Showing posts with label SOCIAL NETWORKS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SOCIAL NETWORKS. Show all posts

The Secret Behind Mashable Success


I am quite sure that almost every blogger is familiar with Mashable, A Blog which was founded by Pete Cashmore as Tech blog which focused mostly on social media and later grew into being one of the most followed sites in the world such that it has received a recognition by the the United Nations(UN). So much Success by Mashable has to be taken into a special consideration because mashabe was started by a Pete Cashmore as a single blogger who had a passion for blogging and writing social media related posts whereby he got to a point where his blog was making more than $3000 per month which gave him a chance to hire another writer and more writers he hired and as of today the site has more than 40 employees which are working together to keep the blog running.
If Mashable grew at a great rate then that shows that any blogger is capable of achieving that level of success only if that blogger would know the secrets behind the Mashable success and also have the confidence that made Pete Cashmore to Start Mashable, Mark Zuckerburg to Start Face and the confidence that Sifiso Nkwanyana had to start Ajaxsurf , bringing a better world of blogging experience.

In June 2009 Masable has become the leading technology blog as it overcomed Techcrunch which was the leading techblog at that time and has until today been the leading blog, mashable is indeed a tech giant but the most surprising part of it is that mashable was started without any money and but with a purpose. Starting a blog can be done with or without money, but the most important part of started a blog is nothing more but purpose, As a blogger you must have a purpose for starting the Blog.

•Having a definite purpose into starting something will help elevate the success rate of your site or online business, it is not my law or my rule but it is the strategy that is used by many successful people around the world, when mark Zuckerburg started Facebook he was not much interested in making monet from The Facebook but his purpose was to create a social network in which he would communicate with his friends and after a moment his app was getting downloads in the whole of the United States and from the other parts of the world. His purpose attracted him wealth and fame as big companies like Microsoft Corp. Had invested with more than $250M which shows that Facebook today is worth more than $100 Billion.
Apart from looking at the big Facebook we have to see the Power behind having a purpose into something and following it, as Pete Cashmore had a purpose to start a blog that speaks much more about social media and Technology , he followed his purpose and got the best out of it.

•The second most important part that has to be taken into consideration is that a blog should have a name not a "sub-name" because this is the mistake that most bloggers make when naming their blogs, Having a blog that is using a "sub-name" is not that bad but it is a clear defination of about how far you want to take your blog and at what position do you want your blog to be in the near future.

What is a sub-name?

A Sub-name is simply a name that that is reffered to another name, it is any name used under a certain brand name for example we have Adidas as a brand therefore a sub-name would be anything like Adidas wear, Adidas fashion and so on.
The use of sub-names is not that bad at all as it can be good for Search Engine Optimization the use of sub-names carry the keyword of another site which which can appreciate or depreciate the value of your site.

I have recently moticed many people using title blogger tips, Blogger widgets to name their blog which is an indication of how much they want their sites to rank online, when using a name that is from another site then that will give a negative impression about your blog to the readers as your blog will not seem to be unique due to the sun-name that is being used by the site.

When Pete Cashmore named mashable he came up with an idea which led him to naming his site as mashable instead of using the common sub-names used by blogger newbies and other bloggers but instead he came up with something real and unique.
Giving a site a unique Name not a "sub-name" will really boost your site and also improve it appearance on the social networks and also on the search engines. You should Come up with something new and amazing to the world by bringing a brand with a professional name which will soon become a keyword as I have seen some bloggers try to name their blogs after Mashable, they have named their sites with names such as Mashabletips, Mashablegeeks, mashableblog etc. thinking that using the word "Mashable" will boost the rank of their blog in the search engines. This spread of sub-names is all over on blogger and wordpress, people should look up to sites like Mashable when it comes to naming.

The type of domain used by a site was once a ranking factor on Google but not anymore as Google has been changing it policies to rank sites according to their work not because of the name they are using.

•Mashable is most known for its amazing use of social media in the past years and they were the first sites to master search engine optimization before most sites had an idea about it, this should give us a hint about the success of Mashable by using social media because today in the 21st century you have to know the important of social marketing as social media has the ability to bring fresh new visitors to your blog.

The impact of social media in the internet is so huge as of today and social marketing is the core to the online money making skill.

