Andrew Macarthy's Blog, page 26
April 15, 2014
5 Ways to Use Multiple Twitter Images for Social Media Marketing
The roll out of the ability to upload multiple images per tweet on Twitter makes the site's growing emphasis on videos even greater. For brands that think creatively, Twitter's multiple image uploads, and the way the pics display, opens up a new avenue for social media marketing opportunities. Here are 5 Ways to Use Multiple Twitter Images for Social Media Marketing...
1. General Electric uses multiple images to share a poignant message:True brilliance is remembered by its effect on people, not things. pic.twitter.com/wQjjNEF2nH
— General Electric (@generalelectric) March 28, 2014
By segmenting the content across for different images, each with compelling visuals, General Electric causes fans to stop and digest each quadrant, and therefore delivers a more powerful message.
2. The MLB uses multiple images to showcase snapshots from its baseball matches.@HanleyRamirez and @TheRealMattKemp dished out some serious power in Hollywood tonight: http://t.co/yoLoQbPzGf pic.twitter.com/NgqyZz8gdo
— MLB (@MLB) April 7, 2014
Sports events give the perfect opportunity to tell a visual story, and it looks like the MLB is keen to start doing this via multiple Twitter images. You can do the same by highlighting some of the stand out moments from any event or activity you host or attend.
3. Naked Juice uses multiple images to lay out a visual guide for a treat to make using its product...
Blend a bottle of your favorite #NakedJuice + fruit + yogurt, and freeze for a refreshing snack. #yum pic.twitter.com/FiEGdrVr7z
— Naked Juice (@nakedjuice) March 27, 2014
Being useful and valuable to your fans is so important on social media, and Naked Juice proves it worth by providing this little "recipe" laid out in multiple Twitter images. By showing (via photos) instead of telling (via text), it is able to deliver a much more engaging piece of content.
4. Mountain Dew uses multiple images to ask a question and offer suggestions...
Don't be THAT guy at the party tonight. Tell us YOUR #OutOfBounds moment. pic.twitter.com/S7WjZVKIjJ
— Mountain Dew® (@mtn_dew) April 5, 2014
The easier you make a question to answer on social media, the more engagement you are likely to receive. Mountain Dew goes for this approach in this example of multiple Twitter images. Although it asks for answers outside of those it lists, posing a question where each of the four images is a response (A, B, C, D) might encourage even more fans to respond.
5. Taco Bell uses multiple images to retweet and showcase customer testimonials of its products (even if it is from another brand)...
Breakfast o'clock at Seventeen! I meaaaan, we HAD to try it.
April 10, 2014
NEW Twitter Background Template 2014 PSD | 1920 x 1200 Photoshop Download
Looking for a background template for the new Twitter design for April 2014? You've come to the right place.
Notable changebefore we get started, it's worth knowing that the Twitter profile background image no longer appears on the main profile page of a user - the new large header image can now be used for that. However, background designs do show when a user clicks on a tweet to view it (and the conversation attached to it) in isolation.
ExampleHere is an example of the new Twitter layout. Notice that the new header takes up much of the "above the fold" space, where the old background design used to be. Below it, however far you scroll through the tweet feed, is an uneditable grey background.
Example 2
The above image shows what a user sees when they click on an individual tweet. Here, the background design you upload will display. In this case, it's a plain textured image but you can use the space for whatever you like: contact info, logos, offers, etc.
The trouble with Twitter background design optimisationTwitter profile backgrounds are a a prime piece of real estate for brands, but creating one that is optimised to be seen as intended by as many users of the site as possible can be tricky due to the wide variety of screen resolutions that the site is browsed at on desktops. Problems include:
Design hidden behind the tweet feedDesign looks different from one screen to anotherDesign not optimised for largest resolutions, leaving blank areas.If you've ever had any of these problems, my free Twitter background template will help. But, before we get to it, let's take a look at the relationship between Twitter, screen resolutions, and Twitter background designs so that you can use the template as effectively as possible.
The Anatomy of A Twitter Page ExplainedNo matter what the resolution of a user's desktop display, the Twitter tweet feed will always sit in the centre of the page. That leaves an equal amount of space either side of it for the visible background design (the rest being hidden behind the tweet feed itself). How much of the design is visible by a user, then, depends on the resolution of their display.
Therefore, in designing your Twitter background, you should aim to cater to as many people using as many different resolutions as possible, especially if you want to feature branding on both sides of the feed. Which leads us nicely onto...
