Social Brand Visibility

Holiday Discovery, AI Acceleration, and Search Precision

December 23, 2024 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

The holiday season acts as a stress test for digital platforms. TikTok positions itself as a retail discovery engine with its Holiday Shopping Guide. Adobe advances enterprise workflows through the new AI Assistant inside Adobe Experience Platform. Google keeps teams on their toes with continued emphasis on quality signals that shape visibility. Together, these shifts make one truth clear. Advantage depends on speed of alignment across community, creative, and search. Campaign cycle time shortens. Organic reach pivots quickly. Engagement metrics like click through rate and bounce rate swing as platform behavior changes.

TikTok frames the holiday moment as a guide to getting discovered. The platform is not only surfacing trends. It is shaping purchase intent. Brands that lean into creator led shopping experiences see measurable impact as product demos and live shopping push directly into conversion paths. The Factics here is simple. User generated credibility is the fuel. The tactic is to co create with micro influencers who appear in search driven product queries so the right clip meets the moment of intent.

“TikTok is reshaping holiday shopping for Gen Z and beyond.” — Forbes Agency Council, in a Forbes article published October 29, 2024.

Adobe brings a different kind of velocity with the Experience Platform AI Assistant. The tool gives marketing teams direct access to insights so execution does not wait on reporting cycles. Teams query the assistant, test journeys, and adapt messaging in real time. Factics at work again. Personalization throughput rises when decisions move from quarterly planning to continuous optimization. Early adopters report meaningful reductions in workflow time and improvements in customer engagement scores when the assistant lives inside the work, not outside it.

Google underscores the third leg of the system with ongoing guidance tied to quality and authority. The message is consistent across updates this year. Align to experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. The tactic is structured governance. Maintain a content audit rhythm. Add clear author attribution. Remove outdated pages that dilute relevance. Factics connect directly. Teams that maintain an audit cadence recover faster after volatility compared to those that rely on single shot fixes.

The integration point is alignment. Community discovery, creative acceleration, and search precision are not separate motions. Winning brands run them as one connected system. Influencer strategy fuels AI driven content production. That content is structured to survive search scrutiny. The result is a content engine that is faster, clearer, and more resilient when demand spikes.

Best Practice Spotlight

General Motors and Adobe AI Assistant

General Motors pilots Adobe Experience Platform AI Assistant to accelerate personalization workflows and campaign execution. Marketing teams query data directly and automate delivery based on real signals. Productivity improves and time to value shortens as journeys update without heavy analyst cycles.

The Pink Stuff on TikTok Shop

The Pink Stuff rides community energy through clean tok videos and turns attention into sales with TikTok Shop. The brand sells more than one point two million units in five months. The lesson is direct. Viral discovery converts when the path to purchase is native to the platform.

Creative Consulting Concepts

B2B scenario

Challenge: A mid sized software firm faces slow lead velocity in the fourth quarter.

Execution: Embed Adobe Experience Platform AI Assistant into marketing operations so non technical staff can act on insights and run rapid tests.

Expected outcome: MQL to SQL conversion improves by 25 percent with a 15 percent reduction in cycle time.

Pitfall: Over automation risks losing human context in high value deals.

B2C scenario

Challenge: A fashion retailer wants to win holiday gift searches but paid costs are rising.

Execution: Partner with micro influencers to produce search ready gift guides on TikTok and anchor the push with live shopping and clear product bundles.

Expected outcome: Engagement rate climbs by 30 percent and online sales lift by 20 percent during the peak window.

Pitfall: Too many creators without clear product differentiation can erode authenticity.

Nonprofit scenario

Challenge: A nonprofit struggles to maintain visibility and donor trust during peak retail noise.

Execution: Run a content audit aligned to E E A T. Add expert attribution. Remove outdated pages. Tell the donor story with verified sources and transparent outcomes.

Expected outcome: Organic visibility improves and year end donation conversions rise by 15 percent.

Pitfall: Without ongoing review, gains decay with the next wave of updates.

Closing Thought

Holiday strategy now sits where discovery, acceleration, and governance meet. When TikTok shapes intent, Adobe compresses workflow time, and Google rewards authority, the edge belongs to teams that synchronize the system.

References

Adobe Newsroom. (2024, July 25). Media alert: Adobe announces general availability of Adobe Experience Platform AI Assistant to supercharge enterprise productivity.

Futurum Group. (2024, June 11). Adobe Experience Platform AI Assistant is generally available.

MarTech. (2024, March 26). Adobe’s generative AI Assistant for Experience Platform now in beta.

Forbes. (2024, October 29). How TikTok is reshaping holiday shopping for Gen Z and beyond.

Marketing Dive. (2024, September 17). TikTok courts holiday advertisers with new AI tools and creator marketplace updates.

TikTok for Business. (2024, September 12). Holiday 2024: A guide to getting discovered this season.

Google Search Central Blog. (2024, March 5). What creators should know about our March 2024 core update and new spam policies.

Google Search Central Blog. (2024, August 15). What to know about our August 2024 core update.

Search Engine Journal. (2024, September 25). Google algorithm updates and changes: A complete history.

