Why you need a content marketing agency (for real)

You’re busy, you know it, your employees know it, your investors know it – errybody knows it. This is why you need a content marketing agency (for real). Rules change When it comes to online content, everything is really defined as ‘best practices’ as opposed to hard-and-fast rules. And knowing the ins and outs of these practices, particularly which ones to follow or ignore, is pretty much a full-time job, especially since Google and Facebook keep changing their measurement methods for how businesses are being ranked and noticed. So even if you think you had these processes nailed a few years ago, you better bet those methods have already changed. And, if you’re following all of the old “rules,” you could actually be penalizing your business in Google’s eyes. This is probably the biggest reason why you need a content marketing agency. It’s ultimately our job to make sure we’re up to date on all of this madness, and it’s ultimately your job to keep your customers happy and your business running. Avoiding future costs Along with knowing how to “do” SEO properly, a content marketing agency also knows how to navigate other digital minefields – like losing followers on your social media channels because you’ve over-posted ads to the wrong audiences. Content marketing agencies can also advise on what mistakes are actually making your lose money, a serious risk if you use automated email or text messaging to connect with existing or potential customers but don’t have full authorization to contact them. Let’s not even mention the additional costs that as a consumer you’ll pay top dollar for, whereas a content marketing agency will most likely be given insider pricing. Reports out the wazoo Let’s just pretend that you love making sense of trackable data (which we damn well know, you do not), what are you supposed to do with all that data once you have it? CPC’s, bounce rates, referral traffic, what does it all MEAN!? A content marketing agency can load you up with all kinds of analytic information that’s been analyzed and strategized. They can analyze your performance down to a finite detail, where visitors are coming from, where they’re dropping off, how often they’re staying, where they’re clicking, etc. Also, if you’re considering a large media spend on various digital channels, you’re probably going to want to see which ad is performing better, and why – soon. So that you can pivot as quickly as possible to ensure all of your allocated budget is being invested successfully. Seriously, what’s the point of investing high dollars if you don’t care to know, don’t know how to interpret, or don’t want to know about – the ridiculous amount of reporting. Let a content agency do that for you. Multi-channel knowledge You may know Facebook well, your spouse might know Twitter well, and your kids, they probably know Snapchat or Instagram a little too well. A business trying to be successful in today’s digital world needs the ability to connect with many channels at once, while also offering a unique presence and message for each one. It’s a constant balancing act because not everyone on a channel is an active user. You want to go where the audiences are, like Facebook, but also don’t want to ignore those who aren’t active on that channel. A content marketing agency is not only familiar with all current social media content channels (as well as have their pulse on what’s happening for the future), but know which ones are most important for driving YOUR customers to YOUR your business. Having a vast understanding of multi-channel knowledge is key to achieving an effective content marketing strategy, and seriously, you know you don’t have time for that. To check out how we help elevate brands like yours through content marketing, visit our Content Marketing services page.

Stunning renditions of the Game of Thrones cover art

At BIGEYE, we pride ourselves on the opportunity to promote personal development and growth through curiosity. In particular, we love to give our creatives around here a lot of wiggle room when working with us. For that reason, whenever we have graphic design interns, we encourage them to take on a semester project, in addition to all of the awesome client work they get to dig their teeth in to. The semester project allows for interns to express themselves through a visual medium of choice. They’re asked to reinterpret something known to pop or local culture in a way that speaks to their creative abilities. Through mentorship with our awesome Creative Director and other members of the design team, they learn to shape and sharpen their creative approach. After about a few months and plenty of hard work – BAM! We get superb renderings of staples in popular culture. Last semester a particularly savvy intern, Candace Hoeckley, decided to take on a redesign of the Game of Thrones book cover series. Unless you’ve been living in a yurt or have recently awoken from a decade-long coma, you’re probably familiar with the multi-million dollar franchise. George R. R. Martin’s five (soon to be six) book storyline chronicles the fictitious contention amongst the houses of Westeros for the Iron Throne. Hence the namesake Game of Thrones. View Candace’s striking design scheme below: Simplistic, intelligent design intermingled with the element of gore in this recreation of the book covers, each one reflects the content and title of every installment. The common themes of blood and snow are called upon to represent the forthcoming storyline. As many Game of Thrones fans know, the fight for the kingdom of Westeros is a cold, bloody one. As you go through each image, you will see the sparse grass disappearing under the cover of snow. This parallels the storyline’s dark, growing ominous character and the longstanding civil war. The newly envisioned covers serve as an incredible testament to George R. R. Martin’s genius and that of our stellar intern. And, if you think can’t get enough – trust us, we feel the same way. We’ll all just have to wait for that last two installments to round out the entire series. Check out more of our work here. Happy scrolling!

Generate traffic to your resort website with content marketing

Resort marketing still continues to largely hinge on a flawless content strategy: you have to have the photos, the reviews, the descriptions, and some seriously intriguing copy that makes website visitors want to become real visitors. In addition to the obvious benefits of engaging and converting web traffic, content marketing can generate even more traffic to your resort website by boosting SEO rankings and viral traffic. Here are some tried and true industry insights that’ll be sure to help pump up your SEO rankings and generate more traffic to your site. CONTENT MARKETING MEETS SEO RANKING: We’ve all heard the same ole’ song that content is king – well, it is. Strong, relevant, and consistent website content boosts your SEO ranking on two fronts, branded terms (i.e., your resort name) and non-branded terms like geo-specific data (i.e., Jamaica resort, tropical hotel, etc.). Working with a marketing agency to develop a better understanding of the right terms for your brand, which is always based on your search budget and competitive set, will give you a crystal-clear roadmap to success. Use those terms to tag your photos and build out your property descriptions, and as search engines crawl your site, having these terms in your copy will ensure your resort appears relevant and pops up when tourists are searching for related terms. Of course, the more your resort appears in search results (and the higher it ranks), the more traffic will hit your website. Within your site, you can also link to deeper pages within your web ecosystem or link outwardly to relevant website authorities such as bloggers and review sites to encourage better search rankings. Although SEO efforts aren’t as tangible as other agency marketing efforts, they can absolutely make or break how much traffic your website receives. Which in turn, has a huge effect on your business. And remember, you multi-million dollar resort and its respective website are only as good as the traffic that finds it. OUTWARD BOUND – CONTENT MARKETING AND VIRAL TRAFFIC: Although it can feel incredibly time consuming, blogging is one of the single most important content marketing strategies to boost traffic to your resort website. By actively blogging about relevant content related to the resort industry, you become an authority on your travel destination. Blog as a guest expert on other sites, publish your posts in an email newsletter, share them on social media, get the word out. The more shareable your content is, the more likely it is to be … well … shared. If your in-house team is too small, consider working with a content marketing agency to generate and post blog entries. Not only can these agencies write on your behalf, but they can help you determine where to post your content and who to reach out to, ultimately ensuring your articles are seen. Regardless of your budget, most agencies will work with you to build a successful strategy. A good rule of thumb is that you should post at least one to two articles per week that include approximately 500-600 words and several instances of your primary keywords. The added bonus of creating highly shareable content is that it also supports your SEO strategy. And that my friends, is what we call a two-for-one. We can’t stress enough that content helps potential customers understand your brand and drives new visitors to the top of your exploration funnel. Keeping this content up-to-date is important to ensure your site stays relevant to both your audience and search engines. Your website is never “done” and there is always more content to be written, fresh news to share, and new traffic to entice by updating your content on a regular basis. So get to writing – go ahead, unleash your creativity – and don’t plan to stop! Click here to see how we take on the world of content marketing.

