Author: Lowell Brown

5 Tips to Grow Engagement on Facebook

Posted on by Lowell Brown

Having a Facebook page for your business is an absolute necessity for social media marketing success. With over 1 billion active Facebook users to date,  you’ll be able to effectively reach your target audience with the click of a button.

Facebook allows you to effectively send out your brand message to your target audience through their advanced targeting options. Once you have reached your target audience, you will need to build a solid fan base for your brand. Attracting Facebook fans relies heavily on engagement. The general rule of thumb for engagement levels are as follows:

Engagement rate > 6.5% for pages with less than 10K fans.

Engagement rate > 4.5% for pages with more than 100K fans.

Now that you know how frequently you should be engaging with your audience,  you must ask yourself: how do I engage with my fans?  We’ve provided you with a few starter tips below:

1. Ask questions – Every Facebook user wants to be heard, so give them that opportunity. Make sure you ask open-ended questions and give them the opportunity to tell others their  opinion on various topics. Not only will this give you a higher rate of engagement, it will also give you more insight about your products. When you learn about your audience’s likes and dislikes, you can begin to cater your content to their interests.

2. Use sharp and bright images – If there is anything that catches the eye of a Facebook user, it is the quality of images being used. Uploading creative and attractive images for each post will likely increase user engagement. You must also tap into your creative side when creating a Facebook cover photo for your page. As users visit your profile, the cover photo will be one of the first things a user will notice. You can use your cover photo to showcase products/services or upcoming promotions, for example.

3. Post quality content – You should be catering your content to your target audience’s interests. Take your time planning out quality content to post and ensure that each post is “share” worthy.  You should be replying to comments and questions in a timely and polite manner.  Don’ t forget to thank users for positive feedback.

4. Contests – Facebook now allows users to directly run contests on their pages. Depending on your social media goals, the type of contest you run can range from sweepstakes, instant-win contests, photography or video contests, “Like” to win contests,  and voting contests. Hosting a contest is bound to attract new fans and in turn increase your level of engagement.

5. Insights – Use the Facebook “Insights” tool to view your page statistics. This tool will inform you on the number of “Likes” you have received, the average amount of time people spend on your page, and the time of day the majority of your fans are online, for example. It is important to measure your promotional efforts as adjustments to your content (such as type of content and when your content is  being posted may be needed to grow fan engagement.

Increasing your engagement levels on Facebook will certainly not happen overnight. However, if you commit to the tips outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to improving your engagement levels.

The Instagram Cheat Sheet for Image Sizing & Dimensions

Posted on by Lowell Brown

Instagram, one of the most popular photo and video sharing platforms today is yet another social media site that is regularly changing their image dimensions. Optimizing your Instagram page with eye-catching visual content is essential to achieving maximum brand exposure and building your fan base.

Let us help you create a stellar Instagram page by following our Instagram sizing & dimension guide below:

*Note: our infographic is mobile-based and does not take web into account.

Instagram-Cheat-Sheet--1

Profile:

Your profile picture will display as 110 x 110 pixels in the mobile app. However, the profile picture will appear slightly larger on web so it is suggested you upload an image that is 180 x 180 pixels to maintain a high quality image in both settings.

Located adjacent to your profile picture are your username, page name, and biography.

Your username should be your brand name, consistent across all other social platforms. If your brand name is taken, then consider adding a tagline to your username such as “Going Social –Effective Social Media Marketing.” Your username will become your URL address so make sure that it’s short and easy to remember.

Note: You have a maximum of 30 characters for your username.

Tip: Try to coordinate your Instagram username with your Twitter handle.

Your page name will display below your username. If your username is already your brand name I suggest putting your tagline here: “Effective Social Media Marketing.”

You have 150 characters to describe who you are and what you do. This is your chance to create a great first impression so take your time with writing a memorable biography.

Your cover photo is a collage of your uploaded Instagram photos. This is a live photo stream of your shared photos, randomly selected by Instagram. It includes one large thumbnail measuring 410 x 410 pixels and six small thumbnails measuring 205 x 205 pixels.

