Facebook’s New Hyper-Local Ads will Target People within a Mile of a Business

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Facebook’s mobile omnipresence and drive for location sharing abilities has manifested with their new launch of super-targeted local advertising and virtual location targeting that’s geared towards getting consumers to visit nearby brick-and-mortar stores. Before long, physical businesses will have the capability to target ads to potential customers that are within a certain distance of their store’s location, which is essentially known as location targeting. Advertisers can predetermine a radius of their location as small as a mile if they wish and their ads will display on consumer’s web browsers or mobile phones. These new and innovative Local Awareness advertisements will be ready for business owners in the U.S. shortly and worldwide over the upcoming months.

Facebook’s hyper-targeted local advertising has been in the works for a while now. It obtained Rel8tion back in January 2011, which already implemented this type of ad targeting. Then, VP Carolyn Everson had the notion in June 2012 that location-conscious mobile phones could possibly one day facilitate hyper-targeted local Facebook ads, and so the plan took root and moved forward. Although the ads are in real-time, ultimately brick-and-mortar businesses could have the ability to pre-bid to hyper located audiences and reveal them to potential customers as they enter the targeted area.

Today, with more than 1 billion mobile phone users, several of which provide Facebook complete access to their specific location along with laptop users who volunteer key information including their location through their IP address and the city they currently live in, has easily provided Facebook all the information it needs to turn hyper local advertising into a reality. Thanks to its latest launch of its ‘Nearby Friends’ feature, Facebook advertising also has real-time location access on people using that particular tool.

Businesses can select an address from their Facebook page or simply key in their address, set up their radius, age range, gender, add a message and photo, and Facebook advertising will route the targeted ads to people close by. They can even choose to add directions in their ad through a unique button that will automatically launch a map app on the user’s mobile phone.

How easy would it be to simply walk down the block and receive an ad for a nearby clothing store or bar-and-grill that’s located right around the corner from where you are? Undoubtedly the ads wouldn’t be as effective if they included the whole city. But by focusing on consumers within just a mile, Facebook advertising can literally drive people to nearby brick-and-mortar businesses leading to actual sales. That’s cutting-edge marketing and something that local businesses are very interested in and currently can’t get anywhere else.

Ultimately, Facebook could potentially combine its ad network and retargeting capabilities with hyper location targeting so that virtually any business you frequent could target you with a relative ad in Facebook or even another kind of app when you’re close by. But for now, that’s in the future. As always, Facebook continues to seek new and better ways to make money.

It’s crucial to stay on top of the latest social media changes in order to successfully stay in the game. Facebook and other social media platforms are constantly changing. Therefore, if you need help effectively managing your social media platform, let Bright Age help.

Instagram now being used as a Social Media Marketing Tool

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Instagram Is Now Being Used as a Social Media Marketing Tool

Instagram is a mobile photo-sharing site that has high potential as an effective social media marketing tool. Instead of only shared daily experiences passed between friends, Instagram can also alert a business’s customers to new sales specials, events or even how-to information related to a certain niche. Instagram paid advertising is now available for business owners as an option for increasing online visibility.

 

Instagram’s Effect on Social Media Marketing

When it comes to social media marketing Los Angeles, an Instagram account can serve as a localized advertising platform for companies in this city and its surrounding boroughs. The main effect of Instagram on social media marketing is the proof that a strictly image-based rather than a mainly text-based social site can be an effective advertising platform. A well-timed and interesting snapshot can catch visitors’ attention just as well as a typed slogan or comment.

 

How Instagram Reaches Targeted Audiences

Instagram users who follow a business’s profile will receive the latest posts from this company, including images and short video clips. While a good percentage of Instagram users access the site through their smartphones or tablets, a desktop version of the site is now available for potential customers who would like to view it with their web browsers. Just as with other forms of social media promotion, a company’s Instagram posts will reach the highest visitor numbers when those posts arr tightly targeted. Background research about a target market’s preferences, likes and common Instagram habits needs to be a high priority.