3 marketing myths that make millennials hate your brand

The holy grail of marketing to millennials has been debunked! Not that you should be surprised – millennials love to break (bend, change, or influence) the rules. Slapping a few digital ads on social media and running deep discounts to hook and book today’s largest emerging consumer demographic is no longer enough. To create a successful millennial marketing campaign that will engage and grow this audience, it’s important to understand what they value and how they like to interact with brands. On the flip side, it’s equally – if not more – important to understand what doesn’t work for this group. As the Baby Boomers retire and Generation X continues to take a backseat to the very visible, loud and proud “x, y” generation, unpacking the marketing psychology that drives millennials will become increasingly important. We’ve debunked three of the most common millennial myths that plague brands and drive this critical demographic away. Marketing to millennials myth 1: They are cheap and narcissistic With the advent of “cheap chic” fashion trends, thanks in large part to popular discount brands like Target and H&M, it’s not surprising that the general population believes millennials are overly consumed with the appearance of wealth and trendiness (minus the price tag). A solid marketing agency often translates this into either discounts and rebates, or campaigns that imitate luxury brands while visibility toting their lower prices. Although many millennials struggled to find post-graduate employment after the recession in 2008, they are bouncing back with the economy and finding themselves with a sudden influx of disposable income thanks to booming startups, fast-paced tech agencies, and non-traditional employment opportunities. Almost 50% of millennials are more willing to buy a product if it supports a good cause. The critical emphasis on this research is that millennials are not only more willing to buy a product that contributes to a greater cause in some way, but to actually choose it over more expensive alternatives that don’t support similar initiatives. This type of research suggests that millennials are neither cheap nor narcissistic, but in fact are more than willing to pay for the right product and the right brand. Take Love Your Melon, for example. They are able to charge a premium cost for a simple product because they speak to millennial ideals, not their vanity or bank accounts. Love Your Melon is an apparel brand dedicated to giving a hat to every child battling cancer in America as well as supporting nonprofit organizations that lead the fight against pediatric cancer. Pretty inspiring, right? Love Your Melon has built their business on millennials and their mission is the reason why they’ve been so successful at it. Maybe it’s time to consider ditching the promotion in favor for a buy one, give one (to a community in need) campaign. Marketing to millennials myth 2: The best way to reach them is social media Marketing to millennials has long hinged on social media campaigns, pop up or in-app advertising, and digital outreach. However, this hyper-connected generation finds great satisfaction in discovering the world when they are unplugged and engaging with it. This is an untapped territory for brands looking to break through the clutter. 48% of millennials say they would (and could) happily function without their smartphone or digital devices according to Retailing Today. While many millennial myths want you to believe that this generation can’t (and won’t) interact with a brand unless it’s bombarding them online, many millennials discover brands at the top of the funnel when they’re unplugged, exploring, and experiencing. This type of organic discovery leads to deeper brand loyalty and longer lifetime value. We aren’t suggesting getting rid of your digital marketing campaigns, we’re just simply advocating that you add in a few guerrilla or grassroots tactics that reach this audience in the real-world environment they so crave in today’s hyper-digital world. Think: Coca-Cola’s happiness phone booths or Redbull’s partnership with extreme sporting events. Marketing to millennials myth 3: They can be somewhat transactional One of the most deadly millennial myths results from the culmination of the previous two myths. Marketing to millennials should, first and foremost, hinge on expressing your brand’s value proposition and ideals. Contrary to popular belief, millennials are not transactional shoppers. According to Medallion Research, millennials are not nearly as concerned with money and status as they are with relationships and experiences. This dovetails from the idea that millennials are not cheap or narcissistic. They don’t care about the product, they care about the brand and lifestyle it’s associated with. When selling consumer packaged goods or services, this may seem difficult to surmount, but when you step back and look at the success of Apple’s “Think Differently” campaign, it becomes clear that products – whatever they may be – are simply an expression of this generation’s values. So make sure your brand values speak loud and clear. As was the case with Apple, you may need to expressly spell this out for the new generation. But, the results will be well worth the effort. Simple, right? Marketing to millennials really comes down to two things: Say something about your brand and make sure it’s authentic they’ll sort out the rest. Contact us today to learn how we can help you reach your target audience!

