Saturday, February 29, 2020

Amtrak Launches New Ultralow Fares. Is There a Catch?


Amtrak Launches New Ultralow Fares. Is There a Catch? | Frommer'sAmtrak is launching ultralow fares—with some restrictions—for rail travel. | Frommer's
Read More

Facebook Launches Live Producer and Creator Studio App


Welcome to this week’s edition of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, a news show for marketers who want to stay on the leading edge of social media. On this week’s Social Media Marketing Talk Show, we explore the full rollout of Facebook’s Live Producer for managing live-stream video and the new Creator Studio app […]

The post Facebook Launches Live Producer and Creator Studio App appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.


Read More

Friday, February 28, 2020

Spring Break in the Time of COVID-19: What''s the Responsible Course of Action?


Spring Break in the Time of COVID-19: What's the Responsible Course of Action? | Frommer'sWhat travelers need to know about COVID-19 before they hit the road for spring travels. | Frommer's
Read More

6 Rules Small Fashion Brands On Instagram Must Follow To Stand Out

We have witnessed over the years fashion brands becoming highly successful on Instagram, the most popular social media platform.

Fashion brands are leading the way in terms of performance on Instagram. They are known to be getting significantly more interactions and followers, and dominate engagement on the platform. Many small fashion brands run entirely out of Instagram, without established stores or sometimes even websites.

It is a known fact that you can generate more interactions and gain an impressive number of followers on Instagram provided you get into the habit of posting exclusive, exquisite, and truly eye-catching content, whether they are videos or photos.

If you are a small fashion brand trying to make your presence felt on Instagram, you must follow some fundamental rules in order to stand out…

Plan your social media posts.

Visually plan your posts. Drag and drop everywhere.

Create your first post>

Rule #1: Use Only High-Quality Images
📷

This may sound obvious, but Instagram is the realm of mind-blowing pictures.

Experts believe that photos should have 3 basic elements to prove their quality: 

High-Resolution:

You must make sure that you are posting only high-resolution photographs on your Instagram fashion account. You should use DSLR cameras to click the pictures for your Instagram account.

Choose a camera with the right functions so that the quality of the images is unquestionable. High-resolution of pictures is supposed to be everything as no one would like to engage with hazy and low-quality images.

Your small fashion brand could stand out from the rest by posting high-resolution pictures taken by you or even professional photographers using an old-school camera.

Your Photos Must Act as a Vehicle to Convey Your Story:

It is true that a picture could speak volumes. Photos that are successful in conveying a story are getting the maximum engagement on this powerful social media platform. Your pictures must be relevant and relatable!

ll Your Photos Must Complement Your Theme:

All smaller fashion brands must use pictures that complement the overall theme of their Instagram account. Your pictures could be treated as separate and distinct pieces but your entire feed must necessarily appear as one single organic outfit.

This implies that all the pictures you post or share on Instagram must flaunt a signature look and should be edited in the same manner. You may consider using tools such as Snapseed, VSCO, etc. You could choose Photoshop, or Lightroom, etc. for editing pictures on the laptop.

Plan & schedule social media ahead of time.

Video, gallery, image & text only posts

Calendar, feed & grid preview

Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

START PLANNING YOUR POSTS NOW

Rule #2: Work With Influencers 

Influencer marketing is tremendously prevalent on Instagram and is continuing to grow. You must leverage the power of influencer marketing for your small fashion brand on Instagram.

If top brands do not hesitate to use this kind of marketing, why are you not utilising the worth of influencers in the world of fashion? You must understand ways to go ahead with a successful influencer marketing strategy. You must ensure that the influencer you are choosing along with his precise audience is actually relevant to your brand.

You must try your best to boost engagement but do not chase followers. Today everyone can buy real Instagram likesand followers. You could make sure that an influencer is genuinely an influencer by assessing his engagement rate.


small fashion brands instagram

For tips on how to incorporate influencer into your strategy, check out:

The Simple Guide To Instagram Influencer Marketing In 2020

Rule #3: Use The Instagram Algorithm 

Despite it changing the rules for engagement, it is possible to use the Instagram algorithm to your advantage.