 

Benefits of Joining Instagram as a Business

Joining Instagram and building a strong profile allows both small and large businesses to reach a wider online audience with a high number of social media savvy members. Word-of-mouth recommendations through Instagram can carry a great deal of weight with frequent Instagram users who have large numbers of followers. Instagram also has features that allow business owners to build and encourage follower engagement. Some popular examples of engagement on Instagram include hosting photo contests, giving out Instagram-exclusive promo codes and sharing followers’ Instagram posts.

Just as with any social media platform, keeping Instagram followers engaged is the best way to keep those followers. The social photo-sharing site allows behind-the-scenes glances at a company, particularly at conferences and trade shows. Photos customers and fans post and hashtag with a business’s name can be some of the best forms of Instagram advertising.

Instagram Social Media Tool

Instagram Social Media Tool

The Power of Viral Social Media: Ice Bucket Challenge

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The Power of Viral Social Media: Ice Bucket Challenge 

With big-name proponents like Bill Gates getting involved in raising funds for research and treatment, few social media marketing ideas have carried as much weight in recent years as the “Ice Bucket Challenge” campaign to support ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a condition commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease that affects voluntary muscle movement by acting on nerve cells in the brain and spine.

What is the Ice Bucket Challenge, and How Did It Become So Famous?
A movement in which friends nominate one another to either donate money towards the ALS Association or dump a bucket of ice water over their heads, the Ice Bucket Challenge has become so popular in recent weeks that it has garnered millions of dollars in donations for the organization. That money will help provide the means to research and treat Lou Gehrig’s disease on a number of fronts, and the ALS Association could not be more proud, having received over ten times the amount of donations at present than they did at this time in their previous year.

How Has the Challenge Become So Popular?
In a word, the challenge became popular through everyday communication: On a purely voluntary basis, many citizens with no connection to media outlets have driven a movement to help those suffering from ALS.

Indeed, as the Ice Bucket Challenge goes viral, special attention is now being placed on the power of online marketing to bring attention to worthy causes. In recent years, social media has done much to provide first-hand information on a variety of major social events. In the run-up to elections in Iran several years ago, for example, people in other countries could stay up-to-the-minute on news concerning key issues in Iranian civil rights, as Iranian citizens posted information about the election on sites like Twitter and Reddit.

Instead of waiting for op-eds in major newspapers, in other words, citizens of one country were now looking to citizens of another country to provide them with a common viewpoint on their experience. Such is the case with the Ice Bucket Challenge, which relies on the wider population to drive its campaign of awareness and fundraising. For individuals interested in the power of social media to change public opinion, the challenge is so successful that it should be seen as a major case-study in the effectiveness of online marketing.

A Club Where Everyone is Included: Understanding Social Media Marketing
So how is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge a particularly 21st Century idea? The answer lies in the ability of social media companies to sift through information via such means as hashtags. Through the use of codes such as #StrikeOutALS and #IceBucketChallenge on Twitter or Facebook, for example, any person can participate in spreading information about ALS awareness simply by noting their participation in the movement or by nominating friends to participate. As others search out the use of such terms, the movement moves forward on its own while drawing attention from major news outlets.

What Does the Challenge Tell Us About the Future of Social Media?
As examples of the power of people to help one another, movements such as the Ice Bucket Challenge appeal to basic psychological needs in human culture. A sense of belonging and a need to address the greater good are just two qualities that have caused the movement to be so popular with users on sites like Twitter and Facebook. By helping people affected by ALS, individuals on social media sites can participate in making the world a better place. As the movement goes more viral, individuals feel not only a connection to a positive campaign, but also that by sharing information they are introducing awareness to others.

In this way, the future of online marketing is inspiring in its potential for bringing awareness of good acts to a wider population. Even more striking is the grass-roots nature of such movements: As more people participate in awareness campaigns, more collective good can be done than ever in history. That quality alone has made social marketing one of the game-changers in 21st Century society and its truly democratic values.

