InstaTrain and Friend or Follow Reviewed!

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Hadn't really poked around much to see what kind of tools there are out there to assist you with your Instagram account. So I googled away and found the “InstaTrain” that promised tons of followers in seconds! Suspecting that this was a setup similar to “Seed” for Twitter (is that even still around?), I investigated: 

Board the train! Become a VIP! Do not miss out on our summer discount!

You know the old saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?” Uh huh.

So here’s how it works. You can get on the train for free by tweeting or posting kudos for Instatrain or you can pay to be a VIP and get “hundreds/thousands” of followers after going through a few easy steps. Then, you “board the train”. You may have to wait a couple minutes and the countdown builds up the excitement. Then it happens…All Aboard!

And it’s true! For free, you WILL get “instant” followers. 

Wow, huh?

Ah wait a minute; there’s a punchline, right?

Yep.

My feed was immediately filled with: Young girls snapping photos of themselves, phone in hand, messages in Arabic, photos that weren’t exactly high quality, “colorful” language, poor use of English, and need I go on?

I also noticed that a majority of my new follower’s handles had a “_” in it @iam_kayy is one example. Then there were a bunch that boasted their intelligence by their names: @wakyweirdo @xogeniuss @butburnasinner.

My followers went up rapidly. Now, I only had about 190 followers and suddenly it was 230! Wow! Then, as soon as the followers built up, the number started going down again; deflating by half within minutes. 

Folks, if you've ever checked out Seed, it works the same way. 

The question is: Do you really need these people? Big thumbs down here. 

My suggestion is that you build your followers by finding people who post photos that you enjoy. Simple as that! You can find them through your friends, through hashtags, or as links from other social networks.

Now, back to the mini-mess I made for myself: Luckily, you can clean up very easily with the Friend or Follow for Instagram! Didn't know it existed; 
had used the version for Twitter in the past! They give you three views: 

• Following: The ones you follow that don't follow you back. Was surprised that several of my friends were not following me back (well okay, some appear to not be active on Instagram!).
• Fans: They follow you and you aren't following back.
• Friends: The feeling is mutual.

Sigh of relief: Was able to clean up my account in a jiffy! I highly recommend this tool! Wish they had a version for Pinterest! 

In the early 90's The Farm sang about a train that we really like; a groovy train! If you need groovy strategy for your business, visit us at our website, or say hello on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. 

Multi-accounts, Multi-posting, and You.

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Okay, there are many things that could be classified as a no no when posting or tweeting. If I listed them all in one neat place, maybe you'd spend five seconds looking at the list and perhaps you'd absorb one or two on the list. 

Makes more sense to give you just ONE instead.

So, here we go. If you are the proud owner or administrator of multiple accounts, don't do this:

Yes, it’s not one, not two, but THREE tweets at the same time. And yes, I heard your question: “Why not?” While I could give you a lengthy boring list, here are just a few items that come to mind:

• It’s spammy.
• It looks bad, plain and simple.
• You run the risk of being unfollowed because you look bad!
• It’s confusing to your tweeps.
• It doesn't demonstrate professionalism thus potentially harming your reputation.

Enough. You get the idea. And for the record, I had no desire to click on the link on these tweets! 

If you MUST tweet your message out several times using several different accounts (note this surely applies to two accounts and multiple posting on any given social network), DO use a tool such as HootSuite so that you can easily space out the tweets or posts! Ironically, the example above shows an incorrect way to use HootSuite!

Or, use your egg timer to post or tweet “live” at different intervals! Just kidding.

In the 70’s Grand Frank Railroad sang about bad timing (see below). Okay, they were singing about romance, however we think you’ll just love our offerings and you’re welcome to visit our website, or say hello on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.  

Twiddle Those Social Media Thumbs All Day!

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Ever feel like your social media efforts are weighing you down?

I sure do! So I thought up a way to make some changes.

