#I do genuinely enjoy being a quality 'sorting algorithm' for so many people. Even if I do sometimes uh.

[not-the-conversation-starter]

your blog is on fire tonight c:

I LOVE HAVING GOOD TASTE #EGOMOMENT

[ardathksheyna]

Do It For You

I haven't been posting my art as much. The reason? I'm tired of attempting to coerce whatever algorithm each site is using to reach my current followers or even new followers—and that includes Tumblr. I was doing pretty good on Instagram... until they changed their algos to favor big influencers more, which happened sometime in August.

Actually, Tumblr seems to be the worst offender compared to other sites. Or I'm probably getting pissy because of the tabs "For You", "Your tags", and "Following"—all three show me the same shit I saw a few days ago. And don't even get me started on Tumblr Live. If I wanted Only Fans, I'd go to Only Fans. But I digress...

Since then, I've slowed down on posting artwork of any sort on all platforms that I'm part of. Yesterday was probably the first piece I've posted in a while, and that was basically done on a whim.

Anyway, what it boils down to is I am (and a lot of other people) are tired of sacrificing mental health for likes because in order to keep the engagement, you have to constantly churn out piece after piece. Unfortunately, the algorithms seem to favor quantity over quality—you can bust your ass on a piece, but someone else churning out prompts (yes, I'm referring to AI art) can get more engagement because that's what the algos favor: speed.

AI art is problematic by itself—for many reasons, the least of which is how the AI algo is trained. However, that is a complicated mess and another thoughtful post for another time.

On the flip-side, algorithms also favor videos over static content—Insta's in particular (basically favoring the sloppy seconds of TikTok over genuine content). On that subject, I like YouTube's implementation (Shorts) better than Instagram's anyway.

All that being said, the current climate of the internet is hostile to content creators. Twenty years ago, you didn't have this uphill battle of trying to train an algorithm just to get views. Really, all you had to do optimize for search engines and you were pretty much set.

Now, it's a balance between your mental health and trying to retain the level of engagement that you do have, and then become frustrated when you're doing everything right and still get fucked because some bean-counter decided that they want more profits.

It's almost too easy to get discouraged and think that what you're doing doesn't matter and all you're really doing is shouting into the void. When that happens, you have to ask yourself these questions:

Who are you doing this for? (0 for someone else, 10 for yourself)

Do you like making art? (0 for no, 10 for yes)

Do you want the attention (rate 0 to 10)

Are you only doing this for likes (rate 0 to 10)

Yeah, I made that up on the spot. Whatever score for each question you come up with will tell you where your priorities are. If you're doing this for anything other than enjoyment or for yourself, well... that leads me to my next part:

You see, I learned a long time ago that when you're doing something mental/time-intensive for reasons other than pure enjoyment, it is very easy to get burned out quickly. I know this because once upon a time, I used to enjoy writing code. After graduation, I spent my free time trying to improve my skills—not for myself or because I enjoyed it, but because I thought it was the only way for me to retain a job in my field.

Well, I think we know how that ended—badly.

Because of my past experiences, I made a decision a while ago that what I'm doing, I'm doing for me (and maybe my boyfriend) but not for anyone else. The stories I write, the artwork I create. I'm not doing it for likes, I'm doing it for me, because I like what I do. Because I like the creative process and seeing how far can I push my skills.

So keep that in mind if you're struggling with mental-health and trying to beat bullshit algorithms. It's not worth the stress, and that stress just steals energy from your creativity.

You're doing what you love for you and maybe a few others—not for likes, attentions, engagement or whatever fake internet points exist nowadays.

Remember: do it for you!

[bigskycastle]

kinda personal ask but i was wondering (as an artist also posting their art on twt) how do you not have likes/rts amount to how you measure ur art? it gets kinda hard and ive been feeling self conscious about it lately so i was wondering if this is a normal thing or? either way i rlly respect you as an artist and i love the stuff you draw zelda or not!

thank you :-) it’s no worries, i’ll try and articulate this as best i can..

i think its incredibly easy to get pulled into thinking this way, and i do it way more often than i would like to :’)  like, objectively you know that likes/rt dont reflect the value of your art, but its still disheartening when you pull low numbers.. i think it’s because it feels almost as though your art was ignored or disregarded by people

but ultimately, social media is just... incredibly fickle n shallow lol. it will always favor content thats easy to digest/relate to. and thats fine! thats kind of what its built for. but it does make it very hard to get your foot in the door as an artist. esp if u don’t do much fanart :’) people don’t generally want to expend the energy it takes to engage with art, especially art thats more personal, or just like... “weird”. that's not even getting into the whole issue of being stuck in obscurity until someone with a larger following decides to share your stuff lol

all this to say.. like.. of course likes/rt dont reflect quality. if they're anything, they're more like.. like how views on a youtube video functions, i guess? if a video has more views, that generally means that: The Algorithm showed it to more people; that it has a flashy/intriguing thumbnail; and probably most importantly, that the content it advertises can appeal to a large demographic. its not a measure of its quality at all. i've watched super high quality niche documentaries and video essays etc., but because they have less mass appeal, they tend to sit below the 50k view threshold. its not a reflection of your value at all, its just a reflection of how well you can cater to what twitter as an..entity wants.

and i think i am pretty good at this! not cuz im such a phenomenal amazing artist, or cuz i try and pander or something, but because the way i draw and the things i enjoy drawing tend to line up pretty well with "what twitter wants”. in this sense im very lucky! i know many artists who genuinely ARE phenomenal and amazing but they might only draw, like, fanart of an obscure videogame from the early 2000s. doesnt make them less good, but you can see why they are less popular.

thats not to say that doing fanart will launch u into popularity or whatever tho. i mean, i posted fanart alongside OC on this blog since like 2016, and only in the past 1-2 years have i gotten much clout. i used to get super excited if any of my posts broke 20 notes. sometimes u just have to draw for yourself, improve your skills at your own pace and maybe hope someday people take notice of you i guess. but still, try to keep in mind that likes/rts dont really.. mean much. i think the thing they're most useful for is purely visibility, which can be useful in trying to get work.... SOMETIMES. (besides that, they're just good at making people irrationally distrust or hate you assuming youre some sort of.. i dont know.. rich industry pro and not a broke teenager lol)

(exhale) i hope this helps somehow lol it kind of turned into a rant about the things i dislike about posting art on socmed. if any other artists want to chip in and say something more coherent thatd be helpful LOL sorry anon. tldr: social media is fake and shallow, draw what makes you happy

[j4nn4s]

rules:

always repost the rules

answer the questions given to you by the one who tagged you!

give 11 questions

tag 11 people

i was tagged by @isakvdhflorenzi, ty miss lorena <3 1. Is the social media presence of the characters important to how you view the quality of the remake/show?

hm well skam nl is my favorite and their social media game is trash LMAOOO so generally No but i do feel like remakes who DO have such a good presence kind of elevate the show and i think it’s pretty heartwarmin to see some remakes go sm farther than skam with social media and puttin out educational and IN CHARA resources like skames does this so well and i feel like in that way, the team is really really spreadin skam’s spirit via these resources (like joana’s billion bpd awareness ig accounts and lucas rubio’s yt channel)

2. Least favourite clip of the show? Why?

tbh there are definitely some duds but probably one of the clips with sana gettin herself into a hole in s4 just bc some were hard to watch cus cringey or yikes .... idk i cant think of others LMAO

3. Which character did you feel the most connected to and why?

ijeoiqjiwoij even tho even is my all time fave skam chara, i have to say isak for all of these reasons 

4. Your least favourite part of every season?

season 1 - tbh even though i really enjoyed this season, it does take a while for it to build up like i rmr at first not being that interested until ep6 maybe ?? which is hard when you’re trying to get your friends to watch but they have to wait until ep6 before shit starts RLLY buildin up and gettin wild

season 2 - hm ig noora chasin after william ??

season 3 - bro NOTHINGGG call me a purist but its such a refined masterpiece like the pacing is good the characterization is so good ugh i deadass cant think of anythin

season 4 - i always felt a little ??? w noora being sana’s bff ig bc from s1-s3 it didn’t Feel like they were that close like even in noora’s pov, sana wasn’t really a part of it that much ?? like eva was more of noora’s bff ?? so i feel like it would have made more sense if maybe sana spoke more with chris or vilde bc sana and vilde eventually seemed to get closer esp with kosegruppa and chris has always been by sana’s side ?? idk that always confused me

5. What is your opinion on the cast’s participation on social media? Do you prefer it when the cast aren’t that involved like the Skam cast, or do you like a lot of content like the Fr cast do?

tbh i don’t care much abt the casts LMAOOO if anythin it kind of brings more harm as seen with the harassment axel and maxence get and also can bring more controversy like with irene (which honestly is p sad considerin how much i love skames bc now i feel super :/ watchin it like she shouldve just had private accts at this point)

6. Favourite song you found from Skam or the remakes?

OMFGGG love this question .... def doorman by slowthai and mura masa bc its one of my fave songs now and i got it from skam nl <3 ugh taste

7. If you could decide which characters from Skam got a season, who would you choose?

OOOHHH ugh torn bc i like isak’s pov but also i want even’s so might have to forfeit isak season for even season ....... hm so probs vilde, sana, even, noora (maybe not w william tho) and honestly maybe jonas too ??

