In our ever technologically advancing world, Google Local reviews are gaining importance in a variety of ways. For the younger generations, and those tech savvy older folks, online reviews are almost as trusted as word of mouth.

For example, when was the last time you went to a new restaurant without checking Yelp first? As Paul Cunningham at SitePro News described, folks are genuinely basing their decisions upon online reviews: “I don’t reserve a hotel until I’ve scanned at least a couple of months worth of opinions on Tripadvisor.”

Let’s face it, online reviews are gaining power, and companies need to keep up. A bad review can negatively affect your business just as significantly as a good review can boost it.

With Google Local’s transition to a more review based ranking system, reviews become even more important. When a consumer

Vanishing Store Fronts, Courtesy of Mental Floss

goes on the web, looking for anything from a fancy Italian dinner to some quick street food, reviews will help them weed through the many options.

Let me give you a personal example. While I was traveling in Portugal, I scheduled everything on the fly. Not knowing the language, all I had was my trusty Smartphone. Where was I going to eat that night? Which hostel would I stay at? All of my decisions were based on reviews!

If your business does not have a good web presence and good reviews, how can you expect to be looked upon favorably by that coveted first time consumer? Even if your SEO firm is the best in the world, reviews are still paramount.

And the fact of the matter is, Google knows this. Their algorithm has evolved, folks; and all business owners, especially small local ones have to understand the changes. “Google loves to see customer reviews because PEOPLE love to see customer reviews.” Google is, as always, a little bit ahead of the curve. Google+ Local now ranks businesses based on the amount of reviews, the quality of reviews, and the relevancy of reviews.

Of course, everyone could’ve guessed that simply the amount of reviews would be included in the ranking, but its not just about quantity, they want to see quality too.

Good reviews are looked upon more favorably, as are reviews that contain the specific business’ name.

Local SEO has to evolve to meet the needs and wants of the modern consumer. And if you’re not evolving as a small business owner, you can bet your competition certainly is.

In other words, you still have time as a local business. Make reviews fast and easy for your customers and you will get a great response. People will forget quickly how much they enjoyed your business, unless you catch them at the perfect time. Send out emails to remind your customers, or try and have them do the review while still in your store.2 Use some of these tips and you will see tangible changes in your online presence thanks to great reviews.

I will leave you with this. Each and every person wants to have that magical evening or that perfect hotel room, I know I do. And how do we in our modern world decide which restaurant or place to stay will yield these fantastic results? We look to our peer reviews on Google Local.

Facebook has become so much more than just a personal social media site. Today, companies, celebrities, and even government officials are using Facebook to promote themselves.

Facebook offers these features for a variety of reasons, but mainly because using a personal profile for reasons other than personal use is a violation of their terms. In a nutshell, using your own Facebook profile to promote a business is illegal and Facebook could delete your profile without warning.

Continuing to use your profile to promote something– your own personal business for instance – could result in being permanently banned from Facebook. For this reason, it’s important to turn your personal profile into a page if you are looking to promote a product on Facebook.

A business account will be created once you’ve converted your personal profile to a page, and this account will be used to manage your page. Your current profile picture, friends, and followers will all be transferred automatically into likes. If you still want a Facebook account for personal use, you might want to consider creating a new profile entirely, just for you.

Be sure to save any important content before you begin converting your profile to a page. To keep your sent messages, download the data before switching your profile. You can also download timeline information and all of your photos and videos. If you manage any groups on Facebook, make sure to appoint a new admin, because you won’t be able to manage these groups once you’ve converted to a page.

Once the page has been created, you can appoint others as “admins.” This way, others can log in and manage the account if you are too busy to do so.

For public figures – celebrities, elected officials, etc. – Facebook allows fans to “follow” you. This way, they are able to get your updates without actually friending you on Facebook.

Converting a personal profile into a page is easier than you think. Once you’ve made the change, create a new profile for yourself, so you can continue to use Facebook for personal reasons.

With social media quickly becoming one of the top marketing tools that companies turn to, it’s wise to know the ins and outs of these sites. YouTube has become a marketing favorite among companies and businesses looking to expand their reach.