Just created a little spreadsheet starting with a list of all the social media accounts that I have, both personal and for business, and the list includes just the ones that are active. The count? Eleven major social networks with 15 business accounts and 7 personal ones. The personal accounts may be related to my businesses to some degree but only slightly (say less than 20%).

That’s a LOT of accounts to handle! No; wait a minute! It is insanity!
And it explains why my days get bogged down at times. Putting it “in writing” brought things into focus.

A big thumbs down! 

Ah, but a spreadsheet is really useless without data. A list has been created and nothing more. A little birdie tells me that I've been checking these accounts all too often because they’re checked on a whim; kind of like an “ooh ah! I haven’t checked that one in a while!” Need to add some structure!

Time to put in some columns. How ‘bout times of the day? I put them in intervals of 2 hours, starting with 7AM …on second thought, I snuck in 8AM too since I tend to do a lot of “busy” stuff in the morning. And for good measure, 12PM is now there too.

Started using the spreadsheet today. A couple weeks from now when there's enough data: Analysis! Will it eventually show patterns and and where there’s too much time being spent, or perhaps not enough? 

The good news is that not all social networks need my attention on a daily basis, such as Pinterest. However, it’s there on the sheet as a reminder not to forget it; it is important that I pin my blogs there as well and also see what other people have pinned, however, it just can’t be every day!

See, I'm already prioritizing before even getting started: Mindset! This little “experiment” is going to pan out. While I feel like I'm twiddling my thumbs, I know that’s not actually true and now there will be evidence of how much work is involved with social media upkeep.

How ‘bout you? Would you try something like this? 
The Rolling Stones sang about something we all want to have better control of (see below). If you need better control of your time spent marketing, let us help you with your strategy. Stop by our website, or stop by on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.   

Honestly, Facebook? My Blog is Spam?

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Sadly, my efforts have not made an impact on Facebook yet. Repeat. Yet. Their criteria for the allowance of graphic violence, namely animal abuse, remains as is. They must LIKE it! 

A couple days ago I published a blog that was extremely difficult to write. If you're an animal lover to any degree or if you think Facebook needs to create stricter rules about what’s posted I urge you to read it.

I wrote the blog for several reasons: A friend was upset after viewing it, to encourage people to get involved any way they can to take care of animals (rescue, advocating rights, etc.), and I wanted to alert people about Facebook’s leniency in allowing videos like the one I used as an example in the blog.

Nowhere in the blog do I state anything in a nasty tone to Facebook. I just relayed the facts. The truth.

And now I am being punished for my actions. For the record: I don't consider myself a radical; if there’s a cause to support it that I believe in, I quietly do so.

Yesterday I received not one, but TWO emails from friends that read my blog. Both saw my post about my blog in Facebook and clicked on the link to go there. Both sent screenshots that looked like this:

Look carefully at the top. Squint if you have to; it's important!

It's hard to believe that I might have been reported to Facebook for my actions towards advocating the prevention of animal abuse! What I think happened was that Facebook chanced upon my blog via whatever algorithm they have for picking up references to them that they deem as negativity. It could have been a combination of words such as violence and Facebook: Who knows?

I am surprised and disappointed by their actions. If I were Coca-Cola or McDonald's would they be treating me this way? Another example of how Facebook cares nothing about small business owners!

What I DO care about animals. The “four-legged” kind.

To anyone that read and shared my previous blog, thank you so much! My blog doesn't reach the masses so every share is greatly appreciated.

Meanwhile, I'm going to go talk to the animals (see video below). If you need to talk to me, visit the website, or visit us on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.      

  

Psssst…I’ve Got a Pinterest Secret!

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Could I be keeping something from you? Certainly. However, until now, everything I’ve been pinning on Pinterest is there for the whole world to see. 

And it’s a board. Don’t get bored; this is actually pretty interesting. You, as pinner of your master universe, can now have three boards that you can keep to yourself. You don’t have to show a soul. Not sure if this was all rolled out at once or not. My secret boards appeared at the bottom of the page, below my existing boards, on November 8. 

Wow. Hiding stuff. Bummer you can’t hide your existing boards; that's because there may have been activity from other pinners there. Your secret boards need to be freshly started.

