Case Studies & Resources for Dominating Social Media Marketing [MasterThread]

[AllenCrawley]

Your Twitter Profile Has a New Look, Here’s Why It’s Better

Messaging is a critical component of your marketing strategy, but selling a product or service on social media requires more than a carefully crafted text update. Rich visuals have become a major player across social networks, especially on Twitter. Photos within tweets have become increasingly beneficial, and now a new profile design has pushed images more into the foreground.

Today Twitter announced a new and improved web profile that features a photo-focused layout. Similar to your Facebook Page, your Twitter Profile now includes a larger header image and more prominent profile picture. While you could already customize your header, as you can see on Michelle Obama’s profile, the image now spans across the entire top portion of the page — as opposed to a smaller box.

As a marketer, this means that you’ll need to prepare a new design for your Twitter Profile. Obviously the specs for header images will change, although Twitter hasn’t released specifics for those quite yet. Additionally, no rules regarding the types of images have been announced, such as text limitations or use of promotional materials. The downside is that you lose the ability to customize your profile’s background.

You’ll also notice that the Photos and Videos section of your profile has taken on a new two-column layout which displays all of the media you’ve shared on the platform. It certainly helps to make this section more engaging. In addition to the design makeover, Twitter has also released some new features that will benefit businesses using the service.

Best Tweets
Now tweets that receive significant amounts of engagement will appear slightly larger on your timeline. As you can see on Kerry Washington’s profile, tweets with high retweet and favorite counts have been enlarged. We should point out that this only applies to your content and not the content of others that you retweet.

While photos and videos help tweets stand out in the main Twitter feed, increasing the size will help text-only posts stand out when followers visit your actual profile. Additionally, this can help you quickly identify tweets that resonate with followers, whether on your own profile or that of a competitor or partner.

Pinned Tweets

Just like pinned post on Facebook Pages, Pinned Tweets anchor one of your tweets to the top of your profile. This is a great way to show visitors what your business is all about, in addition to your bio. For brands, it could also help drive awareness around a Promoted Tweet or hashtag.

By pinning it to the top of your timeline, you’re ensuring that it will be seen every time someone visits your profile. It’s also a good way to draw more attention to noteworthy photos, videos, and special announcements. As of right now, there are no details available regarding time limits, so pinned tweets will remain in position until you remove it.

Filtered Tweets
This features gives you the ability to choose which timeline to view when looking at other profiles. Now you can select from these options: tweets, tweets with photos and videos attached, or tweets and replies. This is a helpful option if you spend a lot of time combing through Twitter feeds. It also enables your visitors to choose what type of content they see from brands. Seeing tweets with replies can be beneficial for customer service purposes, while media alone is great for followers looking to engage.

The new look and features are available today to a small group of members, including film stars @zacefron and @channingtatum, musicians @JohnLegend and @weezer, boxer@FloydMayweather, and the Australian Football League @AFL. The redesign will be rolled out to everyone in the coming weeks; however anyone just signing up will automatically start out with the new profile.

[HASHTAG]#twitter[/HASHTAG]

Source: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/twitter-profile-new-look-heres-better/

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[RHL]

Solid thread Allen. Thanks for creating this after I decided not to. There's some good stuff here.

 

[AllenCrawley]

Okay, I'm just now learning about this! This has lots of potential. How will you use it? Did you read @Vigilante's Be Legendary thread? This could be a great tool to help you do that.

Brands Shine on Google Helpouts and You Can Too, Here’s How
By Jennifer Beese on April 16, 2014


Content is key when creating a successful social media strategy, but there’s more to it than just blogging and tweeting. Podcasts, infographics, and video have increased in popularity among consumers. In fact, video content has become one of the most effective ways to reach and engage audiences.

YouTube and Google+ Hangouts have become integral parts of today’s marketing campaigns. The former currently claims more than one billion unique visitors monthly, second only to Facebook. Google+ Hangouts, which seamlessly integrate with YouTube, have been used for everything from live concerts to customer tutorials.

If you’ve already found success with those tools, then you might also be interested in Google Helpouts. Launched last November, Helpouts is an online collaboration service that allows brands to share expertise through live videos and provide real-time help to consumers. You can participate in one of seven categories, including Computers & Electronics, Fashion & Beauty, Fitness & Nutrition, and so on.

Currently several well-known brands are using Helpouts to connect with consumers. Let’s take a look at what they’re offering and how you can increase visibility for your videos.

Sephora

Video content is a great match for fashion and beauty brands like Sephora. The company currently offers 12 free Helpouts that range from achieving the perfect lip to organizing your makeup bag. In these videos, Sephora professionals walk viewers through the steps using the brand’s products.

Since this content is free, Sephora isn’t benefiting financially from Helpouts — at least not directly. However, the videos introduce the brand and all of its products to consumers who are interested in makeup. Although participants can use their own products, Sephora’s beauty experts likely convince at least some viewers to buy the featured products.

Weight Watchers

Despite being an early adopter, Weight Watchers offers only four Helpouts. However, that doesn’t mean the service hasn’t been a successful marketing tool for the brand. The goal for Weight Watchers is to draw in prospective customers. Helpouts enables it to connect with the “do-it-yourselfers,” giving them a taste of what Weight Watchers has to offer before a purchase is made.

The four videos are based on popular topics that the Weight Watchers’ audience talks about on other social channels. For example, the “Party-proof your weight loss” video was a result of people wanting diet tips during the holiday season. According to Catherine Ulrich, chief product officer at Weight Watchers, Helpouts is the perfect platform for learning and adapting to what consumers are looking for.

Top Chef University

Top Chef University is a great example of how the entertainment industry can benefit from Google Helpouts. The videos are hosted by some of the most popular contestants from Bravo’s hit TV show Top Chef. Unlike Sephora and Weight Watchers, Top Chef University’s Helpouts aren’t free. The videos are actually part of a bigger program that teaches aspiring chefs professional cooking techniques, food preparation methods, and more.

By offering a handful of videos through Google Helpouts, not only can viewers sample what Top Chef University has to offer, but it also allows the brand to reach consumers who might not be able to afford the full price of the program.

Promote Your Helpout

There are several ways that you can increase the visibility of your Helpouts. For starters, make it easier for people to find your Helpouts by creating a custom URL. Simply locate the custom URL for your Google+ Page and replace the word “plus” with “helpouts.” For example, if your Google+ Page’s custom URL is https://plus.google.com/ googleplus, then your custom URL for Helpouts would be https://helpouts.google.com/ googleplus.

