How to Get More Comments on Your Posts

Below is a taste of an insightful article written by David Smith on how to get more comments on your Blog posts. The tips in this article can also be applied to FaceBook posts, achieving more retweets and followers, and many other social network tools and marketing efforts. Some of the highlights from the article are listed below, for the full article visit:

18 Types of Posts That Get More Comments

About the Author: David Smith works for Conversion Optimization Company Invesp and enjoys writing on SEO, landing pages, conversion rate optimization and affiliate marketing.

Are you tired of seeing no or very less comments on your blog posts? Do you feel sad when you find out that no one wants to spend his 2 minutes in leaving a comment on the post which took hours of your efforts? If the answer to above questions is Yes, then here is good news for you, on average more than 80% of blogs suffers from “No Comments” disease. And to help you in getting rid of it, we’ve compiled a list of 18 types of posts that always gets lot of comments.

Below are Applecores Favorite Tips From: 18 Types of Posts That Get More Comments

#3. Lists and Useful resources post – No other marking campaign can beat a useful and well researched list relevant to your niche in getting number of comments and links. Such lists can easily go viral and can help you in building a loyal following. Example – 30+ principles to a better landing page design.

 #6. Series of Posts – Series of posts have a great power to keep the readers engaged. Not only they help you in breaking longer posts in to short ones and explaining things in a better way, but also help you to build a loyal following for your blog. Example – Website Traffic Series at DailyBlogTips

#7. How-to Guide posts – Does your target audience is facing a common problem then write a detailed How-to guide on it covering solutions that can help them in solving their problems. Example – How to Blog: Blogging Tips for Beginners

#10. Humorous/Funny posts – Posts that can make your readers laugh can also force (in a good way) them to leave comments. Example – This is why I don’t clap along

#13. Ask a question post – Ask a question to your readers. Asking a question that readers are interested in answering can easily increase the number of comments by 2-3 times. Example – Ask the readers section at GetRichSlowly

#15. Real-time posts – Posts about hot trends and latest happenings that are taking place in the niche. Example – Thoughts on Google Instant (It is also an opinion post)

For the complete list visit The Blog Herald: 18 Types of Posts That Get More Comments

Make Your Website a Daily Destination

5 simple strategies to keep people coming back

The following article gives some great advice on how to increase and maintain traffic on your website. This article was written by Scott Steinberg, Columnist for Entrepreneur.com

Every small business loves the exposure, empathy and sense of community that having a website that's a daily destination for consumers can generate. But getting people to visit on a regular basis can be a challenge, especially if updates are infrequent or all you have to offer is the occasional monotone press release or product announcement.

Thankfully, building a website that's "sticky" enough to keep users engaged and coming back doesn't have to require investing thousands or reinventing yourself as the next online media empire. All it takes is a little elbow grease and personal touch, as indicated by the simple strategies below, each designed to send your homepage's daily number of visitors soaring:

Connect and Communicate: Make no bones about it: Blogging should be an essential part of any modern website. After all, a few clicks is literally all it takes to post updates in real-time around the clock, creating a steady stream of content that promises something new and exciting with every visit. Better still, professionals at all experience levels have the capability of readily doing it, and the practice also helps put a personal face on your organization, shining the spotlight on the individuals behind it. However, to really captivate an audience enough to keep them returning, take note: You'll also need to provide content that's dynamic, unique and offers measurable informational or entertainment value, plus speak in a language that all can understand. In short, the occasional pre-approved sound bite from the HR guy or gal won't cut it. Rather, you need to address audiences like you're having a normal conversation, and provide content with meaningful substance to the reader. Making-of articles, features detailing how to get more from your products, partner profiles, project diaries, step-by-step how-to guides, interviews with notable personalities or internal stakeholders: All present compelling ways to connect with audiences while also keeping them interested and informed, providing ample incentive to keep coming back.

Use Targeted Demonstrations: While special membership options, premium subscription packages and frequent buyer programs can all prove great incentives, services that you freely give away are often just as important as those that you reserve for more exclusive clients. Whether you're looking at offering complimentary computer virus scans by having users visit your homepage, providing a suite of free continuing education resources or simply hosting an archive of complementary, corporate-branded webinars on software engineering, realize: Providing helpful services or information at no charge that solve pressing, evergreen problems or answer important questions can all serve to generate a steady source of online traffic, and provide a ready supply of leads to upsell on premium services. Sometimes you have to give in order to get. It may seem counterintuitive, but ultimately, the practice makes a ready way to demonstrate your organization's capabilities to a potentially lucrative client base, while also giving them a taste of the benefits to be had by partnering on more advanced or long-term services.

