Social Media has grown and matured over the years but many aren’t aware of updates and best practices that you should be using to leverage social marketing to amplify your message to it’s full potential. This session will outline Best Practices for the top social networks as well as uncover what brands are looking for from blogger relationships.
Takeaways:
> Outline best practices for the top social networks
> Determine what brands want from blogger relationships and how to create value for them.
2. Brianna Purvis
Account Director - Shoutlet
Linkedin.com/in/briannapurvis
Twitter.com/briannapurvis
Instagram.com/purvisbm16
3. CONTENTS
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
8 Things Every Blogger Should Know About
Working With Brands
Q+A
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5. START WITH WHO YOU KNOW
• Reaching out to your existing community
LEVERAGE YOUR EXISTING ASSETS
• Add Social Plug-ins
• Install the Facebook Comments plug-in
ENGAGE WITH OTHER GROUPS
• Partner with other organizations or groups to
create co-promotions and encourage viral sharing
DEVELOP YOUR POSTING PLAN
• Find your voice and foster a two-way dialogue
SHARE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
• Host chat sessions
• Post “on-the-ground” pictures
• Targeted publishing
6. USE FACEBOOK TO
• Build your blogs and sponsors audiences
• Share unique content & offers
• Foster relationships
• Say “Thank You”
• Celebrate your milestones
• Tell a brand story… take advantage of your cover
photo, milestones, apps, and timeline.
• Get feedback or ideas from your community
• Drive traffic to your blog or website
• Drive traffic to your sponsors blog or website
• Share links to breaking news, articles/media
• Create Facebook Events to highlight your events
• Run Facebook contests and promotions
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8. SHARING LINKS
• Facebook will prioritize
showing links in the link-format
and show fewer links
shared in captions or status
updates.
11. IMPACT
• Brands who are frequently
posting links with click-bait
headlines that many people don’t
spend time reading after they click
through may see their distribution
decrease in the next few months.
13. WHY?
• Facebook is making these
changes to ensure that click-bait
content does not drown out the
things that people really want to
see.
• Facebook studies have shown
that link posts receive twice as
many clicks compared to links
embedded in photo captions.
15. most online advertising reaches
only 38% of its intended audience…
FACEBOOK’S AVERAGE IS 89%
– Nielsen OCR, August 2013
16. OPTIMAL
TIMES
• 1-4 pm; however,
this can depend on
the brand
FREQUENCY
• Depends on the
brand, but aim
for a minimum of
3-4 posts per
week on average
24. CREATE TWEETS THAT RESONATE
Combine exciting, useful content with an engaging,
unique tone to emotionally connect with your audience.
Include links, pictures, and videos.
TIMING – MAKE IT REAL-TIME
Keep your Tweets prompt and timely – a
crucial element for Twitter success
SHORT + SWEET
140 characters max, Tweets shorter than 100
characters get a 17% higher engagement rate
TWEET OFTEN
3-5x daily – try tweeting a couple of times a day to see
how your audience reacts, then adjust as needed.
ENGAGE
Simply @reply – Engage other users in conversations
using @replies and mentions. Consistently respond to
compliments and feedback
A PERIOD IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A PUBLIC MENTION
AND A REPLY ON TWITTER
When you use a Twitter username as
The first word in your tweet, you must
add a period before the username for all
Your followers to see your tweet.
SHARE PHOTOS
The optimal aspect ratio for twitter images is 2:1 for
your followers to see a full preview. For example: 1024
x 512 pixels.
25. STAY TRENDY
• Participate in Twitter trends: whether organically or
through Promoted Tweets
• Take advantage of real-time marketing and customer
service.
BE A THOUGHT LEADER
Demonstrate wider leadership and know-how. Reference
articles and links about the bigger picture as it relates to
your focus.
BE A CHAMPION
Retweet and reply publicity to great tweets posted by your
followers and your stakeholders
GIVE INSIDER TIPS
Give excellent tips with no bland generalities, just direct
and well-founded insider info. This could be the best
places to find a product or another use for a product.
CONTENT
• Create content that is interesting and unique
• Use plenty of visuals to more deeply engage readers
• Use #hashtags strategically, not carelessly
• Custom hashtags can and should be used for
campaigns, promotions, and contests
• Stick to two hashtags per tweet
• Keep tweets short and to the point; short tweets are
more likely to receive engagement
• Use twitter to run a contest or promotion
26. MEASURE YOUR IMPACT
Gauge your progress and success: learn
what to measure and how to measure it.
