Emma Fitzpatrick

Emma Fitzpatrick is a freelance writer and marketer, whose specialties include content marketing, social marketing and short, snappy writing. Pick her brain more at emma.l.fitzpatrick@gmail.com.

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Articles by Emma Fitzpatrick

• 5 quick digital marketing tips to end 2019 strong

  Thursday, September 12, 2019

  As we officially close the book on summer, let's plan to finish the rest of the year with gusto! Social media and digital marketing can have a bit of a lull in the summer months while everyone is out vacationing. That's why now is the perfect time to revamp your digital marketing strategy. From Instagram influencers to maximizing Facebook ad campaigns, read on to learn five digital marketing tricks that can impact your plan for the rest of the year.

• Research: One way to boost organic shares on social media

  Monday, August 19, 2019

  Most marketers don’t count on social shares much! That’s because from 2015 to 2017, social sharing dropped by half, according to BuzzSumo data. Yet, there is an outlier: original, authoritative content. Publications like The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and The Economist actually saw a substantial increase in the number of their social shares. For marketers, publishing original research was their ticket to capitalize on the above trend. For the most part, it seemed to work.

• Insider advice: How to improve your social media marketing

  Wednesday, August 07, 2019

  Pouring over the latest industry reports and third-party studies helps you discover new tips and tricks that can improve your social media marketing. But the most authoritative advice comes from the networks themselves. After all, those companies know every aspect of the algorithm and platform, which means their representatives can share undisputed insights. Without further ado, dive into the latest marketing tips that Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have shared!

• Are the good times over for marketers on Instagram?

  Monday, July 15, 2019

  In June 2018, Instagram hit a huge milestone: over 1 billion monthly active users. That's double the number of users the platform had just two years before. For now, it looks like growth on Instagram isn't slowing down anytime soon. It helps that there are still many people not currently on the platform. But a new report from Trust Insights warns that marketers may need to gear up for a battle they know too well already: dwindling organic reach. In early May, the average number of engagements on brand posts (namely likes) began declining. By the end of the month, engagements were down 18% compared to early in 2019.

• What are the best times to post to social?

  Tuesday, July 09, 2019

  Social media marketing is always evolving. What worked last year (or even last week) may not do the trick again. That's why you've got to stay afoot of the latest trends and studies. You'll learn new, data-driven tips about how to get the most out of what you're already doing. Speaking of, changing and optimizing the time you post content on each social platform can make a big impact, as outlined in a Sprout Social report. Read on to learn the best time to publish on each platform to maximize engagement — and how that changes in each industry.

• New study unveils the biggest marketing opportunities on Instagram

  Monday, July 01, 2019

  Did you know 90% of marketers are using Instagram to promote their products, according to a new report by Social Media Today? As of late, Instagram is the place for businesses to be. Reach on Facebook keeps dropping. New users aren’t flocking to Twitter or Snapchat. But on Instagram, the audience and engagement levels just keep growing. Marketers don’t see that wave stopping soon, either. As Instagram marketing becomes increasingly important, read on to learn what aspects of the platform offer the most opportunity.

• Should your brand be using Groups on Facebook?

  Monday, June 24, 2019

  Up until early 2018, most companies did not use Groups on Facebook. Why would they when they had already built a community of followers on their page? That January, though, Facebook announced the algorithmic change that is still plaguing brands: their content is not ranked as highly in the News Feed as posts from friends, family and Groups. User-generated content could be a way to encourage friends and family members to amplify company messages. For that to be successful, though, you must depend on others. That’s why some businesses saw Groups as the best way to potentially "beat" the new algorithm.

• Media trends marketers must know from the Mary Meeker Report

  Tuesday, June 18, 2019

  For marketers, it’s like Christmas in July! The 2019 Mary Meeker Internet Trends Report recently published. For 20-plus years, this industry-defining report has captured how consumers in the U.S. and across the globe are using the internet and interacting with media. Don’t worry! We broke down the 300-plus-page report into an easy-to-scan list with the insights you need to make informed marketing decisions for the rest of 2019.

• Where to reach customers on social

  Monday, June 10, 2019

  Ever since the iPhone launched in 2007, people have spent more and more time on their phones than ever. That led to people spending much more time with media every day and every year. At the same time, more and more people were jumping on the smartphone train. While it seemed like the upward trajectory would continue forever, it showed signs of slowing last year. Of course, the daily time spent is still significant — clocking in at 75 minutes per day on social. Where do users spend those 75 minutes, and how can your business ensure you’re reaching them?

• Study: 5 tips to create top-performing videos for Facebook

  Monday, June 03, 2019

  Did you know that Facebook announced last year that its algorithm would no longer, by nature, prioritize video in its News Feed? While some thought that change would dethrone videos as the No. 1 type of content on Facebook, they were wrong. A BuzzSumo analysis found that videos continued to get 59% more engagement than any other content type. Because Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes content that gets engagement, video still gets shown more than other content. This article features five tips from a new Socialinsider study that analyzed over 9 million Facebook videos to find the keys to video success.

• Solving the top 3 social media marketing problems

  Wednesday, May 29, 2019

  Nearly a quarter of all social media marketers worry their social strategy is ineffective, according to the 2019 Sprout Social Index. If that’s just one of your concerns, you’re likely also dealing with these top three challenges. Read on to learn tactics to overcome them and feel more confident with your company’s social media marketing tactics.

• How to convert customers on social media

  Monday, May 20, 2019

  For most businesses (70%), their top goal for social media is to raise awareness, according to the 2019 Sprout Social Index. Driving sales and generating leads came in a close second, though. It helps that 90% of marketers found that investing in social media has a direct impact on their revenue. But as you invest more in social, how can you ensure impact to the bottom line by moving customers down the funnel? Read on for data-driven tips from Sprout Social about what customers want from you at each step of their buying journey.

• Social media ad spending trends for 2019

  Monday, May 13, 2019

  If you’re like most businesses, you increased your digital media budget this year. On average, marketers planned to boost that line item by 49% compared to 2018, according to Nielsen’s 2018 CMO report. But did you know social advertising is growing even faster than other forms of digital advertising? Businesses increased their social media spending by 24% year-over-year while other digital ads only rose by 12%, according to a 2019 Q1 Merkle report. Read on to learn what social platforms businesses are spending the most advertising dollars on in 2019.

• A rundown of the changes coming to Facebook

  Monday, May 06, 2019

  This time last year, news of Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal had just broken. Weeks later, the company hosted its annual developer conference, F8, but data and privacy were hardly talked about. Instead, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, highlighted what had worked. This year, though, Zuckerberg went all in and declared that the future is private in his opening keynote. Read on to learn more about how Facebook is addressing privacy — and the other significant product changes coming to the platform.

• Social moves away from vanity metrics — and you should, too

  Monday, April 29, 2019

  Social media platforms are currently intrigued with ways to reduce the emphasis on likes and vanity metrics. The companies are still trying to figure out how to make it happen, but in the meantime, you can address vanity metrics internally at your company. Vanity metrics capture satisfying numbers that make you feel good about your social media marketing efforts but don’t deliver on action. Here are a few common vanity metrics you can evaluate, along with ideas on what numbers to focus on instead).

• Is Twitter still popular, relevant, or worth it for businesses?

  Monday, April 22, 2019

  Most marketers rely on the big three social platforms to connect, engage and inform their followers. For B2C marketers, 97% used Facebook, 65% used Twitter, and 60% used Instagram, according to 2018 Statista data. For B2B, 89% used Facebook, 81% used LinkedIn, and 75% used Twitter. For years, Twitter has consistently ranked among brands’ go-to destinations for social media platforms. But did you know Twitter has 32% fewer daily active users (126 million) than Snapchat (186 million)?

• AI? Automation? How to use tech to improve marketing

  Monday, April 15, 2019

  Artificial intelligence (AI) has the power to change everything. But only 18% of B2B marketers and sales professionals are currently using it, found a 2019 DemandBase survey. Of those with access, over 40% said AI is the most important investment to achieve better sales and marketing performance. Nearly 33% went so far to say that it’s revolutionizing their marketing and sales performance. But most marketers (55%) don’t have the budget to invest in AI. Yet, you can likely use marketing automation tools to accomplish much of the same.

• Where brands see the most social media marketing opportunities

  Monday, April 08, 2019

  Just like that, the first quarter of 2019 has ended. While the time likely flashed by, make sure you stop, analyze and regroup before you plow ahead with your Q2 strategy. Analyze your own data to determine what worked best for your brand this quarter. Then, overlay those insights with the areas that other companies see the most success in. You just may find a new avenue or marketing tactic to try that could be the secret sauce you’re looking for in Q2. Read on to learn how marketers from more than 1,800 companies are approaching their social media marketing strategy in 2019.

• What you need to know about Amazon’s growing ad business

  Monday, April 01, 2019

  When you think of digital ads (especially search), Google undoubtedly comes to mind. But the numbers may have you second-guessing your instinct. This year, Amazon’s U.S. ad business is projected to grow more than 50%. That means Amazon ads will make up more than 8% of the digital ad market. Next year, that number is projected to grow to 10%, according to a 2019 eMarketer report. Amazon is officially the No. 3 digital ad platform in the U.S., with U.S. retailers spending $4.61 billion on Amazon ads in 2019.

• How to improve Google Ads for your e-commerce business

  Tuesday, March 26, 2019

  Just like we were talking about recently, knowing the latest features of each digital marketing channel makes all the difference. That’s especially true on a platform where you’re paying for users' attention. When was the last time you did a deep dive into Google AdWords? The average small business spends between $100,000 and $120,000 a year on Google paid search campaigns, while giant retailers can spend up to $50 million dollars a year, according to WordStream data. Regardless of how much you spend, each retailer pays between $1 and $2 for a click in a Google Ad.

• The 411 on the latest updates for top social platforms

  Monday, March 18, 2019

  ​If you've been handling your company's social media marketing for some time, you've surely developed a system for how to juggle the many moving parts. But the downside of having a go-to routine is how easily you can miss changes on the social platforms you regularly use! Luckily, we're here to help you take full advantage of all the platforms' offerings and latest happenings. Read on to discover the changes to the big social media platforms that you can't afford to miss.

• Update: Social slows while podcasts boom

  Monday, March 11, 2019

  ​At the beginning of the year, everyone makes their predictions for what marketing trends will take the world by storm. From there, it's a waiting game to see what will stick. Luckily for us, we've done that long enough! The first report on consumer media trends, conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital, has officially gone live. Read on to learn how your customers are consuming digital media differently in 2019 than they did in 2018.

• What customers want from your loyalty program

  Monday, March 04, 2019

  You probably already know that acquiring new customers costs more than retaining the ones you already have. Acquiring new customers can be a staggering five to 25 times more expensive than retaining a customer you already have. On the flip side, if you increase customer retention rates by only 5 percent, you can raise profits by 25 to 95 percent, according to Bain & Company research. That's the power of customer loyalty, and yet, it's an area most companies can do much better in. Read on to find out the research-backed characteristics shoppers want from your loyalty program.