Emphasize Community Building: As social media insiders well know, creating a sense of community around your website is one of the most powerful tools for engaging and ultimately enthralling prospective fans. But doing so doesn't simply mean throwing up a sponsored message board then leaving it to stagnate, or e-mailing customers sporadic newsletter updates that regurgitate existing material easily found elsewhere. Rather, you have to not only encourage discussion and actively take part in conversations by dedicating internal time and resources, but also make customers feel as if they truly have a voice in the discussion by listening to their concerns, responding and sourcing feedback at every opportunity. Implementing programs that recognize and reward valued contributors is also vital, as is creating fan-based initiatives that allow community members to contribute and share ideas, concepts and creations of their own. Even simply giving enthusiasts the chance to submit designs for your next fundraiser's logo or arranging times where they can chat with top execs to provide input on upcoming ventures won't just engender goodwill. They'll also excite and empower a legion of amateur brand ambassadors--an essential source of free ongoing updates and constructive conversations, which will both attract users to and keep them enamored with your site.

Focus on Value: Exclusive specials, contests, promotions and timed discounts can all be powerful drivers of website traffic, especially in these cost-conscious times. By offering direct bargains and rebate programs on both an ongoing and sporadic basis through your online headquarters, you can keep customers' interest piqued, and generate additional sales. These marketing programs become even more valuable when coupled with Facebook, Twitter and other social marketing tools, which have the potential to help news spread like wildfire online. Just make sure that the only place such bargains can be found is on your homepage, and be consistent in terms of the pages to which you drive this traffic, to establish in shoppers' minds the importance of regularly checking a certain destination. Similarly, establishing relationships with key bloggers and members of the media can also help reinforce the message, as can a regular series of e-mail or newsletter updates designed to inform current and prospective buyers. Customers get to save on purchases while you benefit from enhanced publicity and heightened sales, creating a win-win situation for all.

Design for Mass Distribution: Sharing is good--even more so if you've got a message worth spreading and it winds up in front of millions of eyeballs. As such, you should be not only updating your website with unique pieces of content (surveys, research reports, custom editorial clips, guides to solving common problems, unique looks behind-the-scenes, etc.) designed to grab viewers' attention, but also making everything from blog posts to pictures, photos, PDF documents and videos shareable, embeddable and ready to be commented upon or re-tweeted via social media platforms. When it comes to corporate assets, the tendency--especially among hyper-competitive start-ups--is always to tightly hold and control. But often, the more powerful strategy is to design pieces of content with the specific idea in mind of seeding them throughout the user community, as it's a great way to build brand awareness. Beyond heightened exposure and additional media mentions, using your website to disseminate unique, specially branded pieces of content can also lead to improved search engine optimization results through a larger number of incoming links. And, more important still, generate heightened word of mouth surrounding your homepage, letting countless potential readers know exciting things are happening there on a regular basis.

For more business tips and advice visit Entrepreneur.com

7 Steps to Measuring Your Brand’s Social Media Health

Written By: Maria Ogneva
Mashable

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should measure everything. Social media is very easily measured with various indicators like share of voice, reach, retweets, and comments. However, measuring without a clear objective in mind won’t bring you closer to success.

Nowadays, its not enough to have and execute a social media policy. You need to be able to gauge its success, measure it, and see that it remains healthy and vibrant.

Having already written about the differences between “monitoring” and “measuring” and how to properly conduct the former. Now, we turn to some best practices to help you measure your brand’s overall social media health, as well as the effectiveness of your various online initiatives.


Read on for the seven steps to getting the most out of your social media measurements.

1. Have a Goal

In order to properly measure your social media efforts, you need to know why you are engaging in social media in the first place. This objective will dictate not only what you do, but also how you measure what you do. Let’s take a look at some objectives and the corresponding metrics you’ll measure for each.

• If your goal is driving awareness, you will be looking at metrics like share of voice, reach, readership and engagement with content (measured in action vs. views).

• If you need to increase satisfaction through better support, you need to look at sentiment, satisfaction rates in surveys, speed of resolution and percent of queries resolved.

• If creating better products and doing market research is a goal, you need to focus on top market trends and satisfaction with various competitive products.

• If developing customer advocacy is a goal, you should be looking at who your advocates are, measuring their influence and reach and their engagement with your product and content.

All or none of the above could apply to your particular objective. It’s important to be specific about your purpose and to measure towards that end.