YouTube AI Auto-Chapters, Salesforce Einstein 1, and Google Spam Policies: Aligning Attention, Personalization, and Trust

September 23, 2024 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

YouTube introduces AI auto-chapters that let viewers jump directly into the sections that matter, Salesforce upgrades Einstein 1 to unify data and creative production, and Google sharpens its spam policies to eliminate scaled content abuse and site reputation manipulation. Each launch happens in August, but the alignment is immediate: navigation, personalization, and policy now sit on the same axis. When combined, they shrink cycle times, raise engagement, and strengthen trust. The metrics are clear—content production accelerates by as much as 40 percent, video-assisted click-through improves double digits, bounce rates drop as intent is matched, and organic traffic stabilizes as thin pages are removed from the ecosystem.

Factics prove that precision drives performance. On YouTube, auto-chapters excel when creators map clear beats such as problem, demo, objection, and call to action. Aligned headers and captions let AI segment with confidence, keeping watch time steady while surfacing the exact clip that fuels downstream clicks. Einstein 1 applies the same discipline to campaigns. Low-code copilots spin creative variants from a single brief, while Data Cloud unifies service, commerce, and marketing signals into one profile. A replayed demo instantly informs an email subject line or ad headline, lifting message relevance and conversion by 15 to 20 percent. Google enforces the final pillar with strict spam policy compliance. De-indexing thin subdomains and consolidating duplicates concentrates authority. Adapted sites report 200 to 300 percent rebounds in impressions and clicks, while laggards fade from view.

“Einstein 1 Studio makes it easier than ever to customize Copilot and embed AI into any app.” — Salesforce News

The connective tissue is not the feature list but the workflow. A video segment that earns replays informs CRM targeting. CRM targeting informs creative variants. Creative variants live or die by the same spam policy guardrails that determine whether they rank or sink. Factics prove the alignment: chapters lift average watch time and CTR, Einstein 1 accelerates personalization across channels, and policy compliance drives authority concentration. Together they form a cycle where attention, personalization, and trust compound into measurable advantage.

Best Practice Spotlights

Gucci personalizes clienteling with Einstein 1.

Gucci unifies client data across Marketing Cloud and Data Cloud so advisors access a single customer view and send tailored recommendations in the right moment. Engagement strengthens, follow-up time shrinks, and generative AI scales the process so quality and tone remain consistent across messages.

B2B SaaS recovery through policy-aligned cleanup.

A SaaS firm conducts a deep audit tied to Google’s spam policies, removing more than 100 thin or duplicative posts and consolidating others. Within a year, impressions surge by 310 percent and clicks by 207 percent, proving that substance over scale drives lasting search performance.

Creative Consulting Concepts

B2B Scenario

Challenge: A SaaS platform publishes feature videos but loses prospects before conversion.

Execution: Map beats clearly, apply auto-chapters, and sync segments to Einstein 1 so campaigns link viewers directly to the problem-solution moment.

Expected Outcome (KPI): 18–25 percent higher CTR to demo pages, 10–15 percent lift in MQL-to-SQL conversion.

Pitfall: Over-segmentation risks fragmenting watch time.

B2C Scenario

Challenge: A DTC brand drives reach but inconsistent add-to-cart rates.

Execution: Use auto-chapters to split reels into try-on, materials, and care segments. Feed engagement signals into Einstein 1 to optimize product copy and ad creative.

Expected Outcome (KPI): 12–20 percent uplift in video-driven sessions, 5–10 percent improvement in conversion rate.

Pitfall: Inconsistent chapter naming can break the scent of intent.

Non-Profit Scenario

Challenge: A conservation nonprofit produces compelling stories but donors skim past proof points.

Execution: Chapter storytelling around outcomes—hectares restored, community jobs, species return—and personalize follow-ups by donor interest in Einstein 1.

Expected Outcome (KPI): 8–12 percent increase in donation completion, stronger repeat-donor engagement.

Pitfall: Overloading chapters with jargon reduces clarity and trust.

Closing Thought

When YouTube sharpens navigation, Einstein 1 scales personalization, and Google enforces quality, the entire content engine accelerates with clarity, consistency, and measurable trust.

References

YouTube Blog. (2024, May 14). Made by YouTube: More ways to create and connect.
Search Engine Journal. (2024, June 25). YouTube Studio adds new generative AI tools & analytics.
The Verge. (2024, May 14). YouTube is testing AI-generated summaries and conversational AI for creators.
Salesforce News. (2024, April 25). Salesforce launches Einstein 1 Studio, featuring low-code AI tools to customize Einstein Copilot and embed AI into any app.
Google Search Central Blog. (2024, March 5). New ways we’re tackling spammy, low-quality content on Search.
Diginomica. (2024, June 12). Connections 2024: Gucci gets personal at scale with Salesforce, as it plans a GenAI future.
Amsive. (2024, May 16). Case study: How we helped a B2B SaaS site recover from a Google algorithm update.

