Ever since the fateful night in December 2013 when Beyoncé dropped an unannounced self-titled album on iTunes, the game has changed for online launches. The trend has continued, with artists from Taylor Swift to J. Cole announcing new projects with little-to-no rollout.

As marketers, we look for the newest ways to attract attention to our products, programs, and clients. Surprise and delight applies to more than just fireworks shows. It’s become a strategy that brands can utilize to raise the bar.

Planning Plays a Critical Role in “Surprise Drops” for Online Launches

Knowing that digital is a playground for the creative, let’s talk about the ways you can use the “surprise drop” playbook to help you with your next release. You certainly don’t want the play you call to be the infamous “we’re gonna wing it!”

4 Key Plays to Help Run Your Online Launches Offense

1. Timeliness

Where you can, avoid stepping on the hem of another company’s announcement. While we can’t all be like Beyoncé and basically be the news no matter what, we can keep abreast of industry timelines. Whether it’s a trade conference or a competitor’s 50th anniversary, know when or when notto target an announcement. Aligning yourself with an event where your audience will be gathered can save on logistics – and help you get face-time with industry leaders and media already in attendance.

2. Cohesion

With everyone else agog at your surprise announcement, it’s not the time to have any team member go off-message. As the saying goes, “Proper planning prevents poor performance.” Strategize how the internal rollout will work well ahead of launch to ensure that everyone is in lock-step about the news. From front-line employees in sales and customer service to executives who will be in front of media or featured in online content, everyone should have a tight script that includes the necessary details.

3. Visuals

If there’s one thing where artists reign supreme when it comes to digital releases, it’s cohesive visuals and merchandising. From Beyoncé’s most recent marketing feat, Beychella, and the post-show release of HBCU and Black Greek-themed clothing, to J. Cole’s latest K.O.D. with its trippy drawings that reflect the anti-drug lyrics, marketing has clearly invested in creative direction. Whether you hire an in-house team or work with a third-party brain trust, work to make your designs as consistent and coordinated as your language.

4. The What-Not-to-Do Tip

It goes without saying: never pull a full Kanye.

Yes, you can be irreverent, even iconoclastic, in your marketing. But don’t alienate long-time customers and fans by being so completely off the mark that they abandon you in droves. Full explanation of Kanye’s latest antics.

A Little Planning Can Take Online Launches a Long Way

An unannounced or little-to-no rollout project drop is not unplanned – at least, it shouldn’t be. As we see more of these surprise drops, pay close attention to the coordination and consistency that’s obviously the result of planning, and by all means use the “key play” tips above to get started on introducing your own project. People may remember where they were when Beyoncé’s digital project dropped, and you can aim for the same results for your own.

Take a Page from Beyoncé’s Playbook – Tips for #Online Launches by @VeleisaP #RocksDigital
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Tempted to try a “surprise” launch? Maybe you’ve experimented with a no-rollout drop? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Take a Page from Beyoncé’s Playbook – 4 Key Tips to Use for Your Online Launches appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Most professionals you know are likely part of LinkedIn’s 530-million-user network. This number alone is why you should be maximizing all of the LinkedIn tools available to build your brand and business!

Leverage this Ever-Growing Platform with these LinkedIn Tools and Tips

After Microsoft purchased the network for $26.2 billion in 2016, many still wonder if the price was worth the actual value of the platform. You can decide that after you leverage these LinkedIn tools and tips I have for you.

Though users haven’t noted a large difference in online and app experience, LinkedIn has been expanding its development of content. The site now offers a daily news roundup and a library of online learning.

Additionally, you may have noted more video and long-form posts on your timeline, and it’s on purpose, as users begin to invest more time into cultivating a personal brand and following.

Four LinkedIn Tools You Must Use

Now the question comes up: Are you maximizing your LinkedIn experience?

1. Video Features

LinkedIn has significantly improved the user experience on their app, allowing for video and photo uploads directly to a post. There are super-users like Goldie Chan that post a stylized and effects-heavy video every day, sharing their client meetings, travel, and business perspective with their followers – and anyone who happens to come across the post.

