What Makes Content Viral, Facebook Contest Examples & More

The sun has been shining in Ireland all week, it’s great to see the smile on peoples faces again. If you feel like getting out of the heat for a while this weekend here’s my suggested reading for you. Have a great weekend.

12 Great Facebook Contest Examples

Facebook competitions are always a topic of conversation when I run a Facebook course. I have written about them extensively in the past but I really enjoyed this article from RazorSocial that is packed with good ideas. I particularly like the idea of creating a leader board of people who have encouraged the most of their friends to enter.

How Not To Conduct Customer Service On Twitter

Twitter can be a hugely valuable customer service tool. I know that when I need help I am more likely to turn to Twitter than make a long phone call or email as the response time is usually quicker and the issue tends to be resolved quicker.

Lots of companies are doing this really well but some it seems have gone the automation route. Which is fine until you get caught out. Here is an example of it going wrong featuring Bank of America. It just goes to show why being personal and authentic on social media is important.

How To Write A Social Media Policy

Again I have written about this before but it’s always worth a refresher. It is important to have a social media policy, even if it’s a few paragraphs to guide you and your staff if you have them. This article from Likeable will get you thinking in the right direction.

Turn Your Phone – Vertical Video

This is a source of constant frustration to me. In fact I thought I was alone in hating vertical videos due to my TV and film background. Then Charlie Brooker announced his outrage about it on 10 O’Clock Live and I knew others felt the same way too. I love this video and song showing others the error of their ways!

8 Tips For Using Twitter More Effectively

My latest Twitter for beginners course starts over on We Teach Social on Monday. If you are new to Twitter this article on Social Media Today has some great tips for getting started. I don’t agree with all of the points made but it’s mostly great advice.

3 Things You Still Shouldn’t Do With Facebook Cover Photos

I’ve been away a lot over the last month, hence the lack of blog posts. When I returned last week I discovered that Facebook had removed the last rule for it’s cover photos. You are no longer restricted to 20% text on the image, you can use as much as you want to. This is great news, it means you don’t need to fiddle around with tools to make sure you comply anymore. Before you dive in and replace your existing image it’s worth reading this article and following the advice from SociallyStacked.

5 Elements Of Viral Content

It’s very hard to know what sort of content will go viral on social media. Sometimes we create something that we are sure is going to get picked up by loads of people and it doesn’t perform at all. Other times we throw something out quickly and it gets hundreds of shares. Although virility can’t be guaranteed there are a few elements that will increase the chance of your content getting shared and that’s where this infographic comes in.

And from Spiderworking.com this week

Make Your Photos Stand Out With Color Splash – Cool Tool

This is one cool tool I’ve already been using regularly. It allows you to highlight colour in one specific area of an image whilst turning the rest black and white. It can really give your images a bit of extra punch making them stand out on whichever social media site you use. More here.

How To Edit The Text On Your Facebook Images

This weeks video tip is a beginners Facebook tip. If you have uploaded an image but forgotten to add a link or maybe you’ve left a typo in the text this is how you can edit it.