks questions:
Q1) As a Community Manager, my most important role is ______.
@SMXChat A1: Engaging with our audience, social listening, sharing and creating relevant and helpful content, and following up. #smxchat — ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) December 9, 2014
A1 CMGRs are at the front line of everything – cust serv, sales, feedback, training..we are the go-to guys & gals for the brand #SMXChat
A1. Never ignore a mention/message. People always need to be responded to—even if you might not want to. #SMXChat — OUTSIDER (@outsider_nyc) December 9, 2014
Q2) When my Mom asks what I do as a Social Media Manager, I say _______.
Good asnwer! MT @vegecomgirl: A2. When my Mom asks what I do as a Social Media Manager, I say juggle a lot of things at once hehehe #SMXChat — Mark Salke (@marksalke) December 9, 2014
Q3) If there was no internet and social media, I’d probably be a _______.
Q3 may be the perfect question to prove the fact that so-called social media marketing is just marketing. #SMXchat — The Gary J. Nix® (@Mr_McFly) December 9, 2014
Q4) If someone asks me how they could gain the skills required for my role, I tell them _______.
A4) If someone asks me how they could gain the skills required for my role- Step 1: dive right in! Learn from doing. #SMXChat — Humara Kausar (@HumaraKausar) December 9, 2014
A4) If someone asks me how they could gain the skills required for my role- Step 2: Study all platforms. #SMXChat
A4) Step 3: This is your checklist: Strong communication, empathy, be organized, know your analytics & find a brand you love #SMXChat — Humara Kausar (@HumaraKausar) December 9, 2014
@HumaraKausar Yes to the study all platforms and then determine where your audience is. #smxchat
@HumaraKausar Yeah, diving in and learning the platforms/becoming a real user certainly helps! #SMXChat — Top Ten Reviews Biz (@TopTenSmallBiz) December 9, 2014
@ThinkSEM@SMXChat “Nothing like turning yourself into a case study and developing your own portfolio” Great Advice #smxchat
A5) My inspiration comes from real life learning’s and interactions. I bring it all to the social world and it’s magic! #SMXChat — Humara Kausar (@HumaraKausar) December 9, 2014
Q6) If I was to teach a course on what I do, I’d call it _______.
A6) If I was to teach a course on what I do, I’d call it “Mastering the real struggle of the juggle with Social Media” #SMXChat
On November 26th Elle Magazine VIP held an event in the distillery district at the ARTA Gallery. Sponsored by Persona World, the event Passport to the World had exhibits for Sahara, Asia and India.
The three exhibits presented Persona World collections that had charms representing these geographic areas. Beautiful charms like the taj mahal, lanterns, a geisha lady and vibrant colours were just some of the charms that stood out to me. Appetizers were served during the event, Sahara exhibit had a Smashbox station, the Asia table had different saki’s and the India exhibit had a henna artist and chai tea.
Greeted by a massive cover of their magazine, coat check and a VIP guest list, I entered the gallery to the end of a presentation on fashion from these three geographic areas. Having travelled to two out of the three places I was excited to see the exhibits and felt a bit nostalgic. We all received a passport card with stamps and visited each exhibit to see the collections. Guests received a persona bracelet and had a chance to chose one charm from any of the three exhibits, tweeting about our chosen charm would get you a bonus Canadian passport charm! So cute.
To represent the recent Asia trip I went on, I chose the geisha charm from the Asia collection. I love the hand-painted details and it reminds me of our trip to the Geisha district in Kyoto, Japan.
I had the pleasure of meeting Francine from Smashbox. She showed me the new double exposure palette, which is wet & dry! I absolutely LOVE wet & dry palettes. In one of my YouTube videos I mentioned trying to use one of my shadows from my Smashbox full exposure palette, wet. I just wanted to experiment and see if it’ll make the colour pop. Big mistake. That shadow got ruined because I dipped a damp brush on it. In my 10 years of beauty experience and work, I’ve never done that before, don’t know why I tried it now.
