Social Media – AmpliFound http://amplifound.com Our passion is helping yours get discovered. Wed, 05 Aug 2015 16:00:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.5 What can LinkedIn Do for Your Blog? http://amplifound.com/social-media/what-can-linkedin-do-for-your-blog/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/what-can-linkedin-do-for-your-blog/#respond Tue, 02 Jun 2015 14:00:43 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=2444 LinkedIn is a professional social network platform that allows you to gain new [and rekindle past] professional relationships all over the world. To a blogger, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for you to share your content. LinkedIn currently has over 364 million registered members and brings a lot of referral traffic to your blog […]

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LinkedIn is a professional social network platform that allows you to gain new [and rekindle past] professional relationships all over the world. To a blogger, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for you to share your content.

LinkedIn currently has over 364 million registered members and brings a lot of referral traffic to your blog that might not have been easy to find in the world of search. But that’s not all LinkedIn can do for your blog.

If you are ready to take your blog to the next level, keep reading.

Amplify your blog with the click of a “like” button.

Networking is a method you can use to promote your blog and increase your audience. Not only are you promoting your blog to a directly connected audience on LinkedIn, but you’re also reaching their connections, as well. Every time you share a new blog post on LinkedIn, there’s a good chance that your connections may up end up hitting that all-powerful “like” button on your post.

Once a connection hits the “like” button that automatically amplifies your blog to their connections and can introduce your blog to a whole audience, too.

Finding inspiration in the least likely place.

All writers can hit a dry spell or hit the proverbial “wall”; it’s a place where doing any constructive writing can be tough.

However, even in these tough times – there’s good news! It may not sound like the place to find inspiration, but LinkedIn can help you find an unexpected creative muse for your blog anytime you need it.

LinkedIn offers you the ability to join countless groups that may spark your interest. In groups, you can create discussion with members by simply asking a question or collaborating on projects that can lead to future blog posts. Most importantly, LinkedIn’s groups may offer you an chance to create future guest blogging opportunities.

Create a visual and interactive presence for your blog.

Have you ever wanted to give your blog post a more visual presence? Have you thought about adding infographics or videos, but shrugged it off because it may be too much of a hassle?

One of my favorite tools that I’ve come across is the Slideshare web app. This app allows you to create and share a slideshow with your connections by either sharing it via social networks or embedding it on your post to give it that extra added asset to help it stand out above the crowd.

It’s okay to be exclusive… with content.

With LinkedIn being one of the most powerful networking platforms on the web, why wouldn’t’t you want to use your blog writing experience to write great content on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn offers a “publish a post” feature on your profile. This is a great way to share blog posts on LinkedIn and also the fastest way to reach any audience in real time. If you need another reason to write content just for LinkedIn, here you go:

And finally…

Just remember: LinkedIn is not only a powerful networking tool, but it’s also a great way to promote and generate new traffic to your blog. It can open up opportunities for guest blogging appearances and help give your blog a visual presence and stand out.

The next time you promote your blog, remember to try these tips to gain the most traffic out of your blog.

Are you a blogger who’s used LinkedIn? What are some of the ways you’ve found that LinkedIn has given your blog a boost in terms of readership or visibility? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

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How to Use the New Facebook Call to Action Button for Your Blog http://amplifound.com/social-media/facebook-call-to-action-button-for-your-blog/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/facebook-call-to-action-button-for-your-blog/#respond Tue, 17 Mar 2015 14:00:28 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=2135 At the end of December, Facebook rolled out an exciting new customization feature for Facebook Page owners with the addition of call to action buttons. These buttons offer a new way for fans to interact with Facebook Pages while simultaneously helping bloggers and business owners achieve their business goals. Facebook offers seven calls to action […]

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At the end of December, Facebook rolled out an exciting new customization feature for Facebook Page owners with the addition of call to action buttons. These buttons offer a new way for fans to interact with Facebook Pages while simultaneously helping bloggers and business owners achieve their business goals.

Dollar Shave Club

Facebook offers seven calls to action to customize the link to your site at the top of your Page:

  • Book Now
  • Contact Us
  • Use App
  • Play Game
  • Shop Now
  • Sign Up
  • Watch Video

This is where it gets fun. You can update the CTA and the destination page depending on your current efforts. Are you a photographer or caterer? Link your customers to your scheduler or request form. Crafters, now you can drive your fans directly to your Etsy shop. Want to drive more newsletter subscribers? Drive fans to a page dedicated to signing up.

