Why Live Posting Is Essential To Your Content Strategy

After scouring the Internet for the best tactics to optimize live social posting, there was completely nothing to be found. Even social communities with an active member count of over 60,000 were left clueless when asked, “Why is live social media important to their business?” For those of you that don’t already know what live posting is or how it can benefit your business, this is a much-needed entity implemented into your marketing strategies and social campaigns.

What Is Live Posting?

Live posting primarily refers to live streaming or live feed. This is the ability to transmit or receive videos and audio coverage from an event (for example) through an Internet connection that is taking place during the current time. Live streaming of events can be found on your computer, mobile device, or even through radio with more options on the horizon with technology’s innovation creation experiencing rapid growth.

When using live posting in regards to social media, this refers to when a user posts in the present moment. Posting can be as simplistic as replying back to someone who commented on a photo you posted, possibly resulting in a (continued) conversation. Too often the conversational aspect of social interaction are forgotten, due to being so caught up in the act of posting itself, not keeping in mind who we are posting … who our viewers are.

How Does This Benefit Me?

Through the use of live posting, engagement is created and impressions increase, ultimately developing the formula for useful methods to be applied in lead generation campaigns to incur revenues.

Twitter and reddit are two of the main live social posting platforms used most often. Engagement typically spikes before, during, and after an event of some sort. For instance, Khloe Kardashian hosted a live Q&A session on Twitter to promote the new television season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Fans were blowing up Khloe’s Twitter with a multitude variety of questions. Not all questions pertained to the show, but that didn’t matter because anyone that remotely mentioned Khloe’s name online boosted not only her following, but validated keyword searches for the celebrity.

Other celebrities or technology masterminds will partake in this seemingly worthwhile practice for promotional sake or to raise awareness. For instance, Bill Gates contributed to reddit’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) forum where fellow redditors could literally ask him anything. Some people find reddit to be more valuable than Twitter concerning live streaming, but that will soon change as Meerkat (the new live video-streaming app for Twitter released earlier this year) grows.

Is There A Downside?

Not necessarily. Even though social platforms such as Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, and other social networking sites do not overly benefit from live posting, it’s not going to hurt to post live before everyone else catches on. The problem of posting live on these sites is viewers and followers are unaware of when you are actually posting live, meaning they can’t really tell the difference between a live post, a post that is 3 hours old, or a post that was scheduled days before actually going live.

The differentiation difficulty between posts that are live and those that are not make it seem as though a high frequency of posts are simply spam or a plead for another follower to boost personal social fame. Users must devise a way for their social posts to be seen as actual live posts that are relevant and interesting, not a massive, in the moment, blast of spam.

Event-wise, there is no going wrong with live streaming. When hosting events and incorporating live streaming feeds of videos, audio, and photos, you can create a community of people with shared interests, located in the same place (an online community or website), all at one time. This is a great opportunity for a business to leverage and influence consumers, in addition to the added frequently overlooked benefit for data information retention and virtual focus groups.

The Bottom Line

This untapped market will move neighborhoods online in the near future. Don’t underestimate the significance influence of talking to people in the moment. Acknowledge what live posting can generate and lend insight to. Live posting creates a culture of people that gathers together. Being unified is a vitally important and powerful movement.   

How To Freelance With Little Experience

All too often people are discouraged by the idea of freelancing. Freelancing can be stressful regarding not knowing when your next pay check will come in, but the task itself is anything but difficult to accomplish when putting your best foot forth. Here are some tips to keep in mind when entering the realm of freelance work.

Make yourself stand out

The reality of competing against other applicants is that you both may be able to produce the same results, but the client wants someone they feel they can trust to get the job done on time and meets the client’s standards. Differentiation is key!

Update your resumé regularly and make sure the most up-to-date version is uploaded to your profile. Completely fill our your profile on job sites for freelancers, as well as professional networks like LinkedIn. Take the time to verify your account. Provide examples, references, and any credits applicable to illustrate you have not only actually completed the project listed in your profile, but that client was happy with what they received! Provide examples of your projects to illustrate your greatness beyond references and credits. Lastly, have a catchy tagline associated with your name so people can see how capable you are of offering something different.

Where to find work

There are endless websites to find work! Websites like: Elance, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, Guru and oDesk are some of the more popular ones, but work can be found even on sites like Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace. Make sure to check the websites and your email daily for notifications and updates regarding a job you applied. Check daily rather than every other day so the client does not opt to give the job to another applicant over you due to lack of response time.

