Meaghan

  • Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Tips

    Recommended Social Media Management Tools from a Seasoned Social Media Manager

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    Nearly half of small businesses are spending about six hours a week on social media. That’s almost a whole day of business! Social media management tools can help to make you more productive and effective during the time spent on social media.

    Below is a comprehensive list of the tools I have worked with or am currently using to schedule content for myself and my clients. Many are accessible on mobile, and some are accessible on both mobile and desktop. Take it from a pro – it’s always nice to have your social media management tools right on your phone for easy access on the go!

    Top Social Media Management Tools to Make Your Content Creation Tasks Easier

    Social Media Management Platforms

    Deciding on a social media management platform is like picking what type of ice cream you want at the local creamery. They’re all generally the same (frozen milk and sugar), but with slightly different ingredients based on your preferences.

    [bctt tweet=”Deciding on a #socialmedia management platform is like picking what type of ice cream ? you want at the local creamery. It’s hard!” username=”meaghanmae”]

    Hootsuite – With the free option of Hootsuite you can connect three social media accounts and schedule up to 30 messages. If you’re scheduling posts once a week or more frequently the free one may be enough, otherwise they have a paid plan that can handle more.

    HubSpot – HubSpot is excellent for larger companies looking for a full-blown CRM (customer relationship management) system. You can do social listening, schedule content, and analyze your efforts based on campaigns within the platform.

    Planoly– I recently started to use this, and I’m so glad I did! The drag and drop feature and grid view make it incredibly simple to plan your Instagram content. It even lets you know how many hashtags you have space left for with the Instagram mandated maximum of 30.

    Buffer – If you’re a fan of drag and drop, this is the social media manager for you. At the time of this blog post, it’s one of the few platforms that offer drag and drop to reschedule content.

    CoSchedule – Businesses with an active blog will like CoSchedule. It integrates with WordPress, and you can see social messages and blog posts in a single calendar for easier planning. Scheduling additional social messages for each blog is convenient too with your related images readily available.

    Image Creators/Editors

    Whether you’re creating the perfect Instagram post, the featured image for your next blog post, or thumbnail for your upcoming viral video, you’ll likely want a tool – especially if you’re going to add any text.

    Canva – I wrote in-depth about Canva and how to use it in 2016. It’s one of my top two tools I recommend to clients if they want to DIY their social media and blog/website images.
    steps-to-creating-canva

    izkiz Cam – This is my favorite Instagram image editor. Created by a popular Instagrammer with nearly 3 million followers, this app is $1.99. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something to make your photos brighter and more vibrant.

    Analysis/Maintenance Tools

    A big part of your social media marketing strategy should include analyzing your content to identify what works and what doesn’t. Accurately measuring your results from social will help you to generate top-performing posts as you move forward. Don’t guesstimate like this guy.

    Most social media management platforms and social networks include analysis features within them, but if you’re looking for something more check out this list.

    Google Analytics – Get an overall look at which social media platforms are performing best in bringing visitors back to your website with Google Analytics. You’ll also be able to see which formats are resonating the most with each social networks’ users.

    InsTrack – Many Instagram users’ “strategy” to get followers is to follow and then unfollow as soon as the other account reciprocates. How this is still happening is beyond me! It’s incredibly disingenuine and a waste of time. To whittle these people out of your account, you can download InsTrack or a similar app to your smartphone that identifies who has unfollowed you.

    ManageFlitter – The same follow and unfollow tactic from Instagram happens on Twitter too. Clean up who you’re following with ManageFlitter.

    Hashtagify – Track hashtag popularity and find new ones using hashtagify.me.

    Google Sheets – Google Sheets can’t do any analysis for you (unless you’re kind of an Excel wizard), but it’s a convenient way to track your social media engagement and to plan future content.

    Employee Advocacy Platforms

    Enterprise companies looking to grow their brand’s reach online can mobilize their employees to share content. As Forbes reported, “brand messages shared by employees on social media earn 561 percent more reach than the same messages shared by the brand’s social media channels.”

    Executing an effective employee advocacy program necessitates a software that is simple to use for employees. The process of sharing your content needs to be as easy as possible. These are two of the tools I’ve used in the past – both as a user and in managing the platform.

    GaggleAMP – In addition to engaging your employees in sharing, GaggleAMP makes it easy to include your other brand advocates (possibly your customers) in sharing useful content.
    Everyone Social – The user has the option to create their own streams of content in Everyone Social. Similar to the feeds your business creates on company news, or other industry related content that your buyers will find helpful, they can add publications or hashtags that populate relevant content.

