Social Media Marketing & Networking

Facebook Permissions: What Marketers Need to Know

2012-10-15T10:53:00.002-07:00

Do you use Facebook apps to collect data from prospects?

Do you understand the pitfalls?

This article will explore the ins and outs of Facebook permissions and reveal five key points marketers need to keep in mind.

So What Exactly Are Facebook Permissions?
Facebook Permissions are a Facebook feature that allows the social network and businesses that use Facebook for marketing purposes to collect information about users.

When a user agrees to “allow” Facebook, or a business, to broadcast a user’s Likes or other information, the user has granted Facebook permission to do so.

By the way, Facebook Permissions are not only on custom apps. Any time that you connect to Facebook from an outside website—such as Strava, a fitness training site—you’re giving that website permission to access your basic information on Facebook.

Strava is a fitness-tracking website that allows users to use a GPS device to track activity, then view the activity on the Strava website. Strava allows users to sign up using Facebook, and users are prompted with Facebook Permissions they must accept to sign up.

Using Facebook to Mine Data

With each data field a business asks for online, the opt-in rate drops by 10% (I heard this from a Facebook product engineer).

That means if gaining access to your app requires customers to tell you anything at all, you could lose 10% of your potential users right off the bat.

Ask for an email address and lose 10%. Ask for a birthday and you lose another 10%. Ask to access their friend list and another 10% are gone.

The quick math here? Ask for five pieces of data and you could lose half of the people (or more) who are at least interested enough in your business or brand to check out your page and your app(s).

Why Marketers Need to Take Note

These facts are not only relevant to developers who are creating the apps: they matter to any business owner who wants to collect information about users via Facebook apps, including contests and promotions.

Collecting data from users is a key reason that businesses run Facebook contests and promotions. Data collected can be used for later marketing outreach.

Today, social media is being used for customer research on a daily basis.

However, with all of the news about privacy, identity theft, hacking and in-boxes being filled with unwanted email, it’s no wonder that Facebook users abandon forms on custom apps when they ask for an exceptional amount of personal information.

Unfortunately, some of the data that the business owners try to collect is marketing-driven and has nothing to do with the app.

So it’s not surprising that none of the discussions are favorable: consumers don’t like it when a brand asks them for personal data, especially when the user can’t see how it will be used.

With that said, marketers and business owners on Facebook are still able to gather information from their users and avoid these abandonment rates.

While researching this topic, I discovered that there’s a lot of information about how consumers can protect their privacy, but next to none about what businesses need to know about this issue. I believe it is a two-way street.

If more marketers were careful about how they collect data, consumers would be more comfortable sharing the information that is the most helpful for businesses.

To collect any data from users, outside of what is available via Facebook Insights, businesses must use a third-party provider to create a custom app. It’s here that Facebook Permissions come into play and businesses can make sure to choose a third-party app that allows them to customize the permissions, turning off access to data that they don’t really need.

So in that spirit, here are 5 things marketers need to know about Facebook Permissions and asking for customer data.

#1: Collect the Minimum

In most cases, knowing a customer’s or prospect’s name, gender and email address might be all you really need.

Don’t ask for their home address, marital status, birthday and so on unless you’re asking them to sign up for your birthday club and want to give them a coupon for a free sample at a neighborhood restaurant.

If you simply must have more than the basics, incentivize it.

For example, give them access to your monthly email newsletter if they also give you a home address.

#2: Ask for Everything You Want (but Make it Optional)

Let’s say you really want 12 bits of data from your customers, but would be satisfied with five. When you ask for their data, make the first 5 fields required and then the next 7 optional.

The last thing you want to do is lose the valuable information you could be getting from those first 5 fields. Who knows, they might give you 10 out of 12. That’s a lot better than nothing at all.

This app asks for information beyond the basic name and address fields, but some of that additional information is optional, which increases the likelihood that users will enter. Some users may even fill out the optional fields.

#3: Use What Is Available

There’s a lot of information you can use for your marketing efforts that’s already available on Facebook Insights. You can learn the gender, age and location (cities and countries) of your fans or Likes. And you don’t have to ask them explicitly for this information.

Facebook Insights gives page admins a good overview of their fan base without ever having to serve an Allow prompt or use a form to collect data.