The images and videos you upload to Instagram are displayed on your profile page as 161 x 161 pixels. When you click on these thumbnails (viewed with Lightbox photo-viewing app), the image will expand to 612 x 612 pixels. The maximum resolution you can upload on Instagram is 2,048 x 2,048 pixels, although it varies by device. For example, if a photo is taken with the Instagram Camera, it can reach up to the maximum resolution (2,048 x 2,048 pixels) on most Apple devices. However, if a photo is taken with a regular phone camera, they will be uploaded at a lower resolution of 612 x 612 pixels.

Photo Feed:

The dimensions of your profile picture will be scaled down to 40 x 40 pixels within your photo feed.

Your shared images will display at 512 x 512 pixels on your photo feed.

Again, the maximum file upload size is 2,048 x 2,048 pixels (varies by device used.)

When viewed in Lightbox, the maximum size is 612 x 612 pixels.

If you’re uploading a video to Instagram, it can be 3-15 seconds long. Instagram allows a clip size of 640 x 640 pixels.

All of your photos and videos you share will appear on your profile and within your feed. If you set your visibility to private, only your current approved followers will be able to see your content.

Now that your Instagram page is optimized to look its best, it’s time to start engaging with users and attract new followers. You can spend as little at 20 – 30 minutes a day on Instagram – liking, sharing, commenting, and uploading your own content (don’t forget to include hashtags!) and you’ll will begin to see results.

5 Reasons You Should Have A Facebook Business Page

Posted on by Lowell Brown

You may be late to the social media party…but that’s okay.

Maybe you have avoided social media because you think it’s going to be too hard or take too much time.

Maybe it’s just something you don’t think is going to benefit your business.

Maybe the bigwigs in your company are opposed it…and you’re trying to provide them with some reasons why Going Social makes sense for your organization.

In this blog post I’ll share five reasons why I think any business can benefit from a Facebook Page and why having one does not mean you need to hire a dedicated full-time employee to manage it.

1. Facebook has the largest membership base of any social media platform.

2. Facebook apps can help you grow an email list and showcase activity on other social platforms.

3. Facebook graph allows people to connect and promote your brand for you.

4. Facebook ads allow you to target a local audience looking and interested in your products and services.

5. Managing and being active on Facebook is easy and does not take much time per day.

Are you convinced Facebook Marketing can be valuable for your business? Has this blog post inspired you to take action and setup a Business Page for you business or organization?

Setting up a page is pretty easy, but if you are still not comfortable venturing out in the Social Media Marketing space on your own we would be happy to show you how – or do it for you. But, we always recommend you try first so you can be familiar with how Facebook works and get an opportunity to see the various features and tools you can use to effectively promote your business.

Set 30 Day Marketing Goals

Posted on by Lowell Brown

Are you seeing the results you hoped for from your social media marketing efforts?

Are you having trouble measuring your social marketing ROI (return on investment)?

In this article I’ll explain why so many people answer “no” the questions above and strategies you can take to avoid this frustration.

Set Your Goals

One of the first questions I ask clients is “what are your social media goals?” and “what are your objectives?”

Most of the time the answers I get are “I don’t know” or “we haven’t thought about it.”

Many people are so focused on just doing social that they forget to think strategically about why they are doing social.

Without setting goals for what you want to achieve you have a limited number of opportunities to measure how effective your strategies are. I find many people are strictly focused on how many fans and followers they have. Fan and followers to your various social accounts are important but numbers alone are not the most important goal you should be focused on.

If I could get you 10,000 fans to your page that might make you happy. But if I told you they were all located in the Philippines, Russia or India while your target market was Toronto, Canada that would not help you at all. You’re not likely to get any sales generated from this market if you sell real estate in Toronto as an example.

One of most important goals you should have is to attract a fan base that’s interested in your products or services, in your target market and who are willing and able to engage with you.

So here again is the most important question that I suggest you focus on: what are your social media marketing goals for the next 30 days?

Think about what you want to accomplish. Be specific.

Here are some additional questions that can assist you in setting specific and measurable goals for your social media initiatives:

Do you want to attract a certain amount of new fans? How many did you attract last month? How many will you attract this month?

