Social Solutions

We are not quick to recommend spending money on social media unless we are confident it will produce results for you. Well, maybe, just maybe, Twitter has come up with an innovative possible game changer with their most recent announcement. If they fully roll out this option, you will be able to invest $99 a month and Twitter will automatically promote your account and your first 12 tweets every day! Should you care? We’ll let you know our thoughts on today’s show.

We don’t like to think about it, but if something happens to us, who will take over to manage or close our social media accounts? Facebook just announced a new option for you to name your Legacy Contact in the event of an emergency. That’s only one of the topics we will cover on today’s Social Solutions Show.

We have seen the changes over the last couple of years on the granddaddy of social media sites. Linkedin, in its effort to stay relevant, has introduced features that show a striking resemblance to other platforms. But they haven’t always warmed the cockles of hearts by their user base. Well the newest announcement may be the final straw in inviting spammers to glob on to your updates to further their agenda. We’ll fill you in on why we don’t believe adding images to your comments on someone else’s post is a good thing.

At the risk of using a trite cliché, this statement speaks the truth. And Facebook is making it even easier by expanding their test of video cover images. This is really good news for creative marketers. In the ever increasing world of competing for eyeballs, there is no question that video front and center can capture and hold users attention.

Who could have imagined that the premier introduction at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference this year would be a third-to-market (instead of first-to-market) version of Amazon Echo and Google Home. And may we present the Apple HomePod? Once you get past the fact that it looks like a roll of toilet paper, you will appreciate that this little device takes the voice-activated home speaker assistant market to a whole new level. When it hits the market, it will clearly leapfrog over the other competitors...both in price and features.

Today’s Social Solutions Show goes way beyond Apple. Facebook introduced a nifty new tool tailor made for events with Event Frames. And they amped up the value of Facebook Live Videos by adding the option for closed captioning – not just for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Check out the progress Periscope is making by connecting with Facebook and Google. What? Not just Twitter…smart move! And speaking of video, Animoto just published their 2017 State of Social Video Survey of Consumers and Marketers. Hint: consumers love video and marketers are dead in the water without effective use.

Just when you thought usage trends were settling into a new norm, along comes Instagram as the new go-to site for researching company culture and workplace life. LinkedIn better be paying attention because this phenomenon among the 19 to 29 year old audience have pegged this site as a dinosaur. So is this a temporary fad or is it an omen of things to come as this generation ages?

If you are a podcast, artist, writer, or game developer then you may already know about Patreon. If not we’ll tell you why you should consider this site as a new source of revenue and as an alternative to other paid advertising options.

Who is best at picking your most flattering headshot to use on social media? Hint: it’s not you! More to come in this episode of Social Solutions includes critical social mediate strategy mistakes, Google’s new GIF maker, and what your fake followers say about your.

You probably didn’t wake up this morning with this burning question on your mind. If fact, we’ve been pondering it all day and still haven’t decided it’s relevance in the world of digital marketing. But there is definitely some validity I considering a Chatbot (aka Conversational Commerce) for your business. Tune in to the Social Solutions Show for the skinny and more with Ken Herron and Carol McManus.

No one supports creative campaigns on social media more than Carol McManus and Ken Herron, but it might be time to discuss a few pitfalls that could cost you a lot of money and even a lawsuit if you’re not careful. Case in point: SunnyCoClothing and the offer for a free red bathing suit!

As businesses and platforms evolve, there is choice to go it alone or find ways to collaborate with complementary and beneficial partners. The latest example of this is the soon to be launched streaming news TV network from Twitter and Bloomberg. The possibilities are endless in what this will do for both giants and best of all for the voracious appetite of mobile-dependent consumers.

Maybe you’re concerned about protecting your video content. Did you know that Rights Manager is already available on Facebook? If not, tune in to learn how it works and what benefits you will gain. More news this week includes the new face of YouTube and what that means to you. And did you know that Twitter now has emoji search? It really does matter to business.

Hats off to Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn for his challenge to Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone. Linkedin is about quality relationships, not numbers of connections or followers. So where have users of LinkedIn gone wrong? Maybe the better question is what should you be doing about it?

There are social sins that brands are making on social media. The sins are easy to spot, but what effect are they having on your business.

Remember way back when Pinterest had a Like button? Remember when creating a Facebook cover for your page was easy? Remember when??? Another week and another week to talk about the massive changes that are happening on your favorite social media platforms.

This week it’s about using a video for your Facebook page cover. It sounds like a really cool idea but it won’t come without its challenges. Pinterest has removed the Like button and now forces you to save your favorite pins. What’s the difference? What’s the benefit? Why should you care?

So Instagram now boasts 700 million monthly active users. Is it just another number or is there real value to your business? LinkedIn now boasts more than 500 million members in 200 countries. But does that translate to a richer experience for users? And if you’re bored with the current platforms and looking for alternatives, there’s no shortage of options: Amino Apps, Raftr, Lego Life, Musical.ly, Zenly and Hype to name a few. Next big thing…or another big distraction?