Instagram’s Instant Success Continues

Instagram is the smartphone app that allows anyone with a creative spirit to become a professional photographer and NOW videographer. That’s right, they have made the next move to compete with newcomer Vine and maybe even Snapchat, on a more serious level. If the new filters and 15 seconds of steady filming capability don’t sell you, then I don’t know what will.

Let me explain why every tech writer, photographer, and social media marketer is talking about the app as if it just came out.

1.     Fun and Professional Photos in Seconds-With a quick tapping motion and a few swipes of exciting filter choices, you can take a photo of anything imaginable and not only change the look, but claim it as art.

2.     Sharing Is Caring-Share your work of genius on Instagram, sure, but also Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, and email. Your photo or video can go viral in a flash; pun intended.

3.     Commentary and Praise-You’ve heard the cliché of every artist hating their own work, but I think that it’s harder when everyone is liking, hash tagging, mentioning, and commenting on your posts. There’s a special feeling you get when you see those little hearts next to your user name.

4.     Branding-For companies, Instagram is a goldmine. Both companies and consumers can boast about your brands products and services for free. Hey, those filters can make anything look good.

5.     Video-As of the past few days, you can turn your amateur smartphone videos into a comparable Spielberg.

If it’s not clear as to why Instagram is the photo-bomb, maybe you should clean your tiny lens. Doesn’t it make the fading of the digital camera a bit less scary?

Be Fancy With Foursquare

 

Foursquare is an under utilized social network. The app itself is free, unless you want to become an official business, which has its perks. Let me explain.

 

Foursquare is a social network where the goal is letting everyone know where you are at all times. Now, that freaks out A LOT of people. There may be some risks, but there are way more benefits.

Here is an article that gives three of the best reasons to use Foursquare smartly.

 

 Still not convinced? Ask a Foursquare mayor; I’m one of many. Seriously, it’s time to get yourself on the map. I know - I’m there.

I Tweet, You Tweet, We All Tweet

Twitter has rapidly become one of the most powerful social networks of all time. In fact, over 288 million people use the site and app actively and all of them are consumers in one way or another. They are on there because it's trendy and they are looking for all things, people, and services that are trendy too. It's obvious why all the brands and companies would want to be on there. 

Here's what you need to know; setting up is the easiest part of Twitter. Open an account using a Twitter handle (your user name) that makes sense.  Put up your logo or icon. Then write a super short, interesting, and engaging bio. The last step is to upload a custom background and the image 
surrounding your profile picture. 

Managing your Twitter is a labor of love. Make sure that you're following the right people, meaning your target audience and competitors. You want to communicate using quick and short quips, visuals, links to articles, hash tags, mentions, and retweets in order to gain followers. Twitter feeds are in "real time," which means that once you post it's gone along with the millions of others. As a result, you will need to be tweeting frequently. But remember, it's worth it - the early bird catches the worm. 

Facebook: You Need to “Like” The Basics

 

 

 

For some of you, this post may seem redundant, but there are plenty of people who don’t know how to use Facebook for their business. As a result, we are going to go back to the basics.

 

What Is Facebook?

 

Facebook is the mother of all social networks. It’s not a mystery why they have the funds necessary to buy up every other company that might be seen as competition. Mark Zuckerberg figured out that people want to communicate with other like minded people. Facebook allows you to reach current and potential customers  from all over the world by interacting via a profile, group, or business page.

 

What’s The Difference?

 

Your profile is a virtual version of yourself. People use it to connect with friends and family, but you would use it to show off your professional knowledge and expertise. Upload a photo that makes you look personable and post interesting and helpful information, articles, videos, and more that will make others want to interact with you. The goal is to get as many “friends” as possible.

 

Groups allow for other Facebook users to have an open discussion about a topic, product, or company. You can invite everyone in the group to events, settle disputes, learn about your customer needs, and more.

 

A business page is your biggest ally. The focus is on the company;  its mission, its services and products, and so on. This is where you will show off your company and interact with as many people as possible. The goal is to get as many “likes” as possible.

 

How To Set It Up

 

Setting up a Facebook account has never been easier. Start by opening an account with an email address and password. Once that’s done, you can fill out a profile with information on yourself that will put showcase you as an expert in your field. Afterwards, set up your business page to promote your company. It’s a lot like data entry, but you have to be strategic. Don’t forget to review the numerous privacy settings, but I wouldn’t suggest blocking the world from your profile and page because it will be much harder to get exposure.

 

Get on Facebook, “friend”, “like”, and prosper.