TwitterToolsReviews

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• “Harry Potter VS Star Wars” Video an Instant Viral Hit
• Should You Care Who’s Viewed Your LinkedIn Profile?
• Social Discovery: How Brands Are Showcasing Products in Social Media
• Social Media = Cocktail Party
• “Cross Falls On Adult World Store After Storm” Photo Is A Fake — Just Look At It [Hoaxed]
• The Essential Ingredients to Writing a High-Quality Blog Post
• Twitter Beats Expectations In Q1 2014, Active Users Top 250 Million
• Twitter Beats Expectations In Q1 2014, Active Users Top 250 Million
• Social Media Monitoring: Your Biggest Missed Opportunity?
• How to Monetize Your Video Blog

“Harry Potter VS Star Wars” Video an Instant Viral Hit Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:39 PM PDT Amanda Peterlin The debate between Harry Potter and Star Wars has finally been tested in this ridiculously awesome homemade video. Team Wizard or Team Jedi Knight? Team Magic or Team The Force? Team Wand or Team Lightsaber? After watching this, we all can agree everyone is Team Don't Touch My Phone Charger. YouTube user RackaRacka, also known as Danny Phillipou, has described himself as a "wannabe film-maker on a rampage." His latest upload, "Harry Potter VS Star Wars,"has generated over 2.5 million views in less than 24 hours.It deserves every view. It may begin like every other "bro playing video games together" video, but less than 20 seconds in this turns into so much more, grabbing your full attention. Hilariously crafted and enjoyable from start to finish. Intense moments mixed with well-placed references, this video will stay viral for the very near future. Special effects are on point. But seriously, is that blood ketchup? Currently, RackaRacka has 114,850 people who have subscribed to his channel and over 100,000 followers on Facebook. Makes the 53,000 thumbs up on this video seem insignificant, but that will surely grow with each passing hour. Try not to blink while watching or you might miss something great. Like flying a broomstick into the front door. [Photo Credit: YouTube] The post "Harry Potter VS Star Wars" Video an Instant Viral Hit appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Should You Care Who’s Viewed Your LinkedIn Profile? Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:55 PM PDT Lynne Leidy Every day I go in and look at who has viewed my LinkedIn Profile. I can't help it. It's information I have to know. Whois this person? Why are they looking at me? Do I know them? How did they find me? It's a little like a game to me in some ways—I can't help myself—but beyond the thrill of seeing who thought I was interesting enough to look at, there are other reasons to actually care about who looks at your LinkedIn Profile. Why would someone be looking at your LinkedIn Profile? If you are a job seeker, and currently interviewing, it's a good sign to see someone from a company you are interested in on your profile. If you just had coffee or a meeting with a prospect and they viewed your profile, you made an impression and you have good reason to follow up. LinkedIn has recently changed what you see when you click on Who's Viewed My Profile, so now you can look at the information as "analytics," and create goals based on those analytics. How did these people find you? Did they search for you by your company name, your last name, or a keyword in your profile? Now you can tell. If you're getting a lot of searches by keyword (or none at all) that might be an area to focus on to increase how often you come up in searches. Where are the viewers located? Remember you may be able to do business with people around the world through LinkedIn. I have three people in New York who have viewed my profile even though we are located in the Baltimore area. New opportunities are always a good thing. The last area of interest is "Industries of your viewers." If you are trying to build your network in a specific way, you can find opportunities or holes here. Sometimes, you can find an opportunity by being on the wrong person's profile, and you never know where that can lead. Colleen clicked on the wrong profile one day by mistake. That person contacted Colleen after he read what she did for a living and asked her for help! Always be dressed and ready, you never know when someone may put you in the game. One of the reasons why I view people's profiles is to look for information. When I am helping someone in a certain industry, the first thing I want to do is learn about what their competitors are doing on LinkedIn, how they look, what they are promoting and what key words they are using. It's really a great tool, and an easy way to make sure we are staying ahead of the game. We also look for how people and companies are using any new LinkedIn features. Video is big right now— it adds another level of interest and gives people a reason to stay on your profile for a few more seconds. So today I looked at who viewed my profile. There are six new people: one current client, one person from my past job (anonymous but company identified), two people I don't know but are second-level connections, and two completely anonymous people. The client and the person from my past job probably viewed my profile because they are interested in what I do, specifically. The second level connections are interesting. I will check those people out and see how I am connected to them, and maybe even reach out to them. I might reach out to our common connections and get a feel for who those people are and how we might have common interests. I might have only been mentioned in passing conversation, or they may need some LinkedIn coaching. A few months ago, I changed my settings so that I am anonymous when I view people's profiles because I am in and out of so many during a day. This is something you might want to consider if you are job hunting. Like me, the other 2 people who viewed me this week were Anonymous. I know why I am anonymous when I go searching into people profiles but why are they? There's no way to know, really, and that's the interesting part! There is no getting around it, no matter how much I upgrade my account I will never be able to tell who they are. You have to assume that anytime someone clicks on your profile, it's an opportunity, even if you don't know who that person is right now. If he or she is interested in you and what you do, they'll reach out. And tomorrow when I check to see who viewed my profile, who knows who I'll find? The post Should You Care Who's Viewed Your LinkedIn Profile? appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Social Discovery: How Brands Are Showcasing Products in Social Media Posted: 29 Apr 2014 07:49 PM PDT Jessica Williams As Social Networks evolve, one common emerging theme is that they are becoming more visual. Facebook and Twitter have expanded how images are posted and shared while Twitter's new layout has proven that rich media and photos are the best way to engage scrolling users. Now more than ever, brands are starting to shift the way they reach consumers by using rich media outside of content marketing and using it to get products in consumers hands. It's no surprise that we have seen the most social revenue come from a platform like Pinterest, whose entire platform is the posting, sharing and pinning of images. With social networks following Pinterest's suit and becoming more visual, brands can literally giveaway, introduce and visually show products all within social media. Recently Adobe published a study looking at the amount of revenue that each social platform contributes to. Among the highest are Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. These platforms are allowing advertisers to become more content oriented, engaging people within streams, pushing to product microsites or sweepstakes landing pages. What attribute this success to Rich Media. "Rich media in brand posts is more important for engagement than ever. Text posts as a share of all brand posts have dropped from 50 to 19 percent this quarter. Facebook knows what it’s doing in this. Everyone knows images are the most engaging, so they want brands to diversify their posts.” – Joe Martin, senior analyst, Adobe Digital Index. What This Means For Brands Brands are making products more accessible to consumers by using social channels (where consumers are already most active in) to feature and advertise products. By pairing product images with a call to action or opportunity to sample- brands are finding ways to turn the engagement around a product into an actionable offer-, all while collecting valuable information about the interested consumer. What This Means For Consumers When brands give access to products in social media, they are giving consumers direct and instant access to them and their products. Consumers have come to expect branded interaction and easy access to try, win, or get discounts on products. By promoting products in an actionable way, consumers can 'raise their hand' to get instant access to products, content & offers they want – from anywhere. Why This Makes Social Sampling Better Social Means Sharing: If a consumer is engaging or requesting a product in social, most likely their friends or networks will see this action. This amplifies both impressions of the brand and/or product. Instream Conversions: Rather than spending time and money on microsites, brands are able to offer samplings, sweepstakes or discounts directly in social. This eliminates the drop off or conversion rates of consumers who want a simple click navigation when engaging with the brand. Qualified Consumers: When brands customize the data they want to collect from consumers who opt-in to try their product, they can put product in the hands of consumers who are most likely to have a great experience. See how this works be downloading Chirpify's Social Sampling Best Practices Guide. The post Social Discovery: How Brands Are Showcasing Products in Social Media appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Social Media = Cocktail Party Posted: 29 Apr 2014 07:47 PM PDT Fatima D. Lora As a former social media marketing manager I was constantly asked "What's the ROI of using this platform over that one." Or, better yet, "how many leads did that post from yesterday/this morning drive?" STOP! You wouldn't go to a cocktail party and introduce yourself to a prospect with dollar signs in your eyes hoping to score a business transaction from a single greeting, so don't go around treating social media as a way to promote spam. I get it, you want results, but "You had me at 'Hello'" only worked on Renee Zellweger in Jerry Macguire. Below are 4 steps to landing a potential prospect, even if you meet them at a cocktail party. If they don't make the effort, then you should. Approach as many people as you can. But, don't make a fool of yourself. A simple introduction is fine — or you can always say a joke and see how the person/group responds. You can tell a lot from a person's handshake/expression. Go with your gut feeling on it. Be sincere with your approach. Don't jump right into business when responding to someone's questions/concerns. Get to know the person for who they are, what their interests are and build a conversation about that. Their online profile has a good amount of information about them. If not, there's always Google. Get the card/email yourself their information. People are always so quick to strike up a conversation and give someone their card they forget to ask the other person for theirs. It's good to exchange your information. It helps you remember the person's name, company and title for when you connect again. Follow up. If you hit it off, treat them like a new friend. Contact them with future plans and throw in a few points from your conversation. Be sure to contact them the following morning, unless you've indicated otherwise. Are there any additional tips you'd give someone? The post Social Media = Cocktail Party appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