My girls & I at the event
We ended off the eventful Elle Canada VIP evening by celebrating my friends, Reema and Alicia’s birthdays at El Catrin. I love their fish tacos and the guacamole is a must. They make it fresh right in front of you! I’ve been here so many times, they should just give me an assigned table called Hum.
It was Digital Day at Google head quarters down town, Toronto and I was invited. A great event to learn about Consumer Surveys and everything needed to know to optimize company online activities with the help of Google.
I loved all the android green guys painted on random walls, a london telephone booth and a stairwell full of Google Map locations.
A googler gave us a tour of the office, which felt like a mini version of what we’ve seen in the movie The Internship. Each floor was equipped with game areas. gaming consoles, arcade driving games and old school foosball.
They have their own little in house farm of fresh herbs and a kitchen on each floor for easy access.
This Android piece of art is made up of hundreds of pieces of rubik cubes.
This was pretty awesome! A lot of the meeting rooms have hidden rooms behind bookcases.
Have you heard about the new social network called Tsu?
Based in New York they launched on Tuesday and have already raised $7 million. This is an invite only social network that will help users get paid to be social. It’s brilliant! Considering the hours spent every day on social media networks, why shouldn’t we get paid for it? We are bombarded by advertisements everywhere and now users can get comfortable and see the worth in viewing those ads. Time will only tell if everyone moves to this social network or at least gives it a try. Some experts are calling this more of a content monetization platform than a social network. It definitely won’t be easy to get people to completely leave their established go-to networks, even if it means getting paid.
So how do you get paid?
Most social networks keep ad revenue for themselves. However, Tsu is saying we want to give to our users. Founder Sebastian Sobczak says Tsu will take 10 percent of the ad revenue it generates and give the other 90 percent back to users. The ad revenue Tsu makes in one day is distributed to users based on how many organic post-views they get during that 24-hour period. The more views and engagement you generate as a user, the larger portion of the pie you get. Celebrities will definitely take majority of the pie but king/queen content creators still get something. Bubblews is a similar platform. Also, think about this, if I earn money from a video I posted and I joined Tsu through you, than you earn one-third of the revenue after Tsu takes a cut.
The platform looks and sort of feels like Facebook, so if you’ve used Facebook before you’ll know how to use Tsu. Don’t worry, you don’t have to juggle all your social networks. Tsu allows you to post to Facebook and Twitter simultaneously, when you post to your Tsu profile page.
Social Media has a global reach and trust me when I write this, but there is no room for poor etiquette. Unless you would like to purposely rub your social media image in the dirt. Creating accounts for every popular social media application or website and leaving your accounts dormant, why? Many people do this. They think they need to be on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest and make their accounts, only to never open them again. If that sounds like you, both do your research and learn about each one and their benefits for you personally or your business so you can start using the application to your advantage, or simply just delete the account that you never use.
Some people fail to realize that having a social media account that hasn’t been watered and nurtured into an increasing amount of followers and content can be noticed by your next employer as lazy, careless and forgetful or lack of knowledge for that particular social media program. If you’re in the social media marketing field, then this is a really bad look for you.
Follow these social media etiquette tips and you’ll be on your way to having stellar online manners:
Facebook
[Tweet “#DidYouKnow Canada is the most active country on #Facebook? #SocialMedia”]
You should always Facebook message private matters instead of posting them on a Facebook wall. To some this may be common sense, but common sense isn’t very common to others unfortunately.
It’s okay to update several times a day, but keep at least a few hours of space between each post.
Respond to all comments, especially the rude ones in the nicest manner possible.
You don’t need to like and comment on every post your friends post. You may wander over to ‘stalker status’ in their eyes. Avoid that by being selective of what you like and comment on.