Why market on YouTube?

YouTube provides three essential marketing tools for companies – reach, subscription, and engagement:

• Reach

o YouTube receives millions of views each month. With such a high viewing rate, it comes in second to Facebook in reachability.

• Subscriptions

o People can subscribe to your YouTube channel in the same manner that they can subscribe to your Twitter feed. This opens the door for a continuous steam of communication.

• Engagement

o Comment feeds and subscriptions allow you to engage constantly with your viewers

Videos are the ultimate medium for storytelling. They send a message in a manner far more captivating than print can. It is vital for any company trying to increase its marketing to create their own YouTube channel.

YouTube is the second most popular social media platform, next to Facebook. What’s more, Google owns YouTube; so creating a YouTube channel will increase the chance of it appearing in a Google search.

Good videos are shared. If a viewer likes your video enough, they will re-post it on their own social media sites. Viewers often times will share videos they like onto their friends’ social media profiles, further extending your marketing reach for you.

Create and share compelling videos

Your videos need to be specific, and must relate to the product you are marketing. They also need to meet the needs of your audience, so don’t post anything irrelevant. Make sure your videos are full of information – they need to leave the viewers feeling satisfied and well informed.

Keep your videos interesting. Mundane content won’t catch anyone’s attention, and will do more harm than good to your branding efforts. They must also be well edited. Thankfully, you can do this yourself, and even on a budget. Download or purchase simple editing software to give your videos a clean, polished look.

Make Your Video Visible

Users should be able to find your videos on YouTube, but more importantly, with regular search engines like Google. To enhance the visibility of your video, start by giving it a catchy title filled with keywords.

Make the description of your video as vivid as possible, and include as many applicable keywords as you can think of. The more keywords you use, the more likely your video is to show up on search engines. And don’t forget to include as many keywords in your tags as possible.

Personalize and brand your YouTube channel

One of the most important things to do to your YouTube page is customize it. Create a custom background, one that represents the brand through its color scheme. By doing this, your YouTube page will create a unique and memorable experience for each of its viewers, while reminding viewers of your company as well.

Use Annotations

Annotations are the text bubbles that pop up during a YouTube video. They contain short and sweet comments, like “Hey you!” or “Subscribe.” Annotations are a crucial tool for any YouTube page designed to market a brand.

They are attention-grabbers, and are used to direct them towards other videos on your channel, the company’s website, and even other social media sites belonging to the company.

Lastly: advertise your YouTube channel on other social media platforms
• Post it on Facebook
• Imbed the video on your blog
• Tweet it
• Pin in
• Submit it to StumbleUpon

To sum things up, YouTube is an excellent marketing tool for businesses looking to expand their brand awareness. With compelling content, a unique channel, and an eye-catching layout, your YouTube channel will propel your reach.

Twitter can be a great asset for businesses. If used properly, it can be a very beneficial tool for marketing, customer service, communication and sales. Whether your twitter is for personal or business use, this ultimate guide to best Twitter practices will give you the information you need to get the most out of Twitter.

#1 Be Authentic & Believable

Avoid sending Auto Direct Messages. This advice is especially true for businesses trying to gain attention. Auto Direct Messages are those annoying DMs you get that say something along the lines of, “Hi! Thanks for following, please like me on Facebook”.

There is nothing less human than an ADM, and nobody wants to be bothered with them. Instead, send personalized messages to followers; they will appreciate them a lot more.

#2 Learn Twitter Lingo

There’s a lot to learn and a lot to be said about Twitter language. Knowing the proper lingo is beneficial for anyone using Twitter. Familiarizing yourself with Twitter lingo will allow you to use Twitter to its fullest potential.

For instance, #FF stands for Follow Friday. This is a great way to show appreciation to your followers and gain attention as well. Each Friday, pick a few of your followers and send out a tweet acknowledging them. Click here for a more complete Twitter Glossary.

Understanding hashtags and trends is also beneficial. Hashtag topics of your tweets so that people searching those topics will see your tweet. If your tweet refers to a certain city, place a hashtag before the name of the city (#SanDiego for example).

