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Monday, 1 November 2021

The Most Effective YouTube Shorts Strategy

The Most Effective YouTube Shorts Strategy

It looks like short-form video content is here to stay

With platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Vine gaining vast and often viral audiences, it seems consumers can’t get enough of it. Then came Google’s response to the rising trend: YouTube Shorts.

Bite-sized content has been gaining ground for a while now and HubSpot Academy expects to see a trend towards more user-generated content, behind the brands, and explainer/educational videos.

A Digital Marketer for HubSpot Academy, Brandon Saunders, theorized that the growing use of social media (and which content types gain traction) reveals how consumers’ attention spans are getting shorter over time. 

That means marketers and businesses must adapt and add more concise content to their plans.

What Are YouTube Shorts?

What Are YouTube Shorts

Google first introduced YouTube Shorts in India. In a press release, Chris Jaffre, VP of Product Management, said it was for creatives who wanted to “shoot short, catchy videos” just using their mobiles. 

YouTube Shorts in India are a runaway success, and viewership is soaring globally. In early 2021, YouTube announced a beta launch for the U.S. and promised plenty of newer features, including a growing music catalog and further visibility.

Much like Instagram Reels and TikTok, these short videos give viewers an easy way to digest one topic through snappy animations, music video parodies, documentary shorts, and brand content. 

What Are the Benefits of YouTube Shorts?

Of all the short-form video platforms, why would you choose YouTube Shorts over any of the others? After all, it does lack some features that the likes of TikTok and Reels have. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t got plenty in its favor, though, such as:

  • You don’t need much equipment: There’s no need for a laptop or desktop computer. All you need is a smartphone, and you’re good to go.
  • You can create accessible content: Provide viewers with digestible content they can consume on the move. 
  • Convenience and ease of use: Upload multiple videos all at once and add captions.
  • Huge potential audience: YouTube has 774.6 million active users just on iPhone and iPad.
What Are the Benefits of YouTube Shorts

What’s the Difference Between YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels?

To simplify things, let’s break it down into three sections: length, features, and demographics for each channel.

Length

Shorts are a minute long, maximum. If you’re using the YouTube App, you’ve only got 15 seconds.

Instagram Reels has a 1-minute limit, regardless of whether the video is uploaded or recorded. 

TikTok has a 3-minute time limit.

Features

YouTube Shorts

  • Automatically add captions.
  • Includes several creative features to enhance video creation, like speed controls.
  • A multiple segment camera.
  • Choose the part of the song you want.
  • Color correction options and fast uploading direct from your phone’s gallery.
  • Wide range of music tracks from YouTube’s catalog.

Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels allows users to create a highlight reel of their photos and videos. Users can add:

  • music
  • filters
  • stickers
  • captions
  • location tags 

Additionally, they can include a caption at the beginning or end of the video/photo.

Other features include AR effects, timer, and countdowns.

TikTok

  • Choose from pre-made videos or make your own with just a few taps.
  • Discover trending content from around the world and nearby, all in one feed.
  • Share your video on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook after you post to enjoy it on another platform.
  • Video Editor and Live Video.

Demographics

YouTube appeals to the 15-25-year-old demographic but is also enormously popular among 26-35-year-olds.

Instagram attracts the 25-34-year-old audience, while TikTok is most attractive to 16-24 year-olds. 

Tips and Strategies for Creating Effective YouTube Shorts

Consumers want accessible consumer content, which they can watch on the go. As discussed in the intro, this has led to a trend in short-form video, with Reels, TikTok, and more recently, YouTube Shorts.

Even though they’ve only launched recently, and the platform is only available in India and the United States, there are 15 billion daily views.

However, like any other platform, if you’re going to optimize your success and attract your share of viewers, you need to implement effective strategies.

1. Keep Your Videos to an Appropriate Length

Consumers’ attention spans are declining, meaning you’ve got less chance to capture their interest and a limited amount of time to convey your message. That means keeping your video to the appropriate length while still saying everything you want to.

How do you keep videos short and sweet? Well, you can:

  • Get straight to the point. You can do this even with complex subjects. If necessary, break longer topics into sections and create a series.
  • Tailor the clip to the platform: ensure it’s the correct ratio and that the content works for your specific audience.
  • Start with an attention-grabbing line, followed by a story to keep the viewer hooked for the duration of the video.
  • Avoid having too many people talking in one video or too much going on.
  • Limit on-screen clutter.
  • Create thumbnails: if you’ve going to stand out on YouTube, you need captivating thumbnails to grab viewers’ attention.

2. Understand the Tone That Appeals to Your Target Audience and Create Videos Accordingly

As with any of your other content, you must understand the tone that appeals to your audience. Is it demonstrative, enthusiastic, or informative? 

Some brands use YouTube Shorts as how-to videos or for comedic purposes. Popular channels include CollegeHumor or Funny Or Die, which has millions of subscribers.

When creating content, you should already have some idea of the tone that works. Make that your starting point.

If you’re new to this and not sure, you can:

  • Ask yourself who your target audience is. There are six key questions to determine this.
  • Now decide what you want to achieve. Do you want to educate? Make people laugh? Inspire? 
  • What do you want the content to do for your business?
  • You can then begin creating a video content strategy, including SEO, optimization, content promotion, and analyzing performance.

 3. Optimize the Titles of Your YouTube Shorts

Title optimization is the process of creating the best possible title for your videos. It’s an integral part of how your visitors find you in the YouTube search engine and helps the site’s algorithm discover your content.  

Here’s how to optimize your titles:

  • Research keywords. You can use the Ubersuggest tool for this.
  • Use hashtags. YouTube recommends you include #shorts in your description, so its system can recommend them to viewers.
  • Limit characters to 50-70.
  • Overlay titles onto captions.

4. Create Custom Thumbnails for Your Shorts

OK. I’m going to be straight with you: there’s no default feature for adding custom thumbnails to YouTube Shorts. Usually, you see a randomly selected clip next to your title. However, there are some hacks to get around it.

There are variations, but it comes down to this:

  1. Select a frame from the video that represents what it’s about.
  2. Anticipate the screengrab YouTube. 
  3. Use various editing tools to customize the look of the image by changing its color, adding text or shapes, inserting effects, or cropping it.
  4. Download your new thumbnail image in high-resolution by clicking on “Download” in the lower right corner of your screen.
  5. Upload it to YouTube.

You can also create custom thumbnails with Canva or alternative social media tools. 

5. Repurpose Your Content

Video content has become an increasingly popular medium to share stories and connect with a broader audience. It has also become an integral part of the social media marketing strategy for many companies. You can make your YouTube Shorts content go even further by repurposing it.

