How to Grow an Instagram Profile with User-Generated Content

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User-generated content has proved to be a very valuable resource for many brands. It has delivered incredible results when it comes to Instagram for its visual nature. UGC makes Instagram profiles more believable and accessible to new users. Using UGC for growing your Instagram profile can be a great idea for quick and effective results.


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by Steve Hall    Nov-14-19    
Topic: Social



Protecting User Data: How Close is the US to its Own GDPR?

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The use (and misuse) of user data has only been thrust further into the spotlight, not only with new laws taking effect in many countries but also thanks to a slew of high-profile scandals, such as Cambridge Analytica. With the ongoing consequences of data breaches, people are demanding more transparency around how their data is used.

That's as true of the US as it is of any other country. And, on the back of public pressure, several states have implemented (or are in the process of implementing) regulations which share broadly the same goals as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

As these laws, and the wider data transparency movement, gather momentum, there's increased speculation around how far out the US is from adopting its own GDPR-style legislation at a federal level.

Companies need to start asking themselves how ready they are for the laws in place and how ready they'll be for any federal laws that may be instituted around data privacy.

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by Steve Hall    Sep- 3-19    
Topic: Social



13 Ways To Increase Sales With Facebook Ads

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Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world with well over one billion users, and Facebook Ads is one of the best means to getting your product in front of a huge audience. Yet using the platform is not enough. Here are 13 practical tips to ensure your Facebook Ads campaign is hitting the mark:

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by Steve Hall    Jul-17-19    
Topic: Social



The Importance of Content Marketing in 2019

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Content marketing involves providing reliable and valuable content or information to prospective customers with the goal of branding, positive sentiment, building trust and awareness. This is done through podcasts, social media posts, standard videos, webinars, e-books, email newsletters and white papers. Let's now discuss the importance of content marketing.

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 1-19    
Topic: Social



3 Ways to Incorporate Mobile And Social Analytics In Your Ad Campaigns

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In today's competitive business environment, most advertising agencies are using data analytics to hone their clients' campaign strategies and to improve their job of targeting, tracking, and engaging customers.

With mobile commerce growing at an annual rate of 42 percent, and with one-third of online shoppers making at least one purchase via smartphone over the last 12 months (and 20 percent via tablet), marketers that ignore mobile analytics are doing themselves a major disservice. The same goes for social, where tracking, measuring, and engaging consumers via sites like Facebook and Twitter is absolutely crucial.

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by Steve Hall    Sep- 3-15    
Topic: Mobile/Wireless, Social, Tools



Instagram ROI: What Your Brand Can Expect from Working with Influencers

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When we think of social media ROI, we tend to only measure value by numbers. So much attention is given to number of followers, reach, impressions and likes; but while these markers are very important, there's a much broader story that can be told, particularly on social networks like Instagram where photos create an opportunity to paint a much bigger brand picture.

Sure, Instagram has some limitations in what campaign parameters can be measured -- engagement rates act as the major metric -- and this can raise the question of what a brand really gains from influencer marketing. However, Instagram, now one of the top three social networks with over 300 million users, gives brands an opportunity to tap into the influence of Instagram power users and leverage their existing follower relationships in order to reach a broad audience.

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 8-15    
Topic: Opinion, Social



Facebook Overhauls Marketing Partners Program, Dumps Badges, Simplifies Accreditation

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This week, Facebook announced a revamp to its Facebook Marketing Partner Program. The social networking company is officially moving to a new structure that is more intuitive for clients, offers more partners across function, vertical and geography.

This is a big departure from the original marketing program. In 2012, Facebook launched a program with four available badges to help marketers better understand which partner was the best match. Originally, there were 12 designated Straregic Preferred Marketing Developer ('SPMD') partners accredited with "Ads and Insights" badges.

The change, which eliminates the badges and simplifies accreditation to 3 levels, is designed to avoid the mistakes other large digital advertising companies have made.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-19-15    
Topic: Social



How to Revive Your Brand's Instagram Strategy in 4 Simple Steps

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Instagram. It's been around but brands are just beginning to climb on board. Brands know they need it and yet many aren't entirely sure how to improve their social media game as competition stiffens with more and more brands joining Instagram daily.

If your brand hasn't made successful strides on Instagram, chances are there are some critical elements you're missing. Here are 4 simple ways you can revive your brand's presence on Instagram.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-11-15    
Topic: Social



3 Simple Reasons Why 60 Million Employees Advocate for Their Companies

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Employees are talking about your brand on social media - in fact, 50% of employees share about their company without any prompting. According to Statista, there are nearly 120 million full-time employees in the U.S. alone, meaning 60 million employees choose to talk about their employer online.

The good news is that their message is overwhelmingly positive; the bad news is that all this employee advocacy is happening beyond your awareness. Employees share about your company on social media without training or any guidance on brand safe content.

According Proskauer Rose LLP's Social Media in the Workplace: Around the World 3.0 survey, 90% of companies now use social media for business purposes - up from 60% a year ago. However, many business leaders are uneasy about asking employees to help attract new employees and new customers on social media. Businesses are stuck in this contradiction because they fear what employees will tell the world.

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by Steve Hall    Dec- 2-14    
Topic: Social



What Can Social Media Marketers and Brand Managers Stand to Gain from Employee Advocacy?

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Social media marketers and brand managers alike have the same problem: how can they make their brand's story stand out in today's noisy, always-on, social world? Let's face it, not every ad campaign goes viral and -- even more -- not every social media post reaches the target audience. But this can change. What has lately been lauded by marketers as an unsolvable problem, actually has a relatively simple solution: employee advocacy.

Social media doesn't exist in a vacuum, so why are so many social media marketers expected to perform in a vacuum? Rather than limit their social media presence to just a few social media channels, many Fortune 1000 brands are empowering their employees to advocate for them -- in their own, original voice -- on social media. Brands looking to reach new audiences as well as drive brand loyalty need only look to the people creating, building and selling their products and services.

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by Steve Hall    Oct-20-14    
Topic: Social