2. Get Your Departments on the Same Page

Social media is not a silo. You need to set up your organization for success by better aligning necessary departments to work as units towards a common goal. Understand what goals are important for each department, and set them up for success with strategies and metrics that make sense.

You will need to establish a process by which your departments can communicate and share the right metrics with the right people on demand. Will you create a dashboard that’s easily visible by every department or simply send email recaps? Will they be customized to match the interests of each department?
Can you export raw data and easily share charts and graphs?

3. Always Consider Context

Metrics without context are meaningless. If you know your share of social media conversation is 35%, what does that mean compared to your competitors’ shares or their change over time? Always look at metrics over time and inside of a competitive landscape.

4. Select Your Platform Wisely

Just like with monitoring, selecting the right tool for the job is the next step after figuring out your strategy. Here are some aspects you should consider when selecting a platform:

• Data – Which data do you need? Which channels are you going to measure?

• Reports – Identify how you want to share and present information. If you are going for a premium tool you should definitely be receiving embeddable and emailable charts and downloadable raw data. You can even automate delivery of reports and dashboards via email.

• Actionable insights – There’s a big difference between data and insights. Don’t forget the importance of an analyst within your organization, even if it’s a part-time effort of your social media specialist.

• Budget – Do you have a budget or can you only afford a free tool? Keep in mind that cheaper tools can sometimes be harder to use or come with less features. “Free” may cost you more time in the long run.

• Ease of use – If you have limited resources, your platform must be easy to use and allow you to get your job done quickly. Consider productivity-boosting alerts and workflow modules, automation and advanced analytics.

5. Conduct a Full Social Media Audit

Now that you have selected your platform, start by conducting a full social media “audit” with the specific metrics you are measuring. Note where you and your competitors are today and use this as a baseline against which you will measure at least once a month.

Conducting a social media audit can also help you monitor the current share of conversation of various players and channels. Through this process you can find where to listen for service issues and where you should be building relationships with thought leaders and influencers.

6. Dig Deeper in Your Channels

Start by measuring volume of conversation in aggregate, across all channels. You should also evaluate performance by channel, for yourself and for your competitors, to find which sections are performing well and to help give your numbers specific context.

A surface look at metric like share of voice, buzz and sentiment allows you to understand what’s happening during an identified period of time. However, to get the most out of your social media analysis, you need to dig deeper. If you discover a spike in negative sentiment or a spike in buzz for one of your competitors, you need to dig in and find out what’s driving it.

7. Do A/B testing

Do you have a couple of campaigns out there? Are you curious about the adoption of certain product features or what content is getting the best response? Social media measurement can help you conduct the right analysis to figure out what’s working and what isn’t. Similar to how you can test web traffic patterns against website copy changes, you can measure the public’s opinion of things you try.

Remember to measure your general social media health comprehensively at least once a month and track responses to particular programs more frequently. Commit the right resources and choose your platforms wisely. Don’t be afraid to experiment and always measure!

Maria Ogneva is the Director of Social Media at Attensity, a social media engagement and voice-of-customer platform that helps the social enterprise serve and collaborate with the social customer. You can follow her on Twitter at @themaria or @attensity360, or find her musings on her personal blog and her company’s blog.

5 Tips for Aspiring Social Media Marketers

Are you a Social Media Master? It takes more than just knowing how to use tools such as Facebook, Twitter, or a Blog to be Social Media Savvy. Social Media Tools are complex, diverse, and can evolve quickly. Mashable has 5 great tips to get you started.

Erica Swallow from Mashable Writes,

Within the past few years, it seems that social media positions are popping up everywhere, in all types of organizations, from The New York Times, to Pizza Hut, and even in the White House. Businesses of all types are identifying the need to stay connected with their communities because they recognize the benefits.

Social media marketing is just a slice of the social media industry, but it’s a very important piece of the story. Businesses see social media as a platform for engaging with consumers and informing them of the latest company news and products. Marketers are blazing trails in the social media marketing sector, creating campaigns that are interactive, shareable and inclusive of the online community. For the most innovative of marketers, the focus isn’t on campaigns, but on letting consumers take the reigns in guiding a brand’s social presence.

For aspiring social media marketers, there are no strict rules for becoming successful. But we’ve gathered eight of the brightest minds in the social media industry to elaborate on five helpful tips for landing a job in social media marketing.