Highlight your qualities

Do not fall into the category “jack of all trades, master of none.” Define what you are good at to a specific skillset; about 5 to 7 skills will be fine. Try to have your skills correlate together in some aspect. For instance, copywriting, social media, and content marketing can all work together. Clients will be more inclined to award you with a job if they feel your skills align, as well as possibly persuaded to hire you for more than one job.

Keep your clients happy

This does not change from the salary world to the freelance realm. If your client is happy, they will hire you again over posting, finding, and hiring another … it is simply easier and more efficient on the client’s part. Simplicity goes far!

Send an initial job confirmation email to your client highlighting the expected completion time for the project you will be working on for the amount of money you will be receiving. This will further confirm you and your client are on the same page before getting half way through the project to realize something was miscommunicated. Proofread everything, and cross-reference information if accessible. Make sure to save your file by a simple to read title and the format (PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) you save will open on the client’s end. List your name, company (if you have one), word count, target market (demographics), and title at the top of your project.

After you have completed your assignment, sent the project over to the client, and received full payment from client for your work, follow-up with the client saying thank you for the opportunity to work together and if there is anything else they need completed in the future be sure to let you know. You can even take that final step and say you will put their work first before other clients, or some other benefit to reel them back in for more work.

If you have not already gathered, freelance work is far from scary, just time consuming. Fill out one profile and start from there to see who responds to your work. The worst that will happen is nothing if you don’t try!

Social Media Guide For Beginners

Social media marketing is all about joining the conversation and interacting with people through our virtual world called the Internet. Here, we can take part in the essentials of connecting with people around the world to build relationships. Let’s take a look at the key essentials to hit on a daily basis per each main social media outlet.

Facebook

Post twice a day to double your reach. The more frequently you post, the more interaction you will receive. However, be sure to keep in mind the quality of posts that you are putting out into the world. Frequency is very helpful, but not if your posts are perceived to be irritating, annoying, or irrelevant to anyone it reaches. Make sure you aren’t posting simply for the sake of posting!

This goes for every other social media as well. If your business is set up as a profile, make sure you only accept friend requests that are relevant for engagement as you only receive 5,000 friends. However, users will be able to ‘follow’ you after you have hit that 5,000 maximum. We suggest setting your business up as a page so you users can provide feedback and rate your company. Don’t worry, every business can manage ratings if ‘trolling occurs’. Place your address, hours, and contact number, along with a clear photo for optimal exposure and notice.

Twitter

The more you tweet, the more followers you will receive. But who wants to be sitting at a computer tweeting all day? Nobody. Use a social media tool to assist you. We suggest app Tweet Adder for this. You can load multiple tweets at once and schedule them to go execute at peak traffic times. Photos (always) work well to gain attention, but the factor that matters most for high exposure and follow-back rate is the mentions of other accounts. For instance, if you are an architectural firm, make sure the tag along with hashtag The American Institute of Architects. This way, AIA is inclined to re-tweet or repost your tweet. Followers like to follow people that publications recognize, making that Twitter user appear to be appealing.

Tip: A ‘tag’ is simply an at sign “@” sign followed by a username to create a link to that user’s page. This will also alert that user that you have tagged them, providing the option for a re-tweet.

Tip: A “hashtag” is simply a pound symbol “#” used as a keyword term that crawlers or search engines browse for, ranking back into Google Analytics to hopefully boost your activity up higher in search engine results.

Google+

Google+ is not used as much as Facebook or Twitter quite yet, but it’s gaining fairly quickly in popularity. Google+ will ultimately have an advantage as they are also the powerhouse dominating company that gives the world over 90 percent of its search results. Google+ automatically assigns top keywords associated with that post, and also tracks the number of page views along with a follower account. Google+ allows for business profile pages in addition to individual profiles.

Instagram

The photo-based application that is only accessible via mobile is the new addiction your fingers can’t let go of … at least for millennials and under (age wise). Larger publications have also started using Instagram as photos and videos catch your attention more than a paragraph of information to read.

Pinterest

Photos are only allowed on this site, but differing from Instagram, Pinterest allows a photo to link back to the photo’s initial location for further information such as a recipe, which would be attached to a food photo or an ecommerce site regarding home décor photos. The possibilities are endless!

Each social domain has its own unique attributes so take the time to browse through and learn the possibilities of each one to know which will work best for your company or person. Think Agency recommends having an account on every social site, even just to save the domain! 

Tumblr The New Social Media Platform

For years, Tumblr has been the social media outlet for photo-interested college students and creative users. With call-to-action pieces being implemented in blog posts, along with other web-based content, Fortune 500 companies are taking advantage of this social medium.

