Tools and Tricks for Social Media Marketing

Tips For The Social Media Marketer

Do you find it difficult to juggle all your social media pages? In this digital age, we have a whole new platform from which we can advertise and receive feedback. Sometimes however, it’s hard to keep on top of changing trends, which is why I have compiled this list of useful tools and apps that I have found invaluable in keeping on top of things. The tools social media marketers use are constantly evolving to help us do our jobs more effectively and efficiently. All the apps, add-ons and tools in this list are either free or offer a free version subject to limitations, and all of them have the potential to save you time and help you get the most out of your work.

Working on the Move

#1: Raindrop

Raindrop is a free cloud-based web, desktop and mobile app which syncs across all your devices. It can be used to organize and share content, and allows you to access your files anytime, anywhere. The extensive list of visualization options allows you to personalize your content and the Share Sheet button will allow you to instantly send web pages to raindrop for later if you come across something online and don’t have time to look at it right away. You can also use it as a collaborating tool by setting up shared folders, much the same as Dropbox.

#2: Scannable by Evernote

This free iOS app basically functions as a built-in scanner on your smart-device. Simply pull up the app and t will automatically scan and crop any document you hold the camera over. Even more, Scannable can scan business cards and save the person as a contact, even amassing their data from their LinkedIn profile if your Evernote is connected with LinkedIn.

#3: Trello

Trello is a free project management system that works with Dropbox and Google Drive and allows you to link together project documents and even people involved in a project, simply by using the @ symbol to tag them! Project group members receive immediate notifications on the smartphone app and browser versions, with no email sent where the notification is acted upon quickly. No need to worry about a cluttered inbox after an intensive working session! All involved can attach notes and comments as well as image files, cutting out the need for a project group to be physically in the same place in order to work together.

#4: Canva

Canva is an online graphic design platform which allows users free access to a variety of design tools and options. Unfortunately, you must pay to access the premium options, but even the limited free version is extensive enough that you can use it for web or print designs, blog graphics, presentations, Facebook covers, posters, invitations and so on. Its drag-and-drop interface is easy to use and the designs look professional. I’ve found it far easier to manage than many other free image editors or graphic design programs that are currently available. Canva is available as an iPad app which operates like, and offers as much as, the original desktop version.

Keeping Track

#5: SumoRank

SumoRank.com is a free tool which analyzes the rank and content of your Facebook page, supplying you with invaluable information on your page statistics, such as when during the day or week your page reaches the most viewers, as well as what type of post is most popular. You can review the level of engagement with your posts over short and long time periods and discover what elements in a post, such as photos or video links, result in a higher engagement level from your customers.

#6: BuzzSumo Chrome Extension

BuzzSumo is an extension for Chrome which allows you to track the share counts for a piece of content on any social media network you are using. BuzzSumo is important because its’ function extends to Twitter, which recently shut off the API which allowed third-party tools to collect Twitter counts on articles. The only requirement is a BuzzSumo account- the extension itself is free.

Broadcasting

#7: Live Streaming Apps

Live Streaming is nothing new, but with the advent of live-streaming apps such as Meerkat and Periscope, it is becoming a popular way not only to connect with people on your personal social media accounts, but an engaging and interactive way for businesses to connect with potential customers. Meerkat and Periscope are two popular livestream app options- both are free and available on a variety of devices including Apple and Android. To complement this phenomenon and make it even easier for you to utilize live streaming in your marketing campaign, Katch is a free platform which automatically collects and archives your Meerkat and Periscope broadcasts shortly after they are aired. This happens automatically as long as you have Katch hooked up to your account, so it couldn't be easier to create and keep track of a whole new aspect of your marketing campaign.

#8: Blab

The most recent social networking venture by the team that created Bebo, Blab is a live-casting platform similar to Meerkat and Periscope, with the additional feature of being able to bring multiple people from all over the world into your conversation. Like Meerkat and Periscope, your Blab broadcast is free and available to watch as soon as you’ve finished recording it. It also sends you downloadable MP3 and MP4 files. It can be used to hold interviews and discussions, create podcasts and even talk to customers.

#9: Overcast

Speaking of podcasts, Overcast is a free iOS app which improves the way you listen to podcasts. Its’ voice-boost feature automatically normalizes the audio levels in a podcast you are listening to. You can also avail of Overcasts’ smart-speed feature which shortens the length of pauses in conversations so the show isn’t any longer than necessary, saving you valuable time. It can be connected to your Twitter feed and will help you find shows that your Twitter followers have been tweeting about. This is useful as it can enable you to keep on top of trends within your customer base and any episodes you share can be upvoted so you can view how shared podcasts rank among your followers.