SET GOALS + MEET THEM
Set goals as the first step to
develop more effective ways to engage
your audience and grow your business.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK
Get proactive. Ask your customer if they are
following you on Twitter and what they think
about your Tweets. Find out if there’s
anything you can do differently that would
make the experience better or more valuable
for them.
DEFINE METRICS
Do some thinking about how you’ll measure
your success. Here are some metrics to
consider:
FOLLOWER GROWTH
How many new followers you get every day, week
or month.
FOLLOWER QUALITY + ENGAGEMENT
How many user interact with your account.
REACH
How many user favorite or retweet your Tweets
TRAFFIC
How many users go to your site.
CONVERSION
How many users sign up for your
service or buy your product
27. OPTIMAL TIMES
• Mondays-Thursdays
from 1-3 pm
FREQUENCY
• Depends on the brand,
resources, etc.
• A good goal would be
to aim for 30-35 posts
per week
– Hubspot.com, April 2014
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29.
30. 40 MILLION monthly active users
70 million+ total users
80% of Pinterest users are female
23% of Pinterest users use it at least once a day
DRIVES MORE TRAFFIC than any other social media site
has 50% higher conversion rates than it’s rivals
Pinterest users SPEND MORE MONEY than other social site users
up to 47% of online consumers have bought based on Pinterest recommendations
31. CREATE “PINNABLE” CONTENT
• Make sure your content from your
website/blog is pinnable. By simply using
high-quality images with the pin-it button,
you make it easy for users to spread the
word about your business!
• Add Pinterest follow and pin-it buttons
your website, blog, and other owned
properties
HAVE KILLER PHOTOGRAPHY
• Show readers “the experience” of what
your blog and your sponsor offers — make
it irresistible by using killer photography
32. CREATE + ORGANIZE
BOARDS EFFECTIVELY
• Give your boards creative… but clear names so
people can tell what’s on them – just keep it to 20
characters or less so it doesn’t get cut off.
• Don’t forget the description to help you show up
in searches.
• Be sure to include a disclosure if the pin is
sponsored!
• Choose a compelling cover Pin (often an image
that gets re-pinned often works well)
• Each board should consist of at least 10 photos
so that it’s substantial enough for a user to follow.
• Don’t limit yourself to a generic collections of
photos. Think of the different niche target markets
you serve and tailor boards to showcase them.
• Tell a highly visually story that drives real website
traffic
33. HAVE A VISUALLY STRIKING PROFILE
• Create a business account and verify your
website. This lets pinners know that it’s the real
you, and it’ll also give you access to Pinterest
analytics.
• Use your blog logo or a photo of you as profile
photo on Pinterest (200x200 pixels). Use a high-quality
image!
• Minimize the amount of text on an image. If you
need text, make sure it’s easy to read.
• Write a brief profile description to introduce your
brand and what inspires you.
• Tall images get repinned more and they take up
more viewing space on a newsfeed.
• Get your followers hooked by using bright,
colorful photos in your boards!
36. OPTIMAL TIMES
• Saturday mornings
• Weekdays from 2-4pm
• Weeknights from 8pm-1am
FREQUENCY
There’s no real structure around
how often you can and should post
to Pinterest. The sky’s the limit in
terms of posting frequency… just
don’t inundate your followers with
pins.
41. 200 MILLION monthly active users
20 billion+ photos have been shared on Instagram to date
50 million users signed up for Instagram in the last six months
60 million average photos posted per day
1.6 billion likes daily
ENGAGEMENT on Instagram is 15 TIMES that of Facebook
Instagram receives 1,000 comments and 8,500 likes per second
Instagram is the FASTEST GROWING social network of the top 10 mobile apps
Instagram ads have helped retailers increase ad recall by 32% and brand message lift by 10%
42. PROFILE PHOTO
Simple is best! We recommend using
your blog’s logo or a picture of yourself.
TEXT
• Keep captions short and fresh.
• Incorporate a few hashtags (max of 3
so they don't detract from the simplicity
of the post).
• Ask questions to engage people.
COMMENTING + LIKING
Use hashtags, location and Photos of
You to find others' images. Engage with
them by liking and commenting on their
images.
43. TAGGING
• Include the location of your photo or
video
• Use the Add People feature to tag
accounts in your image to help you
reach a broader audience.
IMAGE TOOLS
Edit your images with filters and
other tools available in the Instagram
app. These effects give images that
unmistakable Instagram look that
people respond to.
IMAGES
Post photos and videos of beautiful
and unexpected moments that also
feel authentic and immediate.