    [bctt tweet=”Not sure which tools you should be using to help with #socialmedia #marketing? Check out this list! ” username=”meaghanmae”]

    Where to Find OPC

    Your social media plan should include a mix of (OPC) other peoples content and your own. Many social media managers, myself included, recommend an 80 to 20 ratio. 80 percent being OPC and 20 percent being content from your website or other online channels. Here’s a list of the places you can look to find relevant content to share with your audience:

    1. BuzzSumo
    2. Google Advanced Search
    3. Anders Pink
    4. Feedly
    5. Relevant, Non-competing Industry Magazines and Blogs

    Understand that these are just the tools that I use. There may be better options out there; new apps are coming out all the time. Agorapulse and Edgar, for example, are two commonly recommended paid tools I hear from my peers.

    So what’s your flavor? Are there any tools I missed that you recommend to others? Are you going to try any of these out?  Let me know in the comments below.

     

    Reach out to me for a free 20-minute exploration call if you’re still struggling to get a grasp on managing your social media. I offer management services and training to help you grow brand visibility using social media.

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  • Blog, Blogging, Marketing, Personal Branding

    How to Write Engaging Content that Makes Your Brand Unforgettable

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    Whenever you sit down to start writing a blog post, what’s the first thought that comes to your mind? Hopefully, it’s not, ugh, I have to write another blog post (but if it is, get in touch with me – my writing services may be just what you need). In the sea of content that’s available on the web today, a top objective should be to write engaging content that is unforgettable.

    How to Write Engaging Content

    Today’s readers are inundated by online content. Brands must be creating memorable material that helps the brand to not only stand out but also to connect with your reader and make them want to return to your website.

    [bctt tweet=”Publishing unforgettable #content leads to a memorable brand.” username=”@meaghanmae”]

    Here are five aspects of a memorable blog post to help your brand connect with prospects, i.e., your readers. Include a mix of these in your content.

    1. Tell a story.
    2. Teach the reader something new.
    3. Present a thought-provoking idea.
    4. Agree with the reader.
    5. Make them laugh.

    [bctt tweet=”What should you include in your #content to make it memorable? Find out in this blog post by @meaghanmae. #branding” via=”no”]

    Tell a Story

    As Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” If you can make the reader feel an emotion, you’re golden. They may not remember each of the five statistics you included, but they’ll remember the story and the emotions they felt.

    “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

    Incorporating storytelling into your content will have the most impact.

    In the book The Storytelling Edge, the content strategy masterminds behind Contently.com point out, “When we hear a story, the neural activity increases fivefold.” It’s easier to remember data points when they’re tied to a narrative, so try to weave a personal experience or fictional tale into your content.

    Teach

    Educate your reader. If your business has employees, involve them in creating content. If they’re not interested in writing or recording a video, you can always interview them and share their expertise that way.

    Position your brand as a knowledgeable resource by sharing helpful, expert level advice around your target customers’ pain points. You might even earn your website a few bookmarks from readers.

    Shock

    A quick way to be memorable is to do something crazy! Think about all of the viral videos you see. You remember and maybe even share them because they’re out of the norm. Apply this same principle to your content and present a new way of thinking for your reader to consider.

    Agree

    Share something that gets the reader nodding in agreement. Everything that you share doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. Agreeing with your reader allows them to relate to you and your personal brand. It builds a sense of connection. You want them to think, “This is my kind of person!”

    Make Them Laugh

    Comedian Mike Albanese says, “Funny content is more likely to be recalled than content that has no humor, and that is the point of most marketing and content!” 

    Write engaging content by infusing humor into your writing – if you’re funny! Comedy is not something that you can force, and readers will be able to tell if you’re faking it.

    If your content is usually pretty dry, try self-deprecating humor. It allows people to relate to you and see a human side that they may not recognize in clear-cut content.

    Amplifying Your Engaging Content

    Creating your unforgettable content isn’t the end of the line. It needs to be shareable too. Your amplification strategy should include paid advertising, especially if you’re not a well-known company that people are searching out for information.

    What do you include in your content to help build your brand and add a sense of community? Let me know in the comments below.

    free-def-guide-facebook-pages (1)

    If you’re sharing your content on a Facebook Page, are you getting the number of views that you want? If not, download my free eBook to ensure you’re doing everything you can to get more organic engagement.