Keeping it Simple

#10: Reverse Image Search

This surprisingly little-heard of tool allows you to instantly source any image by simply dragging the image, or it’s URL, into the Google Images search bar. As of March 2014, Bing Images also offers the same function. These free tools are incredibly useful as they not only allow you to source images that you would otherwise be unable to source, but if you have uploaded a unique image such as an advertisement you can use the reverse image search function to see if your image has been posted anywhere else on the internet.

#11: Reader Mode

Another feature which is gaining popularity and which you may not be aware of is Reader Mode. Reader Mode is becoming available in a range of browsers including Firefox, Chrome and Explorer is. This free app easily allows you to adjust the text size, font and background of webpages and articles, as well as removing pictures and graphics, to make them easier to read online. If a page is available in Reader View, an open book icon will appear in the URL bar. I use Firefox Reader mode which allows you to save pages to you reading list for later. This function is also available as an add-on for Android. Safari is an Apple download which offers similar functions.

#12: Opera Mini Browser

We’ve all experienced the frustration of not being able to sleep on a work night, but did you know that your smartphone can interfere with your brain’s ability to switch off? This is because the blue light that is given off by your smartphone is scientifically proven to stimulate your brain in the same way that sunlight does, tricking your brain into thinking it’s daytime and making it harder for you to power down. Opera Mini Browser, available on iOS and Android, has a possible solution to this problem. It offers an extension which will allow you to adjust the brightness of your screen, and also includes the “reduce eye strain” mode, which adjusts the tone of light from your browser from blue to orange. This is easier on your eyes and shouldn’t interfere with your brain activity and sleep patterns, so you can continue to work from your smart device in bed if needs be without jeopardizing your performance the following day. I’ve found that it does make night reading easier- however the extension can be a little unreliable and it doesn’t work in all versions of Opera.

#13: MileIQ

For when you do need to travel, Mile IQ is a smart drive detection app which tracks your miles for you. You know those fitness apps that log the amount of time you spend working out and calculate the calories you’ve burned? MileIQ is essentially the same thing for driving. It was designed to simplify mileage reimbursement for companies, but even if you are a freelancer this app can be useful in enabling you to get the most value out of every mile you travel. You can use it to calculate the shortest driving distance between locations as well as the cost of each journey, and you can save and categorize drives into personal and business trips. MileIQ is available for iOS and Android, and has a free version which offers 40 drives per month.

#14: World Clock

When you are working with customers or colleagues from all around the world, a World Clock app can be very useful indeed. Rather than having to keep track of or constantly check up on the time difference in locations across the globe that you are working with, a World Clock app will let you know instantly and with most of these apps, you have the option to save your favourite cities. The greatest advantage to this from a marketing point of view is that you can use it to schedule your broadcasts at peak times in the areas where they will be most relevant, thus maximizing the effectiveness of every publication. Depending on what device you have, there exists a variety of free World Clock apps to choose from.

#15: Spritz/Squirt

Ever heard of Optimal Recognition Point reading? No? Neither had I. OPR reading is where, instead of traditionally reading a paragraph of text the way you are probably reading this one, the words are fast streamed one at a time in front of you. The idea behind this is that in traditional reading, your eyes have to constantly search for a specific point in each word (this is the Optimal Recognition Point) in order to understand it. As the Optimal Recognition Point of each word varies depending on the length of the word, your eyes often have to jump from right to left while trying to identify a word, akin to reading backwards. This could happen an infinite number of times in any given piece of text, so not only do you lose valuable time while reading but your brain is so focused on trying to identify words that you typically aren’t absorbing as much information from the text as you could be. In 2014, Spritz was launched- the first app to stream words one by one, always centred on the Optimal Recognition Point so that your eyes can focus on the one spot while reading. Spritz is available for Android, and Squirt is the more recent version for desktop. I’ve tried Squirt, and it certainly enables me to read much faster than I usually do, although there are some definite downsides in that coughing, sneezing or blinking can cause you to miss words (startlingly there is no rewind function), and it’s necessary to pay much more attention to the text in order to remember and process everything you have read- although this may be no bad thing! The jury’s still out as to whether or not this is something I will use regularly but if gotten used to, it could certainly save a lot of time. In any case, it’s free, quick to install and easy to use so why not give it a try?

If you’d like to read the full article from Social Media Examiner, you can find it here.