#4: Make it Worthwhile

Enthusiastic fans of a brand or business will willingly give up all sorts of data if they believe that what they’re getting in return is appealing.

Maybe you offer a great prize, or offer a coupon for free shipping, or give access to a new ebook that you just wrote.

If your customers value what you have to give/sell, they’ll give you what you value in return. Don’t present them with a big form to fill out and offer nothing in return. Not many people have that much free time.

In the image below, Say It Social is offering a complimentary white paper to fans so they make sure to ask for relevant information pertaining to the what they’re offering.

#5: Do Your Customers a Favor

I hear all the time from businesses who use apps with a Facebook Permissions prompt that they do so to “save the customer time.” But in many cases, all you do when you use the Permissions prompt is make your potential users click away from your app.

You already know your users’ gender, age, location, Likes, interests, friends, etc. It’s up to you to decide how much value there is in collecting information beyond that.

Remember that if a user is not willing to fill out the most basic information—i.e., name and email address—he or she wouldn’t have come to your page in the first place.

Most requests start out with the marketer saying, “I just want to fill out their name and email address for them so they don’t have to type it.” Then the conversation turns into “Well, while I have their attention, I’d also like their friend list, so that I can invite them to the app.” Then inevitably, “Oh, if I could access everything they’ve Liked in the past six months, that would be great too.”

You see how slippery the slope gets? You don’t really want to save your customers time, you want to market to them and their friends. Savvy marketers may truly need this data for advanced apps, but they should also know how to use it correctly and not abuse it.

When you collect only the information the user gives voluntarily, this can lead to more users of your app.

Top Reasons Your Fans Are Hitting the 'Unlike' Button

2012-09-28T23:45:00.003-07:00

Getting a lot of people to like your Facebook page can be gratifying, but losing their loyalty can be equally devastating. You’re usually left thinking “what did I do wrong, was it something I said?” That’s if you’re keeping track of your fan numbers close enough!

This is the unsettling reality for many companies and independent pages who are struggling to find ways to retain fans after enjoying an initial boost of popularity. So what is causing your fans to hit the infamous unlike button, and what can you do to stop more fans from doing so?

The Human Spam Filter Effect – Posting Too Frequently

If you’ve ever used an email client before you know about spam filtering – it’s an automated mechanism that identifies spam-like content and throws it straight into the trash bin. Many Facebook users are so in-tuned with internet browsing that they’ve developed their own built in spam filter and are quick to discard overbearing, unwelcomed, and useless status updates. In fact, people get so aggravated by a high frequency of posts that they don’t even want you having access to their wall anymore, and subsequently they unlike your page.

So how often should you post?

This is no rocket science and there is no magic formula. Each business is different so it's all about A/B testing. Besides, your emphasis should be on quality not quantity. The general rule of thumb is that if you don’t have something great to post, don’t post at all. With that said, if you’re taking the time to research your market and pay attention to the requests, opinions, and interests of fans, you should be able to produce at least 3-5 good status updates per week to start with. Increase the frequency if you see a positive response and increased engagement from your fanbase. Again, test different scenarios and don't be afraid to fail at times...

Lack of Incentive - What Have You Done For Me Lately?

You may have forgotten how you got all of those fans to begin with; you probably offered some type of incentive. Maybe it was a discount, some exclusive content or app, some genuinely helpful information, or some wholesome entertainment that made them come back for more. Whatever it was, you’re obviously not doing it anymore. Keeping fans on Facebook is a lot like keeping fans with any other type of media. If a television show is no longer entertaining, viewers stop watching, ratings decrease, and eventually it gets taken off the air. If you’re noticing a steady decline in fan numbers, you need to take action immediately and reintroduce the incentive-based status update strategy. A good way to let your fans know that they’re appreciated is to use a reveal tab/fan gateway to give them access to exclusive content that only fans can see. This will make your fans feel valued and motivate them to keep following your statuses to avoid missing any upcoming contest or giveaway. It will also encourage non-fans to join your page out of curiosity.

Failed Initial Targeting

Maybe the reason why they’re unliking you is because they were never really your fans to begin with? It could be that in your rush to get as many fans as possible in the beginning, you may have neglected the process of carefully targeting your audience. There are lots of ways to get fans on Facebook, including buying them from marketing gurus that are equipped with all the latest tools and tricks. However, if you don’t make an effort to ensure that your fans are properly targeted you could find a large percentage of them losing interest down the road.

