The Social Media AdvisorA Little Wine, A Little Laughter, A Lot of OneHope with Laurie Probsdorfer

#MarketingTrends2018 - Using Facebook Boosting and Facebook Ads

It might surprise you to hear that Facebook ended 2017 with 2 billion monthly active users and is still growing. That’s a lot of people. So it’s no wonder that 93% of social media advertisers use Facebook advertising. That’s not even close to the next most popular platform for ads, Instagram (owned by Facebook) which weighs in at 24%.

If you are a social media marketer with an advertising budget, you are probably already on Facebook. But are you meeting your goals? If not, maybe you aren’t focusing on the right tool to get your Facebook content seen and, even better, converting.

When it comes to advertising on Facebook you have two choices—news feed ads or boosted Facebook posts. Understanding the difference between the two can be a little tricky, but it’s SO important to choose the right type of advertising!

Knowing which route is best for your business objectives means you’re using your money wisely, and your advertising is in front of the right people.

What’s the Difference?

Simply put, a boosted Facebook post is a type of ad that takes content that you have developed for your news feed and shares it with a larger audience. Status updates, photos and videos, and special offers are all popular types of content that people choose to boost. When you boost, you are paying to have the content you posted show up in people’s news feeds. You go through Facebook’s ad manager to do this and you have the option of selecting the audience you want to target.

Facebook ads work the same way except you have more options for narrowing down or expanding your audience. You also have the ability to include a call to action. Depending on your goals you can have users “Like” your page, visit your website, or take some other action. Since you can target users by very distinct characteristics such as age, gender, and hobbies, ads can be more effective than boosted posts for a planned campaign with well-defined goals.

A key difference between boosting a post and placing an ad is that with boosting, you can only focus on visits and engagements. If your objective is simply to build a greater awareness for your brand, then boosts may be just what you need. If, however, you hope to do more than that, your investment will be put to better use with ads.

For most social media managers, developing a plan that incorporates both boosting and ads is the way to go.  But if you are trying to accomplish something a bit more specific, like sell a certain product or push the audience toward engagement with your page, then your dollars will work harder with ads. The exact combination will depend on your objectives and your business but both have a part to play.

Much like traditional advertising, Facebook is a sandbox where – if you haven’t built up a loyal community yet – you’re going to need to pay to play. Thankfully, Facebook ads are affordable and their targeting system so refined that, if done properly, the financial investment is worth it.

If you want help navigating Facebook ads, or simply want to hand the process over to an expert, schedule a Discovery Session call with me at hollieclere.youcanbook.me.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

The Social Media AdvisorSuccess in business by getting your voice heard in authentic video with Chris Gosnell

#MarketingTrends2018 - Sharing Your Content Online

So you just finished writing a killer blog post. It’s on point, tinged with humor, and loaded with insight. You’re feeling pretty good. All that’s left to do is post it. You push the publish button and bingo! You’re done.

…not so fast! You’re just getting started. Creating great content is hard work. It takes a lot more than time. It takes planning, thought, research, and creativity. And unless you’re a world-famous blogger with millions of followers, your blog post isn’t going anywhere without a little extra work. You might get some likes and shares but are you really going to get the return on your investment that you deserve?

So how do you get the most out of your blog post? Promote your content in other places. To help you get started, we’ll talk about a few of the most effective places you can share your content.

1. Social Media Platforms: We’re assuming you’ve posted your content to your own blog since that’s the way most people do it. And that way can certainly be effective. You want to be sure you also post it on your social media profiles--Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest…wherever you have a presence, share your content! When posting, be sure to include a featured image since tests have shown that you are much more likely to get engagement when a graphic is included.
2. Your Website: If your website is not connected to your blog, post your content on your site. One popular way to do this is to have a section for featured articles. Even better, link your blog to your site.
3. LinkedIn Pulse: LinkedIn is a powerful tool for connecting with others in your industry. You can publish articles, connect via groups, and make contact with key influencers. Depending on the content you share, you may be able to utilize LinkedIn’s article publishing tool that is integrated into your feed. For more specialized content, it may make more sense to post in a group. Either way, LinkedIn is an effective way to share all sorts of content.
4. Quora: Quora is a Q&A platform where users submit questions and people of the web provide answers. It may take some time to find a question that matches your expertise but once you do it’s a great place to post a link to your content. Check the guidelines for using the site to make sure that you comply with the rules.
5. SlideShare: SlideShare, owned by LinkedIn, is a hosting platform designed to allow users to upload slideshows so they are available to the world (think YouTube for slideshows). While you may not be able to post your content without repurposing it, SlideShare can enable you to reach a whole new audience.
6. Email Marketing: Sharing your best content to your subscribers is often considered an excellent way to grab the attention of the followers that matter most. To ensure that you list feels like a VIP club, don't share everything - just the best of the best!

