Andrew Macarthy's Blog, page 30

How to Use Snapchat for Business | Snapchat App Marketing

 

Big news! Today I published my new course, How to Use Snapchat for Business, on Udemy!

The course features nearly an hour of video lectures, complete with tons of tutorials, real life examples, and content strategies to help you make the most of Snapchat for your business, whether you're a complete novice or already snapping! 

As far as Snapchat goes, I don't think there is a course out there right now that offers what this one does, so I really hope it'll inspire you to investigate what experts are calling the next big thing in social media. 
 
And if you enroll in the next 72 hours, you will receive 70% off - just $9 instead of $29.

Here is a discount link for you to enroll for 70% off today: https://www.udemy.com/how-to-use-snapchat-for-business/?couponCode=SNAP70

My goal is to get at least 50 students into my course and 10 course reviews over the weekend. Will you be one of my first 50 students and leave your honest review?  Also, feel free to pass the savings into any worthy friends and post it on social media. 

Here's that 70% off discount link once again: https://www.udemy.com/how-to-use-snapchat-for-business/?couponCode=SNAP70

Thanks for your continued support, and until next time, keep on rocking social media!

Andrew.

The Benefits of Sharing Infographics on Slideshare

 

In recognition of the growing popularity of infographics as a way of sharing data, in July 2013, Slideshare introduced an infographic-specific player to the site. It automatically detects an infographic upon upload, includes it in the infographic directory and displays it for best viewing.

Some of the web's biggest brands including LinkedIn, The Huffington Post, and Mashable, are already taking advantage of the new player and, it seems, with good reason.

In a recent study, Slideshare analysed more than 1,000 infographics on its site and found:

Infographics are liked 4x more than presentations, and 23x more than documents on SlideShare.Infographics are shared 2x more than presentations, and 3x more than documents on other social networks, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Best of all, when an infographic is uploaded or embedded on a website, it will display in its entirety (no scrolling required), as can be seen in the example below. As well as making the user experience more pleasurable, it also highlights your Slideshare account to anyone who sees it, adding an extra layer of ownership to the work, providing context, and hopefully a few click-throughs as well.

10 Amazing LinkedIn Statistics [INFOGRAPHIC] from Andrew Macarthy

Have you been sharing your infographics to Slideshare and its audience of millions? If not, now could be a great time to start!

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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5 Brands Using Instagram Video Effectively for Business

 

Since launching in mid 2013, a number of brands have experimented with use of video on Instagram as a way to market to their customer base. The app's huge and loyal audience makes it a fantastic destination to focus efforts. Here are a selection of companies using Instagram video well: 

EA Sports

Ever since Instagram enabled the ability for users to import any video into the app, many brands - like EA Sports above - have used this freedom to create as lavish a clip as they like outside of the app, then transfer it to the app for posting.

Oreo

Oreo's social media marketing is lauded in professional circles and loved by fans, and this strategy now extends to Instagram video. In the example above, the cookie-maker uses a short clip to show fans how to make Oreo Freeze Pops. 

QVC

The TV shopping channel giants, QVC, are beginning to use Instagram video as a way to tease its audience with items and ranges that are to appear on their screens shortly, as in the example above. 

eBay

Away from simply promoting its wares, eBay uses Instagram video in the above example to highlight its association with charitable work, giving its Instagram followers a sneak peak at DC Comics art work being auctioned off for good causes. 

Honda

Rather than a full-on, in-your-face advert, Honda's Instagram video above encourages fans to better themselves every day with its #BestYourself hashtag... of course, driving a Honda will make a huge difference to their success ;) 

Conclusion

Brands like those above are starting to realise the possibilities that video on Instagram provides and beginning to develop a well-considered strategy based on its opportunities, with video length, type of video, audience attention span, and plenty of other factors imperative to a clip's success or failure.

Do you use Instagram video in your social media marketing? What are your best tips and techinques? Let me know in the comments below! 

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n.co.uk/dp/B007L50HE6

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LinkedIn Showcase Page Cover Photo Template PSD | Photoshop Template LinkedIn Showcase Page Hero Image

 

In November 2013, LinkedIn introduced Showcase Pages to the social network; a way for brands to highlight interesting sub-sections and initiatives within their business, targeting and attracting a more dedicated following at the same time. Showcase Page's cover photos are very Facebook-esque, so check out my Photoshop PSD template, built to help you design yours as awesome as it can be.

Optimum Showcase Page branding image sizes:
Hero (cover) image: Minimum 974 x 330 pixels.
Logo: 100 x 60 pixels.
Square logo: 50 x 50 pixels.

Using my template, you will be able to line up your design exactly as you like, taking into account the sections of the 974 x 330 pixels image that will be obscured by the profile photo and follow button - as seen in the image above.