 For example, you could:

  • Develop your video into a longer blog post.
  • Create an infographic and share it on social media.
  • Share YouTube Shorts content on sites like Facebook or Twitter.
  • Add your content on Instagram Reels.

6. Add Value

To add value, make each video with your audience in mind. Understand them. The problems they face, and how you can help them. Then:

  • Share a takeaway they can apply to their everyday lives.
  • Motivate and inspire your audience.
  • Tell them something they don’t know about your business.
  • Give them something new to think about or something they can relate to in their own life.
  • Focus on developing the type of content that resonates with them.

However, you also need to ask yourself how the content adds value to your brand. What results do you want from your videos? More engagement? More sign-ups?  Find the sweet spot between what adds value for your audience—and also for your business.

7. Create Relevant Content

Again, this comes down to understanding your audience so you can give them the kind of content they want to see. 

If you’re just finding your feet, you can determine this by:

  • Speaking to your current customers about the everyday problems and asking them what they want to see.
  • Drawing up your target audience and creating a content plan around them.
  • Watching Shorts from other brands and viewing responses, viewing figures, etc.

To achieve a wider reach, you can also:

  • Create newsworthy content. Base your content around events, trends, new surveys, and what’s happening on social media.
  • Integrate keywords. Understand the search terms your views are likely to use to find your content. 
  • Answer the questions people are asking. A tool like AnswerhePublic is perfect for this. Here are the results for “chocolate.”
Tips and Strategies for Creating Effective YouTube Shorts Create Relevant Content

YouTube Shorts Frequently Asked Questions

Are YouTube Shorts monetized?

YouTube recently introduced financial incentives via its YouTube Monetization Fund. The Fund consists of $100 million

The plan is to reward contributors who get the most engagement and views; YouTube plans to contact anyone who qualifies for payment and seek feedback from its community regarding financial rewards.

Additionally, YouTube states the fund is the first step towards monetization, and there are plans to introduce ads for the Shorts format to test response.

Should you create Shorts, TikToks, or Reels?

It depends entirely on the audience you’re aiming for. Think of the demographics and where your typical customer hangs out.

To get the most from your content, you could always reuse your content on multiple sites and measure performance.

Should you create regular YouTube Videos and Shorts or pick one type?

There are many reasons why someone might want to post on both channels. Try out both of them and see what works best for them and their audience. 

Don’t be scared to diversify and monitor what works well for your particular audience.

Is there a YouTube Shorts app?

Yes. YouTube Shorts uses an app that provides an easier way to find and watch videos by allowing you to search for them by topic.

You can reach a new audience by accessing the YouTube app via your smartphone, making short video content even easier.

YouTube Shorts (aka Shorts YouTube) Conclusion

As the success of TikTok and Instagram Reels shows, consumers want bite-size content they can engage with and watch on the go. 

Shorts are Google’s answer to this trend, and there are several strategies you can implement to get the best from the platform.

Creating relevant content, optimizing your titles, and creating concise content are just some of the ways you can increase subscribers and engagement.

Do you use YouTube Shorts? Tell us about your experience.



from Blog – Neil Patel https://ift.tt/3GL7kZR

How to Accept Bitcoin and Other Crypto Payments On Your Website

How to Accept Bitcoin and Other Crypto Payments on Your Website

Should you accept Bitcoin and other crypto payments on your website?

With cryptocurrencies becoming more and more mainstream, this is a question lots of us are asking. Whether you choose to accept Bitcoin payments on your site is ultimately up to you, but if you choose to do so, it’s important you get the right setup.

Should You Accept Bitcoin on Your Site?

This is probably the biggest question you’ve first got to decide on. Once you’ve decided to accept crypto, the payment processing is fairly easy to set up, but first, you’ve got to decide if cryptocurrency is right for your business.

As big as crypto has become (Bitcoin has a market valuation of over $1 trillion), it’s still something that divides opinion. For every devout crypto fan, there’s an influential person talking it down. For all the positive talk you hear about it, the next minute you hear Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan, saying “I personally think Bitcoin is worthless.”

It’s confusing, and when you don’t fully understand the intricacies of how crypto works (which few of us do—and if your customers don’t use it, why bother?), choosing to accept crypto payments on your website can be a worrying decision.

Of course, everyone’s got their agenda, and when you’re making your decision, you should remember that. Do your own research and find out if accepting Bitcoin on your website is in your best interests.

The Benefits of Accepting Bitcoin on Your Site

Let’s draw this back to a subject I love: marketing. I’m always saying that marketing is about reaching the right people with the right message at the right time. When you do this, sales are likely to start flowing. 

If lots of your customers are engaging with crypto, then why not make it a part of your message?

Accepting Bitcoin on your website plays into your brand identity, then in some people’s eyes, it’s going to show you’re an innovative, cutting-edge company that’s not afraid to embrace new technology.

Here’s where you need to think about your audience. The people who currently seem to embrace crypto are overwhelmingly males between 25 and 44-years-old

If your key target demographics are over 60, then accepting Bitcoin might not be at the top of your agenda. However, if your target audience is passionate about crypto and it fits your brand identity, then you might be onto something. Especially if you are selling a high-ticket item.

Look at the big companies that are currently accepting Bitcoin: Microsoft, NameCheap, WholeFoods. You can see how crypto lends itself to their audiences, namely, young, alternative, and techy.

If you do decide to accept Bitcoin on your site, then financially it can be rewarding too. Crypto tends to have very low transaction fees compared with traditional payment methods. Most bitcoin transactions cost between zero and one percent, whereas the average credit card transaction fee is between 1.5 and 3.5 percent

The Drawbacks of Accepting Bitcoin on Your Site

One of the obvious things that makes people question the value of accepting crypto on their sites is volatility. You don’t quite know what Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are going to do from one day to the next and this can be a worry for website owners.

In some cases, Bitcoin has been known to lose 25 percent of its value in less than a month, which on the face of it, isn’t what you need as a business owner. 

The thing is, just because you accept Bitcoin payment doesn’t mean you have to hold Bitcoin. If you don’t want to be exposed to the volatility of cryptocurrencies, then you can immediately exchange Bitcoin into your chosen currency.

The next Bitcoin drawback is something you may not expect: curiosity.

Whether they love it or hate it; people love to talk about crypto. If you accept Bitcoin on your website, then you’re something of a pioneer, and this will stir lots of curiosity.

You may well find your customer service team isn’t inundated with questions about your products, but instead, fielding questions about cryptocurrencies. This is far from ideal, and it’s something you need to be prepared for if you do decide to accept crypto. 