Pinterest AI Backgrounds, Meta AI Reels Effects, and Google Core Update: A Marketing Alignment

August 26, 2024 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Pinterest releases an AI background generator for product imagery, Meta layers new AI tools into Instagram Reels effects, and Google’s core update shifts visibility across search. Each development lands in July, but the alignment is clear. AI now shapes the backdrop of product presentation, the dynamics of creative storytelling, and the structure of discoverability. When the three are connected, the workflow reduces production costs, increases engagement on short-form assets, and stabilizes performance during algorithm changes. The KPIs tell the story: image production costs drop by double digits, Reels engagement lifts by more than 18 percent, and recovery strategies in SEO bring traffic rebounds of 20 to 35 percent depending on content quality.

Factics highlight where creative output meets measurable gain. Pinterest introduces a background generator that allows brands to showcase products in diverse lifestyle settings without staging full photo shoots. A chair can be seen in a sunlit living room or a modern patio with a few text prompts. The tactic is to use AI backgrounds not just for aesthetic variation but for contextual testing — releasing multiple versions of a product Pin to see which lifestyle framing produces higher click-through. The KPI becomes a feedback loop: pins with contextualized backgrounds lift engagement by as much as 30 percent, while click-through rates rise by 12 percent when backgrounds match current trend aesthetics.

Meta drives a similar effect in video. Reels now benefit from AI-driven effects that allow creators and advertisers to build dynamic edits faster, guided by templates and machine learning optimizations. The logic is simple: lower the technical barrier to visual storytelling and campaigns scale more quickly. The tactic is to use AI-enhanced Reels to produce multiple variations of the same message, then push them into Advantage+ testing pipelines. KPIs show reduced production time by 40 percent and increases in CTR across video ads by 23 percent. At a platform level, Meta reports that Reels already account for half of the time spent on Instagram, with more than 200 billion Reels consumed daily.

Search is the third anchor. Google’s July core update forces adjustments across industries, rewarding content with deeper topical coverage and more consistent authority signals. Agencies note sharper penalties for thin content and stronger gains for sites investing in E-E-A-T and structured alignment. The tactic is to approach each update not as disruption but as recalibration: align briefs to user intent, enrich author expertise, and use structured data to reinforce context. The KPI impact becomes evident in case studies where brands that updated and pruned content achieved 35 percent rebounds in organic traffic within weeks, while those with thin pages saw visibility erode.

“Pinterest outlines AI background generation process for product shots.” — Social Media Today, July 14, 2024

The connective narrative is one of context. AI-generated backgrounds place products into relevant lifestyle frames, AI-driven Reels effects cut production cycles and expand storytelling formats, and search updates push brands toward quality content and structured context. Factics show that alignment of these inputs produces compounding results: cycle time in asset creation shrinks by nearly half, engagement rates lift double digits, CTRs on ads climb, and organic visibility stabilizes against volatility.

Best Practice Spotlights

Pinterest — Product Pins with AI Backgrounds (Social/Community)
Pinterest partners with brands like Wayfair, Madewell, and John Lewis to pilot its AI background generator for product Pins. A single furniture item can now be placed in dozens of lifestyle environments without expensive photoshoots. The measurable outcome is clear: engagement rises as images feel more tailored, and discovery improves as shoppable pins gain higher CTRs.

AdYogi — Meta AI Advantage+ in Reels (AI/Creative Tool)
AdYogi, a digital agency, applies Meta’s AI tools and Reels effects for pan-India campaigns. The AI systems uncover new customer segments while scaling ad performance through Advantage+ pipelines. The KPI results include reduced creative production time, improved conversions, and contribution to the broader trend of 200 billion Reels plays daily, positioning Reels as the primary driver of Instagram growth.

Creative Consulting Concepts

B2B — Retail Technology SaaS
Challenge: A SaaS provider for e-commerce retailers needs to show how its tools improve product discovery.
Execution: Use Pinterest AI to generate background variants of SaaS dashboards in retail settings, Meta AI Reels to deliver quick testimonial clips, and SEO briefs optimized to match queries around retail efficiency.
Expected Outcome (KPI): 25 percent increase in demo sign-ups, 15 percent CTR improvement on Reels ads, 20 percent higher organic rankings for product-led queries.
Pitfall: Over-engineering backgrounds that feel artificial; keep context relevant and believable.

B2C — Fashion Brand Drop
Challenge: A fashion label must create buzz for a seasonal collection without inflating content budgets.
Execution: Generate lifestyle-specific Pinterest product imagery, apply Meta AI Reels filters to influencer clips, and align SEO strategy to trending seasonal keywords.
Expected Outcome (KPI): 30 percent lift in shoppable pin engagement, 18 percent increase in Reels engagement, 10 percent reduction in bounce rate on landing pages.
Pitfall: Too many creative variations fragment testing; set clear A/B frameworks.

Non-Profit — Awareness Campaign
Challenge: A non-profit struggles with stagnant donor engagement in digital campaigns.
Execution: Apply AI backgrounds to storytelling pins that show community projects in different settings, use Meta AI to quickly produce testimonial-style Reels, and optimize SEO for intent-driven queries like “how to support local causes.”
Expected Outcome (KPI): 12 percent increase in donation page visits, 8 percent higher donor conversion, and broader organic reach for advocacy topics.
Pitfall: Risk of visual over-polish; preserve authenticity in donor-facing creatives.

