Social media managers and the small teams working at startups and small agencies face many logistical challenges, and finding a suitable workspace can be top among them. We’ve already talked about the pros and cons of working from home for community and social media managers, but sometimes that just won’t cut it. You need a space to work in.

Since renting office space is an expensive commitment, many small teams have turned to a trend called co-working — short-term renting of seats in complexes that serve as homes for a large, rotating roster of small business or self-employed clients. Now this concept is evolving into new forms.

We spoke with Justin Stewart, one of the co-founders of Industrious Office, a new co-working space opening in Chicago this summer. Stewart says the space is now taking applications for offices at its website. The new space is what he calls a “hive office” — a compromise between an executive office suite and a co-working space aimed to negate the downsides of both for collaborating social teams and others.

Most open-floored co-working spaces offer a sense of community, and the bustle of the surroundings can be stimulative to creativity, but on the flip side, they can be distracting. Business digital magazine Quartz recently published an article aggregating studies that showed totally open work spaces can actually lead to distractions and other negative effects on productivity. The alternative is generally renting an executive office suite, but this is very expensive, and these locations are rarely very inspiring.

Industrious Office’s hive layout partitions an open working space with glass windows, walls, and doors. You get the energy and the privacy at the same time. Of this, Stewart said, “Hive offices allow for privacy, but yet not isolation… a common concern people have with co-working is it’s hard to really come up with serious brainstorming sessions without feelings others could take your ideas. Digital teams need their privacy to actually get work done.”

The space could serve an exploding number of social media startups in the Chicago area. “Chicago as far as I see is it the silicon valley of the Midwest,” says Stewart. “Chicago is not up and coming because it’s already arrived. I’m just excited to be part of this movement.”

Though the space is not dedicated strictly to social teams, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s important — especially in marketing — to be plugged into your surroundings and to know what other types of firms are doing. “We find having a variety of talented industries in the space can bode well for a productive vast ecosystem unlike anything out there,” Stewart says.

The space your team works in is important. Tools like Sprout Social let you assign and manage social media tasks in the cloud, but for many types of social media teams, this works best in tandem with a live office culture. Weigh the options carefully when choosing how and where your team should work — co-working, renting office space, virtual offices, and hive offices like Industrious Office are all viable options for someone. Just make sure the one you pick is viable for you.

[Image credit: Rendering from Industrious Office]

The post Industrious Office on the Ideal Co-Working Spaces for Social Teams appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Foursquare has updated its iOS and Android apps with an advanced filtering system that makes it easier for your customers to find exactly what they’re looking for.

The service is giving its members more control over how it finds and recommends venues. Basically, Foursquare is letting people choose between brand new places, those based on friends’ activity, or places based on their own check-in history.

Previously, combining filtering options like ‘open now’ or ‘haven’t been’ with a search query was rather difficult. For example, just tapping in the search box brings up helpful filters, but they all disappear after searching for ‘sushi.’

Today’s update brings with it a new ‘Filter’ area that can be accessed from the top right of the screen at any time, making it possible for someone to search and filter at the exact same time. In fact, multiple filters can be applied at once both before and after submitting a search query.

With the new filtering system, results can be sorted by best match or distance, and consumers can filter using the following parameters: “I’ve Checked In Before,” “I Haven’t Checked In,” “My Friends Have Checked In,” “Offering Specials,” “Open Now,” “I’ve Saved,” and by price.

Although minor, the new “super-specific” search will likely have a significant impact on user experience. It also provides businesses with more incentive to not only claim a venue on Foursquare but to start using more of its features, such as Specials. As more people start filtering their searches by specials, it’s worth having a few lined up and ready to offer.

[Via: TechCrunch, Image credit: Gibson Regester]

The post Watch Foot Traffic Increase With Foursquare’s ‘Super-Specific’ Filters appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Creating unpublished posts on Facebook just got easier. The social network’s latest test enables you to create these “dark posts” directly from the composer box on your Facebook Page.

Unpublished posts might seem counterintuitive — they don’t appear on your Timeline or in fans’ News Feeds — but they’re actually quite helpful for advertisers. Since they can be promoted with ads, it’s a great way to target a group of customers without alienating others.

Previously you could only create unpublished posts through the self-serve ad tool, Power Editor, or Ads API. Now you can make these posts directly from your Page by clicking the clock icon used to schedule posts. The only downside is that this feature is a little difficult to discover from your Page.

Once you’ve clicked on the scheduling icon you have to select a year in order to see the “Hide from News Feed” option. Checking that box will prevent the post from being distributed to fans’ feeds; however, it will still display on your Timeline. From here, you can promote the post or create a Page Post Ad.

Hopefully Facebook will make this option a little easier to find in the future. If you’d prefer to create an unpublished post through the self-serve ad tool, the process is very similar. Just select “Promote Page Posts” and click the “Create New Page Post” button. From there, enter a year and check the box next to the “Hide from News Feed” option.

By creating an unpublished post you’re able to tailor your message to a specific audience that will be seen by the intended demographic instead of being distributed to anyone who Likes your Page. Unpublished posts also provide you with an opportunity to test different creative options for Page Post Ads without overwhelming your fans.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: David Goehring]

The post How to Create Unpublished Posts Directly From Your Facebook Page appeared first on Sprout Insights.

In February, Twitter began testing a new ad unit that enables marketers to generate leads directly from tweets. Today the company is making it — now known as the Lead Generation Card — available to its managed clients, with a global launch planned soon.

“The Lead Generation Card makes it easy for users to express interest in what your brand offers,” stated Twitter in a blog post announcing the rollout. “Users can easily and securely share their email address with a business without leaving Twitter or having to fill out a cumbersome form.”

Not only does the Card help brands and businesses to discover potential customers, but it also reduces the amount of time spent between finding and offer on Twitter and actually purchasing the product or service.

When someone expands your tweet, he or she will see a description of the offer as well as a customizable call to action which will instantly send his or her basic contact information — including name, Twitter username, and email address — to your business. All of this information is already pre-filled within the Card, eliminating the extra step of filling out a form.

The new Twitter Card has been tested with several brands, including New Relic, Full Sail, and Priceline, all of which have provided positive feedback about how it helped to drive deeper connections with customers. Additionally, many early testers found that the streamlined nature of the Lead Generation Card was “instrumental” in driving a low cost-per-lead compared to other technologies.

In recent months, Twitter has introduced a handful of new Cards that aim to enhance the in-stream experience for consumers as well as businesses, including integrations with apps, products, and galleries. The Lead Generation Card will likely be the most valuable to businesses looking to drive sales over engagement.

Currently the Card is being made available to accounts managed by Twitter, but the company plans to launch it globally and to small- and medium-sized businesses soon.

[Via: The Next Web, Image credit: JoshSemans]

The post Lead Generation Card Lets Brands Sign Up Customers Inside a Tweet appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Facebook is simplifying the process for sharing activities from third-party iOS apps to the social network. The company announced the release of its native Share Dialog, which gives developers an easy way to integrate sharing capabilities with just one line of code.

Specifically, this tool enables your app users to post something back to Facebook with a single click. The Share Dialog includes support for location tagging, friend tagging, custom privacy settings, deep linking, and more.

It also works even if people haven’t logged into your app using Facebook — something many users didn’t like since they had to grant you various publishing permissions. Now, just as long as they are logged into the Facebook app for iOS, they can easily publish to Facebook from any iOS app that uses the Share Dialog.

According to Facebook engineer Jason Clark, utilizing this feature eliminates one to three extra steps required for login when sharing through feed dialog. If it’s easier to share, members will likely do more of it, which means more exposure for your app and brand on Facebook. The tool also improves the iOS 6 Share Sheet by adding support for publishing Open Graph actions.

Previously in beta, the feature is now available in the Facebook SDK for iOS, which you can download directly from the social network’s developer blog. The company said the Share Dialog is still in development for Android. For mobile developers looking to integrate with Facebook and leverage its mobile user base of more than 750 million users, it seems worth it to learn more.

[Via: CNET, Image credit: Karen]

The post Facebook Makes Mobile Sharing Easier for iOS Apps appeared first on Sprout Insights.

If you haven’t already claimed your Facebook Page, the social network’s latest update might motivate you to do so. Consumers are now able to upload and suggest photos to be used as profile pictures for pages that haven’t been claimed by admins.

By now most major brands and businesses have claimed their Facebook Pages; however, there are some Place Pages that aren’t managed by the people or organizations that own them. Often times these are cities, public parks, and local businesses.

Unlike claimed places, unadministered places don’t display the same Timeline format. They also rely heavily on user-generated content and editing. Currently anyone can suggest an edit to the details of an existing place, including category, business hours, website, and more.

Previously consumers could choose an image from the place’s official website to serve as the profile picture. Now people can upload a new photo or choose from one of their existing albums. Do you see how this could become a problem? Other members can then vote on the submitted photo, and the most popular one becomes the profile picture. The other images become part of an album for the place.

Conceptually, this is a great way to ensure that every Place Page is visually appealing. However, user-generated content doesn’t guarantee accuracy — it’s also a prime opportunity for spammers and disgruntled consumers. For example, someone has already uploaded a screenshot from a social game for an island in Florida. Other people have added photos of themselves or memes.

Businesses should consider how their locations might be presented on Facebook and make arrangements to claim their page and merge any duplicates that might exist. As more people turn to the social network for local search, it’s important that the information associated with your page is accurate and up to date.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: Ed Yourdon]

The post Consumers Can Now Upload Profile Photos for Unclaimed Place Pages appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Today, the team here at Sprout Social is happy to announce our new Google+ Pages API integration. You might recall that we recently surpassed 10,000 customers; now those 10,000 customers will be able to manage Google+ Pages social activity on Sprout Social’s platform.

As a Sprout Social customer, you can now take advantage of unique Google+ product features like circles. Features you already love in Sprout Social like drafts, Queue, scheduling, and tasks are also available for your team to use when managing Google+ Pages. Plus, easily manage your Google+ presence on the go from our iPhone and iPad apps.

On Sprout Insights and through the successes of our customers, we’ve shown again and again that a collaborative environment across marketing, communications, customer service, and sales is essential for a business to manage its presence online. That’s exactly what our tool fosters, and now we can help you do all of that as you reach and build your audience among Google+’s 400 million users.

Nobody’s more excited about this new integration with Google+ than our CEO, Justyn Howard. “We were careful to be sure our Google+ capabilities didn’t feel bolted on, but rather fit seamlessly to improve the overall Sprout experience and enable better social communications,” notes Howard. “As with every enhancement we build, our primary goal is to ensure customers will be successful using Google+ as an extension of their brand.”