Whether your subject is a person or
an object, capture it in a context that
represents your blog’s point of view
or your sponsors’ identity.
44. EXPERIMENT
• All businesses have different audiences + goals
• Content frequency
• Listen to feedback and respond accordingly
LEVERAGE YOUR
INSTAGRAM WEB PROFILE
• Instagram.com/[your user name]
• Follow users, comment and like photos, and edit
your profile easily from the web
CONNECT YOUR
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
• Connect your Instagram account to your
Facebook Page, Twitter Profile, and Foursquare
• Helps reach and exposure across all audiences
• Makes sharing across platforms easy
• Note: consider posting to twitter directly so that
the image automatically shows in the feed (instead
of an instagram link)
45. SHARE OFFERS + DISCOUNT
• Word of mouth marketing is a
powerful thing. When your followers
get exclusive discounts, they tell their
friends.
HOST CONTESTS GIVEAWAYS
• Generate buzz by hosting a promotion on
Instagram! Keep it simple, fun and brand related.
• Use a unique hashtag; try to use one
that includes your blog name and
sponsor name.
CONSIDER USING INSTAGRAM DIRECT
Instagram Direct allows you to send photos
and videos to your followers privately.
You have the option to send an
individual or group message (up to 15
followers). This is a great way to reach
your most engaged fans in a personal way.
46. OPTIMAL TIMES
• Instagram videos are best posted during
off-hours (9pm-8am) or on weekends
• Instagram photos see successful
interaction rates at any given time
throughout the day
• No one day of the week is significantly
more effective than any other
• Experiment with your audience to determine
when you receive the most interactions
FREQUENCY
You want to stay present in your followers’ news
feeds without clogging them. Try to post at least
once a week, but don’t overdo it
– Hubspot.com, April 2014
50. A GREAT MEDIA KIT SPEAKS VOLUMES
It can either open doors or slam them in your face
It’s about YOUR brand and it’s IMPORTANT
• Considering hiring a professional designer or
enlist graphic design students at a local college!
• Make sure your contact info is easy to find and is
available on your website
• Include your location - lots of partnerships are
location based
• Clearly define your audience and your topics;
some brands look for niche and key audiences
not just amount of followers.
• Be AUTHENTIC and TRUE to your brand
• Include Stats for your blog and social channels.
• Visitors Per Month
• Page Views Per Month
• Average Page view (over 90 day period)
• Reader Demographic (Quantcast)
• Subscribers (RSS + Mailing List)
• Facebook Followers
• Average Facebook Engagement (likes, shares, comments)
• Twitter Followers
• Average Twitter Engagement (favorites, retweets, @mentions)
• Pinterest Followers
• Average Pinterest Engagement (likes, re-pins, comments)
• Instagram Followers
• Average Instagram Engagement (likes, comments)
• Keep it updated on a monthly basis brands want
to see your blog grow!
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51. STATS ARE NOT EVERYTHING…
It’s about delivering VALUE to brands
that want to reach YOUR audience
A common misconception is that you can’t
work with brands if you have a relatively
small following or are a fairly new blogger
brands are looking for unique content – NOT
TRUE!
• The narrower your target niche, the less impressive your
statistics (followers) have to be to make a splash for a
brand!
• When including stats in your media kit –
• Focus on your strengths. If you don’t have a large
following, but have high engagement (likes,
shares, comments, etc.), make sure to call it out.
• Don’t forget about your social channels; views on
blogs aren’t accelerating at the pace they used to,
but you can see explosive results on other social
platforms…
• Brands that you’ve worked with should be included
in your stats.
• Pro-Tip: Include brand logos if possible… it’s
easier to instantly recognize.
• Design-Tip: Don’t let brand logos
overshadow what your blog is about;
consider using 1C instead of full color logos.
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52. KNOW WHAT BRANDS WANT
*hint* it’s your job to make them successful
Brands want to be able to track:
• Attribution = new sales + conversions + leads
• Referral Traffic to their Website + Time Spent on Site =
Brand Awareness + Engagement
• Collect Email Addresses = Leads
• Link Clicks = Engagement + Brand Awareness
• Growth of Audience on Social Networks = Engagement”
• i.e. Follower/fan growth, likes, shares, comments,
favorites, @mentions, retweets, repins, etc.