3 ways to keep your company culture in a growing business

Growing advertising agencies, tech companies, and startups build and maintain great talent by creating a company culture that entices and engages the best employees. If you’re a forward-thinking creative marketing agency, employees may enjoy a relaxed dress code and flexible hours. Tech savvy millennials may enjoy the freedom to work remotely, collaborate in a communal space, and spend time exploring their professional passions. Giving team members individual attention and shifting policies and procedures to sustain your culture is easy when there are only a handful of passionate, dedicated employees to please. But what happens when your company begins to grow? As we’ve flexed and adapted to our growing company size, we’ve learned a few tips and tricks to keep the culture alive along the way. Here are our top three recommendations on how to stay true to your roots while growing. 1. Understand what values your brand embodies: As your company grows, take time to step back and evaluate the type of values your organization embraces most naturally. Growing advertising agencies often put a premium on creativity and results; but push this notion farther. What inspires your employees? What types of clients do you gravitate toward? Whether your ideals center around collaboration, pushing boundaries, helping others, or flexibility, knowing what your company represents at its core will help you craft policies around those ideals to sustain the culture that attracted your first employees. 2. Put policies in place that make your company culture a procedure: Once you clearly understand your organizational values, you can begin putting policies in place that protect your culture. Ensure these policies are enforceable and measurable (i.e., employees can spend 10% of their time on their creative portfolios). It’s also crucial that your employees have the authority to act on these policies across the board. For example, if your culture embraces a flat decision structure, team members at all levels of the organization need to be able to make changes within their sphere of influence. 3. Know the market: Lastly, pressure test the policies you’ve put in place against the market. Although your company culture may be unique to you, other growing advertising agencies or startups may share similar values. Consider how they foster a positive culture, even if it isn’t identical to the environment you’re trying to create. Understanding how other companies are treating their employees will help you understand what your top talent is looking for in terms of culture, benefits, compensation, and lifestyle. This will help you protect and retain talent, as well as encourage longer tenure within your organization that will strengthen and build on the culture that already exists. Get a feel for our BIGEYE culture by clicking here. We promise only the best of vibes.