“One thing we know about Instagram’s algorithm is that posts with high engagement rates show up first on followers’ feeds. There are a number of ways to achieve these high rates. It also seems that the longer people look at your posts, the more successful and high-quality Instagram detects them to be.” (Source)

But how could you compel your followers to go on lingering on your Instagram posts for a reasonably long period?

You must compose catchy and truly captivating captions which could be a few lines. Moreover, separate paragraphs using dots for making them more reader-friendly. You may also use carousal posts and videos so time-spent on post is increased.


small fashion brands instagram

Rule #4: Make Sure That Your Feed Is Shoppable

Often people are attracted to your display window showcasing some eye-catching designs yet many people simply pass by and do not initiate the shopping process. Instagram would be working in a similar fashion. It is firmly believed that you need to come up with the Shoppable and make your small fashion Instagram account Shoppable right from an initial...

--

Title: 6 Rules Small Fashion Brands On Instagram Must Follow To Stand Out
Sourced From: www.hopperhq.com/blog/small-fashion-brands-instagram/
Published Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2019 14:36:28 +0000

How To Use Instagram For Business

Instagram is one of the largest social media networks, with 25 million business profiles and two million advertisers, according to recent Instagram data. Not to mention, 80 percent of active users follow at least one brand.

For many businesses, Instagram represents a valuable opportunity to connect with a global network of potential customers and clients. If you’re to the platform, however, joining Instagram can feel overwhelming, if not impossible.

How do we represent our brand visually? What should our goals be? How can we reach our target audience?

Whether you already have an account or are starting from scratch, use this comprehensive guide to turn Instagram into a valuable marketing tool for your business.

Create Your Instagram Account

The Instagram platform is relatively simple compared to other social networks, like Facebook. When setting up your account (or updating an existing one), there aren’t many boxes to check. However, because Instagram profiles provide minimal room for text or links, you need to make the most of what you have.

Tracy Ring, social media manager for 10x Digital explains: “In reality, you only have one-fifth of a mobile screen to showcase your brand identity. For our clients, we make sure the profile itself is clean and clear. We also use every possible feature to our advantage.”

Consider the most important areas for maximizing branding:

Profile photo:

Most companies use their logo. Remember that profile images are small and cropped to a circle, so don’t use complicated imagery. Stick with a simple graphic, like your favicon, especially if your logo is wide.

Account name:

This should be your business name, and match your website and other social platforms.

Website:

Instagram allows one link in your profile. While you can use this to link to your website, it may be wise to create an expandable link. Jump to Optimize Your Profile and Presence for more on the latter.

Bio:

This is where you describe your business in 150 characters or less. You can use emojis, characters, hashtags and spaces to get creative and differentiate. Check out this list of all-star Instagram bios from Adspresso for inspiration.


how to use instagram for business

Finally, make sure your account is set as a business profile, which will require you to connect your facebook account as well. A business profile allows you to have additional contact information like location, phone number, and operating hours and provides access to insights and data.

Create an Instagram Plan

Before posting anything, you need a plan. Since Instagram is a visual platform, start with a visual brand guide, which ensures that your profile represents a consistent and accurate representation of your brand. This also ensures that your audience (and potential customers) recognize your brand when your posts show up in their feed.

As you develop brand guidelines, remember that they don’t have to be complicated. In How to Master Your Social Media Branding, MyCreativeShop shares a simple checklist to follow:

Color palette:

Choose one neutral, primary color and 2 to 3 contrasting colors that make your visuals pop.

Fonts:

Choose just one primary font, which can be adapted as regular, italic, or bold to allow for different looks. You can include a decorative supplemental font as well.

Formatting and layout:

Choose specific layouts for different post formats, I.E. product image versus quote image. This keeps your brand consist but still allows for variety.

Logo:

If you have multiple versions of your logo, like a text-based logo, favicon and symbol, specify when you should use each one so anyone designing your assets maintains the same look and feel.


how to use instagram for business

Next comes your strategy. Like any other part of your business, this is critical to getting the most from your Instagram presence. To create a focused Instagram marketing strategy, ask yourself 4 basic questions:

Why do you want to be on Instagram?Who is your target audience?What are you going to share?When are you going to share?

