Many Many Ways to Increase Website Traffic

When I first started out in Internet Marketing, I made the mistake of not understanding how to increase website traffic. I believed that the number of pages that I could build and promote would be enough to boost a website's ranking on the search engines.https://ezinearticles.com/?Many-Many-Ways-to-Increase-Website-Traffic&id=10435219

This turned out to be a big mistake. Many of my competitors were building and optimizing their websites faster than I was and getting top rankings for much less effort. In fact, some of them were receiving hundreds of visitors per day!

What I did not realize was that website visitors respond to certain types of content and not to others. If I produced lots of blog posts, I would attract more visitors.

However, this kind of content just did not convert as well as other forms of content like videos or images. So, what I did was create a series of infographics which included the keywords I used to optimize websites.

Each of the infographics had a specific task that I thought would help to increase website traffic. The first one was called 'High Quality Content'.

This was about ten blog posts that I had written based on my research. The next one was called 'Domain Names: How to Pick the Right One' and it discussed the importance of picking a domain name which was Google recognized.

I also mentioned that I did not want to be known as just a plain old black hole for people to come and go. That is not true either, but since then my rankings have actually improved quite substantially.

The last of the 10x content tools I looked at was called the 'Offer URL Expander Tool'. I produced an article and used this format in the body. I then put a short description above the article which explained who I was and where I did business.

This helped to increase my website ranking by adding backlinks to the resource box below the article.

All of the above-mentioned content marketing and promotion methods are just part of the many strategies I use for improving the rankings of my sites.

One of them is called cold outreach. This means that I do not promote anything to my existing customer base but I do give away information.

Some of the things I give information away are how to use my product or how to get more information from my website.

What Is Cold outreach?

Cold outreach is actually the opposite of a keyword stuffing effort. You see, most people are searching for the keywords they are looking for but are specifically not searching for any keyword phrases inside your page content.

To achieve great website traffic you need to be ranking for all of the terms people are searching for. To achieve this you should look at your competitor's content to see what keywords they are ranking for in Google, look at the amount of pages that are being searched for and then use these same keywords in your own content but in a different order.

How to increase website traffic with Facebook and Twitter by using keywordless linkbait.

A keywordless linkbait is a link that has no keywords in it. These are usually links that you place in your status updates and photos on your Facebook and Twitter pages.

By using a keywordless linkbait you can trick people into clicking through to your site by having them think they are on a website that has a lot of great content when in reality they are on a linkbait site.

How to increase website traffic with Facebook and Twitter by creating content layering.

The most effective way to get people to come to your website is to have them come to your landing pages. You will have your header, side headers, main content, and footer.

With the main content and footer you can then create content layering. This means you put one page on each of your landing pages. In the example of my landing page I have two pages; my blog post and my side content layer on each of my landing pages.

Targeted Leads Utilizing Facebook

Facebook is not only used for socializing with your friends and family. Used correctly targeted leads utilizing Facebook can be achieved both organically and paid. There are several ways to help grow your business when it comes to this popular social media site. The information that follows can help you use Facebook to market your personal brand and offer to grow your customer base.https://ezinearticles.com/?Targeted-Leads-Utilizing-Facebook&id=10417613

Benefits Of A Group

A Facebook group can be beneficial to all members by sharing relative and pertinent content with each other. A group can encourage subscribers to join a community online and communicate regularly. This will also give you the ability to inform your subscribers of updates, create engagement and share each other's businesses, content and ideas.

It's not advisable to buy Facebook fans just to have "numbers." Although it may be tempting, it doesn't always garner the results you'd like. Those fans aren't necessarily targeted leads to your niche and will bring relatively nothing to the table.

Make sure your Facebook group is congruent to your niche and personal branding. Appearance is important in your personal brand marketing. If your page isn't appealing, people are less likely to want to visit it, let alone return.

Sharing Valuable Content

Make valuable, content-rich posts and videos. Fans will follow you if they are obtaining value and engagement from your content and community. Use Facebook as a means of engagement, not a platform to push or try to "sell" your product(s).

Posting videos regularly on Facebook, either uploaded or live, is another way to share your information and further brand yourself. It is easier to captivate someone's attention via a video. You can also share your article information in print, along with your video, for further exposure.

Encourage Engagement

Encourage communication with your audience. If a customer posts a comment, respond and engage. If you find a follower offering quality information or products, let them know and share within your group. Social networking is vital to your brand and business growth.

Try to keep the information you post fresh and relevant. Your posts should remain on topic and within your niche. Use various methods to engage your fans, some of which can be:

• Videos
• Articles
• Surveys
• Contests
• Memes

Customize your video ideas accordingly to capture your audience's attention. For example, if you sell a product, do a video describing the product, how to use it, the benefits, etc., not just trying to sell the product. Always lead with benefits and value.

