Tag: social media
Windsor Women In Business Show
Last night was fantastic! I spent the evening in a room full of incredibly passionate and motivated female business owners. From clothing and accessories to handmade items, medical services and beyond, the Windsor Yacht Club was bustling with energy. I met so many great women, learned about some pretty cool businesses and even enjoyed a cocktail. Blab was proud to be a sponsor providing free (and blue) #girlboss cocktails to attendees, a door prize and goodies for the 50 vendors.
While the event only lasted a few hours, I was able to catch up with some friends and meet some people I’ve only ever chatted with on social media. I discovered some cool new products, businesses and people as I walked through the vendor space enjoying my delicious blue cocktail.
Crossing my fingers that more events like this happen in the future. It’s great to go out and support the community while socializing and networking. As a female entrepreneur, it’s always great to meet more women who understand the struggle and the joy of entrepreneurship.
What are some of your favourite female-run businesses in Windsor-Essex? Share them in the comments below!
Facebook Launches Messenger Day To Compete With Snapchat
Big news from Facebook this week but it seems like we’ve heard it all before. Surprise! Yet another Snapchat clone has entered the social realm and so far, it’s exactly what I expected. While it offers stickers, the ability to doodle and other similar Snapchat features, the prospect of opening the “dark social” door and inviting in the Facebook world is not something I’m ready to do and I think many other people agree. Not only that, but it’s no secret that each platform has its own function/value so adding these Snapchat copycat features comes across as slightly desperate. There’s nothing wrong with trying to attract a valuable digital audience but loosing sight of your brand identity and straying away from your core offerings for the sake of keeping up with competitors is a whole other story.
Have you used Facebook’s Messenger Day yet?
Do you plan on incorporating it into your daily social itinerary?
Neilson 2016 Social Media Report Highlights Interesting Stats
It’s that time of the year again and I’m super excited to be checking out Neilson’s 2016 Social Media Report! If you’ve never read it before, the document highlights the social landscape of the past year, looks at trends and outlines interesting facts/stats. It’s a goldmine for presentation content and also makes for an interesting read, especially when you compare it to reports from years prior. There’s something exciting about watching your industry thrive, grow and develop over time!
Just a few pages in and the stats speak for themselves. Computer usage/accessibility has dropped while smartphone and tablet usage grows. Additional stats further strengthening the notion that mobile is here to stay and smartphone usage is taking over. The bottom line and underlying message of this year’s report: if your content isn’t mobile friendly, you’re in for a rude awakening.
Every single demographic has shown significant growth when it comes to time spent using social media and that’s all contained within the first 6 pages! The document outlines internet purchases, content ratings, engagement, simultaneous usage, TV versus social and so much more. Dedicate some time this week to go through the document and pick out some key facts that pertain to your business or how you use social media. To view or download the full 2016 report, click here.
Holiday Posting Times
It’s no secret that winter can be pretty dreary and painfully long but it does offer up a lot of joy during the holidays. As a brand, there are plenty of opportunities to sell, engage and inspire your audiences online but with so many family gatherings, parties and the desire to hibernate, when is best? As with any other time of the year, there are certain days of the week and certain times of the day that are best when it comes to gaining the attention of your followers. It’s also important to remember that every platform is different, not only in regards to what they offer but also how users engage with brands on those platforms.
Do you have any tips for businesses that want to engage audiences online during the winter?
Do you find you engage more or less with brands on social during the colder months?
Have You Heard Of The Mannequin Challenge?
Forget about the Ice Bucket Challenge or the Harlem Shake, the Mannequin Challenge is the newest and hottest trend online. It started in late October with students in high schools across America, but since then, thousands of videos have been uploaded to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Still wondering what it’s all about? The videos feature groups of people – including the occasional celebrity – freezing in formation while someone else films. Some videos are silent while others are set to music but many feature a specific soundtrack: Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane.
Are you jumping on the bandwagon and filming your own video? Don’t forget to use the #MannequinChallenge hashtag!
Facebook Celebrates Halloween
One of my favourite days of the year is finally here! This morning I was super excited to see that Facebook had embraced the Halloween spirit by releasing a set of spooky reaction emojis. I made it a point to use them as much as possible before they disappeared. What did you think of them? Were they super cute or did you find them to be inappropriate on specific articles?
PS Happy Halloween from Blab!
Be A Resource
Social media is about more than just selling and if I had a quarter for every time I had to explain that, I’d be rich! It’s no secret that businesses who achieve success online aren’t focusing on sales pitches, price structures and one-way communication. They’re investing time and effort into creating hubs online where customers (and potential customers) can come to learn something new. Providing valuable and insightful content is the key to social media but how do you know what your audience finds valuable? Instead of pushing sales, try listening for a change. You’d be amazed by the vast amount of information that’s available online when you take the time to stop speaking. You can learn so much about your industry, community and customers by simply making time to search related keywords and hashtags. There’s no doubt that it can be difficult to stay on track when it comes to content creation but before you push out content, always ask yourself “what value is this providing for my audience?”
Social Media Marketing World 2016
Although I’ve never been able to attend this incredible event in person, I’m excited to announce that this year Blab Media has registered for a virtual conference pass! Over 100 presentations from industry experts covering a massive range of topics from building engagement online to mastering the art of the podcast and I can soak it all in from the comfort of my own home while networking with attendees online. The event takes place April 17-19 in San Diego California and hosts people from over 50 countries! Representatives from massive global brands and executives from the top social platforms will also be in attendance. I’m really looking forward to connecting with likeminded businesses and professionals online and streamlining my skill set by learning best practices, gaining industry insight and exploring new digital trends.
Stay tuned to our social channels for updates and insight during the conference. Only 41 days to go!
-Katie
Will Facebook's New Reactions Feature Help Or Hinder Social Communication?
This morning as I scrolled through my seemingly endless Facebook News Feed, I had a chance to check out the new Reactions feature that is now available when you hover over the “Like” button anywhere on the website. Reminiscent of Buzz Feed’s Reactions, the new option lets you express how you feel about a friend’s update with a pre-selected emoji that is assigned to a specific response (Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry). While the selection is small to start, I’m sure the options will continue to grow once Facebook has a chance to test it out and see how users respond.
I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan. I find that real, genuine interaction on Facebook is already so difficult to come by and that giving people another way to opt out of actual conversation isn’t exactly a step in the right direction. There seems to be a delicate balance between simply “Liking” a status and becoming a legit internet troll these days and I don’t think these reactions are going to help. You know when you post something and in your mind it’s the funniest, smartest, happiest, most insightful thing you’ve ever said? You start imagining all the interaction, engagement and conversation it’s going to generate and in the end it falls flat with 25 “likes” and one comment from your Grandma that consists of three poorly selected emojis. That entire situation seems all too common these days, especially on Facebook where people confuse interaction/engagement with a hollow “like” on your status or photo. It seems that as time passes, these networks are becoming less about genuine action and more about social image. Or maybe I’m just too much of an emoji-snob? Who knows!
What do you think of this new feature? Do you think it will add value to your every day interactions on Facebook or will it only make communication on the platform worse?
2016 Social Image Size Guide
Visual content is incredibly important in the digital realm but sometimes tracking down and updating image sizes for each social platform can be time consuming. We found this great infographic from Constant Contact that outlines image sizes for some of the most popular social platforms so the next time you need to create a branded graphic or refresh your current images, you can get it done in no time!