6 Ways to Increase Twitter Engagement

6 Ways to Increase Twitter Engagement

Another useful article about how to increase Twitter engagements  written by Shayla Price. In this article you’ll discover six ways to increase engagement on Twitter.

• Offer Personalized Encouragement 

The author draws the attention ''the best engagement is sometimes a simple response. Customers are thrilled when you devote time to interact with them''. We all get excited when our tweets are acknowledged. And of course stay away from disingenuous comments. If your business isn’t known for encouragement, your customers may be confused by the message. 

• Share Their Tweets  

It’s human nature to want to be validated, so retweet your followers to show you recognize the value of their content. Let them know that what they’re saying or posting online matters.If your business is an extension of your personal brand, you may want to retweet content on your personal account.

• Run a Contest

People love giveaways:), so running a Twitter contest for a chance to win free swag is a good way to encourage engagement. Plus, all of the social mentions will boost brand awareness.To create a Twitter contest, choose a contest theme that resonates with your followers and decide how people will enter the contest. It’s important to keep a low barrier to entry to make it easy for people to participate. Make sure you promote the contest on multiple social media channels.

• Include a Relevant Hashtag

Create and promote a hashtag campaign to reinvigorate your community and spark conversation around your brand.To start a hashtag campaign, decide on the goal of your campaign and how it will relate to your customers. Then research what your audience is talking about to come up with a hashtag that they’ll identify with.

• Link to Problem-Solving Content

One way to grab your followers’ attention is to provide content that will help improve their lives. This is a great way to integrate your brand into their lifestyles and strengthen the bond between you and your customers.

• Answer Customer Calls for Help

There will inevitably be times when your company doesn’t meet customers’ expectations and they’ll need your assistance. Helping to solve their problems is a way to provide good customer service and at the same time strengthen customer relationships.

Each of these ideas will will help you get your followers talking about and to you on Twitter. Use one or all of them to build more engagement with people on Twitter. If you would like to read all the article click here 

  

3 Ways You’re Making It Harder For Yourself To Make Money

Article is written  by Claire Mitchell who writes about mindset and money. She has worked with thousands of ladies on her website, The Girls Mean Business, and she sees the same issues coming up time and time again. Issues that are definitely making it harder for you to make money in your business. 

In the article you will find some good advice about how to make money. Here are 3 Ways you're making it harder for yourself to make money:

1. Not Knowing Your Numbers 

The first way that women business owners make it harder for themselves to make money is by not knowing their numbers. Do you know yours?

• What it costs you to make/provide your product service including time, materials, overheads like rent, rates, electricity, water and staff
• What you therefore need to charge JUST TO COVER COSTS (this is your absolute minimum, if you’re not covering costs then STOP RIGHT NOW)
• What you need to charge to make a decent profit and give you a business that makes you money.
• THEN CHARGE IT (and put your prices up at least once a year)

2. Not Knowing What You’re Aiming For

The second way women business owners make it harder for themselves to make money is by not knowing what they are aiming for.

''If you’re not sure what you’re trying to achieve then how the heck are you going to achieve it? You need at least some basic targets in your business or you’re just pootling along aimlessly, wondering why you’re not getting any further forward.''

3. Not Setting Boundaries

The third way women business owners make it harder for themselves to make money is by not setting boundaries. 

By NOT setting boundaries you don’t protect your work time, you tire yourself out, you fritter away precious time and you wonder why you’re not getting any richer.

Set boundaries. Make your work time count. Get good at getting very productive, very quickly and then have time off in between. Time for you and time for your family. The better you get at this, the easier it will be to build your business, stay sane and make more money.

If you would like  to read the whole article simply click on the link here and learn how do it. 

Christmas Instagram Marketing Tips

Christmas Instagram Marketing Tips

1# Highlight Holiday Sales and Discounts,

With many more people willing to spend money during Christmas time,

promoting sales and discounts could be beneficial.

2# Run Instagram Ads,

Carousel ads and video ads perform well on Instagram, Carousel ads allow you to add multiple images, normally showing off products or creating short stories. Video ads are the more popular choice to promote.

3# Partner with a charity,

Giving back is always good for both your community and your reputation.

With focus on giving to others, customers will not only take more notice of 

your charitable work or donations, but may participate alongside you.

                                         

 4# Ask your followers to choose their favourite,

It's always a good idea to engage with your followers/community but you can take that strategy one step further by asking them to choose between items.