We also recommend adding a Helpouts button on your website to take people directly to your listing. To do so, find the listing you’d like to promote and click Promote. In the drop-down menu that appears, choose Embed. You can choose to link to either your Helpouts listing or Helpouts profile. The HTML code for the button will appear; copy and paste that code into the HTML of the page where you want the button to appear.

And finally, if you regularly upload YouTube videos you can promote your Helpouts through annotations. Using the same Promote menu mentioned above, choose for your promotion and select which videos you’d like to add your message to. When you’re ready, click Add Annotations. This is a great way to cross-promote your content, especially if your YouTube videos get a lot of traffic.

Your content strategy is never complete. As social media continues to evolve and new features get introduced, you’ll make changes to your strategy. Video content, specifically Helpouts, creates a unique connection between consumers and brands while ensuring that your expertise is highlighted. And now that Helpouts is available for iOS, viewers have even more opportunities to watch. If you’re interested in offering Helpouts and haven’t already received an invitation, you can request a code today.

[HASHTAG]#googlehelpouts[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#resources[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#tools[/HASHTAG]

Source: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/brands-shine-google-helpouts-can-heres/

 

[parkerscott]

Okay, I'm just now learning about this! This has lots of potential. How will you use it? Did you read @Vigilante's Be Legendary thread? This could be a great tool to help you do that.

Brands Shine on Google Helpouts and You Can Too, Here’s How
By Jennifer Beese on April 16, 2014


Content is key when creating a successful social media strategy, but there’s more to it than just blogging and tweeting. Podcasts, infographics, and video have increased in popularity among consumers. In fact, video content has become one of the most effective ways to reach and engage audiences.

YouTube and Google+ Hangouts have become integral parts of today’s marketing campaigns. The former currently claims more than one billion unique visitors monthly, second only to Facebook. Google+ Hangouts, which seamlessly integrate with YouTube, have been used for everything from live concerts to customer tutorials.

If you’ve already found success with those tools, then you might also be interested in Google Helpouts. Launched last November, Helpouts is an online collaboration service that allows brands to share expertise through live videos and provide real-time help to consumers. You can participate in one of seven categories, including Computers & Electronics, Fashion & Beauty, Fitness & Nutrition, and so on.

Currently several well-known brands are using Helpouts to connect with consumers. Let’s take a look at what they’re offering and how you can increase visibility for your videos.

Sephora

Video content is a great match for fashion and beauty brands like Sephora. The company currently offers 12 free Helpouts that range from achieving the perfect lip to organizing your makeup bag. In these videos, Sephora professionals walk viewers through the steps using the brand’s products.

Since this content is free, Sephora isn’t benefiting financially from Helpouts — at least not directly. However, the videos introduce the brand and all of its products to consumers who are interested in makeup. Although participants can use their own products, Sephora’s beauty experts likely convince at least some viewers to buy the featured products.

Weight Watchers

Despite being an early adopter, Weight Watchers offers only four Helpouts. However, that doesn’t mean the service hasn’t been a successful marketing tool for the brand. The goal for Weight Watchers is to draw in prospective customers. Helpouts enables it to connect with the “do-it-yourselfers,” giving them a taste of what Weight Watchers has to offer before a purchase is made.

The four videos are based on popular topics that the Weight Watchers’ audience talks about on other social channels. For example, the “Party-proof your weight loss” video was a result of people wanting diet tips during the holiday season. According to Catherine Ulrich, chief product officer at Weight Watchers, Helpouts is the perfect platform for learning and adapting to what consumers are looking for.

Top Chef University

Top Chef University is a great example of how the entertainment industry can benefit from Google Helpouts. The videos are hosted by some of the most popular contestants from Bravo’s hit TV show Top Chef. Unlike Sephora and Weight Watchers, Top Chef University’s Helpouts aren’t free. The videos are actually part of a bigger program that teaches aspiring chefs professional cooking techniques, food preparation methods, and more.

By offering a handful of videos through Google Helpouts, not only can viewers sample what Top Chef University has to offer, but it also allows the brand to reach consumers who might not be able to afford the full price of the program.

Promote Your Helpout

There are several ways that you can increase the visibility of your Helpouts. For starters, make it easier for people to find your Helpouts by creating a custom URL. Simply locate the custom URL for your Google+ Page and replace the word “plus” with “helpouts.” For example, if your Google+ Page’s custom URL is https://plus.google.com/ googleplus, then your custom URL for Helpouts would be https://helpouts.google.com/ googleplus.

We also recommend adding a Helpouts button on your website to take people directly to your listing. To do so, find the listing you’d like to promote and click Promote. In the drop-down menu that appears, choose Embed. You can choose to link to either your Helpouts listing or Helpouts profile. The HTML code for the button will appear; copy and paste that code into the HTML of the page where you want the button to appear.

And finally, if you regularly upload YouTube videos you can promote your Helpouts through annotations. Using the same Promote menu mentioned above, choose for your promotion and select which videos you’d like to add your message to. When you’re ready, click Add Annotations. This is a great way to cross-promote your content, especially if your YouTube videos get a lot of traffic.

Your content strategy is never complete. As social media continues to evolve and new features get introduced, you’ll make changes to your strategy. Video content, specifically Helpouts, creates a unique connection between consumers and brands while ensuring that your expertise is highlighted. And now that Helpouts is available for iOS, viewers have even more opportunities to watch. If you’re interested in offering Helpouts and haven’t already received an invitation, you can request a code today.



Source: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/brands-shine-google-helpouts-can-heres/

This one seems huge for social media marketing. Excellent way to provide more value.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

ModCloth.com Case Study download

[HASHTAG]#casestudy[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#youtube[/HASHTAG]

 

[Eskil]

36 Rules of Social Media

 

[Ellie]

I just finished reading an article on Forbes. It's from 2010 but really interesting and still relevant. You should check it out: http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/26/po...sites-forbes-woman-time-facebook-twitter.html

The article says that “Women are 56% of facebook users… Also Women are more active then men… Women have 8% more friends and participate in 62% of the sharing.” Not too bad when you're trying to make an advertising or a page go viral….

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

4 Vine Features That Every Marketer Should Be Using


You might not think that you can do a lot with six seconds of video, but content creators have shown us otherwise.

With more than 40 million active users and counting, Vine has become a favored tool among brands for creative storytelling. But if you’re just using the platform for content consumption — or worse, not using it at all — then you’re missing out on some great marketing opportunities.

Vine has introduced several new features since its launch in 2013, including desktop support and revamped editing tools. If you have a profile, but you’re only using it for likes and revines, here are four Vine features that will take you from consumer to active engager in no time.