Get started adding those Google+ Pages and let us know what you think. And if you’re not a Sprout Social customer, sign up for a free trial to try it out!

The post Now You Can Manage Your Google+ Pages With Sprout Social appeared first on Sprout Insights.

In April 2013, car rental company Hertz announced it had broken new ground by becoming the first in its category to offer customer support on Twitter. While it seems the company had been experimenting with supporting customers through Twitter at least since the start of the year, its official announcement placed the company on a growing list of trend-setting brands that are leveraging the instantaneously connective power of Twitter for outreach and service.

But with a great, global customer service platform comes great potential for an epic PR disaster. In our interviews with two Twitter trend-setting companies, JetBlue and ModCloth, we discover the must-have policies for preventing a brand meltdown in 140-characters or less.

1. Communicate Consistently

Joshua Marsh, whose team at Conversocial is working with Hertz on effective social media management, commented in an interview with Business Insider that Twitter has arguably become the most prominent means of online connection between companies and consumers. Specifically, he stated that “it’s time to get over this misconception that brands can ignore tweets about the brand.”

A new study done by J.D. Power and Associates in February of 2013 reinforces Marsh’s assessment. Data from the study highlights just how powerful Twitter can be for businesses: 67% of consumers have used a company’s social media site for servicing, and younger consumers are two times as likely to use a company’s social media site for servicing than they are for marketing.

But this study wouldn’t surprise the folks at JetBlue Airways, a company that has engendered significant goodwill and brand loyalty through its early adoption of Twitter for customer service. Morgan Johnston, manager of corporate communications at JetBlue, told Sprout Insights that the company started using Twitter in May of 2007, and had found it to be a highly beneficial channel to engage customers and provide support immediately — instead of hours or days after they reached out.

“The added benefit,” Johnston notes, “was also the growth of a connected customer who felt appreciated, informed, and invested in our business. They are also more likely to be receptive to our more traditional marketing messages, and also more likely to be an advocate for us in their communities.”

84,128 tweets later, those connected customers amount to close to two million followers of the company’s Twitter handle, @JetBlue. But Johnston knows that reaching such a large, interactive audience comes with equally large challenges, one of which is consistency. “From a support perspective, our biggest concern is ensuring the service we deliver online is reflective of the service a customer can expect of any crew member,” he says.

A major issue could arise if people receive different information or responses to questions, such as from a gate agent versus the Twitter feed on how to change a seating assignment. To manage this challenge, JetBlue has rejected the idea of having separate policies for social media support. Instead, it adheres to the same policies and guidelines as other, more traditional customer service members, such as phone support agents. “When a customer comes to us publicly through Twitter with an expectation we can solve their problem, we’ll work to do so within our outlined policies.”

2. Balance Personality and Corporate Messaging

Another company that has taken a strong lead in utilizing Twitter for customer service is @ModCloth, an independent and retro-inspired clothier that has developed a small but mighty fan base since its inception in 2002. We spoke with Martha Smith, the company’s social media editor. She said the goals of ModCloth’s Twitter presence are to engage, delight, and reward its online community. According to Smith, Twitter “communicates the ModCloth message and personality to new customers and serves as an efficient customer service tool.”

Smith and her team (referred to as “The Social Butterflies”) have developed a clear vision for how they want to engage customers on Twitter. “We want our interactions on Twitter to be deeply personal and engaging. It should be clear from every interaction that you are talking to a real person with her own personality.”

As a result of this service-oriented mission, Smith notes that in the last two years, ModCloth’s Twitter following has grown from 19,000 to almost 110,000. But this rapid growth has created challenges as the brand tries to balance personality and corporate messaging. “There’s a difference between a person’s voice on Twitter versus their voice when they’re speaking for ModCloth on Twitter,” Smith reflects.

When someone is using a corporately-branded channel, the worst-case scenario is that he or she communicates a sentiment that is damaging or publicly makes a promise that is impossible to keep. To manage this challenge, ModCloth has a simple but emphatic training policy that instructs “team members in how to be themselves and still be great representatives of the brand on Twitter.”

3. Maintain Audience Awareness

In his Business Insider interview, Joshua Marsh noted that a customer service best practice is to respond to customers in the communication channel they select. For example, if they reach out on Twitter, the service response needs to happen there as well.

But as Morgan Johnston at JetBlue reflects, there are limitations to how much can be done in the public eye compared to what can be accomplished in a private customer interaction through phone or email. “While customer support agents may be able to go beyond our policies when talking with a customer privately, when asked publicly it’s important to manage the expectations of the larger audience for their benefit.”

To meet this challenge, JetBlue strictly enforces its social media policy. Private customer service agents may have the bandwidth to treat each situation individually, but Johnston notes that 24/7 Twitter-devoted support staff get one, clear message: “Stick within our policy.” While the policy may seem overly rigid, it’s hard to argue with the results it produces. As Johnston notes, “nothing is more engaging than a customized and personal conversation with an individual customer.”

Smith at ModCloth echoes his passion for using Twitter effectively with customers. “We call ourselves the brand you’re friends with. Being part of the conversation about the things our followers love is a fun and rewarding way to be just that.”

What policies does your company utilize to ensure consistent, personal customer service on Twitter? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image credits: NASA Goddard Photo and Video, MTCarlson, theilr, Amit Chattopadhyay]

The post JetBlue and ModCloth Share 3 Policies to Prevent Social Media Disaster appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Facebook has found yet another way to notify Page owners when an opportunity to use Promoted Posts arises. Some admins are now receiving notifications when one of their page posts perform better than average.

These recommendations are unlikely to be missed, as they’ll appear alongside more traditional notifications, such as new comments and Likes. An additional benefit of this method is that notifications aren’t limited to the confines of your Admin Panel; instead, anyone who is an admin of that page will receive it.

Previously, the social network replaced the “Notifications” section of the Admin Panel with “Posts.” This was done to highlight the organic reach of each post along with an option to promote those that haven’t been yet. More recently, Facebook began testing a homepage module that recommends a recent engaging post that it thinks admins should promote for more reach.

Today’s update is similar in that the social network identifies a well-performing post for you. In a way, it makes promoting a post even easier as it removes some of the guess-work. And even if you don’t follow through and promote the suggested post, you might appreciate being notified when a particular post is doing well.

Inside Facebook also reported about another test some members are seeing that introduces a new button — a megaphone icon — in the top right corner of an existing post. With all of the promotion around the ad unit, advertisers might be less inhibited when it comes to following through. If you find yourself promoting a lot of posts over the upcoming weeks, make sure that the content you’re sharing is helpful to your fans.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: Anita Hart]

The post Facebook Notifications Now Include Promoted Post Suggestions appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Pinterest has found a way to make Pins even more useful to your customers. Over the weekend, the company introduced Rich Pins, which include additional information about your pins, including prices, availability, movies review, and ingredients.

“When you find something you love on Pinterest, sometimes you want to learn more so you can act on baking those cookies, renting that movie, or buying that couch,” stated the company. “That’s why we’re taking a first step toward making pins more useful.”

Pinterest is starting out with three categories — products, movies, and recipes — each of which will receive their own dedicated pins to make it easier for members to identify the included content. From the feed, individuals will be able to tell which pins have more content by the icon that appears below the picture.

Product pins for clothes and furniture will now include pricing and availability information, as well as where to buy. These details will be automatically updated every day to ensure your followers are receiving the most accurate information about your products. Similarly, movie pins will feature content ratings and cast members, and recipe pins will include cook time, ingredients, and servings.

We should note that Rich Pins are only available on the new version of Pinterest, which began rolling out in March. If you don’t have it already, you can opt in to the new design through the drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Eventually it will be made permanent, but for now you can switch between both the current and new look.

The company is kicking things off with several partners, including eBay, Target, ModCloth, Sony, and Netflix. If you’d like to start using Rich Pins, you’ll have to prep your website with meta tags, test your pins, and apply to get them on Pinterest. We recommend reading through the documentation before getting started.

Additionally, Pinterest also announced that the Pin It button is now available in mobile apps so you and your customers can pin any time from any where. Behance, Brit+Co, Etsy, Fotopedia, Jetsetter, and Snapguide are among the first brands to get access to the new mobile Pin It button. There’s no word on when it will be made available to other developers.

[Via: The Next Web, Image credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina}]

The post Embedded Content Helps Customers Get More Out of Your Pinterest Pins appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Confirming rumors that were swirling around last week, Yahoo this morning announced that it has acquired Tumblr for about $1.1 billion. However, unlike other acquisitions made by large corporations, not much is expected to change for creators currently using the blogging platform.

“Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business. David Karp will remain CEO. The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators,” said Yahoo in its press release.

Yahoo claims that the deal offers “unique opportunities” for both companies. Not only does Yahoo plan on making relevant content easier to find, but it also intends to create advertising opportunities that are “seamless” and “enhance the user experience.” Tumblr has had no problem pulling in page views, but it has struggled to find a sustaining ad model.

The six-year-old blogging platform currently hosts 105 million blogs and 900 posts are published per second. It has 300 million monthly unique visitors and 120,000 signups each day. Although it’s too early to tell how the acquisition will affect Tumblr users, it appears that not everyone is happy about it.

According to Matt Mullenwag, CEO of WordPress parent company Automattic, his service saw more than 72,000 imported posts from Tumblr in one hour on Sunday night. WordPress typically sees around 400 to 600 imported posts from Tumblr every hour.

There’s promise here for brands currently running company blogs on Tumblr. Of course, this is just the beginning, and there’s no way to know exactly what will happen once the acquisition excitement dies down. In the meantime, there doesn’t appear to be any immediate changes lined up, so there’s no need to jump ship just yet. If you’re concerned about Yahoo’s takeover, take some time to discuss it with your team, even if that discussion leads to you looking into other options.

[Via: VentureBeat, Image credit: jessaax]

The post Yahoo Acquires Tumblr, Promises to Keep It Independent appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Television and Twitter are entwining closer and closer together as networks hop on the second screen bandwagon. The industry is not only active in engaging with viewers, but it has been one of the leaders in incorporating hashtags into both day-to-day tweets and into bigger marketing campaigns.

Hashtags offer brands a multifaceted approach to social media. And they aren’t limited to use in commercials, which is another way that Twitter and TV are supporting each other. Whether it’s getting audiences talking during on-air time or changing up how a network promotes its titles, here are three examples of how television’s leaders are rethinking the world of hashtags.