What You Need to Accept Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency on Your Website

Crypto is designed for the modern world, so it’s no surprise that it doesn’t take too much set up to start accepting Bitcoin on your website.

There are a few basics everyone will need and then you need to decide on the best way for your website to accept crypto payments.

The Basics

To hold crypto, you need a “wallet.” This is very similar to the “wallet” app you probably have on your iPhone, but it’s specific to crypto.

Your crypto wallet allows you to buy, sell, and hold many different types of cryptocurrency, for instance, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether. You get a unique private key that helps to keep your currency safe and accessible, and it links with other apps to help make transactions seamless.

When someone buys something in crypto on your website, the money will eventually filter into your wallet and from there, you’re free to exchange it into the currency of your choice.

Good Communication

As with anything in this world, the key to introducing a new payment method is good communication.

If you’re going to take the step and accept Bitcoin on your website, then you’ve got to explain the value proposition to your audience. Make sure they’re aware of new changes and showcase how it benefits them.

This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your brand, so make sure you take it. If you communicate well, then you’ll find more people take up the option of paying in crypto, and it will also foster greater brand loyalty.

Platforms and Integrations

How you integrate your crypto payments will depend largely on the platform your site is hosted on. For the major platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce (WordPress), and Magenta, there will be different plugins you can use for a quick setup. 

If you can’t find the plugin you want, then most Bitcoin payment tools offer alternatives such as payment buttons, custom integration, and invoices.

Different websites will require different solutions, but for the majority, the plugins do an excellent job. If you’re struggling to integrate these tools with your website, then don’t worry, though.

Crypto was created to enable financial transactions between two parties without the need for a middleman, so you can always invite customers to contact you directly for Bitcoin payment options.

What to Look for in a Crypto Payment Processor

When you accept Bitcoin payment on your website, you want maximum value for your customer and your business. With many different crypto payment processors to choose from, it’s important to evaluate your options and make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Here are some considerations when choosing your payment processor.

Transaction Fees

How much do you get charged for each transaction? Bitcoin transaction fees are generally very low compared to traditional payment fees, but you want to make sure you’re getting the right deal.

Payout Frequency

Is it important for your business that your money comes in quickly? If so, you will want to consider payout frequency. While some crypto payment processors payout daily, others can take three to five days before processing your payment. ACH payments are recommended for companies requiring faster business funds. 

Supported Countries

Cryptocurrency is a delicate political issue. As we’ve seen with China’s crypto ban, not every country is open to the use of cryptocurrency. 

With different rules throughout the world, it’s important to ensure you choose a payment processor that supports the countries you do business in.

Customer Support

Whenever we’re talking about tech, it’s always important to think about customer support. If you have problems with setup or the service goes down, then you want to be able to speak to someone immediately.

Make sure you’ve got the support you need.

Security

The security of your business and its customers is essential. Make sure the payment processor you choose takes security seriously, and stay up to date with your site maintenance. Make sure you’re installing new updates and making regular encrypted backups to your wallet.

5 Ways to Accept Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency on Your Website

There are many different Bitcoin payment processors, and other manual ways to accept Bitcoin on your website. While I recommend you dig deeper into these companies and find the method that best suits your business, these are some of the easiest ways to start taking crypto payments on your site.

1. BitPay

How to Accept Bitcoin and Other Crypto Payments On Your Website - BitPay

BitPay is one of the best options for websites that are looking to accept crypto payments.

It offers different ways for your customers to pay, with payment buttons, hosted checkouts, and embeddable invoices, as well as a host of plugins and integrations. All of these are easy to set up, meaning you can start accepting Bitcoin payments without lots of hassle.

BitPay also helps protect you from volatility through its Zero Price Volatility feature and daily bank deposits. For a 1 percent transaction fee, this is a pretty attractive offer.

2. Coinbase Commerce 

How to Accept Bitcoin and Other Crypto Payments On Your Website - Coinbase Commerce

Coinbase makes it quick and easy for websites to start accepting Bitcoin payments. With a great app and excellent compatibility with most e-commerce platforms, you can start accepting crypto in an instant.

With quick exchange from crypto to your currency of choice, it’s a high-security option to protect you against currency fluctuations, and with flexible pricing options, it offers something for all businesses.

3. NOWPayments

How to Accept Bitcoin and Other Crypto Payments On Your Website - NowPayments

NowPayments is a low-fee, easy-to-implement processing option that’s extremely popular.

It allows you to accept over 100 cryptocurrencies and seamlessly exchange them into the currency of your choice. NowPayments has good compatibility with the major e-commerce platforms, offers some great plugins, and has an excellent point of sale solution.

With a maximum fee of 1 percent, it offers great value for money.

4. PayPal 

How to Accept Bitcoin and Other Crypto Payments On Your Website - PayPal

PayPal is one of the biggest online payment providers in the world and it’s recently stepped into the crypto sphere.

If you’re one of the 29 million merchants that accept PayPal transactions, then customers with US crypto holdings will automatically be able to purchase in their preferred cryptocurrency. At the point of sale, the crypto will be converted to your fiat currency (e.g., US Dollar) and you will be paid as normal.

While this doesn’t quite embrace crypto in the same way as the other options, it is an easy way to accept Bitcoin payments on your website.

5. Accept Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Manually

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were designed to make it easier for individuals to make payments to each other without the involvement of a third party. This makes it easy to simply speak with your buyer and organize your own payment.

This will happen in the customer’s wallet, where they simply facilitate a payment.

All they need is your “address” which is an alphanumerical string (you can also generate a QR code) that you’ll find in your wallet.

Once your customer has your “address,” then they can quickly send payment and complete the transaction.

Frequently Asked Questions About Accepting Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency on Your Website

Can I accept Bitcoin at my business?

If it’s legal to do so in your country, then your business can easily accept Bitcoin. All you need is a cryptocurrency wallet, and you can start accepting cryptocurrency right away. 

How do I accept someone’s Bitcoin?

To receive Bitcoin from someone, all you need to do is give them your “address.” This alphanumerical code will allow someone to send Bitcoin straight to your wallet.

What are the advantages of accepting Bitcoin on my website?

Some advantages of accepting Bitcoin on your website are low transaction rates, more options for your customers, and brand loyalty.

What are the disadvantages of accepting Bitcoin on my website?

The disadvantages of accepting Bitcoin on your website are price volatility and the fact that it can be a distraction for your customers.

Conclusion: Accepting Bitcoin Payments on Your Website

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are gradually becoming more mainstream and your website can capitalize on it—should the market allow. While the world debates the merits of cryptocurrency, you can accept crypto payments on your website without exposing yourself to unnecessary risk.

