Social media is probably the most appealing digital marketing channel at the moment to the vast majority of business owners.

It allows for an unprecedented level of connectivity by providing direct lines of communication between brands and users, instant feedback, and a more natural way to exchange information.

Facebook still reigns supreme among the present social media channels. It has more than 2 billion monthly active users, which is almost a third of the world’s population! With this vast user volume, there’s no surprise that 65 million business pages are promoting products and services through the platform.

The team behind SERPwatch created a handy infographic presenting the latest trends in the digital marketing world. Let’s have a quick overview why Facebook is so important this year, after which you can consult the infographic and learn about other essential marketing channels.

Facebook Today

User engagement is very important for Facebook. Posts and pages you interact with frequently – watching a video, hitting the ‘like’ or ‘share’ button, or adding a comment – tend to show up more on your feed.

How To Do Well on Facebook

If you haven’t hopped aboard the video content creation train just yet, now would be a great time to do so. The primary reason to do so is that nearly 64% of consumers say that watching a marketing video on Facebook influences their purchasing decision.

Putting ads on Facebook is more than useful for any brand awareness or lead generation campaign. To stand out, however, you may want to keep the following Facebook advertising tips in mind:

• The most effective advertisements have images (which improve ad effectiveness by 75-90%)
• The ideal ad title is about four words long
• Your link description should have about 15 words

People love good stories on Facebook, and top-performing posts have more than 1,500 words. These tend to rake about 22.6% more likes.

Other useful tips for your posts are as follows:

•  The best time to post is between 1 and 3 PM.
• If you’re using a video, square formats work best on Facebook, unlike landscape formats.

The Future of Facebook

It seems that Facebook intends to take engagement even further with more fun features like 360-degree photos/videos and Facebook Live to cover events of all kinds. We are also not so far away from Facebook’s augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications. It is very likely that we’ll see those very soon.

Facebook might be extremely popular as a social media platform, but it’s just one of the many digital marketing channels you can use for your business.

To see other interesting digital marketing trends, have a look at the infographic below:

[Read more…]

Gone are the days when businesses used print media, radio stations, and hanging billboards to advertise goods and services. Thanks to recent technological advancements, even email, SMS marketing and online advertising are undergoing major changes. Now, the hottest way to push sales are with mobile devices. 

Can you remember the last time you were without your smartphone for a whole day?

In 2019, the number of smartphone users is expected to increase to 2.5 billion people from 2.1 billion in 2016. Smartphone ownership rates also increased from 10% of the world’s population in 2011 to about 36% at the end of 2018.

More research reveals that people check their smartphones an average of 80 times in 24 hours, and spend more than five hours a day on their phones. What these numbers mean to marketers is that smartphones are the perfect medium to advertise their goods to potential customers.

Smartphones have changed the mode of interaction between brands and consumers. Today, people have twice as many interactions with brands on their mobile devices than any other platform – TV and in-store inclusive.

Actions that required a desktop computer can now be done conveniently using a smartphone. Consumers can even buy products online and receive orders without visiting a store.

There are many mobile marketing strategies available based

 on the objectives and overall business strategy of the company. They include SMS marketing, app-based marketing, email marketing, and location-based marketing.

The best ways to succeed with mobile marketing include understanding your audience’s needs, designing content suitable for mobile platforms, and using SMS/MMS marketing and mobile apps.

Incorporating these guides into your mobile marketing strategies will increase the value of advertisements your customers will receive, as well as the chances of them purchasing from your company.

For more insights on how you can use mobile marketing to your advantage, and examples of brands that have used mobile marketing to increase sales and generate brand awareness, check out the infographic below:  

[Read more…]

According to Sikich, 70% of digital marketers see email marketing as a top channel for ROI. High praise for sure, especially when you consider how much of a return on investment a channel must have in order for that amount of experts to agree on its effectiveness.

However, studies show that about 30% of marketers are not quite satisfied with this promotional method. And, as it turns out, 30% is still a lot.

Countless forum posts and articles question the effectiveness of emails when used as a marketing channel. While the specific problems people have with email marketing vary, a general consensus among those doubting its effectiveness is that this strategy simply does not generate enough leads to be a worthwhile channel.

So, why do some companies get great results from email outreach while others struggle to generate any leads? As it turns out, the only thing separating the two groups can be summed up to two words: email optimization.

In most cases, email optimization is what makes the difference between good marketing and not so good marketing.  Email optimization is how to adapt the emails you’re sending to the specific requirements of your targeted audience.

Email optimization also entails making sure your emails differ from the other thousand messages that arrive in your audience’s inbox every day. It is how you get your emails to go viral, for the right reasons.