Turn the answers to those four questions into a plan. For example, “We plan to reach women in their mid-30’s who are interested in life coaching. We will share inspirational and educational content at the times when our audience is most active, based on research and data for our industry.”

Now it’s time to set social media goals that align with your overall business strategy. To measure the effectiveness, outline the key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance metrics that you’ll be tracking.

According to 2018 State of Social report, engagement is the number one way that businesses measure ROI on social media marketing, so start here. Other metrics include: leads earned, traffic to site, and new followers earned. If you’re still not sure where to start, use these simple social media metrics as a starting place.

Develop a Social Media Calendar

Now you’re ready to create content and start sharing. Use a calendar or Instagram scheduler to make the most of...

--

Title: How To Use Instagram For Business
Sourced From: www.hopperhq.com/blog/how-to-use-instagram-for-business/
Published Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2019 10:43:03 +0000

The 2019 Instagram Rich List — Who Earns The Most From Sponsored Posts?

The Instagram Rich List is back for the third year running…

With Instagram continuing to grow, 2019 has seen the highest amount of money for paid Instagram posts to date.

In a recent statistic from Facebook, 83% of Instagram users say they discover new products and services on Instagram, so it’s no wonder the influencer and sponsored post industry is still on the rise.

Just as we did in 2017 and 2018, Hopper HQ have produced the official:


💰
2019 Instagram Rich List! 
💰

Based on internal data, agency rate cards and public information, you can now find out just how much your favourite Instagram stars are earning for their #spon posts…


🤑
The Top 10
🤑

#1 Kylie Jenner


👥
 140 million followers
💵
 $1,266,000 per post


instagram rich list kylie jenner

Kylie Jenner still tops the charts in 2019, having become the youngest self-made billionaire of all time this year according to Forbes.

#2 Ariana Grande 


👥
 159 million followers
💵
 $996,000 per post



Ariana Grande has knocked Selena Gomez from second place since last year.

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo


👥
 173 million followers
💵
 $975,000 per post



While Ronaldo remains the only man in the top 5 and only European in the top 10!

#4 Kim Kardashian


👥
 143 million followers
💵
 $910,000 per post



Kim Kardashian just keeps growing, having gained 40m more followers in the past year alone.

#5 Selena Gomez


👥
 153 million followers
💵
 $886,000 per post



For a long time, Selena Gomez was the most followed celebrity on Instagram, and she topped the 2017 Instagram Rich List. However, with the rise of the Kardashians and other pop sensations, she’s fallen 3 places since last year.

#6 Dwayne Johnson


👥
 148 million followers
💵
 $882,000 per post



Keeping his place at #6, Dwayne Johnson is the only male actor in the top 10.

#7 Beyonce Knowles


👥
 129 million followers
💵
 $785,000 per post



Beyonce has dropped 2 places since 2018 but is still firmly in the top 10.

#8 Taylor Swift


👥
 119 million followers
💵
 $748,000 per post



New to the Instagram Rich List this year, Taylor Swift joins the other queens of pop Ariana, Selena and Beyonce in the top 10.

#9 Neymar da Silva Santos Junior


👥
 122 million followers
💵
 $722,000 per post



Neymar has slipped one spot but remains the only other sports star in the top 10 besides King Ronaldo.

#10 Justin Bieber


👥
 115 million followers
💵
 $722,000 per post



Justin Bieber has made his way into the top 10 this year, and is the only male musician there.

Plan & schedule social media ahead of time.

Video, gallery, image & text only posts

Calendar, feed & grid preview

Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

START PLANNING YOUR POSTS NOW

Check out the full 2019 Instagram Rich List here – featuring the highest earning social media stars across:

Celebrity, Beauty, Fashion, Fitness, Food, Lifestyle, Sport and Travel.