More Than A Social Networking Site

Facebook is not solely a social network but a strong marketing business platform as well. Facebook can be used to reach out and grow your business since there are millions of users on this site daily; why not use it to your advantage.

Properly using Facebook can be the catalyst to launching your brand. Set it up correctly from the beginning, allowing it to be the foundation for your targeted leads utilizing Facebook.If you're interested in creating an online business, here's an out of the box option! MyEcon provides a range of options depending on your area of interest. Some options are credit repair, debt elimination, investment education, Forex, crypto, stocks, and travel discounts to name a few. Weekly pay, residual income... For a limited time, you can join for as little as $19.95!!! Take a look around and let me know if you have any questions.

Spread Your Name Recognition With Boosted Posts On Facebook

While you're putting in the time to grow your network on Facebook, there's another avenue you can use to reach a larger audience: boosting your posts. Quite simply, this is a form of advertising which costs money, but it's a quick (and more passive) way to reach more people in a short amount of time.https://ezinearticles.com/?Spread-Your-Name-Recognition-With-Boosted-Posts-On-Facebook&id=10419038

Isn't Posting Daily on Facebook Enough?

This answer depends on your end goal for your business. Posting and interacting daily will definitely grow your list of followers, but, try adding in a boosted post and examine the results. You may see better results.

One friend recently boosted a post for a total of $30 and it brought in $202 in sales. It was a "set it and forget it" process, and she set a monetary limit so as not to break the bank. But she was very pleased with that result; so much so that she's boosting the same post again.

Why Should I Boost a Post?

No doubt you've noticed lots of changes with the Facebook algorithms lately, and you've probably heard people complaining about those changes. As a result, business page organic reach (as opposed to paid ads) has declined drastically. And you can't depend on Facebook algorithms to get your posts seen, even if people have liked your page. So, instead of taking a passive, "I hope you see my posts" stance, you can be proactive and boost a post to bypass its questionable organic reach.

Boosted posts also allow you to more accurately target your viewers, so you are in complete control of the demographics (again, a highly proactive approach). You can set a certain geographic area as your target and/or a specific age range. But the best part is that you can target people's interests and that is where you can reach your niched audience. If you have thought carefully about your target market demographics, this step will be easy to complete.

Speaking of control: you are in control of how much you spend on this boosted post as well as the length of the campaign. Theoretically, you could run a campaign for $1 per day (the daily minimum allowed). But the more you spend each day, the larger the audience you will reach.

How to Create a Boosted Post

Most importantly: you can only boost a post from a Business Page, so if you don't have one set up yet, get that done first. Then follow these steps:

Step 1: Choose which Post to Boost

This can be an existing post or you can write a brand new post. If you've been active on your page, you will even see recommendations for which posts to boost. The choice is yours, just think about the purpose of your boosted post, then choose the most appropriate post for your goal.

Step 2: Choose Your Target Audience

If you want to grow your name recognition, select your own demographics, geographic area (if relevant), age range, and interests. You can even create multiple audiences with different demographics by clicking on the "Create New Audience" link.

Step 3: Choose Your Budget and Campaign Duration

How much can you afford to spend each day? How many days do you want the boost to run? You will see Facebook's "estimated reach" climb as your budget amount increases. But remember, this is still an estimate, so make your decision based on what you can actually afford, as opposed to the number of people who might pay attention to your boosted post.

Step 4: Setup Your Payment, Hit the Boost Button, then Analyze the Results

Seeing the results of your boost is exciting, because Facebook offers detailed records for every boosted post. You will see your actual reach as well as how many clicks your post received. From there, you can determine if you received any sales directly from this post, or if you got an increase in friend requests during this time frame. Also check the comments - the more the better.

Luckily Facebook has made boosting a post simple, so, as you'll see, it's easy to understand. And after you set all the details, you can go about your day while your boosted post works its magic to bring your message to a larger audience.

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How to Skyrocket Your Organic Reach on Facebook

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How To Get Your Content Seen On Social Media

Creating content for social media is an important part of every business's marketing strategy. It might be a blurb that goes with a link to a video or blog post, or it might be an infographic or meme to help you get a point or two across.https://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Get-Your-Content-Seen-On-Social-Media&id=10288555

Plan Ahead

Most people seem to totally forget to plan ahead regarding social media content. This is a mistake. If you create a blog post, for example, then you should create a tweet, a Facebook post, and other blurbs for whatever social network that you plan to share the information on.

Add the Content to Your Calendar

Include social media content on your editorial calendar. If you know that in August you're going to promote a great new product or service, then you should also be planning for social content to use in that promotion - both leading up to the launch and during the launch.