To read more into this go to this article 

How to Grow Your Pinterest Marketing Results

6 Tips to Grow Your Pinterest Marketing Results

Pinterest is an online service that allows you to share images through social networking. Pinterest is the website where you have a "pin board" that allows you to post ideas that you want to remember and then share them with your friends through Facebook.

Here we have six smart tips to teach you how to grow your Pinterest marketing results. The article by Mitt Ray who is the author of the book White Paper Marketing and the founder of Social Marketing Writing. If you wonder what is wrong with your Pinterest because you have no marketing results this article is exactly what you looking for.

Is your Pinterest account working for you?

Want to take your Pinterest marketing to the next level?

1: Optimize Your Page- You have to fill your profile very exactly with a town where you are but don’t write a book about you and your business. Match your nick name with a business name to make easy for everyone to find you.

Make sure that your page has at least 10 boards. Place your most important or popular boards in the top row. That way they’re displayed above the fold, and people will see them immediately when they visit your brand page. To apply this tactic to your boards, use similar cover images for all of your boards but choose a unique image for your most popular board (or the one you want to drive followers to).

2: Design Content to Support Goals- Before you can determine what to pin, think about your goals. They might be to drive engagement and build an audience or to drive traffic. Most businesses choose a primary goal (such as driving traffic) and a secondary goal that complements the primary goal (like gaining more followers).

3: Be Strategic with Your Pinning Schedule- on Pinterest, people can follow you or follow one or more of your boards. So posting only to your most popular boards won’t keep all of your followers engaged. It’s important to post to your less popular boards, too. If you have boards for various categories, you can pin specific images for different days of the week.

4: Design Skinny Images- About photos on Pinterest you have to know are some rules. The Pinterest team did some research and the results are suggest that you should put photos with red and orange colours and that photos with no faces are better than photos with faces, it’s funny but that is confirmed by a detailed examinationJ.

5: Write Detailed Descriptions- Accompany your pins with good descriptions. According to Dan Zarrella, pins with descriptions of around 200 characters get the most repines. End the description with a call to action that’s relevant to your goal.

6: Test Various Pin Times- Schedule your most important updates from 2 pm to 4 pm and 8 pm to 1 am. These are the best times to pin, according to this infographic from Social Marketing Writing. The best day to pin is Saturday.

 

Pinterest recently hit 100 million monthly active users. The platform is driving high amounts of traffic and engagement for websites and blogs. The most productive way to reach your goals on Pinterest is to create and follow a plan.

As you become more active on Pinterest and optimize your website, your audience will expand, and new people will follow you and pin from your website. To keep up with new platform features and design changes, regularly check your analytics and modify your Pinterest plan. Do this every one to three months at minimum.

If you are interested to learn more click here and read whole article. 

Video Marketing Masterclass

Video Marketing Master-class

Who are VideoTree :

Video Tree is an innovative video marketing business run by digital marketing and video production experts providing solutions for businesses who wish to incorporate a video strategy into their existing marketing strategy. 

Video Tree work with a range of SMEs's including jewellery companies, sculptors, fashion, food and more.

Click here to see sample video made for Sean Egan Art glass. 

Benefits of Video Marketing:

A company website now has just 8 -10 seconds to convince the visitor that they are worth browsing through. Content is king and presenting

your business with effective moving visuals is proven to be the most impactful method of engagement over text and photo content.

Benefits of video marketing include:

• Developing a powerful presence on YouTube, the second largest search engine on the web,
• Video content will add value to your social media strategy.
• Google love video so by having video on your website you will boost your rankings on   Google search results
• With just one video you can drive more engagement on your website.
• Video creates an emotional connection with your audience encouraging more trust in your products and services.

Video Marketing is for business big and small:

Regardless of the size of your business, you must have a video strategy of some level to succeed on line into the future. Video Tree will show you how you can apply a video strategy that fits with your budget. By 2018 it is estimated that 80% of internet traffic will be video and as consumer demands rise for video content, the cost of video content creation has become more affordable meaning that all sizes of businesses can integrate a video strategy to their business to connect with their visitors, develop trust and showcase themselves, their products and their services to increase the likelihood of conversion.

Workshop

This workshop will give you tips, tricks and techniques for marketing your videos on line.

 

Exclusive Offer

All participants in the workshop will get an exclusive discounted rate on a Video package to include recording, editing and promotion. If you think you might like to promote your business through video I would strongly urge you to attend so you can learn more 

Video Marketing Master class start on Wednesday 11th November 2015 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, cost €15.

