Great news! You can now run contests on your Facebook Page without a third party app. According to the official Facebook announcement, businesses can now:

• Collect entries by having users post on the Page or comment/like a Page post
• Collect entries by having users message the Page
• Utilize likes as a voting mechanism

Facebook also announced that Pages are prohibited from tagging or asking people to tag themselves in content that they are not depicted in. For instance, if you release a new product, you can’t ask people tag themselves in exchange for a chance to win a prize.

Click here to read Facebook’s official announcement. 

Click here to read Facebook’s Promotion Guidelines.

These days, you’re probably seeing hashtags (#) all over the internet. Developed as a tracking tool, these little fellas are being used by companies and individual Twitter and Instagram users every day. If used correctly, they allow you to easily track a trending conversation online… and be part of it!

In this post, you’ll learn 1) what a hashtag is, 2) how to use hashtags when posting content online, and 3) the benefits.

1) What is a hashtag?

A hashtag is the “#” symbol used before a word or phrase (without spaces) on Twitter or Instagram. Here are a few recent and/or ongoing examples: #PopeFrancis #Oscars2013 #nofilter #tbt

By adding the “#” symbol before a word or phrase in your Tweet or Instagram post, you are categorizing it. Now your post is grouped with others using the same hashtag. 

2) How to use a hashtag

Simply add the “#” symbol before the word or phrase you want to categorize. It can be as simple as #sunrise or #puppylove. When adding a hashtag to a phrase, be sure to keep the phrase together. For example, if you want to be part of the conversation #puppylove, you’d tag the entire phrase as opposed to #puppy #love. By separating the words, you’re now part of two different conversations– one about puppy and one about love. See the difference?

Another option is to use a popular hashtag developed by an organization or public figure. For example, the popular singing show American Idol developed hashtag #idolresults, which it posts during its weekly results show.

 

 

 

Fans of the show may incorporate #idolresults into their own posts. For instance, you could say “Hoping Chris gets the 9th spot! #idolresults” or “Watching #idolresults… fingers crossed!”

In the end, your post will pop up in Twitter or Instagram’s search engine, grouped with others who also used the hashtag #idolresults.

When using hashtags, don’t spam! According to the Twitter Help Center, no more than two hashtags per tweet is best.

3) The benefits

Hashtags enable you to be relevant, which presents a great opportunity for companies.

If you’re coming out with a new collection, hosting an event, giving something away, celebrating an anniversary, etc., encourage your fans to use your hashtag tied to that occasion. For instance, if WordPop were a clothing company with a highly anticipated summer collection, #wordpopsummer13 would be relevant as clothing stores fill racks with summer wear. After a few hours (or even minutes) of publishing a hashtag, WordPop could search the hashtag to see who is talking about the brand, and specifically, who is talking about the summer collection.

Companies can also search their brand name to see what users are saying. For example, a Kobe Bryant fan recently started the hastag #Vino, comparing Kobe to wine…keeps getting better with age. #Vino started trending, and Kobe Bryant himself started using the hashtag. He’s making himself part of a conversation that’s happening right now. Even better, he’s joining a conversation started by his fans.

 

 

 

What’s ahead?

Facebook is looking to add the hashtag tool to its platform. Until then, hashtags on Facebook are not grouped or categorized in search, thus unnecessary.

Ready to tag?

Click here to see what’s trending right now on Twitter.

Click here to see what’s trending right now on Instagram.

Happy tagging!

As of November, Google indexed 25,000 infographics on the web. Currently, approximately 200,000 people are searching the term “infographics” each month. So, what are they?

Infographics are visual representations of data and information about something or someone. Here’s an example:

By looking at this infographic, you can quickly understand Kobe Bryant’s NBA success.

Fans have been anticipating his 30,000-point mark, and assuming he’d reach it in early December, the Lakers probably had an infographic locked and loaded.

Today, the Lakers shared the infographic with its ambassadors, including 15.3 million fans on Facebook and 2.8 million Twitter followers.

So, what’s the point?

Fans are embracing the infographic and sharing it like crazy (4,900 Facebook shares and 1,100 retweets by noon today).

In the social media space, it’s easy to share one info-packed visual, especially when dealing with limited character space.

What makes it cool? The visuals and the timing. Beyond the graphic design, this is topical and timely. It’s basketball season. Fans have been waiting for these 30,000 points. They want to celebrate, and the Lakers have made it easy.

How will it help the Lakers? Likely, through website traffic, social media fan growth, increased game attendance (like that’s an issue?!) and product sales.

I’m not the Lakers. How will an infographic help me? If you run a small business, an infographic can help you tell a story or share a case study. It’s especially useful when your story is data-heavy. For example, you’re a local dentist and the holidays are coming up. Why not share an infographic about the impact of candy and holiday sweets on teeth? Visually represented, perhaps with a little humor, these “no-no’s” and facts can be pretty entertaining and enjoyable to read. If a dentist shared this with me, I’d be inclined to post it, pin it and ideally, click-thru to the website and read more about the topic or the business.

What about text? Although an infographic is for easy sharing, I highly encourage paring an infographic with a story or series of stories. Use it as bait. The Lakers shared the infographic, but linked it to a detailed story about Kobe Bryant’s 30,000-point achievement. Extended information is useful for reporters who may be working on a related story, or consumers who prefer in-depth analysis.

Need help figuring out which story to tell? I can help! Email me at april@wordpoppr.com.

 

 

 

Dec. 1, 2012

Today I was told to master content marketing. What does this mean? Simply put, content marketing is sharing information (text, videos, photos) with your customers and potential customers without a direct sales pitch. For instance, if you sell sugar, you might provide a recipe for cookies. If you build cars, you might tell the story of someone who helped build the car, or someone who is enjoying the car today.

Exactly 27 minutes after learning about content marketing from industry pro Joe Pulizzi while at a PR conference, I stumbled upon a perfect, real-life example.

This holiday season, Bulgari installed metallic, light-up snakes at its New York, Rome and Tokyo stores, and made a video about it. I like holiday displays (who doesn’t?), so I watched the video.

I’ve never stepped into a Bulgari, but am generally familiar with the brand name. Now having watched the video, which brilliantly captured my attention even though I’m not in the market, I know more about the company. The video prompted me to visit the Bulgari website, where I learned that they not only sell jewelry, but fragrances and leather goods as well. I also learned that they are donating $20 million to Save the Children.

The script-free video got the job done. No, I didn’t buy anything, but my awareness of the company, its products and its cool factor, are way up.

Watch the video on NYMag.com here.

~April