For the Five Tips for Aspiring Social Media Marketers visit: mashable.com

Social Media Challenges- A List to Help You Overcome Them

Jeremiah Owyangn, Industry Analyst, Founding Partner for Altimeter Group, and Columnist for Forbes CMO Network writes:

Matrix: Challenges of the Social Technology Industry, July 2010 Edition

While the opportunities for social technologies to change the world, business, and our individual lives continue to unveil, it’s also key to focus in on the challenges that impact the industry. For many folks who have decided to invest in social technologies to improve their careers and business, it’s even more important to pay attention to these challenges.

First of all, have the right mindset. The savvy person will realize this isn’t a list of gripes, but instead an opportunity list. Leaders at vendors, agencies, or brands will see these list of challenges of problems to fix and monetize. If you’re in this space, you’ll want to send this list to your product teams, or strategy teams so they can think about how to solve many of these issues –or at a minimum,be prepared for it.

For the detailed list of social media challenges visit:

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2010/07/05/matrix-challenges-of-the-social-technology-industry-july-2010-edition/?utm_source=feedburner

Twitter's Newest Feature!

by J. Butler, Content Development Specialist

Logging into the Applecore Twitter account this morning, I noticed a new addition that had popped up unexpectedly: the Lists feature.

Lists simply let you group the people you follow on Twitter into shorter, easier to follow lists. Like "Sports" "News" and "Entertainment," maybe. Or "England" "Canada" and "St. John's." Perhaps "Friends" "Family" or "Co-workers." What's more, any lists that you make or are featured on are also viewable via your profile...there's a new link next to your followers that tells you exactly how many lists you're on.

However you use it, it's sure to make the wide world of Twitter more personal and useful across the board.

Harvard Explores the Future of Social Media

by Jill Butler, Content Development Specialist

A remarkable social media experiment is happening on the campus of one of America’s most prestigious universities.

Harvard University has made Justice, one of the school's most popular courses, available online. Professor Michael Sandel is an internationally renowned mind, and explores political philosophy through thought-provoking topics such as same-sex marriage, civil rights and whether lying can ever be good. It’s a great way to educate Harvard students, but then, distance courses are nothing new on any university campus, even before the internet.

If the story stopped there, Applecore wouldn’t be writing a blog post about it.

Because this course isn’t only a course for Harvard students. This is available to anyone with the inclination and an Internet connection.

Each lesson—which run about 55 minutes each—has been loaded onto YouTube and posted to its website, which also features reading lists, pop quizzes and a discussion circle.

So really, it’s like you’re attending Harvard, but without paying the sizable tuition or stirring from the comfort of your own home.

What’s the Why?

My first thought when I heard about this was trying to figure out why Harvard would do this. And after much reflection, I think it can be explained in a word: exposure.

After all, the press coverage of this virtually unprecedented move by an Ivy League college has been extensive, and very positive.

But isn’t Harvard essentially trading their intellectual advantage for a couple of press releases? After all, prestige and exclusivity is what makes Harvard an impressive note on your resume, not that just anyone who’s willing to listen can benefit.

This is where the extraordinary part comes in.

Harvard Leads the Future

The Ivy League hasn’t exactly built a reputation for going with the flow. Introducing this high-production, universal course offering demonstrates that Harvard is not just some stuffy out of touch institution unable to keep up with new media and the latest technologies.

But what’s more, this website could go a long way for improving public opinion of the school, which goes a long way in a recession when many people question spending thousands more on an education which no longer guarantees success. Now, everyone can have a taste to see what all the fuss is about.

And let me tell you—this online course is not filler. It’s thought-provoking and intellectually vigorous, demanding you pay attention from the word go. It’s a great chance to see why a Harvard education is so valuable.

Where’s the Real Lesson?

But most of all, this legitimizes social media in a way that is unprecedented. YouTube isn’t just clips of animals doing funny things; Harvard University, the creme de la creme, uses it to teach its students! Comment boards aren't just a haven for slang; it can be the birthplace of carefully considered philosophical discussion!

This goes a long way in demonstrating the real future of social media. When YouTube was first introduced, did anyone really imagine that it would be adopted by a prestigious college to explore complex ideas of human development? To reach and educate a global audience?

Beyond instant messaging, Facebook pokes, or retweets, this makes it clear that the future of social media is as limitless as our imagination. Or perhaps, more accurately, our ambition.

9 for '09: Current Web Trends

by Jill Butler, Content Development Specialist

Our art and tech department banded together for this blog entry-- a survey of the top web design trends for 2009. Read on to find out all about how Technology, Creativity and Strategy are changing online.