Sessions and Time Travel

Creating complex videos like time-lapse no longer requires creators to reshoot frames several times before achieving the desired result. With features like Sessions and Time Travel, you can maintain multiple posts in progress over time and edit before you share them. Consider this Vine by Burberry which includes a transition from London to Shanghai. This was achieved in two separate all-day sessions in two different locations.

Time Travel, like the name implies, lets you go inside your Vine videos and rearrange, replace, or remove the individual clips within them. Sessions lets you save up to 10 Vines-in-progress to return to at a later time. Maybe you want to check your notifications in the middle of creating a video, or you need to check-in with your creative team one more time. Now you can take these breaks without worrying about accidentally deleting a saved edit and having to start over.

When creating time-lapse Vines like the one above, it’s good to practice how you tap the phone. According to Twitter, moisture on your hand can actually cause the phone’s screen to register a longer tap than you intended. Protective screen covers can have an effect on tap length as well.

Ghost Feature

A well-crafted stop-motion Vine experience might seem like a challenge to assemble, but it doesn’t have to be. Vine’s Ghost feature is extremely useful when doing stop-motion, and can save your video if you accidentally bump something. As a side note, we recommend using a tripod or something to hold your phone when shooting these types of videos.

When the Ghost feature is switched on (just tap the ghost icon) the end point of your last recorded snippet will overlay the “live” scene. This will help to more easily line up your animation stops with flawless effects. Want a smooth loop? Take a screenshot when you start filming so you know where to end your video.

Vine Messages

We’ve already covered Vine Messages in depth in a previous article, but we wanted to quickly revisit it as a reminder to create videos with your customers and fans in mind. Vine Messages, which enable you to send private videos to your followers, has significant implications for customer care.

This video by Diabetes UK is a great example of how Vine Messages could be used by brands to connect with individuals on a more personal basis. Check out our earlier articlefor more examples of how Vine Messages can be integrated into your outreach strategy.

Now that you have a better understanding of how these Vine features work and the different types of videos that can be created using them, the only thing left to do is grab your custom URL and start filming.

[HASHTAG]#vine[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#resources[/HASHTAG]

Source: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/4-vine-features-every-marketer-using/

 

[AllenCrawley]

How to Build a Social Media Marketing Funnel
by NEIL PATEL on MAY 2, 2014

Who says social media doesn’t convert? Seth Godin noted: “You can use social media to turn strangers into friends, friends into customers, and customers into salespeople.”

You already know that everyone is on these social sites, so I’m not going to bore you with stats on the number of users each social site has. But did you know that you are 51% more likely to buy a product if you hear good things about it on Facebook? Or, better yet, you are 68% more likely to buy a product if you read about it on Twitter?

Now that you know social media can convert strangers into customers, the next step for you to take is to build a social media marketing funnel. To explain how you can do that, I’ve created an infographic that breaks down the necessary steps.

Click on the image below to see a larger view:



Click here to view an enlarged version of this infographic.

Conclusion
I’ve grown all of my companies through social media, and I’ve found the strategy to be very effective. The one thing I’ve learned through this process, however, is that you can’t expect your social media traffic to provide you with a high return on investment from direct conversions.

Typically, when users come to your site from Twitter or Facebook, they don’t buy right away. But they do come back to your website within a week or a month if they liked what they saw there. That’s when they are more likely to make the purchase.

The best way to get these users back to your website is through remarketing platforms like AdRoll. Alternatively, you can collect their emails by offering them a free ebook or a coupon and then get them to purchase from you through email marketing.


Source: http://www.quicksprout.com/2014/05/02/how-to-build-a-social-media-marketing-funnel/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: Quicksprout (Quick Sprout)

[HASHTAG]#socialmedia[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#infographic[/HASHTAG]

 

[AllenCrawley]

Great resource below for all the different photo size requirements of the various social networks. Very handy.

Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Image Sizes
Whether it’s a weekly joke, dialogue guidelines or decision trees, brands spend countless hours honing and personifying their brand on social media. But few tactics are as effective at conveying a brand personality on social media as a well-used image.

In this quick-scroll world of social media, the visual face of your brand is often times the first thing your audience sees and it might be the one thing they remember. You can’t cut and paste an image and reuse it across all of your social networks — each one has different and constantly-evolving guidelines for images.

To optimize your social presence, you must ensure that the images you’re using to represent you or your brand are the highest quality and the best fit for the various networks and placements. To help, we’ve outlined the best image sizes for each social network and image types; and to ensure you’re as up-to-date as possible, we’ll revise the article as the networks change their formats.

Along with all the specific dimensions, we’ve also included a few quick tips to help you decide which photo best fits each position.

Networks
These links will make it easier for you to navigate to the specific network you’re looking to get image sizes for.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google+
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn
• Youtube
• Instagram
• Tumblr

Twitter
Don’t let its logo fool you — Twitter is not just for the birds. In fact, with 255 million monthly active viewers sending 500 million tweets per day, Twitter is one of the social media networks that your customers will most often use to discuss your brand.

Profile Photo – 400 x 400 (Displays 200 x 200)

Your Twitter profile photo is the main image that represents you or your brand across the network. It’s going to be seen across the site in a number of places by a number of people so make sure it’s of the highest quality. Here’s the places your profile photo will be visible on the site.

On Your Page

The largest display of your profile picture is on your homepage and can be viewed by your followers as well as individuals who stumble upon your page (assuming you don’t set your page to private).

In-Stream

A smaller version of your profile picture appears in a follower’s Twitter stream every time you send out a tweet. It’s also going to appear in the stream of your followers’ followers every time that they retweet you: so make sure to choose a picture that suits you or your brand!

Who to Follow

Your profile picture is also going to appear next to a link to your page in the “Who to follow” box. This is located directly to the right of your twitter stream. If you want to make sure that you’re gaining followers it’s important to choose a photo that is recognizable.

Image Guidelines

• Square Image – recommended 400 x 400 pixels.
• Maximum file size 100 KB.
• JPG, GIF, or PNG.

Header Photo – 1,500 x 500

Your header photo is the image that spans the top of your Twitter profile page. It’s quite a bit larger than your profile photo so make sure to save it at the highest resolution possible. Since you have much more room to be creative with this picture, and since it will probably be the first place a visitor’s eyes will fall, make it something captivating.

Image Guidelines

• Recommended 1,500 x 500 pixels.
• Maximum file size of 10 MB.
• JPG, GIF, or PNG.

Find more information on profile and header photos at the Twitter Help Center.

