Social media smartphone apps
Social media usage is higher now than ever before. Admit it, you check Facebook while you’re waiting for your fried to arrive. You see what’s trending on Twitter to see what’s happening now. Avoiding social media seems nearly impossible. Recent studies show an increase in social media usage since 2012. Widespread access to social media makes it easier to stay connected and essential to communicating and keeping in touch with modern society. Continue reading
The world of social media changes constantly, while some organizations struggle to keep up. With rapid app updates and shifting trends, utilizing social media management tools is essential to the success of any savvy organization. Continue reading
Facebook for Business: Maximizing the Platform
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One of the world’s most popular social media platforms is Facebook. Facebook reaches many demographics, making it a viable tool for businesses. Advertising on Facebook may be done organically, or through paid campaigns. For many brands, paid advertising on the platform garners a lot of awareness, and if used consistently, could offer a strong return on investment (ROI.) Continue reading
Profile of “hates” on new Hater dating app
Did you think it was possible to fall in love over a mutual hatred for cargo shorts? Online dating apps and programs usually match you and a potential partner based on mutual attraction, things that you both like or things that you are both interested in. This formulaic style of online match-making just got turned on its head. The new Hater dating app looks to find you love based on how much you hate something. Continue reading
On Wednesday morning Facebook announced plans to unleash new video technology. New features include automatic audio play for videos and a feature that pulls videos to the sidebar as users scroll through their timelines. These changes restructure the way Facebook video advertising is crafted in a number of ways. Continue reading
Instagram is a thriving social media platform for individuals and businesses alike. The app enables photos to be shared privately or publicly. Private accounts allow individuals to choose who may see their photos, while public accounts can be viewed by anyone. Businesses typically use public accounts, allowing customers to easily view, like and follow their Instagram.
Businesses may focus on two primary audiences when using Instagram. The first is existing customers. Existing customers may follow the brand’s account to keep up with new product releases, store openings or other important information. The second audience is potential customers. A business Instagram account is a great snapshot into the life of a brand. Potential customers can get a feel for what the business offers without first encountering a storefront or website. They may also show viewers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse into the brand.
Additionally, products or services may be described and linked from the Instagram page to their business website. For example, a clothing store may post a photo of a new yoga pant and provide the direct link to the product on the Instagram page. This offers a unique opportunity to make Instagram a sales platform in addition to a social media platform.
Whether a business seeks to keep their current customers up to date, or spread awareness for their brand, Instagram is a great platform to strengthen relationships and drive sales.
With the new ability for users to stream live video, Instagram and Facebook have both began to encroach on Snapchat’s long held territory.
The ability to share a personal video, a snapshot of a person’s experience or a window into their lives was how Snapchat revolutionized the social media world. Users were able to communicate with each other through shared sights and experiences. Instead of sending text messaged to explain what was going on, users had the ability to show their surroundings in live time. It didn’t take long for Instagram to see that a picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth ten million. So they decided to allow users to post photos as well as minute long videos.
Ever wish that you could handle all of your social media from one place? Something that cuts down the time it takes to post on your social media platforms? Your dreams can become reality with Hootsuite. Continue reading
Facebook Messenger Bots, introduced in April 2016, are the next step in digital communication because of their ability to connect businesses and consumers. While they were introduced last year, recent advancements have improved their usability. Facebook users can use Bots for a variety of tasks, such as customer service, making restaurant reservations, reviewing e-commerce orders, and more. To use Bots, users must first launch the Facebook Messenger app. They can then find Bots by using the search bar at the top of the app. Users then choose the Bot they would like to use and chat the Bot to get what they need. This provides the next step in digital communication for e-commerce and marketing alike because Bots are not just limited to text. They can send images, links, and call to action buttons.