•Mashable is one of the most Addictive sites on the internet to both new readers and old readers it is very addictive, this is questioning about how do they got to be so addictive. There are many sites that have been functioning the same as Mashable but we got to ask about the factors that had put mashable right on the top of the corperate ladder.

Mashable has a beautiful  unique responsive template and uses a lot of attractive social media buttons to help improve and to motivate readers into sharing their post online through social media,
Mashable has been known also for its spreading of links on the internet which has improved it ranking because we as bloggers a blog does not only need backlinks to rank but it will also have to create internal links and also link to other giant sites on the internet, by doing so your site is creating what is called structured data which is the same principle that is used by google.

Must read: How to Get your Blog Content Displayed in the Google Quick Answer Box

The use of linking benefits a site rank on the search engines , Mashable has taken an advantage of this factor by distributing links all over the internet by getting to feature links from other articles across the globe. This shows that linking to other sites is very important.


The most important part that one should learn from Mashable is that apart from just linking to various sites on the internet they have made good relationships with a lot of sites and webmasters resulting to mashable receiving a huge number of backlinks and also some partnerships which helped increase the site revenue and it traffic.

How Can Instagram Be Used As A Marketing Tool For a Business?


 A Marketing Tool For a Business



If you pay time browsing through totally different skilled and private profiles on Instagram, you may  notice quickly that every profile encompasses a distinctive temperament or story that it's telling. for instance, you'll instantly see if one user loves cars or another one is concentrated on sports. Your business pictures on Instagram also will share an equivalent story or data regarding your company’s temperament and  company  philosophy.Is your company eco-friendly, targeted on social policy or budget-minded? outline what you wish to precise regarding your company to your users, and make certain that the photographs that you just choose illustrate this.

Use Short Descriptions

Many Instagram users can click on photos that capture their attention, they can browse through the outline that has been written regarding it at the side of the comments that others have announce regarding  it . With this in mind, you will think about getting ready a descriptive, sales-oriented endorsement that highlights mercantilism points or that entices your customers to require action.

Engage Your Audience

Instagram offers you over a unidirectional avenue of communication with customers. you'll encourage your customers to depart comments on your photos regarding their experiences together with your firms, feedback regarding changes they require to visualize and additional. additionally, you'll conjointly produce promotional offers that actively have interaction them which raise them to require specific action. There area unit easy ways in which to supercharge your content promoting efforts through partaking your audience. you need to comprehend them to prove your purpose to your audience.

Reward Followers and Likers

As a final step, you will think about satisfying your followers and people UN agency like your photos in several ways in which. for instance, new followers and likers might receive a promo code for a reduction on a web purchase or a coupon for a free item if they visit your brick and mortar location. Rewards encourage active user participation, and that they might even have an infectious agent impact for your promoting campaigns.


If you're finding out a good thanks to boost your promoting power in a very cost-efficient manner, social media promoting may be a fantastic choice. With the recognition of Instagram and its unimaginable reach, you will think about golf stroke Instagram to figure for you before long.


Ello and Other Social Networks' Mishaps




Ello’s Initial Attraction

The new social network Ello offered many features unlike Facebook. At first Ello’s entrance into the social media landscape this past September appeared to be about to take over the Facebook users. Young Facebook users were leaving Facebook in the millions, and Ello rushed in at this critical moment. What was their draw? The pitch was that Ello promised to have no ads, sell no data, have no requirement that users register with their real names and have no pornographic or obscene content restrictions. In its “manifesto” Ello stated: “Your social network is owned by advertisers. Every post you share, every friend you make and every link you follow is tracked, recorded and converted into data.” Ello boasted that their new social network revenue would be made when its users elected to use their special features. In the week beginning September 29th, owner Paul Budnitz reported receiving 27,000 requests to join Ello per hour. Riding the wave of positive press as many exited Facebook due to their new policy of “real name”, Ello appeared to take over as the new homeland social network.

Ello Blunders with Mistakes

However, Ello held the spotlight only a brief time. Mistakes were made with their launch that were without a doubt embarrassing for them.

  • No privacy controls or blocking options --One huge mistake was the launching of the Ello without privacy controls or options for blocking. A Tumblr post reporting this actually went viral overnight. At that point, Ello circulated e-mails to their users assuring them that “privacy features are coming to Ello very soon” and Ello’s policies would include a “zero tolerance policy” for any harassing or abusive behaviors. Privacy features and the functionality of blocking are minimum requirements for social network users.