Do you want to increase the amount of likes, comments and shares to your various posts? How many on average per post? What can you do to encourage fans and followers to engage with you?

Do you want to collect email addresses from a promotional campaign you are running? How many email addresses will you collect this month?

Do you want to attract web site traffic? How much traffic came from your social accounts last month? How much do you want to achieve this month?

Do you want to attract sales for a specific promotion you are running? How are you going to track sales from social specifically?

Are you trying to build engagement on a specific social platform? If yes, what are you going to do to attract more users to that account?

These are just some questions that I commonly ask my clients to help establish specific measurable 30 day goals. There are many different components to consider with your social marketing efforts. It’s key to think about what’s most important based on other marketing initiatives you may have for your organization.

Once you have your goals set you can next look at what you can do to help achieve these goals. You can also start to consider how your post calendar needs to include focused content and topics to help you meet or exceed your goals.

Once you have your goals, strategy and content calendar organized, you’ll have something to track over the next 30 days. You can then review and evaluate what strategies worked and what changes you need to make in the next 30 days.

If setting goals and tracking results is something you struggle with I’d recommend considering contacting a social media expert. Look for someone who is able to understand your business and able to work with you one-one-one or in a group setting to help you in setting realistic goals and also strategize ways to meet those goals.

Even if you do set your own 30 day social goals, I hope this blog post has helped you consider other components of your strategy that you may want to focus on. If you have specific strategies that have worked for your organization, I’d be happy to hear your ideas in the comment section.

The Google+ Cheat Sheet for Image Sizing & Dimensions

Posted on by Lowell Brown

Google+ has recently rolled out a new timeline interface. For the most recent layout changes we’ve created a Google+ Cheat Sheet Infographic featuring the correct image sizes and dimensions. Refer to this cheat sheet to learn about the new “blurred” timeline effect and why it’s effective.

Google+-Cheat-Sheet

Profile

The profile picture is displayed as a circular image. It is recommended to upload an image that is 250 x 250 pixels. If the uploaded image is larger than these dimensions, the edges of your image will be cut off to fit into the circular space.

Cover Photo

Google+ has recently redesigned their cover photo layout. The circular profile picture, page information, and follow/+ 1 buttons now appear in a blurred effect on the left hand side of the cover photo. This new feature was implemented to highlight page details much better than previous layouts.

The About, Posts, and other tabs have been shifted from the top of the page to underneath the redesigned cover photo. The cover photo has been reduced in size but still retains the 16:9 ratio.

Google’s suggested maximum size is 1080 x 608 pixels. Keep in mind that the full image size will not always show on smaller monitors. When creating a cover photo it is recommended to check how the image is displayed on multiple browsers and resolutions.

Status Update

You have up to 100,000 characters & hashtags when updating your status on Google+.

Shared Link

Sharing a link on Google+ will generate a square thumbnail measuring 150 x 150 pixels.

Shared Image

A shared image on Google+ will be displayed at 497 x 373 pixels. The image can be uploaded and viewed up to 2048 x 2048 pixels.

Shared Video

Uploading a video on your Google+ profile will measure 497 x 279 pixels.

Now that you are aware of the most recent Google+ updates, you should get started on updating your Google+ profile. Bookmark this page in your browser and refer to it when you’re creating your branded graphics.

The YouTube Cheat Sheet for Image Sizing & Dimensions

Posted on by Lowell Brown

YouTube has made it easier than ever to upload customized artwork to your branded channel. There are only a few key dimensions that you need to know to optimize your channel art for every platform. Follow our YouTube image sizing & dimension guide below for best results.

Youtube-Cheat-Sheet-1

Profile Picture

The profile picture is displayed at 55 x 55 pixels and is located on the left hand side of the channel art.

Channel Art (Master Template)

Your channel art will be displayed at varying dimensions across different platforms. However, it is recommended to upload an image size of 2560 x 1440 pixels for all devices. You are then able to view your image on different devices: Desktop, Mobile & Tablets, and then make adjustments according to the chosen platform.