For more information call (058)23598 or  e- mail info@dungarvanec.com 

New Facility!! Green Screen for Hire

Green Screen at Dungarvan Enterprise  Centre

We are delighted to announce that we have a new facility available at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre – we have a green screen and professional lighting available for hire. We will explain how it works, why you need a green screen, and we also will try to help you to find the best programme to edit your video with here in this article.

The green screen allows you to make video advertising for your business, which is proven to help with SEO, to engage customers better and to have high share value. With some very easy and simple techniques your promotional video can and will look like a professional video. What are you waiting for? Try it out today.

What is Keying?

Keying is the process of isolating a single colour or brightness value in an electronic image and using software to make that value transparent, allowing another image to show through the affected areas. Luminance keying, or luma keying, is the process of keying out a brightness value or range, like black or white. Luminance keys are often used for applying mattes. Colour keying, or chroma keying, identifies a specific colour to remove – hence the green screen.

Why Green?

Many people use the terms chroma keying and green screening interchangeably, but the principle that powers chrominance keying is not limited to the green parts of the spectrum. In the visual effects world of Hollywood, blue screens are far more common than green. In fact, you can key out any colour; red, yellow, purple or pink, blue and yes, green. So why is it that an ugly shade of green is the hue of choice for television and video? The biggest factor is contrast. In order to isolate one area from the rest, the background colour must be distinctly different. Bright green beats blue partially because it is not a colour commonly worn by people. Any clothing that matches the background too closely will also key out, punching a hole in your subject’s body, or making him invisible altogether. The likelihood of someone rocking up in green screen green is fairly low!!

Here is a short video that explains how a green screen works, it’s short and it simplifies the process. Click here to watch and learn how easy it is to work with a green screen.

What do I Need?

You can erect a simple chromakey setup almost anywhere with just a few basic tools. In order to shoot footage that will key cleanly, you will need a green background, a source of bright, even lighting, and a tripod to lock your camcorder in place.

You can find all these things at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre, so all you need is to find a video editor that works for you.

We can also recommend a few video editors that have great reviews, the decision about what you use is yours:

1.      The guy in our video uses Adobe Premiere The fastest and most efficient nonlinear video editor is now also the first to offer an intuitive, dedicated Lumetri Color panel for manipulating colour and light, plus a Morph Cut transition that lets you quickly create the most seamless talking-head scenes imaginable. The app also delivers dozens of features designed to help you make the switch from Final Cut or Avid, including common commands, panels, and keyboard shortcuts. There are few package you can choose, the cheapest one costs just €24.99 per month.

2.      Another program is Jahshaka  this application is completely free. Jahshaka is a program for editing, printing and an applicator of special effects. It uses the power of your processor to give you a real – time rendering. You can edit your videos quickly and with flexibility. Features include; Create real-time effects, animate with unlimited features, draw and tag on video playback, create background music with the tools used by the pros. Working with multiple formats on any resolution you can share your projects, your files, music with all internet users around the world.

3.      Movavi Video Editor  looks really nice and easy to use. Cut and join video clips with zero quality loss, apply stylish video effects and filters, add music, titles, and much more!!! Movavi’s video editing software is very easy to work with, it has a simple and user-friendly interface: take a pinch of imagination, mix it with some free time and some professional shots of your business/product, and you will have a Hollywood – like video with a lot less effort. Cost of this application is €35.87 but you can do a free trial before you pay

4.      Pinnacle Studio Plus  is considered one of the most powerful video editors by multimedia users, Pinnacle Studio Plus enables you to create videos, to organize, edit and enhance their quality and also share them with other people. Once imported you can edit your video and start to increase the quality of your video file simply and with ease. The cost is €89.75 for the full version of Pinnacle Studio Plus, there is also Pinnacle Studio 18.5 for €53.62 or Pinnacle Studio 18.5 Ultimate which is more expensive but has more professional features and costs €116.24. .

5.      Muvee Reveal  is a complete mounting software. It has features allowing you to split your video into several parts; it can also be merged with others, helping you to make video montages of your choice. This software also has features that allow you to customize the image being edited, such as adding captions and voiceover. Moreover, with a special system detecting facial movements, the videos can be perfectly synchronized with the rhythm of your chosen background music. You also have the ability to customize your creation. There is a library of pre-defined templates which include styles, animations and transitions. With Muvee Reveal, you can also export your finished works on Youtube, Facebook and other video sharing websites. This application costs €71.83 to buy

These are our top picks but there are lots of options for video editing, shop around and find the best for you.  

 

For more information please contact Dungarvan Enterprise Centre at (058) 23598 or dungarvanec@gmail.com .