THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
MASTERING TWITTER,
PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM,
AND YOUTUBE FOR YOUR
BUSINESS
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MEET THE AUTHORS
Andi Barton, Buzz Builder Manager
Cara Friedman, VP of Education
Kate van Gelden, Strategy Director
Katie Kearsey, Account Manager
Brian Murray, Director of Talent
Dhara Naik, Strategy Director
Mallorie Rosenbluth, VP Client Relations
Alexandra Spignesi, Community Manager
Carrie Tylawsky, Client Relations Manager
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. TWITTER BEST PRACTICES
Stop Making this One Mistake on Twitter
The Before, During and After of a Twitter Chat
5 Twitter Chats You Shouldn't Miss
II. PINTEREST BEST PRACTICES
5 Quick Tips for Re-Pinning Success
Three Ways Brands Can Optimize Their Pinterest Presence
Power to the Pinners
III. INSTAGRAM BEST PRACTICES
A Likeable Lesson from @Instagram
Kick Your Instagram Back Into Gear!
Get to Know Your Instagram Metrics: 5 Key Features of Statigram
IV. YOUTUBE BEST PRACTICES
How to: Make A Viral Video
Why Value Trumps Viral
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TWITTER BEST PRACTICES
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5 TWITTER CHATS
YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
By: Mallorie Rosenbluth
Published: June 27, 2011
If I had to choose my favorite social network, I would go with Twitter. I’m not sure when I
joined the 140 character crew, but I abandoned my die-hard love of Facebook, replaced
it with Twitter and haven’t found a network that kept my attention (and affection) enough
to replace Twitter as my #1 site.
But like any relationship, you need to find new and exciting ways to keep your interest
and keep things exciting. Enter: Twitter chats. If you haven’t taken part in a Twitter chat
before, the short description is this: Twitter users gather together to answer questions
and give opinions on certain topics and categories. Users follow the chat by hashtag, by
moderator re-tweeting comments and questions, and usually with the aid of a great chat
tool (my favorite is TweetChat). There are dozens upon dozens of chats out there, so I
thought I would make it a little easier for you to get on your chat game with 5 Twitter
chats you shouldn’t miss.
Chat Title: #cmgrchat
Day & Time: Wednesdays, 2pm ET
What’s Covered: The Community Manager is more than just a job title; it’s also a
growing Twitter chat. The chat was started in September of 2010 by Jenn Pedde and
Kelly Lux with the goal of creating a community and conversation for people working in
social media. This chat is an amazing resource whether your job title is Community
Manager, CMO or college student. Learn from industry peers about how to handle the
challenges and day-to-day tasks of managing communities in the social space.
Chat Title: #u30pro
Day & Time: Thursdays, 8pm ET
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What’s Covered: u30pro is a Twitter chat hosted by the folks over at u30pro, described
as a “community for the ambitious young professional”. This Twitter chat, started by
David Spinks and Lauren Fernandez 2 1/2 years ago, has grown into a community that
now includes a weekly digest, popular blog and conversation-packed Facebook group.
This chat covers all the questions and struggles young professionals face in their
careers – from getting fired to what is appropriate to wear in the workplace. This chat is
a can’t miss, whether or not you’re under 30.
Chat Title: #blogchat
Day & Time: Sundays, 9pm ET
What’s Covered: Have a blog? Want to start a blog? Read a blog? Then this is the chat
for you. Mack Collier started up this Sunday night chat a little over two years ago and it
quickly became one of the most popular chats on the site. Each week hundreds of
tweeters discuss blog best practices. Seem broad? It is, but that’s what makes it so
great. This chat looks at everything from how to design your blog, to how to promote
your blog, to who should be writing your company blog. Whether you blog for a personal
or professional site, or you’re just interested in the world of blogging, you should tune in
to this chat.
Chat Title: #mmchat
Day & Time: Mondays, 8pm
What’s Covered: A chat for marketers! This chat, founded almost a year ago by Jeff
Ashcroft and The Social CMO is the chat for marketers in the space and looks at how
marketers (traditional or other) can and should be using social media within their
companies. My favorite part of this chat? The way it combines issues that all CMOs and
marketing execs face but with an emphasis on new media (including social and other
digital technologies). The chat looks at emerging trends and challenges and features a
guest chatter each week.
