We've all suffered from it.
Writer's block. Whether you've faced it in high school English class, during the writing portion of your ACT or at work, most of us have struggled coming up with that first paragraph, hell, that first sentence in a piece of copy. But as all writers know, the beginning and end of a piece are the most challenging. The body is the easiest part.
The saying “a picture is a worth a thousand words” rings especially true when it comes to online and digital marketing. As consumers, we constantly have advertising campaigns and marketing strategies thrown at us from all directions. Through the use of social networks, it is widely understood that online advertisements and pop-ups are extremely uncool. However, that does not mean that online marketing through social media is not appreciated when it is effective and creative.
We social networkers are suckers for pictures—we can’t help but take a look at them when they catch our eye. The more interesting or aesthetically pleasing the picture is, the more likely we are to keep clicking through more and more of them. That being said, adding visual content to a social media post gives you the extra edge you need to capture your followers’ attention. After all, words are so old-fashioned, aren’t they?
Last week, WebProNews reported that Twitter users can now purchase 1,000 fake followers for just $18 and just how detrimental this is to the social media platform...and to its users.
Barracuda Labs, an online research and reporting distributor, decided to test the Tweep purchase rumor. In the spring of 2012, the company set up three Twitter accounts and bought anywhere from 20,000 to 70,000 Twitter followers from eBay and other sites. The findings were very interesting.
It’s a fact; your business needs to utilize social media to be competitive in today’s society. According to the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 83% of marketers indicate social media is important for their business. But how do you know which ones to choose? And do you need to be a member of all these sites? And what is a hashtag? It’s enough to make your head spin!
Here at Inboun, we strive to keep your head securely in place, so we’ve gathered some data and tips for all your social media needs. Keep reading and your company could be the next social media superstar!
I am a huge fan on Twitter (as I’ve stated before). I can’t help it. But right now, Twitter and I are in a love/hate relationship. Why? Because the popular social media site has completely ruined the Olympics for me.
We all know that Twitter didn’t mean to ruin the Olympics. But because of the dramatic time difference between London and the United States, many of us found out about Olympic results when we accidently scrolled through our Twitter feeds rather than while on the edge of our seats in our family rooms. And that just doesn’t seem right.
But maybe Twitter isn’t the one to blame. Maybe we should think about blaming NBC instead.
We live in a world where content is often broadcasted in real time to anyone with a TV, computer or smartphone...but somehow, NBC hasn’t gotten this memo (I’d like to think someone dropped their pager in a puddle as the reason why).
No, it isn’t all NBC’s fault. The network believes the Olympics deserves primetime coverage and they are absolutely right. But knowing the outcome of the events prior-to makes the games lose that magic that we all know and love about the Games. In the past, we didn’t have to worry about social media ruining our much-anticipated surprises. Take a look back at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. There was an even longer time delay from the US to Beijing...but we didn’t seem to have any trouble watching the Olympics on TV rather than getting results from Twitter. That’s because the social media site has boomed in a way no one expected the past 4 years. Today, we want our news NOW. And we can get it from Twitter...but are we losing the authenticity of sitting down with a bowl of popcorn, families by our sides and cheering on our favorite team, Team USA?
Who’s fault is it really? In my opinion, we can firmly place the blame on two groups.
The first being local news affiliates, specifically the 5:00pm broadcast. During the first few days of the Games, these affiliates were just announcing outcomes as they happened without giving warning to viewers. After complaints, affiliates then started saying “Spoiler Alert” before the big announcements. But before you have time to hit the mute button or change the channel, they’re flashing results up on the screen and verbalizing the winners. There is no way to escape it—unless you use the earmuff method. But I don’t recommend it.
The second group to blame is us—the Tweeps. We’re the ones tweeting the outcomes and constantly refreshing our Twitter feeds to get the latest news. We love the social media tools that are available to us and can’t help but utilize them every waking minute we’ve got. It’s just who we’ve become. So you have two options, Tweeps: you can stop reading your Twitter feed until the Olympics ends, or you can continue reading...and celebrating Olympic victories while in the waiting room, in line at the grocery store, at your desk at work...or even when you’re lounging in bed alone. It’s your call.
Unless the Olympics are happening relatively close to your time zone, there will no longer be primetime magic. It’s a shame. I remember being 6 years old watching the Atlanta Games and being so electrified when US gymnast Kerri Strug stuck the landing on the vault. The magic of watching something amazing live as it happens during a sporting event is one of the most euphoric experiences a human can endure. But will we ever have that sensation again? Perhaps not...unless we’re actually at the event in the flesh.
At the end of the day, we only have ourselves to blame. If we don’t want know the outcome of the Olympics before it airs on NBC, we need to log out of our Twitter accounts just for a few hours and spend some quality time with our families and friends watching the Olympics. Give it a try—and you may be able to feel that Olympic magic once again.
In a way, LinkedIn holds our careers in its hands. We pour our hearts and souls into our profiles in the hopes of coming across as the perfect candidate for a job. We make countless connections with other people in order to expand our business networks.
While LinkedIn does make networking easier, there are guidelines that must be followed in order to do utilize it correctly...and to its fullest potential. Here at Inboun, we know what should and should not be done while using this social network. We’ve decided to provide you with the information you need to successfully use LinkedIn and get the most out of what it has to offer.
Anyone who has had a Twitter account for more than a day or two knows that growing a strong base of followers doesn't happen overnight. In fact, it may not even happen after a week. A month. Half a year. That's right; buildling your Twitter follower count is a long, organic process that takes a bit of time. But with some patience, dedication and love for social media, your followship can build up over time. It just takes a little social media TLC.
And although you may not be able to completely control how many followers you gain, you can speed up the process a bit! And we've got 5 secrets to show you how:
But what about those who provide the deals? What do sites like Groupon and LivingSocial look like from the entrepreneur’s perspective? In a society dominated by social networking and media, startups have no problem getting their names out there through these daily deals. We’ve all experienced what it’s like to be a customer at a restaurant during a hot discount night. It’s almost impossible to get a table! But for the business, things look extremely promising.
Daily deals might be a different story. Sometimes they do not have the same positive effect on business promotion as one might imagine. Although daily deals could be considered a customer’s paradise, they can quickly turn into a business owner’s nightmare...and here’s why.
The Internet quickly made its way to our mobile devices awhile ago. And since then, we can't imagine what life would be like without our precious iPhones and Android smartphones that keep us afloat in day-to-day life. We are constantly connected...and we love it.
So it was only natural that this "connected" craze would spread its wings even further and enter the world of television. Connected TV isn't anything new...but it is something that people don't know a whole lot about. So what is it? How does it work? And most importantly, is it worth buying?