“Cross Falls On Adult World Store After Storm” Photo Is A Fake — Just Look At It [Hoaxed] Posted: 29 Apr 2014 07:45 PM PDT Dusten Carlson If you've seen a photo of a humongous cross fallen through an Adult World Bookstore roof shared on Facebook and haven't figured it out by now, the pic is a fake. The photo, which has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter after the recent spate of inclement weather that plagued central and southern U.S. states this week, depicts an Adult World Bookstore off I-75 near the Huntsville-Oneida exit with a giant, fallen cross pinned through the roof. The Adult World Bookstore does exist, though we can't say the same for the cross that was supposedly erected nearby. But the photo is an obvious fake, and not even a very good one. All you really need to do is look closely at the lighting of the photo. The cross is lit from the top-down as though it were standing upright, and little-to-no effort was taken on the part of the forger to adequately shade the area beneath the fallen cross (aside from mild palette darkening on the vehicles). The hole in the roof looks like it was just colored in on MS Paint. Don't take our word for it, either. A local news outlet also confirmed that the photo isn't real. Share it in good fun, but in good faith, don't try to pass it off as a legitimate example of the Big Guy's ironic sense of humor. The post "Cross Falls On Adult World Store After Storm" Photo Is A Fake — Just Look At It [Hoaxed] appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Essential Ingredients to Writing a High-Quality Blog Post Posted: 29 Apr 2014 04:18 PM PDT Nicole Karlis The first step is knowing your target audience. Most companies now understand the importance of high-quality content for a blog. Search engines rank higher any content that is well-written, well-researched and relevant to the blog. But what exactly factors into writing a high-quality written blog post? What are the necessities? We’ll tell you below. See also: 5 Ways to Make Your Content More Original 1. Know Your Target Audience Before writing a blog post, you need to know your target market. The readers of a blog are often in a niche that is looking for information pertinent to an industry. A good post speaks to the readers of that blog and no one else. By understanding the needs, wants and problems of your particular audience, you can create posts that are useful for them. 2. Valuable Information People read blogs for a variety of reasons. For the most part, they want to learn something new that can help them in their businesses. A post can change a reader’s mind about an issue, inspire him to try something new, or teach him how to do something better. Whatever you write about has to be interesting and meaningful to the blog’s readers. See also: How to Make Sure Your Content’s Quality is Suitable for Google News 3. Comprehensive Blog posts are often conversational in nature. You want them to be easy to read and understand. While you are trying to educate your readers, you aren’t writing a scholarly document. Keep it light, but informative to keep readers engaged. 4. Readable & Succinct Word length is also important. A good rule of thumb is to write posts of 400-1,200 words. This range gives you enough space to adequately cover a topic. However, you should keep your post blog as short as possible while still providing complete information about your topic. See also: 5 Ways to Turn Your Audience into Content 5. Authoritative Sources Research is necessary for quality blog posts. To provide the highest quality information, you should only use authoritative sources such as universities, government agencies, trade associations, research studies, and other expert material. Any opinions you offer should be backed up by citing relevant sources (see also: Using Expert Interviews to Develop New Content). 6. Easily Scannable With so many things vying for our attention, it’s essential to make a blog post scannable. This allows the reader to quickly look over a post to get the gist of the article. The best way to make a post scannable is with descriptive subheadings throughout the post. Bullet points are also helpful, but not necessary. See also: How to Measure the ROI on Your Blog Content 7. Proper Formatting Formatting is also essential for quality posts. Each post needs a short introductory paragraph that gives an overview of the post topic (see also: 8 Key Qualities of Excellent Web Copy). Each post also needs a short conclusion that summarizes what the post was about. Short paragraphs also make a post easier to read and subheads are a great way to segment dense paragraphs. 8. Call-to-Action A call to action (CTA) is important for blog post. It tells readers what to do next. A CTA can be to leave a comment, answer a question, share the post, or visit a website. CTAs keep the conversations going or keep readers involved with your company. Content is now one of the best ways to market a business. For many small business and large corporations, blogging is a part of content marketing. By providing high quality blog posts on a consistent basis, a company increases it readership, and, ultimately, its market share. Photo Credit:Podknox via Flickr. The post The Essential Ingredients to Writing a High-Quality Blog Post appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Twitter Beats Expectations In Q1 2014, Active Users Top 250 Million Posted: 29 Apr 2014 03:09 PM PDT Mike Stenger Twitter published its earnings report for the first quarter of 2014, and the social network saw revenue of $250 million. $226 million was directly from advertising, a 125 percent increase year-over-year. Q1'14 ad revenue per thousand timeline views reached $1.44, up 96% y/y. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 While user growth didn't impress Wall Street with stock down over nine percent in after hours, Twitter beat analyst expectations of $241 million and a three cent loss per share. Monthly active users are up to 255 million, a 25 percent increase year-over-year, and mobile monthly active users saw a 31 percent increase year-over-year to 198 million. Q1'14 avg MAUs reached 255M, reflecting 14M net additions, up from 9M net additions in Q4. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Calling Twitter a mobile company would be an understatement with around 80 percent of its advertising revenue now coming directly from mobile devices. Timeline views also grew in the first quarter to 157 billion, an increase of 15 percent year-over-year. Q1'14 timeline views reached 157 billion, up 9 billion q/q and up 20 billion y/y. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Here's what Twitter CEO Dick Costolo had to say: CEO Dick Costolo Talks Twitter Earnings We had a strong first quarter. Revenue growth accelerated y/y fueled by increased engagement and user growth. - @dickc #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Publishers, content creators & marketers care about scale and engagement—our platform increasingly delivers both. - @dickc #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 With our in-app mobile ad exchange, advertisers can now reach 1B+ iOS and Android users through Twitter. – @dickc #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Reach & Impact: In the two days after the Oscars, there were over 3.3 billion views of Tweets about the show. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 The social network is still fighting slow active user growth, a thorn in investor's sides, however, it continues to test new ways of fixing that problem. Earlier this month, Twitter executives showed they firmly believe in the company's future by announcing they weren't planning on selling shares. The post Twitter Beats Expectations In Q1 2014, Active Users Top 250 Million appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Twitter Beats Expectations In Q1 2014, Active Users Top 250 Million Posted: 29 Apr 2014 03:09 PM PDT Mike Stenger Twitter published its earnings report for the first quarter of 2014, and the social network saw revenue of $250 million. $226 million was directly from advertising, a 125 percent increase year-over-year. Q1'14 ad revenue per thousand timeline views reached $1.44, up 96% y/y. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 While user growth didn't impress Wall Street with stock down over nine percent in after hours, Twitter beat analyst expectations of $241 million and a three cent loss per share. Monthly active users are up to 255 million, a 25 percent increase year-over-year, and mobile monthly active users saw a 31 percent increase year-over-year to 198 million. Q1'14 avg MAUs reached 255M, reflecting 14M net additions, up from 9M net additions in Q4. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Calling Twitter a mobile company would be an understatement with around 80 percent of its advertising revenue now coming directly from mobile devices. Timeline views also grew in the first quarter to 157 billion, an increase of 15 percent year-over-year. Q1'14 timeline views reached 157 billion, up 9 billion q/q and up 20 billion y/y. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Here's what Twitter CEO Dick Costolo had to say: CEO Dick Costolo Talks Twitter Earnings We had a strong first quarter. Revenue growth accelerated y/y fueled by increased engagement and user growth. - @dickc #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Publishers, content creators & marketers care about scale and engagement—our platform increasingly delivers both. - @dickc #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 With our in-app mobile ad exchange, advertisers can now reach 1B+ iOS and Android users through Twitter. – @dickc #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 Reach & Impact: In the two days after the Oscars, there were over 3.3 billion views of Tweets about the show. #TWTRearnings — TwitterIR (@TwitterIR) April 29, 2014 The social network is still fighting slow active user growth, a thorn in investor's sides, however, it continues to test new ways of fixing that problem. Earlier this month, Twitter executives showed they firmly believe in the company's future by announcing they weren't planning on selling shares. The post Twitter Beats Expectations In Q1 2014, Active Users Top 250 Million appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Social Media Monitoring: Your Biggest Missed Opportunity? Posted: 29 Apr 2014 02:50 PM PDT Kristina Cisnero People are talking about your business online right now. It could be in a positive way, a negative way, or they could just have a question. Regardless of how or why it happens, with social media you have an opportunity to listen, learn, and engage in those conversations. Social media monitoring (also known as social listening) is all about gaining unique insight into your customers, competitors, and industry influencers. By monitoring what they are saying on social media about your business and the issues that affect it, you'll build a better relationship with your customers, get a leg up on your competitors, and improve your ROI. The Three Ways To Get The Most Out of Social Media Monitoring 1) Acquire Customer Knowledge A great way to learn qualitative information about your customers is through social media monitoring. When you make listening to your customers on social media a priority, these are the kind of insights you'll gain: The sentiment around your brand or products What features or products customers are looking for from your company How you can solve your customer's problems To get started on monitoring your social media, you will need to have a social media monitoring tool. Once you're all set up, some examples of social media monitoring tactics you can use include: Monitor anyone mentioning your company's Twitter handle Create search streams for Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram to listen to people mentioning your company with positive or negative words or hashtags Start listening and engaging with your customers (or future customers) 2) Gain A Competitive Advantage Social media monitoring can also give you key information on your competitors. This kind of intel will allow you to make strategic business decisions to always stay ahead of your competition. To listen to what people are saying about your competitors, use the tactics described above, but replace your business name with your competitor's name, as well as any of their product names. Want to take it to the next level? If someone mentions a competitor's name along with a negative sentiment keyword, get your sales team to reach out to that person and establish a relationship. Social media marketing isn't all about promoting products. By solving people's problems before anyone else can, you've just gotten yourself a new customer and also shown current customers that you're there to help. 3) Monitor Business Influencers Most social-media-savvy businesspeople know it's important to listen to what your customers or competitors are saying, but there's one group many leave out of their social media strategies: influencers. For your business to be innovate and stay ahead of the curve, it is also important to listen to what thought leaders in your industry are saying. Follow influential executives, bloggers, and analysts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.  Then to take it up a notch, share their posts to your company's social networks to provide your followers with valuable resources. By doing this you'll be able to predict trends in your industry, place your company as an innovator, and improve your business. Get started on social media monitoring by signing up for a free trial of HootSuite Pro! The post Social Media Monitoring: Your Biggest Missed Opportunity? appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

How to Monetize Your Video Blog Posted: 29 Apr 2014 02:11 PM PDT Steven Washer   Welcome to week 4 of LOW-TECH month. Today we'll show you how to monetize all this bloggy goodness you've been baking for the last 3 weeks! Hey, it's all well and good to know how to make videos and get them on your blog, but if it doesn't culminate in a significant ROI, you might feel a little cheated. Let's not let that happen. We're going to answer the question: How do you turn simple videos into a consistent source of revenue? You might want to take a couple of notes to make sure you've got the technique down. I don't think you've seen anything quite like this strategy before, but once you see how simple this is, you may never want to use any other video sales strategy! The best part is that you can start it today and just keep adding to it, which only makes it more powerful. Adding what, you ask? Well, watch and find out! The post How to Monetize Your Video Blog appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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TwitterToolsReviews

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• Following Devastating Arkansas Tornados, #PrayForArkansas Trends on Twitter
• Meet Jessica: The Tame & Soon-To-Be-Virally-Famous Hippo
• Ariana Grande Song Results In #BuyProblemOniTunes (Which Isn’t As Bad As It Sounds)
• 5 Ways Brands Get Noticed On Social Media
• The future of digital marketing will be built on fun

Following Devastating Arkansas Tornados, #PrayForArkansas Trends on Twitter Posted: 28 Apr 2014 06:20 AM PDT Duncan Riley Twitter is praying for the lost and injured in Arkansas with the hashtag #PrayForArkansas trending this morning. The hashtag follows a range of devastating tornados tearing through Arkansas April 27th. Torndos struck Vilonia in central Arkansas' Faulkner county, with an entire neighborhood of 50 or so homes reported as having been destroyed. Around 10 people are believed to have died if Faulkner country, with more missing along the Interstate 40 near Mayflower, 22 miles northwest of state capital Little Rock. The currently death toll is officially 17, with officials believing more bodies may be found. Twitter gave their wishes, as well as giving reports from the ground. Praying for the families and communities of the 16 killed in #Arkansas along with those injured. #PrayForArkansas pic.twitter.com/nwNghbbw6V — Adam Hammond (@AHammond_WREG3) April 28, 2014 #PrayForArkansas Its been a long night here in Arkansas.. The storms seem to be calming down so im going to take a nap.. — Follow The Fireflies (@GleekyChickadee) April 28, 2014 Can I get Everybody to #PrayForArkansas??? A Bad Tornado Done ripped threw the state over 17 dead! #PrayForArkansas pic.twitter.com/eqH0RkrsYe — YoungRoyProductionz (@RoyIsThaTruth) April 28, 2014 It's so hard to sleep. My heart is broken for our little town and all the families involved. #PrayForArkansas — ❁hαylee❂ (@HayyMitch) April 28, 2014 Praying for everyone affected by the terrible storms across Arkansas. #PrayForArkansas — Sloane Roberts (@sloaney1493) April 28, 2014 There IS power in prayer. #PrayForArkansas pic.twitter.com/eqXHwFkiuE — kati kagel (@ktkagel) April 28, 2014 The post Following Devastating Arkansas Tornados, #PrayForArkansas Trends on Twitter appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Meet Jessica: The Tame & Soon-To-Be-Virally-Famous Hippo Posted: 28 Apr 2014 06:13 AM PDT Duncan Riley A tame Hippo from South Africa is due to become virally world famous shortly following a post to Reddit's r/pics. The submission, which at the time of writing has 2,704 upvotes (net 1834) shows a range of photos featuring an actually tame hippopotamus called Jessica. According to the submission at Reddit: In March 2000 Tonie and Shirley Joubert went for a walk. There had recently been terrible flooding of the area where they lived, near Hoedspruit, South Africa. During their walk they discovered something quite unexpected on the riverbank next to their home… a hippo calf! She was so young that she still had her umbilical cord attached, the floods must have swept her away from her mother. With the mother nowhere in sight and the calf looking extremely weak and scared, they decided to intervene, and they took her into their home They decided to name the calf Jessica, they fed and cared for her as she grew. A very strong bond was formed between Jessica and her "parents". She also made friends with the pet dogs! To this day, Jessica still comes to get treats from Tonie and Shirley, and the many guests that come to visit her. But perhaps the best part of the story is that she was also able to be released back into the wild, and so she does spend a lot of time with wild hippos (and other animals!)! We won't post all the photos, can you view them on Reddit here, or find out more about Jessica's story on Jessicahippo.com here. Jessica has been featured on some cable channels before, but we certainly went awwwww when we saw it. What do you think? a tame hippo? leave a comment below. (Image credit: we presume Jessicahippo.com) The post Meet Jessica: The Tame & Soon-To-Be-Virally-Famous Hippo appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ariana Grande Song Results In #BuyProblemOniTunes (Which Isn’t As Bad As It Sounds) Posted: 28 Apr 2014 06:10 AM PDT Duncan Riley The new Ariana Grande single has topped the Twitter charts with the hashtag #BuyProblemOniTunes leading across the United States this morning, but it's not as bad as it sounds. First: there is no problem in buying things on iTunes, despite how the hashtag reads; Grande's new single is called "Problem." The single, featuring Iggy Azalea was released on iTunes April 27th. According to reports, the single hit the number one position on the iTunes charts one hour after release. Fans seem to be impressed by the song, not only trending the hashtag, but giving their blushing support, including from some well known celebs. RT if you want me to DM your username to Ariana. #BuyProblemOniTunes — Selena Gomez ♡ (@ohgomezworld) April 28, 2014 #BuyProblemOniTunes even Jim Carrey bought it pic.twitter.com/YHxFtLv2yG — she made it. (@TheWayWentGold) April 28, 2014 Seeing a girl who sang covers in her bedroom and now is a worldwide sensation making her own music makes me so so proud #BuyProblemOniTunes — (@myjustindrug) April 28, 2014 "Problem #1 on iTunes in 37 minutes" "Problem broke a record on iTunes" "1/5 Promoted Problem" #BuyProblemOniTunes pic.twitter.com/deV0ez2MhT — Ariana Grande (@ArianaAgo) April 28, 2014 #BuyProblemOniTunes No thanks, I have enough problems of my own. — Malav Karkar (@MalavKarkar) April 28, 2014 Iggy & Ariana right now #BuyProblemOniTunes pic.twitter.com/n1bSPifLL9 — Bella (@AriIsOurDiamond) April 28, 2014 The post Ariana Grande Song Results In #BuyProblemOniTunes (Which Isn't As Bad As It Sounds) appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