Looks just like another board and according to Pinterest, a pin on a secret board will not show up. Anywhere. Sweet.

Creating a secret board

There’s no limit to other pinners secret boards that you can belong to. If there is a limit, Pinterest hasn’t specified one. So don’t worry about joining up with your fellow pinheads on their secrets!

There could come a day when you’ve had enough of one of your secret boards (can’t imagine why) and you’d like to start something fresh. No problem! Delete it and then you’re free to reach your quota of three all over again!

Oh and one more little thing that Pinterest doesn’t mention in their support area. You have the option to switch your secret board from “off” (private) to “on” (public). And when you do, here’s the message that pops up:

It’s a one-time deal. Once your secret board is made public, you can’t go back! Pinterest, you’re making life complicated now; so many decisions to make!

Adding this paragraph two hours after posting: JUST got an email from Pinterest announcing secret boards. This is close to 48 hours after I first noticed it on my profile! Glitch in your contact system, Pinterest?

How will you use this new feature? Will you fly solo and keep your darkest secrets under wraps, or will you have a pin pal that you’ll share your secret board(s) with? And what will you pin?

Carly Simon sang about not having secrets back in the 70’s and below she does a jazzy rendition of that tune. The lyrics state: “we tell each other everything” …okay, so this statement doesn’t apply to Pinterest anymore. Enjoy! And if you want to peruse some other public information, check out my Pinterest account (which I need to catch up to!) or the Groovy Reflections Pinterest account (my other endeavor).   

Dear Facebook (A Rant)

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Facebook, you just keep doing it to me. I feel like you’re trying to wring some $$s out of me and your tactic is to share the posts from my MODern Marketing 4 U page to less and less of my followers.

Thank GOODNESS for Twitter. I receive more consulting inquiries from there than anywhere else. And thanks to Twitter, I have a healthy blog readership that’s grown by leaps and bounds over the last few months. 

Facebook, I have a lot of faith in you. One of my other pages, Groovy Reflections, now has well over 12,000 fans and incredibly high engagement. So I KNOW some people are seeing that page and that’s great!

I have no intention of using your Pay to Promote feature. Why would I when up to just earlier this year ALL the fans for my pages DID got all the posts from those pages in their news feeds? I even honored you by blogging about this new feature when you introduced it; JUST to let people know about the good and the bad points about it. 

Facebook, it’s not my fault that your stock flopped. Thankfully, I chose not to buy. I KNOW you make money from advertising. And that’s fine; I accept that. But to squeeze “the little guy” (uh, that would be me) for some chump change is unreasonable. I've done my part for you by keeping 12,000+ people coming back to Facebook because they like Groovy Reflections! They may be staying on Facebook even longer because of the success of that page. 


We are not Charmin though you think we are.

Now, about that stock. It’s worth about half of the intro price now. Did you ever think about bestowing credibility by actually showing that you CARE about us users?  An announcement about upcoming changes would definitely make people think that you consider us important? Besides, generating excitement about upcoming changes (provided they are GOOD changes) will also build positive brand imagery. Do you have a marketing department that thinks about this?

So, Mr. Zuckerberg, you should be thanking ME. Why not give me $50 in credit for promotions as a little thank you. Your wealth won’t even be affected.

Bert Kaempfert wrote a little ditty about 50 years ago that describes a good way to be; can we apply this to our thoughts about Facebook in the future? For more smiles, stop by and visit... at the website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ ...Thanks! 

Social Media Marketing and U.

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Back in the fourth grade, I wrote a poem. It may have been my first one ever. It contained words that were easily comprehended by nine year olds. Except for one.


Ubiquitous.


Don’t remember where I found the word. The line in the poem read “ubiquitous is this season”; the only line I recall from it. 


Guess I was really proud to find such a big word. I even pronounced it wrong. Instead of u-biq-ui-tous I spoke it as u-bi-quit-ous when we had to stand up in front of the class and read our poems. Hey, I was a kid!