Global Statistics For Screen Resolutions
According to the most recent global statistics (updated April 2014) the most popular screen resolution for viewing the web on desktops is 1366 x 768 pixels (around 32% of the total) followed by 1280 x 800 (around 12%). From these numbers (and those for less common sizes), we can estimate that the vast majority of people viewing your Twitter profile will be able to appreciate a background design optimised for a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution.
The biggest resolution people are likely to view Twitter at is 1920 x 1200 pixels, so the template is offered at this size and I urge you to design with people viewing at this resolution in mind, but optimised for the majority who only see up to 1366 x 768 pixels, i.e. when using the template, put your most important branding elements - logo, products, offers, URLs within the orange box and any non-important info outside it. View the image above for examples of how much of the visible Twitter background will appear for users at different resolutions.
How to Use the Twitter Background Template
When you open up the Twitter Background template in Photoshop or GIMP, it will look like the image above. Work over and/or hide the layers representing the Twitter news feed and different screen resolutions, then remove them all before saving your design as a PNG and uploading it to Twitter. Remember to work using the whole space, but optimize your design for 1366 x 758 pixel resolutions.
Note: While every effort has been taken to make this template as accurate as possible, prepare yourself for minor tweaking of your background design elements if necessary. Test and tweak is the name of the game!
One Last Thing - Centre Your Background!
Twitter backgrounds are left-aligned by default, but this template is designed for optimal viewing on all resolutions when the background is centred, so make sure to switch to this option when you upload, as shown above.
Download the Twitter Background 2014 TemplateThis Twitter template (and many others for all the biggest social networks - expertly measured, simple to use, and up-to-date) is available instantly as a downloadable zip file via the purchase link above. For more information on all my social media templates, click here.
Note: Payment is fast and secure via PayPal, but you do not need a PayPal account to buy and download.
Get the template (and others) FREE
Alternatively, buy a copy of my #1 Web Marketing Bestselling book, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips, on Kindle or in paperback, and receive a link to download all of my social media templates for free - you'll find it located in the Social Media Templates chapter.
Andrew Macarthy is the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips, available for Kindle and in paperback.
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Twitter Header Image Template PSD | 1920 x 1200 Photoshop (New Design, April 2014)
Looking for a Photoshop PSD template for the new Twitter header image? You've come to the right place!
In April 2014, Twitter changed its desktop layout for the second time in a matter of months, this time significantly. As part of the update, gone are the small profile and header, replaced by images that are much bigger and wider.
Twitter layout with profile photo and header before:
Twitter layout with profile photo and header now:
New Twitter Header Image and Profile Pic Template
Above is a snapshot of my Photoshop PSD template for the new Twitter layout's header and profile image. It is measured to the exact size you need so to prevent any cropping or blurring upon uploading. Simply design your header in the blue area, hide all of the template layers, and upload!
Download the template (and 9 others)This Twitter template (and many others for all the biggest social networks - expertly measured, simple to use, and up-to-date) is available instantly as a downloadable zip file via the purchase link above. For more information on all my social media templates, click here.
Note: Payment is fast and secure via PayPal, but you do not need a PayPal account to buy and download.
Get the template (and others) FREEAlternatively, buy a copy of my #1 Web Marketing Bestselling book, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips, on Kindle or in paperback, and receive a link to download all of my social media templates for free - you'll find it located in the Social Media Templates chapter.
Andrew Macarthy is the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips, available for Kindle and in paperback.
Buy 500 Social Media Marketing Tips
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007L50HE6
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007L50HE6
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Watch How 5 Global Brands Are Using Snapchat Video for Marketing
I've been keeping a close eye on Snapchat as a marketing platform for many months now, and every week it seems like another globally recognisable brand jumps on board to experiment with the app's unique engagement opportunities. Let's take a look at five examples of how global brands are using Snapchat video...
1. Mercedez-Benz simply uses Snapchat to broadcast a short advert for one of its new motors...Although direct advertising doesn't often go down well on social media, Mercedez Benz has evened its activity out with videos that show off the functions of its cars, and other titbits.
2. ASOS invites us behind the scenes at its latest fashion shoot...
By using real employees and celebrities, ASOS makes customers feel special by inviting them to view "behind the curtain." I like their "Turn your sound on!" message, too.
3. McDonald's promotes free coffee...
For a simple video to promote its free coffee giveaway, McDonald's turned to Snapchat. It compounded the impact of this video with prior image snaps that counted down to the event.