8. Are there any moments that you liked in the show that everyone else seems to hate?

IJXDWQOIJJ yes .... remakes-wise, people hate skam nl s2’s last half but i enjoyed it for the most part ... i think the pacing was off for the last ep but personally, clip 50 made up for it and is p god tier imo ..... and also don’t think the first half of ep10 is enough to discredit the entire season bc i rlly loved seeing liv’s pov and have sm fave moments from the season 

but skam wise, omg might get a lil controversial w this one IM SORRY !!! im bein honest and its Just my opinion ok 

personally s2 got me more invested than s1 and i don’t think its a super bad season like i didnt really say many problems wrong with it until i got on tumblr wiejioqjoiqjq i was sort of interested in the questions that the noora/william dynamic brought up which is, as expressed in william’s war speech to noora, that nothing is ever black/white which i feel was a huge message and feeds into the ‘you never know what ppl are going through’ theme of the season ... like i like the idea of someone like noora, who can have a black/white mentality (as seen in the first clip of s2 when she tells vilde that they can’t have the tannin company as their sponsor bc they objectify women or smth but misses the context and what it could mean for the bus monetarily bc shes caught up in bein ‘woke’) having to break out of that and see more than one side ... and i think remakes like skam austin expanded on this idea well like when zoya was like ‘must be so nice being right all the time’ which i Do feel like is an important for youth to know today .... bc i think its so easy to get caught up in the idea of being so objectively right and morally superior that people lose sight of the more nuanced characteristics to life ... (omg long ramble BUT)

also LMAOOOOO this one might be more controversial as it pertains to bench scene s4 ok oops again doNT GOTTA AGREE !! ........ but i feel like the scene had a lot of good intentions ... i was def kind of cringing a bit tho bc i understand the subject’s sensitivity and how these topics are hard to talk about but i genuinely feel like they both made Some points and should listen to each other .... like as Hard and as maybe ‘unwoke’ it is to admit, unfortunately you sort of do have to answer the tough questions bc that way we learn from each other .... and i perfectly understand why some ppl wouldn’t want to do this and i certainly am tired abt havin to answer shit abt my sexuality or stupid male questions abt women but if u dont answer them, people do go lookin for answers still and the internet is such a shitty place that its pretty easy (esp with youtube’s algorithm) to lead you to ignorant ppl and perhaps radicalization .... questions help us to better understand our community and sometimes they can have good intentions too but we have to ask and answer them or else people will make up answers (which ive literally seen and its honestly worse to see fake as shit and UNINFORMED answers bc ppl did not want to ask you or ppl of ur identity, esp when they’re already startin from a place of hate .... but i rather have ppl ask me patronizing questions than have them spread false info bc that can do much more harm in the long run) however i DO think that isak should also consider sana’s side and i sort of wish we saw him conceding more bc they both have smth to learn from one another, like sana shouldn’t just be learnin from isak, isak needs to learn from sana too

PHEW SORRY QWIOJQWIO girl i just got opinions on some things this is when my desc rlly comes in handy .... oqjdwqioj

9. What did you learn from the show?

omg honestly too much to write here tbh ..... but if it says anythin im (very slowly) in the works of a three part skam essay about basically how skam teaches us to be better humans and how to better treat the people we care about diowjqioj essentially the three biggest themes of the show: you never know what someone is going through so always be kind, always communicate with your friends, and no person is ever alone and i feel like these are definitely rlly good messages to live by (also livet er nå BITCH !!!)

10. What is your favourite headcanon about your favourite characters?

omg tbh i could not tell u at all how the skam charas are doing except i hope even is okay thats all im thinkin of ok .... OIWXIOJX omg remakes wise tho ..... honestly im so bad at this girl IDK !!!!! LMAO i have to really think i have a bit of vdh and dutch even but thats bc we know like Zero abt them so its easier oijwiojqio idk liv and noah bein cute as shit ..... OH WAIT personally i feel like janna got a bunch of pansexual energy so my BIGGG hc is that she’s pan also bc she’s one of my all time fave charas and my fkn url so itd be dope if she was pan ok boom

11. What is your opinion on fanfiction in the fandom?

tbh i don’t read skam fanfiction but i don’t mind reading some from the remakes (tho still its rare) ... eiojeioqw i just don’t trust anyone but julie to write skam charas bc i think that’s how precious the show is to me LMAO like idk everything ive seen of skam fanfiction and ficlets and one shots, i could never get into bc the tone is just so out of character or there will be lines that just take me out of the fic bc im like this !!!! is not !!! how the chara acts !!!! so yeah idk not rlly a fan bc of my purist ass but i dont mind others reading it

Questions:

1. Favorite quote of the show?

2. Which country would you like to see have the next remake? Do you have any headcanons?

3. Which season would you rewrite and how would you rewrite it?

4. What clips do you personally like or don’t mind, but others hate?

5. Which songs do you think SKAM or the remakes should have included? For which moments?

6. Who would you give SKAM season five to and what topics and themes would it cover?

7. What moment spoke to you or touched you from SKAM the most?

8. How did you find SKAM? How did you feel about it right after watching?

9. Have you shared SKAM with any friends in real life? What did they think of it?

10. Of the remakes, which characters are your favorite of their SKAM counterparts? (Ex. who is the best Vilde remake? Eva? etc.)

11. How do you feel about the SKAM (and remakes) tumblr fandom?

I tag: @smileykeijser @whatadaze @queenofpurgatoryx @itlukey @skamyeets @shaykeijser @megeliz01 @isakcijser @wackpainterkid @axelauriantblot @kar-d-momme

(omg ik some of yall have been tagged so just ignore if u dont want to do it ok im srry it was in the RULES!)

[noahcdaily]

Noah Centineo, Shameless Heartthrob

My date with the best thirst architect the internet’s ever seen.

Now, I put my hand here,” Noah Centineo instructs as he slides his hand in the back pocket of my jeans. “And then we walk a little, like this.” He leads me around the Coney Island Aquarium like that: hip to hip, smiling at each other, his hand, to reiterate, in the back pocket of my jeans. I’ve just shamelessly asked him to re-create his signature move from Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, an adaptation of Jenny Han’s YA novel, in which he plays Peter Kavinsky, the high-school jock at the center of the film’s romantic plotline. I watched the movie and mentally flagged this scene — where he’s trying to convince a cafeteria full of students he’s dating the protagonist, Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) — as the one that made me wonder, Who is that guy? It’s a moment that belongs in a clip reel of classic, chemistry-laden movie moments, and I, a journalist, wondered if it could inspire the same feelings when executed in real life.

Centineo tells me how he totally improvised the move during filming. It was a thing he used to do with his ex-girlfriend. They’d be walking around, like we are now, and he’d realized he could sort of dance her around by the pocket and turn her, “just like this,” and boom, propelled by just a tug on my pocket, I’m suddenly facing him. We’re pelvis to pelvis. He’s smiling, comfortably, and I’m confronted with his hazel eyes, the scent of clean laundry, and pure pheromones. I sort of squeal, I think? Who can say, because I definitely black out for a second.