Welp, Super Bowl is over: Crush 2017 using 3 ad campaign ideas

People all around America celebrate the Super Bowl in approximately one of three ways: 1. The over zealous football fan throws a party for all of his best friends. He smears paint all over his face, wears his favorite (“lucky”, probably smelly) jersey, stocks the refrigerator full with beer and makes so many chicken wings it seems impossible that they will all be eaten (but don’t worry, they will be). 2. You have the neighbor/friend/spouse etc. that knows nothing about football. But they follow the crowd, go to the party for the free food, and pretend they know why, exactly, grown men are running into each other. 3. The best people (we like to include ourselves in this category) may go to the party, or they may not. Favorite game-time snack and beverage in hand, these people watch the game patiently. Anytime now, they think. Leaning forward in their seats, they hush everyone in the room. A commercial break has finally arrived. It’s Super Bowl ad time, and the real game is about to begin. The Super Bowl, with one of the highest ratings in all of U.S. TV history, the lure of high, and often engaged, viewership is too strong for advertisers to ignore. The Super Bowl has seen some of the best – and worst – ads in its 50 year history, creating a great database of success stories for advertising during both the big game and every other day of the year. Alas, let’s take three lessons from the game changers of the ad industry and answer the question, “what should we do for our next ad campaign in 2017?” DO: Involve your consumer Doritos’ ‘Crash the Super Bowl’ campaign is one of the best examples of this idea. A 10-year campaign, Doritos made the risky decision to outsource their most important ad dollars of the year. The ‘Crash’ campaign consists of consumer-generated content, something that was nearly unheard of — and hard to swallow by the Doritos marketing team — until 2006 when the strategy turned out to be a success. Widely accepted among consumers, the amateur home-videos shined a light on the potential creative of everyday consumers and created valued engagement and connection between the company and its most-valued target audience. In its 10th and final year, Doritos’ ‘Crash the Super Bowl’ campaign is sure to be a highlight of this year’s game day. DO: Try new things in your ad campaign A must watch in any intro to advertising course and widely considered one of the best ads ever, Apple’s ‘1984’ broke boundaries. The ad, a play on George Orwell’s popular dystopian novel, was the first of its kind and set the standard for Super Bowl advertising to come. Despite the fact that the ad almost didn’t see the light of day and faced much pushback from Apple executives, the ad made a lasting impact on both the industry and the consumer. Long gone were the days of mediocre Super Bowl advertising. Apple, a pioneer on many fronts, also became the pioneer of high-quality, large scale ad campaigns. The ad only aired one time but created a buzz so strong that people are still talking about it more than 30 years later. DO: Use social media as a supplement to your ad campaign Volkswagen’s ‘The Force’ is possibly one of the cutest (aww) ads ever, featuring a little boy dressed as Darth Vader attempting, with little luck, to use the force on any and all things around his house. Surprised, he is (see what we did there), to find his powers work on his parents’ new VW, aided only by the remote control start his dad secretly uses from inside the house. While this ad did wonders to capture the consumer and hit a solid 10 on the cuteness scale, that is not the reason it caused buzz in the advertising industry. VW had only bought a 30-second spot in the Super Bowl, but they were convinced their best work was the full 60-second version. With no way to air the 60-second version during the game, VW made the decision to post ‘The Force’ on Youtube days before it was set to air on TV. Up until this time, Super Bowl ads were kept well under wraps and locked behind bulletproof glass (maybe not, but seems likely) to prevent early viewing and what was considered a loss of impact. VW’s early release of ‘The Force’ opened the door to social media teasing and an entire new layer to the Super Bowl ad campaign frenzy. Well, your 12 month countdown begins NOW! We hope these lessons from these game changers will help drive an awesome 2017 campaign. For more info on how the experts at BIGEYE create Ad Campaigns, click here.

Why marketing to tourists is now like online dating

No, you didn’t read that wrong. We did indeed just say that marketing to tourists is a lot like online dating. Stick with us on this metaphor and we’ll show you how to turn transactional tourism marketing into a full blown love affair with your restaurant, hotel, resort or travel destination. And, since the tourism industry accounts for over a trillion dollars in the U.S. economy alone (according to the Travel Industry Association) we’re willing to bet that’s one relationship worth investing in. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A GOOD “PROFILE PICTURE:” If you, or your friends, have ever prepared for a date with someone you met online, you probably know the legitimate fear that your date won’t look anything like his or her photos. Unsurprisingly, that same fear exists when tourists are vetting travel destinations. Travel savvy globe trotters have wised up. They are painfully aware that a good tourism digital marketing agency knows how to take photos that make rooms look larger, food look fresher, and spas feel more luxurious. To ensure your marketing to tourists doesn’t ring flat, make sure your pictures are up to date and capture different angles of your business while integrating user-generated photos that “verify” the pictures your brand has taken. A good way to do this may be to include an Instagram feed using a simple API call, or curating a “photo of the day” on your website pulled from your social media feeds. Research (from Search Engine Watch to Forbes) has proven again and again that photos are the single most important element tourists rely on when making travel decisions. Therefore, your content marketing strategy should be extremely photo-heavy (who has time to read these days anyway?) and showcase your business’s best elements. But, authenticity is incredibly valued, so don’t be afraid to show a hint of the “not so good” so your customers’ expectations match their experience. THE POWER OF A FRIEND’S APPROVAL: The internet gives us the incredible (and creepy) ability to learn a whole hell-of-a lot about our dates before we actually meet them. We can search for their jobs, social connections, driving record (if that means anything to you), accolades, where our worlds intersect – nothing is so thrilling as discovering that your soon-to-be online date shares mutual friends. Because that means you’ll probably be able to get some insider information on their “real” dating style. Love it or hate it, the same holds true in the tourism marketing world. Tourists can unearth a ridiculous amount of information about your service, cleanliness, value, and hospitality through online reviews and social media. Don’t fight it. Embrace your reviewers and try to encourage positive reviews while honestly and openly responding to negative feedback. Hiring a tourism digital marketing agency to monitor the tone and trends surrounding your brand’s online conversation can also help you determine where there are genuine areas for improvement to refine your brand experience. Consider partnering with bloggers and social media influencers to highlight their experience with your brand. By giving these trendsetters a voice and featuring them on your website, you’ll be able to generate a positive social effect and build trust in your brand. As an added bonus, it’s a unique and fun way to keep your digital presence energized with up-to-date content. These two simple spins on the traditional marketing to tourists can help make this travel season your best yet while keeping those dates (guests) rolling in. To learn more secrets of the trade, visit our Digital Marketing services page.