With the right plugins, it’s easy to accept crypto payments and immediately convert them to your preferred currency. This means you don’t have to worry so much about volatility while still giving your customers a valuable service.

One of the great things about accepting Bitcoin on your site is that it can add to your brand image. If your target audience is interested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, then you should be too. Accepting Bitcoin on your website is an excellent way to do this.

Are you planning on accepting Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency?



from Blog – Neil Patel https://ift.tt/3BDO6BA

How to Cross-Post to Instagram and Facebook

How to Cross-Post to Instagram and Facebook

The Facebook/Instagram relationship provides businesses with an opportunity to leverage the audiences and tools of both simultaneously.

Have you ever thought about cross-posting on the platforms as part of your social media marketing strategy? 


It’s a step that could save your time and ensure campaigns go out simultaneously and consistently. Doing it well, however, requires taking the time to set the systems up right. You’ll also need to decide what kind of content you want to push out simultaneously and when. 

Here’s how to use cross-posting to make the most of both accounts. 

How to Link Your Instagram and Facebook Accounts

Before cross-post to Facebook and Instagram, you’ll have to connect the two accounts. Once they are connected, the two accounts can talk to each other and ensure content is posted in both places. 

Note, you will need to link your Instagram account on Facebook, if you want to push from Facebook to Instagram. Alternatively, you will need to link your Facebook account to your Instagram account, if you want to push from Instagram to Facebook. 

In other words, if you want to be able to cross-post content from one to the other and vice versa, you need to link both accounts both ways. 

Keep in mind that you need to think about whether you are using personal accounts or professional pages before linking things. If you choose to link to Instagram from your Facebook page, rather than a personal account, Instagram will make your account a professional, public account by default

Think about where you want to cross-post to and from before linking to ensure you take the correct steps. 

To link your Facebook account to Instagram, go to your settings and look for “Instagram.” Choose to connect an account and type in the login credentials of the Instagram account you want to connect. 

You can go back and choose “Disconnect” at a later time, if you need to. 

To link your Instagram account to Facebook, you’ll need to use the Instagram app. Go to the Account Center and choose to add a Facebook Account. 

Just as before, you’ll need to enter your login credentials. To disconnect later, you can go through the Account Center again and choose to remove the correct account. 

How to Cross-Post Photos and Videos on Instagram and Facebook

Once you link your Instagram and Facebook accounts, you can choose to post from Facebook to Instagram or Instagram to Facebook when you share photos, videos, or other standard posts.

The steps are similar whether you are posting from Facebook to Instagram or the other way around, and whether you are on desktop or mobile. 

In all cases, you’ll prepare your content and then check the settings as you go to post. In the sharing options, you will have the opportunity to cross-post to the other accounts connected to your account. 

To give yourself more options, such as posting to multiple accounts, you can choose a third-party solution such as Zapier. With these integrations, your posting will trigger a notification and the third-party software will post on the other platform. 

The pros of this option include being able to overcome Facebook Instagram limitations within the platforms. However, because it’s not native, you could come up against some obstacles, so you’ll need to check to make sure the cross-posted content looks right. 

how to cross post from instagram to facebook image

How to Cross-Post Stories on Instagram and Facebook

Stories can also be cross-posted across platforms. Facebook and Instagram stories are short-lived posts in the Story section of either Facebook or Instagram. They can be a great way to share live updates or quick looks into your brand. You can also use these to push people to your Instagram shop or Facebook page.  

When you share a story from Facebook to Instagram or Instagram to Facebook, you can choose to cross-post to the other platform, with each post or automatically with every post. 

You’ll want to do the automatic option if you create a lot of stories you want to be pushed to the platform, to maximize your audience reach. However, if you want to be more particular about which posts are shared across the board, choose the manual option.

To cross-post your stories, create your story on the platform of your choice. Before you post, you’ll see the sharing setting options. You can choose to share to the other platform, once or automatically every time. 

Here’s a tip: You can choose once this time if you are still experimenting. If you end up cross-posting a lot, you can choose “every time” down the line. 

How to Livestream on Instagram and Facebook Simultaneously

One of the most popular media opportunities available on Instagram and Facebook is live streaming. Whether you are hosting an event or just want to hop on live and speak with your audience, you probably want to post simultaneously so you can reach your full audience.

The problem is there isn’t a cross-posting, or in this case cross-streaming, button available to easily push the livestream from one platform to another.

However, there are many workarounds and third-party software to help you do this seamlessly.

The first option is to just have two devices and turn one on to Instagram and one onto Facebook. If you are just starting to get into live streaming, it may not make sense to take the time to set up a third-party software. If that’s the case, just use two devices.

As you get into this though, you’ll start to see the problems. It’s not the exact same video stream, since two devices have to be in two different places. Even if they are close, the video perspective is slightly different. 

You’ll also have to remember to start and stop the stream on two different devices and manage comments on two different platforms—which can be a lot to handle. 

To overcome these obstacles, here are some software integrations to help you cross-post your live streams.  

OneStream

OneStream Live does just as the name promises. It allows you to create one stream to go out to multiple places, including Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, YouTube, and more. The platform comes with other features, including pre-scheduled and live streaming, analytics, storage, and embeddable video options. 

There’s a free option, but to get the cross-posting features, you will need to choose at least the $39 per month option. 

StreamYard

StreamYard promises not only cross-posting opportunities but also adds a touch of professionalism to your videos. You can brand them with your logos, colors, and more. You can also add guests to your live streams. 


Socialive

Socialive allows even beginner livecasters to create professional and high-quality casting opportunities. Like the others shared here, you can cross-post your live streaming to Facebook and Instagram. 

There are also various viewer engagement options, as well as pre-recorded broadcasting and recordings.

How to Cross-Post Old Posts on Instagram and Facebook

What if you want to go back and share old posts from Instagram or Facebook? If you are new to one platform, this can be a good way to fill the new platform with content your customers care about. 

You might also want to do this if you’re trying to build up engagement on one of the platforms and have one type of content that is particularly popular. 


In general, the best way to go is to go to the post you want to share and click on the settings of that post. Then choose to share to the other platform.

For instance, if you want to share an old Instagram post, you can click on your post from your desktop and then click on the three dots on the upper right corner. 


Then click on “Share to…”

instagram screenshot how to cross post facebook and Instagram "share to"

Then click “Share to Facebook.”

How to Cross-Post Old Posts on Instagram and Facebook - Click on your post and then share to

​​Should You Cross-Post on Facebook and Instagram?

Simultaneous Facebook Instagram posting may seem like an easy way to streamline your social media strategy, but there are disadvantages as well. 

Just like any marketing technology, there are situations where you may want to employ this in your overall strategy. In other cases, it may make more sense to post manually and separately. 