The following infographic, brought to you by the team behind 99 Firms, shows precisely how email optimization can optimize your outreach campaign and allow you to get the most out of it. [Read more…]

Any business, regardless of the industry, needs to have a good reputation. It comes with a lot of benefits and paves the way for success, bringing a loyal following and making a business stand out from the competition.

The tricky part is that it takes a long time to build a good reputation, and just a single crisis can have a significant impact on the image of the business. And once the reputation is ruined, it is hard to bounce back and it can even lead to a business shuttering its doors.

That’s why it’s crucial to ensure that businesses are protected from risks that can tarnish their reputations, and the key is to determine reputational risks and know how to mitigate them. This is where having insurance policies that protect reputation come in. Here are some of the things business owners need to know about their online presence:

Protect against Cyber Liability

A data breach or cyber attack is a common risk that can tarnish the reputation of any business. While the General Liability insurance covers risks related to property damage and injuries incurred, it is not enough to protect against cyber attacks or exposures including data breach, system failure, rights to intellectual property, and system failure. Cyber Liability insurance protects against these risks and exposures that are not usually covered by the General Liability insurance. [Read more…]

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<img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTAyNCA3ODIzIiB3aWR0aD0iMTAyNCIgaGVpZ2h0PSI3ODIzIiBkYXRhLXU9Imh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cucmVwdXRhdGlvbnJoaW5vLmNvbSUyRndwLWNvbnRlbnQlMkZ1cGxvYWRzJTJGMjAxNyUyRjEyJTJGRkoxMDE3MTQ0NS1yZXZpc2VkdjQtMDEucG5nIiBkYXRhLXc9IjEwMjQiIGRhdGEtaD0iNzgyMyIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" width="100%" alt="Why Online Reputation Matters for Business"/><br /> <a href="http://www.reputationrhino.com/online-reputation-matters-business/"><br /> </a>

Why Online Reputation Matters for Business, courtesy of Reputation Rhino

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<img src=”http://www.reputationrhino.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FJ10171444-revisedV2-01.png” width=”100%” alt=”Why Online Reputation Matters for Individuals”><br /><br /> <a href=”http://www.reputationrhino.com/online-reputation-matters-individuals/”><br /><br /> </a><br /> <p><strong>Why Online Reputation Matters for Individuals</strong>, courtesy of <a href=”http://www.reputationrhino.com/online-reputation-matters-individuals/”>Reputation Rhino</a></p><br /> <p>

A European privacy ruling known as the “Right to be Forgotten” allows people to ask for URLs specifically related to their name to be removed, essentially deleting Google search results. Known by its shorthand, RTBF went into effect in May 2014 and was considered a landmark ruling that allows the delisting of online information from search engine results.

Considered to be a right of privacy, any European person can request that Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines delist URLs that may contain information that could be considered “inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant, or excessive,” according to the ruling. The most critical piece of this ruling rests on the requirement that search engine companies determine whether or not a person’s right to privacy outweighs access to information by the public. [Read more…]

Social media networks allow people to share their photos, videos, thoughts and opinions to hundreds of millions worldwide. While it may seem like “anything goes” in terms of the breadth and depth of topics and images posted, the truth is offensive photos or video that could be construed as pornography is against most social media sites’policies. Yahoo is one such medium that will not tolerate any abuse. “We are committed to providing an enjoyable and harassment-free experience on our network, and as part of that commitment, nonconsensual pornography is not tolerated,” according to Yahoo policies.

One of the most disturbing types of posts is called “revenge porn.” This occurs when the perpetrator posts pornographic images or video of another person without that person’s permission. This can be extremely damaging to the victim as often times the images are syndicated to hundreds or other sites. The perpetrator often means to harm the victim through harassment, blackmail and even embarrassment. Even third parties who see the offending images can pose harm and try to physically harm or blackmail the victim.

Yahoo works in tandem with the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative to spot nonconsensual or revenge porn and does everhing in their power to take down the offensive posts.

If you are a victim of revenge porn or even a third party who comes across the content, here are steps you can take to flag Yahoo and get the offending posts of the social media site. Since Yahoo has many different forums, there are several methods to help report revenge porn.

Flickr

· Visit the Flickr website on your computer.

· At the bottom of the page that contains the photo or video, click Report Abuse.

· Select Intimate content posted without my consent.

· Enter your email address.

· In the “What’s the problem?” field, let us know that you (or another individual) appear in an intimate image or video without your consent. Be specific and add in any additional details that may assist in Yahoo’s investigation.

· Enter the word “flickr” in the security field.

· Click Send.