Trends are essentially popular hashtags. On the left hand side of your Twitter homepage is a box labeled “Trends”, which shows you what’s trending on any given day. Tweeting about these trends is a quick and easy way to gain attention

#3 Tweet Meaningfully

Followers will lose interest and unfollow your twitter account if you fail to engage with them. After all, Twitter is a social network. Have conversations with your followers – comment on pictures they post, reply to their tweets, or include their @name in your tweets to show them you’re actively engaging.

Start conversations with people who you want following you, and retweet their tweets as well. This way you’ll show up on their radar and they will likely start following you back.

Keep tweets short and to the point. When tweeting for a business, don’t tweet irrelevant material. Sharing newsworthy links, images and videos on Twitter is another great way to gain attention and followers.

And, never wait until later to tweet something. If it’s happening right now, you should be tweeting about it at that very moment.

#4 Tweet Often

The best way to maintain and increase your visibility on Twitter is by tweeting frequently. That being said, over tweeting and automated tweets can be more harmful than helpful. As suggested, make your tweets relevant and interesting. Set aside time in the morning, afternoon, and evening for your tweeting; spreading them out throughout the day will give you more exposure and allow you to reply to a wider selection of tweets.

#5 Follow People

Follow Twitter accounts whose interests and beliefs align with yours. You’ll want to follow many accounts, just make sure their material is credible and interesting to you.

Also follow people who follow you, as long as their accounts are credible and relevant to your interests. It’s always courteous to follow people who retweet you and favor your tweets.

#6 Track your Metrics and Conversation Trends

For a business using Twitter to grow and increase their clientele, it’s well worth it to invest in tracking services. Radian6 and Nielsen are two excellent services to consider using for this purpose.

One metric in particular that businesses should monitor is how much money Twitter is saving your company. Compare your sales and brand awareness from now to those from before you began using Twitter to see the benefits Twitter is providing your company.

With this ultimate guide to Twitter best practices, your Twitter account will soon become one of your greatest allies. Use it for your own personal gain, or for your businesses. By following our advice, your Twitter recognition will grow in no time.

Facebook is one of the smartest platforms a company can use to increase their awareness. However, Facebook can also backfire on a business if it isn’t being used efficiently. Here are ten surefire ways to misuse Facebook and lose your followers.

1) Copycat posts

Be original. The content on your Facebook page should reflect your company and what it has to offer. If your Facebook page is being managed by an independent community manager, make sure they are familiar with the mission, purpose, and vision of your company. Don’t post an ad you saw on another company’s page just because you like it. Originality is key.

2) Leaving your Facebook page only half filled out

The last thing you want is an incomplete Facebook page. Your Facebook page is a representation of you and your company, so make sure it’s filled out completely, and with as much relevant information as possible. Be sure to list your company’s address and phone number, along with a map and a biography. Lastly, don’t forget to upload pictures!

3) Over posting

Enthusiasm is a great quality, but don’t overdo it. Followers find it annoying when their Facebook feeds are bombarded by any one Facebook account. You don’t need to post something every 5 minutes. Posting every several hours is okay, as long as the content is not repetitive. Switch between photos, comments, and statuses.

4) Posting irrelevant material

Because your page is specific to your company, fans won’t be interested in your posts if they have nothing to do with your business. Keep the cute pictures and funny memes for your personal Facebook page.

It’s fine to post something inspirational once in a while, or to acknowledge a holiday or an event happening in the world, but remember that your followers are following you because they want information regarding your company.

5) Constantly pitching products

Variety is crucial, especially on Facebook. Your followers will lose interest if you only use Facebook to promote products. Upload articles relevant to your company, upload pictures of the office and of your employees – remember to be human. If your Facebook page reads like a robot is operating it, your fan base will diminish quickly

6) Not responding to your followers

Facebook is first and foremost a social sphere. If you aren’t responding to your fans, they will likely be offended, lose interest and de-friend you. Failing to engage with your followers is one of the easiest ways to lose followers. Be sure to thank them for feedback and respond to their comments.

