Belle Strategies Marketing Agency

Digital Marketing Services


By

Graphic Design Tips for Social Media Professionals

All social media professionals strive to create an impression on their viewers. One of the most powerful ways to do this is through images. Users are able to feel and experience the emotions of an image, whereas it’s much harder to communicate something and gain emotional attachment using words. Emotion drives user-generated content and opinion.

Your job is to grab the attention of your fans, and you only have one chance to do it. To create images that attract your reader’s eye, check out our social media design tips:

Design Templates

Before you start creating a social media graphic from scratch, set up several templates for future use. Add a border or a simple background.  Include your logo or web address. It is important to draw the eye to your company logo. Be sure to use existing brand colors, themes, or images.

Image Selection

Choosing the right image size and color is important. The quickest way to lose your audience is with a blurry, unfocused image.  RGB images display better on screens, as opposed to CMYK, which is meant for ink printing.

Content

Examiner.com points out that, “Your posts should have a call to action; this prompts consumers to purchase or at least interact with your company on some level. A call to action with a link should be in your post, but including this call to action should be in the graphic as well. For example, ‘click the link in the description for details’ would be appropriate for posts featuring products, sales, or contests.”

Last but most definitely not least, PROOF READ!


By

What’s all this talk about Subtweeting?

Subtweeting: it’s the internet equivalent of talking about someone behind their back or insulting someone via stealth.

A subtweet means you are commenting about someone who you have not @ in. For those people who are new to Twitter, an @ symbol followed by a person’s Twitter username is known as a Twitter mention. This means that they will receive a notification whenever you include them in a tweet, and other people will be able to see the link to their Twitter account. The person mentioned will keep receiving notifications related to the tweet in which they were mentioned.

Here is an example of Chris Brown displaying his maturity while he subtweets a woman he got in a car accident with…

Capture

Subtweets are distinctly not what Twitter set out to encourage, but they’re here and they’re happening. It once again shows how social networks are always more controlled by their users than by their infrastructures.


By

Facebook introduces ‘missed call’ ads for feature phones

Facebook is going to debut its ‘missed call’ ads  in India, in a bid to connect advertisers with a large untapped market of feature phone users in the country.

The feature allows users to press a button to place a call to relevant advertisers and then disconnect it. The user then receives a call back playing a pre-recorded message, detailing offers and discounts by the advertiser. These ads will allow users to request content, such as game scores, music or celebrity news, by clicking on a mobile advertisment and placing a missed call company. This way people can recieve branded content without using airtime or data.

The missed call unit was part of an announcement Facebook put out Wednesday touting its expanding reach in markets outside of North America and Europe. Often called “the next billion,” the market includes areas in which feature phones are still the predominant mode of mobile communication.

It will be interesting to see if the ‘missed call’ ad makes its way to our neck of the woods.


By

LinkedIn allows more Space for Sharing

LinkedIn is endeavoring to become more like Facebook by encouraging all members to generate a steady stream of shareable articles. SAN FRANCISCO (AP)-  A new feature rolling out Wednesday will free LinkedIn users from restrictions that have limited posts to a maximum of 300 characters. LinkedIn users will now be able to share essay-length musings about their industries or jobs. The lengthier posts will only be displayed within the author’s network of LinkedIn connections, but could be distributed to a broader audience if the content is popular among its initial audience.

Ryan Roslansky, director of product management at LinkedIn, said the goal was to get people to share their great professional insights, benefiting their network of contacts while also building their own reputations as experts in their field.

“Sharing this knowledge on LinkedIn is important because it becomes part of your professional identity,” he said.

The addition of longer posts could make LinkedIn more valuable to everyone. And it could give talented, thoughtful writers a way to break into the service’s Influencers program, which broadcasts posts by business leaders like Bill Gates.

Stay tuned for more LinkedIn news and tips~


By

Who are the most annoying people on social media?

Sweatband.com, an e-commerce site for fitness enthusiasts in the U.K., has compiled a list of the ten most annoying social media behaviors, based on a survey of 1,793 British social media users. The top 10 includes updates that most social media users will have published at some point. Find the full list below…