Create Images for Social Media

Remember that images are a form of content, and that you need to create images for social media sharing. Images are more likely to be shared than text and are an important part of your marketing actions on social media. Using a variety of images as content, like infographics and memes, will increase shares and engagement.

Share More Than Once

It's important that you promote the content that you create and that you do it more than once. People do not check their entire social streams, so sharing the same content with new blurbs and a new spin on the information several times will increase the view rate exponentially.

Conduct A/B Testing

Also called split testing, you want to see what times, headlines, and topics get more attention than others. As you collect this data, you'll soon know exactly what time is best to share any updates with your social media followers.

Target Each Audience

Each social network has its own personality, and the portion of your audience that follows you and engages with you on each network is usually slightly different. Therefore, it's important to ensure that the content you create for each network is exclusive to that network.

Create Content Often

With social media you need to have content for every day of the week, and share it more than once per day. This can seem like a lot of content to create, but it all stems from the basic message you want to get across to your audience based on your promotions.

How to Start a Social Media Marketing Agency in 2020 | Completely From Scratch

The Entrepreneur's Beginner's Guide to Hashtags

How a Few Words Can Increase Social Media Engagement

I'm sure you've noticed there's no shortage of social media techniques and tips out there!https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Entrepreneurs-Beginners-Guide-to-Hashtags&id=10213861

But have you also noticed the majority of those tips focus on general info, like how to get more followers or likes, or how to post compelling content to engage your users?

Those resources are important, but I notice that sometimes hashtags get forgotten about.

They're rarely mentioned in marketing articles, but they're such a great tool for building your brand, raising awareness around marketing campaigns and engaging/entertaining your audience.

How Do Hashtags Work?

If you're new to social media, I know it can seem overwhelming.

You may have seen these words with the # in front of them on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. (The hashtag actually got its start in 2007, when Twitter began using it to index keywords to make them more searchable.)

But what are these words supposed to do? Should you use them? Why are they seemingly random?

I've put together this guide to help you understand how to use hashtags (and what the heck they are!) so you can increase social media engagement and leads.

Think of hashtags as a way to categorize your content.

Ultimately, they help people find and share posts on a specific topic.

When you create your social media post, you take a word or words and put the pound sign (#) in front of it. If you use two words, don't put a space between them. Now, the phrase is clickable and searchable on the social media platform the user is on.

Choosing the Right Hashtags

When done correctly, these tags can help you gain more exposure for your business and increase social media engagement. But like any social media strategy, you have to do your research and think before you post.

I'll make this process easier for you. Here are 7 ways to start choosing the right hashtags:

1. Create them for events.

This is one of the best ways to increase excitement and engagement on your social media accounts. For example, the Cornucopia wine festival in Whistler shared many posts on their Twitter and Instagram accounts with the hashtag #Cornucopia2019, and so did their followers and attendees.

2. Tag famous people or big brands.

Take a look at what's trending on Twitter, and try and incorporate it into your posts; but only if it's relevant. People are going to know if you're trying to force it or be fake.

Some examples are big sporting events, record releases by musicians, holidays and popular books. If someone who's famous in your industry makes the news, you could use that tag in one of your posts.

3. Do your research.

Whether you are doing research on the latest news for an upcoming Canadian Federal election or hockey playoffs, you could do a hashtag search to find several posts on the subject.

Searching tags on social media platforms can be a perfect way to find new ideas and spy on your competition.

A great resource for searching popular hashtags is https://hashtagify.me/hashtag/tbt

4. Encourage sharing.

The more people who share your hashtag and use it in their posts, the more exposure, engagement and traffic you're going to get.

You may remember the campaign #ShareACoke campaign. The company swapped out its iconic logo on 20-ounce bottles, replacing it with 250 of the most popular American names.

It was one of their most successful campaigns, leading to a 2% increase in soft-drink sales and lots of social media engagement as followers shared cans and bottles with their names on them.

5. Turn one tag into a campaign.

Many users "monitor" certain words, so focusing on one consistently can help you gain a following.

For instance, you could come up with a campaign with several posts around a specific product you offer, or a holiday promotion you're doing.

6. Find some weekly post themes.

This is a simple way to tie in a trending tag with your business.

Some common themes include #throwbackthursday, where people post anything from past vacation pics to high school graduation photos; and #wisdomwednesday, where they share their advice on all sorts of topics.

I use #MotivationMonday and #TuesdayTip on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels and often mix in other popular hashtags for optimal exposure.

7. Use humour.

People love to share funny stuff with others, whether it's a trending meme or a relatable story. Here's a hashtag late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon came up with to get people to share: #MyWorstCostume.