Chat Title: #smmanners
Day & Time: Tuesdays, 10pm ET
What’s Covered: Likeable CEO Dave Kerpen often describes social media as the wild,
wild west. And he’s right. Because the space is still so new, you often find people who
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aren’t doing it right and are, in fact, doing it all wrong. #smmanners (social media
manners) takes a look at different topics related to social media and how you can
leverage trends and practices in the best possible way. Founder Dabney Porte covers
everything from hashtag use to group etiquette. It’s a great chat on an often overlooked,
but extremely popular social media topic.
BONUS! Chat Title: #LikeableChat
Day & Time: Sundays/ 10pm ET
What’s Covered: Our Likeable Media team, led by moderator (and resident Marketing
Operations Manager) Michele Weisman, is just 3 weeks old. The Sunday night chat
does a deep dive into Likeable Media’s core values of Passion, Thought Leadership,
Transparency, Drive and being Likeable. The chat also looks at people and brands
doing social media right as well as trends in the industry.
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STOP MAKING THIS
ONE MISTAKE ON TWITTER
By Brian Murray
Published: February 13, 2012
Twitter is awesome. You are given 140 characters to share information about yourself,
links to what you are reading, and even tweet to your hero hoping for a reply. Twitter has
made the world smaller. Information flies around like no other medium in the course of
human history. In its basic form, Twitter is pretty simple. However, there is one mistake I
have seen by a variety of brands and even more by people. Twitter users do not
understand the correct use of the @ symbol.
Difference between a @Reply and a @Mention
Some quick definitions and further explanation below:
@Reply: A public tweet where the target person receives a notification about the tweet.
It starts with the @ symbol. It does not show up in the timeline of all followers.
@Mention: A public tweet where the person who is mentioned receives a notification. It
also shows up in the timeline of everyone who follows the tweeter. It does NOT start
with @ but starts with anything else.
The Scenario
You’ve written a great post, read an article about your favorite brand, or attended an
event. In your excitement to tweet, you post: @LikeableMedia hosted a great event
today! I learned so much from everyone! You should all follow them!!!
When you begin a Tweet with the @ symbol, the only person who will be notified about
the tweet is the target. Furthermore, the only people who will see the tweet in his or her
timeline are people who follow both you AND @LikeableMedia. It will be visible in your
personal timeline if someone goes to your profile but it will quickly be lost in all of your
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other activity!
Why does this matter?
If you are hard at work developing content or trying to change the world in a single
tweet, the people who see your tweet is just as important as the message! Would you
send a single email to tell the world that you just figured out how we can achieve World
Peace? A tweet that you painstakingly craft would be lost if you start it with the @
symbol.
The Test
Take a look at these and think to yourself, who would see them?
1. Tweet from @BTMurr: “@Ottogrl Hope you have an amazing birthday!”
This tweet would only be seen by those following both @BTMurr and @Ottogrl
2. Tweet from @Ottogrl: “Thank you so much @BTMurr for the birthday wishes!”
Anyone who follows @Ottogrl would see this tweet.
3. Tweet from @ESPN: “@JLin7 does it again! Leads the @NYKnicks to another
victory!”
Only those who follow both @ESPN and @JLin7 can see this tweet.
4. Tweet from @Mashable: “Check out this post by @DaveKerpen about
@LikeableMedia http://on.mash.to/w1XLTm”
This tweet can be seen by anyone who follows @mashable.
Got it?
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Two Fixes
1. If you must start with a Twitter handle at the beginning of a tweet, add something in
front of it. I’ve seen many brands and users using a period at the beginning to the
effect of: “.@BTMurr wrote this post but I already knew about this, do you?
[LINK]” Personally, I don’t prefer this method as I think it looks strange. I would
suggest using number 2.