Download the LinkedIn Showcase Page Template

My LinkedIn Showcase Page cover photo templates, as well as several others for Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and Instagram, are all available for download. For people who purchase either the Kindle or paperback version of 500 Social Media Marketing Tips,  they are free. Otherwise, the download will cost just a few bucks. Click here to download.

 

Facebook Cover Photo Template Updated November 2013

Following the recent roll out of new versions of the Facebook app for iOS and Android, I re-visited my social media templates to see what changes might need to be made. It turned out that the Facebook Cover Photo Template for Desktops and Mobiles definitely needed editing, and so I set to work. The finished result has been available on my Social Media Templates page for a good while now, but here are an overview of the amendments made.

Facebook app for iOS

As you can see from the above screenshot, the position of the iOs Facebook app's profile photo is considerably lower than the view shown on desktops. Previously, it overlapped a lot more of the cover photo, so I have edited the template to reflect its lower position

Android Facebook App

Interestingly, my tests with the Android Facebook app cover photo showed that it did not fit the 851 x 315 pixels dimensions of its desktop cousin when blown up to that size. When the width is kept the same, the height is noticeably less. As a result, I have added two guidelines to prevent your design from being cropped as mine is in the example above. The positions of the Page name and Page category have also changed, so I have amended their place on the template, too. However, as Page names and categories differ, the actual area that is covered when your cover photo is published will do as well.

Conclusion

My Facebook cover photo templates, as well as several others for Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and Instagram, are all available for download. For people who purchase either the Kindle or paperback version of 500 Social Media Marketing Tips,  they are free. Otherwise, the download will cost just a few bucks. Click here to download.

 

Google Plus Cover Photo Dimensions Size 2014 and Template

 

Google has introduced a new cover photo size for all Google Plus profiles and pages, dramatically shrinking it in size. Here are all the details and dimensions you need to get your Google Plus cover photo sized right for 2014.

The old Google+ cover photo

The last time Google decided to amend the size of its social network's cover photos, users were perplexed by and critical of their huge size ( 2120 x 1192 pixels). Now, to the relief of many, they've had another re-design and are much more aesthetically pleasing.

The new Google+ cover photo

And here it is. Its shape is closer to that of the Facebook cover photo. The recommended size is 1080 x 608 pixels (480 x 270 pixels minimum), and this takes up the portion of main block of space on the right-hand side. By default, Google+ adds the blurry-grey box on the left, complete with your profile image, name, and website.

Note: The size of the new cover photo is about 1.963 times smaller than the last, and will automatically be shrunk down to fit, so you shouldn't notice too much disruption.

Google+ cover photo template 2014

My Google+ cover photo templates, as well as several others for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, are all available for download as PSD files for editing. For people who purchase either the Kindle or paperback version of 500 Social Media Marketing Tips,  they are free. Otherwise, the download will cost just a few bucks. Click here to download.

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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Social Media Content Calendar Template Excel | Marketing Editorial Calender Download

 

One of the biggest challenges for brands on social media is to consistently publish high quality content, day in and day out. Since it's this consistency that can really help to boost levels of engagement and foster a stronger relationship with your fans and followers, it is imperative to get right - and one of the best ways to do this is with a social media content calendar.

An editorial calendar will allow you to plan for weeks - or even months - in advance, the content you will be posting to social media. This foresight will prevent you from posting randomly and inconsistently, and also allow you to build themes into the updates you post, by week, month, and season. 

Of course, spontaneous posting to social media still very much has a place, but for the real meat and potatoes of your marketing strategy, a content calendar is very much advised. 

Here's the social media editorial calendar that I have built for you in Microsoft Excel. Here's how I put the calendar to use:

Open up the calendar and enter the year and week number. Add/Remove the social media channels you use. Fill in the planned social media content for each day, splitting the activity into morning/afternoon/evening posting times if required. Highlight all the cells of each day to mark them as the activity being completed. Duplicate the calendar into a new worksheet to plan out a new week.

Download the socil media content calendar: click here.

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3 Ways to Use Twitter Feed Image and Vine Previews For Business

 

In late October, 2013, Twitter rolled out an update to its desktop site and mobile apps that changes how images (specifically those that are uploaded to the site directly) and Vine videos are displayed to users in their feeds.

In the past, images and Vine videos posted to Twitter would appear as a link in a tweet, and be completely hidden. To see the image or video, a user had to click on a link and the photo or video would unveil itself within the feed, as shown above.

Following the update, a portion of the uploaded image or Vine video is visible in the feed. Users can either click on the media to see it in a pop-up window, or click the Expand link, upon which the full image or video will be unveiled, as above.

This new way of displaying images on Twitter makes the social network more visual than ever before, and also opens up new ways for brands to highlight their wares. Here are three approaches you can take: 

Promote events and sales

img: Kris  Krug

Use the portion of the Twitter image that displays to promote a product or event. Nice and simple.