Yes Facebook hashtags do work but they’re not as popular on Facebook as they are on Instagram and Twitter. Limit to one or two if it’s a personal post. Posting to a business page? If they’re relevant hashtags then 4 is a safe number. More than 4 and you risk looking like you’re farming hashtags and don’t really know what the heck you’re doing. This isn’t Instagram people. However, a study done by Edgerank checker in June 2013 showed that posts on Facebook without hashtags were doing better than ones with. Because Facebook hashtags are still fairly new, I would use your own judgement and A/B testing to see what works best.
The number of ‘friends’ you have on Facebook doesn’t mean you’re popular in real-life. It may be true if you actually stay in touch with all 2000 of your facebook friends offline (which would be pretty impressive), but adding strangers doesn’t count. If you know someone through a business relationship then it is always best to add them on LinkedIn where you can keep things professional.
Use the 80/20 rule. 80% information, fun and entertaining posts, 20% of posts geared to a sale or a promotion.
Only ask people to like or share your post if you’re doing a poll.
Use first person plural when posting from a brand/business Facebook page.
Twitter
[Tweet “#DidYouKnow 46% of Twitter users use Twitter at least once a day? #SocialMedia”]
Hashtag was born on Twitter. Use relevant and popular hashtags on Twitter and you’re on your way to looking like a pro. Don’t use too many hashtags. (Side Note: A hashtag immediately expands the reach of your tweet beyond just those who follow you, to reach anyone interested in that hashtag phrase or keyword.)
Respond to comments and questions on Twitter right away. Twitter is a Social Media site that moves really fast in real time. Your answer may not matter in a few hours or tomorrow.
Don’t be afraid to favourite tweets you really like. Especially the tweets that you wouldn’t want to re-tweet because it’s not a tweet that your audience would really engage or relate too. If you’re managing a business/brand Twitter page then be careful what you favourite. Sensitive subjects like war, politics or competitor tweets can anger or confuse your followers.
Avoid sharing too much personal information. In recent studies it was shown that more recruiters are using Twitter to find talent and to find more information about you. 69% HR departments use Twitter and to assist with the recruitment process.
Check out this video from 2012. Social recruiting has become a lot more popular with more brands that have jumped on board in the last two years with recruiting twitter accounts like BCBG (@BCBGcareers), Disney (@TWDCjobs), Google (@Googlejobs) and more.
Don’t use all 140 characters. You still need room for people to re-tweet and add comments if need be.
You don’t have to follow back every person that follows you. Follow back if you actually DO want to follow their tweets. What do they tweet about? Is it something you may want to re-tweet or gain information from? Which brings me to my next point, don’t follow people to gain follow backs. When you do unfollow them, they will unfollow as well.
Google+
[Tweet “There are 63% Male users on Google+ and 37% Female. #SocialMedia “]
Always +mention users when commenting under their posts. This will allow for them to receive a notification and it will also direct your comment to the right person. It can get confusing when there are so many comments under the same post.
When you like something, like a comment someone made: +1 it.
Hitting the +1 on someone’s comment is a good way of saying, “I Agree”. You can +1 your own posts as well. Of course you love your own post, than why else would you post it? I feel most comfortable doing this on Google+ but I definitely wouldn’t like my own personal Facebook posts or Tweets. It just doesn’t feel right.
If you’re sharing someone else’s work, mention them in your post. Everyone wants to be appreciated or thanked for their work.
After you have +1’ed something, if you want to engage more, then add a comment. You may get into an interesting conversation and make a new friend. Yes, it’s okay to add someone who isn’t your real-life friend on Google+. The beauty of Google+ is that you can put them in circles (groups) that don’t share personal posts that you may only want to share with friends and family.
When you share a post, always add your own commentary to it first.
When someone shares your post, thank them.
If you’ve made mistakes in your post or forgot to add something then make sure you go back to edit it QUICKLY. This way, people aren’t sharing your posts with typos or missing information.