Alternatively, you can create a unique landing page for visitors that click through to your site from Facebook. For example, you could create a splash page that shows your all-time most popular articles and and extended bio. You can see how Dollar Shave Club created their unique landing page for Facebook fans:

2015-03-06_1244

As you can see, the Facebook call to action button offers ample opportunity to get creative for your Facebook fans and to feature what’s relevant to you and your blog. While you are limited to 7 call to action options for now, I expect more options to become available, which will hopefully provide even better customization options for bloggers!

How do you customize the call to action button?

  1. Navigate to your Facebook Page and click “Create Call to Action” at the bottom right corner of your cover photo:
    AmpliFound Cover Photo 1

  2. Choose your preferred call to action and a destination URL. It will default to your blog’s homepage, but you can customize if you want to drive your fans to a specific post or special page.
    AmpliFound Call to Action Button Options

  3. Click “Create.” You’re done! Enjoy the increased CTR and update often!

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You Are Not Beyonce: Tips to Promote Your Blog Without Being Obnoxious http://amplifound.com/uncategorized/not-beyonce-tips-promote-blog-without-obnoxious/ http://amplifound.com/uncategorized/not-beyonce-tips-promote-blog-without-obnoxious/#respond Thu, 12 Mar 2015 14:00:00 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=2097 Is your blog stuck in a follower rut? Do you often feel that if you promote your work, you’ll sound like a spammer? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Promoting your work can be a daunting challenge. We’d all like to write a post one night and wake up the next morning to a hundred thousand […]

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Is your blog stuck in a follower rut? Do you often feel that if you promote your work, you’ll sound like a spammer? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Promoting your work can be a daunting challenge. We’d all like to write a post one night and wake up the next morning to a hundred thousand views. But, let’s face it, we’re not all Beyonce.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/6d1c4943b4a46a850e9054af31523ff9/tumblr_mkuoef82xL1s4y3jfo3_500.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/6d1c4943b4a46a850e9054af31523ff9/tumblr_mkuoef82xL1s4y3jfo3_500.gif

We can’t just post a blog and hope the world finds it. Promoting your piece is one of the most difficult things to do, even for a seasoned blogger. But without promotion, you’ll rarely reach a wider audience.

So how do you tow the line between humble writer and promotional maven? These 3 tips will get you on your way:

#1 – Locate Potential Audience

http://33.media.tumblr.com/944cdb010eb7f5469fa2fec6386b8f18/tumblr_n5o8ejKc7D1s6cslfo1_500.gif

http://33.media.tumblr.com/944cdb010eb7f5469fa2fec6386b8f18/tumblr_n5o8ejKc7D1s6cslfo1_500.gif

No matter what your subject matter is, there is likely someone talking about that same topic right now on social media. You just need to find them. One of the best tools to do that is TweetDeck. TweetDeck allows you to instantly locate conversations around your subject matter by following hashtags or common phrases. By following phrases associated with your posts, you’ll be able to connect with potential readers who are already interested in your content.

Example: You wrote a post about tips for packing for a business trip. Your first step would be to create a new Column that tracks ‘business travel’ (for tips on that, visit ).   Now you have a list of people who would potentially be interested in your post, you just need to respond to them using the following tips.

#2 – Keep It Personal

Once you find a potential audience, you need to do put in a little work to get their attention — and that means no more cookie cutter responses. If you’re in the habit of creating a canned “you may find this post interesting” response, STOP!

http://cdn2.teen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Friends-Stop-Doing-That.gif

http://cdn2.teen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Friends-Stop-Doing-That.gif

A personal touch will always get more attention than a generic post. To craft a personal message, think about the value each individual will receive from your post, then create a message that highlights how your post can address their questions or expand on topics they were discussing.

For example:

You come across this comment on another blog:

“I’ve been at it for 20 years but packing for a business trip is still my worst nightmare. I have never found a way to get everything I need in one bag.” – Bob

You respond:

“Bob, I know the feeling. Before I found a few handy tips (link to your post), I was always stuck in the checked baggage line wondering if my luggage made it to the same city.”