So how do you do a better job of targeting your true fan base?

One of the best "organic" ways to attract fans that are likely to stick with you for the long haul is to advertise your fan page EVERYWHERE you can. Think beyond your website, e.g. email signatures, business cards, flyers, invoices, brochures etc... Another great way to attract targeted fans is do joint ventures with other fan pages in your niche. The concept is simple – you find already successful fan pages that have a lot fans who would probably be interested in your page, then you contact the page administrators and ask them what it would take for them to post a link to one of your statuses in their next update. However, the most efficient ways to attract laser targeted Facebook fans will require you to put your hand in your pocket: Facebook Ads! Using Facebook Ads you can target people by location, age, sex, marital status and most importantly INTERESTS. This gives you the ability to display your ad only on profiles that are likely to become fans and/or customers. Coupled with a fan-gated contest or giveaway, Facebook Ads is ridiculously efficient! Try different ad rotations and targeting options to ensure you get the best bang for your buck.

Your Posts Just Suck

There really is no better way to say it. Your fans are unliking your page for the simple reason that they are tired of reading substandard posts that lack useful information or entertainment value.

How do you fix this?

In essence, you need to learn how to post status updates that are captivating and share-worthy. Adding a dislike button to each one of your statuses using Status Magic (as explained in the previous link) might be a good way to find out what your fans do not like before they get so sick of your antics that they completely unlike your entire page.

Use media to your advantage.

If you don’t have the resources, time, or skill to create your own quality media content, find it elsewhere on the web and introduce it to your fans. Sometimes being a known resource and sharing content that has already been created is all it takes. You’d be surprised how many people will stick around just because they know you always bring the best of the web to their fingertips. Think of websites like Digg or Reddit to find potential "viral content" that is relevant to your niche.

Use news and trends to your advantage.

Again, you don’t have to be a world-class journalist and conduct interviews or author breaking news. You just need to point out the latest trends and occurrences that your fans are likely to be interested in, and maybe add your own spin or opinion on the matter. Remember that your fans are basically subscribers; keep them up-to-date and involved.

Be interactive and engaging.

When you’re posting a status about an upcoming promotion, recent news, or a popular trend, make sure you pursue the input of your fans. Hold a poll, ask them to leave a comment, and give them the opportunity to engage in open dialect. Getting your fans involved is a good way to keep their mouse cursor away from the unlike button, and it also creates a buzz. If you're running out of ideas on what to post, check out this article.

And finally...Have a personality and be personable!

Don’t be afraid to be funny, witty, and unique. Stand out from the crowd by acting like a human being, and not a status updating advertising robot. There is no preset formula that will make people like you. Facebook is a digital platform but it still operates in the real world; people like other people simply because... they’re likable. What’s the point of starting a page on a social network if you’re just going to be antisocial?

Authored by:

Amine Rahal

Facebook cracks down on fake "Likes"

2012-09-25T02:07:00.002-07:00

* New automated system will remove fraudulent Likes

* Less than 1 pct of Likes on any page likely to be removed

By Alexei Oreskovic

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Facebook Inc is weeding out fake "Likes" on its social network that are being caused by spammers, malware and black marketeers as it strives to maintain credibility as an advertising platform.

Facebook said the number of Likes, or endorsements by users, on corporate pages is likely to drop by less than 1 percent, on average, after the crackdown.

"Newly improved automated efforts will remove those Likes gained by malware, compromised accounts, deceived users, or purchased bulk Likes," Facebook said in a post on its official blog on Friday.

"While we have always had dedicated protections against each of these threats on Facebook, these improved systems have been specifically configured to identify and take action against suspicious Likes," the post continued.

Thanks to a growing black market, companies can instantly raise their profile on Facebook by purchasing thousands of Likes at a time - a practice that is forbidden by the No. 1 social network, which has 955 million users.

Many of these Likes come from bogus Facebook user accounts rather than genuine users of the social network.

Meanwhile, various spam-like programs on Facebook deceive users into unwittingly liking something when they perform another action, such as clicking to watch a video.

Facebook said the cleanup will benefit both users and companies that maintain pages on the network, by giving a more accurate measurement of fan count and demographics.

