Don’t worry about vanity metrics and instead worry about engagement metrics. You want the people who are committed to your service
When you start an online social page, a blog, a website, basically anything in the online or digital space, you want online fans. Fans are who you sell your products or services to. Fans tell their friends about you, fans buy your newest gadget or album, fans create hype and give you so much content…
Know your target audience, do your keyword research, use all of this research on your website
I’ve talked a lot about the different forms of paid advertising for web and social media platforms. For the next few weeks, I’m going to switch gears and talk more about organic online traffic. This is website traffic that finds you through searches for something in Google organically, not through paid advertising. I use a…
Social media has become immersive entertainment. But it’s also ruthless and stressful for many people
Each of us has an agenda (however fleeting) to influence people around us. We want them to agree with our perspective, our angst even. Sometimes we succeed in gaining momentum with a group – raising dissenting voices into a fevered pitch that results in others (the accidental audience members) being hooked into the current melee.…
Hashtags tie public conversations from different users into a single stream, which you can find by searching for a hashtag
Hashtags are a way for people to discover certain topics that are posted on social media platforms. As an entrepreneur, you can use hashtags so people who are new to your audience discover your product or service. Instagram is well known for its use of hashtags, and although they seem random and off the cuff,…
A look at the last 50 years shows a great deal of social change – and a great deal we should have misgivings about
I’ve been challenged by the content on social media (and televised news) of late. Several friends and colleagues are recoiling from it as well. It all feels so dramatic, so polarizing, so one-sided. How did we get here? How did we become those people? Did we stop trusting everyone suddenly or did the feeling creep…
Donald Trump recently lashed out at Twitter, claiming the company was interfering with his freedom of speech
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Section 2…
Social media account for more than half of ad revenue not because of content but because of superior marketing tools
By Paz Gómez Research associate Frontier Centre for Public Policy Over the years, the legacy press has gone from arrogance to hysteria as social-media firms eat up its advertising lunch. Rather than adjust to modern trends, the once-feared fourth estate is now begging from the institution it’s supposed to watch. Canadian newspapers have joined global…
Be very clear on what you’re selling, target audiences to match your products and use separate landing pages for everything
Online advertising continues to rise globally. It’s where the money is being spent. Online advertising has saved some businesses during COVID-19. Some were already using online platforms to promote their services or products, and some started Day 1 of COVID-19. Either way, they’re using the new way of advertising to stay in business. And now everyone…
Think about your audio, consider your video, watch your body language and be sure to record a trial run
The right stage presence can make or break a performance, regardless of the words coming out of your mouth. But as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us online, new off-stage video conference rules apply. Off-stage includes online meetings, webinars, interviews and recording podcasts. We’re trained to live and work face to face, not in the…
We need to acknowledge the impact of racist myths. There is no good or bad race of people, there are just people
A video is circulating on social media of a white woman in New York City calling 911 to report being threatened by “an African American man.” The truth is that the woman was allowing her dog to wander in a bird-watching section of Central Park and the man asked her to put her dog on…
Hashtags require a lot of research so you’re using a variety of strategies, such as your location, industry trends, popular sayings
The last of the big four platforms I want to talk about is Instagram. Instagram started in 2010 (it was purchased by Facebook in 2012) and was primarily a photo sharing app. At that time, it wasn’t easy to share photos; phones didn’t have an easy way to share, and other social platforms weren’t designed…
Former U.S. president Barack Obama has decided to start criticizing Donald Trump. But he’s just trying to protect his legacy
Should former politicians speak out against current officeholders? This question has nothing to do with a former politician’s democratic right to support or oppose someone or something. Rather, it’s part of a larger debate related to the ex-officeholder’s decision to jump back into the political process, and whether he or she should just resist temptation…
COVID-19 fallout has revealed a genuine hostility on the part of the young toward the old, especially baby boomers
The Great Plague of 2020 has revealed some interesting things about Western society’s attitudes toward old people. In Italy, the shortage of medical equipment to treat patients suffering from COVID-19 led hospitals to sometimes rule that people over the age of 60 couldn’t be fully treated. That was essentially a death sentence for some pensioners.…
Now that you have your Google My Business page claimed and verified, it’s time to start thinking about what content you’re going to share and how you’re going to show up for your searchers. Remember, your business wants to show up on Google when people look for you. It’s called findability. And your Google My…
Here's how to find the right mix to drive traffic to your website
Most companies are still not using social media effectively to increase traffic to the websites. What companies fail to realize is that their new customers are on social media channels that they’re not on. Also, those customers are not captivated by traditional marketing. The best marketing efforts rely on connecting with their community via social…