#3 – Use Your Judgement

http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-use-your-best-judgement-5.png

http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-use-your-best-judgement-5.png

If you find yourself struggling to connect your piece to the person you’re reaching out to, remember: What feels like a stretch to you will feel even more like a stretch to someone who hasn’t read your post. If you send them something irrelevant you’re likely to alienate them from reading future posts.

Use your best judgement and think hard about the ways in which your post relates to that person. As you begin crafting your outreach, be sure to include those points.

These tips should help you promote your blog to a broader audience without feeling obnoxious. Just remember to engage in conversation with people interested in your topic area and make each interaction as personal as possible.

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Help a Blogger Out- HARO for Bloggers http://amplifound.com/social-media/help-blogger-haro-bloggers/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/help-blogger-haro-bloggers/#respond Thu, 05 Mar 2015 15:00:14 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=2104 What Is HARO? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a service specifically dedicated to help bloggers find information for blog posts? As far as I know, this doesn’t currently exist, but luckily HARO or Help A Reporter Out does exist and in addition to helping reports out can help bloggers out in many ways. […]

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What Is HARO?

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a service specifically dedicated to help bloggers find information for blog posts? As far as I know, this doesn’t currently exist, but luckily HARO or Help A Reporter Out does exist and in addition to helping reports out can help bloggers out in many ways. HARO is a free service designed to help reporters and journalists gather public feedback and seek out additional sources for their articles. It gives reporters an opportunity to present a more well-rounded story to readers with insights from multiple sources. While you may not consider yourself a reporter, you can still gain the same benefits from this free service.

The way HARO works is reporters submit their questions for their articles to HARO in the hopes that someone responses and can provide them with some insights on their topic. These questions then get emailed out to HARO members. Below is an example of a HARO email. It is free to sign up for a  site.

HARO Email

Gathering Information for Blog Posts

One of the best features of HARO is that you can submit a question or article idea that you would like to gather information about.  When submitting your own query to HARO, you will need to include the following information:

Summary – One sentence summary of what you are looking for

  • Summary: What small business owners can learn from Tom’s Shoes

Category – ex: Education, Business, etc.

  • Category: Business and Finance

Your email – This can either be one generated by HARO or your actual email

  • Email: query-4lsw@helpareporter.net

Media Outlet – This would be the name of your blog

  • Media Outlet: National Federation of Independent Business

Deadline – Date when you need to receive responses

  • Deadline: 5:00 PM EST – 3 March

Query- This is where you go into more detail about what you are looking for

  • “Tom’s innovative business model, One for One, which helps a person in need with every product purchased, has grown into  global movement. What are the takeaways for small business in this success story?

    I’m looking for a small business owner or consultant who can discuss how small business owners might utilize this global movement to grow their own business while making a difference.”

Get Your Blog Featured on a News Site or Other Relevant Blog

There are all types of sites that send queries to HARO on a daily basis, ranging from up-and-coming blogs to major news sites like U.S. News. Answering HARO requests is a great way to gain exposure to your site, especially answering a question and getting coverage on an authoritative site.

Once you stumble upon a request that you have covered on your blog, or personally have expertise in, reach out to see if they are still looking for responses prior to writing your whole response to their question.

Once you provide information to someone, don’t forget to ask them if they can let you know when their article goes live and if the information you provided will be included. Depending on the publication, it may also be worth asking if they can link back to your site within the article.

HARO for Content Ideas and Prospecting

Once you sign up for HARO, you will quickly start to build up a database of their emails in your inbox. While your initial reaction may be to delete them once you have read through them, I would recommend saving them, if you can. On a day when you are hitting a roadblock and can’t figure out what to write next, try browsing through these old emails, they may spark your next brilliant idea.

Another reason I would recommend saving the emails is to prospect for blog posts you are trying to promote. You can search through your emails with this query  from:haro@helpareporter.com “insert topic here” and see if there have been any reports who have covered that same topic. Even if it has been months since their request, they might cover that topic on a regular basis and could potentially feature your post in their next article.

After reading about how you can generate content ideas, prospect and gather information for your posts with HARO, there is no reason not to sign up! After all, it’s free! And if you are worried about their emails flooding your inbox on a daily basis, just create a separate folder for all of your HARO emails. Once you sign up, if you think of another way that bloggers can use HARO, please leave a comment below!