Bots cater to all kinds of companies and causes, including Domino’s Pizza, Expedia, and even protests. The Domino’s Pizza Bot, called “Dom”, enables Facebook users to order pizza online. Users have access to the full Domino’s menu and can place their order within the Messenger app. But, because Facebook Messenger cannot take credit card payments yet, customers must pay the Domino’s delivery person in cash upon the arrival of their pizza. Domino’s introduced this Bot ahead of the super bowl this year in anticipation of the high demand for pizza. To learn more about Dom, click here. Continue reading
The average human attention span is roughly 8 seconds, according to a New York Times Source, so it seems logical that the mobile applications that have concise, bite-sized content are most popular. Two perfect examples are Snapchat and Instagram that both have content short enough to keep the users engaged and coming back for more. It would make sense, then, that news apps with short content would be preferred methods of consuming news, however a recent Pew Research study draws other conclusions. Pew Research discovered that long-form journalism will not go extinct despite society’s obsession with digital technology. Longer articles attract an equal number of mobile visitors as shorter news articles do, demonstrating that bite-sized news does not trump full-length articles. With that being said, Pew Research also reported that only 22 percent of Americans trust social media as an accurate news source.
Pew Research’s study is in line with a recent article by Business Insider that points to headlines involving Facebook’s fake news and how “messy” the digital world is. Situations like Facebook’s create additional trust issues among users who question the accuracy of the news they read. A very interesting statista chart included in the Business Insider article shows the percent of Americans who trust each news source. The data depicted in the chart should be a slight relief for print newspapers and broadcast TV who don’t have to be too threatened by social media entering their news landscape due to the fact that 59 percent of Americans trust broadcast tv over 15 percent who trust social media. 
So even though we have shorter attention spans than goldfish (New York Times), we still prefer full-length articles from credible sources like news apps over finding news on our social media apps. This information is meaningful to almost anyone in the business world because of digital media’s relevancy in all facets of business. The knowledge that full-length articles and apps other than social media are preferred methods of getting news should influence how businesses establish themselves in the digital space.
To read more about short attention spans click here .
To see Pew Research’s findings click here .
Kate Moss once said, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” This quote was one of the most popular memes of 2016. Young girls and women alike have posted and retweeted this as “fitness” inspiration. Unfortunately, this quote is not the only form of unwarranted, unhealthy physical propaganda; especially within the social media sphere. Continue reading
When the app first launched, Instagram was known for its simple layout. With the addition of Snapchat-like stories and a suggested feed, the Instagram we once knew is a thing of the past.
This week, the Russian news site T Journal shared screenshots of an Instagram live feature. Instagram has failed to comment, but it’s not unlikely that Instagram would want to join the ranks of Facebook, Snapchat and Periscope with a live video function.
Snapchat users are thrilled to find out that Auto Advance is being discontinued in the new Snapchat update. This means that users can now go back to watching individual stories of their choosing. The Auto Advance update left users annoyed and dissatisfied. This adjustment made Snapchat stories automatically play one after another. Fortunately, Snapchat is now listening to people’s feedback. The new Snapchat update now offers a Story Playlist in hopes to improve the application.
In today’s world, digit
al marketing is an absolute must. Luckily for all digital and social media platforms, this is no big secret to brands. Unfortunately for brands, finding a way to stand out in the digital and social sphere is hard. No matter the size of the company, whether you’re Nike or a Dallas local doughnut shop, these online media platforms have paved the way for affordable marketing. It has become so easy to reach more people than ever. Specifically, millennials.
Depending on your workplace, being on Facebook at work is generally
frowned upon, but Facebook is advocating the use of social media in the workplace with the new app, Facebook at Work. The app will launch October 10. Continue reading
Yes. The rumors are true. According to Evan Spiegel, Snapchat’s beloved CEO, Snap
chat has revealed its Snap Spectacles. The spectacles will be released in the fall of 2016 in three blooming colors: black, teal or coral. These snazzy new sunglasses aren’t just cool because of their futuristic design. Oh no. These spectacles take videotaping to a whole new level. Continue reading
With online bullying running rampant across multimedia platforms, Instagram’s newly created feature will allow users to filter out their own curated list of offensive or inappropriate comments.
With the convenience and growing popularity of in-home entertainment, going to the movie theater to see a movie is starting to lose its appeal. Video streaming services such as Netflix and Youtube are extreme competitors for the movie theater industry. Now, Fandango partners with Facebook in hopes to improve this issue. Users now have the ability to buy tickets directly on the Facebook application in order to motivate younger generations to get off of the sofa and head to the movie theater.