Often, users who post videos play a game of tag, selecting members of their network to submit their own video on the topic of their choice.

To take advantage of video on LinkedIn, consider how to transform your expertise into small-size content bites – less than two minutes – and then turn the camera on. Perhaps you could shoot a short testimonial with a client, or feature a client who has advice on a relevant, of-the-moment topic. If you, your client, or your subject matter experts are camera-shy, consider enrolling in Toastmasters or media training.

2. SlideShare

Do you have expertise to share, and also happen to love producing visually engaging decks? LinkedIn SlideShare is a hidden jewel for trainers and those who love to share knowledge online. The social network makes it easy to upload your files and transform them into slides. While you are on SlideShare be sure to optimize for your profile for search. Here’s an example you can use.

SlideShare is one area of LinkedIn Learning, where you can peruse content from LinkedIn users and produced video content from experts in their fields. Learn about topics like business software and entrepreneurship, including Tableau and Google AdWords. While some content is free, the full course is only available to LinkedIn Premium users, so determine what is worth your investment after viewing the library of learning.

3. ProFinder

If you freelance, you need to be offering your services on the LinkedIn ProFinder site. Rather than worry whether or not someone will find your online portfolio, ProFinder links directly to your profile where you’ve already uploaded your greatest career hits. Submitting a proposal is a breeze through a short form detailing your pricing – hourly or flat rate – and the best way to contact you. If you have a need to hire for your company or your client’s business, ProFinder is an excellent supplement to tapping your network on Facebook.

4. LinkedIn Local Experiences

Ready to make your relationship official IRL? (For those who don’t use internet lingo that’s “In Real Life”.) Here’s how to do that: Sign up for a LinkedIn Local experience, where you connect face-to-face with the engaged users from your area. Here in North Texas, the Dallas Entrepreneur Center has played host to the LinkedIn Local Dallas events and they’ve received great feedback as a venue for conversation, friendships, and a touch of business. The hosts say that LinkedIn Local events are not the place to sell, source clients, promote a business or make a profit.

Perhaps you might want to consider partnering with an organization in your zip code and hosting your own LinkedIn Local event.

Build More Business with these LinkedIn Tools

I should end by first saying that this is not a sponsored post for LinkedIn. Over the years, LinkedIn has evolved as a B2B and person-to-person networking platform, and the changes can be transformational for elevating personal brands, business profiles, and for creating meaningful connections – and you can get started today!

P.S. Rocks Digital has more articles on leveraging LinkedIn. Access them here.

#LinkedIn #Tools and Tips for Maximizing Your Experience by @VeleisaP #RocksDigital #SocialMedia
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What steps are you going to take to maximize and improve your LinkedIn experience? Let us know in the comments!

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While most companies, brands and personalities prefer to keep a tight rein on access to their social media channels, social media takeovers can create awareness and leverage an influencer or celebrity’s reach to increase your own audience.

What is a Social Media Takeover?

A social media takeover is essentially when you or a client allow an influencer to manage their social media account for a period of time (usually only several hours). The social media takeover can coincide with the launch of a service or product, or with an event you want to amplify.

Who Should Host the Takeover?

The host of the social media takeover will depend on your goals for the launch, event, or whatever you are trying to highlight. For an event, perhaps you have a local radio host or online personality use Instagram stories to interview guests about their experience. If you have a new product, a subject matter expert could show off how they use the product in their daily lives through a how-to series of short videos.

How Do I Structure a Takeover?

You can do it one of two ways: record the videos and photos prior to the takeover and upload within the stated takeover timeline, or give access in real-time to the host, then simply change the passwords afterwards to maintain security of the account. Takeovers can be held on Instagram via Instastories or Snapchat, but with Facebook jumping into the ephemeral post world, you can cross-promote on there as well.

What Does Success Look Like with a Social Media Takeover?

