Monday, 31 July 2017
Sunday, 30 July 2017
Make videos and money with this YouTube Mastery Bundle — for only $41
There’s gold in YouTube videos. Sure, you can get some views by posting your friend’s epic water skiing fail or something cute your cat did. But actually creating compelling video content that will have regular subscribers returning, again and again, is a hugely lucrative business. If YouTube star PewDiePie can rake in $15 million a year just by recording his video gameplay commentaries, just think of the possibilities. You can take advantage of YouTube’s power and learn to make some serious money at the same time by utilizing the skills learned from training like the YouTube Mastery Bundle, on sale right…
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Latin American presidents love Twitter – and that’s not a good thing
Latin American democracy was born with an original sin: income inequality – the highest in the world. Thus it was that the region’s democratic institutions originated in a context of severe social exclusion and poverty. The US-style Madisonian model of democracy implemented across the region as its prevailing dictatorships ended in the 1980s – characterised by general elections, separation of powers, built-in checks and balances and civil control of the armed forces – did not match most Latin American nations’ cultural identities. That disconnect left significant gaps in governments’ ability to connect with and serve their people. Though democracy in…
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Friday, 28 July 2017
Study: Bots accounted for a third of pro-Trump Twitter activity during last year’s debates
This semi-coherent baboon, for one night last October, reigned supreme; but was it of his own doing? Regardless of what the news outlets say — or your sensibilities tell you — for one night, Trump was king — at least on Twitter. But as with all things surrounding the 2016 Presidential election, it might not be that simple. A University of Oxford study indicates he may have had some help in the form of pro-Trump Twitter bots. These deplorable-bots (can we make that a thing?) tweeted approximately 576,178 times, accounting for nearly a third (32.7 percent) of all pro-Trump posts that evening…
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#SproutChat Recap: Creating Content to Impress Clients & Drive Results
As Social Media Managers, we know that the content we deliver is an integral aspect of any social strategy. Having a content plan is important, but how do you create impactful content that captures your audience’s attention and drives results?
This week at #SproutChat, Sprout Social’s Director of Content, Lizz Kannenberg joined the chat to talk about the ins and outs of great content. We delved deep into the importance of gaining buy-in from senior leadership and how familiarizing yourself with your audience unlocks the potential of strong content.
Plan Ahead of Time & Always Tweak
Strategizing content should happen annually, but stay flexible as social is constantly shifting. If you’re too stringent in your content strategy and leave no room for new platforms or trends to be implemented your audience can become unengaged and you lose the potential to tap into new audiences.
A1: Depends on the how integrated social is with overall marketing. A full year brand campaign begets a year-long social strat #sproutchat
— Lizz Kannenberg (@lizzkannenberg) July 26, 2017
A1a: What does the brand's/client's plan look like?
A year-long #comms & #content plan makes for a great year-long social plan. #Sproutchat https://t.co/xm8TeldlTE
— Bruce Kennedy (@BruceKennedy1) July 26, 2017
Monthly! We create a unique strategy for each month of content after reviewing the previous month's analytics #sproutchat
— Carbonara Group (@CarbonaraGroup) July 26, 2017
A1 #SproutChat: Our team at @CityOfLasVegas has a combo, we have goals for the year + a strategy that ties in monthly & yearly initiatives http://pic.twitter.com/FnxvMJBXRl
— Natasha Kristina (@hitheresunshine) July 26, 2017
A1: Both! Short-term keeps content current for communities, and annual strategy supports overarching business objectives. #SproutChat [TK]
— ModSquad (@modsquad) July 26, 2017
Align Business Goals & Audience Needs
Have a clear understanding of your overall business goals and how these objectives can inform metrics surrounding your content. Keeping your business goals and your audience aligned can ensure you develop a winning content strategy.
A2: I.D. their needs first & bucket them based on brand objectives; if they want content to share, that could generate Awareness #sproutchat
— Lizz Kannenberg (@lizzkannenberg) July 26, 2017
A2 (b): If they want to share personal stories about how they use your product or service, that could generate Engagement #sproutchat
— Lizz Kannenberg (@lizzkannenberg) July 26, 2017
A2: Your audience relishes being around the brand as it becomes an extension of their identity. Just BE the brand at all times. #sproutchat
— Randy Thio (@ideabloke) July 26, 2017
A2: The audience needs should be considered when forming objectives, if there is no need, there is no lead. #SproutChat
— SonOfBetsy (@KevinSchluth) July 26, 2017
A2. I listen to what the audience are chatting about daily and I adjust my business to solve those needs #sproutchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) July 26, 2017
A2 Content should fit the audience you're trying to reach by adding valuable information or sparking a relevant conversation #sproutchat
— Kacy Shea (@kacyshea2) July 26, 2017
A2: Always be listening. Your business objectives should be in tune with your audience #SproutChat
— Cindy Stuntz (@cindy_stuntz) July 26, 2017
A2: Actually, I feel like those things align. Knowing my audience just helps me fine tunes my messages. #SproutChat
— Deserae_Dorton (@Deserae_Dorton) July 26, 2017
Clearly Define Your Brand To Develop Great Content
Knowing your audience is key for creating content that resonates. Spending time crafting your brand around who your audience is and what their behaviors are will be beneficial for your metrics in the long run.
