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- Why Hackers Take Down Sites (and How to Protect Yourself)
- 3 Ways to Use Humor to Keep Your Audience Coming Back
- Social Media and your business: what you should NOT do
- 21 Experts Give Top Tips for Using Social Media
- LinkedIn Long-Form Posts and Their Place in Content Marketing Campaigns
- Instagram v. Facebook: The Battle of the Almighty Click-Through Rate
- How To Ask For Help From A WordPress Professional
- Should You Be Using Social Media To Build Influence?
- Salesforce Announces Social Studio, A Blend Of Radian6 And Buddy Media
- LinkedIn Pages Get Better Targeting With Two New Features
| Why Hackers Take Down Sites (and How to Protect Yourself) Posted: 07 May 2014 03:00 AM PDT
The business behind hackingBut not every hacker is in it for the fun. Some do have a monetary motivation, even if their path to profit isn't clear to those of us unschooled in the art of hacking. Some hackers extort legitimate businesspeople, threatening a denial of service attack if money is not forthcoming. Others use the denial of service attack as a "smokescreen" while they insert malware or a virus into the code of the target site. One attack created a diversion while the hackers obtained bank customers' credentials and stole $9,000,000 from ATMs in a period of 48 hours. Denial of service attacks can also be used to thwart competition. Companies might pay hackers to execute a denial of service attack on a competitor's website. In some cases, hackers will execute a denial of service attack on a website because they disagree with something the site owner has said (on the site or on another channel). Fighting backGiven the massive cost of mitigating such an attack, the idea that someone might do this can have a chilling effect on speech and the free expression of ideas, which ultimately harms society as a whole. There are some ways to protect your site against a denial of service attack. Ironically, the most common measures taken—firewalls and intrusion prevention systems—are not designed to stave off this type of attack.
There is more you can do, depending on your staff and budget, to protect yourself. Whatever you do, take action now, especially if you've already been the victim of a denial of service attack: 87% of companies attacked were hit multiple times. And remember Neustar's pithy observation: "Hope is not a strategy." The post Why Hackers Take Down Sites (and How to Protect Yourself) appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.         Related Stories
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| 3 Ways to Use Humor to Keep Your Audience Coming Back Posted: 07 May 2014 02:00 AM PDT By Amanda Webb
Do you wonder if it should be? When humor fits with your brand's online identity, it can be a powerful social media tool. In this article I'll show you examples of three ways you can use humor to grab attention. Define Your Online ToneHumor is an excellent addition to your social media toolbox. It makes your brand memorable, invites conversation and improves shares, likes or retweets. If you want to use humor as a social media marketing tactic, you'll find good examples later in this article, but first let's talk about the importance of defining your online voice (or tone). Humor relies on having the right tone.  Which two elements fit best with your brand's voice? I first heard about the tone of voice triangle from Bruce Daisley. He explained that each point of the triangle represents an aspect of your brand's tone: Fun, Help and Give Info. To define your social media personality, choose the two elements that best reflect your brand's tone. You don't have to eliminate the third element, but the two strongest ones should direct your online personality. As an example of how tone affects humor, let's look at Bunsen Burger, a gourmet burger restaurant in Dublin. They're known for their sparse menu and the care and attention they put into creating their delicious burgers. It's a popular spot for hipsters and most nights there's a long line to get in. If we apply the tone of voice triangle to their business, Fun and Give Info are their strong points. Those two elements (especially Fun) are reflected in their Facebook updates.  Bunsen Burger using humor to show off their personality. The picture below is an example of how their Facebook page is bursting with humor. It's a perfect fit for their audience. Before you start injecting jokes into your own social media marketing, take the time to make sure everything fits together. Ask yourself how your offline and online identities work together. Does humor fit with both? How do your customers, fans and followers view you? Do they think of you as cheeky, friendly or edgy—or reserved and conventional? Some businesses may be more suited to humor than others. Depending on your strongest triangle elements and your answers to the questions above, you may find that humor doesn't fit your goals or audience.  Mark & Spencer's gentle humor is the sort of humor your mother would be comfortable with. That's the case for Mark & Spencer, a department store renowned in Britain and Ireland as a quality brand. If they were to use the tone of voice triangle, their best matches would be Help and Give Info. Their established voice is very conventional and is so strongly ingrained in its audience that humor doesn't fit (although they can get away with the occasional bad pun). If you've decided that humor is a good fit for your brand, keep reading. Below you'll find three ways you can attract attention with amusing updates. #1: Have Fun With Your FansA sense of humor can go a long way when you're talking to customers online. Of course you have to take customer queries and complaints seriously, but there are times when you can add a bit of levity. In a recent Twitter campaign, mobile phone carrier ThreeUK asked people to tweet them a word. If the tweeter's word was chosen, the ThreeUK choir would sing it to them. People tweeted all kinds of words and ThreeUK responded to all of them with fun and a smile. Their followers loved the interaction—and the final video!