By understanding which hashtags will resonate with your target audience, you can tap into a whole world of people looking for exactly what you're offering. So start brainstorming and researching how to add some fun and functional tags to your next post!

Need some hashtag help? We've created a whole social media division for entrepreneurs and small business owners who understand the importance of having a social media strategy but simply don't have the time to make it happen on their own. Let's connect.Susan Friesen, founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant, and Social Media Advisor. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having the lack of knowledge, skill and support needed to create their online business presence.As a result of working with Susan and her team, clients feel confident and relieved knowing their online marketing is in trustworthy and caring hands so they can focus on building their business with peace of mind at having a perfect support system in place to guide them every step of the way.

Top 4 Advantages of Using Social Media Sites

For today's business owners, social media sites have become primary sales and services platforms. If you have not tapped into these resources to grow your business, know that you are missing out on some great opportunities. In this article, we are going to take a look at some advantages of using social media websites to help you expand your business.https://ezinearticles.com/?Top-4-Advantages-of-Using-Social-Media-Sites&id=10260188

1. Demographics Research

All social media platforms have a great deal of information about their users. And the good thing is that plenty of this information is accessible to business owners via special tools like Facebook insights.

With these tools, you can get a better understanding of your demographics, their interests, needs and buying habits. So, you can create better marketing strategies and products.

2. Sales Leads

The primary goal of marketing campaigns is to help business drive sales. By publishing your business ads on these platforms, you can target your niche segments. As a matter of fact, this is the most effective technique as far as getting new customers is concerned.

Today, business owners or their representatives are members of groups on social media networks. This helps them develop credibility and get leads at the same time.

3. Customer Groups

Now, almost every business has a social media group or page for their old or potential customers. The idea is to give feedback, share ideas and achieve a deeper insight into what customers need.

If you want, you can also start private groups in order to offer exclusive deals and promotions. So, all you need to do is invite your returning customers to like or follow your page. This is another major advantage of these websites.

4. Social Proof

Typically, referrals are the best prospects you can get. Joining social media groups can make it easier for your customers to get the word out about your products or services. Aside from this, you can also allow your customers to rate your products or services on these sites. Getting 5-star reviews can do wonders for your business.

Positive reviews and testimonials are the main factors that play a great role in generating leads. In addition, many buyers ask for recommendations online before placing an order to buy something they need. If you have social media presence, your returning buyers will direct their friends to your page.

Some great Networking Platforms

Nowadays, there are many top social media sites. You can sign up on any of them to get started. Listed below are some of the top players in the field:

Facebook: Without any doubt, Facebook is the top network sites. The site allows you to create both personal and business profiles.

Twitter: This is another quite popular platform that allows you to create and post brief posts. You can post breaking news on Twitter, for instance.

Instagram: This platform is all about images and videos. You can use it to highlight your product styles and images, especially if you deal in clothing or electronic items.

Sharfly:

Sharfly is a good alternative to Facebook. However, it offers many new exciting features. For instance, it allows you to create a product store without charging your any fees. Plus, it has a reputation system based on likes and dislikes. So, it's a great social media site.

Facebook Page Posts 04 - Media

In the earliest days of online life, the world was limited to text-only interactions. But the pace of technological advancement has been amazing these last 30 years. Now, many of us hold computers in the palm of our hands that are vastly superior to those early desk top units that squealed and screamed when connecting with another computer over a landline.https://ezinearticles.com/?Facebook-Page-Posts-04---Media&id=10268716

It was only a few years ago that watching a video online was frustrating, and posting a 30-second video required a thick manual, a ritual sacrifice, and the luck of the gods. Well... almost.

According to several studies, a plain text post now receives the least attention. In order for a post to grab eyeballs, at minimum it should have a picture attached. (A post no longer has to include text - it could be just a still picture, or even just a video clip, but we'll get there in a few minutes.) This is why you might see a post on Facebook about almost any subject, and attached will be a picture of a pet, or a sunset, or a tree - something totally unrelated to the subject of the message. If you can get a person to stop and look at your picture, there's a chance they'll also read the text of your post.

The picture you add to your post doesn't have to be a photograph. It can be a graphic - clipart, perhaps - with or without text in the image itself. It could also be all text, stylized in one or more interesting typefaces; you'll often see those created for quotes. Whatever type of image you attach, try to make it directly related to your post. If you announce that your business now sells blue widgets, post a picture of a blue widget. Now taking appointments for plumbing visits? Show your workers in their best uniforms smiling as they step from a truck with your company's logo on the side.