A3: Make sure the lifestyle touch points you use to connect with your audience are aligned with your brand persona. #sproutchat
— Lizz Kannenberg (@lizzkannenberg) July 26, 2017
A3: Invest in social media brand strategy. Consistency requires a plan; your follower count will reflect that. #sproutchat
— Mike Mills (@SagefrogMike) July 26, 2017
A3: Scheduling at least some of the content in advance. I've seen time pressure screw with creativity = horrible content. #sproutchat
— Sarah Romero (@iHeartDates) July 26, 2017
A3 It's all about knowing your clients! As a small agency we're able to get to know them & speak authentically to their audience #sproutchat
— Christine Kilbride (@SagefrogChris) July 26, 2017
A3: You have to be yourself! If you try to be something you're not, your audience will see right through you. #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 26, 2017
A3: It needs to provide info that speaks to your buyer personas pain points or areas or interest #SproutChat @Sagefrog
— SonOfBetsy (@KevinSchluth) July 26, 2017
A3 #SproutChat: create a brand voice that your whole team understands and make sure to set rules on what can and can't be shared http://pic.twitter.com/9YcbaBwLaK
— Natasha Kristina (@hitheresunshine) July 26, 2017
Jump on Social Opportunities That Are on Brand
By getting to know your audience and having a strategy in place, determining what social opportunities are worth hopping on is easy. Jumping on the latest news craze or viral trend isn’t alway genuine to your brand and can leave your audience feeling disconnected.
A4: Get buy-in at all levels on your overall social strat so when quick-turn opps arise, you know right away if they're on-brand #sproutchat
— Lizz Kannenberg (@lizzkannenberg) July 26, 2017
A4: A strong plan for social strategy is the foundation for delivering quality content. Curate your content library! #sproutchat
— Mike Mills (@SagefrogMike) July 26, 2017
A4: Repurpose existing content to maintain a quality resource hub and conduct social media monitoring to stay up to date. #sproutchat
— Sagefrog Marketing (@Sagefrog) July 26, 2017
A4: You need to have a plan in place so you can be strategic about what you share to ensure it provides value. #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 26, 2017
A4: We like to leverage existing content to produce high-quality information that keeps up with the social pace. #SproutChat
— Mark Schmukler (@SagefrogMark) July 26, 2017
A4 Write what you know! We position our clients as thought leaders – success lies in striking a balance b/w quality & speed #sproutchat
— Christine Kilbride (@SagefrogChris) July 26, 2017
A4: The deeper understanding you have of brand voice and goals, the better equipped you are to make quick content decisions. #SproutChat
— Krista Vogel (@KristaVogel) July 26, 2017
A4: Mix and match. Schedule some, tailor some and at the same time, keep room for creating new content as needed. #SproutChat
— Ayesha Ambreen (@AyeshaAmbreen) July 26, 2017
Track Metrics That Ladder up to Business Goals
Allow time for analysis and make sure that you’re carefully tracking content performance so that you know you’re making informed decisions about where to allocate efforts in the future. Additionally, make sure that your goals for social content also ladder up to business goals.
A5: The most important metrics are the ones that directly support your clearly-defined objectives for social. #sproutchat
— Lizz Kannenberg (@lizzkannenberg) July 26, 2017
A5: It all depends! Businesses have different objectives, research the #metricsthatmatter to your brand. #sproutchat
— Mike Mills (@SagefrogMike) July 26, 2017
A5: I like to focus on conversions and engagement. Are people taking action? Is it getting them talking? #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 26, 2017
A5: I would say ‘shares’ as you want your brand ambassadors spreading your message for viral potential #SproutChat @Sagefrog
— SonOfBetsy (@KevinSchluth) July 26, 2017
A5: it totally depends on your objectives, but I personally think engagement is the one. #SproutChat
— Rebecca Meekings (@rbccmaria) July 26, 2017
A5: Engagement and conversion to website/in-store sales (whichever is the end goal). #relationships + #sales! #sproutchat
— Sarah Romero (@iHeartDates) July 26, 2017
A5: Metrics that support your #KPIs– Key Performance Indicators!