If I seem thirsty, well, isn’t that the point? At 22, Centineo is the most effective, addictive sort of heartthrob: the kind who absolutely loves being one, the kind who does everything in his power to make us thirst harder than we’ve ever thirsted before — and, yeah, it works. When the movie came out in August, Noah Centineo was immediately, breathlessly given the title of Internet’s Boyfriend. Now, with his second Netflix rom-com, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, in which he plays yet another lovable, evolved jock, Centineo has graduated to full-on cultural obsession.

In less than a month his Instagram followers went from just under 800,000 to 9.5 million. In the movie, his character drives crosstown to buy his love interest her favorite Korean yogurt drinks — and no joke — Yakult stock has been going up. This man’s floppy hair is actually driving the market. He’s been stalked by fans and now employs an omnipresent security guard named Dave. He’s been the subject of a leaked nude scandal (“I understand why you have to ask that question,” he demurred when I asked him about a certain video that’s been making the rounds. “I just hope you understand why I’m not gonna answer it.”). His Twitter mentions are an anthology of fantasies — some chaste and some really not — written by women of all ages. “Tell them all to hit my line,” he says with a laugh.

We decide to tour the aquarium, where I’m idly waiting for him in the lobby when he walks in shirtless. Shirtless. Without a shirt. Holding his black T-shirt in his hand, instead of wearing it on his torso, which I can see right now. With my eyes. He has a real reason. He’s just been outside, taking pictures on a boardwalk in nearly 100-degree weather. But even with a rational explanation as to why he has no shirt on, the entrance is so on the nose it’s almost ridiculous: a smoking-hot leading man, walking into a room sweaty and half-naked. It’s like there should be a slowed-down frame rate, a treacly indie-pop song playing, a zoom-in of my pupils turning into those hunga hunga hearts. He hands his ticket to the woman at the front desk and apologizes, for some reason, for his bare chest. She makes him put his shirt back on, and greets me with a smile so huge, I can assure you he has zero cavities.

Even offscreen, Centineo, I observe immediately, has that whole thing. It wasn’t just good directing or the right song cued at the right moment that created the effect. He has all the qualities deemed necessary by early-in-life fans of Teen Bop and Devon Sawa at the end of Casper: white sneakers (Vans, of course), an easy charm, and a tendency to play it fast and loose with knowing, meaningful eye contact that says “I see you.” He knows the right way to lean against a wall, how to twirl a specific clump of hair so it slouches over one eye. He’s even got an imperfection you can moon over: this tiny scar on his chin from where his dog tried to rip his face off when he was a kid. When he greets me with a hug, it’s the kind of genuine, intentional, full-body contact that makes me feel like he’d write me a letter every day and build me a house.

“I’ve always played the love interest,” Centineo says. “I’ve trained for it for a while. These roles are just molds I can pour myself into.” He grew up in Miami, with a few years’ interlude in Park City, which he hated because he never felt like he fit in. He started acting as a preteen when he attended a general casting call sort of on a lark, but he enjoyed it so much he eventually dropped out of his Boca Raton high school sophomore year and moved to Los Angeles with his mom to pursue it full-time. Since then Centineo’s been playing graduating levels of “crush”: first on a tween-friendly Disney show Austin & Ally, then on a teen-friendly Freeform show, The Fosters, and now for admiring audiences of all ages on Netflix rom-coms (To All the Boys, Sierra Burgess, and one deep cut for the algorithm-determined real fans, SPF 18.)

“I like this rowboat. Do you want to sit in this rowboat,” he asks, upon discovering a fake rowboat stuck in the corner of an exhibition about ponds. (Fake rowboat, a move.) Ever the leading man, he gets in first to steady the fake boat, and helps me in. Then, he directs yet another adorable moment for us, and starts rocking the boat back and forth, like we’re on a real pond, laughing this huge, full-throated laugh like the only thing he’s ever wanted to do was crouch in a plastic rowboat with me. And even though we both know the answer to the question, I ask, “Why do you think everyone is going nuts over you right now?”

“People love love,” he says, and begins to explain how both of his recent movies “empower” people. “I think these are just great examples of feel-good films, how could you not like something that makes you feel good?”

He stops talking and looks at me, a little concerned. “If you’re still warm, we should move,” he suggests, perhaps noticing the sweat pouring from my forehead and rolling down to my chin. It’s such a hot day, even the AC inside has given up. “I just want you to feel comfortable,” he says thoughtfully, adding, “Don’t worry, I also sweat like a motherfucker.”

It’s now his mission to find the coolest spot in the aquarium. He leads me down some stairs, back up the same stairs once he realizes they lead to a bathroom. We go around all the exhibits, while he looks up at the ceiling, in the corners, searching for an air vent, determined to find the perfect spot to get the full blast. We finally do. “Can you feel it?” he asks, one last time, before he seems satisfied, parked in front of a manmade reef. It’s a specific sort of gallantry I recognize from his roles, the ones he describes as manly and masculine, but also “sensitive, emotionally intelligent, loving, nurturing, and protective.”

“That’s just what a great man is in life and in general,” he shrugs. In his two most well-known parts (both of which occurred in the past month) he plays an updated version of a familiar type of crush. In To All the Boys, a lacrosse player who loves Fight Club but drinks kombucha and falls for the film’s Korean-American protagonist. In the other, Sierra Burgess, a quarterback who thinks the cheerleader is way hot, but instead falls for the brainy girl who catfishes him. In both, he displays a preference for the unexpected love interest. In both, he drives a Jeep Wrangler, the preeminent car of teen crushes. He’s not the mysterious, brooding type à la Robert Pattinson in Twilight, he doesn’t have the cold, intellectual appeal of Timothée Chalamet’s character in Lady Bird. He’s not pure Zac Efron dumb-hot-frat boy or even the misunderstood, sexually experienced bad boy like the ones Adam Driver plays. What Centineo does well — and what nobody has really done with such conviction since Freddie Prinze Jr. — is play a simple, suburban-mall kind of crush with Stanislavski dedication. That’s it. He’s just fully nice and hot at a time that feels like “nice and hot” is a rare resource. He’s a throwback to a more classic sort of wish fulfillment.

In fact, Centineo can see a whole career based around this: being good at love. He imagines all the potential types of roles he can explore: romantic dramas, other types of rom-coms, action romantic comedies, edgier, more toxic and dangerous types of love. “There’s so many degrees to love. I think I have a lot more to offer the space,” he says. He’s got a few projects lined up already, most notably a movie coming out in 2019 called The Stand-In. He plays a post-grad who launches a start-up, which requires him to loan himself out as a fake boyfriend.

“Whoa whoa! That motherfucker just came through so quick! He ran up on us with his boy.”

Centineo jumps back and marvels at some large fish that just came swimming right at his head. He makes a kissy-fish face back at the fish. What a lovely time we’re having. Looking at fish! Then he points to a placard and carefully reads out the description for Slippery Dick, a type of fish native to this particular tank, and chuckles. Then I read one about the French Grunt. I have no idea what’s going on. I point to a particularly fascinating fish, and he leans in to see, angling his head so his hair brushes my hand. Our arms accidentally touch.

“How’d you get so good at flirting,” I’m compelled to ask.

“Am I flirting?” he laughs and leans and looks down at the floor. “I don’t know — I’m fucking so romantic. Like, such a romantic — it’s not even funny. I can’t help it. I swear to God, like, every day, the majority of my day is sentimental. You know, I’m thinking about past relationships I’ve been in, how I miss them so much or what I would do different, or why I wanna be with them again, or just moments I’d like to go back to or I know why I shouldn’t go back, and then you know, it’s just constantly love, love, love.”

He’s a Taurus, ruled by Venus, he offers by way of explanation. “That means a couple things: one, like I need a lot of nurturing, and two, Venus is love, I’m ruled by love.” His favorite movie is Gaspar Noe’s Love, his favorite feeling is being in love (which he has been, twice). I bet if you could cook Love and serve it over pasta, it would be his favorite meal. He lives, breathes, and expels love. His Instagram is a steady stream of soul-baring, puppy-dog-eyed selfies — “I’m pretty vain,” he jokes. His Twitter alternates between sort of yoga studio platitudes and vague flirtations like “Fuck…you’re so cute,” or, more in line with my personal interests, “THE BLACKER THE BERRY.”The messages are to nobody specific, he says — he’s single right now — they could be to somebody he just met, or he met before, or he saw across the room, or just to everybody.