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Pinterest Analytics Tips for Bloggers http://amplifound.com/social-media/pinterest-analytics-tips-bloggers/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/pinterest-analytics-tips-bloggers/#respond Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:00:29 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=1884 Almost a year ago, I wrote a post about how to use Pinterest to enhance and promote your blog content. I’m back today to talk about results – namely, how to tell if it worked! There are a couple of simple ways to see if your Pinterest efforts have been successful. You can check Google […]

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Almost a year ago, I wrote a post about how to use Pinterest to enhance and promote your blog content. I’m back today to talk about results – namely, how to tell if it worked!

There are a couple of simple ways to see if your Pinterest efforts have been successful. You can check Google Analytics to see if you’re getting any significant traffic from Pinterest. And, of course, just check your Pinterest profile to see if you’ve got an increase in readers.

But that’s just the beginning of what you can learn from Pinterest. Because last fall, Pinterest launched analytics! Now you can access a ton of helpful insights that can help you make content and community decisions.

Let’s get started.

Getting set up is easy – If you haven’t already, turn your Pinterest profile into a business profile. Just visit Pinterest for Business and convert your personal account into a business account.

convert_now

Once you’ve done that, visit Pinterest Analytics to dig into the data!

What data are you talking about, exactly?

Well, let’s look into the Pinterest Analytics profile from my (now defunct) fashion blog. You’ll see three main analytics categories:

  • Your Pinterest Profile – data about your pins and boards
  • Your Audience – data about the people who see and interact with your pins and boards
  • Your Blog  – data about what people are pinning from your blog

Your Pinterest Profile

profile_data

The data: Looking into my Pinterest profile data, I can see the average daily impressions (a.k.a. views) that my pins have gotten on Pinterest in the past 30 days, as well as the number of average daily users who have seen my pins.

impressions

And you can also see your most popular pins and boards below the charts:

top_pins_and_boards

Click across the top navigation to access similar data for other important metrics, like repins of your pins, and clicks through from Pinterest to your blog.

How to use the data:  Pinspiration! Find your most popular pins and make similar ones. For example, if your top pins are food related, pin more recipes!

Your Audience

pinterest audience

The data:

Demographics:

  • The number of Pinterest users who see your pins on Pinterest, and who interact with them (interaction on Pinterest is a repin, a like, or a click through to your site).
  • Stats about the countries, metro areas, language, and genders of the people who see and interact with your pins on Pinterest.

demo1

Now, click on the Interests tab. This is really cool!

This shows you the topics that your audience is interested in, as well as user boards that contain a lot of your pins.

 

audience

How to use the data:

More pinspiration! As you can see in the screenshot above, my audience is interested in beauty, fashion, home decor, food, and travel. A smart pinner would make sure to pin lots of inspiring content within those topics.

Also, the Boards section can help me to identify some of my most engaged audience members. I can click through those boards to check out the users. Maybe some of them have a blog, and we could collaborate on some content together.

Activity From Your Blog

activity

The data: Unlike the Your Pinterest Profile and Your Audience data, these metrics aren’t about your activity on Pinterest. These metrics show data about your blog.  This dashboard shows the following:

  • Impressions: The views that Pins from my blog get on Pinterest, as well as the number of people who viewed them
  • Repins: The average daily Pins from my blog that were repinned, as well as the number of people who repinned them
  • Clicks: Visits back to my blog from Pinterest, as well as the number of people who visited
  • Original Pins: Pins that users created directly from my blog, as well as the number of pinners
  • All-Time: The most shared, pinned, and repinned images from my blog

How to Use the Data:

Find out what your most popular pinned posts are, and write more like that. Check out how, in the screenshot below, lots of my top pinned posts are about Jessica Alba’s celebrity style.  This is clear evidence that my readers like posts about Jessica Alba – and a good blogger writes what their audience wants to see.

alba

Once you get set up with Pinterest Analytics, there’s a wealth of data at your fingertips. So get set up and start digging!