Market the rainbow: The science of colors in branding

The science of colors in branding has long been up for debate. Many academics insist color affinity is born from personal experience, background, and individual preference rather than proven branding or marketing psychology. Yet, according to ColorCom, up to 92.6% of peoples’ perception about a brand relates to their feelings about that logo’s colors. And 80% of brand recognition relies on color association according to the blog Color Matters. Although the reason “why,” may be unclear, it is clear that brand color schemes can profoundly influence your target audience’s ability to remember and relate to your product. Our breakdown of the rainbow reveals what your brand color schemes say about you and your organization. Red Netflix. Target. CNN. EXXON. Coca-Cola. Time. These brands’ logos are dominated by a bold, bright red. At the very top of the rainbow and one of three primary colors, red channels a vivacious energy, and frank, action-oriented vibe. Many branding psychologists believe the color red inspires action by creating a sense of urgency and importance. For lifestyle brands such as Target or Coca-Cola, red translates to a desire to consume, while media channels such as Time, Netflix or CNN, benefit from the color’s bias toward action. Orange Orange is one of the less popular colors in branding and brand design. The color is more frequently used as a highlight rather than a dominant marketing campaign color. We most often see orange on “try,” or “buy,” buttons, and other calls to action thanks to the color’s warm, inviting tone (just begging to be clicked). However, many psychologists believe orange carries some of the anxiety-laden undertones found in yellow, and may serve as a better caution or warning sign than as a conversion catalyst. Organizations associated with a degree of ruggedness, such as Harley Davidson or Home Depot, benefit most from this duel psychological profile. However, more cheerful brands, such as Blogger and Nickelodeon, can also leverage the sunny hue’s tendency to inspire happiness and warmth. Yellow Because yellow is one of the easiest colors for the eye to distinguish (which is why many fire trucks and ambulances are yellow), brands use this color to grab consumers’ attention. The color itself has duel associations: some schools of thought align yellow with feelings of warmth and happiness, while other brand design experts associate yellow with anxiety and stress, due to the strain it puts on the eye. A wide variety of brands – from Hertz and Yellow Pages to Best Buy and IKEA – rely on the color’s bright “look at me” vibe to drive an unforgettable, top-of-mind reference in their respective industries. Green Depending on the tone, green works as a jack-of-all-trades. It’s one of the few colors in branding that carries a wide variety of connotations. Emotions associated with green range from jealousy, money and lust, to zen, environmental consciousness, and good health. The psychology behind green-dominated brand design leverages the color’s versatility. As a non-primary color, green can skew more yellow, more blue, or even more red (in an earthy translation of this refreshing, leafy color). The result gives green more flexibility and personal association potential than many other colors, so it’s no surprise that a variety of brands from contradicting industries have latched onto this color. Think: Starbucks, GREEN Certification, Whole Foods, BP Mobile, XBOX, and Holiday Inn. Blue Blue is the most popular color among both men and women, making it a popular, tried and tested choice within brand color schemes (hello Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype, Ford, Dell, Walmart, and GE). Blue’s cool undertones are often associated with peace, stability, and serenity, which reduces some of the hard sales associations that colors such as yellow or red may inspire. Because blue’s sense of peace and stability easily translate to security, many corporate and financial institutions rely on the earnest attitude conveyed through a blue logo. Violet Purple’s swirling blend of red and blue stimulate feelings of royalty, mysticism, and elegance. Although many brands shy away from this color because of the heavy female to male bias, purple bridges the gap between “quirky” and “regal” with ease. As a result, it’s often used on female-centric branding campaigns (such as Revlon and Hallmark) or whimsical, child-friendly brands (such as Willy Wonka Chocolate or the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization). The color’s difficulty to classify makes it a popular choice among brands intentionally shying away from the mainstream bias, such as the LGBT community, and many yoga companies or holistic wellness centers. Psychology of colors in branding Whether your customers respond to the marketing psychology behind colors in branding, or they simply react to the socially constructed responses that growing-up in the U.S. has conditioned them to feel, doesn’t matter. As Greg Ciotti, from Help Scout, explains: “it’s far more important for your brand’s colors to support the personality you want to portray instead of trying to align with stereotypical color associations.” The proof is there. People respond to colors. It’s your job to choose a color that resonates with your brand, as well as the message you hope to convey. Whether you call it psychological brand design or simply good taste, colors can have a profound impact on your bottom line – and your brand’s recognition in the consumer marketplace. In need of some colorful, thought-provoking and creative inspiration? Contact our team of creative design professionals to help you select the perfect palette, with a host of services to compel your target audience to engage with your brand.