Closing Thought

AI-generated backgrounds, AI-enhanced Reels, and Google’s search recalibrations align around one truth: context wins. When assets are faster to create, easier to personalize, and structurally optimized, KPIs improve across creative, engagement, and discoverability.

References

Adweek. (2024, May 2). Meta brings AI to Reels, matches creators with brands. Adweek.

Digital Music News. (2024, April 25). The rise of Reels — Meta says Reels time is 50% of Instagram. Digital Music News.

Economic Times. (2024, February 14). Digital agency AdYogi banks on Reels & Meta’s AI solutions to drive impact for clients. Economic Times.

Hayes Digital Marketing. (2024, July 19). 2024 SEO latest update! All Google search algorithm update. Hayes Digital Marketing.

Pinterest. (2024, July 16). Pinterest is testing an AI background generator for product Pins. TechCrunch.

Social Media Today. (2024, July 14). Pinterest outlines AI background generation process for product shots. Social Media Today.

Social Samosa. (2024, July 15). Pinterest unveils AI-powered background generator for product images. Social Samosa.

Search Engine Journal. (2024, July 21). Google algorithm updates & changes: A complete history. Search Engine Journal.

Rooster Marketing. (2024, July 24). Google algorithm update 2024 – Our guide to changes. Rooster Marketing.

The Social Media Power Index: Top U.S. Platforms and Rising Global Contenders

December 31, 2022 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Year-End 2022 Analysis

As 2022 closes, social media shows a mix of dominance by established U.S.-based giants and rapid emergence of new challengers globally. These platforms have evolved beyond simple communication channels into integrated ecosystems where content, commerce, and community blend. For businesses, understanding the leaders and rising stars is essential to capturing digital opportunity.

This Power Index highlights ten influential U.S.-based platforms, a global powerhouse, and two emerging contenders as of late 2022.

A 2022 year-end analysis of the top 10 U.S. social media platforms, global leader TikTok, and emerging contenders Lemon8 and Mastodon, with B2B/B2C strategies and Factics for marketers.

1. Meta Platforms, Inc. — Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger
Meta remains a dominant network with over 2.91 billion monthly active Facebook users as of late 2021 (the latest official prior to 2022 end), along with Instagram and WhatsApp boasting extensive global penetration (Investing.com, 2022; Backlinko, 2022).
B2B: Facebook Groups enable niche communities; Instagram Stories/Reels support brand storytelling.
B2C: Instagram’s creator ecosystem fuels influencer campaigns; WhatsApp’s business API adoption grows.
Factics:
Fact: Facebook and Instagram reach billions monthly.
Tactic: Use cross-platform retargeting to nurture users from initial interest to purchase.

2. Alphabet Inc. — YouTube
YouTube closed 2022 with approximately 2.56 billion active users, with growing engagement in short-form content via YouTube Shorts (Business Insider, 2022; eMarketer, 2022).
B2B: Webinars, thought leadership videos, and product demos.
B2C: Shorts and live streams engage younger audiences and influencers.
Factics:
Fact: Average global watch times continue increasing.
Tactic: Combine snackable and long-form video content for broad reach and retention.

3. Snap Inc. — Snapchat
Snapchat had 347 million daily active users in 2022, popular among Gen Z through AR filters and ephemeral messaging (Business of Apps, 2022; Oberlo, 2022).
B2B: AR ads enable innovative employer branding.
B2C: Geo-targeted and shoppable AR campaigns drive sales.
Factics:
Fact: Majority of users are under 35.
Tactic: Invest in interactive content to boost brand recall.

4. Twitter, Inc. — Twitter
Twitter finished 2022 with around 368 million monthly active users, serving as the primary real-time conversation platform (SOAX, 2022; GDELT Project, 2022).
B2B: Live event coverage and thought leadership amplification.
B2C: Trending topic campaigns drive engagement.
Factics:
Fact: Real-time interaction enhances brand visibility.
Tactic: Pair live tweeting with influencer amplification during major events.

5. Pinterest, Inc. — Pinterest
Pinterest reached approximately 450 million monthly active users in 2022, favored for discovery and shopping (BankMyCell, 2022; Backlinko, 2022).
B2B: Trend tracking within niche boards supports market research.
B2C: Direct-to-cart integrations and influencer collaborations lift conversion.
Factics:
Fact: 76% of users are female.
Tactic: Align content with seasonal and lifestyle interests for targeted marketing.

6. LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft) — LinkedIn
LinkedIn surpassed 875 million members by late 2022, with over 58 million companies maintaining pages (Espirian, 2022; MixBloom, 2022).
B2B: Essential for lead generation and recruitment.
B2C: Employee advocacy and thought leadership enhance brand presence.
Factics:
Fact: 60% of users are aged 25–34.
Tactic: Optimize LinkedIn Pages for talent acquisition and brand positioning.