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Creating Pinterest Secret Boards 101 http://amplifound.com/social-media/creating-pinterest-secret-boards/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/creating-pinterest-secret-boards/#respond Thu, 15 Jan 2015 15:00:52 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=1907 Have you ever wanted to pin something on Pinterest but not share it with everyone just yet? Ever wish to create boards around future ideas or articles —  maybe a special occasion or even a vision board for your business on Pinterest — but keep it under wraps? Well, now you can create those boards […]

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Have you ever wanted to pin something on Pinterest but not share it with everyone just yet? Ever wish to create boards around future ideas or articles —  maybe a special occasion or even a vision board for your business on Pinterest — but keep it under wraps? Well, now you can create those boards and keep them to yourself with Pinterest Secret Boards.

These long-awaited boards allow users to create “secret” boards in which are hidden from the public eye and followers. This feature allows users to pin anything, at any time, privately. When these boards were first unveiled in November of 2012, users were only allowed three secret boards at time.  This number slowly rose to six and now, they are unlimited.

Why You Should Be Creating Pinterest Secret Boards

You may be wondering, what are secret boards and how bloggers and journalists can benefit from them? I know I’ve asked myself that very same question, so let me tell you why this is something you should be capitalizing on. More than likely, your goal is to get exposure to your blog/brand or even market your images, which leads to traffic to your site. There are several ways your blog, website, etc. can benefit from using Pinterest’s secret boards.

First, let’s start with how to create Pinterest secret boards. The process is fairly simple and Pinterest offers two ways to do this. The first and simplest way is once you’re logged in to your account, scroll down to the bottom of your profile and click the option create a secret board. The second option would be to click the create a new board icon and in the settings make sure the board is set to secret. Once you’ve established the board(s) you’ve created are now secret you can then add pins. These boards and pins will not show up anywhere other than those specific boards until they’ve been made public.

2015-01-12_1454.png

Once you’re ready for the boards to go-live, you can then set your boards to “make public,” which will launch the entirety of the board and its pins all at once. Secret boards are great, especially around the holidays because you can then plan these boards in advance. This gives you opportunity to plan ahead and properly optimize each of the boards and their images. 

2015-01-12_1500.png

Pinterest secret boards can be a great place to collaborate and condense all your ideas in one place, without notifying anyone of what’s to come. Keep in mind though, existing public boards cannot be made private because others may have already repinned from that board.

Happy Pinning!

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5 Simple Ways to Integrate Google+ Into Your Blog http://amplifound.com/social-media/5-simple-ways-integrate-google-blog/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/5-simple-ways-integrate-google-blog/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2015 15:00:04 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=1808 Google+ is more than a social channel; it’s a social layer that connects many of Google’s products and services. As personalized search continues to increase, establishing a presence on Google+ and integrating it into your blog can help you expand your audience and turn the social network into a viable traffic channel.  In this post, […]

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Google+ is more than a social channel; it’s a social layer that connects many of Google’s products and services. As personalized search continues to increase, establishing a presence on Google+ and integrating it into your blog can help you expand your audience and turn the social network into a viable traffic channel.  In this post, I’m going to discuss five simple ways to integrate Google+ into your blog.

Linking Your Google+ Page to Your Blog

Once you’ve set-up a Google+ brand page for your blog, you’ll want to verify it with Google. Verifying your page provides more information to Google about what your site is about and keywords that it’s relevant for.

Surfboard Rack

We can see in the above image that the surfboard rack company, Stick Sling has a small gray checkmark next to their name signifying that the page has been verified.  You can verify your website on Google+ by either connecting it through a verified Google Webmaster Tools account, or directly linking your site by adding a snippet of code on your website and then adding your domain in the about section of your Google+ page.

Integrating Google+ comments into your blog

Another powerful way to incorporate Google+ into your blog is to use a plugin like Comments Evolved for WordPress to integrate Google+ comments. The plugin allows Google+ shares of your posts to appear as comments and additionally allows logged-in users to +1 and reply to existing comments.

 

Enhance your articles with Google+ Embedded Posts

One way to bring the conversation from Google+ to your blog is to embed your Google+ posts directly into a new post by simply adding a couple lines of HTML code.  Readers who are signed into a Google account will be able to +1, comment and add you to a circle directly from the post. If there’s a post you’ve published that’s received high engagement or comments, embedding the post into your blog is a great way to continue the conversation with your existing audience and also raise awareness for your Google+ profile or page.