  • Initial zero pornography tolerance -- Another mistake of Ello was their initial promise to have a policy of a zero tolerance for pornography. Based on this policy, sex author Violet Blues tweeted her friends the Ello policy is: “No porn. We know it when we see it.” Violet commented, “We can’t trust that.” After an exchange of comments, Ello quickly changed their policy concerning “sexually explicit content” on their Rules page. They also added a comment that NSFW (not safe for work) post rules are in development. Erotic artists or sex workers would have to wait in order to use Ello in the same way they had been using Tumblr or Twitter.


  • Slurs rules lack gravitas – Although the rules page pointed out that slurs were “very uncool” and that users can report uncool behavior through their recent privacy Email, you certainly would want to see these behaviors treated with more gravitas if you had ever been on the receiving end of Internet harassment or slurs. Users certainly would quickly exit the social network if this occurred to them.

  • Ello lacked personalization features – Unlike Facebook with a plethora of features to personalize, Ello’s options for customization were lacking. There was absolutely no way to resize your images on the Ello site. Therefore, the only way you could manipulate your images was with the use of software. Otherwise, your page and mine would look the same. Ello planned to make money through the sale of access to options and features. Perhaps, the exodus from Ello meant that users weren’t willing to pay.

With these errors, it is no wonder that Ello faded into ambiguity after having initially made news.

Social Media that Never Made a Big Splash

Google Buzz – Google Buzz was a social network developed by Google and also combined with Gmail, Google’s Email program. Google Buzz offered opportunities for users to share comments, status messages, photos, videos and links seen in the user’s inbox and ordered in conversations. With the discovery made by Nicholas Carson of a huge privacy flaw, not too many people wanted to use Google Buzz. The problem was that both the people you follow and the people that follow you were made public to users looking at your profile. They could learn who you chat or exchange Emails with. A class action lawsuit was filed with the FTC that resulted in an $8.5 million settlement. In October, 2011 Google Buzz was discontinued.

Bitstrips – Bitstrips could make you hate Facebook. Since most people hate the comics on Facebook, the fact that Bitstrips is all comics doesn’t thrill many people. Few positive comments have been made about Bitstrips. Bitstrips doesn’t use words, but instead uses a comic avatar to deliver your message. The problem is it wastes so much time. The novelty of it wears thin quickly.

Myspace – Although the social network Myspace had a good start, they were plagued by mismanagement, a faulty merger and a number of strategic blunders. One blunder was their allowing users to post everything and anything they wanted. Posts could be crude and offensive and not what any parent would allow. Also, the site was used mostly by musicians and artists to showcase their work. Many users simply saw no reason to stay. When Myspace returned, it was a platform for musicians and entertainers to stay in contact with their fans, but the exodus left no one to interact with. Though recently, Myspace has had a mini resurgence due to the social media phenomenon known as Throwback Thursday, where people post old photos of themselves with the hashtag #tbt.  Regardless, it will never see the heights of popularity it did during it glory days.

Giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google know that reinventing themselves is the key to staying relevant in the ever-changing landscape of social media. Whether Ello will gain prominence or continue to dissipate into oblivion remains to be seen, but if the aforementioned examples are any indication, Ello is saying goodbye in 2015.


Jessica Kane

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who has worked in eCommerce for the last five years.  She currently writes for Rakuten Super Logistics and recommends them for allyour online order fulfillment needsto further your success.


Email MarketingTips For Building Lists online

The use of a mailing list has become one of the most important parts of creating a constant traffic to your blog , beside the traffic that you get from a mailing list but it has a great potential of keeping visitors connected to your blog and helping you to promote your products and services online.
Let us take a look at email marketing because I have noticed that many bloggers have very little knowledge and understanding about it which is probably a bad thing if you want a constant blog traffic.

What is Email Marketing
Email marketing is a practice that is used to sell products and services using newsletters, it has been the best way in which bloggers and site owners has been able to keep visitors from leaving their sites and I will recommend it to all blogging professionals and site owners.


Email MarketingTips

Who are your blog's subscribers ?
this is the most important question that you should ask before getting into having subscribers because most email subscribers are not after the services that you offer but they are usually after the freebies that you offer to them for example maybe you are offering an ebook to build a mailing list then most of these subscribers will be after the ebook not your site , but as time goes on some are likely to follow your blog and all of the available services it offers.
At the other hand we have loyal readers who are very much interested into your blog services and the content that is offered by the blog, loyal readers are very important to any site because are the engine behind it success and running a scam or spam on your blog can make a lot of bloggers to loose their readers.

