Best Browser Extensions for Social Media Marketing

We all find ourselves in the same routine day after day, clicking the same buttons, visiting the same URLs, going through all the same motions. If you’re like me, you’ve gotten pretty good at it. But sometimes turning on autopilot setting sets us up for failure when we’re not engaging our brain to do any thinking. We’re less creative, we’re less productive, and we’re bored.

Using browser extensions to automate some of those mundane tasks can help get you back on track. It saves things for you, so you don’t have to remember them, it streamlines your day, and it frees up your time to focus on the creativity that makes you good at what you do.

Buffer

Buffer allows you to connect social media profiles and then share directly from any website. If you do a lot of research for your campaigns and you find yourself saving these articles to share later, Buffer can help you organize them, so you don’t have to create a separate task list or schedule for sharing.

Highlight meaningful text within the article or right click on an image to share the picture directly. Twitter and Facebook connections come with built-in buttons for adding to your queues and scheduling future posts.

Giphy

Twitter and Pinterest now support GIFs, and many other social media sites and messaging services allow you to engage with your contacts using these hilarious online personality enhancements. It’s a lot easier to relate to your audience and convey how you feel through images rather than text.

Using the Giphy extension, you can search for GIFs and copy a shortened URL of any GIF you choose. Communicate with your target market quickly without worrying about copy all of the time.

Instagram for Chrome

If you find yourself always reaching for your phone to scroll through your Instagram feed, interact with your followers, or post a new picture, the Instagram for Chrome browser extension makes it easy to integrate Instagram into your day by keeping it visible while you’re working on other tasks. You don’t have to keep your phone handy and move away from the computer at all. You can even share images saved on your computer instead of having to transfer it to your phone to share it.

Riffle

Bring relevant insights to your Twitter stream with Riffle. When you click on the Riffle icon or Twitter username of a follower, lead, or influencer, the extension opens a display of user data including social media accounts, statistics, popular hashtags, mentions, URLs, and more. With visible, in-depth data, you can target your marketing to the appropriate audience at all times.

Klout

If you’ve ever wondered how your interactions and popularity measure up across social media platforms, Klout rescues you from calculating it yourself. Klout integrates the score right into your Twitter feed and other channels so that you can see an influence score right next to someone’s username. You can also use Klout to share directly from any website.

Ritetag

I may have saved my favorite for last. Sometimes I feel the effects of hashtag overload. Which hashtags are trending, which ones are people looking at, and which ones are so overused they have people rolling their eyes?

Ritetag analyzes your hashtag use and color codes them by popularity and strength. At a glance, you can see which of your hashtags has proved most useful in your campaigns and then build future campaigns around what works for you.

Take the guesswork out of your social media marketing campaigns by implementing some of the most useful browser extensions into your workflow. You can efficiently manage on-the-go platforms while you’re not going, making it simpler for you to balance your time and get things done. Check out my done-for-you system for more ideas.

Suresh@socialaai.com

Business Marketing with an Instagram Photo Contest

An Instagram photo contest is a great way to promote your business while having some fun. A photo contest can lead to new followers while your company is giving back to the Instagram community.

But running an Instagram photo contest isn’t always easy, and can be a bit confusing. Here is a short guide on getting the most out of a photo contest, should you choose to do so.

Target Your Market

Define your target market before kicking off your photo contest. A contest for families who enjoy camping is going to look a lot different than couples who look for new and exciting places to visit in the city. Determine who you intend to engage with, and gear your contest toward them.

Team Up

Finding a partner for your Instagram photo contest can be a benefit for both businesses. Not only can you gain more followers through this method, but you’ll also receive additional exposure. Most of these types of partnerships require participants to be followers of both accounts before they can enter. Keep things simple though. There’s no need to team up with more than one business per contest.

Avoid Confusion

Make sure your rules for entering and participating in your photo contest are clear and concise. Include an ending date and time, and offer step-by-step instructions for participants, including limitations on number of entries.

Call to Action

Provide your followers a clear call to action, so that they are fully aware of the necessary steps required to enter the contest. The primary purpose of your photo contest is to gain followers or increase your exposure (but make sure you have fun too!). The two most common ways to go about doing this is to have contestants tag a friend or post a picture.

Tag a Friend – For this type of call to action, have participants tag a friend to enter the contest. When the friend sees your post and competition, they will join and tag more friends.