5 Ways Brands Get Noticed On Social Media Posted: 28 Apr 2014 05:31 AM PDT Bethany Shepard With more than a billion people connected via the Web, many brands are struggling to get their content noticed amidst the growing noise of person-to-person communication. Even companies that can break through the clutter must learn to share content in a way that reflects positively on their brand. No longer is it about just being on social media, but rather being valuable on social media. Here are 5 behaviors exhibited by brands that are successful in truly interacting with their audience on social. 1. Loosen the tie Finally, big brands are rolling up their sleeves, loosening their ties and bringing their personalities to the forefront. Social media is about being–well, social. It's not all about business. Nobody wants to read only about how "great" you are, what new products you have out and why they should buy from you–all the time. They want something that will make them smile. They want something they can personally relate to. Allowing this "transparency" can be a positive step forward to having more brand equity and customer engagement. Examples: Kmart's "Ship My Pants" commercial: Or Delta Airlines' cheeky tweet: Baby got back! We like big jets and we cannot lie, this 737 is ready to fly. pic.twitter.com/N9BaWWi3SR — Delta (@Delta) July 30, 2013 2. The "Share" Factor The beauty of going viral or gaining popularity quickly is that it creates a micro-universe – one where thousands (or millions) of people share in enjoying, mocking or commenting on one single piece of content. But what causes that to happen? I call it the "share" factor. It's the blend of perfect timing with the right audience on the right channel. When the content is irresistible, it causes the masses to spread the word. These things are usually something we can all relate to, have never seen before, are knee slapping hilarious, or tear-jerking like a Sarah McLachlan commercial. The key here is to be bold in creating content that sparks an "Aha!" or a "Ha ha!" But never lose sight of your marketing message. Examples: Oreo's "Superbowl Blackout" tweet: Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC — Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013 And Pantene's Philippines #ShineStrong Ad: 3. Add Value Seriously–nobody wants to hear an ad anymore. People want content that adds value to their life. Brands are using social media and creativity to generate content that is meaningful or useful right here, right now. Pinterest, a great example, has given brands elasticity in how they reach their audience and gives them a free and easy way to share their new products and inspire their customers. YouTube is another. With millions of viewers and vloggers, the possibilities of creating interactive and sharable content are virtually endless. By endorsing vloggers, brands are allowing others to advocate for their products, rather than just themselves. 4. Empower the people Many brands are positioning their employees to be, in a sense, brand ambassadors on social media. This is a powerful tool that can help your content be found easier. It also unveils an internal personality and culture of the brand, which before may have been faceless or unknown. Some brands are even empowering the consumers themselves. Lay's Do Us a Flavor makes it fun, interactive and productive to allow the customer's voice to be heard. Who wouldn't want Spaghetti Lays? Right? Only 3 days left to submit your flavor ideas for the chance to win $1 million! http://t.co/uS6UbuuzFO. See Rules. pic.twitter.com/LpCD2ZLfzJ — LAY'S (@LAYS) April 3, 2014 The key here is to treat social media as a conversation rather than just a broadcast. Last, but not least: 5. Consistency Having a consistent brand is critical both online and offline. Consistency in style, voice and values sets a level of expectation for you and your customers. It can create an immediate trigger for us to recognize the brand and what it represents. Nothing's worse than looking at something and saying, "What happened?" or "That doesn't look right." A bad example of this is when Target.com rolled out its new site in fall 2013. By embracing a more "retro" approach, they did away with the sleek, modern and confident design they spent years building and replaced it with one that was cluttered and inconsistent with their social media presence. Here's an example of great brand consistency on social media (and yes, I like Oreos): I'll leave you with a quote of inspiration: "A brand must use consumer participation to shape the fundamentals of what it offers people, and constantly keep up with changing needs. It's the game of relevance, and brand and consumer must be on the same side. – Tracey Follows, Planning Partner, VCCP (warc.com) The post 5 Ways Brands Get Noticed On Social Media appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The future of digital marketing will be built on fun Posted: 28 Apr 2014 03:00 AM PDT Mark I have been writing and speaking on some new ideas about where I think social media and digital marketing will be going over the next few years. It seems pretty clear to me … let's see if you agree. To explain my premise, allow me to provide a brief description of where we have BEEN, which will lead to where we are GOING. The first three digital revolutions So far, we have seen three distinct phases or revolutions of digital marketing. These revolutions have not replaced each other but have built on the progress and moved us forward. Our first digital revolution occurred at the dawn of the web in the late 1990s. Our business priority was simply establishing a website. Once we had a site, it needed to be discovered. Enabled by Google, our business priority turned to search engine optimization (in fact a $26 billion industry was created!). An emphasis on "Discovery" was the second digital revolution. Today, we are in the third digital revolution, which has been enabled by social media and mobile technology. Our business goal in this phase is to help and serve people at their point of need, whether they are looking for a movie review, the best price on a laptop, or product information at the point of sale at a retail store. By the way, at the edge of each of these revolutions, life becomes more difficult for marketers. If you were the first in your industry with a website, you had an advantage until your competitors caught on. Likewise, if you were the first to crack the code on SEO, Oh Happy Day! You led the search results as long as your competitors were sucking on ether. Today, the world is more difficult because competitors are also fueling their helpful presence with content. If they were first and dominant in their niche, good news, good news, good news. But if the niche is filled, they are probably in Content Shock. The fourth revolution In the next 18-24 months we will be entering the fourth digital revolution. This will be an era of explosive marketing creativity and innovation enabled by wearable technology and augmented reality. The impact of this development will be profound … perhaps more profound than the Internet itself. The way we learn, discover, connect and entertain ourselves will be dramatically altered. Imagine a world where we are untethered from devices and the strength of a wi-fi connection. The Internet will surround us like the air that we breathe – a digital layer on top of the "real world" in any place we choose. Every book, every wall — even a package label — will come alive with interactive possibilities. This will be an era of marketing without boundaries and I think it will be fueled by a marketing emphasis on fun, immersive experiences. Marketing without boundaries My thinking goes like this … Today in our "third revolution" based on "utility" as a marketing strategy, we have severe limits. Once we help our customers, how do we continue to engage and grow with them on a daily basis? “OK, I've bought my car. Thanks for the useful information. See you in five years when I am ready to buy again.” But there is virtually no limit to a person's desire to have fun. In fact, we would rather play games and have fun more than anything (there is a lot of psychology behind this that I can't get into in this short post). I think the winners in the next revolution will be creating fun, immersive experiences on a daily basis for their customers. Like every other marketing phase, early adopters will flourish and those late to the game will struggle. Maybe five years from now I will be writing about "Fun Shock" – we will be overwhelmed by competing opportunities to interact. "Minority Report" will seem quaint. What do you think of these implications?  What are your thoughts on this next frontier, or perhaps more appropriately, the next FUNtier? Original illustration copyright Schaefer Marketing Solutions This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I've been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions. IBM had no editorial control of this content. The post The future of digital marketing will be built on fun appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.         Related Stories 7 Digital marketing trends to embrace NOW The future of business: Six layers of customer engagement Why you’ve already missed the hottest marketing opportunity   The post The future of digital marketing will be built on fun appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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• Which Social Media Service Should You Promote On Your Business Card?
• Social Media Reality Check: Four Mental Shifts Leaders Need to Make
• LinkedIn Endorsements Updated – FINALLY!