• 5 tips to create blog posts that get shared on social

  Monday, February 25, 2019

  If you're already spending the time creating good content on your blog, you want to do everything you can to get more eyes on it. One of the best ways to do that is by creating blog posts that answer the questions you hear most from your customers and leads. Of course, you’ll want to sprinkle a bit of long-tail keyword research in there for good measure! It can be as simple as typing in the phrase you think you want to write about into an incognito browser and seeing what other search terms arise. From there, a few tweaks to how you format your content, write your title or determine your word count could be just what you need to increase the social shares for your blog posts.

• Study: How to drive more sales on Instagram

  Monday, February 18, 2019

  Eighty-three percent of people are looking to discover new products or services on Instagram. But that's just the start of the buying process. A nearly equal number of people (80 percent) use Instagram to research products and decide if they're going to buy them. The only question: Are you delivering the right content to help them make those decisions? Doing so could be the difference between increasing sales and exposure or just "getting the word out" about your business. Read on to see if you provide the information people want before purchasing on Instagram.

• Advertising lessons from this year’s Super Bowl commercials

  Monday, February 11, 2019

  The Super Bowl isn’t just the game between the year’s best football teams. It's also a battle between the most prominent companies (and their ad agencies) as they vie to see who can who deliver the best commercial. In fact, the majority of millennials who tune in actually prefer to see the advertisements over the game itself. Yet, despite all the fanfare that went into creating these epic commercials, the response this year was lackluster. Much like the game itself, there wasn't really a standout commercial that everyone was talking about the next day. As always, though, there are lessons to be learned from the biggest advertising day of the year.

• What Facebook has in store for your business in 2019

  Monday, February 04, 2019

  If you’re like most business owners, you've been on your toes this January — just waiting to see what big change Facebook had in store for you! After all, it's been just over a year since Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and CEO, announced that content from Publishers and Pages would be shown less. What does he have in store for you in 2019? Well, Zuckerberg confirmed (at least some) of what the company will focus on this year on its 2018 Q4 earnings call. Read on to see what you should have on your radar.

• Is Instagram limiting the reach of your brand’s photos?

  Monday, January 28, 2019

  You’ve likely seen the latest rumor floating around Instagram. Users have been sharing photos that say something like this: "This is a test. Instagram has been limiting our posts, so only 7 percent of our followers see our posts. If you see this post, comment yes. This will improve our ranking." After all the funky changes to Facebook’s algorithm, do you need to worry about your Instagram content falling into a dark hole, too? Nope! You can exhale and let go of that anxiety.

• How to create Facebook content that performs better in 2019

  Monday, January 21, 2019

  New year, same problems! Every social media marketer on the block is still trying to figure out what to do about the ever-dwindling numbers on our Facebook Pages. For the umpteenth year in a row (or since 2014 if you want to be exact), organic reach is down. An Agorapulse analysis found organic reach for Facebook Pages dropped, on average, 13.62 percent in 2018. Not only are fewer people organically seeing your Facebook content, but they’re also engaging far less.

• Have you heard of TikTok?

  Monday, January 14, 2019

  Apple recently announced 2018’s most downloaded apps. Unsurprisingly, the top five free iPhone apps were all social media platforms and included YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Messenger and Facebook. But a few spots down on the list at No. 16, a new social media app emerged: TikTok. It’s an app that lets users create short videos set to music that are up to 15 seconds long. The company differentiates itself by saying it’s "not your ordinary destination for short-form mobile video. It's raw, real, and without boundaries."

• 2019’s top 3 digital marketing trends that matter

  Monday, January 07, 2019

  All too often, trend roundups can be full of dreams that won’t become reality for years. Of course, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI) and voice search will continue to grow this year. But those pie-in-the-sky trends likely won’t impact your business just yet. Instead, read on for the top three trends that will affect how you market to your customers in 2019.

• How to improve Instagram Story ads in 2019

  Monday, December 17, 2018

  As a social media marketer, you must be adaptable. Think back to last year at about this time. No doubt, you had carefully pinpointed all the tactics that worked best for your brand on social media that year. This year, you hoped to do more of the same! But the leaders of social media platforms had a different idea. Facebook rolled out one of its most substantial algorithm updates in January, which completely derailed brands’ social media plans. With each algorithm update, we find ourselves scrambling to keep up and discover the new "secret sauce." In 2019, don’t let the hunt drive you crazy. Instead, go with the constant.

• Is vertical or horizontal video best for social media ads?

  Monday, December 10, 2018

  After Facebook rewrote its algorithm in January, social media marketing plans for the year went out the window. The previous silver bullet for success, video, was no longer prioritized. Instead, live videos, which are more focused on generating engagement as opposed to passive viewership, became Facebook’s new gold standard. But try as they might, many companies struggled as they saw their organic reach continue to drop. That’s been happening for years, but in 2018, Facebook made it clear that this was by design.

• Top 3 lessons from Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales

  Monday, December 03, 2018

  You did it! You, along with your hard-working employees, made it through the most chaotic shopping season of the year. Though, if you manage a brick-and-mortar store, perhaps it didn’t feel that busy. Traffic in stores across the country on Black Friday was down nearly 2 percent, according to ShopperTrak. Many store employees said it felt like just a regular busy weekend shopping day. But fear not! There are still many, many big shopping days coming your way in December. Read on to see what you can gleam from the Thanksgiving weekend sales.

• How to quickly improve Facebook ads this holiday season

  Wednesday, November 28, 2018

  Uh-oh! After months of planning and crafting, is no one unwrapping (err… clicking) your Facebook ad? Well, luckily, you don’t need to return it for something better. In this case, a few minor tweaks can make all the difference. Or if you have the time, do some A/B testing, which entails changing one variable at a time to see what’s moving the needle. Without further ado, here’s the five-step check to perform to make sure your Facebook ad is just right.

• Why you should make more Instagram stories — and how to improve them

  Friday, November 16, 2018

  Last September, Facebook accounted for 16.5 percent of all digital content consumption. This September, it was only 14.3 percent. While a 2.2 percent drop doesn’t sound dire, or even all that bad, its implications are enormous. That equates to each Facebook user reading, on average, 20 percent less content, estimates Pivotal’s Brian Wieser in a Fast Company article. Right now, Facebook is a tough place for brands. Instead, go where the getting is good — Instagram Stories! Because the people are aplenty, it's cheaper to reach your audience.

• Where to invest your 2019 marketing budget

  Friday, November 09, 2018

  Digital outpaces every other sector — whether we’re talking about online shopping or overall marketing trends. As you start planning for 2019, you should know that digital’s seemingly exponential growth is continuing, so you should plan on spending more on online efforts. For reference, 82 percent of marketers plan to spend more of their budget on digital media, according to Nielson’s 2018 CMO report. On average, they plan on increasing their digital media budget by 49 percent. To make that happen, 44 percent plan to cut back on their traditional media spending.

• Will in-store or online win this holiday season? It’s not so simple

  Monday, November 05, 2018

  Every year, beneath all those magical twinkle lights and pine-scented evergreen wreaths, it seems like there’s a battle going on. Will brick-and-mortar stores be able to win back customers, or will online shopping beat ‘em? Online shopping is expected to grow this holiday season (as it does every year). This year, people will spend an estimated $124.1 billion online. That’s a 14.8 percent increase year-over-year, according to Adobe research. But even as online sales grow, last year, the majority of holiday sales (85 percent) were still done in brick-and-mortar stores, according to PYMNTS data.

• Use this checklist before posting holiday ads on social media

  Monday, October 29, 2018

  By now, you've likely finished your holiday ads for social media — or perhaps you're putting the final touch on them. Either way, before you mark them done, do a quick check to make sure you’re reaching the right people. If you’re like most businesses, the bulk of your holiday advertising budget is allocated to social media. It’s no small chunk of change either. Marketers are planning to spend 25 percent of their entire annual ad budget to target shoppers just during the Thanksgiving weekend, according to 2018 Nanigans data.

• LinkedIn’s best new features in 2018

  Monday, October 22, 2018

  As we were talking about last week, Facebook has been struggling. After just recovering from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook announced another data breach. Plus, more businesses may pull ads because the ROI just isn’t what it used to be. Now, we’re all on the hunt for new ways to reach our audience (beyond Facebook). Surprisingly, LinkedIn is proving itself to be a breath of fresh air. Of course, LinkedIn isn’t a new platform. The company recently turned 15, but here’s what is unprecedented: LinkedIn’s levels of engagement.

• What you need to know before your next Facebook ad campaign

  Monday, October 15, 2018

  From January to May of this year, average monthly spending on Facebook ads dropped a staggering 85 percent.

• Mistakes to avoid with holiday marketing emails this year

  Friday, October 05, 2018

  Fa la la la la! It’s the most wonderful time of the year: holiday marketing planning. It’s time to draft those email subject lines, finalize the copy for your social posts and decide what deals to highlight. Ah, the magic of the season! Already, 40 percent of people have started their holiday shopping, according to research from the National Retail Federation. More people will be choosing to shop online this year, as eMarketer predicts e-commerce sales will increase 15.3 percent.

• Dream big: 4 ways AI, VR, and AR can enhance your marketing

  Monday, October 01, 2018

  A few years ago, having an Amazon Echo or Google Home was a novelty. In early 2017, only 7 percent of U.S. households had them, according to 2017 Gartner and Inside Radio research. By March 2018, that number skyrocketed, according to Voicebot.ai research, and 20 percent of U.S. adults had a smart speaker in their home. In just two years, Gartner predicts 75 percent of households will have one. That adoption and the embrace of smart speakers’ artificial intelligence (AI) will soon come to marketing and business as well.

• What you need to know about Instagram’s newest shopping options

  Monday, September 24, 2018

  Instagram is the ultimate inspiration board. People use it to collect places they want to go, people they wish they could meet and products they hope to buy. In fact, Instagram is the social network that people say influences their purchases the most, according to a 2017 Dana Rebecca Designs survey. The latest research, which was just released by Facebook, details exactly what people are buying and what their shopping journey looks like. Conveniently, this research debuted a day after Instagram rolled out new shopping features. Read on to learn how your business can take hold of this trend.

• Why your business should embrace the Christmas creep

  Friday, September 14, 2018

  Now that summer’s over, it’s time to start dreaming of what the rest of the year holds. For most people, that means thinking about the holidays. After all, Christmas is only about 100 days away! However, some people simply can’t wait that long! More than 10 percent of internet shoppers surveyed by eMarketer said they start their holiday shopping before September. While it’s easy to write them off as enthusiasts, you may be surprised that nearly half of those shopping on the internet (40 percent) start purchasing before November.

• The long-term effects of Facebook’s scandals

  Monday, September 10, 2018

  Facebook lost its cool factor a while ago. Back in 2016, Snapchat became teens’ favorite social network, and it’s remained there ever since, according to 2018 eMarketer data. For all other generations, including millennials, Facebook remains the most used social network. That’s not to say all is well. Facebook only grew its daily users by 1.44 percent in Q2 of 2018, compared to 3.42 percent growth in Q1. That’s the company’s slowest quarter-over-quarter growth ever. Other research corroborated that people may be pulling back from Facebook a bit.