Psych

Focusing on the play aspect of social conversations on Twitter is one area where Psych, which runs on the USA Network, excels. The first effort in this arena was the Hashtag Killer, where hundreds of thousands of players participated in an interactive experience of trying to catch a (fictitious) murderer by solving clues and puzzles in interactive crime scenes. Not only did this game put the social media hashtag to creative new uses, but it attracted more fans to the show’s online profiles. The venture won several awards for the USA Network for its inventive use of social media to promote television.

The latest Psych game features the show’s lead characters solving the mystery of a fake reality show called The S#cial Sector. The contestants on this show are killed off when they lose challenges, and fans need to team up with the Psych people to figure out what’s going on and how to cancel the program.

Psych has also mobilized its online community with a proliferation of hashtags for regular tweeting. For starters, any mention of the show in tweets from the official account is done as the hashtag #Psych. The program also has the #FanFriday and #PsychFF tags to highlight creative works made by viewers. #Psychonair labels any discussions during the program’s Wednesday night time slot, with #ThankPsychItsWednesday tweets usually appearing on Twitter before showtime. By setting an example with a high volume of hashtags, Psych keeps its fans vocal and entertained on social media.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Talk shows have always had a healthy, symbiotic relationship between the television program and the host at the helm. In the current version of Late Night, comedian and actor Jimmy Fallon is the face of the show, and the Twitter accounts for Late Night and the host complement each other well. Tweets from both accounts use the hashtag #LNJF to build the show’s identity on Twitter. This is an important approach for differentiating the present setup, especially since the show’s personality will likely change when Seth Meyers takes over role.

One of Late Night’s inventive additions is a willingness to incorporate elements of Twitter into the broadcasts. Fallon sometimes selects a hashtag and asks viewers to use it in tweets. That hashtag gets promoted both on the official Late Night Twitter account and on his personal handle. He then reads the funniest tweets from fans live on the show. It’s a clever way to unite social media presence with the on-air experience.

The show has also used Twitter to highlight one of the quintessential talk show features: the opening monologue. Late Night’s account shares good zingers from the intro with the hashtag #fallonmono. For a show that often emphasizes musical performances and viral videos, this is a smart approach for giving the classic late night element a bigger role in Late Night’s online presence.

Bravo

The cable network has been active in encouraging fans to use hashtags when discussing its top shows. Rather than assume that people will know the appropriate tags to use, Bravo has six of its popular shows listed by hashtag on the cover photo of its Twitter profile.

This approach is particularly interesting because most of the network’s different programs do not have their own dedicated Twitter handles. All of the information about Bravo’s shows is centralized under the @Bravotv account. By encouraging discussion of the shows via hashtag, Bravo can more precisely monitor and drive the conversations.

The strategy also allows for more individual voices to make up the unified presence of Bravo on Twitter. In any given day, the network’s Twitter feed could include updates about shows, tweets from hosts and other celebrities, or fan responses to the latest episodes. Since so much of the feed involves retweets, there’s always something new and interesting for followers.

Fan engagement is a major element to Bravo’s Twitter presence. The network has a contest that allows viewers to take over a special Twitter handle, @TheBravoholic, for a week. There’s no official entry format other than tweeting with the channel’s hashtags with regularity and with a unique voice. Offering a relevant prize for fans who are especially active in developing Bravo’s brand presence is a great solution for organically growing the network’s social media base.

Know any other TV shows using Twitter brilliantly? Let us know in the comments.

[Image credits: Michael Coghlan, Warren B.]

The post How the TV Industry Is Leading in Smart Twitter Hashtag Use appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Check out our articles below to find out more about each one and how they can help you with your social media goals. And check in every day to Sprout Social Insights for more how to guides and breaking social media news.

Three Recruiters Reveal Surprising Observations About Social Media

Depending on the last time you looked for a job or changed careers, social media was either a completely non-existent or an absolutely integral part of your job search — things are changing that fast! On the other side of the career spectrum, of course, are the recruiters — those folks actually posting the jobs and trying to fill open positions.

You’d be hard pressed to find any recruiter these days who isn’t using social media in a big way in his or her job. We interviewed three professional recruiters and asked them how they ply their trade with the help of social media. Some of their tactics and observations may surprise you. [ Read More... ]

GM’s Michael Savoni on Why You Need a Customer Service Twitter Handle

Communities have changed a lot in the past few years, having manifested online in ways no one could have previously imagined. Still, some things have stayed the same. Social networks allow people to broadcast their views much the way they do in person, but often with much greater reach. Much of the time those opinions are positive, is your brand ready to respond when they’re less than complimentary?

As more companies are realizing, online conversations are varied and complex. While this fact is daunting, it also points to a great opportunity: To join conversations and provide value to customers who are asking for it, and even those who aren’t.

One of the best ways to join these conversations is to create a Twitter handle dedicated to serving customer needs that is separate from your business’ main account. Not only does this approach prevent dilution of brand messaging on your main account, it also gives you a way to provide meaningful content and tips from a valid source. It’s the same reason most companies have dedicated customer service numbers. [ Read More... ]

How ThinkGeek Defused a Tricky Social Media PR Situation

If you identify as a geek, you’ve probably heard of online retailer ThinkGeek, which sells shirts, toys, games, and other gear for a tech-savvy audience. But even if you don’t know the company, we have a social media success story involving ThinkGeek that’s worth paying attention to.

This April, ThinkGeek got caught in the middle of online backlash between fans of the television show Firefly and 20th Century Fox. Fox had taken notice of fans selling hand-knitted hats similar to one seen in the show and had started sending out cease and desist notices to the sellers. This sort of situation isn’t entirely uncommon: Fans will often make items from their favorite books, movies, or television shows, especially if the owner of the property hasn’t merchandised it. And sometimes fans will go further, offering these items for sale online, which can attract the attention of the copyright holder and result in legal action. [ Read More... ]

Case Study: How Braintree Uses Social for a Digital Business

Braintree is a digital and mobile-payments company that aims to simplify credit card transactions. With a fleet of high-profile clients, an easy-to-use API, and top-notch customer support, the company has quickly grown from a fledgling startup to a leader in the payments industry. It makes sense for a brand with a digital focus to be a powerhouse on social media, and Braintree excels in crafting a strong presence on both Twitter and Facebook.

The company has branches in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Amsterdam, and it is continuing to expand its services internationally. Despite its widespread operations, social media management for the company is still a team effort.

We chatted with Stephanie Bell and Kristi Lynch, who head the social media work at Braintree, about how the company uses these platforms to deliver great customer support and to be a leader in its industry. They spoke jointly to us in the quotes below. [ Read More... ]

[Image credits: Fredo Alvarez, Wiertz Sébastien,]

The post Social Media Resources: Recruiters, GM, and Damage Control appeared first on Sprout Insights.

While you’ve been busy updating your company’s Facebook page, keeping your customers up to date through Twitter and posting the latest corporate video on YouTube, we’ve been reporting on the latest in social media news for businesses large and small.

In case you’ve missed any of it, here’s a recap of this week’s breaking stories. We’ve arranged them by category to help you quickly find the news you’re looking for.

Facebook

• Facebook iOS Update Could Increase Mobile Shares and RSVPs
• Facebook Completes Timeline Rollout, Adds Star Ratings to Sections
• Consumers Can Now Add Star Ratings to Any Facebook Place From Desktop

Foursquare

• Foursquare Adds More Menus to Explore; Other Services Coming Soon

Google

• Keep Readers on Your Mobile Site Longer With Google+ Recommendations
• How Unified Storage Between Gmail and Drive Will Impact Google+ Photos [Updated]
• Google+ Adds 41 New Features, Including a Redesigned Stream
• Customers Can Discover, Save, and Share Offers on Google+

Pinterest

• Latest Update Brings Easier Sharing and Duplicate Alerts to Pinterest

YouTube

• Connect People and Products With YouTube’s ‘Shoppable’ Channel Gadget
• YouTube’s ‘One Channel’ Design Becomes Permanent on June 5th

Other

• Branded Vines Are Shared More Than Your Online Videos [Study]

[Image credit: Clever Cupcakes]

The post Social Media News: Google+, Facebook Ratings, Pinterest appeared first on Sprout Insights.

If you haven’t already opted in to YouTube’s ‘One Channel’ redesign, you’ll want to start getting familiar with the new look and features. While some have been experimenting with the new version, the transition is about to become mandatory.

Launched in a limited trial in February, the redesign creates a consistent experience on browsers across all screens and devices. In March, Google made it available to everyone on an opt-in basis, but it will become the standard starting June 5th.

The new design introduces two new marketing features: cover photos and trailers. Much like on other websites, cover photos offer you another way to express the personality of your channel. These images will appear everywhere — on desktop, mobile phones, tablets, and in hover cards around the site. YouTube suggests uploading a single 2120×1192 image for optimal results.

Channel trailers will only appear to viewers who aren’t already subscribed to your channel — a great way to let visitors know what your channel is about. A good rule of thumb is to keep this video short and include a clear call-to-action, such as subscribe.

It’s impossible to please everyone when it comes to design changes, but YouTube believes this is a good thing for content creators and viewers. The company reported a 20 percent page view increase on channels that have already opted in.

To get the new design, visit www.youtube.com/onechannel and follow the prompts. You can still switch between the existing and new look, but only until June 5th, so make sure that your cover photo is ready.

[Via: Engadget, Image credit: JM3]

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While almost every other Google product has integrated with Google+ in some way, shape, or form, it’s hard to believe that there’s anything left that hasn’t. Following a big week of announcements, the search giant revealed that Google Offers is next in line to receive the Google+ treatment.

According to Google, millions of people follow brands on Google+ to get the latest news on products, join in on the conversation, and to get deals and discounts. Starting today, the company is making it easier for consumers to discover, save, and share Offers right from Google+.

Customers will soon see savings right in their streams from a few partner merchants, including ZAGAT, Hello Kitty, Art.com, NOOK, and Adafruit Industries. Offers can be saved directly from the post and redeemed through the Google Offers app, online, or in-store.

Conceptually, Google Offers doesn’t differ much from competitor’s contributions, such as Facebook Offers or Foursquare Specials. Little data is available regarding the adoption and redemption of all three, so it’s hard to say if one platform will out-perform another — in terms of deals.

It’s worth keeping an eye on the initial group of partners, and hopefully Google will release some information about the success of the integration for those interested. In the meantime, if you’re considering adding Google Offers to your marketing toolbox, you can get started by creating an offer with your Google Places account.

