Wow, it’s been a long time since I last shared with you the secrets to becoming a social media guru.
In it, I shared some top tips on how you can climb to the giddy heights of social media guru … click here to read more
Join us at The Big Social Media Campus, class starts Spring 2017
Click here to find out moreWow, it’s been a long time since I last shared with you the secrets to becoming a social media guru.
In it, I shared some top tips on how you can climb to the giddy heights of social media guru … click here to read more
Struggling to Keep up?
Do you struggle to manage your social media channels? Do you struggle to find the time to…
Reply to your social mentions and comments?
Find or create high quality content that will ignite your audience?
Monitor the success of your … click here to read more
Instagram reaches 400 million active monthly users
Facebook-owned photo-sharing app Instagram has revealed that its monthly user base has now reached 400 million. That’s an increase of 100 million in the past nine months alone and much faster rise than anticipated. … click here to read more
Did you know that 97% of companies use social media marketing? Social media plays such a major role in the daily lives of marketers, that it’s easy to forget just how young the channel really is.
The truth is that even … click here to read more
Facebook to introduce ‘dislike’ button
According to Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook will introduce the long-anticipated ‘dislike’ button.
In a Q&A session at Facebook’s Californian headquarters, Zuckerberg said that: “I think people have asked about the dislike button for many … click here to read more
The first 15 minutes of my working week tends to start pretty much the same. My alarm goes off. I grumble, pick up my iPhone and open Twitter. It’s my morning lifeline. Scrolling through my feed I screen grab anything … click here to read more
According to statistics, Instagram is now the King of Engagement amongst Social Media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. Also with over 300 million users and rapidly growing (Instagram jumped in growth by 50% within a 9-month period in 2014), Instagram … click here to read more
WhatsApp reaches 900 million monthly active users but is hit with a bug that could impact millions
Just days after it was announced that WhatsApp now has over 900 million monthly active users, it was revealed that the messaging app had … click here to read more
When introducing newcomers to content marketing, one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is the belief that their customers have neither the time, nor inclination, to delve into a lengthy blog post.
Despite what your own reading habits and conventional wisdom … click here to read more
Periscope, the live broadcasting and streaming app, was recently purchased by social media favourite Twitter for just under 100 million dollars and allows people to broadcast in real time to the rest of the world. The app has become a … click here to read more
Zuckerberg boasts of 1 billion daily Facebook users
Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that Facebook reached one billion hits in a single day. Sharing news of the milestone in a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said: “We just passed an important milestone. For the … click here to read more
Twitter-owned Periscope is one of the freshest newcomers to the field. It obviously provides businesses and brands new marketing tools but how effective can a Periscope campaign be? Offering real-time video broadcasting in any part of the world, this app … click here to read more
Google extends its partnership with Twitter
Google is to extend its agreement with Twitter by including tweets in desktop searches.
Earlier this year, Google began to include real-time Twitter information into its results, but only on mobile devices. The two companies have … click here to read more
Many of you have been asking for a list of the videos that we used at The Big Social Media Conference throughout the two days, so we have put together this handy list for you!
In no particular order, here are … click here to read more
As business owners and marketers, with pressure to get everything done as quickly as possible, social media activity can sometimes feel like an added burden , rather than an opportunity.
And with so many social networks available, it can be very … click here to read more
Facebook overtakes Google as source of online news
According to the latest research, Facebook has overtaken Google as the top source for online news traffic.
In a survey that looked at more than 400 traditional and digital news and media outlets, social … click here to read more
As many of you probably will be, I am subscribed to quite a lot of email newsletters in an attempt to keep my fingers on the pulse of many of my interests. Having said that, I doubt I pay attention … click here to read more
Social media brings with it a multitude of sins. Our personal feeds are filled with contacts that make us audibly groan whenever we see their updates.
You know the ones: the brag-a-holic who reminds you just how awesome their life … click here to read more
Google announces massive restructure
Following on from last week’s news that Google is to sideline Google Plus, the tech giant has now revealed that it is creating a parent company called Alphabet.
According to a surprise blog post by Google co-founder and … click here to read more
When you think about it, keeping up with Twitter followers is a lot like managing your wardrobe.
If each item is neatly hanging in the closet or folded in a drawer, the pieces are easy to access. It’s simple to arrange … click here to read more
Does the below statement sound familiar to you?