2. If you are thinking:
“.@FrankRamblings have you read the latest about @Instagram?
http://on.mash.to/AjdjzY ”
Do this:
“Just read this great post about @Instagram http://on.mash.to/AjdjzY – What
are your thoughts @FrankRamblings?”
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WHY MOST PEOPLE FAIL AT
HASHTAGS AND HOW TO FIX IT
By Brian Murray
Published: March 26, 2012
I am a self-proclaimed Twitter evangelist. I’ve used Facebook since 2004, but my true love
is Twitter. I love the short, concise, and highly mobile service more than any other
platform. The limitation to 140 characters per post is what makes it beautiful. This
limitation has caused the formation of a new language, and certain “features” have been
created by the user to make the platform easier to use. One of Twitter’s most important
features, which has now taken on a life of its own, is the #hashtag. The #hashtag has
permeated our lives: so much so that I’ve seen it in text messages, emails, and on
Facebook. Although I’ve seen hashtags everywhere, I’ve found that many people just
don’t understand how to use them.
Definition of #Hashtag
A #hashtag is meant to label a tweet so it is easily searchable. The hashtag is meant to
facilitate and encourage conversation. There are also a variety of platforms that support
hashtags. In fact, hashtags have grown in popularity as Twitter has grown over the
years.
Best Practices for Safe #Hashtagging
Hashtags dominate the Twittersphere and have even made their way onto Google+.
They can encourage people to discuss a subject, but they can also be detrimental to
your cause. If you’re not using your hashtags correctly, they can grow out of nowhere
and sometimes appear to be nonsensical. So here are some quick tips to make sure
that you’re using your hashtags properly:
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1. Short hashtags work best.
#ILoveYourPizzaAndWantToEatItAllTheTime is not something that should be used. Half
of you probably couldn’t read- or didn’t bother reading- that, because it isn’t friendly to
the eye. People do not like symbols; they like words. So use hashtags sparingly.
2. Make them relevant.
When we started #LikeableChat 40 weeks ago, we thought about creating a hashtag
that would catch the eye, give people something to think about, and brand our chat.
What is #LikeableChat? We talk about the core values of @LikeableMedia and how
they relate to specific topics.
3. Don’t SPAM.
With the advent of Twitter Trends and the proliferation of hashtags, people have started
to use them to spam while hocking their wares. Don’t do this. Always try to provide
value by finding creative ways to relate existing hashtags to your brand.
4. Promote them.
If you represent a physical location, a conference, or a service, then you should
prominently place your hashtags- make them eye-catching! If it is a website, put it
above the fold. If you have a cash register, put it there, or put it up on your door. Then,
when you see someone use it, engage! The best example of this I have ever seen
comes from the @NewYorkRedBulls and their promotion of #Stampede in stadium, as
well as on all of their other assets.
5. Think of the broad audience.
Don’t make up a hashtag that is highly personalized and expect people to get it. I’ve
seen hashtags used by people to create inside jokes, which is fine. Just don’t expect to
get it trending unless it is relevant to a huge set of users. Always consider your
audience in everything that you do. When creating content, figure out what they want or
need and give it to them.
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6. Use legible formatting.
Use capital letters to make them readable. #dontdothis #DoThis
Bonus:
Twitter search is amazing and allows people to find others to engage with. By simply
using the “#” you immediately make the hashtag clickable and it will drive to the Twitter
search page
with that as a result. If this isn’t enough for you, use TweetChat to monitor and
engage in real time.
Updated: For more information on this subject see the previous blog from Tim Bosch. He
raises the really great point of not using #too #many #hashtags #in #one #Tweet.
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PINTEREST BEST PRACTICES
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PIN AND PROSPER:
ANALYZING #PINTEREST SUCCESS
By Katie Kearsey
Published: April 17, 2012
Pinterest is officially the number three social network in the U.S., and an ever-increasing
number brands are either getting started with or are fine-tuning there strategies and
campaigns. A crucial aspect of any typical social media campaign is the analysis, and a
Pinterest campaign is no different. To meet these needs, a handful of free reporting
tools have started to emerge. Here’s a list of the top three tools and a brief overview of
what they each have to offer.