[Via: The Next Web, Image credit: Wonderlane]

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Pinterest released a number of updates this week aimed at improving your experience as well as that of your customers.

The most recent addition, which is being rolled out over the next few weeks, makes it easier to send pins directly to friends from the web or mobile devices. There’s even some room to include a message for personalization or to add context.

While certainly not a new functionality — the feature has been present on Pinterest for quite some time — it does work in favor of the creators of the content being shared. Not only could easier sharing help to drive more sign-ups and followers for your Pinterest Boards, but it’s also creating awareness among consumers that you might not be reaching on other channels.

Pinterest also built a new feature that tells you when you try to pin something you’ve already pinned. When a double has been detected, you’ll receive a message alerting you to the duplicate as well as the board you pinned it to. This could certainly come in handy for community managers who manage and monitor a ton of content. The company is slowly rolling this out on desktop and hopes to bring it to mobile soon.

And finally, Pinterest added some new features to its mobile apps, including in-app notifications, push notifications, mentions, and improved search. Most of these have been available on the web, so they should seem familiar. In-app notifications and mentions will help to keep you on top of engagement, especially if you do most of your pinning on the go. The company also introduced push notifications so you can keep up with what’s happening without opening the app.

Small in size, these updates might not have a dramatic impact on your daily use of Pinterest. However, power pinners will likely appreciate the improvements, and analytics addicts will benefit from the engagement boost.

[Image credit: theilr]

The post Latest Update Brings Easier Sharing and Duplicate Alerts to Pinterest appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Recommendations and ratings have long been an important part of Facebook, but recent updates have made them even more prominent. Graph Search, for example, now displays the amount of stars friends have rated a particular place, making a good rating more important than ever.

Some businesses might start seeing more frequent fluctuations in their ratings as a result of Facebook’s latest test. The social network is now including an option for members to give star ratings to businesses and locations directly from their page on the website, regardless of whether they’ve been there.

Previously, individuals could only rate places from the Local Search section of the mobile app, and only if they’ve checked in or had been tagged there. Facebook would also occasionally use a sidebar prompt to encourage ratings; however, there wasn’t a way for people to rate any place at any time until recently.

While the latest test enables consumers to go back and rate places they might have forgotten to check in to, it also gives them an easier way to change their rating. This option was previously available through the Activity Log, but sifting through other actions may have deterred some from making any adjustments to past scores.

Now that people can give any location a rating, it could also lead to manipulation, which became a problem with app ratings in the past. Facebook removed app reviews and ratings when manipulation made them no longer useful. They were later reintroduced through random samplings and other controlled rollouts.

As Facebook moves toward a local search and entertainment discovery platform, it’s possible that these ratings could begin to influence things like Graph Search and News Feed distribution. Facebook said it will continue to track engagement on place ratings to find ways to improve them over time.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: Clarissa de Wet]

The post Consumers Can Now Add Star Ratings to Any Facebook Place From Desktop appeared first on Sprout Insights.

From makeup tips and recipe ideas to home repairs and business recommendations, your customers are using social media for advice every day. Platforms like YouTube have had to adapt, offering visitors more than just entertaining content. Today, people turn to the video-sharing site to learn a new skill, find more information, and shop for products.

This has created a valuable opportunity for brands to reach shoppers and provide them with an easy way to go from watching a video to purchasing a product. To help convert video views into sales, YouTube has introduced a new channel gadget that will enable brands to connect consumers directly with retailers.

Now when someone finds a how-to video featuring your product, he or she can go from watching to finding out which retailers carry it, compare prices, and make a purchase — all the while minimizing the number of unnecessary clicks. It’s also a good way to keep the consumer focused on your product, rather than have someone bookmark the task for later.

Unilever has already built out a YouTube channel to highlight its hair care brand, Tresemmé. According to Google, the company has already generated more than 2.7 million views on its channel. Using the new gadget, the company can now connect those viewers with the products they’re watching in the videos. Individuals can now click on the products used in demos for more information as well as details on how to buy from a variety of retailers.

Powered by Gloto — an “engagement technology company” — the functionality will only work on brand channel pages. This means that videos embedded on other websites, such as your blog, won’t be “shoppable.” The new gadget is being made available as a “premium offering” for Google’s consumer good clients. If you’re interested, contact your Google representative for more details.

[Via: Mashable, Image credit: Fosforix]

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Braintree is a digital and mobile-payments company that aims to simplify credit card transactions. With a fleet of high-profile clients, an easy-to-use API, and top-notch customer support, the company has quickly grown from a fledgling startup to a leader in the payments industry. It makes sense for a brand with a digital focus to be a powerhouse on social media, and Braintree excels in crafting a strong presence on both Twitter and Facebook.

The company has branches in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Amsterdam, and it is continuing to expand its services internationally. Despite its widespread operations, social media management for the company is still a team effort.

We chatted with Stephanie Bell and Kristi Lynch, who head the social media work at Braintree, about how the company uses these platforms to deliver great customer support and to be a leader in its industry. They spoke jointly to us in the quotes below.

Creating a Specialized Strategy

“The number-one goal is to continue increasing awareness of Braintree and to become the go-to company for individuals or companies seeking payment advice,” according to Bell and Lynch. To that end, Braintree has used different networks to showcase various facets of the brand. “We use Facebook more to demonstrate Braintree’s personality and what it’s like to work here,” they said. “It’s a great place to add photo albums of company outings, recent events, and candid office photos.”

“On the other hand, Twitter is a better tool for disseminating information and content,” they continued. “We mainly use Twitter to promote our product releases, events we’re hosting, announce news, and as a thought leadership tool. It has also been a strong customer service tool; our customers often use Twitter to ask questions and offer feedback.” Crafting a specific purpose for both of the networks gives focus to both profiles. It also allows Braintree to showcase the wonderful company culture it has created, as well as showcase its payment services.

The company also encourages its employees to be involved in Twitter and Facebook. “Social media at Braintree is a company-wide effort where many people across teams contribute; however, we have a dedicated team of two to respond, post, and monitor,” Bell and Lynch said. “For example, our developers commonly deliver the responses on Twitter and our HR department posts frequently on LinkedIn.” This approach means that everybody is equally invested in presenting Braintree well to the public, and it strengthens the community across the employees.

On both platforms, Braintree’s approach to social media includes building awareness of the brand and its services. “We’ve found that including links to relevant articles and product descriptions has been effective. Using trending topics on our industry and hashtags have also helped establish Braintree as a leader in the mobile payments space.”

Delivering on Customer Support Promises

Customer support is a key element to Braintree’s work both on and off social media. In fact, the company proudly advertises the “white-glove support” it supplies for clients in all of its online materials. That means Braintree is vocal in engaging with customers on all channels. Even on Facebook, where Braintree hasn’t made support an obvious part of its presence, the brand still fields posts and messages from clients.

The company has been conscious to make sure that any customer service inquiries are a group effort. “Since we have a relatively small social media team, we work together with our engineers and sales teams to craft answers.” Despite the extra legwork of getting information from the appropriate teams, Braintree responds to nearly every comment or tweet it receives from every client. It means customers get accurate and thorough replies to their questions, and they know that a query on social media will get an answer.

“Many of the questions our merchants have are extremely technical in nature and require more than 140 characters to answer,” they said. “We often direct questions from Twitter to our specific teams, whether our general support email address or directly to the team member who can help.” Turning the conversations to email takes away the length limitations on Twitter. Bell and Lynch also keep tabs on Quora and Stackoverflow for answering more involved support questions on these public online forums.

Connecting With Communities

Many of Braintree’s leaders are active on Twitter, especially CEO Bill Ready. Ready is active in the startup communities, and is a regular guest writer and speaker for business blogs and events. His Twitter activity regularly promotes Braintree and its recent acquisition, Venmo. Ready’s Twitter handle, along with the official Braintree account, make for a strong one-two punch with each of them retweeting and responding to the other.

The company doesn’t just focus on developing internal connections on social media. Braintree leverages those networks to stay involved and in touch with the business community and with clients. “We’ve partnered with incubators like ’500startups’ in San Francisco and ’1871′ here in Chicago, where we hold regular office hours, host lunch and learns, and try to make ourselves available to the local startups,” Bell and Lynch said. “We’re also doing a lot more events across the U.S. and internationally.” Since Braintree itself was once a bootstrapped startup, this effort to reconnect with other entrepreneurs is a great example of how to pay it forward in the business world as a brand achieves bigger and bigger successes.

Finally, Bell and Lynch advise that businesses be alert and receptive on these channels. “Pay attention to what people are saying. We have been successful using social media for customer support, thought leadership, news and events, but every business will find different benefits to how it can use social media.”

Do you know another great company whose social media strategy we should profile? Let us know in the comments!

[Image credits: Braintree]

The post Case Study: How Braintree Uses Social for a Digital Business appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Today Google+ is getting a huge update with 41 new features, including a brand new multi-column layout with customization options.

Rolling out later today, the new interface bears resemblance to the layout adopted for its iPad and Android tablet apps last June. The Pinterest-esque design replaces the long list of posts, photos, and comments that currently makes up the stream.

You’ll want to be a bit more conscious os the content you’re sharing as it’ll now be represented in a Card-like post split across three columns. This should allow for quicker scanning of content so members don’t have to scroll endlessly for something to engage with. Google+ has also made it easier to find related content.

In an effort to better categorize all of the content being shared within these Cards, the company will automatically add a hashtag to your post. When clicked, the card will flip around to help viewers discover similar content. This could help to give engagement a much-needed boost on the social network.

Auto-hashtags aren’t just limited to posts with text in them. Using photo-recognition technology, Google+ was able to categorize a picture of the Eiffel Tower accurately. This creates a lot of opportunity for brands hoping to implement hashtag campaigns. It’s also beneficial for events and conferences, as photos and text updates can share the same hashtag, even if forgotten by the original poster.

That said, this feature can be turned off. If you prefer to have a bit more control, you can also customize the auto-hashtags. As not to confuse viewers, grayed out hashtags are the ones automatically added by Google while blue ones are added by the sharer.

The new design is responsive and will adjust to different screen sizes. If someone has a larger screen, he or she can add more columns and take advantage of the extra white space. Other media like photos and videos will stretch across multiple columns, helping them to stand out a bit. Photos also received several new features, including auto-selecting your best shots, enhancing your photos, and easier creation of collages.