“I don’t understand why our followers aren’t converting into sales, we’ve spent a lot of time building our network but they aren’t buying from us!”
It does? Ok, if you are a business active … click here to read more
LinkedIn makes global publishing push
LinkedIn’s publishing platform is to go global with a number of localised landing pages.
The publishing initiative, which opened up to LinkedIn members last year, allows users to share their thoughts in the form of articles and … click here to read more
Social media. Social channels. Social norms. If you didn’t check in, you were never there. If you didn’t read it first on Twitter then it’s already old news. Snapchat isn’t just for sending rude pictures anymore and if you aren’t … click here to read more
Your website is the heart of your business’ online presence and social media is too. Google Analytics is the perfect tool to measure the success of their relationship and to gain an insight in to how they’re operating together.
Google Analytics, … click here to read more
Instagram’s U.S. mobile revenue to overtake Google and Twitter
Instagram’s mobile ad revenue is expected to reach $2.81bn by 2017 according to research by eMarketer. The figure far surpasses the $595m the Facebook owned social networking service generated this year.
If correct, … click here to read more
According to the latest Weber Shandwick research, CEOs have found their social footing in 2015. Previous research completed by Weber Shandwick showed that the main barriers preventing Chief Executives from being ‘social’ were the fact that it is unusual for … click here to read more
State who you are. When using Twitter as a business development tool, it’s best to tell people who you really are to make sure you’re attracting the right followers. Use short words and phrases to spell it out. However think … click here to read more
Twitter removes customised wallpapers
Twitter has quietly removed personalised wallpapers from timelines and profile pages. While cover images remain, the move now sees uploaded profile wallpapers replaced with a plain background. The company has been gradually rolling out the update to … click here to read more
All too often, I’ve seen promising blog posts fail to attract the readers they deserve, simply because of poor layout choices.
While yours might be packed full of interesting insights and actionable advice – it’s of little use if you’ve buried … click here to read more
It’s no secret that social media platforms are directly linked with human emotion. We might feel intense joy at the announcement of a friend’s engagement on Facebook; profound sadness at the news of tragic misfortune on Twitter; sheer happiness at … click here to read more
Instagram reveals UK active users
For the first time, Instagram has broken out its monthly user figures by a particular location. According to the platform, 14 million people in the UK are now using the service at least once a month. … click here to read more
The Big Social Media Conference came to a close last week after two jam-packed days of social media information sharing and networking.
Held at The Point; Lancashire County Cricket Club’s £12M conference and events venue, the conference was the first of … click here to read more
Facebook opens its first African HQ
Facebook has opened its first African headquarters in Johannesburg.
The new office will focus on growing markets in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa as the business looks to expand its African user base. With saturation in … click here to read more
1. Increase your exposure to customers and potential customers
With 1.39 billion monthly active users, whatever your line of business, it’s a safe bet that a good percentage of your target audience is already using Facebook. And if they are, you … click here to read more
Instagram is no longer just for teenagers but has found its way into the social media strategy of many entrepreneurs, small business owners and large corporations such as Nike, Starbucks and Maybelline.
According to statistics, Instagram is the fastest growing social … click here to read more
Snapchat helps to launch ad content agency
Global advertising and marketing group WPP has joined forces with the Daily Mail and Snapchat to launch a new content marketing agency.
Designed to create and distribute brand content across digital media platforms, ‘Truffle Pig’ … click here to read more
As social media marketers, we have an abundance of tools in our digital marketing arsenal to measure Twitter performance. When Twitter Analytics came on the scene late 2014, marketers rejoiced at the wealth of new Tweet stats available – including … click here to read more
Content marketing. It’s just a buzzword, right? A fad. It’ll be vogueish for five minutes and then fade away, along with inbound marketing, engagement marketing, omni-channel retailing, growth-hacking, sentiment-surfing, buzz alchemy, vibe butchery, hashtag evangelism and anything that isn’t either … click here to read more
Twitter launches video auto play
This week, Twitter announced that it will introduce auto-playing videos and animated GIFs. The changes, which will initially be implemented on the iOS app and web-based versions of the platform, will see all native videos, GIFs … click here to read more
Although LinkedIn is only the 5th largest social media network, according to the Pew Research Center, posts on the network generate twice as many social referrals for corporate homepages than Facebook and Twitter combined.