ThreeUK had a funny take on even the most bizarre suggestions. Mick's Garage in Dublin is another example of a company that includes humor in their customer responses.  Mick's Garage answers questions about everything from air bags to Jaffa Cakes. Every Monday, they invite their Facebook audience to ask their mechanics questions. The casual tone of the updates brings in a mixture of both jokes and serious responses. #2: Tell a Great StoryA funny story grabs attention and stays in the minds of your audience, even when the humor is understated. Back in 2010, one of my favorite Facebook pages, Hairy Baby, shared a great story about Seamus, a bird that got stuck in their factory. Seamus was only there a few days, but the company posted a series of updates that have stuck in my mind ever since. In this picture you can see that Hairy Baby took this adventure very seriously.  The story of Seamus—his first night in captivity. All of the posts on Hairy Baby's page are family-friendly and fun. They'll make you laugh out loud from time to time too. Zwartbles Ireland also tells a really good tale. They raise a rare breed of sheep and sell the wool and blankets made from that wool. The company has given each sheep—and the Cat Shepherd who corrals them—a personality. The animals' day-to-day antics are a central part of the company's online marketing. Fans follow them on Facebook for regular updates.  Zwartbles Ireland shares clever captions and photos of their sheep being sheep. The sheep's cohort, the Cat Shepherd, has become so popular he got his own spin-off page!  Not to be outdone, the Cat Shepherd earned his own Facebook page. These day-to-day updates aren't laugh-out-loud funny, but like Hairy Baby's updates, they're cute, family-friendly and endearing. Use humor in your storytelling and you'll ensure not only that people remember your brand, but also that they'll smile when they do so. #3: Take a Calculated RiskPushing the boundaries of humor can be an amazing boost for your profile or it can be wildly unsuccessful and do more harm than good. Do you remember the JC Penney tweets from the Super Bowl? Until they revealed the punch line—that they were tweeting while wearing mittens—more than a few people assumed they were drinking and tweeting.  The big reveal: We're wearing mittens! Some companies are more comfortable stepping over the boundaries of good taste than others. It's a calculated risk, but if your audience is game, you could win big. Over to You Using humor will help you be memorable, make it easier to connect with your community and help you define your personality. Each social channel has a different tone. As with all marketing campaigns, the key to success is to know your audience and what's appropriate for your brand and the networks you're using. My examples are mostly from Facebook and Twitter, as these are places where users expect entertainment, but go ahead and try out other social channels as well. Instagram is a good choice for sharing funny in-the-moment pictures, but tread carefully if you're sharing on a more professional website like LinkedIn. What do you think? Have you used humor as a social media tactic? How did your audience respond? I'd love to hear your thoughts.  This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. The post 3 Ways to Use Humor to Keep Your Audience Coming Back appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Social Media and your business: what you should NOT do Posted: 06 May 2014 11:14 PM PDT
Many articles and videos on the Internet tell you what you should do to succeed in using social media for your business – but there are not many out there that tell you what you should NOT do. I have many clients, friends and readers that have asked me what the NO NO's are of using social media for your business. Social media etiquette and best practice is not obvious to everyone. Here are three things you should NOT do with social media and your business: 1: Thinking social media is a place for your business to share everything that YOU likeI still see many companies that fail in their social media efforts, because they struggle to understand that what you share and talk about on your social media pages is NOT all about you and what YOU like. It is your space to share your products, services, successes and the things that you as a company agree with or like – but you have to remember everyone has different opinions, likes and dislikes too. Not talking with them but at them is a No No. Connect with your audience on their level; find out what they like by asking questions, testing different content and finding what works. You will not succeed overnight with 100+ likes or shares on all your content – it takes time, be patient. 2: Not having a dedicated member or team in charge of social media on a daily basisProducing content, coming up with ideas, staying ahead with the trends and graphic design all takes time. If you want to be successful you need an employee or team, depending on the size of your business that deals with your social media as their designated job. If there is one thing social media requires a lot of: time! After all the content is out of the way, engagement has to happen – comments that needs replying to, conversations that need to happen and customers' needs that has to be addressed. And when all this is done, listening has to happen too. You have to track your competitors and what is being said about your company by using tools like HootSuite, where you can set up streams to look for specific keywords. 