3 ways you need to boost your Twitter engagement now

“Help me increase my Twitter engagement” is a cry for help that can excite many amateur social media consultants. In the wrong hands, this intention can lead to sketchy and expensive solutions, including creating bogus accounts and paying a ton of money to artificially and inconsistently boost your presence. The truth is, the power to increase your Twitter engagement rate has been in your hands all along. There are several simple yet effective methods to organically gain more followers, more Retweets and more click-throughs to your site, and they don’t have to cost you any more than some extra time or some of your staff’s time. You might not hit the million follower mark in a month, or be in Lady Gaga/Pope Francis superstar range right away, but you can still see steady and honest growth from lolyal fans who like what you have to say. Try these modern methods to learn how to increase Twitter engagement: Content When you post or how you post are important. But what’s most vital is what you post. The best way to get followers and increase your twitter engagement is to offer frequent and interesting Tweets that people can comment on, Retweet, or ‘favorite.’ Twitter itself encourages this focus in its Business/Solutions section with step-by-step suggestions to leverage your Tweets. The seven-stage method includes picking your tools, designing your content, defining your audience and budget, and keeping track of what works and what doesn’t. A related Twitter blog post shared that, after studying common factors of 2 million Tweets created over a month, common elements in successful Twitter engagement campaigns include tweets that contain photos, hashtags, links, and videos. Tweets that contain at least one digit also seem to perform better than ones without a number. Make it a conversation Social media has enough people expressing opinions regularly, and with Twitter, it’s especially easy to simply churn out random thoughts, or worse, information about your business. The random thoughts aren’t a bad idea, as long as they’re interesting. If an employee is especially witty in under 140 characters, give them this task. Frequent business plugs are also discouraged –Twitter has been compared to a cocktail party, where it’s OK to occasionally mention who you are and what you do, but not talk about yourself all the time. Instead, you need to engage others so they’ll return the favor. Answer people’s questions in public. Join a discussion under a certain hashtag. Go to a Tweetup in your community (or start one). Once people start knowing that you have interesting things to say – and interesting Tweets they can Retweet, (especially if they don’t have to come up with them themselves), the loyalty will grow. Klout, a social media influence site, suggests “paying it forward” by giving public credit to sources if you discuss a topic. Make it easy By creating interesting content and sharing it, you’re doing a favor to people who can’t think of anything to say – they can simply retweet yours and hopefully give you credit. But Entrepreneur says you can do a lot more to encourage your audience, and thereby increase your twitter engagement. This can include making shorter Tweets — if you use all 140 characters, it’s hard for someone to add their own thoughts when they ReTweet yours. It can also include using services like bit.ly or tinyurl to shorten links – there’s no need to take up character space with a lengthy url. You also can simply occasionally ask for a Retweet once in awhile and hope people oblige. Another way to make sure your content catches people’s eyes, besides making a lot of it, is to repost the same post a couple of times a day. Someone may miss your morning Tweet but appreciate that it comes back around in the afternoon. Or, repeat a late-night post occasionally for night owls/early birds/international followers. The social media landscape is continuously evolving, and a Twitter engagement method that may have worked three years ago may not be as effective. Likewise, there are some great tools available to assist you. Ready to learn more? Contact our team of digital marketing aficionados today to start tweeting in the most effective manner!