You can measure in three metrics: new followers, engagement (likes, comments and direct messages), and website traffic sourced from Instagram or Facebook. Instagram allows you to point viewers to links via Instastories, making directing buyers to the “buy now” button even easier. (Note: this feature is only available for verified accounts.)

Also, be sure to ask your host to promote the social media takeover on their own channels. Engaged followers will come to see their favorite personality engage with your product, lending credibility to your brand – and earning your brand new followers.

Bonus Tip: Consider offering a giveaway prize for those who tune in for the takeover. Not only does it give you another way to capture information, but who doesn’t love a chance to win a product endorsed by their favorite influencer or celebrity?

The #SocialMedia Takeover: Using #Influencers to Grow a #Brand by @veleisap #RocksDigital
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Have you had a successful social media takeover for a client or your company? Tell us your story in the comments!

The post The Non-Hostile Social Media Takeover: Leveraging Influencers to Grow a Brand appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Facebook just rolled out a new platform, Facebook Watch, for shows on their network. Today we’ll take a look at how to use Facebook Watch. Content consists of episodes that can be recorded or streamed live. They will be available on the Facebook app and mobile site, and of course viewable on desktop and laptop devices. The episodes will be personalized based on what a user’s friends and networks are watching, as well as on their comments and reactions like “Haha” and “Wow.”

How to Use Facebook Watch to Reach Customers

Do you think this social media update help a business find their audience?

According to Facebook’s press release, Watch is a “platform for all creators and publishers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work.” Now that we have the details on Watch, let’s look at how Watch can help marketers touch their audience!

Get Started with Facebook Watch Tips

1. Use Serialized Content

For professionals looking to showcase their expertise, consider hosting a regular show addressing pain points and audience-submitted questions. Small business owners will benefit from keyword-driven content that can bring potential customers to their Facebook pages and websites, while larger companies become humanized as executives and subject matter experts come from behind the ivory tower and engage.

2. Livestream Events

Whether it’s the business’ annual conference or a demonstration of how the business maintains a fleet of safety vehicles, streaming live content allows viewers a behind-the-scenes look. While this may appear casual to the viewer, livestreaming requires buy-in from leadership and those involved to address “what if” situations and lack of editing. Preparation will be key.

3. Video Podcast

I recently wrote about what you need to launch a podcast, and now Facebook goes and takes it to the next level by incorporating video! Many subject matter experts host occasional video recorded podcast episodes to either interact with a live audience or to incorporate visual cues into an aural medium. Consider how you might enhance the typically sedate podcast by bringing in whiteboards or additional guests during videotaping.

Now You Know How to Use Facebook Watch, so Get Started!

People do love video. It’s a great way to engage customers, show some personality and drive sales, so be sure to incorporate Facebook Watch into your social media efforts.

How to Use #Facebook Watch for #Business Marketing by @veleisap #RocksDigital #SocialMedia
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Have you starting creating video yet? Why not take the first step with Facebook Watch? Share your enthusiasm (or hesitation) in the comments below!

The post Why and How to Use Facebook Watch for Business Marketing appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Maybe it’s your C-suite management or agency client who sees that all the cool kids in marketing are launching a titular podcast, and they want to join the party. Perhaps you, knowing that content is king and reading is so 2016, want to move into podcasting to better brand yourself as a digital marketing expert.

Important Podcast Stats

For leaders in any given industry, making a shift toward podcasting makes sense. In a 2016 study on the podcast consumer, Edison Research found a monthly estimated audience of 57 million listeners, with 27 percent of people age 12–24 listening to a podcast monthly. The sweet spot for marketers – age 25–54 – was close behind, with 24 percent listening monthly. Additionally, the report found 71 percent of listeners are streaming or downloading podcasts on their smartphone, tablet or portable device versus the desktop.

Plan for Podcast Success with These Tips

1. Invest in Sound Quality

There is nothing worse than listening to a podcast full of good information, yet the audio is so bad that you only hear 80 percent of what’s being said. With the popularity of podcasting, finding out the best (and most affordable) microphones isn’t any more difficult than a Google search. Consider also how you want to mix the sound after you record. What software is best for your needs ­– and fits the budget – so the audio is crisp, clear and free of background noise and static?

2. Create A Content Calendar for Your Podcast

Just like you plan, strategize and produce content for your blog and social media, you must do the same for your podcast. Outline your topics to allow for interview scheduling, real-time responses, and complementary content creation. The easiest way to start creating topics: what are the questions and comments you get from your customers?

3. Manage Your Tics and Tells

If you are anything like most people, you hate to hear your recorded voice. However, in listening to your own recordings before putting them into the world, you notice the quirks that could turn listeners off from you (or your client/C-suite manager). Habits like starting every sentence with “umm” or “so” can be self-corrected by taking the time to fully consider a statement before it is made.

4. Create Segments and Make Use of Silence

A favorite podcast of mine, How I Built This, is a masterclass in editing. The host allows guests plenty of time to think through their responses, and the producers insert breaks between segments. The editing helps the podcast feel like an episode with breaks rather than a drawn-out conversation.

How To Tips for Launching a #Podcast from @veleisap #RocksDigital
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What other tips would you give to future podcasters? Share them in the comments below.

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If you’ve been keeping an ear to the ground – and an eye on your social media apps – you may have noticed that Facebook and Instagram are both making moves into the space dominated by Snapchat. Facebook now delivers short-lived content (photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours) and both Facebook and Instagram offer you stickers and filters to spruce up your content. All these updates beg the question: If all social media sites are starting to offer the same content, which one is best for my client or business?

The Pros and Cons for Social Media Sites: Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram

Social Media Analysis: Snapchat

Snapchat Pro

Generation Z lives on Snapchat, and if your goal is to reach a younger audience, this is the channel that can pay off. Consider becoming a publisher and curate messages that can translate to the medium, which means getting creative.

Snapchat Con

Millennial audiences are shrinking on Snapchat (though the 45-to-54 share is growing), indicative of a shift of these viewers to other channels. With Millennials growing as a share of homeowners and buyers as well as decision-making parents, Snapchat may not be the best way to reach them.

Social Media Analysis: Instagram

Instagram Stories Pro

With its tie-in to Facebook and the addition of Snapchat-like features to the Stories, Instagram is primed to take over. Instagram has already surpassed Snapchat’s share of Millennials, according to The Next Web (200 million daily users on Instagram Stories versus 158 million on Snapchat).

Instagram Stories Con

The younger the user, the less utility they see in Instagram and its stories. Disappearing posts on Instagram are seen as a poor substitute for Snapchat, and Generation Z and some Millennials are loyal to the original. An Adweek survey asked 511 Instagram and Snapchat users between 13­­–34 how they felt about the two channels; 64 percent said that Snapchat was the “cooler” app.

Social Media Analysis: Facebook

Facebook Stories Pro

Facebook is a behemoth when it comes to the sheer number of users (1.23 billion worldwide monthly annual users as of December 2016), which translates to great potential reach and exposure for advertisers and publishers. For Facebook users who are not on Instagram or Snapchat, the Facebook Stories provide a fun feature that extends the amount of time that users are on the platform, a key measurement of usage.

Facebook Stories Con

As evidenced by the feedback from Snapchat users on Instagram Stories, imitation may not win over Generation Z and Millennial users who are loyal to the originator(s) of the 24-hour limit on content. While your Uncle Joe may love the ability to turn himself into a Power Ranger with facial overlays, his 12-year-old niece is likely to see it as an invasion of her Facebook timeline.

When deciding if Stories are of use to you personally, your business brand or your client, take into consideration the following:

• Budget
• Personality of your business, brand or client
• Resources to interact with others on platforms
• Ability to be consistent

Find out which #SocialMedia platform is right for your #Brand’s Story from @veleisap #RocksDigital
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Do you have experience with Snapchat, Instagram Stories, or Facebook Stories? Please share in the comments below!

The post The Pros and Cons of Social Media Sites for Telling Your Brand’s Story appeared first on Rocks Digital.