Dirty laundry belongs here, Not here #Facebook #Instagram #Twitter #MediaMonday #SSLLC
www.scriptablesolutions.com
www.scriptablesolutions.com
Web design company specializing in technologies aimed to increase business for our clients. Our staff is highly experienced in website design, custom web development, seo, mobile web design and social media management. We provide our clients with fully functional websites that are designed to maximize their online potential.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Today in 1962 - Marilyn Monroe(@MarilynMonroe) performed a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" for U.S. #President John F. Kennedy(@JFKLibrary). What restaurant chain do you think sings the best version of “Happy Birthday”? #SSLLC
Today in 1962 - Marilyn Monroe(@MarilynMonroe) performed a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" for U.S. #President John F. Kennedy(@JFKLibrary). What restaurant chain do you think sings the best version of “Happy Birthday”? #SSLLC
www.scriptablesolutions.com
Friday, May 16, 2014
Today in 1965 - Spaghetti-O's(@SpaghettiOs) were sold for the first time. What was your ultimate food as a kid? #SSLLC
Today in 1965 - Spaghetti-O's(@SpaghettiOs) were sold for the first time. What was your ultimate food as a kid? #SSLLC
www.scriptablesolutions.com
Thursday, May 15, 2014
5 Little known YouTube Features for Marketers
Do you want to reach more viewers and optimize the quality of your videos?
There are a whole host of lesser-known YouTube features that creators need to utilize to improve the quality of their content and expand their reach.
In this article you’ll discover how to use these tools to increase watch time, attract subscribers and drive more traffic to your website.
#1: YouTube Audio Library
How many times have you watched a video online, only to exclaim afterwards that it was “the music that made it”?
Music evokes a strong emotional response in an audience. The right track has the power to create a really magical moment. Choose the wrong audio and you risk killing the mood in the blink of an eye.
It’s tough to find the right music for a video, especially if you’re on a budget. The YouTube Audio Library helps make the job a lot easier.
Access the YouTube Audio Library through the Creation Tools menu in the Video Manager section of your YouTube account. Filter the list by genre, mood, instrument or duration, and then preview the track. Hit the download icon once you’ve found the perfect song.
The YouTube Audio Library offers over 150 royalty-free instrumental backing tracks for you to use in videos uploaded to the site (or wherever else you choose). It’s the perfect way to increase the impact of your videos.
#2: YouTube Fan Finder
What if YouTube offered you free ad space on its website, directed at people who are likely to enjoy your content? Well, that’s exactly what they’re doing with Fan Finder.
The YouTube Fan Finder program invites you to submit up to five “channel ads” that will target people that the site believes are most likely to love your content and become a regular viewer. Channel ads are short videos that show off your brand and content in an effort to get viewers to click over and check you out.
To get started, all you need to do is upload a channel ad as if it were an ordinary video. Then submit it for review via the Fan Finder page, which can be found under the Channel Settings menu in the Video Manager section of your YouTube account. Once there, click the Select Your Channel Ad button and choose which video you want to use.
YouTube recommends that you keep your channel ads short and engaging. Use clear and repeat branding throughout so that viewers remember you.
Succinctly communicate what your channel is all about (e.g., is it funny, educational, inspiring, etc.?) and feature a clear call to action (either spoken or as an annotation) to explain why that targeted viewer should subscribe.
Remember, people may have never heard of your channel before, so introduce yourself and grab their attention in the first 5 seconds, as the TrueView ad format that is used is skippable after that amount of time.
#3: Associated Website Annotations
Everyone knows that you can insert a call to action and a link to a website in a YouTube video’s description. However, you can also add a clickable link to a website of your choice using an annotation within the video player itself.
You can do this with associated website annotations. Here’s how:
First, verify ownership of your YouTube account via a quick two-step telephone process at http://www.youtube.com/verify.
Next, add your website as an associated website in Google Webmaster Tools, and complete a second short verification process to confirm that you own the domain before you can link it to your YouTube account.