     

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  • Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Video Marketing

    Video and the Future of Content Marketing

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    What can you expect for the future of content marketing? It has certainly evolved in format since it first started with John Deere’s magazine The Furrow in 1895, but the purpose is still the same – build trust with your consumers.

    In addition to one-page leaflets, we now have branded magazines, blogs, podcasts, social media posts, and videos too.

    People watch 85 percent of Facebook videos without sound. They’re still interested in reading (and value their silent time), but visuals are a nice addition. The two complement each other quite well.

    Imagine watching an hour-long video on how to create a successful content strategy – no thanks! Wouldn’t you rather have a 10,000-word blog or eBook you can quickly come back to and reference? I would take notes the entire time if I watched a video or listened to a podcast that long. Give me the blog, please!

    Video Will Bolster The Future of Content Marketing

    As a proponent for the written word, I truly believe that video will not eliminate written communications. According to new research from Clutch, “33 percent of B2B audiences read blogs or articles about business-related topics.” People are sharing blogs with others because they think it will be useful and it’s helping to generate leads.

    [bctt tweet=”#Video won’t eliminate written #content, but there is value in using video to reach more people.” username=”meaghanmae”]

    B2B marketers using blogs get 67percent more leads than those that don’t. Social Media Examiner even reported that more than half of marketers believe that “original written content” is the most important type over images, videos, and infographics. However, I know the value of using video to reach people. Look at the facts, and you’ll agree.

    Types of Video to Use in Your Content Marketing Strategy

    Now that you understand why you need to create videos for your brand, let’s take a look at how to get started. The first question you likely have is what you should create videos about? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

    1. Create explanatory videos about your product or service.
    2. Answer FAQs. Almost half of businesses surveyed by HubSpot claim that video helps them lower the number of support queries they receive.
    3. Short teaser clips within your article of a few of the main points can encourage the viewer to read more. 80 percent of marketers say video increases the amount of time a viewer stays on their website.
      [bctt tweet=”#Video increases the amount of time a viewer stays on your website. #marketing” username=”meaghanmae”]
    4. Repurpose your current content. Identify content (blogs, eBooks, white papers) that have performed well in the past and add more mileage to the idea you’ve already developed with a video. It will also help with SEO (search engine optimization) of that topic on your website.
    5. Share “behind the scenes.” Give your prospects and customers a taste of what life is like in your business. Share clips from around the office that show the company culture, host interviews with employees or customers, explain how to make the product, or crowdsource questions to answer on a video.

    Tips and Best Practices for Video Marketing

    Recording and sharing video doesn’t have to be difficult. All you need is your smartphone and an idea. Remember these tips and best practices as you develop your video strategy.

    1. Short, two-minute-long videos get the most engagement (This does NOT apply to live video, see number two).
    2. Go live. At Social Media Day Jacksonville 2018, live video expert Luria Petrucci said to aim for a minimum of 20 minutes when using live video to get the most engagement.
      [bctt tweet=”To get the most engagement from your #livevideo, @luriapetrucci says to aim for a minimum of 20 minutes. #contentmarketing #videotip” username=”meaghanmae”]
    3. Create a series. In her book, Vlog Like a Boss: How to Kill It Online with Video Blogging, Amy Landino suggests creating a video series. It gives you an idea for the next video to make and builds a sense of anticipation among your audience.
    4. Share on Instagram or Facebook Stories.
    5. Upload videos directly to Facebook, don’t share YouTube links. Native videos get a ten times higher reach.
    6. Engage with viewers. 

    Are you among the 81 percent of businesses that use video in your marketing? If not, it’s time to get started. Grab your smartphone, develop a strategy or outline for your first branded video, and hit record!

    free-def-guide-facebook-pages (1)

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  • Blog, Blogging

    No Time to Blog? Hire a Ghostwriter

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    You know you need a blog, but you don’t have the time to write regularly. Does this sound like you? Then maybe it’s time to hire a ghostwriter.

    One of the top reasons people don’t blog is due to a lack of time. Sales representatives, business owners, virtually any business professional can benefit from hiring a ghostwriter.

    Do you need help creating quality content? Click here to contact me.ghost-pumpkin

    Ghostwriters don’t just write novels. Today they write blog posts, eBooks, white papers, social media posts, emails, video scripts, and other content to fill out your marketing strategy and build your position as a thought leader.

    But don’t worry, working with a ghostwriter doesn’t have to be difficult or break the bank. If you know how to collaborate with a ghostwriter, you can get the most out of your investment.

