Hi
3 crunchy bites this week
- Sneak Peak at New LinkedIn User Experience (UX)
- 2017 Facebook Content Marketing Plan
- Sifting Fake from Real News on Social Platforms
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Brynne Tillman
LinkedIn expert and blogger Brynne is more optimistic than I about the latest
changes to LinkedIn's user interface. I am particularly disappointed that everyone using the basic (free) membership now loses even the restricted access previously available to Advanced Search, and disappointed at the loss for those users of the ability to to tag connections - which has been a great way to organise your connections.
LinkedIn is an ever changing site, and has had a reputation of being difficult to navigate and challenging to find what you are looking for. Well, rolling out now is a not just a new UX but much improved. It is easy to use, clean, intuitive and sharp looking. It feels like a hybrid of desktop and mobile experience.
But there is always a trade-off. Many of our favorite free features have moved to Sales Navigator, but for many it is worth the sacrifice.
Among those thinking a basic membership is not enough for them anymore, and considering a Sales Navigator membership, the jump may not satisfy a cost-benefit analysis for many smaller operators. (Minimum cost about US$620 paid
annually, more paid monthly).
But if we're in business, especially B2B, we still need to make the best use we can of this now prettier, but less functional (for basic members) platform. For some the paid version will no doubt be worth the financial commitment. Some will stick with basic and make the best they can of it.
Your 2017 Facebook Content Master Plan - BuzzSumo and Mari Smith
This is
the recording of a full-on webinar by Mari Smith, who has probably forgotten more than most of us know about Facebook.
It's great content, with insightful, practical advice about how to make the best use of Facebook for your marketing in 2017. Don't try and multi-task, you'll miss too
much!
All the slides are there too and you can download them for closer study. At first I could not see how to download them, but then clicked on the IN symbol for LinkedIn, which took me to the slide deck's location on Slideshare (owned by LinkedIn), where I had the option of
either downloading the whole deck or clipping just the slides I wanted.
For me, the main lessons of this presentation were:
- Getting just "organic" (vs paid - i.e. FB ads) reach is becoming much harder - only 1-6%!
- If you want to get your story out you will need to look at some use of Facebook ads or sponsored
posts
- In the presentation Mari shows a process ("trick'?) she uses to alternate paid with organic promotion
- Facebook Messenger and video are aspects to watch/use in 2017
On the last point, I am finding more and more that people are using FB Messenger to reach me and I am doing more with that myself.
Mahesh Vellanki
It is unclear just how much the outcome of this presidential election was impacted by the fake news controversy surrounding Facebook and Twitter.
What is clear, however, is that social media companies will be held far more accountable for the content running through their platforms than ever before, and in 2017 they will have to find the sweet spot between free speech and censorship.
Facebook had a Trending News Team and the author indicates they were sacked for being biased, and replaced by an algorithm that apparently could not distinguish fake from real news.
This story is not going away.
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