#like catering directly to readers they have to make it to appeal to the general audience of ppl who have never heard of the book otherwise

[exbeaut]

ok yes loving daisy jones so far bc i did just re read the book today so i’m back in it but my one qualm so far is that daisy is not unhinged like?? i don’t mind what minor plot/story changes they have made so far in fact i like it bc the book is completely told by multiple unreliable narrators that’s the whole point esp with the “plot twist” billy’s version (and daisys to less of an extent but still close to it bc she cared about camilla so she wouldn’t want to hurt julia) of things can’t be believed at all lmaooo so i don’t mind the changes i feel it’s a good way to frame it more real or whatever but my issue is why is Daisy so like put together??? she was insane and off her shit from age fourteen but so far three eps in she’s so ?? composed?? even in daisys unreliable pov of the book she knows she was an addict and a disaster and billy too on the first tour but in the show it’s so toned down maybe for viewer rating sakes? like maybe they can’t show heroin on prime shows idk lmaooo

[blogpublication]

How to Use Content Marketing to Convert Website Traffic into Leads

In today’s digital age, generating website traffic is essential for businesses, but traffic alone does not guarantee success. The real value comes when visitors are converted into leads—potential customers who express interest in your product or service. One of the most effective strategies to achieve this is content marketing. By providing valuable, engaging content, businesses can nurture relationships with their audience, build trust, and ultimately encourage them to take action.

Know about your audience

Before diving into content creation, it’s crucial to understand who your audience is and what they are looking for. Conducting audience research will help you determine their needs, pain points, and preferences. Tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and customer feedback can provide valuable data on your target demographic.

Segment them - Create buyer personas to represent different segments of your audience. This helps tailor your content to specific groups, making it more relevant.

Identify their stage in the buyer’s journey - Visitors might be at different stages of awareness—some may be discovering your product for the first time, while others are ready to purchase. Cater your content to each stage.

Create high-quality, targeted content

The foundation of successful content marketing is creating high-quality content that addresses your audience’s needs. Here’s how you can do that:

Blog posts and articles

Blogging is a core element of content marketing. Create blog posts that solve problems, offer expert insights, or provide valuable information related to your product or industry. Blog posts are especially effective at driving organic traffic through SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts. Make sure your posts:

Address common questions or concerns your audience has.

Use keywords strategically to increase search engine visibility.

Include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that prompt readers to subscribe, download a guide, or request more information.

Ebooks and whitepapers

For visitors in the consideration stage, ebooks and whitepapers can provide in-depth information. These long-form content pieces allow you to offer more detailed solutions to your audience’s problems. Because these resources take more effort to create, they can be gated behind a lead capture form, allowing you to collect contact information before the visitor downloads the content.

Videos and webinars

Video content is engaging and highly shareable, making it an excellent tool for lead generation. Explainer videos, tutorials, or customer testimonials can showcase your expertise and provide valuable insights. Hosting a webinar also allows you to offer expert knowledge on a specific topic, engage with potential leads directly, and collect leads through registration.

Infographics

Infographics are visually appealing, easy-to-digest content that can be used to break down complex information into manageable chunks. Infographics can attract a broad audience, increase social shares, and serve as a top-of-funnel content piece to draw visitors in.

Optimize content for lead generation

Creating valuable content is important, but if it doesn’t guide visitors toward a conversion, its impact will be limited. Here’s how to optimize your content for lead generation:

Include strong CTAs

Every piece of content you create should have a clear CTA. Whether it’s encouraging users to subscribe to your newsletter, download a resource, or sign up for a free trial, a CTA provides a direct path for visitors to become leads. Position CTAs strategically:

Within blog posts (mid-way or at the end).

As pop-ups or slide-ins.

In the sidebar or footer of your website.

Make sure the CTA aligns with the content and provides relevant value to the reader.

Use lead magnets

A lead magnet is an incentive you offer to potential leads in exchange for their contact information. This could be a free ebook, checklist, template, or exclusive webinar access. Lead magnets are effective because they provide immediate value to the visitor while allowing you to gather email addresses for future communication.

Ensure that your lead magnets are:

Relevant to the content the visitor is already engaging with.

High-quality and worth the exchange of information.

Easy to access, with minimal form fields for download.

Build effective landing pages

When a visitor clicks on your CTA, they should be taken to a landing page specifically designed to convert them. A landing page is a standalone page that focuses on a single offer and encourages visitors to take action. To build an effective landing page:

Keep the design clean and focused.

Clearly explain the value of your offer.

Minimize distractions (no navigation bars, side links, etc.).

Use concise, benefit-driven copy.

Include a simple form that collects only the necessary information.

Nurture leads through email marketing

Once a visitor has converted into a lead, your job isn’t done. The next step is to nurture them through email marketing. Automated email sequences, also known as drip campaigns, allow you to engage with leads over time, providing additional value and keeping your brand on top of your mind.

Segment your email list

Not all leads are the same. Some may be interested in learning more about your product, while others are further from making a decision. By segmenting your email list based on behavior, engagement, or demographics, you can send personalized content that resonates with each lead.

Offer additional resources

Continue providing value by sending additional content related to the lead’s interest. If they downloaded an ebook on a specific topic, follow up with blog posts, case studies, or customer stories that dive deeper into the subject.

Include CTAs in emails

Like your content, your emails should have clear CTAs. Whether you’re driving leads back to your website, offering a demo, or promoting a product, make sure your CTAs encourage action and are easy to spot.

Leverage social media to promote content

Social media platforms provide a great opportunity to distribute your content and drive more traffic to your website. By sharing blog posts, videos, and other content on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, you can reach a wider audience and attract more visitors.

Engage with your audience

Social media is more than just a broadcasting tool—it’s an opportunity to interact with your audience. Engage with followers by responding to comments, answering questions, and participating in discussions. The more engaged your audience is, the more likely they are to visit your website and convert into leads.

Use paid social media advertising

If you want to amplify your reach, consider using paid social media ads to promote your content. Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn offer advanced targeting options, allowing you to show your content to people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service.

Measure and refine your content strategy

Finally, it’s essential to track your results and adjust your content strategy as needed. Use tools like Google Analytics or marketing automation platforms to monitor how well your content is performing and whether it’s converting visitors into leads. Keep an eye on metrics like:

Bounce rate (how quickly visitors leave your site).

Conversion rate (the percentage of visitors who become leads).

Time on page (how long visitors engage with your content).

By regularly reviewing these metrics, you can refine your approach, create more effective content, and continuously improve your lead generation efforts.

Content marketing is a powerful tool for converting website traffic into leads when used strategically. You can build a robust lead generation system by understanding your audience, creating valuable content, optimizing for lead generation, nurturing leads through email, and promoting content on social media. Over time, this approach will help you not only increase website traffic but also turn that traffic into long-lasting customer relationships. If you are looking for services like Turning website traffic into leads, M3 Media Digital is the best one. You can contact them by calling 973-532-6558.

[financialfreedomfemmes]

Making Money Online with Canva: 20 Exciting Opportunities for Working Moms 💰💻

Are you a working mom with a desire to make money online? Look no further! In this article, we will explore 20 exciting opportunities that allow you to leverage the power of Canva, the popular graphic design tool, to generate income from the comfort of your own home. Whether you have a passion for creating printable templates, designing captivating social media graphics, or crafting unique merchandise, Canva offers a world of possibilities for turning your creativity into a profitable online business. Let's dive in and discover the abundance of ways you can make money online with Canva! 💪🌟

Making Money Online With Canva: Unlocking Profitable Avenues

- Create Printable Templates: Making money online with Canva begins by tapping into the demand for digital printable templates. With Canva's versatile design tools, you can create eye-catching printables such as planners, calendars, and invitations. Sell your designs on platforms like Etsy or your own website and start earning income from your creativity. 🎉📅 - Design Social Media Templates: Social media is a powerful marketing platform, and businesses need captivating graphics to stand out. Utilize Canva's user-friendly interface and design templates to create stunning social media post templates. Customize them for platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and offer your services on freelancing platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Help businesses enhance their online presence while boosting your income. 📲🎨 - Craft Infographics: Infographics are excellent tools for presenting information visually. With Canva, you can design informative and engaging infographics that simplify complex data and captivate audiences. Cater to businesses, bloggers, and educators who seek attention-grabbing visuals. Market your infographic design services and turn your creativity into profit. 📊🌐 - Develop E-book Covers: First impressions matter, especially when it comes to e-books. Use Canva to create visually appealing e-book covers that attract readers. Customize designs for different genres and offer your services on platforms like 99designs, Upwork, or Reedsy. Help authors make their books stand out and make money from your design skills. 📚🎨 - Customize Business Cards: Business cards remain valuable networking tools, and Canva makes designing them a breeze. Create custom business cards that reflect a brand's identity. Offer your services on platforms like Fiverr or market them directly to professionals and entrepreneurs. Help them leave a lasting impression while making money online with Canva. 📇🎉 - Offer Flyer Design Services: Small businesses often need eye-catching flyers to promote their products or events. Use Canva to design vibrant and compelling flyers that grab attention. Promote your flyer design services on platforms like Fiverr or create your own website. Help businesses effectively market their offerings and boost your online income. 🚀📝 - Design Social Media Covers: Enhance businesses' social media presence by creating captivating cover photos. Use Canva's templates and design elements to craft visually appealing covers for platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Promote your services on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork and help businesses make a memorable first impression. 🖼️📲 - Create Custom Merchandise Designs: Turn your creative designs into tangible products. Use Canva to design graphics for t-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise. Sell your custom designs on platforms like Etsy or set up your own online store. Monetize your creativity and provide customers with unique and personalized merchandise. 🛍️🎨 - Offer Branding Consultation: Branding is crucial for businesses, and you can leverage Canva to offer branding consultation services. Help businesses define their visual identity, create brand guidelines, and design essential branding elements. Market your expertise to startups and small businesses in need of a strong brand presence. Turn your branding skills into a profitable online business. 💼🎨 - Create YouTube Channel Art: YouTube is a thriving platform, and creators need eye-catching channel art. Use Canva to design attractive banners and thumbnails that represent a channel's brand. Offer your services to YouTubers looking to enhance their visual identity. Market your skills on platforms like Fiverr or directly approach content creators. 🎥🎨 - Provide Webinar Slide Design: Webinars are increasingly popular for sharing knowledge and engaging audiences. Use Canva to create and design visually appealing webinar slides. Offer your services to businesses and online course creators who need professional slide designs. Market your expertise on platforms like Udemy or Thinkific and help others deliver impactful webinars. 🖥️📊 - Design Book Covers: Books deserve captivating covers that entice readers. Use Canva to design eye-catching book covers that stand out on platforms like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Offer your services to authors and publishers in need of professional designs. Turn your creativity into income while supporting the literary world. 📖🎨 - Create Greeting Cards: Spread joy with personalized greeting cards created on Canva. Design holiday and special occasion cards that touch people's hearts. Sell your unique creations on platforms like Etsy or your own website. Help individuals express their sentiments while making money online. 💌🎨 - Create Marketing Flyers: Businesses rely on marketing materials to promote their products and services. Use Canva to design visually appealing marketing flyers that capture attention. Offer your services to small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to attract customers. Market your expertise on platforms like Fiverr or through targeted digital marketing. 📝🚀 - Design Photoshoot Props: Creativity knows no bounds, even in photoshoots. Use Canva to design props and backdrops for photoshoots, adding that special touch to visuals. Sell your unique designs on platforms like Etsy or your own website. Help photographers and models create stunning visuals while earning income from your creative designs. 📸🎨 - Create Resume Templates: Stand out in the competitive job market with professionally designed resume templates. Use Canva to create beautiful and functional templates that impress employers. Sell your templates on platforms like Etsy or your own website. Help job seekers present themselves effectively and make money from your design expertise. 📝💼 - Create Gift Certificates: Gift certificates are popular choices for special occasions. Use Canva to create attractive and customizable gift certificates. Sell your designs on platforms like Etsy or offer custom design services. Help individuals and businesses present unique gift-giving options while making money online with Canva. 🎁🎨 - Create Wall Art Prints: Transform your artistic designs into wall art prints. Use Canva to create visually stunning prints that enhance any space. Sell your prints on platforms like Etsy or set up your own online store. Monetize your artistic talent and provide customers with beautiful artwork for their homes. 🖼️🎨 - Design Podcast Artwork: Podcasts continue to grow in popularity, and eye-catching artwork is essential to attract listeners. Use Canva to design podcast covers that stand out on various podcast platforms. Offer your services to podcasters and help them create a visually appealing brand. Market your expertise on platforms like Fiverr or podcasting communities. 🎙️🎨 - Create Social Media Ad Designs: Social media advertising is booming, and businesses need compelling ad designs. Use Canva to design visually appealing ad graphics that engage audiences. Offer your services to businesses looking to enhance their social media advertising campaigns. Market your expertise on platforms like Fiverr or through targeted digital marketing. 📲🎨 Conclusion: As your creative ally, making money online with Canva becomes an exciting journey for working moms. These 20 opportunities provide a glimpse into the vast possibilities of leveraging Canva's design capabilities to generate income. Choose the avenues that align with your interests and skills, and embark on your profitable online business journey with Canva today! 💪💻🎨 Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for educational purposes. Any information provided through this article should not be considered professional advice and should not be used as a substitute for expert advice from a qualified professional. Furthermore, this article may contain affiliate links, which means that the author may earn a small commission from purchases made via these links at no additional cost to you. The author does not make any guarantees about the information provided in this article and does not take any responsibility for any decisions or actions taken as a result of the content found herein.    Read the full article