You can format your posts on Google+, so take advantage of that and make your posts intriguing by bolding or underlining words that will make your post stand out.
Add hashtags to your post. They are also automatically added to your post based on your content. (smart program). You can also add hashtags in your comments as well which is great!
Instagram
[Tweet “Instagram is about sharing a story. Create your own theme and stick to it. Consistent content.”]
If you’re a business, don’t use hashtags like #tagsforlikes, #doubletap, #likeforlike etc as it can look very unprofessional asking people for likes.
Posting with hours gap, minimum 4 hours is perfect for Instagram. Don’t over-gram, because no one wants to see their feed filled up with one users posts. That’s what Facebook photo albums are for.
If you want more engagement with your pictures, then you need to engage more with other peoples images. It’s only fair. If someone likes your picture or takes time to comment, it’s common courtesy to reply to the comment and take the time to check out their Instagram story.
[Tweet “#DidYouKnow interactions are highest on #Instagram posts with 11+ hashtags?”]
Quit using #too #many #hashtags! It’s not okay if your hashtags are exceeding a paragraph. Which also means it’s not cool and doesn’t work when you hashtag every other word in your caption.
Using unrelated hashtags under your image is confusing. Use hashtags that are related and save that #justinbieber tag for when you actually post and image of him.
The long hashtag can be funny or done totally wrong and not be readable because it’s all in lower case and just way too long.
#walkedthecattodayandsawanothercatthatlookedlikemycatandthoughtholycatmans or #IdenticalCatSoTrippy (along with the two cats side by side pic) See.
LinkedIn
[Tweet “#DidYouKnow there are 120 million users using #LinkedIn daily?”]
There’s an option on LinkedIn to update your status with images, links etc. Kind of like Facebook. But for LinkedIn keep it professional and only post things that are ‘industry specific’.
Recently I’ve been noticing a lot of ladies complain about being asked out on dates or asked questions through in mail for their email addresses because the male ‘professional’ is ‘interested’ in them. I’ve experienced this myself and quite frankly it’s messed up. LinkedIn is a professional networking site where you can connect with similar industry people. It’s a site to help you get up the career ladder, find jobs, connect with recruiters. It is not a dating site.
If a connection who has worked with you in the past recommends you. Take the time to write them a recommendation back. Same goes for when you’re endorsed for a skill.
Don’t obsessively look at someone’s profile, it’s very unprofessional and they can see that you’ve looked.
Starting your message to someone with “I see you viewed my profile..” is not a good idea. Sending them a personalized connection request is fine.
If you have any etiquette tips please leave a comment.
Online Community Manager: a growing and developing profession. People in this position work to build, grow and manage online communities around a brand or cause.*
I was recently approached by Sprout Social to be interviewed for their Community Manager Tips segment for their blog and to be shared on their various social platforms. Here are my quick tips:
Sprout Social is a social media management tool created to help businesses find new customers & grow their social media presence. With all of the platforms out there I must say that this platform is not only aesthetically pleasing but has everything you need to successfully manage your social media presence. I’m using the free trial now and so far, really good!
If you’re considering to be an Online Community Manager, I’d follow this check list to see if you have the skills and are prepared to take on this role.
1. PATIENCE – You need a lot of it. Building a community takes time and instant gratification.. well there’s really no room for that. You’ll see smaller gratifying interactions at first within the community you’re building and eventually will see it grow into a bigger community. With time it will become easier to attract more people. Be creative, have fun and people will follow!
2. WEARING MULTIPLE HATS – Often those who are online community managers are social media managers and manage other online marketing aspects of their companies. Sometimes it works, especially since the same online voice and information flows through all the online avenues. Your followers can pick up on it. But in some cases, especially if you have a large community it can hurt your companies growth. Investing in someone to focus on one crucial aspect of your social presence, be it your tweets/posts or building a community, works in the companies benefit. More time to brainstorm new fresh ideas and more time to create compelling content.