Saving time is the biggest reason to use this method. If you’re trying to get a lot of content out quickly, or if you don’t want to choose one platform over the others, cross-posting can take an extra step off your plate. 

Especially if you are posting great content, consistently, you don’t want anyone to miss what you’re sharing. Sharing content on both platforms can help to increase your exposure and ensure maximum reach. 

However, there’s sometimes when this isn’t the right strategy. 

For instance, if you have followers on both platforms, they may get tired of seeing the same content posted in both places. It can also lower engagement. If users hop on Facebook and see your message, even if they like it and interact with it, they’re less likely to engage with the same content a second time on Instagram. 


If you are trying to build up your social media following, and likely have the same loyal followers on both platforms, show them some love by posting unique content on each platform. 

Furthermore, people tend to consume and interact with content differently on different social media platforms. Some types of content perform better on various platforms. 

Posting the same content on Instagram and Facebook indiscriminately misses the opportunity to leverage the most popular types of content on each platform

Cross-Posting to Instagram and Facebook Frequently Asked Questions

Can I post to Facebook and Instagram at the same time?

Yes. You can link your Facebook and Instagram accounts and cross-post your content across both platforms at once. 

How do I share an Instagram post on Facebook after posting?

If your Instagram and Facebook accounts are linked, you can click on the three dots next to your post and choose to share content on Facebook. 

Can I cross-post a video from Facebook to Instagram?

Yes. Before you can cross-post a video, you will need to connect your Instagram account to Facebook. Once they are connected, you can create a video post on Facebook and choose to share it on Instagram before posting. 

Why can't I cross-post from Facebook to Instagram?

The top reason cross-posting doesn’t work between Facebook and Instagram is you haven’t connected your accounts yet. You need to go to your Facebook settings and add your Instagram account by inputting your login credentials. 

Cross-Posting to Instagram and Facebook Conclusion

Cross-posting content can help improve your social media marketing strategy and save you time—if you do it right. It can help you get the word out to your target audience on more platforms and drive traffic to your carefully crafted content. 

However, it’s important to know your target audience well. Shouting into the proverbial wind may not produce the results you expect. Know where your audience is and what kind of media they want to consume. Then you can move forward with confidence. 

Will you be cross-posting across both platforms?



from Blog – Neil Patel https://ift.tt/3COqzze

What’s the Difference Between a Content Creator and an Influencer?

What Is the Difference Between a Content Creator and an Influencer?

In today’s internet-focused age, words like “content creator” and “influencer” are thrown around on nearly every social media platform. Have you ever wondered: What do these terms really mean? Is it the same thing? How do the two roles differ from the perspective of a user or consumer?

In a nutshell, content creator is a broad term describing someone who produces some form of content, including but not limited to blog posts, videos, photography, and reels.

Influencers can also create such content, but they’re better known for their connection to their audience (i.e., the “influence” they have on their followers).

Still confused? Let’s dive deeper into the world of content creators and influencers to understand exactly what they do and what makes them different from each other.

What Do Content Creators Do?

Content creators create content for blogs and social media platforms. This can include YouTube videos, TikTok reels, and text-based posts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.

The content they produce is typically original and may be shared for money, audience building, brand awareness, or just as a way to share their talents online.

For example, “Insta poets,” bloggers, and newsletter writers are typically seen as content creators.

Here is an example of content on Instagram shared by the account @poets.

Content creator on Instagram

Content creators aren’t limited to texts, though. They can specialize in video, audio, and visual content, among other forms.

Here’s an example of a YouTube content creator Home RenoVision DIY.

Content creator on YouTube

What Do Influencers Do?

Influencers are popular individuals on social media and other content-sharing platforms who leverage their substantially large followings to promote certain brands and lifestyles.

This can be very beneficial for brands and small businesses looking to reach new users and build brand awareness.

When you see someone with thousands of followers flaunting a beauty or wellness product with a “sponsored” tag, they’re probably an influencer.

Influencers promote products and lifestyles through photos, videos, blogs, reels, and other forms of “viral” media.

Influencers often create content; that’s where the confusion comes from.

However, the difference is influencers are more focused on audience engagement, promotions, and portraying a certain image about themselves and their lives to sustain and grow their influence.

See this post by fashion influencer @sophia_hardy on Instagram, for example.

Content creator fashion influencer Sophia Hardy

Content Creators Vs. Influencers: Skills

Content creators and influencers have some overlapping skills. These typically include proficiency with technology, writing and communication skills, photography, and audience management.

While some individuals may be more proficient at one skill than others, most digital creators and influencers need these skills in some capacity to thrive in their field.

Common skills:

  • communicating ideas effectively
  • basic tech proficiency
  • managing client expectations
  • admin tasks like invoicing, managing emails, follow ups, etc.

Beyond the common overlapping skills, the two groups also need some specific skills to succeed. For instance, influencers need to have a strong understanding of how social media and audience engagement works. Their entire process depends on leveraging these talents.

Influencer skills:

  • photo editing
  • video editing
  • social media management
  • audience management
  • live streaming
  • promotion
  • knowledge of advertising
  • niche expertise in a particular industry

Content creators can benefit from these skills too, but writing, recording, editing, and publishing content may be a bigger priority for them. Content creators also need to be good storytellers to create engaging content.

Nowadays, many content creators also excel at SEO and digital marketing to help themselves and their clients achieve key business goals.

Content marketing skills:

  • above-average writing proficiency
  • SEO
  • digital marketing
  • storytelling
  • handling content management systems
  • content research
  • keyword research
  • audience research
  • broad knowledge of a particular industry

Content Creators Vs. Influencers: Strategy & Goals

The biggest difference between content creators and influencers lies in their goals and the strategies they use to achieve these objectives.

Content creators develop content marketing strategies. These include publishing schedules, topic research, keyword research, audience targeting, social media plans, and other digital marketing elements.

Content creators work with brands, agencies, business owners, and other clients to understand their current marketing needs and develop SMART plans to achieve their business goals.

Content creators earn money by developing content strategies and content items like blogs and videos for others, or by uploading media on their own accounts for ad revenue, affiliate sales, and paid subscriptions. This way, they either get paid directly by a client seeking their services or through their own efforts by building an audience that wants to pay to consume their content.

Influencers work differently. They work with a primary goal to “influence” the audience. They work to build strong relationships with their followers. They constantly strive to increase engagement on their posts and ensure they have an optimal web presence.

Influencers also accept sponsorships from brands to promote products and lifestyle ideas. In exchange for money or free products, these users upload reviews, product photos, and videos, or sponsored posts on their social media accounts.