[memesahab]

Monetizing Your Blog: A Beginner's Guide to Generating Income

Introduction: 

In today's digital age, blogging has become a popular way to express oneself, share knowledge, and connect with a global audience. However, many aspiring bloggers also want to know how they can turn their passion into a profitable venture. Monetizing your blog is an achievable goal, provided you understand the strategies and techniques involved. In this beginner's guide, we will explore various methods to generate income from your blog, offering practical tips and insights to help you navigate the monetization journey successfully.

Define Your Blogging Goals and Audience: Before you start monetizing your blog, it's crucial to define your goals and understand your target audience. Ask yourself why you started blogging and what you hope to achieve. Identifying your niche and understanding the needs and interests of your readers will help you tailor your monetization strategies effectively. Conduct thorough research to gain insights into your target demographic's preferences and the types of content that resonate with them.

Create High-Quality Content: Content is the lifeblood of any successful blog. To attract and retain a loyal readership, focus on creating high-quality, engaging, and valuable content. Consistency is key, so develop a content schedule that allows you to deliver fresh posts regularly. This will build trust and credibility with your audience, making them more likely to engage with your monetization efforts.

Implement Display Advertising: One of the most common methods of blog monetization is display advertising. Platforms like Google AdSense allow you to display relevant ads on your blog, earning revenue whenever visitors click on those ads. To maximize your earnings, optimize ad placement and experiment with different ad formats. However, it's important to strike a balance between ads and user experience, ensuring that your blog remains easily navigable and visually appealing.

Explore Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is an effective way to generate income from your blog. By promoting products or services through affiliate links, you earn a commission for each sale or action that occurs through your referral. Choose affiliate programs that align with your blog's niche and audience, and focus on products you genuinely believe in. Integrate affiliate links naturally within your content, ensuring transparency by disclosing your affiliate partnerships to your readers.

Create and Sell Digital Products: Digital products offer excellent monetization opportunities for bloggers. Consider creating e-books, online courses, templates, or exclusive content that cater to your audience's needs. Digital products provide value to your readers while allowing you to generate income directly. Develop a sales funnel, optimize your landing pages, and leverage email marketing to promote and sell your digital products effectively.

Engage in Sponsored Content: Sponsored content involves partnering with brands to create blog posts, reviews, or social media promotions in exchange for payment. As your blog grows, you may attract sponsorship opportunities relevant to your niche. Ensure that sponsored content aligns with your values and provides value to your audience. Transparency is key, so disclose sponsored content to maintain trust with your readers.

Cultivate a Strong Email List: Building an email list is a powerful asset for monetizing your blog. Encourage readers to subscribe by offering exclusive content, free resources, or newsletters. Once you have a substantial email list, you can promote affiliate products, and digital products, or even sell advertising space directly to interested parties. Regularly engage with your subscribers, providing valuable content that keeps them interested and eager to support your blog financially.

Offer Coaching or Consulting Services: If you have expertise in a particular field, consider offering coaching or consulting services to your readers. Create packages or sessions where you can provide personalized guidance, advice, or training. Position yourself as an authority in your niche and highlight your unique value proposition. Coaching and consulting services can be highly lucrative, as you are offering one-on-one support and tailored solutions to your clients.

Host Webinars or Online Workshops: Webinars and online workshops are excellent ways to monetize your blog while providing valuable educational content to your audience. Identify topics that align with your niche and create engaging presentations or interactive sessions. Offer these webinars or workshops at a reasonable price, and promote them through your blog, social media, and email list. Use platforms like Zoom or GoToWebinar to host your events and incorporate Q&A sessions or live demonstrations to make them more interactive and valuable for participants.

Explore Influencer Collaborations: As your blog gains traction and a strong online presence, you may attract opportunities for influencer collaborations. Brands often seek partnerships with bloggers who have a dedicated and engaged audience. Collaborate with relevant brands to promote their products or services through sponsored posts, social media mentions, or product reviews. Negotiate fair compensation for your efforts and ensure that the collaborations align with your blog's values and the interests of your audience.

Create a Membership or Subscription Model: Consider implementing a membership or subscription model for exclusive access to premium content on your blog. Offer additional resources, tutorials, behind-the-scenes content, or a community forum for members. Set a reasonable subscription fee that provides ongoing value to your members while incentivizing new sign-ups. Building a loyal community of subscribers can generate recurring income and foster a sense of belonging among your audience.

Leverage Social Media and Influencer Marketing: Utilize social media platforms to expand your reach and monetize your blog further. Build a strong presence on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, where you can create engaging content and attract a larger audience. Collaborate with influencers in your niche or partner with brands for sponsored social media posts. Promote your blog through these channels, driving traffic and potential income streams to your website.

Conclusion: Monetizing your blog as a beginner requires a multi-faceted approach and a deep understanding of your audience's needs and preferences. By implementing diverse strategies such as coaching services, webinars, influencer collaborations, and membership models, you can generate income while providing value to your readers. Remember, building a profitable blog takes time, dedication, and continuous refinement of your monetization strategies. Stay focused on creating quality content, nurturing your audience, and adapting to the ever-evolving digital landscape to maximize your blogging income.

[nikkoliferous]

I'd like to know these things you hate in fics so I can avoid writing those 👀

You mean the things I hate because they don’t make sense to me? I’m kind of super picky, so there’s... a lot, tbh. And it’s all Loki x Reader/OC-centric because those are the only kind of fics I read. I’ll probably forget some things, but here's a shortlist:

Loki having a ridiculously low body temperature

Loki being a literal teenager

Loki being depicted as having wanted to be king all his life when he’s literally said the exact opposite in canon, come on people

Fics that erroneously claim thousands or millions of people died in the Battle of NY, or my personal favourite, that Loki “destroyed half of New York”. New York must be a lot smaller than I’ve been led to believe.

Loki and Thor being confused by Midgardian technology

Fics that just like... forget that Thor and Loki have the Allspeak

Fics that depict Thor as a big, innocent puppy who would never hurt a fly and Loki as emotionally volatile and prone to violence

Fics that take place on Asgard and whitewash how horrible Heimdall and the Warriors 4 were to Loki

Loki and Thor celebrating Midgardian holidays, especially if the fic takes place on Asgard and especially, especially if the reader is also Asgardian ???

Fics where there’s not even a passing attempt to maintain Loki and Thor’s more antiquated vernacular (e.g., having them using modern Earth slang all the time, even in fics that take place exclusively on Asgard)

Fics that depict Loki going into heat (I have kind of a love/hate relationship with these because they can admittedly be very sexy but I have to turn off my brain to enjoy them because it just doesn’t make logical sense. Even if Jötnar experience heats—and I have mixed feelings about that idea in general—Loki would either have been experiencing them ever since he reached sexual maturity or he still wouldn’t experience them; he wouldn’t suddenly start to experience them out of nowhere just because he knows the truth now).

“you can’t lie to me, I’m the god of lies” silliness

LOKI HAVING EMERALD GREEN EYES PLEASE I’M BEGGING YOU GUYS TO STOP THIS ISN’T A THING IN THE MCU

Anything that directly or indirectly references that dumbass OOC snake story from Ragnarok, ugh

Fics that frame Avenger!Loki as having changed his wicked ways and learned how to be good or whatever instead of recognizing that he was never evil to begin with

Relatedly, fics that depict Loki as having been a cold and selfish person until he fell in love with the reader (yay, magical healing vagina/penis trope!)

Love-at-first-sight stuff also kind of bugs me, especially if it takes place post-2011, because it just doesn’t feel realistic for Loki with all the baggage he’s carrying

I know, some of this stuff is so minor, but it just... bugs me. Anyways, I’m going to stop now, but as you can see, I am basically impossible to please. Lol

Also, a disclaimer for anyone reading this: People writing things you don’t like is not an excuse to harass them. That is never acceptable. If a particular fic doesn’t appeal to you, stop reading it and either go find something that does or write your own story. Do not send the author rude comments over them not catering to your specific interpretation of a character, ever.

[athenixmarketingagency]

Online Marketing for Plastic Surgeons in Los Angeles: Paid Media

When you are ready to promote your clinic beyond the realm of free online advertising, you will want to look at options for paid plastic surgeon marketing in Los Angeles. This is a cost-effective way of reaching even more people with the options that you provide in your practice. This section details some of the many options that are available in terms of paid online advertising.