Dating is going to be hard for him from now on, he suspects, even though he really doesn’t want to change how he pursues someone he likes (open-heartedly, passionately, purely) but he’s started worrying about the reasons people want to date him. Is it just because he’s more famous now? Do they just want to date Peter Kavinksy? But are Kavinsky and Centineo really so different?  “I’m definitely not as innocent—” he says, with a gaze, because why say anything if you aren’t going to commit.

Centineo continues to list the differences, both philosophical and material: He’s more apt to jump out of a plane or just sit in nature than his characters. He doesn’t live in the suburbs, he lives in Los Angeles with his older sister and her boyfriend. He likes yoga and martial arts. He parties with friends. He starts every day at 6 a.m. with oatmeal, the recipe for which he begins detail, slowly: “I do Irish steel-cut oats, I do almond butter, coconut butter uh, coconut oil, honey, uh, chopped bananas, and, and, uh, like, hemp granola,” and I’m struck with this familiar feeling of being completely entranced by a man saying absolutely nothing interesting to me, which, oh right, yes, is infatuation.

[sevmeyinkimseyifazla-blog]

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How good were the particular SEO campaigns that you utilized in 2017? The voice lookup is growing everyday, which might the key factor for your own SEO success in 2018 since online users are more fascinated in accessing the web through spoken command. We have simply no choice left other than switching the website into mobile-friendly sites along with mobile-friendly SEO strategy to appeal to more users as well because grab and retain search motors attention. These key phrases and key phrases will after that be integrated into articles that will are relevant for your site simply by the SEO consultant. In 2018 there will end up being an even bigger concentrate upon machine learning and SEO through data. ” Of course, the particular amplification side of things can continue to integrate increasingly along with genuine public relations exercises rather of shallow-relationship link building, which usually will become increasingly easy in order to detect by search engines. 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Considering that Google processes more than 3. 5 billion searches for each day, the 30% increase within voice search in only the particular next two years translates directly into huge numbers and an also bigger potential for optimizing your own SEO strategy to begin achieving the demands of voice lookup now. It will be true that constantly researching intended for SEO techniques is a tiresome and tiring process, but right now there is no silver bullet regarding maintaining high ranking except enjoying change. Thus, cellular friendliness serves as one associated with the major factor that can continue in 2018 as the particular trend in SEO. Right here is the trick, attach the link within your content of your own target website, helping your focus on audience in reaching your web site, increasing traffic and impacting SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. SEO optimized posts are likely to rank high in lookup results compared those unoptimized articles. The factor about YouTube Google rankings considering that April 2014 Google had the major update, many vseo have got been crying however the answer is pretty simple. If a person have just started your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION campaign for the brand-new website, after that you should focus on long-tail keywords. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, alone, is not enough in order to guarantee success and content advertising, alone, is not enough in order to guarantee success. I actually believe by now, most associated with the principles of SEO are usually more or less well recognized by people that have completed their amount of time within the trenches since 1999, even though new platforms and data sorts arrive all the time maintaining the need for ongoing exercise or testing even more essential than in the past. So, I might declare 2018 is a problem for Google, just as very much as it might be intended for SEOs. We have several good rankings, but we are usually always trying to improve and discover what the future holds with regard to SEO. In 2018, the user experience is the particular center of development as properly as the key point regarding the SEO strategies. SEO remains king of the Internet, plus businesses will continue to require valuable, and unique content that will will meet the need associated with their company in the many years SEO 2019 Slide ahead. Backlinks are one of the most significant SEO factors. In order to give you a head begin, here are the SEO styles and techniques we expect in order to dominate in 2018. Debbie A. Everson is the particular CEO of, experienced SEO Professionals and Search Engine Optimization Company to 2, 000 small companies. Off-Page SEO refers in order to all the things that may be done directly OFF your own website to help you much better search engine positions, such because social networking, article submission, discussion board & blog marketing, etc. The overwhelming usage of mobile phones for searching plus shopping has compelled the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION professionals to optimize mobile internet sites as well as the tendency is fast picking up. You will find that there are several Local SEO ranking factors scattered through this ebook. The easiest method to understand how well your WordPress SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is working over time is usually to setup a free accounts with Google Analytics Ifย a person need some help follow this particular step by step integration guide One of the very initial things you should do is usually link your Google Analytics accounts with your Google Search Gaming console account. They make make use of of the state-of-the-art content administration system and help you create good seo content for your own website which will help your own website appear on the best rank of the search motors and this has great effect on generating traffic to your own website which often results in company growth. The voice search will be getting vital for SEO. A person can use this configuration in order to improve your mobile SEO concerning providing users best design intended for all devices. Many people try to consider their SEO strategies into their particular own hands, but this may lead to a waste associated with time and resources. SEO Check - which will certainly test out your website plus give you tips for much better search engine optimization. In order to understand more, check this infographic through Digital Marketing Philippines, which talks about the very best trends that will you should know if a person want to increase your SEO technique this 2018. Having a common sense approach in order to SEO, you can do your personal keyword research and do SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION yourself. Due to the fact the niches are fairly wide, I'm fortunate to have the lot of keyword opportunities (as opposed to doing SEO intended for a local business). Within this post, we've broken straight down the top SEO techniques to assist you skyrocket your rankings plus boost your amount of monthly guests. This is typically the taking treatment of of SEO that individuals spend one of the most time and the particular most optimisation on. This is definitely why it is so unexpected that this script is flipping whenever it comes to backlinks, along with more authoritative unlinked words getting the ones that fight via algorithms probably the most effectively. Therefore, having the Google My Business profile will be essential for local SEO since it enables you to show up in these results. Hazel, SEO Consultant and founder associated with SEO+, works together with companies throughout the UK. She's curious in making websites work efficiently and it has a popularity for increasing traffic, leads plus sales. And if they find the particular content useful, they might actually bookmark it. Which is exactly what off-page SEO is all regarding beyond link-building. Moreover, Google may continue to elevate the importance of usability and technical SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION factors, such as site safety, page speed, mobile friendliness, plus navigability. Traditional SEO is targeted upon building (keyword relevant) links plus (keyword relevant) content. The search engine optimisation (SEO) industry is still expanding in recognition and is worth a excellent $65 billion SEO helps shops rank in search engines such as Google. What's coming intended for search engine optimization (SEO) professionals within the coming year? In case you quality backlinks to your own blog post, you'll also much better search engine positions for the particular competitive terms like SEO Tips” with ease. SEO is the methodology that technically and topically aligns brand content and engagement along with searcher intent. SEOs are able to gain access to a lot more information compared to we ever could before straight from Google using Search System (like mobile friendliness of content material, and validation of structured data), and tools like the automatic assistant in the mobile Search engines Analytics app, which provides device learning insights to Google analytics data. RankBrain is more associated with a ranking signal than a good SEO masterpiece, nevertheless, it will have some effects on SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, and can be especially helpful if users don't know fully what they're looking for, or even simply can't find the correct words to use. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION - Seo: the process associated with making your site better regarding search engines. Google announced last season that RankBrain had become their own 3rd most important ranking aspect, and our SEO predictions recommend it will grow in significance for 2018. Creating and promoting linkable possessions is an excellent way in order to increase your SEO through the obtain of backlinks. You can get SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION results by executing Pillar #1 and Pillar #2 well, yet backlinks are fuel on the particular fire. This way, a person and your SEO can assure that your site is made to be search engine-friendly through the bottom up. However, a great SEO can also help enhance an existing site. In 2018, the particular user experience could be the center associated with development and also the the key point for the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION strategies. As the mobile-first index, page speed ranking element, as well as other changes continue to move out this year, be guaranteed that SEO which focuses upon quality over short-term gains is definitely what can help you proceed up in the SERPs. Many SEO campaigns begin along with keywords - knowing what the particular audience within your niche is usually searching for is really the powerful advantage. Authoritativeness is a essential metric for SEO these times, and when you read that will Google rater's guide, it indicates a lot more than simply having lots and lots associated with backlinks. It is usually the first SEO trend that will will make your site even more visible on search engine. SEO is executed on the understanding that internet pages rank because of how appropriate a webpage is to the search query and how several links point to that web page. You know essential it is in these days to write excellent content and optimize blog posts for SEO. The most essential aspect of SEO is that will you must have quality content material You should provide value in order to readers with your engaging content material. You post a great info, could you suggest me exactly how to improve website ranking without having doing any off page search engine optimization. Surprisingly plenty of, a lot of SEOs out there there do tend to take too lightly the power of Google Tendencies The tool has a distinct "YouTube search" feature, which covers under the "Web search" choice. With each new yr, exciting new trends emerge within SEO that are important in order to catch onto in order in order to stay ahead of the competition and make sure that your own content is the most related. Link Exchange, Bookmarking of internet pages etc are good methods of improve your web web page ranking and thereby build SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. This will be where SEO tools show the magic by improving a web site to complete great web search ratings. On the similar note, great SEO articles needs keywords but if a person overdo it, Google and individual visitors will hate it. Wanting to keep a healthy keyword thickness of 1-2% is recommended. SEO is usually optimizing digital documents for individuals who use search engines. Search engines has stated publicly they think brands” are good for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, as people trust them plus want to see them offered in search results. Even as we appear ahead to SEO in 2018, discover our predictions for exactly what we think will be a single of Google's biggest years however for search. Meta explanation plays a major role within search engine position of your post so composing an SEO friendly meta explanation is essential for ranking element. SEO is not just about building search engine-friendly websites. When you're working on SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, you need to be conscious of the existing factors that will influence your ranking. We would certainly like to increase visibility, we all want it to show up in Research Engine Results Page (SERP), All of us should go with these alleged SEO techniques. Enter: SEO -- a method to filter plus organise websites depending on key phrases. SEO today is producing sure a user's experience is usually optimal in terms of the particular content they're consuming, how they may consuming on various devices, plus what action they're lead in order to take next. And as over 55% of most search results on Search engines contain one or more movies — almost all of which usually are YouTube videos — submitting SEO-optimised YouTube videos will obtain you more Google search direct exposure and increase your online presence exponentially. In situation your website is on the particular newer side, you can prioritize your PPC campaign first since it can take a whilst for SEO rankings to turn out to be established, but don't ignore your own SEO in this process. In truth, you're going to see even more and more people investing within SEO as paid traffic stations will get expensive. Google failed to influence web pages so much right after updates, quickly but they gather data on a regular basis so they are usually testing their algorithms then this effects all directories in search engine optimization. In order to get executive buy-in, SEOs require to talk another language -- a CMO is not really interested within a list of rankings, these people want to understand the effect of SEO on performance. In case you are going for nearby SEO, try to obtain the server close to the location you attempt to rank regarding. This individual is the proud Founder and Chief Architect of cognitiveSEO, a good SEO Toolset focused on in-depth analysis of ranking signals. A write-up in states that will 85% of individuals prefer indigenous mobile apps to websites Function your brand prominently in the particular app name and be certain you have proper links in order to apps for better search ranks Also, you should ensure that application optimization tops your list associated with SEO optimization. Plus because Google shows YouTube movies in their search results, your own video must be SEO pleasant. Enter your competitor's URL in to the SEMRush search bar and you should be provided with a checklist of SEO keywords, with their own rankings and traffic. HTML Sitemap is one associated with the small factor for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking. Links are extremely important with regard to SEO. Most SEO newsletters summarize topics mentioned in social mass media and on popular marketing sites. Advanced technique: Use one of the best SEO tools to research key phrase alternatives and search volume. Both of these factors are enough to effectively change search engine rankings which is usually why this SEO technique will be classified as a serious dark hat. Suggestions you suggested for SEO Progress are valuable as Websites possess to undergo SEO Audit through timt to time to remain On top of search motor results, I was currently searching out for SEO advance Techniques to Improve website ranking, Found out Out your post relevant. Marketing on industry-specific directories and marketplaces, speaking with targeted conferences, appearing on related podcasts, and increasing site visitors through newsletters are practices that will are good for SEO plus make perfect sense in the world without search engines. Regarding example, considering the keyword tea” or marketing” may take very a long time for enhancing the ranking for every upon Google, however, using less looked terms like home tea-maker” or even SEO marketing for your business” can improve your chances associated with raking high in Google. Search Motor Optimization is done through creating SEO optimized content for the website. I WOULDN'T 301 REFOCUS users blindly to your house page in case you anticipate any SEO benefits from 301s. Nevertheless, 2018 SEO trends will prove in order to be the clincher. Canonical: This particular plug-in handles content syndication, which usually essentially allows other blogs in order to publish your job (similar to franchising) without hurting your website's SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking—simply by having a rel=canonical may get your brand and content material out on the web within multiple outlets, ensuring a better reach and bigger audience without having hurting your own search outcomes. Rich snippets and schema markup language is the the one that one particular needs to work on even more to get a good increase in SEO score and furthermore for having a better rank searching engine results page (also generally known as SERP). ” The wealthy snippets are a way in order to communicate with Google regarding the content material contained within the site. With more than 200 ranking factors in Google's search algorithm, SEO is today a highly complex process. A SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION process may involve a website's coding and structure, content plus copywriting, site presentation, as properly as fixing other issues that will will prevent search engines through indexing your company website. Just because Google and other search motors are using personalization more regularly in order to get more accurate search outcomes for their users, user customization has become more prevalent within SEO. The particular need to learn about fresh entrants like Siri, Alexa, Fb, Linkedin, and specialist search motors (like, for example) will maintain SEOs on their toes with regard to years to come. It took me plenty associated with time to organize for it, in order to conduct the research and therefore forth. It is very helpful to have the information upon how the very best specialists use SEO at hand. Affected sites along with poor onpage and offpage SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, and has a massive impact on location related search. SEO differs from nearby search engine optimization in that will the latter is targeted upon optimizing a business' online existence so that its web web pages is going to be shown by search engines when the user enters a local lookup for its products or solutions. In a current survey by Hubspot only 9% of businesses using inbound advertising with SEO failed to discover an ROI. Right now, the only way to show up in the search engine web pages like this is by posting your videos on You Pipe or through video SEO. SEO requires an understanding associated with how search engines work, exactly what individuals search for, and exactly why and how people search. While Search engines makes it near impossible in order to completely crack its page standing algorithm code, constantly adjusting in order to accommodate one thousand different intricacies will be the challenge intended for SEOers in 2018 and a lot of a long time. In order to get them, you'll have in order to read other blogs that examine between the lines of exactly what Google representatives are saying which usually publish data that illuminates the consequences, say, of a new formula change or that tries in order to determine is new ranking elements are taking effect when Search engines isn't being clear about can be going on. The comments upon posts in this blog are usually often worth reading, even in the event that just to see what some other SEO professionals are thinking. There are usually various powerful Top SEO strategies ” which will help a person to get your site upon first page of Search motor. With the contribution associated with major search engines like Search engines and Bing, website owners are usually seeing technological SEO changes that will reflect in terms of improved user experiences. We are unable to develop a post about the particular top SEO trends in 2018 without writing about how AI and machine learning will effect SEO. Still, the key word aspect of SEO is getting increasingly difficult with Google Google adwords hiding volume data. A successful SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION strategy in 2018 will proceed towards relationship building, helping the brand develop powerful contacts plus links that will be helpful in a longer term. As search engines carry on to develop more advanced systems and responsiveness to online queries, new SEO techniques will come out to keep companies ranking higher on search engines. Within this post, we've broken straight down the very best SEO techniques in order to help you skyrocket your search positions and boost your number associated with monthly visitors.

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15 Common Social Media Questions & Answers

Whether you’re just getting started with social media marketing, or you’re an experienced marketer, there’s always something new to learn. Asking the right questions can improve your chances of success and help you avoid costly mistakes. In order to help steer you in the right direction, we’ve compiled a list of some common social media questions you might be dying to ask.

