Social Media & SEO

Before she measures the success of any campaign, January Williams begins with the question, “What am I asking the audience to do?” Williams, the director of online communications and outreach for the nonprofit Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), doesn’t try to be all things on all platforms. While some initiatives, like increasing the CDF’s number of followers, are easy to measure, most of what the organization does—when issuing legislative calls to action or fundraising, for example—is all about engagement. Here are three ways she uses analytics to drive action.

The social media giant has launched Stories, a Snapchat clone that gives Facebook users access to the two most unique aspects of the Snapchat interface: content that disappears after 24 hours and augmented reality lenses. This is the first Snapchat-pioneered feature to make its way into the central panel of Facebook’s marquee app.

Social media exposes many ironies, including the possibility that we are less social because of social media. Remember the days when we used our phone for talking, not typing? And when a friend was someone… Continued

Pinterest is no longer just for brides. Recent data indicate its audience is rapidly diversifying, as men join the network at a growth rate of 70% year over year, although women remain its dominant followers. The site’s audience growth and diversification further underscore the idea that Pinterest is an untapped opportunity for B2B communication pros. Here’s how to take advantage of this platform.

It’s a truism that brands must be on social media. The important question, though, is what platforms are best for your brand? In terms of Twitter, it depends on whether or not you are a B2C or B2B brand, according to data from Shareablee provided exclusively to PR News Pro.

The competition for attention on Facebook is intense, and seems to grow more heated every day. Just because somebody is following your brand on the site doesn’t mean they’ll automatically engage with your content. Yet, one of the most common mistakes content marketers make on Facebook is in focusing too much on lead generation and not enough on building a community and offering content of real value, says Chad Berndtson, director of content marketing and social media at B2B cyber security firm Palo Alto Networks.

Many brands, agencies and nonprofits, no matter what their budget, have seen great results when incorporating On-Demand Geofilters into their marketing strategies for our clients. In the PR News Social Media Guidebook, Christine Wilson of MtoM Consulting provides readers a wealth of information about growing a Snapchat strategy and audience from tabula rasa. Here are her top tips to help you design effective Geofilters while maximizing your budget.

Video features, even live video, are ubiquitous now on social media. “Just press this button and post a video!” we’re urged. This may lull PR practitioners into the false sense that creating a good video for social is as easy as creating a video. But not so. Thoughtful video production is important, and it’s attainable even for those of us who didn’t go to film school and don’t have large budgets.

At its Social Shake-Up Show in Atlanta May 22-24, PR News will celebrate its first annual Movers & Shakers Awards winners—communicators from b2b and b2c companies, nonprofit organizations and agencies who have produced measurable, positive results from their social media efforts on behalf of their organizations.

Do you have the guts to cede control of your social media to employees? This takes trust, but according to Carmen Collins, social media lead for Cisco’s Talent Brand team, it can be a rewarding way to get out your message, promote the brand’s culture and build your following.