The editing features will especially come in handy for those of you sharing lots of visuals. Google+ will be able to recognize faces, remove noise, sharpen images, and more. You should also be aware of the storage updates Google made earlier this week that could have an impact on the size of the photos you’re uploading to Google+.

Google also introduced a new Hangouts app that combines the company’s different real-time conversation products like Google Talk, Google Voice, and Google+ Hangouts. It’ll launch on all platforms later today, including iOS, Android, and the Web.

Although Google didn’t detail all 41 new features, they’re based around three areas of the service: Stream, Hangouts, and Photos. The service has evolved a bit since its launch two years ago, but today’s major overhaul will likely be welcomed by Google+’s 390 million monthly active users.

[Via: TechCrunch, Image credit: Miguel Ángel Vilela]

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In addition to redesigned venue pages and simpler sharing, Foursquare is making it easier for customers to decide where to eat. On Tuesday, the company announced that more restaurant menus have been added to its Explore section thanks to a new partnership with Locu — the same company powering menus on Yelp.

The new menus join those already contributed by local discovery startup SinglePlatform, which partnered with Foursquare in January 2012. Since then, the menus of almost 250,000 U.S. restaurants have been added to Foursquare. Adding more menus can only help the company as it tries to compete with Yelp in local search.

Now menus entered or updated on Locu will be published to Foursquare in real-time. Pricing information will be visible in Explore results, and for some of these restaurants (Foursquare didn’t say how many) the company has added a pricing icon to customers can quickly gauge how expensive a place is.

Restaurants are encouraged to update their venue pages on Foursquare and add your menu on Locu and SinglePlatform to help more people find you in Explore. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore other platforms that are offering similar services, however.

In an effort to keep the platform’s data more up-to-date, it’ll be adding updates to hours, phone numbers, and addresses as business owners make them. Additionally, Foursquare is also working to incorporate price and service lists for non-restaurants. This means that soon customers will be able to view services offered by spas, nail salons, hair salons, yoga studios, gyms, dry cleaners and more.

Expanding beyond restaurants will help Foursquare become even more valuable for consumers and businesses alike. And it’s a necessary step as the company moves beyond check-ins and focuses more on local search. It’s a good start, but Foursquare will have to work fast to compete with the likes of Yelp, Twitter, and Facebook, all of which are making strides in local search.

[Via: The Next Web, Image credit: Roberto Ferrari]

The post Foursquare Adds More Menus to Explore; Other Services Coming Soon appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Facebook announced this week that its global rollout of the one-column Timeline with sections for movies, music, books, and more is complete. Now, consumers will be able to rate content from those sections or from third-party apps.

In March, the social network began rolling out the new design which gave consumers more options to highlight their favorite movies, books, music, as well as other stories they’ve shared through Open Graph apps. Since then, according to Facebook, consumers have added nearly 200 million items to these sections daily.

It doesn’t end there though; the company is finding even more ways for those consumers to engage with your app’s content. As of today, the music section can play songs Liked by friends with one click, workouts can be tracked with friends in the fitness section, content can be rated directly on people’s Timelines, and ratings can be added from apps.

For developers building apps for brands and businesses, sections offer you another way to grow beyond posting to News Feed. The data collected will not only help you personalize your app and recommendations, but on a much grander scale, it could improve Graph Search results, News Feed relevancy, ad targeting, and more.

If your app doesn’t use any of Facebook’s common actions (listen, run, watch, read, and so on), you can easily create a custom app section. For example, OpenTable created a custom app section for food-lovers to share the restaurants that they like and recently dined at. Additionally, game developers like Pearl’s Peril use vibrant images to display the levels that a player has recently completed.

Custom sections must be reviewed by Facebook and members have to opt in before it can be displayed on Timeline. If you’re interested, we recommend looking over the newly published documentation which offers more details about the creation, testing, and review process associated with this feature.

And finally, to help you track user engagement with sections, Facebook has expanded App Insights to include analytics on Timeline section impressions and referral clicks to your app.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: Dylan Tweney]

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If you identify as a geek, you’ve probably heard of online retailer ThinkGeek, which sells shirts, toys, games, and other gear for a tech-savvy audience. But even if you don’t know the company, we have a social media success story involving ThinkGeek that’s worth paying attention to.

This April, ThinkGeek got caught in the middle of online backlash between fans of the television show Firefly and 20th Century Fox. Fox had taken notice of fans selling hand-knitted hats similar to one seen in the show and had started sending out cease and desist notices to the sellers. This sort of situation isn’t entirely uncommon: Fans will often make items from their favorite books, movies, or television shows, especially if the owner of the property hasn’t merchandised it. And sometimes fans will go further, offering these items for sale online, which can attract the attention of the copyright holder and result in legal action.

Since Fox had turned a blind eye to these knitting fans for years, many were surprised and angry to find Fox suddenly shutting them down. And ThinkGeek, which had started selling a licensed version of the hat in December 2012, found itself caught in the crossfire. ThinkGeek was just selling hats. Not only had it not been involved in the legal action, its product page for the hats even mentioned that buyers looking for hand-knitted hats could find them for sale on sites like Etsy.

“It was one of those things we didn’t have that much of a problem with,” explained ThinkGeek PR Manager Steve Zimmerman. “We recognized what it meant for people who were fans of the show and we weren’t going to try to shut those down. We just wanted to offer alternatives for people who didn’t have friends that could knit or who wanted to buy an officially licensed product for collectible reasons.” Nevertheless, many of the cease and desist orders coming from Fox were misconstrued as originating from ThinkGeek. This guilt by association meant that online buzz about the company was very negative. So how could ThinkGeek regain the affections of its customer base and set them straight about its position on the cease and desist issue?

Turning the Tides of Online Opinion

“We started to see Facebook posts and tweets,” Zimmerman tells us. “I monitor Google Alerts and was seeing articles pop up — we clearly had something that was developing here. Our initial step was to put a statement on our blog saying we’re sorry that this is happening, but we don’t have anything to do with this. We’re not responsible for the cease and desists. We’re not the ones sending them. We haven’t been in contact with Fox about them.”

ThinkGeek continued to track social response to the issue, but it became clear that just addressing the situation hadn’t slowed down the negative online response it was getting. Wanting to do the right thing for fans and customers, ThinkGeek decided to take all profits from sales of its Firefly hats and donate them to the fan-run charity organization Can’t Stop the Serenity, which organizes charity Firefly screenings that support Equality Now.

“A great many of us are Browncoats [Firefly fans] and have an involvement with Can’t Stop the Serenity,” Zimmerman says. “We decided the best way to handle this was to say we stand with our fans and we stand with the Browncoats. While we won’t stop selling the hats per se, we’re going to take the opportunity to make a little bit of a difference.”

How ThinkGeek Decided Turned a Social Disaster Into a Charity Donation

ThinkGeek is, of course, a business, and the decision to donate profits wasn’t made lightly. The idea had to be cleared internally by ThinkGeek’s Chief Marketing Executive and Chief Financial Officer. Zimmerman also contacted Can’t Stop the Serenity to be sure it was fine with its name being used. From the inception of the idea to the execution, it took only took two hours. “We’re only about a 60-person company,” Zimmerman says, “and to that end we are fairly nimble in how we can integrate social media and respond to things that are on the Internet.”

When ThinkGeek posted about donating profits from hat sales, the fan reaction was immediate — and overwhelmingly positive. “There are obviously still some people who are going to argue and gripe for the sake of arguing and griping, and that’s partially because it’s the Internet and partially because they are exceptionally passionate about the show. And we respect that,” Zimmerman says. One of the show’s stars, Nathan Fillion, tweeted to say it was the classiest thing he’d seen a business do in a long time, bringing ThinkGeek’s blog down with the resulting surge in traffic. “It’s one of the best reasons we’ve ever been taken down,” Zimmerman adds.

What Should Your Company Do With Tricky Social Situations?

ThinkGeek is a small company, and the team watching and responding to social media is also small — only a couple of people. But the company takes its fans seriously. “If you get in touch with ThinkGeek via Facebook or Twitter, you are being seen,” Zimmerman explains. “We value the fans and the time that they put into it, so if they’re going to interact with us, we’re going to pay them the respect to at read it or interact with them and comment back.”

That, in a nutshell, is how ThinkGeek fixed what could have been a real social mess: by paying careful attention to what its fans and customers were saying rather than just writing the situation off as not their fault. In fact, the first comment response to its blog post was “Thanks for listening to us!” Though not everyone can make a bold move like donating profits to charity, you don’t have to go that far to prove to your customers that you’re listening.

[Image credits: Wiertz Sébastien, Sammy4586, MDGovpics]

The post How ThinkGeek Defused a Tricky Social Media PR Situation appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Facebook updated its standalone app for iOS this week with several small changes and improvements for consumers. Most notably, faster loading for Facebook Events.

Up until now, events was one of the features that hadn’t yet been rebuilt for speed like the News Feed, photos, messages and so on. Now the main events page as well as individual events load much faster. Shorter wait times could lead to more RSVPs and engagement from mobile.

The social network also updated some of the actions surrounding photos, giving you another reason to share high quality images. Now, when viewing a photo full-screen, individuals can save and share it by tapping on the new ellipsis icon. Previously, members had to take a screenshot of their phone to save an image, or leave full-screen mode.

Other updates include easier access to group messaging and improved places editing when checking in on iPhone. This means that when someone checks in to your location, they can suggest edits to the information listed, such as an updated phone number, business hours, or website.

Earlier this month Facebook revealed that it has 751 million mobile active users. With numbers like that, it’s important that its mobile apps be running smoothly and efficiently. Although this update is made up of mostly minor tweaks, they help to improve the overall experience for your customers. And who knows, you might start seeing a notable increase in mobile shares or RSVPs soon.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: Casey Fleser]

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From comedy festivals to behind-the-scenes moments in TV, sports, and movies, Vine appears to be a hit among marketers and consumers. Although integrating new social tools into your strategy should be done strategically, new data suggests that Vine’s early adopters have made the right call.

Collecting data from over 10 million Vines during a one-month period, the video technology company Unruly found that branded Vines are four times more likely to be shared than branded online videos. It’s possible that Vine’s six-second limit has something to do with that, as the content is easily digestible and sharable.

The company also found that on average, five Vine videos are shared on Twitter every second with the most activity occurring between the hours of 10 and 11 AM EDT. But if you’re looking for the best time to share your six-second masterpiece, consider holding off until Saturday. According to the study, weekends are more popular than all of the weekdays combined.