The history of the hashtag, pound sign, and octothorpe

#hashtaghistory #itisntwhatyouthink #italmostwasntatall #itcouldhavebeenoctothorpeorworse. If you can make sense of those words and can sling tags #likeaboss, give yourself a #goldstar. But if all you see is a jumble of letters and words, here’s a quick overview. Putting the ‘pound’ sign – or by its more recognizable term ‘hashtag’ — in front of a word or a group of words creates a discussion topic in social media, which is why you see them in Tweets, Facebook posts, Pinterest pins, texts, online news stories, and even creeping into personal correspondence. Putting a “49erfan” hashtag on a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter post about a favorite football team, for instance, can invite fellow fans to take part in a conversation, or add their own input by including the tag in their posts. Tags can also be now used in web searches, or as a PS/final thought to summarize and personalize a post. You may not necessarily want to continue a conversation like #thatsallfolks but it is a fun way to sign off, along the lines of #micdrop or #peaceouthomies. But as interesting as it can be to use them, the history of the hashtag is even more so. The history of the hashtag Common knowledge tells us that Twitter was responsible for unleashing hashtags on the world. The social media channel certainly helped their popularity and use, but the history of the hashtag goes back to the early 1960s when engineers at Bell Labs were trying to replace the rotary phone. In 1963, a Bell Telephone touch-tone research team came up with the idea of a grid of 12 buttons, with 0 and two other spaces at the bottom. One spot was designated an asterisk/star and the other a cross-hatch/diamond, both symbols already on keyboards and ASCII text. Programmers also used the hashtag symbol to break up strings of numbers. According to a recent Wired piece about the “secret origins” of the hashtag, the slash and the interrobang, a Bell Labs employee called the “pound” sign an octothorpe – it had eight legs and it so happened he was a fan of baseball player Jim Thorpe. A Gizmodo article on the early history of the hashtag said it was an improvement from a nonsense name generated by Bell marketing employee Lauren Asplund – “octoherp,” since he didn’t think Americans would want to say or remember “pound sign.” The concept of using a character to designate separate discussion channels was used by IRC in the late 1980s, an early form of chat/instant messaging. But in 2007, the idea was suggested to Twitter, which seemed to make sense for a text-based service where the goal is to be brief. Online designer Chris Messina is credited with suggesting that the company’s leadership invite and encourage users to use the # sign as an easy way to create or participate in “group” areas or topics (his first use of hashtag was “#barcamp”). He believed they could bring like-minded people together, show what topics are currently being talked about, can be searched, and measured/analyzed to see how well a digital campaign is performing. Messina said that his idea was rejected as being too technical. He also was given a prediction that the idea would never catch on. However, he encouraged the Twitter community to try them, including developer Nate Ritter, who used “#sandiegofire” to let California residents on Twitter follow coverage/related Tweets about the 2007 fires in San Diego. Facebook began incorporating them in 2013, and today, hashtags remain a popular tool for consumers and marketers. Need a little more advise on how to properly integrate hashtags into your digital marketing efforts? Contact us today to start talking! #hashtaghelp