To succeed in B2B marketing, LinkedIn … click here to read more
The Labour Party “liked” Buzzfeed on Facebook; the Lib Dems “liked” Russell Brand. Those facts alone were enough to suggest the 2015 General Election was going to be like no other before it.
Political polls of Britain were bisected no … click here to read more
Twitter makes it easier to track conversations
Twitter has announced the launch of a new feature to make it easier to keep track of conversations.
As of this week, the platform will start grouping conversations together, highlighting some of the most noteworthy … click here to read more
If you’ve been playing around with Facebook ads to promote your business, chances are that you’ve gone through a lot of frustrations. I’ve been there too.
The main roadblock to success when it comes to Facebook ads is the complexity of … click here to read more
You probably don’t need a refresher on why populating your site with frequently-updated, engaging content is a good idea. But despite the obvious benefits and the best efforts of marketers, too many company blogs fall by the wayside.
In this guide, … click here to read more
When you spend so much time catering to the every need of your clients and customers it’s easy to neglect your own website. With so many people and so much time dedicated to hitting targets, achieving objectives and liaising with … click here to read more
Twitter launches its Official Partner Program
This week, Twitter launched a new consulting tool to encourage more advertisers to its platform. The Official Partner Program uses trusted third parties from Twitter’s Certified Program and its Marketing Platform Partner program, to help … click here to read more
To some marketers and small business owners, Facebook advertising is still uncharted territory. If you’re looking for new ways to advertise, why not tap into the social media site that boasts over 1.2 billion users?
Get started with social media marketing … click here to read more
I often have people tell me at speaking events, “Melonie I just haven’t got any business from LinkedIn.” Do you struggle with trying to figure out how to actually build relationships or get results on LinkedIn?
One of the keys … click here to read more
Twitter to buy Flipboard?
According to reports, Twitter could be about purchase article-sharing app Flipboard. The all-stock deal, should it go ahead, could see Flipboard’s valuation soar to $1 billion.
Launched in 2010, Flipboard searches and aggregates thousands of topics, resulting in … click here to read more
If you were to ask me what my favourite social network was, I’d have to say Twitter. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy and see the power of other networks. On the contrary! I’m a huge fan of Google+ … click here to read more
A surprisingly powerful, low cost tool for effective blogger outreach.
By Rob Illidge, Founder of Elrelo.com
Reviewed May 2015
Price: 4/5
With packages starting at $19/12 a month BuzzStream is perfect for businesses with low budget/high ambition.
Features: 3/5
The BuzzMarker and Prospecting … click here to read more
Twitter and LinkedIn are the preferred social media channels for CEOs
According to a recent study by global public relations firm Weber Shandwick, Twitter and LinkedIn are the social media channels of choice for the world’s top CEOs.
The study analysed the … click here to read more
One of the ways you can increase your visibilty on Twitter is to use hashtags to get your tweets seen. Hashtags are a great way to organise content, follow events and create discussions with other users.
However, understanding what to do … click here to read more
Are you active on Facebook with your personal profile? It can be a great way to connect and network with professional contacts and, using your privacy settings, it is quite possible to keep business-related updates and conversations separate from those … click here to read more
Facebook launches in-app purchase install ads
Facebook is adding deep linking to its app install ads to facilitate in-app purchases. The feature will allow businesses that sell products and services through apps to use direct marketing to increase sales.
Until now, in-app … click here to read more
1. Be brave
Write down 3 of your favourite TV advertisements or video content that you have seen online. They will all have similar things in common. They are probably a little bit different, out of the box and brave. Don’t … click here to read more
Please click here for Part One of this post,
Just because there are plenty of shiny social media platforms and tools out there doesn’t mean you need to learn and use them all. If you’re social media savvy but find you’re … click here to read more
Social media helps Nepal Earthquake survivors
In the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake, social media and other technology operators have come to the aid of those affected.
Facebook has enabled its ‘Safety Check’ feature, making it easier for people to check that … click here to read more
Out of all the social media channels out there, Twitter is the most important. I know that’s a relatively strong statement to start off a blog post with – but I hope it grabbed your attention!
This statement demonstrates the importance … click here to read more
Are you a sales leader responsible for the results of your sales force?
Or are you a sales professional that is required to reach a sales quota?