Pay-Per-Click or PPC

Traditional marketing efforts required businesses to print up large amounts of brochures and distribute them to the masses. The problem is that most of those individuals would have no interest in a plastic surgery practice. However, this had to be done in order to get the material into the hands of those who could possibly become prospects. This has been shown to be an ineffective form of marketing to the masses.

Pay-per-click advertising, on the other hand, is a way of getting your advertisements into the hands of only your target audience. It does this based on keywords and Google AdWords. When people conduct searches in the area of your practice, they will see your marketing message. It will appeal to many who look at it. When the reader clicks on the ad, he or she will be instantly taken to your website or other location of your choosing. You will pay a small fee each time a click is made. Learn more about our PPC Management services.

Display Ads

These are also known as banner ads. They are marketing messages that you see at the top of Internet search pages or other locations on the Internet. Again, these can be targeted to a specific demographic group and is an effective form of paid online advertising.

Social Media Ads

You can now jump on the social media bandwagon by openly promoting your practice there. You can do this via the use of paid and targeted ads. Again, search algorithms now make it possible for your advertisement to be delivered to the very type of social media user that you are hoping to draw into your practice. This is also a way to boost your existing social posts, which gives you more visibility across a variety of digital media channels.

Mobile Ads

Since so many people today are using their mobile devices in a number of different ways, it is prudent to target these types of users with advertisements relating to your plastic surgery clinic. Catering directly to your prospects who use mobile devices for a majority of their online needs is critical today for your lead generation efforts. It is yet another way of drawing in more serious prospects in your plastic surgery marketing campaign.

Re-targeting

Technology has evolved to the point that you can now determine who has visited your site before. When they return, you want to re-target them with another effective marketing approach. You can appeal to them directly with a new pitch about Market your plastic surgery practice, knowing that they are already interested in you given their return visit.

Native Advertising

You can also look at native advertising as a way of increasing your exposure. This is the modern, digital form of traditional marketing. You pay a fee to place some of your informative content on another platform on the Internet where people from your target audience are known to visit in large numbers. While there are advantages to doing this, there are some drawbacks as well.

This is a longer approach than you will get with standard advertising. In addition, your content and message will match the background of the site that it appears on. This could be confusing to your prospects as they begin to see that you have a different design approach. It is also a more indirect form of advertising, so it is difficult to measure the results.

Paid Online Advertising Offers Major Advantages

If you are going to pay for something, you want to be reasonably assured of positive results. For its part, there are some major advantages to engaging in paid online advertising efforts. One of those is that the results you achieve can be quick. There is no waiting around for paper to be printed up and then delivered into the hands of your prospects. Paid online advertising gets your message in front of those you intend almost instantly. You can begin to notice results soon thereafter.

Online advertising also allows you to both track and evaluate the results. You can visualize how many people you are reaching with your messages and how many of those are actually taking action. There are a variety of online tools and resources that will help you to analyze the effectiveness of virtually any digital media campaign that you engage in. You or a marketing professional can then study this data in real-time and make any necessary changes as you see fit.

Another major advantage of paid online advertising is that your campaigns can be turned on and off with the touch of a button. This will enable you to fix any mistakes you notice or tweak your messages to reflect current promotions and updates that you might have. There are many reasons why you might want to halt your online campaign, and this method allows you to do just that. In addition, you can use the information gathered from your pay-per-click messages to help with your organic listings as well.

Pull It Together

In summary, paid media can prove effective at lead generation efforts and triggering conversions from visitors to prospect. At the same time, it is also complex and requires a strategy to be implemented in order to be effective. You need to consider the following areas as you begin to approach the possibility of paid online advertising:

The position of your ad

The design of your ad,

Your content

Who to target the ad to

The selection of keywords

The tracking of those same keywords

Bidding prices

The strategy of your landing page

How to effectively manage your marketing campaign

Tracking and analyzing the performance of the campaign

As you begin to run your digital marketing for Plastic Surgeon, you will want to track click-through rates. If they are not as high as you would like, you will need to consider your keywords. You need to constantly be refining that part of your strategy in order to get your message in front of as many members of your target audience as possible. You also want to determine the number of conversions that you get from this strategy, allowing you to determine the cost of each conversion. This will help you to determine the value of your online marketing for Plastic Surgeons.

If you end up with a lot of click-through s but relatively few conversions, then you are not getting any return on your investment. This is an obvious indicator that you need to change something within this part of your marketing approach for Plastic Surgeons. Remember that paid media will just be a waste of money if it is not properly implemented. This is why you will want to consider having an expert handle any type of paid online advertising campaign. They know how to get your message in front of the right people in order to maximize your conversion rates. Remember that paid advertising is more effective if it is only one part of your complete Plastic Surgeon Website marketing approach.

[tejungtao]

Social Media Journalism: The New Wave

Social media has taken the world by storm in the last decade. With the rise of social media giants such as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok, the younger generations are some of the most active online. From the moment we wake up to the last few moments before we sleep, our phones are usually always within reaching distance (Twenge 20). First thing in the morning, we get up and go on our phones to see if anything interesting among our social circle has happened overnight. We are constantly taking in content and information. Social media has become a vital part of our culture that “defines us, our world, and our place in it” (Baran 9). Social media tells us what’s trending and happening in our world. For millennials and Gen Z-ers, social media has become embedded in our daily lives and routine – and that is exactly why I think the new age of journalism belongs with social media. 

The unfortunate truth is that print news and magazine journalism is dead. While the older generations may still value print journalism, most millennials and Generation Z-ers  have never even picked up or bought an actual newspaper. Not only is print journalism a complete waste of resources such as paper and ink, our generations also do not even have the attention span for it. 

The new generations revolve around succinct and efficient ways of life that have no time or patience to sit down and read a forty page or so newspaper to get their information. Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Tik Tok have conditioned us to receive information in bite-size pieces. For example, Twitter has a 280 word count limit; Snapchats are usually around 10 seconds or less; Tik Tok videos are at most 60 seconds. So, you can see how print journalism is dead to our generations; we do not even have the attention span for it. 

We are the future of America yet we are missing out on a lot of important information and decisions that would directly impact us. Why? Because the majority of our youth either pays no attention to the news or does not take enough time to thoroughly do their research. I, along with many others of my generation, often can not even sit through a five to ten minute read article without getting distracted because of how long and boring it is. If news companies were to create a more active presence on social media platforms that would appeal to younger generations, it would create massive change. For example, younger generation voting turnouts in the past have always been significantly lower than the baby boomer and Gen X turn outs. Had our generations been more informed about what was happening during the presidential elections, maybe the turnout would’ve been drastically different. 

While many news platforms are already using social media to an extent, they often do not give you the main points of the news article on the social media page. Instead, they post titles of articles followed by a link to the actual article on their website – this is where they lose many of their readers. I propose that news companies focus more on creating and releasing bite-size paragraph posts that give you the main points. My hope is that they can educate us enough through social media platforms that we build up an adequate foundation of knowledge on current events that we can then take the initiative to do further research ourselves if we wanted to. I am not saying that news companies should only share news through social media, but that they give us enough news through there to get us started. And the best part is, with so many people already on social media, news companies would not even have to advertise very hard to gain followers. 

Not only is social media a great way to educate our younger generations, it is also an extremely easy and accessible way to get our information. The average high schooler spends about six or more hours on media per day (Twenge 51). During that time, they will come across loads of news and information on their different social media platforms. Information spreads like wildfire online. If news companies were to post more content on these platforms, they could reach a huge audience of youths without even really trying. In an age of “retweets”, “hashtags”, and “tagging”, it would not take much for important information and news to spread. To relate it to current social issues, the recent protests that have happened in the United States in support for George Floyd and the #BlackLivesMatter movement has been heavily covered on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. The organization of protests and updates on the situation can be found there as well. Many youths who normally don’t watch the news on television are able to get the same information, if not more, from scrolling through social media. Looking at just how much information has been shared during this time is proof alone on how powerful social media can be as a news outlet. 

In his article, Robert McChesney claims that in the future, news may be aimed at the affluent population and may even require a subscription (226). However, the right to knowledge is something all people should have. With the internet and social media being a public good (McChesney 226), it would provide equal access to vital information for all people, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Nowadays, almost everyone has at least one social media account. In 2016, it was reported that “ 59% of 18- to 29-year-olds used Instagram and 56% used Snapchat” (Twenge 57) and I am sure the numbers have only risen in recent years. It was also reported that now people of all different races and classes have access to social media as opposed to before, when it was more predominantly white and higher social class people who had access (Twenge 55). By creating a bigger presence in social media, news companies would be able to reach and inform so many more people who previously were not able to access such information. 

To play devil’s advocate, there might be some critics who question the reliability of social media. While this is a completely valid concern, I think this critique could be applied to all sorts of news media outlets. There will always be a question of how reliable a news source is. What I propose is that news outlets create a team within that solely focuses on editing their social media content, to make sure it goes out with the same quality that you would expect from more traditional news outlets such as magazine and newspaper articles. Of course, it will be hard to make sure all the comments and feedback from social media news posts are reliable as well but I think that is the beauty of social media. People are allowed to have their own opinions and thoughts about the news and the comment section allows for them to educate others on various other viewpoints of the same subject. 

Social media is an untapped gold mine for journalism. Its ability to spread information, create trends, start movements, and so much more is incomparable. The younger generations are our future and journalism needs to update itself to cater to us in order to succeed in the years to come. Change is inevitable and we can either embrace it or let it take us over. 

References

Twenge, Jean M. Internet: Online Time – Oh, and Other Media, Too. ilearn.ucr.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3785718-dt-content-rid-34740246_1/courses/MCS_005_001_20S/McChesney - Rejuvenating American Journalism_Some Tentative Policy Proposals.pdf.

McChesney, Robert. Rejuvenating America Journalism: Some Tentative Policy Proposals. 2011, ilearn.ucr.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3785718-dt-content-rid-34740246_1/courses/MCS_005_001_20S/McChesney - Rejuvenating American Journalism_Some Tentative Policy Proposals.pdf.

Baran. Mass Communication, Culture, and Media Literacy. ilearn.ucr.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3785714-dt-content-rid-34740239_1/courses/MCS_005_001_20S/Baran - Ch 1 - Mass Communication_Culture and Media Literacy.pdf.

[leroyamyterry-blog]

350 Smart Sneaker Will Require Regular Recharging

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[jasminwalsh-blog1]

Little Girls, Big Boobs

A self evaluation of my Graphic Design project on female representation. 2017.