• 12 Ways to Improve Your Company Branding Strategy Using LinkedIn
• Man Finding Out He’s Going to Be A Grandpa Goes Viral (Video)
• How To Properly Use Hashtags In Your Social Media Marketing
• Legendary Atari Treasure Trove Unearthed In Alamagordo Landfill (Twitter Reacts)
• George Clooney’s Engagement Announcement Causes Twitter Outpouring
• For Young Guys on Mobile, Twitter & Reddit Erupt As Leaders (Q1 2014)
• Measuring LinkedIn with Google Analytics

Which Social Media Service Should You Promote On Your Business Card? Posted: 27 Apr 2014 08:49 PM PDT Brian Morris Your business card is your tangible, physical connectivity portal. It tells customers and other contacts how to get in touch with you, but it can also be a powerful marketing tool that fuels digital traffic. In today’s social society, it’s a good idea to promote your social media profiles on your business card; however, the plethora of social media possibilities combined with limited space can leave you wondering which social media service you should promote on your business card. The following will help you answer that question so you can use your business card as a tool to tap into the power of social media for customer relationships. Why promote only one social media profile? First, it’s important to understand my position for the reason why you should only promote one social media profile on  your business card. Consider the following: Overloading your business cards with multiple social media profiles leaves space only for logos, not URLs or even QR codes. Do you really expect potential customers to search for you? Promoting multiple social media profiles on your business card dilutes your overall efforts; it’s far better to promote just one and then use that as a springboard to your other social media profiles, if needed You should heavily promote the social media profile that’s most relevant to your company and customer base, and the relationship you share Finally, business cards have limited space; the more clutter, the less effective they are Here’s an overview of some of the most popular social media networks, including guidelines for when each is most appropriate for inclusion on your business cards. Facebook Facebook is the most well-known social media platform, and nearly every marketing-savvy business today has a Facebook profile. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best social media profile to promote on your business card. Promote Facebook on your business card if: you don’t have any other social media profiles you sell products or services primarily to consumers you have the time and ability to continually promote your Facebook page with interesting content, images, promotions, contests, giveaways, sweepstakes, and more you can offer customers an incentive for liking your Facebook page your brand is more important than your persona The key to success on Facebook is fan engagement, and if you can’t devote the time and resources to that end you’re better off promoting a different social profile. Facebook is also excellent for brands, but not necessarily the best tool for individuals who want to promote their personas and individual relationships. Twitter Twitter is another extremely popular social media platform, though it’s rather different from Facebook in the way tweets are promoted. Twitter can be an excellent social media service to promote on your business card, but only if: your customers are Twitter-bound already you can offer meaningful tweets on a daily basis you don’t have time to write more than 140 characters a day it’s critical to connect with customers on a personal level, and branding is secondary Twitter is perfect for publishing your own individual thoughts, insights, and ideas; if you’re in an industry in which customers follow you rather than the company you work for, Twitter might be the best social media profile to promote on your business cards. LinkedIn LinkedIn is the most popular social media network for businesses, and it’s highly recommended you promote your LinkedIn profile on your business cards if: your company almost exclusively services other businesses (B2B) you’re a sole entrepreneur or freelancer consistently seeking new clients and connections you have the time to be active on a social network; not only by updating your own status and achievements, but also by endorsing others LinkedIn can be a great way to find new B2B customers, but it won’t help you reach a large consumer base. It’s best promoted only if you can devote the time necessary to make a prominent name for yourself on the LinkedIn network (though, in reality, it doesn’t take too much work to achieve). If this sounds like you, consider promoting your LinkedIn profile on your business cards. Google+ Google+ still pales in comparison to Facebook, but it’s definitely gaining traction – especially among the business community. In fact, if local customers are important to you then it’s absolutely critical to have a Google+ Local Business listing so you can be found in local searches. But does that mean you should promote your Google+ profile on your business cards? Only if: you have a dedicated customer base that’s highly active on Google+ you can generate a steady stream of valuable content your customers want to read you’ve already established yourself on Facebook and/or Twitter; OR you want to avoid the heavy competition associated with those sites altogether Google+ is a nice service, but promoting your Google+ page on your business cards should be reserved for companies and individuals who have a unique niche audience to reach, and only if that audience is already engaged on Google+. Though Google+ doesn’t currently get the customer love necessary to rival Facebook and Twitter, it can be less competition-heavy and allow you to find a profitable crease in your niche. YouTube The best-known video sharing social platform is YouTube, and despite potentially-heavy competition you can promote your YouTube channel on your business card if: you regularly make videos your customer base will find exciting, informative, or otherwise valuable you’d rather create video content than written content you have time to produce video content regularly you rely on video to sell your products and services you want to drive traffic to a social platform your competitors aren’t Obviously, the key to YouTube success is quality video production – and by quality we mean of value to your customers, not the actual technical quality of your videos (though it can help). See if you can get a hold of some of your competitors’ business cards – it shouldn’t be too difficult – and if they’re not promoting YouTube on their cards, you have an exciting opportunity to steal customers who prefer video over text (which is a lot). Instagram Instagram is all about photos, and you can promote Instagram on your business cards if: you can tell the story of your business through photography your customers use Instagram already you take enough photographs to update your account daily you’re in an photo-related industry – a photographer, for example – or otherwise visually-creative field (bathroom remodeling or contemporary artwork, for example At this time, I’m not ready to sign off on Instagram as the best social media network for business card promotion, especially since it’s already so easy to upload photos on Facebook and other more popular social networks. Still, if photography is the name of the game Instagram could prove a valuable resource worth promoting on your business cards. Pinterest Like Instagram, Pinterest is a platform for sharing images. Unlike Instagram, the images don’t necessarily have to be your own. If you enjoy curating relevant collections for your customer base, Pinterest might work for you. However, it doesn’t offer as many self-promotion opportunities as many other social media profiles. You can promote Pinterest on your business cards if: you’ve curated a collection on Pinterest that could have real value for your customers you can devote the time to continue curating as well as respond to comments you can spend time engaging with other user, especially those who are likely customers for you Again, unless you’re promoting your own photography, studio, artwork, or other creative work, Pinterest might not be the best social media profile for business card promotion. FourSquare FourSquare is a social network designed exclusively for local businesses. FourSquare might be good for business card promotion if: your company caters almost exclusively to customers within a certain geographic area your company is suitable for "check-ins": restaurants, bars, health clubs, night clubs, and other businesses that encourage social interaction are best you can offer customers incentives for checking in at your location to encourage traffic and check-ins, which will bring more customers (the peers of your current customers) If your company is local-centric, then it might be a great idea to promote your FourSquare profile on your business cards. If not, pick a social media network that doesn’t depend on your location. Cater to your customer base Finally, it’s worth noting that you must cater to your customer base in order to fully take advantage of social media profile promotion on your business cards. You’re not going to motivate customers to sign up for your preferred social network just so they can interact with you; rather, you have to sign up for the social networks your customers prefer so you can interact with them. The social media networks listed here are suggestions based on specific business characteristics; however, if your customers aren’t already heavily invested in a particular social network you’ll waste time and financial resources if you try to promote such a profile. Get to know your customers the best you can, and find out where most of your customers – especially where your well-defined niche customers hang their social media hats. Then, create a social media profile on the same service that will be attractive to your customers and continually work it to increase your level of customer engagement. If you can go where your customers go and provide valuable content they want to digest, promote that single social media profile on your business cards to generate the greatest possible online reach. Now, it’s your turn: which do you think is the best social media network for small businesses, and why? The post Which Social Media Service Should You Promote On Your Business Card? appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Social Media Reality Check: Four Mental Shifts Leaders Need to Make Posted: 27 Apr 2014 08:46 PM PDT Courtney Hunt I have previously written about the 5 Main Barriers to Digital Engagement by organizations, their leaders, and other senior professionals. These barriers include lack of knowledge and understanding of social and digital technologies, framing that leads to risk aversion, poor/no roadmaps, and inadequate resource allocation. A related issue involves concerns over the ROI of social media initiatives. To help break down these barriers, particularly when it comes to social media, organizational leaders need to make four key mental shifts to accept