7. Reddit, Inc. — Reddit
Reddit had about 430 million monthly active users in 2022, characterized by strong niche and community engagement (Business of Apps, 2022; Backlinko, 2022).
B2B: Authentic involvement in subreddits builds credibility.
B2C: Participation in lifestyle and hobby communities fosters trust.
Factics:
Fact: Over 50% of users are under 35.
Tactic: Sponsor AMAs and collaborate with moderators for focused reach.

8. Discord Inc. — Discord
Discord reached approximately 150 million monthly active users in 2022, expanding beyond gaming into general interest groups (Backlinko, 2022; Business of Apps, 2022).
B2B: Use for client communication, training, and community building.
B2C: Brand engagement through moderated fan servers.
Factics:
Fact: Growth fueled by expansion beyond gaming.
Tactic: Launch branded servers for continuous community connection.

9. Nextdoor Holdings, Inc. — Nextdoor
Nextdoor connected 78 million verified neighbors and 40 million weekly active users by Q4 2022, focusing on hyperlocal networking (Nextdoor Annual Report, 2022; Nextdoor Press Release, 2023).
B2B: Hyper-targeted local advertising opportunities.
B2C: Community sponsorships build trust and brand loyalty.
Factics:
Fact: Active in over 305,000 neighborhoods globally.
Tactic: Apply neighborhood data for precise local marketing.

10. Automattic Inc. — Tumblr
Tumblr accounted for roughly 135 million monthly active users in 2022, with a strong Gen Z presence (AffiliateBooster, 2025 citing historical data).
B2B: Platforms for creative brand expression.
B2C: Cultivate fandoms and aesthetic-driven communities.
Factics:
Fact: 40% of users are Gen Z.
Tactic: Tailor branded content to subculture aesthetics for engagement.

Global Spotlight: ByteDance — TikTok
TikTok was the most downloaded app globally in 2022 with over 850 million installs, and surpassed 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, including 150 million in the U.S. TikTok users spent nearly 9 hours per week on the app (Business of Apps, 2022).
B2B: Story-driven short videos for corporate messaging.
B2C: Viral trends, influencer marketing, and in-app shopping drive reach.
Factics:
Fact: 55% of TikTok’s audience is under 30.
Tactic: Leverage micro-influencers for authentic niche engagement.

Honorable Mentions: Platforms to Watch
ByteDance — Lemon8
Lemon8 emerged as a hybrid of TikTok and Instagram, gaining 10.6 million global downloads in 2022, mostly in Asia, with influencer seeding spurring growth (Business of Apps, 2022; TechHQ, 2022; Marketing Interactive, 2022).
Factics:
Fact: Influencer campaigns accelerated adoption in Japan and Southeast Asia.
Tactic: Early influencer partnerships can catalyze market entry.

Mastodon
Mastodon saw a 657% increase in active users following Twitter’s ownership changes in late 2022, reaching 2.5 million active users (ThinkImpact, 2022; Absolutely Maybe, 2022).
Factics:
Fact: Growth largely from tech-savvy and activist niches.
Tactic: Consider collaborations with established servers to boost trust.

Pro Tip:
Social media dynamics evolve quickly — monitor shifts and remain agile across platforms to seize emerging opportunities.

References
AffiliateBooster. (2025, July 1). Tumblr statistics 2025 — Active users, revenue & user growth. https://www.affiliatebooster.com/tumblr-statistics/
Backlinko. (2022). Facebook user & growth statistics to know in 2022. https://backlinko.com/facebook-users
Backlinko. (2022). Pinterest usage and revenue statistics. https://backlinko.com/pinterest-users
Backlinko. (2022). Reddit users. https://backlinko.com/reddit-users
Backlinko. (2022). Discord users. https://backlinko.com/discord-users
BankMyCell. (2022). Number of Pinterest users: Growth and statistics 2022. https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/number-of-pinterest-users/
Business Insider. (2022, October). YouTube by the numbers: Usage and reach in 2022. https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-user-statistics-2022-10
Business of Apps. (2022). Snapchat revenue and usage statistics. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/snapchat-statistics/
Business of Apps. (2022). Twitter statistics. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/twitter-statistics/
Business of Apps. (2022). Reddit statistics. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/reddit-statistics/
Business of Apps. (2022). Discord statistics. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/discord-statistics/
Business of Apps. (2022). Lemon8 struggles to kickstart in US despite influencer marketing push. https://www.businessofapps.com/news/lemon8-struggles-to-kickstart-in-us-despite-influencer-marketing-push/
Business of Apps. (2022). TikTok statistics and usage 2022. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tiktok-statistics/
Espirian, J. (2022, October 25). LinkedIn membership numbers. https://espirian.co.uk/linkedin-membership-numbers/
GDELT Project. (2022, November 17). Visualizing a decade of Twitter’s evolution: Jan 2012 – Nov 2022 (Musk’s purchase). https://blog.gdeltproject.org/visualizing-a-decade-of-twitters-evolution-jan-2012-nov-2022-musks-purchase/
Investing.com. (2022). Facebook’s impressive statistics in 2022. https://www.investing.com/academy/statistics/facebook-meta-facts/
Marketing Interactive. (2022, October 19). ByteDance launches Lemon8 in global expansion of lifestyle apps. https://www.marketing-interactive.com/bytedance-launches-lemon8-in-global-expansion-of-lifestyle-apps
MixBloom. (2022). The 15 LinkedIn statistics of 2022 you should know. https://www.mixbloom.com/resources/the-15-linkedin-statistics-of-2022-you-should-know
Nextdoor. (2022). Nextdoor business marketing. https://business.nextdoor.com/en-us/
Nextdoor. (2023, February 28). Nextdoor announces fourth quarter and full year 2022 results. https://about.nextdoor.com/press-releases/nextdoor-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2022-results
Nextdoor. (2023). 2022 Annual report. https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/n/NYSE_KIND_2022.pdf
Oberlo. (2022). Snapchat user growth (2015–2022). https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/snapchat-user-growth
Omnicore Agency. (2022). Quick Snapchat statistics. https://www.omnicoreagency.com/snapchat-statistics/
Omnicore Agency. (2022). Quick Pinterest statistics. https://www.omnicoreagency.com/pinterest-statistics/
SOAX. (2022, April 1). How many monthly active users does X (Twitter) have? https://soax.com/research/twitter-active-users
TechHQ. (2022, October). Lemon8: A social media platform gaining traction among Gen Z and millennials. https://techhq.com/news/lemon8-an-app-by-tiktoks-parent-company-is-making-waves-in-the-us/
ThinkImpact.com. (2022, October 21). Mastodon statistics. https://www.thinkimpact.com/mastodon-statistics/
The Social Shepherd. (2022). 21 essential Meta statistics you need to know in 2022. https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/meta-statistics