Shares>visits>leads>success #sproutchat— Mark Schmukler (@SagefrogMark) July 26, 2017
A5: Measuring engagement will help direct you in deciding the kind of content to share in the future. #SproutChat https://t.co/z62K5VTIT5
— Aisha White (@itsaishawhite) July 26, 2017
A5 Metrics can be subjective depending on goals. CTR, CVR, bounce rate, referrals, video views, etc. #SproutChat
— Cristy (@lacristysalinas) July 26, 2017
Be sure to join us next Wednesday, August 2nd at 2 p.m. CDT on Twitter to chat about how to get more out of monitoring on social. Until then join our Facebook community to connect with other folks in the industry.
This post #SproutChat Recap: Creating Content to Impress Clients & Drive Results originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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Thursday, 27 July 2017
Taking Email Template Design to the Next Level
Taking our email templates to the next level
In order to make our templates really cool, I push myself to include at least one progressive enhancement in each new design. If you’re not familiar with the phrase, don’t worry (not many are outside of the design community!). Progressive enhancement is a fancy way of saying there’s more technically advanced elements being utilized that will work in certain email clients, apps and browsers. Those same elements may not work in less advanced clients, apps and browsers, but they will fall back gracefully in a way that doesn’t degrade the overall experience. These elements in email allow me to do some really cool things with our email templates, so our customers can easily replicate what they'd normally only see on the web, within an app or in a custom-built email. Here’s a snapshot of some of the progressive enhancements we’ve included in our templates.Rounded corners
Rounded corners, or border radius, is a style that can be added to the corners of buttons, images or other elements. Most email clients will support this style, but some will display square corners.Many templates I create use border radius on buttons, but the Max template in particular uses border radius on images, content blocks and buttons.Skewed buttons
The West template uses a transform style that makes the buttons appear to be skewed or slanted. In email clients where the transform style is not supported, the buttons will appear as a rectangle with right angles.Hover effects
Hovers can be a way to add delight to a design. Hover effects won’t work on mobile devices or in some email clients, so I made sure the button is well-designed, even without the effect. The buttons in the Gibson template lessen the opacity slightly when you hover over them, making them appear a bit lighter.Box shadows
Box shadows, like the one used in the Drop template, can be used to add depth and dimension. I also made sure it works well with and without the box shadow – if the style is not supported by an email client, it'll fall back to a "flat" design instead.Background images
Background images can be placed behind text or other elements in an email. It’s important to consider how an email will appear without the background images, though, since they will not appear in every email client. The Two-Tone template, designed by our Creative Director, Chris Vasquez, uses a background image at the top of the email, which allows us to achieve the offset look below.Gradients
The Wane template uses a linear gradient and opacity to achieve the look you see in the full-width section of the template. Similar to box shadows, this style will fall back to a solid color where it’s not supported by an email client. The gradient in the Wane template goes from opaque to transparent, and will allow for a color to show through the transparent areas.Duo-toned images
The West template was inspired by our new style guidelines for our What to Write in Your Emails course . This includes a treatment where images have a two-toned look. Even though I created this effect for our course emails, I didn’t want to leave our customers unable to recreate these types of images. So, Chris and I built a tool to help our customers achieve this look in just a few simple steps. Click here to create your own two-toned images!Background colors
Our background color picker allows people to send more unique looking emails, while still matching their brand. I also experimented with creative ways to use the color picker, this way it appears to do more than just the background color. The West template uses a transparent image with a background color behind it. When a background color is selected, it appears that the divider is changing colors. When selecting a background color, it’s important to make sure there is contrast between the background color and the text. This is why we created a dark and light version of our templates. The dark versions use a lighter text color on the background colors, while the light version uses a darker color text on the background colors.Common layouts and patterns
From newsletters to courses to nurture campaigns, we send a lot of emails at AWeber! So we decided to turn them into tried-and-tested templates our customers can use. Baking familiar patterns into our template gallery makes it a lot easier to drag and drop your content right into a template, without having to decide on the proper layout or pattern. With all of these cool new features, customers now have more options when designing their emails. If you’re not well-versed in HTML, these templates make it a lot easier to create and send beautiful emails. Now that you have the templates and tools you need to craft emails that look great, there are some email design principles I’d also recommend, based on the type of email you plan on sending:Newsletters
If you're creating a newsletter, whitespace and line height is your friend. Newsletters can contain a lot of information, so it’s your job to make it easy to scan. Whitespace gives your content and images some room to breath, which will make it easier for subscribers to scan through your content. Although it’d be great if subscribers read every word from top to bottom, many people will just scan your email. Also keep line height in mind. Line height is the space between your lines of text. Too little or too much line height can make your content difficult to read. Best AWeber templates for Newsletters: Tranquil, Flat WhiteDigests
When creating a digest of content (such as your most recently published blog posts), break out your content into individual cards. Cards will help you organize your content in a way that is scannable and easy to digest. Each card will relate to the same concept, and can contain multiple elements, like a headline, descriptive text and button. For example, if you create a monthly digest of your blog posts, each blog post you feature will get its own card. Cards are used across a variety of digital platforms, like apps, web pages and email, so your subscribers should be familiar with this pattern. Best AWeber templates for Digests: Digest, Gibson, MaxLetters
Whether you send a long or short letter-style email, the design should be simple and allow for your brand to be recognizable. Adding your brand logo to the header of your email, for example, will make it easy for subscribers to recognize you. Letters should also take line height into consideration. While letters are literally a block of text, it shouldn’t feel like that. Make sure the text is easy to read and avoids eye strain. Here are some things to keep in mind:-
- Consider the size of the text (Is it too small or too large? How will it appear on different devices?)
