the leading magazine for social media trends, social analytics and online marketing

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Focus on how to
be social, not on
how to do social.
- Jay Baer, Convince & Convert

Dominating Social Media:

Taco Bell Style Written by Nick Alfonse
Social media presence in 2014. This is the norm, not the exception, and with this some
companies are building an empire with their following by implementing fun, engaging
strategies that speak to their target demographic.
Ad Ages Marketer of the Year in 2013 was none other than Taco Bell, thanks to a unique
strategy driven by clever social media tactics and their wildly successful Doritos Locos Tacos.
Yes, the same tacos youve seen on your Facebook and Twitter feeds have sold over 600
million units in a year and a half, making them a critical player in the companys growth.

So how did they do it? To start with, Taco Bell has no reservations about openly targeting the
18-34 age group. Identifying their most active consumer base has helped them keep their
content focused instead of generalizing to please every demographic. As a result, their feeds
are loaded with mouth-watering images of burritos, nachos, churros and more, accompanied by short quips like A dollar each. A dollar well spent. or Home away from home.
Theyve also made a habit of frequently interacting with customers, celebrities and companies,
frequently retweeting selfies, videos, and comments from their following of nearly 1mm on
twitter and over 10mm on Facebook. Names and brands such as Chrissy Teigen, Dillon
Francis, Urban Outfitters, Sony and others often pop up, often tied to giveaways and other
promotional campaigns. Taco Bell even sends out occasional hand-written notes along with
little presents to some of their celebrity followers. This is then shared on multiple media
outlets, resulting in high engagement and interaction for the company.
3

To affect the
quality of the
day, that is the
highest of arts.
- Henry David Thoreau

Meme vs. Meaningful: Quality

Content Wins on Facebook
Written by Melissa McDermott
Facebook certainly has come a long way! In fact, it drives more traffic than any other social
platform, according to SimpleReach.
A survey conducted by Facebook engineers showed that people are looking for news they can
use. The results showed that on average, users prefer links to high-quality articles to the latest
meme. Whether its current events, favorite sports teams, or shared interests, people want to
see more relevant news and what their friends have to say about it.
In order to show the right content to the right people at the right time, Facebook engineers
have developed a new algorithm into News Feed. Thousands of people were surveyed to give
an idea of what factors make a post high-quality. With the results of that survey, the algorithm
was created and tested. Engineers saw a significant increase in interactions and fewer stories
hidden overall.
Facebook is all about interaction, so theyre bumping stories with the most comments to the top
of the News Feed. The news stories that you share could resurface with comments from your
friends. The comments will be highlighted, creating conversations about all types of content.

Quality content needs a quality headline

You may have noticed headlines in the Upworthy style all over the internet. The main reason
for this is that people click on them! While browsing through Facebook, users tend to read
and share these stories more often. Find out why in this article.

Insert
Photo
Here

Worth a Thousand Retweets

Written by Jon Stubbs

We all know that tweets containing images or videos are more likely to be retweeted 25%
more likely, in fact. Last October, Twitter implemented a new feature that, for the first time,
allowed users to view photo and video previews right in their feed. Previously, users were
required to click through a link to view images and videos. The new preview feature changed
the tweeting game in two ways. First of all, the burden was no longer on the tweeters short
description to sell a viewer on clicking that link, as the picture is right there to speak for itself.
Secondly, including a picture in the feed itself makes the tweet 94% more likely to be retweeted.

Including a picture in the feed itself makes

the tweet 94% more likely to be retweeted
Keep in mind that in order to benefit from the preview space, the image must be uploaded
using Twitters built-in image service Pic.Twitter.com. Not surprisingly, photos posted using links
from competitors Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr will still appear as links only, and will be
42% less likely to be retweeted.
Still, the most important thing is to start with a unique and interesting photo. A study using
eye-tracking technology has shown that people tend to ignore stock photos. It turns out that
were remarkably skilled at distinguishing real people from stock image models. For example,
viewers spent 10% more time looking at the 30-plus portraits of employees on a companys
team profile webpage, going so far as to scroll further down the page in search of more real
people. At the same time, those viewers hardly glanced at the huge, generic-looking images
used as filler near the tops of other pages.

