Social Media & SEO

OK, so Snapchat has made the grade. This leads us to…the next Snapchat. To celebrate Social Media Day, PR News looked to the future and compiled this list of emerging apps and technologies PR pros should keep an eye on. Then again, maybe nothing on this list will be around for next year’s Social Media Day.

Once you have the basics of Snapchat down, Geofilters are a next-level tool for reaching your audience. It may not be obvious at first how to use both Community (free) and On-Demand (paid) Geofilters to engage an audience, but once you learn how to think about them from various angles, there are several ways to be smart and strategic about Geofilter use.

The shift in focus to paid social media content is redefining, yet again, the role of the PR professional—a topic that David Kellis, director of PR and social media for the Clorox Co., will dive into in his opening Wake-Up Call session at PR News’ Big 4 Social Media Summit in San Francisco. “In the past, we’ve done PR around advertising in magazines and other media. That’s what we’ve come to with social,” Kellis says.

You’re halfway through what’s been a rather interesting year in business, politics, brand successes and blunders and Game of Thrones developments. Which is to say: you still have another five solid months to make this… Continued

With Snapchat raking in over 100 billion video views a day, it’s well past the time to say “Snapchat isn’t right for my brand.” But once you’ve locked down a witty username…what, exactly, should you be snapping to reel in the platform’s rapidly growing demographic? Carolina Valencia, senior director of corporate communications at Univision Communications, shares some jumping-off points to help you generate fresh ideas for your Snapchat content.

In many ways, Facebook is using a time-tested PR tactic to increase the popularity of live video—influencers. By tapping some of the most popular media outlets and celebrities to create live video Facebook will have an incredible stockpile of content. Communicators should take a page from these prominent media companies and celebrities and jump on this burgeoning trend. Those who make a name for themselves now are sure to reap the rewards after live video inevitably becomes a main feature of the platform.

Nonprofits may have more in common with B2B and B2C brands than one might think. This installment in our series detailing consumer engagement with U.S. brands on social platforms finds patterns similar to those seen earlier when the focus was engagement with B2C and B2B brands on Facebook (PRN, May 30 and June 6). Examination of exclusive data provided to PR News by Shareablee shows the most engaged B2B, B2C and nonprofit brands seem to be emphasizing quality over quantity as the number of posts in Q1 2016 was down compared to Q1 2015. As a result, consumer actions, which is defined as the sum of likes, shares and comments, also fell.

You have to hand it to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella. When he goes shopping, he comes heavy. Nadella plunked down $26 billion June 13 to acquire LinkedIn as a way to energize both companies. His hope, of course, is that the deal will be a win-win, with LinkedIn gaining cachet, scale and technology and Microsoft obtaining access to information about the mostly white-collar businesspeople who are LinkedIn’s stock and trade. Arriving at a stagnant Microsoft two years ago, Nadella has been pushing the brand to become friendlier to corporate customers. In this respect, LinkedIn and its 105 million monthly active users seems a good match. In all, LinkedIn claims 433 million members, or 433 million resumes, a juicy target for brand communicators.

If you’re anxious to find out how best to reach your target demographic on Snapchat, you’re not alone in wondering where to start. Snapchat’s users expect authenticity and creativity, and the platform’s ephemeral content isn’t as associated with polished photos and videos as Instagram and Facebook. “Snapchat is the cool new kid on the social media block,” says Hannah Law, VP of strategy, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. “But don’t let that stop you from jumping in without a strategy.”

President Obama’s decision to announce his endorsement of Hillary Clinton on YouTube falls perfectly in line with how he’s conducted himself throughout his presidency. The president routinely speaks to the people on popular social channels like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s all part of a carefully crafted strategy to increase government accessibility and transparency thought up by Obama, but orchestrated by a powerful digital team operating from the White House.