• Everything you need to know about Gen Z

  Friday, August 31, 2018

  While millennials have dominated headlines and infatuated marketers for years, they’re a bit old hat now. The oldest millennials are well into adulthood, age 37 and proud homeowners, while even the youngest millennials, age 22, have already graduated college. Now, it’s time for them to step aside so that we can focus on the trendy, new generation — Gen Z. By 2020, in just two years, they’re predicted to become the largest generation of consumers, according to Fast Company.

• Pulse check: Are you losing business because of a bad website?

  Friday, August 24, 2018

  How much time do you think you spend each day driving people to your website? Contemplate all the planning, writing, editing and posting you do for your email marketing, social media posts, search engine optimization/marketing, content marketing, and…you get the point. But for the average business, nearly 70 percent of shoppers leave the website because of a basic problem with your website’s design or functionality, found a new study from Corra. In order for your marketing efforts to pay off, you need to make sure your website isn’t getting in your way.

• What consumers want from you now more than ever

  Friday, August 17, 2018

  Openness, honesty, clarity and authenticity are all traits you’d want in a friend. But if you can even believe it, research shows that those are the terms that people want the most from businesses. Most Americans (86 percent) say transparency from companies is more important to them than ever before, according to 2018 Sprout Social research. After all, consumers talk with companies in a more personal and consistent way on social media — and share a wealth of personal data.

• 4 ways to use social media to humanize your company

  Monday, August 13, 2018

  The content you publish. The voice you cultivate. The way you respond to customers. On social media, all these elements work in tandem to help you form a better relationship with your followers. The more customers develop a relationship and emotional connection with a company, the more they humanize you. Customers think of you less like a business that delivers a service and more like a friend who has a distinct personality and identity they connect with. Jump-start this process by proactively humanizing your company on social. Here’s how.

• The best ways to handle your business’ influx of Facebook messages

  Monday, August 06, 2018

  Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the number of notes in your business’ Facebook inbox? Over the last two years, people have been talking and communicating more than ever before. That means more social media posts, emails and video chats. But the biggest increase has been in messaging. Sixty-seven percent of people say they use messaging apps more now than they did two years ago, according to a 2017 Facebook study.

• After the algorithm update, what Facebook content performs best?

  Monday, July 30, 2018

  Earlier this year, a small survey found for the first time the number of Americans using Facebook fell. Facebook’s Q2 earnings report confirmed that wasn’t a blip on the radar. It may be the new normal. The number of Canadians and Americans logging onto Facebook each month plateaued and remained at 241 million monthly users for all of 2018. In Europe, Facebook actually lost one million users. Ouch. While Facebook has its share of problems, this appears to be a larger, marketwide issue.

• What the Time Well Spent movement means for your business

  Monday, July 23, 2018

  Recently, new research found adolescents who spent more time on digital media were more likely to have ADHD symptoms. While that’s the latest, it’s not the first study to detail the negative effects of digital and social media. Many, many others have found startlingly similar results. A handful of those most entrenched in the tech world saw this happening firsthand and strove to do something about it. In 2016, they founded the nonprofit Time Well Spent to combat the digital attention crisis.

• The latest research on ROI from social media

  Monday, July 16, 2018

  It’s easy to tell if people like your content on social. All you need to do is watch the likes pour in and see the number of shares continue to climb. But how confident are you when it comes to measuring the return on investment (ROI) of your social media activities? 56 percent of social media marketers are either uncertain or unable to measure the return on investment, according to the 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry report. In fact, if you’re like most, it’s probably your top concern.

• Ideas for brands on IGTV

  Friday, July 06, 2018

  When a new social network like IGTV hits the scene, it’s best to try it out early. That way, you’ll beat most of the competition, and your content will stand alone, beckoning viewers to click play! Plus, you’ll gather data early on that will signal if you should ramp up production or take it slow. Of course, if your Instagram Stories already perform well, you’re going to want to run to IGTV. Read on to gain inspiration before making your brand’s first IGTV episode.

• What goes where: Instagram feed vs. Stories

  Monday, July 02, 2018

  Even though Instagram is technically just one social network, it can feel like a lot more. After all, you now have three different content channels to fill! As a refresher, your brand can post visuals to the Instagram feed, Stories and as of last week, IGTV. Yes, it’s a lot, but it’s absolutely worth it. After all, Instagram just announced it has more 1 billion monthly active users, which officially makes it the second biggest player in the social game.

• Instagram aims to change the video game with IGTV

  Monday, June 25, 2018

  Instagram recently launched IGTV, which will allow content creators to upload hourlong videos. Though, over time, that limit may increase or go away. Because IGTV is built for mobile, all videos air vertically and fill the entire phone screen. "It’s time for video to move forward, and evolve," said Instagram’s CEO and co-founder, Kevin Systrom, at a press event. "IGTV is for watching long-form videos from your favorite creators."

• Why Facebook might not be the go-to news source anymore

  Monday, June 18, 2018

  Wake up. Roll over. Look at Facebook. See your friends. Read the news. For many, it’s a morning ritual. In fact, 46 percent of Americans look at their smartphone when they first wake up, according to a 2017 Report Linker survey. Up until now, Facebook has been the one-stop-shop for all the info you need before you get out of bed: the weather, friendly faces and the latest news stories. But, this year, the times are changing.

• Can you guess teens’ favorite social network?

  Monday, June 11, 2018

  When Facebook offered to buy Snapchat in 2013 for $3 billion in cash, everyone thought it was ludicrous. $3 billion for an app that made no money and had 33 million users? It shocked the industry – especially since that was nearly twice what Google paid to buy YouTube in 2006. In hindsight, it looks like Facebook may have had a crystal ball. Now, according to the latest Pew Research from 2018, Facebook is now the fourth most popular network with teens (down three spots in a list of seven).

• The digital trends you need to know to do your job better

  Monday, June 04, 2018

  Want to market your company’s products or services better? Of course, you do! Who doesn’t? But to do that, you can’t just zero in on the latest marketing tricks. You also must understand the greater media landscape. No other report does a better job of capturing that than Mary Meeker’s annual Internet Trend Reports. She outlines the biggest changes in internet usage, advertising, e-commerce, social media and more.

• The must-know social updates for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

  Tuesday, May 29, 2018

  Lately, social networks have had a rough go of it. Data scandals broke. Privacy issues abound. False news continues to spread, and online harassment proliferates. As public opinion on these topics swells, social networking sites across the board are taking action. Read on to see the most significant ways social networks are attempting to solve the big issues. Of course, there are some new ways for your business to market and work on social, too.

• 4 ways to use social media to boost customer loyalty

  Monday, May 21, 2018

  Social media may not be the most cost-effective platform to close leads, but it remains one of the best ways to nurture loyal customers. It’s there where you have daily touchpoints with your followers. You get to stay top of mind and have that ever-coveted two-way dialogue — the kind that leads to brand loyalty that will last for years. Cultivate your followers into loyal customers with these four steps.

• State of the industry: The 3 biggest changes to social media marketing

  Monday, May 14, 2018

  Social media marketing seems to change more than any other industry out there (except perhaps the tech industry itself). One day, your proven tactic to reach your audience no longer works. One week, a new social platform sweeps the web — only to never be heard from again. In short, you always have to be on your toes and on the lookout. That’s exactly what Social Media Examiner does. Each year, for the last 10 years, they’ve surveyed thousands of social media marketers and compiled an annual industry report.

• Facebook’s newest big features unveiled at developers’ conference

  Monday, May 07, 2018

  Were you worried people were really going to #DeleteFacebook? Well, let go of that fear because it looks like the company is in the clear. So far in 2018, Facebook has kept gaining, not losing, users. In Q1 2018, Facebook added 48 million daily users and 70 million monthly active users, a 3.28 percent growth from Q4 2017. "Despite facing important challenges, our community and business are off to a strong start in 2018," announced Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. In the meantime, Facebook announced lots of changes at F8, its annual developers’ conference.

• What you need to know before investing in influencer marketing

  Monday, April 30, 2018

  Ever spot a photo with the #ad or a “paid partnership tag?” Then you’ve seen the results of an influencer marketing program. Companies pinpoint digital influencers who have followers that match the brand’s target demographic. In 2017, influencer marketing grew 198 percent, found Klear research. That’s why at the end of last year, 39 percent of marketers stashed away more money to spend on influencer marketing, according to a Linqia study. It helps that nearly all marketers who used influencer marketing in 2017 found it effective.

• 5 tips and tricks to create better Instagram Story content

  Monday, April 23, 2018

  If your business is like most, your organic reach on Facebook just continues to drop. On Instagram, your engagement may not be what it used to be either because posts are no longer displayed in chronological order.

• What people really want in social ads

  Monday, April 16, 2018

  By the end of the year, you can expect 3 in every 10 internet users to have an ad blocker installed, according to 2017 eMarketer data. For now, men between the ages of 18 and 34 are the largest demographic using ad blockers, according to 2016 Interactive Advertising Bureau research — though the top reasons why may surprise you. Most people use ad blockers because they believe the site is easier to navigate and loads faster without ads.

• New research: The best time to post on each social platform

  Monday, April 09, 2018

  ​Ah, remember the good ol' days when social feeds were chronological. Then, all you needed to do to create a stellar post was submit it at the right time. Since then, the algorithms shaping news feeds have gotten much more complex.

• Are people actually going to #DeleteFacebook?

  Friday, March 30, 2018

  ​Last week, 50 million Facebook users found out that their data had been mined without their direct consent and provided to Cambridge Analytica, a political firm that was hired by President Donald Trump's campaign.

• Everything you need to know about Facebook’s data scandal

  Friday, March 23, 2018

  ​Think just for a moment about all the data Facebook has collected about you since you signed up for the platform years ago. They know all the basics (age, gender, political/religious affiliations). But they also know what articles you read, what posts you like, the places you go, how much time you spend on the app a day, who your friends and so much more.

• Data-driven ways to increase your social shares in 2018

  Friday, March 16, 2018

  Looking at your company’s social analytics, you see less reach and engagement despite the fact you’re posting more content. It’s a problem that’s plagued you thus far in 2018, all of 2017 and even 2016. The good news is you’re not alone. From January to August of 2017, average engagement for brands and publishers on Facebook fell more than 20 percent, 2017 BuzzSumo data found. Now, we know a bit more about why that is happening.

• How Americans really use social media

  Friday, March 09, 2018

  While most social media metrics and statistics come directly from the social media platforms themselves, it's a breath of fresh air when an outside party steps in.

• Meet the newest, ad-free social network: Vero

  Friday, March 02, 2018

  There hasn't been a new major player in social media for a while, but the time is ripe for one. Facebook use is down for the first time, and Instagram users are not pleased with the new algorithmic (not chronological) feed.

• As Facebook use drops, should brands be concerned?

  Monday, February 26, 2018

  For the first time, a third-party research firm found the number of Americans currently using Facebook is down. In 2018, only 62 percent of people are using Facebook, down from 67 percent last year.

• Google wants marketing emails to act like webpages

  Friday, February 16, 2018

  Social networks evolve like crazy. For example, Facebook's look has changed drastically over the last 14 years. On the flip side, emails that were sent back in 2004 look eerily similar to those mailed in 2018.