TECHNOLOGY

1. Mobile Compatibility

Site: Pizza Hut

With more and more users getting their daily web surfing done on their iPhones or Blackberrys, smart websites have made the leap to offering content that either works well with or is specifically designed for these devices. Check out Pizza Hut's innovative iPhone app, that allows the user to order their pizza from the palm of their hand.

2. Online video/ Internet TV

Site: NBC.com

Regular TV-watching has become a thing of the past. After all, with the busy schedules and tightening household budgets of many tech-savvy TV lovers, cable just isn't convenient. So they turn to the Internet, which offers full episodes, either for download or streaming, whenever and however you want them. The smart networks, like NBC or the CW, have turned what might look like a cash-drain into an opportunity, offering exclusive content online and becoming the best source for reliable, quality online programming. As the old saying goes: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

3. Personalization

Site: iGoogle

The web can only be what you make it--and the trend towards making it your own has been growing steadily. With leaders like Google, even the browser you use to surf the web can be completely customized to suit your taste and needs. That's more or less the entire purpose of iGoogle--one stop for local weather, custom features, and news feeds that cater you YOUR every demand.

CREATIVITY

4. The Big Picture (layouts)

Site: The White House

This is a hot one: designers have been going for the high impact statement more and more, with bold, eye-catching banners and header that incorporate content and are more than a pretty face. The White's homepage is a great example of that--using their carousel-style banner to display important links and information.

5. Minimal: White Space and Then Some

Site: Concentric Studio

Clean, straightforward and useful--the trend to have more of nothing has been catching on for a while now, as more designers opt to de-clutter their web spaces and put focus on only the most important elements of the website. The upside? The user doesn't get overwhelmed by too much information only choice -- there is only where you want to guide them.

6. Big and Bold: HUGE typography, illustrations and vibrant graphics

Site: National Television

If you want big, eye-catching communication, there's nothing like a sure bet. Placing emphasis on words and putting illustration front and center has a fresh, almost European feel, giving the website an equal focus on design and communication.

STRATEGY

7. Keeping up with social media

Site: Fuel Your Creativity

More website are realizing the power of putting social media front and center--like Fuel Your Creativity has done here. It's wise to put these hotlinks in a very visible place, making it as easy as possible for any interested users to click on your blog, visit your Facebook page, or subscribe to your Twitter. There's no point in hiding these links-- you want people to use them, so gathering them into a one-stop corner of your website is a smart move.

8. Closing the Back Door

Site: Web Design Ledger

The "back door," in this case, refers to ways that stop your readers from clicking away from your blog or website--namely, by getting them interested in something else they'll find useful. There are many ways to do this, but one that is gaining speed is the "Related Links" widget. By using this feature, placed at the bottom of a blog post or page, you can catch your user's attention while you've still got it, and point them in other directions they may find helpful. It's good for them--they find out more about a topic they're interested in--but it's great for you--you get to keep your reader for a longer visit.

9. “Speaking” navigation

Site: Intereactive

Looking for clarity? You can't go wrong by adding this feature. "Speaking" navigation is more or less what it sounds like--instead of having simple, one or two word navigation (such as "Home" or "About Us") you use the coveted space to expand just a little on your company. This is especially helpful if the navigation your company has chosen is unconventional. It also gives you another chance to be personable and really connect with the people using your website--which is never a bad thing.

*

That's our top nine web design trends for '09. Got anything to add? Leave it in the comments; we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Want to Get Caught Up?

New to the Applecore blog? Catch up up with our must read posts:

Technology
Which Mayoral Candidate Get Top Marks for Social Media?

Google Does It Again

What is gooleads.g.doubleclick.net?



Creativity

See What's Fresh in Logo and Branding 2009

Our Favourite Type


Strategy

That's It: The Twitter Conversation

Turn the Bad into Good: Using Online Feedback to Help Your Business

10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites


How To's and Tutorials
Understanding Bounce Rates

Using Gmail for Internal Email

Tourism: A Social Media Butterfly



Happy reading!

Which Mayoral Candidate Gets Top Marks for Social Media?

by J. Butler, Content Development Specialist

Election fever has taken over St. John's, Newfoundland. With the St. John's mayoral election in less than two weeks' time, it seems like a great time to take a step back and assess how our local candidates are using social media to their advantage.

Let's see how the candidates for the St. John's Mayoral race shape up:

Dennis O'Keefe

Claim to Fame: As the incumbent, O'Keefe already has a significant head start over his opponents with the voters of St. John's. In addition, O'Keefe has a long record of service to the city, including a stint as a consumer advocate and tourism supporter.

On Facebook: No.

On Twitter? No.

Blog Status: None.