- Try dark grey text on a white background, rather than pure black text on a white background
- Avoid using bright colors for backgrounds or text colors, or layering colors on top of colors
Build the email of your dreams
Now that you have the tools and tips to design an email your subscribers will love, what’s stopping you? Now’s the time to go check out the templates in your AWeber account and play around with them until you find one that works for you. Not an AWeber customer? Sign up for a free 30-day trial today.The post Taking Email Template Design to the Next Level appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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As Thailand restricts internet freedom, cyber activists work to keep an open web
On June 9 2017, a Thai man was sentenced to 35 years in jail for sharing Facebook posts. The crime: he allegedly defamed the king. This harsh sentence is just one example of Thailand’s increasing repression in the digital sphere. Since the 2014 coup, the Thai military junta has take a hard stance toward online critics and dissidence. In May, authorities threatened to shut down Facebook if the company failed to remove content deemed “inappropriate”. Facebook, which did not comply, has not been shut down. At least, not yet. Cyber repression in Thailand Thailand’s cyber repression seems to be linked…
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Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
The 4 Survey Emails That’ll Give You Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions
The new subscriber survey email
You don’t have to wait a year or more to begin gathering information about your subscribers. One of the most valuable surveys emails you can send should go to to people shortly after they sign up to your list. Here at AWeber, we send a survey to almost every new subscriber in our welcome automation campaigns. By doing so, we can ask every new subscriber questions that’ll help us send more valuable content and better offers. We’ve used survey responses from new subscribers to revamp entire campaigns, increase open and click-through rates, decrease unsubscribes and rewrite content. For our What to Write in Your Emails course, we send subscribers a survey email after they finish the course: In the survey, we ask them what they thought of the course, how we can improve it and more. We received answers from hundreds of subscribers, which we used to totally revise the course. (You can access the revised course for free here!). New subscriber emails are a great opportunity to discover your audience’s preferences, like how often and when they’d like to receive emails from you. Here are a just a few questions you might want to ask in this survey email:- What did you think of the incentive/freebie that you received when you joined this list?
- What kind of content would you like to receive from me?
- What are your biggest challenges?
- How often would you like to receive emails from me?
- When is the best time to send you emails?
- What questions do you have for me?
- How can I help you?
The pre-launch survey email
Launching a new product or service is a lot of work. Of course, once you do launch it, the payoff can be great. However, there’s always a risk that your audience may not like or buy your new thing. If this happens, you might end up wasting hours of time and perhaps hundreds or thousands of dollars. To avoid this scenario, send a pre-launch survey email that asks subscribers if they’d like your new product, service, etc. before you actually create it. This email can give you valuable feedback to tweak, optimize or even abandon your New Thing before you spend time creating it. This can help you avoid the issue of investing copious resources into something no one wants. And it can help you make a better final product. For example, this survey email from The Path aims to learn about what their audience wants. With the responses they receive, The Path can launch new products that their audience will love. In your pre-launch survey email, you can ask subscribers questions like:- What are your interests or hobbies?
- What do you think of this product idea? (Or tell us your product or service idea)
- What is your interest level in this topic or idea?
- How often do you use a certain product or service?
- How interested are you in a specific product or idea?
- Would you purchase a specific product or idea?