'Doing' social media is much more than just posting a picture or sharing a piece of content for the day. Don't employ someone to do your accounts, social media and admin – you will 'pay more' in the long run. 3: Not having a social media policy in place for employeesThis is extremely important in any workplace. Your employees should know exactly what they can say and or share on the company pages. They should know what is acceptable and that there will be consequences for their behavior in the company's public space. Employees and owners should also be reminded that saying anything negative, sarcastic or pointing out mistakes publicly on social media is not going to help your company image at all. Yes, I still see this happening. Can you believe it? Employees can be your best brand advocates, but only if used right. Brands become stronger by getting employees involved in social media efforts. At the end of the day their employment and professional reputation rely on the success of the brand. Companies who recognise the potential of their employees are likely to have a monetary advantage – connecting with a greater number people, more rapidly, and on a deeper level. How to choose employees to involve
Some of the points mentioned below might work for your business in some cases – this is my personal opinion, and I would love to hear your experiences in the comments below. If 'No No's' are working for your business, it would be great to hear your story. Featured image credit: BigTim9 The post Social Media and your business: what you should NOT do appeared first on Muddywall. The post Social Media and your business: what you should NOT do appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 21 Experts Give Top Tips for Using Social Media Posted: 06 May 2014 08:36 PM PDT
When it comes to using social media for your business, there will always be experts sharing vital information and tips that can help you increase your sales online. If you want to know what the social media experts say, keep reading. 1. "Social media is virtual networking. Take the time to build relationships just like you would face to face" – Laura Cummins, Owner of NineDotz Consulting. 2. "Be consistent and be yourself" – Sean D'Souza, Chief brain auditor at Psychotactics. 3. "Every business has a story. What's yours? Share it in a way that attracts clients and encourages prospects to take action" – Rebekah Radice, Social Media Strategist. 4. "Fight social media overwhelm by keeping it SIMPLE; don't be on every social media network – only where your audience spends lots of time and help them" – Mike Gingerich, Co-Founder at Tabsite. 5. "After creating your accounts, follow like minded businesses, then watch and observe the tone of the platform, then begin to engage" – Pam Wood, Ballroom made simple. 6. "Go above and beyond on your original content and be consistent with it. When it works, its the gift that keeps on giving" – Melonie Dodaro, Founder of Top Dog Social Media. 7. "Share something small every day. Small things over time get big." – Austin Kleon, Author of Show Your Work! 8. "In social media, content leads to conversations, conversations build relationships, and relationships result in ROI" – Robert Caruso, Founder & CEO at Bundle Post. 9. "Don't talk to people, talk with them" – Catherine Russell, Content Writer. 10. "Pick one network and do it well first. Choose one that you like to use personally and are comfortable using. Master it." – Julia C. Campbell, J Campbell Social Marketing. 11. "Quality trumps quantity. Pick one or two social media platforms, and devote yourself to learning about them and using them well" – Joseph Cole, Content Writer. 12. "Watch your spelling!" – Tammy Weaver. 13. "Visuals are easier to relate to than test, so include images in your content than can be pinned to Pinterest and shared across other networks" – Cynthia Sanchez, Oh So Pinteresting. 14. "Learn from the experts and never pass up a social media class or seminar" – Charles River Running. 15. "Be honest, be warm, be authentic, and put yourself in the shoes of your customers on social media" – Kim Garst, Boom! Social. 16. "Be useful and indispensable" – John Haydon – Founder of Inbound Zombie and Author of Facebook for Dummies. 17. "You don't have to create all original content, just be a good source for trending content in your industry" – Shannon Faulkner, CEO at Delphis Creative Marketing Solutions. 18. "Study your competition and watch where they participate in social dialog. Don't reinvent the wheel" – Mike Stelzner, Founder of Social Media Examiner. 19. "Don't take on too much. Focus on doing one thing right on social media before moving on" – Lisa Kalner Williams, Founder of Sierra Tierra Marketing. 20. "Identify your goals, then make a plan!" – Ashley Taylor Anderson, SinglePlatform. 21. "Share the reason "why" you love what you are doing. If you can't tell it, you can't sell it" – Warren Knight. These are just 21 top tips from experts in the digital industry. If you would like to see all 50, you can view the presentation here. The post 21 Experts Give Top Tips for Using Social Media appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| LinkedIn Long-Form Posts and Their Place in Content Marketing Campaigns Posted: 06 May 2014 08:29 PM PDT