My project was an investigation into the way that the media portrays women and girls of every denomination, specifically focusing on film, television, and magazines as sources for criticism. I wanted to draw particular attention to the ways in which these representations affect young teenage girls as I believe that it is at this stage in a girl’s life that they are most impressionable, most vulnerable, and most susceptible to the unrealistic expectations that major media forms encourage them to place on themselves. As a feminist, I take issue with a lot of the representations of women that are fed to young girls on a daily basis. When models who work tirelessly to be skinny and conventionally attractive are covered in make up for photo shoots in carefully lit studios, for the photos to then be altered and manipulated, the versions of these women that are released to the public often show an image of perfection that is unattainable. Girls quickly compare themselves to these images, judging themselves as too fat or too flawed, and in extreme cases these girls can resort to unhealthy measures in an attempt to achieve excellence. My project was an attempt to address these issues in an engaging way, and to redress the distorted way in which femininity is presented in the media.

 Whilst I wanted my final piece to be accessible to anyone as it regards a serious issue that I feel everyone should be aware of, I decided to create three double page spreads for a magazine with a female audience. By catering to an adult demographic, rather than directly addressing the group of people that I was specifically concerned with, I hoped to raise awareness of the issue of misrepresentation. Appealing to a more mature audience was an attempt to get the topic taking more seriously, highlighting the importance of acknowledging these issues, meaning readers can help the next generation of women realise their own beauty, rather than obsessing over the heavily edited images that fill our surroundings.

 I found the work of David Shrigley and Michel Canetti particularly inspirational during my project as although they have very different styles, they both were very effective and I wanted to translate their impact into my work.

 The untitled drawing by Shrigley clearly shows his hand-made, plop almost messy style. Shrigley uses a plain white background for his simple black line drawing, contrasting the unsteady lines of the figure with the straight lines showing the corner of the room and underlining the lettering. This technique particularly inspired my article entitled ‘Distorted’ with the hand drawn figure presenting a rudimentary example of what is supposedly the perfect body image. However, by over exaggerating some features and applying the line drawing style, I hoped that the image would be interpreted as satirical as whilst supposedly perfect in the figure’s weight and proportions, they are flawed and overly simplistic in their drawn style.

 The work of Michel Canetti was also influential in my final piece as I had already noted that a lot of fashion illustrators use watercolours in their work, and because I think the fashion industry has a big role to play in the way that young girls view themselves and form their ideas of ‘perfection’, I wanted to apply this same technique in order to strengthen the link between the industry and the issues I was trying to bring to light. Canetti primarily uses black watercolour pain in his work, with the use of one other colour. I really like this technique as I think it can be used to draw the eye to a particular piece of anatomy, such as the lips as seen in the portrait of Marie-Therese. I used watercolours in my ‘Skinny?’ article spread and included a small portrait for which I used black water colours and attempted a style similar to Michel Canetti and Louis Jover. Rather than including a small amount of colour in the portrait, however, I decided to do a gradient wash for the background to add the colour element.

I was quite happy with my final piece as I think each article spread has a nice design and are appropriately simple, meaning the viewer would not get overwhelmed by the amount on the page, which may discourage them from reading the actual article and therefore not really take in the message that I was trying to convey. I looked at the way in which magazines aimed at younger girls were constructed and believe that my designs would be much more attractive to an adult audience, as initially intended. I think by keeping the text minimal on the ‘Bare Faced’ and ‘Skinny?’ double page spreads I would be able to hold the audience’s attention and encourage them to focus on the message, with soft, simple imagery enhancing, rather than distracting, from the reading. I would still make a few alterations to the ‘Distortion’ as I felt the design was slightly too empty.

 I liked the use of colour throughout as the warm tone given to the ‘Bare Faced’ piece contrasts with the image of the face, which is slightly inhuman and designed to make the viewer slightly uncomfortable. The use of reverse out with the text also makes it stand out as it is the brightest object on the page, meaning it will draw the eye and make the viewer more likely to read it and pay attention to its message. I also thought that by keeping the ‘Distorted’ article in monochrome, with the exception for a small paint mark obscuring part of the line drawing if the figure, was particularly effective. The paint mark was a red which I enhanced in Photoshop to make it stand out even more against the white background. The colour has obvious powerful and violent connotations, symbolising the danger of the impact of false representations of femininity within the media and add a sense of urgency to my message. The ‘Skinny?’ article uses a lot more pastel type colours, primarily the cyan and pink which also have the associations of gender. This softer look would avoid the idea of feminism as a movement full of angry women who hate men, which is far from the reality as it is just a group of people looking for equality, and one of the issues that needs to be addressed is the way that models are compared presented, and how this can give girls unrealistic expectations for the type of body they feel they should grow up to have.

 The main issues I found were in ensuring the pieces of work were of the top quality. The image that I used as the background on the ‘Bare Faced’ article was not a high enough quality and so came out slightly pixelated. In order to resolve this, I put a filter on the photo which blurred the sharper edges and made the pixilation a lot less noticeable, it almost added to the almost oneiric effect of the photograph. I also feel as though my final spreads did not have the level of cohesion that I wanted; they could just as easily have come from three separate magazines as opposed to a singular one. In order to rectify this, I could have a more consistent colour pallet, but I do like the colours that I used and I think I did allow for a certain amount of unity within my piece as I used the same font and same sized type for the article text and headline. I think I could have done more development and experimentation before the production of my final piece in order to enhance my final designs, but I am still quite happy with the work I produced.

 In this project I had a little opportunity to experiment with using a needle and thread, I quite liked the effect it made and so if I can find an opportunity to use this technique again in my next project I will. I also really enjoyed line drawing and so will try to do more illustrative work in the future. This project also allowed me to advance my skills in programmes such as Photoshop and InDesign as I used Photoshop for a lot of editing my imagery, and my final piece was produced in InDesign. I am sure that these skills will benefit me in the future and I look forward to gaining more experience with them, as well as using all the development I made in all areas to feed into the next project.

[reviewandbonuss]

Best Applicant Tracking Software

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Here’s a business cliche for you: Employees are the greatest asset for every company.

Precisely why recruitment is so challenging for HRs or recruiters. The process is quite elaborate and comprises several steps ranging from job posting to managing and streamlining applications.

Let’s talk statistics:

A corporate job post receives 250 resumes on an average. And even after that, 45% of employers say that they can’t find candidates with the skills they need.

With the high influx of CVs, it’s crucial for HR specialists to raise their efficiency levels, which brings us to our next stat – recruiters only take six seconds to evaluate the candidate’s resume.

Now, six seconds isn’t necessarily enough for recruiters to make the right decision every time, especially because every business has unique needs when it comes to recruitment.

At the same time, technology is changing how we did things manually, which is why we now have a tool dedicated to automating the process of recruitment and hiring. 

An applicant tracking software, also known as ATS software, can help businesses reach a wider pool of qualified applicants as well as manage data from various sources – all at a single platform. 

This software is used by departments and hiring managers to carry out internal hiring. Even third parties, such as recruitment and staffing agencies, use an ATS.

According to research:

86% of recruiting professionals agree that using ATS software has accelerated their hiring process

78% of recruiting professionals found that using ATS software has given them access to higher qualified candidates

So adding top-level talent doesn’t have to be time-consuming and troubling anymore.

In this guide, we’ll review the best applicant tracking software on the market that can help a company employ the most suitable candidate for the job with minimal efforts.

The Top 5 Options For Applicant Tracking Software

BambooHR – Anchor Link to Subhead Below

Bullhorn – Anchor Link to Subhead Below

SAP SuccessFactors– Anchor Link to Subhead Below

Workable – Anchor Link to Subhead Below

JazzHR – Anchor Link to Subhead Below

How to Choose the Best Applicant Tracking Software for Your Needs

Every business has unique recruiting and applicant tracking requirements, depending on specific factors like size, niche, and so on.

It also means that no ATS software offers an a-one-size-fits-all solution.

There are a few pointers that can help you determine the best applicant tracking software for your needs, though. Read on as we discuss them in greater detail below.

ATS Software Type

Every ATS software has been conceived to cater to a specific set of needs.

You see, while some software is designed to handle higher volume recruiting, which is typically carried out by enterprises, some are created to help small businesses specifically. 

Similarly, you’ll also find software focused on satisfying the needs of staffing and recruitment agencies.

We’ll do a more in-depth assessment of the different types of applicant tracking software later on in this article. (Anchor link to H2 below)

Hiring Frequency and Volume

A business that hires around 20 employees every year won’t have the same requirements as an enterprise that is hiring 20 employees every month. You need to figure out a software that meets your hiring frequency and volume.

Generally, ATS software has a maximum limit or restriction on how many active openings you can have at a time. Moreover, most of the brands offer additional features and tools to help businesses efficiently manage large-scale recruiting, which are understandably far more tricky to manage.

So how do you find software that is suitable for your company?

Ask yourself the following questions:

How frequently does your company hire new employees?

What is the average number of employees that you hire at once? Is the volume high or low?

These two questions will help you weed out software that doesn’t fit your needs instantly.

Feature List

Most ATS software offers add-on features to enhance the efficiency of your recruiting strategy. This can include candidate sourcing, applicant tracking, employee onboarding, recruiting analytics, and workforce planning.

Your aim should be to pick software that fulfills your recruiting needs in terms of efficiency and scalability. For instance, small businesses can opt for cloud-based ATS software that is more affordable and doesn’t require an on-site tech support team.

Contrarily, large-sized enterprises don’t need to go cloud-based since they have a higher budget and can afford an in-house support team to cater to their higher hiring frequency.

Budget

Every business has a budget for various processes. Whether its marketing or recruitment, teams have to operate within the constraints.

Try to find an applicant tracking software that fits within your budget while simultaneously helping you improve the efficiency within your organization.

The good news here is you have several options.

You‘ll find software that costs less than $0.50 per employee – provided you opt for an add-on to HR software – and also plans that have a monthly charge of $249.

What are the Different Types of Applicant Tracking Software?

Here, we’ll compare the different types of ATS.

Small Business vs. Midsize Business vs. Enterprise Business

Small business buyers are anywhere between 1-50 employees. Generally, this category doesn’t have a department dedicated to human resources and recruiting initiatives.

On the other hand, mid-size business buyers and enterprise business buyers have employees anywhere between the 51–500 and greater than 500 range, respectively. While the former is headed towards rapid growth, the latter is more developed. Besides that, mid-size businesses often seek to hire an internal recruiter, whereas enterprise business buyers already have a hiring team and a dedicated IT department.

The hiring frequency and volume for each of these businesses is obviously different.

Staffing agencies, for example, would do well with software plans that offer them sourcing, tracking, and hiring. For corporates, however, hiring may have to be customized further.

It’ll be better for larger companies to opt for plans that allow them to customize their career pages and employee referral portals, followed by pre-screening assessments, e-signature verification and background screening, and lastly, HRMS integration.

In-house Recruiting vs. Recruiting Agency

Some applicant tracking system software is created for in-house recruiting that allows them to enjoy higher personalization and automation. Other software focuses on servicing with recruiting agencies and firms with scalability for high-volume and white labeling for getting clients.

Although you’ll also find ATS software that offers capabilities for both the groups, it’s better to find one that’s right for your company.

All-In-On Option vs. Specialty Tools Availability

Different businesses will require different add-ons depending on their hiring process. While most ATS software does come with additional specialty tools like SEO, payroll, HR, and CRM, some don’t. 