    [bctt tweet=”Working with a ghostwriter doesn’t have to be difficult or break the bank. #contentmarketing” username=”@meaghanmae”]

    Ways to Collaborate with a Ghostwriter

    As a ghostwriter, I’ve written for clients in fields varying from social business, inside sales, insurance, marketing, artificial intelligence, even some content for the food and beverage industry. There are writers out there who are knowledgeable in your industry and open to ghostwriting.

    Collaborating with a ghostwriter shouldn’t be hard. Here are a few ways you can seamlessly work with a ghostwriter to get your content created.

    1. Have the writer come up with questions to interview your team and create a blog post from their replies.
    2. Deliver them a list of ideas.
    3. Provide a theme and leave it up to the writer on the particular topic—just make sure they clear it with you before starting on a 1,000-word blog post.
    4. Turn a podcast into an article. If you’re more of a talker than a writer this is an excellent option. Not only does it give you the material for the writer to go off of, but it gives you another outlet to share your message.
    5. Write the majority of your blog post and hire a ghostwriter to copy edit—refining your writing and filling out the content.

    3 Tips for Working with a Ghostwriter

    Share Feedback – This could likely go unsaid, but once you have the copy from your writer, go through it and tweak it to make it your own. To build a long-lasting relationship with writers, send them your final edits, so they have a better idea of how to write for you in the future. Sharing feedback will make your and their job easier going forward.

    Clarify Goals – Be clear in your goals and every detail of what you want and don’t want. There is no magical mind reader tool available, yet anyway. Consider preparing an outline to organize your thoughts. If there are any sources you don’t want to include in the content, be sure to note them. An outline depicting your core objectives will help to secure a quality product faster.

    Encourage Creativity – Give the writer some creative leeway. Many of the best articles I’ve written as a ghostwriter has stemmed from when I’m given only a title and a keyword. Once the writer has an understanding of your objectives and voice, let them run with the project. The details should come together nicely.

    Remember that the experts may be more expensive. Sometimes a general writer is your best option. A good ghostwriter will conduct comprehensive research into the topic they’re writing about and can save you money.

    [bctt tweet=”How can a ghostwriter help you to build your #brand? #contentmarketing” username=”meaghanmae”]

    The majority of my monthly revenue as a writer comes from ghostwriting for busy professionals. If you’re ready to get your time back and still have articles with your byline, then email me to discuss a plan for building up your thought leadership position with a blog.

    free-def-guide-facebook-pages

    ghostwriter_blog

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  • Blog, Social Media Tips

    How Website Load Time on Mobile Affects Your Facebook Page’s Reach

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    Earlier this week Facebook announced that they’ve once again changed the algorithm delineating which content to show in users’ News Feeds. Content shared from websites with slow load times on mobile will decrease in views over the coming months.

    “During the coming months we’re making an update to News Feed to show people more stories that will load quickly on mobile and fewer stories that might take longer to load, so they can spend more time reading the stories they find relevant.”

    While this should fire you up to check on your own site’s load time, don’t forget about the OPC (Other People’s Content) that you’re sharing. If you share a lot of OPC from a slow moving website, your Page’s overall reach will begin to lessen.

    Facebook went on to say that the user’s “current network connection” will also be considered. If the user has a slower network connection, and the web page URL you’re sharing has a long load time, it will appear lower in their News Feed. Obviously, you don’t have control over their network connection, so the focus is on the time it takes your website to load that page on mobile.

    Testing and Improving Your Pages’ Loading Times

    The first thing you’ll need to do is check mobile load time. Facebook provided a list of Best Practices to Improve Mobile Site Performance that included a few options for evaluating current load time. Below is an example of the information you’ll receive on PageSpeed. This tool was easy to use and very self-explanatory. It even provides suggestions on how to optimize your page further.

    pagespeed_insights

    I also tried a few of the other tools on Facebook’s list. Instead of an overall grade, many gave me specific load times and were honestly overwhelming with the amount of data provided. Those tools are more for a developer, while the data from PageSpeed offered suggestions I could follow through on myself with a little bit of digging.

    As a site owner, this may feel frustrating, but looking at it from a user perspective this algorithm change makes sense. Improving your website for a better mobile experience is necessary in today’s world, especially if you want to reach your audience on Facebook. According to Venture Beat, 56.5% of users only log in to Facebook from mobile. Another eye-opening data point – there are over 1.74 billion mobile monthly active users on Facebook. If you don’t speed up your pages load time over the next few months be prepared to see your Facebook referral traffic fall.