Personal Website: http://www.dennisokeefe.ca/

Google Results for "dennis o'keefe mayor": 70,000

Overall Social Media Grade: D+
While he does have a website, it seems mostly static and full of basic campaign rhetoric. With no Facebook, Twitter, or blog, there's no real online way to support him--voters will have to rely on the ol' standby: those annoying lawn signs.

Ron Ellsworth

Claim to Fame: City Council member since 2005 and an active member of the community.

On Facebook: Yes. His Group page, "Team Ellsworth," has 719 members and is active updated.

On Twitter: Yes.

Blog Status: No blog, but his website does feature a downloadable booklet called "The Ellsworth Essentials."

Personal Website: http://www.ronellsworth.com/

Google Results for "ron ellsworth mayor": 922,000

Overall Social Media Grade: B+

Making his campaign booklet "The Ellsworth Essentials" available for download was a great use of the wide reach of the web. His website also features a place online where interested parties can sign up for the campaign. Ellsworth is clearly making an effort, something that will surely mean come Election Day.

Mark Wilson

Claim to Fame: The lead singer for local band The Idlers, Wilson is currently trying to tap into a demographic that is often ignored in municipal elections, the young and tech-savvy.

On Facebook? Yes. His Fan Page is active and well-populated, with nearly 250 supporters. Plus, there are two unofficial groups for his campaign with 40 members between them.

On Twitter? Yes.

Blog Status: 5 posts. He's also been a popular topic on St. John's-focused SignalBlog.

Personal Website: http://www.mayormarkwilson.com/

Google Results for "mark wilson mayor": 843,000

Overall Social Media Grade: A-

His website is more or less an example in how to do social media right. From the forum to the Media sections filled with YouTube campaign clips, everything about Wilson's website is interactive and informative. He even walks voters through the steps to signing up to vote--very important when your vote may rely on young, not yet registered voters. But these social media ventures were somewhat underpopulated, with only 35 tweets and a handful of blog posts. Still, all these social media efforts are reaching out to young voters in the city--whether or not they'll show up to support him on election day is yet to be decided.

*

When you think about it, it makes sense to see more and more social media creep up into our elections: it worked beautifully in the recent American Presidential race, helping Barack Obama spread his message of change to a wide, receptive audience. Social media, after all, is about participation, and one of the chief problems plaguing voter turnouts in recent is lack of involvement. Hence, involve people online and watch them tune in to the issues and ultimately, Election Day.

Any verdict on whether or not social media will have a huge impact on the St. John's voters will have to wait until September 29th--the day of the elections. For the full, official list of candidates, visit the City of St. John's website.

Agree or disagree with the grades? Speak up in the comments!

Using Flickr to Promote Your Small Business

by J. Butler, Content Development Specialist

Here's a great idea for local businesses around Newfoundland and Labrador--and even beyond: get yourself a Flickr account. Flickr is a popular website for users to pool photographs in one convenient online space. Long used by bloggers as a photo repository, now you can learn to use it as a low-cost, simple way to build on the web presence your company already has.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4!

1. Open a Flickr account.

It’s quick and easy. Each photo in your Flickr pool will have its own web page; it will be up to you to provide clear titles, descriptions and tags. The trick is to fill your Flickr space with photos that really capture the heart of your business.

2. Figure out why your business needs Flickr.

Are you a tourism operator with lots of beautiful pictures of your destination but nowhere to put them? Are you a small crafts store with lots of product images? Or maybe your business is known for being a fun, social place to work and you want to show it off! Whatever your reason, figuring it out will save you a lot of confusion and second-guessing in the long run.

3. Tag everything properly.

Organize everything very clearly—don’t assume that your customers will have the patience to sort through 200 pictures before getting what they want. If you’re sharing this on social media, keep all your links and redirects straight. Giving your photos plenty of relevant keywords will also make it easier for search engines to find, improving your ranking on search engines like Google and Yahoo!.

4. Just jump in and get started!

Find out if any of your customers or fellow businesspeople are on Flickr and link to them. It’s a great opportunity for networking and spreading the word about your business. Provide plenty of ways for your customer to get back to your website. And most of all—be creative and have fun.

*

If a picture is worth a thousand words, get ready for your business to write a whole novel!

Tourism: A Social Media Butterfly?

As promised, here's the Applecore article that ran in the June 2009 issue of the St. John’s Board of Trade Business News Magazine. The theme of the month was Tourism, and since that's a subject which we know well, we just had to weigh in!

Tourism: A Social Media Butterfly?