Little used, under loved, ubiquitous, an adjective that’s really so big. Dictionary.com defines it as “existing or being everywhere”. Another source cites is as “having or seeming to have the ability to be everywhere at once; omnipresent”.

It’s really a word that more of us should use. Especially with social media.
Simply put, you and your business really do have to be “everywhere” as far as the major social networks. On Twitter. On Facebook. On LinkedIn. On Google+. On Pinterest. Rudolph, let your nose shine bright. 


You DO have to know what level of participation works best for your branding and company. There is no “one size fits all.” DO be experimental and play on all of them and have a good understanding of the nuances of each. It’s not “one post fits all either” and you’ll see over time how your fits in to a particular social network. It WILL take time. Have patience and do not expect immediate results.


Social media marketing is a long-term commitment; you have to stick with it and be involved for the long haul. 


And Social Media is ubiquitous. And since roses are pretty much everywhere, I posted  one. Here's a song from the ubiquitous Johnny Cash:

This is U in the Blogging A to Z challenge. Here's S and T.
Stop by and say hello!   Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. 

Product. Price. PROMOTION. Place.

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The title of this blog was originally thought of as a group in the late 1940’s and once the clever phrase “The Four P’s” was coined in 1960, the concept really took off and wound up in many a hard bound Marketing 101 text book.


And more recently, three more P’s were tagged on: Process, Physical evidence and People. Uh, okay.


But what about that third word in the original four P's: Promotion? Encarta describes promote as: To publicize a product so that people will buy or rent it.


And that’s still true; however, the parameters have changed just a bit. Well, namely, the channels. There’s still “traditional”, such as direct mail, billboards, radio, TV, and magazines of course. And then there’s social media. And that one gets more convoluted, complicated, and time consuming all the time. 


Promotion was so much easier before the days of social media! You just hired a PR agency and they took care of most of it. Then social media came along. And many businesses decided to handle that themselves. Sure, let's post the special on the menu a couple of times of week and maybe throw a 10% off on there or two. Oh and maybe a blog post now and then. That’s what social media is all about, right? I’m selling my product.


Well guess what? That’s not it! It’s not even about you or your business. And I’ve written about that so many times. It’s about creating awareness for your service and/or product, in essence, promoting, but more importantly it’s about the people who have an interest in what you have to say!


It’s a kinder, gentler, type of promotion. It's a long term commitment. It’s conversational, thought provoking, and community oriented. It brings to you both interested fans and people who like to throw pebbles and stones. And it continues to require more and more planning, thought and time. If you’re feeling bogged down by it, get someone else to do all that so you can plan menus, paint great works of art, fix broken plumbing, prepare taxes, or whatever it is you do exceptionally well.


LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. Google+. Interest specific Social Networks. And now, Pinterest has come in like a hurricane! Too much. And you’ve got to have a presence on all the big boys to ensure that your audience is hearing you. Sigh.


How are all of you folks with businesses managing all that?


Double Sigh. 


Promotion. Sometimes you wish you hadn’t heard the word!  Pink Floyd even sang a song about it. See below.


This is P in the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Here's N and O.  If you haven’t had enough of me, stop by for more on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Spread That Social Media News: You May Adopt a Pet!

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Several friends of mine tirelessly post on Facebook about dogs and cats that need a home. They are scattered around the U.S. …New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, California, Missouri.  A few are involved with shelters, volunteering their time. Some posts are desperate; the animal is on the list to be euthanized with not much time left.

I read these posts, however I don’t respond very often. One day, I did comment on one and said “This little guy is cute. BTW, I just got a rescue dog.” My friend's reply exclaimed surprise because she didn’t think anyone was reading her posts and expressed delight in my finding a furry friend. I assured her that what she was doing was important and to keep doing it.

And I can justify that statement.

In October, a friend, Jim, shared a post on Facebook from one of his friends; a photo of a small dog in a cage. I was traveling at the time and quite busy. I commented “He’s a great little dog” and didn’t think more about it.