The Social
Medium
is the
Message

How Social Media Ads are

Becoming More Engaging
and Personal Written by Mike Still
When scrolling through Instagram or your Twitter timeline, you
probably wont recognize them for what they are. On many social
media sites, now seamlessly intertwined with photos of your friends
dog, are advertisements from major brands that are presented in a
non-intrusive, engaging format designed to cater to your unique interest.
Google+s +Post ads, for example, are changing the way social media
sites and brands work together to market products. +Post ads are traditional
Google+ posts that run on the Google Display Network, placing a companys
ad on any of its 2 million sites and reaching users who are interested in those
brands. The ads come straight from a companys Google+ page, and allow users
and brands to comment, share or even join a Google Hangout to discuss the product.
These conversations create a valuable community around a brand where people can
talk with each other and with the brand itself, said Google product manager, Eran
Arkin, on his Google+ page.
In December, Twitter began using Tailored Audiences, targeting users with ads better suited
to their preferences. This allows a brand to reach users who have viewed similar products or
services elsewhere on the internet. HubSpot, a developer and marketer of software-as-a-service
products for inbound marketing, participated in beta testing of Promoted Tweets and saw an
increase in engagement rates of 45 percent compared to their historical averages.
Instagram ads began running in October, and appear much like traditional posts. Our aim is to make
any advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos many of you already
enjoy from your favorite brands, Instagram stated on its site in a post introducing the ads. Instagram added
that its goal is to make ads appear much like engaging, high-quality ads [you see] when you flip through
your favorite magazine. The social media giant initially worked with a handful of brands in launching the
advertisements, including Ben & Jerrys. The ice cream companys first ad was liked 386,877 times an increase
of 2,000 percent from its average post, according to Business2Community.com. Instagram also gives users the
option to opt out of receiving particular ads if theyre not interested, so it can provide more relevant ads in the future.
9

Social media is growing up in

the eyes of business executives

The ROI
of Social

Often resigned to a complementary component of businesses marketing campaigns, social

media is rapidly securing a reputation as a pillar of successful business thats impossible to
ignore for the majority of the countrys successful companies.
According to the 2013 State of Digital Marketing report Webmarketing 123, 54 percent of
B2C (business-to-customer) companies surveyed reported that social media played a role in
not only generating leads, but directly generating revenue. Even among B2B (business-tobusiness) companies, 54 percent reported generating leads through social and 39 percent
said those leads turned into revenue generation.
These trends are apparently raising eyebrows, even among those who previously paid little
attention to the role social media played on their bottom line. Around 20 percent of all
companies surveyed said they were unsure of the role social played in their lead or revenue
generation. But of these, 56 percent of B2B companies and 65 percent of B2C companies
said they planned to increase investment in social media.
One reason some have been hesitant to lean too heavily on social media is because traditional ROI (return on investment) measurement models are difficult to apply to social media.
But according to Giuseppe Crosti, co-GM of SocialProvidence:
ROI is not an applicable performance indicator; by measuring lead generation, the impact
of social on sales can be realistically quantified. A successful social strategy is part of an
integrated pathway from lead generation to sales. Only within this framework can the
power of social be fully unleashed.
Social medias potential is undeniable. Whether traditionalists embrace it or not, nothing can compete with social medias reach more than 500 million tweets and 4.75
billion Facebook shares every day (Crosti).
Written by Matt Pappalardo