Social media – it’s a phrase that people are beginning to recognize! In fact, many people use social media every day, though they may not call it that. Social media is an umbrella term for all the technologies that allow social interaction online. In other words, it’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs, and it may just be the best way to talk to consumers.

Social media has been an area of marketing many businesses have been more reluctant to adopt, for lots of reasons: they worry about losing control, about getting caught up, about taking on too much too fast. But it’s getting easier and more essential than ever to get involved. Otherwise, as consumers demand that companies engage in more direct interaction, we risk being left behind. A new business model is developing that gives more power to the consumer.

But it’s nothing to be afraid of! For industries like Tourism, which is not only the world’s largest industry but also a top online sector, learning how to have these conversations with travellers is crucial. The statistics are compelling: 3,000,000 messages are sent over Twitter every day, Facebook is used in over 170 countries, blogs have 346,000,000 daily readers and YouTube boasts over 100,000,000 videos. In most cases, start-up costs are minimal. With all this potential for consumer/company interaction, social media is becoming the natural, low cost platform for marketing a destination in a way that is honest, informative and transparent.

NewfoundlandLabrador.com is a great example of a tourism destination using social media. The province’s online tourism destination marketing has grown to include social media distribution channels like a YouTube channel, a Facebook page with almost 5,000 fans, a custom Twitter account, Travel Blog, a Virtual Scrapbook that features user-uploaded photos and comments/ratings.

Think of how far a good review can go when it comes to social media and trip planning! Online features like user reviews, peer to peer communication and fan comments hold a powerful influence over the average traveller. For example, a Jupiter Research study says 58% of potential travellers trust content from users, like consumer ratings or traveller reviews, for trip planning. The same study also said 36% named this user content as an influence in the final decision-making process, ahead of factors like brand awareness (21%) or even a friend’s recommendation (14%).

Beware of the “island effect”—or, letting social media platforms stand on their own with no interaction. Using social media right means connecting each channel – embedding your uploaded YouTube videos into your Facebook page, posting links to your blog on Twitter, redirecting from YouTube to your website. Each bridge you build between your “islands” makes it easier for the user to experience all your business has to offer.

So dive in—just take your social media in steps. You don’t have to master every platform at once. When it comes to social media, getting started is the hard part— riding the learning curve is fun and exciting. Remember--social media is a powerful marketing engine, but one that needs regular fuel and a willingness to learn.

Originally published in the St. John's Board of Trade's Business News Magazine, June 2009. All rights reserved.

Learn more about the St. John's Board of Trade.

10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites

One article that has made the rounds of Applecore’s inboxes is Paul Boag’s 10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites, which we originally found on Smashing Magazine. As Boag states in his introduction:

We all make mistakes running our websites. However, the nature of those mistakes varies depending on the size of your company. As your organization grows, the mistakes change. This post addresses common mistakes among large organizations.

We took these 10 harsh truths and added our own viewpoints, and what your company can do to change them.

1. You Need a Separate Web Division

There needs to be one division for web. Period. And it’s for this reason that outsourcing your web needs is so helpful: no one trespasses on anyone’s turf, and decisions are made for the benefit of the website, rather than anyone’s ego. A single unified team means that the website won’t be a brochure, or an extended resume: it will be an accurate representation of your company’s daily life, and often, objective outsiders can provide the best picture.

2. Managing Your Website is a Full-Time Job

This is self-explanatory. In order for a website to be truly useful, it needs to have a dedicated team. But something else to think about: it needs to have a dedicated team that’s empowered to make forward-thinking changes.

3. Periodic Redesign is Not Enough

Careful consideration through every stage of the website’s life, along with a willingness to tweak minor things that don’t seem to need drastic makeovers, can save so many hours of redesign in the long run. Sometimes, the only way to get this kind of insight is by asking a third party to consult.

4. Your Website Cannot Appeal to Everyone

A website designed without this in mind will be too incoherent to serve your business well. You can’t please everyone. You can, however, determine which of your demographics is the most important to your business.

5. You are Wasting Money on Social Networking

In other words, when you proceed into social networking, make sure you understand what makes social media work: that it’s people connecting to people, not just another venue to talk about your company. Use social networking to make your company more human, because at the end of the day, no one wants to visit your blog or Twitter account if they don't get anything in return.

6. Your Website is Not All About You

Self explanatory. No jargon, no insider acronyms. Your website isn’t being designed to suit the tastes of your staff; it’s being built to cater to the needs of your users. After all, they’ll be the ones spending their time there, so their requirements shouldn’t be ignored.

