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High Arousal Emotions That Make Your Content Go Viral

If you have asked Google a few years back, “What makes things go viral?” you’ll most likely get a simple answer: luck. While it seems like a great theory, it is not entirely true.

If your content activates a high-arousal emotion, then there’s a great chance that people will be sharing and talking about your content.

A high arousal emotion can either be positive or negative. Mind you, activating these emotions is not a walk in the park. You really need to consider which emotion you want to target and hit it perfectly.

Passion/Lust

To tap on this emotion successfully, you’ll have to tease people and pique on their interest. You can do this by teasing them with food, sex or products/services that create an anticipation of pleasure.
People’s passion quickly run dry so there’s a need for constant adaptation and creativity.

Fear

Fear is one of the biggest motivators on earth. When motivated with fear, people are forced to take action.
People want to avoid problems. You can tap on this emotion, define the consequences and inspire a fast action.

Anger

When you piss off people, they’ll most likely do something prove you wrong or attain justice. They may want to talk about it on their blog, on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
Keep in mind, though, that pissing someone off for fun is not a good marketing strategy. So, might want to skip on this altogether.

Awe

Create something that people will find remarkable and people will surely comment on it.

Joy

Positive contents are more viral than the negative ones. There are a lot of things that can make people happy. It can be something inspiring, funny or anything that’s positively uplifting.

When you’re looking to increase traffic to your site, don’t just write content for the sake of writing content. Instead, think about these emotions and hit them well. This way, you can be sure that your content will get shared.

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Hashtag Strategies That Will Benefit Your Business

Hastags are everywhere these days. We see them on Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and
Facebook. But do you know how to use them strategically?

Hashtags can improve you SEO, get your content found, target your market, amplify your brand and
expand your content reach. That being said, it is important that you know how to implement them
properly in order to fully enjoy all these benefits.

In this article, we’ll give you some of the most important hashtag strategies that you should take note
of. Read on to know more about it.

Create your own hashtags

Brand and campaign hashtags are the ones you make for your own business. Create a brand hashtag
that is unique to your business and make sure that it defines your business. Use it as your signature tag
and use it on all of your social media accounts. Encourage others to use it as well.

You’ll want people to remember your tag. So, keep it short and make sure it’s easy to spell.

Include a relevant yet specific hashtag

By using the right hashtag, people will come across your content even if they are not following you.

When we say relevant, it means that you should either use a hashtag that has already been searched for
frequently or something that was already been designated for a certain event. However, be sure to
make them as specific as possible so your message won’t get buried.

Trending hashtags

You have probably heard some of your friends talking about what’s trending now. They’re referring to a
hashtag topic that has become very popular and or the most talked about topic as of the moment.

If you come across a trend that relates to your business, take advantage of it by using the tag in your
content update. In a way, you can think of this hashtag strategy as a way of getting your “15 seconds of
fame.” This is beneficial as it will help you get your message to a massive audience.

Be careful not to spam trending hashtags, though, especially if they are not related to your business.

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How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence

LinkedIn, being one of the oldest social media sites, still proves to be one of the most valuable and important among the social channels today. Regarded as the world’s largest professional networking site, LinkedIn aims to connect you to the business world and other professionals from all over the world.

Experts suggest that LinkedIn makes 20 times more revenue per person as compared with Facebook. While connecting people with other professionals is the ultimate goal of LinkedIn, users don’t communicate a lot on the platform. Rather, the value for users lies in searchability.

With that in mind, here are a few tips on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and increase your chances of being found.

Make your Profile SEO Friendly

There are more than 1 billion searches on LinkedIn each year. While most users are searching for companies and individuals, keep in mind that they are also using keywords. Making your profile SEO and keyword friendly is beneficial since LinkedIn search results are sorted by relevance.

Since there’s no way to predict what someone is looking for, it would be best to use keywords that ranges from broad to very targeted. Remember, where you put these keywords matter.

Headlines Matter

When checking your profile, your headline is the first thing other users will see about you. Make it as specific as possible and make it catchy. Mind you, your headline will be your selling point. So, lure them with your headline and wow them with your expertise.

Profile Image

Your photo is important as it would give other members a good representation of you. It shows who you are and that you are real.

Since this is a professional networking site, it would be best to stay away from party shots or group shots. It doesn’t have to be a professional photo either. Just choose a photo that is clear and most importantly, depicts who you really are.