Things that may cause readers to unsubscribe from your blog

The type of Ads used
We must avoid using untrusted advertising services that are offering internet scams to the readers because it will all reflect back to your blog and thus causing damage to your site. There are many of these Advertising networks offering spammy ads , these Advertising services are good for monetization but will definately make your site to lose it readers.
I have used Qadabra and Bidvertiser which are probably one of the high paying advertising services but the bad thing about them is that most of the Ads they have are possible online scams. if you are suspicious about the advertisements in your blog then you can Simply Delete them from your blog because the can really cost you your loyal blog readers.

Production of low content
Low quality content will reduce your readers trust towards your blog , when doing some email marketing you must ensure that reader satisfaction is improved. It happens that some of your readers and followers are busy people who potentially don't want their time to be wasted over posts that are low content.
In my recent blog posts I have always motivated the important of quality content as it plays a big role in improving a blog, and most importantly try to be professional by producing quality content.

Bad Blog design
The design of your blog matters the most and I would motivate bloggers to use quality templates for their blogs because most of the readers are mostly satisfied with the beauty and the graphics in the template design. A bad design can cause your readers to lose interest as they may see your blog as unprofessional.

Involvement with spam sites
As a blogger who wants to increase traffic I would motivate that you don't associate your blog with spam sites because I assure you that about 99% of readers hate spam and they may unsubscribe from your blog anytime they notice any involvement with spam sites.

Bookmarking of widgets and Templates
I know that SEO niche bloggers and webmaster sites like to bookmark their widgets with dofollow links that link back to their sites. Readers hate these attribution links because they make the site look unprofessional.
Most readers want free premium widgets and services that will benefit them, bookmarking widgets by adding a link of your site is very good for having an improvement on Alexa and the PR but keep it in mind that readers are strictly against it.

Best ways to Email Marketing

Email marketing was not my favourite part of blogging until I read some testimonies from other blogger and when I tried it I saw great performance in my blog traffic in a way that every post that was published had a number of pageviews within 30 seconds which shows that In every post you publish in your blog the first traffic to that post is directly from the email subscribers. Below I will show you some simple unbelievable tips to grow your network.

Email marketing

  •  Sign up for an email marketing network
Email marketing network have been used by many bloggers and entrepreneurs to make money using a news letter , this currently the best marketing strategy as it sends the message directly to the target customer. The newsletter is mostly used by many companies around the world to contact customers and keep them updated about their products and mass sales. It is simply the best.
The most active Email Marketing network used by online businesses is Aweber which has a lot of awesome features that can make your email marketing campaign a success , You Aweber sign up for Aweber at as low as $1 in your first month . Apart from Aweber is also another quality Email Marketing network that has been used by many bloggers had been turning to Mailchimp which is free for the first 2000 subscribers you get and then then they will start paying  continous monthly payments.

  •  Offer some freebies to keep your readers connected
Many readers that enter your blog daily are not interested in signing up for your blog but they are only after the content that is offerred and once they got it they are gone from your site and it is very likely that they may return, this is a problem that most site owners are facing and it is very hard to control until an investigation showed that offering ebooks and other free useful resources to the readers in exchange of subscriptions has a potential of increasing email subscribers to a stunning rate of 400% or more.

  •  Have a responsive newsletter
A responsive newsletter is a type of newsletter that is easily accessible through all display screens, this includes mobile phones and also tablet devices because it is very true that some readers will also use mobile phones instead of a computer to access your site.
Using a responsive newsletter ensures that your readers will receive the posts the way you want them to appear, and plus it will make your revenue chances to be unlimited.

  •  Use RSS to Mail Feature
This type of feature is very common to blogger as it is also available at Feedburner which automatically sends latest blog posts to the mailing list.

  •  Avoid too much promotion
Too much messages on an inbox are really annoying to anybody that does not want to get their mail boxes flocked with unwanted messages. I will really motivate that you try to post less than 3 messages to your mailing list . I myself hate to get my mail flocked with messages.

Conclusion
A blog without email marketing is incomplete , every site should have a list of subscriber that are connected to its services.