“This data can really help brands determine a strategy for using Vine in their marketing efforts,” said Matt Cooke, CTO and co-founder of Unruly. “Vine is being used in a very complimentary way to Twitter, with the six-second video becoming the ‘ad,’ much like the 140-character tweet.”

Out of the 10 million Vines studied, only 433 had more than 500 tweets, 176 had over 1,000 tweets, and just 51 had more than 2,000 tweets. The number one Vine (shared by a member of One Direction) received close to 48,000 retweets, while the 100th most popular (shared by an actor on Glee) had just over 1,400 retweets.

There’s a big opportunity here for brands to get creative, but before you start recording any and everything, consider this advice from Cooke: “… advertisers need to remember the fundamentals of why people share videos, short or long. First, they need to elicit an emotional reaction from their audience, and secondly they need to give their consumers a reason to share.”

[Via: AllTwitter, Image credit: Randy Robertson]

The post Branded Vines Are Shared More Than Your Online Videos [Study] appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Communities have changed a lot in the past few years, having manifested online in ways no one could have previously imagined. Still, some things have stayed the same. Social networks allow people to broadcast their views much the way they do in person, but often with much greater reach. Much of the time those opinions are positive, is your brand ready to respond when they’re less than complimentary?

As more companies are realizing, online conversations are varied and complex. While this fact is daunting, it also points to a great opportunity: To join conversations and provide value to customers who are asking for it, and even those who aren’t.

One of the best ways to join these conversations is to create a Twitter handle dedicated to serving customer needs that is separate from your business’ main account. Not only does this approach prevent dilution of brand messaging on your main account, it also gives you a way to provide meaningful content and tips from a valid source. It’s the same reason most companies have dedicated customer service numbers.

We think one of the brands doing this right is GM, so we chatted with Michael Savoni, the company’s social media business process lead. In his combined customer service, marketing and PR role, he oversees the @GMCustomerSVC, @ChevyCustCare, @BuickCustCare, @GMCCustCare, and @CadillacCustSVC accounts from headquarters in Detroit, MI. Here are his tips for maintaining a strong customer service Twitter handle.

Jump in First

According to Savoni, customer service on Twitter is as much about listening to existing conversations as it is about reaching out yourself. In GM’s command center, social media agents track social chatter across numerous screens, where they follow everything from specific brand mentions to tweets about searching for a new car.

When someone reaches out for advice or with concerns, agents respond with an answer or suggestions to resolve the problem. But simply responding to customer concerns is not enough. Savoni encourages reaching out to people on Twitter before they ask for help.

“We don’t want to just be a robotic team responding to people who have issues. We want to be out there and help them,” he says. Recently, GM expanded its social media team with 15 new hires, whose job it is to jump in when an individual on Twitter expresses a request or concern that can be addressed by the brand.

“We hired these 15 new social media agents who are out there building relationships with our customers so that from a pre-sale and post-sale perspective, our customers know that they can go to them,” Savoni says. “From the pre-sale side, somebody may just say, ‘Hey, I’m heading to the dealership tomorrow. I’m excited to look for a new car,’ and our team is out there to say ‘Is there anything I can help you with?’”

Be What You Are: Human

While different brands have unique voices, when it comes to customer service on Twitter, putting forth a friendly, helpful persona is essential. GM did this by taking its five best call center representatives and training them to respond to customer concerns online back when it created its dedicated accounts in 2009. Today, three of those original five oversee GM’s Customer Care team.

The lesson here is to look for people who are comfortable creating a professional yet approachable rapport with customers in person or on the phone—odds are that personality will translate well online, too. Savoni describes those call center representatives as professional, playful and understanding. In an industry where issues such as safety and recalls are serious concerns, it turns out that the majority of the 700 monthly customer care conversations focus on less serious issues.

“In a typical customer case, the customer is not coming with a major problem, they’re just looking for something that they can get a little bit of help with. From a pre-sale perspective, it is a very fun conversation,” Savoni says. “We want our agents to get in there and have a little fun with them.”

To take the human touch to another level, GM Customer Care agents sign tweets with their initials to indicate who has responded to each query. Plus, Savoni says each of the backgrounds on the company’s Twitter pages will soon include photos of the social media agents, as well as their personal handles to show that they really are human.

Coordinate, Coordinate, Coordinate

At GM, the social media team members are assigned to different initiatives, such as Marketing, PR and, of course, Customer Care. Those teams engage in more than 70,000 conversations per month on Twitter, Facebook and online forums. With such a high volume of interactions, it is essential for each leg of GM’s self-proclaimed “three-legged stool” to be aware of the others’ actions.

This is especially important in times of crisis, such as recalls, or during key marketing campaigns. “When Marketing and PR are launching new vehicles or building out programs that maybe have a large social component to them, it’s important to keep our social customer care team involved. That’s going to drive a lot of conversations and traffic that could potentially stem some opportunities for our Customer Care team to get involved pre-sale or post-sale,” Savoni says.

Customer service is all about answering questions, so when your company is pushing new information into the world, it’s important to keep track of the questions it may create. With regular meetings bringing together all these teams, your customer service agents will be aware of new information before it gets to the public, allowing them to be ready for whatever may come.

When it comes to serving customers, Twitter is a fast and easy way to respond efficiently to consumer concerns. What’s important, though, is to treat managing your online customer service strategy the same way you would a phone strategy. By creating relationships based on helpful, earnest conversations, a customer service Twitter handle can help your brand show your customers you really care.

[Image credits: GM]

The post GM’s Michael Savoni on Why You Need a Customer Service Twitter Handle appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Today Google announced that it’s unifying storage across its products. It’s a small, yet important update, as it will likely make Google Drive more useful. However, it could also impact those of you that upload photos to Google+ on a regular basis.

Previously you had to track your available storage on Google products separately. Rolling out over the coming weeks, everyone will get a combined 15GB of shared storage across Drive, Google+ Photos, and Gmail.

This won’t matter much if you’re a heavy Gmail user but light on Drive content. But if you frequently bump against your limits across all products, this could be a problem. Too much data in Gmail or Drive will limit the number of photos you can store on Google+.

Photos, in general, are powerful storytellers, but Google+ has been encouraging its members to upload higher quality, full-size images to their profiles and pages for optimal engagement. It’s easy to run out of space when high-resolution images are involved.

To help you keep a closer eye on your storage usage, Google will be making updates to the Google Drive storage page. Here you’ll get a clearer understanding of how you’re using your storage space. If you’re not careful, heavy photo-sharers could max out.

You can still add more storage to your account, but the cheapest option is now 100GB for $4.99 per month. The company removed the 25GB/$2.49 option — there’s no word on what will happen to individuals currently subscribed to that plan.

[Updated 5/17:] Google announced that over the coming weeks, all Google Apps users will get 30 GB of unified storage to use between Drive and Gmail. Any files created in Docs, Sheets, and Slides won’t count against your storage quota. Storage will also be shared with photos you upload to Google+ larger than 2048px.

[Via: TechCrunch, Image credit: Moyan Brenn]

The post How Unified Storage Between Gmail and Drive Will Impact Google+ Photos [Updated] appeared first on Sprout Insights.

We’ve seen a lot of improvements to consumer-facing Google+ features in recent weeks. The trend continues this week as Google announced the addition of a new mobile content recommendation service.

It’s happened before. You share an article on Twitter or Facebook, and when people click through, they read the article and move on to the next tweet or website. Google+ Recommendations for mobile aim to help keep readers on your mobile site for more than just one article.

“When you help someone find a great article on you site, you’re not only making them happier, you’re inspiring deeper engagement and loyalty,” Google wrote on its blog. “That’s why today, we’re bringing together elements of Google+ and Google Search to suggest the right content from your mobile website, at just the right time.”

The feature — which launched today on the Forbes mobile site — will appear as a small bar at the bottom of an article. When tapped, it’ll bring up suggested articles for your site based on the author, the topic discussed, and what’s being shared on Google+. Recommendations will appear regardless of whether your visitors are signed into Google+. However, when they are, they’ll see content that was +1′d or shared by the people in their Circles.

Google+ Recommendations is a nice follow-up to Google+ Sign-In, which allows visitors to sign up for an account on your website or app without having to create a separate username and password. It’s a win-win for publishers, as readers will be recommended relevant content, resulting in more time spent and page views for your site.

Integrating Google+ Recommendations requires placing a single snippet of code to your mobile site. From there, you’ll be able to make changes in the “For your site” section of your Google+ Page dashboard. For example, you’ll be able to decide where the bar should appear as well as a list of pages that shouldn’t appear as recommendations.

[Via: The Verge, Image credit: Elliot Bennett]

The post Keep Readers on Your Mobile Site Longer With Google+ Recommendations appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Depending on the last time you looked for a job or changed careers, social media was either a completely non-existent or an absolutely integral part of your job search — things are changing that fast! On the other side of the career spectrum, of course, are the recruiters — those folks actually posting the jobs and trying to fill open positions.

You’d be hard pressed to find any recruiter these days who isn’t using social media in a big way in his or her job. We interviewed three professional recruiters and asked them how they ply their trade with the help of social media. Some of their tactics and observations may surprise you.

The In-House Recruiter: Jim Conti

Jim Conti is a full-time, in-house recruiter for Sprout Social. When asked why companies such as Sprout Social need their own recruiters in-house, Conti says that the sheer volume of applicants for any posted jobs these days makes it a necessity to have someone dedicated to processing all of this data. “If we get 400 resumes, and let’s say someone spends five minutes reviewing each one, that’s almost the equivalent of a full work week, just to initially process applicants for one job,” says Conti. Add in active recruiting and scouting for talent, as well as providing education and engagement about the company on social media, and it’s easy to justify a dedicated recruiting position within an organization.

“Social media allows me to very quickly go through people’s online profiles to see if their public personas match the qualifications they’ve stated in their resumes.” Using this technique, Conti can quickly weed out candidates that have glaring inconsistencies between how they represent themselves online and on their applications.

Conti says for professional recruiters, it can be a challenge to integrate and quantify the success rate of any given social media platform; social savvy job searchers are coming at organizations from many different social media fronts. “You might have candidates apply for a job they saw on LinkedIn, while at the same time they’re engaging with the corporate and employees’ Twitter accounts, so sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly when, where, and on what platform a hire was made.” Since enterprise social media management is gaining more traction, Conti expects that these tools will get better and better at incorporating functions and routines unique to the recruiting world.