Showcase your Achievements

LinkedIn gives you the option to add documents, test scores, certifications, honors and award, some of your previous projects etc. This will add a lot of value to your profile.

If you are a writer, feel free to add a chapter of your book to your profile. If you are a graphic designer, adding your portfolio would be a great idea. If you are a public speaker, adding a video of your most recent speaking engagement might be advantageous. If you think these things will put you ahead of your competition, add it here.

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Reasons Why Facebook Likes are Important

Most people believe that being popular is not really important, but being popular does have a few advantages, especially if you are a business owner who uses social media to gain exposure, build relationships and engages with its target audience.

In this article, we’ll give you a list of some of the reasons why Facebook likes matter. Checkout the list below and see how important a Facebook like really is.

Raise your visibility

When a person likes your Facebook page, it won’t be long until some of his/her friends see it. This is advantageous as people in his/her network will be able to checkout your page.

This may also be seen as a subtle recommendation. If you are trying to decide where to dine out this weekend, a certain restaurant may cross your mind since one of your friends liked their page and you saw it in the newsfeeds.

Expression of intent to subscribe

When a user likes your Facebook page, they are expressing their intent to subscribe to your updates and see what you have to post on your timeline. Through this simple gesture, you can clearly see that he/she is interested in your business and what you have to offer.

Now that they are subscribed to your page, you have the opportunity to let them know what’s going on with the business, especially if you have new products coming out. With thousands of fans subscribed to your page, you don’t have to spend a huge sum of money on advertisements.

Builds trust

Forrester research has recently conducted a study about why Facebook likes, comments and shares are so important. In the said study, they have discovered that about 70% of customers trust recommendations from their family and friends, while only 10% of the respondents trust brand advertising.

Loyal fans

Once you develop a relationship with these people and they start trusting you, they may eventually become loyal customers. Keep your customers interested by posting interesting and informative contents. Also, keep them posted about any events like contests and promotions that they can take part of.

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Tips to Improve Your Pinterest Marketing Strategy

Did you know that almost half of the people who visit Pinterest have a clear intention of purchasing products? If Pinterest is still not a part in your social media marketing strategy, now is the right time to include it.

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest connects people based on their common passion. That being said, this could be beneficial for business owners as users can easily view contents which they find interesting; thus, leading to more sales.

Listed below are a few tips that would help you develop the right Pinterest marketing strategy. Read on to find out more.

Set up a business page

If you have jumped into Pinterest early, chances are great that you are still using a personal account for your business. Now, you can easily turn your old personal page into a business page. Your profile may not appear any different to your previous one, but you’ll get some built-in analytics that would allow you to track which among your pins are the most popular.

Keep your board organized

Pinterest is known for its neat structure. Even large boards consisting of hundreds of posts can be easily understood and looks pleasing to the eye.
If you are planning to use Pinterest for your business, we recommend that you use proper classification so that users would find it easier to browse through your boards. Create multiple boards so you can organize the content based on their category. This way, relevant content can be placed together.

Learn from your customers

In order to help you create a more engaging experience, we suggest observing the interest of your target audience.
Take note of the people who are following you, re-pinning your content and pinning from your domain. From there, you’ll be able to see other contents that they are pinning. This will give you an idea about the latest trends across your fans.

Make inspiring and exciting content

Thousands of pins get posted on Pinterest on a daily basis, but not all of them are engaging. In order to capture the attention of your target audience, your posts should be engaging even if they are not interesting enough.
The best way of doing this is by creating a giveaway event. Everyone loves free merchandises. Well, who wouldn’t want to be rewarded by just sharing a post?

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Annoying Social Media Habits You Need to Stop Doing

No one is perfect. And sometimes, we have bad habits that we would like to get rid of. But while you’re trying to change how you do things and get too occupied, falling back into these old habits happens sooner than you might have expected. While some of these habits do not have an overall impact, some may have a negative impact, especially on your business.

There’s a good chance that you have visited a page that has done some of the things listed below. Make it a mission not to repeat them.

Overcompensating for inactivity

When you’re just starting and you don’t have someone to manage all your online accounts, your page may remain inactive for a few days. That in itself is a problem. However, some people make the mistake of overcompensating for being off the radar for a few days by posting numerous updates in one day.