7) Shameless self-promotion

It’s understandable that you’re proud of your business – you should be after all. However, there is a fine line between being proud and bragging, and you don’t want to cross it. Do your followers a favor and think twice before smothering their feeds with shameless and tacky self-promotion.

8) Forgetting to follow through with promotions

Promotional posts are a great way to attract followers. On that note, promoting your business through contests, and then forgetting to reward the winner is a surefire way to lose followers and receive negative feedback.

Be smart about your contests and other promotional tools – don’t over promote to the point where you can’t remember which contest offered which reward, and who won what contest.

9) Negativity

Everyone knows the saying, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Well, this rings true for Facebook posts as well. Your followers will drop like flies if you begin to use Facebook as an outlet for your frustration.

10) Begging for likes

You don’t want to come off as pathetic or desperate. Fans will like your page because they want to, not because you’re begging them to. As long as your Facebook page is filled with relevant, interesting information about your company, and you engage with your followers, your fan base will increase naturally.

Remember, your company’s Facebook page is a social media ambassador. When used properly, it can be a company’s greatest ally. As long as you avoid these ten mistakes, your Facebook page is sure to gain attention and awareness.

We are in an age where technology has taken over and cast its shadow over print media. More and more people are choosing the Internet over magazines and newspapers for news and other information. While the web has its perks – namely instant information and less paper waste – one can’t help but miss the aesthetics of print media.

Well, former CEO of TellMe, Mike McCue and former Senior iPhone Engineer and Apple, Evan Doll have teamed up to create a new and innovative way of gathering a sharing content. Flipboard, as the new app is called, combines the ease of the Internet, the power of social media and the aesthetics of print, and the results are quite remarkable.

Flipboard is rapidly gaining popularity throughout the country and across the globe. In fact, Japan has become so smitten with the app that the creators are heading over to Tokyo this month for workshops and lectures on Flipboard.

So, what is Flipboard exactly? Flipboard is an app available at the Apple App Store and on Google Play that can be used with smartphones as well as tablets.

With this app, users can browse the web, gather content, and create personalized magazines from this content. It allows you to personalize your news exactly the way you want to with just the click of a button.

Rather than receiving 5 different magazines in the mail (and wasting a ton of paper), users can create one online magazine for themselves that encompasses arts, sports, technology, news, fashion, and whatever else they might have interest in. You can even subscribe to other people’s magazines to see what content they’ve been collecting.

Flipboard is also incredibly user-friendly. Uploading content is done with one click of a button, and there’s even a Flipboard bookmarklet. Download the bookmarklet and add it to your bookmarks bar for an even easier way to upload content to your magazine.

This app allows you to search for literally anything you want – people, hashtags, keywords, favorite sites – you name it. With a simple click on the [+] symbol, your content is instantly added to your personal magazine.

Flipboard is the future of online content gathering and sharing. It’s easy to manage, easy to use, and aesthetically beautiful. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you will always be able to access their Flipboard. With tablet and smartphone compatibility, users can upload and share content wherever they are, whenever they feel like it.

Since its inception, Pinterest has more than proved itself as an effective marketing tool for businesses. Recently, Pinterest revamped its website. Certain features have been added, improving the site’s navigability and overall appearance, while other features have been discontinued. With proper understanding, the new and improved Pinterest will be an even more beneficial tool for businesses to market with.

What’s Gone?

Say goodbye to hashtags. Pinterest no longer allows hashtags to be linkable or searchable. You’re welcome to continue to use them, but they won’t do much to improve your site’s traffic or to help it gain attention. Profile description character count has also decreased from 200 to 160 – though this shouldn’t be hard to manage for pinners familiar with Twitter.

Gone is the ability to tweet and pin at the same time – one more reason to forget about hashtagging. It’s also no longer possible to “like” Pinterest boards on Facebook –a feature that will likely be missed by marketers. Embedded links have also been removed. Instead of embedded links, users can now use the “Pinterest embed” link feature to link their pins directly.