Making the Social Connection an Emotional Connection

February 5, 2013 by basilpuglisi@aol.com 14 Comments

Marketers know that the best way to reach their audience is to drive an emotional connection between the brand and the end user. With the advent of social media and mobile marketing, we have an exceptional advantage to driving that connection.
Customers are no longer sharing their experiences of your brand between the hours of nine to five, Monday to Friday via the 800 number they were traditionally pushed through. Their experiences have become part of your brand’s story, online, for the world to see, 24 hours a day. So how are you telling your story?
Consider the 4 E’s: Engage, Educate, Excite, Evangelize. Here are five tips all marketers should consider when crafting the story for their brand.
Engage:
Identify your target audience. Decide what the key words are for your industry. Embrace the opportunity to engage with your community in two-way conversation daily. Trust and loyalty are built over time, as with any good relationship. Remember, if you suck offline, you suck online!
Educate:
Your customers don’t know what they don’t know. By engaging in communities where your customers are, you are raising awareness about what it is your business does, and adding value to the relationship. Joining the conversation could be as simple as answering questions they may have, ie. friendsourcing. This allows an opportunity to learn from each other; you educate them and they educate you. Then you’re on your way to positioning yourself as an influencer and industry leader.
Excite:
Be authentic, be positive, be transparent. I align my business with leaders: are forward-thinking, action-oriented risk-takers, who maintain a positive outlook. There will always be those who are not (ie. twankers). By engaging positively, you’re able to insert your unique value proposition into the relationship, and instill excitement around your product/service.
Evangelize:
Identify the influencers within each community: hashtags are an effective method of organizing tweets around a particular topic. They are created around an event or an existing community. Use them! Once you have an engaged, educated, excited community, the evangelizing will happen naturally.
Make this a priority!
Don’t be left behind, the conversations are going on with or without you. And remember, incorporating a social media policy is vital when your team is representing your business.
Guest Post by:
Jeffrey Hayzlett, Bestselling Author, Global Business Celebrity & Sometime Cowboy
JEFFREY HAYZLETT is a global business celebrity and former Fortune 100 c-suite executive. From small business to international corporations, he has put his creativity and extraordinary entrepreneurial skills into play, launching ventures blending his leadership perspectives, insights into professional development, mass marketing prowess and affinity for social media. He is a well-traveled public speaker, the author of the bestselling business books, The Mirror Test and Running the Gauntlet, and one of the most compelling figures in global business.
Jeffrey is an esteemed business and marketing expert, appearing frequently on programs like Fox Business News, MSNBC’s Your Business, Bloomberg West, and NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump. Drawing upon an eclectic background in business, buoyed by a stellar track record of keynote speaking, and deeply rooted in cowboy lore, Jeffrey energizes his role driving and delivering change. He is a turnaround architect of the highest order, a maverick marketer who delivers scalable campaigns, embraces traditional modes of customer engagement, and possesses a remarkable cachet of mentorship, corporate governance and brand building.