PinPuff
PinPuff calculates your influence on Pinterest and provides you with your reach, activity
and virality scores. It also offers a detailed breakdown of how each of your top 20
boards are doing. PinPuff calculates the value of your pins and referral traffic in three
ways: Pin Worth (Ecom), Pin Worth (Gen), and cost per click. Pin Worth (Ecom) is the
worth for a pin with a landing page that a user can make a purchase on, such as an
Etsy store. Pin Worth (Gen) refers to the worth of a pin with a landing page that is a
non-sales page, such as a website that contains pictures or quotes from your favorite
TV and movie characters. The cost per click refers to the measure of each traffic referral
or outward click on your pin, or the maximum value.
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PinReach
PinReach, formerly known as PinClout, provides you with not only an overall influence
score, but also easy-to-read charts and tables that display your most popular pins and
boards. At a glance, you can learn about your activity, including how many pins you’ve
pinned and re-pinned, how many pins you’ve liked or commented on, how many people
you’re following vs. how many are following you (and which ones are the most
influential), how many boards you’ve created, and how many community boards you
contribute to. You can also learn about the Pinterest community in general, gleaning
insight from the users with the highest reach and the pins and members who are
currently trending.
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Pinerly
Pinerly enables you to view how effective your pins are in terms of clicks, re-pins, likes
and reach. For each pin you pin using this website, you’re creating a campaign that can
be broken down and analyzed in line with these four metrics. This tool is particularly
useful to determine the number of times people are actually clicking through to your link,
a function which most other Pinterest analytics services do not yet offer. Pinerly also
suggests pins to re-pin and users to follow based on your boards and interests.
While this tool is still in beta testing and requires you to request an invite, the team is
planning to expand its services to include even more drilled down analytics, and also
the ability to schedule your pins in advance, which will make it much easier for brands to
pin at times when their followers are most active.
Referral Traffic Tools
In addition to these three great tools, don’t forget to take advantage of your old analytics
tools stand-bys, Google Analytics and Facebook Insights. Both of these tools enable
you to track the number of referrals you’re getting from your pins to see just how
effective your Pinterest content strategy is.
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POWER TO THE PINNERS
By Dhara Naik
Published: April 20, 2012
As Pinterest has grown in popularity over the last few months, I’ve thought about the
network’s ability to influence purchasing behavior. Women account for 85% of all
consumer purchases and make up the majority of Pinterest users in the United States.
Here are three things that will ensure the social network is a catalyst in driving purchase
considerations for women across the country.
Provide Value
Women like to share ideas and seek opinions before making a purchase decision.
Pinterest simplifies the decision making process by providing inspiration about
everything from wedding colors to the latest Spring trends. If you take a look at the
popular brands on Pinterest, each board typically has a theme intended to provide some
type of inspiration or tip.
Take Whole Foods for instance, with over 25,000 followers, the “Food Tips and Tricks”
board was specifically designed to share easy methods of cooking or serving a dish.
Now as a person who likes to make quick and easy meals, this board gives me different
ideas and allows me to buy different tools that I may have never thought of.
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With wedding season in full swing, Nordstrom provides ideas for wedding gowns,
bridesmaids’ dresses and matching accessories, all of which are in-season for 2012.
Pinterest has become a popular tool for wedding planning, and what better way to
leverage the purchasing power of women than to share wardrobe ideas for a dream
wedding.
If your brand is on Pinterest, take a look at your boards and see what type of value they
provide to your female audience.
Add Items to the Gifts Menu
Pinterest has an accessible gifts drop down menu on their homepage. Within each price
range, there are tons of items and anything that has a price listed in the description of a
pin is added to the gift menu. Because women spend so much time on Pinterest, take
advantage of the gifts menu and add prices to your most popular or best selling items
so they are easy to see.
What’s great about the gift menu is consumers can easily see how many repins and
comments a particular product has. These instant reviews make it easier to buy a gift or
just make a purchase in general.
With Mother’s Day and Graduation season coming up soon, the gift ideas are sure to
drive not only traffic, but sales to your website from Pinterest.