In between the still picture and a full-motion video is the "animated picture" - often a GIF (graphic interchange format) format image. These are still pictures arranged into "loops" a few seconds long, where the subject is often funny and/or shocking. The use of GIFs has changed drastically over the last few years, and I could write a whole dissertation on their use in personal posts. For now, we'll just say that Facebook considers GIFs a category of still picture, and they're attached the same way.

As I said a few minutes ago, your posts no longer need to include any text. If you've got what I call a self-contained image - with a picture, some explanatory text, and connection information - then post that by itself. FB also allows you to upload video clips, and the same goes for video posts. If you've got raw footage you've shot with your phone, you'll probably want to add text explaining the context of the video, and adding any commentary you think necessary. Of you can post a fully-produced video, complete with an intro, closing credits, and mood music. Producing video clips for your business is a completely different subject. I tackle that in another series of articles.

The one type of medium that FB does not currently allow in posts is stand-alone audio. So if you've got an audio podcast, or an audio recording of a book or article you've written, you'll have to produce it into a video clip in order to upload it. Again, the specifics of this are beyond the scope of this article, but the "video" can be as simple as a single still picture (or multiple pix chained together) taking up the image track, while the audio track plays. You can find these type of videos on YouTube, often created by home enthusiasts for songs where there's no video recording of the artist.

Currently, the maximum file size for a video uploaded to Facebook is 1.75GB, which at HD format is a run-time of around 45 minutes. However, you should keep video posts as short as possible. You're pushing it with videos longer than 30 seconds. Only people who are surfing FB to relieve boredom will watch videos longer than a minute, and you'd better have completely unique content that people feel will change their lives if you post a video with a run-time over 5 minutes.

Regardless of the media you use, any post you make on Facebook or elsewhere should have a specific intent - a set goal you want to accomplish. The message should be crafted using the principles of immediacy and scarcity when appropriate. Any time your post attempts to sell, or you ask a question, give the reader the contact info or link needed. In almost all posts, you should tell the reader exactly what you expect them to do once they've read the post, and give them any tools they need to do that.

11 best business post types, worst to best

11) Text-only post - long

10) Text-only post - under 25 words

9) Text post with unrelated still picture

8) Audio post with still picture

7) Text post with related still picture

6) Text post with self-contained image

5) Self-contained image, no text

4) Text post with raw video clip

3) Long (5+ min) fully-produced video clip

2) Medium (around 1 min) fully-produced video clip

1) Short (30 seconds) fully-produced video clip

1 Simple Hack to Getting 1000 Likes on Facebook

Follow These 5 Top Content Marketing Strategies, Generate More Leads!

Digital Marketing experts employ many path-breaking strategies to generate leads and improve business. While some of them are paid ones, some of them aren't.
Many industry experts claim that paid marketing fetches better results and is faster as well.https://ezinearticles.com/?Follow-These-5-Top-Content-Marketing-Strategies,-Generate-More-Leads!&id=10247831

Is it true?

No!

Free Digital Marketing strategies--if followed rightly--can fetch better results and generate higher leads.

For example, let's take the case of Content Marketing!

It's 3 times more effective, vis-à-vis paid search. It's far less costly as well. Besides, you don't have to proffer freebies and discount codes for e-mail and other important details of your prospects & visitors. In addition, it's easy to start, and much more popular with clients.

No wonder, as high as 88% of the B2B marketers rely on the Content Marketing tool even while as high as 96% of the first-time visitors don't buy your products, or use your services straightway, without, at first, checking-out competition, and discovering which brands suit them the most.

Now the important question: what exactly Content Marketing is?

It's a kind of marketing that requires you to generate and share valued, appropriate, and consistent online content, through videos, webinars, blogs, social media posts, and infographics. Though these don't openly promote a brand, these DO--in many cases--arouse interest in your products and/or services.

The goal behind Content Marketing remains to entice and retain a clearly defined readers - and, eventually, to spur gainful customer action.

Content Marketing: What strategies to follow for lead generation?

Follow these 5 proven strategies for a highly effective lead generation exercise:

1. Build social reputation: Publish long and well researched content to emerge as an industry leader, and enjoy a good reputation in your niche. Posting and sharing bigger, braver and bolder content will help you win trust and draw potential customers and niche audiences towards your brand. To build and grow your social reputation, take the help of the different popular social media platforms, including LinkedIn and Facebook. Social media will help you locate your community, promote better relationships, and build a society you may trust. Going social will also make your brand become more personal and powerful.