The option to have a link in the description or comments of a pin has also been discontinued. From now on, the only links you’ll see are the ones in your profile that take users to your social media sites and business websites.

What’s New?

First of all, the option to go directly to a pin’s website has finally been implemented – this is great news for businesses and marketers. There is also a new “related pins” feature in the sidebar that is sure to benefit businesses. A bright red, Pin-it button will now appear every time your mouse is hovering over a pin, making it easier and less time consuming to do your pinning.

Pinterest has also modified its email features. Users can now control exactly when, why, and how they receive emails from the website. Visit the Settings Page on Pinterest to access these new settings. Your inbox will thank you.

The aesthetics of the site have been enhanced as well. Image size has increased from 600 wide to 735 wide, making for sharper, more detailed images. The Categories drop-down tab has moved over to the far left and is now located next to the Search box.

Web Analytics

The new web analytics are without a doubt the most beneficial new addition for businesses. With this new feature, businesses can see exactly what is and is not working. Pin popularity and repinning will now be tracked, allowing businesses to gain insight on which categories are receiving attention, and which are not.

In order to access the web analytics features, businesses must first verify their business account. Here’s How:
• Visit http://business.pinterest.com
• Do not, under any circumstance, include the term “Pinterest” in your profile name. If you do, Pinterest will not verify your account.
• Declare the category of your business: retail, marketing, local, non-profit, etc.

With the new additions to Pinterest, businesses will now be able to use the site to its fullest advantage. The web analytics tool in particular is an exceptionally pivotal feature. While it may take some time get adjusted to the new features, Pinterest certainly had the interests of business owners in mind when implementing them.

It seems like everywhere you look nowadays there are #hashtags coming at us in every direction.  The concept that was started on Twitter, has grown into a social media phenomenon, showing up everywhere from social media outlets to corporate advertising. While hashtags can be very beneficial to its users, many of us are completely unaware of how to use them and why they were created.  Hashtags have gained a recently popularity among social media users, so here is a quick guide on how to properly use a hashtag.

Hashtag keywords to encourage topic participation.  Hashtags can be very helpful in generating a conversation among a group of people.  If you would like to start a conversation about a particular topic, you can introduce a hashtag.  You can also join conversations that are already happening via Twitter but searching for hashtags that are currently trending.

This concept applies to Instagram, as well.  Users can snap a photo and then use a hashtag in the caption in order to place that photo into a particular topic or group.

Use hashtags to join a cause.  Hashtags are commonly used at conferences, for television shows, national sporting events, and discussions of major new events.  Tweeting a particular hashtag, or uploading a photo with a hashtag, is a great way to send your messages not only to the people who follow you, but to everyone who is also tuned into the conversation around the world.  You can share your opinion about a topic by simply tweeting about it or posting a photo pertaining to the topic, then adding the hashtag to it.

Centralize your posts around one hashtag.  When making multiple posts about one specific topic it is important that all users are utilizing one common hashtag.  For example, the South by Southwest Interactive Film and Music Festival occurs every year and uses one common hashtag #SXSW, which largely dominates Twitter in order to keep the conversation centralized.  The hastag #SXSW is a short and effective way to creates an online conversation about the festival.

The same idea goes for Instagram.  For example, users can use the hashtag #throwbackthursday on the caption of their photo in order to place that particular photo in the group.  Other popular hashtags used on Instagram are  #instamood, meaning the photo is reflective of your mood, #foodporn, meaning the photo features delicious food, or #nofilter, meaning the photo taken did not use a filter provided by Instagram.

By providing a hashtag for your photo, anyone in the world can search that particular topic and your photo would be a part of that particular group.

Being a community manager isn’t just about Tweeting, Pinning, and Facebooking all day long. It takes determination, passion, and an incredible amount of skill. Community managers wear many hats, and their workday certainly doesn’t end in time for happy hour. If you’re considering a career in community management, make sure you have the following qualities in the bag:

1) Strong Communication Skills

A successful community manager will have strong communication skills. In many ways, community managers act as a brand representative for multiple companies, so strong people skills are also a must-have. Strong communication skills will come into play both online and in person.