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Optimize with Keywords
Most Pinterest users are creating boards based on their interests and hobbies, but
many users create boards to help with a project or upcoming event (i.e. – weddings)
and search for things to pin to their boards. In essence, users are creating reference
boards they can keep in one place. To make the most out of the search field on
Pinterest, it’s important to optimize the descriptions for each of your pins. When users
search for a specific item like bridesmaids’ dresses or pink shoes, your pins will be front
and center. So think like your customer and create rich keyword descriptions to make
sure your brand is prominent.
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THREE WAYS BRANDS
CAN OPTIMIZE THEIR
PINTEREST PRESENCE
By Carrie Tylawsky
Published: June 27, 2012
Pinterest – it’s the buzzword for everyone looking to develop a social strategy, but it’s
still such a new network that it can be hard to find examples of applicable brand use.
The ROI has been clear from the start – drives huge website referral traffic, boosts
awareness around a brand, and gives brands the opportunity to share photos and
infographics without oversaturating the community. However, even with all of this, it can
be daunting to launch onto the new platform and understand how to get that ROI. Here
are three quick tips to get the most out of your Pinterest presence!
Original Pins
Original pins are where the majority of website referral traffic comes from. If you
incorporate the Pin button on your website or pin new photos with your website as the
domain of origin, anyone clicking that photo will be sent where you want them to go.
This is especially crucial for anyone with an e-commerce platform or call to action on
their website to enable real results directly from Pinterest.
Share with your network
Pinterest is a great platform, but it can be hard to find the fans on Pinterest that you
have from Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks. The easiest way to gain a
following? Share with people who already love you! When you find something
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interesting on Pinterset, or pin something original, make sure you check those Twitter
and Facebook boxes so that everyone can know that you’re active and then they’ll
follow your boards. Word of advice: if you’re pinning more than once a day, only share
via Twitter, not Facebook. The Facebook newsfeed can easily get cluttered and a brand
that posts too much becomes an annoyance rather than a value.
Category & Description
This is one of the easiest elements of Pinterest, but one that is often overlooked. On
Pinterset, users can view pins either via “Everything”, which pulls in all pins, or they can
sort by Category. These categories include Home Décor, Humor, Technology, Travel &
Places, etc. (32 altogether). By categorizing your boards, you not only are more easily
found within these categories, but you also are competing for attention from a much
smaller and more focused group of users. Choose your category with care and make
sure you have boards in each for maximum results!
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5 QUICK TIPS FOR
RE-PINNING SUCCESS
By Kate van Gelden
Published: July 10, 2012
For the past few years, marketers have heard people ask them again and again ‘How
do I make this go viral?’ and lately that conversation has shifted from people talking
about videos on YouTube, to talking about content on Pinterest. Brands are vying to
increase followers and drive traffic to their other web properties by getting their images
on Pinterest re-pinned. So what makes something ‘pinnable’? Here are a few tips:
1. Consider cropping
Pinerly reports that vertically longer images work better (think infographics!).
2. Keep it simple
The most compelling images are simple, often with a white background, and are easily
understandable.
3. Add text (but just a little bit!)
By text on top of the exact same food image posted without title text, Pinerly reports
seeing a 2.2x – 4.5x increase in re-pins and clicks.
4. Pin with the Season
Seasonal pins get high-engagement; plan your pins in advance and schedule
accordingly to give your followers timely, relevant content to re-pin.
5. Pay attention to aesthetic
Martha Stewart is the 6th most pinned site on Pinterest, following major online players
like Google, Flickr, and Twitter – likely because the site photographs and images have
aesthetically pleasing colors and layouts. Remember, against the neutral Pinterest
dashboard, a photograph with a bright, colorful subject will capture attention
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INSTAGRAM BEST PRACTICES
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KICK YOUR INSTAGRAM
BACK INTO GEAR
By Andi Barton
Published: January 30, 2012
I think we all can agree on the fact that Pinterest has captured the photo sharing
fascination of social media users around the world. However you shouldn't forget about
Instagram! I recently have noticed an influx of new Instagram users from a personal
level.