Tumblr is just now being tapped into as social media specialists are looking for new ways to differentiate their company’s audience, especially as Generation Y and the Millennials take over where their company’s posts are being displayed.

Tip: Since Generation Y and the Millennials evolve as social media does, let them take the reigns and see how your company progresses. Take a chance to come out ahead.

Here are some benefits to Tumblr and why the big guys are reaping the benefits of this less unexploited social site:

Blogging alternative:

Not every company operates a written blog, even though they should. Sometimes, people are too busy to write or are not comfortable with their public voice, so they prefer a photo blog instead! Since Tumblr is photo-based, companies manage their image and increase impressions by posting detailed, interesting, or beautifully designed images instead. Your consumers will retain the same message without having to read a description, and a photo always lasts longer in a person’s mind anyways.

Tags are still tags, no matter where they originate

Tumblr uses the same basics to connect as all other social sites. You can still tag, which shows up in Google search results. This is the primary component to finding other’s blogs to follow and directly why users are able to discover one another. Pay attention to tags that are trending and used most often.

Operations are a-go Captain

Each user can follow, like, tag and post, as well as install tools to make operating the site easy. The trick to being “popular” on social media sites in interaction! Follow people you have not yet discovered, reply to posts you favor, and post often to boost your traffic. You can also view and monitor traffic via Google Analytics!

"Tumblr is one of the most visually appealing and user-friendly platforms out there, so it was an effective way to build our community online," says Lucy McIntyre, VP Communications at Andre Balazs Properties. McIntyre also helped to set up a Tumblr account for The Standard Hotel, who’s blog is packed with content from guest bloggers, downloadable music, and product pictures, reports Mashable.

Try something different to stand out. Worst-case scenario, your name appears more frequently in Google search results!

 

3 Social Media Tactics Everyone Should Know

Not to give away all of our tips and tricks, but there are tactics to gain followers quickly. There is only so much we can do to gain a following online. From timing to quality content, everything you do is judged by your viewers, resulting in opinions about you or the company you represent.

Let’s start with the fact that timing is everything. Why do you think there are certain times that work best for posting? This is because there are people on one network over another at different points during the day. Take for instance, Pinterest is more popular on the weekends because people have the time to sit on a photo site all day; same goes with Tumblr’s popularity increase later in the evenings.

Quality always matters, always! Don’t post a photo of Kim Kardashian in a political section, as your viewers will categorize you into the ever-lurking SPAM folder. If your viewers think you are posting for the sake of posting instead of for the general amusement of sharing, you will be banned and your reputation will flounder.

Be consistent. Post during hot times every day or every other day. People will start to see your profile photo and remember your look and name. Eventually, it will become habitual to look for your posts if he or she deems your posting worthy of a reshare or knowledge intake.

Be relevant, be you, and have a voice. Have fun with social media! Inside tip: when your personality shows through your social outlets, people feel connected. Make your viewers want to follow you! Now get online and post, post, post!

Your Reputation Is Everything, But Why?

All anyone ever truly holds as their own is their name and reputation. A name determines your self-worth by representing who you are. Once a rotten connotation is associated to your person, all may be lost if recovery isn’t accomplished right away. Never let someone wrongfully slander or dismantle your reputation, always be on the alert for potential attacks.

People will always judge what they can see to make an opinion. It doesn’t matter if you are the sweetest person in the world … what people don’t know they don’t care about. Think about it this way … we make someone out to be a certain way just by what he or she wears. If we see someone in all black they must be depressed and if we see someone in all pink they must be an airhead. How did we get this way? By making assumptions that a person is a certain way based on an appearance that ultimately associates a type of person to that individual.

So what can you do to prevent destruction before riding into war?

·       Ignore bad comments on social media outlets. It is better to delete a negative comment and block someone rather than comment back. Trolls develop and people will never back down from a comment battle.

·       Not sure what to do? Do nothing at all. Making a move you are not 100% sure about could hurt you more than it would help.

·       Do what you say you are going to do. If you know you cannot follow through, revert back to elementary school rules and don’t make promises you can’t keep.

·       Take the extra step and go beyond what is expected of you.

·       Be likeable. Watch your body language when around others as you may not be aware of how you come off. Don’t cross your arms. Dress the part. Smile!

·       Be involved with your community and what is going on around you. This will not only be easy networking but reflect back upon you with clear and brilliant lighting!

Unfortunately, we live in a society where the opinion of others matters. If you happen to attach yourself to a bad personality, use it to your advantage like Oscar Wilde did with his reputation making him seem arrogant and isolated. He became unapproachable and feared even. You are the master of your fate, so decide where you want your future to be.