Multiple Images May Increase Facebook Reach

With all the buzz amongst social media managers about Facebook reach being down and the ever-elusive task of trying to raise it, a little tip here and there is always appreciated.

The latest little tip that is going around is that by adding more than one photo to your Facebook media posts, such as this post below, Facebook reach will increase.

Social media managers are claiming that their reach is THREE times higher with multiple image posts.  That is huge.  Additionally, engagement numbers stay in line with the increased reach.

One caveat - some social media managers are saying that this doesn't work 100% of the time.  We think it's worth the effort to see if it will work, especially since it doesn't cost anything more than a minute or two of your time.  Good luck!

New Facebook Video Player - Simple Tool - Easy Way to Get Likes

New social media tools come along everyday in this business.  We are always keeping up with the latest tools and software-as-a-service platforms so that we can better serve our clients.  One very interesting tool that is in beta right now has caught our attention.

It's called Video Sk.in and it's a video player for Facebook that is so simple to use that it's ridiculous.  Simply load any video into the platform (it doesn't even have to be your own video), drop and drag an email fangate, a share gate, your logo and presto!  You are in business!  

Instead of paying Facebook to promote your page to get more likes, simply add a share gate to your viral video or fan gate.  The secret is in choosing a video you know will go viral.

This tool is in beta right now and they are offering it for $197 lifetime price right now as an agency license and in a few weeks they will be switching over to a monthly fee.  If you are interested in learning more, here.

How to Preview Shortened URL's

Yesterday a friend of mind sent me an email with the header "Quote".  Immediately I was alarmed because #1, she is a very busy executive and normally doesn't email me.  She calls me if she needs to talk.  #2, the context of the email was off for what our normal conversations would be.

So, without opening the link in her email, I emailed her back and asked her if it was really her.  "Yes, it's me Rebecca.  How are you today?".  My red flag was still there.  I didn't open her email.

It turns out, as you may have already guessed that her email was hacked.  It ran two or three layers deep unfortunately, as she teaches a class at a local college and a lot of her students opened her email link.  She has an expert repairing it all, but what a pain this has become for her!

This leads me to today's post.  I have been receiving a newsletter for years from Bob Rankin (www.askbobrankin.com).  He's a techie who has provided a wealth of information for me over the years.  I highly recommend you check out his newsletter and sign up.  His newsletter today talks about how to preview shortened URL's, such as Goo.gl, bit.ly and TinyURL.

This is taken directly from his newsletter;

Goo.gl and bit.ly – simply append a “+” (plus) symbol to the end of the shortened URL in your browser’s address bar and press Enter.

Is.gd – lets you append a “-“ (minus) symbol to the shortened URL in its effort to woo ironic, contrarian hipsters.

TinyURL – add the prefix “preview.” (with the dot) to the beginning of the shortened URL, e. g. preview.tinyurl.com/aSefG2o5. Sigh; TinyURL was once a brilliant innovation.

Read more here: http://askbobrankin.com/security_tip_preview_shortened_urls.html#ixzz2kjzrCo5O

Great advice!  Take precautions when you can to safeguard your online presence.

Google Finally Catches Up and Offers Personalized URLs

Google announced today that it will finally offer personalized URL's to established accounts.  For those of us in the social media industry, this is a long time coming.  Most of the other mainstream social media platforms allow you to personalize your URL, which makes it easier to brand, copy and tell others what your Google + account is!

The accounts that will be eligible for these URL's are established accounts that have these qualifications;

1. The account must be at least 30 days old.
2. The account must have at least 10 followers.
3. The account must have a profile picture.

Not to much to ask for, for some personalization!  Way to go Google!!

Value of a Social Media Marketer

Whether you are working for a company handling all of their social media marketing, or own your own consulting practice offering the same to your clients, we all at one time or another have come up against those that still do not believe in the power of social media marketing.

I can't blame them really.  Especially those that have been brought up in the trenches of traditional marketing.  Give me a really great email marketing list and press release service, a think-tank of creative minds that put together an incredible marketing plan and you've got all you need, right?

Not anymore.  If you have a business today and aren't online, you are missing the boat.

How do you prove your worth as a social media marketer?  How do you convince your company to participate in (and budget for) social media marketing?

Gather your data and create a cohesive presentation before you march into their office to prove your worth.  Research current statistics that will give you information about return-on-investment for your company.  Conduct searches specific to your industry and how social media has benefited other companies.

Decide what the marketing goals of the company are.  Do they want to increase revenues?  Are they more interested in creating buzz about their products?   Are they open to having contests and giveaways?  How much flexibility will they give you to market their company?  Once you find out what their goals are, start outlining how you are going to achieve those goals through your social media efforts.

Most companies want to see a return on their investment.  Some will ask for a guarantee in numbers of followers or increased sales.  This is not something we do and will address this in another post.  To prove your worth, you are going to have to measure your effectiveness in other terms, such as visibility across the internet, increased followers, increased engagement with potential customers, etc. 

Keep in mind that for every company that doesn't see the value in hiring a social media consultant, there is another one waiting in the wings to utilize the power of social media to grow their business.  

Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our

 talents and abilities

 were used in a way that served others. 

~ Marianne Williamson

How Do You Find Your Clients?

Here at ScribeTree, we are continually trying to update our skills, stay on top of the latest software platforms that will help us help our clients better and find time to get a little reading in on the side.  Right now we are reading "The Tao of Pooh" while we are going through a series of workshops.  This lead us to the quote that you see on the image above.  It begs the question, "how do you find your clients?".  

We'd like to hear from you.  What sources do you use, what websites do you frequent, what events do you attend?  What works for you and what doesn't.

We all love to help people, but how do we find them to begin?

Biz Food 4 Thought: The World Has Been Ending Since the Beginning of Time

I heard this phrase the other day for the first time.  Can you believe that?  I’m sure that this phrase has been around at least for my whole lifetime.  And yet, I have never heard it.  I have never heard, done or experienced a lot of things.  But, I also know that the same is true for a lot of people.

The world has been ending since the beginning of time.  What does that phrase mean to you?  To me, it means – don’t worry and don’t stress because no matter what you do and what the outcome, we are all headed in the same direction. We are all on the same path, whether we want to admit it or not.

As I relate this phrase to business, I think... move forward and go after your dreams.  No matter what happens, the world is ending eventually and we are all going back to where we came from.  While we are on this earth, why not throw all abandon to the wind?  Why not purposefully choose to let go of your everyday stresses?  Why not start today and live the life you really want to live?

While we are here, we get a finite number of days to do what our hearts really want us to do.  What’s holding you back?  The world has been ending since the beginning of time.