Groups

· From the content, click on the downward facing arrow

· Click on the Flag icon

· A menu opens, showing your default email address

· In the “Reason” field, provide the following:

o A detailed description of the concern (Note: emphasize that you appear in an intimate image without your consent)

· Any additional information or alternate contact details

· Next to “Report to” select Yahoo

· Click Report

Answers

· Toll your mouse over the content and click on the Flag icon

· Select I think this question violates the Terms of Service

· In “Additional Details” provide the following:

o A detailed description of the concern (Noting you appear in an intimate image without your consent)

o Any additional information or alternate contact details

· Click Report Abuse

Mail

(Note: Yahoo is only able to investigate instances where a Yahoo user appears to be the sending party in the email exchange)

· Mouse over the Settings menu icon

o Then select Contact Us

· Select Abuse and Spam > Received Threats and Harassment > and then Email

· In “Detailed Description of Issue” provide the following:

o A detailed description of the concern (Noting you – or another user — appear in an intimate image without your consent)

o Any additional information or alternate contact details

· In Yahoo ID of person reporting provide the Yahoo email address for the offender

· In Provide the headers of the inappropriate message, copy and paste the *full* headers (Read more on how to identify full headers)

· In Provide the contents of the inappropriate message, paste message details

· Click Create Request

Helpful Yahoo Links: · Get help if someone posts intimate content of you without your permission here.

Revenge porn is a nasty way to harass, embarrass as well as terrify a victim. The term occurs when a perpetrator posts pornographic images or video of another person –without that person’s consent. Once the image is posted, the content is often picked up by hundreds of other sites perpetuating the harm. Some of the immediate fallout could be that third parties may take it upon themselves to harass or blackmail the victim.

Revenge porn is against the law. In addition, many of the major social networks, where revenge porn is often posted, also have rules banning any images or videos of porn or any depiction of sexual activity or nudity. Tumblr is one such mega-social media site that allows users the ability to report any illegal or offending images. According to the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, there are two ways that you can report such content to Tumblr. You can flag the post while being logged in OR report the content via Tumblr’s Privacy Violation Form.

Many of the social networks, including Tumblr, will keep your identity secret when reporting offensive content. However, Tumblr will need to verify your identity and will request your photo ID or a photo of you holding a sign to prove that you’re the one filing the report. “They have implemented strong security measures to keep this material private,” according to Tumblr.

How to remove offensive images while logged in to Tumblr’s Dashboard:

o Click on the ellipses to the left of the re-blog icon.

o Select Flag this Post.

o Select This violates Tumblr’s Community Guidelines.

o Select Someone is at risk of harm.

o Select Privacy violation and answer the remaining questions to give Tumblr all of the information they need to take action.

Reporting ffensive content via Tumblr’s Privacy Violation Form. o Click on Tumblr’s Privacy Violation Form.

o Click Yes (to “Is it your privacy that’s being violated?”).

o Click Private images of me have been posted.

o Provide the information that is requested*.

No one should ever have to suffer through “revenge porn.” Revenge porn, which is against the law, occurs when a perpetrator posts nude or pornographic photos of another person on a social media site or platform – without that person’s permission. Usually the intent behind posting non-consensual porn is to embarrass, harm and intimidate the victim. The content is then syndicated to many different sites – making it even harder to locate the material and take it down.

Microsoft, like many giant technology companies with search engines and social media platforms that have hundreds of millions of users, have strict rules guiding the posting and distribution of pornographic images. However, it is usually up to people – victims, third parties, loved ones and friends, to report the content to Microsoft to ensure the content is removed. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative is working with major social media sites and search engines to help them locate and remove content construed as “revenge porn.”

Here is how you can report non-consensual porn on Microsoft’s Bing platform/search engine:

Bing Search Results:

There are two ways to get nonconsensual pornography removed from Bing search results. In all cases, you can use our nonconsensual pornography takedown form, which asks for information such as the URL that contains the offensive materials, whether or not the images/videos are consensual, and a few other questions.

Additionally, if a website owner has already taken down the content, and the page is still showing in Bing results, you can use Microsoft’s content removal tool to ask Bing to update the view of the web.

More information on how to use the content removal tool for this scenario is below.

Content Removal Tool Instructions

There are two cases where you may use this:

· Page is no longer available, but still shows up in Bing search results.

o Enter the URL in the content URL field

o Select “remove page” as the removal type

· Page has been changed to not contain information about you, but Bing still has an older copy of the page showing up in search results.

o Enter the URL in the content URL field

o Select “remove outdated cache” as the removal type

o Enter the outdated text that is no longer appearing on the current site but still shows up in Bing search