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Marketing Simplified

My Favorite Digital Hacks

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It’s Friday the 13th, and I have always been a superstitious person. Naturally, when days like this come along, I get highly stressed and try to do things to bring good karma my way. Here’s what I am doing today:

I often get asked for ways to gain visibility of followers quickly. I hesitate to give people “hacks” because building a quality audience is hard work and takes time. “Hacks” aren’t a quick fix, but they can be a minor acceleration…and that’s why I hesitate to give them out. I don’t want clients or students to be disappointed if it doesn’t end in viral growth. However, the following five tactics *might* get you additional visibility on the various platforms they entail, and if they don’t, it won’t set you back. So… worth a try, right?

…And if you appreciate the fact that I am finally divulging my favorite “hacks” please send good vibes my way on this very ominous day!

Hack 1:  Instagram reels vs. stories

If a product has a long shelf life in a grocery store, a customer is more likely to see a product on a shelf several times. Because that customer has had several “touches” or encounters with that product, that customer is more likely to convert than a customer who sees a product once or twice and never again.

Social media posts also have shelf lives (created by algorithms) and those shelf lives vary by type of post. Many of you have likely used Instagram stories as they’ve been an effective way to get more visibility for a while now. The problem is, their shelf life is short. Reels are great because they are posted in the feed, making their shelf life longer (and the Instagram algorithm currently gives reels more visibility). What’s more, you can share your reels to your stories just as you would a static post. I’ve been trying reels with many of my clients and have been impressed with the results. Why not give it a try as well?

Hack 2: LinkedIn Articles

Hello B2B colleagues… I have not forgotten you, but many marketers HAVE forgotten about LinkedIn articles. In fact, only 2% of businesses on LinkedIn have ever published one. I don’t understand why this is because when you post a LinkedIn article, it’s shared across the feeds of anyone who follows the business. It is also a great way to look like an expert in your industry if you write one (it essentially looks like a mini white paper on your profile). Think about what product or concept you can illuminate with a LinkedIn article and give it a try!

Hack 3: Pinterest post photos

Pinterest is another platform that thrives on shelf life, but Pinterest’s algorithm recognizes a new post each time the image is changed. If you share a blog post on Pinterest, prepare several photos for the post. Then, change the photo every day or two. This will refresh the priority that post is given when people search for that category (in other words, it will give it a higher chance of appearing on top). Let’s say you write a blog post once a week. Pick seven different photos for that post and refresh it each day.

Hack 4:  Repurpose Facebook Live videos

If you do a Facebook Live video, not only will you get extra visibility in the Facebook algorithm, but can also download it as an mp4 on your computer by using the three-dot menu on the upper right of the post. That mp4 file can then be reposted to YouTube. Not only will having a video on YouTube get you passive SEO (Google owns YouTube), it will also give you the ability to embed that video on your website or in your email marketing messages. What’s more, you can upload that video to rev.com and get a written transcript of it. You can then edit that transcript into a blog post if you did it on an educational matter. Phew! (And it all started with one Facebook Live video.)

Hack 5: Retweet.

Did you know that reciprocity is one of the most powerful theories of persuasion? No, it’s not just you who feels guilty when your friend buys you coffee until you pick up the tab next time… it’s all of us. On Twitter, the best way to get noticed by potential followers is not only to follow them, but also retweet their tweets. Just be strategic about it. If you publish a blog post on gardening, make sure you retweet the post of a fertilizer company that you want to notice you, versus, say, a clothing store. Then watch reciprocity in action.

That’s it for now. Happy Friday the 13th (I hope)!

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