3. ANALYTICAL – Decisions you make as a community manager are usually based on data you have gathered through your social media. Whether it was a post that was worded differently and it got more views or if it was a tweet or post directed to a specific demographic. If you can understand that data and action it for the benefit of your community. Then my friend, you’ll do just great!
4. STRONG WRITING SKILLS – You’ll be writing a few sentences or one sentence post/tweets that will have to hold a STRONG message. Can you do that? Can you send a STRONG message to your brand/companies community that will impact them?
5. ONLINE PRESENCE – Do you have a Twitter, LinkedIN, Instagram, Google+ or better yet a blog? Because if you don’t then this role isn’t right for you. Create a colourful online presence as it shows dedication and your passion for this role.
What social media managing tool do you use and what do you love the most about it?
If you’re new to Social Media, first thing you should do is get on Twitter and Facebook. To start with, at least.
There are a lot more platforms out there for you to experience, learn and possibly one day manage for your employer.
Watch some tutorials on how to use these platforms. You will be surprised at how much knowledge there is out there on the web. Once you have gone past the beginner phase of learning the in’s and out’s of each platform, search for programs that help you optimize their use as a social media professional. Such as Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and understanding Facebook page analytics.
At this point, you should also start looking at companies that are doing amazing work with their social media. Companies that have compelling marketing strategies and have a massive following. One of my favourites is Oreo.
When you’re applying to some companies make sure you ask lots of questions during the interview process or dig deep into their job descriptions for hints on what their expectations are. Some companies that don’t really understand the benefits of social media may not have a team or budget in place. This means you will be doing everything from managing their platforms, community, graphics, videos, promotions and more! Their expectations might be high for the type of following they want to see upon hiring you. It will be your job to explain the benefits of promoted tweets, boosting posts and ad’s to gain likes. Especially if people who are looking for your company can’t find their website or even a blog.
Check out the below infographic to getting a job in Social Media. There are some roles missing and the salary may be off for some.
Just as soon as people started thinking Twitter was behind in its game, news sprouted up from social media channels about Twitter growing. At the moment Twitter has 241 million active users and it hasn’t been growing as fast as Facebook, Vine and YouTube. Time to play catch up?
Here’s a run down of what to expect and what has already popped up in Twitter News:
Last week Twitter rolled out a new platform for hosting video that gives iPhone and Android phone users previews of video clips in their feeds. With a single click you’re able to play the clip. This new feature on Twitter is called in-line video. You can see this feature being used on Vines. Twitter was behind in the video category and it was about time they started focusing on it.
It has been reported that Twitter is experimenting with the capability to see how many people have viewed your tweets, which at the moment only advertisers can see. The view count would be shown underneath each tweet, similar to how Facebook shows the amount of views underneath each Page post. How exciting is that?!
Tweet views will measure the reach of your tweets and help individuals and companies to recognize what they need to do or keep doing in order to get Re-Tweets and Favourites. Lots of views but no engagement says a whole lot to Social Media Managers. Fingers crossed this ‘experiment’ pulls through and every Twitter user can start benefiting from the data.
Twitter has also announced an update to its mobile apps that would give users more options when posting pictures. Many people on Twitter have already called Twitter out as copying Facebook because they changed the famous ‘Re-Tweet’ lingo to ‘Share’. I’m not a fan of changing the Twitter language, especially when so many users have gotten the hang of using RT. It’s one thing to expand, but changing something that isn’t broken. Not cool.
Why did @Twitter take out ‘Retweet’ and put ‘Share tweet’..?
There was another update to twitter mobile apps that would give users more options when posting pictures. One being the ability to tag up to 10 people in photos without lowering the character count within your tweet. Also, users will be able to post up to four photos in a single tweet and join them together like a small collage. Sounds like Instagram to me.
In-line videos, with one click view like Vines, yay or nay? How can ‘tweet views’ help you or your business? Will you use the new picture features?