4. Live Nation gives us a glimpse of one of its concerts...
Live Nation used Snapchat as a way to promote Miley Cyrus' latest tour, encourage people to use the #BangerzTour hashtag and to visit their Twitter account for more details.
5. Evian Water cross-promotes its Spider-Man video...Evian's latest attempt at a viral video saw Spider-Man dancing with his baby doppelgänger. In this video, the bottled water company encourage viewers to visit its YouTube account to watch. Sorry about the vertical video...
ConclusionWhat do you make of these early attempts by global brands to take advantage of Snapchat video? Will you be mirroring any of their strategies in your own efforts? Let me know in the comments!
Andrew Macarthy is the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips, available for Kindle and in paperback.
Buy 500 Social Media Marketing Tips
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April 6, 2014
Marco Marco bases its social media marketing on #thingsorganizedneatly - and the content is stunning
The #thingsorganizedneatly hashtag is one of several that have exploded into popular use on Instagram, characterized by a top-down snap of, well, things organized neatly. Tons of brands are already using the idea as an interesting and eye-catching strategy that is central to marketing strategy, but not many go to the lengths of Marco Marco, a Singapore-based restaurant that specialises in paninis and pasta, so let's take a closer look...
This is Marco Marco restaurant in Singapore. Very nice it looks, too...To promote its food, Marco Marco meticulously arranges the ingredients from each dish with the #thingsorganizedneatly hashtag. Here are a few examples:The shots are so carefully composed, that the almost look Photoshopped, but a series of behind-the-scenes photos (also shared on Instagram) show the care and effort that is involved.
The #thingsorganizedneatly trend carries over to Marco Marco's Facebook Page, too:
I particularly like how the wider shots also give room to list the ingredients with text and also include a photo of the finished dish:
Conclusion
Marco Marco hasn't been open all that long, so the engagement its photos are getting aren't incredibly high, but I'm sure that will change if the reputation for its impressive visual storytelling continues. All in all, its impressive use of the #thingsorganizedneatly hashtag helps to grab people's attention, as well as conveying the time and passion that the restaurant has for its food - a tactic that is much more likely to lead to future custom via social media than any hard selling would.
Check out more at: http://instagram.com/marcomarcosg
Andrew Macarthy is a social media consultant and the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips.
Buy 500 Social Media Marketing Tips
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April 2, 2014
How to Edit Facebook Video Thumbnails | Change Thumbnail of Facebook Video
When you upload a video to Facebook, after processing, a notification tells you that it is ready to view and says you can also change the video thumbnail. If you take notice of this straight away, you can edit the thumbnail in a pop-up window. If however, you want to edit the thumbnail after that point, the process isn't so obvious. Let's take a look...
1. Your video will look like this on your Facebook Page or Timeline. Click on it to open it up in the full viewer.
2. In the pop-up window, click Options at the bottom, and choose Edit This Video.
3. On the page that opens, select a thumbnail by clicking the left and right arrows underneath. You can't upload a custom image, but you can choose the best option from those available. Click Save to finish.
And that's all there is to it! If this post helped you out, please share it with your friends!
Andrew Macarthy is the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips, available for Kindle and in paperback.
Buy 500 Social Media Marketing Tips
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March 29, 2014
How to See Which Facebook Pages Have Liked Your Business Page
Do you want to find out which other businesses have liked your Facebook Page? Discovering this is a good way to check out if the competition is keeping tabs on you, and often provides a good list of related company's that you might want to reach out to in order to join forces with to work together in some capacity. It's really easy to do, so let's take a look:
1. Open up the Admin Panel on your Facebook Page, and look for the "See Likes" link below the list of your most recent posts. Click it.
2. In the window that pops up, switch from People Who Like This to Pages that like this in the drop-down menu.
3. Here's a list of all the Pages that have liked you. Scroll down and keep clicking 'Show more' to view them all.
Conclusion
That's all there is to it! Do you use this feature to benefit your marketing and business strategy? Let me know in the comments below.
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March 25, 2014
5 Examples of Bad Facebook Ads from Big Brands (And How You Can Avoid the Same Mistakes)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26104563@N00/11677907024
With organic reach on Facebook at an all-time low and recent changes to make its advertising platform more user-friendly than ever, there's no better time to start experimenting to see what a few ad dollars could do for your business on the site.
On desktop displays, News Feed ads are the most prominent and probably your best chance for success. Just make sure you learn from some of the poor choices made in the following examples from big brands...