• The best way to improve your email marketing (proven by research)

  Monday, February 12, 2018

  Social media is great for building brand awareness and connecting with your audience. But sales and return on investment (ROI) aren't social's strong suit. If you want the biggest bang for your buck, email marketing remains the way to go. Email has a median ROI of 122 percent, according to a 2016 eMarketer survey. That is four times higher than the average return on the four other marketing outlets (social media, direct mail, paid search and online display).

• You can finally schedule posts on Instagram. Here’s how

  Monday, February 05, 2018

  You read that correctly. The day has finally come, and now, you can schedule your posts ahead of time on Instagram. Say goodbye to those notifications that remind you to hit "post now" on that image in the queue! This latest update will also allow your business to see public posts that mention or tag you and view other business profiles. If you’re a social media manager, you can now manage multiple accounts from a single dashboard.

• Instagram Stories will be your brand’s new best bet

  Monday, January 29, 2018

  Facebook is soon going to show fewer of your Page's posts, and you probably already noticed your Instagram engagement is lackluster. After Instagram's most recent algorithm changes, about 10 percent of followers see your posts. So, what's next?

• Could this be your company’s solution to Facebook’s changes?

  Monday, January 22, 2018

  By now, you've likely heard that the eventual has happened. Mark Zuckerberg wrote on Jan. 11 that Facebook users would "see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard — it should encourage meaningful interactions between people."

• Should your brand get political in 2018?

  Monday, January 15, 2018

  ​Keep your personal and your professional life separate. It's been a mantra passed down for generations. But within the last decade, it has gone out of style. More than half of employed adults check work messages over the weekend, before or after work and even on sick days, found a 2013 American Psychological Association study. The two spheres have merged, mainly due to technology and social media networks.

• Top 3 digital marketing trends you can’t ignore in 2018

  Monday, January 08, 2018

  Some years, the digital marketing landscape seems to change drastically. Remember in late 2016 when Instagram launched Stories? Or 2013 when Snapchat exploded and caught the attention of brands?

• 2017’s top social media marketing lessons

  Friday, December 15, 2017

  In a year, much has changed on social media networks. Facebook spent much of 2017 revamping its Trending section to squelch fake news. Instagram fared much better — as the company continued to celebrate the success of Instagram Stories (and the decline of Snapchat).

• Instagram’s Christmas present for companies

  Monday, December 11, 2017

  Get ready to unwrap a Christmas present you’ll constantly use this year. It's from Instagram, and the company already knows what you like — especially if you're one of the businesses that produced an Instagram Story this year. For a frame of reference, half of companies did.

• 7 retail takeaways from Black Friday and Cyber Monday

  Friday, December 01, 2017

  Americans are ready to s-h-o-p this holiday season! Maybe it's the low unemployment rate or the strong economy — or simply the stellar deals.

• Looking for new employees? Find them on social media

  Monday, November 27, 2017

  If you need to add a new team member and fill a position before the end of the year, social media can help. You already know how to work the platforms because you use them round the clock to market your business. More good news? You can find better talent quicker on social media. Fifty-nine percent of recruiters say the candidates they discovered on social media are the “highest quality,” and employees hired on LinkedIn are 40 percent less likely to leave the company within the first six months. Now that you’re with us, let’s dive into the best practices of recruiting talent on social media.

• Get your marketing ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

  Friday, November 17, 2017

  ​Last year, people spent $3.39 billion on Cyber Monday, which made it the largest online sales day ever, according to Adobe data. This year, some studies show Black Friday will be a bigger shopping day, while others forecast Cyber Monday will take the cake.

• How to take hold of user-generated content

  Friday, November 10, 2017

  What if you could have other people create content for you that would perform way better than the content your company produces? It's the dream scenario. Your customers save you time, and your followers trust their content more, which boosts your engagement and click-through rates. That's the principle behind user-generated content (UGC).

• Planning your holiday marketing strategy? Don’t forget Pinterest

  Monday, November 06, 2017

  ​While pumpkins may still be nestled on your doorstep, the rest of the world has already moved on to the holiday season! Nov. 1 marks the day it's socially acceptable to indulge in holiday tunes and begin purchasing items on your loved ones' holiday wish lists.

• How long will Facebook be your company’s friend?

  Monday, October 30, 2017

  If you're like most businesses, Facebook plays an integral role in your marketing. It's the place you go to build and maintain relationships with followers. It's where you drive traffic to your newest blog post. It may even be your main platform for customer acquisition.

• Get ready to sell on Instagram

  Monday, October 23, 2017

  ​Remember way back when Instagram announced it was testing shoppable posts? Then, Instagram selected 20 big businesses, like Kate Spade, Lulus and Warby Parker, to try the feature.

• Your guide to making (and embracing) the 6‑second ad

  Monday, October 16, 2017

  Remember a few months back when we talked about how YouTube is eliminating their 30-second, nonskippable ads? Well, those ads will be gone soon — at the end of 2017 to be exact.

• Why social media platforms need to deal with hate speech now

  Friday, October 06, 2017

  Did you know every 83 seconds someone posts an anti-Semitic message on social media? That's 44 messages every hour, according to a new World Jewish Congress study that analyzed tens of millions of social posts. Startlingly, 63 percent of all anti-Semitic content online is on Twitter.

• 280 characters on Twitter? What you need to know

  Monday, October 02, 2017

  Brace yourself. Twitter's defining characteristic — its 140-character limit — may be on its way out. The company announced Sept. 26 that it would begin testing 280-character tweets with select users.

• 4 Facebook Messenger hacks for your brand

  Monday, September 25, 2017

  Did you know that Facebook Messenger has more than 1.2 billion active users? That means roughly 1 in every 3 people on the internet is on Messenger.

• Get brainy: 3 tips from psychology to market better

  Monday, September 18, 2017

  ​At their heart, marketing and sales are about connecting. That means you always need to plug into your brand's humanity and authenticity. When you do that, you'll draw more people in, create stronger connections and ultimately sell more.

• The do’s and don’ts of stock photography

  Friday, September 08, 2017

  You already know using your own images is the best way to visually portray your brand. But there are still times when you simply don't have the photo you need.

• Social media video goes to the next level — scripted programming

  Tuesday, September 05, 2017

  ​A couple of years ago, dazzling images were all your brand needed to shine on social media. Recently, though, video has taken the reins. Facebook users watch, on average, 100 million hours of videos each day. And that data is from late 2015, so it's presumably is even higher now.

• 10 years later: Do you know the best #hashtags for your brand?

  Monday, August 28, 2017

  If you ask anyone under the age of 13 what the symbol "#" is, they'll unanimously say "hashtag." 10 years ago this week, the pound sign was officially rebranded as the hashtag, thanks to Twitter.

• Should you buy social media followers?

  Monday, August 21, 2017

  With the simple click of a button, your social page can get hundreds or even thousands of social media followers. More accounts than you think are chock-full of fake followers. The biggest names on Twitter, like Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, both have more than 58 million fake followers. If you're curious, spend a few minutes on Twitter Audit analyzing your own account or influencers you work with.

• Tips to create high-quality Facebook Live videos

  Monday, August 14, 2017

  If you feel like you’ve been seeing more Facebook Live videos, you’re right. Now, 1 in every 5 Facebook videos is live, and the daily watch time for Facebook Live broadcasts has grown by more than four times since 2016. In a single year, live videos went from a fad to a must-do (or at least must-try) marketing tactic. Your audience is already there — and so is the incentive. Live videos are ranked higher in the News Feed, and many of your followers will get a notification telling them you’re live.

• The Instagram Stories your brand needs to create

  Monday, August 07, 2017

  ​Did you know Instagram now has more than ​700 million monthly active users as of April? That's 100 million more users than the network had in December, and it's double the number of users the platform had only two years ago.

• 3 new LinkedIn features your company should use

  Friday, July 28, 2017

  ​If you're a social media marketer or a recruiter, get ready for a change you'll love. LinkedIn is getting the updates it desperately needs.

• Take advantage of Facebook’s Instant Articles

  Friday, July 21, 2017

  Facebook wants to do it all. They want to be the place you connect with your friends — and where you discover new products (and buy them directly on Facebook). So, it makes sense that Facebook wants to be the place that publishes the news, not just shares it. In short, that's what Facebook's Instant Articles are all about. Instant Articles allow you to publish immersive content and stories right to Facebook. However, this content type can only be seen if opened in the Facebook app.

• 5 types of content to invest in — and 5 to skip

  Friday, July 14, 2017

  Most social media marketers spend 6-11 hours a week on social media. That includes everything from creating content to analyzing metrics. Simply put, there are not enough hours in the week. Instead of trying to do it all, do more of what works and less of what doesn't. Below are five types of digital content you should invest more in — and five types you can nix from your never-ending to-do list.

• The 6 best Facebook ad strategies

  Friday, July 07, 2017

  All of those $0.14 clicks your business spends on Facebook ads sure add up. In the first quarter of 2017, Facebook earned $6.7 billion in ad revenue on mobile devices alone. Now, Facebook is predicting it may run out of ad space sometime in 2017.

• With all the social buzz, where’s the Twitter talk?

  Friday, June 30, 2017

  ​There's endless chatter about the ways social platforms ceaselessly evolve. Instagram is testing a new tactic that could significantly impact influencer marketing. Facebook just debuted a new mission statement. The company now seeks to "give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together" instead of making "the world more open and connected."

• Create a brand personality people fall in love with on social

  Monday, June 26, 2017

  Want more likes, followers and engagement on your company's social media pages? Then, you need three things: gorgeous (on-brand) pictures, the right personality and an eagerness to socialize. In short, you need to cultivate a strategic brand personality and then bring it to life by connecting with your followers.

• How Instagram’s latest update could affect influencer marketing

  Monday, June 19, 2017

  When it first launched, Beloved Shirts was just a small, quirky T-shirt company. Then, Katy Perry was photographed wearing one of the new brand’s designs, and sales skyrocketed. A product endorsed by celebrities can do that. Celebrity endorsements, on average, increase sales of a product by 4 percent, found a Journal of Advertising Research study.

• Is your company normal on social media?

  Monday, June 12, 2017

  As you log another hour on your company's social media account or click "spend" on another Facebook ad campaign, are you wondering what your competitors are doing? You can quickly tally the size of their audience or their average engagement rate. But it's hard to see beyond that — to the elements and factors that make those achievements feasible.

• The biggest insights from tech’s defining report

  Friday, June 02, 2017

  While everyone makes predictions about what this year's trends will be in January, the real test is seeing what actually gains traction. Another tell-tale sign is if the trend is highlighted in influential industry reports.

• 3 big changes to the top social networks

  Tuesday, May 30, 2017

  Each time you open your Instagram account or Facebook feed, there it is again — another new feature. That's one of the best parts about social networks. They keep evolving to become better for businesses like you and the individuals who follow your brand.

• 3 new YouTube trends affect that your business

  Monday, May 22, 2017

  Have you seen it? YouTube has officially cleaned up their look. They just released their newest desktop design, which is cleaner, simpler and more closely mimics their mobile experience. Plus, the framework is faster, so we'll probably be seeing more updates soon — like this dark theme.

• How people use Instagram by industry

  Monday, May 15, 2017

  Facebook is for connecting with family and friends, while Instagram is for finding beauty and inspiration. That's why on Instagram the top types of accounts people engage with are close friends and family, celebrities, brands, acquaintances and humor accounts, according to a 2016 Facebook IQ survey.