The strategies outlined in this article are effective for sales professionals or any professional in … click here to read more
Facebook to start offering video ads
Despite shares in Facebook crashing following the release of its Q1 earnings last week, Facebook is reportedly ‘excited’ about the potential of video ads. Narrowly missing Wall Street’s expectations, the social media giant took $3.54bn … click here to read more
For most digital marketers, marketing automation has been a lifesaver. Now marketers don’t have to set their alarms for ridiculous hours just so they can reach customers in other time zones. They can instead plan posts for the next week … click here to read more
WhatsApp jumps to 800 million monthly active users
According to its own figures, WhatsApp has become one of the world’s most popular messaging platforms, boasting 800 million active users every month. A Facebook post by WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum revealed that, … click here to read more
Every day there’s a new tool, a new feature, a new technique to master, yet for us small business owners, budget and staff are not increasing accordingly. The marketing person, customer service department and finance person are probably all … click here to read more
Facebook increases its traditional media spend
Social media behemoth Facebook has invested heavily in traditional advertising during the first quarter of 2015. Having spent just £16,000 in this area during the whole of last year, the latest figures estimate that so … click here to read more
The ability to publish long form posts on LinkedIn used to be a feature reserved for the elite of the network, aka LinkedIn Influencers. Those days are over and now anyone can use the LinkedIn publishing platform and there … click here to read more
Managing time and getting results on Facebook is a balancing act that so many small businesses struggle to get right every day.
The secret to real success on Facebook is the processes and the tools that you use to manage your … click here to read more
Social media sites such as Twitter have transformed the customer feedback process. Providing a quick and easy way for businesses to engage, Twitter can help your company to solve customer problems and build brand goodwill.
However, for brands that find themselves … click here to read more
After Twitter finally went public at the end of November 2013, the next step for them was to find new ways of getting revenue. So for the first time ever, Twitter announced that it will allow small and medium sized … click here to read more
Are you using Facebook ads to help you grow your business?
They are easy and quick to set up, and can help you get your message out to thousands of people without spending a huge chunk of money. Once you have … click here to read more
When it comes to marketing your B2B business in 2015, social media is a must. Through social media marketing, businesses can build a base of loyal fans, showcase their credibility and help retain customers.
Our latest infographic from our friends over … click here to read more
On February 4th, Twitter announced a new deal with Google that would allow Tweets to appear in searches as soon as they’re posted. This drastic increase in access to the 500 million Tweets that Twitter’s 284 million users post … click here to read more
Whether you are working on maximising your brand awareness or developing your own personal brand; credibility and authority are two fundamental aspects of your journey.
In order to achieve your branding goals, you may want to look at 5 attributes that … click here to read more
With the continued rise of social media use by customers and consumers along with more emerging platforms, it is vital that brands have an active presence. However the task of updating, monitoring and reporting on the ever increasing interactions can … click here to read more
Surely you’ve heard that social media is the way to market your business and connect with your audience. All that trust-building and personal communication that can help your brand’s image and influence. Too bad you don’t have any time for … click here to read more
Facebook provides new guidelines on banned material
Facebook has updated its community standards to help clarify what material is banned on its platform. The new guidance will be sent to users who officially complain about posts made on Facebook and is … click here to read more
Towards the end of 2014, we concluded an online survey of businesses across multiple industries – from marketing to pharma, and from utilities to public sector. We wanted to get an understanding of how these types of companies approached their … click here to read more
When many companies create social media accounts, they seem to view it as a numbers game. How many followers and fans do I have? How many fans liked my last status?
While it’s good to have plenty of followers, social media … click here to read more
The Battle Is For The Interface…
Tom Goodwin, senior vice president of strategy and innovation at Havas Media, published a brilliant article in Techcrunch this week, “The Battle is For the Customer Interface”. He explains …
Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, … click here to read more
Every day Twitter is used to connect, share and discover and if you are not using Twitter to achieve your business development goals, you could be missing out!
1. Twitter helps you to connect with people you know.
Twitter is a quick … click here to read more
The turn of a new year typically triggers reflection and change; booking summer holidays, making resolutions and setting new business objectives. In the world of media and marketing, it’s a time to compile predictions for 2015 and help organisations cope … click here to read more
The internet is becoming awash with content!! We can get quick access to knowledge on pretty much any subject now.