SEO tools are useful for all businesses since these make job advertisements more successful. Not only will companies be able to build up wider reach, but they’ll also attract new candidates to their ‘Careers’ page.

Similarly, CRM capabilities are an essential component for inbound recruiting that allows companies to carry out long-term candidate tracking and build their talent pool.

Core Applicant Tracking vs. Full Recruiting Cycle Support

You’ll find two types of ATS products: one that focuses exclusively on tracking candidate’s application materials, and two, that provide support for other aspects of the recruitment life cycle.

You can also differentiate between the software based on feature lists. Interviews, document signing and management, note-taking, scheduling, and integration are some common differentiation points.

After carrying out extensive research and taking demos, we can confidently recommend the following five applicant tracking software to transform the way your company recruits and hires employees.

Keep reading as we discuss the features, benefits, and pricing of each software below:

#1: BambooHR – The Best Overall Applicant Tracking Software

BambooHR can provide the ultimate solution to your human resources department for handling the company’s recruiting and onboarding needs. While it may not be the cheapest option, you do get features that make the investment more than worth it.

The ATS system of BambooHR provides ideal solutions for small and mid-size businesses. It has a well-organized and visually appealing set of tools for handling application information throughout every stage of the hiring process. 

BambooHR allows you to post job positions on the go too. You’ll have access to top-level talent from the leading job boards and sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Indeed, and Twitter – all at your fingertips. The software has a hiring mobile app that is available for both Android and iOS.

Sending offer letters directly within the platform as well as collaborating with your team for recruiting, sending automated alerts, and so on is also possible.

Additionally, since BambooHR is a complete human resource management software, you‘ll be able to manage your new employees for their full duration with your company.

Prominent Features

User-friendly

Streamlined processes that are easy to learn, along with easy pre-boarding and onboarding facilities

Customizable email templates

Automated emailing system

Message scheduling to multiple candidates

Job boards and social media integration

Pricing

BambooHR offers two packages: Essentials and Advantage.

While both the packages are feature-rich, the ATS isn’t available with the Essentials plan. So if you want applicant tracking, you have to get the Advantage plan. Keep in mind that this software may not be the best solution for your company if you only want ATS.

Unfortunately, BambooHR doesn’t feature pricing on its website. In case you want a free quote, you‘ll have to contact them.

Pros

Impressive design

Easy to set up

Open API that allows simple integrations with HR tech vendors

Provides an all-in-one solution for HR departments

Cons

Pricey

ATS software isn’t available with the entry-level plan

#2: Bullhorn – The Best Applicant Tracking Software for Large Enterprises

Bullhorn is a powerful, easy-to-use applicant tracking system that helps you streamline all recruitments from a single interface that can either be a desktop, mobile device, or any internet browser. In fact, it’s a tailor-made solution for staffing businesses and traders.

The software allows you to keep track of candidates throughout the recruitment process, along with initiating team member collaboration.

You can use Bullhorn to fill jobs and automate the onboarding process. It offers 100+ pre-integrated solutions for customizing the software to accommodate specific needs. Even calculating bills for time tracking and invoicing are also possible.

All in all, you can manage clients as well as candidates with Bullhorn.

That being said, we would recommend this software for staffing and recruiting agencies only. 

Generally speaking, there are better options on the market for internal reporting, making Bullhorn a bit too much for in-house hiring managers and HR departments. Plus, the premium price may be too expensive for smaller businesses who have limited budgets.

Prominent Features

Automatic candidate tracking on the application system

Allows you to add new candidate resumes from job boards

Mobile recruiting software for viewing and managing candidate records

LinkedIn and email integration

Dashboard reporting

Facilitates addition of notes to records

Real-time updating of records

Reporting and management options to check the recruiting team’s progress

Pricing

Bullhorn offers three plans: Team, Corporate, and Enterprise.

The rates for Bullhorn plans aren’t available on the website. You’ll have to request a pricing quote to get more details.

Pros

Excellent user interface

Gmail and Outlook integration

Intuitive features like bowling alley layout for easy and efficient data input 

Unlimited customizations

Cons

Very expensive

Lacks iOS or Android mobile applications

#3: SAP SuccessFactors – The Best Cloud-Based Applicant Tracking Software

SAP SuccessFactors aims to provide all-inclusive ATS software to give companies wider access to top-level talent with minimal efforts. In fact, in terms of reliability, this software might be one of the best options available to you.

SuccessFactors has a plethora of support and features, such as comprehensive applicant management, onboarding portal, global talent sourcing, and candidate relationship management. You can also avail of performance metrics, employee engagement, and payroll management.

In other words, it’s a holistic, cloud-based HR management system that facilitates all processes of the recruiting cycle.

We particularly like how deeply insightful the software can be for talent acquisition thanks to its analytical reporting and progress tracking features.

Prominent Features

Centrally managed global job distribution and access

Effective and efficient candidates relationship management

E-signature solutions

Online offer letter and other documentation

Key insights into 4000 job boards, social media platforms, and campuses spanning across 80 countries

Responsive career site creation facility

Pricing

SAP SuccessFactors is available as SaaS through a monthly subscription based on the number of users. It‘s priced at $3 per user per month, but you can also avail of the HCM suite that costs $84.53 per user annually.

Pros

Comes with a great feature list for small to medium-sized businesses

Intuitive setup wizard

Provides descriptive video tutorials

Superb performance tracking features

Great option for fast-growing companies

Cons

Steeper price tag than its competitors

Doesn’t include add-ons offered by rivals

#4: Workable – The Best Applicant Tracking Software for Small and Midsize Businesses

Offering the best value for small and medium-sized businesses, Workable is an easy-to-use recruiting software solution. It’s a holistic tool that can be accessed on mobile devices as well as desktop.

You get a wide array of applicant tracking (AT) solutions, along with access to a large pool of premium job boards. Besides this, you can also customize the dashboard to boost the efficiency of your hiring process further.

Workable aims to help businesses of all sizes find, evaluate, and automate recruitment and hiring.

Companies can fill in their pipeline with one-click job postings on nearly 200 sites through AI-powered search. Moreover, team collaboration for applicant evaluation, gathering feedback, and automating manual tasks like scheduling interviews and getting approvals is also possible.

Workable also has various add-ons that can make your account more functional – provided you‘re ready to pay for them.

Basically, your company can stay on top of the entire recruiting process right from posting ads to onboarding employees. It’s also a good option for scalability since you can upgrade to an annual plan to get access to advanced features like one-click candidate sourcing and applicant tracking tools too.

Prominent Features

Data protection with access rights for hiring team

Confidentiality control

Organized reporting lines, with role assignment, job creation, and job posting

Productivity and activity report generation

One-click postings on multiple job boards

Interview scheduling with email-calendar synchronization

Offer letters and single sign-on (SSO)

Pricing

Workable has two pricing plans: Hire As Needed and Hire At Scale. While the Hire As Needed plan costs $99 per job, per month, the Hire At Scale plan doesn’t have clear pricing.

You can also take advantage of free demos and a 15-day free trial program to test the software before committing.

Pros

Easy-to-understand UI

Robust integration

Offers great email and interview templates

Well-organized

Cons

Not very customizable

Search across tabs needs to be improved

Inefficient support functionality

#5: JazzHR – The Best Applicant Tracking Software for Internal Hiring and Staffing Agencies

JazzHR can assure you seamless job requisition, interview scheduling, and other aspects of the hiring process. You can use this software for organizing and tracking all of your job openings, candidates, resumes, customers, and contacts.

This intuitive ATS tool can automate every manual process connected with hiring, allowing recruiters and HR managers to curate recruitment processes and source qualified candidates efficiently and quickly. No wonder it’s trusted by over 5000 organizations across the world!

JazzHR is an excellent option for staffing agencies and internal hiring. It has an unlimited user feature that allows businesses to bill on a per-user basis, which simultaneously eliminates any additional charges.

The software is also highly customizable. You can tailor-make a process to suit your team’s needs and preferences when it comes to recruitment and hiring.

Prominent Features

Efficient candidate sourcing, along with employer branding facility

Job posting and syndication

Collaborative hiring

Job-specific recruitment teams

Compliance management and reporting

Interview scheduling and other assessments

Job offers and e-signature solutions

Pricing

JazzHR has three plans on offer: Hero, Plus, and Pro.

At $39 per month, the Hero plan caps the maximum open jobs at three. While this might be suitable for small teams, it still doesn’t offer an applicant tracking system.

For ATS and other benefits like interviews and assessments, all-access support, and so on, we would recommend the Plus and Pro plans, which cost $219 and $329 per month, respectively,

You can also request a free demo and get a free trial for 21 days.

Pros

User-friendly and flexible

Job posting integration and job syndication

Auto-reject functions for unqualified candidates

Allows you to keep track of interview notes

Cons

Reporting feature needs to be improved

Lacks mobile app support

Wrapping Up

Finding the right talent is crucial – more so because employees serve as the foundation of an organization.

We hope you were able to find an ATS software that suits your companies recruitment and hiring needs from this guide.

Irrespective of your choice, an application applicant tracking software will help you select the best candidates from a talent pool of thousands of people in a surprisingly efficient manner. So, why wait? Get your ATS now.

The post Best Applicant Tracking Software appeared first on Neil Patel.

[motherboxing]

Also Hot Take on the “if you write characters as being traumatized it’s exploitative” vs “if your characters AREN’T repeatedly traumatized in graphic and lovingly detailed ways you’re not a true artiste” debate from An Professional Writer (although to be fair I mainly publish nonfiction, so, whatever):

Point one! The level of visible trauma a character conveys is often dependent on audience, market, genre, tone of story, etc. I’ve talked about this a little recently with a couple different people, because as I work on my fiction writing I think a lot about this stuff, and also I’ve never totally been able to pin down directly what it is about SOME narratives of trauma in fiction that appeal to me, while others make me feel gross, pissed off at the writer, etc. “Is it realistic for this character to have PTSD?” is not the ONLY question you should necessarily ask yourself as a writer! Lots of characters in fantastical settings go through adventures that to a normal human living a normal life would be incredibly stressful and possibly traumatic. The degree to which you might want to portray a trauma response doesn’t just depend on how you think a person might react! Who are you writing for - adults? Young adults? Kids? What’s the world this takes place in like - is it an over-the-top fun adventure story, or is it a grim noirish dystopia? What’s the message you want this story to convey? What’s the central theme? All of these things (and, you know, more) tie in to how you portray a characters’ actions and feelings. 

Point two!! Also worth considering, and considering honestly, are your own motivations for writing these traumatic events and your character’s response in the first place. There’s always someone who defends a story that’s basically weird rape porn by saying that it wasn’t written for titillation, it was written as an exercise in expressing emotion or whatever. Here’s the thing, though: smut is obvious. Torture porn is obvious. Rape porn is obvious. When an author gets some kind of personal gratification out of a specific kind of trauma being inflicted on a character - whether that’s sexual gratification, or whether the trauma they’re writing is misogynist or racist or etc in nature, or what - their motivations tend to be a LOT more obvious to readers than most writers assume. People can tell when you’re just writing something for yourself to masturbate to (literally or just intellectually). So let’s not act like when people say that a rape scene or whatever in a work of fiction felt sexualized or romanticized, etc, not a single one of them is capable of understanding literary tone or inferring authorial intent. 