new realities and move forward. These shifts include recognizing changes in the balance of power, accepting loss of control, developing new perspectives on productivity, and viewing social technology integration as mandatory rather than optional. Recognizing Changes in the Balance of Power Social Media Reality Check: There is plenty of evidence that the balance of power between organizations and their external stakeholders has shifted in significant ways due to social media. Many tech-savvy consumers have learned that social media is often the fastest and most effective way to get an organization’s attention to address and resolve a product or service issue (consider, for example, the role of social media in the communications related to GM’s recent recall). In response, many consumer-oriented organizations, like Comcast and the Discover, have embraced this shift in power and have learned to leverage social media to enhance the service experience for their customers. There are now dozens of tools and platforms for monitoring social media activity to determine how an organization’s brand(s) are being discussed in cyberspace, and many larger enterprises have “social media command centers” with dedicated staff to assess and respond to issues and concerns raised via digital channels. Since most consumers are also employees, it doesn’€™t take a huge leap of logic to recognize that increased personal empowerment is likely to lead to expectations of increased professional empowerment. As people experience more equal relationships with the organizations they support financially, they will come to expect similar equality with the organizations they support through their labor. From an employment perspective, this could become a competitive differentiator. Employers who abide by Oz-ian principles that tip the scales strongly in favor of their own omniscience and omnipotence will be increasingly less attractive to talented employees who want to be treated as valued partners. Though plenty of organizations and their leaders may lament the loss of power brought about by social media, the economic and social benefits resulting from the shift will be significant. For example: Greater accountability, communication, and collaboration will lead to improved products and services. Increased transparency and access to information will enhance competition, providing better goods/services at better prices. Open dialogue and transparency, combined with more public accountability, should promote ethical behavior. Those organizations that adapt best to the new operational requirements social media creates should reap the greatest rewards. Recommendation: Organizational leaders should recognize that it’€™s in their own best interests to embrace the egalitarian ideals that underlie social technologies and leverage them to form stronger partnerships with their customers and employees, open up the lines of communication, develop and promote their business and employment brands, improve their human capital practices, and attract and retain the most talented individuals. Accepting (and Embracing) Loss of Control Social Media Reality Check: Although many consumer-oriented businesses and other organizations have adapted to – and even embraced – social media’s realities, some organizational leaders are still hesitant to leverage social media due to concerns that they will lose control of their brand and/or their message. What these leaders don’€™t realize, it seems, is that they don’€™t really get a vote about that – their brand and messages will be addressed on social media channels with or without their permission, in both ad hoc and organized ways.Turkey’s recent experiences with the government’s failed attempts to ban Twitter are a great case in point. Leaders in organizations of all types – even those that have adopted social media for external purposes – are still generally hesitant to apply social media principles to internal communication and collaboration, particularly when it comes to sensitive subjects like employment policies. Even advocates of open communication sometimes find it hard to let go of the desire for control. But limiting conversations through official forums doesn’€™t stop the conversations – it just causes people to take them somewhere else. And when the conversations happen through unofficial channels, they’re much more likely to create and perpetuate inaccuracies, misperceptions, and misunderstandings. Recommendation: Though organizational leaders cannot control the conversations taking place on social platforms (both external and internal), the wise move is to not only allow those conversations, but to encourage them – and to respond in appropriate ways. The loss of control is a bit of a paradox, because it actually creates the opportunity for more control -€" maybe not of the conversation, but of the subject of the conversation itself, which is far more important. Especially when the conversation is negative, the experience may not be pleasant, but the opportunity to learn important lessons, share key information, and create needed changes is invaluable. Developing New Perspectives on Productivity Social Media Reality Check: Many organizations are still grappling with the question of whether it’€™s necessary and/or appropriate to block employee access to public social media sites via internal networks. The main arguments for doing so are often that social media is a big time waster, and that people will spend too much time on these sites and not get their work done. I don’€™t necessarily advocate open access to public social media sites through employer IT networks, but I do think these are specious arguments for a several reasons: Given how many people have access to these sites via their mobile devices, blocking access using the organization’€™s IT infrastructure seems rather pointless from a productivity perspective. The people who want to waste time don’€™t need public social media sites to do so. They can just as easily waste time talking on the phone, talking to coworkers, playing computer games, etc. There is some empirical evidence to indicate that taking short breaks during the work day to check in on one’€™s social networks can actually enhance productivity (see this and this, for example). It’€™s also important to remember that the lines between work and non-work have become increasingly blurred as technology continues to advance. We are wired (albeit wirelessly) 24/7/365, virtually no matter where we are in the world. Many organizations have capitalized on this by enabling and expecting employees to work beyond the confines of traditional work spaces and work hours. And though employees are generally willing to accommodate those expectations, they expect some reciprocity in terms of being able to meet some of their personal, non-work needs during the traditional work day. They rightfully fail to see the logic or the fairness in limiting access to digital channels and networks while they’€™re at work – and as they increasingly feel empowered, they’€™re increasingly likely to assert their rights, either directly or indirectly. Recommendation: Rather than focusing on what employees should not or cannot do, organizational leaders would be better off focusing on what employees should do. The social aspects of both external and internal social networks can certainly distract people from their jobs, but those distractions can be minimized by good management, strong accountability and robust performance management standards and systems. Viewing Social Technology Integration as Mandatory rather than Optional Social Media Reality Check: Though we are slowly emerging from the Great Recession, organizations of all types are still dealing with its ramifications and trying to adapt to new economic realities. Spending and hiring are still down, and organizations are continuing to try to accomplish more things with fewer resources. The “€œI/We don’€™t have time”€ argument is raised by many individuals and organizations as a reason they have not become more involved with social media. In our “€œalways on”€ society, it’€™s hard to imagine how we’€™re going to add more priorities and activities to our personal and professional lives. But social technology is increasingly becoming an integral aspect of how business is conducted, and the sooner organizations recognize and respond to this inevitability, the sooner they will be able to reap the benefits. It is no longer a question of €œif but €œwhen. I am regularly reminded that people view social media engagement as an independent initiative, something €œelse that needs to be addressed. With their Tœo Do€ lists already full, they are delaying action on social media because they haven’€™t figured out how to allocate the time and attention they think it needs. But for both individuals and organizations, social technologies can and should be integrated into virtually all aspects of work life and organizational functioning as soon as possible. Viewing digital engagement as a separate initiative not only fails to recognize its true value, it’s also costly in the long run. For example, if social technologies are not adequately considered in the early stages of an initiative (e.g., the introduction of a new brand, the creation of a new website, a complex client engagement or other project), performance is likely to be sub-optimal, and people are likely to have to undo and redo some of their work to incorporate those elements later on. Though it may seem like more effort in the short term, addressing the social technology aspects of various initiatives is in the long-term best interests of organizations. Recommendation: Organizational leaders and other professionals need to identify how social technologies will help them achieve their strategic goals and objectives and should incorporate social media elements into all initiatives that can benefit from them as soon as possible. Laying the foundation for and leveraging social technologies sooner than later can increase revenues and reduce expenses by maximizing efficiency and effectiveness and increasing productivity. Your Thoughts? As always, let me know if I’€™ve missed something or something seems unclear. And please feel free to share your thoughts on other social media reality checks and mental shifts you think organizational leaders need to make to better enable them to move ahead. Thanks! Original post on the Denovati SMART Blog. The post Social Media Reality Check: Four Mental Shifts Leaders Need to Make appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