Many influencers make a huge share of their income through these sponsored posts, but not all influencers make enough money to make a living out of sponsorships. Some do it as a side hustle, while others do it for fame and status in society.

For instance, the following graphic by Influence.co shows the research findings highlighting the top ways popular influencers make money.

Top revenue sources for an influencer and content creator

However, several influencers with millions of followers do reach a stage in their career where they’re regularly pulling in six figures from brand deals and sponsored posts.

Content Creators Vs. Influencers: Tools

Content creators and influencers use a variety of tools to meet their goals.

Content creators typically use the following tools:

  • Blogging platforms like WordPress (free and paid features) to create and publish content.
  • Google Trends (free) for keyword research and understanding current trends.
  • SEMrush Topic Research Tool ($99.95 a month) for getting content ideas.
  • AnswerthePublic (free) to get blog and research ideas around a specific topic.
  • Grammarly (free and paid features) to catch typos and improve writing.
  • Hemingway App (free) to detect reading level, reduce passive voice, and polish writing.
  • Unsplash (free) to get free-of-cost, royalty-free images to use anywhere.
  • Audacity (free) to create and edit audio files for podcasts and other audio formats.

This is far from being an exhaustive list. Different content creators use different tools based on their needs and end goals, but I hope this list gives you a great place to start your search.

Influencers typically use the following tools:

  • Social media platforms (free and paid features) to post influential content and build an audience.
  • Canva (free and paid features) to create engaging graphics in a variety of formats.
  • Remove.bg (free and paid features) to remove background clutter from photographs.
  • Sprout Social (starting at $99 a month) to schedule social media posts and track analytics.
  • Influence.co (free and paid features) as a social media style directory to find influencers and work with sponsoring brands.
  • TweetDeck (free) to organize tweets and feeds for easier access.
  • Intellifluence (free and paid features) to collaborate directly with brands and agencies for sponsorships.

Again, different influencers will use a combination of these tools (or something completely different) based on how they work, but this list can be a good place to start looking.

Content Creators Vs. Influencers: Which Is Right for My Business?

Now that you know more about what content creators and influencers do, how they work, and which tools they use, it’s time to think about which of the two would be right for your business.

Whether you’re planning to work with content creators, influencers, or both, each option has its pros and cons. Let’s discuss some of those below.

Working With Content Creators

Let’s start by highlighting the pros and cons of working with content creators. Know that there will always be some individual differences based on how each person works, but many content creators share the following traits.

Pros:

  • Content creators are well-versed with digital marketing and can add more value to your marketing campaigns.
  • Content creators can offer more than one skill. They can write about your product but also offer photographs and videos for a more comprehensive final product.
  • Content creators tend to be good storytellers. They can weave in narratives and strong research findings to strengthen your story and position your brand effectively.

Cons:

  • Content creators may or may not have huge followings. Many content creators don’t have a massive influence on their audience, so you won’t necessarily get millions of impressions on your post.
  • Content creators typically don’t take on sponsored posts, so your content may not be advertorial in nature.
  • Some content creators have specific processes of how they work, and they might not be able to tailor their content to match your marketing needs.

Working With Influencers

Now let’s look at the pros and cons you can experience when working with influencers across different industries.

Pros:

ROI from an influencer or content creator
  • Influencers have strong relationships with their audiences, so your posts can get a lot of engagement.
  • Working with influencers can help you target specific audiences. For instance, beauty influencers have a lot of followers interested in beauty and wellness products so you can market to them directly.

Cons:

  • Influencers may have huge followings but still be subpar content creators. Not every influencer can make the most engaging post so often there’s no guarantee of quality.
  • Influencers may have fake followers. Today many influencers buy followers or have fake accounts to boost their apparent credibility making it very difficult to vet them before partnership.
  • A lot of social media users dislike engaging with influencers, so you’re essentially cutting off a huge portion of your target audience by working only with influencers.

The bottom line here is that both influencers and content creators have something to offer, but you have to carefully consider your needs before choosing to work with any one of them.

Finally, remember that some content creators do double as influencers, offering you the best of both worlds.

Content Creators Vs. Influencers: Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about content creators and influencers.

Do content creators or influencers drive better ROI?

Statistically speaking, influencers tend to drive better ROI as they have a bigger audience, larger followings, and more consistent engagement on their posts.

What are the key differences between content creators and influencers?

Content creators are more focused on creating and publishing content, while influencers are more focused on building an audience, promoting brands, and maintaining the status quo. They also operate differently. Content creators create original content for sharing knowledge or building a brand, while influencers post sponsored content for money and popularity.

How do I find the right influencers for my brand? 

You can find the right influencer for your brand by using free and paid research tools like Intellifluence, Influence.co, and popular social media apps. You can also look at who your competitors are working with and where they find relevant influencers.

Are YouTubers content creators? 

YouTubers are typically called content creators as they upload videos and popular content on a fairly consistent schedule. Viral YouTubers can become influencers once they have a large following and start accepting sponsored deals.

Conclusion: Content Creators Vs. Influencers

Working with content creators and influencers can benefit your marketing efforts. Content creators can help build an effective content marketing strategy, while influencers can help you reach more targeted users through sponsored posts.

Want to learn more about digital marketing and how to work with content creators and influencers? Read my guide on influencer marketing and content marketing strategy.

What is the most surprising difference between an influencer and a content creator you learned today?



from Blog – Neil Patel https://ift.tt/3bztfVw

Best Online Reputation Management

Podium automation setup for Best Online Reputation Management

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Building a solid online reputation can take years. A few negative reviews (even fake ones) can threaten your good name in heartbeat. What do you do?

If you’re already managing a lot, your best bet is outsourcing it to an ORM, or an online reputation manager. 

There’s a lot to know. Handling negative reviews on Yelp, Google, and Glassdoor is a lot of work. Each platform has different rules and procedures. Responding to a public relations crisis requires yet another skill set.

It can be far more cost-effective to have a professional resolve the issue quickly.

To help you put your best foot forward, I’ve compiled a list of the very best online reputation management companies. Along with in-depth reviews of each option, I’ve included a short buyer’s guide to help you approach your decision.

#1 – Podium Review — The Best for Instantly Generating Positive Reviews

Podium main page for Best Online Reputation Management

Reputation management can be proactive or reactive. A lot of people think of this service as cleaning up bad reviews or navigating bad press. But a proactive approach focuses on generating high-quality customer reviews to keep your reputation sterling.

Podium is the best tool for doing that, because it is foremost a messaging platform that gets happy customers to leave Google and Facebook reviews through texting.

See, getting five-star feedback every time is a matter of striking while the iron is hot. With Podium, you can capitalize on positive customer interactions instantly, ending the conversation with a simple message and link.