--

Title: The 2019 Instagram Rich List — Who Earns The Most From Sponsored Posts?
Sourced From: www.hopperhq.com/blog/2019-instagram-rich-list/
Published Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2019 22:20:25 +0000

Big Spend Bonuses, Fly to Hawaii Using Miles, World Sex Laws, Stock Market Freakout

We bring you big spend bonuses, we fly to Hawaii using miles, check out world sex laws, a vicious stock market freakout, some cute videos, languages by number of speakers, some good advice on what to do in this market correction, some overlooked tax breaks, a record of all small and big corrections since the last major stock market crash, catching marathon cheaters at a price, some weird hearing phenomenon I discovered to explain some of my symptoms, weird baby doll collectors, check to see if United’s Mile Play promo is for you, an animal that does not breathe is discovered, light Blog Buzz area as I ran out of gas, I support Mike Bloomberg in case you did not notice and this blog has no advertisers or sponsors or anyone who tells me what to post. I also turn down all bribes too! Thank you for reading and enjoy your weekend!

TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!

Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS and visiting our LINKS!

You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!

 

Brought to you by the amazing TBB Amazon link! This blog is published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Except in major US Holidays. For now…

 

MILES & POINTS

HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: Two new offers on United credit cards, a personal for 60k and a Business one for up to 100k miles. The IHG Rewards Club card offering 140k points too, highest ever. Other credit cards offers that stand out for now are the 100k Southwest Performance Business card, the 100k Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card and of course the 80k Ink Business Preferred. In addition, there are personal and business offers for the 70k Amex Delta Skymiles Gold, 100k Platinum and 100k Reserve credit cards. Available with my links. Lets move on!

Several travel rewards credit cards have spending bonuses, here are some of them: Big-Spend Credit Card Bonuses & Benefits for 2020 Yes, No or Maybe? We get someone to talk about opportunity costs at last. Like they do at The Points Guy, bwahahaha!

If you wanted to go for free: Best Ways to Get to Hawaii Using Points & Miles.

United Airlines keeps having this Mile Play promotion. You get some tasks to do (mostly flying) to earn more miles. I have never been targeted and I think it is because I have not paid for a United ticket in years lol. Check it out to see what you get: Mile Play.

TRAVEL

These will shock you! The strangest sex laws around the world. Apparently, you can’t masturbate in Indonesia without risking jail time and in the UK you can not have sex on a parked motorbike. This means you can have sex while riding (pun intended) on a motorbike, so knock yourself out lol.

One of the cutest videos you will see today. Wait until 0.45. I think it is in Indonesia? What a beautiful setting for a school!

Are you stressed? Take a look at a live camera with pandas!

As more snow has fallen in Michigan and local schools called two snow days in a row to make a bunch of students very happy, many of us are dreaming of beaches. Check out the stones in some beaches, wow!

beach stone land art by jon foreman 9 Combing the Beach for Stones and Reorganizing Them Into Something Beautiful

If you are looking to improve your skills by learning a foreign language, well, maybe this chart will help you: Languages by Speaker Count & Type

Post imagePERSONAL FINANCE

Obviously, you may have noticed your 409k is suddenly back down to a 401k. It happens when you are investing for the long term. If you can’t sleep at night, maybe you over rated your risk tolerance like most people? Anyway, here is a really good article that perhaps could help you: Freaked Out by the Stock Market? Take a Deep Breath. Finally we get back to reality as most have been getting way too comfortable looking at the size of their portfolios. I have a standard piece of advice I dish out: “Never fall in love with the highest number in your portfolio”. I have been looking like a moron for repeating myself for so long, not anymore. Hang in there!

Have you filed your taxes yet? Why not? What are you waiting for, a scammer to do it using your Social Security Number? Get on with it! Here is an article that may help you pay less taxes: 10 often overlooked tax breaks.

Ok, lets get serious. More than 10% drop in the stock market in a week is yuge, however you slice it. I remember I was in a financial conference in early 2017 and the speaker was Ian Bremmer. I distinctly remember one question he answered in the Q&A section. He was asked: “What do you fear the most?”. And his answer was: “I am afraid in a big crisis how this President will respond”. We have been pretty lucky so far to avoid one but it looks like we may not escape it all together. And if you cringed every time Trump touted the stock market highs and you shook your head how can anyone do that considering the nature of the beast…yeah. I guess we won’t be seeing any glowing tweets about that.