Desktop Banner

The banner image has a flexible width on desktop and will scale to reveal more content on larger browsers. The minimum width the banner image will be displayed when viewed on a desktop is 1546 x 423. This is called the “safe area” and is always visible to users. When creating a banner for the desktop, make sure the branded logo or text is centered within these boundaries. The maximum width of the banner image on a desktop (and recommended upload size) is 2560 x 423 pixels. The entire width may be visible depending on the viewer’s browsers size.

Mobile & Tablets:

Due to the wide variety of screen sizes for mobile devices, it is recommended that when creating a banner image for such a device, you cater your design to the “safe area” and upload an image size of at least 1546 x 423 pixels. The maximum image size is 2560 x 423 pixels. The image will automatically be scaled down to the width of the mobile device.

On tablets, it is recommended to upload an image size of 1855 x 423 pixels. The “safe area” measures 1280 x 350 pixels and will be visible on all tablet devices.

How do you customize your YouTube channel? Feel free to share your YouTube channel below.

6 Ways to Get More Followers on Pinterest

Posted on by Lowell Brown

According to Social Media Today, conversion rates for Pinterest traffic are 50% higher than conversion rates from other traffic sources.

Many brands are quickly recognizing the power of Pinterest as an influential business tool. They are learning that Pinterest is a powerful traffic driver and strong lead generator. As one of the fastest growing websites in history, I think it’s safe to say that Pinterest isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

It’s time to start taking Pinterest seriously. If you’re a Pinterest newbie and are struggling to increase your Pinterest following, keep reading for six proven ways to get more followers on Pinterest.

Rule 1: Pin Quality Images

Since Pinterest is truly a visual space, pinning high quality images is an absolute necessity to attract followers. Pinning visually-appealing content increases your chances of having your image repinned. Each time your content is repinned, more people will see it and as a result you’ll gain more engagement and page likes.

Rule 2: Pin Fresh Content

Repinning is good practice, but if you only repin images or videos that others have posted you’re not adding to the content pool. Add new content from other sources and keep content fresh. There’s no shortage of content on the internet – source out something unique.

*Remember to always pin content that is relatable to your brand image.

Rule 3: Comment and Like Pins

While commenting is on the low end of the engagement scale of activity within Pinterest, adding comments occasionally to pins you love is a great practice to get noticed by others. Also the act of liking someone’s pin is a great way to get their attention. If a user sees you’ve liked their pin, chances are they will check you out. If they do and they have shared interest in your content, they are likely to follow your pins or boards as well.

Rule 4: Follow Other People

Following users is a great way to attract new followers. When you follow someone, there is a good chance they will notice and may choose to follow you back. It’s recommended you seek out people to follow who have shared interests. You can find pinners who share similar interests by searching for some of your industry’s keyword phrases on Pinterest. Add those users who are actively publishing content and have a solid fan base.

Rule 5: Add a Board Widget to Your Site

The board widget which can be found on the widget builder page (http://business.pinterest.com/widget-builder/ ) can be added to websites. This board helps display up to 30 of your latest pins on the selected board on your website.

Rule 6: Complete Your Profile

Ensure your profile is completed fully. Why is this important? When users see your posts and check out who you are they will read your profile. They want to know a bit about you to identify if you will have shared interests. Describe yourself or your business and include what type of content you’ll be sharing on Pinterest. Make sure to also include a link to your website.

Keep in mind that building a solid Pinterest following will take time. If you put these 6 rules of Pinterest to use, you’ll be well on your way to Pinterest success.

Written By: Jessica Hooper

Pinterest Video Series: How to Use Pinterest For Business

Want to learn how to drive leads and web site traffic using Pinterest?

Do you want to learn the most strategic way to build followers on Pinterest and expand your marketing reach?

Social Influence Academy brings you a 6 part video series that will provide you with how-to demos for Pinterest business marketing success. These online video training programs will walk you through setting up your own company Pinterest page and you’ll learn techniques for profile success strategies along the way. After completing the training programs, you will understand exactly how Pinterest works and why having a Pinterest business page will benefit your company. Register today to learn how to become a Pinterest marketing expert!