As I said, Podium is foremost a messaging platform. Within it, you manage customer messages across several platforms—like Facebook messages and SMS—in one convenient interface. Podium throws in a free, textable business number for each of its clients.

That’s why the software is so effective at seizing upon opportunities to scoop up good reviews. You can respond to customers across all the major channels, so your team is always prompt to help. Then, they can finish with an invitation to review your company, complete with a short, safe link that will take the customer to any of your review pages.

Podium automation setup for Best Online Reputation Management

Podium automates this process for you, which is important because your team isn’t always going to have a free minute between customers to send an invitation to review. It also makes it easier on the customer, so they only need to take a few seconds to leave a review and improve your reputation.

So, maybe you’re interacting on Facebook Messenger, but you can point folks to review you on Angi (formerly Angie’s List) or Capterra.

You can also use the software to set up a live chat widget on your websites to add another convenient channel for customer messaging.

Podium’s paid plan allows you to generate and send customer surveys. Identify pain points and get some insights about what’s making your customers happy.

Podium Starter is the way to try this platform out for free. It comes with the following essential features:

  • Reviews
  • Webchat
  • Unified messaging dashboard
  • Textable business number

Podium doesn’t have any set paid packages, but you can easily request a quote to get an idea of the cost and full feature set.

Don’t waste any more time chasing down customer reviews. Wield Podium and improve your reputation and overall messaging capabilities today.

#2 – Go Fish Digital Review — The Best for Managing Reviews

Go Fish Digital services for Best Online Reputation Management

I’ve listed Go Fish Digital as the best agency for managing reviews, and while that’s true, Go Fish Digital also wows with the option of full-service reputation management used by the likes of Geico, Ford, and Airbnb.

With Go Fish, you can gain thorough insight into your customers’ reviews and comments online. 

They work closely with huge review sites like Yelp to manage negative reviews by advocating for review removal on your behalf through their agency tools. They also work to get your best Yelp reviews to the top for more visibility. 

They’re exhaustive in their brand monitoring abilities and monitor all corners of the internet like Wikipedia and Reddit threads to create a plan of action in your favor.  

Go Fish’s review management works by pushing positive content to higher visibility with SEO, adjusting copy in public places where you’re mentioned, cleaning up Google autocomplete, and even promoting positive information about your business wherever your target audience is. 

As they create results, they keep you up to date with a relevant score you can see on their dashboard. 

To be clear, Go Fish is a reputable ORM that does not post false reviews for you. Still, their Yelp review management service is one of their strong suits.

Some of their best review management features are:

  • Managing negative Google reviews
  • Negative auto-complete cleanup often generated from those reviews
  • A dashboard that keeps you updated on your brand’s daily search results
  • Crafting a strategy for your business to encourage the best reviews possible
  • Creating and delivering a strong case on your behalf for negative review removal to the Yelp team

For pricing, you’ll have to contact them directly to get a quote. 

As with most ORMs, their prices change depending on the size of your business and the specific services you’re looking for.

Get in touch with Go Fish to get an initial quote. 

#3 – Reputation Rhino Review — The Best for Individuals and Small businesses

Reputation Rhino main page for Best Online Reputation Management

If you’re wondering who exactly needs reputation management, Reputation Rhino’s answer is ‘everyone.’ That’s why it’s the best ORM for solopreneurs and small businesses.

Reputation Rhino is a leading online reputation manager based in New York with clients like Disney, Microsoft, and Nestle. They offer a number of reputation solutions for almost any scenario imaginable, including ones that cater impressively to an individual and their personal brand.  

It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, university, hotel, or contractor, Reputation Rhino helps you with Glassdoor, Yelp, and YouTube review removals, social media management, and even an SEO strategy to put the best parts of your brand (or yourself) front and center. 

Do you have terrible images that need to get removed from Google? They can do that. Do you need to fight against libel and personal defamation? Their team of public relations specialists can do that, too. These are services an individual or small business may not know how to do or not have time to take care of.

Their best ORM services for individuals include:

  • A personalized strategy to defend against smear campaigns
  • Suppressing negative online search results
  • Adding an extra layer of protection to your personal privacy
  • Eliminating news articles, forum comments, and negative content

As an individual or SMB, you might be nervous about investing money into an ORM. To help, Reputation Rhino offers a 30-day money-back guarantee that can ease your worries about whether they’ll deliver. If you need a more personal approach to reputation management, Reputation Rhino is happy to work with you individually. 

Their pricing starts at $1,000. But you’ll have to contact them for a personalized package. 

Get started with Reputation Rhino and request more information.  

#4 – Reputation Resolutions Review — The Best for Crisis Management

Reputation Resolutions main page for Best Online Reputation Management

Unlike other ORMs out there, Reputation Resolutions is the go-to agency for crisis management that can start working on your behalf in 24-72 hours.

A combination of their speedy response, team of attorneys, wide array of solutions, and seasoned professional team makes them the best ORM for enterprise-level reputation and crisis management. 

Maybe your business is an established corporation, but there’s been a sudden increase of negative reviews, you’re dealing with a handful of loud, angry customers online, or there is negative propaganda about you in the media. Ouch. Reputation Resolutions provides everything you need to turn a crisis around. 

Here’s a quick rundown of their top-tier crisis management features:

  • Cyber forensic investigation
  • News article removal
  • Court record removal
  • Thorough and ongoing reputation monitoring
  • Private information removal
  • Unwanted image removal

If you’re an smaller or mid-sized business looking for a management agency to simply take care of negative reviews, Reputation Solutions isn’t the agency for you. 

Alternatively, if you’re an established, well-known business in need of comprehensive PR management, attorneys, or copyright infringement services, then look no further than what Reputation Solutions can offer you. 

To get a pricing quote, email or call them for a free consultation, and they will learn more about you and tailor their services to your specific needs. 

#5 – Big Leap Review — The Best for SEO And Content Management

Big Leap main page for Best Online Reputation Management

Big Leap’s ORM services are designed around one thing: content management. Their award-winning content marketing strategy centers around burying the negative and growing the positive.

This is fantastic news for you if you’re looking for an ORM that cares deeply about gaining customer trust through a long-term strategy. 

If your marketing strategy is mainly through content, you’re not as concerned about a sudden PR crisis, or Yelp reviews are mostly irrelevant to your sales success, then Big Leap’s trust-building approach can help you create results. 

They begin by scouring the internet for every mention of your business.  They do social media and search audits, along with a competitive analysis, to give them the bigger picture of where your reputation lies. 