LinkedIn Endorsements Updated – FINALLY! Posted: 27 Apr 2014 08:34 PM PDT Personal Branding Blog Many of you have grown tired of being prompted to endorse your connections. Many of you have also grown tired of getting LinkedIn endorsements from people you have never worked with or getting LinkedIn endorsements for skills that you do not have like underwater basket weaving. (I do know of someone who received this endorsement). That is changing! LinkedIn Endorsements Changes If you edit your profile and scroll down to the "Skills & Endorsements" section and select edit, you will be given four options. I want to be endorsed Yes or No For most of us we want to be endorsed. Hey why wouldn't I want to be endorsed? If you are a financial adviser or any other position that is heavily regulated, they cannot be endorsed. This has been a real problem for financial advisers. Do not endorse your stock broker, insurance agent, fee based financial adviser… you create problems for them! Include me in endorsement suggestions to my connections Do you want your connections to be prompted to endorse you? WOW that is a tough one. I have so many endorsements that the answer is probably no but… I am not sure on this one. I will leave the box checked for the time being. Show me suggestions to endorse my connections This is one box that I will uncheck. I no longer want to be harassed to endorse my connections. If I want to endorse someone I will explicitly go into their profile and endorse them. I have to do the same to make a recommendation. Send me notifications via email when my connections endorse me If someone endorses me I still want to know. Specifically, if they endorse me for a skill I do not possess I really want to know about it. Reorder Your Skills It is a subtle change but you can now re-order your skills. Bring the skills that you want to LinkedIn endorsements to the top.This has two effects: Your connections will be prompted for the skills at the top of your list You will come up higher in search rankings for the skills that you want to be found Other LinkedIn Changes There are a lot of other changes other than LinkedIn Endorsements that are coming. New LinkedIn Inbox The inbox has been enhanced to be easier to use. For more information check out LinkedInExpert's post. New LinkedIn Groups Page If you used the LinkedIn groups page in the past it has been fairly clumsy going in between groups. Now it has been greatly streamlined. New LinkedIn Group Digest E-Mail Formats If you belong to LinkedIn groups you may have noticed the changes to the digest e-mail formats. LinkedIn is currently beta-testing several formats and we will see which one wins. LinkedIn Publisher LinkedIn is opening up their publishing platform to everyone. Today, it is only for key influencers. They are slowly opening this up to everyone. Currently, you have to apply for early access. I applied several weeks ago and am still waiting for access. LinkedInChat Tweetchat If you want to stay up to date on changes to LinkedIn, participate in the weekly Tweetchat called LinkedInChat. This tweetchat is run by my friend Viveka von Rosen, aka @LinkedInExpert. Her trusty sidekick, Steve Cassady, @SteveCassady is always there to assist. I know the changes are happening fast and furious on LinkedIn right now. Hopefully, this update helps you keep up with how to create, manage and promote your personal brand. The post LinkedIn Endorsements Updated – FINALLY! appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

12 Ways to Improve Your Company Branding Strategy Using LinkedIn Posted: 27 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT Paul Keijzer Developing a strong company brand is one of the keys which determines how well you're able to recruit and retain key talent in any market. Asian employees often view LinkedIn as the most professional social media outlet which makes it one of the best avenues to establish your corporate presence. There are 4 companies which seem to be doing company branding just right and I've compiled a list of 12 lessons to learn and implement from them. Tata Steel A steel making company is not the first company that comes to mind when you think about interesting social platform branding but Tata Steel sure does it right. Key takeaways from their page include: Upload a catchy cover image: The one they use simply makes their page interesting. Encourage Employees to Join Social Platforms: Tata Steel has nearly 12,500 on LinkedIn alone. Update your Company Page Regularly: They update theirs nearly every day and it's all pretty interesting stuff! LinkedIn: Tata Steel Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Shagri-La Hotels and Resorts has a leg up on the others since they have beautiful locations which naturally serve as a content muse. That said, they do so much on LinkedIn that make them an awesome company doing branding right. Announce Important Events Through the Cover Image: Shangri-La is currently announcing the opening of their London Hotel which also happens to be the tallest hotel in Europe. Use Pictures to Tell Your Stories: They use an image in nearly all their updates. It definitely keeps the page more interesting. Don't Forget the Career's Tab: It may seem like the most logical thing for company branding but many forget the power that LinkedIn now has, including the career's tab. It requires a paid subscription to LinkedIn but is worth the investment to attract both passive and active job seekers. LinkedIn: Shangri-La Nikkei Asian Review Nikkei Asian Review is one of Asia's largest independent business media groups. With their key business being media it's only logical that they lead the way for company branding on LinkedIn. Their page is not only informative but interesting and entertaining as well. Spike Curiosity by Using a Teaser in your Cover Image: Nikkei Asian Review's says "See What Others Don't" which makes one wonder, what they have to offer. Don't Skimp on your "About" Section: By filling in all the information Nikkei Asian Review not only gives an introduction about the company but they also provide quick information about their specialties, website, industry, type, headquarter address, company size and when it was founded. Include Video Updates: At least once a week. Use YouTube like Nikkei Asian Review does and you'll be able to cross promote social media platforms. LinkedIn: Nikkei Asian Review Berger Paints India Private Limited There are golden rules to company branding that span across social media platforms and Berger Paints remembers them well. Even though LinkedIn is a professional network, we all like to have fun every now and then. Things they do intelligently on LinkedIn include: Ask Questions: One of the golden rules of Facebook is often forgotten by companies on LinkedIn. Encouraging people to participate is a good way to become top of mind when it comes to people hunting for jobs. Support Local Causes – Berger Paints encouraged their followers to participate in the Easy Clean India campaign. Supporting local causes through your company page shows people that you are aware of your social responsibility as a contributor to society. Use Entertaining Posts – This is another golden rule in Facebook which can set the tone in LinkedIn. Berger ties in entertaining posts along with their business very well, such as providing links to the meanings of different colors. LinkedIn: Berger Paints So, these are the 12 things you want to do on LinkedIn to have an awesome company brand. Remember the bottom line is to become the kind of organization people really want to work for. Have you seen any interesting things that other Asian companies are doing on LinkedIn? The post 12 Ways to Improve Your Company Branding Strategy Using LinkedIn appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Man Finding Out He’s Going to Be A Grandpa Goes Viral (Video) Posted: 27 Apr 2014 09:26 AM PDT Erica Abbott This new video of a man finding out that he’s going to be a grandpa will instantaneously brighten your day. The man opens up a little gift, finds a pacifier inside and it brings back memories of when his own daughter was younger . His daughter proceeds to tell him to look at the attached note saying, “You should probably read it”. That’s when he discovers that he’s going to be a grandfather. His reaction is priceless and heartwarming. His disbelief turns into complete awe over his daughter’s announcement. The video concludes with him beginning to cry tears of joy. This gone-viral feel-good video has accumulated over six million views and was posted a week ago. The person who posted it, whose only video is the reveal to her father, now has over 1,300 subscribers. The sweet video will be sure to make you feel better and warm your heart. Maybe a follow-up video could be when grandpa finally gets to hold his new granddaughter or grandson. The post Man Finding Out He's Going to Be A Grandpa Goes Viral (Video) appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

How To Properly Use Hashtags In Your Social Media Marketing Posted: 27 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT Pam Dyer Hashtags are increasingly important in social media marketing campaigns. They enable content marketers get in front of their target audience and identify social media conversations that are relevant to their business. Only 24% of tweets include hashtags, but those that do receive twice the engagement of those without them. When used well, hashtags can be powerful tools that drive brand recognition, increase reach, build community, create buzz, and positively impact customer loyalty. What are hashtags? Hashtags are labels for content. They are a way to track topics on Twitter and other social media platforms. Anyone sharing content can add one to their messages and posts, and they help people quickly find information on that same topic. The syntax is a word or phrase preceded by the hash sign (#), such as #contest and #sweepstakes. Each hashtag is clickable and redirects users to a page that displays all messages and images that use the same hashtag. The use of hashtags enables people to wade through the fire hose of social media posts and interact only with the content they find relevant. Platforms that support hashtags Twitter If you use Twitter, you know that the use of hashtags there is prevalent. They can help you organize your tweets and use your voice to deliver targeted brand messages. You can view trending hashtags on the sidebar of your Twitter page and at Hashtags.org. It's easy to join in a hashtag conversation by clicking on one in your own tweets or those of others. You can track hashtags to see which ones resonate most with your audience. Facebook Facebook added hashtag support in June 2013, and their use hasn't really caught on. Every hashtag on Facebook has a unique URL, and clicking on one will redirect you to its feed. You can also click on hashtags that originate on other services. You can search for hashtags from your search bar using the syntax #Yourhashtag or by typing facebook.com/hashtag/Yourhashtag into your browser. In each case, replace Yourhashtag with the tag you're trying to find. You can also create posts directly from the hashtag feed or search results. Pinterest Pinterest uses the same hashtag approach as other platforms. You apply a tag that represents the topic of the post so that people can find your content in related searches. The hashtag is bolded slightly in your post, and it becomes a search link that forwards users to pinterest.com/search/?q=Yourhashtag. When people now run that same search by clicking the hashtag on someone else's profile, they'll discover your content in the mix. Instagram Using hashtags on Instagram can help maximize your reach and create a network of influential brand followers. If you don't employ hashtags