I’ve noticed a lack of brands that are also getting back on board. If you’re a brand and at
a loss for how an Instagram strategy could apply to your business- you’re not alone!
As you develop your social media strategy, it’s important to prioritize your networks
based on how to most effectively reach your target fans. Instagram is a location that you
can easily implement multiple means of engagement! The type of users on this app is a
huge network of visual and creative smart phones that you can tap into. Your Instagram
does not need to strictly serve one purpose. Take the time to learn what types of
followers you’ve acquired on this particular network, and tailor your strategy based on
their interests!
Check out a few ideas for different ways to incorporate Instagram into your social media
strategy:
Get involved in what’s trending
Show that your brand is involved and informed on the events and happenings going on
that interest your demographic of followers. Instagram photos of events, news, fun facts,
trending topics etc. that your followers are most likely aware of- and then use it to your
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advantage and make it engaging! For example, I believe E! is a great cultural example
of a corporation leveraging Instagram. They post photos keeping up with the particular
events as they happen, photos of celebrities to spread the word of breaking news
relevant to these stars.
Their Instagram acts as an informative visual blog. Almost every photo they posted last
night throughout the SAG Awards made it to Instagram’s popular page.
Going off that, another successful example I observed was Good Morning America- who
used the SAG awards last night to their advantage to grab the attention of their
followers. They posted an image from the awards with an engaging caption. Know your
demographic of followers on Instagram and get involved what’s trending and important
in their lives.
Showcase your culture
Successful Instagram-ers like President Obama’s campaign staff and Justin Bieber
have already discovered the secret to success on this network. Their use of Instagram
is a great example of how to leverage Instagram for engagement purposes. Accounts
like these two use the photo sharing to showcase internal happenings and personal
documentation that fans and followers can’t necessarily get as regularly anywhere else.
Use Instagram to humanize your brand. Show the inner workings of your culture; give
your followers insight into the day-to-day behind the scenes activity.
Instagram & other networks
Make sure you understand that your fans and followers on each network can be
different! Therefore, don’t treat Pinterest as a competing network to your Instagram
efforts. They can work together! Take images that you’re pinning and repost them
through Instagram. Pinterest has such an extensive inventory of photos that range
through all styles. Find images that you love for your Pinterest, and use it to your
advantage in your Instagram as well. Like this image on the right- Likeable Media used
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this for our Instagram after finding and pinning it first.
If you post photos to your Facebook page and Twitter, why not make the effort to
enhance the images even more? We are all visual creatures to an extent- so make your
posts visually pleasing! Not only will you grab attention off the bat- the likeability of
something that is more visually attractive and unique may increase interactions. And
now that you can upload your images directly to Facebook through the app, why not!
Photo contests
Avid users of Instagram are so dedicated to the app because they love the creation
element. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to produce beautiful images
here. Leverage this for your brand. Create a photo contest where followers can submit
and get recognized. Social media users find you on networks because they want their
voice to be heard and interact. On Instagram, if they’re interacting with brands, they
want their photos to be seen! Promote a contest where users upload a particular
themed or brand related photo, and provide them with a specific hashtag to use. You
can then search the hashtag to find all the public Instagram-ers who are submitting
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through that hashtag.
Your Instagram can act as a mini visual blog for your brand. Don’t underestimate its
potential!
Be sure to follow Likeable Media on Instagram and check out what goes on behind the
scenes here and all other fun social media images.
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GET TO KNOW YOUR
INSTAGRAM METRICS:
5 KEY FEATURES OF
STATIGRAM
By Alexandra Spignesi
Published: February 7, 2012
Instagram quickly became one of my favorite social media networks (yes, I put it right
up there with my long time love, Twitter). Over the past couple months I noticed
interaction boom. Then brands started joining. Instagram offers creative marketing
through photos for brands, while reaching a target demographic. Brands such as
Starbucks, NBC, Threadless, and even Likeable Media, all have a presence on
Instagram.
As more and more brands join Instagram we look for a way to measure interaction and
growth beyond basic tallying of likes and comments. Statigram, launched in May of last
year, may have just the answer we’re looking for. Statigram provides metrics for your
Instagram, as well as providing a desktop version of your feed. Amazing? You got it.