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igram #style #throwbackthursday #iphonesia #follow4follow #my #instacool #hair #instafollow #life #bored #sky #cool #instahub #harrystyles #shoutout #likeforlike #look #20likes #funny #family #boyfriend #niallhoran #hot #makeup #colorful #throw#picstitch #jj #loveit #igdaily #girls #photo #tired #pink #home #instaphoto #repost #beach #shoes #blue #jj_forum #a #party
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e #follow #photooftheday #like #tbt #girl #followme #picoftheday #beautiful #tagsforlikes #instadaily #happy #igers #summer
amood #bestoftheday #fun #smile #food #instalike #fashion #all_shots #swag #webstagram #iphoneonly #friends #like4like
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owme #picoftheday #beautiful #tagsforlikes #instadaily #happy #igers #summer #instamood #bestoftheday #fun #smile #food
alike #fashion #all_shots #swag #webstagram #iphoneonly #friends #like4like #l4l #instago #tflers #eyes #tweegram #amazselfie #nice #lol #sun #instacollage #nofilter #pretty #statigram #style #throwbackthursday #iphonesia #follow4follow #my
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ily #boyfriend #niallhoran #hot #makeup #colorful #throwback #picstitch #jj #loveit #igdaily #girls #photo #tired #pink #home
aphoto #repost #beach #shoes #blue #jj_forum #a #party #baby #in #f4f #instalove #nature #night #louistomlinson #art #music
owforfollow #day #snow #fitness #love #instagood #me #cute #follow #photooftheday #like #tbt #girl #followme #picoftheday
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#bored #sky #cool #instagramhub #harrystyles #shoutout #likeforlike #look #20likes #funny #family #boyfriend #niallhoran
#makeup #colorful #throwback #picstitch #jj #loveit #igdaily #girls #photo #tired #pink #home #instaphoto #repost #beach
es #blue #jj_forum #a #party #baby #in #f4f #instalove #nature #night #louistomlinson #art #music #followforfollow #day
w #fitness #love #instagood #me #cute #follow #photooftheday #like #tbt #girl #followme #picoftheday #beautiful #tagsforlikes
adaily #happy #igers #summer #instamood #bestoftheday #fun #smile #food #instalike #fashion #all_shots #swag #websta#iphoneonly #friends #like4like #l4l #instago #tflers #eyes #tweegram #amazing #selfie #nice #lol #sun #instacollage #nofilter
ty #statigram #style #throwbackthursday #iphonesia #follow4follow #my #instacool #hair #instafollow #life #bored #sky #cool
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y #baby #in #f4f #instalove #nature #night #louistomlinson #art #music #followforfollow #day #snow #fitness #love #insta-

How to Avoid Hashtag Horrors

Written by Elizabeth Coffey
With the rise of Twitter and the use of the hashtag, something hazardous that could potentially
sink your entire social media campaign has come along for the ride; hashtag abuse. In the
pursuit of promoting your business, its easy to fall into the trap of tagging every word in your
post or tweet just to be found on social media sites. But instead of coming across as an authority in your field or industry, hashtag abuse makes you appear spammy; just another voice in a
sea of voices shouting, Buy me! Here are some helpful hints on how to use hashtags appropriately, especially now that Google has added hashtags to its search results:

Choose your hashtags wisely

Dont hashtag common words like you and the. Instead, choose words that are relevant
to what youre talking about so you can be found by people who are not familiar with your
content (ie: #MLB, #MajorLeagueBaseball).

Use hashtags judiciously

Dont use hashtags in every update, and try to use no more than one per update. Otherwise,
it looks like spam and wont get you noticed (at least in a good way). Repeating the same
hashtag in multiple posts also goes against best practices.

Test your hashtags

Search your potential hashtags in Twitter or set your Facebook status to Only Me to begin
testing. Youre checking to see if theyre relevant, focused, and in use by the actual members
of the online community.
For more information, please visit our blog.

13

Mo Pages Mo Problems:
Googles Matt Cutts on Indexed Page Count
Written by Britt Pierce

S E O
C O R
N E R

Content is king, but it takes more than a flock of

pages floating out in cyberspace to impress the
intricate algorithms of Googles ranking system.
Matt Cutts, head of Googles Webspam team,
explains in a featured video that a large number
of indexed pages doesnt necessarily equate to a
website ranking higher as a whole.
Googles algorithms place a higher importance
on interaction and overall engagement. A website
with more third-party links pointing to it is more
likely to invite deeper crawling. This results in

30 Ways in 30 Days:
Mashables Guide to Marketing Metrics
Written by Britt Pierce
Whether through a website, one of the countless
social media platforms available, or a combination of the above, most business owners have
invested in some type of online presence. They
use this online presence to create status updates,
tweets, posts, pins, photos, and videos in an
attempt to engage current customers and attract
potential ones.
Just as bountiful as the data constantly shooting
across cyberspace are the ways of collecting it.
Business owners monitor every users interaction

more pages being found, then indexed, and that

is what gives the website potential to achieve a
higher ranking in searches.