While inactivity is not a good thing, keep in mind that there are only a few people who would choose to unfollow you due to lack of activity. However, if you bombard them with numerous updates and tweets, which is quite annoying, they are more likely to unfollow you.

Hashtag overload

Hashtags are a great way of categorizing content, providing context and curating information to help you reach your target audience. However, some people tend to abuse it by using like a dozen hashtags in a single tweet.

Depending on the platform, 2 to 4 hashtags are acceptable: 2 for twitter and a maximum of 4 for Instagram.

Asking for shares or retweets

Not only does it come across as demanding, it’s not also engaging. As a result, it does nothing for your cause.

If you post something like this, the only people who are going to enthusiastically oblige are your family and close friends. Everyone else will most likely ignore your post. Even if people did share it, it’s not because they believe in what you’re saying, but because you begged them to do so.

Posting only about your company

Social media may be comparable to phone conversation – it has to go both ways.

Creating great content for your page is important, but you also have to talk about something else other than your business. Find ways to engage with your audience and interact with them.

Make sure to share a variety of content from time to time. This would capture the attention of your audience and keep in them interested. Share inspirational quotes and images, updates from online sources or contents from fans.

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Social Media Marketing Strategies That Would Drastically Improve Your Efforts

Studies revealed that a huge percentage of American adults spend most of their online activity in social media sites, topping time spent on Google and email. Having this knowledge, marketers have decided to chase online users and focused their attention on social media. In fact, one study revealed that 97% of marketers use social media to promote their business.

If you have not yet taken advantage of the power of social media, then you might be missing a large chunk of your target consumers. Here are a few social media strategies that would allow you to take control over your social channels.

Create a game plan

Without an execution strategy, your content may begin to fall through the cracks. Set a limit on the number of tweets and Facebook posts you have to publish each day. If you are just starting out, you might want to check how often industry leaders are posting and take note of the ideal amount of content that should be published each day. You want to be active, but not overly active.

Treat each channel as an individual entity

Each social media channel should be treated as a separate entity. Make sure that the contents you share on each channel would appeal to the audience. LinkedIn caters to business-focused audience. So, you’ll have to provide them with educational contents. Instagram users, on the other hand, are in search for engaging visual contents.

Go above and beyond in customer service

Social media users today are expecting fast response from you. If someone posts on your Facebook page and they do not receive a response, the dissatisfied client may turn to your competitor and seek answer to their questions.

Taking time to respond to a personal inquiry is of great importance as it builds your authority. When you deliver a thoughtful and timely response, this will have a positive impact on your brand.

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Resources for Bloggers Who Don’t Know What to Write About

There’s nothing more frustrating than a writer’s block. You stare at your screen and the cursor just taunts at you maniacally. For those times of desperation, content creators are in need of a more forthright solution.

If you are struggling to come up with new articles for your blog and keep your audience engaged, here is a list of some of the most tried and tested resources that you can turn to when word drought sets in.

Yahoo Answers

Yahoo Answers is probably one of the most underrated resources for blog topic generation. This site mostly serves a resource for people who are in search for answers. Creating contents that responds to the challenges that these people are facing will not only boost your credibility, you are also guaranteed that people will return to your site the next time they are looking for an answer.

Google trends

There’s no better way of generating a blog topic idea than using phrases and keywords that are performing well in terms of search volume. Those are the topics that you want to write about, and Google trends can help you bring those topics to light.
The Top Searches option allows users to view the top searches that Google conducted. These searches are sorted into different categories like Sports, Entertainment, Business etc. The Hot Searches option, on the other hand, gives you an opportunity to view the top searches by day.

Blog comments

Content writers fail to realize the importance of blog comments for generating a new entry for their blog. Believe it or not, your next blog entry lies in a small bit of reader feedback. That being said, we suggest going through your old blog posts, especially the most popular ones, and take time to read the comments.

Make a list of all the questions and suggestions that you see and feel free to use it as a resource the next time you find yourself staring at a blinking cursor.

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Need Help Clarifying Which Social Network Does What?

Staying on top of social media marketing can be difficult for business owners, especially as new networks pop up daily. Here is a great graphic to help you choose which of the top social media networks your business should pursue!

which social media networks do what

As always, please contact the BIMS Team to let us know how we can help!

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