Ensuring the integrity of Likes is serious business for Facebook, which depends on advertising revenue from large brands and other businesses. Many of the ad campaigns that companies conduct on Facebook are designed to garner Likes - a sign that their marketing message has resonated with consumers.

"It's their currency," said Jeremiah Owyang, a partner at research firm Altimeter Group. "Facebook is playing the Federal Reserve, to take the counterfeit currency off the market to ensure that there's quality in the marketplace."

The problem is not unique to Facebook, say analysts, who note that Twitter and Google Inc also grapple with fake accounts, spam and other techniques to game the service.

But for Facebook, the pressure to show that activity on its social network is genuine has grown as concerns have mounted on Wall Street about the company's long-term profit potential.

Shares of Facebook set a new low on Friday, falling as much as 5.3 percent to $18.08, after brokerages cut their price targets on the stock. Facebook has lost more than 50 percent of its market value since its initial public offering in May.

Facebook estimates that 1.5 percent of its users are "undesirable" accounts set up for purposes that violate its terms of service, according to its most recent 10-Q regulatory filing.

"I think what they're intending to do is get a handle on it before it gets really out of control," Brian Blau, an analyst with research firm Gartner, said.

"You can imagine no business wants to pay for advertising to fake accounts."

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Google Continues to Trim Service Offerings

2012-04-23T05:18:00.000-07:00

Larry Page is determined to make Google more streamlined. It looks like maybe Yahoo’s new CEO, Scott Thompson, has caught the same bug. Hey, it’s good to keep moving and not keep services around that are not performing or simply don’t have an audience. Unfortunately, there is the human side to this type of “spring cleaning”. Yahoo announced that thousands would be laid off as a result of their efforts but that’s not part of Google’s efforts thankfully.

Social Media Tips for Small Business Marketing.

2012-01-06T08:58:00.001-08:00

Social media, popular Web-based technologies that let people socially interact with one another online, has changed the way small businesses communicate with customers and market products and services. Social media lets many businesses -- especially small businesses that cannot afford to launch private online communities -- interact with customers in a more personal way to build better customer relationships.

One thing a small business owner should know is that using social media for marketing is a time-consuming task, and there is definitely a right and wrong way to deal with customers in online social spaces.

While your efforts may be derived from a marketing perspective, your online social interactions with customers needs to be honest, open and provide value to be successful. You need to focus on building relationships more than blasting customers with marketing messages and sales pitches.

The following top 10 social media tips for small business marketing will help you understand how to interact with customers in online social spaces and also guide you in building better, smarter relationships with customers on social networks.

1. Plan Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

As with any small business marketing campaign or business strategy, you have to create a plan and stick to it in order to be successful. Outline the goals and the steps you will take -- in addition to the tools you will need -- to meet your marketing objectives.

Your plan should outline how your small business will integrate social media marketing into existing marketing strategies. Some social media-specific issues you will need to think about include:
Delegating the daily tasks and updates to an employee with marketing and social media experience
Deciding on whom within your organization will create profiles and accounts and which individuals will have access to the accounts
Choosing tools that will help automate the social media marketing process and finding social analyticstools to help you track success
Reviewing your current small business marketing strategies and deciding where an expansion into social media will be the most beneficial
2. Find Your Customers

With so many social networking platforms available to consumers, it can be difficult to choose a social network for your business to use. Before you randomly log on to Twitter or Facebook to start your small business marketing campaign, research to find out where your customers already congregate online.

Existing communities of customers will have formed the basics of the "social glue" that holds online relationships together. It takes less time and effort to join customers where they are, compared to creating multiple profiles and accounts in the hopes that customers will find you.
3. Schedule Social Time

Once you become a social resource for customers you have to stick with it and be there on a regular and frequent basis. Using social networks is time consuming, so schedule social time for yourself and your marketing staff.

You want to have enough time each day to monitor conversations, converse with customers, and to send out new messages. Splitting the time up throughout the day will be a benefit as it shows customers you care enough to check back and respond quickly.
4. Be Authentic and Human

People are more likely to create relationships with other people more so than with businesses. You can encourage customers if you use a "human" voice -- not a corporate presence -- when connecting in social spaces. You can do a few simple things like show a picture instead of a business logo on your profile, and assign one or two people within your small business to be your social voice.