The more engaging and relevant a website is

to its visitors, the more likely it will be shared
So how does a business achieve those coveted
third-party links? While a collection of keywords
was once considered ideal, the key to capturing
the attention of todays discerning online audience
is content. Gone are the days when the Internet
was simply a platform to lecture from. Its evolved
into a dialogue between client and customer. The
more engaging and relevant a website is to its
visitors, the more likely it will be shared through
links and social media channels with a wider
potential audience.

and scrutinize the numbers from every possible

angle. They watch these statistics like hawks. But
what do these numbers mean? How can they
be used to encourage customer interaction and
increase profits?
Mashable offers answers 30 of them, to be
precise. In Metrics That Matter, the news and
social media mogul has designed a 30-day map of
online marketing tips and strategies. Theres something for even the savviest social media marketers
to learn from this guide, which covers everything
from quantifying revenue per user to insights
on the wildly popular tactics recently employed
by Geico, Kmart, and others. The cutting-edge
collection comes complete with new goals
marketers can commit to for 2014.
15

Money is so 20th century.

The new currency is buzz.

Businesses Let You Pay with the

Value of Your Social Network
Written by Frank Berrodin
In 2010, the service Pay with a Tweet, launched, allowing artists, authors, businesses, etc.,
to digitally exchange their products for a tweet. Four years later, many major corporations are
adopting a similar method by directly offering value through social media engagement.

- Internet Retailer

Starbucks has launched tweet a coffee, which allows you to send a $5 gift card to any Twitter user. Simply link your Starbucks account to Twitter, tweet a personalized message, and
make someones day.
Using advanced vending machine technology, Pepsis Like Machine gives passersby free
sodas in exchange for a Like. Its just another way to offer something tangible in return for
a click.
You can even donate your tweets to charity. Last month, a vending machine in a Vancouver mall
dispensed 3,000 stuffed pandas to those who tweeted #HomeTweetHome, with proceeds
going to WWF Canada, a conservation group.

Engagement through contests and giveaways has always been a part of the social media landscape, which makes the prospect of businesses bartering their products to gain recognition
very promising going forward.

17

Youre off to Great Places!

Today is your day!
Your Mountain is waiting,
So get on your way!

Oh, the places youll Pin!

Pinterest introduces Place Pins
Written by Jen Stercula
Pinterest is only the most up-and-coming image search engine around. The end of 2013 saw
some huge changes for Pinterest, including the expansion of user experience with the introduction of Place Pins. They are an interactive way to track all of the best eats on your epic vacation
or your weekend search for the best thrift shops and breweries.
Users are already pinning 1.5 million places, and over 750 million destinations every day.
Place Pins allow you to add a phone number, address, and details of interest through the app
on your smartphone and features a beautifully designed interactive map. Pinterest has also
partnered with major brands and networks to offer Place Pin boards that can help you plan
your dinner or your next summer trip. APIs (application program interface) endpoints in the
form of easily accessible Pin It buttons are showing up on more and more travel websites so
you can simply click and pin.
Actually, youve probably noticed that you cant order shoes online, or look up a recipe without the option to Pin your selected item. Theres a reason for it. When you do, API endpoints
allow retailers and other social media platforms to track your interaction with their brand and
their products through metrics like top pins, most-clicked through pins, etc. So when you
pin something directly from a website, or you repin from a retailers pin board, youre offering
valuable information on popular trends in a variety of markets. In turn, they can provide you
with a more satisfying experience or product because they know what you like.
Click here to keep up with the latest on Pinterest.

19

Supplemental Links
Dominating Social Media: Taco Bell Style
Written by Nick Alfonse
Advertising Age http://adage.com/article/special-report-marketer-alist-2013/taco-bell-ad-age-s-marketer-year/243852/
Policy Mic http://www.policymic.com/articles/73129/5-ways-taco-bell-is-killing-it-with-social-media
twitter photo, Taco Bell https://twitter.com/TacoBell/status/413413975917748225/photo/1
twitter photo, Taco Bell https://twitter.com/TacoBell/status/416669945334755328/photo/1
twitter account, Taco Bell https://twitter.com/TacoBell
Facebook account, Taco Bell https://www.facebook.com/tacobell
Socialbu tumblr http://socialbu.tumblr.com/post/67680799068/excellent-reasons-why-taco-bell-is-killing-it-with
Businesses Let You Pay with the Value of Your Social Network
Written by Frank Berrodin
Internet Retailer http://www.internetretailer.com/2010/07/08/will-consumers-pay-tweet
Pay With a Tweet http://www.paywithatweet.com/
Starbucks https://www.starbucks.com/tweet-a-coffee
Mashable http://mashable.com/2013/12/19/twitter-vending-machine/
Mashable http://mashable.com/2013/05/31/pepsi-like-machine/
Worth a Thousand Retweets
Written by Jon Stubbs