• The generational guide to social media marketing

  Tuesday, May 09, 2017

  While millennials are often portrayed as the selfie generation who are always glued to their phones, they're not the generation that spends the most time on social media. But are they the ones who are most likely to purchase from brands they follow?

• Researchers discover the true value of a like

  Friday, April 28, 2017

  ​Establishing, growing and engaging a social audience is simply part of doing business in 2017. And 90 percent of marketers said social media is important to their businesses in the 2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. 63 percent of marketers commit six or more hours per week to social media, while 19 percent spend more than 20 hours a week. In addition to time, we spend a lot of our marketing budget on social media.

• Instagram is looking a bit more like Pinterest

  Friday, April 21, 2017

  Not long ago, Instagram showed the lengths the company would go to remain on the top of the social pyramid. They introduced Instagram Stories, a tool that functions and looks almost identical to Snapchat. It's since become incredibly popular and has even been added to Facebook.

• How Snapchat can drive foot traffic

  Friday, April 14, 2017

  ​Snapchat went public last month. There was a lot of buzz surrounding this IPO, and CNBC reported that there were 12 times more orders than there were shares offered. On the first day of trading, share prices rose as high as $26.50, which is about 30 percent less than Facebook's debut cost per share.

• Top 3 reasons you’re losing social followers

  Friday, April 07, 2017

  You've worked hard to gain each follower you have on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. That's why you love checking how many new followers you've gained every week. It makes you smile because what you're doing is clearly working.

• Stories come to Facebook

  Friday, March 31, 2017

  Since Instagram launched Stories about seven months ago, the program has been incredibly successful. More than 150 million people are using Instagram Stories each day, and users engage with the tool, too. 20 percent of Instagram Stories get a direct message or response from viewers. In fact, because of its near-instant success, Instagram is already testing Story ads with select companies.

• Instagram shares top 3 ways to create successful ads

  Friday, March 24, 2017

  In the fall of 2015, Instagram allowed businesses of all sizes anywhere in the world to create ad campaigns. Since then, Instagram has grown and grown, gaining more than 600 million new users in 2016 alone. With more users came an influx of advertisers. Now, not even two years since the feature launched, there are more than 1 million monthly active advertisers on the platform.

• Everything you need to know about marketing with memes

  Friday, March 17, 2017

  ​Joe Biden recently announced his favorite of the Biden-Obama bromance memes that really took off last fall. Biden's daughter, Ashley, told Moneyish her dad laughed "for an hour" when she told him about the viral memes. And really, that's what memes are all about. They're funny. They're nonsensical. And best of all, they're supereasy to replicate, so there's a never-ending stream of content.

• How to use Facebook to hire your next great employee

  Friday, March 10, 2017

  Last fall, Facebook introduced Facebook at Work, which allows companies to create their own employee-centric social network. In essence, it’s an employee collaboration, communication and engagement tool that all your employees already know how to use. Now that Facebook has dipped its toes into the world of employee communications, the company is taking it one step further — recruiting.

• What to do after YouTube nixes 30-second, nonskippable ads

  Wednesday, March 08, 2017

  Come 2018, the 30-second, non-skippable ads that play before YouTube videos will be gone. As you likely guessed, a primary reason for this change is to provide a better user experience. YouTube users have long disliked lengthy, non-skippable ads. Google, which owns YouTube, confirmed this. A Google spokesperson told Campaign that YouTube is going to "focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers." This article features a few alternative YouTube ad options your brand should embrace instead of 30-second, non-skippable ads.

• How to post up to 10 pictures at once on Instagram

  Friday, February 24, 2017

  If you've often agonized over which picture-perfect moment to share on Instagram, your worries are over. You can now upload up to 10 photos or videos in a single Instagram post! Then, users swipe right to look through your entire collection.

• The latest Pinterest features you’ve missed

  Friday, February 17, 2017

  With Snapchat's IPO coming up and Facebook rolling out a new feature nearly every day, Pinterest doesn’t get much attention. But big things have been happening at Pinterest. It's likely your business, especially if you’re in e-commerce, should be spending a bit more time and attention on Pinterest than you do. If that's the case, here are the latest Pinterest features that you may have missed.

• Instagram Stories: Are people using this feature?

  Friday, February 10, 2017

  ​It's been six months since Instagram launched its newest feature: Instagram Stories. As a refresher, this was ​Instagram's response to Snapchat's success. You can find Instagram Stories at the top of your feed. There, you click to reveal 10-second videos or pictures that disappear in 24 hours. You can even add text, doodles or stickers atop them. In short, yes, it functions almost exactly like Snapchat.

• What’s happening with trending topics on Facebook?

  Friday, February 03, 2017

  ​If you've been looking at your Facebook News Feed carefully over the last few months, you've likely noticed the ever-changing Trending section. There, on the right-hand side of your News Feed, lies some of the most coveted space on the web.

• 5 most surprising social media use facts

  Monday, January 30, 2017

  One of the absolute best aspects of social media (and digital marketing in general) is that it has drastically reduced our guesswork. You don't have to wonder what's working to bring customers in anymore. You look at your analytics and see exactly where they're coming from.

• How to build a powerful Facebook chatbot

  Friday, January 20, 2017

  Imagine if you could connect with a large number of millennials, answer their top questions and help them effortlessly purchase from you. Did we mention you don't have to say a single word in the process? With Facebook's chatbots, you can do this, right now.

• 9 hacks to get more likes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

  Thursday, January 12, 2017

  ​With the New Year here, who hasn't resolved to work smarter in 2017? By making a few small tweaks, you can put in the same amount of work and get better results on your social media accounts. Below, find the top three hacks to improve your social media results on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

• Top 3 digital marketing trends of 2017

  Friday, January 06, 2017

  The New Year is abuzz with energy. Resolutions are made, and goals are set. You and your business are ready to tackle the new year with gusto. As you work towards your Q1 goals and finalize year-end targets, look toward the future, too.

• 4 last-minute digital marketing ideas for the holidays

  Tuesday, December 13, 2016

  With just about two weeks left until Christmas, your business is no doubt in crunch mode. For many, it's the absolute busiest time of the year — and it's going to stay that way. More and more consumers are waiting to finish (or start) their holiday shopping. Last year, 75 percent of people were still Christmas shopping at this time last year, found America Research Group. And 50 percent were hunting for a great deal and gift up until Christmas Eve. That's the highest percentage of last-minute shoppers the study has seen in more than 12 years.

• Increase sales this holiday by recovering abandoned purchases

  Friday, December 09, 2016

  ​Ah, the holiday season. The lights are aglow on both the Christmas tree and the laptop. This holiday season, U.S. consumers are expected to spend as much as $117 billion shopping online, according to the National Retail Federation. That's an increase of up to 10 percent from last year.

• Top wishes from holiday shoppers for your social media content

  Monday, November 28, 2016

  When you think of social media during the holiday season, your mind likely jumps to your marketing strategy and the corresponding number of impressions, clicks and sales. For your followers, their goal is much simpler, and dare we say, heartwarming. When asked what they want from brands during the holiday season on social, the largest segment of consumers said holiday cheer, found Sprout Social's research. After all, isn’t that the reason for the season?

• Get influencers talking about your brand for the holidays

  Monday, November 21, 2016

  Consumers are skeptical of ads and companies. It's a fact — 92 percent of shoppers trust recommendations from others over branded content, shows Nielsen data. This holiday season, one of the best ways you can attract new users and convince them to make a purchase is to have someone else sing your praises. Simply put, your audience and fans will be more receptive to your brand’s message and products if someone else tells them about it. A referral from a friend or family member can have a significant impact, but those are often organic and hard to cultivate.

• What shoppers want from you this holiday season

  Monday, November 14, 2016

  We're less than two weeks out from one of the biggest shopping days of the season, Black Friday! Then, the holiday shopping frenzy will begin. This year, like years past, will look remarkably different from the year before. More shoppers will be making purchases at home, often from their mobile device. In fact, online sales will now represent nearly 11 percent of all holiday sales, according to eMarketer. That's huge.

• The best ways to promote your products on Instagram

  Monday, November 07, 2016

  ​The Instagram feature your brand has been waiting for is finally here (or at least in the works). Instagram is beginning to test shopping tags. This feature would allow your brand to easily track the ROI on your Instagram strategy, and you could finally stop using the unintuitive #linkinprofile.

• RIP Vine — What that means for you and for Twitter

  Friday, October 28, 2016

  Vine, the app that featured 6-second videos played on looped, is officially dead. Well, almost. Right now, nothing is happening to the app or your videos on Vine. But the mobile app will be discontinued and shut down soon.

• Start taking orders and booking appointments on your Facebook Page

  Friday, October 21, 2016

  Facebook's 1.5 billion users certainly do more than scroll through their news feed — liking another artful food pic or watching the third cat video of the day. Now, the social network is proving its power beyond conversation. Facebook has been testing ways to not just cultivate and engage their community, but to inspire them to action.

• What you missed: The latest updates on each social platform

  Monday, October 17, 2016

  If you have a smartphone, you check Facebook about 14 times a day. But that was back in 2013. Back then, in 2014, we only looked at our phone about 33 times a day. Now, that number has grown to 46 times a day — a 40 percent increase from just two years ago. Likely, we check Facebook — and other social platforms — much more often than 14 times a day.

• Pinterest trends you need to know to boost holiday sales

  Friday, October 07, 2016

  Are you still thinking about creating content and marketing campaigns for Halloween or Thanksgiving? Well, your audience may already be a couple of steps ahead of you — on Pinterest that is. Pinterest users, commonly called pinners, start planning for the holiday season a bit earlier than most, according to Pinterest data. Pinners start collecting holiday-centric content in September — a full four weeks before the general population.

• Why you’ll soon encourage employees to spend time on Facebook

  Friday, September 30, 2016

  Right now, whether you like it or not, your employees are wasting massive amounts of their workday. 89 percent of workers in a recent Salary.com survey admit to spending time at their job on tasks not related to work. 62 percent of those employees waste between 30 and 60 minutes, while 10 percent waste between 4 and 5 hours every day.

• 3 easy ways to amplify your content on Instagram

  Friday, September 23, 2016

  Snapchat is the fastest growing social network out there right now. But Instagram rivals Snapchat's rapid, double-digit growth — and has a much larger audience. This summer, Instagram surpassed a huge milestone. The platform officially had 500 million users, up 100 million users in just 10 months. Of those 500 million, 300 million use Instagram daily. Snapchat, on the other hand, has an estimated 150 million daily active users.

• Tune in now to Twitter on your TV

  Friday, September 16, 2016

  Yes, Twitter started as a social network — way back in 2006. But now Twitter wants you to think of it more as a news source with a social component.

• The next big social platform your business needs to embrace

  Monday, September 12, 2016

  Facebook made a seemingly minor change last week that has big implications for your brand. Specifically, Facebook announced a new update to its Messenger app: Instant Video. Now, you can add short, instant videos to messages. While Facebook Messenger already added video calling last year, Instant Video is different.

• Find your match: Which social network should your business use most?

  Friday, September 02, 2016

  Every week, it seems a new social platform, tool or improvement pops up. Just in last few weeks, Instagram introduced "Stories," Pinterest added new advertising features and Facebook changed its Trending News. With the constant barrage of "new, new, new" on social media, it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy.

• 3 things the Rio Olympics taught us about media consumption

  Friday, August 26, 2016

  In four years' time, much changes — especially in the realm of digital and media innovations. And every four years, the Summer Olympics give us a chance to see those innovations in action. In 2012, Facebook had just gained its billionth user, and Snapchat had only been live for a few months. Video streaming was beginning to gain substantial momentum. Netflix had 29.4 million streaming-only users.

• The 5-step check to create better content on all social platforms

  Monday, August 22, 2016

  Each social platform has its quirks and secret tips for better performance. But the heart of what makes great content stays constant — regardless of platform. Implementing a few, small tweaks when you're creating content and writing copy for your brand's social media makes a big difference.

• Instagram allows users to filter and censor comments

  Monday, August 15, 2016

  As your Instagram audience continues to grow, you'll likely encounter a problem you may not have considered: an influx of hateful remarks or comment spam. Yes, there will still be followers who comment and authentically engage with your content. But, they'll likely be harder to find amid a flurry of users begging you to "follow me" or "like back." Generally, they don't want your account to follow back or view their profile. Instead, users like this are taking advantage of your extensive audience and promoting their account.

• Is Instagram the new Snapchat?

  Friday, August 05, 2016

  ​If you've opened your Instagram account this week, you may have noticed something looked different but familiar. Instagram introduced its newest feature: Instagram Stories. In short, it's Instagram's version of Snapchat. The interface and elements of Instagram Stories look nearly identical to Snapchat.

• How does your brand’s email marketing stack up?

  Friday, July 29, 2016

  IBM's annual Email Marketing Metrics Benchmark Study is hot off the presses. For email and digital marketers alike, it’s one of the best times of the year. This year’s report includes data from over 3,000 brands and 750 companies. Plus, it highlights opportunities you may be missing or not investing enough resources in. See how your brand’s email marketing stacks up to others by learning the biggest insights and takeaways from this year’s report.

• Facebook Live is growing — here’s what you need to know

  Monday, July 25, 2016

  Three months after the rollout of Facebook Live to all its users, the new tool is catching on quickly. Within the last week alone, Facebook Live videos have dominated the news cycle. Seemingly ordinary individuals across the country have captured footage of monumental events, from the death of Philando Castile and the Norfolk, Virginia, shootout to the military coup in Turkey.

• Facebook Live introduces community standards following graphic videos

  Thursday, July 14, 2016

  Social media has changed the way we communicate, how we consume the news, and most recently, how we tell our most crucial stories. Citizen journalism has now advanced to the next level with live streaming.

• Now is the perfect time for your brand to join Snapchat

  Monday, July 11, 2016

  If you've previously thought Snapchat to be a social network used only by teens, it's time to change that mindset. As of June, Snapchat has about 150 million daily active users, according to Bloomberg Technology. To put that in perspective, Twitter has fewer than 140 million users logging in daily.

• How Facebook’s newest update may hurt your brand

  Friday, July 01, 2016

  Since the beginning of the year, organic reach for brand posts on Facebook has dropped 42 percent. It appears that's just the tip of the iceberg for brands who rely heavily on Facebook. Recently, Facebook announced a significant change to their algorithm that will undoubtedly impact your brand. Getting back to their roots, Facebook is beginning to feature more posts from friends and family in users' News Feeds. Consequently, posts from news outlets and brand pages will be more limited.

• Emojis can invigorate social ads

  Monday, June 27, 2016

  ​Like most businesses, you're looking for a way to make your ads stand out from competitors. Especially in the social and digital sphere, companies are often duking it out for the same keywords and demographics.

• Facebook’s organic reach declined 42 percent. How do you fix it?

  Monday, June 20, 2016

  If you feel like your Facebook posts haven’t been reaching as many eyes as they used to, well, you’re right. A new study confirmed what many businesses suspected. After analyzing over 3,000 Facebook pages, researchers found the organic reach of posts dropped 42 percent. As such, brands are having an increasingly difficult time connecting with their customers on Facebook. Many are starting to depend on promoted posts or social ads to amplify their message.

• Meet the new Instagram — Built for business

  Tuesday, June 14, 2016

  Instagram has been hearing your company's wish list — and making it come true. Just a few months ago, the platform added the ability to switch between multiple accounts. That change was just the start. Brace yourself: Instagram is unleashing a whole new slew of tools and features for businesses.

• 3 best social media monitoring tools for your business

  Thursday, June 09, 2016

  Social media offers your brand the best of both worlds. You get to talk, grow and connect with your audience. Plus, you get to listen to what they say to and about you. Creating and engaging with fans is where brands spend 90 percent of their time. Yet you can learn just as much from listening to the feedback, reviews and overall chatter about your company online.

• Is Twitter removing the 140-character rule? Yes, but ...

  Friday, May 27, 2016

  It's the rumor that has stood the test of time: Twitter is doing away with its 140-character rule. So is it true? Well, the answer is a bit trickier than you'd think. Just a few months ago, Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey said of the 140-character limit, "It's staying. It's a good constraint for us, and it allows for of-the-moment brevity."

• How and why to use Facebook’s Instant Articles

  Friday, May 20, 2016

  Facebook Instant Articles have been gaining buzz since they debuted for a test group in the summer of 2015. The tool was tested by media giants such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic and NBC News. The articles are immersive, interactive mobile experiences. Right off the bat, the response was positive: Instant Articles performed 4.3 times better than regular posts just a month into testing.

• 3 easy ways to get more customer reviews (and boost sales)

  Friday, May 13, 2016

  ​If you track your online Yelp or Google Review conversions, you already know how much online reviews impact your business. Online reviews have the power to boost your brand and drive sales. Or they can drive sales away from your business.

• 3 tips for responding to negative social media posts

  Friday, May 06, 2016

  When customers are frustrated, they often don't reach out to your customer service line anymore. For better or worse, they instead share their negative experience on social media. Negative comments, bad reviews and snarky tweets will always be there. They're never going to away, and deleting them is certainly not the way to go.

• Data-driven ways to boost email marketing

  Friday, April 29, 2016

  ​Email marketing is the workhorse of the marketing world. It often works the hardest but doesn't get the attention that newer digital marketing tactics do. Yet email marketing has the highest conversation rate out of digital and print marketing efforts, found the Direct Marketing Association. Plus, the average ROI for every dollar spent on email marketing is $44.25, according to ExactTarget.

• Facebook reveals proven tricks to increase video views

  Friday, April 22, 2016

  While studies often attempt to understand just what makes a video go viral, the essence has never quite been captured. We're getting a step closer, though. This week, Facebook released new data in an attempt to analyze "the science behind effective videos." The social network had Facebook users watch more than 850 videos and decide which ones worked best.

• Learn how to market your business with Instagram’s 60-second videos

  Monday, April 18, 2016

  Over the last couple of weeks, Instagram and Facebook have been rolling out loads of changes. While there are many new features to try, zero in on Instagram's videos. Instagram expanded its videos from 15 to 60 seconds — four times the length. Why the substantial increase? Over the last six months, Instagram found "the time people spent watching video increased by more than 40 percent."

• Facebook Live expands — Learn how to use it for your business

  Friday, April 08, 2016

  If your business hasn't tried live streaming yet, now's the time. With Facebook Live — Facebook's live-streaming tool to rival Periscope and Snapchat — it's easier than ever for your business to test out the waters of this new social media option.

• No need to panic about Instagram notifications

  Monday, April 04, 2016

  If you've been on Instagram lately, your feed was undoubtedly filled with posts asking you to turn on post notifications. These notifications alert you every time a user posts a new photo to Instagram. Why the sudden frenzy from users and brands about post notifications? It follows Instagram's announcement that they'll be introducing a new algorithm to sort your feed. Previously, the social media platform was entirely chronological.

• Twitter turns 10 — and here are 10 new features to celebrate

  Tuesday, March 29, 2016

  On March 21, 2006, an undergraduate student at New York University named Jack Dorsey sent out the first message on a new service called "twttr." Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Twitter, envisioned a kind of group-messaging text service to share among friends.

• How to create an employee advocacy program in 3 steps

  Friday, March 18, 2016

  When you think about social media marketing, chances are you're thinking about getting your customers to talk, share and like your brand's content. Yet you already have an enthusiastic group of individuals who you're not taking advantage of — your employees.

• How Facebook’s new Reactions will affect your business page

  Monday, March 14, 2016

  Facebook is officially embracing and integrating the emoji into their platform. This new addition will without a doubt affect how your brand monitors content. Facebook Reactions may even change the type of content you post.

• Is Snapchat growing bigger than Facebook?

  Monday, March 07, 2016

  Over the course of the last year, Snapchat's growth has exploded. As a quick refresher, Snapchat is a mobile app in which you send videos and pictures to friends that disappear shortly after they're sent. The photos and videos are raw, authentic and minimally edited, making it incredibly refreshing for users accustomed to Instagram's endless filters.

• Why you have to try Facebook’s newest ad option — Canvas

  Monday, February 29, 2016

  Facebook executives know more users than ever are accessing their site on mobile. They also have the data to prove that visually-driven content performs better. These two major phenomena are affecting how we communicate and read online — and show no sign of slowing down.

• Here’s how to craft the perfect email

  Tuesday, February 23, 2016

  Yes, they got your email. That much we know. The average office worker sends or receives 121 emails a day, according to a recent report from the Radicati Group. Chances are they opened it as well since Americans have a penchant for checking their emails 'round the clock. 42 percent of Americans check their email in the bathroom, 50 percent check email while in bed, and 18 percent check their email while driving, Adobe found.

• Instagram allows users to switch between multiple accounts

  Monday, February 15, 2016

  If you use Instagram for marketing, the feature you’ve been waiting for is finally here. Just a few days ago, Instagram announced you can now add multiple accounts, allowing you to switch between accounts without having to log in and out constantly.

• Top 4 marketing lessons from Super Bowl 50

  Monday, February 08, 2016

  A hefty price tag of $5 million for a 30-second ad during Super Bowl 50 did not stop businesses from buying their first Super Bowl ads. This year, there were more than 15 businesses who were first-time Super Bowl advertisers, the most newbies since the dot-com bubble in 2000. From the ads to the Super Bowl's marketing, read on to find out the biggest marketing lessons your business can learn from Super Bowl 50.

• Marketing tips for Firefox’s new push notifications

  Tuesday, February 02, 2016

  ​Desktop browser companies know mobile is affecting the way users browse, read and search. Now, they're taking action. Firefox just announced the introduction of push notifications, called Web Push, to its desktop browsing. With this new feature, users can receive notifications from websites without having the page open. Firefox is following the likes of Mac Safari and Google Chrome. Both browsers already offer a variation of push notifications.

• Facebook and Google are changing the game in real-time marketing

  Friday, January 22, 2016

  Your definition of real-time marketing is about to change. While real-time marketing will still revolve around social, new elements are hitting the scene. Both Google and Facebook recently announced new real-time marketing additions. Unsurprisingly, both arrived just in time for the historic Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7. Now both platforms can roll out their new features to eagerly awaiting brands and fans by seizing the Super Bowl's momentum.