For businesses using social media, this means there are always interesting articles to share.
But, are other users sharing your articles? Do … click here to read more
We all do it. We hear about the launch of an exciting new social media platform and we sign up immediately hoping and dreaming that this will be the ‘next big thing’ to boost marketing efforts. 9 times out of … click here to read more
Social media platforms and channels are continually changing and as marketers and business owners, we need to be able to report and invest in the types of media that will reach our target audience.
In order to do so, it is … click here to read more
Web blogs have reigned the internet for several years, and the speed at which their importance and possibility for financial gain is unprecedented. Everyone and their cat’s cousin has an online space in which they can extol the virtues of … click here to read more
Research in the US suggests that up to 85% of users feel more connected to SMEs after following them on twitter, and are more likely to purchase goods and services from them in the future.
With approximately 15 million twitter users … click here to read more
Most businesses now understand the importance of blogging. But what about vlogging?
Vlogging is the video equivalent of blogging. Instead of writing your blog, you speak it to camera instead. YouTube continues to rise in viewing numbers, and is now a … click here to read more
Following on from the successful PhD in LinkedIn, we are thrilled to announce the release of the PhD in Twitter from the Professor himself.
In today’s competitive environment, social media platforms offer a time efficient alternative to face to face … click here to read more
Let me get to the point: this term has been hyped up and over-stated. It has been latched onto in a crude attempt to convince sales folks that “social media is good”. And the term itself is misleading…it’s a case … click here to read more
If you are new to the search engine optimisation (SEO) game, you are probably feeling overwhelmed. All of your competitors are after the same goal: claim the number one spot on Google, Yahoo or Bing’s search results page (SERP). It … click here to read more
The speed that information travels online has changed the way we share, interact and comment with companies and brands.
People have always used the internet to exchange advice, views and information, but social media and the widening use of consumer forums … click here to read more
Does the engagement on your Facebook page seem too low? And does it seem like it shouldn’t be that way, especially when you’ve done well in the past and/or took all of my advice on how to do social with … click here to read more
Whether you are new to social media or considered a social media expert, the truth is that you will always have questions. If you are wanting to use social media to help market your business, you will be looking for … click here to read more
We all know that social media has evolved and is continuing to do so at an incredible rate. Marketers have long declared that “content is king”, and this is where we see the biggest shift in social media in 2015.
Content … click here to read more
Instagram is becoming one of the fastest rising social media platforms! We all love to look at imagery, which is why Instagram is so popular.
This visual network focuses on image and video posts. You can also add text to your … click here to read more
Q: I write lots of blog posts but don’t think enough of the right people are seeing them? How can I promote my blog content?
This is a great question and gets to the heart of the challenge associated with using … click here to read more
Have you wondered exactly how to use LinkedIn for business?
Has your fear of making mistakes prevented you from taking full advantage of all that the #1 business social network has to offer?
This infographic will help to demystify how to use … click here to read more
Is personal branding really important? Or is it just another buzzword that will fade out over time? Should you be spending time paying attention to it at all?
Matt Aguilera, Founder of Geniebottle, talks to us about whether you should be … click here to read more
Our latest whitepaper is a guide to creating excellent social media posts that stand out from the crowd, getting your brand seen by your audience and interacting with the content that you are posting.
Sian Ediss, Digital Marketing Executive at Pixel8, … click here to read more
There’s no denying that Google+ still isn’t seeing the same kind of traction that the likes of Facebook and Twitter have created.
But, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water just yet!
After all, Google+ is owned by the search … click here to read more
A ‘one of a kind’ social media event was announced this week by online expert community Social Media Experts. The Big Social Media Conference will take place in July 2015 and will feature leading experts from the world’s top experts … click here to read more
Writing a business blog that resonates with customers can be a daunting prospect, especially in these days of ‘content overload’.
For me, a website hosted blog is one of the main foundations of any respectable BB content marketing strategy and the … click here to read more
1 – You have two ears and one mouth – use them in that proportion
Much as Social Media engagement presents huge opportunities for comparatively little in capital outlay, it’s essential for any business looking to embrace the digital revolution to … click here to read more
Marketing is vital to the success of a business. Over time it has morphed and changed into various different forms but content has always been key. The way it distributed and absorbed has changed with technological advances.
The biggest effect on … click here to read more