The Social Media Headhunter: Jim Durbin

Jim Durbin, the self-described “social media headhunter” says that “social media can make a bad recruiter worse and a good recruiter great.” He cites as an example a recruiter (or even a hiring manager within a company) using Facebook to look for incriminating photos that might weed out candidates for an open position. As Jim puts it, “if someone is spending hours going through photos, is that really a productive use of one’s time?”

Conversely, a good recruiter can use social media not only as a tool to weed out bad candidates but as a way to dig for diamonds in the rough as well. Durbin says the one of the primary benefits he sees in using social media is the education and learning it provides him about the specific job and the vertical for which he’s trying to fill a position.

“Not every one of us is a ‘niche’ recruiter,” says Durbin, referring to the specialization that some recruiters have for specific industries or job titles. “If I have to recruit for a position that’s new to me, social media allows me to learn as I research and connect with potential candidates. Each contact I make tells me more about the job I’m looking to fill and gives me all the vital context I need to find the right candidate for the job.”

The Recruiting Consultant: Steve Levy

Another seasoned recruiting consultant we spoke with, Steve Levy, reiterated Jim Durbin’s statement about social media being a great tool to educate recruiters themselves. “Too many recruiters have no idea what they’re recruiting for,” says Levy, adding that the job descriptions a lot of recruiters post are not accurate representations of the jobs being hired for. In that respect, social media can be a means to find out what other people in this role are saying about the jobs they already have. In that way, job descriptions and job profiles can be customized by taking a more detailed look at the people already employed in those positions.

Levy also says that “social is not a platform, it’s a strategy.” In other words, the social network itself, whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook is less important to his process of finding candidates than the actual content that candidates are posting. “I specialize in finding people who can solve companies’ problems. These problems and solutions can be found by strategically spending some time interacting with candidates on any of the major social media networks.”

Levy cautions that social media is a “poor platform for assessing someone’s future performance,” but that it can be a good way to gauge how well people “play together in the sandbox.” Recruiters need to interpret candidates’ social media footprints to determine if they will be good placements for the organizations they’re recruiting for.

Finally, he says that “social media is another arrow in the recruiter’s quiver, but not the only arrow.” Good recruiters should always use social media to help “triangulate and converge on the best candidates.”

How big a role does social media play in your recruiting process? Let is know in the comments.

[Image credits: Fredo Alvarez, Sprout Social (FB), Morgantis, Morgantis (2)]

The post Three Recruiters Reveal Surprising Observations About Social Media appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Check out our articles below to find out more about each one and how they can help you with your social media goals. And check in every day to Sprout Social Insights for more how to guides and breaking social media news.

Ethics, Challenges and Inspiration in an Age When All CEOs Tweet

For some executives, social media can still feel like the final frontier. The networks are known to be assets when used properly, but there’s genuine concern about what could happen should tweeting go sour. We’ve shared some examples of CEOs who are doing a great job at tweeting, but it’s understandable that there are still some serious roadblocks to hopping on the Twitter bandwagon. The good news for CEOs is that with the right knowledge and attitude, Twitter doesn’t have to be an insurmountable obstacle. It can be easier to navigate than you think.

We chatted with two marketing experts to get a better idea of the behind-the-scenes planning that allows executives to comfortably pen 140-character missives without being a risk to their companies. Emily Howard Griebel is the director of integrated marketing at McKee Wallwork & Company, and Chris Garcia is a search marketing/PR specialist for Loud Interactive. They shared the prep work that happened at their companies to enable their respective CEOs the freedom to tweet with confidence.
[ Read More... ]

@XboxSupport and @JetBlue Share Social Media Customer Service Insights

Social media is changing the way we do business in a big way, but this is perhaps most obvious in customer service. When your customers are on social media talking about your brand, ignoring them isn’t an option. To find out just how social and customer service best interact, we reached out to companies that were already doing social customer support successfully on Twitter: JetBlue and Microsoft.

JetBlue’s 1.7 million strong Twitter following asks questions ranging from flight schedules to ticket problems, while Microsoft’s @XboxSupport account holds the Guinness World Record for being the most responsive brand on Twitter — high honors, given that we believe being present and responding to customers in a timely fashion is among the most critical imperatives. So just how do they do it?
[ Read More... ]

Why Your Entire Team Needs to Be Using the Same Twitter Client

Companies have many options for third-party programs that can send out tweets. Each has a slightly different set of features, so it makes sense that individuals will have their own preferences for which app they like for personal use. But from a brand perspective, you’ll want to migrate your team members to a single program. Here are some reasons why you’ll want to make sure that everyone in your company picks and uses one Twitter client. [ Read More... ]

Everything You Need to Know About Facebook’s New Mobile Pages Design

Mobile is positioned to be the platform of choice for both businesses and customers using social media. Studies have shown that people are more likely to access networks from their mobile devices, and the operators of social media companies are responding in kind. LinkedIn redid its mobile presence last month, and Facebook is the latest to update its services to better reach those mobile-minded users.

The Facebook changes in question are focused on how brand Pages look on mobile devices. Here’s a review of what has changed, how it will impact your fans, and what steps your business may want to take to update your Page. [ Read More... ]

[Image credits: Petras Gagilas, Dell, Shivali Chopra, Jeremy Keith]

The post Social Media Resources: CEOs, Policy, and Facebook appeared first on Sprout Insights.

While you’ve been busy updating your company’s Facebook page, keeping your customers up to date through Twitter and posting the latest corporate video on YouTube, we’ve been reporting on the latest in social media news for businesses large and small.

In case you’ve missed any of it, here’s a recap of this week’s breaking stories. We’ve arranged them by category to help you quickly find the news you’re looking for.

Facebook

• New Rating Scales Are Being Tested for Facebook Places
• Facebook Expands FBX Test for Desktop News Feed Ads
• FBX Ads in News Feed Increase ROI by 197 Percent [Study]
• Bing Adds Facebook Likes and Commenting to Social Sidebar

Foursquare

• Foursquare’s New App Makes Sharing Easier for Your Customers

Google

• New Functionality Makes Hangouts On Air Easier for Your Viewers

YouTube

• YouTube Gives Creators More Control Over Publishing and Sharing
• View the Most Popular Videos in the U.S. on YouTube’s Trends Map
• Paid Subscriptions on YouTube Will Challenge Content Creators

Other

• Why ‘Klout Experts’ Is Valuable to Brands and Your Customers
• Social Media Is More Effective at Marketing Mobile Apps [Study]

[Image credit: Clever Cupcakes]

The post Social Media News: FBX Ads, YouTube Channels, Klout appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Following the introduction of social sidebar last year, Microsoft has been working on ways to make it more interactive. Today the company announced that it has expanded Bing’s integration with Facebook, allowing people to engage with content right from the sidebar.

Initially, Bing’s social sidebar included only Likes, photos, and profile information from Facebook. Earlier this year, the company added status updates, shared links, and comments for more context. Now, not only can members see relevant posts, but they can comment and Like them as well.

Bing used searching for tickets to Beyoncé’s upcoming concert as an example. After submitting a query, “I can see that my friend has recently posted that she has an extra ticket to the show. Now without leaving the Bing results page, I comment directly to her post letting her know that I”d love to join her for the concert.”

This integration likely won’t have a direct impact on businesses, but it could come in handy for community managers and other people who love a bit of offline networking. During a search for post-panel events at BlogHer, for example, you might see a post from a Facebook acquaintance who will also be attending the conference. You can connect right away and make plans to meet at the event.

Of course, this will only work assuming people have connected their Facebook accounts to Bing, something Microsoft has yet to share data about. It’s hard to say if the social sidebar will be more efficient than Google’s Knowledge Graph or even Facebook’s Graph Search. And if you’re not already a regular Bing user, it might not be enough to sway you one way or another. However, it’s notable enough to mention in the chance that it leads a few customers to your website or product.

[Via: TechCrunch, Image credit: Lindsey Turner]

The post Bing Adds Facebook Likes and Commenting to Social Sidebar appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Although many businesses are still integrating traditional marketing efforts with social media, it appears that the latter is the better choice when it comes to mobile apps — and Facebook Ads might have something to do with that.

A recent study found that social channels like Facebook and Twitter are more effective than any other method of mobile app marketing. In AppsFlyer’s Mobile Advertising Measurement Q1-2013 report, analysts found that using social channels improved three metrics for app marketing campaigns: user quality, conversion rates, and volume.

In previous quarters, social delivered high-quality users, but the volume and reach were limited. Last year’s launch of Facebook Mobile App Install Ads “definitely” helped social excel in all three areas this year. This particular type of ad unit enables iOS and Android developers to purchase prominent exposure for their apps inside the social network’s mobile News Feed.

Named “one of the most important new ad products” by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Mobile App Install Ads drove a total of 25 million app downloads in the App Store and Google Play since last October. Additionally, 40 percent of the 100 top-grossing apps for Android and iPhone have advertised on Facebook.

According to the study, social media marketing campaigns were especially effective for games, travel, social apps, and geo-targeted apps, while search delivered the highest quality users for e-commerce, utilities, and food apps. That doesn’t mean food apps won’t benefit from Facebook Ads, or that social apps won’t perform well in search.

It all comes down to how you define success. If your goal is to increase conversion rates, consider adding more social campaigns to your strategy. Alternately, if you’re going after user quality, search might be better suited for your app — the idea here is that you’re reaching people who are actively looking for what you’re providing.

Keep in mind that what works for one app won’t necessarily work for another. For this reason, it’s important to discuss and test different strategies with your marketing team. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding the right fit for your product.

[Via: SocialTimes, Image credit: Claudia Regina]

The post Social Media Is More Effective at Marketing Mobile Apps [Study] appeared first on Sprout Insights.

After months of rumors, YouTube’s paid subscription service has finally launched. The pilot program, which kicked off with select partners on Thursday, enables content creators charge subscription fees for access to their channels. But while a new revenue stream is welcomed, it’ll be a challenge to convert current viewers.

Video creators have been able to earn revenue through YouTube’s Partner Program; however, many advertisers aren’t satisfied with the money banner ads and pre-roll clips are bringing in. Now YouTube is giving creators behind these channels more flexibility in monetizing and distributing their content.

Subscriptions will start at $0.99 per month, and every channel will offer a 14-day free trial as well as discounted yearly rates. Early partners include Sesame Street, which will be offering full episodes on its paid channel, and UFC Select, which will begin airing full versions of classic fights. A full list of current partners can be viewed on YouTube.

