Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Back to Basics: Common Social Media Terms You Need to Know

With a constant influx of new social media platforms (and constant updates to old ones), it’s easy to get confused about the latest social media lingo. Even worse, different sites use different terms to describe the same thing, which makes it even more confusing!

So today, I’m going to explain ten of the most common social media terms to help you navigate today’s social media landscape. Here we go!

1)   Followers/Friends/Fans. While most sites (Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc.) use the terms “Followers” to describe the people who subscribe to receive your posts, Facebook uses “Friends” for personal profiles, and “Fans” for Pages.

2)   Tweet/Blog/Status Update/Pin. All of these refer to posts you create and share as the original poster (OP). So, if you share your opinion on an article from USA Today, then that is an original post. Twitter uses the term tweet, Tumblr users blog, Facebook users post status updates, and posts on Pinterest are called pins!

3)   Retweet/Reblog/Share/Repin/Regram. Facebook is the most accurate here, by simply using the term “Share” whenever another chooses to share your content with their own followers. Twitter uses “Retweet,” Pinterest uses “Repin,” Instragram uses “Regram,” and Tumblr uses “Reblog.” Getting people to share your content is important on any new site, because it exposes you to potential new followers (aka a large prospective client pool).

4)   Like/Favorite. “Liking” (on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Instagram) or “Favoriting” (Twitter) a post is a way to say you enjoyed it without sharing it on your personal feed. However, it won’t necessarily encourage other people to then retweet you.

5)   Bit.ly. If you spend much time on social media, you’ll eventually come across links from bit.ly (or ow.lyt.co, etc.). These are just shortened links that help users stay within the character limit requirements social media sites impose. They also help sites like Twitter (which uses t.co) limit the risk of users being taken to virus-laden pages. Using a site like bit.ly can also offer additional benefits, such as the ability to track the number of clicks each link gets.

6)   Hangout. This is the Google+ video chat service that allows you to video chat with up to 10 users at once. It’s becoming more and more common for businesses to conduct remote calls, small webinars, or client coaching sessions via services like Hangout.

7)   Hashtag. A hashtag is an annotation that goes in a social media posts. They serve two main purposes: additional commentary or a way to index posts. If it’s additional commentary, someone might post “#ilovemydog” on a post that features a picture of their dog, or “#didntseethatcoming” on a post about being surprised. Really, it can be anything! For the latter, the purpose is to help other people find the posts. For instance, hashtags that use a trending topic allows those searching for the topic to find related posts. Even a general hashtag like “#retirementplanning” can help interested parties find your post.

8)   Engagement. The rate of engagement refers to the number of people who interacted with your post, whether they like, share, or comment on the post. A high engagement rate improves your reach, and helps you get new followers.

9)   Reach. This refers to the number of people who see any individual update you post. Surprisingly, this is rarely the same as your number of followers due to Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm, which we’ve covered in the past. If no one interacts with the post, fewer people will see it. If people engage with the post, then you’ll have some of your followers, plus the followers of anyone who interacted with the post!

10) Cover photo. Different than a profile picture, this is the large photo that goes at the very top of your profile. While profile pictures are almost always square or round, cover photo size requirement vastly vary from platform to platform. Always check the individual sites for specifications before getting one designed!
I hope this clarifies some of the most common social media-related terms! If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! 