Social Marketing With Photos

January 21, 2013 by basilpuglisi@aol.com 1 Comment

They say a picture is worth a thousand words—a concept advertisers and marketers have practiced for years. As marketers switched to social media, though, photos were temporarily sidelined in favor of short snippets of text.
But the photo is coming back. Tweens and teens have flooded Instagram with photos of new outfits and artistic nail polish. As these all-too-impressionable young consumers browse through thousands of photos on various social media sites, marketers are learning that if you want to reach younger generations, a picture is worth morethan a thousand words.
Whether your marketing campaign is targeted to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a combination of all of the above, there are a few tips to keep in mind.
Keep It Interesting
Consumers log into social media sites for a variety of reasons, many of which revolve around being entertained. Pinterest and Instagram have become so successful because they provide a way for users to share concepts in one simple image, engaging them and inciting them to post comments.
But it’s important to come across as though you’re sharing interesting ideas rather than simply pushing a product. A sofa company, for instance, would do better to post photos of a uniquely-decorated room featuring their sofas rather than simply posting a photo of a sofa. A service-oriented business like a pest control company could post humorous photos of their workers, either on the job or hanging around the office. These photos humanize the business, making customers feel as though they are part of the family.
Run Contests
Several restaurant chains have invited customers to upload a picture of themselves dining in the restaurant to a social media site. For major chains, sometimes the promise of fifteen minutes of fame on a prominent social media site may be enough incentive to participate. However, smaller businesses may have to offer a large monetary prize. Customers will have fun and businesses will see their social media pages filled with interesting photos.
Pay Attention
The great thing about social media is that you’ll usually know instantly whether a photo is a hit with followers or not. Pay attention to your likes, shares, and retweets and note what time of day they happen. If some photos are more popular than others, stick with those types of photos in the future. You’ll begin to get a feel for your demographic in order to be able to better appeal to them after only a short time.
Remember, photos are only a part of social media marketing. Hashtags are still important, as are regular text updates. Don’t discount yourself as a personality in your social media campaigns. Some of the most successful social media campaigns involve the face of the company updating followers on their adventures as they travel, hang out with clients, and enjoy their own products.

Guest Blogger:
During 2003, John Lessnau popularized Text Link Advertising when he founded LinkAdage.com John is working at doing the same thing 10 years later with social media links at his new website SocialLinkMart.com. Social Link Mart is an open Social Media Link Marketplace for SEOs, website owners, and social media enthusiasts to buy Facebook likes or buy and sell Facebook Shares, Google Plus Shares, and Twitter Tweets. Social link sellers are ranked by social media authority which keeps the bots and spammers out and real people in.

A Look at Google+ [INTERNSHIP]

December 3, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

At first Google+ was launched as an individual only field test. Google soon after received an outstanding demand for new accounts and then opened it up to people over the age of eighteen. A few months later Google plus was opened for the younger age group. It’s obvious to see that Google plus received a better outcome then they expected. What make’s Google+ so different is because it’s not a social network. However, online communities can emerge from Google+ making it a wonderful side effect that no one’s complaining about.
Google+ is more than an ordinary destination site. Google+ goal is to make sharing on the web like sharing in real life. In order to make this possible, they provided their users with efficient tools that are easy to use. Some of their features include circles, hangouts, messenger, and search in Google+. Their unique timeline is called a “stream” which displays three columns with content from the people in their circles and an input box.
Circles are a way of Google+ organizing their users’ pages into groups for sharing. Circles can be labeled as friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. This just makes it really easy for you to share certain content with certain people. You can filter your stream to show content from your specific circles. Hangouts are a place where video chats can take place with up to 10 people. This can come in handy when a business wants to have a group chat within a short notice and make it sufficiently.
The messenger feature is cool because it allows communication within Google+ circles. The messages are instant which is always convenient, especially when businesses are talking to clients via messenger. Search in Google+ allows users to search any content within Google+. This feature makes it easy for a user to find exactly what they are looking for. The search results will contain relevant posts and people, and popular content from the web. Depending on the keywords you chose to describe your business will help people get a better understanding of what you do.
Google+ makes it possible to make sociable accounts. In Google Analytics it offers social reports that show how Google+ influences your business, recommendations on your site, and what visitor from social networking sites come to see your site. Google+ also has another feature called Ripples which allows you to visualize who is sharing your content.
There are over 250 million Google+ users, which was recently unofficially proposed to now be closer to 400 million. On this social website, it’s impossible not to establish new connections. Networking can’t be done any easier with Google+. The site is continuing to grow and add on new features to help benefit individuals and businesses.
Sources:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-plus-future/#comment-650265177
http://www.google.com/+/business/
http://mashable.com/2012/04/11/google-plus-redesign/
http://mashable.com/2012/11/14/media-summit-daria-musk/
http://support.google.com/plus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1254208
http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/03/08/for-the-last-time-lets-all-say-it-together-google-is-not-a-social-network/

The content in this article is part of Digital Ethos’s Digital Media Education in the Higher Education Internship Program, the content was created by @KaylaMarzo, a Student at Suffolk County Community college, intern at Digital Ethos.

A Look at Pinterest [INTERNSHIP]

November 26, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Pinterest calls themselves a “virtual pin board”. This website is known for connecting people from all over the world through common tastes and interests. There are many uses for Pinterest including finding new recipes and do it yourself projects. The content that you post is called “pins” and your pins get organized in boards. Pinterest is interesting because it lets you browse other people’s boards and “repin” the content you like onto your own boards. This website offers content like pictures, videos, recipes, tutorials, and much more.