In-Stream Photo – 440 x 220

Twitter gives users the ability to attach photos to any of their tweets. However, when you attach a photo to a tweet, Twitter needs to create a separate link for that photo, so ultimately you have fewer characters to work with. The photos that you upload are going to appear in the streams of your followers and the streams of their followers should your photo get retweeted. Photos that are included in public tweets may also appear in certain Twitter search results.

It’s also important to note that Twitter may collapse your photo into a smaller version to fit seamlessly in a user’s stream. In order to make sure that Twitter is displaying the portion of the photo you want followers to see, make sure the width of your image fits the minimum requirements and that your content is horizontally centered.

Image Guidelines

• Minimum to appear expanded 440 x 200 pixels.
• Maximum to appear expanded 1024 x 512 pixels.
• Appears in stream collapsed at 505 x 253 pixels.
• Maximum file size of 5 MB for photos, and 3 MB for animated GIFs.

Find more information on in-stream photos at the Twitter Help Center.

[Due to photo and character constraints I'll be adding each social network sizing info in a post of it's own below. All size info contained within posts 40-47.]

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Image Sizes [continued]

Facebook
With 1.28 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the world’s largest social network. One bad image choice could spell the difference in attracting and engaging with this huge user base and being completely ignored.

One thing to remember when choosing your photos is that there is a difference between how things will display on your personal timeline and how things will display in a user’s newsfeed. Make sure that you are choosing dimensions based on where you want the majority of viewers to see your image.

Profile Photo – 180 x 180 (Displays 160 x 160)

Say cheese: this is going to be the photo representing you or your brand on Facebook. This is the square photo that appears on your timeline layered over your cover photo. Your profile picture will also appear when you post to other walls, comment on posts or when you’re searched with Facebook’s Open Graph (that’s a fancy term used for its search function).

Image Guidelines

• Must be at least 180 x 180 pixels.
• Photo will appear on page as 160 x 160 pixels.
• Photo thumbnail will appear throughout Facebook at 32 x 32 pixels.

Find more information on the profile photo at the Facebook Help Center

Cover Photo – 851 x 315

Your cover photo will only appear on your Facebook timeline, but it is a lot bigger than the profile picture, which gives you more freedom to choose something creative. Where your profile picture might be a good choice for a picture of you, or a brand logo, use this space to post something that speaks more towards you as an individual or as a brand.

Image Guidelines

• Appear on page at 851 x 315 pixels. Anything less will be stretched.
• Minimum size of 399 x 150 pixels.
• For best results, upload an RGB JPG file less than 100 KB.
• Images with a logo or text may be best as a PNG file.

Find more information on the cover photo at the Facebook Help Center.

Shared Image – 1,200 x 1,200

A shared image is one of the most common forms of sharing on Facebook. These images will always appear on your timeline, and ideally they will show up in most of your followers’ News Feeds — though with the decrease in organic reach, it’s unlikely that everyone will see your post. The more people engage with your post, the more likely it is that the rest of your followers and their followers will see that activity.

Image Guidelines

• Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 1,200 pixels.
• Will appear in feed at a max width of 470 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).
• Will appear on page at a max width of 504 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).

Shared Link – 1,200 x 627 (Recommended)

Another great tool in your Facebook belt is the ability to share a link. It’s very similar to posting a shared image, but it gives you even more fields to work with. You can choose to create a shared link with a small square image to the left and text on the right, or with a larger rectangular image on top with text underneath. Whichever ad you choose will permit you more fields to fill out with helpful information (a link headline, a display link and a description of the link) and the shared link will also click-through to the site of your choosing.

Image Guidelines

• Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 627 pixels.
• Square Photo: Minimum 154 x 154px in feed.
• Square Photo: Minimum 116 x 116 on page.
• Rectangular Photo: Minimum 470 x 246 pixels in feed.
• Rectangular Photo: Minimum 484 x 252 on page.
• Facebook will scale photos under the minimum dimensions. For better results, increase image resolution at the same scale as the minimum size.

Highlighted Image – 1,200 x 717 (Recommended)

Did your company turn its first profit? Hit its 10th, 20th or 100th employee? A milestone is a great time to create a highlighted image. This image is going to be housed on your personal timeline, but it is going to take up a great deal more space than a shared link or image, so it’s a good place to celebrate the victories that keep you going!

Image Guidelines

• Will appear on your page at 843 x 504 pixels.
• Choose a higher resolution at that scale for better quality.

Find other information of Facebook’s image guidelines at the Facebook Help Center.

 

[AllenCrawley]

Google+
Google+ is an important site for your company to be present on not just because of the social aspect, but also due to the fact that your Google+ account is also tied to the search engine itself. When someone searches your brand, Google pulls in your Google+ account information, including your profile picture and recent posts.

Profile Picture – 250 x 250 (Recommended)

Google already has a ton of information about your brand, now they want a face or logo to tie to that name! Though you upload your image in a square format it’s going to render on your page as a circle, so be wary you don’t choose a photo that cuts out the good stuff!

Image Guidelines

• Minimum 120 x 120 pixels.
• Recommended 250 x 250 pixels.
• Maximum not listed – I was able to upload a 20 MB photo at 5,200 x 5,300 pixels.
• JPG, GIF or PNG.

Cover Image – 1,080 x 608

The Google+ cover image is the biggest photo on your page, so choose your photo wisely! It’s a great opportunity for you to showcase a product or service your brand offers, or maybe choose an image that reflects the beliefs of your company.

Image Guidelines

• Recommended 1,080 x 608 pixels.
• Minimum 480 x 270 pixels.
• Maximum 2,120 x 1,192 pixels.
• Find more information on profile and cover photos at Google+ Help.

Shared Image – 497 x 373 (displays as)


Google+ sharing is similar to that of other social networks, with one key difference: circles. With circles you can group people together based off of certain criteria that you deem relevant, and then share different images to different circles based off that demographics’ personality.

Image Guidelines

• Appears in home stream and on page at a width of 426 pixels (height is scaled).
• Minimum width of 497 pixels (will scale the height for you).
• Maximum upload 2,048 x 2,048 pixels.
• Shared Link – 150 x 150 (thumbnail)

Shared Link – 150 x 150 (Thumbnail)

A shared link comes with the same ability to choose which circles you want to share with, but the post itself has different capabilities. You’ll still have the ability to type in whatever description that you’d like, but with a shared link you also have the opportunity to link your post to your site. This is going to pull a photo from your site and add it to the post so that your viewers can click through to your page.

Image Guidelines

Shows in the feed and on page as 150 x 150 pixels (pulls in photo from linked site).

Shared Video – Width of 496 Pixels
Videos are amazing assets for brands to help with their marketing efforts. If you happen to have one, or are interested in making one, it could be a great piece of content to send out to your Google+ audience. Just as with links and images you can pick and choose which circles would be best for each video.

Video Guidelines

Shows in the feed and on page as 497 x 279 pixels.

 

[AllenCrawley]

Pinterest
Pinterest can be an amazing social tool for driving referral traffic to your site. This is mostly due to the fact that 90% of Pinterest pages are external links. So it’s very important for you to make sure you’re optimizing your Pinterest page regularly and using proper image sizes for your boards and pins.

Profile Picture – 165 x 165

When setting up your Pinterest account you have the option to do so using Facebook, Twitter or email. If you choose Facebook or Twitter, Pinterest will pull in the profile image that you have set there. If you’re using email, or would prefer to use a different photo, you can do that too: just upload a square photograph (the larger the better) and Pinterest will resize it to fit. Like other social sites your profile picture on Pinterest should be something closely tied to you or your brand.

Image Guidelines

• Appears at 165 x 165 pixels on home page.
• Appears at 32 x 32 pixels on the rest of Pinterest.
• Maximum 10 MB (wouldn’t allow me to upload anything larger).

Pin Sizes

When adding a pin to your board it’s important to remember that Pinterest puts a limit on the width of the image but not the length. This gives you the opportunity to add a photo that’s square or one that will scale to be even taller. Just remember to make sure you’re creating large images because they add more value, not just because you can.

Image Guidelines

• Pins on main page appear as 236 pixels (height is scaled).
• Pins on a board appear as 236 pixels (height is scaled).
• Expanded pins have a minimum width 600 pixels (height is scaled).

Board Display

Creating boards is one of the most important things that you can do on Pinterest. It’s important to make sure you’re using an image that fits the size criteria perfectly. Not only is it important to choose a photo that is enticing to your audience, it’s important to choose one that’s relevant to that particular board.

Image Guidelines

• 222 x 150 pixels (large thumbnail)
• 55 x 55 (smaller thumbnail)

Find more information in the Pinterest Help Center.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

LinkedIn
With 300 million users, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. Where other social networks may be good drivers of traffic and customers, LinkedIn is a great place for you to source great employees and to connect with other industry leaders.

Banner Image – 646 x 220 (Minimum)

The banner image is one of the newest and most prominent of the images that you can use on LinkedIn. This image appears when a user visits your brand’s homepage. Since this image is located on your homepage it’s likely the visitor is actively searching for your brand, so use this opportunity to reel them in with a great image.

Image Guidelines

• Minimum 646 x 220 pixels.
• Maximum 2 MB.
• Landscape Layout.
• PNG, JPG or GIF.

Standard Logo – 100 x 60

One of the two brand logos that you should be uploading to LinkedIn is the business logo. This is the bigger of the two and is going to show up right next to your brand name on your LinkedIn homepage. This image also appears in the “Companies you may want to follow” section, so the more enticing the photo the more likely the followers!

Image Guidelines

• 100 x 60 pixels (resized to fit).
• Maximum 2 MB.
• PNG, JPG or GIF.

Square Logo – 50 x 50

This is the brand image that shows up when your company is searched. Make sure you use something recognizable to your brand to make sure customers know which company they want to click on.

Image Guidelines

• 50 x 50 pixels (resized to fit).
• Maximum 2 MB.
• PNG, JPG or GIF.

Career Cover Photo – 974 x 300

Finding great people to come work for your company is one of the most important aspects of LinkedIn. You can have a separate tab that is solely based on career opportunities at your company. At the top of this page sits a banner that is bigger than any of the other images on LinkedIn. You can use this space to choose a picture that speaks to your company in order to attract some great potential employees.

Image Guidelines

• Minimum 974 x 300 pixels.
• Maximum 2 MB.
• Landscape Layout.
• PNG, JPG or GIF.

Find more information in the Linkedin Help Center.

 

[AllenCrawley]

YouTube
YouTube has more than 1 billion unique users every month and is available on hundreds of millions of devices. More than 1 million brands have already realized that YouTube is a great opportunity to reach their fan-base.

Channel Cover Photo – 2,560 x 1,440

Spice up your YouTube channel with some “channel art”. When users click through your YouTube videos to your channel, some appealing images could entice them to stay on your page longer and watch more of your videos.

Across Different Devices
There are a lot of different platforms and devices that users can stream YouTube on so it’s important that your brand has a photo optimized for each one.

Display Sizes

• Tablet display: 1,855 x 423
• Mobile display: 1,546 x 423
• TV display: 2,560 x 1,440
• Desktop: 2,560 x 423 (1,546 x 423 pixels are always visible)

Video Uploads

Uploading your content to YouTube is the one of the most important parts of establishing your presence on the site. Videos can tell viewers something about you as a person, or it could show off something that your business might offer.

Video Guidelines

• Videos must maintain a 16:9 aspect ratio.
• In order to qualify as full HD, your dimensions must be at least 1,280 x 720 pixels.

 

[AllenCrawley]

Instagram
Instagram is one of the most popular photo-sharing social networks with a user base of over 100 million people. It’s a great place for you to take and share fun or creative photos that show what you or you’re all about.

Profile Picture – 110 x 110

Instagram is based on photographs, which should be an indication of how important it is to pick a great one for your page. Instagram will automatically create a header that cycles through some of the photos that you post to the page, so it may be best to use your profile picture to create a static image of you or your brand.

Image Guidelines

• Appear on your home page at 110 x 100 pixels.
• Square photo – make sure to maintain an aspect ratio of 1:1.

Photo Thumbnails – 161 x 161

When someone goes to your page they’ll be presented with all of your photos arranged in rows of thumbnails. These smaller renditions of your photos will expand when clicked, and will include a place for people to comment.

Image Guidelines

• The thumbnails will appear on the page at 161 x 161 pixels.
• Square photo – Make sure to maintain an aspect ratio of 1:1 ratio.

Photo Size – 640 x 640

Instagram is all about the photos. These pictures are going to appear in the feed of all of your followers. Instagram allows photos of a higher resolution if they are taken from the native Instagram application. If you decided to upload a photo taken from any other device the resolution will be much lower.

Image Guidelines

• The size of Instagram images has been increased to 640 x 640 pixels.
• Instagram still scales these photos down to 612 x 612 pixels.
• Appear in feed at 510 x 510 pixels.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

Tumblr
Tumblr is customizable social site that lets users effortlessly share anything that they want. Due to the fact that almost everything is sharable, it isn’t hard to imagine that there are currently over 189 million blogs that have churned out more than 83 billion posts.