Long-form posts are a great way to build up topical influence and develop your personal brand. They will also expose your company's name recognition and topical mastery to professionals likely interested in your products and services. These longer posts will be helpful in content marketing, but don't go overboard. It is just one tool in a myriad of options you should be looking at as you construct your content marketing campaigns. Your blog and website should always be your campaign lead and tools like blogging on LinkedIn should be the supporting actors. I recommend you view them much like a guest blog post, an article pitch or an advertorial. Work them into your editorial calendar and focus on quality over quantity. A few good posts should position you pretty well among your peers. One important note about the LinkedIn publishing platform. Currently, the option is not yet available to the general public. LinkedIn has indicated that the feature would be phased in over time. Here is a link to the signup form that LinkedIn has posted for publishers that want to gain early approval. By filling out the form, you aren’t guaranteed access to the feature, but it puts you further up in the line and as all good digital marketers know, you only have an advantage as long as you stay ahead of the masses. Good luck and please leave a comment and share your experience with LinkedIn’s publishing platform once you are able to play around with it. Note: This post is an excerpt from my new book: Leveling the Playing Field: A Small Business Guide to Generating Leads on LinkedIn. This book is packed with tips and tricks that I’ve picked up during my years of developing digital strategies for companies of all sizes and industries. Image credit: Maria Reyes-McDavis via flickr The post LinkedIn Long-Form Posts and Their Place in Content Marketing Campaigns appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Instagram v. Facebook: The Battle of the Almighty Click-Through Rate Posted: 06 May 2014 06:17 PM PDT
Okay, "battle" might be kind of misleading. Even "decimation," which literally means to destroy or kill one-tenth, doesn't quite get at it. When it comes to click-through rates on Facebook and Instagram, Instagram is… annihilating… Facebook in the contests of CTR and engagement. If you've been advertising on Facebook for at least six months, you may have noticed your "Total Reach" figures taking a nosedive that looks something like this (no, not one of my clients):
The Shift From Facebook to Instagram As you observe the gradual decline of Facebook's organic reach, you may have thought to yourself, "How 'bout that Instagram?" This would be some good thinking. Forbes reports (via Think Tank) that Instagram "boasts 15 times more engagement than its parent company [Facebook], and more than Twitter or Google." That was February. Things are only getting better. In May 2014, engagement and conversion rates on Instagram are still red hot. Last week, Marketing Land reported on the findings of Nate Elliott of Forrester Research. By studying three million user interactions on 2,500 posts from top brands in Q1 of 2014, Elliott discovered that Instagram had a per follower engagement rate of 4.21%. Take a look at his graph to see how the other social media "giants" stand up:
What Is It About Instagram? Good question. Forrester makes the argument that Instagram is killing the engagement competition for a few reasons:
"How Can I Get In On the Action?" If you aren't using Instagram for business, I'd encourage you to give it a shot. Sign up, let your audience know you're there, and get ready to post. But first – want to know a secret? You've got to have that creative eye to make it happen. If you don't have "the eye," hire one. Studio and stock photos are a no-go on Instagram. Social media agency Laundry Service reports (via AdAge) that these slick pics actually don't produce nearly the same engagement rates as original "non-glossy pictures shot outside of a studio" – the agency's description of what an "Instagram photo" should look like. In their study, Laundry Service learned the following about click-through rates on Instagram:
What's Your Experience With Instagram for Business? Do you find you have better engagement and conversion rates on Instagram? What kind of posts work for your brand? What posts don't? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments. The post Instagram v. Facebook: The Battle of the Almighty Click-Through Rate appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| How To Ask For Help From A WordPress Professional Posted: 06 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT
I am a believer in the truth that no one achieves anything on their own. Everyone gets help with something along their journey. One of the biggest misnomers about WordPress is that it's simple, easy and anyone can do it. That's not true. WordPress is simple and easy if you know what you're doing, so not just anyone can do it. During your WordPress journey you may (will) run into snags along the way. A specific theme won't work they way you want it to, a plugin you install doesn't work exactly right, or maybe self-hosting your own domain gets confusing — these things will happen. So what should you do? This is the time to ask for help. Asking For HelpHere are the appropriate ways and outlets to ask for help with your WordPress problems.
How NOT To Ask For HelpJust as important as knowing how to ask for help is knowing how not to ask for help. These couple of things are what makes WordPress professionals crazy. Do this and more often not you will not hear back from someone.