PinterestBusiness

For more information and to sign up today visit:

http://socialinfluenceacademy.com/online-video-training-programs/

The LinkedIn Cheat Sheet for Image Sizing & Dimensions

Posted on by Lowell Brown

LinkedIn has become the leading network for Business to Business Social Media Marketing. It is a place where individuals go to find out more about your company. It is crucial then to ensure that your LinkedIn Company Page is up to date with visually appealing graphics. For best results, we have created an infographic depicting the latest image sizes and dimensions for your LinkedIn Company Page.

LinkedinCheat-Sheet-1

The HORIZONTAL LOGO is the standard logo for your company page and will be visible at the top of your LinkedIn page, to the left of your company name. The logo measures 100 x 60 pixels. If you upload a larger size image, it will be resized to fit.

The SQUARE LOGO is your standard logo used on your network updates. It will be displayed as 50 x 50 pixels and will be automatically resized to fit these dimensions.

The BANNER IMAGE, or cover photo is situated under the horizontal logo on your main company page. Last year LinkedIn updated their company pages layout to include a larger banner image measuring 646 x 220 pixels. Take advantage of this image space to showcase your product/service offerings.

A SHARED LINK on your profile page will be displayed as 180 x 110 pixels. You are allowed up to 240 characters of text when updating your status.

The COMPANY COMMENT LOGO will appear when you like or comment on updates on your company page. This image will be displayed as 30 x 30 pixels.

The CAREERS section of LinkedIn Company Pages enables companies to post current job openings. You can upload a cover photo measuring 974 x 238 pixels.

Note: To post jobs in the Careers Section of your company page you must have a paid LinkedIn subscription (starting at $26 a month).

The PRODUCTS & SERVICES tab on your company page tells users what you’re company is selling. The banner image measures 646 x 220 pixels.

The PRODUCTS thumbnail images are displayed at 100 x 80 pixels. You have up to 100 characters for your product (or service) title and 1,000 characters to tell users more about it.

Hint: Depending on your product size, you should add only your most popular items. You can include a link to your website for more product information.

There you have it – all of the proper LinkedIn image sizes & dimensions, all in one place for your convenience.

The Twitter Cheat Sheet for Image Sizing & Dimensions

Posted on by Lowell Brown

Creating custom graphics for your Twitter profile is not an easy task if you do not know the proper image sizes and dimensions. That’s why we have created a Twitter cheat sheet with the most recent image sizes and dimensions you’ll need to produce a stellar profile.

Twitter-Cheat-Sheet-1

Your PROFILE PICTURE will be displayed at 73 x 73 pixels on your profile page. It is recommended to upload as 500 x 500 pixels as this is the image size displayed when a user clicks on your profile picture. Your profile picture will automatically be resized to fit 73 x 73 pixels.

Within your tweets, your profile picture will be scaled down to fit 48 x 48 pixels.

The HEADER IMAGE is found behind your profile picture and measures 520 x 260 pixels. Twitter recommends you upload as 1252 x 626 pixels for a higher quality resolution.

Tip: Your header image will be obstructed by your profile picture, company name, and biography (160 characters max) so keep your header image simple.

The BACKGROUND IMAGE is the most challenging graphic to create for your Twitter profile. In order to create an ideal background image, you must take into account users screen resolution. It is important to note that the Twitter feed is approximately 870 pixels wide. The standard laptop screen resolution is 1366 pixels wide; however, many individuals still use desktops with larger monitors. Taking into account a larger monitor, we recommend starting with an image size of 1600 wide x 1200 pixels high.

If you plan your image to fit the standard 1366 px screen, you will be left with 248 px on each side of your Twitter feed. (1366 px – 870 px (Twitter feed) = 496 px total divided by 2 sides = 248 pixels.)

You will also need to factor in the margin dimensions. We recommend leaving about 22 px for the margin on each side of the background image. When the margins are factored in, you now have 226 px to work with on each side (248 px – 22px = 226px).

Tip: Place your primary design on the left hand side since this is where users will naturally be drawn to view any call to actions or branded logos.