Profile Picture – 128 x 128

Although there is a profile photo associated with your Tumblr page it doesn’t appear very frequently throughout the site. It will appear as a thumbnail adjacent to your posts within a follower’s feed. It also appears next to the buttons to follow you on Tumblr when someone visits your page.

Your profile photo will also appear somewhere on your Tumblr profile page. Whichever theme you choose is going to play a part in where the photo appears and how large it is. Some brands choose a large image while others keep them subtler. Just make sure to mind the minimum and pick an image that fits not only your brand, but that also fits your page’s layout.

Image Guidelines

• Minimum 128 x 128 pixels.
• JPG, GIF, PNG or BMP

Image Posts – 500 x 750

These are the posts that you send out to your followers that will also appear on your page. Due to the fact that Tumblr is so customizable and each theme is so different, not all people are going to want to post the same size photos.

Image Guidelines

• Dash image sizes max at 1,280 x 1,920, and show in feeds at 500 x 750
• Images can’t exceed 10 MB.
• Animated GIFS must be under 1 MB and max at 500 pixels.

Source: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-image-sizes-guide/

 

[HarryR]

so much value in this thread

 

[Mr Cracker]

Thanks @AllenCrawley. Rep transferred $$$

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

These Are the Most Powerful Use Cases of Vine for Marketers


With an increased emphasis on content, video has emerged as one of the primary areas of focus for marketers. But while video production can demand a considerable amount of resources, that’s not the case for most Vine videos. Vine is structured around a low-tech approach, making the barrier to entry almost nonexistent. As a result, the tool offers several meaningful use cases for marketers across industries.

Requiring only a smartphone and user account, Vine has become a favored tool among brands. Since its launch, it has challenged marketers to think more creatively andnonlinearly about storytelling. A good Vine draws the viewer in and can stand on its own, even if it’s part of a series. Here are some inspiring examples of how you can incorporate Vine into your outreach strategy.

Take Fans Where They Can’t Go
Social media has enabled marketers to share authentic details and stories about their brands, resulting in stronger relationships with customers. Loyal fans subscribe to, like, and comment on your updates because they want to learn more about your brand, and social media has given you an easy way to do that.

But people are curious by nature — who doesn’t want to see what’s behind the curtain? Whether it’s a sneak-peek of an upcoming feature or a glimpse behind-the-scenes, your customers are curious about the inner-workings of your brand. Video is the perfect medium for doing just that, and Vine can help you pull it off.

WATCH --> https://vine.co/v/bFL6rvFd6VL

Take this Vine from the TODAY Show’s Al Roker. It’s one thing to tweet about planting a salsa garden with Martha Stewart, but it’s another to give viewers an exclusive look at what happens when the TV cameras stop filming. Exclusive content like this is a great way to reward your social media followers.

WATCH --> https://vine.co/v/b9QT0WdE2db

Even consumer brands can benefit from the occasional behind-the-scenes Vine. In addition to sharing recipe ideas and introducing new flavors, Ben & Jerry’s regularly brings it fans behind the counter to show off how its ice cream is made and packaged.

Inspire Conversation
One of the biggest motivators for marketers using social media is to drive engagement by sparking conversations or user-generated content. It can be as simple and spontaneous as asking a question like Paul McCartney did with his quick “Can you guess the song?” videos, or a bit more strategized like General Electric’s #6SecondScience Fair videos.

WATCH --> https://vine.co/v/M5YiLngnLjK

The latter encouraged fans to experiment with and share their own six-second science lessons. Although there wasn’t a contest element to this campaign (the company did share stand-outs through its social channels) it generated a strong response from fans. The company’s #6SecondScience Fair Tumblr hosts more than 300 user-generated submissions. And even after the week-long campaign, the associated hashtag is still used by the brand and viewers alike.

Build Anticipation
Another reason why video is such a valuable asset to your content strategy is that it does a great job of building anticipation. There are several ways brands can capitalize on this, but here are a couple of our favorites.

WATCH --> https://vine.co/v/hrd731nvFTL

Rolling Stone creates a Vine video to tease fans with upcoming magazine covers. It’s a great way to create interest around an issue before its release, but it also helps to drive engagement as fans are asked to guess who it is before the big reveal.

Electronic music group The Glitch Mob teases upcoming album previews through its Vine account, while film directors like James Mangold use Vine for movie teasers ahead of official trailer releases. It’s really a great way to build excitement and expand reach since these six-second videos are so shareable.

The most important thing to remember when creating videos is to have fun. Vine is a unique platform that lets you show off your creativity — use it to entertain and educate. Once you’ve developed a sense of what type of videos you want to make, just grab your custom URL and start filming.

Source: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/these-are-the-most-powerful-use-cases-of-vine-for-marketers/

 

[AllenCrawley]

Two videos that showcase the power of storytelling in advertising.

Social channel: Youtube

Over 24 Million views in one week...

Nearly 64 Million views over the past year...

^ Dove uses #wearebeautiful:
over 25K instagram photos with this tag
Thousands of tumblr posts and twitter tweets

 

[GuestUser113]

Here's a company about 1 year old now that went from $0 in sales to $120,000 per month.

The key I believe for them has been building a brand with loyal customers via social media and PPC/Media buys.

They utilize YouTube, Tumblr and Reddit very well.

http://www.shopify.com/blog/1293658...merce-brand-in-less-than-a-year#axzz2wQK9pCq9



Here is a recent reddit thread where Eric (co-founder) goes into how to build a brand:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/1zmpvl/beardbrands_guide_to_building_a_brand/

@pickeringmt

In case you haven't seen it.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[RHL]

There's likely a reason why this thread isn't GOLD yet, but damn if I know what it is.

 

[AllenCrawley]

Social Media Marketing: How a sporting goods company increased Facebook reach 366%

With a new product launch featuring two high-tech GPS-enabled watches and the goal of increasing its U.S. audience on Facebook, Amer Sports, a global sporting goods company, employed a cross-platform social media contest to make that ambition a reality.

In this MarketingSherpa webinar replay, learn how Evin Catlett, Digital Marketing Manager, Amer Sports, increased her company's Facebook reach 366% through an Instagram, Facebook and Twitter campaign featuring Suunto watch products.

Launching a photo contest to garner engagement on Instagram and linking to other social media platforms under the universal [HASHTAG]#SuuntoAmbitions[/HASHTAG] hashtag, Catlett and her team provided a space for the audience as well as professional athletes to share inspiring content centered on two Suunto watches.