WordPress has a great community. Someone will always be available to lend a helping hand, but like everything there's a right and wrong way to approach things. Move forward, ask for help the right way and get your problems solved. The post How To Ask For Help From A WordPress Professional appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Should You Be Using Social Media To Build Influence? Posted: 06 May 2014 11:54 AM PDT
Have you been keeping an eye on the social media influence platform, Klout? It was recently acquired by Lithium for at least $100 million dollars. Now that's some thinking money. Even if you're not active on social media, this acquisition should pique your interest on the topic of digital influence – how influential your company is online, and how you can increase your traction in the market. Influence is an integral element of inbound marketing. Each piece of the puzzle — the social media marketing, the blogging, and the premium content — is working hard to make your company more and more influential. If you're looking to increase your company's digital influence, here's how to get there. Who doesn't want to work with the best?It's a simple fact of life that your customers want to work with the best in the business. If your "typical customer" uses social media, then you need to be active to widen your online reach. Finding conversations your prospects are having online, then contributing to that conversation will give you more influence and reach. Prospects will view you as a thought leader. And the more you're viewed as a thought leader, the more people trust your insight, your recommendations, your suggestions, and your company. Use social media to build influenceOne of the most straight-forward ways to build digital influence is to use your social media platforms. No, that doesn't mean posting a photo of your next business lunch. Here are four ideas to get involved in the online conversation and establish your brand of thought leadership:
Social media influence isn't just for B2C companies. There is real value is applying social media influence to your B2B business strategy, too. The best way to stand out in a crowd is to lead it, and that's just what digital influence can do for you. How influential are you in your industry? How do you plan to increase your influence?
The post Should You Be Using Social Media To Build Influence? appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Salesforce Announces Social Studio, A Blend Of Radian6 And Buddy Media Posted: 06 May 2014 09:16 AM PDT Salesforce is a world leader in CRM solutions, and today introduced Social Studio, a suite of marketing tools that covers the spectrum of social media. A collaboration between two of its social media service acquisitions Buddy Media and Radian6, it's split into four tools:
Workspaces is the collaboration aspect with teams, something Salesforce itself is most known for, and the other tools are pretty self-explanatory. Now part of the ExactTarget Marketing Cloud, here's what Buddy Media Co-Founder Michael Lazerow had to say:
Social Studio also features integration with Shutterstock and Getty Images, as well as Kontera and Trendspottr, a real-time social intelligence platform. From Marcel LeBrun, SVP of Product at Salesforce:
The appropriately titled Radian6 + Buddy Media Social Studio is available May 7 to existing ExactTarget Marketing Cloud customers at no additional cost, and pricing starts at $1500 per month. The post Salesforce Announces Social Studio, A Blend Of Radian6 And Buddy Media appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| LinkedIn Pages Get Better Targeting With Two New Features Posted: 06 May 2014 09:12 AM PDT
LinkedIn posted solid earnings for the first quarter of 2014, and today announced two new features for both Showcase and Company Pages. With language preference targeting and personalized page feed, businesses will be able to customize what content gets shown to users based on several different factors. From the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions blog:
Language preference targeting works by showing specific updates in a certain language only to users who have that language set as their default. Personalized page feed allows companies to set specific updates to be shown in a specific region, or based on industry, company size and seniority. For example, you could target certain posts for managers located in the United States who are part of a company with several hundred employees. These two new additions are particularly useful to global companies, and LinkedIn notes on its updated Help page that you can add admins who specifically share content to certain regions/languages. The majority of LinkedIn users, 67 percent, are located outside of the United States, and the social network is currently available in 21 different languages. The post LinkedIn Pages Get Better Targeting With Two New Features appeared first on Twitter Tools Reviews. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
By Kerry Gorgone, {grow} Contributing Columinist Why do the Bad Guys try to take down our websites? In my (admittedly limited) experience with hacking, the main result of a denial of service attack seems to be annoyance on a wide scale. Blameless users simply trying to accomplish a routine task (such as order a product or read a blog) are unable to proceed due to a denial of service attack (often referred to as a "DoS" or “DDoS” attack). In my naiveté, I often assumed—without really giving it much thought—that denial of service attacks were undertaken by bored geeks who had tired of online gaming and moved onto hacking. I imagined a sort of high-tech "pissing contest," in which each hacker sought to establish his or her superiority. I never imagined there could be a more sinister motivation, nor did I consider the devastating consequences that bringing down a website could have on a business owner. According to a study from Neustar, it takes an 
Kerry O'Shea Gorgone
Like everything, there is a right and a wrong way to ask for help from a WordPress developer. To be clear, we are discussing asking for help from a professional — not hiring someone.
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