Foursquare Changes Now Benefit Social Media Marketing Professionals

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Social Media Marketing: Foursquare Splits App into Two Separate Experiences

Foursquare is one of the most widely used social media apps worldwide. Since its inception, people have used it to check into their favorite social networks and show off where they have been. The owners of Foursquare have monitored how this app has been used and have perfected it so that it can benefit both social media marketing professionals and average everyday users alike.What Changes Have Been Made?Historically, Foursquare used to be an app that allowed people to share their locations with others on social networking sites. When users went to their favorite stores, restaurants, tourist attractions, malls and parks, they could let their friends know by using their tablets or phones. The app would use these devices’ location tracking features to determine where users were located, and then these individuals could select the option to share. Now, Foursquare has redesigned its app to allow for two different experiences, sharing locations and receiving personalized location recommendations based on users’ preferences, likes and previously visited locations. The name of the portion of the app that is to share locations is called Swarm. Swarm will work like Forsquare did previously before the changes were made. The Forsquare portion of the app, on the other hand, will provide users with personal recommendations.

How Foursquare Changes Benefit Social Media Marketing Professionals

The changes have made social media marketing easier than ever before because companies are able to better promote their brands to individuals who are searching for what they want or need and meet target markets. Let’s say, for example, that a company wants to reach out to prospects in the Los Angeles area, this company will then need to contact marketing experts who will engage in providing social media management in Los Angeles. A top quality firm that specializes in social media management in Los Angeles will need to use social networks to target users who frequent places in that town or who reside there. Bright Age digital creative agency in Los Angeles is a fine example of an outstanding marketing firm that will offer such a service to businesses needing to effectively and efficiently reach their clientele. Once targeted ads have been placed and marketing firms have used other techniques to reach out to people in a specific geographic location, the app can recommend these companies to people who actually want to do business.

How the Changes in Foursquare Benefit Average Users

Average users will not have to look far to find the things they want or need. All they have to do is use Swarm to check into all of their favorite places and set preferences in Foursquare, and the Forsquare portion of the app will allow desired places to show up according to preference. Users will always have a good experience and will be more likely to do business with recommended companies because these recommendations will be shown according to taste.

With these mutual benefits, average everyday people will always find what they desire, and they will not have to be bombarded with annoying advertising. Marketing experts will reach their goal of meeting their targeted market much quicker and easier than they ever imagined. No longer are advertising dollars going to be wasted on people who have no interest in a particular product or service.

Bright Age digital creative agency in Los Angeles is a full service firm that specializes in providing social media management services to a multitude of clients in a variety of industries. Company owners who are in need of expert social media management in Los Angeles can contact one of our friendly customer service representatives and receive optimal marketing solutions that will dramatically increase profits. Bright Age digital creative agency in Los Angeles offers exceptional quality services at unbeatable prices. Our professionals are highly trained and make providing social media management in Los Angeles their number one priority. It is our guarantee that nobody walks away unsatisfied.

Using Snapchat as a Social Media Marketing Tool

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In order to market successfully online using social media, it is important to continuously evolve a marketing strategy to improve results. Since the field of internet marketing is constantly changing with new technology, it is important for businesses to keep up with these latest trends. Snapchat has emerged as one of the leading photo messaging applications available in the marketplace. It allows users to share photographs and videos with their friends, which are commonly referred to as “snaps”. Users can then socially chat about each photo and video in order to pass the message on to friends. Since an increasing number of users are utilizing Snapchat today, it is growing in importance as a social media marketing tool.

Advantages of Snapchat

Businesses that adopt Snapchat will get to take advantage of an emerging marketplace where customers might be participating. As a growing social media network, it currently has 500 million videos and photos being shared on the channel each day. As proof of the platform’s potential value, Facebook offered $3 billion for the platform in November 2013. Additionally, Google offered the company $4 billion for a buyout. Both times, the company refused to accept the sale and instead took venture capital a month later. In face of being offered such large sums, the confidence of the company’s founders shows that the social media marketing tool is worthy of notice for businesses looking for growth opportunities today.