Oh, the places youll Pin! Pinterest introduces Place Pins

Written by Jen Stercula
Pinterest Business Blog http://businessblog.pinterest.com/post/67622600683/introducing-place-pins-for-the-explorer-in-all-of-us
Pinterest, Top Hotels in the World (Conde Nast Traveler Board) http://www.pinterest.com/cntraveler/hotels-we-love/
Pinterest, East Coast Beach Crawl (Travel Channel Board) http://www.pinterest.com/travelchannel/east-coast-beach-crawl/
Pinterest, Worlds Best Festivals (Fest 300 Board) http://www.pinterest.com/fest300/the-worlds-best-festivals/
Socialbu Tumblr http://socialbu.tumblr.com/post/67058764317/new-pinterest-partner-apis-showcase-pins-directly-on
Pinterest Blog http://blog.pinterest.com/
How Social Media Ads are Becoming More Engaging and Personal
Written by Mike Still
Toyota, +Posts ads YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4yCUgx7H2zo
Google+ page, Googles Eran Arkin https://plus.google.com/+EranArkin/posts
Online Media Daily http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/214895/twitter-releases-tailored-audiences-ad-targeting.html
Instagram blog http://blog.instagram.com/post/63017560810/instagramasagrowingbusiness
Business2Community http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/online-advertising-25-stats-facts-break-0723951#!q0v7S
The More the Merrier? Think Again!
Written by Britt Pierce
Matt Cutts: Good Content Trumps SEO http://readwrite.com/2011/12/13/googles-matt-cutts-good-conten#awesm=~ovuPYLis6Mu5qI
Does a Site Rank Better If It Has a Lot of Indexed Pages?, YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVOrml7fp2c
30 Ways in 30 Days: Mashables Guide to Online Marketing
Written by Britt Pierce
Metrics That Matter, Mashable http://mashable.com/category/metrics-that-matter/

Fastcolabs.com http://www.fastcolabs.com/3023381/want-to-get-more-retweets-try-doing-this-and-this-and-this
Buzzfork.com http://blog.buzzfork.com/post/63371623759/twitter-pictures-retweet-study
Nielsen Norman Group http://www.nngroup.com/articles/photos-as-web-content/

How to Avoid Hashtag Horrors

Written by Elizabeth Coffey

Meme vs. Meaningful: Quality Content Wins on Facebook

Written by Melissa McDermott

Social Fresh http://socialfresh.com/google-adds-hashtags-to-search/

Social Media Today http://socialmediatoday.com/kenmueller/1613406/hashtags-proper-use
Twitter Media https://media.twitter.com/best-practice/how-to-use-hashtags
Twitter Media https://media.twitter.com/best-practice/using-hashtags

Simplereach http://simplereach.com/blog/facebook-continues-to-be-the-biggest-driver-of-social-traffic
Social Insights: Content Quality Matters http://socialbu.tumblr.com/post/69485801431/content-quality-matters-facebooks-latest-news-feed
Facebook: News Feed FYI https://www.facebook.com/business/news/News-Feed-FYI-Showing-More-High-Quality-Content
Facebook: News Feed FYI https://www.facebook.com/business/news/News-Feed-FYI-A-Window-Into-News-Feed
Upworthy http://www.upworthy.com/
The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/why-are-upworthy-headlines-suddenly-everywhere/282048/

Social media is growing up in the eyes of business executives

Written by Matt Pappalardo
Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/giuseppe-crosti/truth-and-lies-of-social-media-roi_b_4339813.html
Marketing Land http://marketingland.com/social-media-driving-revenue-for-one-third-of-b2c-companies-one-fifth-of-b2b-firms-report-64256

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