In order to effectively use Pinterest, you need to make sure your content speaks louder than words. Since Pinterest is solely based on pictures, you need to make sure your pictures are high quality; let your pictures do all the talking. You also want to credit all your content from where it came from so it won’t tarnish your rep. Your boards on your homepage is what keeps your content organized. Using your boards correctly will benefit you when you’re trying look back at your posts. You can have as little or as many boards as you’d like. Pinterest lets you rename them and change the cover picture of your boards. For example, if you found a picture of gourmet food that looks good to you; post this under your board that relates to “Food”.
There are so many things you can do with Pinterest. You can plan your wedding on it, find new recipes, see what the latest style is, and so much more. Pinterest lets you use keywords to find specific or general things you are looking for. You don’t even have to repin content, you can simply like or comment it. Your likes show up on your homepage under a different category than boards. Just like Twitter, you can follow other people and they can follow you. The people you follows content will show up on your “following” home page. This is different than your actual homepage because your homepage is filled with just your content.
When you repin something, Pinterest gives you the option to follow that person’s board that you repined from. This is a quick easy way to follow more people and make your following homepage more diverse. It’s said that when people go on Pinterest, they go on to just browse around. Pinterest is a great website for just browsing around because they have so many different categories to choose from. Aside from the popular page, categories range from health and fitness, science and nature, cars and motorcycles, travel, sports, and many more. It’s not a mystery that Pinterest can be used by anyone.
Pinterest can be used by small businesses, large corporations and anywhere in between. The first step to market your business on the site is to add the Pinterest button on your website. This will increase the awareness of your customers showing them that you have a Pinterest page. Just like in any other case, key words are the key! If you are an up and coming gym and you want to attract more customers, you would want to post pictures of your gym and services, pictures of your equipment, and even videos of small work outs to show them what you have to offer. The cool thing about Pinterest is the hyper linking. If you post a picture of your equipment on the site, a customer can click the picture and be brought to your website.
You want to target your audience on Pinterest by using key words that appeal to what they’re looking for. Once you’ve got their attention you want to keep it by pinning as much relevant content as you can. A recently new feature on Pinterest allows you to create a “secret board”. This can be helpful in so many ways. For businesses, if you are in the mix of making a new board and don’t want to post it right away, a secret board is right for you. This gives extra time in preparing the board and making sure it is just right for your audience when it’s ready to be posted.
Pinterest is a great source of referral traffic for websites and blogs. It drives in more traffic than Google+, Youtube, and LinkedIn combined! At the moment, Pinterest has 11 million users and is getting more every day. This site is a great because the content brings traffic directly to your website with one click. If you use this site correctly, there’s no other way to build up your brand name on the web.
Sources:
http://pinterest.com/
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-using-pinterest-for-business/
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-marketing-what-marketers-need-to-know-to-succeed/
http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-create-a-secret-board-on-pinterest-for-the-holidays

The content in this article is part of Digital Ethos’s Digital Media Education in the Higher Education Internship Program, the content was created by @KaylaMarzo, a Student at Suffolk County Community college, intern at Digital Ethos.

A Look at Reddit [INTERNSHIP]

November 19, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Reddit.com is a different kind of social network. It is a social news website that allows their users to submit content in the form of either a link or text and share it with the Reddit community. The site has their own kind of search optimization that allows users to rise to the top of the page. Users vote on the content “up” or “down”. Up meaning their content rises to the top of the page giving them more visibility, and down meaning you get pushed to the bottom of the page.
Reddit runs a bulletin board type of system. This makes it easy to scroll through content. On the home page, there are many different categories you can browse through. Categories include politics, world news, gaming, technology, music, science, and much more. Fortunately Reddit allows you to edit and add categories you want visible on your home page. This gives the users personalization.
The users can scroll through different kinds of content. The content can be informational, funny, newsworthy, etc. Users post things you can find in a history textbook or even a fashion magazine. There are many different ways you can learn from Reddit. The site keeps up with everything going on in the world by posting breaking news. For example the shootings in Aurora, Colorado were posted almost instantly after it happened. They kept the information updated even days after. Find out what kind of dinosaurs existed millions of years ago, or find out what’s going on in space. Reddit follows free speech, so they don’t discriminate on any kinds of content.
Even though Reddit is considered a news website, it can still help businesses. The best way to market on their site is to find content that pertains to your audience and target market. You want to be able to understand and listen to the content carefully so you will be able to contribute something of value. If you want to find specific content, Reddit allows you to search by keywords. Sharing content is also simple on Reddit. You can share the information to your followers on twitter, Facebook friends, your Google+ page, or you can even pin it on Pinterest by pressing their individual button on the top of the page.
In recent months Reddit’s popularity has grown tremendously. The social news site obtains over three million page views a month and has over 43 million monthly active users. It’s easy to see why Reddit’s slogan is “The front page of the internet”. Individuals, small businesses, and large corporations can all benefit from having an account on Reddit.
Sources: