10 Social Media Advertising Common Mistakes

Here are some examples of what not to do with your advertising. If any of them sounds familiar, be careful.Social media advertising, if not effective, can bring your company down. The good news is that even the big brands have made those mistakes in the past. Just learn from them and move on.

1) Targeting an audience that is too narrow

Yes, you should always be targeting your website’s audience because they know your brand and are more likely to consume it than a general audience. However, if you are prospecting for more customers, you don’t want an audience that targets only 25 to 35 year-old females in Atlanta. You will never find out if your ads are meant for a specific audience if it is too small.

2) Targeting an audience that is too wide

You need to find a balance between wide and narrow audiences. When targeting a huge audience, try including declared or deduced interests (like hobbies or purchases) on top of your lookalike audience.

3) Using wrong image size for your platform

Do some research on what each platform`s strength is in regards to images. Different social media applications allow for different image sizes. For example, twitter only allows very small images while Pinterest allows for massive ones. You don’t want to throw an image into your ad that cuts off people`s heads.

4) Not using text overlay

Text overlay is the “hook” to your net because it catches the eyes and gives the consumer an idea of what they are in for if they keep reading. Facebook and Instagram limit the amount of text you can overlay on your image to 20%. Follow this rule!

5) Leaving your campaign on too long

Make sure you are watching your frequency on your social media platform month-to-month, or even week-to-week if you are running a specific time-frame campaign.

6) Click-baiting

If you are click-baiting someone to click through to your website, you are wasting money. You will not only have to pay for an initial ad to them, but you will also have to do a lot of remarketing in the future.

7) Not providing enough information

Give people enough information so they don’t have to guess at what your company is all about. It will also used to weed out irrelevant users, optimize impressions and save you money.

8) Providing too much information

Again, it is all about balance. People are not going to read a huge paragraph; they don’t have time to do it. Shorten your sentences, use visual content and make the recipient feel compelled to read your ad!

9) No call to action

Tell people what to do. Using phrases such as “sign up” or “shop now” will make people assume that they are supposed to do more than just read the ad.

10) Sending people to your home page in every ad

Direct your audience instead of making them search around. If you are telling them to “shop now”, show them the specific product and guide them to that product page.

6 Ways to Strengthen Your PR Writing

Writing is one the most important skills to master in the field of public relations.

Although PR writing has different styles, the basic writing principles still apply.

Here’s 6 steps to improve your PR writing:

1. Open with a strong and compelling lead

Beginning with a lead that grabs the reader’s attention will compel them to keep reading.

2. Read your copy aloud

Before publishing, reading the content out loud is a helpful way to prevent editorial mistakes that may have been skipped over while skimming.

3. Say more with less

Instead of fulfilling a minimum word count with “fluff,” tighten your copy. Cut filler, simplify sentences, and delete jargon. Being brief is key.

4. Immerse yourself in great writing

Reading the work of other writers, whether it’s in books, magazines or newspapers will help you improve your craft.

5. Eliminate passive voice

Passive voice makes writing appear “weak.” Using active voice throughout your writing makes it cleaner, tighter and more authoritative.

6. Keep writing

Practice makes perfect—writing is no exception. Repetition is the best way to hone in on your writing skills.

Kathleen Porter – Finalist in San Diego Magazine’s 2017 Celebrating Women Awards!

ETCN Chair Kathleen Porter has been selected as a finalist in San Diego Magazine’s 2017 Celebrating Women Awards.  She was selected in the “Nonprofit Visionary” category for her exceptional work and dedication to ETCN and adult education over the past two years.  She will be featured in the September issue of San Diego Magazine and will be honored at the Celebrating Women dinner event on September 26 at The Westgate Hotel.

The final award winners will be named in each of four categories including: Industry Leader, Nonprofit Visionary, Rising Star and Military Service.  The Woman of the Year will then be selected from those categories.  The honorees are voted on by a panel of past Woman of the Year winners, and announced at the event.

Good luck, Kathleen!

Click here to see the full list of finalists.

5 Tips on How to Strengthen Your Online Presence

Although you may be working for a company, the most important brand you should be concerned with is YOU.

Not only should you be concerned with your personal brand in the work place and among peers, you should pay the same amount of attention – if not more – to how you convey yourself online.

Here are five tips to strengthen your personal brand online:

1. Spring Clean

Start going through your social media accounts and make sure there isn’t any evidence of misbehavior. Delete or un-tag yourself from any posts where you may look indecent or unprofessional. Keep your privacy settings up to date so that any negative conversations you may have had will remain unseen by visitors.

Including current material is very important. When people look at what you do, they shouldn’t be looking at what you did five years ago.

2. Network

It is not what you know, but who you know. Reach out to people. It doesn’t have to be often, as long as you stay in touch. A friendly “hello” or a brief conversation can go a long way. If you needed a favor, help or advice in the future, they will be willing to help you.

3. Stick to your niche

Avoid talking about anything. Stick to what you’re good at. When sticking to your niche, you sound intelligent and well-informed, the goal is to not ramble about any topic.

4. Create a website

If you invest quality time to build your own website, it will capture people’s attention in a way that will benefit you. Investing effort and time will make everything work out in your favor.

5. Sell yourself

There are approximately seven billion people in the world. This means there is a lot of competition for attention. If you want to compete, show your capabilities. Put your best abilities on your website and in your social media.

10 Tips and Tricks for Perfecting Your Photography

Besides the ability to write well the demand for photography and video skills are rising, given that nearly everyone owns a photography studio in the form of a smartphone. The question is how to do you take better pictures?

We gathered a few tips from photographers on how to perfect your shots:

1. Get closer.

It’s hard to capture detail from afar. Move in a bit closer for a photo that displays what you’re trying to convey.

2. Set the scene with your shots.

Shoot from far away, medium distance and close up. This is essential with video but also matters in still photography.

Example: Shoot a high-level overview of a farmers market, a person at a booth in said farmers market and a detail such as a close-up of a child getting her face painted. With these three shots in mind you can really capture emotion in an event with just a few photos.

3. Fill the frame.

You know those photos where your subject is standing what seems to be miles away surrounded by extraneous space? Don’t do that. When photographing a person, use the whole frame. Try not to put the head at the center of the frame.

4. Apply the rule of thirds.

Photographers consider this a basic tip, but many beginners don’t know it. Start with your subject a third of the way from either the left or the right side of your frame.

5. Look for the light.

The most important tip for amateur photographers is always look for the light. You should move your subject near the light. More light means less noise, truer colors and sharper photos. The best light is usually near a window. When taking a photo, put the window at your back, and move the subject close, but not into direct sunlight.

6. Get down and dirty.

Try different angles, which may require you to get a little dirty. If you kneel or lie on the ground, buildings will appear taller and more majestic. If you’re worried about messing up your outfit, bring a small blanket or scarf, she says.

Group shots are also better if you stand above — say, on a staircase — and shoot down.This allows you to avoid unflattering squatting poses.

7. Crop and filter.

Instagram brings good news and bad news: It raises the bar for professional photography, but lowers it for what will pass as a useable photo, Johansen says. With Instagram, anyone can learn how to compose images and have them look good without spending weeks and tons of money on film.

Crop and filter before posting. It’s not always possible to get a great shot, so take some time to remove extraneous bits and run it through a filter or twoGet comfortable with a photo editing app on your phone, such as Enlight or VSCO Cam, so you can rescue any photo mishaps immediately on deadline.

8. Treat images like headlines.

Hiring a pro is the best idea, but it’s important for writers to think about photos the way they do headlines and leads.

9. Watch the background.

Be hyperconscious about visual junk behind the subject. Visual junk is anything that distracts the eye — and therefore the viewer’s attention — from the actual subject.

10. Use drones, Steadicams or tripods.

Shots in motion make video look professional and cinematic. Shaky shots look cheap and unprofessional. Drones and Steadicam help you produce stunning shots. If all that is beyond your skill level, at least get a tripod to steady your shots.

3 Tips on How to Make Your Facebook Posts Stand Out to Consumers

When it comes to social media, Facebook no doubt reigns supreme.

Roughly 79 percent of internet users in the U.S. use the platform—and most use Facebook more than any other social media site or app. That presents a huge opportunity, and challenge, for marketers.

What makes a Facebook post get more likes, shares and comments?

Here are three elements of Facebook posts that can help win over consumers:

1. Short is sweet.

Long posts aren’t always best: Facebook posts which generated the most engagement had fewer than 50 words. Additionally, posts that shared links earned higher interaction when those links led to posts with only 1,000 to 3,000 words. Less is more when posting on Facebook.

2. Time your “likes.”

The best time to post on Facebook is during off-hours, when there is less competition to be seen in users’ news feeds. By posting on Facebook during off-peak hours, your posts have a greater chance of being seen, read and shared—setting you on the right track for greater engagement.

3. Share videos to captivate.

With so many Facebook posts dying to be seen and shared, grab readers’ attention through videos. They’re shared on Facebook more often than other types of content. Visual content is the most shared content, with videos being king.

Below are more surprising findings:

• Be Brief: the most engaging posts were less than 50 characters. Interactions dropped sharply when posts were longer.
• Link to long articles: Posts sharing links got more engagement if the links were to posts of 1000-3000 words
• 79 percent of Americans online use Facebook
• Questions got more likes than all other post types