Point three!!! While fanfiction can be a great literary exercise, creative outlet, etc - and while fanfiction can certainly be excellent in its own right! I’m not trying to undermine fan stuff when I say this, I’m not making a qualitative statement here, but writing fanfiction is not really the same thing as writing a piece of original fiction for formal publication somewhere. Fanfiction, generally, is a place that is a lot more friendly to certain cliches, it’s more exploratory and loosely structured, you’re writing for a very specific audience of people who to some degree probably have expectations and desires and etc for a story that you can cater to in certain ways, there’s a lot of direct audience feedback in a way that’s a lot more intimate than (for example!) reading reviews of your book in a catalog or on goodreads or etc... it’s just a really different medium. There are a lot of skills that transfer because to a certain extent writing is writing, but what’s appropriate in fanfiction is not always considered appropriate in original fiction for publication. “This is how I write my hurt/comfort fanfic and that got really good reviews on AO3 therefor a professional writer should ALWAYS make their characters suffer as much as possible” is... I mean, it doesn’t make you sound like a good writer, sorry. 

[williamexchange]

How to Identify Your Target Audience for Better Marketing?

What is the target audience? And why does your specific target audience matter? That’s what we’re going to cover today.

When you’re in business, you serve a specific segment of the population. Too often, when an entrepreneur gets asked who the target audience is, they answer, “Everyone.” That’s almost never the case.

Instead, you have to narrow down “everyone” to a smaller group of people who both want and have the means to get your product or service.

For instance, if a consumer lives in an area to which you don’t ship products, he or she doesn’t belong in your target audience. Similarly, a consumer who can’t afford what you sell isn’t part of your audience.

We’ll break this down in more detail later, but for now, understand that the target audience is the group of people to whom you direct your marketing and advertising efforts. They’re the ones who might actually convert into customers.

Let’s explore the target audience in more detail break down the process of defining your target audience into easily manageable steps.

What Is Target Audience Segmentation?

Imagine for a moment that you’re designing a Facebook Ad campaign. You don’t want everyone to see your Facebook Ads because you’ll just want money. Instead, you want to serve up your ads to your target audience.

Facebook allows you to narrow down your audience based on demographics and other qualities. You might set an income range, target males or females, eliminate anyone who doesn’t have children, and so on, depending on your marketing agenda.

However, you also know that your product or service might appeal to different segments of your target audience.

Let’s say you sell sporting goods. Part of your audience might consist of teenage boys and girls who play sports. Another could incorporate professional athletes. Yet another segment might encompass middle-aged men and women who want to get back in shape.

Target audience segmentation allows you to create buyer personas. Each of these groups represents a different part of your target audience, so you serve them different ad creative and marketing assets.

What is the difference between the target market and target audience?

Many people mix up the target market and target audience or use them interchangeably. They’re actually different marketing terms.

A target market is anyone who might be interested in your products or services. Your target audience is the group of people—one of the groups described above, for example—to whom you direct a specific marketing asset or ad.

What is the target audience in marketing?

It’s people who might respond to your marketing asset by converting. A marketing asset might be a landing page, Facebook post, squeeze page, or the product page. It might be an email you’ve written to an audience segment or a direct mailer you’re sending out.

Your target audience is a part of your target market. You want to use segmentation so you send the right message to the right consumer at the exact right time. Just as you segment your email list, you must also segment your entire audience for marketing.

Why Is Defining Your Target Audience So Important?

Imagine visiting a car dealership. You partner up with a salesperson, but he doesn’t ask you any questions about your specific needs and wants. Over the next hour, he shows you sports cars and sedans, waxing poetic about the fine leather seats and gorgeous beltlines.

Finally, exasperated, you say, “I’m a mother of four. I need a minivan my kids can’t destroy.”

That should tell you how much defining your target audience matters. Trying to sell a two-seater sports car to a mother of four won’t win you any sales.

Sometimes, the segments are less dramatic, but you must treat them as important.

Consider the landing pages on your website. If a consumer visits one of your landing pages, you want to create an instant connection. The imagery, headline, body, and CTA should all appeal to what this particular consumer wants. If it doesn’t, the consumer will click away.

You master this by defining your target audience and sending prospective customers to marketing assets that will resonate with them. You don’t just throw landing pages and emails against the proverbial wall, hoping at least a few of them stick.

How To Define Your Target Audience in 6 Steps

Ann Handley of Marketing Profs once said, “Even when you are marketing to your entire audience or customer base, you are still simply speaking to a single human at any given time.”

It’s great advice for any entrepreneur who is gradually coming to terms with what a target market or audience is.

Handley’s making a good case for narrowing down your audience as far as possible. If you’re just speaking to a single human being — the person on the other side of the computer screen — you need to know everything you can about that consumer.

What are his or her pain points? Fears? Insecurities? Objections? If you know this information, you can deliver a message that’s both resonant and persuasive.

If you’re struggling to define your target audience, you’re not alone. Let’s break it down into six easy steps.

Step 1: Survey your current customer base

Surveys are highly underrated. They give you tons of pieces of data you can use to define your target audience as long as you prepare effective questions.

According to a SurveyMonkey study, the average market research survey is about 13 questions long, while all surveys range from four to 14 questions.

Just remember that your customers lead busy lives. If you give them a survey that takes too long to complete, they’ll give up.

Consider erring on the side of brevity while asking more probing questions. Fill-in-the-blank questions tend to offer more insight than true/false or scale-style questions because the survey taker has to put more thought into his or her answers.

To get you started, you might ask questions like these:

What is your main frustration when it comes to [your niche]?

How much are you willing to pay for [product] with [list of features]?

What social media sites do you spend the most time on?

Do you have any pressing questions related to [niche]?

Use the answers to your survey questions to build buyer personas, then to create landing pages, emails, and other marketing assets. For instance, the last question might be used to generate blog post ideas with a related CTA for a landing page at the ends of each.

Step 2: Interact with your audience

There’s a reason content marketing has become so essential to every entrepreneur in every industry. Not only does it drive website traffic, but it also opens up topics for conversation.

For instance, do you answer comments on your blog? Neil Patel, the co-founder of Crazy Egg, answers every question. He doesn’t always give detailed answers, but he lets his readers know he’s listening.

Step 3: Turn frustration into motivation

Now that you’ve surveyed your audience and begun participating in conversations, mine your notes for pain points and objections. Figure out what problems your existing customers and followers have.

Maybe you’re in the SAAS industry with a CRM tool. You figure out what your prospective customers are unimpressed with their ability to connect with their own customers via multiple channels. That’s a frustration.

Turn it into motivation. If your SAAS product offers a better way to deal with cross-channel customer service, use it as a selling point as you communicate with your target audience. You understand the frustration, so reverse the equation and give your customers a useful alternative.

Keep a running list of frustrations and motivations. That way, you can keep returning to them as your business evolves.

Step 4: Know who your target audience

You’re getting a better idea of how to define your target audience now, but you also need to know who to exclude. This comes in handy when you’re advertising via search or social, in particular.

Weed out potential customers who don’t fall within your target audience description. Determine who doesn’t deserve your time and attention.

For instance, maybe you’re marketing exclusively to women. That cuts out roughly half the population right there.

Or maybe it’s less dramatic. If you’re not catering to consumers over age 50, you need to know that.

Step 5: Check out the competition

You never want to copy the competition. That’s a recipe for disaster.

However, if you keep tabs on your direct competitors, you can further refine your target audience.

Check out their homepages, landing pages, squeeze pages, and product descriptions. Figure out what they’re not doing so you can give your target audience something they want.

Step 6: See how your audience navigates your website

Above, we talked about using your website as a way to communicate directly with your visitors. However, your website can provide far more data and insights.

Use a tool like Crazy Egg to monitor audience behavior. User behavior reports tell you where visitors click, how far down each page they scroll, what percentage of visitors click on a particular link, whether your signup forms are receiving sufficient attention, and more.

Crazy Egg also offers Recordings, which allow you to monitor a website visitor’s precise navigation through your site. You’ll see when the mouse pauses over an interesting testimonial, for instance, or where a signup form looks confusing to the visitor.

You’ll get tons of relevant data and insights to help you further narrow down your target audience and address their needs directly. If they’re not paying attention to your CTA, for instance, consider moving it higher up on the page or redesigning it to have more visual impact. There are Best SEO services in Frisco from where you can find out all the services related to SEO and digital marketing which will help you to enhance your business online and generate more and more customers.

[podcake]

Podcasts & Style/Substance

I must share to you readers that I am in the middle of a very much expected but somewhat rough decision at the moment. After about six or more years of having the same black Toshiba laptop that has stored information from middle school crossover fanfiction to job resumes to questionable png files, I’m afraid it has officially kicked the bucket or at least fallen into some kind of cybernetic limbo. 

After one faithful day when it gave itself one less kick to grant me the privilege of finishing Miss Koboyashi’s Dragon Maid and was forced onto an infinite black screen for all eternity, it dawned on me that my little pal that has been my partner in blogging for years just couldn’t pull through the strength anymore. 

It was an old, busted thing by now-touch pad now replaced by a wireless mouse, brown-gray dust permanently caked onto the screen and in between the keyboard from lord knows wear, a severe lag that regularly musters an effort to keep my video files and word documents secure as I mindlessly surf the internet, and a battery that kept my computer at a pathetic half way point that threatened to undo all of my current progress if a passing dog were to trip the wire at the slightest. 

Little Tobi (as I called them) was a good friend and I will dearly miss them and the disposable information I will lose from letting it rot in the bottom of my bed for now. I write this now from my mother’s laptop as I secretly plan out my next move. 

The likely preceding from here is that I have plans to buy a new laptop to continue my work, to which you are entirely right. I am already aware that the simple black Toshiba with its decent screen size and functional keyboard are all I need for a few extra years of blogging and book pitches, but it’s so…boring. 

Beyond my desktop customization, there’s not much to old Tobi that really sparked the imagination of what kind of person I am and what business I have with a laptop from the get-go. To any passerby I could easily be an accountant or an overworked college student grinding through an essay. 

It’s a bland but perfectly usable piece of machinery that has done me no wrong for years, and yet I find myself eager to pursue something different. Something more pink.

I am set for my next laptop to be a pink one and my itchy buying finger might just make that happen before the summer ends. And my strong, personal desire for every item within my reach to be pink-or something related to pink-tends to skew my idea about features and actual quality. 

My sights have been set on a smaller computer with less memory and detachable keyboard for about a week and I am so very close to just finalizing the deal without anyone else’s input because…it’s pink. And I like pink.