A couple weeks later and back home from my travels, Jim posted another photo of the same dog. I happened to see it and comment “he’s really cute”; this time Jim strongly urged me to call the vet where the dog was staying.

The next day, Tuesday, I called and discovered that the dog’s previous owner brought him to an animal shelter and was turned away because they were full. A concerned shelter employee brought the dog to a vet that sometimes takes in animals.  The only details retained were the dog’s name. So there he lived, in a cage in the waiting area with a sign pleading for someone to adopt him.  Thankfully on the weekends he went home with a staff member.

The following day, I was there, a 90 mile drive. Nervously, I entered and told a staff member who I was.  She said to go ahead and open the cage. I bent down and two front paws immediately went around my neck.

Guess who came home with me?

Would this young dog, who I describe as a terrier mix that looks like he stuck his paw in an electrical outlet, have found a home without the power of social media behind him? Gizmo, while he does like to stick his paw on the keyboard when he’s sitting in my lap, has no clue what Facebook is; if he did, he’d probably be thanking Mark Zuckerberg for its existence.

Facebook and other social networks quickly get information out that wasn’t possible ten years ago. In this particular case, someone I didn’t even know initiated the communication and Jim, as good hearted as he is, spread the word further.

Here’s the point. Anything you post does get seen. You may not see comments on it, however people are reading. And what you’ve posted may be shared, opening up the message to a whole new audience. News where people can help in a particular situation can travel quite far in a short period of time. And some people who aren’t in a position to help resolve the cause or issue will do their part by sharing the information to others who perhaps can.

Social media is a great way to get the word out when someone or something (like Gizmo) is in need.

Let’s go back to the days before the internet, and use my new furry friend as an example. He is turned away at a full-to-capacity shelter and winds up at the local vet. Pet owners who come to his practice see the dog; a few tell some other folks. Someone might even snap a photo, get it developed (you’re snickering now, right?) and pin it up on the lunchroom bulletin board where they work. Perhaps a few phone calls are made.

How many people got the news? A hundred, maybe two hundred?

Now how many people got the news via social media? Possibly thousands, depending on how many shares. It’s possible the vet posted on his page too (if he has one). There could be several chains of communication spreading the word out there.

And the moral of the story? Social Media sharing is often caring.

Facebook is a Square Over Circles; Hello Lists!

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Is this the start of ease of “segmented” information for users of Facebook?  Changes are brewing with some new features just announced in regards to lists. It certainly does seem like a follow the leader approach in regards to this revamp, and surprise, the “leader” is Google+, which boasts a fraction of the users that Facebook has. Could this be the start of a social network arena shakeup?


Sounds like Facebook may be feeling a bit threatened. Do you think they’re trolling the internet, getting a read on what folks like and don’t like about Google+? If you thought “yes”, then you’re probably right. That’s my gut feeling too.


So what has Facebook done? Simply put, they’ve made the struggle with lists less intense. After hearing complaints and allowing us to be subjected to the frustrations of everyone we know for so long, it’s about time.  The changes come not that long after they made some tweaks to making privacy settings more obvious to the not-so-savvy Facebook user.


Here’s the low down on what’s been done with new, improved lists:


• Facebook has made it easier to add people to lists. Now I haven’t seen this feature in action yet, but I suspect that it’s as easy as dragging someone into a circle when adding in Google+.


• Lists that are automatically created for location, work, family, and school. Dubbed “Smart Lists” by Facebook.


• The ability to segment your friends based on how well you know them. Interestingly enough, this is how I’ve approached my Google+ circle methodology. But that’s another story. The important thing here is that you’ll be able to list and see all posts, including photos within Close Friends and Acquantances lists.


• Facebook has made this new feature optional, similar to what they’ve done with the recently announced “reduced email”. Wow! Now we have choices too!


If you don't have them yet, you soon will; the changes are rolling out this week. All I can say is …thank you Google+. Without you, this update never would have happened. However, it’s a shame that the consumer’s voice isn’t heard until a potential threat comes along.