2. Publish appropriate and right content: With right pages, carrying relevant right content, you can target the right audiences and prospects, and motivate them to share their personal details, including e-mail and phone numbers.
3. Provide useful content in exchange for vital statistics: Carry in-depth and appropriate content but don't reveal complete content, if your readers are unwilling to provide their e-mail ids or phone numbers. For this, though, you will have to publish highly engaging and effective content. If your content isn't interesting or useful enough, your readers won't read it further, and not share the data either which you could be seeking for lead generation.
4. Connect with your readers on an emotional level: Trigger your readers' and prospects' emotions, through engaging content, and the right timing. If you manage to do so, they will do what you may want them to do, and respond to your Call to Action (CTA).
5. Get them to speak: Inspire your readers and prospects to like and share your pages, and post comments on them as well. When your targeted groups get involved--through shares, likes and comments--your posts will not only become viral, you will also get useful data. You will learn about their age brackets, social & economic backgrounds, expenditure, etc.

Summing-up, follow these 5 most important Content Marketing Strategies, and generate more business leads online!

Facebook Page Posts 04 - Media

In the earliest days of online life, the world was limited to text-only interactions. But the pace of technological advancement has been amazing these last 30 years. Now, many of us hold computers in the palm of our hands that are vastly superior to those early desk top units that squealed and screamed when connecting with another computer over a landline.https://ezinearticles.com/?Facebook-Page-Posts-04---Media&id=10268716

It was only a few years ago that watching a video online was frustrating, and posting a 30-second video required a thick manual, a ritual sacrifice, and the luck of the gods. Well... almost.

According to several studies, a plain text post now receives the least attention. In order for a post to grab eyeballs, at minimum it should have a picture attached. (A post no longer has to include text - it could be just a still picture, or even just a video clip, but we'll get there in a few minutes.) This is why you might see a post on Facebook about almost any subject, and attached will be a picture of a pet, or a sunset, or a tree - something totally unrelated to the subject of the message. If you can get a person to stop and look at your picture, there's a chance they'll also read the text of your post.

The picture you add to your post doesn't have to be a photograph. It can be a graphic - clipart, perhaps - with or without text in the image itself. It could also be all text, stylized in one or more interesting typefaces; you'll often see those created for quotes. Whatever type of image you attach, try to make it directly related to your post. If you announce that your business now sells blue widgets, post a picture of a blue widget. Now taking appointments for plumbing visits? Show your workers in their best uniforms smiling as they step from a truck with your company's logo on the side.

In between the still picture and a full-motion video is the "animated picture" - often a GIF (graphic interchange format) format image. These are still pictures arranged into "loops" a few seconds long, where the subject is often funny and/or shocking. The use of GIFs has changed drastically over the last few years, and I could write a whole dissertation on their use in personal posts. For now, we'll just say that Facebook considers GIFs a category of still picture, and they're attached the same way.

As I said a few minutes ago, your posts no longer need to include any text. If you've got what I call a self-contained image - with a picture, some explanatory text, and connection information - then post that by itself. FB also allows you to upload video clips, and the same goes for video posts. If you've got raw footage you've shot with your phone, you'll probably want to add text explaining the context of the video, and adding any commentary you think necessary. Of you can post a fully-produced video, complete with an intro, closing credits, and mood music. Producing video clips for your business is a completely different subject. I tackle that in another series of articles.

The one type of medium that FB does not currently allow in posts is stand-alone audio. So if you've got an audio podcast, or an audio recording of a book or article you've written, you'll have to produce it into a video clip in order to upload it. Again, the specifics of this are beyond the scope of this article, but the "video" can be as simple as a single still picture (or multiple pix chained together) taking up the image track, while the audio track plays. You can find these type of videos on YouTube, often created by home enthusiasts for songs where there's no video recording of the artist.

Currently, the maximum file size for a video uploaded to Facebook is 1.75GB, which at HD format is a run-time of around 45 minutes. However, you should keep video posts as short as possible. You're pushing it with videos longer than 30 seconds. Only people who are surfing FB to relieve boredom will watch videos longer than a minute, and you'd better have completely unique content that people feel will change their lives if you post a video with a run-time over 5 minutes.

Regardless of the media you use, any post you make on Facebook or elsewhere should have a specific intent - a set goal you want to accomplish. The message should be crafted using the principles of immediacy and scarcity when appropriate. Any time your post attempts to sell, or you ask a question, give the reader the contact info or link needed. In almost all posts, you should tell the reader exactly what you expect them to do once they've read the post, and give them any tools they need to do that.