1. Do I Have to Be on Every Social Network?

Here’s why: As tempting as it is to increase your visibility by jumping on every social network, a lot of times it’s too much to take on. Instead of creating accounts just for the sake having a profile, get strategic with the networks you choose.

An easy way to figure out which social networks to be on is by simply asking where’s my audience’s attention? If they’re not on Pinterest, there’s no need to spend a bunch of time and energy there. Check out our social media marketing guide to help decide which network is best for your brand.

Another good litmus test for which networks to choose is by asking yourself what value you can bring to the network. If you can’t create content that people on the network want to see, put your efforts elsewhere.

For instance, if you have the time and resources to make outstanding videos, then you should definitely have a presence on YouTube so you can share those videos across the networks your audience loves most. If you don’t have the bandwidth for video production, get off of YouTube and don’t feel guilty about not being there.

Remember, you don’t have to take on everything at once. Start out with one or two profiles. If you see success and have time to expand, then slowly add other networks.

2. Do My Social Media Handles Have to Be Consistent?

Here’s why: Not only will it be easier for you to promote your social media handles if they’re consistent, but it will also be easier for fans to find and tag you. When usernames are different across every network, it can get confusing. If you Tweet an Instagram image but you have two different usernames, it complicates things. Inevitably, someone will tag your Twitter name on Instagram or your Instagram name on Twitter and you’ll miss opportunities for engagement.

Today it’s not only domain names that matter; usernames are just as, if not more, valuable in terms of digital real estate. Sites like Knowem tell you whether or not your desired username is available across multiple networks.

If your first choice isn’t available, don’t despair. Get creative. And it’s okay if your social media usernames are slightly different than your URL. What’s more important is that your usernames are consistent across each network. For instance, the toothbrush subscription company Quip was unable to get the username Quip on social media. So instead, they used GetQuip and kept it consistent across all their social channels.

If your exact username isn’t available, don’t sweat it. Use an alternative like “Companyhq” or “getCompany.” One thing you should avoid is adding numbers, characters, underscores or phrases that have nothing to do with your business. Keep your usernames as simple as possible.

3. What Type of Content Should I Share?

Answer: The type of content your audience wants to see.

Here’s why: It all comes down to knowing your ideal customer. If you have a solid understanding of their lifestyle, desires and pain points, it will become much easier to create or find relevant content they’re likely to enjoy and share.

Beyond that, start following influencers in your industry who create outstanding content and share their stuff. Or you can use it to inspire you to write a few blog posts or conversation starters that riff off the topic or expand upon it. You can also search relevant hashtags or check out what’s trending on Twitter and Instagram to understand what people are talking about right now, then join in on those conversations.

Idea generation is the hardest part, so let your audience do it for you. Talk to your followers or ideal customers and ask them what they would like to see. You can also ask your employees to contribute one blog post per month. When you divvy up the work, it becomes less stressful and more thoughtful.

4. How Often Should I Post?

Here’s why: Your posting frequency depends on your resources and audience. Your goal is to get quality content that your audience will love in front of as many eyes as possible. Never sacrifice quality for quantity.

It’s better to put nothing out there than to publish content that’s subpar. If that means you can only post on Facebook three times per week—but they are three really good posts that get a lot of engagement—that’s perfectly acceptable. Just find a consistent schedule that you can maintain.

If you’re struggling to publish on a consistent basis, you can always repurpose content. For instance, if you made a YouTube video, take 30-second segments of it and post them on Instagram. Old blog posts can be Retweeted with new phrasing and imagery.

In fact, you can set a strategy in which every blog post gets shared across every network on day one, a repeat on Twitter on day three, a repeat on Facebook on day eight and so on.

If you share the same content across networks, each post should be phrased differently. For example, LinkedIn doesn’t use hashtags, so you wouldn’t want to copy and paste something from Twitter. An infographic might perform better on Pinterest than on Facebook.

You’ll have to track what kind of content and format does best on each network using social media analytics software. Take that data into consideration when publishing on each platform.

5. What’s the Best Time to Post?

Here’s why: We actually have an entire post on the best times to post to social media. The reality is there is no single best time to post. It all depends on the network you’re using and when your audience is most active.

It’s going to take a little trial and error to get your timing down. A good idea is to use Sprout to schedule your content to be shared at different times and days of the week.

Then dig into your analytics to see which posts are getting the most engagement to get an idea of when the best time to post is for your audience, on each specific network.

6. How Do I Get More Followers?

Answer: By giving people a reason to follow you.

Here’s why: Regardless of which network you’re talking about, it’s the quality not quantity of followers that matters. You need followers who will actually engage with your content, not just add to your follower count.

Since people are bombarded with content from all over the place, you have to give them a compelling enough reason to follow you. You’re not just asking people to follow you. You’re asking for their attention which is a limited resource. Why should they give their attention to you instead of someone else?

There are plenty of ways to earn their attention. For instance, Taco Bell gets people to follow them on Snapchat by sharing exclusive content that fans can’t see anywhere else.

Another approach is to share exclusive industry news and events. This tactic works particularly well on Twitter because 86% of users use it to get news. NFL insider Ian Rapoport gained over 1 million Twitter followers by being a reputable source of the latest news in the NFL.

At this point, the calf injury that sidelined #Falcons DE Dwight Freeney for today's practice is not considered serious, source said.

Another popular tactic is to share coupons, deals and giveaways exclusively for social media followers. National Geographic recently launched their Wild to Inspire Instagram contest where users had to submit videos that showcase wildlife or people making a difference for animals in the wild.

Beyond that, using appropriate hashtags (especially on Instagram) and potentially partnering with influencers for co-marketing campaigns to expand your reach are great ways to get engaged followers. Also, Remember that social media is a conversation, not a broadcast. Respond to your followers and interact with them. Go where they are. Get involved.

7. Does Social Media Affect SEO?

Answer: It can, but indirectly.

Here’s why: One common misconception about social media and SEO is that getting your content shared on social media will help improve your rankings. Google has flat out stated it doesn’t count social shares in its algorithm. Social shares are easy to manipulate, so they aren’t the most reliable metric to decide the value of a piece of content.

However, social media can still help your SEO efforts indirectly. You can use social media to network with influencers like bloggers, editors and journalists. These are all people that can potentially link to your website in their own content, which can help your SEO.

By using social media to build relationships with the right people, you can even land guest blogging or interview opportunities. Just be cautious of spamming people. You don’t want to come right out the gate begging people to link to your content. Instead, build relationships organically by liking, sharing and replying to their content. Build familiarity first, then when the time feels right look for an opportunity to work together.

8. Should I Connect With Everyone?

Here’s why: You don’t always have to “follow back” on Twitter or Instagram or accept every LinkedIn request. Why? Because you’re curating a network. Who you follow says as much about your brand as who follows you. It’s ok to be selective about who you follow.

Here are some ideas on who to follow:

Users you’re genuinely interested in hearing from

Influencers you’re trying to build a relationships with

Loyal customers

People who frequently engage with you on social media or share your content

The downside of following a bunch of people is it makes it difficult to sort through your feed and see the most important messages like mentions of your brand or products. A good workaround is to use a social media management tool to manage your incoming messages. Sprout’s Smart Inbox makes it extremely easy to isolate messages that require a response.

Also keep in mind that you don’t have to follow people to engage with them. You Like Tweets or Instagram posts or leave comments whether you follow them or not.

9. Should I Pay for Social Media Advertising?

Here’s why: On a platform like Facebook, you have to “pay to play” in many cases. In 2016 alone, organic reach dropped 52% for publishers. And with Twitter and Instagram following in the footsteps of Facebook with an algorithmic feed, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get your content seen organically.

Whether or not you decide to try your hand at social media advertising will depend largely on your budget. If you can afford to spend some money to promote content on social media, it might be worth experimenting with. Decide on how much you’re willing or able to spend first, then create an advertising strategy within it.

Facebook is by far the most popular platform marketers use for social media advertising. In Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 84% of respondents said they use Facebook ads. However, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram (via Facebook), YouTube and other networks offer advertising as well. Feel free to test out different platforms to see which works best for you.