• What images work best on social media?

  Tuesday, January 19, 2016

  Social trends come and go. When you step back, though, you'll see how these trends affect the way we communicate — regardless of the platform. From ​Snapchat to In​stagram and now Perisc​ope, images reign on social media. Text has become secondary as more readers skim rather than read an entire article.

• 5 tactics to improve social media marketing in 2016

  Monday, January 11, 2016

  ​Check out the social media tr​ends for 2016, then tweak your New Year's social media resolutions if need be. If you still need a bit of guidance writing those SMART goals, read this. Now brace yourself for your most successful year of social media marketing yet.

• Marketing guide to 2016 social media trends

  Monday, January 04, 2016

  Along with the influx of New Year's resolutions as we ring in 2016 come the social media predictions. Before your business finalizes your 2016 strategy, check out the newest trends. This year you'll give your audience exactly what they want.

• How to perform a year-end social media audit

  Monday, December 14, 2015

  The end of the year is quickly approaching. As you're striving to reach your sales goals for the holiday season, be sure to plan for 2016 as well. After all, you want to enter 2016 knowing you've got the best marketing plan to grow your business. You should even be able to prove why your plan will work using your company's data.

• Your secret marketing weapon this holiday season: Instagram ads

  Monday, December 07, 2015

  ​As the year winds down, it's clear Instagram is the social network of 2015. From December 2014 to September 2015, Instagram added 100 million active monthly users, growing its network by 33 percent in less than a year.

• 5 hacks to boost sales this holiday season

  Thursday, December 03, 2015

  And just like that, the holiday season has arrived! 'Tis the season for good tidings — and good deals. Shoppers this year began talking, scouring and even shopping for deals earlier than ever. The reason for their eagerness? Customers are planning on spending more this year than they have in the past 15 years.

• 5 last-minute marketing tips for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

  Monday, November 23, 2015

  ​It's crunch time for Black Friday! Luckily, you still have time to improve and implement digital marketing, which is more important than ever. Over the last decade, Black Friday has evolved from an in-store to an online shopping experience.

• Your online marketing guide for the most digital Black Friday yet

  Tuesday, November 17, 2015

  Prepare your business for the most digital Black Friday yet. Last year, Black Friday online sales grew 20 percent from 2013. Plus, 2 percent of Black Friday sales came directly from social media.

• Enhance your customer service with these 4 social media tricks

  Tuesday, November 10, 2015

  Once you've created your social media marketing plan, there's another way you can boost your customer retention. Upgrade your customer service with a few, simple social tricks. eConsultancy discovered that 83 percent of consumers require some degree of customer support while making an online purchase. If your customers don't get their questions or concerns addressed quickly, 45 percent of shoppers will abandon their purchase, according to CRM Magazine. However, 71 percent of consumers who experience a quick, effective brand response on social media are likely to recommend your brand to others, NM Incite found.

• How to create a social media marketing plan in 5 steps

  Tuesday, November 03, 2015

  The average marketer spends more than 11 hours per week on social media, while small business owners typically invest 6 to 10 hours. What seems like a staggering amount of time is actually time well spent.

• Easy ways to get more of your marketing emails opened

  Monday, October 26, 2015

  It only makes sense to invest more in the marketing efforts that produce the greatest return on investment (ROI). Luckily, companies are three times as likely to see a higher ROI on inbound/content marketing campaigns than outbound, according to Hubspot’s 2015 State of Inbound. This makes perfect sense since the goal of content marketing is to attract new customers by creating and sharing valuable content with your target audience.

• Twitter tumbles: What its static growth means for your business

  Tuesday, October 20, 2015

  Over the last few weeks, ads for Twitter have been popping up on every platform from mobile apps to television. Now, we know why. Twitter is struggling. This past July, the social network announced their slowest increase in monthly average users since the company went public in 2013.

• The data-driven do’s and don’ts of online advertising

  Tuesday, October 13, 2015

  Pay-per-click (PPC) ads seem like a great deal. Digital ads are only shown to your target audience, you only pay when someone interested clicks, and each click isn't too expensive. Those clicks add up quickly, though.

• Join Periscope to authentically connect with your customers

  Monday, October 05, 2015

  Periscope's initial live stream competitor, Meerkat,seems to be falling to the wayside. Meanwhile, Periscope is gaining more momentum. Launched in March, Periscope now has more than 10 million active accounts, and more than 2 million of those users log in daily.

• Your guide to brand marketing on LinkedIn

  Thursday, October 01, 2015

  ​LinkedIn can do far more than connect you with your next employee. With the right tactics, LinkedIn can help grow your brand, find new clients and introduce valuable industry contacts. For B2B businesses, LinkedIn is without a doubt the most important social network for your team.

• How to use guest blogging to your business’s advantage

  Tuesday, September 22, 2015

  Bloggers can do amazing things for your business. They can connect you with new potential customers, increase your social following and result in a big sales bump. So, offer bloggers another benefit besides product samples. Ask them to write a guest blog.

• The real key to effective digital marketing? It’s all about the data

  Tuesday, September 15, 2015

  Is your business marketing on Instagram orbuying digital ads on Pinterest and seeing minimal results? If so, you're probably scratching your head and asking, "Why?" Specific strategies aren't going to work for you until you step back and look at the big picture.

• Everything you need to know about Instagram’s new ads

  Tuesday, September 08, 2015

  And, just like that, Instagram ads have gone from an experiment for elite brands to a new tool available to all companies. Yep, Instagram has rolled out its new advertising platform for most brands. How the introduction of ads will affect the organic reach and engagement of the Instagram community stands to be seen. For now, though, early-adopter brands are reaping the benefits of being one of the first to try Instagram ads.

• The golden rule for marketing on each social network

  Tuesday, September 01, 2015

  ​Of course, there are social media marketing r​ules that apply across all networks. But each network truly has its own idiosyncrasies. Knowing what resonates on each social platform gives your brand power. Then, you can spend less time crafting posts and have them perform better than ever. Read on to discover the golden rule for marketing on each one of the top four social networks.

• How to use Twitter’s newly expanded direct messages

  Tuesday, August 25, 2015

  140-character limits are gone on Twitter — at least in their direct messages. On Aug. 12, Twitter expanded their 140-character limit to 10,000 within direct messages. Yes, that's over a 7,000 percent space increase. Also, you can now direct message anyone — not just those with whom you have a connection already.

• Take advantage of Pinterest’s Promoted Pins

  Tuesday, August 18, 2015

  ​This week, Instagram began rolling out ads, exclusively through their API (Application Program Interface) Partner program. Brands in Instagram's new program are able to easily buy and schedule Instagram ad space. Plus, you can pinpoint the exact audience for the ads.

• Increase sales with social brand ambassadors

  Tuesday, August 11, 2015

  Advertising reminds consumers that your business is truly the best out there. You've got the lowest prices and the highest quality! Unsurprisingly though, shoppers are bound to be skeptical of your thoughts on your business. After all, you're a biased source.

• The fate of Google+ for business marketing

  Monday, August 03, 2015

  Google+ has often been the least favored and most neglected tool for social media marketers. Started in 2011, this was Google’s chance to create a thriving social network. However, while Google+ was able to quickly gain users, it was not able to truly engage them. The time spent on Google+ was minimal. Come 2013, Google began requiring users to sign up for Google+ to use Google products like YouTube and Gmail. As of now, that’s no longer true.

• 4 ways to rock social — regardless of network

  Tuesday, July 28, 2015

  Every social media network has its own quirks and best-practice rules. Yet keeping all those tips and tricks top of mind can prove to be tough — especially if you're juggling other aspects of business.

• Yik Yak: What is that?

  Tuesday, July 21, 2015

  Even if you're not an expert on every social media network, you've probably heard of most — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, maybe even Meerkat and Periscope. Chances are you haven't heard of this one, though. It's been around for less than a year, has raised over $70 million in venture capital funding and has nearly 2 million active monthly users. Meet Yik Yak.

• How to market to Pinterest’s newest users — men

  Tuesday, July 14, 2015

  Pinterest used to be the social network for women looking to plan their weddings, find new recipes and attempt ambitious DIY projects. However, Pinterest's user base is slowly beginning to diversify. According to the latest Pew Research, 71 percent of the social network's users are still women. Yet 73 percent more men are now using Pinterest compared to 2014. One-third of all new Pinterest registrations in 2015 have been men.

• How to harvest the power of bloggers in 5 steps

  Tuesday, July 07, 2015

  Landing a business profile on the cover of The New York Times seems like all your business could ever hope for. But there's another form of media that can move the needle for you far more. Though, it may not be quite as prestigious, it's much easier to achieve.

• Instagram steals social spotlight: 3 ways to make your business shine

  Tuesday, June 30, 2015

  If you’ve been on Instagram lately, then you may have already spotted a couple changes. The Instagram site now has much larger pictures and closely mirrors the layout of its app. Speaking of which, the "Explore" section of the app has a different format. Now, trending places and hashtags are prominently displayed and updated in real-time. Here, you can search for top trends, places, tags and users all at once. Granted, these changes seem small, but their end goal is not. Instagram wants to become the next social media destination for news.

• 4 ways to connect after Safari starts blocking ads

  Tuesday, June 23, 2015

  Everyone was buzzing recently about Apple’s newest venture — Apple Music, a Spotify competitor. There was something far more important that was also announced during Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference. When Apple releases iOS 9, adblocking will be available on Safari’s desktop and mobile browser. Kiss your mobile ads' effectiveness goodbye. However, you can pivot your marketing and advertising strategy to get ahead of this problem.

• How to cultivate brand authenticity for your business

  Friday, June 12, 2015

  Brand authenticity is a term you hear a lot, but not everyone knows how to define exactly what the term means. Typically, you know it when you see it — and when you don’t. For example, Spirit Airlines was in the hot seat recently for ​automating their social media platform, everything from posts to replies. Customers looking for that personal touch got bombarded with canned responses. Yikes.

• How your business can get a PR story this summer in 5 steps

  Tuesday, June 09, 2015

  Public relations versus advertising: the age old debate has been solved. We're inundated with ads now more than ever. Throughout the course of one day, we see an incredible 5,000 ads. That's one every 11.5 seconds. And how many of those can you ads can you recall? For most, the number is low. Much of the time, our brains barely see these ads — which means their messages certainly aren't sticking.

• Which is the best social media site for your business?

  Monday, June 01, 2015

  New social media sites pop up constantly. Have you heard of the two newest players in the social game, Meerkat and Periscope? Whenever a new form of social emerges, of course you check it out. After all, you — and your business — should always be on the forefront of trends. Plus you want to know, "Is this a good fit for my business?"

• Google adding tweets to search results: How you can optimize this

  Tuesday, May 26, 2015

  How often do you consider keywords when tweeting? Starting this week, you'll want to include many more keywords in tweets than you did before. Now, keyword optimization on Twitter is going to land you higher in search results.