Stats: 90% of users will see at least 78 pixels of the left side of your background image; 67% will see at least 204 pixels; 43% will see at least 247 pixels; but only 21% will see 284 pixels.

Your RECENT IMAGES, the images you’ve most recently shared with users will be visible under your user interface. They measure 90 x 90 pixels.

A SHARED IMAGE on your timeline will display as 435 x 375 px MAX as the displayed size depends on the original image size. The image will automatically be scaled down proportionally.

A SHARED VIDEO on your timeline will measure 435 x 244 pixels. The first 160 characters of your video description will be visible to users.

Now that you know the proper Twitter graphic sizes & dimensions, it’s time to get started creating your custom Twitter graphics. Make sure you save this cheat sheet on your computer and you’ll never have to Google “Twitter Image Dimensions” again!

 

Top 5 Reasons to Market Your Business on Pinterest

Posted on by Lowell Brown

The key to social media success is to understand the platforms that best sync with your business. You must first be aware of the different platforms available, the benefits of each, and how you can leverage these benefits to promote your business online.

 

With more than 70 million users around the world (Semiocast), Pinterest is one such platform that can help boost your business in more ways than one. So, why exactly should you market your business on Pinterest? Here are five great reasons –

 

1. Build Trust & Loyalty: Every online business owner understands the value of gaining trust on the Internet. It would mean quicker conversions, better brand recognition and even positive referrals. When you upload pictures on your website or blog and ask people to ‘pin’ your photographs, you are instantly connecting with the online world. Showcasing your business offerings will help potential buyers to develop a better understanding of what you’re selling. By pinning relevant and helpful resources, you will attract followers, increase your authority, and build the trust of your followers, which can lead to increased customer loyalty and positive referrals.

 

2. Increase Brand Visibility & Website Traffic:  More than 80% of pins are repins (source: RJMetrics) which means it is very likely that your potential customer will pin your product images to their wall, resulting in increased brand visibility. According to a Pinterest study, 69% of Pinterest users have found at least one item that they bought or were interested in buying.

 

3. Promote Your Products/Services: Pinterest allows you to include a text description with every pin you post. You can leverage that space to promote your product and/or service offerings or explain to users how that given pin can relate to a person’s personal interest. By doing so, the likelihood of a user repining your pin on their own board will increase.

 

You can use your Pinterest board as an advertising canvas for a promotional offer, a brand message or even a product launch. Utilising this feature could be vital for the growth of your business.

 

4. Leverage Third Party Tools to Increase Your Pinterest ROI (Return on Investment): There are many third party Pinterest tools that can help you enhance your social media marketing experience. These resources could help you in many ways, from understanding live trends to even editing tools. An example of a few Pinterest tools include:

 

– Piquora: a powerful marketing and analytical suite that monitors how your pins and boards are performing.

 

– Pin Alerts: is a real-time Pinterest monitoring system that will send you automatic notifications every time someone pins something from your website.

 

– Pinstamatic: allows you to create custom pin-able links for your Pinterest board. This tool can turn locations, music, quotes, calendar dates, Twitter profile links, sticky notes and websites into pinnable links for others to share.

 

5. Reach Targeted Audiences: Pinterest allows people with shared interests to connect and share content with one another. You can leverage this activity by targeting niche audiences who can relate to your products and/or services. Use images that you know your target audience would “like”, share, or comment on. At the same time make sure you use relevant keywords. By using the correct keywords for your business, it is likely you’ll receive more shares by bloggers, a vital aspect for your company website.

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Want to learn how to drive leads and web site traffic using Pinterest?

 

Do you want to learn the most strategic way to build followers on Pinterest and expand your marketing reach?

 

Social Influence Academy brings you a 6 part video series that will provide you with how-to demos for Pinterest business marketing success. These online video training programs will walk you through setting up your own company Pinterest page and you’ll learn techniques for profile success strategies along the way. After completing the training programs, you will understand exactly how Pinterest works and why having a Pinterest business page will benefit your company. Register today to learn how to become a Pinterest marketing expert!

PinterestBusiness

For more information and to sign up today visit:

http://socialinfluenceacademy.com/online-video-training-programs/