Google+ commen

To embed a Google+ post, click the down arrow in the top right hand corner of your posts and select “Embed post.”  Copy and paste the code where you’d like the post to appear.  Here’s an example of an embedded post along with a quick video tutorial that will have you embedding your own Google+ posts in no time!

Google+ Badges for Pages

Google+ offers customizable badges for brand pages which visitors can use to +1 or follow your brand directly from your website.  Create and add a badge to increase awareness, followers, and make your Google+ page a destination.

Real Integrated Marketing

Make it easy to share your content on Google+

Making sure that the +1 button is enabled with the rest of your social sharing buttons will ensure that your site visitors can easily +1 and share the content you publish with their audience on Google+.

Brian Jensen Google+

Bonus Tip: Share your Google+ posts across other social networks

One great feature found in Google+ posts is the ability to link to the post and share it across other social networks like Twitter or LinkedIn. Sharing the links to posts published on your Google+ profile or page on other social networks is an effective way to amplify content you publish on Google+ and send followers on other networks back to a Google+ post. The below screenshot is from Ray Hiltz who is sharing a Google+ post he published on Twitter.

Ray_Hiltz_Tweet

Here’s a Google+ post from David Amerland that he shared recently with his network on LinkedIn.

David Amerland

Wrapping it up

As you’ve seen, incorporating these recommendations into your blog and content promotion strategy is easy and will ensure that you’re working to increase your following and presence on Google+.  What ways are you utilizing social networks to amplify content, build and connect with your audience, and bring in new visitors?

Brian Jensen works as a Team Lead for SEER Interactive, is a founding member of the Plus Your Business Academy, and helps moderate the Content Marketing Community on Google+.

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Right on the Money: Instagram & Money-Making Sponsorship Packages http://amplifound.com/social-media/right-money-instagram-money-making-sponsorship-packages/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/right-money-instagram-money-making-sponsorship-packages/#respond Tue, 09 Dec 2014 15:00:07 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=1750 I have a confession to make. I follow way too many mommy bloggers on Instagram. I can’t help it – I love the chevron-themed everything and the *squee* “My kids are so presh!” posts that seem to crowd my feed that’s otherwise filled with 20-somethings brunching it up. #Priorities. Lately, you may have noticed that […]

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I have a confession to make. I follow way too many mommy bloggers on Instagram. I can’t help it – I love the chevron-themed everything and the *squee* “My kids are so presh!” posts that seem to crowd my feed that’s otherwise filled with 20-somethings brunching it up. #Priorities.

Lately, you may have noticed that a lot of blogs are taking to sponsorships, which brands will usually offer to top influencers in a given vertical to help spread the word about their products. You can usually find evidence of a sponsored post when the blogger either a.) fully discloses that a particular post is sponsored by a company, or b.) pointedly snap photos of a product with the same brand clearly visible throughout the post. There has been some backlash for such blogs, as readers can be very sensitive to blogs that oversaturate their content with sponsored posts. But up until recently, blogs were the primarily route brands would take for sponsorships until Vine and Instagram took the stage.

How Can Your Blog Get In on the Sponsorship Action?

For the sake of today’s post, we’ll start with Instagram, but if you’re interested in learning more about Vine as well, feel free to say so in the comments below! According to TechCrunch, Instagram is the 3rd fastest growing social platform – right behind Tumblr and Pinterest. In fact, as of 11/26/14, Instagram boasts the following stats:

instagram stats

200 million active users – that makes up almost the entire population of Brazil, the 5th largest country in the world in order of population. With that many people actively participating in Instagram, it’s an ample playing field for brands to take advantage of the platform to spread brand awareness.

So, what do these sponsored Instas look like? Ali Jardine, a popular Instagram user with over half a million followers, is one of the pioneers of monetizing Instagram through working with brands. She has had gigs with Dos Equis, and is currently working with Travel + Leisure. In turn, Ally has the opportunity to get paid for traveling and taking photos by tagging Travel + Leisure in all of her posts while she’s on location.

ali jardine example

But Ali didn’t simply start out with half a million followers and sponsors at her door when she first started her account in 2011. Originally a painter, she started off using Instagram as a way to show her creativity without having to use paints. Instead, she posts aesthetically beautiful photographs that usually feature her children or landscapes as subjects, with all editing done on her iPhone. By simply using her iPhone as her main medium, Ali explained in a Business Insider interview that she is now able to make more money now than she would from a steady full-time job.