The campaign also tied in a contest for the chance to win an Ambit2 S watch, which winners of the contest also spread the word about through the universal hashtag.

Watch this webinar replay to learn the details behind how Catlett accomplished the objective of garnering inspirational user-generated content to elevate the brand and attract a wider audience through social media.

Download the slides to this presentation.



Source: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/video/webinar/social-media-campaign-contest-facebook-reach

[HASHTAG]#casestudy[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#facebook[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#instagram[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#twitter[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#socialcontest[/HASHTAG]

 

[MJ DeMarco]

here's like a reason why this thread isn't GOLD yet, but damn if I know what it is.

Cuz I've dropped the ball.
Thread moved to GOLD.
Rep+ Transferred. Incredible stuff.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AllenCrawley]

Social Media Marketing: How a sporting goods company increased Facebook reach 366%

Spend the 30 minutes to watch that video! Download the slides as well. This is brilliant social marketing.

The user generated content is stunning and Suunto can repurpose it all for their own efforts, marketing, website, social, etc.

Here are their social channels used in the mentioned contest:

• https://www.facebook.com/Suunto
  
• https://www.facebook.com/Suunto/app_1414848875459409 <-- their newest contest page
  
• http://instagram.com/suunto
  
• https://twitter.com/SUUNTOUSA

Facebook contest resource: http://www.offerpop.com/

[HASHTAG]#resources[/HASHTAG]

 

[AllenCrawley]

 

[AllenCrawley]

Killer resource just posted by @AndrewNC in this thread.

http://findguidelin.es/

and

https://www.facebook.com/TimelineguidebyTO

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Get Threaded]

I really like this idea- thinking I could do something like this for my business as we already develop relationships with bloggers and vloggers but this is another angle- thank you!

 

[AllenCrawley]

How To Build A Massive Following On Instagram

• by Richard Lazazzera
• May 29, 2014

Used correctly, Instagram can be a highly-targeted, visual advertising channel for your brand. In fact, in arecent study it was discovered that Instagram provides brands with 25% more engagement over other social platforms. This mean that Instagram is a prime channel to build your brand for your ecommerce business.

Like any social network out there, there are right ways to use it, wrong ways to use it, and clever ways to use it.

In this post, we will show you how to most effectively use Instagram to increase engagement and build a massive following.

Use The Right Hashtags
Your goal on Instagram is to engage your current audience while also growing your following. Posting new, interesting and engaging photos will satisfy the first requirement but to begin growing you'll find hashtagging your photos to be extremely important. Hashtagging your photos makes it easy for people to find your photos that are searching for those specific terms.

So which hashtags should you use?

Just like with Twitter and other social sites, users on Instagram use certain hashtags over others. If you use the right hashtags within your photos, you're much more likely to reach new users and be discovered.

Here are the current top 20 hashtags on Instagram according to Webstagram:

• 1.[HASHTAG]#love[/HASHTAG] 546,312,756 posts
• 2.[HASHTAG]#instagood[/HASHTAG] 252,226,047 posts
• 3.#me 238,166,943 posts
• 4.[HASHTAG]#follow[/HASHTAG] 208,003,100 posts
• 5.[HASHTAG]#tbt[/HASHTAG] 205,718,608 posts
• 6.[HASHTAG]#cute[/HASHTAG] 203,174,797 posts
• 7.[HASHTAG]#like[/HASHTAG] 193,577,034 posts
• 8.[HASHTAG]#photooftheday[/HASHTAG] 189,818,506 posts
• 9.[HASHTAG]#followme[/HASHTAG] 183,736,791 posts
• 10.[HASHTAG]#tagsforlikes[/HASHTAG] 171,593,674 posts
• 11.[HASHTAG]#happy[/HASHTAG] 165,534,554 posts
• 12.[HASHTAG]#beautiful[/HASHTAG] 163,122,231 posts
• 13.[HASHTAG]#girl[/HASHTAG] 162,838,871 posts
• 14.[HASHTAG]#picoftheday[/HASHTAG] 140,266,148 posts
• 15.[HASHTAG]#instadaily[/HASHTAG] 126,075,675 posts
• 16.[HASHTAG]#fun[/HASHTAG] 124,017,892 posts
• 17.[HASHTAG]#smile[/HASHTAG] 120,121,394 posts
• 18.[HASHTAG]#igers[/HASHTAG] 118,454,910 posts
• 19.[HASHTAG]#selfie[/HASHTAG] 117,998,320 posts
• 20.[HASHTAG]#friends[/HASHTAG] 117,809,423 posts

To see a larger list of the top hashtags, check out the popular tag list on Webstagram andPopulargram.

If you looked at the list above and said “But none of those apply to my products or brand”, you're likely correct.

Using hashtags is one thing, using the right tags is a completely other thing. Popular tags like the ones listed above will likely net you additional engagement and likes, however, they will not lead to increased long-term engagement, new interested followers and most importantly, sales.

If you want to tag your photos properly, you'll need to find and use the most relevant hashtags. This means doing the appropriate keyword research to make sure you're using the most relevant hashtags that not only describes your brand, but is also being searched for on Instagram.

To find relevant hashtags, you’ll want to use a free online program like IconoSquare (formerly Statigram) or Webstagram.

Below, I used Webstagram to find relevant, related and popular hashtags for my men’s accessory brand by searching for key hashtags that are closely related to my brand.

As an example, searching the hashtag [HASHTAG]#MensFashion[/HASHTAG], I was able to pull the following list of additional keyword hashtags along with the number of times they have been used (popularity).

You’ll want to go through this exercise trying different keywords that describe your brand and products, building out your hashtag keyword list as you go.

Keep in mind that Instagram allows for a maximum of 30 hashtags per post. Additionally, the popular words will change over time, so make sure you revisit your hashtag keywords every few months to make sure you're using the best possible terms.

Protip #1: Here’s a trick that I use for my ecommerce businesses. For every product and product category for my stores, I have done the keyword research to see which are the most popular Instagram hashtags around those product categories. I came up with 15-20 popular hashtags for each category of products I sell, as well as a base of 5-10 popular tags that describe my brand and product offering overall. Finally, I also created a list of popular local specific hashtags that relate to my brand.