The post-purchase email
Another perfect opportunity to send a survey to your subscribers is after a purchase. In a post-purchase survey email, ask subscribers what they think of your product or service. You can also find customers who may be willing to give you a positive review or a testimonial. Be sure to collect their email address in the survey as well – if someone shares positive feedback, you'll be able to reach out to them to get a testimonial or review. In this email below, Old Navy thanks subscribers for purchasing and asks them to complete a 5-minute survey to share their feedback. In exchange, they offer them a 10 percent discount on their next purchase. In your post-purchase email, you can ask subscribers questions like:- What did you think of my product or service?
- How was our customer service?
- How would you rate your customer experience on a scale of 1-10?
- How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?
The data survey email
Want to collect data that you can use to create a report, guide or infographic? A survey email is a great way to collect that information from subscribers. Here at AWeber, for example, we support women entrepreneurs. And to help us better support them, we decided we wanted to learn more about them by gathering information and creating a report. To accomplish this, we sent a 15-minute survey email to entrepreneurs and offered a $200 Amazon gift card to a randomly-selected winner who completed the survey. We received more than 1,000 responses to this survey! Pro tip: If you need to send a longer survey, be sure to give your subscribers a compelling reason to complete it. Offering a large prize to a randomly-selected winner or smaller prizes to everyone who completes the survey are great incentives!Ask questions. Get answers.
Survey emails are great for gathering useful information about your subscribers that can help you increase email engagement and market your business. Want an easy way to create surveys in minutes? We've included fill-in-the-blank survey email copy templates that you can use today! Get them now in our free “What to Write in Your Emails” guide.The post The 4 Survey Emails That’ll Give You Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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[PODCAST] How to Rock Podcasts as a Guest with Jessica Rhodes
In this episode, we’ll cover:
- How becoming a podcast guest can help you build your personal brand and attract new fans and followers
- How to attract leads as a guest even when podcasts are typically a "no-pitch zone"
- The do's and don'ts of pitching yourself
- What gear (if any) you'll need to sound professional without breaking the bank
- How to prepare for a show after you've landed an interview
- When to use a landing page or email automation with your audience destination
- How being on a Walking Dead podcast can help you grow your business
- And much more…
Key takeaway
One of my key takeaways from our conversation: [bctt tweet="'Tap into some of that fun energy that I know you have...' - @jessrhodesbiz on being a #podcast guest"]Important links
Here are a few links mentioned on the show:Subscribe to the show!
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe to Ask Me About Email Marketing on Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast listening app. And if you really enjoyed this episode or are a regular podcast listener, leave us a quick review! This will help us continue to improve the show, attract new listeners and get more ideas for future podcast episodes. Thanks so much for tuning in!The post [PODCAST] How to Rock Podcasts as a Guest with Jessica Rhodes appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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Monday, 24 July 2017
Pro-Trump Instagram post costs contest winner her grand prize
A Kansas makeup artist found out the hard way that social media is an unforgiving muse. After initially winning an Instagram contest sponsored by Kat Von D Beauty, the winner ultimately had her prize package revoked after Von D found pro-Trump commentary from a November Instagram post. Gypsy Freeman, a makeup artist that splits her time between Kansas and Florida, won the contest last month after submitting images of an angelic white-washed figure posed next to one in all-black, and heavy makeup. Freeman was due a prize package of about $2,100 including a $500 gift card, and trip to Los…
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Saturday, 22 July 2017
The Journey From Sprout Intern to Software Engineer
As I close out my first year as a full-time Software Engineer here at Sprout, I am reminded of one moment during my internship last summer that will always stick with me. In my final week, I was called into a meeting where several senior engineers guided my fellow interns and me on how to interview elsewhere. Initially, I was certain they were ostensibly showing us the door. However, they had already spent an exorbitant amount of time and effort training us, making us feel the “Sprout Love”, and to top it off, presented each of us with a return offer. Needless to say, I was confused why they were encouraging and even instructing us to go off and explore our options.
One year in and I have realized that this gesture embodies what I’ve come to appreciate about the culture at Sprout–always be curious and always be growing. The way Sprout embraces learning and development for all employees is impressive, and by the end of my internship it made it difficult, dare I say impossible, for me to decline that return offer. And while I have explored other career options, knowing my team supports and encourages me in that journey, no matter what, actually makes it more enticing for me to stay at Sprout.
Fast-forward to the present and it’s been a pretty wild ride. Just two days into my full-time position and Sprout continued to deliver on its commitment to my growth as an engineer and leader, placing me in tech design meetings for our asset library feature, and within my first month, we released that feature to customers. Since then, I’ve helped build Instagram scheduling and Twitter video publishing, both of which were led in tandem by myself and another engineer who graduated with me last summer. It is hard to believe how much changes in a year. Nearly twelve months ago I was walking across the stage at Northwestern’s commencement ceremony and now I come to work everyday with the support and freedom to make lasting impacts on the team.
Looking back on my graduating class, I am struck by how many of my fellow engineers headed to the fabled Silicon Valley to start their careers. While I have no doubt that they are all finding similar fulfillment in their work and tackling exciting challenges every day, I think it’s worth mentioning that there are exciting companies everywhere you look. I could have easily justified the need to go somewhere else and find experiences at different companies. In fact, many of my teammates encouraged exploring those options. That said, I really couldn’t imagine starting anywhere else. The tech community in Chicago is thriving and I’m sincerely proud to be a part of it.
To those that are graduating soon. I’d say that wherever you go, there will likely be some brilliant engineers for you to work with and exciting challenges to solve if you seek them out. Just be sure that you’re investing your time into an organization that is similarly invested in you.
Interested in joining the Sprout team? Browse through our careers page to see our current openings.
This post The Journey From Sprout Intern to Software Engineer originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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Friday, 21 July 2017
#SproutChat Recap: Advancing Your Career With Digital Conferences
When you work in social media, staying up to date on the latest trends is sometimes a struggle. Attending in-person conferences to stay informed can be expensive, especially if you work on a small team or on your own.
Thankfully there are a multitude of ways to continue learning and keep tabs on changes in the digital marketing space. With low cost resources like digital conferences, webinars and Twitter chats, it’s easy to find the tools and knowledge that will expand your skill set.
Always Be Learning
It’s vital to your career advancement to be constantly learning new skill sets and trends in the industry. Be sure to keep your continued learning cycle consistent and do more than the bare minimum.
A1 You don't want to wait until you NEED career dev; you want to stay ahead of the curve, not play catch up #SproutChat
— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) July 19, 2017
A1: #SproutChat is a weekly career development focused event. Don't have to invest $$$ to learn when there are a plethora of free resources. https://t.co/3OtZ3pRFsp
— John Venen (@JohnVenen) July 19, 2017
A1: It’s always good to have an open mind about different career choices. With that being said, try to attend events regularly #SproutChat
— Sam Schmir 🤷♂️ (@SamSchmir) July 19, 2017
A1: As often as you can manage. SM is constantly changing & there are so many aspects to it that you can never stop learning! #sproutchat
— constancegail (@constancegail) July 19, 2017
A1: Whenever you get the chance! Knowledge is power. Being able to keep up in your industry is key to your success. #SproutChat
— Shannon Willis (@etakappadiamond) July 19, 2017
A1: it should be an ongoing event because it's an every changing industry. Gotta stay up and current on the trends #SproutChat
— Apple Box Studios (@AppleBoxStudios) July 19, 2017
Take Time to Learn New Skill Sets
You have to remember to step outside of your own bubble of work. The time you invest in learning new skills outside of your specialized role will help you in the long run, whether that means reaching business goals or personal goals.
A2: You never know when you'll find your new favorite skill! #sproutchat
— constancegail (@constancegail) July 19, 2017
A2: Very important. Get out of your bubble, echo chamber, and comfort zone regularly. It's the only way to grow. #sproutchat
— Stephan Hovnanian (@stephanhov) July 19, 2017
A2: I think it's important to have a "working knowledge" of how all the pieces in the marketing machine work together. #SproutChat
— Dave Macdonald 🇨🇦 (@rdavemacdonald) July 19, 2017
A2: I think it's fun to learn new skills and sometimes it happens when you're not even trying. Grow your mind! #sproutchat
— Jessie (@JessieAtAC) July 19, 2017
A2: Continuous + varied learning is KEY to #marketing. Diverse skill sets are what drive creativity and success! #SproutChat
— ARPR (@AR__PR) July 19, 2017
A2 No one likes a one trick pony. You'll communicate better if you know the basics of what your team is doing. Be proactive! #sproutchat
— Andrew Stewart (@andrewtstewart) July 19, 2017
Pay Close Attention to Trends
Outside of expanding your skill set, it’s important to keep tabs on trends and breaking news for every social platform. Being proactive in this approach will help ensure that brand accounts do not fall behind and are always effectively delivering content.
A3: My number one resource is my audiences! I watch what's important to them and let it inform my strategies! #sproutchat
— Deserae_Dorton (@Deserae_Dorton) July 19, 2017
A3 I pay attention to Twitter. When something changes, people start talking about it. That's real-time learning. #sproutchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) July 19, 2017
A3: Look at @twitter trends and also major social media/digital outlets like @SMExaminer @socialmedia2day @SocialMedia411 #sproutchat
— Val Vesa (@adspedia) July 19, 2017
A3: For social media trends and news, I love to read @SMExaminer. 👍🏻 #SproutChat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 19, 2017
A3 Couple of newsletters, Twitter keeps up with the pace and the millennials in my office keep me hip 😅 #sproutchat
— Andrew Stewart (@andrewtstewart) July 19, 2017
A3 Chat SMEs and hosts are influencers who tend 2 B on top of their game. They offer good info, links & freebies. #SproutChat
— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) July 19, 2017
A3: Our team uses @feedly & @BuzzSumo to both find and curate #SMM content, which also keep us up to date on social trends #sproutchat
— SocialXpresso ☕️ (@socialxpresso) July 19, 2017
No Budget for Conferences? No Problem
It may seem like in-person conferences are the most effective way to continue learning, but it’s okay to think beyond costly methods to connect with new people and ideas. Digital conferences are a great way to get in-depth information in a short amount of time.
A4: Check out free webinars, hangouts, Twitter chats or even events in your local area #sproutchat
— Meghan Higgins (@MHig06) July 19, 2017
Online twitter chats! Webinars, meetups (host one yourself!) #SproutChat https://t.co/Nwy87CMjTs
— constancegail (@constancegail) July 19, 2017
A4 Meetups can be a good way to continue to learn and network and are usually free. Can vary city to city though #sproutchat
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) July 19, 2017
A4 a: Webinars, #SproutChat, one-on-one exchange of ideas, local chamber events.
— John Venen (@JohnVenen) July 19, 2017
A4: I'm very late today; I set a Tweetdeck column for the conf. hashtag; take advantage of any streamed sessions. #SproutChat
— Brad Lovett (@Brad_Lovett) July 19, 2017
A4: see if there is an online equivalent or PDF download or if you can connect with one of the key speakers on the side #SproutChat
— Apple Box Studios (@AppleBoxStudios) July 19, 2017
Share Learnings With Leadership
Be your own champion. Start sharing insights gathered from conferences and webinars with senior leadership and list action items from what you’ve learned to set informed goals for your work. Sharing these ideas shows leadership that you take your career seriously and are capable of taking initiative on new projects.
A5b: First of all it shows ROI for your trip and then explain what 1 or 2 new things you found out could be done in 3 months. #sproutchat
— Val Vesa (@adspedia) July 19, 2017
A5 Always. You're your best champion – proves to them you value what you do and staying ahead of the curve. Benefits everyone #sproutchat
— Jennifer L Kirk ✈️🍴 (@The_Jenius) July 19, 2017
A5 Yes, but even better is to share action items. Things you're going to do as a result of attending. A plan. #sproutchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) July 19, 2017
A5: Start using one thing you learned right away! Present a lunch & learn to others! #SproutChat https://t.co/0x1Dy4kB8r
— constancegail (@constancegail) July 19, 2017
A5: Absolutely! Sharing several things you've implemented from attending the event and the great results will go a long way. #sproutchat
— Meghan Higgins (@MHig06) July 19, 2017
A5. When you want to share something which will help business and leadership ignore you, they lose #sproutchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) July 19, 2017
Be sure to tune in next week, Wednesday, July 26, for #SproutChat at a special time, 3 p.m. CDT. We’ll be joined by special guest, Lizz Kannenberg, Director of Content at Sprout Social, where we’ll discuss creating impressive content that drives results.
Until then be sure to join our Facebook community to keep up on on all things #SproutChat.
This post #SproutChat Recap: Advancing Your Career With Digital Conferences originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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Thursday, 20 July 2017
Wednesday, 19 July 2017
How the death industry is going digital
On Friday, November 11, scores of Facebook users logged into their accounts to find that they were dead. With the simple addition of the word “Remembering,” placed in front of a name along the top of the that user’s profile page, their accounts became memorials, with banners along the top urging users who were friends with the deceased to use the page as a space to “remember and celebrate [their] life.” But, of course, these people weren’t dead — just the victims of a bug that Facebook quickly fixed. Meanwhile, it gave many access to a feature they otherwise, ideally, hadn’t had…
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Tuesday, 18 July 2017
[Infographic] How to Write an Engaging Welcome Email
The post [Infographic] How to Write an Engaging Welcome Email appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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[PODCAST] Creating your own Life (and Podcast) with Jeremy Ryan Slate
In this episode, we’ll cover:
- How to start your show and pivot when needed
- The value of growing your personal brand through podcasting and beyond
- Why quality will always trump quantity
- How to set up a streamlined process to automate and facilitate a podcast production workflow
- How to use email marketing to drive listeners back to the show
- Ways to connect with your subscribers through plain messages and strong subject lines
- How to stay top of mind with consistent email sending
- And much more…
Key takeaway
One of my key takeaways from our conversation: [bctt tweet="It's always about 'How can I help? What do you need?' - @jeremyryanslate #entrepreneur"]Important links
Here are a few links mentioned on the show:- Jeremy Ryan Slate
- Create Your Own Life Podcast
- Jeremy Ryan Slate on Twitter
- Get Featured
- Internships.com
Subscribe to the show!
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe to Ask Me About Email Marketing on Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast listening app. And if you really enjoyed this episode or are a regular podcast listener, leave us a quick review! This will help us continue to improve the show, attract new listeners and get more ideas for future podcast episodes. Thanks so much for tuning in!The post [PODCAST] Creating your own Life (and Podcast) with Jeremy Ryan Slate appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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Monday, 17 July 2017
Meet the Anti-Spam Laws From Around the World
A little bit of background
Earlier this year, it was announced that a provision was going to be added to CASL – one that would allow Canadian citizens to pursue legal action against an individual that sent a commercial electronic message without receiving prior consent from subscribers. Although the intentions of the lawsuit provision were meant to help the people of Canada and reduce the risk of harassment, identity theft and fraud, it was found to be too restricting for businesses, charities and non-profit groups sending emails. Even though the provision has been suspended, the Canadian government will go back to the drawing board to figure out ways to continue protecting consumers while also establishing fair guidelines for business owners.Global anti-spam laws
The lawsuit provision in Canada may have seemed like a harsh punishment for spammers (including those who accidentally send spam and don’t even realize it), but it reminds us to consider the ways different countries around the world are addressing the growing issue. Depending on where you live, you’ll want to know the ins and outs of your country’s anti-spam laws (if they exist). Many of them have common rules in place – including providing unsubscribe links in your email and only sending honest and accurate information in your messages. As you learn more about the anti-spam laws in your country, keep an eye out for the following:- What are the specific things you should and should not do when sending an email?
- Each law will detail what is required of businesses and organizations. Specifics will differ between countries.
- Does the law or regulation cover more than just email?
- While some countries have rules specifically about emails and spam, many laws also extend to other types of “commercial electronic messages” like texts, phone calls and in some cases, social posts.
- What are the penalties for violating the anti-spam law(s)?
- Breaching anti-spam laws can result in a monetary fine that ranges anywhere from thousands to millions. And in Italy, it can even be grounds for imprisonment!
- United Kingdom: Data Protection Act and The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations
- Italy: Italian Personal Data Protection Code
- France: Law of June 21 2004 for Confidence in the Digital Economy
- Germany: German Unfair Competition Act
- Netherlands: Dutch Telecommunications Act
- Spain: Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce Act
- Sweden: Swedish Marketing Act
- Ireland: European Communities Electronic Communications Networks and Services Data Protection and Privacy Regulations of 2003
- Finland: Act on the Protection of Privacy in Electronic Communications
- Czech Republic: Act No. 480/2004 Coll. on Certain Information Society Services
- Belgium: Belgium Law of March 11, 2003
- Austria: Austrian Telecommunications Act
- Cyprus: Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services Law of 2004
Reviewing your current email strategy
Now that we’ve covered laws around the world, take some time to review the rules and regulations established in your country. Maintaining a healthy list, using an accurate “From” name and sending relevant information to subscribers who have opted-in to your email list are some of the ways you can ensure you’re sending quality emails. But make sure your emails, sign up forms and overall strategy are compliant with your country’s specific regulations! And remember to stay up-to-date on anti-spam news in your region. If any laws or regulations are updated, you want to make sure you’re on top of the changes. How are you ensuring your emails comply with anti-spam laws? Tell us about it in the comments below!The post Meet the Anti-Spam Laws From Around the World appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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It’s far, far too easy to break into old Myspace accounts
For people of a certain age, owning a Myspace account was an essential rite of passage. Countless teenage years were spent carefully customizing the CSS on profiles, ranking friends into top eight lists, and picking out the most perfectly angsty pop-punk track to autoplay. Ten years later, Myspace is a relic of the past. It’s forgotten, but not quite gone, existing in a moribund state. Although nobody updates their profiles anymore, they’re still there, ignored and unloved. Myspace, perhaps conscious of the fact that many people have since lost access to the email accounts associated with their profiles, offers a…
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