After that, visit the Advanced section of the Channel Settings menu of your YouTube account (via the Video Manager page). Add your website URL to the box next to Associated Website. If everything has gone correctly, you will see a green Success circle next to the Associated Website box.
Now you can add a clickable link directly to that URL within a video. Insert any annotation type, mark it as an associated website link and type your full website URL into the box provided, as pictured below.
If you add a watermark to your videos, one obvious use for this function is to place a transparent associated website annotation right on top of it for the duration of your content.
Alternatively, if the annotation is on the show, you can audibly direct viewers to click on it as a way to drive traffic to your website.
#4: InVideo Programming
After you attract viewers to watch one of your videos, the next crucial step is to keep them watching. You certainly don’t want them to click off and watch a competitor. The key to this is to create a strong brand identity, as well as a regular stream of compelling content.
InVideo Programming, which rolled out in October 2012, helps you reinforce channel branding and drive viewership. It allows you to embed a clickable thumbnail of your channel logo or a video, across all of the videos on your YouTube channel.
To start, visit the Video Manager page and choose InVideo Programming from the Channel Settings menu. From there, you will be able to upload a watermark to display over a video or videos you want to highlight to viewers.
For a watermark, YouTube recommends you use a transparent image with just one color, so that it doesn’t distract too much from the active video.
Rather than a logo, mine simply says “FREE Social Media Tutorials.” I deliberately colored it blue to mirror an ordinary web link.
You can also add a featured video, and accompany it with a caption to further encourage viewers to click and check it out.
For either option, you can decide when the images will appear; at the start, end or for a custom duration within your videos.
I like my watermark to be present throughout and have my featured video thumbnail appear according to the time that my YouTube Analytics’ audience retention data tells me is, on average, when viewers are most likely to lose interest.
#5: YouTube Live Events
Although Google+ Hangouts on Air has offered live streaming capabilities on YouTube for quite a while, a separate service called YouTube Live Events was rolled out to all users with verified accounts that are in good standing (i.e., no strikes) at the end of last year.
What makes YouTube Live Events different from Google+ Hangouts on Air is the greater set of features it offers. These additions can make your broadcast much more professional than simply using a webcam and built-in mic.
In addition to the basic scheduling options available for hangouts, YouTube Live Events includes the ability to set up multiple cameras and choose your encoder, including YouTube’s own Wirecast program. The free version of Wirecast includes basic switching, transitions and picture-in-picture. You can also add live closed captions and view real-time data, such as the number of concurrent streams and the average watch session length, during your broadcast.
To enable Live Events, head over to Video Manager and click the Features link underneath the Channel Settings section. In here, scroll down to find andswitch it on.
If you want to schedule and build a live broadcast, return to the Video Manager, choose Live Events from the left-hand menu, then follow the step-by-step instructions.
If you plan to use the full feature set available, make sure to check Custom under Type of Broadcast after entering all of the basic info.
Final Thoughts
A few small tweaks using the tools above could make a noticeable difference to your YouTube content and marketing strategy. Start with one tool or jump in and try all five. Be sure to track and analyze the impact using YouTube and Google Analytics. You’ll be pleased with the results.
Publisher: Scriptable Solutions
Source: http://www.scriptablesolutions.com/article.cfm?ArticleNumber=70
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
How excited people in the #communication industry are about #QR codes, How indifferent everyone else is, and Number of times a QR code has been scanned #WebWednesday #SSLLC
How excited people in the #communication industry are about #QR codes, How indifferent everyone else is, and Number of times a QR code has been scanned #WebWednesday #SSLLC
www.scriptablesolutions.com
www.scriptablesolutions.com
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
New Research Shows Which Social Networks Ideal for Marketers
Which platforms are most relevant to social media marketing right now?
Marketers need to know where (and how) they should focus their efforts for maximum ROI.
This article gives you four major research findings from reports tracking trends in social media marketing and the content that works best on each.
#1: People Spend More Time on Visual Networks
It’s impossible to miss the powerful effect of visual content on the social web. It can significantly enhance a brand’s marketing objectives by generating more customer interest and prompting prospects to take desired actions.