At the end of the day:

-Nobody knows

-Always Diversify!

-Never ask why you hold bonds again ok?

-Stop looking at stock market tickers & your portfolio every day!

-Don’t open your 401k statements

-Always have some cash

-REBALANCE

-Be grateful

-Wash your hands

-This too shall pass

Let me insert this one here since I referred earlier to the stock market’s nature of the beast…THIS is normal you guys!

ODDZ & ENDZ

Some stories take an unexpected tragic turn. Apparently, many marathon runners cheat. And there is a blogger obsessed with exposing them. And then one runner felt so ashamed he took his own life. Going the Distance (and Beyond) to Catch Marathon Cheaters. I have been accused of being very tough on credit card salesmen masquerading as “expert” miles and points “hobbyists”. But come on, compared to this guy I am an angel!

As I have had some issues with my right ear (tinnitus due to hearing loss) I was fascinated with this article! The Other as Noise – Real Life.

For a while I thought this tendency of mine to be highly irritated by the personal noises others make just made me an asshole, but I recently found out that its common enough a phenomenon to have its own term: misophonia, which was coined by the audiologists Pawel and Margaret Jastreboff in 2003. The condition, which is also known as sound rage or selective sound sensitivity syndrome, has been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, hyperacusia, and Tourettes syndrome. [For me, hearing sounds from cell phone speaker phones and plates touching each other really irritate me! Learned a new term for this, wow! I think this is one of the main reasons I like running outside alone, me and the silence of the nature is very serene…]

One of the most bizarre stories I read recently. Sometimes I shake my head wondering WTF is wrong with some people! ‘People don’t get it’: inside the world of hyper-realistic baby doll collecting.

From Sydney to Manchester, Tokyo to San Jose, its members spend upwards of $20,000 for one doll to add to their nurseries. [Say whaaaat?]

In the more than two decades since Eldred-Smith discovered these dolls, the rise of social media has expanded the number of worldwide collectors by an order of magnitude. Today, more than 30,000 people subscribe to her YouTube channel, where videos of her cuddling, changing and talking about dolls have amassed more than 14,450,000 views. [Here I am whining and moaning to get 10 credit card conversions per month when this lady…Phuck meeeeeee!]

If you were not blown away by the previous link, how about this one? Scientists discover the first-known animal that doesn’t need oxygen to survive. Mind Blown!

Another awesome link with incredible photography: The Winners Of The 2020 Underwater Photographer Of The Year Contest.

Wide Angle Category: 'Her' By Jingle Guo & Fdb, China

BLOG BUZZ

We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.

Not sure how they came up with the name “corona” by the way. Is this like the hurricanes that are named after first names or something? Can you imagine being the Corona brand marketing chief, the drink? Yikes.

If you feel safer with Pence in charge on how to deal with the corona virus…you never voted for and will never vote for a Democrat lol!

At this point, I doubt my mother will be visiting us in May. Son arrived in Delhi, India after strolling and eating around London during a Heathrow stop. The AA miles have already posted and he has already completed the AA Platinum Pro elite challenge and secured it until January 31, 20121. Hooray!

And I leave you with this…

If this had an affiliate link…can you imagine what your favorite credit card salesman would make it sound like a card you must hurry to apply for!

TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2.

You can subscribe to TBB below, winners only!

Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

The post Big Spend Bonuses, Fly to Hawaii Using Miles, World Sex Laws, Stock Market Freakout appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

--


By: TravelBloggerBuzz
Title: Big Spend Bonuses, Fly to Hawaii Using Miles, World Sex Laws, Stock Market Freakout
Sourced From: travelbloggerbuzz.com/big-spend-bonuses-fly-to-hawaii-using-miles-world-sex-laws-stock-market-freakout/
Published Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2020 11:30:49 +0000

How to Rethink Your Way to Business Growth


Do you want to grow your business? Is it time to rethink the way you market and deliver experiences? To explore how to grow your business via innovation, I interview Duncan Wardle on the Social Media Marketing Podcast. Duncan is the former head of innovation & creativity for Disney. He’s also a keynote speaker who […]

The post How to Rethink Your Way to Business Growth appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.


Read More