Let’s look a little deeper into some key features.
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1. Feed
When you sign into Statigram your feed is the first thing you see. From there you can
like, and comment just as you would using the app. Statigram also gives you the option
of a slideshow featuring larger images of these photos. From here you can also
navigate through your own photos, likes, followers, followings, and popular.
Bonus: Looking for a way to get your Instagram photos on Pinterest? You can pin
straight from your feed.
2. Statistics
Here you can see your overall statistics from the date you joined Instagram. This
includes how many photos you have contributed, current number of followers, likes and
comments received both total and average per photo. As you scroll down you can see
further breakdowns. Beneath top photos is your activity where you can see photo
repartition per day, and which filters you use the most.
3. Optimization
Usually we don’t think much about when we post photos to Instagram. But for brands
this is important, as with each upload you want to get the most interaction possible for
optimized results. Luckily Statigram has broken this down for us. It will actually tell you
when, based on interactions within your community, is the best time to post new photos.
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Another graph will also tell you the average lifespan of your photos. From these results
you can decipher the best time, and how many times you should post new photos
throughout the day.
4. Community
From a brand perspective it is important to identify your community on any given social
network. Statigram again, makes this effortless by breaking down the relationships with
your followers and those you follow. There is even a section breaking down top
engagement by user.
5. Promote
Worried about missing those Android users? Don’t. Statigram provides you with a public
link to your desktop site, where anyone can browse, comment, and like the photos in
your feed. Of course most brands that are on Instagram are also on Facebook.
Statigram offers an Instagram Feed Tab for Facebook fan pages with one click of a
button. Timeline users can also create a cover photo customized with photos from their
feed.
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I have only skimmed the surface of the offered features from Statigram. I urge you to
check out the site on your own, especially if you are a brand thinking about joining
Instagram. I promise you it will make the decision a no-brainer.
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A LIKEABLE LESSON
FROM @INSTAGRAM
By Brian Murray
Published: April 9, 2012
Likeable Media is a Full Service Social Media and Word of Mouth Marketing Firm. We
have over 30 employees and 60 plus interns who live and breathe social media. We use
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. But one platform we truly love is Instagram.
Earlier today, Facebook purchased Instagram, a company that has zero revenue, for
one billion dollars. What does this mean and why did it happen?
Why did this happen?
Instagram is likeable. It’s simple and easy. It does one thing really well, better than
anybody else. Instagram has a community of over 19 million people and they just
launched on Android last week. It plays well with others and allows you to share your
pictures on a variety of networks seamlessly. It encourages comments and likes. It
doesn’t try to be everything to everyone.
What does this mean?
Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook is acquiring a talented team and an amazing product.
Kevin Systrom said their hope is to create a better Instagram while continuing to have it
function as a stand-alone product. To me, this proves one thing above all: we should all
strive to create great products for the masses. Don’t worry about where the money will
come from, just keep improving and growing. Eventually you will be noticed, and if it is a
truly great product, your payoff will come.
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A Lesson from @Instagram
Make products that you are #Passionate about. Be #Transparent in your dealings with
the world. Be #Driven in your desire to succeed. Don’t fall into the trappings of others,
be a #ThoughtLeader. Most of all make something that is #Likeable.
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YOUTUBE BEST PRACTICES
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WHY VALUE TRUMPS VIRAL
By: Mallorie Rosenbluth
Published: June 4, 2012
Long before the Old Spice Guy and JK Wedding Dance (remember those?) were finding
their way en mass to our Twitter streams, Facebook feeds and Good Morning America
segments, the concept of “going viral” has kept marketers awake at night, wondering if
their next idea will spread like wildfire. But what does this concept really mean?