Be outgoing, be friendly, and be relatable. This will help you succeed and branch out as well. Engaging with the audience is crucial. Monitor forums, reply to threads, answer user questions; whatever it takes to make personal connections across multiple social media platforms. A community manager’s finger must always be on the pulse of the community.

2) Empathy 

Being empathetic requires the ability to actively listen. Community managers must always be actively listening to their communities’ needs. Be aware of feedback, and make a point of adjusting accordingly when feedback comes your way. As a community manager, it’s important to understand what types of people make up your audience.

If you can’t relate to your target audience, you’ll never get anywhere. Personal touch is everything. Remember, you want to sound human, not like an automated robot. Be sure to answer any questions that come your way in a thoughtful, sincere manner. And engaging with users doesn’t have to be done solely on online platforms. Connecting directly to users on the phone or in person (when appropriate) will show your commitment, and will increase your appeal as well.

3) Dedication

As a community manager, you are expected to grow within any community you interact with. It’s important to research extensively what communities are buzzing, what’s trending, and so forth. This isn’t a run of the mill 9-to-5 job. When you’re a community manager, you’re always on the clock. Your days will be filled with hundreds of tweets – some angry and others happy.

As Adobe Community Manager Rachel King puts it, “Good or bad, something huge can happen at any time, and when it does, social is the first place it hits.” A truly successful community manager will look at their job as a lifestyle, not just a career.

4) Organization

Community managers oversee multiple social media platforms. They are required to track feedback and report findings, trends and other information to their employers. Make no mistake; being a community manager is very demanding. For this reason, good organizational skills are an imperative quality for community managers.

5) A background in analytics

It’s also highly recommended that community managers have a strong understanding of analytics. Being able to measure metrics of engagement is vital. Understanding how audiences are responding to various forms of engagement, and recognizing which efforts are working and which are not, is essential to the success of any community manager. A background in analytics will also allow a community manager to effectively perpetuate the growth of their audience.

Being a successful community manager takes a lot of time, dedication, and gusto. Community managers are becoming a vital entity among companies, as they are increasing the awareness and success of the businesses they work with. If being a community manager sounds like an appealing career path, make sure you’ve got the right skillset, then go into the field guns blazing.

Social media photo and video services have been in circulation for a number of years, and we have all seen our fair share of popular apps that turn the amateur smart phone user into “semi-professional” creators. For example, apps such as Instagram and iMovie allow the everyday user to enter the creative world.

The new app, Vine—daughter company to Twitter—does precisely that.  Vine is a mobile service that lets you capture and share short videos that continue to play on a loop.

Similar to tweets, the videos on Vine are short, lasting no longer than 6 seconds.  It allows the user to capture “moments.” However, these moments don’t necessarily have to be consecutive.

You simply start and stop the recording by tapping on the screen. The sky is the limit for the community of creators as they begin to use this new art form of stop-motion animations.

The genius part of the app is that is was created to be incredibly simple.  This was done with the hope that users would spend more time actually filming and creating, as opposed to wasting time trying to figure out how the app works.

Brands are also jumping on the Vine train, using it as a new and innovative form of advertising for product reveals and teasers. Many brands using the app have created incredibly simple, 6-second videos for their product using hand drawn signs, simple product demonstrations, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Due to the nature of the app, there is an inherent limit on the production value a video can have.

As fun and useful as Vine on Twitter has become, there are a few kinks that still need to be ironed out.  Vine is currently not offered on the Andriod, and is only available for iOS.  Its parent company Twitter insists that Vine will soon be offered on other platforms, but as of now a significant amount of smartphone users are unable to download it.

Another issue that users may find frustrating about the app is its lack of editing and saving.  Due to the fact that the videos can only be created within the application, they cannot be saved or edited before you post or share them.  This could cause issues for brands that require content approval before it is released.

Despite the app’s minor issues, Vine has established itself as one of the leaders in social videos. It certainly offers an incredibly simplistic way to film and share videos in our extremely complicated world.  Now it’s time to watch the Vine grow.