1. Ineffective ad image
Facebook recommends News Feed ad images be 600 x 225 pixels in order to take advantage of the bigger preview mode. While EE's is that size, there is a ton of wasted white space and the post instantly screams "paid ad." A more natural, lifestyle-focussed shot would work much better.
2. Ineffective ad copy
When you create an ad, Facebook allows you to edit all sorts of copy, from the main status to the link headline and description. 02 pretty much fails on all counts here. Despite a simple and direct message, the ad includes no call to action, a fail with the broken @prezzybox.com mention, and underused link copy.
3. Poor copy and image
Here, it appears that the image Udemy has used is not large enough to generate the bigger News Feed preview (as seen in the other examples in this post). That leaves an ad dominated by text. As it's offering a discount code, this could have featured in an image along with a call-to-action button.
4. No call to action button
I really like notonthehighstreet's copy and image, but they missed a trick by not including one of Facebook's "Shop Now" call to action buttons. The link copy could also be more appealing, instead of just listing the website address twice.
5. Poor URL copy
At first glance, this ad doesn't look too bad... a bit corporate for Facebook, maybe, but passable. However, take a closer look at the website it appears to be linking to: ADFARM.MEDIAPLEX.COM. Apparently this site is used by brands to track where visit are coming from, but a quick search also shows many people just assume it is spammy or malicious - not good! Changing the address to something like barclaycard.com/credit would work much better.
ConclusionFacebook ads are one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways of reaching your audience. By avoiding some of the small mistakes like those above, their effectiveness can be significantly increased. Have you seen any poor Facebook ads from big brands? Feel free to share them over at the 500 Social Media Marketing Tips Facebook page!
Andrew Macarthy is a social media consultant and author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips.
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March 21, 2014
How to Handle Customer Complaints on Twitter Like A Pro (Greggs the Baker Case Study)
Greggs the baker or just "Greggs" as it is more commonly known, is the UK's biggest bakery chain, with hundreds of stores up and down the country. To help manage some of the ton of feedback they receive, Greggs mans its Twitter feed 7 days a week, and the way it handles customer complaints and queries on the platform is something a lot of other brands - big or small - could learn from, to help keep existing customers happy and help spread good experiences with them. Let's take a look at 6 ways that Greggs is killing it on Twitter...
1. A lot of people ask Greggs the same question - about why their food isn't reheated - so it keeps a preset response handy to reply quickly and easily. The response time here was just 6 minutes.
2. Greggs reflect the relaxed nature of Twitter in its "tone of voice," responding to complaints with what seems like genuine upset rather than an emotionless corporate speak. Many people might work on replies, but it seems like just one happy-to-help individual.
3. The above approach is complimented further by a liberal use of emoticons, which make the brand even more personable and helps to convey emotion.
4. For problems that can't be solved on that require details that Twitter's 140 character limit cannot easily accommodate, Greggs provides an e-mail address for customers to write to.
5. Greggs doesn't just reply to complaints, but also to nearly all @mentions, and it does so with good charm and humour.
5. And Greggs doesn't just look for direct mentions of its username either; it picks out and replies to customers who don't use @GreggstheBakers in their tweets.
Conclusion
As you can see, Greggs handles great swathes of Twitter feedback in a professional, but amiable manner, which impresses customers and keeps them happy and loyal. Do you use Twitter for customer service issues, and do you use any of the strategies listed above? Let me know in the comments below!
Andrew Macarthy is a social media consultant and author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips.
Buy 500 Social Media Marketing Tips
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March 17, 2014
How Burberry Uses Animated GIFs on Pinterest to Drive Web Traffic and Sales
Pinterest has supported animated GIFs for a while now, but not many brands are really taking advantage of them as they could. One company who that cannot be applied to is Burberry. It has used animated GIFs in its online marketing for years, and its targets now include Pinterest.
Let's take a look at how Burberry uses the dynamism of animated GIFs to drive web traffic and sell products via Pinterest...
Burberry pinned an animated invite for people to watch their AW14 event live...
And followed it up with behind the scenes glimpses, mini-tutorials, and ads for its products...
Via Burberry
Crucially, many of the GIFs are Rich Pins with price tags, allowing viewers to click through to purchase the item right away.
Conclusion
Using animated GIFs opens up a whole new world of opportunities for brands on Pinterest, and now is a better time than ever to get started!
Andrew Macarthy is a social media consultant and the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips.
Buy 500 Social Media Marketing Tips
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