JUMP START Blog and Online Community

We are experiencing an unprecedented time right now. Everything we've known to be true has been turned upside down. 

We're trying to navigate a space and span of time in business (and life in general) that none of us have ever witnessed before. And, it's something we'll likely never face again in our lifetimes.

It's a time that was unfathomable just a few months ago. A time of social distancing, stay-at-home orders, work-from-home mandates, marketing budget freezes, eLearning for our children, Zoom fatigue, market uncertainty and so much more that's shocking our lives and world right now.

Cheers to three-day weekends and cheers to another weekly roundup. Read on for our top five picks in social media news for the week ending on 8/31/18. 

1. Time saving social media strategies (Forbes)
   The first two sentences sum this baby up...strong social presence plus regular content and engagement with your users can equal quite the reward. But going at it solo (meaning you chose NOT to hire a company to help you) can be a daunting feat. Worth the read, with some great tips on how to implement strategy that works, but that you don't need 27-hours in your day to use. (Plus, writer and CEO/Founder of Studio 15 Jia Wertz is ah--mazing...if you're not following her, you should be!)
   
   
2. It's time to make social media more responsible (Singularity Hub)
   A thoughtful piece on social responsibility. While not quite our typical marketing-focused piece, a good reminder that brands have a responsibility to use social wisely. 

Good marketing makes the company look smart.

Great marketing makes the customer feel smart"

~ Joe Chernov

Which is more important to you? How your brand LOOKS? Or how you make your customers feel?

It's an interesting question, and one that Joe Chernov sums up nicely - because while good marketing isn't actually all that hard to do, GREAT marketing isn't something you can just wing. There's a sort of formula you can follow, a recipe to create and implement a great marketing strategy - whether you're launching a website, rebranding, creating packaging, blogging, email marketing, or really, anything else, you simply need to:

• Research
• Write/create
• Post
• Promote
• Rinse
• Repeat

Another week, another roundup. On deck this time, the top social media news that came out in the last week. Read on for everything you may have missed in the world of social media.  

1. How to use LinkedIn lead gen form ads (Social Media Examiner)
   Everything you need to know about LinkedIn's lead generation form ads. Hint: they make it super easy. 
   
   
2. YouTube announces new ways to view VR content through the app (SocialMedia Today)
   Virtual reality is here to stay - and YouTube is preparing to capitalize on it. Check out the latest in how YouTube is leading the charge to win the VR race.
   
   
3. Customers are less satisfied with social media sites (WARC)
   Nothing earth shattering here...people are concerned and "least satisfied" with ads and privacy protection (or lack there-of). Check out which platforms rank the worst, and get some surprising stats on just how underwhelmed users are. 

Social media has single-handedly changed the face of marketing. In an industry that inherently grows and reinvents itself, the addition of social to marketing has added a whole new necessary level of thinking for marketers. We love the fast pace of social, so we're constantly reading to keep on top of our game, but we get it if you took a breather this week.

No worries...here are our favorite stories that came out in the last week. Our weekly top industry news post – this week, social's on deck. Happy reading and happy weekend!   

1. How to solve 3 major social media marketing pain-points that continue to exist (Business 2 Community)
   B2C bridges the gap between just using social media in your marketing, and using it effectively. Learn how to overcome the three biggest pain-points marketers encounter when trying to use social to their advantage – from how to find and utilize time and resources, to validating your ROI (oh, hey boss), to staying on track with your consistency. 
2. Looking for ways to improve your customer engagement on social media? Here are 8 (Entreprenuer)
   Eight rules for using social (and actually engaging, which is really the only point, no?) – from the no-brainers (post a lot, have a personality), to the less traveled path if you're just getting started
   (running promotions and campaigns to encourage engagement). 
   

If you're into inbound marketing even just a little bit, you should know the name Tom Fishburne. Founder and CEO of Marketoonist, which parodies the world of marketing in the form of comics, Tom delights with his creative take on various marketing ideologies and subtopics.

But of my many favorite Fishburne-isms, it's something he says in a recent CustomerThink interview that rings truest of all for me:

"The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing"

I couldn't agree more. In a world of research-at-our-fingertips and Google-searches-galore, consumers are savvier than ever. In-authenticity reeks, and brands that aren't true to their mission (or those who haven't taken the time to explore what their mission actually is) are going to have an increasingly harder time finding marketing that works.

Worse? Those same savvy consumers are also unforgiving. Making the wrong move with your inbound strategy could just mean the death of your brand. Don't get me wrong, we all make honest mistakes, and the brands who make them (and get caught), if they're smart, will own up and charge forward. But the brands who think they can scheme their way into the hearts and wallets of their consumers are in for a rude awakening. 

Marketing, inbound marketing, is about taking the time to:

• Understand your audience
• Think about how you can help them
• Figure out what problem you'll solve
• Create content that speaks to them
• Publish on a dependable schedule 

Content marketing is a commitment, not a campaign. 

How totally (and for some, dauntingly) true is this?! So often (too often, really), we get the same push back when it comes to content marketing.

“We tried. It didn’t work.”

My response, every. single. time. I hear this?

“OK…I understand. I really do. Would you mind sharing a bit more about how or what you tried? What did you do?”

And, it never fails. I get the same answer, time after time.

"We blogged for [insert any length of time…a month, a quarter, a year] and nothing happened."

And there it is. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it a thousand more times – content marketing is NOT a set it and forget it project. It’s a commitment. A dedicated, consistent, concerted commitment to so much more than just writing and posting a blog. To successfully create and implement a content marketing strategy (that WORKS), you must be willing to do it all.

There's no denying that in today's digital age, brand marketing and content go hand in hand. After all, content is king...

But remember, content can include all of the following:

• pages on your website
• blog posts
• social media posts
• premium downloadables
• apps
• games
• videos
• much, much more

Like everything else digital...the world of social media is always changing. With new platforms and tools being developed all the time, there's a lot to keep up with.

The fact is, your customers are already using social media. And we all know you want to be where your customers are. But where do you start?

To help you stay on top of your game, the team here at Flair Interactive has gathered the top 5 social media marketing news updates for this week. 

In this week's #TBT post, we take a look back at Digital Marketer's 2013 blog "They won't buy without these 3 elements (and they won't even know why)."

What are those three magical marketing strategies?