So, how can you start off down a similar path and begin making money using just your blog, your creativity, your smartphone, and your Instagram app? Here are a few pointers!

Consistency is Key

You can’t expect followers to just flow through without producing great, visually appealing content on a regular basis. You’ll notice that many popular Instagrammers post daily at the very least, to help appease their large audience and keep them waiting for more.

Keep it Natural

People can smell fake from a mile away — even on social media. Avoid peppering posts with multiple hashtags targeted towards sponsorships or promoting a brand. Keep it natural by posting only what you believe in, and simply tag the sponsor or use the campaign hashtag. Some Instagrammers even disclose which posts are sponsored.

Take Note of What Takes Off

As you grow your following and start posting more frequently, keep tabs on what content you post, when, and why. By taking a step back and think through why certain pieces of content did better, you can more accurately create content that your audience will enjoy and engage with, which translates to your success.

Take Advantage of Apps

As they say, “There’s an app for that!” Instagram already includes several filters to choose from to add an extra polish to your photos. However, some folks choose to use third-party apps for their photography. A few popular apps include:

  • VSCO Cam
  • Facetune
  • Afterlight
  • Pic Stitch
  • PicLab HD

Encourage Engagement

Posting a bunch of photos that aren’t receiving any attention from other ‘grammers won’t garner you enough popularity to land a sponsorship opp. Be creative with promoting your account by participating in different contests. Or perhaps start one of your own. Engage with other Instagram users and strategically use hashtags and tagging to get the attention of the people/brands you want to work with.

Remember that communication isn’t a one-way street: be sure to reply to your followers! It takes time to keep an IG account up and active, sure, but if you can pull through and gain a following – you may find yourself joining the ranks of other IG celebrities and making some bank for your work.

Have you noticed an influx of Instagram sponsorships? Drop your thoughts below or tweet @marianna_morris about this new monetization strategy. We’d love to hear from you!

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How Social Media Contests Can Help Grow Your Readership http://amplifound.com/social-media/social-media-contests-can-help-grow-readership/ http://amplifound.com/social-media/social-media-contests-can-help-grow-readership/#respond Thu, 13 Nov 2014 06:00:14 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=1593 So you’ve been working hard to expand your reach on your blog. You post consistently and create engaging content that your current readers love, and you interact with your readers as much as possible. You’ve also worked hard to optimize your blog to attract new readers organically. But lately, you’ve started to think that there […]

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So you’ve been working hard to expand your reach on your blog. You post consistently and create engaging content that your current readers love, and you interact with your readers as much as possible. You’ve also worked hard to optimize your blog to attract new readers organically. But lately, you’ve started to think that there must be ways to better leverage your reach on social to bring new readers over to your blog. And you’re right – there’s a lot that you can do to easily make an impact. Today we’re going to talk about how social media contests can be used to bring success to your blog.

Of course, it should go without saying that growing your readership just for the sake of increasing your numbers should never be the goal – you want these new readers to be truly engaged and valuable to the community you’re building. So let’s focus on ways to achieve growth while maintaining and enriching the quality of your readership.

The Basics

Contests are run in many different ways on social media. Some require contestants to simply fill out a form to enter, or maybe even just give your email address. Others require contestants to produce content (submit a photo or blurb), or take some sort of action to be qualified for entry (following a brand, sharing a post on their feed, etc).

The goals of most social media contests are usually related to lead gen (capturing email addresses) or brand awareness, which may be tracked by increase in followers or traffic to site. Understanding what the goals of the contest are at the onset will help successfully drive the process and ideation of your contest.

Kahlua: A Pin-teresting Example

kahlua-case-study

I always think it’s helpful to see how large brands are approaching strategies that I want to try out, even if it’s on a smaller scale. Kahlua is a great example of mapping a contest strategy to a specific goal and seeing valuable and long lasting results.

Kahlua ran a contest (http://go.curalate.com/case-study/kahlua-drives-engagement-with-pinterest-campaign) asking people to use Pinterest to pin images that represented their ideal holiday party. The winning pinner would receive $5,000 to create that party in real life. The goal of the contest was to increase brand visibility and encourage people to use Kahlua products in real life, not just online.