Then they create a positive content strategy tailored specifically for you through brand-strengthening content and social media campaigns. As they execute their content strategy, Big Leap regularly reports back to you with updated results.

Some of their best ORM content management features include:

  • Brand name monitoring
  • Content strategy, creation, and promotion
  • Site optimization
  • Constant workflow updates on content strategy execution

Big Leap doesn’t list their prices publicly, but you can request a quote on their site. 

#6 – NetReputation Review — The Best for Improving Reputation with Content Development

NetReputation process for Best Online Reputation Management

Some companies have damage control as their foremost priority with reputation management. Others are starting as unknowns that want to become more recognizable brand names.

In either case, one of most potent solutions is building out your content and web properties, which is what NetReputation excels at.

Their five-step process creates an end-to-end strategy for building up your reputation.

Start with NetReputation’s thorough analysis of your content, websites, social media profiles and pages, search results, reviews, and more. Then, let them guide you through creating better web properties and content and promoting them both.

And while that’s a great offering, you may have heard similar promises before. “Content is king” and all. But, NetReputation shows their work along the way, so you can have full confidence you’re not just screaming into the void.

Indeed, you can rest assured that you not only have full visibility into your reputation-improving content campaigns—NetReputation builds it with you and lends their expertise to plan strategy and allocate efforts with Swiss watch precision.

Here are just a few aspects they can integrate into your company’s ORM strategy after their initial analysis:

  • Social media profile creation and optimization
  • Website and Schema development
  • Wikipedia page creation, monitoring, and editing
  • Blog posting and scheduling
  • Content updates and optimization
  • Cross-channel promotion
  • Guest/expert posts
  • Content removal
  • General and local SEO strategy

They’ll keep you in the loop every step of the way. So if you want to deemphasize one effort in favor of another, they’ll listen and work with you to adjust plans and action items.

With content being produced to fit all the aspects listed above and more, you and NetReputation can improve digital sentiment about your brand across the board.

NetReputation goes deep into this process for every client. Get your free consultation today and see for yourself how far they’ll go to make your organization’s online reputation sterling.

#7 – InternetReputation.com Review — The Best for Eradicating Private Information

InternetReputation.com main page for Best Online Reputation Management

Reputation management for individuals is an emerging use case for reputation management platforms and one that is becoming more useful for a wider swath of people.

Within personal brand management is the need to carefully share enough about you to build your presence and reputation without divulging private information.

InternetReputation.com handles personal reputation management and privacy monitoring with aplomb.

Individuals, from entrepreneurs and business owners to budding public figures or influencers, can utilize their Reputation Station tool to monitor digital sentiment and online information about their personal brand.

It’s an insightful, centralized dashboard for gauging reputation, tracking ORM campaign progress, and ordering services to boost your standing. Tasks, assets, files, goals, metrics, and resources are all kept in one handy area to give you a 360-degree view of your reputation.

But privacy monitoring is where InternetReputation.com separates itself more from the rest of the ORM pack.

Have personal details online you don’t want to be on public listings? Remove addresses, phone numbers, full names, and more.

You get a customized, all-encompassing package from InternetReputation.com to help keeping your private information away from everyone’s eyes. Their proprietary tool removes sensitive information from data sharing sites in a blink and makes sure it isn’t propagated any further.

Plus, you get access to Infosweep to append your privacy monitoring efforts with your reputation monitoring ones. Infosweep notifies you of new mentions and instances of your details becoming publicly visible online.

Altogether, this presents a wide-ranging tool for individuals looking for full visibility and improvements to their personal brands and reputations. Reach out to IntenetReputation.com for a quote for your bespoke ORM solution today.

What I Looked at to Find the Best Online Reputation Management

Unfortunately, there isn’t a singular “best” reputation manager that fits every business like a glove. If there was, then this guide wouldn’t be necessary. 

Different ORMs cater to different services. This can mean some are better than others at crisis management, online monitoring, online review management, SEO focused branded content strategy, or even supplying attorneys to advocate on your behalf.

First, are you building a new online reputation from scratch? Maybe you’re trying to improve a negative reputation? Or are you being proactive and investing in maintaining a good one?

You have to determine where you are on your reputation management journey. Then you can think about a few factors that can refine your search even more.

Business Size and Type

Your company size generally correlates with the size of your reputation. Obviously, the bigger and more varied your sales channels, the more work you’ll have managing how you look online.  

Your business’s size can also dictate the amount you’ll want to invest in ORM services. Some questions to consider are: What is your estimated current business reach? What types of distribution channels do you sell through or publish content on? Are you a service-based business, an organization, or an e-commerce store?

When choosing the best ORM for you, these are some key questions to consider before moving forward. If your business isn’t a complex enterprise, you won’t need a costly ORM that specializes in litigation, video removal, or a team of expert attorneys. 

Marketing Strategy

Your marketing strategy also determines the type of online reputation management you need. 

Do you primarily sell via a content creation strategy? Do you sell on multiple e-commerce platforms? Is your business big enough that it sells through on-air advertising? Do you already have a strong social media presence that drives sales?

Go Fish is a great choice if you want to manage reviews, whereas Big Leap is going to be more effective for managing content. Which is more important for your business’s reputation?

Outlining how you primarily reach your customers will help you narrow down your search. If you don’t, it might affect how well your ORM can deliver results. 

Long-Term Crisis Management

Think about the future of your business and its reputation. Sure, at some point you might need to put out a reputation fire that caught you by surprise ASAP. Or maybe you’re only getting started and want your name out there in the short-term in a positive light to drive more sales.

But do you have a long-term plan for managing reputation crises that will inevitably come up in the future?

This will determine which ORM can deliver on either your short-term or long-term goals. Each one is built differently to cater to your business goals, as we’ll see further in this guide.

Conclusion

You don’t have to suffer from a bad reputation that only seems to be out of your hands. There are plenty of agencies out there that can help lighten your reputation management load once you’ve reached out and established a relationship with them.

Here are all my top recommendations to get the help you need today:

  1. Podium – The best for instantly generating positive reviews
  2. Go Fish Digital – The best for managing reviews 
  3. Reputation Rhino – The best for individuals and small businesses
  4. Reputation Resolutions – The best for crisis management
  5. Big Leap – The best for SEO and content management
  6. NetReputation – The best for improving reputation with content development
  7. InternetReputation.com – The best for eradicating private information

Online reputation management agencies can indeed offer a lot of the same services. But look closer to find what they specialize in. Hopefully, this in-depth guide helped shed light on which of the top ORMs can work for you.

Check out each agency on this list and get a quote from the one that fits you best to start managing your online reputation now. 



from Blog – Neil Patel https://ift.tt/3qKBEvJ