Post a Photo – Contestants with this type of call to action post a photo and use a specific hashtag to enter. This will allow you to track the entries, and pick a winner when the time comes.

Keep an Eye on Submissions

This is your contest, so it would behoove you to be aware of how it’s progressing. Decide how you’ll monitor your contest, whether manually or by using one of the many tools available for just such an occasion. Decide beforehand how you plan on following your contest, so you’re not scrambling to decide while submissions are rolling in.

Declare a Winner

When your contest comes to a close, it’s time to pick a winner. Some contests use a poll, while others may use a group of judges. No matter what method you choose, select a winner and notify them through Instagram.

Promote the winner on your Instagram page, but don’t forget to give credit where credit is due. Cross-promote on other platforms. Announce the results on your Twitter, Facebook, and web pages as well.

Repeat as Needed

Running an Instagram photo contest doesn’t have to be a one-time occurrence. You can have a weekly or monthly contest. Explore your options, find what works best for your company and adjust as needed. Discover a way to build habits with your followers while creating momentum with your contests.

Instagram photo contests are an excellent opportunity to have fun with the platform while building up a following. Be creative and engaging with your contests to have the most success. Not only will you expand your audience, but you’ll also have fresh content that may inspire your next photo contest. For more tips, check out DFY’s lead generation system

Suresh@socialaai.com

Building Trust with Social Media

One thing that stands out today in the social media world we live in is that it’s important to develop a sense of trust with your followers. This is especially true for small and medium sized businesses, since the amount of trust between business and follower will only serve to build customer loyalty.

Trust is essential to building your brand, and even the best marketers in the world won’t be able to sell a product without first establishing trust with their customer base. They must create stories that offer a connection with their consumers.

But how do you go about building that trust?

 Use Your Content

Using content is the most reliable method you have for developing trust with followers. Create insightful, meaningful content that will provoke emotion and establish a connect with your consumers.

 Next, convert the data into graphical form

For this, you should invest in professional graphic design. There are some designers and websites that focus entirely on infographics. Look through a few portfolios and choose a designer who makes attractive-looking, useful infographics. Keep in mind that there are many ways to represent data outside of attractive pie-charts and graphs.

Turn your data over to your designer to be converted into an infographic. Make sure that your website is incorporated into the design. You’ll want to use the infographic for back-linking purposes.

Transparency

Followers want to see that you are a real, live person, not a faceless brand with which they’re doing business. They want to see your thoughts and your suggestions and learn more about you as a person. Consumers care less about the money and more about the relationship.

Take the time to develop and nurture the relationship you have with your consumer base. Show them the real you, and how you arrived at your current destination.

Pictures

Pictures are powerful. Consider the previous point and be sure to post pictures of your daily life. Followers want to see the real, unfiltered life you live. Share your daily routine with your consumers, on a regular basis so that they know who you are and what you’re doing.

Mind Your Manners

Being polite and courteous go a long way. Even though we may not give these words a second thought, the person we offer them to will remember them. When someone shares your post, make sure you thank them. If you need something from someone, make sure you ask them with a please.

Accept Criticism

 The harsh reality is that you and your business are going to be criticized. It comes with the territory of being truthful. Respond positively to critique. Allow it to be an opportunity for learning and growth. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe, but have an open mind that you might be in the wrong. Followers will notice how you respond.

Have Fun

 This is social media after all, isn’t it? You’re connect with thousands (if not more) of people from around the world in an instant, something never before possible in the history of our species. We have information about anything available at our fingertips. Enjoy what you’re doing. Have fun with it!

Be Adventurous

Don’t be afraid to try something new or unique when it comes to your social media accounts. It may not work, but followers will see that you’re willing to take a chance on something innovative. Sure you might fall flat on your face, but there’s also the possibility that you’ll succeed.

Be Responsive and Respectful

Responding to comments on posts isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Some people simply want to watch the world burn. Be respectful to everyone. Sometimes it’s not the easiest thing to do, but it is the right thing. And as mentioned previously, followers and customers will see how you react, and the correct response now may lead to additional business in the future.

Trust is something you earn, not something that’s given. Your followers put their trust in you because they see the real you and the way you handle everyday life. Use the trust and loyalty others have in you to develop relationships and provide your customers a great experience. For more information, you can check out DFY’s lead generation system

Suresh@socialaai.com