Podcasting is on a growth trajectory (supported in Social Media Examiner’s April 2014 Social Media Marketing Report) and should be one of things you want to learn more about this year. A ‘podcast’, as a basic definition, is a digital file - an audio file (mp3) that people listen to via their mp3 player (iPod or similar); smartphone; tablet or computer. If you produce a podcast – you would do so in order to share your expertise as part of your content strategy as an expert in your field. The idea is to not do this as a once-off activity – but as a consistent route to sharing your story, skills and knowledge regularly – as you would do across your other channels (like blogging, Facebook, … [Read more...] about What is Podcasting?
Content Creation
Entertain your audience and not yourself
I have a little girl who is just fascinated with the Disney Movie "Frozen" at the moment. (I’m gently using the word 'fascinated'…but frankly its bordering on obsession and she is on a strict withdrawal diet as we speak). Anyhow – this Disney movie, more than any in the past (so far), has absolutely captured the imagination of kids and adults alike. But when my sister passed this YouTube video on to me (below) – it firstly made me giggle, but then I focussed on the daughter sitting in the back seat and it made me think…. Sometimes when we are crappling for topics and subjects to share with our social media audiences,we can revert to what we think is funny, interesting or applicable to … [Read more...] about Entertain your audience and not yourself
The Growth of Visual: Images, Infographics & Videos Are High on Marketers Lists
Now, more than ever before, information is coloured by how well it is presented. The attractiveness of the piece of content you are sharing will determine how much or how little people will connect with it. In the last 6 to 8 months I’ve noticed how massively visual website and blog design has become. Look at the re-design of Mashable.com – that alone shows how things are moving. I have to say that some of it is a bit too much for me – in that I have no idea where to look to find what I want and I have to step away from my screen to actually see what I am looking at. (Oversized visuals for my 15” screen). So I guess “balance” in design, as ever, is still key. What I do like about the move … [Read more...] about The Growth of Visual: Images, Infographics & Videos Are High on Marketers Lists
Short Social Video Sharing: The Value in Vine and Video for Instagram
With smart phones and tablets being mainstream, capturing photos and video 'on the go' is now a part of many people's every day lives. Unless it's a special occasion why lug a camera and laptop around if your device can shoot HD video, decent still photos and much more besides? With this significant shift in everyday media capture, Facebook and Twitter have made sure that their users are able to share video too. Vine and Instagram are two applications you may have heard of, and may be using. These are currently the leading services to use when sharing video content to your social media platforms via portable devices. What does Instagram or Vine do that YouTube doesn’t? The main difference … [Read more...] about Short Social Video Sharing: The Value in Vine and Video for Instagram
The Ease of Auto-posting vs Devaluing Your Content | Efficiency Myth
We are all busy. That is a given, right? Now - what we are busy with - could be debated until the cows come home. Sometimes I have met business owners who are so "busy" with things that in the scheme of things are (a) not productive, (b) won't make a difference if its not done, and more importantly (c) someone else should be doing. Of course, the natural inclination is to look for the easy route when it comes to social media. "What could I do with one action - that could be replicated and look like "more"?" In the context of managing your social media content - the perceived easy route is automating all of you social posting (i.e. one status update being shared on Facebook, Twitter and … [Read more...] about The Ease of Auto-posting vs Devaluing Your Content | Efficiency Myth
Profound and Prudent Pinterest Planning Pointers | 7 Hot Tips to Action Today
Business owners the world over are flocking to Pinterest to build their online profile, tell their brand story, and attract new customers. The diverse ways that you can use Pinterest naturally lead to many exciting types of online marketing materials. In this post I'm going to give you 7 profound and prudent Pinterest planning pointers on how to translate your brand into visual story PIN magic: Pinterest pointer 1: Create a profile of your clients This is where you take the time to do 21st century style ‘target market’ work. Look through data you have gathered from other online platforms and find keywords related to your business. Now, take this information and start to organize it under … [Read more...] about Profound and Prudent Pinterest Planning Pointers | 7 Hot Tips to Action Today
A Summary of Picture/Photo Sharing Apps and Networks | Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest
I wrote this blog post partly for myself - because to be quite honest, I was really starting to wonder if I was missing something because I'm not a big user of picture sharing applications - but I realise that they can be very important for some people and even businesses. So, for you and me...I have now summarised what the ACTUAL difference is between the 3 main hot topics on the image front: Flickr, Instagram and Pinterest. Flickr Flickr was launched in Feb 2004 and is basically a smart way to store your photos (in the cloud) and share them easily. Acquired by Yahoo in 2005 (for $35million) it allows a user to store images for free up to a limit and thereafter pay for unlimited storage. … [Read more...] about A Summary of Picture/Photo Sharing Apps and Networks | Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest
Why I Think The BBC Are Spot-on With Their Social Media | Example of Big Business Social
Day in and day out the BBC are broadcasting to a number of different audiences in different mediums at different times of the day and through a variety of different presenters and professionals who each have their own nuances and personas. That is...quite frankly a huge task to transfer successfully to social media in way that does not miss the mark completely and confuse the 60+ years of work in creating engaging content and building a reputation that has lasted the test of time - even if it is tested (quite brutally) at times. Here are some of the bits I LOVE about their strategy and implementation: 1. News Broadcasts (TV) They always mention Twitter and Facebook as part of how you … [Read more...] about Why I Think The BBC Are Spot-on With Their Social Media | Example of Big Business Social
Where Do You Find Content To Share On Your Social Media Accounts?
Content can be an overwhelming thing to think about...a lot of people (personally and business wise) don’t even get going on social media because they are held back by the thought “What on earth should I say?” I'm going to give you some handy some starting points to think about if you are a bit stuck on thinking about what content to share about your business – remember that sometimes it’s hard to think of something interesting, because you may be a little too close to your business or subject area. Ask yourself (or your manager/business owner if you are the social media manager in the business): (a) Why was the business set-up in the first place? (Start-up story) (b) What makes … [Read more...] about Where Do You Find Content To Share On Your Social Media Accounts?
Imagination is More Important Than Knowledge | Engagement Principles
The brain is a live muscle that thrives on being flexed and pulsed in order to stay healthy and grow. What we tend to forget in our everyday lives is that it is not only what we know that defines us...but also what we create and what we experience. It’s this creativity and kinaesthetic behaviour that contributes to our brain’s flourishing growth. What does this have to do with social media? Well - it really comes down to - don't just "tell" your audience about what it is that you do - spin them a story, using their words (or some hypnotic ones yourself) and put some flare into it! This is what will make your content stand out. For me, imagination is a very big part of my make-up and what … [Read more...] about Imagination is More Important Than Knowledge | Engagement Principles