Reveal an offer

img: Lali Masriera

 

For a bit more mystery and excitement, create an image for Twitter that can only be revealed if a user clicks or expands your photo.

Give Vine videos a cover photo

When a Vine video is posted to Twitter, the recording's first frame becomes the preview that users see in the feed. To compel more people to click on it and watch, plan your shoot so that the first recorded frame is what you want the cover photo to be, whether it's simply the title of your video as above, or a still shot of the drama within.  

Twitter feed image positioning

The way that Twitter's image and Vine video previews are displayed in the feed means that you will have to plan ahead if you want your message to show exactly as you want, without it being cropped and hidden.

When you upload a still image as a square - I recommend this as it is the shape most commonly used on many social networks - the centre third of the image is what will appear in the preview window on Twitter, while the remaining top and bottom portions are revealed when the image is expanded. Therefore, aim to keep your most important message in the middle block of space.

Vine videos act a little differently. When posted and viewed on desktops, the top half of the first frame of the video shows in the preview window, and the bottom half is revealed when the media is expanded. On mobiles, Vine videos act likes images - the centre third of the preview image is shown. 

Conclusion and template

I hope this post has given you some inspiration for how you might take advantage of Twitter's new previews for images and Vine videos. If you are interested in making the job super easy, you can grab the template I have created for designing Twitter images with messages that fit perfectly within the preview window (along with numerous others) over on my Social Media Templates page.  

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Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007L50HE6
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007L50HE6

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How to Use Illustrated Tweets for Business | Twitter Marketing With #illustratedtweets

 

In October 2013, Twitter released a version of its app designed specifically for Android tablets, and with that update came a brand new feature - Illustrated Tweets.

.@SamsungMobileUS Tapping into our creative side with a brand new way to tweet! #IllustratedTweet pic.twitter.com/3nsREaSfo4

— Twitter Mobile (@twittermobile) October 11, 2013

Illustrated tweets allow Twitter users to sketch original images to send out to their followers, or doodle directly over photos in your photo gallery to share. At the time of writing, this feature is only available for "most Samsung tablets." Presumably the novelty does Samsung some good promotion-wise, and also allows Twitter to test the waters before (you'd expect) rolling it out to other versions of its app. 

Here are a few examples of the Illustrated Tweets already appearing online, and hopefully some inspiration for your business in using them in the future:

Samsung Mobile

Start your S Pens. Tweet us today—you might receive an #IllustratedTweet made on the #GalaxyNote 10.1 2014 Edition.  pic.twitter.com/t9UW5yCl87

— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) October 10, 2013

To help kick start the idea of illustrated tweets, Samsung mobile offered to sketch a number of them to people who tweeted them. 

Dew Tour

It's bird. It's a plane... it's a Dew Tour plane? #illustratedtweet pic.twitter.com/BfhjQBA6CS

— Dew Tour (@DewTour) October 11, 2013

To promote its action sports festival, Dew Tour, Mountain Dew uses an illustrated tweet to overlay a plan flying over spectators.

You could easily do something similar as to the ideas above, as a quirky way to promote products and services to fans, or make them feel special with a personalised sketch. What other ideas do you have for using illustrated tweets? Let me know in the comments below!

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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New Video Course: How to Use Instagram for Business

 

I'm excited to announce that I have just recently launched my first ever full video course, called How to Use Instagram For Business. It's hosted on Udemy and features 20+ lectures and over an hour of video to teach you how to harness the power of Instagram to create awesome content, attract and engage with followers, and drive sales to your business.

Sign up here: https://www.udemy.com/how-to-use-instagram-for-business 

Check out the trailer below:

And here's the full low-down:

Over 22 lectures and 1 hour of content!Learn the basics of using Instagram.Learn how to snap irresistible Instagram photos.Learn how to record compelling Instagram videos.Learn content strategies that audiences on Instagram love.Learn how to attract, grow, and maintain a strong Instagram following.Learn how to track and analyse your progress on Instagram.

"This course provides detailed knowledge about how individuals and businesses of any size and in any sector can Instagram, as part of a successful marketing strategy.

Through narrated video, images, step-by-step instructions and dozens of real-life examples, you will learn how to use and master the Instagram mobile app, create content that your audience will love, attract and maintain a strong Instagram following, and how to track your progress.

If you would like to harness the power of Instagram and its hundreds of millions of users to grow your audience, engage with customers, and encourage an increase in sales, this is the course for you."

Limited Time Free Offer

For a very limited time, I am offering free access to the course. Once you sign up, you'll get lifetime access, so it's worth signing up today even if you don't have an hour to spare to watch. 

Click here to sign up: https://www.udemy.com/how-to-use-instagram-for-business 

Hundreds of people have already registered and I've had some great feedback so far, so hopefully you will enjoy it too.

Andrew.