There are many places to share your existing content. The trick is to find the sites that are most appropriate for your industry and the people you are trying to reach. With a little homework and a little extra time, you’ll soon be reaching a much wider audience and getting the attention your content deserves.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

Public Service Announcement: The Facebook Algorithm & Your Business

We see a lot of news articles and individuals posting about the "NEW Facebook Algorithm"

Here is the secret sauce...

YOUR Facebook has been working under the same algorithm for 5+ years. There is a trick and we've always known it here at The Social Media Advisor. If you aren't seeing posts from people or pages you want to see, we have the sauce. We can only get you there, but we can show you how to get your audience there as well.

1) For every single person you don't want to miss a post from, mark them as a Close Friend. Go to your profile, select 'Friends.' From a desktop, you can select a 'Star' or 'Close' option for each friend you would like to get a notification from when they post an update.

2) If you don't want to be connected to that person, select 'Unfriend.' Click those three dots on the page to 'See Friendship' and then you can categorize each person by how you know them (they won't be notified about the category you've chosen for them) and you can even mark them with 'Unfollow' or 'Restricted.' Unfollow means you won't see any of their updates. Restricted is when you want to limit them from seeing what you are posting - they will only see your profile pic, cover photo, and your public posts. ('Public' posts are for everyone, everywhere - friend or foe or stranger. 'Friends' posts are just for the people you've accepted friend requests from.) To mark Unfollow is super easy for those friends that are driving you crazy on Facebook: on your mobile, go to their profile, next to 'Friends' you will see a 'Follow' button where you can change your option to 'Unfollow.'

3) If you want to follow a page and not miss an update, open Facebook on your desktop, go to the business page, next to 'Liked' you will see a 'Following' button - select that and change it to 'See First.' You'll receive a notification every time that person or page posts something to the platform.

4) If you want to see any updates from people or pages you follow, you MUST ENGAGE! That means you need to like, comment, or share. THIS ISN'T NEW! You have to train the algorithm to show you what you want to see. Otherwise, it will keep guessing based on your usage.

For a Facebook Business Page, you must:

1) Post on a consistent schedule.

2) If you want to see any updates from people or pages you follow, you MUST engage! That means you have to like, comment or share their content. THIS ISN'T NEW!

3) Plan to budget for minimal ads for boosting...low dollar amounts ($3-5 min / campaign)

4) Did I mention engagement is important? If you want to see any updates from people or pages you follow, you MUST engage! That means like, comment or share. Are you hearing me yet?

5) Invite your tribe (people you are connected to) to comment - like - share - ENGAGE!

6) Create and post content worth engaging with. Embrace brand storytelling.

7) Nurture your online community so you don't have to convince them to follow and engage with your page - they'll want to.

Would I be worried about said NEW algorithms? NOPE - I have taught these same practices for YEARS! NOTHING changed about them except for... KEEP ENGAGING!!!

If you aren't posting, people can't engage. If you aren't consistent, people can't engage. If you treat your social experience like a one directional website, you will not have engagement. If you are just posting content without a strategy and with no intention of being involved in your own social media, there is no one for your audience to engage with. It's always been about engagement.

Social media IS NOT GOING AWAY ANY TIME SOON, it is barely scratching the surface of communication with your clients. We grew from MySpace when Facebook became popular. If Facebook isn't playing nice, we will find a platform for you that will take over that space. We aren't worried. We live in this space. Trust u to keep you updated and don't worry about the Fear mongering media. If anything changes, we will be the first to let you know.