11 best business post types, worst to best

11) Text-only post - long

10) Text-only post - under 25 words

9) Text post with unrelated still picture

8) Audio post with still picture

7) Text post with related still picture

6) Text post with self-contained image

5) Self-contained image, no text

4) Text post with raw video clip

3) Long (5+ min) fully-produced video clip

2) Medium (around 1 min) fully-produced video clip

1) Short (30 seconds) fully-produced video clip

7 Ways to Use Videos for More Engagement on Instagram

In the digital world, social media has become a very important part of a successful marketing strategy. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. offer a lot of opportunities for brands to showcase their products. These platforms are free to use and you can directly interact with a larger audience at once. You don't need to invest a lot of money in building a marketing strategy that includes social media videos. No matter whether you have a small or a large business, it's time that you take social media marketing seriously.https://ezinearticles.com/?7-Ways-to-Use-Videos-for-More-Engagement-on-Instagram&id=10200394

Based on statistics shared by Lyfe marketing, 93 percent of videos on Twitter are accessed from mobile phones. Views of branded video content on YouTube has doubled in the last three years. Moreover, Facebook live videos receive 10 times more comments that a regular video. All these statistics show that video content is in demand on social media networks. This is because millennials connect more to videos on social media. Web Marketing Video Council has found that more than 60 percent of brands are using social media videos actively for promotions. Thus, it is highly likely that your Youtubecompetitors are also leveraging the power of social media video to expand their customer base.

Instagram is a very powerful social media platform that allows you to share images and videos online. Techcrunch has been studying Instagram trends since its launch. As per their study, Instagram crossed the threshold of 1 billion monthly active users in 2018. Moreover, Instagram is currently growing at a rate of 5 percent per quarter, the highest among social media platforms. So, Instagram should be your first choice in showcasing your brand's product and services. In this article, we will take you through some ways to use Instagram videos for engaging more audience.

Short Commercials

Create short, valuable videos that represent your brand. You can showcase your product in an artistic way through these videos. The commercial can be inspirational, funny, or emotional. Instagram currently allows you to share a 60 second video on your timeline. With such short videos, it is easy to grab the attention of the target audience. Also, short videos are best to share crisp information about your products. You can share the commercial in Instagram stories, IGTV or in the Instagram timeline.

Product details

Showcase your product's specifications or a 'product in action' video to demonstrate its capability. Focus only on important features to keep the viewers engaged. Keep the video more informative and less descriptive. Attention to detail is the key to creating a cool and sexy video. You can put the product video in your brand's Instagram page's timeline for the audience to see anytime. Creating such spontaneous videos attracts a lot of attention.

Do it yourself videos

An effective way to use Instagram videos is to create instructional content. 'Do it yourself' or 'how to' videos share your products working. This helps the users to understand the product's usage. You can also create troubleshooting videos related to any problem that your customer might face. To the point videos are liked by the target audience as they get relevant information within a short span of time. By sharing such videos from time to time you can build a relationship with your existing customers.

Behind the scenes video

Customers have become picky in choosing a product, hence it is important to establish a connection with them. You can create behind the scenes videos that take them through trivia related to your product. You can even conduct quick learning sessions about tips and tricks related to your product usage. The fast forward video that Sheryl Cole has shared about her work will give some idea. You just have to be creative and smart in capturing the right moments for your Instagram video.

Instagram Stories Video

Instagram launched Insta stories in August 2016. Through stories, you can share images or videos with your followers for a 24-hour duration. This short span creates a sense of urgency and people tend to view the stories as they see one active. You can use stories to promote your business as follows:

1. Sharing short-time deals is a good way to attract people to your products and services. You can set up the offer so that it can only be redeemed during the story's lifespan. Once people get to know about such deals, they will come for more.
2. Let an influencer take over your Instagram handle to share a sneak peek of the products and discount offers. A familiar face is sure to attract more audience.

Live on Instagram

The best feature on Instagram is that you can stream live video on it. Once you go live on Instagram, you are at the forefront of your follower's feed. Hence, there are high chances of your followers engaging with your live stream. They get to see your stream even if they aren't physically part of the event. Product previews, product releases, Q&A sessions, educational streams, etc. are some ways in which you can engage with your online audience. If your event is pre-planned, then you can promote it through emails and other social media platforms.

Bring in the makers

Give a personal touch to your stories by introducing your employees who have created your products and services. You can get the team members to share their journey in product development. Also, you can let your employees handle your brand's Instagram account for a day. They can then share details about their work life and the hard work that goes into making the product. The employees can even conduct a Q&A session for the audience to educate them about the product. Such video sessions create an emotional connect with the target audience and more views to your Instagram account.

Conclusion

If you aren't incorporating the power of Instagram into your digital marketing campaign, then you are missing out on something big. Instagram's potential if exploited properly, can take your products to new heights. There is no perfect way to use Instagram video, the techniques mentioned above will help you in getting started in doing so. You can even hire social media management agencies that will help you promote your products by creating some amazing video content.

What Time Should You Post on Instagram + How Often?

How to Get QUALITY Instagram Followers (That Actually ENGAGE!)

Where Social Media Is Headed in 2020

Social Media Trends to Watch

A social media marketing strategy is on the minds of many small business owners. And if it's not on yours, it should be!

The major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram battle for market shares by adjusting their business models to balance providing better returns for shareholders with improving the user experience. https://ezinearticles.com/?Where-Social-Media-Is-Headed-in-2020&id=10220804

As these platforms develop, how you use them for your small business must change too.

Let's look forward to some ways to promote your business on social media in 2020.

Facebook

More than 18 months later, the Federal Trade Commission has officially ruled that Cambridge Analytica deceived Facebook users. The company had harvested the personal data of millions of Facebook profiles without people's consent and then used it for political advertising purposes.

While Cambridge Analytica went bankrupt soon after the scandal, Facebook is still working hard to tighten up its data access processes and convince people to trust in its new dedicated news platform.

Facebook rolled out Facebook News to a subset of people in the US. That means that while you'll still see posts from family and friends in your main feed, Facebook News will post content from a team of journalists (employed by Facebook).

This year, the company is also focusing on cryptocurrency and establishing its Facebook Pay feature. This could mean that your small business could soon incorporate on-platform selling into your account.

While the Facebook Watch launch didn't go as expected (only 140 million people daily are watching the videos and shows, which sounds huge, but isn't compared to the platform's 1.6 billion daily actives overall). Still, it looks like Facebook is going to make another attempt in 2020, so let's see what that means for video marketing.

What do these changes mean for your social media marketing strategy?

We'll have to wait and see. The more proprietary content the company creates, the more marketers may be competing to stay visible.

Twitter

The company recently announced it would stop running political ads, and is updating its global privacy policy to give users more information about what data advertisers might receive.

We're also wondering what the company's vice president of design and research, Dantley Davis, meant by his recent announcement around a series of changes that might come to the platform as early as next year.

How will this affect how you promote your business on social media?

You could have the ability to limit who retweets your tweet (which I can't see being a feature entrepreneurs would use much, we love our retweets!), and the ability to tweet something to a specific group based on their interests.

Learn more about how to use Twitter hashtags.

LinkedIn

Since launching in 2003, LinkedIn has become the world's largest professional networking platform.

Microsoft acquired the platform for $26.2 billion in 2016, and with access to Microsoft's resources, we've seen updated professional insights and more targeted ads.

We've also seen LinkedIn groups make a comeback.

A LinkedIn group lets your business create a discussion board related to your industry. This provides you with the opportunity to start a special interest group of like-minded people that's specific to your product, service and/or expertise.

Groups also provide excellent visibility for your business, since each member who's a part of your group will have your logo showing in their profile. Group owners also now have the ability to post different types of media like images and videos, and immediate notifications enable real-time conversations.

Executive Suite has over 300,000 members, and brings together executives with a web series, practical advice and discussion boards.

What do LinkedIn Groups mean for your small business?

Hopefully, a better way to foster a sense of community, find candidates for open positions and gain brand visibility to name a few.

Instagram

You may remember Instagram testing the removal of likes in several countries, including Australia, Japan, Italy and Ireland. Likes aren't gone-in the US and Canada you can still view the like count on your own photos and videos-just not posts from others.

So where did this come from? Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has long dealt with people using hacks and workarounds. These come mostly from bots and unscrupulous businesses that manipulate the app to make themselves or other users appear more popular than they actually are. So, this is an attempt to make Instagram more authentic.

Instagram says "We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love."

While many entrepreneurs and small businesses are good with this, influencers and video marketing agencies aren't.

How can they show businesses how popular they are? How will they demonstrate engagement?

But for the average small business owner who isn't buying likes or gaming the system with bots, this could be a good thing.

If your social media marketing strategy includes engaging content and you're happy to focus on comments and increased followers, you'll be fine.

While IGTV got off to a slow start, it's now considered one of the biggest social media trends out there. After Instagram announced earlier this year that Instagram would allow one minute previews of IGTV videos on the main Instagram feed, users (and companies) started taking notice.

Unlike your other Instagram videos, IGTV videos can be 10-60 minutes long. This offers a great video marketing opportunity to do interviews, behind-the-scenes features and much more.

Since we can now add landscape-orientated videos as well, I've been adding my Business Edge Show videos that have been getting a lot of traction.

These are just a few of the changes you can expect to see across the major platforms this year. I'm sure there will be many more as the year goes by, as things are always changing!

To effectively promote your business on social media in 2020, it's essential to not only understand social media trends, but to embrace them.

If you're finding it a challenge to stay on top of social media, consider hiring an agency who can create strategies that will be specific to your social media needs and goals so you can focus on building your business.