Another big part of being human on a social network that businesses often find challenging is to "own up" to customers in public when they make a mistake or someone posts criticism. If a customer complains about your shipping, don't ignore it or follow-up outside the social network. Keep the conversation public; drop the corporate tone and converse with the customer on a personal level.
5. Be an Expert

One of the best ways for a small business to interact with customers is to be an expert in social spaces. By joining existing communities where your customers are, you can easily insert yourself into the community by being a voice of expert advice.

For example if your small business is plumbing hardware, find those online social communities on Facebook,Twitter, discussion forums and blogs and start answering questions and offering advice. Remember to let people know you are a business owner -- never pretend to be "just another consumer" when you participate in social discussions.

6. Learn to Listen

It's easy to fall into the "broadcast trap" where you spend too much time talking about how great your products are or how fabulous this week's sale is. In a social network you have to stop broadcasting and listen to what your customers have to say.

People use social networks to converse, and the best way to build strong a social relationship with a customer is to be a "friend" who can listen.
7. Be Social

A small business also needs to demonstrate good conversation skills -- after all responding to people is the best way to show you are listening. The point of a social network is to converse, and customers will get bored very quickly if you don't participate in the social flow.

You can demonstrate good listening skills and boost participation by responding directly to questions and comments in a timely fashion. Just like an offline conversation, you should also ask for opinions and direct questions to customers within your social group to make them feel valuable.
8. Respond Often

Successful social media marketing depends on your own ability to respond to customers in a timely fashion. You want to show customers that you are a "reliable friend," so stay active and participate in all conversations related to your company or area of expertise.

If you see new questions or comments, be sure to answer immediately. This is also a great way to "be social" by asking questions back to the customers to keep the conversation going.
9. Provide Value

You'll find that just your own conversation and participation is not enough to keep a continued interest in your social network, especially if you choose to create your own community instead of joining an existing one.

There has to be value in the interaction for people, and you will need to provide the reason for people to stay and participate in your social network. You have converse with customers on a regular basis, but you also need to provide ways for customers to connect and befriend each other to firmly establish your social community as a popular online destination.
10. Offer Exclusivity

Your social network should not just be about deals, but there is nothing wrong with making your fans, friends and followers feel special. One way to do this is to offer rewards or promotions exclusively to social networking customers.

Keep in mind that promotions are an immediate call-to-action, and while you may have short-term success it doesn't mean you will attract quality social customers. Instead of on-off deals or coupons you can try a rewards-type program where only your best advocates and best social customers qualify for the reward.

Do you have a comment or question about this article or other small business topics in general? Speak out .

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Updates

2011-12-07T04:40:00.001-08:00

Security and safety are at the core of Facebook. We have entire teams dedicated to building tools that give people even more control over their account and specifically the way they access their information. In fact, many of our most talented engineers are working exclusively on creating a secure environment on Facebook. This October, as part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we are working with others in the community to help educate people about techniques and tools for securing your devices and networks. Additionally, we thought this would be a great opportunity to tell you about some of the systems working behind the scenes to keep you and your data safe.

Today, we wanted to give you an update on some new features we will be testing in the coming weeks - Trusted Friends and App Passwords - and remind you of the many user tools we offer to help keep you secure on Facebook.

Kapil Sibal warns websites; Google says won’t remove material just because it’s controversial

2011-12-07T04:38:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Amid the raging controversy over content regulation online, Internet search giant Google India today said it complies with the law of the land but will not remove any material just because it is controversial.

"We work really hard to make sure that people have as much access to information as possible, while also following the law. This means that when content is illegal, we abide by local law and take it.

"And even where content is legal but breaks or violates our own terms and conditions we take that down too, once we have been notified about it," a Google spokesperson said. "But when content is legal and does not violate our policies, we will not remove it just because it is controversial, as we believe that people's differing views, so long as they are legal, should be respected and protected," the spokesperson added.

Telecom minister Kapil Sibal today asked social websites like Google and Facebook to ensure that uploading of derogatory material online is stopped.

He said the government does not want to interfere but if social networking sites are not willing to cooperate, "then it is the duty of the government to think of steps that we need".

The government has met the officials from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Yahoo over last few weeks after offensive materials, particularly against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, were put on the Internet.