As an example of the power of pictures, consider that Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram each gained over 10 million visitors in 2012, thanks to eye-catching content. Numbers from Statista numbers shared on Mediabistro show that users spend more time on Pinterest (1:17 minutes) or Tumblr (1:38 minutes) than on Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and Google+ combined.
If you’re looking for ways to incorporate visual content into your own social media strategy, one of the key things you can do is include one or more high-quality images in all of your blog posts. (Don’t forget to add an ALT attribute in the image properties to help your SEO!)
You can also leverage real-time photo sharing. Customers and followers are used to seeing staged photos that highlight your products and the best parts of your company. Sharing impromptu pictures can be equally compelling when shared in real time.
When you do post product or brand pictures on networks like Pinterest, Instagram and Flickr, allow others to use your images in exchange for a link back to your site.
Don’t forget video! YouTube is the second-largest search engine (after Google, which coincidentally owns YouTube). Videos uploaded to YouTube do very well in search and boost your site’s ranking. Interviews, Q&As, product demos or tips are popular with a wide audience beyond your current followers.
Finally, don’t give up on memes, which are especially popular on Tumblr. For the best success with memes, make sure they’re witty and match your brand and audience.
NPR did this particularly well by modifying the popular Ryan Gosling Hey Girl meme on their Tumblr page.
#2: Google+ Is Best for SEO
Google+ is finding success with social marketers more as an SEO option than a marketing tactic. While it’s doing better than Pinterest and Tumblr, only 14% of marketers are giving high priority to Google+ in 2014. 23% of those surveyed won’t consider the platform at all.
You should still have a presence on Google+, even if you’re only using it for SEO.
As you cultivate your presence on Google+, the first thing you should do is optimize your Google author profile with a great image. With an eye-catching photo, it won’t matter if you rank third or fourth on the search engine results page. Your image is what gets people’s attention and lends to your authority.
When you post an article on Google+, choose your first sentence carefully and use keywords or phrases. That sentence is part of the title tag and can affect your search ranking. As a bonus, one of the great things about Google+ is that you canedit your title and posts anytime. If you find your post isn’t getting the traction you want, try a new title and lead sentence. That’s a lot of control right there!
As always, continue to publish great content on your blog and Google+. While you’re at it, go ahead and +1 your own content. Why not? Google already knows you’re the author anyway. At the very least, it encourages others to +1 your post as well!
#3: Facebook’s Updated News Feed Affects Page Posts
In January 2014, Facebook updated their news feed algorithm to deliver more relevant content to users. Status updates from pages are no longer treated the same as text updates from users’ friends, because most users interacted with friends, not pages.
What does this mean for you as a marketer? You have to mix it up. Since users may not see or engage with your page updates often, make your posts as interesting as you can. Include photos, videos, links (don’t forget to include a preview image), questions, events and offers.
In all cases, use the story type that best fits with the message you want to tell.
One more thing: If you use Facebook’s Promote feature and your post has an image, that image can’t have more than 20% text.
#4: B2B Marketers Are Most Successful on LinkedIn
Sixty-two percent of B2B marketers say LinkedIn is the most effective platform for them, with Twitter and SlideShare close behind.
How can you take advantage of the most effective social media network? Take advantage of LinkedIn’s publishing platform.
LinkedIn opened up its publishing platform (previously reserved for a few editorially selected influencers like Bill Gates, Martha Stewart and Joe Pulizzi) to all 277 million LinkedIn members. This could be a game-changer.
If you decide to publish on LinkedIn, know that posts with the same basic information found on 50 other blogs won’t be successful. LinkedIn users look for well-written personalized insights, professional expertise and interesting industry opinions.
Surveys are helpful to gauge trends in social media; however, it’s even more important to track your own successes and build on them. You can use both options by keeping trends in mind and using them as guides as your marketing strategy and tactics evolve.
Publisher: Scriptable Solutions
Source: http://www.scriptablesolutions.com/article.cfm?ArticleNumber=69
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)