The contest ran for a month and at the end, Kahlua had collected 16,000 new email addresses and increased their following on Pinterest 14x! This growth proved to be sustainable – even after the contest had ended, pinning grew by 4x the next month, and repinning of Kahlua recipe pins increased by 6.5x. Traffic to their site increased as well, and their goal of increased brand visibility was definitely achieved.

The Tips

I like this contest example for a few reasons – I think it’s great to integrate online/offline behavior by offering to host a party for the winner. Here are a few tips for anyone thinking of testing out a similar strategy:

  1. Keep it on brand
    Although the prize for winning a contest can be anything you choose, it’s generally best to keep the prize related to your actual brand. If your blog is all about fashion finds and daily outfits, giving away a month’s worth of free Starbucks might be fun, but could attract the wrong crowd.The worst contest execution is one where you’re able to collect 200 new email addresses to your mailing list, only to see 30% or more unsubscribe soon after the contest ends. I think that Kahlua did a good job in keeping the prize aligned with its brand – the success of the campaign even after the contest ran shows that it’s possible to reach an interested audience and keep them engaged even after a prize is awarded.
  2. Promote it well
    Consider creating a hashtag to track entries and engagement. Paid promotion is also something to consider, especially if the end goal is increased brand awareness. This could be anything from sponsored tweets to full-blown content acceleration, depending on your budget and goals.
  3. Follow the rules
    There are always legalities to consider when running any kind of promotion or contest. Make sure you carefully research each social platform’s individual guidelines before moving forward.

Are you thinking of testing a similar strategy? Let us know your plans in the comments below!

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DISQUS: Basics for Beginners http://amplifound.com/uncategorized/disqus-basics-beginners/ http://amplifound.com/uncategorized/disqus-basics-beginners/#comments Tue, 11 Nov 2014 06:00:26 +0000 http://amplifound.com/?p=1589 We’re often looking for new ways to work smarter, faster and more productive. As a website owner, I’ve found that utilizing the right plugin can accomplish these goals. If you’re looking to build a brand’s audience for content, Disqus is the plugin service for you. In this post, I’m going to walk you through the […]

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We’re often looking for new ways to work smarter, faster and more productive. As a website owner, I’ve found that utilizing the right plugin can accomplish these goals. If you’re looking to build a brand’s audience for content, Disqus is the plugin service for you.

In this post, I’m going to walk you through the basics of using Disqus, my experiences with it, and how you can utilize it for your own needs.

First off. What is DISQUS? Pronounced Discuss

Disqus allows you to build an integrated community for your onsite content. At its core, it’s a commenting system that makes engagement easier and more interactive. It connects websites and commenters across over 60 million community profiles, and billions of conversations. Thus, turning your website’s commenting efforts into a cultivating community built for user engagement.

Now that you’ve started building your own community, it’s time to manage it. Disqus’ commenting system has a comprehensive management system with simple administration options and community functions. In this next section, I’ll walk you through some of the Disqus management basics.

Approving, Deleting, and Marking Spam Comments

Typically, you’ll run into three types of comments; the good, the bad, and the crazies. Luckily for us, Disqus allows complete control over the kind of messages that display on your blog with the ability to moderate comments.

You can find the Moderation Panel setting on the Settings | Posts and comments tab. Within the Moderation Panel, Disqus provides a snapshot of your forum’s comment statuses. In this landscape you can perform bulk actions, or you can approve comments on a case by case basis in an expanded comment view.

Building & Interacting with Your Following

Setting the right expectations and “rules of engagement” is extremely important when building a collaborating community. Providing clear expectations can help focus the conversation and encourage quality discussions.

Remember, you’re the community leader. It’s essential that you interact within your community and encourage conversations.

Integrating Social Media

The integration of networked commenting and social platforms helps to provide depth and breadth for user engagement. With Disqus, users have the ability to log in with their social media accounts, leave comments, and have it all linked to their profile.

Social sharing is the key to your content going viral. Disqus simply encourages social sharing by making it easier for users. Having these deeper metrics not only boosts potential impressions, but also strengthens the longevity of your content’s presence.

These are just a few simple tips to help you get started with Disqus. If you’d like to gain hands-on experience with the plugin, simply implement it by visiting this link: (https://wordpress.org/plugins/disqus-comment-system/) If have any questions or have another great plugin to share, please let me know in the comments below!

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