Social Media & SEO

While there is much agreement on the wisdom of working with influencers on behalf of one’s brand, the hard work of finding, vetting and developing ongoing relationships with them can be daunting to the uninitiated. Dell’s Konnie Alex-Brown offers some tips to help you select those highly trusted subject matter experts who could have a real impact on the success of your brand messaging.

Snapchat had to be happy with what occurred during the Digital Content NewFronts, which began May 2 in NY. Despite Snapchat’s absence as a presenter at the annual marketing confab, there was considerable buzz about the brand. We ask Snapchat experts how brands can use it to reach millennials.

Advertising on social media has become so important thanks to a strange kind of ambivalence towards branded content online. Even though people only want to see branded posts when it’s relevant and useful, it’s still on PR pros to make sure the content exudes excellence. But it’s putting money behind that great content that gives PR pros access to an incredible level of specificity and control that can lead to unrivaled success.

One of the most common questions communicators have upon getting into Snapchat is “How do I measure?” The lack of a native analytics platform or a web presence means that there simply isn’t a lot of data available, and what data there is has to be recorded manually. But there are still metrics that can inform the growth of your Snapchat strategy, as well as how effectively you’re engaging your audience.

If you’re like most content publishers, you probably measure time spent on a page, a helpful adjustment to your basic bounce rate metric. Guess who else is paying attention to that? Facebook. In a recent blog post, the social media kingpin announced that they will update publishers’ rankings based on how much time users spend looking at an article in the Facebook mobile browser after clicking through from News Feed.

With attention spans diminishing and the appeal of video and images rising, it seems like the present moment is perfectly suited to Instagram’s quick-hit, low-verbiage, less-is-more characteristics.

For communicators looking to increase their cache of visual materials and at the same time build online street cred, Instagram is the only place to be. While many brands are already on the platform, few truly know how to succeed. In today’s saturated media environment, compelling visual assets are the only way to stand out among the dross.

When Instagram first caught our attention and won our hearts, it was through the platform’s utter simplicity: One-size photos, a handful of filter options and no frills. It was so simple that if you don’t use the app regularly, you may have formed an idea of what it is that isn’t as fluid as the reality. But if you aren’t familiar with the latest tweaks, you can be sure that the actual users of the platform are.

Continuing its efforts to keep users on its platform for as long as possible, Facebook has opened up its Instant Articles feature to all publishers. The mobile-centric program offers publishers the ability to post content that lives on Facebook, with promises of quick load times and advertising options from the company. In an era where organic reach is all but nonexistent, Facebook’s new hub of native media will offer brands an easy way to connect directly with the platform’s vast audience.

Brands and organizations from Lifetime Movie Network (LMN) to the member unions of the AFL-CIO last week hopped on one of the week’s trending hashtags #EqualPayDay, celebrating a holiday that brings attention to the disparity between the pay of men and women in some sectors.