Want to learn more about how to use social media without fear? Join us on our new Social Media E-Learning Channel via: www.socialpowerprogram.com

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#MarketingTrends2018 - Coming Up with Blog Content for the Year

It’s hard to know just how many blogs there are out there. Some estimates put the number as high as 152 million. That’s a lot of blogs. So if there are that many blogs then it must be easy, right? 

No question, it’s easy to start a blog. What’s not so easy is maintaining vibrant and creative content. When it comes down to it, most blogs aren’t all that effective when it comes to maintaining reader interest, attracting new customers, and engaging the community. 

The reason that so many blogs miss the mark is that their content is unfocused and fails to support business objectives. Yes, it’s all about the content. But how do you come up with good content week after week? Here are five tips on ways you can spark those creative juices and develop engaging and consistent content.

1. Create a plan: Your number one weapon in battling with blank pages is to develop a strategy for your content. That means mapping out what you want to talk about for over a period of time rather than coming up with your topics on an ad hoc basis.
2. Stick with themes: Having a social media strategy that incorporates a series of themes can be a highly effective strategy for deciding on what to include in your blog.
3. Build on your most effective content: Look back on what content has worked for you in the past and make it better. It’s ok to repurpose an old topic or resurrect something you haven’t talked about in awhile. Of course, you’ll need to take a fresh approach but if something caught your readers attention once before, chances are it will again.
4. Talk with your community: Asking the people in your community what they want to hear about can be a great way to find your focus. Cast a wide net by including not just your customers, but all those with whom you collaborate.
5. Tell your story: If you think about it, you’ll find that you don’t have just one story to tell, you have lots of them. From helping your customers get to know the people they interact with to helping people learn the best way to use your products, your back office is loaded with ideas for content.

Don’t look at the process of coming up with ideas for your blog as a task to be avoided. Instead, view it as an opportunity to learn something new, engage with your community, and have some fun. When you embrace the process you’ll be able to say goodbye to sitting in front of the monitor and staring at the dreaded blank page. In fact, you may even find yourself looking forward to it.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#MarketingTrends2018 - Going LIVE with Regular Themes

2017 was the year of live video and there’s every reason to believe that the trend will continue through 2018. While the final statistics for 2017 aren’t yet available, it’s estimated that last year live video accounted for nearly 75% of all online traffic. YouTube surpassed 1 billion viewers, and 500 million people watched video on Facebook every day.

With numbers like those, it’s a given that video should be a key element in your social media content strategy. The problem is, how do you determine the most effective way to incorporate it? The solution – make it part of a weekly or monthly social media content theme strategy.

Let’s talk for a minute about social media content theme strategies. You may not have one. If not, the new year is the perfect time to start one. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated, just a roadmap of the type of content you’ll include each month across your social media platforms. By following a weekly or monthly theme for your content, you’ll avoid the trap of taking a scattershot approach and trying to be everything to everybody. Having a sharp focus will make it easier for you develop content and increase the chances that you’ll follow through on your plan.

The exact focus of your theme plan will depend on your goals and your industry but here’s an example. Say you’re an online seller of fitness products. January is easy since it’s time for fresh starts. For February, how about ‘showing a little love to yourself’? You get the picture.

Ideas on how to incorporate video are limited only by your imagination but here are a few ways you can get started:

Go live on Facebook

Whether it’s a product demonstration, a feed from a tradeshow or a behind the scenes look at how you do your work, Facebook is the perfect place to get started. Facebook also now gives you the capability of replacing your static cover photo with a video.

Create a video blog

Video blogs are a great way to establish your authority and engage with your followers. Covering an industry topic or fielding a common question are popular approaches.

Share Snapchat or Instagram Stories

You can use video to showcase a day in the life of your business or of a key team member.

Take Advantage of YouTube

Whether you use YouTube to go live or to act as a repository for your archived videos, this channel is rich with possibilities.

If you’ve never used live video, take some time to learn the basics, practice, and jump in. It’s no longer a matter whether or not you should use it, it’s a question of how. You’ll quickly find out that it’s not just your users that love it, you and your team will too. It gives you the chance to stretch your creative wings, think outside the box, and more fully engage with your community.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars