Tag: Twitter

Share Instagram photos and videos with Instagram Direct in 4 Simple Steps

After a failed attempt by Facebook to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion, they hit back in a big way when they announced Instagram Direct.

What is Instagram Direct?

Instagram Direct is a way for users to share photos and videos privately with up to 15 other Instagram users.

Here is what makes Instagram Direct so powerful and why it should be part of your Instagram strategy.

For example, one of the biggest issues that Instagram used to have was that every update, like, or comment was public.

Now, that isn’t the case because you can share Instagram photos or videos with everyone in your Instagram feed or use Instagram Direct to share them privately with a select group of followers.

Besides this new feature, Instagram also put Snapchat and Twitter on notice that they are a major force in social media.

Instagram Direct vs. Snapchat and Twitter

Previously, if you wanted to share a photo or video with someone privately, you had to look to Snapchat and Twitter because they offered the ability to send private messages while Instagram did not.

With 150 million Instagram users, by introducing private photo and video sharing, Instagram can keep its growing userbase within their platform.

Couple that with the fact that Facebook owns Instagram and you can start to understand why this feature is a giant step forward for Instagram.

So how easy is it to use Instagram Direct?

Follow the step-by-step guide and instructional video below on how to use Instagram Direct.

How to use Instagram Direct

Continue reading Share Instagram photos and videos with Instagram Direct in 4 Simple Steps

Building a Twitter Facebook landing page tab using Shortstack

Last week we showed you how to add a Google Calendar to your Facebook Page. Now we’re going to show you how you can use Shortstack to add a Twitter feed to your Facebook Page.

Here is an example of a Facebook landing page tab we built using Shortstack to display our tweets.

Example of a Twitter feed embedded on a Facebook Page

Example of a Twitter feed on a Facebook Page
Example of a Twitter feed added to a Facebook landing page tab using Shortstack.

Let’s get started teaching you how to display your Twitter stream on your Facebook Page.

Display Twitter on your Facebook Page using Shortstack

Continue reading Building a Twitter Facebook landing page tab using Shortstack

How to Schedule Tweets on Twitter Without Using HootSuite

In case you haven’t heard the news, you can now schedule tweets on Twitter – but there’s a catch.

You have to do it through the Twitter Ads interface.

No, this doesn’t mean you’ll need to start paying Twitter to use their tool. Anyone can schedule tweets on Twitter using the ads tool.

Note: scheduling tweets through Twitter only works on a desktop. You cannot schedule tweets from a mobile device (yet).

Another thing that I find interesting. The timing of this announcement aligns perfectly with the upcoming Twitter IPO and suggests that Twitter plans to make money by giving all users the ability to create Twitter Ads.

What’s also interesting is that this could mean the end of HootSuite – more on that later though.

To schedule tweets on Twitter, follow the instructions below.

How to schedule tweets on Twitter

Continue reading How to Schedule Tweets on Twitter Without Using HootSuite

5 Reasons Why You Should Unlink YouTube and Twitter

Joining both YouTube and Twitter (and I don’t mean connecting the two) can have tremendous benefits for your business:

So why am I giving you 5 Reasons Why You Should Unlink YouTube and Twitter?

Continue reading 5 Reasons Why You Should Unlink YouTube and Twitter

Make 2013 Your Best-Ever Year: A 12-Month Plan For Social Media Success [INFOGRAPHIC]

2012 was the year of social media.  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest all experienced tremendous growth in social media.

So how can you as a business, capitalize on the success of these growing social networks in 2013? First, you need a social media plan.

No, you don’t have to get your calendar out and start feverishly writing. Instead, there’s a handy infographic that can help you figure out what you need to be doing each month to reach social media success in 2013.

A few of the key steps include:

  1. Assessing your social fitness
  2. Revisiting your social goals
  3. Becoming a better listener
  4. Integrating all of your social platforms, and
  5. Planning for the future
  6. ….

Continue reading Make 2013 Your Best-Ever Year: A 12-Month Plan For Social Media Success [INFOGRAPHIC]

5 FREE Twitter Analytics Tools

Everywhere you look these days, it seems someone is coming out with a Twitter Analytics Tool.  While I’m all for using Twitter Analytics Tools to help measure the success of your social media campaigns on Twitter, there is a lot of redundancy in the market.  As a result, a number of people (and businesses) are overpaying for social media tools they either don’t need or can get for free.

I’ve compiled a list of 5 Free Twitter Analytics Tools that I often recommend to clients or people who want to measure their success on Twitter. One thing to note, there is no all-in-one solution that can tell you how well you’re doing.  Instead, I prefer a bevy of different Twitter Analytics Tools – to help measure followers, Twitter reach, who to unfollow, and more.  Together, these Twitter Analytics Tools can help provide better insight into your Twitter account and the areas you need to address in order to continue growing your Twitter network.

In no particular order, here they are – 5 Free Twitter Analytics Tools that you can use to get better insights on Twitter.

Continue reading 5 FREE Twitter Analytics Tools

Twitter protected tweets – why they’re not a good tool for engagement

What are Twitter protected tweets?

Chances are, at some point you’ve come across the following image on Twitter.  What this means is that this Twitter user has turned on Twitter protected tweets.

Twitter protected tweets

In order to be able to view their tweets, you’ll need to request to follow them and have wait for them to accept you. Once they do, you’ll then be able to see their tweets. Sounds complicated doesn’t it? It is.

In fact, whenever I come across someone who uses Twitter protected tweets, I keep moving. That’s because to me, it shows they’re not active, they have something to hide, and they don’t value my time because they’ve made it so difficult to connect with them.

With so many barriers of entry just to see their tweets, why would I want to go through that much work just to follow someone? Sure, if you want to be on Twitter, but have this fear that someone can see your tweets and you don’t want to them to, then Twitter protected tweets are a great tool for you.

For the most part though, Twitter protected tweets, really don’t serve much purpose if you’re serious about using it as a social media tool to build and grow your online presence.  Not only does it make Twitter frustrating to use if your tweets are protected, but there are a lot of other things you need to consider before turning on  Twitter protected tweets as well – things that could stunt your growth on Twitter before you even begin to use it.

What happens when I protect my tweets?

Continue reading Twitter protected tweets – why they’re not a good tool for engagement

50 employers who are hiring on Twitter

With this mornings December jobs report, you could say that job growth is pretty flat. Sure, numbers didn’t look all that bad, but the biggest issue is that people stopped looking for jobs (for whatever reason).

To help you out, I’ve compiled a list of 50 employers who are hiring on Twitter.

50 employers who are hiring on Twitter

 

Continue reading 50 employers who are hiring on Twitter

Everything I Need to Know About Social Media, I Learned From Football

Blue 42, hut hut, hike.  Who’s ready for some Football? With the NFL Playoffs set, I put together this fun (and handy) infographic to help explain social media in terms of Football.

Continue reading Everything I Need to Know About Social Media, I Learned From Football

Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below):

The State of Social Media in 2012

2012 was a HUGE year for social media – especially for mobile.  Twitter revamped their mobile app, Facebook followed suit and overhauled Facebook for iOS (which was sorely needed). Then, not to be outdone, Pinterest launched business pages for Pinterest, which allowed businesses to create their own accounts that didn’t require a complex way to squeeze your business into the first name and last name fields (finally).

Besides mobile, 2012 was also big for investors as well, as Facebook went public – and who can forget about Facebook Timeline, which also launched in 2012 – I know, it’s hard to remember all the way back to January 2012.

So what else happened with social media in 2012? Take a look at this infographic on everything that happened in social media in 2012.

Continue reading The State of Social Media in 2012