In addition to getting engagement on your posts and growing your follower count, you can also use social media advertising to generate leads, grow your email list or get more eyes on a piece of content.

10. Do I Need an Editorial Calendar?

Here’s why: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

An editorial calendar is a necessary step in bringing your strategy to life. It can help you stay on track and consistent in messaging across various networks. It can also help you create quality content by planning ahead. When you see the entire month across all networks in one place, it’s easier to edit the copy for strength and consistency.

Also, when you’re planning ahead, you have a better chance of maximizing your impact on social media. You’ll have time to plan a distribution strategy for any upcoming content, instead of doing everything as it happens. For instance, if you know you’re going to launch a contest or sale at the end of the month, reach out to influencers in advance and gain some momentum.

Content will be more likely to go viral if you’ve already lined up influencers to Tweet about your product launch or big announcement the same time you do. Check out this post that outlines four steps for creating a social media editorial calendar.

11. What’s My Social Media ROI?

Answer: The amount you earned from your social campaigns, minus the amount you invested.

Here’s why: Social media ROI can be a tricky subject, and 41% of companies say they have no idea whether or not their social efforts are paying off at all. But calculating the ROI isn’t as difficult as you might think. Read our guide on how to measure social media ROI for a complete step-by-step walk-through.

Keep in mind ROI might look different depending on your goals. If you’re using social media to get leads, your return won’t be the same as it would if you were using it to build brand awareness.

12. I’m in a “Boring” Industry, Do I Still Need Social Media?

Here’s why: Social media isn’t just reserved for athletes, fashion brands and retailers. When it comes to marketing, your goal is to reach your target audience where they’re paying the most attention. And for the past 10+ years, that has been social media. A whopping 78% of Americans have at least one social media profile, so there’s a strong chance your target customers are on at least one of the major networks.

If you’re unsure which network to reach your audience on, we’ve compiled a list of the demographics of some of the most popular social networks. That’ll give you a nice starting point, but also make sure you dive in and get familiar with any network you’re interested in joining.

Remember, social media isn’t an advertising platform for you shout your message as loudly as possible. Instead, use it as a platform to educate and entertain your audience.

For instance, taxes are about as boring as it gets for most non-accounting people. But H&R Block puts together fun social media campaigns that don’t make you cringe at the thought of tax season.

13. Is It OK to Share Promotional Content?

Answer: Yes, but don’t overdo it.

Here’ why: There’s a fine line between using social media to promote your brand, and spamming. If every other Tweet from your company is promoting your products and services, you risk losing your audience. Our Q3 2016 Index found that posting too many promotions is the most annoying action brands take on social media.

Not only that, but 46% of people are willing to unfollow a brand for sending too many promotional messages.

There’s no magic ratio of promotional to non-promotional social media content you should share. You’ll have to find the right cadence for your audience. To be on the safe side, aim to share much more non-promotional content than promotional.

14. Do I Need a Social Media Management Tool?

Here’s why: Native social media apps are great for personal use. In fact, it’s what they were made for. But as a business, your needs are a little different. You often need to schedule content in advance, look at in-depth analytics to measure performance and work in teams. The native social media platforms weren’t built for that, which is the reason why social media management tools like Sprout Social exist.

If social media is an important part of your business (it definitely should be) then you need the right tools to work more efficiently and effectively.

15. Should I Outsource My Social Media Marketing?

Here’s why: For brands that don’t have the resources to put together social media campaigns from scratch, working with an agency can be a smart move. Social media agencies understand the nuances of different networks, and can often help you be much more effective.

On the flip side, you don’t want to take a completely hands-off approach. That’s why often times social media agencies prefer to work with clients, rather than completely take over everything. Nobody knows your brand like you, so you should always have a hand in your social efforts. But there’s nothing wrong with getting help from specialists.

Have a question that’s not answered here? Comment below or Tweet us and we’ll see if we can answer it for you. Remember, there’s no such thing as a dumb question, so ask away!

Source

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-questions/

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15 Common Social Media Questions & Answers

Whether you’re just getting started with social media marketing, or you’re an experienced marketer, there’s always something new to learn. Asking the right questions can improve your chances of success and help you avoid costly mistakes. In order to help steer you in the right direction, we’ve compiled a list of some common social media questions you might be dying to ask.

1. Do I Have to Be on Every Social Network?

Here’s why: As tempting as it is to increase your visibility by jumping on every social network, a lot of times it’s too much to take on. Instead of creating accounts just for the sake having a profile, get strategic with the networks you choose.

An easy way to figure out which social networks to be on is by simply asking where’s my audience’s attention? If they’re not on Pinterest, there’s no need to spend a bunch of time and energy there. Check out our social media marketing guide to help decide which network is best for your brand.

Another good litmus test for which networks to choose is by asking yourself what value you can bring to the network. If you can’t create content that people on the network want to see, put your efforts elsewhere.

For instance, if you have the time and resources to make outstanding videos, then you should definitely have a presence on YouTube so you can share those videos across the networks your audience loves most. If you don’t have the bandwidth for video production, get off of YouTube and don’t feel guilty about not being there.

Remember, you don’t have to take on everything at once. Start out with one or two profiles. If you see success and have time to expand, then slowly add other networks.

2. Do My Social Media Handles Have to Be Consistent?

Here’s why: Not only will it be easier for you to promote your social media handles if they’re consistent, but it will also be easier for fans to find and tag you. When usernames are different across every network, it can get confusing. If you Tweet an Instagram image but you have two different usernames, it complicates things. Inevitably, someone will tag your Twitter name on Instagram or your Instagram name on Twitter and you’ll miss opportunities for engagement.

Today it’s not only domain names that matter; usernames are just as, if not more, valuable in terms of digital real estate. Sites like Knowem tell you whether or not your desired username is available across multiple networks.

If your first choice isn’t available, don’t despair. Get creative. And it’s okay if your social media usernames are slightly different than your URL. What’s more important is that your usernames are consistent across each network. For instance, the toothbrush subscription company Quip was unable to get the username Quip on social media. So instead, they used GetQuip and kept it consistent across all their social channels.

If your exact username isn’t available, don’t sweat it. Use an alternative like “Companyhq” or “getCompany.” One thing you should avoid is adding numbers, characters, underscores or phrases that have nothing to do with your business. Keep your usernames as simple as possible.

3. What Type of Content Should I Share?

Answer: The type of content your audience wants to see.

Here’s why: It all comes down to knowing your ideal customer. If you have a solid understanding of their lifestyle, desires and pain points, it will become much easier to create or find relevant content they’re likely to enjoy and share.

Beyond that, start following influencers in your industry who create outstanding content and share their stuff. Or you can use it to inspire you to write a few blog posts or conversation starters that riff off the topic or expand upon it. You can also search relevant hashtags or check out what’s trending on Twitter and Instagram to understand what people are talking about right now, then join in on those conversations.

Idea generation is the hardest part, so let your audience do it for you. Talk to your followers or ideal customers and ask them what they would like to see. You can also ask your employees to contribute one blog post per month. When you divvy up the work, it becomes less stressful and more thoughtful.

4. How Often Should I Post?

Here’s why: Your posting frequency depends on your resources and audience. Your goal is to get quality content that your audience will love in front of as many eyes as possible. Never sacrifice quality for quantity.

It’s better to put nothing out there than to publish content that’s subpar. If that means you can only post on Facebook three times per week—but they are three really good posts that get a lot of engagement—that’s perfectly acceptable. Just find a consistent schedule that you can maintain.

If you’re struggling to publish on a consistent basis, you can always repurpose content. For instance, if you made a YouTube video, take 30-second segments of it and post them on Instagram. Old blog posts can be Retweeted with new phrasing and imagery.

In fact, you can set a strategy in which every blog post gets shared across every network on day one, a repeat on Twitter on day three, a repeat on Facebook on day eight and so on.

If you share the same content across networks, each post should be phrased differently. For example, LinkedIn doesn’t use hashtags, so you wouldn’t want to copy and paste something from Twitter. An infographic might perform better on Pinterest than on Facebook.