This got me thinking about how we as content creators and consumers tend to be divided over what we perceive as genuine quality in our media. Specifically targeting podcasts, I do believe the concept of style and substance is a very common recurrence we come across and I have mentioned it at least vaguely in most of my reviews and other articles. 

The term “style vs substance” tends to have a fairly flexible meaning behind it that can pertain to multiple aspects at once. This contrast can come to mind when dealing with everyday obstacles and personal preferences over pretty much anything, though let’s talk about how it pertains to audio fiction since I know that’s what you’re here for.

Substance has to mainly deal with the idea of something’s overall depth and purpose. Substance aims to tell you one thing or multiple things and provide it in such a way that the idea can’t be muddled or misinterpreted. Be it an Aesop or a specific type of theme or message, substance is meant to leave an impression in more of the practical variety.

Style is much different. Style can be easily defined as to how something is done or presented in a way that is distinctly unique. Style aims to be eye-catching, interesting, or to generally appeal to a certain type of aesthetic choice. It wants to look good or cool or scary or weird and will go by any stretch of the imagination to fulfill that.

A story that relies too heavily on substance will certainly have a focal point and a clear narrative that is easy to digest, but it will be at the risk of being unremarkable. It will not stick with a listener if an audio drama has a very clean cut story and characters that all fit predetermined roles but no real flair of individuality that makes its whole plot really ring any bells besides the ones set to a very specific tune. 

On the flip side of this coin, too much style can provide an entirely different dilemma. This creates the situation in a which a show is rich in pretty little details and nice music and the occasional wit, but it will ultimately be as compelling as a screensaver. These stories don’t exist in the realm of being genuinely deep or progressive but rather to just to give off a unique vibe, which can make it rather hollow in everything else. 

In my last article, I did go on about my irritation with podcasts that don’t cater to a story and care more about being quirky for quirky’s sake, namely about the over saturation of the “fake radio show” format that is hopefully being reworked by The Bridge as we speak, but that’s a topic I’ve ragged on enough one March ago.

And despite this, I am lucky enough to be invested in a type of medium that seems to have this style and substance balance pretty well figured out. 

Not everyone is a winner in this department, though I am confident in my belief that many podcast writers know that their vision is not complete without a purpose and that this purpose can stay relevant with just the right amount of tasteful flourish. 

As this is a fairly open-ended topic, there is more than one way to manage this balance. For example, I believe a show is capable of being more heavy on substance while still having a style because the aesthetic of choice was minimalist to begin with. Titles that comes to mind is The Bright Sessions, Wolf 359, and the newest show I’ve gotten around to simply titled OAKPODCAST. 

I won’t go into much detail about each one though all of them do cater more to providing substance over style in a way that works. They are known best for their character focus, engaging dialogue and some occasional thoughtful narration, and mostly realistic portrayal of its setting even though they will occasionally lean heavily on otherworldly elements to show the setting is not as normal as it appears. 

These shows are abundant in the substance category because its ideas are meant to be narrowed down to a few very specific idea pertaining to whatever arc or character they may focusing on. And yet they are still memorable because they exist in a world that is just different enough from our own that we’d like to learn more about it.

Shows that play more into style than substance can be equally engaging. Ones that come to mind are Hadron Gospel Hour and The Meat Blockade, two very different shows that are dedicated to strong stylistic choices that don’t interfere with its narrative. 

Be it Gospel Hour with its love for dimensional travel and ideas directly inspired from seventies and eighties pop culture or The Meat Blockade’s ideas drawn from the likes of Kafkaesque and surreal humor and just the right touch of Broadway, it’s clear where the focus is meant to be without it being a deal breaker on where the story lies in all this. Thus the strange decisions work as a service to the story rather than it being treated as a lesser priority. 

Going back to the Broadway thing, I wasn’t kidding. The Meat Blockade has an entire, roughly four minute segment in their fifth episode where a group of anthropomorphic frogs break out in a music number…and it works really well because it’s ultimately an exposition song that describes their current situation, the hidden lore about the setting, some hints of foreshadow, and nicely transitions into the next scene and leaves on a cliff hanger for episode six.

It’s such a strange choice editing and writing wise and I’m choosing to provide this as an example because it’s a damn excellent way to establish creativity and tasteful zaniness that still works to inform.

But it is also possible to have a fifty-fifty situation going on where the style and the substance coexist so well that one cannot exist without the other.

Our Fair City comes to mind where it’s richly described dystopian world and unique characters are used to explore more in-depth themes and still have one single tale to tell, or, multiple branching tales. 

The same can apply to Greater Boston with just a touch more realism thrown into the mix, creating a fairly stylish and satisfying audio drama about life in a fictionalized version of a real city.

The key here is that the world and its rules play a part in why the characters act the way they do which lets it be equal parts distinct and fulfilling as a story.

Without these aesthetic decisions in mind, some of these shows simply wouldn’t be what they are while the same can apply the substance latent shows who wouldn’t be the same without their choice of character interaction and treatment of specific themes. 

Some are far more likely to lean more towards one than the other but that’s because it’s not a necessity for The Bright Sessions to have a jazzy backtrack and it’s not expected for The Meat Blockade to have a long and detailed monologue about Berenger’s relationship with his girlfriend. 

But that’s the interesting thing about the style and substance equation-it can be switched around as many times as necessary to fit a story’s current narrative. Maybe one day we learn the tragic backstory of a single gag character, maybe one day there will be a stretch of retro-funk music played over a straight faced hero’s inner thoughts. 

It’s when these ideas are of service to the stakes and a characters’ all around presence that the script can be flipped and deliver a much needed change of tone that keeps the listener on their toes.

This won’t only be impressive on a sound design and editing standpoint, but also establish some diversity in the writing style to keep the story varied and interesting. 

Whatever the balance may be, it must be one that lets the story flourish in a way that feels authentic and natural. A concept is only as strong as the effort going into it. 

Don’t allow a story to be expressed in a distinct way then it won’t be remembered but let flair and pizzazz be too much of a focus and your final product will come off as meaningless fluff. 

Let your world building and natural need for sparkle be the thing that draws in the viewer rather than isolate them from the goings on of what is especially important. 

Don’t let characters fade into oblivion from a need to make a story easy to understand, let them be factors and active players, not mouthpieces and exposition machines. 

And if one certain element speaks to your project more than the other, that is entirely understandable. Certain plots are better seen through a substance perspective than a stylish one and some ideas are best seen with stylish decisions being a priority with substance being a smaller part of the equation.

I suppose you could say it’s less a case of style vs substance than it is style/substance or substance/style-it’s a balancing act that comes with compromise and patience rather, not just a case of right and wrong.

So thus my decision about what new laptop I should get to replace my old one is less a choice of a functional laptop or a pink laptop, but rather settling on a functional pink laptop.

[emilywalkerhealth]

World Wildlife Fund Social Media Research Report

World Wildlife Fun Social Media Research Report 

Executive Summary:     

The World Wildlife Fund is an internationally recognized NGO that works to promote the conservation of our planet and its resources. They have a large online following and online presence; however, they could utilize their online platforms to have greater global reach. By engaging with their audience, varying their content from one platform to another and actively promoting their social channels, they could take their already good use of online platforms to the next level. 

Introduction: 

- The World Wildlife Fund (herein referred to as the WWF) is the world’s leading conservation organization. Their mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. WWF works in 100 countries and has millions of members around the globe. The WWF has six main focuses; forests, oceans, fresh water, wildlife, food, and climate. Their unique way of working combines a foundation of science and their global reach. (Endangered Species Conservation) Miles Dorman and Emily Walker have been hired by the WWF senior management team to help them increase their global reach via their online and social media presence. 

- Miles and Emily have researched the best ways to create engaging content online and how to improve their global reach. 

Literature review: 

 -  For social media to have the best reach and to be engaging a company must ensure they are following a few key steps. The first thing they must do is identify the audience. To know how to talk to your audience, you must first understand who your audience is. (Redish, 2014) Once you have identified this, you can ask yourselves the questions; what do you want to achieve through your content and what does your audience want from you.

 -  With multiple social media outlets, it is important to vary your content. Different social media platforms have different nuances and userbases, so posts should suit the nature of the individual platform. (Cyca, 2018)

 -  In addition to knowing your audience and varying your content, it is crucial to make sure that your content is engaging.  You want your audience to respond to your content, and it is best to give direct responses to their comments. (Rose, 2017) Address your audience personally and ask questions to keep the conversation going. Sharing their content is another great way for your audience to feel engaged and to ensure they are sharing your message.

 -  By taking the time to ensure their content is interesting, engaging and aimed at their audience, the WWF can be sure they are utilizing social media to the best of their ability while achieving their goals. 

Methodology/Results:  

 -  After doing a thorough review of the WWF online presence it was discovered that they are active on social media, they are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube and they have a reasonable following as you will see in chart 1.0. 

- The WWF posts relatively frequently on their social channels. They tend to post in clusters, where they will post multiple times in a few days and then their channels will be silent for a while. For example, on Twitter, they tweeted on March 3 and then did not tweet again until March 25. Social Media channels move fast, so it is important to post frequently to ensure your users see the content you are posting and feel that they are up-to-date and in the know about your organization. (Rose 2017)

 -  WWF takes advantages of significant events to increase social media activity. During the lead up to ‘Earth Hour,’ they posted over 50 times (includes retweets/shares) 

 - Research shows that images and videos are great additions to social media posts. Visuals make a post more appealing, as well it caters to the user who might be more interested in scrolling through photos versus reading plain text. (Rose, 2017) (See image 1.1) WWF post very inspiring pictures that captivate their existing audience as well could entice new followers to visit and follow their pages.  

1.0 WWF Social media following: 

1.1 WWF Average social media engagement:

Discussion/Recommendations:

-  WWF has done a great job of defining itself as a brand, and they have global recognition. The next step for them is to broaden that reach further and to better engage with their audience. Doing this will allow them to have a more significant impact and to drive their mission forward around the world.

 Where there is room for improvement:

1.  Follower/Community engagement:

o   The WWF has a rather low engagement rate with their followers. The WWF’s follower will feel like they have more of a voice in environmentalism and conservation if WWF starts responding to comments. Responding to followers comments is a great way to make your online community feel valued and therefore likely to keep engaging.

o   The organization’s Twitter account is following 3,065 accounts, but they are all environmental organizations and pro-environment public figures. The organization’s Instagram account is only following 22 accounts. By following more accounts the WWF can improve their follower engagement, an excellent way to ‘build community’ (Hou, 2018). 

o   Another great way to engage with your community is through online surveys. Surveys allow followers to engage with the organization and your content. (“5 Steps to Engage Your Audience on Social Media”) The surveys can benefit you by helping you to find out what your audience wants and can be a way to find out more about who your audience is. See the example by Women’s Health on Twitter (Images 2.0 and 2.1) You can see that a simple survey question generated 67 comments and 80 likes compared to their typical tweet which gets about one or two comments and ten likes. Instagram will also allow you to survey your audience while using the “story” function. It works best with ‘either-or’ questions which are a great way to gauge your audiences knowledge or directly ask the style of content they want to see. 