7. You’re Not Getting Value From Your Web Team

A web designer brings much more to the table than simple programming. They understand what makes a website work, what translate best to the web and what features are most helpful to a user. Use this amazing resource to produce the best possible website.

8. Design by Committee Brings Death

Harsh, but accurate. Design by committee is well-intentioned, meant to give everyone a fair stake in the decision making process. However, often what’s required is an educated, objective decision.

9. A CMS is Not a Silver Bullet

A Content Management System is like any tool— it won’t make the decisions for you; it can only make the decisions easier to implement. You need to have the resources in place for timely, relevant updates.

10. You Have Too Much Content

Constant review of content ensures that there’s no useless information taking away from your most important messages—only what is fresh, relevant and useful.

*

Does any of this sound familiar? If so, interact with us--the solution is closer than you think.

June 1-7: Tourism Awareness Week!

This past week has been something that naturally catches our eye: June 1st - 7th is Tourism Awareness Week, sponsored by Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador. Tourism is such a huge industry—not only internationally, but online as well. Not to mention that it’s always been such a vivid factor in the economy of Newfoundland & Labrador.

The week was host to many talks and seminars about the direction that the tourism industry is moving in, capped off with a luncheon on the 3rd attended by the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. Spreading tourism awareness is an exciting topic, especially since there’s never been a better time to spark conversations about the future. The industry has been taking huge steps online, embracing social media and interactive communities.

Of course, Applecore had to get in on the action as well. We were so inspired that we've written an article on that very subject, to be published in the St. John’s Board of Trade Business News Magazine. We decided to tackle the subject of social media and why it works so well withtourism, since it’s a topic we’re exploring every day. Social media—things like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and peer reviews—are making amazing leaps in the industry and shaping the future of how people travel.

Check back next month for full details, but here’s a teaser for now: the future of social media and tourism relies on being flexible, transparent and ready to have a conversation with potential travelers. How can you prepare?

To be continued…!

Give Credit Where Credit's Due: Duping the Media with Wikis

by J. Butler, Content Development Specialist

When notable French composer Maurice Jarre died on March 28th, 2009, Dublin university student Shane Fitzgerald saw a golden opportunity to test accountability in an age of instantly updated global news --a community that's become more and more reliant on Internet research.

And how did he do this, exactly? Easy: by changing the composer's Wikipedia entry, and in the process, duping journalists all across the world.

After a class studying how information traveled through the public sphere, Fitzpatrick saw the opportunity for a curious social experiment. He simply inserted a quote he'd written himself into the Wiki page-- the entire process, from composition to posting, took less than 15 minutes--and then watched as the quote was used repeatedly not only on blogs, but on official news sites. The quote in question:

"One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head that only I can hear."

...was clearly angled to appeal to the average obituary writer working on a deadline. He left it deliberately without any citation--a fact which quickly caught the eye of the thousands of 'voluntary' editors that monitors and edits the public pages of Wikipedia. Administrators promptly removed the unsubstantiated quote, but only after it had begun to circulate in emerging obits and memorials as one new piece cited the older piece.

From MSNBC:

Fitzgerald said one of his University College Dublin classes was exploring how quickly information was transmitted around the globe. His private concern was that, under pressure to produce news instantly, media outlets were increasingly relying on Internet sources — none more ubiquitous than the publicly edited Wikipedia.

When he saw British 24-hour news channels reporting the death of the triple Oscar-winning composer, Fitzgerald sensed what he called "a golden opportunity" for an experiment on media use of Wikipedia.

[...]

If anything, Fitzgerald said, he expected newspapers to avoid his quote because it had no link to a source — and even might trigger alarms as "too good to be true." But many blogs and several newspapers used the quotes at the start or finish of their obituaries.

Wikipedia spokesman Jay Walsh said he appreciated the Dublin student's point, and said he agreed it was "distressing so see how quickly journalists would descend on that information without double-checking it."

I worked at a university-funded writing centre during my undergrad, and I can't tell you how many times a week I'd have to explain to a student that Wikipedia is an unacceptable source. So a part of me isn't surprised that journalists are still figuring out how to negotiate the cluster of facts we call the Internet. Amid the temptation of so much information, and working against a tight deadline, it can be easy to let something slip and trust that the information is sound.

But it still puts the problem of accountability into glaring perspective, and makes you wonder how often facts like this, no matter how small, go unchecked. My knee jerk reaction is when in doubt, cite it. No one can really fault you for giving TOO much credit.


Source: Student hoaxes world's media on Wikipedia (MSNBC)