• How to get (and keep) customers with an 8‑second attention span

  Tuesday, May 19, 2015

  Bad news: We no longer have an attention span longer than a goldfish. New research from Microsoft found that since 2000, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to a mere eight — one second shorter than that of a goldfish. That means most of you didn't even make it to this sentence.

• 3 new social updates and how to use them in your business

  Tuesday, May 12, 2015

  Social networking seems to evolve faster than anything we've ever seen in the marketing world. Each time you log in, it seems like something — whether huge or minor — has changed. This week, we're here to help you pinpoint exactly what's different.

• Using Pinterest to promote local businesses and events

  Wednesday, May 06, 2015

  While it's intuitive to build a local following on most social outlets, doing so on Pinterest is a bit more complex. After all, Pinterest is a place for dreaming, driven by keyword searches. Locality isn't at the forefront of the platform. But you certainly can use Pinterest to market and promote your local business or event. Learn five ways you can use Pinterest for local marketing.

• Meerkat and Periscope: What are they and how can you use them for marketing?

  Tuesday, April 21, 2015

  ​Forget writing about how fantastic last Sunday's brunch was (Facebook 2007). No need to microblog about it either (Twitter 2009). A colorful photo with perfectly arranged mimosas and scones is a step in the right direction (Instagram 2012). But now you can officially do better. Share live video of your entire meal (Meerkat and Periscope 2015).

• Will Google’s newest algorithm change affect your business?

  Tuesday, April 07, 2015

  I know, I know. You've heard Google cry "Algorithm change!" before, and it seemed like nothing happened. But this time it's different. Unlike the last few updates, Google has said their newest algorithm change is going to be one of the biggest to date. Starting April 21, Google is going to penalize any websites that aren't optimized for mobile devices.

• Should your business be on Snapchat?

  Wednesday, March 25, 2015

  Since Snapchat announced their new Discover feature that highlights brands, the number of businesses and media moguls joining the app seems to have skyrocketed.

• Newsjacking: 3 questions to ask before your brand participates

  Thursday, March 12, 2015

  You want your business to be on the front page of the newspaper and on the tip of everyone's tongue. While this goal seems lofty, an easy way to accomplish it is by newsjacking. Newsjacking is when your brand tracks the top news stories — either locally or nationally — and injects your company into the topic.

• 4 ways to make content marketing more successful

  Friday, February 20, 2015

  ​Content marketing has been gaining traction for years. It's one of the best and most effective ways to find, connect and convert potential customers. Plus, leads from content marketing are 13 percent cheaper.

• Stay ahead of the competition with 4 new social features

  Monday, February 09, 2015

  Just within recent days, four of the biggest social platforms rolled out new features. Seize these new social tools immediately to stay one step ahead of your competition. Learn what’s new on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter while seeing how your brand can harness the power of Snapchat.

• Get more media coverage for your brand with these 4 proven tricks

  Tuesday, January 27, 2015

  No doubt your business has set ambitious goals for the year. Whether you want to grow your user base or net more sales, public relations can help. PR gets respected media contacts to endorse your brand or tell your story to a large audience. Positive stories often trigger a huge surge in sales, Web traffic and social media followers.

• 3 consumer-centric trends your business needs to know

  Wednesday, January 14, 2015

  Now that the New Year's bell has stopped ringing, predicted trends for 2015 are stepping forward to steal the spotlight. While your business is penning this year's goals, be sure you're moving in the right direction. In order to increase sales, customer acquisition and traffic, your business needs to be communicating with shoppers in the way that works best for them.

• 4 last-minute marketing tips to make your holiday season shine

  Monday, December 15, 2014

  With chestnuts roasting, twinkle lights aglow and Christmas ads aplenty, the holidays are here, and the countdown is on. If your holiday sales, conversions or campaigns aren't shining as brightly as you planned, don't fret. It's not too late to pull out all the stops and transform this holiday season.

• 4 Black Friday and Cyber Monday trends affecting holiday shopping

  Tuesday, December 02, 2014

  Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday — no matter what you call it, the 2014 holiday shopping season is officially in swing. More brick and mortar stores were even opening their doors a day early on Thanksgiving, which certainly caught the eye of shoppers and critics alike.

• The anti-Facebook revolution begins

  Thursday, November 20, 2014

  A few months back, Princeton researchers made a prediction that Facebook will lose 80 percent of its users between 2015 and 2017. With 2015 rapidly approaching, the anti-Facebook sentiments remain: too many ads, not enough organic reach, and too many complaints about the ever-changing privacy policy.

• Social becomes sales: Facebook, Twitter to battle over e-commerce

  Wednesday, October 22, 2014

  Establishing a social presence for your business is no longer optional. Social has become the customer service line, a satisfaction meter, a fan club and your personal brand bulletin board. Not surprisingly, a whopping 92 percent of marketers already know social media is really important for their business.

• 4 communication trends your business needs to know and use

  Monday, September 29, 2014

  ​From Google Glass to virtual reality headsets, the way we communicate as a society is ever-evolving. But never before have the changes been so drastic or rapid. As communication habits change, businesses need to follow suit in order to stay current and continually resonate with customers.

• 3 trends integral to marketing your business

  Tuesday, September 16, 2014

  What trends does your business need to keep afoot of in the marketing world? We've got the top three biggest trends in marketing and communications below. Read on to unlock the secrets and keep your business a step ahead of the rest.

• 3 powerful new ways your business can use social media

  Friday, August 29, 2014

  The longer social media thrives, the bigger the role it will play in companies. Today, 81 percent of businesses both small and large are using social media. Out of those, 94 percent use it to communicate marketing messages.

• 5 tips and tricks to market your brand to millennials

  Tuesday, August 19, 2014

  To thrive in the present and grow in the future, brands need to market, target and build relationships. This is important to do with all customers, but particularly crucial in appealing to millennials.

• Is Facebook’s influence shrinking for brands?

  Thursday, August 07, 2014

  Facebook has more than 1 billion users internationally. Twitter and Instagram are still lagging behind in users with about 200 million. Even though Facebook was once the king of social media, there's a major shift happening in how people use the platform.

• The 4 C’s of effectively marketing to moms

  Wednesday, July 02, 2014

  Mothers give back so much to their communities and families every day. Businesses of all kinds should also take a timeout to re-evaluate how they're giving back to moms. After all, women make 85 percent of purchasing decisions in households, and there's a good chance some of those women are mothers. Mothers are an influential demographic for businesses.

• How to digitally market to millennials

  Friday, May 30, 2014

  Every industry is constantly evolving with each new technology, and soon it will be out with the old and in with the new. The way we learn, talk and tackle tasks is all going to change in the next few years. Wondering what's driving this shift in how we operate?

• 3 tips to boost business sales with Pinterest

  Tuesday, May 20, 2014

  ​What's the next step after your business has established a presence on social platforms? Pinterest, the image-driven scrapbook-esque social site, may not be getting enough of your attention this spring.

• Attract new customers to your business with content marketing

  Wednesday, April 16, 2014

  Content marketing is a new ballpark for advertisers and marketers in every industry. With content marketing, your business will be attracting, engaging, listening to and converting consumers who are already interested in what you have to offer.

• How your business can harness the year of mindfulness

  Wednesday, April 02, 2014

  2014 has been dubbed "the year of mindfulness." In fact, mindfulness has been named one of the top 10 trends that will shape the world this year. People are growing weary of being constantly connected to their digital screens. They want a way to detox, to unwind and rediscover peace, and this movement is spreading quickly.

• 4 proven tricks to get Facebook likes on your business posts

  Monday, March 17, 2014

  Getting likes on your business's Facebook posts may seem like throwing spaghetti against the wall. You know some sticks and performs really well, while others just flop. As far as the why, it's a mystery.

• 4 ways to write headlines that actually get clicked

  Friday, January 17, 2014

  The short, snappy title you type right before you post your blog, tweet or story is the reason for your downfall. Even though headlines seem like the last step in publishing, they're the most important by far. If you have a ho-hum headline, no one will click on it to discover the golden editorial waiting for them. Instead, you need to really focus on crafting headlines that inspire and intrigue your audience enough to click through.

• Creating a lifetime of customer love

  Monday, January 06, 2014

  ​As a business, you need to sell your product. But being a business means far more than just your net profit. You need to be focused not just on getting new faces in the door, but also on bringing them back time and time again. After all, when it comes down to it, the people who buy your product run your business.

• Perfecting the social media balancing act in 2014

  Thursday, January 02, 2014

  Social media has now been around for years. No matter the industry, you know you have to be on social media — especially in 2014. It's the perfect blend of advertising and public relations. Plus, it's free. Social media outlets of all kinds let you connect with your key demographic on a daily basis. Here, you get to interact with your clientele in a cool, friendly, funny manner.

• Top 5 social media trends for 2014

  Monday, December 09, 2013

  Looking toward 2014 already? See what social media trends are coming over the horizon. Some networks are here to stay and will continue to grow, while others are already stale. Determine where you should budget your time in the upcoming fiscal year now. Without further ado, here are the top five social media trends of 2014.

• Why media tours still matter

  Tuesday, December 03, 2013

  One of the most important tenets of media relations — and the one that gets talked about the least — is the media tour. Press conferences and media tours were hot stuff 20 years ago, but now technology and video chats have made in-person media tours less popular. But, when done right, media tours can wow the media, especially since they aren't as popular a tactic as they once were.

• Marketing to the newest generation of shoppers

  Thursday, November 21, 2013

  A huge lifestyle and consumer trend is that the newest shoppers of 2014 will be hitting the market in a big way: the millennials. They're going to begin buying houses, which means decor, gardening and furniture, too. Millennials are those between the ages of 18-34, and they currently make up 23 percent of the U.S. population. That means that 23 percent of those with spending power in the upcoming year will be the millennials.

• 6 tips to make the most of industry trade shows

  Tuesday, October 29, 2013

  ​Trade shows are one of the best places to garner new business, attract new customers and interact face-to-face with trade show attendees. But, realistically, they also are a huge investment of money. Are you making the most out of every dollar that you're putting into industry trade shows? Chances are your business could be doing more.

• The top way to ensure your social media strategy will tank

  Monday, October 14, 2013

  ​Social media is here to stay. It's completely transformed the landscape of personal and brand communication. Yet, one of the biggest impacts on social media strategy thus far was just released in a new study from Econsultancy. The reason marketers are using social media is changing -- and the new findings are detrimental to your long-term success on social media.

• 7 ways to cultivate creativity in business

  Wednesday, October 02, 2013

  PR firms and businesses alike are full of brilliant thinkers, so let's help them have more fun and exercise their creativity — which will ultimately affect the bottom line. Here are seven tips to integrate into your business to have a bit more fun and a whole lot of ground-breaking ideas.

• Tweaking your tweets for repeat

  Tuesday, September 17, 2013

  In the realm of social media, we're still learning how to best measure our business success. The medium is still new, so the best way to see how we're doing hasn't been fully established yet. But we are learning.

• Crafting alluring and effective posts on social media

  Wednesday, August 28, 2013

  While Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and the like all fall under the umbrella of social media, using each platform requires an individualized set of tricks and tips. A new study recently found the most effective tips and guidelines for posting on different social media outlets. Implementing these tips will allow your business to see a higher number of likes, retweets, views and — most importantly — engagement.