The 10 Most Irritating Social Media Status Updates

  1. Boasting about diet/weight loss/exercise (53 percent of respondents didn’t like this) Come on! Do we really need to know exactly how long you’ve spent in the gym and exactly what machines you used? NO!
  2. Sharing pictures of meals (45 percent) These are the people who take pictures of what seems like every single meal. Nobody cares about the spaghetti you’re about to inhale.
  3.  Cryptic status updates (42 percent) “I can’t believe that just happened!” If you ask them what’s going on, they’ll clam up for sure.
  4. Game inviters (37 percent) No, I don’t want to play virtual farmers or candy crush. I didn’t want to the first time. Take the hint.
  5.  Proud parents (36 percent) Okay since I am a mom this one is a little tough for me… But there is such a thing as TMI. For example…We do not need to know what consistency your baby’s poo is and we certainly don’t need a picture of it either!
  6.  People who share very personal details (32 percent) Once again—TMI. Keep your family and personal business to yourself. Once it’s out there it’s out there forever.
  7.  Checker-inners (32 percent) Users who share every place they go. They may as well check in when they use the bathroom too.
  8.  Event spammers (25 percent) Users who invite you to every event they can think of, even when you don’t live in the same city – or even country –  as them.
  9.  Constant engagers (22 percent) Those who like and comment on everything. There is a fine line between being a supportive friend and being a creepy stalker.
  10.  Self-promoters (19 percent) People who are more interested in promoting themselves and treat you as a potential client. For example: “Oh what a nice family picture. Have you thought about life insurance and what might happen to your family if something terrible happens?” We can all do without those comments.


By

New York Times: Comcast Hopes to Promote TV Shows in Twitter Deal

Comcast customers will soon be able to reach some television shows from Twitter messages about those shows, the two companies announced on Wednesday, in what they hope will become an industrywide practice.

The feature — called See It — will initially be turned on only for Twitter posts published by Comcast-owned channels, like NBC, about their shows, like “The Voice.” But the companies said they were talking with other distributors and channel owners about extending the feature to other shows. Eventually Comcast wants See It to show up on other Web sites and apps as well, so that online conversation and news coverage about TV series and movies can directly lead users to those series and movies.

For more information or to see the full article please click here


By

3 Quick Tips to Increase Blog Traffic

Use Pinterest

When you write a blog post, you need to drive traffic to it for a good return on investment (ROI). Pinterest is increasingly becoming a site where people go to read the articles of their choice. Make sure when you pin your blog you:

  1.  Write a brief summary from the piece that relates to your specific board
  2. Find an image that catches the eye
  3. Directly link to your blog

Twitter

Twitter is the best platform to build a focused list of followers. Make sure you schedule your blog to post to Twitter at least 3 times a day. And don’t forget to use hashtags! Tweets with hashtags receive two times more engagement than those without.

Share Other’s Work

Reach out to other bloggers you like and write them a quick note telling them how much you’ve enjoyed reading their posts, find them on Twitter, follow and re-tweet their posts. Building connections is what turns one time readers into followers. They will also be more likely to follow you and share your blogs!

Stay tuned for more tips on increasing page traffic :0)


By

USA TODAY: LinkedIn unveils mobile recruiting tools

USA Today reports:

LinkedIn is putting its recruiting tools into the hands of the mobile masses.

LinkedIn on Wednesday in Las Vegas unveiled Recruiter Mobile and Mobile Work With Us, two popular desktop services adapted for on-the-go use.

Recruiter Mobile will enable recruiting professionals to search for candidates, allowing them to send InMails, call or text. Also, recruiters can take notes on candidates and forward prospects to hiring managers.

“We took the most important functionality in Recruiter,redesigned it from the ground up, to be optimized for mobile, and packed it into an incredibly useful and beautiful mobile app,” said Parker Barrile, senior director of products at LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is seeing explosive growth in users coming to its services from mobile devices, much like Facebook, Google and Twitter. About 33% of its members visit from mobile. For recruiting professionals, often out at job fairs and networking events, mobile apps that replace desktop functions are important tools.

Recruiter is LinkedIn’s primary subscription service and is responsible for the largest portion of the company’s revenue. The product is used by more than 20,000 companies.

LinkedIn’s new Mobile Work With Us gives employers the ability to show job openings on the profiles of employees at their company. These job advertisements will appear at the top of member profiles.

The two new mobile apps are now available for download on Apple’s App Store.

For more information please visit: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/16/linkedin-unveils-mobile-recruiting-tools/2994793/

 


By

Mashable’s How to: Create a Successful Company Blog

So you know you need to blog, and you’re convinced you ought to write about something you’re passionate about and that speaks to your customers. How can you create something that people will want to come and read every day? Here are some tips to create a successful company blog from our friends at Mashable:

1. Be authentic

The thing that kills most blogs, in my view, is when you can tell that the writer is just going through the motions. You need to find a “voice” that is authentically yours. People will get used to your style and your style will become your signature.
2. Be transparent

The “old school” way of getting media attention was to submit press releases. These were artificially crafted documents that were filled with glowing reviews of your company. In short, they felt fake. The best way to establish your voice is to be transparent.