by Lindsay Dicks - CelebritySites


Wednesday, February 14, 2018

The Power of Testing - Website Optimization

Often times, companies either stick with what they’ve always done, or they make haphazard changes without checking to see if they’re helping or hurting their business. Either way, you can lose out on clients and purchases. However, you can make sure the changes you’re making are the best for your website with some simple testing.
The key to effective testing is to test one thing at a time. You can’t test a color change and a text change at the same time; the results won’t tell you which change made a difference!
Using your call-to-action as an example, here are just a few things you might want to test:
  • Size. This applies to both the size of the call-to-action box and the text, and it can be different for different audiences.
  • Location. While having your call-to-action above the fold is almost always the best idea, different placements might work for you, depending on the overall layout on your site.
  • Color. Color psychology is a frequently studied subject, and it would be worth looking into the affects different colors can have on users. After all, you want to make sure your call-to-actions match the feelings you’re trying to evoke.
  • Text. Of course, testing your wording, font, and font size are all great places to start!
Once you’ve chosen your tests and had the design changes set up, then you need to pick a program to use to set up your test. There are many different options, but today I’m just going to cover a few of the most well known.
  • Google Analytics Content Experiments. While this program is free, it does require coding to be able to do the tests.
  • Optimizely. While you do have to pay for Optimizely, you only need to make one-time coding updates, which makes testing simple for those without an on-staff developer. Plans start at $17 a month.
  • Unbounce. This is also a paid service, but it features a simple drag and drop update interface that makes it extremely easy to use. Plans start at $49 a month.
  • Five Second Test. This tool allows you to test first impressions of your content by giving testers five seconds to view your content, and then answer some questions of your choosing. It’s a great way to check on the quality of the first impression your site gives. Plans start at $20 a month, but there are free options available.
One last thing to keep in mind: testing isn’t a one-time thing. Just because a specific wording or color works this year doesn’t  mean it will work next year. And if you’re a site with frequent repeat visitors, the same set up may lose effectiveness over. For the best results, constantly experiment to find out what’s working for you! 


For more visit - BizSocialWeb.com  

original by Lindsay Dicks


Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Five Ways to Improve Engagement

Five Ways to Improve Engagement

Many professionals are catching on that having a well-planned website and continuous content are an important way to help you brand yourself in the Internet age. However, too many are throwing up dry content that could only be interpreted by someone in their own field. If potential clients can’t connect with your content, they’re not going to buy your product or services!

To help you create more engaging content, I’m going to go over five tips to help make it easier for current and prospective clients connect with your content. Let’s get started!

1)    Don’t use jargon. While you want to show your clients that you are the expert in your field, you need to be able to do that without a minimal amount of jargon. And even more, you need to explain to be able to explain words that prospective clients will be unfamiliar with.  in simple, clear terms. If they can’t understand what you mean, they won’t understand why you’re the expert.

2)    Connect emotionally. If people are looking for your services, there’s a reason why. A couple may be excited to beef up their retirement planning so that they can enjoy an active free retirement where they are free to explore their interests. A small business owner might be feeling nervous because he’s in trouble by the IRS. If you can show how you can bolster their joy or assuage their fear, they’ll be much more likely to engage with you.

3)    Show, don’t tell. You can’t just tell prospective client you can help them, you need to prove it. Luckily, there are many ways you can do this: sharing statistics from studies that prove your point, sharing the stories of other clients you’ve helped, weaving testimonials from happy clients into your bio, creating videos or graphics that clearly demonstrate the facts … this list could go on for a while. If you can back up your opinions with facts and success, prospective clients will begin to trust you.

4)    Keep it brief. With people spending so much time on social media, most people are becoming more and more accustomed to reading shorter blocks of text online. After all, Twitter’s limit is 140 characters, and studies have shown that posts with between 100 and 250 characters get 60% more likes, comments and shares on Facebook. That’s not much to work with! Although your website content certainly shouldn’t be that short, it’s important to keep in mind that attention spans are definitely decreasing online, with most readers only reading about 60% of articles online.

5)    Draw them in early. The first ten seconds a visitor spends on a webpage are the most important. This is when most people “bounce,” or choose to leave after only one page. If you can get them to stay for those first several seconds, you’re likely to get them to stay on a page for at least two minutes, and then hopefully visit other pages on the site. This is why having an engaging title, and interesting, clear first paragraph are so important.
If you follow these fives tips, you should start to see a difference in the amount of time people spend on your pages, and the frequency with which they share your content. If you have additional questions about how to improve engagement for your content, don’t hesitate to get in touch! 

orignial article by Lindsay Dicks