Using Snapchat

As part of a social media strategy, Snapchat offers businesses a way to share photos and videos of products in a place where customers will visit. By participating in this new channel, businesses can develop closer relationships with their potential and former customers. As part of a social media strategy, businesses should share new product updates, fun activities around their office, and participation in community events. By keeping the tone of posts and other content conversational in nature, businesses will likely be able to reach their target market by using Snapchat. This has the potential to make for more effective social media management in Los Angeles and around the country.

Geofilters

One great advantage of marketing with Snapchat is that it has extensive features that can potentially enable businesses to geotarget customers. By using a feature called geofilters, businesses are able to add a customized sticker to photographs that can only be seen by people within a specific geographic area. This means that images can be customized to an extensive degree to enable businesses to connect with customers in a specific area. By utilizing this effectively, businesses will be able to reach their target market locally at several different places at a time. For example, this could be used for social media management in Los Angeles to display specific photo elements only in the geographic area.

As an effective social media marketing tool, Snapchat will only grow in importance in the coming years. Businesses engaged in social media management in Los Angeles should start taking advantage of this new digital marketing strategy today in order to gain a competitive advantage over business rivals.

Working with a Social Media Marketing Agency vs. Self Promotion

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Getting yourself out there in today’s highly competitive and oversaturated online marketing world is a full time job in and of itself. If you are like most companies these days, you simply do not have the manpower to put your everything into your product development and keeping your current customers happy while you scour the Internet for new ones.

Working with a social media marketing agency will help you to get the recognition that you need in order to build a brand online while you focus on what you do best: servicing the customers that are being brought to you through superior Bright Age Digital Creative Agency social media management.

Social Media Management in a Globalized Marketplace

The nature of success in the globalized marketplace means outsourcing and efficiency. A social media marketing agency will be able to bring you the following in an efficient way:

1. Brand recognition

Branding is a slow process that does not bring immediate financial rewards. However, it does bring long lasting ones. The effort must be consistent or no results will be seen – the effect of branding is either great success or no success. The reason to outsource to a social media marketing agency is that they can handle this without interrupting the flow of day to day business. When things get busy in the office, you will not have to worry about missing a blog post or getting pictures up on Facebook consistently.

2. Community

A social media agency is much more proficient at creating a community around your product. You may not have the social skills that a marketing professional has, and if you do not, then you are missing out on the business from more casual customers who may be more attracted to a brand or a personality than by a product’s functionality. There is no reason to miss this business – simply let the professionals at the Bright Age Digital Creative Agency do the talking.

3. Influence

You need to be seen as an industry leader before people will buy from you. This means posting on messageboards consistently and driving traffic to your blogs. If you do not have experience doing this, it can be frustrating. The right social media professionals at the Bright Age Digital Creative Agency will be more than able to help you in this endeavor, leaving you to the job of creating the best content.

4. Website Traffic

Getting website traffic is a topic that takes up encyclopedia volumes at this point. There is so much noise on the Internet that even companies that are not in your industry can drive traffic away from your site. This will be less of a concern with a professional team driving targeted traffic to you.

5. Competitive Advantage

In short, working with a social media marketing agency gives you the competitive advantage of more visibility and better reach. However, you also get higher morale as you do not have to deal with the technical frustrations of getting this web traffic to come your way!

Social media management is not your job. It’s ours. Give us a call. Working with a social media marketing agency could be the best thing you ever did for your business!

The Role of Social Media Marketing in Very Small Businesses

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If you’re running a small business and you’re not taking advantage of social media marketing, you’re missing out on a virtual gold mine of new customers. If you are using social media marketing but you’re not doing it effectively, you’re even worse off- at that point, you are investing something which is doing nothing for your business- and may even be hurting it.