Search engine giant Yahoo! refused to comment on the views of the minister, while Microsoft officials were not available for comments.

Social networking site Facebook, which has more than 25 million users in the country, has said it will remove any content that is hateful, threatening and incites "violence" or contains nudity off the service.

Facebook targets IPO Mid-2012 for $10B

2011-11-30T05:02:00.000-08:00

Facebook is moving closer to an initial public offering that would value the social networking giant at more than $100 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Journal states that Facebook is looking to go public between April and June 2012 and expects to raise $10 billion. Although Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly expressed his reluctance to take the company public, insiders say he is warming the idea, with Facebook currently in internal discussions over the timing of its Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Although Facebook could file as early as this month, sources caution that Zuckerberg still has not made a final decision.

Because Facebook will eclipse the 500-shareholder limit by the end of 2011, the company must make its financial information public by April of next year--SEC rules mandate that companies with more than 500 shareholders must publicly disclose its financial data. Although Facebook could publish its financial information without an IPO, board members and executives reportedly have acknowledged that scenario would leave the company at an extreme disadvantage, saddling it with the liabilities that come with going public while reaping none of the financial rewards.

Facebook declined to comment on the report. "We're not going to participate in speculation about an IPO," a Facebook spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal.

Facebook's worldwide advertising revenues are on pace to reach $3.8 billion this year, up from $1.86 billion in 2010, according to data compiled by eMarketer. Although Wall Street has hotly anticipated a Facebook IPO for several years, investors continue to debate the long-term viability of other web juggernauts. Daily deals platform Groupon, which floated an $805 million IPO earlier this month, has seen its shares drop 42 percent in the past five days, while shares of business networking site LinkedIn have fallen 36 percent since May 2011, although it remains 33 percent above its IPO.

Facebook now tops 800 million users worldwide, with more than 350 million users accessing the platform via mobile device each month. In September, Nielsen reported Facebook is now the most popular mobile app across all operating systems.

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Social Media .

2011-11-29T03:59:00.001-08:00

6 Social Media Marketing Strategy Mistakes to Avoid

2011-11-27T23:35:00.001-08:00

Social media marketing (SMM), also sometimes called social network marketing (SNM), is a strategy that helps you build a network of customers and potential customers, stay in touch with those who are interested in your products and services, and ultimately build your bottom line in the form of additional sales.

However, many businesses do not know how to build a sound SMM strategy, or they make many mistakes along the way that actually do more harm than good. Here is a look at 6 mistakes you should avoid:

1. Too Little Content

Forming a social network presence takes more than simply creating an account on Facebook or Twitter. Too many businesses are of the mind that “if you build it, they will come,” meaning as long as there is an account, people will find you.

However, no one will find you, or want to stay with you, if you do not offer them quality content in your social media updates and posts. Rather, you should focus on sending quality updates and including links to video, pictures, podcasts, or other pertinent news stories.

2. Too Many Updates

While too little content will not help you build a social network, too much can turn them off to your efforts. Posting continuous updates becomes exhausting and makes your followers weary of your constant “presence.” Be sure to spread out your updates and make each one count for quality, not quantity.

3. Little or No Interaction With Followers

One of the reasons so many people around the world like social media is the interaction with others. Don’t fail to encourage and stimulate conversations with your fans and followers. Engaging your social community helps nurture your relationship and strengthen the bond and loyalty with your company.

4. Improper Competitor Approaches

Don’t think that you’re the only one trying to promote your type of business through social media. Ignoring your competitors puts you in a vacuum and prevents you from learning how your competition operates. Likewise, ridiculing or putting down your competition through SMM tactics can backfire and set your own fans and followers against you.

5. Failing to Analyze

Do you know how effective your SMM campaigns are? How many of your social media marketing updates result in clicks to your website? How many of those result in converted sales? How are your SMM updates being discussed and shared? These are just a few of the questions you need to answer in order to effectively re-evaluate and update your SMM efforts. Don’t fail to analyze your metrics.

6. Failing to be Authentic

Don’t try to follow trends and fads with your SMM updates. Many business bloggers and social media strategies simply try to repost or recycle something else that is the current most popular hashtag. Make sure your posts are 100% from the heart, and make sure each one gives your audience something of value.