You’ll have to track what kind of content and format does best on each network using social media analytics software. Take that data into consideration when publishing on each platform.

5. What’s the Best Time to Post?

Here’s why: We actually have an entire post on the best times to post to social media. The reality is there is no single best time to post. It all depends on the network you’re using and when your audience is most active.

It’s going to take a little trial and error to get your timing down. A good idea is to use Sprout to schedule your content to be shared at different times and days of the week.

Then dig into your analytics to see which posts are getting the most engagement to get an idea of when the best time to post is for your audience, on each specific network.

6. How Do I Get More Followers?

Answer: By giving people a reason to follow you.

Here’s why: Regardless of which network you’re talking about, it’s the quality not quantity of followers that matters. You need followers who will actually engage with your content, not just add to your follower count.

Since people are bombarded with content from all over the place, you have to give them a compelling enough reason to follow you. You’re not just asking people to follow you. You’re asking for their attention which is a limited resource. Why should they give their attention to you instead of someone else?

There are plenty of ways to earn their attention. For instance, Taco Bell gets people to follow them on Snapchat by sharing exclusive content that fans can’t see anywhere else.

Another approach is to share exclusive industry news and events. This tactic works particularly well on Twitter because 86% of users use it to get news. NFL insider Ian Rapoport gained over 1 million Twitter followers by being a reputable source of the latest news in the NFL.

At this point, the calf injury that sidelined #Falcons DE Dwight Freeney for today's practice is not considered serious, source said.

Another popular tactic is to share coupons, deals and giveaways exclusively for social media followers. National Geographic recently launched their Wild to Inspire Instagram contest where users had to submit videos that showcase wildlife or people making a difference for animals in the wild.

Beyond that, using appropriate hashtags (especially on Instagram) and potentially partnering with influencers for co-marketing campaigns to expand your reach are great ways to get engaged followers. Also, Remember that social media is a conversation, not a broadcast. Respond to your followers and interact with them. Go where they are. Get involved.

7. Does Social Media Affect SEO?

Answer: It can, but indirectly.

Here’s why: One common misconception about social media and SEO is that getting your content shared on social media will help improve your rankings. Google has flat out stated it doesn’t count social shares in its algorithm. Social shares are easy to manipulate, so they aren’t the most reliable metric to decide the value of a piece of content.

However, social media can still help your SEO efforts indirectly. You can use social media to network with influencers like bloggers, editors and journalists. These are all people that can potentially link to your website in their own content, which can help your SEO.

By using social media to build relationships with the right people, you can even land guest blogging or interview opportunities. Just be cautious of spamming people. You don’t want to come right out the gate begging people to link to your content. Instead, build relationships organically by liking, sharing and replying to their content. Build familiarity first, then when the time feels right look for an opportunity to work together.

8. Should I Connect With Everyone?

Here’s why: You don’t always have to “follow back” on Twitter or Instagram or accept every LinkedIn request. Why? Because you’re curating a network. Who you follow says as much about your brand as who follows you. It’s ok to be selective about who you follow.

Here are some ideas on who to follow:

Users you’re genuinely interested in hearing from

Influencers you’re trying to build a relationships with

Loyal customers

People who frequently engage with you on social media or share your content

The downside of following a bunch of people is it makes it difficult to sort through your feed and see the most important messages like mentions of your brand or products. A good workaround is to use a social media management tool to manage your incoming messages. Sprout’s Smart Inbox makes it extremely easy to isolate messages that require a response.

Also keep in mind that you don’t have to follow people to engage with them. You Like Tweets or Instagram posts or leave comments whether you follow them or not.

9. Should I Pay for Social Media Advertising?

Here’s why: On a platform like Facebook, you have to “pay to play” in many cases. In 2016 alone, organic reach dropped 52% for publishers. And with Twitter and Instagram following in the footsteps of Facebook with an algorithmic feed, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get your content seen organically.

Whether or not you decide to try your hand at social media advertising will depend largely on your budget. If you can afford to spend some money to promote content on social media, it might be worth experimenting with. Decide on how much you’re willing or able to spend first, then create an advertising strategy within it.

Facebook is by far the most popular platform marketers use for social media advertising. In Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 84% of respondents said they use Facebook ads. However, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram (via Facebook), YouTube and other networks offer advertising as well. Feel free to test out different platforms to see which works best for you.

In addition to getting engagement on your posts and growing your follower count, you can also use social media advertising to generate leads, grow your email list or get more eyes on a piece of content.

10. Do I Need an Editorial Calendar?

Here’s why: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

An editorial calendar is a necessary step in bringing your strategy to life. It can help you stay on track and consistent in messaging across various networks. It can also help you create quality content by planning ahead. When you see the entire month across all networks in one place, it’s easier to edit the copy for strength and consistency.

Also, when you’re planning ahead, you have a better chance of maximizing your impact on social media. You’ll have time to plan a distribution strategy for any upcoming content, instead of doing everything as it happens. For instance, if you know you’re going to launch a contest or sale at the end of the month, reach out to influencers in advance and gain some momentum.

Content will be more likely to go viral if you’ve already lined up influencers to Tweet about your product launch or big announcement the same time you do. Check out this post that outlines four steps for creating a social media editorial calendar.

11. What’s My Social Media ROI?

Answer: The amount you earned from your social campaigns, minus the amount you invested.

Here’s why: Social media ROI can be a tricky subject, and 41% of companies say they have no idea whether or not their social efforts are paying off at all. But calculating the ROI isn’t as difficult as you might think. Read our guide on how to measure social media ROI for a complete step-by-step walk-through.

Keep in mind ROI might look different depending on your goals. If you’re using social media to get leads, your return won’t be the same as it would if you were using it to build brand awareness.

12. I’m in a “Boring” Industry, Do I Still Need Social Media?

Here’s why: Social media isn’t just reserved for athletes, fashion brands and retailers. When it comes to marketing, your goal is to reach your target audience where they’re paying the most attention. And for the past 10+ years, that has been social media. A whopping 78% of Americans have at least one social media profile, so there’s a strong chance your target customers are on at least one of the major networks.

If you’re unsure which network to reach your audience on, we’ve compiled a list of the demographics of some of the most popular social networks. That’ll give you a nice starting point, but also make sure you dive in and get familiar with any network you’re interested in joining.

Remember, social media isn’t an advertising platform for you shout your message as loudly as possible. Instead, use it as a platform to educate and entertain your audience.

For instance, taxes are about as boring as it gets for most non-accounting people. But H&R Block puts together fun social media campaigns that don’t make you cringe at the thought of tax season.

13. Is It OK to Share Promotional Content?

Answer: Yes, but don’t overdo it.

Here’ why: There’s a fine line between using social media to promote your brand, and spamming. If every other Tweet from your company is promoting your products and services, you risk losing your audience. Our Q3 2016 Index found that posting too many promotions is the most annoying action brands take on social media.

Not only that, but 46% of people are willing to unfollow a brand for sending too many promotional messages.

There’s no magic ratio of promotional to non-promotional social media content you should share. You’ll have to find the right cadence for your audience. To be on the safe side, aim to share much more non-promotional content than promotional.

14. Do I Need a Social Media Management Tool?

Here’s why: Native social media apps are great for personal use. In fact, it’s what they were made for. But as a business, your needs are a little different. You often need to schedule content in advance, look at in-depth analytics to measure performance and work in teams. The native social media platforms weren’t built for that, which is the reason why social media management tools like Sprout Social exist.

If social media is an important part of your business (it definitely should be) then you need the right tools to work more efficiently and effectively.

15. Should I Outsource My Social Media Marketing?

Here’s why: For brands that don’t have the resources to put together social media campaigns from scratch, working with an agency can be a smart move. Social media agencies understand the nuances of different networks, and can often help you be much more effective.

On the flip side, you don’t want to take a completely hands-off approach. That’s why often times social media agencies prefer to work with clients, rather than completely take over everything. Nobody knows your brand like you, so you should always have a hand in your social efforts. But there’s nothing wrong with getting help from specialists.

Have a question that’s not answered here? Comment below or Tweet us and we’ll see if we can answer it for you. Remember, there’s no such thing as a dumb question, so ask away!

Source

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-questions/