Not every brand will be a good fit for a paid-subscription. If your YouTube Channel is currently made up of product tutorials and customer service videos, you’ll probably want to stick to more traditional advertising methods. That is, as long as YouTube plans on keeping banner and pre-roll ads. It seems like the company will continue serving them during the roll out of paid channels, but there’s no word on whether they’ll be sticking around long-term.

Also, keep in mind that viewers might not like the idea of paying for content, especially if it’s currently available for free. It’ll be a challenge converting viewers to paid subscribers, so make sure you give them a reason to want to subscribe by offering premium content they can’t find anywhere else. This poses an additional challenge for smaller teams that might not have the budget or bandwidth required to create exclusive content.

“This is just the beginning,” YouTube stated on its blog. “We’ll be rolling paid channels out more broadly in the coming weeks as a self-service feature for qualifying partners.” If you’re interested in starting a paid channel, you can nominate your channel for consideration by filling out this form.

[Via: TechCrunch, Image credit: Korosirego]

The post Paid Subscriptions on YouTube Will Challenge Content Creators appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Facebook Exchange, or FBX ads, enable businesses to target consumers based on their online browsing interests outside of Facebook. Previously limited to the right sidebar, this ad unit is slowly making its way into the News Feed — and early results look promising.

Following news that Facebook is expanding the test of FBX ads in the News Feed, Nanigans, one of the alpha testers, released some of the data it has collected along the way. According to the early study, retargeting ads that appear within News Feed deliver an average increase ROI of 197 percent, compared to those on the right-hand side.

In fact, Nanigans found that on average, FBX ads in News Feed had 17.1 times higher clickthrough rates and 51 percent lower cost-per-clicks. This was discovered after analyzing more than 10 million ad impressions from a variety of retailers between April 18th and May 6th.

For brands, the benefits don’t stop there. Compared to other exchanges, FBX offers lower costs per acquisition and ads that appear above the fold and on “brand-safe” pages. In general, News Feed ads tend to perform better than their sidebar counterparts, likely because they’re harder to ignore.

That said, advertisers and Facebook will have to find a happy balance. As more ads find their way into the News Feed, members might be less likely to interact with them. If you’re currently running one or more ad campaigns, test new ads using Unpublished Posts, and make sure that you’re also balancing promotional material with engaging content that won’t turn away fans.

[Via: Inside Facebook, Image credit: Johannes Fuchs]

The post FBX Ads in News Feed Increase ROI by 197 Percent [Study] appeared first on Sprout Insights.

From live concerts to political discussions, Google+ Hangouts has become a handy communication tool for brands and businesses with global audiences. This week, Google introduced new functionality that aims to make participating in a live On Air Hangout easier for you and your viewers.

The most notable update is the ability to rewind live broadcasts. One of the challenges of having a global audience is scheduling. Depending on when your On Air Hangout begins, it’s likely that there will be some stragglers who miss the first few minutes, or even the first half. But instead of waiting for the full video to upload to YouTube, now viewers can rewind live broadcasts, regardless of when they started watching.

A smaller, but welcomed update is the ability to start live broadcasts without having to refresh. Previously, if viewers tuned in on YouTube or Google+ Events before the start time, they’d have to refresh the page to see the live broadcast. Now, when someone visits a page with a Hangout On Air the video will begin playing as soon as it started — no refresh required.

Other improvements include access to recordings immediately after your broadcast, which means you can begin sharing it much faster. Previously you had to wait for it to process. Additionally, Google promises higher quality Hangouts On Air on mobile devices.

The company did note that it might take longer to set up a Hangout On Air as part of these enhancements. For example, the “start broadcasting” button might be grayed out for a bit before it turns red. If you experience this during your next Hangout, don’t panic — it’s just Google getting everything in place before you go live.

[Via: The Next Web, Image credit: David Burillo]

The post New Functionality Makes Hangouts On Air Easier for Your Viewers appeared first on Sprout Insights.

The Klout Score is used by many businesses and individuals to measure “social influence.” But instead of just measuring and reporting areas of influence, the company is taking it a step further by inviting members to build up their credibility online by sharing knowledge and expertise around a specific topic.

This week, Klout launched a preview of Klout Experts, a new program that will prompt influencers in different areas to answer questions related to the topic they’re influential in. For example, someone influential in social media might be asked “What are the three most important pieces of advice you can give to someone who is new to social media?”

As a marketer or community manager, answering that question not only shows that you’re knowledgeable about the topic, but could help others view you as a thought leader. It’s a good way for customers and clients to see that you’re not just someone who talks about social media a lot, but instead that you’re someone with a deep-rooted interest and understanding in the topic.

Your expertise isn’t limited to the Klout community, however. In addition to being posted on Klout, your answers will also be highlighted in Bing search results at the top of the results page accompanied by your photo. People searching for help will be able to find your responses, then look at your Klout Moments to get a better understanding of your perspective, or connect through social media channels to continue the conversation.

This is particularly valuable for brands and your evangelists (whether official or self-appointed). For example, a consumer searching for “lash-lengthening mascara” might come across a result from a Klout Expert (your evangelist) who just so happens to be influential in beauty products. That consumer can then check out the influencer’s profile, see that she’s tweeted about or shared photos of your product before and decide to make a purchase based on her recommendations.

Of course this depends on the quality of the answers being shared, which is probably why Klout Experts is currently available to only a small percentage of members. However, the company stated that it already has answers to more than 150,000 questions — representing a 70 percent response rate from the influencers it reached out. It’s not clear when a wider rollout can be expected, but you can request early access by signing up for the wait list.

[Via: PCMag, Mashable, Image credit: Highways Agency]

The post Why ‘Klout Experts’ Is Valuable to Brands and Your Customers appeared first on Sprout Insights.

Mobile is positioned to be the platform of choice for both businesses and customers using social media. Studies have shown that people are more likely to access networks from their mobile devices, and the operators of social media companies are responding in kind. LinkedIn redid its mobile presence last month, and Facebook is the latest to update its services to better reach those mobile-minded users.

The Facebook changes in question are focused on how brand Pages look on mobile devices. Here’s a review of what has changed, how it will impact your fans, and what steps your business may want to take to update your Page.

What’s New?

The main focus of this redesign is making the most important information on a business Page easily visible to a Facebook member on a mobile device. That means that any promoted posts, the ones that your admin prioritizes so that they stay at the top of your Page, are going to be displayed more prominently in the mobile version. In the old design, those posts appeared below the cover photo and other Page details, the same way that they still look in a web browser.

The other major functional change for businesses and their social teams is that switching between the public view and admin view of their Pages should be simpler. It should also be easier to swap between posting as the brand Page and as that employee’s personal account. This allows anybody covering your social profiles to be in control of your brand’s presence just as easily on a mobile device as on Facebook’s website.

Beyond the cosmetic updates, this redesign is also a step to put Facebook into more direct competition with Yelp. The new layout puts similar data such as reviews, ratings, and check-ins front and center on Pages. It even has a similar look to the business profiles on Yelp’s mobile app. That means a bigger shift in Page appearance for local businesses or stores with physical locations, while the updates for the Pages of national brands or digital services will not be as drastic.

What It Means For Customers

Facebook’s decision for a redesign is a clear attempt to make its mobile experience better. The old design simply resized the same information and layout used in the web version, which could feel cluttered and too busy on a reduced screen size. It focused on icons and buttons rather than explicitly displaying data. For example, you could click on a button to see a map of the business’ address, but the redesign has the mapped location on viewable at all times from the top of the mobile Page.

In turn, if customers have a better experience using Facebook on mobile devices, that means they may be more likely to visit your Page directly. Using Facebook’s key features — such as Likes, shares, and messaging — should also be easier for them now. If Facebook’s push to imitate some of the offerings of Yelp is successful, it is also a possibility that customers will be using the platform more regularly for finding brick-and-mortar stores while on the go. That would be a shift in

What Should Your Brand Do?

Since you may be seeing increased traffic from mobile devices, make sure that your social media team spends some time getting acquainted with the new design. Look at how your information appears on smartphones and tablets so that you can strategize based on what your audience sees.

Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to get all your Page’s relevant information up to date. Keep your street address, phone number, website, and hours current so that the appropriate details are accessible to your fans and potential customers. This should be a standard practice for your company on any social platform, but is even more essential for people who might want information on mobile devices on the go.

Finally, monitor your data. The new design rolled out in late April, so dive into your analytics tools to see if your Page experiences any change in traffic patterns or activity that could be related to the change. If it seems that your Page visitors are using Facebook as an alternative to Yelp, then keep your profile supplied with posts that will be useful to them. If that isn’t the trend you see, then stick with the approach that will best serve how your fans use the Page.

Remember, your brand may not experience the same impact as the average company with this new rollout, either because of the social media strategy you have in place or because of your target audience. Make sure your internal numbers back up any decisions you make in terms of presence on mobile.

[Image credits: Jeremy Keith, Pete, Fernando Mafra]

The post Everything You Need to Know About Facebook’s New Mobile Pages Design appeared first on Sprout Insights.

When a visitor to one of your company’s locations checks in with the new version of the consumer Foursquare iPhone app, he or she can now share details of his or her check-in-related accomplishments with friends. Those include not only personal accomplishments like a 30-day streak at the gym, but more importantly for businesses, received Tips and unlocked Specials.

We’ve taken some deep looks at how businesses get results using Specials and Tips on Foursquare in the past, but there was always a limitation in exposure — a potential customer more or less has to already check in to find out about your Specials unless you go cross-platform and manually promote the Specials on Twitter or Facebook. That’s always been a good idea and it still is, but now the reach of these deals can extend beyond those following or visiting you directly.

If a customer thinks a Special you’re offering is a particularly good deal, he or she can just tap a button in the app now to share that special with his or her entire network of friends. If they think it’s a good deal too, they might show up as patrons to take advantage for themselves, and maybe even share the deal with their friends.

Despite Foursquare’s relatively small user base, it’s a tantalizing promise, and extra incentive to offer some killer Specials to your customers.

The new capability for sharing Tips is an altogether different beast. Just as with say, Yelp reviews, this one could work for you or against you. People might leave all sorts of comments as Tips when they visit your business. Some could be positive, others could be negative — and now those comments can be amplified.

This is going to happen whether your team is engaging with Foursquare or not, so it’s best to provide the best customer experience possible and to be present on all the social channels your team has the bandwidth for to lead the conversation about your business.

You might recall that Foursquare now offers a mobile app for managing your venue’s presence there. Use it!

[Image credit: Thirteen of Clubs]

The post Foursquare’s New App Makes Sharing Easier for Your Customers appeared first on Sprout Insights.