Be willing to talk like a human being. Be willing to show feelings and a point of view. Let your inner self come out rather than your “inner bullet point.” Don’t use too much lingo. Don’t feel like your prose has to sound like it was crafted by a university professor. Just speak!

3. Get inside your readers’ minds

I give this advice often and in many scenarios, including public speaking. When people speak to many audiences, they sometimes get into a canned routine. They give the same presentation no matter which crowd they’re addressing. The key is that each time you present, you need to think about who is in the audience and what they want to hear. The same is true for blogging.

On my blog, my audience is made of startup entrepreneurs and probably other VCs. When I write I try to be mindful of who these people are, the knowledge I assume they have, and what I believe they want to know.

4. Solicit feedback

I ask people what they want to read about. I regularly ask for feedback on what I’m writing. When people give me good suggestions, I try to cover those topics.

When community members write awesome comments, I’ll sometimes write a post about what they said to highlight them and their contributions. In my opinion, the best way to build an audience over time is to engage with them and to highlight those that really contribute positively to you.

5. Don’t be offensive or take big public risks

I sometimes read blogs that get extreme. I read a blog once that jokingly suggested “offering your angels cocaine if that would get them to invest.” It was intended to be funny. It wasn’t. And comments like this run the risk of offending people. This was a blog about personal finance, and I found the comment totally irresponsible and at odds with the brand image the blogger was trying to project.

I read a blog yesterday where the author was trying to make fun of a negative comment he got on his product. The blogger highlighted him and called him “retarded,” which I, and I’m sure many others, find offensive. There’s no upside to this type of comment, but there’s a big downside. My esteem for him went down.

Further, unless your company revolves around taking stands on controversial issues, it’s best to leave your political commentary at home. Statements like these stand to upset or anger half of your potential customers no matter what side you take.

6. Have fun

This may be obvious, but if writing a blog becomes a chore for you it will show. Try to make your writing fun and it will be easier to stick to. It will also reflect in your voice.

Happy blogging!

For more information please visit http://mashable.com/2010/03/01/company-blog/


By

Get Social or Get Left in the Dust

So you’ve toyed with the idea of putting your company on Facebook, Twitter or another form of social media. You ask; will being on social media really benefit my product or business? The answer is almost certainly yes.

Social media is a very effective way to generate exposure for your business in today’s marketplace and it has many indisputable benefits. It has become a powerful medium that can benefit your business by attracting more traffic to your website, growing brand awareness, helping you understand and identify your customer’s needs, pinpointing your target market, and connecting with key influencers.

According to Infographics Zone:

  • 63% of companies using social media say it has increased their marketing effectiveness — among other benefits.
  • Blogging:  Companies that blog generate 88% more leads per month than those who do not blog.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): 89% of US internet users search online before they make a purchase, even when the purchase is made at a local business.

With statistics as powerful as the ones mentioned above, it’s never been more important to utilize social media marketing for your business. Consumer behavior has changed due to the social, mobile nature through which we consume content. We are seeing more and more that consumers take to search engines and social media to perform product research and acquaint themselves with brands and products.

It’s not just who you know…It’s who knows you. Say yes to social media or get left in the dust!

 


By

The Art of Blogging

Hi everyone! This week I am going to be talking a little bit about the Art of Blogging!

Blogging – there’s all kinds of people doing it today – for business, for pleasure, and even just for entertainment.  A blog is essentially an online journal that can be read by anyone. Blogging is an instant way to promote yourself or company and your knowledge of your specialty. But what exactly makes a good blog? It’s a funny thing to say, but yes there is an art to blogging.

The first blog I wrote took me hours. I wish I were exaggerating. I was focused on all the wrong things. A lot of people make the mistake of starting out by picking a niche they are not exactly passionate about simply because it pays well. Mixing business with pleasure is not only possible, but it is also a good idea. Yes, you can make money by doing something you love and, even more so, you will also see your personal productivity go through the ceiling. Try starting a blog on a topic that relates to your specialty. You will be surprised at how easily the words flow. Readers will be able to sense your enthusiasm and passion.

Another quick tip – It’s vital that you market your blog in all possible ways to drive targeted traffic. Comments on popular, active blogs and forums helps a lot. Post to your website and remember to link your blog to Twitter, Facebook, Goggle+ and LinkedIn. If you want to go even further, Socialmediaexaminar suggests getting your blog on smaller less well-known networks such as Quora.com, Tumblr, and Empire Avenue.

And don’t forget images! Images don’t just make your blog look pretty, they also help people find you in image search options offered by Google, Bing and Yahoo! Plus nobody wants to read a blog without images…it’s well…BORING!

Happy blogging!