For example:

(Brand Keyword Hashtags)
[HASHTAG]#mybrandname[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#mensfashion[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#mensaccessories[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#mensgoods[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#fashion[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#mensstyle[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#instafashion[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#menswear[/HASHTAG]
(Product Category Keyword Hashtags)
[HASHTAG]#bugatchisocks[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#happysocks[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#corgisocks[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#socks[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#sockswag[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#socksoftheday[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#sockgame[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#sockswagg[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#socksofinstagram[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#happysockday[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#sockwars[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#funsocks[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#happysockday[/HASHTAG]
(Location Specific Keyword Hashtags)
[HASHTAG]#Toronto[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#TorontoFashion[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#TorontoFashionBloggers[/HASHTAG]

All of these groups of keyword hashtags are stored in a page on Evernote. This makes it easy and efficient when I’m on the go to post a new Instagram image, optimized for the most relevant keywords. I can easily open my Evernote and copy my standard brand, product and location specific hashtags to post with each photo.

Doing the work upfront of researching, organizing and saving the most applicable and popular hashtags will save you a ton of time down the road, increase your engagement and help garner new followers.

Protip #2: If you’ve been posting to Instagram for a while and feel like you’ve missed out on all these opportunities to build your audience by using keyword hashtags, fret not. You can still go back and post a comment with your new hashtag keyword lists and watch the likes and followers roll in.

Use The Right Filters
Keyword hashtags aren’t the only thing you should pay attention to. The Instagram community respond to certain photo filters more favorably than others. Using these preferred filters can have an impact on your engagement.

Here are the 10 current most popular filters on Instagram according to Populagram:

1. Normal (No Filter)
2. Valencia
3. Earlybird
4. X-Pro II
5. Amaro
6. Rise
7. Hudson
8. Lo-fi
9. Hefe
10. Sierra

TrackMaven recently did a study on Instagram accounts to see how filters affected engagement and found that Mayfair, no filter and Inkwell drove the most interaction.

More important than the overall Instagram communities favorite filters are your particular audience's favorite filters. Consider this custom graph which correlates filter usage to engagement from your own Instagram account:

You can use IconoSquare to review the performance of your own account to understand what is and is not currently working for you.

Post On The Right Days And Time
Beyond adding the appropriate hashtags and using the best filters, you should also be considering the timing of your posts.

A targeted approach is to analyze what has and has not worked for you in the past. By visitingIconoSquare’s optimization section, you can get a detailed analysis of your posting history vs. engagement. This report will also highlight the best times of the day and days of the week to post.

The dark circles indicates when you usually post media. The light gray circles shows when your community has been interacting. The biggest light gray circles represent the best times for you to post.

You may want to consider using a scheduling program to schedule your post. For that, you can use a (paid) program like ScheduGram.

Steal Your Competitors Followers
One of the best ways to find and attract new following is by seeking out your closest competitors' Instagram accounts and engaging with their audience. These people have already shown some level of interest in the products you carry simply by following your competitors' account.

So how do you effectively steal your competitors' followers?

You can steal your closest competitors' followers by engaging with them. There are several ways to engage with Instagram users, and predictably, the more work you put in, the more followers and return engagement you’ll get out of it.

The three types of engagement on Instagram are:

• Follow a user
• Like a photo
• Comment on a photo

I ran an informal test with my business account to see how my competitors' followers responded to my marketing advances. I targeted the followers of a close, local competitor. Since I know many of his followers would be local, I added my city to my profile to create a greater sense of familiarity between my brand and the people I am targeting.

I began by simply following 100 of my competitor's followers. Later, I followed another 100 of my competitor's followers but I also took the time to like one of their photos. Finally, I followed another 100 of my competitor's followers and commented on one of each of the 100 user's photos as well as liked that same photo.

Here were the results:

• Follow: 14% followback
• Follow + Like: 22% followback
• Follow + Like + Comment: 34% followback

Although the are many variables and the test was far from scientific, the results were clear. The more you put in and engage with people, the more you’ll get out of it.

Sponsored Posts And Product Reviews
All this optimized posting to your account is great but if you really want to make an impact, you need to post to other, larger accounts in your niche, exposing your brand to a wider audience.

So how do you do that?

First, unlike the tactics above to grow your account this one isn’t free. However, if done correctly, it’s good value.

To get started, you’ll need to make a list of large accounts in your niche. For example, if you sell beauty products, you’ll want to find large accounts from beauty bloggers.

You may already be following these accounts, if not you’ll need to find them. One of the best ways is to use Webstagram and search for some of the closest hashtag keywords you uncovered in the beginning of this post. When you do a search for your keywords, not only will it show you the related keywords, but it also shows you the top Instagram accounts that feature those keywords.

There are a few things to look for in the profiles results:

• Large following - Usually 20k-200k
• An email address in the profile

If there is an email address in the profile, it usually means they're open to sponsored posts. You’ll want to email them and ask them their sponsored post pricing. In general, I have found the average rate to be around $20-$50 per post, depending on the size of their following. However, if you're selling an unique and original product, you may also want to consider sending them your product to review and post. The more natural and less advertisement like the image, the greater the engagement and response usually.

Here is a great product placement from Maxim model Ashley Sky that received over 16 thousands likes:

Men’s fashion and accessory startup, Bachelr admittedly used this approach. They paid larger men’s fashion accounts approximately $50 per image to post tasteful images that highlighted some of their products:

The results from the Instagram sponsored post promotion was a flood of traffic to their Instagram account and website, supposedly causing their server to crash.

In a final example, Classified Apparel used the tactic of getting featured on a larger account to jump start their Instagram following. Starting with only 22 followers, they were able to net nearly 3,500 new followers in less than 24 hours. A few months later and they are now sitting at 10,000 followers.

Instagram Tool Roundup
There are hundreds of tools out there that can help you and your Instagram strategy. In this post I mentioned five key ones help you build your audience and engaged them.

• Populagram - Find popular hashtags, filters and people.
• Schedugram - Schedule your Instagram post for the most engaging times.
• IconoSquare - Info, analytics and insights into your account and followers.
• Webstagram - Find the best hashtags for your posts and people for your sponsored posts.

Conclusion
In this post we talked about the most effective ways to use Instagram to build a targeted following, but it's not always a numbers game. As with any social network, the most successful strategy overall is to be authentic and social.

If used correctly, Instagram can be a highly-targeted, visual advertising channel for your products and brand that can lead to a healthy stream of revenue for your ecommerce business.

About The Author
Richard Lazazzera is an ecommerce entrepreneur and Content Strategist at Shopify. Get more from Richard on Twitter.



Source: http://www.shopify.com/blog/14288561-how-to-build-a-massive-following-on-instagram

[HASHTAG]#instagram[/HASHTAG]