2.0 Woman’s Health Twitter survey question:

 2.1 Women’s Health Twitter Survey responses:

2. Vary content on channels:

o   Every time the WWF posts content they put it on all their social media platforms. To have a dynamic social media engagement, you must vary your content. Changing your content from one platform to the next encourages your audience to follow you on more than one platform. It makes sense to post an organization's most pressing message to all platforms, so it gets the most reach; however additional content between the platforms is key to sparking interest and reaching more of your audience. 

o   For example, short video clips work well on Instagram and Facebook where people are looking for visual stimulation, statistics and facts go far on twitter.  

3. Alter your approach when communication statistics. 

o   Environmentalism relies on stats, and WWF’s followers will want to know these stats, such as how much plastic is in the ocean and would like to have a way to put that into context. Rather than listing these statistics using text, infographics provide an engaging way for the audience to view the content as well as share it with their community. Infographics are 30 times more likely to be viewed than text content. (Long, 2016)  See image 2.2 and 2.3  

2.2 WWF unengaging way to share a statistic:

2.3 World Health Organization uses an infographic to engage with readers on statistics:

4.  Make social media channels present on your website:

o   Most of your audience will visit your website as the first point of contact. Because of this, you want to have social channels very accessible when a visitor first lands on your page. By having your social icons at the top of the page, viewers who are familiar with the platforms are more like to go to them to engage with your organization, resulting in more likes and follows increasing reach. 

o   In image 2.4 you can see that the WWF currently has their social icons at the bottom of the page. By locating them here, visitors are unlikely to see them.          

2.4 Bottom of the WWF Website:

Conclusion:

The World Wildlife Fund has an extensive reach, to capitalize on this reach, the organization should work to further engage with their audience in a personalized way. The WWF could utilize their audience, engaged group looking to spread the WWF's message. If the WWF starts to engage with their audience by responding to comments, offering opportunities for feedback, and providing shareable content, they could increase their reach while further speeding their mission on a global scale.  

Bibliography:  

1.  “5 Steps to Engage Your Audience on Social Media.” Business.com, www.business.com/articles/5-steps-to-engage-your-audience-on-social-media/. 

2.  “Endangered Species Conservation.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/. 

3.  Cyca, Michelle. “Stop Posting the Same Message on Social Media (And Do This Instead).” Hootsuite Social Media Management, 1 May 2018, blog.hootsuite.com/cross-promote-social-media/. 

4. Hou, Youyang, and Cliff Lampe. “Social Media Effectiveness for Public Engagement: An Example of Small Nonprofits.”Non-Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly, 15 Oct. 2018, nonprofitquarterly.org/2018/01/26/social-media-effectiveness-for-public-engagement-an-example-of-small-nonprofits/. 

5  Long, Jonathan. “The Power of Visual Content [Infographic].”Online Marketing Consulting Agency, 14 Jan. 2016,www.marketdominationmedia.com/power-visual-content-infographic/

6. Redish, Janice. Letting Go of the Words. Morgan Kaufmann, 2014. 

7. Rose, Katie. “10 Tips For Increasing Your Social Media Engagement.” Social Media Week, 27 Oct. 2017, socialmediaweek.org/blog/2017/10/10-tips-increasing-social-media-engagement/. Below you will find my final report for the WWF.

[krishnaprasad-blog]

If the English market is tough for serious players in Indian journalism, keeping the head above the water in the languages is a humongous challenge. So immense, so expensive, and so impossible is the task of attracting readers and viewers, and keeping them engaged with quality content, that nearly nobody is attempting to do it.

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a stand-out exception.

In an arena filled with itsy-bitsy, tits-and-ass, click-bait majors—madly chasing eyeballs with the fake, frothy and frivolous; and conning agencies, advertisers (and themselves) with eye-popping numbers of “uniques”—BBC is an isle of calm. Quietly doing what it does best—journalism—and leaving audiences informed and empowered.

Rupa Jha is head of BBC Languages in India, responsible for content in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi. Her mandate: to enhance the “strength, depth, range and quality” of all BBC multimedia output, words mostly alien to bottomline-obsessed managers, in a mad race to the bottom.

***

Q: How does BBC as an international broadcaster view the Indian language market?

Rupa Jha: The BBC has been working in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali for more than seven decades. It recently decided to expand its portfolio to realise the potential of a wider language market. Hence, the creation of BBC news services in Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati and Marathi.

Obviously, the language market in India is extremely crowded, with more than 900 TV channels, thousands of websites and hundreds of radio stations, but it struck us that there was a place for a brand known for credibility, trust and a world view; a brand that could challenge the status quo and be a strong counterweight to the rising challenge of fake news and the “echo chamber” effect.

The four new languages services were launched in 2017, following a “digital-first” strategy supported by a partner-based TV presence. It was the biggest expansion of the BBC in India, since the 1940s.  We hired around 150 new staff and created a state-of-the-art production hub, making Delhi the second biggest BBC bureau after Nairobi.

The bureau also houses two new, ultra-modern TV studios, giving our new TV programmes a fresh look and presentation that stands out for high production values and distinctive story telling. We also have five satellite offices where small teams shoot, edit and produce local content at the state level.

***

BBC’s “news needs wheel”

Q: What does the Indian language viewer, listener, surfer look for from BBC’s various language services that she doesn’t get from established legacy players?

Rupa Jha: The regional market is dominated by hyper-local content. So the content strategy of the BBC in this market of languages is to make a differentiated offer and become a trusted window for people to understand the place of India in the world.

Original content is at the centre of this strategy with a special focus on serving underserved audiences such as the young and women.

We aim to drive audience growth by expanding our traditional appeal amongst “news connoisseurs” into a wider group of “news nibblers”.

Our research told us that local players tend to focus their news coverage mainly on the “what” and “when” but there is little effort being made to explain the “why”.  This helped us to develop a model we call our “news needs wheel”.

This showed that audiences wanted the BBC to provide perspective and context, together with stories that educate, inspire and offer solutions. We use this model not only to tell international stories but also to help develop narratives on the local by stepping back and looking at the big picture.

Based on our understanding of “news needs”, our content strategy is to decode national/regional stories for all language audiences and help generate an interest in news that is beyond hyperlocal.

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Q: What does BBC do in the languages that Indian media houses can’t, won’t, don’t? How does it approach Bharat?

Rupa Jha: We believe the BBC stands out for its values and principles. BBC editorial guidelines are the same for all operations, whether based in the UK or outside. The DNA of the organisation is our editorial values.

Trust is the foundation of the BBC.

“We are independent, impartial and honest.

“We are truthful and fair in all our dealings.

“We make decisions based on our values, stick by them and take responsibility for them.

“We behave with integrity and do what we say we’re going to do.

“We take pride in that and ensure that we don’t get seduced by a desire to be the first to break news, something that can easily cost your credibility.”

We acknowledge that the BBC in India is not the first port of call for people. Our assumption is that what they do want from us is analysis and explanation of an event.

We have a huge loyal audience in rural India and we ensure that we cater to that segment of society through our editorial agenda. Because of this we have a specific focus on marginalised communities, women, farmers and stories of human rights, development and justice.

A good example is presented by this current election period. We have been running a month of special output called “Reality Check” where the promises made by the political class and those in power is being assessed. We do regular fact-check stories, busting the fake news.

# We have also had special coverage around Muslims in India called “Being Muslim in India” and we cover stories around caste identity regularly.

# We had a season in Marathi called Ambedkar and Me, showcasing stories of successful Dalit entrepreneurs.

# We have featured stories of women from across the country, under the banner “BBCShe”, stories of choices men and women made called “His choice” and “Her choice”.

# We have also committed ourselves to deliver strong contextual coverage of Kashmir—for example, we had a series of stories from the region based around looking at violence through the eyes of children.

# We also have a special focus on tribal issues. Our recent coverage of Pulwama and aftermath is a case in point where we worked hard to ensure neutrality and balance in coverage based on facts.

***

Q: It used to be said that Indians looked at and listened to BBC for its credibility. Is that still the case after the growth of homegrown media? How do you achieve this? What are the tell-tale signs of a fake story for you?

Rupa Jha: Yes, of course. Credibility is the tag that has helped us grow in the market. We work hard on the training of all our full-time journalists and stringers to ensure they fully understand our editorial guidelines so that they understand the BBC way of reporting. This training is a continuous process and takes up a significant part of our budget.

We also have a very strong system of editorial checks and balances. All our language services cross-check and triangulate their stories, and also liaise with the London headquarters through a central planning desk which also ensures that there is a flow of news that is checked and verified. We have standing instructions not to run stories unless there are two independent sources or if we have our own direct sources.

On top of all the above principles and practices, we fact-check stories daily, mostly viral stories. We have also invested resources in a lot of “on-the-ground, eye-witness reporting” at a time when other Indian media have been reducing the amount they do.

***

Q: As the head of BBC languages in India, what does your work entail, how many people do you lead, how do you go about spotting and farming out stories, what kind of stories do you like, etc?

Rupa Jha: My job is to coordinate and oversee the whole of the BBC languages operation in India and to be a vital link to BBC HQ in London. I directly manage ten Service Leads and make sure staff across services in Delhi are properly managed, recruited and developed. As head, it is my task to ensure that there is a strong, creative culture across the bureau, that every member of staff understands clearly what we are doing and who we are doing it for.

My aim is to ensure all services provide a distinctive offering to the Indian market, with a focus on original and solutions-based journalism, mobile-first content, social media engagement and a mixture of news and near news content. I also have to make sure we are optimising our content on every platform and in each language.

We leverage our strength in international news to report Indian news with a global context, i.e. stories that will compare Indian issues to those in the rest of the world and global stories that are made relevant to an Indian audience. To attract new audiences to the BBC, the new services address diverse content needs of the youth and female audiences and deliver the quality, independent journalism that is lacking in this market.

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Q: There are thousands studying journalism especially in the languages. What would you advise them about the way forward? How can they equip themselves to work for the BBC some day? Can they freelance for you?

Rupa Jha: I feel the language scene in journalism is flourishing. Digital is the way forward, so take the plunge. Whatever format you work in, understand that a good story is a good story. Understanding the eco-system where we operate is vital.

We don’t ONLY look for those who have a degree in journalism. For the BBC that’s not the only consideration because we feel if you are curious and passionate and can tell a good story, you can become a journalist.

It’s a fantastic profession which needs people with courage, imagination and conviction. They can surely freelance for us by sending their CV and work sample to us.

***

Photograph: courtesy Rupa Jha

Slides: courtesy WAN-IFRA

News connoisseurs to news nibblers: how BBC is approaching journalism in Indian languages with five words fast disappearing from our ‘bhasha’: trust, credibility, strength, depth, quality If the English market is tough for serious players in Indian journalism, keeping the head above the water in the languages is a humongous challenge. 1,663 more words