Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Tweak Your Tweets
Among so many social media marketing channels, it can be challenging to choose just one. Good thing you don’t have to, but if you did, Twitter would be the key social media channel to promote your business, brand awareness, reach and engagement with your target audience. Twitter has over 300 million users from all walks of life. Its clean and user friendly site provides the perfect platform for community building amid its diverse population. Any business would do well to use Twitter as its prime social media marketing channel as part of their marketing campaign strategy since it has extensive potential reach. But just as important is the analytics that Twitter produces which is simply invaluable.
Twitter Analytics provides advantageous insight on how your audience is engaging with your tweets. The metrics have the capability of tracking followers, engagement, and tweet performance. This data when analyzed, gives your business inside knowledge about who your audience is. After all, this is the most important step when planning your marketing campaign; KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!! Twitter allows you to not only see the number of times your tweet was retweeted or hash-tagged or company mentioned but it also tracks the number of new followers which shows a level of commitment and interest in your brand. Additionally, Twitter compiles data on your tweet’s performance. This is essential in determining if the tweets are engaging the audience which could lead to conversions and a return on investment. If they are not showing successful results, tweaking the tweets will be necessary. According to Hootsuite, “Twitter analytics can show you how your paid ads compare to your organic tweets, so you can see how much your ad dollars are expanding your reach overall.”
For example, in tracking engagement, the business can see the tweet that accomplished the most through its engagements, (i.e. retweets, links clicked, mentions, etc.). Why was one tweet more engaging than another? Was it a video, a photo, simple content, time of day? This information is vital to the campaign’s social media marketing strategy success.
The low cost of using Twitter as your key social media marketing channel in exchange for extensive reach, engagement, and valuable analytics will unquestionably be beneficial in achieving the overall social media marketing goals.
https://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-analytics-guide/
https://statusbrew.com/insights/why-use-twitter-for-business/
To Click or Not to Click….
Pinterest has become a verb to me, kind of like Google. When I’m speaking with friends or my children about learning how to make something or think of new ways to do something or create, I usually say, “Pinterest it”, to which some have responded, “no way! I have no patience for Pinterest”. Overall, my experience using and interacting with Pinterest is a positive one. That said, I acknowledge that the site may seem user friendly but it is frustrating to navigate and inefficient at times because of intrusive ads.
When I search for something on Pinterest, it generates many results. As I click in to the “Visit” option, sometimes I reach the actual site but many times I’m led to an ad that may or may not have anything to do with the searched topic. This is upsetting because it is a waste of time to then exit out of the ad and try another post link only to have similar results again!
The Native Ads are appropriate. They blend right in and are engaging. I typically click on it, if it’s of interest to me. I recommend Pinterest look to change to Native Ads instead of allowing a type of “bait and switch” method. It feels unethical!
Shhh…the phone’s listening
Just this week my friend and I were chatting about traveling to a Caribbean island for the best deal possible. I jokingly (but seriously) said, “let’s just keep saying it so that our phone sends the message to our social media. We’ll get some pretty good deals later”. My friend didn’t know what I was talking about. I explained that Instagram like other social media is tuning into key words, patterns, locations, etc. that are transmitted from our phones so that they can analyze the data and provide product/service ads they believe we want. It’s pretty genius … and creepy!!!
Sure enough my Instagram feed was loaded with native ads of travels, resorts, and beaches. Although it’s somewhat unsettling to feel that someone or something is eavesdropping on your private conversations, it’s also quite helpful when you simply receive what you’re thinking about and haven’t made any real effort to start researching it. It’s just “right there”, like magic.
I certainly respond to the ads by clicking on links that I believe are authentic. The interactions usually are user friendly and seamless. I am able to continue on my Instagram page while I view the ad and “shop” on their site. The experience is not frustrating which allows me to truly consider the offer.
Smart about SMART Goals
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
Smart About S.M.A.R.T Goals 