Essentially, virality has to do with content or information getting spread from person to
person really, really quickly. And the Internet has helped this happen like no other
media. For a brand though, what does this provide besides some buzz, a spike of brand
awareness and a temporary lift in sales (if you’re lucky)? How does a viral campaign
really help consumers? As marketers, it’s our responsibility (and life’s work!) to find
ways to perpetuate our brands in innovate ways that make an impact on our
consumers. We need to provide value. Viral is a bonus. Here’s why:
Value lasts longer than viral
A big element of viral is generally a cool factor, meaning the information is exciting,
funny, different, perhaps shocking and therefore promotes sharing between users. But
that type of cool doesn’t last very long. Most brand campaigns that go viral don’t
produce long-lasting business results. There’s a flash in the pan component and not
much engagement or relationship building. By providing value, you give your consumers
knowledge and your brand the ability to be positioned as a thought leader its customer
base will continue to come back to.
Value, not virality, creates loyal brand ambassadors
Since viral doesn’t last very long, it doesn’t give you the opportunity to establish longlasting connections with your consumers. By providing value – in content, savings,
customer service, etc. – you become a trusted brand and develop a relationship with
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your customer that goes beyond a single purchase or view of a video. These
relationships are the ones that create super-fans and they’re the type of relationships
that only happen over time.
YOU can control value
As much as we hate to admit it, and as much as some executives like to expect it from
their marketing teams, you simply can’t control what goes viral. It’s often the unexpected
that takes off and it’s rarely, rarely planned. And arguably more important, when
something spreads fast enough to be viral, you (and your message) are subject to
getting lost in pop-culture references and the increased probability of becoming a meme
somewhere down the line. The messages exists without the brand. If you focus on value
as the number one priority in any marketing effort and campaign – value to the
consumer and to the brand – it’s harder to lose control of the message.
In a perfect marketing world, every campaign we put out is value-based and goes viral.
Unfortunately, there’s no recipe for that sort of success. Value though, will always trump
viral. Campaign virality belongs in the “nice to have” column. So long as value is in the
campaign architecture, you’ll find success.
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HOW TO: MAKE A VIRAL VIDEO
By Cara Friedman
Published July 3, 2012
One question I hear over and over again in the social media industry is, “how do I make
a viral video?” As defined by a reliable source (Wikipedia), “a viral video is one that
becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video
sharing websites, social media, and email. Well that sounds easy! I have done some
serious research on this topic and have found a foolproof formula to making a “viral
video.” Behold the mysteries of the Internet!
1. Get an animal.
Preferably a cat but you could definitely use a dog or bunny. In fact, if you can find an
exotic animal like a monkey, giraffe, or hedgehog, it would be even more likely that your
video will go viral.
2. Make sure your animal has a talent.
Does your cat play the guitar? Does he dance the Macarena? The more talented the
better. If your pet is circus-worthy you are on the right track.
3. No talents? Well is your pet funny?
Sometimes being humorous can work even better than being a freakily talented pet.
4. Use (or borrow) a young child in your video.
Kids say the darndest things and people just can’t get enough of them! Exploit your
children! Warning: They may get angry with this when they are old enough to
understand.
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5. No kids? No pets? Be famous.
When you’re famous any video you post goes viral. All you need to do is smile and
wave. Maybe even lip sync.
6. Try to be famous
Okay okay… you’re right. Suggesting that you should “be famous” is just ridiculous. You
can however try to be famous! You don’t even need talent!
7. Autotune yourself
After watching the previous video you may be thinking, “isn’t this the same thing?”
Believe it or not, you can autotune yourself doing anything! You don’t even need a
music video.
8. Last but not least… Stop trying to make a viral video.
Yes folks, we have reached the moral of the story. There IS no equation for creating a
viral video.
Videos that “go viral” are more often than not accidental! Creating a video with the intent
of it going viral is bound to fail. Rather than having a goal of “going viral” you should
have a goal of “being valuable.” Create content that is valuable, entertaining, and
informative. Share things you love and think other people will benefit from. That’s what
will make your content go viral. That’s what people want to share. Whether or not that
content contains a child or talented animal is just coincidence.
Have no fear because this is not an impossible task. Brands have achieved viral status
before without trying so hard. Here’s one of my favorites: http://bit.ly/dWXuyY
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MORE RESOURCES
trends snapshot:
social media in 2012 and beyond
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