To ensure campaign success, keep
the above items in mind and ask:
• For track-able links so that brands can see your impact
• To incorporate your social channels to create a fully
integrated campaign
• Negotiate advertising dollars for Facebook to ensure that
your fan base is seeing the content
• Suggest a promotion to collect email address to win the
product or to receive a coupon (great way to collect data
and also track conversions/attribution)
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53. CREATE A WIN-WIN SITUATION
If you lose your readers trust…
you lose everything.
Your blog’s success depends on if your
partners are a good match with your readers.
• The most successful brand partnerships are long-term
relationships… don’t be afraid to ask for more.
• Think broadly… ask for multiple posts, incorporate
multiple channels and not one-off promotions (it’s
hard to gauge success).
• Only accept sponsorships from brands whose
products you use and would share with your friends.
• * if you’re not familiar with product/brand but think it
would be a good match – go ahead and take a
chance… but don’t be shy about telling the brand
that you really need to see and use the products to
tell a compelling story.
• Ask for the brand to cross-promote on their social
channels.
• Just because a big brand approaches you doesn’t
mean it’s a great fit… it’s ok to say no.
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54. THINK ABOUT THE BIGGER PICTURE
set yourself apart from just another blogger…
Offer marketing expertise ideas for engagement
• Ask brands about the overall campaigns and what their
goals and objectives are working with you… and make sure
that the campaign that you’re running addresses them.
• Thinking about offering package deals... there are many
ways to incorporate a brand into your blog – always start off
talking about a fully integrated campaign.
• Sponsored posts
• Reviews
• Special Events
• Sweepstakes/Giveaways
• Social Media Promotions
• Casual Brand Mentions
• Don’t be afraid to give some ideas to the brand… you know
your readers and what content works well.
• The more your campaigns are worth in ROI, the more you’ll
be able to charge in the future!
• Develop a rate card for the various partnerships you offer.
*hint* aim high this is where you’ll start your negotiations!
Associate a dollar amount even if you’re willing to accept
product in exchange (gives brands a frame of reference on
what you’re worth)
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55. MAKE SURE IT’S MUTUALLY BENEFITIAL
Brand work is hard and you need to be
compensated. Time is money.
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The moral of the story here is that the right brand
partner will allow you to work closer with them, be
more creative and overall bring more value.
• Before you agree to anything think about the work that is
involved for the partnership to be successful.
• It’s always nice to get free product in exchange but know
upfront that it might not be worth what the brand gets in
exposure.
• This is ok… just weigh the benefits. Think about “Is this going to
give me more exposure, open up other new opportunities etc.?”
knowing that you might get burned out. (think about that media kit)
• At the end of the day… negotiate and don’t be afraid to ask for
what you want. The worse they can say is no.
• Taking on big name projects that aren’t a good fit for your
readers just because of the brand name doesn’t help anyone.
• Look for opportunities that are an ideal fit for your blog and your
readers – regardless of the name recognition that the company
already has. It can be fabulous to work with a smaller brand!
• Negotiate and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
56. ENGAGEMENT MATTERS
Brands are looking for one thing from bloggers…
and it’s unique content that engages readers.
It can be showing products on real people, styling
product their way, or a review. It’s all about brand
awareness and engagement in a more real and
appealing way.
• Engagement can be measured in many ways – from
comments on your blog, shares on Facebook, retweets
on Twitter, clicks on links to re-pins on Pinterest.
• Engagement is the STRONGEST metric on your blog -
PLAY IT UP!
• Be sure include engagement metrics in your media kit
• Smart brands GET the VALUE of high engagement
• Make it more valuable for the brand an offer:
• Partner email signup
• Special event RSVPs
• Giveaways/Sweepstakes
• Coupon Codes
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57. more information can be found on www.ftc.gov
FTC DISCLOSURE… SAY GOODBYE TO THE FINE PRINT.
If you’re are receiving something in return – whether it’s product or monetary compensation, you’ll need a disclosure. 8
Prominence
• Make sure your disclosure is big enough to easily read
Placement
• Geography matters… make sure it’s easy to find.
Presentation
• Start off with 100% transparency + announce your
affiliation with the brand
• Is the disclosure clearly worded in a way that
consumers can easily understand? Don’t bury the
disclosure in a dense block of text!
Proximity
• Is it close to the claim it modifies?
• An asterisk will NOT solve the problem
“Clear and Conspicuous” is a not a font size
• If your fans notice it, read it and understand it… then it’s clear
Hashtag + Social Disclosures
• Make sure you have #ad or # sponsored in the tweet,
description, etc. and a full disclosure on the content
The key is that your reader needs to know if you received
something in return BEFORE reading your review or
clicks away from your post to the product/brand.