on Instagram, your photos effectively remain private, making it difficult for your target audience to discover you. Instagram photo challenges contain a unique set of hashtags. For example, #ThrowbackThursday encourages users to post retro photos. Try to use at least one hashtag per photo to maximize shares. Google+ Using hashtags is a good way to get your Google+ posts noticed in search engine results. When users click on a hashtag in Google+, the search results page (SERP) includes the original hashtag as well as posts with similar tags and keywords. Users can choose to arrange hashtagged posts chronologically or see the "Best of" posts at the top of their streams. Google+ will also intuitively add hashtags to posts if it thinks that they are relevant. Don't overuse hashtags Make sure to use a maximum of two hashtags per post. Including too many will leave the impression that you are spamming your followers. This video with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake does a hilarious job of illustration the pitfalls of overdoing it. The post How To Properly Use Hashtags In Your Social Media Marketing appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Legendary Atari Treasure Trove Unearthed In Alamagordo Landfill (Twitter Reacts) Posted: 27 Apr 2014 09:16 AM PDT Kim LaCapria According to legend, a massive Atari stash of cartridges — for the ill-fated E.T. game considered by many to be the "worst" title in gaming history — languished for three decades in a desert landfill, gaining cachet under the sand all these years in Alamagordo. The Alamagordo Atari landfill legend was the stuff of internet intrigue and gamer speculation, but no one was really sure if there were truly a ton of E.T. cartridges from the original console in a far flung trash heap. Today, April 26, 2014, it was announced that the Atari white whale had indeed been located, and the geek social web flipped its shit — everyone was tweeting about the news that the tale was indeed not a legend at all, but true gamer history: There is so much stuff they've pulled up. This is all just atari 2600 games. pic.twitter.com/w9NpXVBDhf — Chris Kohler (@kobunheat) April 26, 2014 E.T. cartridges found in infamous Atari landfill http://t.co/qYyFWyfTG4 (cmts http://t.co/6BjB79ZNLj) — HN from Y Combinator (@hnycombinator) April 26, 2014 Microsoft has found the legendary 'buried in the desert' Atari ET games http://t.co/ZbsDgVtbgY by @ow — The Next Web (@TheNextWeb) April 26, 2014 The development is so new that just hours ago, Mashable reported that no Atari treasures had yet been unearthed on the ground in Alamagordo: Still no signs of Atari E.T. game cartridges at the New Mexico dig, but this little guy showed up (photo @kat_egli) pic.twitter.com/h5Nh4AYGbZ — Mashable (@mashable) April 26, 2014 Me and @mikejmika are trying to bring these ET carts from the Atari graveyard back to life! Wish us luck! #diggingEt pic.twitter.com/BZJ9YZA3AE — Ernie Cline (@erniecline) April 27, 2014 Did your gamer friends go nuts on Twitter or Facebook as the Atari cartridges discovered in Alamagordo began circulating the social web? The post Legendary Atari Treasure Trove Unearthed In Alamagordo Landfill (Twitter Reacts) appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

George Clooney’s Engagement Announcement Causes Twitter Outpouring Posted: 27 Apr 2014 09:11 AM PDT Erica Abbott www.albawaba.com “Dream guy” George Clooney has now shattered the long-time celebrity crushes of thousands (or so many women on Twitter are saying). Well, time for Plan B, ladies–George Clooney instantly began trending on Twitter after news broke out that the eternal bachelor is off the market–now engaged. Clooney, 52, is now engaged to lawyer Amal Alamuddin, 36. The silver fox’s history of girlfriends include Stacy Keibler, Elisabetta Canalis, Kelly Preston, and many more.  www.dailymail.co.uk www.usmagazine.com The only time Clooney has been married was to Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993. Previously, he had said to CNN in an interview that he “gave marriage a shot.”  www.dailymail.co.uk Twitter users are expressing their disbelief over Clooney getting engaged. George Clooney is engaged?! Is the world ending?! — DANRELL (@DanielleDTodd) April 27, 2014 George Clooney is engaged? (again?) Oh c'mon we know he ain't gettin married. lol — lolwut (@_CaRRiEMaRiE) April 27, 2014 If it's true that George Clooney is getting married, then I really do believe it is the apocalypse. — ~allie. (@_MissAlyMarie) April 27, 2014 Wow..George Clooney is engaged! …I thought he was gonna stay a bachelor — Dhancoashley (@dhancoashley) April 27, 2014 wait, george clooney is engaged? has hell frozen over? — jess lisette (@omgfabulous) April 27, 2014 George Clooney is engaged? Isn't that one of the sign of the apocalypse? #georgeclooney #engaged — The Diva (@HessThe) April 27, 2014 I'm sorry, George Clooney is engaged?!?! Hell just froze over. — Alicia Garside (@AliciaGarside) April 27, 2014 George Clooney is engaged. Every woman will have a moment of silence followed by a pint of ice cream. — Lisa McAlister (@LisaMcAlister1) April 27, 2014 George Clooney engaged. Ha. Believe it when I see it. — Jennifer Hartley (@jenniemhart) April 27, 2014 George Clooney got engaged?! Need to prepare for the apocalypse. Doomsday prep starts now. #georgeclooney #hellfrozeover #clooneyengaged — Carolyn M (@Caremassey) April 27, 2014 What do you think of Clooney’s engagement–will a marriage happen or not? The post George Clooney's Engagement Announcement Causes Twitter Outpouring appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

For Young Guys on Mobile, Twitter & Reddit Erupt As Leaders (Q1 2014) Posted: 27 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT Bob Hutchins If you're a social media nerd, you might remember that Twitter wasn't doing so hot at the end of 2013 – by Twitter standards, at least. Well, new research coming out of Consumer Sharing Trends Report 2014 reveals that Twitter's back and stronger than ever. And what social channel saw the second most dynamic growth, you ask? Reddit. Reddit? Yep. Not Facebook. Not LinkedIn. Not Pinterest. And definitely not email (which is down 25% as a "sharing" platform). Why Reddit Is The 2nd Fastest Growing Platform for Social Media Sharing First things first. If you aren't familiar with Reddit, watch this five-minute video. With that out of the way, why is Reddit leading the way as a top platform for social media sharing? Well, Reddit does something that no other platform allows – and it does it on a scale that has few competitors… The magic of Reddit is that anyone can create content, and that content can be voted up or down by anyone else. Okay, maybe it doesn't sound like much, but when you take into account the incredible specificity that a subreddit can possess, there's really nothing else out there that holds a candle. (Google+ communities kind of get close to this, but they lack the sheer numbers of Reddit's engine.) Reddit is an organic, multilateral system that promotes the very best content of the web for the audience that wants it most. It's primary demographic is young males age 18-30 – and for good reason. If there was ever a demographic that has already seen everything and done everything on the web, it's this one. They grew up with the internet, using LiveJournal, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and every other significant platform on the web. Reddit's popularity with young males should be obvious. It provides constant novelty. Furthermore, the best content rises to the top, while content of lesser value naturally sinks and stays out of the way. I think we'll see more digital marketers warming up to Reddit in 2014. Of course, it's not the platform they should focus on; it's Reddit's philosophy about value. Other Q1 2014 Social Media Sharing Facts Jumping forward to the infographic, here are a few more key findings from the first quarter of 2014: Mobile sharing grew by 28%. Desktop sharing only grew by 11%. The majority of online sharing now happens on mobile devices! Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic when it comes to social media sharing. Hispanic sharing grew at double the rate of African American and Caucasian sharing. For more information on social media sharing and growth, see the infographic from ShareThis below. Any social media facts from Q1 2014 surprise you? Excite you? Inspire? Jump in with the comments section below. The post For Young Guys on Mobile, Twitter & Reddit Erupt As Leaders (Q1 2014) appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Measuring LinkedIn with Google Analytics Posted: 27 Apr 2014 07:15 AM PDT Keith Paul Does your company leverage its LinkedIn profile? Are you using LinkedIn discussion groups? Can job seekers find their next great role on your LinkedIn page? All great questions. And if you answer yes to these (I hope you do) are you also measuring the value LinkedIn can provide for your SEO and possibly your lead-gen efforts? Here are a couple ways you can geek out with LinkedIn, Google Analytics, and regular expressions to help paint your LinkedIn ROI picture. Google Analytics is already good at showing you total traffic hitting your site via LinkedIn. These examples drill in a bit to help you see WHERE on LinkedIn folks are finding you. Please let me know how you use and adapt them! I'll show you how you set-up widgets for your Company Profile and Discussion Group. You can use these same principles to measure clicks to your job postings. (NOTE: Job postings need to be on a web page you track with Google Analytics. If instead you use a 3rd party recruiting tool, you might not be able to measure job posting related SEO.) LinkedIn Company Profile So, here's what I see in Google Analytics: It's important to be aware of the URLs by which your company profile is accessed. Your profile is available via a company ID in the URL and by the more reader-friendly vanity URL. In my company's case, those URLs are http://www.linkedin.com/company/10127 & http://www.linkedin.com/company/rocket-software The former can be found by hovering your mouse over your company name in your update feed: With that, here's the setup for the Google Analytics widget shown above: And here's the Regular Expression string: (\W|^)(/company/rocket-software|/company/10127)(\W|$) Please leave the trailing slash off the end of URL strings within your RegEx (using this example). You'll block referrers that don't include that slash. LinkedIn Groups and Careers Repeat the steps above to create additional widgets for your LinkedIn Groups and Careers. Edit your RegEx strings as necessary… but here are hints using my examples using "contains" rather than Regular Expression: Careers: /jobs2/view/externalApply Groups: /groups/Rocket-Software-3997577 Google Analytics Dashboards Here's a link to a dashboard template you can import into your Google Analytics account. It's a modified version from Erik Wagner. You'll need to change config settings as necessary. Happy tracking! The post Measuring LinkedIn with Google Analytics appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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