    If you don’t improve your loading time over the next few months, be prepared to see your Facebook referral traffic drop. Now more than ever before is the time to consider the user experience of your website.

    free-def-guide-facebook-pages

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  • Blog, Social Media Tips

    How to Educate & Entertain Your Prospects with Videos and Images

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    When it comes to building a relationship with your customers, visuals – specifically videos – are your best option. In this Social Media Day Recap, you’ll hear from various experts on how to educate and entertain your prospects with video and images while guiding them through the buyer’s journey. Read on or watch the video below to learn how your brand can build solid relationships with your audience through the use of video content.

    How to Invite User-Generated Content on Snapchat

    Mark Kaye, a host on the radio station 95.1 WAPE in Jacksonville, is a Snapchat influencer. During his session, he talked about how to involve your viewers and encourage them to create content. User generated content can then be used in other ways. He made a “12 days of Christmas Mash-up” by asking followers to send him one word that they like most about Christmas. He then took all of the clips and pulled them together to make a video.

    Casie Shimansky from Cisco discussed their employee advocacy program. They enlist employees to conduct daily takeovers of their Snapchat. Selected employees are given the password to Cisco’s Snapchat and encouraged to post to their story. Their posts include snapshots of their days while working at Cisco, their favorite products, and more.

    Casie_Shimansky

    Focus on a Problem in Your YouTube Videos

    Roberto Blake is a Designer, YouTube Creator, and Marketing Consultant. He recently hit the mark of 1,000 YouTube videos on his channel. Roberto noted how 80% of adults over 25 years old are watching videos on YouTube. To build your brand on YouTube, he recommends owning a problem.

    You can look at YouTube as oversaturated, or work to own the problem or solution that your company solves. If you’re not sure what to create your videos about, Roberto recommends starting with a Twitter search of #_____problems (fill in the blank with your industry). Try to address every stage of the buyer’s journey. Create content answering your company’s FAQs to save your sales team time from answering the same questions over and over again.

    How 100 Facebook Live Videos in a Month Evolved to Two a Week

    Nasdaq’s Head of Social Media, Anna Gonzalez spoke about how they’re using Facebook Live in their content strategy. Their social team consists of three people, but that didn’t stop them from creating 100 videos in one month. A few other months they were pretty high up there with their video count too. They’ve scaled back now and publish about two a week, but they collected a lot of data to analyze during those high volume months.

    Anna_Gonzalex_NASDAQ

    Anna pointed out that a view is counted after three seconds of a person watching your video. Keep this in mind when analyzing your own videos. Experimentation on Facebook Live is a must, especially with their ever-changing algorithms.

    Influencer Marketing and Instagram

    Marketing expert Kenny Harper is Co-Founder of Rock My Image in Jacksonville. He talked about influencer marketing and how 92% of those who have worked with influencers see it as successful. To be the best influencer you can be, he says to be consistent. That doesn’t mean daily postings but stick to a schedule.

    Chad Israel from Hertz Rent a Car gave real-life examples of how their brand is partnering with influencers. There doesn’t have to be an exchange of money; many influencers will collaborate on a trade if what you are offering is valuable to them. In their case, a rental car. Working with influencer Matt Pierce, Hertz invested about $3,000 in trading a car for two months. Chad said that the return on investment was about $200,000! That’s from images and video assets that the influencer created. This example showed that you don’t need a huge budget to work with influencers.

    The final speaker at Social Media Day Jacksonville was Curtis Midkiff from Southwest Airlines. Previously a DJ, his entrance with a Yankees cap and Jay-Z playing in the background only made sense. Curtis reminded everyone about social listening to gauge audience sentiment. He said you need to have a plan but be flexible, adapting as necessary.

    Curtis_Midkiff

    Tieing back to part one of my recaps, Carlos Gil said, “The word fun is often lost in marketing.” When creating content of any kind remember to make it enjoyable. People don’t want to see advertisements. But if you make it a pleasurable experience, they may not be so apt to jump away to the next thing online.

    [bctt tweet=”The word fun is often lost in marketing. – @carlosgil83 #SMDayJAX” username=”meaghanmae”]

    Read and/or watch part one of my Social Media Day Jacksonville Recap: Biggest Takeaway from Social Media Day Jacksonville – Video is a Major Key

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