Deciding whether or not to outsource your social media marketing may be a tough choice to make, but it can rapidly increase profits for you and easily pay for itself if you pick the right company, like Bright Age, who is an expert in social media Los Angeles. They are able to create a buzz about your business and get people interested in it. If you can get likes on your Facebook page or followers on your Instagram or Twitter accounts, you’re exposing yourself to more potential customers, and if you’re putting quality content on those pages, it won’t be long until those potential customers turn into full-fledged customers.Social media is one of the most powerful tools that businesses in the modern age have. And it would be a shame to waste that tool. When it comes to social media Los Angeles, there is nobody better suited for the job than Bright Age. Running a successful social media marketing campaign takes alot of time, effort, and carefully executed decisions. By outsourcing, you’re getting a company that dedicates all of their time to social media- they know the ins and outs of all the websites, and they are the first people to learn all about the new big players in the social media world. The days of Facebook and Twitter being the only social media sites on which you can get business are long gone. And with a social media Los Angeles company helping you out, you can ensure that you have a strong presence on each and every one of them.So give Bright Age a call today and talk about what they can do for you. Once they get to work, you’ll quickly see how unbelievably powerful social media can be for getting more customers or clients to contact your small business. Just like your business is undoubtedly one of the best in your field, so too is Bright Age. They will get you more customers specifically through their mastery of the social media world, and it will only cost you a fraction of the profits that you will end up making simply because they gave you a helping hand.

The Best Times of the Day to Post on Social Media

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Most people post on their social media accounts spontaneously and without thought. There is an increasingly efficient way of posting updates and all you have to do is post at the right time of the day. There are times of the day when more people are on their social media accounts and that is when you want to post an update on your account in order to allow it to be seen by as much traffic as possible.

Different social media websites have different times when traffic is at its highest. The information below shows the best and worst times to post on various social media accounts. This can be used as a general guide even though all users are different.

Here are the best possible times of the day to post on all of your social media accounts!

Pinterest: Saturday from 2p.m.-4p.m. and 8p.m.-11p.m.

Twitter: Weekends from 1p.m.-3p.m.

Facebook: Weekdays from 6a.m.-8a.m. and 2p.m.-5p.m.

Google+:  9a.m.-11a.m.

LinkedIn: 7a.m.-8:30a.m. and 5p.m.-6p.m.

Blog: Monday, Friday and Saturday at 11a.m.

In addition to best times, here are the worst times to post on your social media accounts!

Pinterest: 5p.m.-7p.m. and 1a.m.-7a.m.

Twitter: 8p.m.-8a.m.

Facebook: Weekends and 10p.m.-4a.m.

Google+:  6p.m.-7a.m.

LinkedIn: Monday and Friday, 9a.m.-5p.m.

Blog: 11p.m.-8a.m.

Look below to see detailed graphs showing the best and worst times of the day to post on various social media websites!

best-times-to-post-on-pinterest

best-times-to-post-on-twitter

best-times-to-post-on-facebook

best-times-to-post-on-google+

best-times-to-post-on-linkedin

best-times-to-post-on-blogs

 

 

Marketing to Millennials This Holiday Season with Social Media Campaigns

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When marketing to millennials this holiday season with social media campaigns, don’t take this demographic for granted. Our Los Angeles social media marketing team has what it takes to reach this group without trying too hard.

We Know Millennials “Don’t Just Tweet at Home”

Referring to millennial marketing, Ryan Donegan from the Huffington Host says, “We don’t just Tweet at home.”

They always have somewhere to go and always have someone to see. Bright Age Digital Marketing Agency understands this, and uses it to a company’s advantage when promoting brands.

Donegan also states, “We appreciate clever viral ads as much as the next guy, but if it doesn’t contribute any new information that we can discuss, then it dies on the social wall of the first millennial in a circle of friends to share it.”

Bright Age Los Angeles social media marketing professionals know how to create a conversation that trends for days. We even keep the online interaction going when people have to reply from their smartphone, tablet or netbook.

Do Not Disquise Ads

When marketing to millennials this holiday season with social media campaigns, we keep in mind they know what our clients are trying to do — advertise. Therefore, we always clearly say what we have to say on behalf of any seller and never disguise our ads.

Although we don’t try to fool millennials into thinking we’re just trying to entertain them, we still put on a good show. However, we provide the perfect balance between that and introducing products, services, brands and websites to them. This is how we stay relevant when representing businesses who hope to make a profit.

Never Insult Anyone’s Intelligence

“Lackluster, rushed special offers and overpriced products won’t work like they used to,” says Donagen. He also states that “we’re quite possibly the most informed consumer generation ever to face marketing professionals.” Likewise, he says that his group of friends will have done their research and spoke with their friends before buying a product.

When marketing to millennials this holiday season with social media campaigns, we never assume that Generation Y knows nothing. In fact, were one of the only Los angeles social media marketing agencies that realizes how much they do know. Therefore, all of our digital content reflects that.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-donegan/marketing-to-millennials_b_4025881.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Los Angeles Social Media Contests: Grow Your Brand’s Community & Engagement

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It is easy to forget how much the web has changed in a very short time. Many of the people who foresaw the importance of social media ended up very rich, even though most people saw it as a passing fad until it hit the tipping point. At this stage in the game, a presence on social media has become essential for any business, large or small.

While companies use these new tools in a variety of different ways, social media contests can help get a business more recognition in a fun, engaging way. People love sharing what they love, which is the most powerful driver behind Los Angeles social media contests. However, getting a contest right can make a huge difference when it comes to completing the objectives set out at the beginning. A social media management service can keep businesses up to date about changes in international, national or Los Angeles social media contests.

The Viral Power of Los Angeles Social Media Contests

A social media marketing agency will generally employ a variety of tactics to get people excited about a campaign. Social media contests thrive when customers not only click and enter themselves, but when they also share their passion with others. Suddenly, from a simple fun activity for existing customers, a company has a viral campaign that spreads the word on its own. This offers the obvious benefit of saving extra money on marketing. It also means that the offer and, by extension, the product promotion, takes on a life of its own.

Viral Success Through Brand-Specific Contests

The key to viral success lies in product and customer knowledge and combining that with an idea that reflects something essential about the brand. Many a social media management service has made the mistake of offering up a free prize that has nothing to do with the core values and associations with the brand being promoted. This might result in some quick clicks, but those quick clicks will also be quickly forgotten.

Rather, companies should aim at getting all customers, new and returning, to come back and interact with the concept and the brand itself. This encourages a deeper relationship between customer and brand. With this in mind, any promotional offer, reward or prize should reflect an intrinsic aspect of the brand and how it relates to people’s lives. People love free stuff, but a social media agency Los Angeles or any other major market hosts has to develop contest incentives appropriate for each brand.

Los Angeles social media contests have impacted several companies and industries. The contest put on for this document company is a great example of some of the elements a social media agency Los Angeles embraces can achieve. The company carefully selected a prize that was valuable and rare, as the production may not come again to the city. It also picked a production that reflected the tastes of its customers and its broader demographic base of educated, savvy professionals with a particular comedic sensibility.

Drawing in New Customers

Of course, the ultimate goal for a brand during social media contests is attracting new people to discover it. As posts on social media often appear visible even to third parties who don’t know the original poster, an online sensation can bring in people who have never used or even heard of the brand. A social media marketing agency can help ensure that all the various stops on the web have been covered, which results in more opportunities for a wide variety of people to access the contest.

A final benefit of these contests can be easily overlooked by a social media management service. After the conclusion of the contest, a thorough analysis of how customers interacted and participated during the contest can prove as beneficial as the process itself. Whether internally or in conjunction with a social media management service, Los Angeles-based companies can get to know what makes their customers perk up and pay attention by evaluating each aspect and stage of the process. This data will serve to focus future campaigns online.

Using a Social Media Marketing Agency

Social media contests come in all shapes and sizes and each one should be approached with the brand and its customers in mind during the entire process. While companies often rush to get anything online just to have a presence, a close look at the objectives, means and results of a contest will greatly improve the likelihood of success. We know online marketing and can create stellar contests for businesses of any size looking to make a splash in social media.