Tag Archives: Social Media Today

Facebook has announced the detection and removal of another cluster of accounts, backed by Russian-based operators, which had been attempting to run political and issues ads in the United States. As explained by Facebook: “Today, we removed 49 Facebook accounts, 69 Pages and 85 Instagram accounts for engaging in foreign interference – which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign actor – on Facebook, Instagram and other internet platforms. This network was in the early stages of building an audience, and was operated by local nationals – some wittingly and some unwittingly – in Ghana and Nigeria on behalf of individuals in Russia. It targeted primarily the United States.” Facebook says that it was […]

Are you scrambling to cancel travel arrangements for industry conferences? If so, then you’re not alone. Recently, many trade shows converted their onsite plans into virtual events. Facebook canceled its F8 software developer conference. Google switched to a virtual event for Google Cloud Next 2020. Plus, the city of Austin, Texas axed SXSW. The coronavirus has people scrapping travel itineraries and signing up for online sessions. Instead of a crowded expo floor, they’ll be watching live product demos from their homes or offices. But, where does this leave event marketers? After all, you had a strategy to entice event-goers to invest in your product. Don’t dump your plans – rather, showcase […]

Published March 13, 2020 Are you looking for ways to improve your email marketing strategy? Want to create more compelling email marketing campaigns? The team from Vertical Response share their tips for success in this infographic. Here’s a quick summary: Determine your goal Use a recognizable “from” name Pick a superb subject line Personalize when possible Call up your call to action Test, test and test again Send your campaign Track the results Check out the infographic for more detail. A version of this post was first published on the Red Website Design blog. Filed Under: Digital Strategy

Sprout Social has this week published the latest version of its best times to post report, which highlights the optimal times of day to post to the major social platforms in order to maximize engagement. The report is based on data gleaned from Sprout’s 20,000+ customer base, providing a significant dataset to pull from and pinpoint the key posting times. That said, of course, your optimal posting times will vary dependent on your unique audience, so the pointers and charts below are not definitive. But they do serve as a good starting point for those looking to map out a more effective strategy, or a worthy change in approach if […]

The applications for AR tools continue to expand. This week, Google has launched a new initiative, in partnership with The New York Times, which will enable users to scan in elements of the physical NYT publication in order to get further context and information via the AR capacity of Google Lens. [embedded content] As explained by Google: “Throughout the first half of this year, we’re working with The New York Times so that readers of the print edition of The New York Times Magazine can use Google Lens to unlock more information by simply pointing their smartphone camera at the pages. On Sunday, when The Times Magazine’s annual Music Issue […]

With Snapchat’s AR Lens ads driving significant engagement and interaction in the app, the platform is now looking to open up the option to more brands, with a simplified AR Lens campaign option that enables businesses to build custom Lenses based on pre-made templates and/or Snap’s library of 3D objects. Called ‘Lens Web Builder’, the new process enables you to create your own lens campaign within “a few minutes”. As per Snapchat: “You can choose from a library of hundreds of 3D objects, animations, and effects to build your own custom branded AR Lens. You can also upload your own 2D assets (such as logos and images) to further customize the […]

It’s impossible to deny Facebook’s influence in rising political division, and societal division more broadly. But how much, exactly, does Facebook contribute to political discussion, and what are the subsequent impacts of that on voting behavior? At a recent conference in Munich, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg played down Facebook’s responsibility in this respect, saying that: “People are less likely to click on things and engage with them if they don’t agree with them. So, I don’t know how to solve that problem. That’s not a technology problem as much as it is a human affirmation problem.” Zuckerberg also noted that Facebook users are exposed to a more diverse set of perspectives […]

This could be a helpful way to boost your Instagram presence, and maximize your content. As reported by reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, Instagram is now testing an option which would enable you to share your Instagram live streams direct to IGTV as soon as the broadcast has ended. That could be an easy way to build your IGTV content library. IGTV, of course, hasn’t taken off the way Instagram would have initially hoped, but more recent announcements like monetization options for the platform could give it a significant boost. IGTV could still become a significant consideration – and if you can tap into that growth in a simple way, […]

YouTube has provided an update on its latest measures to combat coronavirus misinformation and keep its users informed amid the growing crisis. Its main initiative on this front is added information panels which direct users to authoritative information, while its also providing ad credits to relevant bodies. As explained by YouTube: “We’re using our homepage to direct users to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other local authoritative organizations around the world to ensure users can easily find updates. We’re also donating advertising inventory to governments and NGOs in impacted regions, who are using it to spotlight timely, helpful information.” YouTube is […]

As recently demonstrated by Snapchat, AR systems are advancing, and facilitating new options for branding and advertising which utilize more immersive, engaging visual elements. But one of the limitations of AR is 3D modeling, and the capacity for smartphone cameras to accurately scale object size in order to match them with virtual comparisons, and provide realistic depictions that can be layered over real-world scenes. That’s where this new process from Google comes in – this week on the Google Engineering Blog, the company has outlined its latest advance in 3D modeling, which could see a significant shift in AR rendering in the near future. As explained by Google: “Today, we […]